Hizbul Mujahideen on Thursday disowned a splinter faction suspected of a string of killings in Indian-held Kashmir, with concerns growing that rogue insurgents could ratchet up tensions between India and Pakistan. Hizbul Mujahideen, a Kashmiri group whose leader Syed Salahuddin is based in Pakistan, said it had expelled Abdul Qayoom Najar over his involvement in "gruesome murder" and the "character assassination of established pro-freedom leadership".
Indian security forces say Najar leads a breakaway group called Lashkar-e-Islam that carried out a series of recent attacks around the town of occupied Sopore, killing five telecoms workers and vendors. The decision to expel Najar was taken by Hizbul Mujahideen's command council headed by Salahuddin. He is widely viewed as allied to Kashmiri leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani, who is 85.
"The report submitted by the inquiry commission has proved that Qayoom Najar, in an utter disregard of the Hizb leadership, violated the constitution of the outfit and carried out condemnable acts. Our constitution does not allow or permit such actions," Salahuddin said in a statement. Analysts say the emergence of a breakaway faction could mean that a new generation of Kashmiris trying to break free from the ageing leadership - inspired by jihadists elsewhere who have resorted to extreme violence and spread their message through social media.
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