J A M M U   &   K A S H M I R

Jamait-e-Islami revived through madarsas
JAMMU, Oct 6 — The right wing Jamait-e-Islami has been revived and strengthened. A number of the wing’s activists were killed by counter-insurgents in the Kashmir valley between 1993 and 1996.

7 militants among 8 killed in J&K
SRINAGAR, Oct 6 — Seven Lashkar-e-Toiba militants were shot dead by troops in two encounters, one militant in Rajouri district of Jammu and six others in Kupwara district in North Kashmir, during the past 24 hours.

Farooq presses for release of funds
Tribune News Service

NEW DELHI, OCT 6 — The Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister, Dr Farooq Abdullah, today met Union Finance Minister Mr Yashwant Sinha to press for early release of funds under the Annual Plan of the state. The Chief Minister also met the Defence Minister and discussed with him the recent shelling by Pakistani troops in civilian areas of the state.

During his meeting with Mr Sinha, the Chief Minister said it was difficult to implement the policies for economic revival in the state as these required financial assistance. He said funds had been delayed for long as the working season in the state was very limited.

Referring to the announcement in Parliament in August, 1996, he said debt relief had been granted for borrowers who had badly suffered due to militancy in the state.

The Chief Minister also demanded package on the pattern of North-Eastern states. He sought an IT package for the state on the basis of recommendations made by NASSCOM.

The Chief Minister had a telephonic talk yesterday with Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission K.C. Pant. The state has submitted a Plan proposal for Rs 2,525 crore this year against Rs 1,750 last year.

The state was sanctioned a plan outlay of Rs 1,750 crore for the last fiscal year, most of which was diverted to non-plan activities, commission officials said. The commission has started the concept of core plan for states from this year under which the Plan size depends on the past performance of the plan schemes and resources of the state.

At his meeting with Mr Fernandes, the Chief Minister apprised him about the fear psychosis among the civilians due to Pakistani shelling.

Jamait-e-Islami revived through madarsas
From M. L. Kak
Tribune News Service

JAMMU, Oct 6 — The right wing Jamait-e-Islami has been revived and strengthened. A number of the wing’s activists were killed by counter-insurgents in the Kashmir valley between 1993 and 1996.

Besides enlarging its cadre across the valley, its policy of “catching them young” has seemingly paid dividends, with more than 20,000 youths having been enrolled as members of the Jamait-e-Islami in the past three years. The mushroom growth of madarsas, run by Jamait-e-Islami, has facilitated its task of enlarging its network of activists and supporters.

The Jamait-e-Islami exploited low standard of teaching in government schools in the rural areas where emphasis on the English-medium of coaching and examination was ignored. The madarsas are English-medium schools which have attracted a large number of teenagers, most of them being provided with cash incentive. However, imparting training in the study of Islamic culture and religion and on fundamentalism has been included in the curriculum. Such a training has assured Jamait-e-Islami to have large groups of youth as its staunch activists.

Government circles agree that elimination of counter-insurgents and disarming and disowning of activists of several counter-insurgent groups, including Ikhwan, by security agencies and the state government have led to the revival of Jamaat culture in the Kashmir valley. Between 1993 and 1996, top Jamaat leaders and their supporters were forced to go in hiding. Most of the Jamaat activists in South Kashmir areas, including Redwani and Khudwani, fled to Srinagar and other safer areas after the counter-insurgents targeted them. The case was not different in Safapore, Sumbal, Sonawari and other Jamaat dominated areas.

Scores of senior Jamaat activists had shaven off their beards to escape being lynched by counter-insurgents. In several areas, counter-insurgents with the help of security forces destroyed houses of Jamaat supporters.

The key role in saving the Jamait-e-Islami from extinction in the valley was played by its Amir (chief), Mr G.M. Bhat. He announced that the Jamait-e-Islami had nothing to do with the ongoing jehad or anti-India armed campaign. He announced that his organisation had been established to propagate Islam and train people in observing the Islamic code. He adopted this strategy to save his men and supporters from being eliminated by the security forces and the counter-insurgents.

Two years ago, Mr Bhat had a secret meeting with the Chief Minister, Dr Farooq Abdullah, in which, according to informed sources, he requested the Chief Minister to direct the police, especially the SOG (Special Operation Group) in the police to stop raiding the houses of Jamaat supporters. He had pleaded that his men should not be involved in subversive cases.

A senior Jamaat leader, Syed Ali Shah Geelani, considered to be a hawk in the organisation stepped up his campaign against Mr Bhat. Mr Geelani came out against Mr Bhat in the open and fielded his trusted lieutenant, Ashraf Sehrai, as a candidate against Mr Bhat for the post of Amir of Jamaat. Bhat won the election.

It was followed by a major rift between the two groups and ultimately, the two were persuaded to bury the hatched when Mr Geelani’s man was installed as Deputy Chief of the Jamait-e-Islami and he was allowed to represent the Jamaat in the Hurriyat Conference.

The truce has been a temporary affair. While Mr Bhat is keen to enlarge the network of Jamait-e-Islami, Mr Geelani has started comparing himself with top Islamic fundamentalists, including Hekmatyar, Qazi Hussain Ahmed and Osama bin Laden.

As the tussle in the Jamaat continues, a senior Hurriyat Conference leader, Mr Abdul Gani Lone, has decided to galvanise his Peoples’ Conference. He feels betrayed by Syed Ali Shah Geelani who did not support him in the election for the post of the Hurriyat Conference Chairman recently. Mr Lone lost and since then, he has had plans of restrengthening his Peoples’ Conference.

The convention of Peoples’ Conference, scheduled to be held in Srinagar on October 8, would enable him to gauge his strength so that he could convey to his detractors in the Hurriyat Conference that he continued to be a leader of consequences.

Some of the Hurriyat Conference leaders have been hurt by the show of strength by Mr Lone. They said that being a constituent of the Hurriyat Conference, Mr Lone should have not held a separate convention of Peoples’ Conference. But Mr Lone and Molvi Umar Farooq of the Awami Action Committee plan to maintain their separate identity.

7 militants among 8 killed in J&K

SRINAGAR, Oct 6 (UNI) — Seven Lashkar-e-Toiba militants were shot dead by troops in two encounters, one militant in Rajouri district of Jammu and six others in Kupwara district in North Kashmir, during the past 24 hours.

A major tragedy was averted when security forces detected a powerful improvised explosive device in Poonch district of Jammu last evening.

Official sources said here that firing on a security force patrol by militants in the Noordung Woods near Bandipora in the Baramula district of North Kashmir triggered a fierce night-long clash that left six Lashkar-e-Toiba militants dead. Six AK rifles, four magazines, 140 rounds of ammunition and one wireless set possessed by the militants were seized from the site.

The sources said troops had also launched a combing operation in the woods to nab other militants hiding there.

In another incident, militants entered the house of Sadiq Mohammad and started firing indiscriminately on the inmates, killing one of them and injuring his brother last evening.

People in Gund-e-Mancher Lalpora, 25 km from Kupwara, took to the streets, protesting against the death of 75-year-old Jamal Bhat, allegedly due to torture by security forces.

The villagers said the man was taken to a mosque and tortured to death by the forces after a militant was killed in the same area. The wife of the deceased is reported to have died of shock when the police handed over her husband’s body to her.

However, the officials said Jamal Bhat was killed in the cross-fire.

One more Lashkar-e-Toiba militant was killed in an encounter in Rajouri district.

A Defence Ministry spokesman in Jammu said that during a search operation in Dhakikot-Chalwalkui village, the militants fired upon a search party, which retaliated the shots, killing Abu Hanifa, a hardcore militant.

In Poonch district, troops of the Romeo Force defused a powerful explosive device planted in a pressure cooker in the Surankote area, thus averting a major tragedy, the spokesman said.