Agencies
New Delhi, March 1:
The Jamaat-e-lslami Jammu and Kashmir, which has been banned by the government, was responsible for the creation of the state’s biggest terror group Hizbul-Mujahideen and the brain behind the formation of the Hurriyat Conference, officials said Friday.
The Centre Thursday banned the JeI (J&K) for five years under anti-terror laws, on the grounds that it was “in close touch” with militant outfits and is expected to “escalate secessionist movement” in the state.
The outfit has been providing ideological and logistical support to separatists and terrorist elements in the state for anti-national activities under its pro-secessionist and pro-Pakistan agenda for decades, according to the government officials.
“The Jel (J&K) is responsible for the formation of the Hizbul Mujahideen (HM), the biggest terrorist organisation active in Jammu and Kashmir. The Jel (J&K) is also the brain behind in formation of the All Party Hurriyat Conference (APHC) with the support of Pakistan,” an official said.
The Hurriyat, a conglomerate of separatists and “terrorist leanings”, has been ideologically supporting Pakistan-sponsored violent terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir, the official said.
The Jel (J&K) leaders have all along been challenging the accession of Jammu and Kashmir with the Union of India which makes its secessionist objective amply evident, according to the official.
The outfit is the main organisation responsible for propagation of separatists and radicals in the Kashmir Valley, and has been providing all kind of support to the HM in terms of recruits, funding, shelter and logistics. In a way, the HM is a militant wing of the Jel (J&K) and is largely responsible for the HM’s secessionist activities, the official said.
The Jamaat-e-lslami Jammu and Kashmir (JeI-J&K) has a large cadre in the state, especially in the south Kashmir region, the officials said, adding that the HM, with the support of Pakistan is training and supplying weapons, and is actively spearheading terrorist activities in the Kashmir Valley.
Syed Salahuddin, the head of the HM, supports the merger of Jammu and Kashmir with Pakistan.
They said Salahuddin, presently hiding in Pakistan, is also the chairman of United Jehad Council, a conglomerate of Pakistan-based terrorist outfits.
The JeI (J&K) was formed in 1945 as a chapter of the Jamaat-e-Islami Hind and separated in 1953 due to differences over political ideology with the parent body.
It is opposed to participating in the electoral process and has been pursuing the agenda of setting up an independent theocratic Islamic State by destabilising the government established by law.
The outfit was banned twice in the past due to its activities, the first time in 1975 for two years by the Jammu and Kashmir government and the second time in April 1990 for three years by the Centre, when Mufti Mohammad Sayeed was the Union home minister.
Another official said a sizeable section of the Jel (J&K) cadres overtly worked for militant organisations, especially the HM.
Its cadres are actively involved in subversive activities of the HM by providing hideouts and ferrying arms among others, the official said.
Strong presence of the HM in the area of influence of the Jel (J&K) is a clear reflection of separatist and radical ideology of the Jel, according to the official said.
The official said the Jel (J&K) has been collecting funds in the name of religious activities and has been using the same for anti-national separatist activities.
The Jel (J&K) with the help of terror groups of the HM and its financial resources is engaged in indoctrination of youths of Jammu and Kashmir, especially from rural areas, to promote radical and anti-India sentiments. Besides the HM, the Jel has been patronising and supporting many other pro-Pak militant organisations, the official said.
