Zakir Rashid Bhat
Zakir Rashid Bhat (also known as Zakir Musa) was the commander of Hizbul Mujahideen after the killing of Burhan Wani and Sabzar Bhat, who were the former commanders of the same outfit. He later became the chief of Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind.[3][2]
Zakir Rashid Bhat
Position established
Hameed Lelhari[1]
Hizbul Mujahideen
(2013-2017)
Al-Qaeda[3][4]
(2017-2019)
Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind.[3][4]
(2017-2019)
2013–2019
Commander of Hizbul Mujahideen (2016–2017)
Commander in chief Emir of Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind (2017–2019)
Early life[edit]
Zakir Rashid Bhat was born in Noorpora area of Tral in the Pulwama district of the Kashmir Valley of Jammu and Kashmir, India to parents Abdul Rashid Bhat and Maimoonah Bhat. His father Abdul Rashid Bhat, a senior engineer working with the state government.[2] Musa studied at Noor Public School up to 10th, and then attended the government higher secondary institution in Noorpora where he passed his 12th in 2011.[2][5]
Call for return of Kashmiri Pandits[edit]
Musa, like his predecessor Burhan Wani, asked the Kashmiri Pandits to return to their homeland.[19] He stated during a video released after the killing of Burhan Wani in 2016, "We request Kashmiri Pandits to return to their homes. We take the responsibility of their protection."[20]
Death and aftermath[edit]
Zakir Musa was killed after an 11-hour long operation.[21] Musa was killed by security forces in an encounter at Dadasara village in Tral on 24 May 2019.[22][23]
In the aftermath of Zakir Musa's encounter, as a preventive measure to protect civilians the government authorities snapped internet services in the entire Kashmir region. Curfew was imposed in all the major towns of the valley, including in the main city of Srinagar, also schools and colleges were ordered to remain shut in some areas. [24][21]
At the time of his death, the BBC News described him as "India's most wanted militant".[3][24]