 |
Tuesday,
June 5, 2001, Chandigarh, India  
|
Pant rules out
referendum Great expectations from
talks Cong bid to stage comeback in J&K Pak ex-soldier’s son keen to join Army |
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
Pant rules out
referendum New Delhi, June 4 Addressing newspersons after his week-long stay in Jammu and Kashmir as part of his first round of peace talks, Mr Pant described his interaction with people, representatives of various political formations and other organisations “useful”. He lamented the stand of the All-Party Hurriyat Conference, saying that the outfit would have to explain its non-cooperative attitude to the people. Ruling out talks with any of the non-Kashmiri militant groups operating from across the border, Mr Pant, who is also the Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission, said the APHC had earlier been demanding unconditional talks which had now been offered. It was, therefore, for it to take up the opportunity as it was also answerable to the people of the state, he said. “One fact that has clearly emerged out of my preliminary talks in the three regions of the state is that the Hurriyat’s claim as the sole representative of the people of Jammu and Kashmir is “rather over-ambitious and patently unsustainable”, Mr Pant said. “Every individual I met, every organisation that came to hold parleys with me has stressed the fact that the Hurriyat Conference has no role to play in deciding their future”, Mr Pant pointed out, adding that even in far-flung areas like Leh, “people have advised me not to give any credence to the Hurriyat Conference”. Referring to the Hizbul Mujahideen statement of yesterday, Mr Pant said that this was very encouraging. He added, “My doors were open for all Kashmiri youths, but not to the merchants of death, who come from across the border”. Asked to comment on Pakistan Chief Executive General Pervez Musharraf’s demand for mediation on Kashmir by Russia, Mr Pant rejected it. He said there was no room for any third country’s involvement in resolving the issue. Simla Agreement and the subsequent Lahore Declaration clearly state that the problem of Kashmir has to be settled bilaterally and, as such, there was no scope for any mediation by a third party, he
pointed out. Admitting that there was a demand for more regional autonomy and further division of the state, Mr Pant pointed out that the people also stressed for maintaining the secular, democratic and territorial integrity of the state. Mr Pant said that he would continue with the dialogue process.
|
|
Great expectations from
talks Jammu, June 4 The element of hope was absent when the
government appointed Mr K.C. Pant as its chief negotiator. And when Mr Pant spent over three days in the valley many delegations of people who matter came to meet him. Those who discussed the Kashmir issue with him too supported tripartite talks. A survey by The Tribune has revealed that the basic reason for people’s expectations from Vajpayee-Musharraf talks is that the 11-year-long turmoil has convinced them that cooperation from Pakistan along could help restore peace in the troubled state. Two Kashmiri intellectuals, Mr T. Mohiuddin and Mr Abdul Rashid, refer to various measures the Central Government had taken since 1990 but all such steps had failed to resolve the Kashmir dispute and restore peace and normalcy in the state. They said the government launched a pro-active policy against militants but there was no let-up in their activities. The LoC and the international border in the Jammu sector were placed under the Army and the BSF surveillance but there was no conspicuous decline in the rate of infiltration and arms smuggling. According to them, the government took a bold step and ordered the Assembly poll in October 1996. However, these four years did not result in any major improvement and transformation in the political and security scenario. Apart from custodial killings, the offensive launched by the security forces did not yield any positive result as was the case when several hundered militant surrendered. All these developments have convinced common people in the Kashmir valley that Pakistan alone had the key to the resolution of the Kashmir issue. It is in this context that the proposed talks have generated hopes and expectations in the valley. In the Jammu region such expectations are present in a diluted form. A Jammu University teacher said those who expected a miracle to come out of the talks were mistaken. Even the dreaded Hizbul Mujahideen had stated that it would stop operations against the security forces and the government agencies if there was a positive development from the proposed high-level talks. This indicated that not only the mainstream political organisations but even the militants having roots in the state were of the opinion that Pakistan alone could resolve the basic conflict. What people in Kashmir have realised has been better understood by the Centres which made a offer for talks to Gen Parvez Musharraf. Earlier the Central Government had been insisting that the talks could be resumed only when Pakistan stopped aiding militants. However, this time the government had set the tone for the bilateral talks without imposing any conditions thereby sidelining those separatist outfits which had claimed to be the genuine representatives of the people of Kashmir. Reports from across the border have revealed that domestic and economic compulsions have forced General Musharraf to grab the offer for talks from Mr Vajpayee. Since Pakistan too has imposed no pre-conditions for the parleys it has given positive signs in Kashmir where people are not as pessimistic as they were when the ceasefire was enforced in the state. While the Indian security forces have launched an offensive against the rebels, the militants have carried out series of grenade and bomb attacks to create scare among the people. This is stated to be part of the strategy adopted by both sides to mount pressure on each offer to adopt reconciliatory postures during the summit. However, in the Jammu region a majority is in the favour of a separate statehood. Nothing short of statehood or regional councils could satisfy the urges of the people in this region. |
|
Cong bid to stage comeback in J&K Srinagar, June 4 “Unless fair elections are held in Jammu and Kashmir and a duly elected government installed, the problems of the state cannot be resolved”, said Mr Avtar Singh Badhana, MP, representing Meerut in Uttar Pradesh. He has been appointed by the Congress President, Ms Sonia Gandhi as part of a three-member team “to assess and enhance the electoral prospects and organisational reach of the Congress in Jammu and Kashmir.” Mr Badhana, a prominent Gujjar leader is at present on a three-day visit of the state and has interacted with a cross-section of the people here. He had detailed meetings with the PCC chief, Mr Mohammed Shafi Qureshi, and senior party leaders on the prospects of elections in Jammu and Kashmir in case these are held by the end of this year. The Congress has deputed the three-member team in the aftermath of the oft-repeated statements of the Chief Minister, Dr Farooq Abdullah, for early elections in the state. Mr Badhana is a frequent visitor to the state and often harps on gaining support at the ground level with an eye on the party’s comeback to power. He told The Tribune here that the party suffered a setback with the death of its former president, and Prime Minister, Rajiv Gandhi, but had regained its position under the leadership of Ms Sonia Gandhi. Interacting with the representatives of various sections of society, Mr Badhana said the Congress welcomed any constructive step leading to restoration of peace in the valley. He said it was imperative to strengthen secular and nationalist forces in the state to uphold the rich traditions of Kashmiriyat. He said though the people of the valley were yearning for the restoration of peace, the ruling National Conference had failed to come up to the expectations of the people in distress. Mr Badhana’s visit, as part of a three-member team to Jammu and Kashmir, comes close on the heels of the visit of the Centre’s interlocutor on Kashmir, Mr K.C. Pant, who returned to New Delhi on Saturday after a week-long tour. Mr Badhana has been focussing on attracting the voter in Jammu and Kashmir. He will submit his assessment of the situation in the state to the party headquarters in New Delhi. |
|
|
Pak ex-soldier’s son keen to join Army Turtuk, June 4 Hassan’s village is among the five villages in this sector which were liberated by India during the 1971 war. Hassan had taken retirement from Karakoram Scouts of the Pakistan army in 1970 and was living in his village when the 1971 war changed his destiny. His only regret now is that he has not got the pension due to him from the Pakistan army. Like Hassan, there are two more residents in the area, who have worked in the Pakistan army. They too want their sons to join the Indian Army. Abdul Rehman, who was also with Karakoram Scouts, crossed over to Kargil in 1966 after a two-year stint in the Pakistan army. Working with the Indian Army as a civilian, he returned to his village Thang here only after it was liberated. “My family was harassed before 1971 by the Pakistan army as they searched for me,” he recalls. Rehman is keen that the youngest of his four sons joins the Army. “No other job provides the kind of satisfaction that an Army job does,” he says. This liking for the Army is matched by the enthusiasm of the local youth. “I don’t even think of any other job,” says Ibrahim, a resident of Tyakshi village. Encouragement towards their aim came from Home Minister L.K. Advani, who talked to the residents of these villages when he came here to see the work done by the 14 Corps under Operation Sadbhavna here. He not only advised the youth of the village to join the Army, but promised help to Hassan who had failed to get his pension. “That may not happen, but we will see what we can do,” he said. The families of ex-Pak army soldiers were also assured of a job each. The growing affection in people here for the Army has its roots in the solid work being done by it for their welfare. Apart from providing vocational training to the residents of local villages, the Army under ‘Operation Sadbhavna’ is catering to their medical and educational needs also. The Army has already recruited 66 youth from the local villages during the past few months and the 67th could well be Mumtaz. With a belief that serving people was a potent way of strengthening national security, the soldiers of the 102 Infantry Brigade have taken significant steps to empower the residents here. A weak area remains the accessibility of Doordarshan programmes and though the residents show no particular keenness for Pakistan television, some watch it
because it offers more religion-based programmes. |
 |
| 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 | | 121 Years of Trust | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | Suggestion | E-mail | |
