Author: B L Kak
Publication: www.dailyexcelsior.com
Date: March 14, 2001
Grave provocation from the Lashkar-e-Toiba
and like-minded terrorist outfits notwithstanding, the Prime Minister,
Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee, has no plans to call off the Kashmir cease-fire.
A Ministerial colleague of Mr Vajpayee
told EXCELSIOR, in Parliament's Central Hall on Monday that the Government,
though perturbed by the stepped-up activity of the anti-India terrorists
in Jammu and Kashmir, continued to be keen to enforce the cease-fire for
the period, till the end of May next.
"At the same time, we cannot be
expected to give unbridled freedom to the killers of the innocent people
in Jammu and Kashmir", the Ministerial source asserted. In fact, he clearly
hinted that a plan was being modified to separate the pan-Islamic jihadis
from the local militants and their supporters.
Even as the Ministerial source declined
to be drawn into discussion on this issue, he did drop yet another hint
about the shape of events to come. In other words, the message has gone
out, calling for a sterner disposition towards the foreign militants.
The new move, though not officially
publicised, is meant to enable the security forces in Jammu and Kashmir
to launch selective operations against groups such as the Lashkar-e-Toiba
and the Jaish-e-Muhammad. EXCELSIOR was officially informed that even as
a section of the local officialdom in J&K had, without any fanfare,
sought to build pressure to bear upon the Government of India to "openly
permit sterner measures against all categories of attackers", the message
from the Prime Minister continued to be in support of "restraint" vis-à-vis
the local militants and their supporters in Kashmir.
Another move, now under discussion,
is for involving the All-Party Hurriyat Conference (APHC) leaders in the
task of restraining their supporters from carrying weapons. This move,
if and when initiated, may not fructify, in view of the resentment of several
Hurriyat leaders against New Delhi's dilatory tactics vis-à-vis
starting a formal dialogue process with the Hurriyat Conference on Kashmir
crisis.
Meanwhile, a senior Army officer,
currently based in Srinagar, told EXCELSIOR on telephone that a "new line
of thinking" had come to be noticed, in recent days, among groups of the
defence personnel. In other words, these groups, the officer pointed out,
seemed to be favouring a more muscular response against the high profile
militancy by the jihadi outfits.
At the same time, the Army authorities
in Kashmir have found it necessary to mend civil-military relations. This
follows the recent outpourings of angry Kashmiris on the streets. The Army,
it is reported, is looking for better coordination with the paramilitary
forces and the J&K Police.
The situation underwent a change
after groups of Kashmiri protestors chanted pro-Pakistan slogans. All this
at a time when, on the other side of the border, the confrontation between
Pakistan's military Government and religious and militant outfits took
an interesting turn with the observation of the Lahore High Court that
no one can stop these outfits from raising funds for jihad (holy war).
The Government of India is not satisfied
with Gen. Parvez Musharraf, who, official circles in New Delhi regret,
has made no attempt to curb attacks by the jihadis, notably the Lashkar-e-Toiba.
For most Indians, the idea that the man who planned the Kargil incursion
should be looking for a negotiated, and therefore, compromise settlement
to the Kashmir dispute is hard to swallow.
But this possibility, according
to some Pakistan-watchers, must not be dismissed, because Gen. Musharraf
faces a host of serious challenges at home that are inextricably linked
with the Kashmir problem.
There are no signs, at the same
time, that Gen. Musharraf is willing to halt support to either the Kashmiri
militants or the Taliban. The jihadis, after all, are his bargaining chips
in negotiations with the West and India.
