The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

Monday, February 5, 2001,
Chandigarh, India

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Angry youths go on rampage
Six slain Sikhs cremated
Tribune News Service

SRINAGAR, Feb 4 — While curfew was clamped on most parts of the city, tension gripped some localities here today following the killing of six Sikhs by unidentified gunmen here last evening.

Stray incidents of stone-pelting were reported from Mehjoor Nagar and its adjacent localities as the bodies of the six Sikhs were brought under tight security from the police control room, this morning.

At least 10 shops were smashed and ransacked and more than 20 vehicles, including matadors and private cars, partially damaged in Jammu when groups of angry youths, protesting against the killing of Sikhs in Srinagar, attacked these establishments.

Shouting anti-Farooq Abdullah and anti-Pakistan slogans, the demonstrators forced the closure of Jammu shopping centres. As a result, passenger transport services were partially hit in Jammu city today.

The protesters demanded severe measures against militants and wanted the government to withdraw the ceasefire.

Several political parties, including the National Conference, the Congress, BJP, Janata Dal, Shiv Sena, Awami League and ABVP condemned what they called “barbaric” act of militants. They said that Pakistan and its forces in Kashmir stood exposed as they were not sincere in carrying out the peace process initiated by Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee to its logical conclusion.

The Awami League Chairman, Mr Kukka Parrey, said that the Hurriyat Conference had lost its relevance and had no control over the militants who were killing innocent people to kick up communal trouble after they were rejected help by the people.

Mr D.K. Kotwal, President of the BJP, said that it was time for the government to consider his demand of enforcing ceasefire only on the border and order the security forces to relaunch combat operations.

Meanwhile the Khalsa Badla Force has warned the Al Qasim rebel outfit of dire consequences for the killing of innocent Sikhs. It has said that within next 20 days the activists of the force would eliminate activists of the rebel outfit.

It appealed to all transporters to stop the supply of essential commodities to Kashmir and requested the Sikhs to observe a total bandh for 10 days.

Tension also gripped some other Sikh dominated localities in the South Kashmir districts of Anantnag and Pulwama. The police was deployed in the Chhiti-Singhpora, Mattan and Nambal areas of Anantnag district following the reports of resentment in these areas, police sources said.

Precautionary measures were also taken in the north Kashmir districts of Baramulla and Kupwara, particularly in the Sikh-dominated areas. Reports said that situation in the Sikh-dominated town of Barmulla, was under control.

A meeting of the district level civil administration and police officers with the senior citizens and representatives of different communities was held this morning which assured that any nefarious designs of the miscreants would be frustrated.

Police and security forces were deployed in large numbers in Rambagh, Mehjoor Nagar, Jawahar Nagar and the adjacent localities to prevent any untoward incidents at the hands of miscreants.

There were some incidents of stone pelting in Rambagh, and Solina localities close to the Mehjoor Nagar. All the areas falling under police stations of Saddar, Rajbagh, Batamaloo, Maisuma, Kothibagh, Ram Munshi Bagh, Shaheed Gunj, Rainawari and Parimpora in Srinagar city were brought under curfew restrictions.

Six persons were killed and seven others injured in the shooting by unidentified gunmen at Mehjoor Nagar last evening. The police said that three gunmen appeared in the locality late last evening and opened indiscriminate fire on the members of a particular community, killing three of them on the spot. Three of the injured later succumbed to their injuries in the hospital, while seven others are under going treatment at different hospitals here. Two women are among those injured.

This is for the second time that the Sikh community members have become victims of unidentified gunmen in the decade-long militancy in Kashmir. At least 35 Sikhs were killed by unidentified gunmen at Chhitti-Singhpora near Mattan in Anantnag district on March 21 last year when the then US President, Mr Bill Clinton, was on a visit to India.

The incident has been condemned widely in the valley. According to the APHC chairman, Prof Abdul Ghani Bhat, the incident has a link with the killing of Bilal Ahmad Khan, an autorickshaw driver of Sarai Bala here last Thursday. He said that it was “an attempt to derail the peace process” in Jammu and Kashmir which started with the announcement of unilateral ceasefire by the Prime Minister. It may be recalled that tension gripped the Lal Chowk area here since last Thursday against the “custodial killing” of the autorickshaw driver.

Former Union Minister Prof Saifuddin Soz condemning the incident has urged the National Human Rights Commission to devise a mechanism in consultation with the State Human Rights Commission to “quickly analyse such situations and restore peoples’ confidence in the system of justice and human rights”.

The bodies of the six slain Sikhs were cremated at their native place Mahjoornagar this evening after local residents prevailed upon the community members to go ahead with the cremation.

All the six bodies were consigned to flames around 5.30 p.m. in the presence of the Minister of State for Home, Mr Mushtaq Ahmad Lone, and the Director-General of Jammu and Kashmir police, Mr A.K. Suri, an official spokesman said.

Mahant Manjit Singh of Jammu was also present at the cremation which was performed amidst religious slogans.

Musharraf attacks India on Kashmir

ISLAMABAD, Feb 4 (PTI) — Two days after he telephoned Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee to express sympathies for victims of the Gujarat earthquake, Pakistani military ruler Gen Pervez Musharraf today launched an attack on India accusing it of “oppressive” rule in Kashmir and demanded permission to Hurriyat leaders to visit Pakistan.

Speaking on the eve of the ‘Kashmir Solidarity Day’ being officially observed here, General Musharraf also reiterated Pakistan’s “moral, political and diplomatic support to the Kashmiris’ struggle to achieve the right for self-determination”.

“The Kashmir dispute is not a territorial dispute between the two countries. It is about the right of the people of Kashmir to decide their future by themselves,” he said.

He said Islamabad had “recently taken several steps for the commencement of a Pakistan-India dialogue with the participation of the Hurriyat Conference for a peaceful settlement of the Kashmir dispute.”

He said Pakistan was firmly committed to seeking a peaceful settlement of the Kashmir dispute in accordance with the UN Security Council resolutions.

General Musharraf’s latest attack on India came hardly two days after he spoke to Mr Vajpayee over the phone to express his sympathy with victims of the earthquake in Gujarat.

CHENNAI: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah today said the unilateral ceasefire initiative in Kashmir would be meaningless unless Pakistan reined in militants operating from there.

Stating that the impact of the ceasefire was yet to be felt in the state, he said “the borders may be peaceful but killings are going on in the state.”

However, he said peace efforts in the state would continue until those on the other side (Pakistan) realised that “no stone would be left unturned to achieve the objective.”

“Kashmir will never become a part of Pakistan. We have to pay a price for it and we are paying it today.”

Pakistan-sponsored cross-border terrorism in the country, whether it was by the ISI or any other agency, had to be stopped, he said.

About his government’s plea for greater autonomy, Mr Abdullah said, “We are not asking for autonomy to destabilise or disintegrate India. Both the Centre and states have to be financially strong to ensure proper economic development and a strong federal set up.”