Mast Gul

Haroon Khan (born ), better known by his nom-de-guerre as Mast Gul or Major Mast Gul, is a Pakistani militant and the former member of Hizbul Mujahideen. He is 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. He was also associated with the militant group Harkat-ul-Ansar, which was active in Kashmir during the 1990s.

Early life Gul was born in 1966

In December 1994, Gul and his group of militants entered the town of Charari Sharief, Jammu and Kashmir. They established a retreat near the Charar-e-Sharief shrine. The group fortified their positions, with Gul presenting himself as a protector of the shrine.

He returned to Pakistan following the Charar-e-Sharief siege.

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. 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.

After the 9/11 attacks, rumors circulated that Gul had lost a leg in a landmine explosion while engaging against 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.

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.