Terrorists free all abducted family members of Jammu and Kashmir policemen

Terrorists have freed all the 11 relatives of policemen who were abducted on Thursday evening, hours after reports of the Jammu and Kashmir Police quietly releasing their family members, according to sources.

Earlier in the day, a purported audio clip of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Riyaz Naikoo claiming the responsibility for the abduction of the kin of Kashmiri policemen had gone viral. In the clip, Naikoo had set a three-day deadline to release the relatives of terrorists who were in police custody.

"We did not want to involve your families in this. We picked up your relatives so that you realise what (our) mothers go through when you arrest their innocent kin,” Naikoo said in the 12-minute long clip, according to PTI.

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“Release all our relatives within three days. If you fail to release them within this time frame, your families would not be safe anymore,” he said.

The Jammu and Kashmir Police had arrested several relatives of terrorists, including Naikoo’s father Asadullah after the killing of four policemen on Wednesday. Asadullah was among the kin of terrorists released by the police.

Naikoo pointed out that India was trying to instigate infighting between Kashmiris as part of its strategy to crush the “freedom struggle”.

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“When the Army goes on a vandalism spree in villages, the Kashmiri policemen are there with them. India is trying to instigate infighting between Kashmiris as part of its strategy to crush the freedom struggle. Unfortunately, the Kashmiri Police personnel have become a part of this conspiracy,” he added.