STRUCTURES OF VIOLENCE

37
| Structures of Violence
of the Palhallan army camp, the understanding on
ground was that the Major of the camp was in charge of
the local jurisdiction, and he reported to the
Commanding Ofcer at Tapper camp.
The most direct testimony was provided by Witness B
[anonymity on request of witness] who worked with the
MM, under the control of the Indian army for a period of
one and a half years. The detailed testimony is at
Testimony no.4. While Witness B is uncertain of the
dates of his engagement, based on information provided
it appears he worked between 1994 and 1996. He states
that when he began working he reported to Palhallan
army camp [other information places this as happening
at the end of 1994]. Further, he describes the command
structure as follows: he would report to his commanders,
who in turn reported to the Major of the camp [Palhallan
army camp] who in turn reported to the Commanding
Ofcer [a Colonel ranking ofcer] at the Hyderbaig
Camp. Witness B states that the ofcer who was
stationed as Major at the Baba Taing camp was
subsequently shifted as Major at the Hyderbaig Camp.
His name was Choudhary. Major Choudhary controlled
the rst commander of MM who worked for the army:
Mohammad Ramzan Mian, alias Hayat Khan. But, the
rank of Choudhary could not be established with
certainty. While Maqsood Ahmad Mian [Testimony no.2]
and Noor-ud-Din Mian [Testimony no.3], and other
witnesses, refer to him as a Colonel, Witness B and
other witnesses, state that the Colonel at the time was
Colonel Vijay Kumar [though Witness B is less sure of
the name] and in fact, Choudhary was a Major. Witness
C, Testimony no.10 [anonymity on request of witness], a
civilian, recalls seeing both ofcers at Hyderbaig in 1994
– thereby suggesting that one was ranked below the
other, and in fact as he testied in further incidents,
Witness C was quite clear that Choudhary was a Major
and his Commanding Ofcer was Colonel Vijay Kumar.
But, perhaps the clearest testimony is that of Ghulam
Mohammad Yatoo alias Gulla, [Testimony No.51] who
when interviewed, , was unequivocal that Choudhary
was Lt. Colonel and below Colonel Vijay Kumar.
Henceforth Choudhary is referred to as Lt. Colonel and
Vijay Kumar as Colonel.
Hayat Khan and Lt. Colonel Choudhary / Colonel Vijay
Kumar: The Beginning
While the section on Islamabad provides details on the
beginning of Ikhwan and MM, the beginning of the MM’s
work for the army in Pattan Tehsil is testied to by two
witnesses. The rst is Noor-ud-din Mian, resident of
Mian Mohalla, Pattan [Testimony no.3]. The second is
Maqsood Ahmad Mian, resident of Mian Mohalla, Pattan
[Testimony no.2]. Both are relatives of Hayat Khan.
Noor-ud-din was Hayat Khan's uncle and Maqsood
Ahmad Mian his cousin. Locally there is a perception
that both Noor-ud-din and Maqsood were also involved
in the support work for MM.
Noor-ud-din states that Hayat Khan worked for Lt.
Colonel Choudhary at the Hyderbaig Camp. He states
that in 1993, Hayat Khan, active with the MM [which by
now had split from the HM] was arrested by army
personnel from the Hyderbaig camp. He was detained
for a short time. The witness visited Hayat Khan at the
camp. He was not being tortured. During his detention,
Hayat Khan met and interacted with Lt. Colonel
Choudhary. Hayat Khan was released along with his
weapons. This was the rst time that Noor-ud-din states
that he suspected that Hayat Khan may have agreed to
work with the army. Hayat Khan then began to connect
other boys from the MM with the army. Lt. Colonel
Choudhary [who Noor-ud-din states subsequently
became a Brigadier at Bandipora] ran Hayat Khan. He
visited the house of Hayat Khan maybe 40-50 times.
This is the direct eye-witness testimony of Noor-ud-din.
Noor-ud-din states that Hayat Khan used to get
weapons directly from Lt. Colonel Choudhary from the
Hyderbaig camp. Further, he states that 80 boys form
Pattan were given army identity cards as they began
working for the army. Today, he states that, out of 80,
only 8-10 boys are alive.
Maqsood Ahmad Mian corroborates Noor-ud-din’s
statements. His assessment is that Hayat Khan began
working for the army following his arrest. His release
conrmed his association with the army. While Noor-uddin
states that Hayat Khan worked directly for Lt. Colonel
Choudhary at the Hyderbaig camp, Maqsood Ahmad is
less certain and states that he may have worked with the
Palhallan army camp [but considering the time lines –
and the death of Hayat Khan in 1994, Maqsood Ahmad
seems mistaken as the Palhallan camp is said to have
only come into existence at the end of 1994]. Maqsood
Ahmad provides another anecdote that conrmed his
belief that MM worked for the army. Azam Khan
[originally a resident of Islamabad District] and working
directly under Hayat Khan, was arrested along with a
person named Dar from Naidkhai by the army. They
were arrested with weapons in the possession. But, by
the evening, they were released along with their
weapons. This incident took place in 1994. Further,
Maqsood Ahmad states that Hayat Khan used to walk
around with his weapons, and since this sort of display
was impossible without ofcial connivance, the common
understanding was that he did so with the sanction of the
army.
Showkat Ahmad, alias Shoga, [Testimony No.6],
conrms the connection of the MM with the army. His
testimony, refers to incidents which took place while he
was a part of MM for three months in 1994, relates to the
area in Nihalpora and Chaksari. The MM group that he
was a part of ran parallel to the Pattan and Palhallan
group under Hayat Khan and other commanders. They
reported to the Chaksari camp and the Major there. He
does not remember the name of the Major at the camp
but corroborates to some extent other testimony, by
recalling that the Commanding Ofcer at Hyderbaig was
called Choudhary. While he did not himself visit the
Hyderbaigh camp, as per his testimony, his commander
did. He states that his commander was a person
codenamed “Athar”. He provides two examples from his
early days with MM, which underlined their connection
with the army. Two days into his association with MM, his
group headed by Athar spotted the army. Showkat
Ahmad wanted to attack them but Athar told him not to
and that they would not be harmed. A similar incident
took place subsequently as well where Showkat Ahmad
remembers warning the group of army presence in their
path. Once again Athar reassure him and the group that
the army would not harm them.
Numerous witnesses – in detailed testimony or in
passing conversation – asserted that Athar was a