Hizbul Mujahideen
There are many terrorist groups spread across different parts of the world. Terrorist groups are defined as political organizations or movements that apply terror as a weapon or tool to further their ideologies and achieve their objectives. For some time, the greater Asian continent has seen a surge in terrorist groups that have unleashed terror in various parts of the continent, resulting in casualties and fatalities not only to their members but to the general public as well. Most importantly, some of the terrorist groups have been involved in a protracted confrontation with several governments. At the same time, some groups receive substantial support either financially or in terms of personnel and weaponry from different governments. Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) is one of the most renowned terrorist groups found in India. This paper discusses the origins and formation, ideologies, command structures, and the activities of this terrorist group.
Origins and Formation
Hizbul Mujahideen is a terrorist group operating in Jammu and Kashmir (J & K) regions. By far, Hizbul Mujahideen is the largest terrorist group in the region, with both local and foreign members. This group was formed in the Kashmir Valley under the leadership of Master Ahsan Dar in September 1989 (US Department of State, 2017). Its formation had the blessings of Pakistan’s external intelligence agency and was meant to be the militant wing of the Islamist organization Jamaat-e-Islami. In practice, in the view of Pakistan’s foreign intelligence agency, Hizbul Mujahideen provided an avenue through which the Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) which had been agitating for the independence of Kashmir could be countered. Pakistan’s preference of Hizbul Mujahideen was twofold. First, Pakistan had to find an alternative force to counter Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front, which was no longer pro Pakistan (Aziz, 2012). Secondly, the Islamist stance taken by Hizbul Mujahideen made it more appealing to Pakistan as it preferred an Islamic group as opposed to the JKLF, which was secular.
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Hizbul Mujahideen’s Objectives
Hizbul Mujahideen's objectives have close ties to those of Jamaat-e-Islami in Kashmir and Pakistan. In practice, most of the cadres present at Hizbul Mujahideen are drawn from the Jamaat-e-Islami of Kashmir, which serves to intertwine their objectives and ideologies. Essentially, Hizbul Mujahideen agitate for the merger of Kashmir and Pakistan and on the Islamisation of Kashmir.
Leadership, Command Structure and Areas of Operation
The terrorist organization Hizbul Mujahideen has an elaborate command structure. First, the headquarters of Hizbul Mujahideen is at Muzaffarabad in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. In terms of strength, Hizbul Mujahideen currently has more than 1500 members and its leader is Syed Salahuddin. Additionally, in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, the group has a patron and a chief commander of operations' in Kashmir Valley (Singh, 2009). As for the structures, it is organized into five divisions based at its different operating locations. These divisions are central division for Srinagar, southern division for Anantnag and Pulwama districts, northern division for Kupwara-Bandipora-Baramulla, Chenab division for Doda district and Gool in the Udhampur district, and Pir Panjal Division for the Rajouri and Poonch districts (Singh, 2009). As a robust militant force, Hizbul Mujahideen also has support bases within the Kashmir valley, which are situated in the Udhampur district and the Rajouri, Poonch, and Doda districts.
Hizbul Mujahideen Training Camps
Pakistan occupied Kashmir has for a long time, offered fertile ground for the activities of terrorist organizations, including Hizbul Mujahideen. In essence, there are numerous training camps for Hizbul Mujahideen spread in this region. According to Singh (2009), there exist approximately 55 Hizbul training camps in PoK with Cadre numbering close to 5000. The choice of these regions by Hizbul Mujahideen and other terrorist outfits such as Al Qaeda is based on the terrain, which makes the infiltration of members of these terrorist groups easier and convenient, especially during the summer months. Moreover, Singh (2009) notes Muzaffarabad and Kotli as being the epicenters of Hizbul Mujahideen training camps and for its operational headquarters. Besides these two sites, Hizbul Mujahideen has additional training camps spread in Bhimber, Bakryal, Balakot, Chawari, Kotli, and Mangla.
Activities
Since its inception, Hizbul Mujahideen has been involved in several terrorist activities to further its objectives and ideologies in Kashmir. The first terrorist attack emanating from this group was the 1990 assassination of Maulvi Farooq, who was the chairman of All Jammu and Kashmir Awami Action Committee. This committee comprised of the coalition of Kashmir’s political parties that were in support of the resolution of the Kashmir dispute in line with the dictates of Kashmir’s population ( Mahapatra, 2010) . Hizbul Mujahideen‘s assassination of Maulvi Farooq precipitated in widespread chaos in Kashmir, which resulted in the death of 21 people.
The assassination of Maulvi Farooq provided a platform for Hizbul Mujahideen as the group came out strongly and sought to gain substantial control in the social economics of Kashmir ( Mahapatra , 2010). For instance, in 1990, Hizbul Mujahideen took a bold step by asking all orchardists to refrain from exporting their products through "Hindu Lalas" in a move that was intended at severing links between Kashmir and the Indian state. In its quest to garner more control, Hizbul Mujahideen spread its sphere of influence rapidly by establishing units in Jammu province by 1991. Additionally, this group put in place field intelligence personal and units in different parts of Kashmir. During this time, the Hizbul Mujahideen cadre was mobilized extensively in the propagation of Islam. Moreover, Hizbul Mujahideen continued with the mobilization of support and establishing elaborate structures. With this in mind, Hizbul Mujahideen established a supervisory council as well as a student wing, which later became a splinter group.
A significant development during these early stages was the merger of Hizbul Mujahideen and Tahreek-e-Jihad-e-Islami. Through this merger, Hizbul witnessed a substantial increase in its military might as the merge enhanced its military personnel to approximately 10,000 ( Weaver, 1983) . As a result of the political and military strength that Hizbul Mujahideen had amerced, this organization issued a decree in March 1991 in which Kashmir’s local government was forced to as all foreigners to vacate the state of Kashmir in a month.
From these beginnings and in line with their ideologies, Hizbul Mujahideen conducts terrorist operations in the Kashmir valley against the interests of the Indian state. This terrorist outfit has also conducted several terrorist attacks in India, a situation that has degenerated into a protracted war between India and Hizbul Mujahideen. This terrorist group has strained the relationship between India and Pakistan. This country India claims to be in support of the separatist ideologies propagated by Hizbul Mujahideen. According to India, Pakistan was providing Hizbul Mujahideen with financial and material assistance, which enabled this terrorist organization to launch its operations both within Kashmir and in India (Aziz, 2012). The Indian claims against Pakistan’s concerning the support rendered to Hizbul Mujahideen were further exacerbated by the fact that the Pakistani government ideologically supported the quest by the Kashmiri separatist. Moreover, the Pakistani government has shown no restraint as high profile figures of Hizbul have been spotted walking freely in Pakistan and even giving lectures in public to garner support against the Indian government.
Another terrorist incident that Hizbul Mujahideen under the leadership of Mohammad Yusuf Shah claimed responsibility was the explosion attack in the state of Jammu and Kashmir, this attack in which 17 people were injured was perpetrated in April 2014 at took a pattern similar to Hizbul Mujahideen operations (Fair, 2013). Another notable terrorist attacks by Hizbul Mujahideen was the killing of Parvaz Mohammad Sultan on January 31, 2003. Parvaz was then the editor of News and Feature Alliance (NAFA) and was murdered as a result of his publications on internal squabbles in Hizbul Mujahideen owing to the existence of splinter groups within this organization.
In 2008, Hizbul Mujahideen, in corporation with another Pakistan occupied Kashmir terrorist outfit of Lashkar-e-Taiba, carried out a series of terrorist attacks in Mumbai. During this attack, there were 12 coordinated shooting and bombing incidences, which lasted for four days across Mumbai (Aziz, 2012). In practice, this was one of the most significant terrorist attacks by Hizbul Mujahideen and its affiliates outside of the contested Kashmir region. During this attack, a total of 174 individuals lost their lives a number, which included nine terrorists while the injured numbered more than 300 individuals (Aziz, 2012). Although Hizbul Mujahideen had been existent long before this attack, the widespread condemnation that followed these attacks brought forced this group into the international limelight.
Designation of Hizbul Mujahideen as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO)
The continued terrorist activities carried out by Hizbul Mujahideen in Kashmir and those in mainland India led to the designation of this group as a foreign terrorist organization (FTO) by the United States on August 17, 2017 (US Department of State, 2017). The designation of Hizbul Mujahideen was not only heightened by its terrorist activities in Kashmir but also because of its close ties to Al Qaeda in terms of ideology and the material and financial support received. In practice, the designation by the American government of Hizbul Mujahideen and other terrorist groups as foreign terrorist organizations is one of the avenues used by the United States to fight these groups and curtail their activities (US Department of State, 2017). Virtually, through this order, United States agencies are empowered to disrupt financial support networks for Hizbul Mujahideen and other organizations designated as being FTOs. Besides, through this designation, the United States government and appropriate governmental agencies are also empowered to block the assets of entities and individuals providing services, support, or assistance to terrorist organizations as well as the services rendered to the associates of these organizations.
Engagements with Indian authorities
Since its inception, Hizbul Mujahideen has been at constant odds with the Indian government. The ideologies of these terrorists further heighten the bad blood between these two has culminated into numerous incidence of violent clashes between them with serious causalities and fatalities on both sides. A more recent incident was the killings of Burhan Muzaffar Wan, a Hizbul Mujahideen commander alongside two Insurgents by Indian security forces. These killings resulted in widespread protests in Hizbul Mujahedeen’s Kashmir stronghold, which lasted for over a half a year and the death of approximately ninety-six individuals.
Over the years, the influence and strength of Hizbul Mujahideen have waned. The presence of splinter groups within this organization is one of the significant factors associated with the weakening of Hizbul Mujahideen. Primarily, the incorporation of both foreign and locals into this group’s cadre came with disadvantages as cracks emanated within its membership resulting from differences in ideologies and the implementation of the organization's objectives (Staniland, 2014). Most importantly, Hizbul Mujahideen has also been involved in negotiations with Indian authorities to establish a ceasefire. However, the presence of radical elements within Hizbul Mujahedeen’s rank criticized the ceasefire declaration (Menon & Komerath, 2009). Besides, the radical elements within Hizbul revoked of its council members and Salahudeen, the then leader of this outfit, lost his chair.
Conclusion
Hizbul Mujahideen is one of the influential terrorist organizations in Pakistan occupied Kashmir. The group's main agenda is to Islamize Kashmir and to merge Kashmir with Pakistan. Over the years, Hizbul Mujahideen has enjoyed a lot of support from Pakistan as well as from other terrorist outfits such as AL Qaeda through their provisions of financial and material support. As a terrorist organization, this outfit has an elaborate command structure, with numerous training camps spread across Pakistan, occupied Kashmir. There are terrorist activities both inside Kashmir and in the greater India that have been credited to Hizbul. Besides, this terrorist group has also engaged Indian security forces in continuous altercations resulting in many casualties on both sides of the divide. Although this group enjoyed a lot of support soon after its inception, internal squabbles caused by differing ideologies within its ranks have significantly worked to diminish its influence and the formation of various splinter groups. However, Hizbul Mujahideen is still regarded as one of the most capable terrorist groups operating in Kashmir owing to its size and effectiveness in perpetrating violence across this region.
References
Aziz, H. (2012, November 12). Pakistan admits Pakistanis, LeT training camps used for Mumbai attacks. The News Tribe . https://www.thenewstribe.com/2012/11/12/pakistan-admits-pakistanis-let-training-camps-used-for-mumbai-attacks/
Fair, C. C. (2013). Insights from a database of Lashkar-e-Taiba and Hizb-ul-Mujahideen militants. Journal of Strategic Studies , 37 (2), 259–290. https://doi.org/10.1080/01402390.2013.811647
Mahapatra, D. (2010, July 10). SC upholds life sentence for killer of Mirwaiz's father. The Times of India . https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/SC-upholds-life-sentence-for-killer-of-Mirwaizs-father/articleshow/6197533.cms
Menon, J. E., & Komerath, N. M. (2009). The Hizbul-Mujahideen ceasefire who aborted it? Bharat Rakshak Monitor, 3 (2). https://www.satp.org/satporgtp/publication/idr/vol_15(3)/je_menon_and__nm_komerath.htm
Singh, P. (2009). Militant training camps in Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir: An existential threat. Strategic Analysis, 33 (3), 334–335. https://doi.org/10.1080/09700160902789938
US Department of State. (2017). State department terrorist designation of Hizbul Mujahideen . https://www.state.gov/state-department-terrorist-designation-of-hizbul-mujahideen/
Staniland, P. (2014). Networks of rebellion: Explaining insurgent cohesion and collapse. Cornell University Press.
Weaver, M. A. (1983, June 10). Strategic Kashmir is divided by conflicting loyalties. The Christian Science Monitor. https://www.csmonitor.com/1983/0610/061054.html
