After the popularity and viewers understanding the reality of the film ‘The Kashmir Files’, netizens are too eager to know the culprits behind the horror of the 1990s. Farooq Ahmed Dar is one of those accused terrorists involved in the killing of innocent Hindus in the Kashmir valleys.
Who is Farooq Ahmed Dar?
‘The Kashmir Files’, shows the genocide of Kashmiri Pandits in 1990. Kashmiri Pandits were killed for being Hindu by terrorists on the orders from Pakistan or outfits it supported. They were asked to choose between convert, die or leave. Lots were killed and tens of thousands fled the Kashmir Valley. The primary name that came up regarding the killing of the Kashmiri Pandits was Farooq Ahmed Dar.
Also known by Bitta Karate, Farooq Ahmed Dar is accused of being involved in the killing of Kashmiri Pandits in the valley. He is the current chairman of the Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) and a former terrorist. Dar has been frequently accused of and has admitted to murdering multiple Kashmiri Pandits during their 1990 exodus.
Bitta was one of the biggest fighters of Pakistan’s order he was given the task of killings of Kashmiri Pandits in the valley.
Interview with India Today
Surprisingly, Bitta Karate admitted to killing “more than 20” Kashmiri Pandits in an interview telecasted by India Today in 1991. The number may be more than 30-40” in 1990 he revealed while the genocide was put to execution. Bitta Karate had become the hatred name for Kashmiri Pandits in the Valley and was referred to as the “Butcher of Pandits”.
In this interview, Bitta Karate said he became a terrorist because he was harassed by the local administration. He further revealed that he then became an “enemy” of the Indian state, crossed the border to receive training in Pakistan, where the trainers ‘did not trust the terror recruits and were shifted from one place to another blindfolded’.
Why did he kill innocent people?
Upon asking why did he kill innocent people? He said, “I did not kill innocent people. I just obeyed the orders that arrived from above.”
Soon after the kidnapping of then Union Home Minister Mufti Muhammad Sayeed’s daughter Rubaiya, and later ended with the release of captured terrorists. Bitta Karate led the massacre and was the number-one murderer of the Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) till he was arrested in June 1990.
On a big reveal, Bitta said that back then, they thought they would take Kashmir away [from India]. Because that is what they were trained for.
“I never killed anybody on my own. I received orders from Ashfaq Majeed Wani. I would kill anybody he asked me to. If he had asked me to kill my brother or my mother, I would have done that too,” Bitta Karate said.
Who is Ashfaq Majeed Wani?
Ashfaq Majeed Wani was the JKLF top commander. Wani was the man who took Bitta Karate and others to Pakistan’s terror camps. But, Wani was killed later in an encounter, which Bitta Karate termed as “genuine” as Wani was part of the shootout throwing hand-grenade on security forces in 1990.
How many Kashmiri Pandits did Bitta Karate kill?
“I don’t remember how many of those I killed,” he said, “I might have killed 10-12may have killed 20.” He revealed further that some of those he killed were Muslims but most were Kashmiri Pandits.
It is reported that Bitta Karate had killed 42 people before he was taken to custody. He said, “I used a pistol to kill from a distance of 20 or 30 yards. Sometimes, I also used AK-47 rifles to fire at the security personnel.”
“I went to kill people without masking my face. People [did not hand me over to the people] supported us back then,” he said.
On being asked about the punishment he would deserve for the murders, he said “Whatever punishment is given to me, I will accept. I may get life imprisonment or may be given the death penalty. If I will get the death penalty will accept it,” Bitta Karate informed the interviewer.
Here is the video of the interview
Bitta’s release
Yet, 16 years after his arrest, Bitta Karate was freed on bail in 2006. His release came from the Supreme Court verdict stopping his detention under the Public Safety Act (PSA). He got a stimulating welcome in the Kashmir Valley on his getaway. A faction of the JKLF led a procession in which flower petals were showered on him.
