- Treasury Department freezes Hizbul Mujahideen’s assets
The United States now named Hizbul Mujahideen, a Kashmiri resistance group, as a Foreign Terrorist Organisation and a Specially Designated Global Terrorist group, more than 50 days after adding its chief Syed Salahuddin to its list of designated global terrorists.
“Today’s action notifies the US public and the international community that Hizb is a ‘terrorist’ organisation,” the US State Department said in a statement. “Such designations expose and isolate ‘terrorist’ groups and individuals and assist the law enforcement activities of US agencies and other governments,” it said.
The Hizb is one of the most active groups operating in Jammu Kashmir, and claimed responsibility for several attacks just to give a setback to Indian interests. Formed in 1989, “the Hizbul Mujahideen is one of the largest and oldest ‘terrorist’ groups operating in Kashmir,” the statement said.
“The group is led by ‘specially designated global terrorist’ Mohammad Yusuf Shah, also known as Syed Salahuddin,” it said. “Terrorism designations expose and isolate groups and individuals, and deny them access to the US financial system. Moreover, designations can assist the law enforcement activities of the US agencies and other governments,” the statement read.
The State Department said that the Kashmiri group has been declared a foreign ‘terrorist’ outfit under Section 219 of the Immigration and Nationality Act, and as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) under Section 1(b) of Executive Order (EO) 13224. These designations seek to deny the outfit the resources it needs to carry out attacks.
In June, Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Nafees Zakaria said that the designation of individuals supporting the Kashmiri right to self-determination as ‘terrorists’ was completely unjustified.
“Pakistan shall continue to extend political, diplomatic and moral support for the just struggle of the Kashmiri people for the realisation of the right to self-determination and the peaceful resolution of the Kashmir issue in accordance with the UN Security Council resolutions,” he said.
Indian officials said the listing of the Hizb was a ‘logical step’ after the designation of Salahuddin as a ‘Specially Designated Global Terrorist’ (SDGT). “The issue is of key importance to India as it will validate cross-LoC terrorism as the reason behind the Kashmir issue and the support the Hizb gets,” according to The Hindustan Times newspaper.