Jammu & Kashmir: PDP MLC’s nephew joins Hizbul Mujahideen

Manhas said Kamran left home 20 days ago for neighbouring Mulga town. “He was studying there (in Kulgam),” he said. “Now we have come to know that he has joined militancy.”

Kamran Zahoor Manhas

The nephew of PDP legislator Zafar Iqbal Manhas has joined the Hizbul Mujahideen in the Valley. Kamran Zahoor Manhas, a B Tech student, is a resident of Shadab Karewa village of south Kashmir’s Shopian district. His picture holding an AK-47 rifle went viral on social media on Wednesday.

“I can’t believe it,” Zafar Iqbal Manhas, a member of the Legislative Council, told The Indian Express. “We didn’t even dream of it.”

Manhas said Kamran left home 20 days ago for neighbouring Mulga town. “He was studying there (in Kulgam),” he said. “Now we have come to know that he has joined militancy.”

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Kamran is the first youth from his village in over two decades to join militant ranks.

A senior police officer from south Kashmir confirmed that Kamran has joined militancy.

Bashaarat Masood

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. ... Read More