In a video that surfaced on social media, the Hizbul Mujahideen threatened to behead the leaders of the separatist Hurriyat, for calling Kashmir “a political struggle”, and not a religious war.
Although the identity of the person behind the voice-over in the video was not revealed, it has been identified to be that of Zakir Musa, a top Hizbul Mujahideen leader. The video clip contained a series of Islamic quotes about the religion and Sharia.
Speaking to The Hindustan Times, Ayaz Akbar the spokesperson for the Hurriyat Conference said that “the matter was being looked into.”
The video clip comes in response to a joint statement issued by Hurriyat leaders Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Yasin Mallik. The leaders had said that the struggle in Kashmir had nothing to do with Islamist groups like ISIS or Al-Qaeda.
“Terrorism and freedom movement are poles apart,” they said in the statement.
In the video, Musa questions the need for the Hurriyat to preach in mosques and use religious slogans such ‘La Illaha Ilallah’ in their addresses to the public. The video further goes on to say that the Mujahideen will hang the heads of the leaders at the Lal Chowk in Srinagar, which is prominent for anti-India uprisings.
The video has created a platform for debate in the Valley, with many claiming it to be work of ‘Indian agencies’. Some others expressed shock at the video targeting senior leaders.
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