Hizbul Mujahideen
Hizbul Mujahideen, also spelled Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (Arabic: حزب المجاھدین, transl. 'Party of Holy Fighters'), is an Islamist militant organization operating in the Kashmir region. Its goal is to separate Kashmir from India and merge it with Pakistan. It is one of the most important players that evolved the narrative of the Kashmir conflict from nationalism to radical jihad.
| Hizbul Mujahideen | |
|---|---|
| حزب المجاھدین | |
Official logo | |
| Founders | Muhammad Ahsan Dar Hilal Ahmed Mir Masood Sarfraz |
| Patron and Supreme Commander | Syed Salahuddin |
| Operational Commander | Farooq Ahmed Nali (a.k.a. Abu Ubaida) (chief operational commander in the Kashmir Valley, India) |
| Foundation | September 1989 (notional) |
| Dates of operation | 1989–present |
| Split to | Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind The Resistance Front |
| Allegiance | Pakistan |
| Group(s) | Dukhtaran-e-Millat |
| Motives | Separation of Kashmir from India and its merger with Pakistan |
| Headquarters | Muzaffarabad, Azad Kashmir |
| Ideology | Islamism Jihadism |
| Status | Active |
| Part of | United Jihad Council |
| Allies | Lashkar-e-Taiba Al-Badr |
| Battles and wars | Insurgency in Jammu and Kashmir |
| Designated as a terrorist group by | India European Union Canada United States |
Founded in September 1989 as an umbrella group of Islamist militants, Hizbul Mujahideen quickly came under the control of Jamaat-e-Islami Kashmir – it is considered the military wing of Jamaat-e-Islami. It was supported, since its inception, by Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). The organisation's headquarters is located in Muzaffarabad in Pakistani-administered Kashmir, with liaison offices in Islamabad and Rawalpindi, Pakistan's political capital and military headquarters respectively.
The group has claimed responsibility for multiple armed attacks in Kashmir. It has been designated a terrorist group by the European Union, India, Canada, and the United States. It remains a lawfully-operating organisation in Pakistan.