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Friday,
May 11, 2001, Chandigarh, India  
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Pro-Pak groups seek Taliban
aid Hizb-Lashkar tussle
intensifies Situation in Doda
reviewed Is Farooq serious about early
poll? Qureshi admitted to AIIMS |
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Pro-Pak groups seek Taliban
aid Jammu, may 10 Reports reaching here from across the border revealed that pro-Pak groups, with the assistance of official agencies in Islamabad, have sought assistance from Taliban leaders for giving teeth to the ongoing insurgency in Jammu and Kashmir. Between 150 and 200 Taliban guerrillas have been sent to PoK for being pushed into Jammu and Kashmir. These guerrillas would supervise operations against the Indian security forces, political leaders and informers. In addition to this, militants operating in the state would be given training in handling highly sophisticated weapons and explosives. Secondly, the dreaded Lashkar-e-Toiba has decided to set up 32 to 35 suicide squads, each comprising five to seven Fidayeens. This was announced by Abu Harris a spokesperson of the Lashkar-e-Toiba, in Pakistan recently. Abu Harris has made it clear that the suicide squads would carry out operations against major Army units and headquarters in Srinagar, Udhampur, Baramula, Badami Bagh, Leh and Kargil. Their task would be to eliminate top political leaders and police informers. He has also announced that boys trained in guerrilla warfare from several Muslim countries would also join Lashkar’s suicide squads and those who oppose liberation of Kashmir will be on the hit list of the Fidayeens. The Lashkar-e-Toiba leadership has also decided to extend their activities in north east. Pakistani agencies have decided to deploy commandos on the LoC and the international border in Jammu sector for carrying out swift raids on the Indian Army posts and border villages to grab portions of the Indian territory. These commandos are to be engaged in carving out infiltration routes for large groups of militants, most of them foreign mercenaries. The third aspect of the strategy is to carry out “operation shootout”, “operation Al Fatah” and “operation mine blast” simultaneously in different parts of the state. Under these operations, activists of the Lashkar-e-Toiba, the Jash-e-Mohammad and the Hizbul Mujahideen have been directed to carry out selective killings, make increased use of IEDs, landmines and grenade attacks. Since July last when the Hizbul Mujahideen had declared unilateral ceasefire, the outfit lost support from Pakistani agencies despite the withdrawal of ceasefire within eight days. The Hizbul Mujahideen leadership has been asked to do something “spectacular” if it wanted to regain the confidence of Pakistani agencies. It is in this context that senior functionaries of the ISI have been deployed on the LoC and the international border to monitor infiltration and the operations being carried out by the Hizbul Mujahideen. The three-tier strategy has been adopted to compensate for the reverses militants have suffered since the enforcement of the non-initiation of combat operations. During the past four-and-a-half months, about 237 militants have been killed in Jammu region. Militants in various areas of the state have been gradually losing the support of the local people because of several massacres and atrocities they committed on the civilians. The recent killing of members of Gujjar families has forced a major portion of the Gujjar community to oppose the activities of the militants, especially foreign mercenaries. The sources said between November, when the ceasefire was enforced, and February, militants had taken the upper hand. However, with better patrolling and coordination among different security and intelligence agencies, the security forces have been able to gain much of the ground it had lost. |
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Hizb-Lashkar tussle intensifies Srinagar, May 10 Both the outfits till recently acted under the single command of the Jehad Council, an umbrella organisation of militant outfits, formed last year in Islamabad, immediately after New Delhi initiated peace process in the wake of unilateral ceasefire. Reports reaching here from across the Line of Control (LoC), however, say that sharp differences have crept in the council with the Hizb demanding that operations being carried out in Kashmir should be “the sole concern” of commanders whose ethnic origin is Kashmiri. According to these reports, this is another way of saying that the Lashkar-e-Toiba should have a subsidiary role and not act as the principal strike force to hit at targets in Kashmir. Of late, the security forces operating in the forward areas have witnessed a sharp decline in the presence of Hizb personnel in attacks carried out by terrorists, who mainly belong to the Lashkar-e-Toiba. Lashkar, notorious for its ‘fidayeen’ (suicide) style attacks, wholly comprises of Pakistani or Afghan nationals. The ISI prefers the latter over Hizb cadre, which mainly consists of persons of Kashmiri origin. While the Hizb command is in the hands of Kashmiris that of the Lashkar is formed by Pakistanis, who enjoy stronger patronage of the ISI, which firmly holds the control of the council in its hands. According to these reports, the ISI bigwigs have been mediating between the leaders of the two outfits to persuade them to close their ranks to step up militant campaign in Kashmir. A major hurdle which the ISI mediators have failed to resolve is the issue of leadership of the Jehad Council, which is at present held by Salahuddin who is supreme commander of the Hizbul Mujahideen. The Lashkar-e-Toiba has asked for change of leadership and replacement of Salahuddin by a nominee of their own outfit. Since the Hizb has turned down the demand for Salahuddin’s replacement, there is a deadlock with the Hizb virtually withdrawing its personnel from operations conducted by the ISI. During the past two months a majority of casualties suffered by terrorists in encounters with the security forces were identified as those of the Lashkar-e-Toiba personnel with very few belonging to the Hizb. The Lashkar versus the Hizb has been one of the major headaches of the ISI. At times there were clashes between the cadres of the two outfits but the differences between the two were patched up after the Hizb was appeased by conferring upon it the supreme leadership of the Jehad Council. Hizb has been a suspect with the Lashkar-e-Toiba, which has been accusing it of “disloyalty to Pakistan” after one of the Hizb commanders, Majid Dar, unilaterally declared ceasefire last year and offered to hold peace talks with New Delhi. The move was aborted by the ISI as Dar called off ceasefire talks with representatives of the Union Home Ministry halfway under pressure from Salahuddin, who operates from Pakistani soil.
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Situation in Doda
reviewed Jammu, May 10 Major-Gen Mono Bhagat presided over it. The meeting discussed, in detail, the law and order situation and the stance to be taken to thwart the nefarious designs of militants who were hellbent on derailing the peace process. New strategies were evolved to put a check on their designs. Certain major decisions were taken that would act as a countervailing force to the vicious move and modus operandi adopted by the militant cadres. Emphasis was also laid on large-scale civic action programmes aimed at achieving a major breakthrough in improving the conditions of the local population. While addressing the meeting, the senior Army officer complimented the civil and police agencies for executing the tasks assigned to them with grit and determination. The wholehearted support extended in combating terrorism and executing civil projects was also appreciated. The Deputy Commissioner, Doda, Mr Shailendra Kumar, speaking on the occasion lauded the efforts of the security forces in overall development of the district and ensuring that the ceasefire was a success. |
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Is Farooq serious about early
poll? Jammu, May 10 The question assumes significance in the light of Dr Abdullah’s unwillingness to reduce the term of the Assembly from six to five years when the Centre had recommended this to him. Earlier, he had shown that he was in no hurry and declared that the Assembly elections would be held on schedule in October 2002. Yes, he had announced that he would dissolve the House and order early elections in case the separatists agreed to participate in the poll. The separatists, especially the APHC, showed least interest in contesting the elections on the plea that ballot was not the solution to the core Kashmir issue. The Chief Minister yesterday stated in Rajouri that he planned to give representation to the two border areas of Poonch and Rajouri in the Council of Ministers headed by him. He even named Ch Mohammad Hussain and G.M. Jan, two MLAs, who were to be given berth in the Council of Ministers. This gave the indication that he had no plans to hold the Assembly poll very soon. Senior government functionaries said the Chief Minister had plans of holding the elections in June 2002. But of late two developments seem to have motivated him to change the poll schedule. First, Dr Abdullah has realised that all main stream opposition parties are in “total disarray” and the separatist camps are either reluctant to take part in the elections or they have no organisational structure to mobilise the support of people. As such the Chief Minister will try to cash on the situation. He also knows that his organisation has witnessed a gradual erosion. If things continued like this he and his party may become redundent. Second, the Chief Minister has fears that the Centre may succeed in hooking some separatist groups by promising them to dismiss the Farooq-led government to be followed by fresh Assembly elections. He, therefore, will try to sabotage such a move. In case the Centre opposes his move to hold early elections he could bargain for a suitable post in Delhi. Third, Dr Abdullah has been influenced by the voters response to the recently concluded panchayat poll. Between 65 and 86 per cent voters participated in the exercise despite a boycott call given by the militants and the separatists. This way the Chief Minister finds a suitable atmosphere for going in for early elections. Inside reports say the Chief Minister is toying with the idea of holding the poll somewhere in September-October this year and that is why he has announced that he will take two MLAs from Poonch and Rajouri in his Cabinet. This move is to keep the vote bank in the two border districts intact. However, others do not attach any importance to the Chief Minister’s statement on early elections. They say he is trying to gauge the response from the Centre and the separatists. They opine that the National Conference cannot expect a cakewalk victory even if the elections are held within the next five months because the panchayat poll was held on non-party basis and in the Jammu region the BJP supporters and activists of several other political parties were elected panches and sarpanches. Observers, however, say that early elections can resolve one main issue. It will elect people or party which can be called as the genuine representative of the people of the state. If any mainstream political party wins the majority the separatists will have no reason to seek the stature of being people’s representative. In case the Chief Minister opts for early elections he may not be in a position to fulfil one constitutional obligation of carrying out delimitation of the Assembly constituencies. Under provisions of the Constitution delimitation should follow the Census. The Census operations have been completed. The National Conference is not for the delimitation of the Assembly segments as it will allow the Jammu region to have more seats. In addition, the Gujjars have been declared as Scheduled Tribe which entitles them to 6 per cent reserved seats. This way the National Conference may be a loser in case the Gujjars get six reserved constituencies out of 87. |
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Qureshi admitted to AIIMS New Delhi, May 10 Qureshi, who hijacked an Indian Airlines plane in 1971 and had surrended at Indira Gandhi International Airport in December last year, was flown from Srinagar this afternoon after a local court asked for his immediate shifting to the AIIMS, they said. He had been ailing in the Srinagar Jail and was admitted to Soura Medical Institute on April 24, the sources said. Qureshi’s family had to seek court’s intervention to get him transferred to the AIIMS, they said. The JKLF leader has been advocating that peace process needs to be given a chance and has also expressed his readiness to meet Centre’s interlocutor K.C. Pant, if invited for the talks. Qureshi, who returned to the country after nearly two decades of self-exile in Amsterdam, has been favouring the peace initiative of Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee. He is facing trial in connection with the hijacking of the Indian Airlines plane.
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