In Afghani was responsible for moulding the insurgency in Jammu and Kashmir into a youth-oriented movement.

Afghani was a Militant leader and had reportedly recruited numerous foot-soldiers through his personal efforts and he was known as Sajjad Afghani, due to his Afghan ancestry belonging to Sudhan tribe from Poonch having done so primarily through a strong participation in the 1990's Soviet-Afghan War as militant commander of Afghan Mujahideen.

In June 1994 he was arrested along with Molana Masood Azhar by the Indian Border Security Force.

[4] According to Indian sources, Sajjad Afghani was killed during an unsuccessful jailbreak from the high security Kot Bhalwal Jail in 1999.

[3] His death led to the hijacking, by Harkat, of Indian Airlines Flight 814 in December, which led to the release of Maulana Masood Azhar, Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh (both Harkat members) and Mushtaq Ahmed Zargar by the Indian Government.