Orders & Options

In their November 1997 annual conference, the Markaz’s Amir Hafiz Mohammad Sayeed—a former professor of engineering—clearly articulated the group’s ideology which is against the separation of religion from state. Rejecting democracy, the group’s ideology is based on ‘‘the notion of the sovereignty of the people as un-Islamic because only Allah is sovereign.’’

Sayeed told the congregation that ‘‘God has ordained every Muslim to fight until His rule is established. We have no option but to follow God’s order. We continue to support other Islamic organisations in the world. This is a very long battle.’’

In fact, it is this ideology that makes Lashkar both in it action and aim different from all other militant groups operating in Kashmir. Lashkar’s puritan ideology transcends the separatist aim to achieve ‘‘right of self-determination for Kashmiris’’ and its mission expands to the entire ummah (Muslim world) with Kashmir one of the several battlegrounds in their pan-Islamic struggle.

After the ban on the outfit in Pakistan, Lashkar’s top boss Hafiz Mohammad Sayeed distanced himself from the outfit, replacing himself by a Kashmiri commander. In fact, its parent group Markaz, too, changed its name and set up another organisation called Jamat-ud-Dawa, with an exclusive aim to reform Pakistani society.

Beyond the Blacklist

SOON after the Lashkar began its rise into prominence as the most ‘‘effective’’ and ‘‘well-trained’’ Jihadi outfit operating in J&K with ‘‘increasing capability to expand their operations across India’’, the group was banned by the Centre under the Prevention of Terrorism Ordinance (POTO) on October 25, 2001.

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