Yasin Malik (Left), Jihadist Farooq Sudhan (Right)
New Delhi: Farooq Khan, alias Commander Farooq Sudhan a former Pakistan Army Special Service Group (SSG) commando turned notorious jihadist trainer and close associate of imprisoned Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) chief Yasin Malik is dead.
The veteran terror commander, who spent decades running militant training camps in Pakistan-occupied J&K (PoJK) and allegedly worked in close coordination with Pakistan’s military establishment, succumbed to his injuries at around 10 PM on July 30. He had been critically wounded during the July 27 Muzaffarabad March when Pakistani Rangers allegedly opened fire on demonstrators at Shaheed Chowk.
Sudhan’s death marks the end of a decades-long career that bridged Pakistan’s military establishment and several jihadist organisations operating against India. In a striking irony, the former Pakistan Army commando who allegedly helped build Pakistan’s proxy terror infrastructure ultimately lost his life in firing by the country’s own security forces during unrest in PoJK.
From Pakistan Army Commando to Terror Trainer
A resident of Palandri in PoJK, Farooq Sudhan served in Pakistan’s elite Special Service Group (SSG) from 1960 until his retirement in 1988. Rather than leaving the battlefield behind, he allegedly transitioned into Pakistan’s cross-border terror ecosystem.
Following his retirement, Sudhan joined the JKLF under Yasin Malik and became actively involved in training militants for infiltration and terrorist operations against India. During the 1990s, his influence expanded beyond the JKLF as he was also associated with Hizbul Mujahideen and Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami (HUJI).
One of his most significant roles was operating Hizbul Mujahideen’s Khalid Bin Walid training camp in PoJK, a facility where militants reportedly received weapons training, tactical instruction and combat preparation before being deployed. According to available information, recruits linked to Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) and Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) also underwent training at the camp.
Security analysts have long maintained that such facilities functioned with the support or acquiescence of Pakistan’s security establishment, highlighting the alleged nexus between Pakistan’s military apparatus and terrorist groups operating from its soil.
Close associate of Yasin Malik
Sudhan remained one of the closest associates of jailed separatist leader Yasin Malik. After 2003, he reportedly shifted his focus entirely to the JKLF while maintaining close personal and organisational ties with Malik during the latter’s visits to PoJK.
Within militant circles, Sudhan was regarded as an experienced trainer who played a significant role in sustaining the operational capabilities of multiple Pakistan-based terrorist organisations.
Irony amid PoJK unrest
Sudhan’s death comes amid continuing unrest in Pakistan-occupied J&K, where protests against the Pakistani administration have intensified in recent months.
He had reportedly been participating in the ongoing agitation that began on June 9 and joined the July 27 march from Rawalakot to Muzaffarabad. During the procession, Pakistani Rangers allegedly opened fire on demonstrators at Shaheed Chowk, critically injuring him. He later succumbed to those injuries on Thursday night.
The circumstances surrounding his death have attracted attention because a man who allegedly spent decades working alongside Pakistan-backed militant networks was himself fatally wounded during action involving Pakistani security forces.
Over the course of more than three decades, he reportedly trained cadres linked to the JKLF, Hizbul Mujahideen, Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami (HUJI), Jaish-e-Mohammed and Lashkar-e-Taiba, while maintaining close ties with Yasin Malik and remaining an influential figure in Pakistan-occupied J&K.
