In a dramatic turn of events, residents of a village in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) chased away a Lashkar-e-Taiba commander who had arrived there to attend the 'in absentia' funeral of terrorist Habib Tahir alias Hamza Afghani, who was involved in the deadly Pahalgam attack that claimed 26 lives, mostly tourists.
Local Lashkar commander Rizwan Hanif had arrived in PoK's Kuiyaan village when he was confronted by the locals, who forced him to flee. Reportedly, Afghani's family members did not allow Hanif to attend his 'in absentia' funeral and even attacked the Lashkar terrorist and his associates.
PoK residents plan 'Jirga' against terror activities
According to reports, the residents of the village had also planned to hold a Jirga, a traditional community assembly, in protest against terror recruitment and activities of militants in the region. Posters were also printed for the event and uploaded on social media sites, including Facebook, and residents of PoK's Rawalakot were also invited to attend the event.
During the Jirga, the residents alleged that the Lashkar militants force the youths into terror activities.
How does Lashkar-e-Taiba recruit a terrorist?
Hanif, who is a member of Lashkar's religious wing Jamaat-ud-Dawa, regularly visits villages in PoK and delivers provocative speeches, advocating for jihad. Hanif also visits the family members of terrorists who get killed in such activities and gives them some money, according to reports.
Hanif and other terrorists, reports suggest, continue to provoke people and brainwash them. Lashkar-e-Taiba also charges Rs 3 lakh for recruiting each terrorist. Out of this, Rs 2 lakh is given to the terrorist's family members, while the Lashkar commanders keep the rest of the amount. Once a terrorist is recruited, he is taken to the base camp and is brainwashed, forcing him to carry out attacks against India.
Who was Habib Tahir?
Habib Tahir alias Hamza Afghani was a Lashkar terrorist involved in the Pahalgam terror attack. He, along with two other Lashkar terrorists - Suleman Shah alias Faisal Jaat and Jibran Bhai, was neutralised in a joint operation by the Indian Army, Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and Jammu and Kashmir Police on July 28. The security forces had recovered a large quantity of arms and ammunition from them.
"Two AK Series Rifles, one M4 Rifle and a large quantity of ammunition and warlike stores were recovered from the site. The mission marks a critical step in restoring security in Kashmir and commitment of IA towards establishing peace and development," posted Indian Army's Chinar Corps on July 29.
