Mushtaq Ahmed Zargar
Encyclopedia
Mushtaq Ahmed Zargar was born in 1967 and grew up in the Jama Masjid
area of Srinagar
in Kashmir Valley. His father was a postman. Zargar was motivated to militancy at the age of 17 in 1984 and became a member of the Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) when he was arrested for the first time.
On August 12, 1989 Zargar carried out the kidnapping of Rubaiya Sayeed
, the daughter of the new appointed Indian Home Minister
, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed. The kidnappers demanded the release of five of their comrades in exchange for Rubaiya Sayeed’s release. The government accepted their demands and freed the jailed terrorists.
Zargar was arrested on May 15, 1992. He was released from jail on December 31, 1999 as part of the Indian Airlines Flight 814
hostage deal and provided safe passage to Pakistan
. Immediately after his release, Zargar renewed the activity of Al-Umar Mujahideen in Muzaffarabad
, close to the LOC (Line of Control)
, in recruiting and training of young Muslims in Indian part of Kashmir.
Jama Masjid, Srinagar
Jamia Masjid is a mosque in Srinagar, Jammu & Kashmir, Indian Administered Kashmir. The Jamia Masjid of Srinagar is situated at Nowhatta, in the middle of the old city. An important mosque in Srinagar, it was built by Sultan Sikandar in 1400 AD. Later, the son of Sultan Sikandar, Zain-ul-Abidin...
area of Srinagar
Srinagar
Srinagar is the summer seasonal capital of Jammu and Kashmir. It is situated in Kashmir Valley and lies on the banks of the Jhelum River, a tributary of the Indus. It is one of the largest cities in India not to have a Hindu majority. The city is famous for its gardens, lakes and houseboats...
in Kashmir Valley. His father was a postman. Zargar was motivated to militancy at the age of 17 in 1984 and became a member of the Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) when he was arrested for the first time.
On August 12, 1989 Zargar carried out the kidnapping of Rubaiya Sayeed
1989 kidnapping of Rubaiya Sayeed
The 1989 kidnapping of Rubaiya Sayeed was an act carried out by members of the Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front, a Kashmiri Muslim militant organization, on December 8, 1989 in Jammu and Kashmir. Rubaiya was the daughter of Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, the then Home minister of India in the V. P. Singh...
, the daughter of the new appointed Indian Home Minister
Minister for Home Affairs (India)
The Home Minister, or more properly the Minister for Home Affairs, is a position in the Indian Cabinet, at both State and Union levels. The Home Ministry is one of the most important, powerful and high profile ministry after the Prime Minister...
, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed. The kidnappers demanded the release of five of their comrades in exchange for Rubaiya Sayeed’s release. The government accepted their demands and freed the jailed terrorists.
Zargar was arrested on May 15, 1992. He was released from jail on December 31, 1999 as part of the Indian Airlines Flight 814
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, December 24, 1999, when it was hijacked...
hostage deal and provided safe passage to Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
. Immediately after his release, Zargar renewed the activity of Al-Umar Mujahideen in Muzaffarabad
Muzaffarabad
Muzaffarabad is the capital of Pakistan Occupied Kashmir, Pakistan. It is located in Muzaffarabad District on the banks of the Jhelum and Neelum rivers...
, close to the LOC (Line of Control)
Line of Control
The term Line of Control refers to the military control line between the Indian- and Pakistani-controlled parts of the former princely state of Jammu and Kashmir—a line which, to this day, does not constitute a legally recognized international boundary but is the de facto border...
, in recruiting and training of young Muslims in Indian part of Kashmir.