The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

Wednesday, August 16, 2000,
Chandigarh, India

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Geelani proposes, Pak disposes
From Satish Misra
Tribune News Service

NEW DELHI, Aug 15 — But for Islamabad, former Hurriyat chairman S.A.S. Geelani would have loved to withdraw from active deliberations of the All-Party Hurriyat Conference (APHC).

While Mr Geelani, who is neither feeling comfortable in his parent organisation Jammat-e-Islami nor in the APHC, is said to be keen to take a backseat, Pakistan has strongly opposed the former Hurriyat chairman’s desire to withdraw, sources said.

Mr Geelani, who was a little surprised at the unilateral declaration of ceasefire last month by the Hizbul Mujahideen, was asked by the US-based expatriate Kashmiri leaders Ghulam Nabi Fai and Ayub Thukar not to take the step and be in control of the organisation at this crucial time, the sources said.

While Mr Geelani had more than one reason for taking a temporary retreat from active hurly burly of political developments, there were many leaders within the APHC who were in favour of opening channels of communication with the Centre till Hizbul’s declaration of ceasefire.

When some of the Hurriyat leaders like the present APHC chairman, Prof Abdul Ghani Bhat, were meeting some of the emissaries of the Vajpayee government, Islamabad was not really comfortable.

The real reason for the softening of both Hurriyat leaders as well as of the Hizbul commanders had been a strong desire of the common man to return to peace, the sources said.

Islamabad, which had been receiving reports about the desire of peace growing among people of Jammu and Kashmir and the APHC’s moves to open channels of communication, went into panic when Kashmir-based Hizbul commander Abdul Majid Dar declared a ceasefire.

Islamabad immediately called a high-level meeting at Dubai in the first week of this month which was attended by Mr Fai, Mr Thukar, the former Hurriyat chairman, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, the Hizbul commander-in-chief, Syed Salahuddin, and two top ISI officials. Mr Umar Farooq came to attend the meeting from Teheran, the sources said.

While on the one hand Syed Salahuddin, who had been sulking for some time, was persuaded to oppose the ceasefire by attaching conditions which would be impossible for New Delhi to meet, the expatriate leaders were assigned the task to tell Mr Geelani not to take any hasty step.

And true to his salt, Mr Geelani swung into action and delivered the expected results. The APHC opposed the ceasefire after its executive met at Mr Geelani’s residence, the sources pointed out.

While it was a common fact that there were serious differences within the APHC, the projected unity within the organisation was very fragile.

The Hurriyat leaders were wary of opposing Islamabad’s dictates as they knew that their flow of funds might get choked, the sources said. Moreover, a threat to their lives was also within the realm of possibility which prevented many of the Hurriyat leaders to take positions which might not be appreciated by Islamabad, they said.