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| Kashmir Jihad takes on new âbenignâ look |
| 2004-02-26 |
| Muttahida Jihad Council (MJC), an alliance of Kashmiri jihadi organizations has been restructured, with six smaller alliances within it representing various groups that will no longer use the words jihad, lashkar, jaish or mujahideen with their names so that they appear more political than militant. âThese semi-alliances are the Kashmir Resistance Forum (KRF) 1, 2 and 3 and Kashmir Freedom Forum (KFF) 1 and 2, while only Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) is allowed to use its original nameâ, sources in the MJC told Daily Times. Youâd think they could at least have some more original names than Kashmir Resistance Forum 1, 2 and 3 etc. What about Kashmir Liberation Organisation, Kashmiri Peopleâs Liberation Front and the KFC? âWe have been told that these names are damaging Pakistanâs image abroad as well as the Kashmiri freedom movement,â a jihadi leader said. Asked why HM was allowed to use its original name, he replied âHM also holds the chairmanship of the jihad alliance and quarters abroad consider it representative of the Kashmiri freedom movement aloneâ. Sources said this decision was taken in October 2003, implemented in January 2004. KRF 1 represents the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LT), Birgade 313 (a Harkatul Jihad-e-Islami faction lead by Commander Illyas Kashmiri), Lashkar-e-Islam (LI) and Al-Bader Mujahideen, while KRF 2 is an alliance of Al-Jihad, Al-Fateh, Hizb Ullah and Muslim Janbaz Force (MJF). KRF 3 consists of Harkat-ul-Jihad-e-Islami (Maulana Muzaffar group), Jamiat-ul Mujahideen (JM) and Jamiat-ul-Ansar (JA), while KFF 1 is an alliance of Jaish Muhammad (JM) and Al-Umer Mujahideen and KFF 2 includes Islamic Front, Jamaat-ul-Furqan (JF), Tehrik-e-Jihad (TJ), Al-Barq and Tehrik-ul-Mujahideen (TM). They could do with a bit more merging. Brigade 313 was supposed to be a new anti-state terrorist outfit operating in Karachi. Maybe they released Illyas Kashmiri the other day after he agreed to redirect his Jihadis to the Kashmir front.. This new âadjustmentâ is called âMuwakhaatâ (an Arabic word meaning agreement on the basis of brotherhood) and sources said this would also reduce the jihadi groupsâ internal differences. âThese organizationsâ new identities will improve their image, making them look like political groupsâ, sources said. The MJC earlier consisted of 15 organizations; HM, TM, JM, Al-Barq, MJF, Hizb Ullah, Al-Jihad, Al-Fateh, HJI (Muzaffar group), IF, LI, Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front, Al-Umer, JA, TJ, and all of these were Kashmir-based. Five Pakistan-based organizations LT, JM, Brigade 313, Al-Bader Mujahideen and JF were not the part of MJC but they have been included in the new structure. âThe MJC constitution barred Pakistan-based organization from the alliance but circumstances have changed. We need unity and no one can deny their role in jihadâ, a jihadi leader said. Sources also claimed Syed Salahudin will remain the chairman of MJC for five more years, being acceptable to all concerned. Itâs nice to actually have a Kashmiri here or there among the Jihadi leadership. Sources said the Pakistan-based groups had asked to join the MJC, and claimed this wasnât the first time that the MJC was being restructured. In January 2002, a formula for a merger was adopted but small and Pakistan-based organizations refused to accept it. They wanted to maintain their independent identity and most jihadi leaders were not prepared to be subordinate to small Kashmiri organizationsâ, sources claimed, adding, âthis structure is an extension of 2002âs formula and now leaders of these organisations will not share responsibilities with othersâ. Sources said these smaller alliances would launch operations against Indian forces in Kashmir, but after permission from MJC leaders. |
| Posted by:Paul Moloney |
| #2 Probably the former |
| Posted by: Paul Moloney 2004-2-26 8:34:22 PM |
| #1 Paul - Hmmm. So is this merely a PR effort which will result in no effective change in their goals, just a more efficient cooperation among the jihadis with a more palatable public "face"? Is that about the sum of this piece? Or is it like Mobil Oil, which used to (prior to merger with Exxon) restructure itself with sufficient frequency to keep the dust stirred up so no one (mainly stockholders) could really tell if they were efficient or not? |
| Posted by: .com 2004-2-26 5:19:50 PM |