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India gears up to provide succor to quake-hit Kashmir

	October 17, 2005

The Prime Minister and UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi have visited Jammu and Kashmir to oversee the relief measures being mounted on a war-footing to rescue the quake-hit and to provide relief to the survivors. By all accounts, official agencies, especially the Army, were quick on their feet to launch rescue and relief operations even in the most remote areas. Still, there are several isolated villages where the relief agencies are yet to reach.



Prime Minister Manmohan Singh paid a day-long visit to Tangdhar and Uri, in the Kashmir Valley, which are among the worst hit towns. Speaking to widows and orphans and others who had survived the quake in these areas, Dr. Manmohan Singh said, “I am aware of your grief. I, along with 100 crore people of the country, share your grief. It is our duty to reconstruct your lives and no effort will be spared.”



The Prime Minister described the earthquake as a national calamity and announced an additional Rs. 500 crore in relief to the state to deal with the devastation. With this, the money allocated by the Centre for rescue and relief in the quake hit areas of Jammu and Kashmir has gone up to Rs. 642 crore.



The Prime Minister outlined the scale of the tragedy - 1300 killed, thousnds wounded and 32,000 houses damaged - and promised to link Kashmiris on either side of the Line of Control by telephone. “On occasions like this, human consideration should take precedence over everything,” he said.



“On my return to Delhi, I will take up the matter with the Communications Ministry”, the Prime Minister promised.



Pressing for telephones to connect both parts of Kashmir, Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed said that “this would be a big relief for divided families on either side of the LoC.”



On Pakistan’s refusal of India’s offer of joint relief operations along the LoC, the Prime Minister said that “while we are willing to offer aid and help, we should not be unaware of Pakistan’s sensitivities.”



Singh also expressed grief over the death and destruction in Pakistan “Our neighbour has suffered grievously. As soon as I learnt about it, I contacted Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf and offered whatever assistance the Government of Pakistan and the people of that country might need,” he said.



Earlier, UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi visited the quake-hit areas on Sunday, October 9, just a day after the earthquake. She said in Uri, “we have come here to share your grief. The tragedy has brought a lot of destruction. I know you are very unhappy. But we are with you.” Chief Minister Sayeed, Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee, Urban Development Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad and PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti accompanied her during the visit to Uri and Tangdhar.



Defence Minister Mukherjee, talking to reporters, said, the Army and the Indian Air Force will continue to provide all help in rescue and relief operations.” Nearly 75 to 80 people belonging to the Army and the paramilitary forces also lost their lives in the earthquake.





Corporate sector not responding



Though there has been all round praise of the role of the Army in providing relief to the victims of the quake, some voices are being raised about the Indian corporate sector not responding to the magnitude of the tragedy in Kashmir. Hurriyat Conference Chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, at special prayers in Srinagar’s Jamia Masjid, on October 11, said, “It is sad that people have not responded to this great tragedy. This was not expected. When Latur and Bhuj were ravaged, big industrialists stepped forward to help. But no one seems to be coming to our aid.” The Mirwaiz said, “This is a national tragedy, a tragedy for Kashmiris on this side of the Line of Control and on the other side. The tragedy has not recognised the LoC.”





Advancing winter, a big challenge for relief operations



The woes of the quake-hit are being aggravated by the advancing winter in the cold mountains. Many people in the remote villages of Tangdhar and Uri areas are being forced to spend the night out in the cold in the midst of ruins of their homes. Relief agencies are trying to rush tents, blankets and food to the remote areas, but the effort will need to be intensified if children and the elderly are to escape the rigours of the harsh winter.





Srinagar-Muzaffarabad road damaged



The earthquake has damaged the Srinagar-Muzaffarabad road which was being used for the bus service between the two parts of Kashmir divided by the Line of Control. The Aman Setu, which forms a vital link on the road has been badly damaged by the quake. Experts say its restoration may take about two months and only then the bus service between the two sides could be resumed. Some of the people from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir who had come to Srinagar, were allowed by the Indian Government to go back home through the Wagah border as a special gesture.





Pakistani helicopters allowed to fly along LoC



Despite Pakistan rejecting India’s proposal for joint operations to provide relief to the quake victims in Jammu and Kashmir, India has given permission to Pakistani helicopters to fly in the No Fly Zone, one kilometer along the line of control on a case by case basis. The External Affairs Ministry said in a statement, “We received a request from Pakistan on October 13 to fly helicopters in the peace-time no-fly zone (one km. along the LoC). We are conveying our agreement to this request provided permission is taken on case-to-case basis.”



The statement further said, “We have seen a news report that India is delaying action on a request by Pakistan (for soldiers) to cross the LoC so as to have access for (post-earthquake) relief work. It is clarified that we have received no such request from Pakistan.”



On October 11, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said that India had offered to Pakistan relief in earthquake-affected areas in Pakistan occupied Kashmir, which had better access from the Indian side of the LoC.



“It depends on Pakistan’s sensitivities. we have to respect (them). If they agree to this, there will be positive response from our side.”







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Uncertainty about the change of Chief Minister





Meanwhile, there is no end to the uncertainty about a Congressman taking over as Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir after Mufti Mohd. Sayeed completes three years at the helm of the state administration on November 2. On the one hand, Jammu and Kashmir Congress president Pirzada Mohd. Syed asserted in Srinagar last week that a change of guard in the state would take place as scheduled. He said party president Sonia Gandhi had agreed to it, but, he said, the final decision would be taken by Sonia Gandhi.



On the other hand, there are reports that the Congress may allow the Mufti to carry on as Chief Minister in the interest of smooth conduct of relief operations in the quake-hit areas. With hardly three weeks left for the scheduled change of guard, there is a feeling among some senior Congress leaders that the Mufti should not be disturbed when the state is busy with quake-relief work. Party general secretary, in charge of Jammu and Kashmir, Ambika Soni, told reporters on October 13 that the party is busy with relief operations, and no meetings had taken place yet to discuss the question of change of Chief Minister.





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Pakistan accepts relief from India



Though Pakistan ruled out joint relief operations with India, it decided to accept relief material from New Delhi. Two consignments of relief material have already been sent to Pakistan, one through an Indian Air Force plane and another through the Samjhouta Express. A third consignment may be sent soon. Sources say that it took a great deal of persuasion to get Pakistan to accept Indian aid. In the end, it was the sheer magnitude of the disaster and not diplomacy that forced Islamabad to overcome its reservations about accepting Indian assistance for its quake-hit people.



Islamabad’s primary problem was the locale. After decades of haranguing New Delhi on the state of J & K, opening up PoK, the epicentre of the earthquake, to the international community would highlight the far from rosy picture there.



Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf, in a televised addressed to the nation, singled out Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s gesture of calling him to express grief over the earthquake and thanked him for swiftly despatching aid.



Sources say the gesture indicates that Islamabad appreciates the “sincerity” of the Indian “humanitarian response.” There is little talk now of offering “assistance” to India, which was Musharraf’s initial reaction.



Meanwhile, both India and Pakistan have denied reports in a section of the media that Indian troops crossed the Line of Control to help Pakistani soldiers rebuild their bunkers. A senior Army officer in New Delhi said a Pakistani patrol party had only asked for shovels and pickaxes which were provided by the Indian troops guarding the line of control. The Pakistani soldiers dug up earth with the implements, looking for survivors. They returned the tools later. Director General of Inter-Services Public Relations, Shaukat Sultan, in Rawalpindi, also denied the report that Indian soldiers had crossed the LoC to help repair one of the Pakistani Army bunkers.





Nature kills 1300 terrorists



The earthquake in Pakistan and Jammu and Kashmir is also reported to have destroyed some major militant training camps there. Army sources in New Delhi said that there are at least eight such camps that suffered extensive damage. According to one report, some 1300 militants belonging to different outfits lost their lives following Nature’s wrath. The terrorists who were killed in the quake belong to the Lashkar-e-Taiba, Hizbul Mujahideen, Jaish-e-Mohammed and Harkat-ul-Jehadi Islami. The worst hit are reported to be Hizbul Mujahideen and Lashkar-e-Taiba.



Reports say that the districts and villages in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir worst hit by the earthquake had a large concentration of terror camps. A Lashkar-e-Taiba spokesman is reported to have admitted, “Many of our members have been killed. They are in scores while several others are still trapped under the rubble.”



Though the terrorist elements may have suffered casualties, there is no indication, they have stopped their operations. On the other hand, there are reports that some militants tried to infiltrate into the Kashmir valley, taking advantage of the preoccupation of the security forces with quake relief operations. Several of them were killed while crossing the line of control. The fact that there is no let up in terrorist activities is evident from continued recovery of stocks of arms and ammunition and the unabated violence by terrorists. A senior official who did not want to be named said, “What is worse is that terrorists are trying to obstruct relief activities being carried out by the security forces and paramilitary forces in far-flung areas of the state.” He said terrorists did not want security personnel to get popular with the people. Thus they were attacking local people who they suspected of assisting security persons in the relief work.



The recovery of 100 kg of RDX from a truck carrying sheep is a clear indication of militants’ determination to carry on with their terrorist agenda.



When the truck driver B.A. Malik and co-driver, Mohammad Iqbal, were interrogated, they disclosed that they had been asked by an agent in Delhi to deliver the consignment of four “ghee” cans to one Ghulam Mohammad Rather of Qazigund in J & K. The cans contained RDX.



On Monday, October 10, the terrorists killed in cold blood ten members of two families by slitting their throats and decamping with food and other valuables in Rajouri district close to the border. The terrorists are reported to be from the Pakistan-based Hizbul Mujahideen.





First woman suicide bomber



In a related development, a woman militant blew herself up in the south Kashmir town of Avantipura on Thursday, October 13. The bomber who reportedly belonged to the Jaish-e-Mohammad, became the Valley’s first female suicide bomber. The incident took place about fifty metres away from the State Bank of India which is frequented by soldiers. All military and paramilitary convoys between Sringar and Jammu pass through Avantipura. Sources in Srinagar said 22 year old Yashmin, a resident of Pulwama, had gone underground after marrying a Pakistani commander of the Jaish-e-Mohammad eight months ago. A senior police official said, “This is the first time in 16 years of violence in Jammu and Kashmir that a woman bomber has surfaced. It is a very dangerous trend.”



The continuing incidents of violence have forced the authorities to give no credence to the statement by the Muzaffarabad-based United Jehad Council that it is suspending its operations in the earthquake hit areas of Jammu and Kashmir. The Hizbul Mujahideen chief and chairman of the UJC, which is a conglomerate of militant outfits, Syed Sallahuddin, in a statement had directed an end to all militant operations in the quake-hit areas.





Militancy fears hold back relief



The fear of militants is holding back relief from going to remote villages. There is a perception among some relief workers that militancy is rampant in the quake-hit areas. Rajiv from a Mumbai-based non-governmental organisation said : “I had to explain to a number of relief workers, who called me up, that Uri is indeed the most peaceful place. Many did not know this. Message needs to go to the NGOs that there is no need to be scared.”



Uri residents say theirs has been the most peaceful belt in the state in the last 15 years of militancy and volunteers need not worry about their security.



Till 2004, there was no militancy-related incident in Uri, populated by Pahari and Gujjar Muslims, who share their ethnicity with the people in the quake-devastated Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. Every one has a relative across the Line of Control.