The People's Anti-Fascist Front (PAFF) is a militant organization, designated as a terrorist group by the Indian government, actively engaged in

insurgency in Jammu and Kashmir The insurgency in Jammu and Kashmir, also known as the Kashmir insurgency, is an ongoing separatist militant insurgency against the Indian administration in Jammu and Kashmir, a territory constituting the southwestern portion of the larger ...

, an ongoing armed conflict between Kashmiri separatist militants and Indian forces in Jammu and Kashmir. PAFF was established in 2020 by

Jaish-e-Mohammad Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) is a Pakistani Deobandi jihadist Islamist militant group active in Kashmir.: "as soon as he was freed, Masood Azhar was back in Pakistan where he founded a new jihadist movement, Jaish-e-Mohammed, which became one of ...

Lashkar-e-Taiba Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) is a Pakistani Islamism, Islamist militant organization driven by a Salafi jihadism, Salafi jihadist ideology. The organisation's primary stated objective is to merge the whole of Kashmir with Pakistan. It was founded in 19 ...

, two Pakistan-based

jihadist Jihadism is a neologism for modern, armed militant Political aspects of Islam, Islamic movements that seek to Islamic state, establish states based on Islamic principles. In a narrower sense, it refers to the belief that armed confrontation ...

militant groups. The group is responsible for killing of civilians, several government officials, attacking Indian forces, radicalizing youth for recruitment and training in handling guns, ammunition and explosives.

Description

PAFF emerged after the 2019 removal of

Article 370 of the Constitution of India Article 370 of the Indian constitution gave special status to Jammu and Kashmir, a region located in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent and part of the larger region of Kashmir which has been the subject of a dispute between India, ...

by the Indian government which revoked the special status of the Jammu and Kashmir. According to ''Tracking Terrorism'', the group was started in 2020 by

. PAFF is among several newly emerged militant groups like

The Resistance Front The Resistance Front (TRF) is an Islamist militant organisation actively engaged in the insurgency in Jammu and Kashmir, and designated as a terrorist organization by India. The group is responsible for attacks on and killings of civilians, in ...

, United Liberation Front,Kabir Taneja, Khalid Shah
The Social Media Anatomy of New Radical Groups in Kashmir
Global Network of Extremism & Technology, 24 February 2021. and Ghaznavi Force. These groups strive to appear more 'secular' unlike their predecessor militant groups like

Jaish-e-Mohammed Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) is a Pakistani Deobandi jihadist Islamist militant group active in Kashmir.: "as soon as he was freed, Masood Azhar was back in Pakistan where he founded a new jihadist movement, Jaish-e-Mohammed, which became one of ...

Hizbul Mujahideen Hizbul Mujahideen, also spelled Hizb-ul-Mujahidin (, ), is a Pakistan-based Islamist separatist militant organisation that has been engaged in the Kashmir insurgency since 1989. It aims to separate Kashmir from India and merge it with Pakist ...

, in terms of their nomenclature, logos and slogans, as well as the nature and tone of messaging and communication through their pamphlets. For instance, the names of each of the newly emergent groups depict a clear departure from Islamic nomenclature as adopted by their predecessors. The emphasis of groups like the PAFF or Lashkar-e-Taiba backed The Resistance Front on terminology such as "resistance against occupation," "fascism" and "fascist forces" stems from a desire to justify their activities using a more secular-looking messaging instead of a call for

jihad ''Jihad'' (; ) is an Arabic word that means "exerting", "striving", or "struggling", particularly with a praiseworthy aim. In an Islamic context, it encompasses almost any effort to make personal and social life conform with God in Islam, God ...

against non-muslims used by their parent organisations. This change is also seen in the logos used by People's Anti-Fascist Front and other outfits. The PAFF, along with other militant groups have engaged in a form of 'Hybrid Militancy'. A method by which ordinary citizens are recruited into the organization, and return to their normal lives after committing acts of terrorism.

Designation as a terrorist group

On 7 January 2023, India's

Ministry of Home Affairs An interior ministry or ministry of the interior (also called ministry of home affairs or ministry of internal affairs) is a government department that is responsible for domestic policy, public security and law enforcement. In some states, the i ...

designated PAFF as a terrorist group.

Attacks and activities

Attacks

The PAFF has claimed responsibility for several attacks in Jammu and Kashmir against Indian forces.

Activities

The PAFF has utilised social media videos and posters to disseminate its messaging.

References

{{Kashmir separatist movement 2020 establishments in Pakistan Organizations established in 2020 Lashkar-e-Taiba Jihadist groups in Jammu and Kashmir Jihadist groups in Pakistan Paramilitary organisations based in Pakistan Kashmir separatist movement Anti-Hindu violence in Kashmir Organisations designated as terrorist by India Organizations based in Asia designated as terrorist