J A M M U   &   K A S H M I R

Omar’s greater autonomy finds no support
Jammu, December 20
Neither the Kashmiri separatists nor leaders of various mainstream political parties support restoration of greater autonomy for settling the Kashmir issue as voiced by the recently re-elected president of the National Conference, Mr Omar Abdullah.

Check secessionists, says BJP leader
Jammu, December 20
A former Union Minister and senior BJP leader, Prof Chaman Lal Gupta, has urged nationalists to take a serious note of increasing activities of secessionists endorsing moves of Pakistan and elements hostile to India.

Militant, SPO killed in encounter
Srinagar, December 20
A militant and a Special Police Officer were killed in a night-long encounter in South Kashmir, official sources said today. They said the security forces and the police on specific information conducted a search at Malikpora Malangam last night.

Omar’s greater autonomy finds no support
M.L. Kak

Jammu, December 20
Neither the Kashmiri separatists nor leaders of various mainstream political parties support restoration of greater autonomy for settling the Kashmir issue as voiced by the recently re-elected president of the National Conference, Mr Omar Abdullah.

Though Mr Abdullah favoured restoration of greater autonomy and talks with all political groups for resolving the Kashmir issue, leaders of the All-Party Hurriyat Conference were not prepared to believe that autonomy would clinch the issue.

A senior APHC leader, Maulvi Abbas Ansari, said today that “we have tasted the fruit of greater autonomy between 1947 and 1953. Even during this period the Kashmir issue was alive.”

He said it was unwise to equate self-rule with greater autonomy as was being done by Mr Abdullah. He said, “Kashmir issue needed to be resolved through trilateral talks in which representatives of people of Kashmir and Azad Kashmir were involved.”

Another APHC leader, Abdul Gani Bhat, said, “We are not going to support the pre-1953 constitutional position because it will again amount to slavery.” He said had people in Kashmir been convinced by greater autonomy the matter should have been resolved before 1953.

Sayed Ali Shah Geelani has already opposed any third option, saying that “accession with India or Pakistan is the only solution to the Kashmir issue.”

However, Prof Bhat and Maulvi Ansari suggested that if Delhi and Islamabad involve peoples’ representatives in the talks various solutions could come up for discussion.

Maulvi Ansari was of the opinion that Mr Abdullah was trying to demonstrate that the old demand of the National Conference on the restoration of greater autonomy was still relevant.

The state unit of the BJP, Jammu Mukti Morcha, and the RSS-led State Morcha are also opposed to the grant of greater autonomy. Prof Hari Om, vice-president of the BJP and Prof Virender Gupta, President, Jammu Mukti Morcha, wanted even Article 370 of the Constitution that gives special status to Jammu and Kashmir in the Indian union to be abrogated. They said if some autonomy was called for then the state should have regional autonomy and not the restoration of pre-1953 constitutional status which could further strengthen the bases of separatists in Kashmir.

The two leaders also did not support the idea of self-rule mooted by Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf.

But leaders of the state unit of the Congress left it to the UPA government to decide. They, however, favour involvement of leaders of Jammu-based political parties in the talks.

Check secessionists, says BJP leader
Tribune News Service

Jammu, December 20
A former Union Minister and senior BJP leader, Prof Chaman Lal Gupta, has urged nationalists to take a serious note of increasing activities of secessionists endorsing moves of Pakistan and elements hostile to India.

In a statement here today, Professor Gupta, while commenting on the threatening postures being adopted by those demanding limited accession with India, reiterated that Jammu and Kashmir was an integral part of India and the only issue that remained to be sorted out was to get the Pakistan-held areas of the state liberated.

Those talking of self-rule, limited accession or joint control of India and Pakistan over the state were only trying to confuse the real issues, he said.

Referring to the proposal of self-rule, Professor Gupta said India unlike Pakistan was a democratic country wherein every state, including Jammu and Kashmir, had an elected government and thus enjoyed self-rule.

There was no self-rule in Pakistan where the occupied Kashmir and North-West Frontier areas were discriminated against and people had not seen the ballot box for the past 58 years.

Denouncing the demand for reversal of the integration process to restore the pre-1953 position, the BJP leader warned about the happenings of 1953 and those of early 1950s and asserted that no nationalist in the country would tolerate reversal of the clock.

He said prior to 1953, there was despotic rule and the entire Assembly was a pack of a single party; there was no election commission, no jurisdiction of the Supreme Court and signs of democracy were missing. Those black days would not be allowed to return to the state.

Professor Gupta alleged that because of the weak and unrealistic policies of the Congress-led UPA government at the Centre, the secessionists were raising such ugly demands that were fraught with dangerous consequences.

He said such proposals should be rejected forthwith by the Centre.

Militant, SPO killed in encounter

Srinagar, December 20
A militant and a Special Police Officer (SPO) were killed in a night-long encounter in South Kashmir, official sources said today.

They said the security forces and the police on specific information conducted a search at Malikpora Malangam last night.

However, when the troops were sealing the village, militants opened fire. To avoid civilian casualties, troops postponed the operation, but sealed all the exit points.

The operation resumed this morning during which an encounter took place in which the militant was killed.

One SPO was also killed and two other security personnel were wounded in the encounter.

Meanwhile, troops of the 13 battalion of the Kilo Force busted a well-fortified hideout containing a huge amount of stores. — UNI