New Delhi, April 2
Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) handlers of the outlawed Kashmiri terrorist group Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HuM) are a worried lot following reports that cadres owing allegiance to rival leaders — slain Abdul Majid Dar and Islamabad-based Syed Salahuddin — are preparing to have a “bloody” showdown.
Intelligence reports emerging from Pakistan have suggested that the heat between the rival groups has been on the rise and could come to a head any time. Apparently as a precautionary measure, the Pakistani police swooped down on Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) yesterday to take into custody 14 HuM terrorists over fears of a possible clash between the rival groups.
The supporters of Abdul Majid Dar are specially up in arms following his recent killing. Reports suggest that his supporters believe that the ISI and Syed Salahuddin had a hand in slaying Dar, who was more of a moderate and had been propagating the need for peace in Jammu and Kashmir in the recent past.
Reports here said the arrests were made yesterday in Muzaffarabad, the declared capital of PoK.
The reports of the rival groups heading for a “bloody” showdown also clearly suggest a vertical split in the HuM and a possible defection of some of the Dar faction group leaders back into Jammu and Kashmir. The ISI and Salahuddin have apparently been trying to stop these defections.
The ISI handlers of the HuM cadres are worried as any movement of the Dar supporters back into Jammu and Kashmir would mean a major body blow to Pakistan’s plans of further disturbing peace in the state.
As a result, the ISI handlers have also been instigating the Salahuddin faction cadres to stop the Dar supporters from crossing over. But it has only resulted in heated exchanges as the Dar supporters believe that after the killing of their leader, even they are not safe in any area of Pakistan.
Intelligence reports here said the police in PoK swooped down on the rival HuM cadres in an apparent attempt to save some of their own “red faces”. Any killing of rival cadres would have meant great embarrassment to Pakistan, especially as it has all along been denying the presence of terrorists on its land.
Tipped off about the possible clash between the two rival groups, 14 persons, seven from each side, were apparently taken into custody as a preventive measure.
A split in the HuM ranks became apparent last week when around 200 supporters of Dar staged a protest demonstration in Muzaffarabad against the killing of their leader.
Dar was killed over a week ago by assailants in his hometown of Sopore. The protesters had also publicly accused Salahuddin of orchestrating the killing.
Tufail Altaf, one of Dar’s leading supporters and former district commander of the HuM, had said last week in Muzaffarabad that a new faction of the group had been launched.
He also said Amed Yaseen had been appointed chief of the group and claimed they had the support of 40 per cent of the militants in the group.
