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Kashmir : Advani sees no change in Pak attitude |
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The Union Government sees no noticeable change in Islamabad’s strategy of backing counter-terrorism, despite President Musharraf endorsing the US global war against terrorism. The infiltration by militants has, in fact, been stepped up. The casualties in militants’ attacks too have not substantially come down. The recent attack on an army convoy in which 10 personnel were killed in an ambush and the suspected sneak-in by fleeing Taliban forces into J&K have forced the army to relocate its forces to plug in soft spots along the LoC. Home Minister L.K. Advani told the Lok Sabha that Pakistan continued to support terrorism across the border in J-K even after being part of the global anti-terrorism campaign. “No one should feel that Pakistan’s stand on J-K or terrorism has changed,”Advani stated. He refuted the Opposition’s charge that the Prime Minister had sought the cooperation of the US after the attack on the J-K Assembly and offered to lay on the table of the House the letter written by Vajpayee to President Bush.
Hizb talks of political solution
The pro-peace line adopted by the Hizbul Mujahideen in Kashmir runs contrary to the stance adopted by the Pakistan-based group’s supreme commander Salahauddin. The Hizb hinted at going political and looking for a political solution to the Kashmir tangle. It also asked foreign militants to keep off in view of its policy to achieve the new objective. Paradoxically, the Hizb’s message also suits Pakistan. Islamabad, after the Sept. 11 attacks in the US, has been desperately trying to project violence in Jammu and Kashmir as a manifestation of Kashmir’s “indigenous freedom struggle against Indian occupation.” The pro-peace noises also suit India, but the Hizb’s assertion of authority as a home-grown group riding over foreign militants is part of Pakistan’s new strategy on Kashmir. This strategy aims at reducing the role of foreign outfits and reviving the native groups .
Urging all foreign groups operating in Kashmir to work under the “local leadership,” Asad Yazdani said that the “Taliban and Al-Qaeda jehadis” cannot come to Kashmir after their defeat in Afghanistan. “The Kashmir movement is completely indigenous and only local cadre can take it to its logical conclusion. Only the local leadership has the role in Kashmir’s resolution. Foreign outfits like the Lashkar-e-Toiba, the Jaish-e-Mohammad and the Harkat-ul-Mujahideen are helpers, should work under local leadership and have no role in any policy decision,” Yazdani said. He said the Hizbul has not closed its door for a negotiated settlement of Kashmir. “We have an olive branch in one hand and sword in the other. If India agrees to UN resolutions or tripartite talks we can seriously consider a ceasefire,” the Hizbul commander said.
But cracks within the Hizbul came to the fore with the outfit disowning the statement of its commander Asad Yazdan expressing willingness to float a political party. Junaid-ul-Islam, who introduced himself as the new spokesman of the outfit, claimed that Yazdani was not its spokesman. The outfit was a jehadi group and whatever role it would play would be under the banner of the Hizbul Mujahideen. There was no need to form a political group, he said. He pointed out that the Hizbul had announced a ceasefire last year but the rigid attitude of the Centre scuttled its efforts to resolve the Kashmir issue peacefully. There was no need for a fresh ceasefire now, he said. Hizb spokesman Saleem Hashmi said in Muzaffarabad that the Jehadi Council had already denounced the offer of the 23-member APHC headed by Abdul Ghani Bhat made on Nov 12 for a ceasefire by all groups, including the Indian security forces and Mujahideen in Kashmir.
Now Lashkar and Jaish-e-Mohammad and other foreign groups having strong links with the Taliban are being fast abandoned by Islamabad as their role has come under the scrutiny of the international community. Musharraf does not want to be branded as a supporter of these terrorist groups, which have been carrying out suicide attacks , killing and wounding civilians. The new Hizb strategy suits Pakistan since the outfit originated in Kashmir and mostly has Kashmiris as members.
Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah has seen through Pakistan’s game plan. They are talking about tripartite talks, which is what Pakistan wants. But Home Minister Advani indicated that the Government was ready to talk to militant groups in J&K irrespective of their past. An important criterion would be their willingness to lay down arms and come to the negotiating table. He told the Rajya Sabha that the Government was ready to examine the Hizbul proposal for a dialogue on Kashmir.
Undeterred by the rejection of its truce proposal by the United Jehad Council, the Hurriyat has decided to continue its work for a peaceful settlement of the Kashmir dispute. Hurriyat leader Abdul Ghani Lone has said all the parties should stop violence as war is not a solution. Meanwhile, the Centre’s interlocutor on J&K, K.C. Pant, has said contacts with senior separatist leader Shabir Shah were continuing . He maintained that the onus for allowing the holding of free and fair elections lay with the militants operating in the state. There was no setback to the Centre’s peace initiatives and charges that the Government was not serious about talks was baseless. Pant has clarified. He felt the APHC was playing a game of one-up-manship by talking of a ceasefire and calling for trilateral talks, involving Pakistan. As long as cross-border terrorism continued, the security forces were duty-bound to protect the citizens, Pant asserted.
As part of the political process in J&K, it is proposed to hold assembly elections in May/June next year, according to reliable sources. The idea is to install a truly representative Government which can silence those who have launched a campaign against the “rigged elections in the past.” The House has a strength of 87 MLAs. The directive of the ruling National Conference to its MLAs and party workers to spend more time in the Kashmir valley during the winter months and spend time in their constituencies and the Election Commission’s summary revision of the electoral rolls in the entire state are seen as pointers to the elections being held early by June, though they are due only in October next year.
Relocation of forces along LoC
The quick collapse of the Taliban regime and the takeover by the forces of the Northern Alliance in Afghanistan, has brought in its wake a new problem for Indian security forces in Jammu and Kashmir. While earlier it was thought that militancy in the Valley would come down once the Taliban forces were defeated, it is now conceded by the army authorities that in fact, the desperate terrorists may sneak into J&K and cause mayhem.
According to defence analysts, as Pakistan was unlikely to give shelter to the fleeing Taliban forces as that will be frowned upon by the Bush regime, it is likely that they will be pushed into the PoK. That will mean the restless fighters and mercenaries will step up violence in the Valley. Directives have gone from Delhi to firmly check such an influx and gun down infiltrators in keeping with the pro-active policy to counter terrorism in the state.
Following intelligence outputs that members of the besieged Taliban militia in Afghanistan might seek refuge in Kashmir, the Army has relocated security forces along the Line of Control. Security experts fear that after Taliban’s ouster from most parts of Afghanistan, there is a real danger that these troops will be absorbed by the militant outfits in Kashmir. The splintered Taliban and other jehadi groups fleeing Afghanistan can act as a ready-made force for the pan-Islamic militant outfits like Lashkar-e-Toiba, Jaish-e-Muhammad and Al Badr operating in the Valley.
However, on the positive side, early snowfall on higher ridges will help prevent the influx of militants. The heavy snowfall along the Line-of-Control has closed all the passes and it will prove a natural barrier against infiltration. According to senior Army officials, because of American pressure Pakistan is currently trying to maintain a distance from the jehadi groups and not allowing them to return to its soil. Therefore, these groups may be forced to merge with the pan-Islamist militants operating in Kashmir. He cited the recent arrest of 83 fleeing Harkat-ul-Mujahideen militants at Afghan-Pakistan border.
“Militant outfits like Jaish-e-Muhammad and Harkat-ul-Mujahideen are known to enjoy good relations with Taliban. After the fall of Kabul, its splintered cadre may try to infiltrate here,” it was stated. The only sanctuary for them in Pakistan would be militant camps being run for jehad in Kashmir. Rough estimates put the number of Taliban forces at 45,000 and even if a small faction of them join the militant outfits, militancy in Kashmir is bound to see a sharp rise. Foreign militants have already added a new dimension to the militancy through the suicide fidayeen attacks and a battle-hardened force like Taliban will only make matters worse. Lieutenant-General J.R. Mukherjee said members of Afghanistan’s Taliban militia — which has lost control of most of the country after six weeks of US bombardment — were undoubtedly coming into Pakistan, despite Islamabad’s attempts to seal off its Afghan frontier. “Pakistan cannot afford to let them stay. So either they export them outside or they export them to Kashmir. A fair proportion will definitely try and be pumped into Kashmir,” he said at his headquarters in Srinagar.
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