The Kashmiri Militant’s Dilemma: Secular ‘Azadi’ vs Caliphate

The aspirations of most young Kashmiris have not been hijacked by Hizbul’s Zakir Musa and his pan-Islamic agenda.

Zakir Musa, the militant who has been projected as Burhan Wani's successor, created a stir in separatist circles in early May, when he threatened to chop off the heads of those standing in the way of 'Sharia' implementation in Kashmir.

Even as the Hizbul Mujahideen distanced itself from the statement made by its high-profile lieutenant, Musa announced that he was parting ways with the Hizb.

He also clarified that his statement in early May was not specifically directed at the Hurriyat’s Syed Ali Geelani but against those speaking of “a secular state”.

This disquiet within the militant-Hurriyat complex stems from the prevailing crisis in Kashmir, where tensions have reached a new high in recent years, with students now becoming the face of protests.

Violence hasn't fetched anything. While there are protests against the repeated, and what they claim to be excessive, use of force, they are also spurred by the killing of civilians in militant strikes. The case of bank guards getting killed along with five policemen in a recent militant attack in Kulgam evoked widespread condemnation.

‘Secularisation’ of the Insurgency

When the insurgency broke out in Kashmir in the early Nineties, Islam was used as a rallying cry for those wearing the cloak of militancy. Islam finds a central place in the ‘constitution’ of the Hizbul Mujahideen, one of nearly two dozen outfits operating in Kashmir under the umbrella of United Jihad Council headed by Hizb supremo Syed Salahuddin.

Over the years, however, and especially since the 9/11 attacks, the separatists have distanced themselves from the activities of militants. While Yasin Malik's JKLF completely renounced violence, the Hizbul Mujahideen, the top militant recruiter in Kashmir with more than 12,000 men on its ‘rolls’ at one point of time, is facing an ideological clash between the new soldiers on the ground and the old guard.

There is a generational gap (in the Hizb leadership) which exceeds fifty years in some cases, so the friction between people sitting across the LoC and those fighting on the ground will always be there.

Umair Gul, Professor of Peace and Conflict Studies at the Islamic University of Kashmir

Widely seen as the militant wing of Jama'at-i-Islami, whose fortunes have faded over the years of turmoil, the Hizbul Mujahideen, which is believed to have been propped up by Pakistan to counter the influence of the 'freedom loving' JKLF on people in Kashmir during the early Nineties, today faces an existential crisis. Islam may be the religion of the majority in the Valley, but the struggle in Kashmir is essentially political.

Social Media & ‘Azadi’

Social media has dramatically helped redefine Kashmir's political landscape. There are ‘pro-Azadi’ Kashmiris today, who without picking up guns or even stones, are claiming their stake in the ongoing face-off with the state. Today, what Kashmir is experiencing is being shared in the form of written words, photos, cartoons, 'Facebook Lives' – a churn that’s challenge the established notions of what is acceptable and what isn’t from across the spectrum.

The activities and statements of the government, the security forces, the Hurriyat, and the militants are open to scrutiny and criticism. Several young, assertive Kashmiris now believe that the narrative on Kashmir today is no longer being set by India and Pakistan only. Kashmiris are also steering the narrative. The Hurriyat is not oblivious to this new ground reality, which is why it kept its distance from Musa's ‘pan-Islamic’ worldview.

Hizbul's Dilemma: Azadi or Caliphate?

For the Hizbul Mujahideen, giving up on the role of Islam in Kashmir's freedom struggle will mean the dropping of a core ideal. Even President Musharraf could not convince HM to play down its ‘pan-Islamic’ credentials, and therefore its natural allegiance to terror groups operating in Pakistan. As a result Musharraf did put a number of HM leaders in Pakistan and PoK behind bars.

And yet, it must be said, the Hizbul does keep finding human resource. Some of it young, educated recruits, many of them belonging to relatively well-off families but disillusioned by the state of affairs in Kashmir.

For them, pursuing a puritanical strain of Islam, and linking that to taking up arms, adds up to a worthy cause. Even if it ends in sacrificing one’s life.

The dominant sentiment in Kashmir, however, has censored Musa for his remarks. The aspirations in most young Kashmiris have not been hijacked by a young man who finds meaning of life in pursuing a pan-Islamic agenda.

Kashmiris are also increasingly rejecting this 'my-way-or-the-highway' attitude of all those espousing violence, which has taken an immense toll, producing only misery. The Hizb too, has seen this, which is why a day after Musa's beheading threat, the group underlined the importance of the "people of Kashmir" as stakeholders to the Kashmir problem.