March 27, 2003	Thursday	Muharram 23, 1424

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MUZAFFARABAD, March 26: An split in Kashmir’s dominant freedom fighter group Hizbul Mujahideen became almost clear on Tuesday, with around 200 supporters of the outfit’s slain former commander, Abdul Majid Dar, announcing to have parted ways with the Syed Salahuddin-led faction.

“We have launched our own faction of Hizbul Mujahideen,” said Tufail Ahmed, a former operational chief of Hizb and supporter of Dar, who was shot dead by unknown assailants in his hometown of Sopore in the occupied Kashmir on Sunday.

“Around 40 per cent of the Hizb activists are with us,” claimed Tufail Ahmed, who is a former district commander and the younger brother of Zafar Abdul Fateh.

Mr Fateh was expelled from Hizbul Mujahideen by the AJK-based command council in May last year, along with Dar and one more commander.

Tufail Ahmed spoke to reporters in the spacious K. H. Khurshid mini stadium in Muzaffarabad as some 200 emotionally charged youth chanted slogans: “Dar we salute your greatness” and “Dar you have become immortal”.

Some of the youths were also carrying portraits of Dar, who was regarded as a moderate militant and whose death has also been condemned by Pakistan besides the AJK and Mujahideen leaders.

“We had no option but to part ways with the Salahuddin-led faction of the Hizb, but we will carry on struggle for freedom from India,” Mr Tufail said.

He said commanders of the group in both parts of Kashmir had unanimously appointed Ahmed Yasin as the chief commander, “who will use his full abilities to fill the vacuum created due to the Dar’s martyrdom.”

“Our struggle at the militant front will continue till achieving the goal, in consultation with the All Parties Hurriyat Conference and those Kashmiris who are working abroad at the diplomatic front,” he said.

Earlier, over 500 people from different walks of life turned up at the stadium to attend funeral prayers of the slain commander which were led by Azad Kashmir Jamaat chief Sardar Ejaz Afzal.

Organisers had also put on display a number of banners to pay homage to Dar for his leadership qualities, besides vowing to carry on his mission.

Later, around a 12 leaders, including representatives of the AJK chapter of the Hurriyat Conference and local politicians spoke on the occasion.

“We will not shed the blood of those who have shed the blood of innocents, but we will expose them to people. We will not deviate from Jihad,” remarked Hurriyat leader Ghulam Mohammad Safi in his speech as the crowd raised their hands to endorse his views.

Prominent among the speakers were: Syed Yousaf Nasim, Ghulam Nabi Nowsheri, Siddique Ganai, Dawood Khan, Abdul Aziz Alvi, Khwaja Farooq Ahmed, Abdur Rashid Abbasi and Rafiq Dar.

Later, some 200 youth marched through the main road of the city, chanting slogans in support of Dar and against Mr Salahuddin. They also chanted anti-India and pro-Pakistan slogans.

When contacted Salim Hashmi, a spokesman for the Salahuddin-led faction, he declined to offer any comment on the situation.

On Sunday, Mr Hashmi condemned on behalf of the his group the assassination of Dar and expressed grief over the incident. He had said the group would conduct a probe into the killing.

The slain leader, Abdul Majid Dar, had declared a unilateral cease-fire with the Indian troops in Kashmir in July 2000. The truce offer was however withdrawn by the AJK-based leadership of the group within a fortnight after New Delhi refused to accept Hizb demands, including holding of the unconditional and tripartite talks on Kashmir.

Differences soon surfaced between the sides resulting in Dar’s expulsion from the group.