Pakistan and its underlings in Kashmir would of course want to keep the reality of Kashmiri separatism hidden. Hence, the repudiation of Musa by his nominal boss, the Hizbul Mujahideen chief Syed Salahuddin. But clearly, Salahuddin is being utterly disingenuous in calling Musa’s statement “unacceptable and his personal views”. The fact of the matter is that Salahuddin, who heads the United Jihad Council, is no poster boy of liberal, progressive and secular values. If anything, he is an unabashed Islamist and there are innumerable statements of his, more or less saying the same things that Musa has said. Salahuddin’s links with the Al Qaeda, Taliban and their affiliates are well-known. His ideological mentor, Syed Ali Geelani, is another Shariah fanatic who has never hidden his desire for Islamising Kashmir. Geelani was even responsible for acid attacks on girls who weren’t wearing hijabs and issuing other such Talibanesque diktats to enforce Shariah on the people of Kashmir. Other separatist stars like Asiya Andrabi and Musarrat Alam are known to have close links with international Islamist terror groups. Andrabi, for instance, is not only suspected of trying to recruit people for the Khorasan chapter of ISIS but also has had relatives in Pakistan arrested on charges of being involved in an Al Qaeda terror plot.