SUMMARY
The term ’Kashmir insurgents’ is used to incorporate into one actor the multitude of armed groups that operate (mainly) in the area of Jammu and Kashmir in India, seeking to change its territorial status. The term incorporates or has incorporated perhaps as many as 150 different militias, who all share the common trait that they are opposed to the present form of Indian rule over the area. Several militant groups have come and gone since violence took hold of the area around 1989.
The Jammu and Kashmir area has seen a large amount of violence, both against government forces and against civilians, carried out by a large number of actors. It has not been possible to disaggregate the violence into specific events carried out by individual groups, and the UCDP thus views all of the active groups as being loosely linked since they share a more or less common goal. The ‘Kashmir insurgents’ category encompasses groups such as the JKFL (Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front), Hizbul-Mujahideen (Party of Holy Warriors), Pasdaran-e-Inquilab-e-Islami (Guardians of the Islamic Revolution), Harkat-ul-Ansar (Helper Movement), Jaish-e-Mohammed (Army of Mohammed), and Lashkar-e-Toiba (Army of the Righteous), to name but a few. Many of the outfits are Islamist in orientation, whilst others adhere to pro-Pakistani or nationalist Kashmiri ideologies. In fighting the government of India these groups have not only battled government forces, but also made use of one-sided violence.
In terms of outside support, the Indian government has frequently claimed that the Kashmir insurgents receive arms, training, and logistical support from Pakistan and its intelligence services. Pakistan denies all of these allegations but has admitted to giving moral and political support to the militants. Most analysts, however, believe that Pakistan has supported the militants with training, weapons, and funding. Some of the various militant groups have clear links to terrorist-labelled outfits throughout South Asia, such as the Jaamiat-e-Islami and the regional organisation of the Lashkar-e-Toiba. The exact type of cooperation between these organisations is however unclear. Links between some groups and al-Qaeda have also been alleged to exist, but the truth behind these allegations is hard to ascertain. Many of the recruits that join the militant groups are known to have been/be from Pakistan and Afghanistan, but many are also Jammu and Kashmir locals. There exists no reliable and precise estimate on the total number of militants in the Jammu and Kashmir area.
The Kashmir insurgents have been involved in the intrastate and one-sided categories of UCDP organised violence.
