This is an archive article published on August 4, 2021
J&K Police releases list of 10 most wanted militants
According to the police sources, close to a dozen members of Sheikh's family, including his brothers and nephew, joined militancy and have been killed in gunfights. His sister Naseema is under detention allegedly for helping militants.
J&K POLICE has released a list of 10 most wanted militants – seven old militant commanders and three new recruits. The list was released by IGP Kashmir Vijay Kumar.
“Top 10 targets: Old terrorists – Salim Parray, Yousuf Kantroo, Abbas Sheikh, Reyaz Shetergund, Farooq Nali, Zubair Wani & Ashraf Molvi. New terrorists – Saqib Manzoor, Umer Mustaq Khandey & Wakeel Shah: IGP Kashmir,” the police tweeted Monday night.
Among those named, Mohammad Abbas Sheikh is a top militant commander from south Kashmir’s Kulgam district. A resident of Rampur village, the 44-year-old is one of the oldest militants. Sheikh has recycled into militancy two times and is on the radar of the security agencies since 2015, when he re-joined the militants after release from jail.
An old hand of Hizbul Mujahideen, Sheikh is believed to have switched over to The Resistance Front (TRF), which police say is a shadow group of Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT). In the past six years, he has escaped several times after breaking the security cordon.
According to the police sources, close to a dozen members of Sheikh’s family, including his brothers and nephew, joined militancy and have been killed in gunfights. His sister Naseema is under detention allegedly for helping militants.
Another militant on the list, Mohammad Ashraf Khan alias Moulvi, is from Tengpawa village in south Kashmir’s Anantnag district. The 43-year-old militant commander joined militancy in September 2016 and is associated with Hizbul Mujahideen. Khan is one of the senior Hizb commanders and was tipped to succeed its chief Dr Saifullah, who was killed in a gunfight in Srinagar in October 2020. After Saifullah’s killing, Hizb has not announced the name of its new operational commander in the valley and it could well be Khan.
Also on the list is Mohammad Saleem Parray alias Billa, who rose to prominence in 2017 immediately after he joined LeT. A resident of Hajin village in north Kashmir’s Bandipore district, the 26-year-old was part of the Lashkar module, mostly of foreigners, that turned Hajin as a militant hotbed in 2017 and 2018.
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The other three old hands include Riyaz Ahmad Dar (33), Farooq Ahmad Bhat (40) and Mohammad Yousuf Dar (51). Riyaz is a resident of Sathergund village of south Kashmir’s Pulwama and joined militancy in 2015. He is associated with LeT.
Bhat also known as Umer is a resident of Yaripora village of south Kashmir’s Kulgam and joined the militant ranks in 2015. He is associated with Hizbul Mujahideen.Yousuf alias Kantur alias Issa is one of the oldest militants in the valley. The 51-year-old is from Check Kawoosa village in central Kashmir’s Budgam district. He joined militancy in 2017 and is associated with Hizbul Mujahideen.
Bashaarat Masood is a Special Correspondent with The Indian Express. He has been covering Jammu and Kashmir, especially the conflict-ridden Kashmir valley, for two decades. Bashaarat joined The Indian Express after completing his Masters in Mass Communication and Journalism from the University in Kashmir. He has been writing on politics, conflict and development. Bashaarat was awarded with the Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Awards in 2012 for his stories on the Pathribal fake encounter.
Expertise and Experience
Two Decades of Frontline Reporting: Bashaarat has spent 20 years documenting the evolution of Kashmir, from high-intensity conflict and political shifts to socio-economic development.
Award-Winning Investigative Journalism: He is a recipient of the prestigious Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Award (2012). This honor was bestowed for his reporting on the Pathribal fake encounter, a series of stories that highlighted his ability to handle sensitive human rights and security issues with investigative rigor.
Specialized Beats: His authoritative coverage spans:
Political Transitions: Tracking the shift from statehood to Union Territory, electoral dynamics, and the pulse of local governance.
Security & Conflict: Providing nuanced reporting on counter-insurgency, civil liberties, and the impact of the conflict on the civilian population.
Development: Documenting the infrastructure, healthcare, and educational landscape within the Valley.
Academic Background: He holds a Masters in Mass Communication and Journalism from the University of Kashmir, providing him with a localized academic and professional foundation that is rare in regional reporting. ... Read More
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