Top Hizb commander Bashir Ahmad Peer shot dead in Pakistan's Rawalpindi

Srinagar, February 20

In a major setback to the Hizb-Ul-Mujahideen, the launching commander of the outfit Bashir Ahmad Peer alias Imtiyaz Alam was killed on Monday in Rawalpindi in Pakistan.

Peer was killed on Monday evening after an assailant shot at him from point-blank range outside a shop in Rawalpindi.

On October 4, the Centre designated him as a terrorist under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act for his role in terror activities including providing logistics to the banned outfit’s terrorists especially for infiltration into the Kupwara district in Jammu and Kashmir.

Peer alias Imtiyaz Alam alias Haji, originally belonging to Babarpora area in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kupwara district was living in Rawalpindi, Pakistan.

Centre government’s notification said that Peer was involved in “a number of online propaganda groups to unite ex-militants and other cadres for the furtherance of activities of Hizb-Ul-Mujahideen, Lashkar-e-Toiba and others”.

As per pro-Zakir Musa Telegram channels, Peer was accused of getting the chief commander of Ansar Gazwat-ul-Hind, an offshoot of al-Qaeda in Kashmir, killed on May 23, 2019.

Musawas showing open defiance to Pakistan’s writ in Kashmir.

In May 2017, he left pro-Pakistan Hizbul Mujahedeen and called for establishing the caliphate and enforcing Sharia laws.

In March 2007, Peer was detained by the Pakistan Army’s Military Intelligence Directorate after he sent a 12-men unit to reinforce his ‘northern division commander’ Mohammad Shafi Dar. However, he was soon released on ISI orders.