Undone by love

In June, Indian intelligence agencies received reports indicating that the Lashkhar-e-Taiba commander in Kashmir, Abu Dujana, may have been demoted for his “escapades”. His bosses found him guilty of indulging in dalliances, and joining hands with renegade Hizbul Mujahideen commander Zakir Musa, who recently floated his own outfit Shariyat-e-Shahaadat, which espoused Islamic State-style jihad.

Dujana was involved in the Udhampur attack, which left two BSF jawans dead and several injured in August 2015. He was the strategist behind the recent unrest and anarchy in Kashmir.

Dujana, however, was influenced by Musa, who believes that jihad in Kashmir was neither about Pakistan’s claim over it nor a battle for azadi. He wants to carve out an Islamic state.

“It was becoming clear to them [Musa and Dujana] that Kashmir was being used by vested interests and state actors in Pakistan,” said an intelligence officer. “They felt the fight should be in the name of Islam, not Pakistan or Kashmir.”

Dujana, 28, from Gilgit-Baltistan in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir was in love with a local girl in Pulwama, said a top intelligence officer. He desperately wanted to marry her. Pulwama is Lashkar’s stronghold in south Kashmir.

Dujana’s story may not be as heart-wrenching as the Aamir Khan-starrer Fanaa, in which the actor plays a terrorist who falls in love with a blind Kashmiri girl. In the Bollywood blockbuster, the girl’s eyesight is restored, and the anti-hero embraces death.

At the Lashkar headquarters in Pakistan, questions were raised whether Dujana should continue as the commander in Kashmir. The handlers in Pakistan were on “Mission Kashmir” to create unrest and escalate tension between India and Pakistan. For them, love, romance and any distraction from Lashkar’s core ideology meant treachery.

Intelligence officers in the valley believe Dujana has gone into hiding in the Tral area of Kashmir. “Dujana is dormant these days,” said an intelligence officer. “We believe he got married last year. Whether he has burnt bridges with the Lashkar completely remains to be seen. But his love escapades have not gone down well with his Pakistani bosses, who are looking for a replacement.”

Intelligence sources said Abu Ismail, 26, has already been appointed as Dujana’s successor. Ismail is said to have planned and executed the July 10 terror attack on the Amarnath Yatra, which left eight pilgrims dead and many injured.

Ismail hails from Mirpur in Pakistan. “Lashkar is very choosy when it comes to appointing commanders in the valley,” said an intelligence officer. “The bosses trust only Pakistanis. Most south Kashmir commanders hail from Pakistan’s Punjab province.”

While Ismail is young and relatively new in the Lashkar hierarchy, he has quickly proven his mettle. Security agencies said he was behind a series of recent bank robberies in Kashmir, too.

“In the past 20 months, Ismail has carried out operations that have pleased the Lashkar bosses,” said an officer. “He also arranged funds at a time when Lashkar was facing a financial crunch because of the demonetisation.”

The Army and the Intelligence Bureau, however, have not let Dujana off their radar, as they do not want him to exfiltrate. Recently, the Army was close to nabbing him near Pulwama. But, he escaped for the fifth time.

Dujana joined Lashkar at the age of 17. He impressed his Pakistani handlers by carrying out a series of terror attacks. Soon, he was made the deputy of Lashkar commander Abu Qasim, who was killed later.

Qasim was made Lashkar commander in Kashmir in 2009. It took six years for the security forces to hunt him down. After that, in December 2015, Dujana was hand-picked for the job. He had ‘qualified’ for the job when he carried out the Udhampur attack with Qasim in August 2015.

As Lashkar commander, Dujana masterminded the Pampore attack, in which eight CRPF personnel were killed and at least twenty others were injured in June 2016.