Pulwama, May 24, KNT: Zakir Rashid Bhat, widely known as Zakir Musa, emerged as one of the most prominent militant leaders in Kashmir over the past decade, gaining prominence after the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani in 2016, officials and residents said.
Musa, who hailed from Noorpora village in the Tral area of south Kashmir’s Pulwama district, had been active in militancy for nearly six years before he was killed during an encounter with security forces in the Dadsara area of Tral.
His killing triggered widespread reactions across the Valley, with large numbers of people visiting his native village and the encounter site to pay tributes.
According to local residents, Musa came from a relatively well-off family in Tral.
His father, Abdul Rashid Bhat, served as an assistant executive engineer before retirement.
His elder brother, Shakir Rashid Bhat, works as an orthopedic surgeon, while his sister, Shaheena Rashid Bhat, is employed in the banking sector.
Musa reportedly left his engineering studies midway at Ram Dev Jindal College in Chandigarh in 2012 before joining militant ranks.
After entering militancy, he developed close ties with Burhan Wani, another prominent militant commander whose social media presence had gained significant attention among youth in the Valley.
Residents and security officials said Musa and Wani worked closely together and played a key role in mobilising recruits for Hizbul Mujahideen during that period.
Following the killing of Burhan Wani in July 2016, Musa was elevated within the organisation and was appointed as the commander of Hizbul Mujahideen for Kashmir.
However, ideological differences soon emerged between Musa and the group’s leadership.
In 2017, Musa publicly announced that his struggle was aimed at establishing a caliphate rather than seeking Kashmir’s merger with Pakistan or the creation of an independent state.
He also criticised sections of the separatist leadership and issued controversial statements that drew widespread attention.
When Hizbul Mujahideen did not endorse his ideological position, Musa eventually parted ways with the group and formed a separate outfit named Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind.
Security officials said the group operated independently and Musa continued to remain active in south Kashmir.
Musa had also become a widely discussed figure in the Valley during this period, with slogans invoking his name sometimes heard during protests and public gatherings.
His presence had drawn particular attention when a photograph showing him in Srinagar’s Barzulla area alongside another militant, Latif Tiger, circulated widely on social media.
Officials said the photograph prompted security agencies to intensify efforts to track his movements after he appeared to have entered the city.
According to police records, multiple cases were registered against Musa in connection with militant activities and attacks.
Authorities said he had been accused in cases related to grenade attacks on security installations, weapon snatching incidents, arson attacks on government buildings, bank robbery and other militant operations.
Police records also indicated that he was wanted in connection with several militancy-related cases registered between 2014 and 2018.
In addition, the National Investigation Agency declared Musa a proclaimed offender in May 2019 in connection with a case linked to a blast incident in Jalandhar in Punjab.
Following the encounter in Tral in which he was killed, tens of thousands of people were reported to have visited the encounter site in Dadsara as well as his residence in Noorpora to pay tributes.
Security forces maintained a heavy presence in the area amid heightened tensions across parts of the Valley. [KNT]
