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Saturday,
June 15, 2002, Chandigarh, India  
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Geelani arrest shows foreign funding of
ultras Six injured in border shelling Border build-up worries APHC Torture case: govt told to pay 5 lakh |
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Front seeks jobs for Sikhs in valley Jammu, June 14 The National Sikh Front while welcoming the Rs 6165-crore package by the Centre for Jammu and Kashmir has expressed dismay over what it called continued neglect of Sikhs living in the Kashmir valley.
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Geelani
arrest shows foreign funding of ultras NEW DELHI: Is one shocked by reports that Syed Ali Shah Geelani, the “principal plenipotentiary” of Pakistan in our part of Jammu and Kashmir and leader of the Kashmir Jamaat-e-Islami and Hurriyat Conference has been the recipient of illegal munificence from sources inimical to Kashmir and New Delhi? Of course, it will be for the courts to arbitrate on the allegations, but one is not at all surprised by what has already appeared in print. That Pakistan, or those whose sympathies lie with Islamabad, should have provided financial support to secessionists, terrorists and their above-ground political mentors of the Hurriyat, is hardly a surprise. Haven’t we seen aggrieved and poor Kashmiri Muslim families, who lost a son or a brother — lured by the call of jihad — in clashes with security forces protesting that the Hurriyat leaders had not paid them the promised help in cases involving such tragedies? Haven’t we heard of almost every Hurriyat leader building one or more mansions during the 12 years of insurgency in Kashmir? And why should one grudge Geelani a couple of houses? After all, he has not exactly been penurious. Why, he even today continues to draw pension as a former Member of the Jammu and Kashmir Legislature. Does it matter that the money comes from the Consolidated Fund of India? And the good man that he has continued to accept it even after he lost faith in the election process in the state. How can one forget his exalted status, acquired in his post-MLA years, as the self-appointed Pakistani plenipotentiary? And so dedicated has he been that Islamabad felt impelled to own him as one of its own. A succession of high commissioners from Pakistan have been so very fond of the man. Not only because he was committed to their cause but also because he looked distinguished in that “Karakuli” cap and always spoke with rare elegance and with a conviction that was firmer than the oath of loyalty to the Indian Constitution he took each time he became an MLA. The Pakistanis were so pleased with him that they also got him elected to the Saudi-based Islamic Council, a rare honour for a man of humble origins but one who had made good, thanks to the politics of manipulation he mastered. For some time now he has even been calling himself a pioneer of the Kashmiri liberation, predating his activities to an era before Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah appeared on the scene. Geelani must have been a child when Sheikh Abdullah spearheaded his first agitation against the Maharaja in 1931 and he could possibly have been in school when the Sheikh broke away from Mirwaiz Yusuf Shah to form the secular National Conference. But then, when you are on an ego trip, as Geelani has been these past few years, facts lose relevance. Like, when he did that quick about-turn on his relations with Abdul Ghani Lone, after Lone was slain by pro-Pakistanis in Srinagar some weeks ago. Geelani had accused Lone and Mirwaiz Farooq of being softliners who probably even thought of participating in the forthcoming elections to the state Assembly. The about-turn became a necessity after agitated Lone supporters at the murdered Hurriyat leader’s house accused Pakistan and Geelani of having got Lone killed. It took Geelani and his cohort, Hurriyat chief Abdul Ghani Bhatt the whole night to persuade Lone’s son Sajjad to withdraw the allegation; they offered places to Sajjad and his elder brother Balal in the Hurriyat. Dr Ayub Thakur, a UK-based Kashmiri expatriate, masquerading as president of the world Kashmir Freedom Movement, who is named as one of the sources of funds made available to Geelani, is an old hand at such transactions. Ayub in fact figured in the first major havala case in 1988 in which he was linked to three other Dubai-based operators. Like Dr Fai, another Kashmir ex-pat in the USA, Ayub Thakur has been a convenient conduit for funding the Hurriyat and the Hizbul Mujahideen. In fact, Ayub has been in cahoots with the ISI which also made use of this channel for sending funds to the Kashmiri jihadis. Interestingly, Geelani’s latest brush with the law came about following the disclosures made by Srinagar-based Imtiaz Bazaz, a self-styled detective, journalist and would-be TV producer, during his interrogation. Bazaz allegedly spilled the beans, saying that Geelani and Asiya Andrabi, head of the Dukhtaran-e-Millat, were used as conduits to send funds to militant groups by Ayub Thakur. He even helped identify the respective bank accounts. Asiya had escaped the police net but her husband was arrested the same day as Geelani. The Geelani exposure has come at a most embarrassing time for the separatists. Islamabad has proposed to put an end to further terrorist incursions in the valley which would substantially hamper the functioning of the so-called indigenous terrorist group, Hizbul Mujahideen. With sources of money drying up, the Hizb will find it difficult to carry on its activities even as its above-ground mentor, the Hurriyat, is hard put to cover up its financial wheeling dealing. Hopefully, this will not distract New Delhi from initiating a political process in Jammu and Kashmir that will alter the overall situation in the state Assembly. The eyes of the international community will be focused on the upcoming elections. It’s for New Delhi to make sure that the poll process is conducted in a transparent manner. Kashmir must be allowed to elect a truly representative government of its own. It would be useful in this context for the BJP-led coalition to assure the state that its demand for greater autonomy will be taken up at the earliest. Of help would be the BJP’s assurance that it has withdrawn its objection to the retention of Article 370 of the Constitution.
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Six injured in border shelling Jammu, June 14 According to the police, one BSF Head Constable was injured in Pak shelling at Paharpur in Samba sector. Three civilians, Mohd Sharif, Hajra Begum and Mohd Javid, were wounded in Poonch. Two civilians were injured when Pak forces pounded several villages, including Kalsian, Jhangarh and Rombli Dara in Laam sector of Nowshehra. In Poonch, Digwar, Khari Karmara, Golpur and Ajot were rocked by Pak shelling. Three civilians were wounded, of whom two were critical. Three houses, including one of lambardar Bhola Singh, were damaged. In Ajot, one primary health centre was damaged. There was no casualty as there were no patients at the centre. Defence Ministry sources said Indian troops retaliated with artillery and mortar guns and other high calibre weapons, causing heavy losses to the enemy forces. More than six Pak bunkers across Laam, Poonch and Samba were destroyed. The sources said several vehicles of Pak troops were set ablaze “in our artillery fire.” The sources claimed that the Pak army’s communication network at three places across Poonch and Nowshehra were smashed in the Indian retaliatory fire. SRINAGAR: Three militants and a Special Police Officer (SPO) were killed in Jammu and Kashmir in the past 24 hours while ultras snapped an important road link, detonating a powerful blast under a wooden bridge this morning. In other incidents, three suspected militants were arrested at the main market at Pattan, about 20 km from here, along with a hand grenade. Official sources said the trio, moving in suspicious circumstances, tried to escape when asked to stop by the police this afternoon. They were later arrested after a chase. The sources said militants detonated a powerful blast under a 20-foot-long wooden bridge connecting Kulgam and Shopian around 10.30 a.m., damaging a part of it. Though there were no injuries, the bridge was rendered unsafe for traffic, the sources said. An official spokesman said security forces shot dead three militants in an encounter at Mandakvas Buzla in Banihal area today. Two AK rifles, six magazines and a wireless set were found from the slain militants. He said an SPO, Mohinder Singh, was killed in an ambush at Kither Bunjwa village last night. Security forces seized about 1100 rounds at Gurdan and Freshdab. The sources said people at Tulbal Sopore took to the streets after a blast occurred in the house of Ghulam Rasool Teli early today. The demonstrators alleged that security forces were behind the blast as they had asked all inmates to vacate the house, where an IED was found three days ago.
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Border build-up worries APHC Srinagar, June 14 “The decision of the government to reopen airspace to Pakistani over-flights is a positive sign, but the unusual build-up and firing along the border is a matter of serious concern”, former Chairman of the Hurriyat Conference, Mirwaiz Moulvi Umar Farooq, said here today. Addressing a Friday congregation at Jama Masjid, Umar Farooq also expressed concern over the situation in Jammu and Kashmir. He claimed that the threat of a nuclear war between the two neighbouring countries had diminished following intervention of the international community. Seeking to create a conducive atmosphere for resolution of the Kashmir issue, the Mirwaiz blamed the government for harassing senior separatist leaders, including Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Mohammad Yasin Malik and Sheikh Abdul Aziz. He held that there was no justification for the arrest of Syed Ali Shah Geelani. He added that Geelani and hundreds of other workers and activists had been harassed and tortured. The APHC leader reiterated his stand on the right of self-determination for the people of Jammu and Kashmir, adding that the resolution of the Kashmir issue was necessary to maintain peace, stability and development in the sub-continent. |
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Torture case: govt told to pay 5 lakh
Srinagar, June 14 After hearing the case and considering the miserable condition of the victim’s family, SHRC Chairperson recommended that the state government sanction Rs 5 lakh as ex-gratia relief as a special case, within 30-days to the family of the deceased. According to the complaint filed before the SHRC, Abdul Salam Bhat of Nai Basti, Kulgam, was picked up by BSF personnel in Qazigund in 2001 and allegedly tortured to death. It further said the victim’s body was chopped to pieces, put in a gunny bag and dumped in a nullah to conceal evidence of the murder. However, later the Qazigund police found the body. The SHRC said the case was investigated by the police and the crime branch which established the involvement of the BSF the personnel who had been identified. UNI
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Front seeks jobs for Sikhs in valley Jammu, June 14 At a meeting of senior leaders of the front here today, a resolution was adopted urging the Central and the state governments to announce a special package for the Kashmiri Sikhs who have not migrated from the valley. The resolution says soon after the carnage of Sikhs at Chitti Singhpora and Mehjoor Nagar in Kashmir the Central Government had assured Sikh leaders that the community would get special package in terms of jobs for the Sikh youth. But nothing has been done so far. During recent on-the-spot recruitments in the police being carried out by the Director-General of Police, Mr A.K. Suri, not a single Sikh youth has found a job, it adds. Mr Varinderjit Singh, chairman of the front, who presided over the meeting, said the Sikh youth be given their due share in jobs in the two police battalions that were being raised in the state shortly. Mr Kulwant Singh Bhatti, president of the front, said the Sikh share in government services and the state legislature was nominal. |
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Tributes
paid to Kaluchak victims Jammu, June 14 Candles were lit and two-minute silence was observed to pay homage to those massacred by the terrorists. Several senior Army officers, besides those from the state government and the police, were present to express their condolence. |
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