US censure for Hizb has come a little late in the day

It comes at a time when a rejuvenated Hizbul Mujahideen, its ranks swollen by youngsters attracted to the cult of slain commander Burhan Wani, poses a serious threat in Jammu and Kashmir

The US designation of the Hizbul Mujahideen as a Foreign Terrorist Organisation has come a little late in the day, given that India has been flagging its concerns about the most powerful militant group in Jammu and Kashmir to the West for decades. However, the designation comes at a time when a rejuvenated Hizb, its ranks swollen by youngsters attracted to the cult of slain commander Burhan Wani, poses a serious threat in the state. The influx of these youngsters has also overturned the ratio of foreign fighters to local militants, which was earlier skewed by the presence of a large number of Pakistani terrorists affiliated to banned groups such as the Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed.

Hizbul Mujahideen commander Syed Salahuddin speaks at a rally. Salahuddin, who also heads the United Jihad Council and was designated a global terrorist by the US in June, largely operates from the Pakistani garrison city of Rawalpindi and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. (REUTERS)

More significantly, the US designation will strengthen India’s hands in exposing the duplicitous role played by Pakistan’s security establishment in backing the militancy in Kashmir. The resurgence of the Hizb in the past few years has suited Islamabad, which has played up the “Kashmiri face” of the militancy after years of fomenting unrest through the Pakistani fighters in the ranks of the LeT and JeM. Former premier Nawaz Sharif and Pakistan Army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa are among the Pakistani leaders who have repeatedly held up Wani as a paragon of the so-called “freedom movement” in Kashmir. The fact remains that the top leadership of the Hizb is ensconced in Pakistan. Hizb chief Syed Salahuddin, who also heads the United Jihad Council and was designated a global terrorist by the US in June, largely operates from the Pakistani garrison city of Rawalpindi and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. At a time when the West and bodies such as the Paris-based Financial Action Task Force have already taken Pakistan to task for failing to act against terrorists such as LeT founder Hafiz Saeed, the designation of the Hizb and Salahuddin is bound to increase the pressure on Islamabad for giving a free run to terrorists operating from its soil. As the notification from the US state department points out, such terrorism designations “expose and isolate organisations and individuals”.