J A M M U   &   K A S H M I R

Hurriyat ‘siphoned off’ Rs 80 cr
New Delhi, July 22
The Jammu and Kashmir Muttahida Mahaz (JKMM), a six-party alliance, yesterday accused the Hurriyat Conference leadership of “misappropriating” Rs 80 crore donated by overseas Kashmiris for humanitarian works.

Al-Umer ‘behind grenade’ attack
Srinagar, July 22
Pro-Pakistan Al-Umer Mujahideen today claimed responsibility for the grenade attack on the house of Jammu and Kashmir Works Minister Ali Mohammad Sagar in downtown Srinagar last night.

Militancy victims given aid
Jammu, July 22
Minister of State for Civil Aviation Chaman Lal Gupta has distributed relief material donated by the Hind Samachar group of newspapers among victims of militancy and families of village defence committees (VDCs) of Udhampur district in Jammu and Kashmir.

Hurriyat ‘siphoned off’ Rs 80 cr
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, July 22
The Jammu and Kashmir Muttahida Mahaz (JKMM), a six-party alliance, yesterday accused the Hurriyat Conference leadership of “misappropriating” Rs 80 crore donated by overseas Kashmiris for humanitarian works.

The Chairman of newly-floated JKMM, Mr Mir Khursheed, accused the Hurriyat Conference leaders of pursuing a vested interest in the name of the Kashmir issue and said that the separatist conglomerate had lost its legitimacy as a true representative of the people of Kashmir. “The APHC has simply become ineffective and directionless,” he said.

The JKMM was launched as a people’s platform against the APHC in Srinagar on July 10. Many of the members of the Mahaz are former militants who support the “movement.”

Mr Khursheed, who had fled to Muzaffarabad in PoK in 1990 and set up the Voice of Freedom, a media organisation, claimed that he had donated about Rs 80 crore to the Hurriyat leadership during the past six years.

“The money was donated in the hope that the Hurriyat would redress the grievances of the people in the state. But instead of spending on welfare programmes, they had amassed huge wealth for themselves,” he said.

Refusing to divulge the channels through which the money was sent to the Hurriyat, Mr Khursheed, a lawyer, said this was not difficult in modern times. He said money had been transferred to the Hurriyat for “upkeep of basic needs like education and healthcare of Kashmiris because of a non-functional government in the state.”

“Little could be expected from the Hurriyat which has almost wasted a year now on issues like travelling to Pakistan and joining Gen Pervez Musharraf over a cup of tea,” Mr Khursheed said.

Talking of the JKMM’s political agenda, Mr Khursheed said the mahaz would work towards “freedom” for Kashmiris through peaceful means. “Gradually, we will also win the confidence of militants,” he said.

Terming the Kashmir issue as a flashpoint in bilateral relations between India and Pakistan, Mr Khursheed said the issue could not be solved till the problems of the people of the state were addressed.

He said six outfits, including the JK Tehreeki Hasooli Aman, JK Political Front, JK Republican Party, JK Imamia Conference, JK Muslim Salvation Movement and JK Tehreeki Rai-Shumari, had so far joined the JKMM. He hinted that seven constituents of the APHC would also switch over to his alliance soon.

Lauding the initiative of Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee on Jammu and Kashmir, including his offer of opening up the Uri road to Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and the release of Pakistani detenues in Indian jails, Mr Khursheed said these steps needed to be reciprocated.

Criticising the Farooq Abdullah government in the state, he said it was not taking care of the development needs of the people and the Chief Minister spent a lot of time outside the state.

Asserting that Agra summit was not a failure, he said that a good beginning had been made and the dialogue process should continue. He said that JKMM would make efforts to bring back Kashmiri migrants.

Ultras on defensive: Army
M. L. Kak
Tribune News Service

Jammu, July 22
Despite series of successes achieved by the Army and the police by eliminating more than 200 militants during the past two months the border districts of Poonch and Rajouri continue to pose problems for the security forces.

According to Army authorities, killing of 40 militants, including half-a-dozen dreaded foreign mercenaries, in Poonch and Rajouri districts during the past three weeks has “been the first major step in restoring normalcy in the area.”

However, the police authorities hold a different view. They say Poonch has been on the top as far as the rate of elimination of militants in the state is concerned, but the concerted efforts by the Pakistani agencies to raise the level of infiltration has hardly altered the security situation in these districts.

Field reports from these districts have revealed that during the past four months more than 1,200 militants, equipped with sophisticated weapons and explosives, have sneaked into the border areas. This has definitely forced the security forces to launch operations after proper planning and preparations has been much higher than the rate of elimination of militants.

At the same time the Army authorities claim that as a result of pressure mounted by the security forces a number of foreign mercenaries had crossed back to Pakistan and others were desperately seeking permission from their mentors across the Line of Control (LoC) to do the same. An impression has gone round that the security forces had started enjoying the upper hand with the result people keep on passing the information to the security forces about the plans and hideouts of the militants.

A senior police officer said, “This is not the end of the tunnel. The militants have established fortified hideouts in the hilly areas of Poonch and Rajouri. He referred to the recent operation on Kaka hill near Surankot in which 21 militants had been killed and said during the search operations it was found that the rebels had set up the hideout in a double-storeyed concrete structure with an underground cell. He said there were innumerable hideouts in the alpine forest belts in the two districts and people have been treating these belts as “liberated areas”. Some treat these areas as “safe sanctuaries” for the militants.

The Army authorities claim that “most of the logistic bases established by the militants have been destroyed.” They said most of these militants had been forced to go on the defensive and were no longer prepared to engage the troops in armed duels. In reply to a question the authorities said “most of them bide time, relax, enjoy as long as they hold to the hilly belts.” In this context reference was made to the recoveries made at Kaka hill hideout where besides a large quantities of foodgrains, clothes and other eatables, "pornographic material, condoms and drugs indicated that they were indulging in sexual pleasures.”

The police officials are of the view that by holding to their hideouts in the hilly areas, the militants were trying to carve out safe areas for fresh infiltrators thereby occupying large belts in the two districts which could prove disadvantageous to the troops in case of any border conflict.

In addition to this, once Poonch and Rajouri were “flooded” by militants, the Pakistani agencies may have sufficient manpower for extending subversive violence in other areas of the Jammu region when usually these rebels cross over the mountain to enter Udhampur and Doda districts.

Also, it is a well-conceived plan to increase the number of militants in Poonch and Rajouri, despite a rise in the rate of militants killing, so that at a particular stage they could give a tough fight to the security forces.

A senior police officer said the state government should send additional companies of the police to Poonch and Rajouri and they be given sophisticated weapons, grenades and rocket launchers which could be used to smash the hideouts of the militants in upper reaches.

Once it was done it would decrease the dependence of the police on the Army. He said Line of Control in Poonch and Rajouri needs to have better border management to check the infiltration without which it was difficult to contain the activities of the militants.

Above all coordination between the Army, the police and among different intelligence agencies was called for. It could enable the security forces to launch anti-insurgency drives on a massive scale in the two districts.

Al-Umer ‘behind grenade’ attack

Srinagar, July 22
Pro-Pakistan Al-Umer Mujahideen today claimed responsibility for the grenade attack on the house of Jammu and Kashmir Works Minister Ali Mohammad Sagar in downtown Srinagar last night.

“Our activists were behind the grenade attack on the house of Mr Sagar,” a spokesman for the outfit told news organisations here by telepbhone. PTI

Militancy victims given aid

Jammu, July 22
Minister of State for Civil Aviation Chaman Lal Gupta has distributed relief material donated by the Hind Samachar group of newspapers among victims of militancy and families of village defence committees (VDCs) of Udhampur district in Jammu and Kashmir.

Mr Gupta yesterday distributed 300 blankets, 350 packets of clothing, 300 bags of rice, 300 bags of wheat, besides edible oil and soap packets sent by the group on Friday from Jalandhar at Chenani, 93 km from here.

As part of its efforts to alleviate the suffering of victims of terrorism, the Hind Samachar group had launched relief operations in Punjab a decade ago and has been providing help and succour to such people.

Earlier, flagging off the 36th relief truck from Jalandhar, Mr Chopra urged the Centre and state governments to join hands with the group to send foodgrains to migrants and militancy victims in Jammu and Kashmir.