The Hindu : Hizb split, a mere formality

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Mar 28, 2003

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International

Hizb split, a mere formality

By B. Muralidhar Reddy

ISLAMABAD MARCH 27. Within two days of the cold-blooded murder of Abdul Majid Dar, the divisions in Hizb-ul-Mujahideen have taken the shape of a formal split.

According to reports in the Pakistani media, a group of 200 supporters of the assassinated Dar met in Muzaffarabad on Tuesday and announced formation of their own faction of Hizb.

The split is a mere formality as Dar and some of the other senior commanders in the militant outfit had fallen out with the Hizb chief, Syed Salahuddin, 10 months ago. Dar along with two other erstwhile `area commanders' in Kashmir were expelled by Mr. Salahuddin in May last year on charges of `indiscipline'.

Dar was no ordinary Hizb commander. It was he who had announced the ceasefire in July 2000. Observers were surprised when Mr. Salahuddin endorsed the decision 24 hours later at a news conference here. The ceasefire was withdrawn a fortnight later by Mr. Salahuddin on the ground that India was not sincere in negotiating a deal on Kashmir.

Speculations persisted since the announcement of the ceasefire about differences between Dar and Mr. Salahuddin.

They were confirmed when Mr. Salahuddin expelled Dar along with two other commanders.

It is against this background that the announcement of a new faction of the Hizb assumes significance. "We have launched our own faction of the Hizb-ul-Mujahideen,'' Tufail Ahmed, a former operational chief of the Hizb and supporter of Dar, told reporters in Muzaffarabad, capital of Pak.-occupied Kashmir.

``Around 40 per cent of the Hizb activists are with us,'' claimed Mr. Ahmed, who is a former district commander and the younger brother of Zafar Abdul Fateh, with some 200 emotionally charged youth chanting slogans: "Dar we salute your greatness'' and "Dar you have become immortal''.

Some of the youths were also carrying portraits of Dar, who was regarded as a moderate militant and whose death has also been condemned by Pakistan besides the PoK and leaders of various militant outfits.

``We had no option but to part ways with the Salahuddin-led faction of the Hizb, but we will carry on the struggle for freedom from India,'' Mr. Ahmed said. He said commanders of the group in both parts of Kashmir had unanimously appointed Ahmed Yasin as the chief commander as Mr. Yasin "will use his full abilities to fill the vacuum created due to the Dar's martyrdom.''

``Our struggle on the militant front will continue till achieving the goal, in consultation with the All-Party Hurriyat Conference and those Kashmiris who are working abroad at the diplomatic level,'' he said.

Organisers had also put on display a number of banners to pay homage to Dar for his leadership qualities.

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