Agency
Jammu: Zakir Rashid Bhat, a former engineering student, has emerged as the successor of slain Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist Burhan Wani, whose killing by the security forces has triggered violent protests in Kashmir Valley.
Quoting reports, a national television channel says that Bhat has urged the people of Kashmir to continue the agitation till the region achieves its goal of “azadi”.
Although there is still no confirmation the terror outfit regarding the appointment of Wani’s successor, the eight-minute video message by Bhat is being seen as confirmation of his elevation.
“We all know how the martyrdom of our three brothers has brought movement to a new point. Now we need to support this struggle and take it to its logical conclusion,” Bhat reportedly said in Urdu in the WhatsApp video, which was mailed to local media houses on Tuesday.
Bhat, said to be around 22 years, was a student of civil engineering in Chandigarh before he returned to his ancestral village Noorpura in Pulwama in 2013 and joined the Hizbul Mujahideen, the only surviving Kashmir-based militant group.
In the video, Bhat appeared in military fatigues, sitting on a chair with three AK assault rifles in the background.
