In Pakistan-administered Kashmir, a former Kashmiri militant was killed in a mosque, marking the third targeted killing of its kind this year, according to officials. The region of Kashmir is claimed by both India and Pakistan, with only partial control being exerted by each country. This territorial dispute has led to two wars and numerous clashes between the two nations since 1947. India has long accused Pakistan of supporting Islamist militant groups fighting for Kashmiri independence, while Pakistan denies these allegations and accuses India of backing separatist rebels within Pakistan.
The victim, Muhammad Riaz, also known as Abu Qasim Kashmiri, was shot by an unidentified person in a mosque in Rawalakot, a town situated 130 kilometers south of Muzaffarabad, the capital of Pakistani Kashmir. Police authorities report that Riaz was shot four times by an assailant wearing a motorcycle helmet. The investigation into his death is still ongoing, according to Shehryar Sikandar, a senior police official in the area. Riaz originally came from the Surankot area of Indian-controlled Kashmir and migrated to the Pakistani side in the 1990s.
Locals knew Riaz as being associated with Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD), a charity organization linked to the militant group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT). India accuses LeT of orchestrating the 2008 Mumbai attack, which claimed the lives of 166 people. A spokesperson for JuD did not respond to Reuters’ request for comment. In the past, Pakistan accused India of planning a bombing near the house of Hafiz Saeed, the founder of JuD and LeT, although India denied involvement.
Sardar Rizwan Hanif, a member of Jammu Kashmir United Movement, stated that Riaz was killed due to his association with the cause of Kashmiri independence. Hanif added that Riaz was wanted in India. Syed Salahuddin, the leader of the Kashmiri militant group Hizbul Mujahideen, condemned Riaz’s killing. This incident is the third of its kind in Pakistan this year. Earlier, in February, Bashir Ahmed Peer, also known as Imtiyaz Alam, a former commander of Hizbul Mujahideen, was killed in Rawalpindi. Additionally, in Karachi, Syed Khalid Raza, an educationist and former commander of the Al Badr Mujahideen group, was also targeted and killed.
Tariq Maqbool from Muzaffarabad reported on this story; the article was edited by Gibran Peshimam and Hugh Lawson.
Credit: The Star : News Feed
