The love-hate relationship between Pakistan’s ISI and JKLF

JKLF received a setback when ISI choked the financial and arms support to JKLF and declared it a terrorist organization the world over.

Life imprisonment was awarded to Yasin Malik, the chief of banned Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF), on May 19, 2022, by a Delhi court for two offenses under section 121 (waging war against the Government of India) of IPC and section 17 (raising funds for the terrorist act) of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act UAPA. The court verdict was received with a lukewarm response from the public and particularly from his cadre in Kashmir valley. Whereas in PoK- Gilgit the JKLF division could not register the protest in favour of Yasin Malik on a large scale.

In March 2019, the Government of India had banned JKLF under its anti-terror law. The JKLF from its inception on May 29, 1977, in Birmingham, England, to its current status has always remained in a turbulent state.

On June 18, 1990, when Amanullah Khan declared the provisional government in exile in which representation of Jammu, Kashmir, Ladakh, Gilgit, and Pok was mentioned, the tug of war between ISI and JKLF started. Thus, ISI managed to divide JKLF into two in 1990 as it was not in the interest of Pakistan. As a result, JKLF received a setback when ISI choked the financial and arms support to JKLF and declared it a terrorist organization the world over. The foreign aid to JKLF was stopped, as result the organization was left high and dry.

Sheikh Rashid, Interior Minister came to the rescue of JKLF and provided his huge farmhouse near Rawalpindi where a large number of JKLF activists were lodged and underwent arms training. But due to paucity of space and an increasing number of youth, the training centre was shut down within three months. Sheikh Rashid exploited the JKLF cause and collected huge funds from the Pakistan establishment. Training camps for JKLF under the guidance of ISI were already functional before June 18, 1990 when JKLF got divided on the issue of the provisional government in exile. The activists of JKLF in a large number were left with no other option but to join other militant organizations Al Barq, Muslim Jabanz Force, Hizbullah, and Muslim Mujahideen launched by ISI. But no JKLF activists joined the Jamaat-e-Islami armed wing.

No organizations were free from the clutches of ISI including JKLF leadership from Maqbool Bhat to Amanullah Khan. Without the clearance of ISI no activity was possible for JKLF to execute its programme, whether it was the crossing of Maqbool Bhat twice to Kashmir in September 1966 and on June 20, 1976 under the supervision of FIU (Field Intelligence Unit) of Pakistan. Maqbool Bhat would be escorted up to the border crossing point by two FIU sleuths Guffar Rishi and Maqbool Naik, both from Tangdhar.

As of now, JKLF has lost its image and credibility. But its cadres in Kashmir valley either have gone into hibernation or arrested. After the sentence of Yasin Malik, around 40-50 executive council members of his organization are intact, but establishment pressure has contained their activities.

Pakistan's establishment systematically cuts JKLF to size with the passage of time. Qazi Hussain Ahmad, Chief of Jamaat-e-Islami was funded with Rs 10 crore by Nawaz Sharif, the then PM of Pakistan to launch Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM), the armed wing of Jamaat-e-Islami under Syed Ali Shah Geelani to dismember the Kashmir Liberation Front. Under the watchful eyes of Pakistan's Army and the ISI, HM was created in August 1989.

The onslaught on JKLF never came to an end from ISI. On Nov 9, 2020, when ex-PM Imran Khan in a public gathering in Gilgit, where all nationalist parties from PoK and Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) were present, declared granting of fifth province status to Gilgit-Baltistan, it was vehemently opposed by JKLF. On this ISI summoned their stooge Rafiq Dar, Saleem Haroon of JKLF faction in Rawalpindi on Nov 19, 2020 and directed them to stop the opposition against Pakistan's political decision on GB. Accordingly, under the direction of his masters, Rafiq Dar, taking 45 members out of 60 of executive members to his side, dissolved the supreme council of JKLF. Also, he dissolved all zones in the US, UK, Gulf, European Union, and in Pok. But Raja Muzaffar, Diplomatic Head in the US, Altaf Qadri in the US, Dr. Syed Toqeer Gilani JKLF president PoK- GB of Kotli refused to obey the orders of Rafiq Dar.

Meanwhile, in May 2022, Rafiq Dar reconstituted his faction of JKLF, appointing Senior Vice Chairman Raja Haq Nawaz of Kotli, Secretary General Gh. Rasool Eidi from Srinagar without his consent, Vice Chairman Mushtaq Ajmal from Srinagar under the direction of ISI. Interestingly, the majority of JKLF activists or sympathisers from PoK, the US, EU, Gulf, UK are with Dr Syed Toqeer Gilani, JKLF president PoK-GB. The US unit is headed by Altaf Qadri as acting chairman. Under instruction of ISI, Yasin Malik, the JKLF leader who is presently in Tihar jail has been accepted as chairman of both the faction of JKLF one headed by Syed Toqeer Gilani and another by Rafiq Dar. The US unit of JKLF is headed by acting Chairman Altaf Qadri.

Raja Muzaffar, Foreign Diplomatic Head in the US of JKLF faction headed by Dr Syed Toqeer Gilani told this journalist that ISI had tried its level best to dismantle JKLF diaspora groups but had failed. However, they have made changes in JKLF ideology leaving aside the right of self-determination, implementation of UN Resolution, and no Plebiscite. According to him they have proposed, "a 'Jammu Kashmir Senate' in exile in which prominent personalities from five units of erstwhile Jammu and Kashmir will participate in serious deliberations which will be a vehicle to carry forward for further dialogues with India and Pakistan. The Senate meeting will be in the next 5-6 months in the US. In the process 'Kashmir Global Conference" has been activated in the US and Canada where the Kashmir problem will be discussed to hold elections in all the five segments of Jammu and Kashmir under the United Nations after the withdrawal of forces from both India and Pakistan."

A teacher by profession, Sheikh Mohd Afzal, 66, of Tregham village in the border district of Kupwara, who was a Secretary General of JKLF for 14 years in PoK and Pakistan with Amanullah Khan, today feels jittery over the functioning of JKLF, ISI and Pakistani establishment against the youth of Kashmir. He has severed all his connections with JKLF and others.

Afzal candidly shared his experience with this journalist, "I had the opportunity to meet all the top leaders of Pakistan, including Benazir Bhutto, Farooq Leghari, and other opposition party leaders. Benazir Bhutto, the then prime minister of Pakistan curbed the activities of JKLF with the help of ISI agency and tried to split it. In one week, JKLF was divided into 140 factions. I hold the local leadership of PoK, Muslim Conference of Sardar Qyoom Khan, Sardar Sikandar Hayyat Khan, the then president, and other functionaries for executing the plan of Pakistan by creating a "Liberation Cell" to cut Amanullah Khan's JKLF to size. The political parties in PoK have never played a healthy role in supporting the re-unification of Kashmir. Frankly speaking, the late Sheikh Abdullah might have taken many wrong decisions, but he kept Jammu, Kashmir, and Ladakh regions as one unit. On the other hand, the PoK leadership mortgaged Gilgit-Baltistan to Pakistan where no democratic or political rights exist. I was deeply shocked when I visited the Gilgit area and found the people living there as slaves. I put the blame on Pok leadership for keeping Gilgit- Baltistan away from the Kashmir issue."

About the introduction of gun culture in JKLF, Afzal said, "The gun was picked up because Amanullah Khan's ideology for independent Kashmir got a severe jolt from both India and Pakistan. His prestige was at stake. Bilal Siddique, the first commander-in-chief of the military wing, along with his associates Abdul Qadir Rather and Ali Mohd Mandoo was directly under the command of Rashid Hasrat in PoK. JKLF when divided into two in PoK, Amanullah Khan's people set up an arms training camp at Bajod under the name of National Liberation Army headed by Raja Haq Nawaz with 30 people from Kashmir and over 100 local youth for three months of training. The training was imparted by one Farooq, a retired Pakistan Army Special Service Group (SSG) person of Pakistan Army. But when JKLF received the first supply of guns in large quantities from Pakistan, it went into the wrong hands, and weapons were misused. I don't deny the existence of guns in Kashmir; unfortunately, it is not under the control of any command."

(R C Ganjoo is a senior journalist and columnist having more than 30 years experience of covering issues concerning national security, particularly Kashmir. He has worked with several prominent media groups and his articles have been published in many national and international publications.)

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are the personal opinions of the author. The facts and opinions appearing in the article do not reflect the views of OneIndia and OneIndia does not assume any responsibility or liability for the same.