December 25
Zakir Rashid Bhat was born in Noorpora, Tral in South Kashmir, His father is Abdul Rashid Bhat, a senior engineer working with the state government, his brother is a Doctor, Musa was admitted to class 9 at Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya in Pulwama in 2008; he continued his studies at Noor Public School up to Class 10. He then went to the government higher secondary institution at Noorpora and passed his 12th in 2011.
He later joined Chandigarh University for Civil Engineering, but left CU, in 2013 and joined the militant group Hizbul Mujahideen in the autumn of 2013, there is less known about Zakir Musa, except for some reports that the A++ category militant, who unlike other top Militant commanders has maintained a low profile and was reportedly seen in Punjab recently. He is one of the three Militants surviving from Army’s initial list of twelve Most wanted Militants.
It was reported on 12 August 2017 that Zakir Musa along with his close aid escaped an anti-Militancy operation with the help of locals in Noorpora village of Tral. In an audio message released later on August 31 2017, Musa attacked Pakistan for “betraying Kashmir jihad.”
Zakir in his last audio in August this year spoke about having chosen the path of famous Sufi saint Mir Syed Ali Hamdani from Iran, who is credited with spreading Islam in Kashmir. Musa in May 2017, about chopping off heads of Hurriyat leaders in Kashmir, The statement had in turn, evoked a sharp response from Hizb which finally made Zakir part ways with Hizb.
Later he created, Ansar Ghazwat ul Hind in July and gained support on ground and as per Police has also support within other Militant group, in One of the deadliest operation against Zakir’s outfit, six slain militants affiliated with him were killed in an operation in Arampora in South Kashmir’s Tral Hamlet.
According to a news portal, thousands of residents of Tral came out, according to the testimony of the father of a Militant, when Sauliha Muhammad alias Rehan, his son came out and only two to three had weapons, and others were shouting the slogans of Allah o Akbar (God is Great) and within no time, the whole area reverberated with their slogans, the residents thousands in number came out hearing their slogans, but not before six Militants had been killed.
Earlier on November 27, another wanted militant and close associate of Musa, Shakir Hassan Dar, was killed in a gunfight with forces in Tral.
Police officials say that Zakir Musa is now hardly left with four to five Militants and he is likely to recruit more youth “It will be tough for him to keep himself aloof now as his second in command, Saliha alias Rehan Khan was killed in an operation,” he said.
He added that Zakir Musa did find support the last year but not recognition, he is just a slogan, nothing more, his direct confrontation with Hurriyat and his pan Islamic thought does not find any support in Kashmir.