 |
| Thursday, August 10, 2000, Chandigarh, India   
|
Hasty end of talks expected: Bhat Hizb says no
to talks Probe panel on Pahalgam killings Delegation alleges
police atrocities in R.S.Pora |
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
Farooq regrets scuttling of talks SRINAGAR, Aug 9 — Regretting that the ceasefire talks with the Hizbul Muhahideen were scuttled at an early stage, the Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister, Dr Farooq Abdullah, expressed the hope that “the process of talks will not come to an end”. Talking to mediapersons after an attestation parade of 285 recruits at the Subsidiary Training Centre (STC) the BSF, Humahama, here this morning, the Chief Minister said there were still some groups “willing to talk”. “I think it is Pakistan who wanted to be party to the talks... it did not understand that India was not going to be ready for talks with Pakistan under any pressure”, the Chief Minister said in reply to a question. He made it clear that no talks will be held with Pakistan unless trans-border terrorism by Pakistan was stopped. The Chief Minister, however, expressed hope that Indo-Pak talks will take place at a later stage as the trans-border terrorism was not going to last long. He said the people of Kashmir had suffered a lot during the past decade due to militancy. He said the government was still in touch with militant groups adding that talks will be held. “How much death and destruction is going to take place?”. Dr Abdullah questioned adding that the people cannot tolerate trouble for long. In reply to a question, Dr Abdullah said he felt “sad about Syed Salahuddin”, supreme commander of the Hizbul Mujahideen, who was ready for talks in the first instance and later had to back out. “He is under pressure in Pakistan”, Dr Abdullah said. Replying to a question on autonomy, Dr Abdullah said discussions were going on with the Central Government. Earlier, addressing the recruits Dr Abdullah said India had accepted the peace offer but the militants’ mentors across the border “do not want peace to return in Kashmir”. He claimed that India wanted peaceful relations with all the neighbouring countries, but Pakistan “does not understand the language of friendship”, which they showed in Kargil. The Chief Minister took salute at the attestation parade of the 285 recruits. He was accompanied by Mr K. Vijay Kumar, IG, Border Security Force, Kashmir, and Mr Baljit singh, ADIG, commandant of the Subsidiary Training Centre (STC). The recruits also included seven surrendered militants. While others were recruited from Bihar, 126, Maharashtra, 94, Jammu and Kashmir, 19, UP, 13, Kerala,10, West Bengal, five, Haryana, three, Assam, three, MP, three, Himachal Pradesh and Rajasthan two each, Meghalaya and Punjab, one each. Six recruits, presented with awards by the Chief Minister for their distinguished performances. |
Delegation alleges
police atrocities in R.S. Pora JAMMU, Aug 9 — A delegation of representatives of various social, cultural and religious organisations from Jammu visited R.S. Pora and adjoining villages last evening to take stock of the situation there in the wake of “atrocities committed by the police” on peaceful protesters against the sacrilegious act of cow slaughter in Dablerhar village. The delegation was led by Mr Kumar Sharma, prant sanghchalak, RSS. Besides meeting a large number of people in the town and addressing a public meeting, the delegation met the authorities in the administration, including the Additional Deputy Commissioner, Mr B.D. Sharma, who is camping at R.S. Pora, and the SP, Border, Mr Ashok Atri. The delegation urged the authorities to free all arrested persons to defuse tension in the town and the adjoining villages. The delegation alleged that instead of taking the representatives of the people into confidence and defusing the tense situation, the authorities acted with “vengeance” with the demonstrators. It said they raided the houses of some activists of various Hindu organisations, beat them up and huddled them in dingy cells in various police stations where they were again subjected to torture. The delegation said the authorities had hurt the sentiments of the Hindus by throwing the dead cow at Jagti off Nagrota. |
|
Hasty end of talks expected: Bhat JAMMU, Aug 9 — The Hizbul Mujahideen had declared in haste unilateral ceasefire and its hasty end was expected. This is the cryptic remark of the Chairman All Party Hurriyat Conference (APHC), Prof. Abdul Gani Bhat on the calling off the ceasefire by Hizb supremo, Syed Salahuddin. Series of factors are said to have been responsible for the Hizbul Mujahideen’s withdrawal of the ceasefire. First, the Hizb leadership in Pakistan was under pressure from agencies across the border, including the Jamait-e-Islami to adopt belligerant postures against India. When the Hizbul Mujahideen announced unilateral ceasefire on July 24 it did not insist on tripartite talks. Soon after the Hizb was thrown out of the Jehad Council and Syed Salahuddin was removed from the chairmanship of the Council, the Hizb commanders started demanding for tripartite talks. Secondly, finding that Hizbul Mujahideen activists and
commanders were getting isolated, Syed Salahuddin and others harboured fears that the Hizb might face a vertical split. And already Pakistani agencies had instructed the Jash-e-Mohammad, Lashkar-i-Toiba and All Badr to cause split in the Hizbul Mujahideen. To avoid it Hizb chief called off the ceasefire. Thirdly, the Hizb leadership realised that after its ceasefire there was no substantial improvement in the security environment in the state. And the killing of about 100 civilians in a span of two days, six days after the ceasefire, in Jammu and Kashmir “rattled” Syed Salahuddin and others. They felt that they alone could not bring peace in the state. Fourthly, though the talks had not started, only modalities were beingworked out to implement the ceasefire, Hizbul Mujahideen leaders received broad hints that neither India could offer them what they wanted nor they could speak India what they had in their mind. When New Delhi was not prepared to give “Azadi” or allow Kashmir to get incorporated with Pakistan, the main demand of Hizb, there was no meeting ground between the two sides. And the Hizb leadership exploited India’s stand that talks would have to be held within the framework of the Constitution. Syed Salahuddin said, India had adopted a rigid stand by imposing conditions and he cleverly ignored the Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee’s latest statement that talks would be held without any condition. A whispering campaign had been launched in Kashmir and Pakistan occupied Kashmir that the Hizb leadership had sold itself to India. As the campaign started catching up the Hizbul Mujahideen supremo, Syed Salahuddin, demonstrated that he was not an Indian agent. In addition to this, the ceasefire offer was not handled properly by the Indian agencies. Those who were authorised to hold talks with Hizb commanders were police officers. They and the state’s home commissioner are known to be more reticent than having diplomatic or political accumen. The result was that right from the day one due to confusion the talks could not make any headway. Abdul Majid Dar, who had announced the ceasefire in Kashmir, and his colleagues have gone underground. They are yet to chalkout their future strategy. If the Hizb supremo and the Pakistani agencies refuse to accept them in the Hizbul Mujahideen fold they will have no other alternative but to float a separate organisation or join the national mainstream. In the final process the ceasefire and its withdrawal proved to be a battle of wits between Indian and Pakistani agencies. New Delhi wanted to show to the world that it was ready for talks with any rebel outfit, but Pakistani agencies sabotaged India’s plan by forcing Hizb supremo to call off the ceasefire. The withdrawal of the ceasefire has brought back the APHC to the centre stage and that is the reason for senior Hurriyat leder Syed Ali Shah Geelani’s happiness over the break in proposed talks. Also, the National Conference has now no fears of losing its relevance in Kashmir. However, indications are that an attempt would be made to encourage other rebel outfits to start parleys with the government. Will the government succeed? The future events will determine. |
|
Probe panel on Pahalgam killings SRINAGAR, Aug 9 — The Jammu and Kashmir government has constituted a three-member committee to probe into the sequence of events of the militants’ attack at Pahalgam in which at least 32 persons were killed and several others were injured on August 1. The committee has been asked to submit its report within a period of three months. The committee comprises the Jammu and Kashmir, Adviser Security Lt Gen J.R. Mukherjee, Mr C Phunsong, Principal Secretary, Home and the District Magistrate, Anantnag, Mr G.A. Peer. The committee shall also make recommendations on the basis of their findings and suggest measures to prevent the recurrence of such incidents in future, an official spokesman stated here. Meanwhile, the Chief Minister, Dr Farooq Abdullah, said here today that if the people feel the inquiry into the incident was incomplete, a judicial inquiry would be ordered. “We are not opposed to it. I have told it in Delhi also. We do not want to hide anything”, he added. This, he said, while talking to mediapersons after an attestation parade of Border Security Force (BSF) recruits at its Subsidiary Training Centre (STC) here this morning. The committee in particular will inquire into the following: Whether there has been any security lapse or dereliction of duty on the part of any government functionary which made the militant attack feasible or facilitated it in any manner; In the event of findings suggesting security lapse, whether responsibility can be fixed and apportioned among the government functionaries and to make recommendations in this respect; Whether the magnitude of casualty could have been contained after the initial bursts of firing on the camp dwellers. At least 29 persons, including two policemen and two militants involved in the attack were killed in the incident near a “langar adjacent to the Mamal bridge in Pahalgam on August 1. Four others succumed to their injuries in hospitals. More than 50 persons were also injured in the incident. Meanwhile, the Divisional Commissioner, Kashmir, Mr Khursheed Ahmad Ganai, on Tuesday released Rs 60 lakh as ex gratia for disbursement to the next of kin of those killed in the militants’ firing at Pahalgam, Mir Bazar, Qazigund and Sandoo in district Anantnag on August 1. The relief to be provided at the rate of Rs 1 lakh in respect of each case was given to the Deputy Commissioner, Anantnag, for disbursement. The Deputy Commissioner has been asked to arrange distribution of ex gratia to the next of kin of the killed persons belonging to other states through the respective chief secretaries to be identified personally by them. He has been also asked to send the bank drafts payable to respective chief secretaries on the official address without any delay. At least 60 persons belonging to Kashmir and other states were killed in these incidents, including 33 at Pahalgam, 20 at Mir Bazar and seven at Sandoo. Besides, two J&K policemen who were also killed at Pahalgam were entitled to ex gratia under rules, from the Police Department, an official spokesman said here today. |
|
Hizb says no
to talks SRINAGAR, Aug 9 — The Hizbul Mujahideen militant outfit has ruled out talks at any level with the Government of India. This statement from the outfit, which had announced a unilateral ceasefire on July 24, came as its first reaction in Srinagar after the supreme commander, Syed Slahuddin announced withdrawal of ceasefire in Islamabad yesterday. The spokesman clarified that there were no talks with the government after the preliminary talks here on August 3. These talks were held between the four-member committee headed by the Union Home Secretary, Mr Kamal Pande, and the Hizbul mediator, Mr Fazal-ul-Haq Qureshi. The spokesman also denied the reported statement of the Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister, Dr Farooq Abdullah, that contacts between the Central Government and the Hizbul Mujahideen still existed. |
 |
| Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir | Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs | Nation | Editorial | | Business | Sport | World | Mailbag | In Spotlight | Chandigarh Tribune | Ludhiana Tribune 50 years of Independence | Tercentenary Celebrations | | 120 Years of Trust | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | Suggestion | E-mail | |
