Shopian encounter: Hizbul names new commander after Ghaznavi's death

New commander Muhammad Bin Qasim could be Riyaz Naikoo

A day after the killing of its operational chief Yasin Yatoo alias Mehmood Ghaznavi, Hizb-ul-Mujahideen Tuesday named Muhammad Bin Qasim as the new "field operational commander" of the outfit.

The announcement was made after Hizbul chief Syed Salah-ud-din headed a meeting of the outfit’s “command council” in Muzaffarabad (in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir).

“The meeting has decided to give the responsibility of operational commander to Muhammad Bin Qasim,” Hizbul chief spokesman Saleem Hashmi said in a statement to local news gathering agency KNS.

Ghaznavi along with his two associates were killed in a fierce gun battle in Awneera, Shopian in south Kashmir on Sunday morning. Police termed his killing as a major jolt to Hizbul and a major achievement for the security forces.

As there is no militant by the code name of Muhammad Bin Qasim in the police records, sources said the new commander could be tech-savvy Riyaz Naikoo, considered a moderate among the hardline Hizbul militants.

"Muhammad Bin Qasim name could be given to anyone by the Hizbul. But among the remaining commanders who have the ability to take over, there is Riyaz Naikoo at the number one. The Hizbul leadership in PoK has complete trust on him and he has a good influence over his cadres,” a senior police officer told DH.

The other reason for Hizbul to nominate Naikoo as next chief, he said, could be to counter the narrative that militants in Kashmir were fighting for Caliphate and imposition of Sharia. "The Hizbul leadership in Pakistan is under tremendous pressure from ISI after Hizbul former commander Zakir Musa spoke about establishing an Islamic caliphate in the Valley besides threatening separatist leaders," the officer said.

After the killing of Burhan Wani's successor, Sabzar Bhat on May 28, speculation was that Naikoo could take over the reigns of the largest indigenous militant outfit in Kashmir. However, that time the Hizbul preferred Ghaznavi as he was the longest surviving militant in the Valley and had played a key role in recruiting several young men into the outfit.

The Hizbul could use the abilities of 27-year-old tech savvy Naikoo to galvanise support for militancy through social media campaigns, he said. Naikoo along with Saddam Padder and Altaf Kachroo, are among the oldest members of the Hizbul and rated 'A++' category militants who carry a reward of Rs 12 lakh on their heads.

Naikoo, police believe has the edge over both Kachroo, a resident of Kulgam and Padder of Heff, Shopian, as he is much literate than both of them. Kachroo and Padder have not studied beyond Class X while Naikoo is better qualified than the two.

A native of Durbug in Awantipora, Naikoo is said to have escaped from the trap laid down by the security forces several times over the past three years. According to police records, Naikoo after his release in 2014 when he was detained under the public safety (PSA) got recycled into militancy. Naikoo, who is wanted in several killings including those of police officials, was a close associate of slain Burhan Wani and was seen in some photographs with him last year.

Hizbul is almost as old as the Kashmiri militancy which started in the late 80's. The group is made up almost entirely of local youths and had always campaigned for joining Pakistan.