The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

Words alone not enough: Farooq
Tribune News Service

Srinagar, January 19
The Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister, Dr Farooq Abdullah, has said the speech of Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf is not enough to defuse the present situation unless he translates his words into action.

“Do not think that General Musharraf’s speech is going to end terrorism,” he said in his address at the passing-out parade of the fourth batch of CRTC at the Police Training School, Manigam, near Ganderbal, about 25 km from here, today.

The Chief Minister said unless President Musharraf’s words matched action nothing was going to change. He added that he was speaking on the basis of experience.

He said he was not optimistic just because some world leaders were coming to the subcontinent and persuading India and Pakistan to de-escalate situation. He said the battle against terrorism was a long-drawn affair and would end only when Pakistan realised that it could not usurp Kashmir and stopped cross-border terrorism.

Earlier, Dr Abdullah told mediapersons that there was no international pressure on New Delhi. He said no pressure would work on India, adding that talks or no talks, Pakistan was not going to get Kashmir. He said if General Pervez Musharraf was sincere and serious in what he said then it would be good for both India and the world at large. He said the efforts of the world leaders were to avoid war between India and Pakistan. He said for de-escalation it was necessary that Pakistan handed over the 20 persons identified by India.

The Chief Minister reminded the Pakistan President of his reference to Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee’s statement wherein the latter had asked the neighbouring country to forget the past and move forward. He said General Musharraf would do good to the sub-continent by himself forgetting the past and moving ahead. He said the General needs to act on what he said in his speech recently.

Dr Farooq Abdullah reiterated his suggestion to convert the Line of Control (LoC) into International Border (IB) saying that this was the practicable solution of the problem. He asked Pakistan to confer the democratic rights on the citizens of that part of Jammu and Kashmir like these were enjoyed by the people on this side of the LoC.

He said greater autonomy to both parts with an easy border and enhanced trade and cultural relations would go a long way in solving the Kashmir issue. He hoped that one day hatred between the two neighbouring countries would be obliterated but said till that happened there was no question of lowering our guard. He said if Pakistan wanted friendship with India, it would have to demolish the militant training camps on its soil and stop aiding and abetting terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir.

The Chief Minister appreciated the efforts of the Director-General of Police, Mr A.K. Suri, in making the Jammu and Kashmir Police as the best force and said he would recommend his name to the Union Home Ministry for the coveted award of Padma Shri. Dr Abdullah presented mementos to 25 diginatories and civil, police and Army officials.

It was also announced on the occasion that 3,131 recruits had passed out from the school so far. Pre-promotion and intermediate courses had been organised for 1,100 police personnel, it was stated.

Hurriyat team cuts short Delhi visit
Tribune News Service

Srinagar, January 19
A three-member high-level delegation of the Hurriyat Conference has shelved its New Delhi visit, giving rise to speculations. Two of the three leaders, Mr Abdul Ghani Lone and Mohammad Yasin Malik, who were part of the delegation have returned from Delhi. Mr Lone has returned to Jammu. Another senior leader, Syed Ali Shah Geelani, who led the delegation, is also said to be on his way back home.

The delegation was expected to meet some senior bureaucrats and New Delhi-based diplomats. The visit had followed an exchange of views between a senior IAS cadre officer, Mr Wajahat Habibullah, and Hurriyat Conference chairman, Abdul Ghani Bhat. A Hurriyat Conference spokesman said here today that the delegation had been recalled due to the sudden crackdown on the conglomerate’s leadership. Four of its second rung leaders were arrested in the past week, prompting Hurriyat to abandon its Delhi visit. The spokesman dismissed media reports as canard that the delegation cut its visit short because it was refused audience by foreign envoys. “In spite of the arrests of APHC leaders in Kashmir, the US, British and German envoys came to the Hurriyat’s Delhi office and held detailed meetings”, the spokesman stated.

Those arrested included Bashir Ahmad Bhat, (JKLF), Ghulam Nabi Sumji, Mukhtar Ahmad Waza and Sheikh Abdul Rashid on Sunday last. Two of them, Ghulam Nabi Sumji and Mukhtar Ahmad Waza were later booked under the Public Safety Act.

APHC chairman Abdul Ghani Bhat told TNS that stories appearing in the Press had been “manipulated” to spread confusion about Hurriyat activities at a juncture when, according to him, Kashmir issue had got international attention. He referred to the US State Secretary, Mr Collin Powell’s visit to India and Pakistan and said: “This calls for measured steps by the conglomerate”.

Meanwhile, the ruling National Conference has intensified its campaign on the restoration of autonomy. The issue has been raised at a time when preparations are being made for Assembly elections in the state later this year. A resolution in this regard was passed by the state Legislative Assembly in 2000 and was later submitted to the Centre. A number of leaders at a party convention here raised the issue of autonomy and the Resettlement Bill.

J&K protests ISD, STD suspension
Tribune News Service

Jammu, January 19
The state government has sent a communication to the Union Home Ministry protesting against the suspension of ISD, STD and Internet facilities in Jammu and Kashmir since January 1.

The communication sent to the Union Home Ministry says that the ban on the STD, ISD and Internet facilities had not been decided in consultation with the state government which has found the step “unviable” and purposeless with a high potential of enhancing the level of people’s alienation and difficulties.

According to senior state government functionaries, “we were never consulted. Our opinion on the matter was never sought and the ISD, STD and Internet facilities were withdrawn on the suggestion of some central intelligence agencies. Their advice was totally wrong.”

Explaining the point, the functionaries said “it is amusing to prevent people from within the state to talk on the phone or chat on the Internet with their friends in the rest of the country and in some foreign countries while the other parties can do it from any corner of the world.”

Pakistan and occupied Kashmir were already off the hook preventing people in Jammu and Kashmir from ringing up any number across the LoC. But those who are keen on talking to their friends across the border do so through video conferencing in Delhi or in Punjab. “All that you have to do is to travel to Pathankot from where you can dial any number in Pakistan,” said a PCO owner.

Another owner said “since it is a one-way affair, no security agency can check people in Pakistan or occupied Kashmir from ringing up any number in Jammu and Kashmir. “Under such circumstances, the argument of the government that militants and separatists were misusing PCO for communicating signals is most untenable,” he said. An officer manning a security agency in Kashmir said top militants were in possession of satellite phones which they used while communicating with people in Pakistan and occupied Kashmir. “For them the ongoing delinking of the STD and ISD facilities has no meaning,” said another PCO owner.

Sleuths said instructions to militants were being given on wireless sets and such an exercise could not be checked by withdrawing the STD and ISD facilities from the PCOs. Since the facility had not been withdrawn from the private phone subscribers, militants could use these phones whenever they liked as many in the state might not dare to refuse militants access to their telephones.

The state government functionaries said if the central agencies were keen on blocking the flow of information from Kashmir to Pakistan, they should have taken steps to check the transmission of video tapes and cassettes of demonstrations and hartals which the Pakistan Television telecast on the second day.

Those who talked of alienation of people referred to the distress caused to over 5,000 PCO owners and others who owned cyber cafes. Each PCO owner used to earn between Rs 8000 and Rs 10,000 per month. After the STD, ISD and Internet connections were snapped, their monthly income had dropped from Rs 2000 to Rs 3000.

Apart from it, it has caused immense distress and discomfort to people who banked on PCOs. They had to wait in line for getting their calls through by the BSNL. Army and paramilitary personnel have remained cut off from their relations and friends. Earlier they used to walk to a PCO and talk on the phone with their relations.

The distress caused to 10000 to 15000 pilgrims to Vaishnov Devi daily is equally disturbing. The telephone exchanges whether in Jammu or in Katra have not been able to link them as quickly as would be done by the PCO. The disconnection of the STD, ISD and the Internet connections is causing a loss of between Rs 12 lakh and Rs 15 lakh per day to the BSNL.

One senior state government officer said “if such measures were required they should have been enforced between 1990 and 1994 which was a crucial period in the state.” It was not done and there was no need for it now.