New Delhi, October 3, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) is reportedly planning to revive the largely defunct Al-Umar Mujahideen in Jammu and Kashmir, with intelligence inputs suggesting that the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) could be tasked with helping the outfit rebuild its operational base in the Valley.
According to an Intelligence Bureau (IB) official quoted in an IANS report, the proposed strategy is aimed at placing a group with roots in Jammu and Kashmir at the forefront of militant activities, while established Pakistan-based outfits provide initial support.
Al-Umar Mujahideen was founded in Srinagar in December 1989 by Mushtaq Ahmed Zargar, also known as Mushtaq Latram. The group has remained largely inactive since 2006, and its founder is currently based in Pakistan. Indian intelligence agencies are reportedly monitoring developments following recommendations attributed to the Kashmir Study Group, a body said to advise the ISI on operations in Jammu and Kashmir.
The reported plan involves initially placing Al-Umar Mujahideen under the support and supervision of LeT and JeM before allowing it to operate independently in the Valley. The objective, according to the intelligence official, is to rebuild the organisation’s local presence and enable it to be presented as a homegrown militant outfit.
The proposed arrangement reportedly excludes Hizbul Mujahideen from direct operational control at this stage. The outfit is said to remain under heightened scrutiny by Indian security agencies following operations that have disrupted its organisational network in recent years.
The Kashmir Study Group is reportedly headed by two Pakistan Army officers holding the ranks of brigadier and colonel. According to the IB official, the group examines local issues in the Valley and makes recommendations to the ISI on how militant organisations could be deployed. A separate analysis published in August 2026 also described recommendations attributed to the group involving the coordination of LeT, JeM and Al-Umar Mujahideen, while excluding Hizbul Mujahideen from the proposed arrangement.
Al-Umar Mujahideen emerged after breaking away from the Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) in 1989. The split reflected ideological differences, with Al-Umar Mujahideen pursuing an explicitly Islamist and pro-Pakistan agenda, while the JKLF advocated an independent, secular Kashmir.
The outfit’s founder, Zargar, was arrested by Indian agencies in 1992 but was released in December 1999 along with other militants, including Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar, in exchange for passengers of the hijacked Indian Airlines Flight IC-814. Zargar subsequently moved to Pakistan.
The group recently returned to the spotlight after the National Investigation Agency (NIA) attached properties belonging to Zargar under anti-terrorism laws.
According to the IB official cited in the report, the ISI believes Al-Umar Mujahideen’s long period of inactivity could make it possible to reintroduce the organisation in Jammu and Kashmir under its original identity. The proposed strategy reportedly envisages support from LeT and JeM, while Hizbul Mujahideen would continue to provide manpower to the other outfits rather than assume direct operational leadership.
Indian intelligence agencies are maintaining surveillance amid concerns over the reported plans. The alleged revival strategy and the role attributed to the Kashmir Study Group have not been independently confirmed by Pakistani authorities.
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