Hizbul Mujahideen

Hizbul Mujahideen (حزب المجاھدین) (literally Party of Freedom Fighters) is a group of Kashmiri militants based in Pakistan and Pakistan administered Kashmir, and active in Indian administered Kashmir since 1989. The group prefers to call themselves "freedom fighters", however India, the United States, the European Union and some other countries refer to them as "terrorist". Their headquarters are located in Muzaffarabad, the capital of Pakistan-controlled Kashmir. It is believed the group al-Badr, derived from Hizbul Mujahideen in early 1998 when encouraged by the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). The current leader of the group is a Kashmiri known under the alias Sayeed Salahudeen. On the 30th of November 2005 Hizbul Mujahideen was named on the European Union's terrorism list. The United States has also pronounced it as a terrorist organization. [http://ue.eu.int/uedocs/cms_Data/docs/pressdata/en/misc/87236.pdf] [http://us.rediff.com/news/2005/dec/01eu.htm] EU member states are obliged to impose restrictive measures such as freezing of funds and assets of persons and groups named in the list. [http://www.globalsecurity.org/security/library/news/2005/12/sec-051201-irna01.htm] Hizbul Mujahideen is currently the biggest militant group operating in Kashmir, and are widely considered by sources on both sides of the Kashmiri conflict to be the most indigenous and widely-supported militant group active in Kashmir.

Sayeed Salahudeen is at present located in Pakistan. The media often reports his whereabouts in Pakistan administered Kashmir or in Northern Punjab.

The Indian government has time and time again requested the Pakistani government for the extradition of Sayeed Salahudeen. 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. Although Sayeed Salahudeen is a citizen of Pakistan 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, a) Many sources claim that Hizbul Mujahideen leader maintains continuous contact with the Intelligence agency of Pakistan, ISI. These towns are used as meeting places where important information regarding Kashmir switches hands along with funding required to conduct militant training camps. b) Although the Indian parliament has not sanctioned covert operations behind enemy lines, the constant fear of a covert raid by the Indian sub-commandos (MCF), deters Sayeed Salahudeen from entering Pakistan administered Kashmir frequently.

References

ee also

* Kashmiri insurgency
* Lashkar-e-Toiba
* Terrorism in Pakistan
* Terrorism in Kashmir

External links

* [http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/para/hum.htm Profile: Hizbul Mujahideen] GlobalSecurity.org
* [http://www.eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/site/en/oj/2006/l_082/l_08220060321en00200024.pdf Official Journal of the European Union: Terrorism list]
* [http://www.fas.org/irp/congress/1993_rpt/house_repub_report.html 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
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/1618064.stm BBC Reports:Militants arrested in Bombay]
* [http://abclive.in/abclive_regional/blast_in_jammu_kashmir.html ABC Live Reports: Hizbul Mujahideen claimed Blast Left 1 Killed And 22 injured In Jammu Kashmir]