Hizb-ul-Mujahideen حزب المجاھدین |
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Participant in Insurgency in Jammu and Kashmir | |
Hizbul Mujahideen Logo
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Active | 1989-present |
Ideology | Kashmiri nationalism, Islamism, Islamic fundamentalism |
Leaders |
Sayeed Salahudeen |
Area of operations | Kashmir |
Strength | 15000[citation needed] |
Allies | Pakistan Lashkar-e-Taiba Harkat ul-Ansar |
Opponents | India |
Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (Arabic: حزب المجاھدین, Ḥizb al-Mujāhidīn, meaning "Party of Holy Warriors" or "Party of Mujahideen"), founded by Muhammad Ahsan Dar in 1985, is a Kashmiri separatist group. It was designated as a terrorist organisation by India,[1] the European Union[2] and the US,[3] active in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir since 1989. The current supreme commander of the group is a Kashmiri known under the alias of Sayeed Salahudeen.
Contents
Divisions in the 1990s, Ceasefire of 2000
In 1991, after the merger with the Tahreek-e-Jihad-e-Islami (TJI), the strength of the Hizbul had reached 10,000.[4] In the following years, rivalries developed within the Hizb, culminating in a killing of 21 people in a PoK village near the border in 1998.[5]
By the late 1990s, several voices within the Hizb including its operational commander Abdul Majeed Dar sought a return to more peaceful approaches. In July 2000, Dar, along with four other Hizb commanders, made a surprise unilateral ceasefire declaration from the outskirts of Srinagar.[6] The ceasefire was immediately ratified by the PoK based commander Sayeed Salahudeen,[7] but was criticized strongly in the Pakistan media.[5] It was withdrawn by Salahudeen by September. In 2002, Dar was denounced as an agent of the Indian intelligence agency Research and Analysis Wing (RAW).[8] He was expelled from the Hizb along with four divisional commanders.
The ceasefire move, its immediate endorsement and subsequent withdrawal highlighted deep divisions between the more hawkish operatives in PoK and those based in India.[9]
Dar and several other ex-Hizb leaders were assassinated between 2001 and 2003.[6][10] The organization today, under Salahudeen, is viewed as much more hardcore.
Sayeed Salahudeen
Sayeed Salahudeen is at present located in Pakistan.[4] The media often reports his whereabouts in Azad Kashmir or in Northern Punjab. The Indian government has requested the Pakistani government extradite Sayeed Salahudeen.[5] However, in recent times a well known news agency conducted an interview with the leader of Hizbul Mujahideen, where the leader claimed that the government of Pakistan would never hand him over to the Indian authorities.[citation needed]
Although Sayeed Salahudeen is a citizen of Indian administered Kashmir, he is known to have resided in towns located around important cities like Karachi and Peshawar, sources claim that this pattern is followed for two main reasons,
- Many sources claim that Hizb-ul-Mujahideen leader maintains continuous contact with the Intelligence agency of Pakistan, ISI.[citation needed] These towns are used as meeting places where important information regarding Kashmir switches hands along with funding required to conduct militant training camps.
- Although the Indian parliament has not sanctioned covert operations across the LOC, the constant fear of a covert raid by the Indian Special Forces deters Sayeed Salahudeen from entering Azad Kashmir frequently.
Pakistan's support
“ | We are fighting Pakistan's war in Kashmir and if it withdraws its support, the war would be fought inside Pakistan, | ” |
— Sayeed Salahudeen (leader of Hizbul Mujahideen)[11]
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In June 2012 in an interview, Salahuddin accepted that Pakistan had been backing Hizb-ul-Mujahideen in Kashmir.[11] He warned of attacks in Pakistan if Pakistan stopped backing jihadis in Jammu and Kashmir who, he claimed, were fighting Pakistan's war.[11][12]
In September 4, 2013 Hizb-ul-Mujahideen commander Talib Lali was arrested from his native Ajas in Bandipore by security forces.[13]
See also
- Syed Ali Shah Geelani
- Hurriyat and Problems before Plebiscite
- Kashmir conflict
- Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly election, 2014
- Insurgency in Jammu and Kashmir
- Lashkar-e-Toiba
References
- ^ [1][dead link]
- ^ [2][dead link]
- ^ "US adds 4 Indian outfits to terror list". Rediff. 30 April 2004. Retrieved 13 May 2015.
- ^ "Mohammad Ahsan Dar's Arrest: End of the Road for Hizbul? by Amin Masoodi". Institute of Peace & Conflict Studies -. Retrieved 17 July 2015.
- ^ a b [3][dead link]
- ^ a b "Abdul Majid Dar shot dead". Retrieved 17 July 2015.
- ^ "Hizb expels three top commanders". Retrieved 17 July 2015.
- ^ "Dar & Co are RAW agents: Hizbul hawks". Retrieved 17 July 2015.
- ^ "The Hizbul meltdown". Retrieved 17 July 2015.
- ^ Praveen Swami; Indian Pakistan and the Secret Jihad: The Covert War in Kashmir, 1947-2004 Taylor & Francis, 2006, ISBN 0415404592
- ^ a b c PTI (Jun 8, 2012). "Hizb chief Syed Salahuddin warns Pakistan against withdrawing support on Kashmir". The Times of India. Retrieved 8 June 2012.
- ^ "Normalization of Indo-Pak ties hurts Kashmir cause: sale chutyie...Salahuddin". Arab News. 8 June 2012. Retrieved 8 June 2012.
- ^ "Top Hizbul Mujahideen commander Talib Lali arrested in Jammu & Kashmir - The Times of India". The Times Of India.
External links
- Profile: Hizbul Mujahideen GlobalSecurity.org
- Official Journal of the European Union: Terrorism list[dead link]
- Congressional Report: The New Islamist International(from FAS site) Bill McCollum, United States House of Representatives, Republican Task Force on Terrorism and Unconventional Warfare, 1 February 1993
- BBC Reports:Militants arrested in Bombay
- ABC Live Reports: Hizbul Mujahideen claimed Blast Left 1 Killed And 22 injured In Jammu Kashmir
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