A bike and a car gather dust in the beautiful lawns of Abdul Rashid Bhat’s residence in Noorpora in Pulwama district. Both the vehicles belong to his younger son, Zakir, who now commands the Hizbul Mujahideen in Kashmir. Zakir Rashid Bhat, alias Zakir Musa, took over the reins after Burhan Muzaffar Wani was killed on July 8, 2016.
Zakir, 22, was reportedly a fun-loving person before he joined militancy. He enjoyed his bike rides, often zooming down the slopes of Tral. The car was a gift from his father, an engineer with the state government, following his admission in an engineering college in Chandigarh. Neighbours said youngsters in the area would envy Zakir’s lifestyle.
“Despite all the comforts of life, he chose this path,” said Bhat, his eyes welling up. He has been missing his son ever since he joined the Hizbul Mujahideen on July 17, 2013. Bhat said he was more fond of Zakir than his elder son, a doctor, and his daughter, a bank executive.
In a letter to his father, Zakir wrote about the injustice meted out to Muslims in the valley and outside. Jihad was the only solution, he said. Tech-savvy like his predecessor, he often releases small video clips exhorting people to support militants in whatever way they can. In one of his recent videos, he thanked the youth for coming to the rescue of militants during encounters. “This, you should do only for the sake of Islam,” he said. “We are fighting only for the sake of Islam.” He also asked youngsters to send messages on WhatsApp and to keep an eye on troop movements.
Requests for help and support apart, there have been threats, too, especially to policemen, warning them against harassing families of militants, and to political workers, asking them to support the tehreek (movement).
