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Home grown Intifada or Pakistan sponsored uprising?
When the Indian security forces gunned down 22 year old Burhan Muzaffar Wani on July 8, 2016 in Anantang in Indian occupied Kashmir (IoK), they may have yet once again unleashed a bigger threat than the one they eliminated in the shootout.
Burhan died in an intelligence-led operation along with two associates. Here is what is known about him. He belonged to Tral in southern Kashmir, the son of the Principal of a local government run school in Tral. His mother was also well educated and the family was fairly well off economically, at age 15 he joined Hizbul Mujahideen, a group fighting for Kashmir separatism and having strong pro-Pakistani leanings. Founded by Mohammed Ahsan Dar in 1989 following the Indian government hijacking of the election mandate in 1987 and installing a rigged Congress government.
This group was at one time considered the biggest Kashmiri group fighting for Independence, numbering over 10,000 fighters. The group later developed serious internal differences and it's original founders were assassinated between 2001 and 2003. currently it is led by Sayed Salahuddin.
Burhan became a famous social media sensation with his pictures in battle fatigues, weapons and videos urging young Kashmiri youth to join the fight against Indian occupation. He was young, handsome, charismatic and hugely popular and used the social media very effectively in the cause of Kashmir's right of self determination. As such he acquired a sort of a modern day Robin Hood persona for the angry youth and his exhortations began to attract large numbers of Kashmiri youth to the cause of Independence.
conversely this was seen as a big threat by the Kashmiri Government and the central Indian Government and a decision was taken to kill him, which finally took place on 8th July.
The sketchy details available indicate that Burhan was killed in an encounter alongwith two other fighters later identified as Sartaj Ahmad Sheikh and Pervaiz Ahmad Lashkari. all were killed in Bundoora village of Kokernag by a joint team after being cornered by Special operations Group of the Jammu and Kashmir Police and 19 Rashtriya rifles.
From what is known, Burhan actually had never taken part in any militant action against Indian Security forces...