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41-535: The Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front ( JKLF ) is a formerly armed, political separatist organisation active in both the Indian -administered and Pakistani -administered territories of Kashmir . It was founded by Amanullah Khan , with Maqbool Bhat also credited as a co-founder. Originally a militant wing of the Azad Kashmir Plebiscite Front , the organization officially changed its name to

82-676: A branch in the Indian-administered Kashmir Valley . After 1994, the JKLF wing in Indian-administered Kashmir , under the leadership of Kashmiri separatist Yasin Malik , declared an "indefinite ceasefire" and reportedly disbanded its militant wing. Following this, the organization committed itself to a political struggle in order to achieve its objective of independence for the entire region of

123-1022: A community distinct and separate from other social groups. On the other hand, the MGTOW movement is sometimes considered a male-gender separatism, as at the center of this ideology is the notion of male separatism where men should not be a part of a feminist-biased society. Some fringe elements even propose a utopical no-women state. Some examples include: Some separatist groups seek to separate from others along racial lines. They oppose interracial marriage and integration with other races and seek separate schools, businesses, churches and other institutions, and often separate societies, territories, countries, and governments: Religious separatist groups and sects want to withdraw from some larger religious groups and/or believe they should interact primarily with coreligionists: How far separatist demands will go toward full independence, and whether groups pursue constitutional and nonviolent action or armed violence, depend on

164-496: A hundred activists to Indian operations. Independent journalists mentioned three hundred activists were killed. They were said to have been compromised by Hizb-ul-Mujahideen members, who informed their whereabouts to the security forces. Malik's call for peaceful struggle was unacceptable to Amanullah Khan, who removed him as the president of JKLF. In return, Malik expelled Khan from the chairmanship. Thus JKLF had split into two factions. The Pakistan government recognised Yasin Malik as

205-639: A part of the Mirpuri diaspora . While no accurate statistics are available, an estimated 60 to 70 per cent of British Pakistanis in England trace their origins to the administrative territory of Azad Kashmir in northeastern Pakistan, mainly from the Mirpur , Kotli and Bhimber districts. Mirpuris started settling in Britain in the 1940s, transferring their workmanship on British merchant navy ships to

246-684: A secular, independent Kashmir —free of both India and Pakistan—is its eventual goal. Despite having received support in the form of weapons and training from the Pakistani military , it regards Pakistan as an ' occupation power' and carries out a political struggle against it in Azad Jammu and Kashmir. The JKLF in the Kashmir Valley was officially banned by the Indian government under an anti-terror law passed in March 2019—one month after

287-477: A sizeable number of MPs, councillors , lord mayors and deputy mayors are representing the community in different constituencies. Cousin marriages or marriages within the same tribe and caste system are common in some parts of South Asia, including rural areas of Pakistan. A major motivation is to preserve patrilineal tribal identity. As a result, there are some common genealogical origins within these tribes. Some British Pakistanis view cousin marriages as

328-733: A split in the party. Since 1995, Yasin Malik has renounced violence and calls for strictly peaceful methods to come to a settlement on the Kashmir issue. [1] Yasin Malik also considers the Kashmiri Pandits , about 400,000 Hindus who were driven out of Kashmir after violent attacks by the separatists presently staying in refugee camps in Jammu and other Indian cities, to be an integral part of Kashmiri society and has insisted on their right of return. Yasin Malik said, "We want our Kashmiri Pandit mothers, sisters and brothers to come back. It

369-666: A variety of economic, political, social and cultural factors, including movement leadership and the government's response. Governments may respond in a number of ways, some of which are mutually exclusive. Some include: British Mirpuris The British Mirpuri ( Urdu : برطانوی میرپوری ) community comprises people in the United Kingdom who originate from the Mirpur District and surrounding areas in Pakistan -administered Azad Jammu and Kashmir , thus being

410-550: A way of preserving this ancient tribal tradition and maintaining a sense of brotherhood. A small scale study of 100 randomly selected British Pakistani mothers was published in 1988 in the Journal of Medical Genetics , which looked specifically at two hospitals in West Yorkshire , found that the rate of consanguineous marriage was 55 per cent and rising, compared to a worldwide rate of 29 per cent. However, this rate

451-507: Is coterminous with neighbouring Punjab and Hazara . Because their region was formerly a part of the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir and is named after it, many Azad Kashmiris have adopted the "Kashmiri" identity, whereas in an ethnolinguistic context, the term "Kashmiri" would ordinarily refer to natives of the Kashmir Valley region. The population of Azad Kashmir has strong historical, cultural and linguistic affinities with

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492-635: Is significantly lower than in Pakistan , where consanguineous marriages are estimated to be at 73 per cent. Representatives of constituencies where there are high Pakistani populations say that consanguineous marriages amongst British Pakistanis are now decreasing in number, partly because of public health initiatives. According to the British Home Office , as of 2000, more than half the cases of forced marriage investigated involve families of Pakistani origin, followed by Bangladeshis and Indians. The Home Office estimates that 85 per cent of

533-442: Is their land. They have every right to live in it as we do. This is the time that Kashmiri Muslims must play a constructive role so that we can restore the culture for which we are famous all over the world." In 2002, in an interview to Reuters , Amanullah Khan blamed Pakistani backed non-Kashmiri Muslim militants for having harmed his cause. "I've been saying for the last two to three years that (non-Kashmiri militants) are changing

574-677: The Hizb-ul-Mujahideen , strongly backed by the Pakistani military authorities. Further encroachment by pan-Islamist fighters infiltrating into the Valley from Pakistan changed the colour of the insurgency. Pakistan ceased its financial support to the JKLF because of its pro-independence ideology. After release from prison on bail in May 1994, Yasin Malik declared an indefinite ceasefire of the JKLF. However, according to him, JKLF still lost

615-860: The Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front in Birmingham , England on 29 May 1977; from then until 1994 it was an active Kashmiri militant organization. The JKLF first established branches in several cities and towns of the United Kingdom and other countries in Europe , as well as in the United States and across the Middle East . In 1982, it established a branch in the Pakistani-administered territory of Azad Jammu and Kashmir , and by 1987, it had established

656-537: The Prime Minister of India led to the secession of its senior leaders. Farooq Papa supports the involvement of the European Union in resolving the dispute, and has called on EU officials to follow up the visit of an ad hoc European parliament delegation to Kashmir in 2004. [2] Separatism Separatist groups practice a form of identity politics , or political activity and theorizing founded in

697-855: The Pulwama attack by Jaish-e-Mohammed . JKLF was founded by Amanullah Khan in Birmingham in June 1976 from the erstwhile UK chapter of the ' Plebiscite Front '. Maqbool Bhat is often credited as being its co-founder. Khan was born in Gilgit , studied in Srinagar and emigrated to Pakistan in 1952. Bhat was born in Kupwara and also emigrated to Pakistan after studying in Srinagar. The duo had earlier formed Jammu Kashmir National Liberation Front (NLF) in

738-639: The Second World War as the majority of the male population of this area and the Potohar region worked in the British armed forces, as well as to fill labour shortages in industry. But the mass migration phenomenon accelerated in the 1960s, when, to improve the supply of water, the Mangla Dam project was built in the area, flooding the surrounding farmlands. Up to 50,000 people from Mirpur (5% of

779-717: The General Secretary of JKLF the following February. With the active support of the British Mirpuris , the group expanded rapidly, setting up branches in Pakistan, Denmark, Holland, Germany, France, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and the United States. It organised well-attended conventions in Birmingham (1981) and Luton (1982). In 1979, the JKLF planned to disrupt the international cricket match being played in Srinagar . The visiting Australian team

820-508: The Indian diplomat Ravindra Mhatre in Birmingham and demanded the release of Maqbool Bhat as ransom. Amanullah Khan was named as the interlocuter. Unfortunately, the kidnappers panicked at the possibility of a police raid and, allegedly upon Amanullah Khan's instructions, shot the diplomat. India executed Maqbool Bhat six days later, turning him into a martyr and giving JKLF the visibility it lacked earlier. A British court convicted two members of

861-547: The Islamist groups did not yet have currency in the Kashmir Valley. However, the cadres of Islamist groups were also trained in the JKLF training camps in Azad Kashmir. This quickly led to a dilution of the JKLF's nationalist ideology. Independence and Islam became interchangeable slogans. The Islamist attacks that ensued on Kashmiri Pandits , liberal women in general, liquor shops and beauty parlours were never condemned by

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902-620: The JKLF for the killing of Mhatre. Hashim Quresi and Amanullah Khan were expelled from the UK. Amanullah Khan and Hashim Qureshi returned to Pakistan in 1984, establishing the JKLF headquarters at Muzaffarabad . Pakistan under Zia ul-Haq , which was already supporting the Khalistani militants in Punjab, was ready to support an insurgency in Kashmir, and Khan was ready to work with the Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). Hashim Qureshi, on

943-416: The JKLF in the Valley emerged as the "vanguard and spearhead of a popular uprising" against the Indian state. The JKLF waged a guerrilla war with the Indian security forces, kidnapping of Rubiya Sayeed , the daughter of Indian Home Minister, and targeting attacks on the government and security officials. In March 1990, Ashfaq Wani was killed in a battle with Indian security forces. In August 1990, Yasin Malik

984-562: The JKLF was "reborn" in the Indian-controlled Kashmir in this period. It was led by young activists from Srinagar and environs, who crossed into Azad Kashmir for arms and training and returned to Srinagar. Yasin Malik , along with Hamid Sheikh, Ashfaq Wani and Javed Ahmad Mir, formed the core group — dubbed the "HAJY" group — of the JKLF militants in the Kashmir Valley. The enormity of popular support received for their call for independence surprised them. Within two years,

1025-588: The JKLF. According to Hasim Qureshi, such outrages were "official Pakistan policy" and the policy was endorsed by the Islamic Right as well as the Amanullah Khan's JKLF. "The ISI ran this movement on communal lines right from the beginning," said Qureshi, "and for that Amanullah and his underlings became its agents." By 1992, the majority of the JKLF militants were killed or captured and they were yielding ground to pro-Pakistan guerilla groups such as

1066-499: The Kashmir freedom struggle into terrorism." After the December 2001 attack on Indian Parliament , Amanullah's name figured in the list of 20 wanted terrorists India provided to Pakistan to be extradited for various terrorism-related offences. In January 2002, Amanullah Khan offered to surrender to Indian authorities provided an "international court issued a verdict against him". In 2005, India allowed Yasin Malik to visit Pakistan for

1107-469: The area after its residents began migrating to Europe, especially the UK, bolstering remittances to Pakistan. Families in Pakistan are close knit and the guiding influence behind everything from marriage to business. The current literacy rate of Azad Jammu and Kashmir is 78%, compared with 62.3% in Pakistan . In Azad Jammu and Kashmir , primary school enrolment is 80% for boys and 74% for girls. The community has made notable progress in UK politics and

1148-643: The cause of conflicts between peoples in Europe, Africa and Asia with different ethnic/linguistic origins. The relationship between gender and separatism is complex. Feminist separatism is women's choosing to separate from ostensibly male-defined, male-dominated institutions, relationships, roles and activities. Lesbian separatism advocates lesbianism as the logical result of feminism. Some separatist feminists and lesbian separatists have chosen to live apart in intentional community , cooperatives , and on land trusts . Queer nationalism (or "Gay separatism") seeks

1189-455: The displaced) resettled in Britain. More joined their relatives in Britain after benefiting from government compensation and liberal migration policies. Mirpur was considered to be a conservative district in 1960s, and life in its rural villages was dominated by rigid hierarchies . The first generation Mirpuris were not highly educated, and they had little or no experience of urban living in Pakistan. An economic boom brought dramatic changes to

1230-895: The first time. The two leaders, Malik and Khan seized the opportunity to meet each other in Pakistan. In June 2005, a decade after the split, Malik and Khan agreed to reunite the JKLF. The JKLF in Pakistan-administered Kashmir is currently under the leadership of Sardar Saghir Ahmad . In December 2005, some senior members of the JKLF separated from Yasin Malik and formed a new JKLF with Farooq Siddiqi ("Farooq Papa") as its Chairman along with Javed Mir, Salim Nannaji and Iqbal Gundroo, later joined by former militant Bitta Karate . Lately Tahir Mir, former chief of Students Liberation Front, too parted ways with Malik and joined JKLF headed by Farooq Papa. Kashmir watchers think that Yasin Malik's shifting policy of seeking an internal solution with India after its alleged secret meeting with

1271-431: The former princely state of Jammu and Kashmir from both India and Pakistan. However, the JKLF branch in Azad Jammu and Kashmir did not agree with this change of direction and subsequently split off from the JKLF wing in the Kashmir Valley. In 2005, the two groups merged again, retaining the organization's original identity. Although the JKLF has only Muslim members, it is notionally secular . It continues to assert that

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1312-459: The industrial needs of the growing British economy. The migration accelerated after the construction of the Mangla Dam in 1966, which submerged vast areas of farmland in the Mirpur district. Large Azad Kashmiri communities can be found in Birmingham , Bradford , Manchester , Leeds , Luton and the surrounding towns. Migration from the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir began soon after

1353-525: The late 1960s, along with Hashim Qureshi . The group carried out the hijacking of Ganga , an Indian Airlines plane flying from Srinagar to Jammu, in January 1971, and diverted it to Lahore . The Pakistani government returned all the passengers and crew to India, and subsequently tried the hijackers and several members of NLF on charges of being Indian agents. Khan was imprisoned in a Gilgit prison during 1970–72, released after protests broke out. Maqbool Bhat

1394-632: The leader of JKLF, which further complicated the situation. Ellis and Khan state that, during the Azad Kashmir elections in 1996, JKLF commanded more support than all the traditional parties, even though it was not allowed to contest elections due to its pro-Independence stance. The JKLF split into two factions after the group based in Indian-administered Kashmir led by Yasin Malik publicly renounced violence in 1995. Their counterparts in Pakistani-administered Kashmir , led by Amanullah Khan refused to do so, thereby precipitating

1435-405: The neighbouring populations of upper Punjab and Potohar region of Pakistan. In 2009, a consultation was undertaken into the effects of providing an individual tick-box for "Kashmiri" people in the UK census. The majority of those who took part in the consultation chose to self-identify as Pakistani and a decision was taken not to introduce a Kashmiri tick-box for the ethnic group question in

1476-567: The other hand, refused and went into exile in Holland. JKLF started political planning and continued till the end of 1987. Following the allegedly rigged state election in Jammu and Kashmir in 1987, the disaffected youth of the Kashmir Valley started crossing the Line of Control to Azad Kashmir to obtain arms and training. Khan's JKLF was their natural destination. Scholar Paul Staniland states that

1517-650: The shared experiences of the group's members. Such groups believe attempts at integration with dominant groups compromise their identity and ability to pursue greater self-determination . However, economic and political factors usually are critical in creating strong separatist movements as opposed to less ambitious identity movements. Groups may have one or more motivations for separation, including: Ethnic separatism can be based on cultural, linguistic as well as religious or racial differences. Ethnic separatist movements were relevant since they represented historical delineations between states , or in recent times, were

1558-497: The victims of forced marriages are women aged 15–24, 90 per cent are Muslim, and 90 per cent are of Pakistani or Bangladeshi heritage. 60 per cent of forced marriages by Pakistani families were linked to the small towns of Bhimber and Kotli and the city of Mirpur . Christopher Snedden writes that most of the native residents of Azad Kashmir are not of Kashmiri ethnicity; rather, they could be called " Jammuites " due to their historical and cultural links with that region, which

1599-503: Was captured in a wounded condition. He was imprisoned until May 1994. Hamid Sheikh was also captured in 1992 but released by the Border Security Force to counteract the pro-Pakistan guerrillas. By 1992, the majority of the JKLF militants were killed or captured. A pro-independence JKLF was not in Pakistan's interest. Pakistan is believed to have accepted the collaboration with JKLF only as a "necessary compromise," because

1640-565: Was guarded with high security and no untoward incidents occurred. Praveen Swami states that the JKLF made plans to bomb the March 1983 conference of non-aligned meeting in New Delhi and to hijack an airliner from New Delhi, both of which were aborted. After the arrival of Hashim Qureshi in the UK in January 1984, another hijacking was planned. However, on 3 February 1984, members of the National Liberation Army kidnapped

1681-660: Was released in 1974, and he crossed over into the Indian-administered Kashmir where he was arrested in a bank robbery. Amanullah Khan moved to England, where he received the enthusiastic support of the British Mirpuri community. The UK chapter of the Plebiscite Front was converted into the Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) in May 1977. It also formed an armed wing called the 'National Liberation Army'. Amanullah Khan took charge as

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