Armed Militants Make Appearance at Public Rallies in South Kashmir
Tension in the Valley remains high as three more protesters were killed on Friday.
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Gunmen were seen at a public meeting in south Kashmir on Saturday, reports The Indian Express. One of the gunmen was identified as Abu Dujana, a Lashkar-e-Taiba commander, at a rally on 1 August in Pulwama.
The public rallies with militants, held in protest of gunning down of Hizbul commander Burhan Wani, were held in Kaimoh and Bijbehara regions.
As the gunmen’s presence attracted attention, Syed Salahuddin, Hizbul Mujahideen chief and chairman of the United Jihad Council (UJC), called for militants to put a stop to such appearances.
The latest appearance of these masked gunmen was at a rally in Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti’s native place, Arwani near Bijbehara, reports The Tribune.
The militants urged people to follow the separatist leadership — Syed Ali Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Yasin Malik. The people not responding to the call by separatists will be considered as “enemies of Islam”, the militants reportedly claimed.
Clashes between protesters and security forces have claimed close to 50 lives in the Valley.
Source: The Indian Express, The Tribune and PTI.
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