Hizbul Mujahideen, a major organisation of Kashmiri terrorists, has begun counting its last breaths amid the stranglehold of security forces in Kashmir and the dwindling support of ordinary Kashmiris.

There are no weapons, no shelter, no money, and no Kashmiri youth to be found. This organisation once had approximately 5,000 terrorists, but today only five terrorists remain. Aside from that, Hizbul’s overground worker and financial networks have been nearly destroyed. Simultaneously, Pakistan has pushed Hizbul to the margins by establishing a slew of new terrorist organisations.

The chief commander of this organisation, Mohammad Yusuf Shah alias Syed Salahuddin from Kashmir, has been hiding in slave Jammu and Kashmir for 31 years. The Pakistani intelligence agency Hizbul Mujahideen was founded in September 1989. The first commander was Master Ahsan Dar, a prominent Jamaat-e-Islami activist from Pattan Baramulla in North Kashmir. In 1991, Salahuddin was appointed as the Operation Chief Commander. The majority of its cadre has been drawn from Jamaat-e-Islami sympathisers.

Constantly changing locations

Three dozen local youths became Hizbul terrorists over the course of three years. The majority of them have been killed. Until about four months ago, there were eight to nine Hizbul terrorists. There are currently five terrorists remaining. Farooq Nalli is the oldest of the group. Others are brand new. Among the four terrorists, Asif is six months old. The terrorists’ hideouts are constantly changing, sometimes in Pulwama and sometimes in Shopian.

According to political activist Salim Reshi, the way the security forces have eliminated all of Hizbul Mujahideen’s key commanders and cracked down on their overground network has reduced or even stopped new recruitment.

Anyone who became a terrorist in the last four to five years had contact with Jihadi elements on the Internet. He has been influenced by the ideology of organisations such as Lashkar and Jaish rather than Hizbul or Jamaat-e-Islami.

Former Director General of Police Dr. Shesh paul Vaid stated that Hizbul Mujahideen is no longer needed in Pakistan. Because Hizbul, like Lashkar and Jaish, has become an internationally sanctioned terrorist organisation. As a result, Hizbul’s assistance in the form of arms and money has been reduced.

The reality of the slogans of independence and separatism has also become clear to ordinary Kashmiris. Following the repeal of Article-370, Pakistan has begun to prepare new terrorist organisations in place of old ones. The Resistance Front, Kashmiri Freedom Fighters, and People’s Anti-Fascist Front are among these. The Jamaat-e-Islami ban has also done 50% of its job.