US embassy cable - 97ISLAMABAD7636

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 02 ISLAMABAD 007636 
 
 
DEPT FOR S/CT 
DEPT ALSO FOR SA/RA 
 
E.O. 12958:  DECL: (1.6X1) 
TAGS:  KPRP, PINR, PTER, PK 
SUBJ:  JAMMU AND KASHMIR ISLAMIC FRONT (C-NA7-00565) 
 
REFTELS:  A)  STATE 106548  B)  NEW DELHI 6957  C)  ISLAMABAD 5640 
 
CLASSIFIED BY POLCOUNS TOM PRICE.  REASON:  1.5 (C). 
 
1.  (S)  IN RESPONSE TO REFTEL (A) REQUEST FOR INFORMATION ON THE 
JAMMU AND KASHMIR ISLAMIC FRONT (JKIF), POLOFF, ACCOMPANIED BY POL 
FSN, VISITED THE JKIF'S ISLAMABAD OFFICE ON SEPTEMBER 4.  MAKING AN 
APPOINTMENT TO MEET WITH THE JKIF WAS SOMETHING OF AN ORDEAL, BUT 
POL FSN FINALLY MANAGED TO TRACK DOWN AN ISLAMABAD PHONE NUMBER 
(445699) FOR THE GROUP.  WHEN HE CALLED THE OFFICE, THE PERSON WHO 
ANSWERED REPEATEDLY ASKED IF THE CALL WAS BEING TAPED.  "IF SO, I 
WILL SPEAK MORE CLEARLY," HE SAID, EVEN AFTER BEING ASSURED THAT 
THE CONVERSATION WAS NOT BEING MONITORED. 
 
2.  (S)  FINDING THE JKIF OFFICE WAS ALMOST AS DIFFICULT AS MAKING 
AN APPOINTMENT.  LOCATED IN THE CAPITAL CITY'S WESTERNMOST SUBURBS, 
THE GROUP'S HOUSE IS TUCKED INTO A NARROW ALLEY IN THE I/10-2 
SECTOR (STREET 10, GALI (ALLEY) 27, HOUSE 1908).  POLOFFS WERE 
USHERED INTO THE HOUSE BY DR. HAIDER, WHO IDENTIFIED HIMSELF AS 
VICE CHAIRMAN OF THE JKIF.  HE IN TURN INTRODUCED BILAL BAIG, 
CHAIRMAN OF THE JKIF, AND SYED ALI RAZA, WHOM HAIDER DESCRIBED AS 
THE PRESIDENT OF JKIF'S POLITICAL WING IN MUZAFFARABAD.  HAIDER, 
WHO HAILS FROM BARAMULLA DISTRICT OF INDIAN KASHMIR AND SAYS HE HAS 
A MEDICAL DEGREE, DID MOST OF THE TALKING DURING THE NEXT HOUR-AND- 
A-HALF, THOUGH RAZA DID SPEAK UP OCCASIONALLY, AND BAIG APPEARED TO 
BE FOLLOWING THE CONVERSATION CLOSELY. 
 
3.  (S)  HAIDER NEEDED LITTLE PROMPTING TO LAUNCH INTO A CONVOLUTED 
EXPLANATION OF THE GROUP'S HISTORY AND ITS PHILOSOPHY, MOST OF 
WHICH IS COVERED MORE COMPREHENSIBLY IN REFTELS B AND C.  HAIDER 
SAID THE GROUP BEGAN AS A PEACEFUL ORGANIZATION CALLED THE JAMMU 
AND KASHMIR STUDENTS' LIBERATION FRONT IN 1988 AND GRADUALLY 
METAMORPHOSED INTO THE JKIF OVER THE COURSE OF THE NEXT SEVERAL 
YEARS.  HAIDER SAID HIS OWN CONVERSION TO VIOLENCE TOOK PLACE IN 
APRIL 1992, WHEN HE WAS DETAINED AND TORTURED BY INDIAN TROOPS IN 
SRINAGAR.  ROLLING UP HIS PANTS LEG TO REVEAL SEVERAL UGLY GOUGES 
IN HIS SKIN, HAIDER SAID HE HAD BEEN SUBJECTED TO ELECTRIC SHOCKS 
AND SEVERE BEATINGS WHILE IN CUSTODY.  SINCE THEN, HAIDER SAID, HIS 
ELDER BROTHER HAD BEEN KILLED AND HIS FAMILY HOME DESTROYED BY 
INDIAN TROOPS, WHILE HE HAD BEEN FORCED TO FLEE TO PAKISTAN IN 
1994.  "HE TOO HAS SUFFERED," HAIDER SAID POINTING TO BAIG, WHO WAS 
SITTING IMPASSIVELY ACROSS THE ROOM.  BAIG'S SISTER-IN-LAW AND 
FATHER WERE KILLED BY INDIAN TROOPS, HAIDER CHARGED, AND HIS 
SISTER, FARADA BAHANJI, HAS BEEN IMPRISONED IN NEW DELHI'S TIHAR 
JAIL FOR OVER A YEAR BECAUSE OF HER BROTHER'S ACTIVITIES.  TO CAP 
OFF THIS LITANY OF ABUSE, HAIDER PRODUCED SEVERAL PHOTOS OF 
CORPSES, ALL OF WHOM ALLEGEDLY DIED AT THE HANDS OF INDIAN SECURITY 
FORCES.  ONE PHOTO PURPORTEDLY SHOWED THE REMAINS OF BAIG'S FAMILY 
HOME WITH A SNAPSHOT OF HIS SISTER SUPERIMPOSED ON IT. 
 
4.  (S)  WHEN PRESSED TO ELABORATE ON THE GROUP'S POLITICAL 
PHILOSOPHY, HAIDER DEFERRED TO RAZA, A YOUNG, THIN MAN WITH A FULL 
BEARD AND TURBAN.  RAZA SAID THE JKIF HAD ONLY RECENTLY BEGUN TO 
FORMULATE A POLITICAL AGENDA AND THE FOCUS WAS STILL ON ARMED 
RESISTANCE TO INDIAN OCCUPATION OF KASHMIR.  THE PRIMARY AIM OF THE 
JKIF IS KASHMIRI INDEPENDENCE, HE COMMENTED, BUT AFTER INDIAN 
TROOPS VACATE KASHMIR, THE GROUP WOULD THEN BE AMENABLE TO 
IMPLEMENTATION OF THE UN RESOLUTIONS, EVEN IF THAT MEANT A VOTE TO 
JOIN INDIA.  THE JKIF IS PRIMARILY A NATIONALIST MOVEMENT, RAZA 
CONTINUED, AND DOES NOT ESPOUSE A PARTICULARLY RADICAL BRAND OF 
ISLAM, DESPITE ITS NAME.  AT THIS POINT, HAIDER JUMPED IN AND ENDED 
THIS SEGMENT OF THE CONVERSATION BY EMBARKING ON A LONG, RAMBLING 
DISCOURSE ABOUT THE COMMON ROOTS OF JEWS, CHRISTIANS AND MUSLIMS, 
WHILE TAKING PAINS TO MENTION THAT THE JKIF WAS NOT AGAINST 
"ORDINARY HINDUS." 
 
5.  (S)  TURNING TO THE GROUP'S MILITARY OPERATIONS, HAIDER SAID 
THE JKIF'S PRIMARY TARGETS ARE INDIAN REGULAR AND PARAMILITARY 
FORCES IN KASHMIR, THOUGH HE ADDED THAT "THOSE WHO COMPROMISE" WITH 
THE INDIANS WERE ALSO KILLED.  ASKED WHOM THE JKIF CONSIDERED 
"COMPROMISERS," HAIDER LISTED BUREAUCRATS AND POLITICIANS IN THE 
JAMMU AND KASHMIR GOVERNMENT AS THE MAIN CULPRITS, BUT STATED THAT 
ANYONE WHO "BECOMES A HINDRANCE" WAS ALSO A POTENTIAL TARGET, 
INCLUDING MUSLIM COLLABORATORS.  HAIDER BECAME QUITE AGITATED WHEN 
DISCUSSING THOSE WHOM THE JKIF CONSIDERED ENEMIES, REPEATEDLY 
BARING HIS CHEST WHILE STATING THAT HE WAS NOT AFRAID TO DIE FOR 
KASHMIRI INDEPENDENCE.  "I WOULD KILL THE INDIAN PRIME MINISTER IF 
I COULD," HE ASSERTED.  A FAVORITE METHOD OF ATTACKING INDIAN 
TROOPS IS SUICIDE BOMBINGS, HAIDER ASSERTED, "JUST LIKE HAMAS IN 
ISRAEL."  RDX IS THE EXPLOSIVE OF CHOICE, HE EXPLAINED, AND ATTACKS 
ARE CAREFULLY PLANNED AFTER TARGETS ARE CASED FOR SEVERAL DAYS. 
HAIDER WAS EVASIVE WHEN ASKED ABOUT BOMBINGS OF NON-MILITARY 
TARGETS, BUT HE VEHEMENTLY DENIED THAT THE JKIF WAS A TERRORIST 
GROUP. 
 
6.  (S)  HAIDER ESTIMATED THE JKIF'S STRENGTH AT BETWEEN 500 AND 
1,000 MILITANTS, DOWN CONSIDERABLY FROM THEIR PEAK IN 1992, WHEN 
THE GROUP BOASTED 4,000 FIGHTERS.  THE INDIANS HAVE KILLED MORE 
THAN 2,000 JKIF FIGHTERS SINCE THEN, HAIDER ADMITTED, BUT HE SAID 
THE GROUP STILL FIELDED THE SECOND-LARGEST MILITANT FORCE IN 
KASHMIR AFTER THE HIZBUL MUJAHEDDIN (NOTE:  ALMOST EVERY KASHMIRI 
MILITANT GROUP CLAIMS TO HAVE THE SECOND-LARGEST NUMBER OF FIGHTERS 
IN INDIAN KASHMIR, BUT ALL AGREE THAT THE HIZBUL MUJAHEDDIN IS 
NUMBER ONE).  ROUGHLY 200 FIGHTERS ARE IN AZAD KASHMIR AT ANY GIVEN 
TIME, WHILE THE REST ARE OPERATING INSIDE INDIAN KASHMIR.  TRAINING 
TAKES PLACE IN CAMPS IN AZAD KASHMIR, HAIDER EXPLAINED, BUT HE 
DENIED THAT THE GROUP RECEIVED ANY ASSISTANCE FROM THE PAKISTANI 
ARMY.  ALL OF THE JKIF'S FIGHTERS ARE KASHMIRIS, EITHER FROM AZAD 
OR INDIAN KASHMIR, HAIDER CLAIMED, THOUGH HE CONCEDED THAT "ONE OR 
TWO" AFGHANS COULD BE IN THE GROUP WITHOUT HIS KNOWLEDGE.  RECRUITS 
RANGE IN AGE FROM TEENAGERS TO MEN IN THEIR 40'S AND 50'S, AND ALL 
RECEIVE ONE TO TWO MONTHS TRAINING BEFORE BEING SENT ACROSS THE 
LINE-OF-CONTROL (LOC) INTO INDIAN KASHMIR.  CROSSING THE LOC IS 
EXTREMELY DANGEROUS, HAIDER SAID, THEREFORE THE SIZE OF 
INFILTRATING GROUPS IS KEPT SMALL -- NO MORE THAN 20 MEN -- SO THAT 
CASUALTIES ARE LIMITED IF THE GROUP IS CAUGHT IN AN INDIAN AMBUSH. 
HAIDER DENIED THAT PAKISTANI TROOPS PROVIDE COVERING FIRE FOR JKIF 
MILITANTS. 
 
7.  (S)  COMMENT:  HAIDER SAID HE WOULD PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION 
ABOUT THE GROUP AT OUR NEXT MEETING, WHILE BOTH HE AND BAIG, WHO 
HAD REMAINED SILENT THROUGHOUT, EXPRESSED CONCERN THAT THE U.S. 
VIEWED JKIF AS A TERRORIST OUTFIT (SOMETHING WHICH WE DID NOT BRING 
UP FOR FEAR OF PROVOKING AN ABRUPT END TO OUR VISIT).  USHERING US 
TO THE DOOR, HAIDER WHISPERED THAT HE WOULD ALSO SHARE WITH US 
"CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION" ABOUT THE APHC'S ACTIVITIES THE NEXT 
TIME WE MET.  OBVIOUSLY MUCH OF WHAT SAID BY THESE MEN WAS TAILORED 
TO FIT THE AUDIENCE, BUT WE OFFER IT FOR WHAT IT IS WORTH, AND WE 
WILL ATTEMPT GLEAN MORE ABOUT THE GROUP AND THEIR ACTIVITIES IN 
FUTURE MEETINGS. 
 
 
SIMONS