Mushtaq Zargar[1]
Mushtaq Zargar is one of three militant commanders who were freed by India in exchange for the passengers of Indian Airlines Flight 814 after it was hijacked to Kandahar in 1999, when the Taliban were in Afghanistan; he has been underground ever since. Mushtaq was the leader of Al-Umar Mujahideen, a militant group created by Pakistan that campaigned for the independence of Indian Kashmir and its merger with Pakistan.
The two militant commanders freed along with him by India are: Maulana Masood Azhar, who remains underground in Pakistan and whose Jaish-e-Muhammad organization continues to conduct jihadi activities, including the teaching of jihadi verses from the Koran, at events across Pakistan; and Omar Saeed Sheikh, a graduate of the London School of Economics who was convicted and imprisoned by Pakistan for the murder of U.S. journalist Daniel Pearl.
Left to right: Maulana Masood Azhar; Mushtaq Zargar, Omar Saeed Sheikh[2]
At the peak of the jihad in Kashmir in the 1990s, Al-Umar Mujahideen under Mushtaq Zargar's leadership had some 700 fighters.
Zargar, still underground, recently gave an interview to the Indian weekly Tehelka. The interview comes at a time when jihadi groups in the Afghanistan-Pakistan region are emboldened by the upcoming U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan which is to be completed by 2014; additionally, on March 13, 2013, a suicide bombing, the first in three years, took place in Srinagar, the capital of India's Jammu & Kashmir,.
Following are excerpts from the interview:[3]
"India Must Remember That The U.S. Has Been Defeated In Afghanistan; It's A Success For Al-Umar Mujahideen Too"; "We Are Fighting In The Name Of Allah"
Question: "Since your release, nothing much has been heard about you. What were you up to?"
Mushtaq Zargar: "Al-Umar Mujahideen has been carrying out operations against Indian troops in a limited manner. Sometimes we don't even claim responsibility. India may have hanged Afzal Guru, but it's no longer an impediment. Even if New Delhi hangs men, women, and children en masse, we won't give up what is ours. India must remember that the U.S. has been defeated in Afghanistan. It's a success for Al-Umar Mujahideen too. In four months' time, India will see what we are capable of. Kashmir will be merged with Pakistan, and there is nothing India can do about it."
"Question: How can Al-Umar claim credit for the U.S. withdrawal?"
Mushtaq Zargar: "We have been going wherever Muslims face oppression, and we will continue to go there. We are fighting in the name of Allah. After Kashmir, we will fight in Chechnya and Palestine."
Question: "The Hurriyat factions [groups under the pro-independence All Parties Hurriyat Conference] and the JKLF [Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front, now less influential] believe in peacefully resolving the Kashmir conflict. How will you persuade them?"
Mushtaq Zargar: "I don't care what they think. The Kashmir dispute will be resolved only through armed struggle. Our organization doesn't believe in talks. Moulvi Yousuf Shah (Mirwaiz Umar Farooq's uncle) wanted to solve the dispute in a peaceful manner. In reply, he was sent into exile."
Question: "Many Kashmiri leaders say that a nonviolent struggle is the only potent weapon. They have also offered conditional talks."
Mushtaq Zargar: "But that isn't my ideology. I took up a gun in 1988 in the name of Allah. The path of jihad is laden with thorns. One faces a lot of problems. Those who are tired must say that they can't continue with the struggle. I won't criticize those who want to hold talks with New Delhi. If they can solve the dispute with talks, let them do it. But I know they won't be able to succeed in their efforts."
Question: "Hurriyat leaders Maulana Abbas Ansari and Abdul Gani Bhat say that no solution can come from the barrel of a gun. Aren't they being realistic?"
Mushtaq Zargar: "It's their misunderstanding if they think that guns aren't a solution. It's actually the guns that made them and their political careers. Who knew them in Kashmir before 1989? It was only after the jihad that people came to know about Bhat sahab, Ansari sahab and other sahabs [sirs]."
"We Still Run [Terror] Training Centers On Both Sides Of The LoC [Line Of Control Dividing Kashmir Between India And Pakistan]: Nothing Has Changed On The Ground"
Question: "But Pakistan too seems to be pushing for peace. It wants talks and trade with India."
Mushtaq Zargar: "We don't have a problem. Pakistan can always hold talks on Kashmir and trade with India. However, this doesn't mean Pakistan's stance [on Kashmir] has changed. Look at China and the U.S. Both countries maintain hostilities and trade relations at the same time."
Question: "What if Pakistan stops backing militants?"
Mushtaq Zargar: "Pakistan has always given us political, diplomatic and moral support. That's enough. Regarding money, men and guns, we can get it from anywhere. We still run [terror] training centers on both sides of the LoC [Line of Control that divides Kashmir between India and Pakistan]. Nothing has changed on the ground."
Question: "You joined militancy in 1988. It's been almost 24 years since then. What changes have you effected on the ground?"
Mushtaq Zargar: "Militancy highlighted the plight of Kashmiris. Earlier, no one knew what was going on inside Kashmir. Now everybody knows that India has occupied it.
Question: "Why did the [Indian Airlines Flight] IC 814 hijackers demand only your release, when other Kashmiri militant leaders were also in jail?"
Mushtaq Zargar: "Whatever they deemed wise, they did. I won't go into the details. In mid-1990s, [the militant group] Al-Umar kidnapped former Bihar MLA [Member of Legislative Assembly] Pankaj Kumar. My boys kept him hostage for more than a year until he was rescued by the troops. My release was demanded at that time. Sheikh Omar kidnapped four western tourists in New Delhi in 1994. My release was demanded then as well. [The militant group] Al-Faran, which kidnapped Western tourists in Pahalgam [of Kashmir] in 1995, also sought my release. The mujahideen always fought for my release."
Question: "The state government [of Jammu & Kashmir] says that militancy has ebbed. What do you think?"
Mushtaq Zargar: "There are crests and troughs in every movement. In 1994, the armed struggle was at its peak. In 1995, it faded a little, but only till 1999. It was again at its peak till 2004, when the then-Indian... [prime minister] Atal Bihari Vajpayee made three ceasefire offers, which we rejected."
Question: "The 2008 Assembly poll [in Jammu & Kashmir] saw a big turnout. Recently, 36,000 panches and sarpanches [local chiefs coming through civic elections] were voted into power. New Delhi sees these as a vote against militancy."
Mushtaq Zargar: "These are sham polls. India has many puppets in the [Kashmir] Valley. What kind of voting takes place in the shadow of guns? If India thinks these polls were votes in its favor, why is the entire state under curfew on January 26 [Indian Republic Day] and August 15 [India's Independence Day]? Why do the police detain children and raid houses? The policemen must understand that their families also live in Kashmir. If they continue to oppress Kashmiris, their families will be forced to migrate."
"We Will Never Lay Down Our Guns"; "Our Goal Is To Expel India And Establish Nizam-e-Mustafa... [Rule Of Prophet Muhammad In Kashmir] Because It Is A Muslim-Majority Region"
Question: "Why don't you support a political dialogue on Kashmir?"
Mushtaq Zargar: "More than one lakh [i.e. 100,000] people have been killed and many are buried in mass graves. Thousands of women have been raped. What kind of dialogue is New Delhi talking about?"
Question: "Will the militant leadership announce a ceasefire?"
Mushtaq Zargar: "We will never lay down our guns."
Question: "Is Kashmir a religious fight? Isn't it a political question?"
Mushtaq Zargar: "Our goal is to expel India and establish Nizam-e-Mustafa ... [Rule of Prophet Muhammad in Kashmir] because it is a Muslim-majority region."
Question: "How about Kashmir's minorities under Nizam-E-Mustafa [Rule of Prophet Muhammad]?"
Mushtaq Zargar: "Nizam-E-Mustafa gives enough freedom to minorities. Sikhs, Hindus and Christians will have more freedom than they have now. "
Question: "The conflict saw Kashmiri Pandits [i.e. Hindus] migrating elsewhere [from Kashmir]. Many Muslims also migrated to Muzaffarabad [the capital of Pakistani Kashmir]. Will Al-Umar call for their return?"
Mushtaq Zargar: "[Hindu] Pandits left the Valley at the call of Governor Jagmohan, who wanted to teach the Kashmiri Muslims a lesson. Muslims left because the army oppressed them. The Pandits didn't leave Kashmir at my call. They left on their own; they can also come back on their own."
Question: "There are allegations that you killed Kashmiri Pandits."
Mushtaq Zargar: "I deny this claim. I have never killed a Kashmiri Pandit. They were Kashmiris like me."
Question: "Al-Umar was carved out of the JKLF [Jammu & Kashmir Liberation Front, which stood for the independence of Kashmir]. Is it true that differences with pro-Azadi JKLF [i.e. pro-freedom, not aligning with Pakistan] led to its formation?"
Mushtaq Zargar: "No, it's not true. Al-Umar was formed in 1988. It was only in 1990 that we started claiming attacks on Indian military and government installations. Before that, even Ehsan Dar, the founder of Hizbul Mujahideen, would launch attacks and give credit to the JKLF."
Question: "But isn't it true that [JKLF leader] Yasin Malik was for an independent Kashmir – in which you do not believe [i.e. you believe in a merger with Pakistan]?"
Mushtaq Zargar: "Yasin Malik is just like my brother, in fact more than that. There were no differences between him and me. When the armed struggle was launched, the JKLF was being guided by four men including Yasin Malik. Al-Umar and other organizations would operate separately but never claim responsibility. Everyone would assume that all these attacks were launched by the JKLF. The JKLF would also claim responsibility for attacks which we carried out... That was a part of strategy. But in 1990 we began taking responsibility for attacks."
"Armed Struggle Is Like Walking On A Thorny Path"; "Jihad Is A Long Journey That Many Abandon In The Beginning Or The Middle; We Aren't Angry With Them, It Happens"
Question: "Some observers say Mirwaiz Umar Farooq [the pro-independence moderate leader of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference] had offered tactical support to Al-Umar after whom the group is named."
Mushtaq Zargar: "We respect Mirwaiz because he is a religious cleric. But Al-Umar was named after the second Caliph of Islam. It's not true to say that Al-Umar had Mirwaiz's tactic endorsement."
Question: "How strong is Al-Umar now?"
Mushtaq Zargar: "I won't reveal anything about our strength. You will soon realize how strong our group is. Just give me four months.
Question: "Many former militants returned from Muzaffarabad [the capital of Pakistani Kashmir following an Indian amnesty offer] to lead normal lives in Kashmir. Doesn't this reflect a weariness among the militants?"
Mushtaq Zargar: "Armed struggle is like walking on a thorny path, with nothing to feel sad or excited about. Those who tire of it give up. Those who want to carry on, keep up the fight. Jihad is a long journey that many abandon in the beginning or the middle. We aren't angry with them. It happens."
Question: "Former militants have warned against foreigners hijacking the struggle. Even now, it's the Lashkar-e-Taiba that is increasingly leading the fight [in Kashmir]."
Mushtaq Zargar: "Militants are often dubbed as foreigners. In reality, these are men whose parents migrated from Kashmir in 1947 [the year of India's partition and creation of Pakistan]. Jaish-e-Muhammad and Al-Umar are pro-Pakistan, but our boys are from Kashmir.
Question: "Do you support Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan's (TTP) call for Kashmir Jihad? Recently, TTP called on Pakistan to revive jihad in Kashmir, and also offered to fight in the Valley. Is TTP a foreign group?"
Mushtaq Zargar: "Those waging holy jihad against the oppressors of Muslims will go anywhere. They pick up guns because of Allah's will. Be it Taliban (TTP) or any other group, they'll come. I welcome them. When we fight in other places, be it Afghanistan or Palestine, our boys are welcomed. Why wouldn't I welcome them? I will. These fighters are our brothers..."
Endnotes
[1] Image courtesy BBC.co.uk
[2] Image courtesy Rediff.com
[3] Tehelka.com (India), Issue No. 9, Vol. 10, accessed March 13, 2013. The original English of the interview has been lightly edited for clarity.
