Pant fails to woo Hurriyat
M. L. Kak
Tribune News Service

Jammu, May 30
While the Chief Minister, Dr Farooq Abdullah, seems to be unhappy at the turn of events in which his views were not secured in advance on matters connected with Kashmir, senior political activists were busy in bringing Hurriyat Conference leaders to the negotiating table at one stage or the other.

The APHC ignored Mr K.C. Pant, Centre’s chief negotiator, during his stay in Srinagar and the latter also made no attempt to break the ice with the Hurriyat leaders. The APHC Chairman, Prof Abdul Gani Bhat, said Mr Pant “is neither a factor nor a phenomenon in the demand for resolving the Kashmir issue.”

“Let Pantji finish his meetings with fishermen, boatmen, cabwallas, renegade militants and other government agencies,” Prof Bhat said adding “such interaction will lead the interlocutor nowhere and it may not at all settle the basic issue.”

Answering a question he said: “We have favoured Indo-Pak talks but the ultimate settlement of the Kashmir issue is possible only through tripartite parleys,” He seemed to be hurt over the way the Centre was trying to sideline the Hurriyat “We have no self interest if we demand involvement in tripartite talks, “he said adding, “let General Musharraf and Mr Vajpayee begin their first round of talks.”

When reminded of Prime Minister Mr Vajpayee’s suggestion that the Hurriyat leaders should meet Mr Pant and later they could meet General Musharraf in Delhi, Prof Bhat said, “Whether we meet General Musharraf in Delhi or Islamabad is one thing and discussing the issue with Mr Pant is a separate matter. “I do not treat meeting the Pakistan’s Chief Executive and Mr Pant two faces of the same coin,” he said.

The APHC Chairman showed no intention of meeting Mr Pant. However, inside reports said a number of political leaders in Kashmir and Delhi were trying to narrow the wedge between the Centre and the Hurriyat leaders. In this connection men who matter in Delhi were being persuaded to assure the APHC leaders that they would be allowed a meeting with General Musharraf in Delhi and the Hurriyat should respond this gesture by meeting Mr Pant in Delhi.

Another senior Hurriyat leader said when such an assurance was received formally “the executive committee will take the final decision as we are not in a hurry.”

On the other hand the National Conference leadership has shown lack of interest in Mr Pant’s visit to Srinagar. A senior state government functionary said that Mr Pant called on the Chief Minister Dr Farooq Abdullah, yesterday as he was not “well”. But informed sources referred to the itinerary of the Chief Minister during the past four days which indicated that Dr Abdullah remained busy with one activity or the other, which included his address to the managers of trade and commerce and a visit to Hazratbal.

Though protocol would not allow the Chief Minister to receive Mr Pant at the airport but he could have called on him out of courtesy. And those who refer to the ruling National Conference leadership’s annoyance with the Centre, talks of the absence of a full-fledged ministerial team of Dr Abdullah when Mr Pant had convened a meeting to discuss the economic situation, problems being faced by the government and the people as far as the pace of work on development projects was concerned.

The state team at this meeting was headed by the Chief Secretary. Reports said the National Conference leadership made no efforts in motivating right people to meet Mr Pant. Yes, a party delegation met Mr Pant and demanded the restoration of greater autonomy.

Reports said the National Conference was peeved over the way the Chief Minister was not ‘totally’ consulted when the ceasefire was enforced and when the decision to withdraw it was taken. He was not taken into confidence in advance about the Srinagar visit schedule of Mr Pant.

The National Conference circles term Mr Pant’s visit to Srinagar as a “flop show.” But opinion in this regard differs. Observers argue that those who matter did not meet Mr Pant because they were under pressure from Islamabad and Mr Pant, at least, succeeded in exchanging his views with a cross section of people, whether they were boatmen or traders. He had detailed interaction with several political leaders, including those belonging to the Congress, the CPM, the CPI and others, including Prof Saifuddin Soz, whose opinion is given weightage in Delhi.

But the chief negotiator might have been confused by marked contradiction in the views dished out by various individuals and political leaders besides government officials and those connected with the media. It was during his interaction that Mr Pant felt embarrassed when one senior officer of Doordarshan spoke loudly about the atrocities of the security forces on the people of Kashmir.

He must have felt amazed and intrigued when one senior journalist towed the pro-Pak line on Kashmir while expressing his views on the Kashmir conflict. Another editor of a Srinagar-based Urdu daily, in his speech said, “There is no problem of militancy in Kashmir. If there is any problem, it is the continuation of the National Conference regime. If you remove Dr Abdullah from the Chief Minister’s seat, peace will return to Kashmir.”

Demonstration greets Pant at Leh
Tribune News Service

Srinagar, May 30
An overwhelming consensus in favour of the union territory (UT) status for Ladakh supported by open demonstration came to the fore on the arrival of Mr K.C. Pant, currently visiting the state, at Leh today. Mr Pant is scheduled to visit Kargil tomorrow before his visit to Jammu on Friday.

Briefing newsmen at the end of his Leh tour here this evening, Mr Pant said he had detailed meetings with members of the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC), Congress leaders, the Ladakh Buddhist Association, the Anjuman-e-Imamia-Shia, the Anjumane-Moinul-Islam, the Christian Association, the BJP, the National Conference, Security officials including the GOC of Leh-based 14 Corps of the Army and visiting DG of the ITPB.

A delegation of the Panun Kashmir, an organisation of the migrant Kashmiri Pandits also called on the visiting chief negotiator here late this afternoon. He was scheduled to meet militant-turned politicians, Mr Kuka Parray, MLA, and Firdous Babar, MLC, today.

The scheduled meeting with the former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister and leader of the Awami National Conference, Mr Ghulam Mohammad Shah could not take place at the scheduled time. Expressing his resentment over the delay in the arrival of Mr Pant, Mr Shah said the government was not sincere in its approach. This, he said while referring to the recent statement of the Foreign Minister, Mr Jaswant Singh, asserting the state of Jammu and Kashmir as an integral part of India. “I will talk to those who come with a clean state,” he said adding that he and the former Chief Minister and leader of the National Conference, Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah had changed strategies from time to time to “resolve the Kashmir issue” pending since 1947. “We have to change our strategies to get our problem solved”, Mr Shah commented. He clarified that it was Mr Pant who wanted to meet him here, as a follow-up to the earlier letter sent by Mr Pant.

A three-page statement on the details of his assertions to be put forth to Mr Pant, the copies of which were circulated to the Press, demanded the release of all detainees, end to the alleged excesses, withdrawal of the counter-insurgent groups and a permanent solution to the entire state of Jammu and Kashmir as it existed on August 14, 1947.

Kashmiri Pandits meet Pant

Srinagar, May 30
A three-member delegation of Kashmiri Pandits met the Centre’s interlocutor on Kashmir, Mr K.C. Pant, here today and reiterated their demand for a separate homeland on the northeast of the Jhelum.

The delegation representing the Panun Kashmir, an organisation of Kashmiri Pandits, also told Mr Pant that the government had always “ignored Kashmiri Pandits” who had been the “main” victims of Pakistan-sponsored terrorism in the valley.

The delegation comprising Panun Kashmir convener Ajay Chrangoo, M.K. Teng and Kuldeep Raina, were told by Mr Pant that the Kashmiri Pandits’ exodus from the valley in 1990 was “tragic.” UNI

No let-up in border firing

Jammu, May 30
Pakistani Rangers continued “indiscriminate and unprovoked” firing along the international border targeting border outposts (BoPs) in the Jammu sector in a bid to disrupt border fencing, official sources said.

The Rangers backed by Pakistan army started firing indiscriminately on 32 different civilian and BoPs in RS Pura, Samba and Akhnoor subsectors along the border in the Jammu sector last evening, they said.

BSF troops guarding the border retaliated and the exchange of fire continued till this morning, the sources said adding there was no loss of life or damage to property.

“It was ninth day of continuous firing by Pakistani Rangers along the border after a complete halt of border firing for over six months”, they said. PTI

PM’s initiative confusing: Qureshi
Tribune News Service

Srinagar, May 30
The Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) chief, Mr Mohammad Shafi Qureshi, while extending support to the ongoing “peace talks” in Kashmir, said today that a conducive atmosphere of peace and normalcy was necessary to resolve the issue. He said the Congress was not against talks adding that sincerity of purpose and clarity should be taken into consideration.

Addressing a press conference at his residence here in the morning, the PCC chief claimed that militancy could only be stopped when Pakistan stopped “funding” motivating and equipping” the militants

He said the government was not clear on talks with the Hurriyat Conference, who demanded their members’ visit to Pakistan. Mr Qureshi claimed that the decision of not allowing the APHC team to visit Pakistan was a wrong decision on the part of the government.

Elaborating on the visit of the Centre’s chief negotiator Mr K. C Pant’s visit to Kashmir on peace talks, Mr Qureshi said there were no conditions set forth by the Congress “Our condition is that every effort should be made to establish peace in the whole of the state”, Mr Qureshi said in reply to questions. “We have to find solutions to the simmering discontent within the state”, the PCC chief said adding it could be resolved ultimately by talks between India and Pakistan.

Mr Qureshi pointed out that talks to resolve the issue should be taken at all levels — between the Government of India and all parties in Jammu and Kashmir, and the Government of India and Pakistan. He criticised the Centre for alleging that it “vascillated” on certain issues. Mr Qureshi added that the government had earlier claimed that it would not talk to the “dictator” in Pakistan but now it has sent an invitation to the Chief Executive of Pakistan to visit New Delhi for talks with the Prime Minister.

Reports on Farooq’s threat to quit denied

Srinagar, May 30
The Jammu and Kashmir Government today refuted media reports that Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah had threatened to resign on the issue of rights violation by the security forces in the state.

An official spokesman strongly reacted to a report, “Security forces excesses-Chief Minister threatens to resign’’, which appeared in a section of the Press and said there was no truth in it.

The spokesman said the report that Dr Abdullah, during the unified command meeting in Srinagar on May 19, had threatened to step down in the wake of security forces excesses in the state, was baseless.

He dismissed the news item as a figment of imagination and a mischievous attempt to mislead readers through a speculative story.

Although the human rights situation in the state came up for a detailed review in the meeting, along with security matters, as in all the unified headquarters meeting, there was no disharmonious reference to the so-called security forces excesses much less acrimonious exchanges, which the news report had alluded to, the spokesman said. UNI

Pak soldier surrenders

Srinagar, May 30
A Pakistani soldier surrendered before Indian Army in Khour sector of the Jammu region last night, a police spokesman said here today. Naik Makar Hussain of 2nd Sindh regiment also laid down arms including an AK assault rifle and its three magazines the spokesman told PTI. Some Pakistani currency was also recovered from him. PTI