J A M M U   &   K A S H M I R

Sattar’s statement saves APHC face
Jammu, June, 20
The recent suggestion by the Pakistan Foreign Minister, Mr Abdul Sattar, that the All Party Hurriyat Conference be involved in the dialogue has seemingly given hope to the 23-party conglomerate. Though New Delhi has already turned down the suggestion made by Mr Sattar yet the APHC needed some sort of recognition by Islamabad when neither Gen Pervez Musharraf nor Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee had favoured any involvement of the Hurriyat leaders in the parleys.

The Jammu and Kashmir Minister of State for Tourism, Miss Sakina Ittoo (centre), joins a group of local folk dancers at the inaugural function of the 15-day-long Kargil festival at Goshan Grounds in the foot-hills of Tololing and Tiger hills at Dras. 

Blockade over SPO’s suicide
Jammu, June 20
People blocked traffic on the Jammu-Pathankot highway at Digiana, near here, today in protest against the suicide committed by Mohinder Singh, a special police officer, posted at Doda.

Sattar’s statement saves APHC face
M.L. Kak
Tribune News Service

Jammu, June, 20
The recent suggestion by the Pakistan Foreign Minister, Mr Abdul Sattar, that the All Party Hurriyat Conference be involved in the dialogue has seemingly given hope to the 23-party conglomerate.

Though New Delhi has already turned down the suggestion made by Mr Sattar yet the APHC needed some sort of recognition by Islamabad when neither Gen Pervez Musharraf nor Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee had favoured any involvement of the Hurriyat leaders in the parleys.

What had actually embarrassed the APHC leaders was the way the Pakistan High Commission in Delhi had maintained silence when the APHC demanded a meeting with General Musharraf on the sidelines of the summit. The reason for their dismay was understandable when Delhi totally ignored the APHC. The Government of India had refused permission to the Hurriyat team to visit Pakistan prior to the opening of a dialogue between Delhi and the Hurriyat leaders.

Mild rebuff from Delhi and Islamabad encouraged even the separatists, including the Democratic Freedom Party chief, Mr Shabir Ahmed Shah, besides mainstream political leaders and the government’s chief negotiator, Mr K.C. Pant, to contest the APHC’s claim that it was the representative of the people of Kashmir.

It was due to this development that the APHC leaders modified their stand on the Kashmir issue and allied matters by announcing postponement of its ongoing stir to allow the summit meeting to show results. Even the hardliner in the APHC, Syed Ali Shah Geelani, had a dig at those jehadis who indulged in unislamic activities.

This was done to keep both Delhi and Islamabad in good humour. Inside reports said Mr Sattar’s suggestion had brought the warring APHC leaders close for the time being.

It is no longer a secret that a number of senior Hurriyat leaders are not inclined to talk to one another the way they used to do three months ago. Relations between Mr Abdul Gani Lone and Syed Ali Shah Geelani are so strained that their exchange doesn’t go beyond customary hello.

Mr Lone and Mr Geelani had fallen apart last year when the latter helped Prof Abdul Gani Bhat to win the poll for the post of Chairman of the APHC. But in recent months Prof Bhat and Mr Geelani have also developed differences with the former adopting moderate postures and the latter trying to be a hawk.

The APHC Chairman, Professor Bhat, had suggested in a letter to the chief of the Jamait-e-Islami that Mr Geelani be replaced by some other leader in the APHC. At that stage, Prof Bhat had the support of Mr Lone, the JKLF constituent and Maulvi Umar Farooq. Even Sheikh Aziz of the Peoples’ League had not opposed the demand. But later Sheikh Aziz was again joined the Syed Ali Shah Geelani’s group because he had been ignored by the Pakistan High Commission when he demanded red-carpet treatment during his visit to Pakistan. Once he patched up with Mr Geelani, he was well received in Pakistan and got permission to have a long session with General Musharraf and other senior leaders.

Syed Ali Shah Geelani is himself “disappointed” with his allies in the APHC. As a result he has not attended the meeting of the executive committee on three occasions in the recent past. He deputed Ahadullah Qazi to represent him and the Jammat in the APHC executive committee meeting. This has been opposed by the APHC leaders and resented by the Jamaat leaders.

The APHC leadership has argued that only the chief of an organisation that is a constituent of the conglomerate, has the powers to depute any leader in place of the registered executive committee member. And the Jamaat chief too is said to have been resentful of Mr Geelani’s action

As such the APHC is gripped by ideological conflicts which may result in a vertical split.

Dras residents pin hopes on peace summit
Tribune News Service

Dras, June 20
As the Indo-Pak summit approaches, craving for peace is being felt by people here praying that “no second Kargil” (war) takes place.

“Hum logon par raham khayen aur aman kou bahal karen” (Take pity on us and bring peace and normalcy), said Abdul Qayoom, a senior citizen when asked about the forthcoming talks between the Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee and the Chief Executive of Pakistan, General Pervez Musharraf. “We do not want a second Kargil”, he adds giving vent to the feelings of the over 10,000 people of Dras and the areas around. Out of the 18 villages in the Dras block of Kargil district, 10 are close to the border and, therefore, pose threat to local population due to the presence of landmines. The scheme of underground bunkers that was introduced with the sanction of Rs 18,000 for each such trench to provide safety in case of cross-border shelling, seems to have been left halfway.

Amid the hope for the restoration of peace in Kashmir with the forthcoming Indo-Pak talks, there is a strong support for Kashmiris. “Everybody talks about the Indo-Pak dialogue.... we are with Kashmir and Kashmiris in all respects”, commented Abdul Qayoom. This, he said, was not only because of the religious linkage but also for geographical reasons as it is close to Kashmir. “We are all dependent on Kashmir”, as many of the businessmen providing basic requirements, belong to Kashmir. Many of such businessmen have settled in Dras alone. The tourists to the frontier cold desert region of Ladakh also visit the region via Dras. But since the eruption of militancy in Kashmir in the early nineties, there has been a decline in the flow of tourists, thereby of little benefit to the locals.

There is also an undercurrent of “reunion” with the identically Shia speaking Gurez, a border area at the extreme end of north Kashmir. Dras and Gurez, though having the same language and culture, have remained delinked for decades now. Divided by a ridge of Kawbal hills, the two areas have two separate approach routes.

While Dras is linked to the valley viz Zojila Pass on the Srinagar-Leh highway, Gurez is linked via Bandipore, 60 km north of here. Both areas remain cut off from the rest of the world for the winter. Security officials and the civil administration decline to comment on the movement of people across Kawbal. Since it is close to the border between India and Pakistan, the movement of people is not allowed, feel the residents. The area having lost its links with Central Asia, has more affinity with the traditions of Kashmir.

There was active participation of people in the recently held panchayat elections. The area, part of the Kargil constituency, is represented by Mr Qamar Ali Akhoon who is Minister of State for Works in the National Conference government.

AIDS awareness drive in Dras
Tribune News Service

Dras, June 20
An AIDS awareness campaign has been launched on a massive scale in this border township which remains cut-off from the rest of the world in winter.

With the distinction of being the coldest place in the world after Siberia, Dras is the first major populated area of Kargil district in Ladakh division after Zojila, 150 km from Srinagar.

At least 15 AIDS awareness camps are being organised in different parts of the Dras block (June 16 - June 30) to educate people about the deadly disease and its prevention. These camps are being held as part of the AIDS awareness programme launched by the AIDS Control Society under the aegis of the Directorate of Health Services of the Jammu and Kashmir Government.

A number of STD and RTI cases have been coming at the sub-district hospital here, according to Dr Mohammad Amin, Block Medical Officer.

There are no facilities of AIDS detection in the area. One such centre at Leh seems to be non-functional and if one were to take the AIDS detection test, it would lead to “social problems”.

Dras has several “risk factors”, including foreigners, and heavy movement of truck drivers carrying winter stock of essential commodities to the region.

In order to make the drive a success, the Health Department has sought the cooperation of teachers, anganwari workers and various NGOs, including the Youth Voluntary Forum, besides religious leaders.

IGNOU opens centre in Jammu jail
M.L. Kak
Tribune News Service

Jammu, June 20
Under the jail reformation programme IGNOU has been motivated to set up its centre in Central Jail, Jammu, for enabling the inmates to go in for higher education and other courses. Several inmates have been enrolled with IGNOU and the state government has deposited the requisite fee with the university authorities.

According to Mr S.S. Ali, Director-General of Police (Prisons), more than 200 jail inmates have been imparted vocational training. Besides the usual training in tailoring, cutting and carpentry a number of prisoners have been trained in repairing television and radio sets and in computer programming.

Mr Ali said even the militants were provided with all basic amenities in various jails in the Jammu region. He said there was 473 inmates in Jammu Central Jail, including 28 females and two juveniles. For the two juveniles a separate barrack had been reserved.

Out of this , 319, including 23 females, were undertrials and 88, including three women, were convicts.

He admitted that since the rise of militancy in the state in 1990 the government had to set aside huge sums of money for the facilities of the detainees and other undertrials. He said it was as a result of these measures that Jammu Central Jail had been treated as one of the best in the country in terms of the basic amenities provided to the prisoners.

Mr Ali said several volunteers belonging to different NGOs and members of the International Red Cross had been frequent visitors to different jails, especially the one at Kot Bhalwal, where a large number of militants have been detained to interact with the prisoners and see for themselves if they are not deprived of basic facilities.

The DG, Prisons, said inter-jail sports events and other activities were being organised by the jail authorities to remove the sense of isolation among prisoners. 

Blockade over SPO’s suicide
Tribune News Service

Jammu, June 20
People blocked traffic on the Jammu-Pathankot highway at Digiana, near here, today in protest against the suicide committed by Mohinder Singh, a special police officer (SPO), posted at Doda.

The police said Mohinder Singh had been taken to a police station for questioning to determine whether his long absence from duty had any link with militancy. The police suspected that he had links with militants. Relatives of Mohinder Singh, however, alleged that he had committed suicide because he was “tortured” during interrogation.

They said he had left a suicide note stating so. The note has been seized by the police. Protesters carried his body to the Digiana chowk and demanded a high-level probe into the incident.