In a major blow to militancy in Kashmir, Ansar Ghazwat Ul Hind founder and chief Zakir Rashid Bhat alias Musa was killed in a gunfight with security forces in Tral area of south Kashmir Thursday evening.
Zakir hailed from Noorpora area of Tral, he first joined theHizbul Mujahideen militant outfit in 2013 and went on to become close aide ofHizb commander Burhan Muzaffar Wani. Both worked together to strengthen theoutfit and within years the outfit rose to prominence, recruiting plenty ofyoung and educated youth in their ranks.
After Wani’s killing in July 2016 Musa took over thecommand. However, he hit the headlines in the summer of 2017 when in a videomessage he declared fighting for caliphate and not for joining Pakistan orcreating an independent state. He also threatened Hurriyat leadership of direconsequences who he thought were a hurdle in the establishment of caliphate.
However, his views were not endorsed by Hizb leadership followingwhich he parted ways and formed his own outfit Ansar Ghazwat Ul Hind.
Zakir came from a well off family. His father Abdul RashidBhat is a retired assistant executive engineer. His elder brother Shakir RashidBhat is an orthopedic surgeon and his sister Shaheena Rashid Bhat is a banker.
In 2012 he left for Chandigarh to pursue engineering at RamDev Jindal college but left it midway and instead joined militancy.
Hundreds of his friends and his family and relatives werewaiting for his body till late night outside police station Awantipora. Thebody was not handed over to them when this report was being filed.