Srinagar: The US State Department on Wednesday designated Hizb-ul-Mujahideen, Kashmir’s indigenous militant organization, as “a Foreign Terrorist Organization”.
“The Department of State has designated Hizbul Mujahideen—also known as Hizb-ul-Mujahideen, also known as HM—as a Foreign Terrorist Organization under section 219 of the Immigration and Nationality Act, and as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) under section 1(b) of Executive Order (E.O.) 13224. These designations seek to deny HM the resources it needs to carry out terrorist attacks. Among other consequences, all of HM’s property and interests in property subject to U.S. jurisdiction are blocked, and U.S. persons are generally prohibited from engaging in any transactions with the group,” reads a statement issued by the US State Department.
The notification comes three months after Kashmiri militant leader and Hizb-ul-Mujahideen’s supreme commander Syed Salahuddin was designated as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) by the US state department. The development had come just hours ahead of the scheduled meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump on 27 June this year. It also imposed sanctions on him.
Formed in 1989, HM is one of the largest and oldest militant groups operating in Kashmir, The Department of State said. “Hizbul Mujahideen has claimed responsibility for several attacks, including the April 2014, explosives attack in the state of Jammu and Kashmir, which injured 17 people,” it said.
Today’s action notifies the U.S. public and the international community that HM is a ‘terrorist organization’, it said.
“Terrorism designations expose and isolate organizations and individuals, and deny them access to the U.S. financial system. Moreover, designations can assist the law enforcement activities of U.S. agencies and other governments,” it added.
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