A purported video of Hizbul Mujahideen chief and designated terrorist Syed Salahuddin roaming freely on the streets of Rawalpindi and making anti-India speech is doing rounds on the internet, with many questioning the decision of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) to remove Pakistan from its grey list.
In the video, Syed Salahuddin, flanked by heavily armed bodyguards, can be seen leading a funeral prayer, believed to be that of Bashir Ahmad Peer, a self-styled commander of Hizbul Mujahideen who was shot dead by unidentified assailants in Rawalpindi. Salahuddin pledged to destroy India while the armed Pakistani soldiers and crowd cheered him.
HT could not independently verify the time and location of his appearance.
Social media users alleged that Pakistan misled the terror-financing watchdog about its compliance to get out of the FATF grey list.
“While Pakistanis are dying in terrorist attacks, here Pakistani soldiers are providing security to Syed Salahuddin,” wrote a user.
Peer alias Imtiyaz Alam was shot from point blank range by the assailants on Monday outside a shop in Rawalpindi. The Hizbul commander, who hailed from Jammu and Kashmir’s Kupwara district, had been living in Pakistan for more than 15 years, reported PTI citing intelligence officials.
He was reportedly in charge of launching terrorists into Jammu and Kashmir via the Line of Control. He was designated a terrorist by the Centre on October 4 last year under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act for his role in terror activities.
According to the notification, Peer participated in a number of online propaganda groups to unite ex-militants and other cadres for the expansion of activities of Hizbul Mujahideen, Lashkar-e-Taiba, and other terrorist organisations.
