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Kashmir : India rejects OIC comments

	March 24, 2008

India has rejected the comments on Jammu and Kashmir in the final document of the Organisation of Islamic Countries’ summit held at Dakar, Senegal. A Ministry of External Affairs spokes¬person said in New Delhi that the OIC has no locus standi in matters concerning the country’s internal affairs.



The Secretary General of the 57-member organisation, Ekme¬leddin Ibsanoglu, had described Kashmir as a “pressing and burn¬ing political dispute.”



Noting with “regret” the reference to Kashmir in the docu¬ment that followed the summit on March 13 and 14, the MEA spokes¬person said, “the OIC has no locus standi in matters concerning our internal affairs, including Jammu and Kashmir, which is an integral part of India. We strongly reject all such comments. It is customary for the OIC to make such references to the State.”



India also took exception to the OIC’s “concern” over the “alarming increase in indiscriminate use of force and gross violation of human rights committed against innocent Kashmiris” and regret that India was not allowing a fact- finding mission to visit the State.



The OIC’s observations come at a time when violence is at a lower level than five years ago and the State is gearing up for Assembly polls.



A resolution at the summit welcomed the composite dialogue between India and Pakistan as also the opening of the bus service between Srinagar and Muzaffarabad.



It also welcomed the fact that leaders of both countries agreed to build on convergences and narrow down the divergences in the search for mutually acceptable options for a negotiated peaceful settlement of issues, including Jammu and Kashmir, in a sincere and purposeful manner.



The MEA says that the resolution is lopsided as it showered praise on Pakistan for moving towards a peaceful settlement while remaining silent on India’s contribution to several joint initia¬tives.





Unprecedented development in Kashmir : Azad



Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad has said that Jammu and Kashmir is going through an era of unprecedented infrastructure expansion across the cities and hinterland. Addressing a public meeting at Peeri in Rajouri region on March 18, he said that sectors like road connectivity, drinking water, education, health care and power were witnessing massive development activities.



On the other hand, leader of the Opposition in the State Assembly, Abdul Rahim Rather, addressing a public meeting in Anantnag district on March 17 alleged that corruption has pushed Jammu and Kashmir far behind other states in terms of develop¬ment. He claimed that there was no sign of development and progress on the ground despite increase in the funds released by the Centre for the state.





PDP Ministers walk out of Cabinet meeting



Differences between the Congress and the People’s Democratic Party, coalition partners in the state came to the fore on Wed¬nesday, March 19 when PDP Ministers walked out of a Cabinet meeting chaired by the Chief Minister. Sources say that the trouble erupted when some PDP Ministers referred to the utteranc¬es of a Congress Minister against former Chief Minister Mufti Mohd. Syed who belongs to the PDP. Azad’s efforts to pacify the agitating PDP Ministers did not succeed and they walked out of the meeting. It may be recalled that Azad recently warned his ministerial colleagues from the Congress against making state¬ments on the coalition.





Geelani says he is for stability in India and Pakistan



The chairman of the hardline faction of the Hurriyat Confer¬ence, Syed Ali Shah Geelani has said that he is for a stable Pakistan and equally wanted stability in India. Speaking in Srinagar on March 16, he said the Kashmir issue has to be re¬solved in accordance with the aspirations of the people. Claim¬ing that he is for peace and harmony in both India and Pakistan, he said that he had no personal grudge against India but strong¬ly opposed what he called “its policies against Kashmiris.”



About elections, Geelani said polls under the Indian Consti¬tution will dilute what he called “the Kashmiris basic right of self-determination.



Meanwhile, Awami National Conference president and former Chief Minister Ghulam Mohd. Shah has said that his party would participate in the elections provided they were fair like the 1977 elections.





Notorious militant, Army officer killed in encounter



An Army officer and a jawan were killed in a fierce encount¬er with holed up militants of Lashkar-e-Toiba in the militant stronghold of Sopore in Baramula district on March 16.



Lt Col M.S. Kadam of 22 RR Battalion, who was leading the troops, died after being hit, the Army said.



A top militant of LeT, Hafiz Nasir, on whose trail the troops had cordoned off Chotlora village, is suspected to have been killed along with another militant, a police official said.





Top Hizb militant killed in Valley



In another successful operation against Hizbul Mujahideen, security forces shot dead “district commander” of the outfit in an encounter in south Kashmir’s Pulwama district.



Police said the slain militant was active for the past seven years and masterminded a number of attacks on security forces during this period.



Superintendent of Police, Awantipora Sardar Khan said that police gathered specific information about the presence of Chhota Jehangir at his native village of Dogripora situated on the banks of the river Jhelum in south Kashmir.



He said that police and security forces cordoned off a cowshed where Jahangir had built his underground hideout. “The cordon culminated in an encounter in which the Hizb Commander was killed” he said adding that the hideout was completely de¬stroyed.





Blast breaks lull in Srinagar



Breaking a five-month lull in Srinagar, militants on Wednes¬day, March 19, made an abortive bid to blow up the only flyover in the city by exploding an Improvised Explosive Device (IED).



Twenty-five people, mostly civilians, were injured in the blast.



According to the police, the IED was kept beneath an ob¬servation post on the flyover being manned by the CRPF. Witnesses said the IED exploded with a big bang and shook the entire area.

In the impact of the blast, the flyover was damaged and the rubble fell on the road hitting many vehicles and injuring nearly 25 people. No CRPF jawan was injured.



Hizbul Mujahideen has owned responsibility for the attack.





Drop in militant count



J & K Police claim that the militant strength in Kashmir is at an all-time low, with the numbers falling below 500 for the first time in 18 years.



Around 350 militants, including 120 foreigners, are present in the Valley, according to intelligence reports.



“The number was around 600 at this time last year,” said Ashkoor Wani, senior superintendent of police, counter-insurgen¬cy.



“As of now, we have around 500 listed militants in the Valley. But our investigations show that 70 of them have been counted twice and another 80 are not present here at all.”



These militants belong to six outfits, including the Hizb-ul Mujahideen, Lashkar-e-Toiba, Jaish-e-Mohammad, Al Badr, Harkat-ul-Jehad Islami and the Kashmir Revolutionary Front. The revolu¬tionary front includes small groups like the Save Kashmir Move¬ment and Al Nasireen.



The Hizb continues to be the strongest group with 170 mili¬tants, followed by the Lashkar with 120.



Wani said the number in Jammu could be roughly the same as in Kashmir.



Although the Army agrees that militant numbers have fallen significantly, its figures are different. Defence spokesman Colonel Goswami said the militant number in Jammu was around 800, with most of them concentrated in the south of the Pir Panchal mountains. “They include 150 foreigners,” he said.





J & K to have trade centre



Trade in Jammu and Kashmir is set to get a boost with the laying of the foundation stone of a Rs. 115.84-crore Internation¬al Trade Centre (ITC) in Srinagar.



To be completed in two years, the ITC will be the first of its kind in the State with state-of-the-art exhibition halls, facilitating international exhibitions in the Valley. The Centre had allocated Rs. 30 crore initially for the project, said Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad who, along with Union Minister of State for Commerce Jairam Ramesh, laid the foundation stone on March 17.



Ramesh said the ceremony was a dream-come-true for traders in the Valley as the process for the project had begun 25 years ago.



Addressing a press conference, Ramesh said groundwork for trade across the Line of Control had been completed but it could not be taken forward owing to the political situation in Pakis¬tan.



He expressed the hope that an agreement on LoC trade would materialise in three months. Lists had been exchanged and in principle both countries were willing to open the LoC for trade.