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Kashmir : Violence at CM’s function |
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Militants of the Jamait-ul-Mujahideen fired two grenades at supporters of Mufti Mohammad Sayeed outside the Deputy Commissioner’s office, even as the Chief Minister was inside, filing his nomination papers for the Pahalgam assembly constituency. Five bystanders were injured in the attack. The Assembly elections in the state are to be held in October 13.
This is not the first attempt by terrorists to kill Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed. He has survived a few previous attempts too, far more serious than the latest one. The man who came to power with his “healing touch” policy has, perhaps, become the terrorists’ target because he has been asking them to lay down their arms and get their grievances redressed through democratic and peaceful means.
Terrorists are in search of a high-profile target to spoil the atmosphere of understanding that is sought to be created with the India-Pakistan dialogue process having been set in motion. Their support base in the valley has shrunk considerably, but the infiltration from across the border has increased during the past few weeks. Yet there is some decline in terrorist violence lately. Observers note two reasons for this. One, there appears to be no let-up in the pressure on such elements from the security forces. The other reason can be the lack of support from the local people, who are fed up with killings and want peace. But this may also be the lull before the storm. Militant groups could possibly be trying to regroup themselves for a major strike. There are reports that in June and July infiltration from across the border went up.
Geelani opposes UN seat for India
Meanwhile, Kashmir’s hardline separatist leader, Syed Ali Shah Geelani, sought to urge the world community, particularly the UN members, to stall India’s bid to become a permanent member of the Security Council. “India does not deserve it. She is inflicting terrible atrocities on the people of Kashmir and has violated the UN Charter and also the relevant Security Council resolutions that ask for holding a plebiscite in the disputed state,” he claimed while addressing a press conference.
“It would be a shame on the civilised world if India’s effort is through,” he said, accusing the Centre of hoodwinking the world community by projecting a false picture of the ground situation in Kashmir. He alleged, “Kashmir is bleeding and this should not go unnoticed. The world community must make India pay the price of its wrongdoings.
He further alleged that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh raising the bogey of infiltration from across the border in Jammu and Kashmir while holding meetings with world leaders on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly session in New York is an attempt to divert their attention from the reality of the Kashmir dispute. He saw no flexibility whatsoever in India’s attitude. “We have no means or resources to fight India’s hegemony or expose the lies she is spreading on Kashmir but we, perhaps, can make the outside world hear our voice through the media,” he asserted.
Geelani, who heads the hardline faction of the Hurriyat Conference, was quite confident of Pakistan rejecting the idea of converting the Line of Control into the permanent border between the two countries in Jammu and Kashmir.
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