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{{Short description|Pakistani militant (born c. 1966)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2025}}
{{Use Pakistani English|date=August 2025}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Mast Gul
| image =
| caption =
| birth_name = Haroon Khan
| birth_date = {{Birth year and age|1966}}
| birth_place =
| death_date =
| death_place =
| nationality =
| other_names =
| known_for = [[Charar-e-Sharief]] siege
| occupation = [[Militant]]
| years_active =
| organization = [[Hizbul Mujahideen]] (until 2001)<br />[[Tehreek-e-Taliban]]
}}

'''Haroon Khan''' (born {{circa|1966}}<ref name="r123">{{cite web | title=Hizbul commander Mast Gul resurfaces in Peshawar | website=India TV News | date=6 Feb 2014 | url=https://www.indiatvnews.com/news/world/latest-news-hizbul-commander-mast-gul-resurfaces-peshawar-16066.html | access-date=18 Nov 2024}}</ref>), better known by his [[nom-de-guerre]] as '''Mast Gul''' or '''Major Mast Gul''',{{refn|name="mmg"|<ref>{{cite web | title=Jammu & Kashmir | website=The Tribune, Chandigarh, India | date=13 Oct 2003 | url=https://www.tribuneindia.com/2003/20031015/j&k.htm | access-date=18 Nov 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | last=Naqash | first=Tariq | title=Hizbul Mujahideen says Mast Gul no more its member | website=DAWN.COM | date=26 Feb 2014 | url=https://www.dawn.com/news/1089487 | access-date=18 Nov 2024}}</ref>}} is a Pakistani militant and the former member of [[Hizbul Mujahideen]]. He is [[#Escape|best known]] for his role in the [[Charar-e-Sharief]] siege in 1995, one of the prominent events during the [[insurgency in Jammu and Kashmir]].<ref name="b347">{{cite web | title=Once a poster boy of Kashmir militancy, Mast Gul declared villain by Hizbul | website=Hindustan Times | date=27 Feb 2014 | url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/india/once-a-poster-boy-of-kashmir-militancy-mast-gul-declared-villain-by-hizbul/story-c3OAie2h2mK0F0oHlgNZiM.html | access-date=18 Nov 2024}}</ref> He was also associated with the militant group [[Harkat-ul-Ansar]], which was active in Kashmir during the 1990s.<ref name="l175">{{cite web | last=Life | first=Kashmir | title=Charar After Mast Gul | website=Kashmir Life | date=17 May 2016 | url=https://kashmirlife.net/charar-after-mast-gul-issue-09-vol-08-105467/ | access-date=18 Nov 2024}}</ref>

== Early life ==
Gul was born in 1966<ref name="r123"/> in [[Kurram District]], Pakistan.<ref name="b347"/> Little is known about his early life.

== Charar-e-Sharief siege ==
Gul was also accused of involvement in the Hazratbal siege in 1993. He, according to Alpana Kishore, a ''[[Newslaundry]]'' journalist, was the "first Pakistani militant to be captured on camera in Kashmir", following the 1993 [[Hazratbal siege]]" in [[Srinagar]].<ref name="j195">{{cite web | title=Reporting from Kashmir, 1989 to 1994 (Part 3) | website=Newslaundry | date=3 Oct 2019 | url=https://www.newslaundry.com/2019/10/03/reporting-from-kashmir-1989-to-1994-part-3 | access-date=18 Nov 2024}}</ref>

In December 1994, Gul and his group of militants entered the town of [[Charari Sharief]], [[Jammu and Kashmir (state)|Jammu and Kashmir]]. They established a [[Retreat (survivalism)|retreat]] near the [[Charar-e-Sharief shrine]]. The group fortified their positions, with Gul presenting himself as a protector of the shrine.<ref name="l175"/> The situation escalated into a 66-day standoff with [[Indian Armed Forces in Jammu and Kashmir|Indian security forces]] in early 1995. Intelligence reports indicated the presence of heavily armed militants in the town. Indian authorities reportedly attempted to offer safe passage to the militants.<ref name="l175"/>

On 11 May 1995, the siege ended with a fire that engulfed the 14th-century shrine and much of the surrounding town in [[Budgam district]]. Over 1,300 homes were reportedly destroyed, and thousands of residents were displaced. Indian security forces claimed to have killed 25 [[militant]]s during the [[Indian Army operations in Jammu and Kashmir|operation]], though some reports suggest that civilians were among the casualties. Gul escaped during the chaos, with conflicting accounts on how he evaded capture.<ref name="l175"/> Later, [[rumour]]s circulated about a potential agreement between the Indian security agencies and militants during the Charar-e-Sharief stand-off. However, officials, such as [[CD Sahay]], the former head of the [[Research and Analysis Wing]] (R&AW), declined the claims.<ref name="b347"/>

=== Escape ===
During the intervening night of 11 and 12 May 1995, the Charar-e-Sharief shrine and [[khanqah]] mysteriously caught fire, forcing militants who had been holed up inside to emerge into the open.<ref name="l175"/> Gul's escape contributed to his prominence in the [[Kashmir Valley]], with posters of him appearing on walls in the region. His cap, hairstyle, and attire became widely popular among his supporters, influencing the appearance of militants for years.<ref name="b347"/> Local media and conservative Muslim public intellectuals portrayed him as a [[war hero]].<ref name="c764">{{cite web | last=Farooq | first=Umer | title=The Mast Gul Factor | website=Herald Magazine | date=20 Feb 2016 | url=https://herald.dawn.com/news/1153348 | access-date=18 Nov 2024}}</ref>

He returned to Pakistan following the Charar-e-Sharief siege.<ref name="c764"/> Former union minister [[Jaswant Singh]] presented an alternative account of Gul's escape, stating that he was escorted to the [[Line of Control]], where he was met by large crowds as he crossed into [[Muzaffarabad]] from [[Chakothi]] on 2 August 1995, three months after the arson.<ref name="z400">{{cite web | last=Online | first=India Today | title=Charar-e-Sharif militant resurfaces in Pakistan, this time to kill own countrymen | website=India Today | date=24 Feb 2014 | url=https://www.indiatoday.in/world/pakistan/story/major-mast-gul-charar-e-sharif-hizb-ul-mujahideen-jaswant-singh-182466-2014-02-24 | access-date=18 Nov 2024}}</ref>

== Activities in Pakistan ==
In February 2014 after a period of inactivity, he was accused of carrying out a series of attacks in [[Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province]]. He has reportedly been associated with the [[Inter-Services Intelligence]] (ISI) and the [[Jamaat-e-Islami]] after returning to Pakistan.<ref name="n843">{{cite web | title="Legendary Kashmiri Militant Mast Gul Reemerges after Long Hibernation", Militant Leadership Monitor, June 2014 | website=Society for the Study of Peace and Conflict | url=https://sspconline.org/index.php/sspcinmedia/MastGulReemerges_afterLongHibernation | access-date=18 Nov 2024}}</ref> He was disassociated from Hizbul Mujahideen in 2001 due to his association with [[Tehreek-e-Taliban]] under which he reportedly carried out the 2014 Peshawar Hotel attack. He, according to the Indian newspaper such as ''[[Hindustan Times]]'', was declared by Pakistani authorities as a "most wanted terrorist" following his involvement in activities within the country.<ref name="b347"/><ref name="v225">{{cite web | title=Charar-e-Sharief militant Mast Gul resurfaces with Pakistani Taliban | website=The Indian Express | date=7 Feb 2014 | url=https://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-others/charar-e-sharief-militant-mast-gul-resurfaces-with-pakistani-taliban-2/ | access-date=18 Nov 2024}}</ref>

After the [[9/11]] attacks, rumors circulated that Gul had lost a leg in a [[landmine]] explosion while engaging against [[War in Afghanistan (2001–2021)|foreign troops in Afghanistan]]. Prior to his involvement with the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) in the following years, he had owned a car showroom in [[Peshawar]] and was a businessman in the area.<ref name="b347"/>

== Attempted assassination ==
In August 2003, Gul escaped an [[assassination attempt]] when his car was [[ambush]]ed by a group of armed men near his home in Khwaja town, Peshawar. While traveling with his security team, 10 attackers opened fire on his vehicle. Gul suffered facial injuries.<ref name="r483">{{cite web | title=Former Mujahideen commander attacked | website=DAWN.COM | date=1 Sep 2003 | url=https://www.dawn.com/news/113251/former-mujahideen-commander-attacked | access-date=18 Nov 2024}}</ref>

His brother, Ismail Khan, accused [[Research and Analysis Wing]] (R&AW) for the attack and accused former Afghan officials Haji Zaman and Haji Aman of being involved.<ref name="r483"/>

== References ==
{{reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gul, Mast}}
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:1960s births]]
[[Category:People from Peshawar]]
[[Category:Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan members]]
[[Category:Year of birth missing (living people)]]

Mast Gul - Revision history

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