Insights

Hizbul Mujahideen, the largest indigenous armed group fighting against Indian rule, designated as a foreign terrorist group

The United States (US) has designation Hizbul Mujahideen, Kashmir's largest armed group fighting against Indian rule, as a foreign terrorist organisation and imposed sanctioned on it, including the freezing of assets they hold in the US. The US Department of State said the classification would seek to deny the group “the resources it needs to carry out terrorist attacks".

Hizbul Mujahideen is the largest indigenous armed group fighting against Indian rule in the Himalayan territory since an armed rebellion broke out in 1989. Kashmir has been divided between India and Pakistan since the end of British rule in 1947. Both sides claim the disputed territory in its entirety. There are several armed groups fighting against Indian rule and anti-Indian sentiment is rife amongst the Muslim-majority population. Nearly 70,000 people have been killed in the uprising and the ensuing Indian military crackdown in the past decades.

It is advisable to avoid all travel to Kashmir. For essential travel, register your itinerary with consular authorities and travel in convoy with personal armed security escorts at all times. Avoid all large gatherings of people due to the credible threat of protest-related violence and leave the vicinity if tensions begun to escalate.