Early Times Report
Jammu, Feb 21: Has dread Al-Qaeda, responsible for scores of deadly terror attacks across the globe, entered Kashmir Valley? If reports emanating from Kashmir are any indication, then the answer seems to be in the affirmative. And it should be a matter of grave concern for the country already witnessing at regular intervals terror attacks, the latest being on the Sunuwan Army camp in Jammu on February 10.
A report from Srinagar on Wednesday said: "A week after two unidentified gunmen killed former militant commander and separatist leader, Mohammad Yusuf Rather, shooting him dead inside a passenger vehicle, the police is investigating claims made by Al-Qaeda's Kashmir head, Zakir Musa, that the killing was carried out to warn Hurriyat parties against pursuing secularism".
It needs to be underlined that Rather was associated with Syed Ali Shah Geelani for years and was liquidated by two gunmen on Saturday. He was gunned down while he was going from Beerwah in Budgam to his house.
The killing of Rather evoked a strong protest and a shutdown was declared in Kashmir. It was in response to this protest, coupled with a shutdown call, that Musa reportedly released an audio file claiming that "he ordered his men to kill the Hurriyat leader". His audio file also said: "Kashmir's battle will not be political but in order to establish the rule of Islam. These dishonest Hurriyat leaders don't understand. If they want to run their politics, they shouldn't become a thorn in our way, or else we will chop off their heads and display them at Lal Chowk. This is why we had to kill Mohammad Yusuf Rather".
"Our Kashmir's battle is for ensuring glorification of Islam and we will establish the Shariah system of Islam. My appeal to all who want to enforce religion is that it should be followed first by oneself. We should become dear to Allah and tie the rope of the Almighty with strength and not repose faith on anyone else," the audio file further said.
Who is Zakir Musa? He is the head of Al-Qaeda affiliate Ansar Ghazwatul Hind. The latest audio release came months after he had accused Pakistan of "back-stabbing militants", following US' attack on Afghanistan. Earlier, he had said that "even as foreign militants were fighting in Kashmir, the Pakistani government got militants killed, and even closed the training camps".
Reports about the presence of Al-Qaeda in Kashmir must make the Army, CRPF, Police and intelligence agencies sit up and evolve and implement a policy that nips the evil before it is too late. |
