J A M M U   &   K A S H M I R

Parray’s killing setback to moderates
Jammu, September 14
With a split in the All-Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) in Jammu and Kashmir, the pro-Pakistan militants have started targeting those who left their outfits to assist security forces against the militants.

Ayodhya on militants’ hit list
Jammu, September 14
After striking at Akshardham temple last year, Pakistan-based Lashker-e-Toiba (LeT) had planned suicide attacks in Ayodhya and then on Amarnath pilgrims to arouse communal passions and trigger riots but these did not work out as those on the mission were killed in an encounter, security sources said.

Gulzar to make ‘different’ film on Kashmir
Srinagar, September 14
Eminent lyricist Gulzar is planning to make a film on Kashmir which he promises will be “different” from earlier movies focussed on the issue.

An English woman buys apples on the street of Leh while a young girl accompanying her looks on. Tourism in Ladakh is on the rise due to the ongoing Ladakh festival. — Tribune photo by Amin War

Residents of Jammu and Kashmir disillusioned with the ongoing peace process as violence surges. (28k, 56k)

Parray’s killing setback to moderates
Tribune News Service

Jammu, September 14
With a split in the All-Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) in Jammu and Kashmir, the pro-Pakistan militants have started targeting those who left their outfits to assist security forces against the militants.

The killing of two counter-insurgents Kukka Parray and Javed Shah by militants has come as a setback to those who over the passage of time had started adopting a soft line towards India and were favouring a dialogue with Delhi.

However, these two killings indicate that the security cover provided to the counter insurgents was inadequate.

Mohammad Yusuf Parray alias Kukka Parray and Javed Shah played key role in getting several hideouts of terrorists busted eversince they gave up the gun and came to terms with the nationalist forces. Both of them were militants-turned-politicians. While Parray was a former MLA of the National Conference (NC), Javed Shah was an MLC of the NC. Both have been eliminated in 17 days.

Parray was killed yesterday near his home town of Hajin in Baramula and Shah was killed during a militant attack on a hotel near the telegraph office in the heart of the Srinagar city on August 28 when Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee was in the town to inaugurate the meeting of the Inter-State Council. Parray and Shah had joined the counter-insurgent force, Ikhwan-ul-Muslimeen in 1994 and in 1996 they parted ways.

Shah unsuccessfully contested the Assembly election last year against another former militant, Usman Majid, who is in the House as an independent member representing the Bandipora constituency.

When terrorism was at peak in J&K and it was an uphill task for the security forces to tackle militancy, these counter-insurgents came as a ray of hope. However, the Centre, the state agencies and the security forces after a several successes started distancing from them and let them be exposed to the bullet of militants.

Because of threat to their lives, some counter-insurgents fled from the state or rejoined the terrorist outfits.

Prominent among the soft liners and votaries for a dialogue with India killed in the recent past was Mr Abdul Gani Lone who had the courage to criticise on the soil of Pakistan the foreign mercenaries who were engaged in the killing of innocent people in J&K. His son Bilal Lone was also siding with moderates in the APHC.

Mr Lone had married his daughter in Pakistan with the son of the chief of the terrorist outfit of the JKLF, Amanullah Khan.

Ghulam Nabi and Ghulam Ahmed Gadda, who were also working as a team with the security forces, became target of the bullets of militants sometime ago.

The nationalist forces in the border districts of Rajouri and Poonch in the Jammu division also feel threatened because of a series of incidents of killing of those who were suspected to be informers of the Army and the security forces. In many cases, their families were wiped out.

Ayodhya on militants’ hit list

Jammu, September 14
After striking at Akshardham temple last year, Pakistan-based Lashker-e-Toiba (LeT) had planned suicide attacks in Ayodhya and then on Amarnath pilgrims to arouse communal passions and trigger riots but these did not work out as those on the mission were killed in an encounter, security sources said.

Citing examination of documents and a laptop computer recovered from a top LeT commander killed in Kashmir last month, they said the outfit could still be working on another plot to carry out a striken in Ayodhya, particularly at or around the disputed area, in view of religious sentiments attached to the place.

“The LeT had planned a strike in Ayodhya in run up to the anniversary of Babri mosque demolition on December 6 last year”, the sources told PTI.

However, the plan went haywire as two terrorists sent to carry out the strike were killed in an encounter in Tuglakhabad in South Delhi in November while on way to Ayodhya, they said on the basis of coded information contained in the documents, a laptop computer and digital diary of LeT commander Manzoor Zahid Choudhary.

Choudhary, LeT’s chief coordinator for operations outside Jammu & Kashmir was killed by the BSF on the outskirts of Budgam on August 8 following a specific information.

The outfit then planned a strike on Amarnath pilgrims two months ago, they said citing the documents.

A recce was carried out by the outfit’s leaders in Pahalgam, base camp for the pilgrimage, on July 3. However, it was not clear why the strike was not carried out, they said, adding intense security arrangements might have deterred them.

Hailing from Lahore, Choudhary used to operate under various code names, including Abu Marshad, Abu Nadeem, Abu Zeeshan, Munna and Abu Zarar, they said. Based in South Kashmir, his wireless code was Manzoor, they said.

The sources said Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh were high on target list of terrorists and these outfits had roped in some local fundamentalist organisations to help in their designs.

They said the terrorist groups like the LeT and Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) had set up bases at various places of UP, including Saharanpur, Meerut, Bulandshaher, Aligarh and Muzaffarnagar. —PTI

Gulzar to make ‘different’ film on Kashmir

Srinagar, September 14
Eminent lyricist Gulzar is planning to make a film on Kashmir which he promises will be “different” from earlier movies focussed on the issue.

“I assure you that before my death I will try to make a film on Kashmir”, Gulzar said during the ‘meet the author’ programme organised by the National Council for Promotion of Urdu language here recently.

Asked for his views on recently-made films on Kashmir, the Bollywood filmmaker said “a number of films have been made on Kashmir. Though I don’t agree with their content, at the same time I cannot thrust my opinion on others”.

“Before making a film it is indispensable for a director to put himself in a situation which he is going to portray”, the director-cum-poet said.

Disassociating himself from films made on Kashmir, he said: “I am not with these films. These have been made keeping political interests in mind. However, everyone has a right to view things according to his perspective”.

Gulzar said when he made ‘Maachis’, it was his desire to show to the world the agony of the youth who had been forced by circumstances to take to gun.

“I have seen the agony and pain of all those who suffered in Punjab and I wanted to show their plight to the world”, he added.

To make a film on a historical event, it was necessary to detach oneself from that event, he said adding “only then you are in a position to comment”.

“If one wanted to make a film on Kashmir one had to keep these things in mind”, he said.

About parallel and popular cinema, Gulzar said there was no “visible difference” between the two. It was the endeavour of every filmmaker to make a good film but money also matters, he said.

“However, society should reject films which are against popular values”, he said.

Terming the ups and downs of life as the biggest inspiration for an artist, Gulzar said “at every step, life passes through you, hurts you, touches you, embraces you and it depends on you how to seize these moments”.

Gulzar, here in connection with the 4th All India Urdu Book Exhibition, was felicitated on the occasion by the Jammu and Kashmir Government. — PTI