Fayaz Bukhari
SRINAGAR, Dec 5: The pan-Islamic Harkat-ul-Ansar that was declared as terrorist organization 15-years back by United States of America is again starting its operations in Kashmir under the new name of Jabbar-ul-Mujahideen, high placed sources said here.
The organization is drawing its cadres from Lashkar-e-Toiba, Jaish-e-Mohammad and Hizbul Mujahideen and its top 5 commanders have infiltrated into Jammu and Kashmir through Samba sector of Jammu in July this year.
Sources said that Shah Chand Khan is the Commander-in-Chief of the outfit in Jammu and Kashmir and Badshah Khan, Noor Mohammad, Abdul Razak and Muneer Khan are his associates.
Sources said that the first meeting of the outfit in which the organization was formed formally was held at Lahore on July 10 this year. The organization has close links with Pakistan based Haqqani network that fights against US led Nato forces and Afghanistan Government in Afghanistan.
And soon after the meeting of Jabbar-ul-Mujahideen in Lahore, the top commanders were launched to Jammu and Kashmir through Samba sector in July only.
Badshah Khan who is the main commander after Chand Khan is brother of Sajjad Afghani, the top commander of Harkat-ul-Mujahideen who was killed in Kot-Balwal Jail break, Jammu, in 1999. Badshah Khan has reportedly visited his brother’s grave in Jammu and offered prayers there, soon after his infiltration.
All the 5 commanders are said to be Pakistani nationals with Abdul Razak belonging to Gujranwala and Muneer Khan to Rawalakote, Poonch in Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK).
Javed Hussain Malik alias Engineer, who was in Pakistan for a long time and was responsible for launching militants into Jammu and Kashmir, is the only local who is acting as coordinator of the new outfit.
Sources said that some of these commanders were spotted in a Pahalgam area village in South Kashmir in September this year but they are still in restructuring process of their outfit before they start their operations next year.
The outfit has reportedly derived its name from Supreme Commander of Tehreek Ghalib-e- Islam, Moulana Abdul Jabbar who has fought Afghan war for several years and is said to be militant ideologue.
Harkat ul-Ansar was formed by the merger of two Pakistani groups, Harkat-ul-Jihad al-Islami and Harkat-ul-Mujahideen, and was led by Maulana Saadatullah Khan and the organization took part in Afghan war.
Harkat-ul-Ansar was operating in Myanmar, Tajikistan, Bosnia and Herzegovina and in late 1990s it was operating in Jammu and Kashmir. It was declared as terrorist organization by USA in 1997 and the group then recast as Harkat-ul-Mujahideen in 1998.
Its top commanders including Moulana Masood Azhar, Sajjad Afghani and Nasarullah Manzoor Langaryal were captured in Kashmir. With these arrests the outfit gradually lost its influence in Jammu and Kashmir militancy with its cadres shifting to the LeT.
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