Opinion | The Unsung Patriots Of Kashmir: A Story of Sacrifice, Success & Subsequent Betrayal

The Ikhwan-ul-Muslimeen exemplified the spirit of Kashmiris who chose India over terror.

From the standpoint of the Indian State, the formation and deployment of Ikhwan-ul-Muslimeen (also known as the Ikhwan or “Muslim Brotherhood" militia) in the mid-1990s stands as one of the most effective, albeit unconventional, chapters in the fight against Pakistan-sponsored cross-border terrorism in Jammu & Kashmir.

Comprising surrendered Kashmiri militants who chose to side with the forces of the Union, the Ikhwan – led by figures like Mohammad Yusuf Parray (Kuka Parray) – played a decisive role in breaking the back of the insurgency, restoring a measure of normality, and enabling the return of democratic processes in the Valley.

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Their contributions, though achieved through the hard realities of counter-insurgency warfare (what critics have called “strong-arm means"), were instrumental in saving thousands of innocent lives and preserving India’s territorial integrity.

Yet, the systematic targeting and elimination of many Ikhwan members in the years that followed represents a painful chapter where the State – particularly at the level of the Jammu & Kashmir government – failed to adequately safeguard its own allies, often amid political calculations by mainstream regional parties like the National Conference (NC) and the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).

The strategic imperative and the Ikhwan’s pivotal role

In the early 1990s, Jammu & Kashmir faced a full-blown proxy war orchestrated from across the border. Pakistan-backed groups like Hizbul Mujahideen, supported by the ISI, had turned the Valley into a battlefield of terror, with militants targeting security forces, civilians, and the very idea of Indian democracy. Conventional policing and military operations alone were proving insufficient against an enemy that blended into the local population and enjoyed safe havens and logistics from Pakistan.

It was in this crucible that the Ikhwan-ul-Muslimeen emerged. By 1994, splinter groups of former militants had coalesced under Kuka Parray’s leadership into a unified pro-India force. These were not outsiders or mercenaries; they were Kashmiris who had seen the futility and........

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