Al-Qaeda’s Kashmir representative Zakir Rashid Bhat alias Zakir Musa and chief of Ansar Gazwat-ul-Hind has said his group follows the methodology of Afzal Guru and will “fulfil his dream by freeing the resistance movement from Pakistan influence”.
The authenticity of the audio message, released on Sunday, however, couldn’t be verified independently. In an audio message, Musa while quoting from Afzal Guru’s book Aaina, said, “Shaheed Afzal Guru has always maintained that a Pakistan-backed jihad in Kashmir will be bereft of its fruit… Why should we pin our hopes on a nation and not on our religion.” He also asked Pakistani militants to join his group to fight for an “Islamic cause” rather than for a nation.
“When Pakistan has good relations with India, it detains you (militants) and when it has bad relations with India, it asks you to cross the border and fight against India,” Zakir said. After enumerating top Pakistan-based militant commanders like Sajad Afghani, Akbhar Bhai, Ahsan Aziz, Ilyas Kashmiri, Gazi Baba, Abdullah Uni, Abu Qasim and Abu Dujana, Zakir said that they all had come here to fight after “reading Surat-ul-Anfal and Surat-Tawbah”. Zakir also asked Kashmiri youth to “Islamise your outlook and prepare for Ghazwa-e-Hind in near future”. Zakir, a native of Tral town like Burhan Wani, took over from the latter after his killing on 8 July 2016.
Before picking up arms, he was studying an engineering course in a Chandigarh college where he is believed to have lived a carefree life. Unlike his earlier video and audio messages which were impromptu and bereft of eloquence, Musa’s new audio messages are well drafted. Apparently, he is reading out from a written document.