- Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) was formed in September 1989 as an Islamist militant group in Jammu and Kashmir.
- Its formation was backed by Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) to counter the Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF), which sought full independence for J&K.
- HM’s primary objective is to liberate Jammu and Kashmir from India and merge it with Pakistan.
- The organisation is headquartered in Muzaffarabad, the capital of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).
- It is considered the militant wing or closely linked affiliate of Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan, a religious political party.
- HM is a prominent member of the United Jehad Council, a coalition of militant groups, which is led by HM chief Syed Salahuddin.
- Mohammed Yusuf Shah, widely known as Syed Salahuddin, is the chief of Hizbul Mujahideen.
- He has been designated a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) by the United States Department of State.
- Hizbul Mujahideen itself was declared a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) by the U.S. Department of State on 16 August 2017.
- The Government of India banned Hizbul Mujahideen under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (POTA) in 2002.
- The Government of Canada listed Hizbul Mujahideen as a Terrorist Entity on 3 February 2021.
- The group is also listed as a terrorist organisation by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (USA).
- HM operates under multiple aliases including Hizb-ul-Mujahideen and HM.
- Despite multiple international bans, the organisation continues to be active in the region, using cross-border support and terror financing mechanisms.
(Source: US-DNI, US Embassy, India, SATP, Canada Terror List, Stanford University)