Sayeed Salahudeen

Sayeed Salahudeen
Born (1946-02-18) 18 February 1946
Badgam, State of Jammu and Kashmir, British Raj
(now in Jammu and Kashmir, India)
Spouse(s) Nafisa
Children 5 sons, 2 daughters

Syed Mohammed Yusuf Shah, popularly known as Syed Salahudeen, is the head of Hizb-ul-Mujahideen,[1] [2] a Kashmiri separatist militant organization operating in Kashmir, and head of an alliance of anti-India militant groups[3][4], the United Jihad Council, that works to annex the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir to Pakistan[5][6][7][8]. Salahuddin vowed to block any peaceful resolution to the Kashmir conflict, threatened to train more Kashmiri suicide bombers, and vowed to turn the Kashmir valley "into a graveyard for Indian forces."[9][10] He is listed on the NIA Most Wanted list.[11] On 26 June 2017, he was named as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist by the US Department Of State.[12][13] After being designated as a Global terrorist, he addressed the Pakistani Media at Muzaffarabad’s Centre Press Club, claiming that "The declaration was a joint move by the US, Israel, and India to express their animosity towards Pakistan."[14][15][16]

Early life

Yusuf Shah was the seventh child of middle class parents. He was born and raised in Soibugh, Budgam, a village in the Kashmir Valley. The partition of Kashmir between India and Pakistan happened while he was still an infant. His father worked in the Postal Department of the Indian government.

Yusuf Shah initially became interested in studying medicine, but later on decided to become a civil servant. While studying Political Science at the University of Kashmir, he was influenced by the Jamaat-e-Islami, and become a member of its branch in Jammu and Kashmir.

At university, he became increasingly radicalised, and got involved in persuading Muslim women to veil themselves (observe orthodox Shariah) and also took part in processions in support of Pakistan. After university instead of taking the civil service exam he became an Islamic teacher at a madrasa.

He is married, with five sons and two daughters. Though he himself heads a radical organisation that calls for all Kashmiris to take up armed struggle against India, none of his own children have joined his movement. His oldest son, Shakeel Yousuf, works as a medical assistant at Srinagar's Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences, second son Javed Yousuf works in the Education Department as computer operator, while Shahid Yousuf is a Research Fellow at the Sher-i-Kashmir University of Agricultural Science and Technology. Shah's fourth son, Wahid Yusuf, is a doctor at Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences. Mueed Yusuf, the youngest of Shah's sons, is working at Entrepreneurship Development Institute (EDI), Srinagar, Kashmir.[17]

Political life

In 1987, Yusuf Shah decided to contest the J&K assembly election on the ticket of the Muslim United Front, a coalition of political parties in Srinagar's Amira Kadal constituency. Mohammad Yusuf Shah who stood for the Legislative Assembly elections in 1987 from Amira Kadal, Srinagar. He came second after Ghulam Mohiuddin Shah of the moderate National Conference won the seat. Mohammed Yusuf Shah was arrested and put in jail for his violent agitations.

Hizbul Mujahideen

After his arrest for violent protests and release in 1989, he then joined Hizbul Mujahideen founded by Muhammad Ahsan Dar alias "Master" who later parted from Hizbul Mujahideen. He soon took over as the chief of Hizbul Mujahideen and then adopted nom de guerre "Sayeed Salahudeen", named after Saladin, the 12th century Muslim political and military leader, who fought in the Crusades.

In June 2012 in an interview, Hizb-ul-Mujahideen chief Sayeed Salahuddin accepted that Pakistan had been backing Hizb-ul-Mujahideen for fight in Kashmir.[18] He had declared to start attacking Pakistan if Pakistan stopped backing jihadis in Jammu and Kashmir who, he claimed, were fighting "Pakistan's war".[18][6]

Designation as a Terrorist By U.S

On 26 June 2017 the US Department of State has designated Mohammad Yusuf Shah, also known as (AKA) Syed Salahuddin, as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) under Section 1(b) of Executive Order (E.O.) 13224, which imposes sanctions on foreign persons who have committed, or pose a significant risk of committing, acts of terrorism that threaten the security of U.S. nationals or the national security, foreign policy, or economy of the United States. As a consequence of this designation, U.S. persons are generally prohibited from engaging in transactions with Salahuddin and all of Salahuddin’s property and interests in property subject to United States jurisdiction are blocked.[19]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Skype with Salahuddin Sonia Sarkar July 2016".
  2. ↑ Hizbul Mujahideen
  3. ↑ International Crisis Group (2002), Kashmir: Confrontation and Miscalculation, International Crisis Group, p. 6
  4. ↑ Snedden, Christopher (2013) [first published as The Untold Story of the People of Azad Kashmir, 2012]. Kashmir: The Unwritten History. HarperCollins India. p. 198. ISBN 9350298988.
  5. ↑ PTI (8 Jun 2012). "Hizb chief Syed Salahuddin warns Pakistan against withdrawing support on Kashmir". The Times of India. Retrieved 8 June 2012.
  6. 1 2 "Normalization of Indo-Pak ties hurts Kashmir cause: Salahuddin". Arab News. 8 June 2012. Retrieved 8 June 2012.
  7. ↑ Diplomat, Kunwar Khuldune Shahid, The. "Time for Pakistan to Cut Ties With Hizbul Mujahideen". The Diplomat. Retrieved 2017-06-27.
  8. ↑ Pike, John. "Hizb-ul-Mujahideen". www.globalsecurity.org. Retrieved 2017-06-27.
  9. ↑ "State Department Terrorist Designations of Mohammad Yusuf Shah AKA Syed Salahuddin". U.S. Department of State. Retrieved 2017-06-27.
  10. ↑ Siddiqui, AP | Naveed (2017-06-26). "Kashmiri militant leader punished as Modi visits US". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 2017-06-27.
  11. ↑ Bloeria, Conflicts in Jammu and Kashmir 2012.
  12. ↑ "State Department Terrorist Designations of Mohammad Yusuf Shah AKA Syed Salahuddin".
  13. ↑ "India stands vindicated as US names Hizbul chief Syed Salahuddin 'global terrorist'".
  14. ↑ "Top Kashmiri militant sees 'India-US-Israel nexus' behind his terrorist designation - The Express Tribune". The Express Tribune. 2017-07-01. Retrieved 2017-07-03.
  15. ↑ "In TV Interview, Hizbul Mujahideen's Syed Salahuddin Exposes Pakistan's Role In Terror". NDTV.com. Retrieved 2017-07-03.
  16. ↑ "Blacklisted Kashmiri Leader Vows To Continue Fight Over Kashmir | TOLOnews". TOLOnews. Retrieved 2017-07-03.
  17. ↑ Mir, Amir (2010). TALIBANISATION OF PAKISTAN From 9/11 To 26/11 and Beyond. Pentagon Press. ISBN 9788182744707.
  18. 1 2 3 PTI (8 June 2012). "Hizb chief Syed Salahuddin warns Pakistan against withdrawing support on Kashmir". The Times of India. Retrieved 8 June 2012.
  19. ↑ "State Department Terrorist Designations of Mohammad Yusuf Shah AKA Syed Salahuddin". U.S. Department of State. Retrieved 2017-06-27.

Bibliography

  • Bloeria, S. S. (2012), "Conflict overview", in V. R. Raghavan, Conflicts in Jammu and Kashmir: Impact on Polity, Society and Economy, Vij Books India Pvt Ltd, pp. 15–56, ISBN 978-93-82573-33-3

Further reading

  • Most Wanted Profiles of Terror by K.P.S Gill, ISBN 81-7436-207-X
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.