Riyaz Naikoo, ‘operational commander’ of Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM), warned the people of Jammu and Kashmir to stay away from the electoral process or face the gun, reports News18 on April 8. In an audio clip, Riyaz Naikoo called the mainstream leaders ‘puppets of Delhi’, and asked people to stay away from the general elections. “Those who will vote in the elections will be gaddar (unfaithful), your vote will strengthen India,” Naikoo is heard saying in the audio which is being circulated on the social media. “Stay away from the elections and poll rallies. We have been at war with the people who participate in the election process, and the war will continue. We will treat them as we have been doing in the past,” Naikoo says, making a reference to the killings of Kashmiri locals at the hands of terrorists. However, the authenticity of the video could not be verified by News18.
Earlier, Zakir Musa, chief of terror outfit Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind, also asked people of Kashmir to stay away from polls in another purported audio clip, reports News18. “There are people who will try to lure you and ask for the votes. It is kufur (profanity) to participate in the polls, whether in India or in the claimed country of God (Pakistan),” Musa is heard saying in the audio clip.