JAMMU: Efforts of the All Party Hurriyat Conference to bring all militant outfits under a single command. have received a serious setback with the slaying of Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front’s top leader and military adviser, Mohamad Yosuf Khan alias “Idris, the pro-Pakistan frontline Hizbul Mujahideen outfit at the Hazratbal shrine on Feb.10.
Idris, who came into prominence during the Hazratbal crisis in October 1993, was gunned down by a group in front of the shrine, while he was alighting from his car for the Friday congregation to be addressed by JKLF leader Yaseen Malik.
Official sources said here that the bloody inter-gang rivalry between various outfits, which intensified last year, has so far claimed about 170 militants. The worst hit has been the Hizbul Mujahideen, which has suffered 90 casualness in the last one year at the hands of other outfits, particularly the Attached and the Harkal-ulAnsir
The “Markaz-dawar,” set up by the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), with its headquarters at Rawalpindi for pan. Islamic activities, is still to initiate any major unity effort. The JKLFand Hizbul, which had differences, have drifted apart to a great extent.
The Hizbul Mujahideen has been of late relegated to the second position and the foreign mercenaries are increasingly taking control of the situation. The recent assassination attempt on the state Governor Gen K.V Krishna Rao, and top civil and military leaders, has demonstrated the emergence of a new leadership in the militant runks, the sources said.
The battle between the two outfits has now come out in the open at a time when Hizbulchior Sayeed Salahudin is in Pakistan trying to convince the Ist about the need for providing it with more arms and ammunition and continued support in the Valley.
Salahuddin, who at one time was nearly replaced by the ISI, in view of the failure of the Hizbul Mujahideen to do something big in the Valley against the security forces, is worried over the growing ISI support for the Afghanistan-based Harkat-ul-Ansar and diversion of major portion of the funds and arms to the foreign mercenaries.
Article extracted from this publication >> February 17, 1995
