Jashar Salihu

Jashar Salihu (10 February 1953 – 16 December 2000) was a Kosovo Albanian general, diplomat and activist who fought for the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) during the Kosovo War. He was known for his political efforts and advocacy for the independence of Kosovo, his diplomatic role with the People's Movement of Kosovo (LPK) and also for his work as chairman of the Homeland Calls fund for the KLA.

Early life and education Salihu was born into a Gash family in Botushë, a village in the Highlands of Gjakova, at the time part of SAP Kosovo, SFR Yugoslavia. He completed his primary education in the nearby Molliq and attended high school in Gjakova. He would then attend university in Pristina, where he graduated from the English Language branch of the Faculty of Philosophy. Throughout the 70's, during his time as a student in Pristina, Salihu was part of the National Movement for the Liberation of Kosovo.

Political activities Salihu joined the Movement for the National Liberation of Kosovo (MNLK) in 1979, and was Salihu was an active member of the illegalised Committee for Deçan, both of which were headed by prominent activist and ideologue Jusuf Gërvalla. In 1981, Salihu was imprisoned for distributing political pamphlets and jailed in Sarajevo and Foĉa.

He led a gathering at Verrat e Llukës on 1 May 1990, with 500,000 thousand people present, where 106 reconciliations would be reached - 62 blood feuds would be ended, and 25 blights and 19 entanglements would be resolved. At the end of the year, he was arrested again by Yugoslav police and severely tortured by them. Nonetheless, he continued his political activities until he was forced into exile.

Salihu played an important role in spreading awareness about the KLA and its war against Yugoslav authorities. He was a member of the Foreign Relations Group of Kosovo and would later become the first diplomatic representative of the Provisional Government of Kosovo to Switzerland. He promoted the Kosovo Albanian cause on the worldly stage and helped to combat "anti-Albanian propaganda".