J A M M U   &   K A S H M I R

Red Fort attackers may be in Nepal
JAMMU, Dec 27 — Though the security forces have mounted vigil on the Indo-Pak border in the Jammu sector to prevent four militants, who were involved in the shootout in the Red Fort six days ago, from crossing over to Pakistan, police sources here said the miscreants, might have escaped to Nepal.

A jawan checks the identity cards of Kashmiri youths in Srinagar on Wednesday. With Id-ul-Fitr tomorrow, the security has been beefed up in the state. — Reuters photo

No let-up in militant violence
JAMMU, Dec 27 — The first phase of the month of ceasefire, for which announcement was made by the Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee, ended today to be followed by another month of non-initiation of combat operations against the militants in Jammu and Kashmir.

Red Fort attackers may be in Nepal
Tribune News Service

JAMMU, Dec 27 — Though the security forces have mounted vigil on the Indo-Pak border in the Jammu sector to prevent four militants, who were involved in the shootout in the Red Fort six days ago, from crossing over to Pakistan, police sources here said the miscreants, might have escaped to Nepal.

A senior police official, who has been in the forefront of counter- insurgency operations in the Jammu region, said the field inputs he had received indicated that the four attackers, fifth Ashfaq, having been arrested by the Delhi police, had got sufficient time to flee to Kathmandu from where they would fly to Pakistan.

He said a statement issued by the Lashkar-e-Toiba spokesman in Pakistan, saying the attackers were out of the reach of the police, clearly indicated that they might have reached Kathmandu.

The official said there was no report from the entire border in Jammu and Kashmir about any egress in the past five days and hence he would rule out the possibility of the four attackers having crossed over to Pakistan. The four attackers were Abu Sajjid, Abu Sakhar, Bilal and Haidder. He claimed that the tip about the hideout of Ashfaq and Abu Samal had been given to the Delhi police and the IB by the Kashmir police. He said a senior police officer from Jammu had gone to Delhi where he had given the information to the IB and other police authorities.

The police officer, who wished to remain unidentified, said Ashfaq was actually Mushtaq Ahmed who had married a girl belonging to interior of Srinagar. Mushtaq with the help of his Kashmiri bride had arranged another Kashmiri girl for Al Badr chief, Lukman. Lukman and the girl were to get married shortly.

He said that Ashfaq, alias Mushtaq, and his wife had plans of travelling by air to either Pakistan or to Saudi Arabia on Friday (December 28). Since both of them had valid travel documents they would have left Delhi tomorrow had not their hideout been raided by the Delhi police.

He, at the sametime, said search for the four absconders had been launched in Jammu city and the border villages.

No let-up in militant violence
Second-phase of ceasefire begins
From M.L. Kak
Tribune News Service

JAMMU, Dec 27 — The first phase of the month of ceasefire, for which announcement was made by the Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee, ended today to be followed by another month of non-initiation of combat operations against the militants in Jammu and Kashmir.

During the month-long ceasefire people, on the one hand, indulged in “the purification of mind and body” through fasting, on the other hand, they witnessed a flurry of political activity in the separatist camps and increase in militant attacks on the pickets and convoys of the security forces and on the soft targets.

The state and the Central Government functionaries admitted that foreign mercenaries, belonging to the Lashkar-e-Toiba, the Jash-e-Mohammad and Al Badr, tried their best to sabotage the proposed peace process. A series of suicide and ambush attacks on Army convoys and camps, including daring suicide attack at the gates of Badami Bagh cantonment in Srinagar, in which nine persons, including four Armymen were killed, did not force the government to withdraw the ceasefire. Instead Mr Vajpayee announced a one-month extension in the suspension of combat operations against the militants.

Even the Union Capital was rattled by the daring armed attack on the Army camp inside the historic Red Fort in which more than five persons were killed. Though one of the killers was eliminated and another arrested, the foreign mercenaries demonstrated that they were opposed to the peace parleys.

During the month the All Party Hurriyat Conference (APHC) emerged on the centrestage after having been left confused and inactive. Its seven-men wise executive committee received a sort of recognition from both India and Pakistan when New Delhi offered to hold discussions with its leaders and Islamabad welcoming their plan of visiting Pakistan for talks with militants and the government.

The APHC leaders appeared to be a divided lot with one group voicing criticism of Mr Abdul Gani Lone, whom they accused of having made a statement in Pakistan which was opposed to the line followed by the pro-Pak forces in Kashmir. However, Mr Lone was able to set at rest controversy his statement had triggered off.

The division in the APHC between the hardliners and the moderates and between the pro-Pak and pro-azadi force surfaced during a meeting of its executive committee meeting in Srinagar. The supporters of two ideologies clashed outside the APHC headquarters where the meeting was in progress. And the next executive meeting was held at the residence of Molvi Umar Farooq, chairman Awami Action Committee and a former chairman, APHC, to dodge the antagonists.

The hardliners in the APHC and the Jamait-e-Islami, headed by Syed Ali Shah Geelani, demonstrated their pro-Pak sentiments during a Friday congregation in the historic Jamia Masjid in Srinagar. The Geelani faction had organised a pro-Pak demonstration and a group of militants, belonging to the Hizb-ul-Mujahideen, fired warning shots in the air to convey to the APHC leaders to avoid thinking of bargaining with the government on anything except Kashmir’s merger with Pakistan.

While these irritants were being resolved by the senior APHC leaders the seven members of the executive committee received a signal that they would be allowed to visit Pakistan. This set in motion another phase of activity within the APHC as its top leaders wanted permission to all the seven members, especially to Syed Ali Shah Geelani.

While the APHC chairman, Prof Abdul Gani Bhat, busied himself with discussions with the mediators, the militants stepped up armed attacks. Between November 28 and December 27 more than 110 civilians were killed in militancy-related violence against 87 between October 30 and November 27. Since the security forces were under instructions to observe restraint, not more than 55 militants were killed, some of them in suicide attacks, during the ceasefire period against 92 during the month proceeding the ceasefire. About 35 security personnel were killed by the militants in suicide attacks and ambushes against 44 between October 30 and November 27.

This clearly indicates that Pakistan trained rebels are not for a peaceful settlement of the Kashmir issue. They are not for the restoration of peace and normalcy in the state but are for Kashmir’s incorporation with Pakistan.

Though Pakistan responded the ceasefire announcement by directing its troops to observe maximum restraint on the LoC and by declaring a partial withdrawal of troops from the border, the much-needed halt to Islamabad’s encouragement to cross-border terrorism was missing. Groups of militants were assisted in crossing into Jammu and Kashmir indicating that Pakistan while talking about peace went on oiling the war machine within the state. Consequently, not much is expected to happen during another month of ceasefire.