SOURCE: ANI
In a surprising development, a local digital news network in Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK), JK Bol, conducted an interview with Shamsher Khan, a high-ranking commander of Hizbul Mujahideen, an organisation designated as a terrorist group by the European Union, India, Canada, and the United States.
The video prominently features journalist Taqil ul Hassan conducting an open interview with the leader of this designated terrorist organisation. During the interview video uploaded by JK Bol itself, the host can be observed commending the terrorist leader’s actions and his involvement in activities in the Jammu and Kashmir valley, portraying them in a positive light.
During the interview, the commander explicitly discussed his organisation’s past acts of terrorism and outlines their future sinister intentions. In the interview, the Shamsher emphasised, “The declaration of Burhan Wani as a hero by Pakistan’s Prime Minister at the United Nations holds significant importance.” When discussing guerrilla warfare and the insurgency’s origins in the 1990s, he remarked, “Our objective was to actively confront the Indian army and prevent them from being at ease.” This interview has come at a time when terrorist activities are being carried out in the Indian Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir.
Recently, five Indian army personnel, lost their lives, and five others sustained injuries in a terrorist ambush on a routine patrol vehicle near Badnota village in Kathua district of Jammu and Kashmir. Earlier, on June 9, a tragic incident occurred where terrorists attacked a bus travelling from the Shiv Khori temple to the Mata Vaishno Devi shrine in Katra, resulting in nine fatalities and 41 injuries from gunfire. Hizbul Mujahideen is an Islamist terror organisation that was founded in 1989 in Kashmir.
Hizbul Mujahideen aims to establish an Islamic state in Kashmir and seeks the merger of Jammu and Kashmir with Pakistan. Hizbul Mujahideen was responsible for several kidnappings and killings of civilians and security personnel during the 1990s. According to several sources, including “A History of Pakistan and Its Origins” by Christophe Jaffrelot, the group carried out numerous bombings and attacks on security forces and government installations.
These included grenade attacks in civilian areas and bombings of public places. Hizbul Mujahideen was involved in the assassinations of political leaders and individuals considered to be against their objectives. These targeted killings were aimed at intimidating the opposition and furthering their separatist goals. Pakistan providing a platform for interviews with leaders of designated terrorist organisations like Hizbul Mujahideen demonstrates a concerning aspect of the country’s stance on terrorism. The interview shows how the country’s agents allow such groups to propagate their ideologies and activities, potentially influencing public opinion.