militant
The English word ''militant'' is both an adjective and a noun, and it is generally used to mean vigorously active, combative and/or aggressive, especially in support of a cause, as in "militant reformers". It comes from the 15th century Latin " ...
Harkat ul-Ansar
Harkat-ul-Mujahideen- al-Islami ( ur, ; HUM) is a Pakistan-based Islamic jihad group operating primarily in Kashmir.Soviet-Afghan War.
Early life
He was born in the village of Baibakh,
Rawalakot
Rawalakot ( ur, ) is the capital of Poonch district in Azad Kashmir, Pakistan. It is located in the Pir Panjal Range.
History
Along with Pallandri, Rawalakot was the focal point of the 1955 Poonch uprising. It was led by the local Sud ...
Pakistani Kashmir
Kashmir () is the northernmost geographical region of the Indian subcontinent. Until the mid-19th century, the term "Kashmir" denoted only the Kashmir Valley between the Great Himalayas and the Pir Panjal Range. Today, the term encompass ...
.
Soviet Afghan War
Sajjad Afghani joined the militancy under the banner of
Harkat-ul-Mujahideen
Harkat-ul-Mujahideen- al-Islami ( ur, ; HUM) is a Pakistan-based Islamic jihad group operating primarily in Kashmir.Srinagar. In June 1994 he was arrested along with Molana
Masood Azhar
Mohammad Masood Azhar Alvi is a radical Islamist and terrorist, being the founder and leader of the Pakistan-based terrorist organisation Jaish-e-Mohammed, active mainly in the Pakistani-administered portion of the Kashmir region. His actions ...
Arjun Ray
Lieutenant General Arjun Ray, PVSM, VSM is a former general officer of the Indian Army. He is presently the Founder, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Indus Trust, since 1 April 2002. He is a graduate of the Staff Colle ...
, then Brigadier General Staff (BGS), described Afghani, a frail but visibly tough militant who had fought the Russians, as the "biggest catch" given his importance in militant circles.
Death
According to Indian sources, Sajjad Afghani was killed during an unsuccessful jailbreak from the high security Kot Bhalwal Jail in 1999. He is buried in Jammu Graveyard. His death led to the hijacking, by Harkat, of
Indian Airlines Flight 814
Indian Airlines Flight 814, commonly known as IC 814, was an Indian Airlines Airbus A300 en route from Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu, Nepal, to Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi, India, on Friday, 24 December 1999, whe ...
in December, which led to the release of
Maulana Masood Azhar
Mohammad Masood Azhar Alvi is a radical Islamist and terrorist, being the founder and leader of the Pakistan-based terrorist organisation Jaish-e-Mohammed, active mainly in the Pakistani-administered portion of the Kashmir region. His actions ...
,
Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh
Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh ( ur, احمد عمر سعید شیخ; sometimes known as Umar Sheikh, Sheikh Omar,Note that this term is more commonly used in reference to Sheik Omar Abdel-Rahman Sheik Syed or by the alias Mustafa Muhammad Ahmad;''CNN ...
(both Harkat members) and Mushtaq Ahmed Zargar by the Indian Government. His body was also one of the initial demands of the hijackers.