Sajad Afghani, Jaish-e-Mohammad's chief 'commander' for Kashmir who was killed during an encounter with security forces in Srinagar last week, belonged to Punjab province of Pakistan.
Sajad Afghani is a common name for Kashmiri militants; it has become more of a moniker that is bestowed on the person who is serving as the commander of the insurgent outfit.
The first Sajad Afghani belonged to Dir district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in Pakistan. He was an active member of militant outfit Harkat ul-Ansar. Afghani was one of those ultras who kicked off the militant movement in Kashmir. He was killed in the 1990s.
Afghani was a Punjabi militant who belonged to a radical family in Wihari district of Punjab. His real name was Muhammad Saeed and he joined the jihad in Kashmir at an early age.
A section of the Indian media stated that Afghani's bodyguard was Umeer Bilal. But the JeM commander's bodyguard was one Arfiullah, who belonged to Jamrod area in Khyber agency.
Though Khyber agency is the breeding ground of several Pakistani outfits, Arifullah chose to join the Jihad in Kashmir.
Sajad Afghani and Arfiullah were close friends who carried out several insurgent activities in Kashmir.
JeM has confirmed the news about the killing of Sajad Afghani and Arifullah.
Ahmed, a JeM member, told rediff.com that there were no signs of grief among Afghani's family members when they heard the news.
"A group of JeM men conveyed the message of Afghani's death to his family in Wihari. His family termed Afghani's martyrdom as an honour for the whole area," Ahmed said.
