Sajjad Afghani

Muhammad Sajjad Khan (1959 - 10 March 2011) was a Pakistani militant and Commander-in-Chief of Harkat-ul-Mujahideen. He was known as Sajjad Afghani, due to his participation in the Soviet-Afghan War.^[1]

Sajjad Afghani
Born	Muhammad Sajjad Khan 1959 Rawalakot, Azad Kashmir, Pakistan
Died	10 March 2011 (aged 51) Bhalwal, Jammu and Kashmir, India
Burial place	Jammu, Jammu and Kashmir, India
Nationality	Pakistani
Occupation	Militant
Years active	(1984–1996)
Organization	Harkat ul-Ansar
Known for	Militancy
Notable work	Soviet–Afghan War
Title	Commander
Movement	Insurgency in Jammu and Kashmir
Opponents	Indian Military CRPF
Family	Sudhan

Early life

He was born in the village of Baibakh, Rawalakot, in the Poonch District of Azad Kashmir, Pakistan.^[2]

Soviet–Afghan War

Sajjad Afghani joined the militancy under the banner of Harkat-ul-Mujahideen in the 1980s. He was well trained and remained involved in the Soviet–Afghan War. He stayed in Afghanistan until 1989.^[3]

Commander in Chief

In 1991 he became Commander in Chief of Harkat Ul Ansar in Srinagar. In June 1994 he was arrested along with Molana Masood Azhar by the Indian Border Security Force. ^[1] Lt. Gen. Arjun Ray, 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.^[4]

Death

According to Indian sources, Sajjad Afghani was killed during an unsuccessful jailbreak from the high security Kot Bhalwal Jail in 10 March 2011. He is buried in Jammu Graveyard.^[1] His death led to the hijacking, by Harkat, of Indian Airlines Flight 814 in December, which led to the release of Maulana Masood Azhar, Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh (both Harkat members) and Mushtaq Ahmed Zargar by the Indian Government. His body was also one of the initial demands of the hijackers.^[5]