The Hindu : New J&K Hizb chief

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Apr 04, 2003

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New J&K Hizb chief

Muzaffarabad April 3. The Hizb-ul-Mujahideen announced today that it has appointed Ghazi Nasiruddin as the new leader of its Kashmir unit.

In a shootout with police, Ghulam Hassan Khan (50), Kashmir Hizb chief, was killed yesterday at Nowgam, 20 km southwest of Srinagar. — AP

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Hizb chief commander killed

By Shujaat Bukhari

SRINAGAR APRIL 3. In a major setback to the pro-Pakistan militant outfit, the Hizbul Mujahideen, its chief commander (operations), Saiful Islam, was killed by a joint party of the Jammu and Kashmir police and the Border Security Force (BSF) on Wednesday evening.

Giving details, a spokesman of the zonal police headquarters said: "On specific information, the BSF and police apprehended Ghulam Hassan Khan alias Engineer Zaman alias Saiful Islam, deputy supreme commander and operational commander of the Hizbul Mujahideen, from Chanpora along with one Chinese pistol, a satellite phone and a huge cash of Rs. 92,97,000,"

On the basis of information provided by Islam, the joint party was deputed for effecting recoveries and to apprehend other members of the outfit. But it came under attack by militants near Sutsoo Kalan Pahroo on the outskirts of the city. In the ensuing encounter, Islam tried to escape but got killed in the crossfire, the spokesman said. "The militants managed to escape under the cover of darkness and one AK rifle and other ammunition was recovered from the site of the encounter."

Sources said Islam was arrested from the house of one Altaf Mir, a bank official, after he was tracked on satellite phone frequency by Intelligence Bureau sleuths.

Custodial death, says Hurriyat

The All-Party Hurriyat Conference (APHC) refuted the police version and alleged that Islam had died in custody.

"The Hurriyat strongly condemns the custodial killing of Saiful Islam, which is a blatant violation of the international laws," an APHC spokesman said adding that the militant had been subjected to inhuman torture while in custody.

The Hurriyat has called for a Valley-wide strike tomorrow to protest the killing. Islam's body was kept in the police control room till late this afternoon and deep wounds were visible on it. One of his relatives said that his throat was slit in custody. Police refused to oblige the Hurriyat leaders, Abdul Gani Bhat, Yasin Malik, Javed Mir and Ali Mohammad Sheikh, when they visited the PCR to collect the body.

The body was later taken to his ancestral village Tachal in Pulwama district where thousands of people participated in his last rites. Shopian town and other areas in south Kashmir today observed a total strike to protest the killing.

Meanwhile, the Hizbul Mujahideen spokesman, Salim Hashmi, said Gazi Nasiruddin had been appointed in Islam's place. In a statement to a local news agency KPS, he said a meeting of the Hizb command council was held with supreme commander Syed Salahuddin in chair and "rich tributes were paid to Saiful Islam and his role in the armed struggle lauded".

Islam was number two in the Hizb hierarchy after Salahuddin and was at large for the last 13 years. He replaced Abdul Majid Dar in May last when he was sacked by Salahuddin following differences over the issue of July 2000 ceasefire. Dar was also killed on March 23 last by unidentified gunmen in Sopore.

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