Hurriyat's real face: 'Kashmir part of Pak'

Author: Rahul Datta
Publication: The Daily Pioneer
Date: February 7, 2001
 
The Centre's peace initiative in Kashmir means nothing to  the Hurriyat Conference hardliners and one of its key members, Syed Ali Shah Geelani, telephonically  addressed a gathering of the Lashkar-e-Toiba  (LeT) at Muridke near Lahore on Monday. He reportedly said that "Kashmir was part of Pakistan and  it should lead the Ummah all over the world". His telephonic address from Srinagar was relayed to the  gathering through loudspeakers. The so-called jehadis of the LeT lustily cheered Geelani's declaration  that Kashmir was part of Pakistan, sources monitoring the Kashmir peace process said here on  Tuesday. Geelani also reportedly criticised the Indian Government  for not allowing the Hurriyat Conference members to visit Pakistan. He claimed that "his presence  in the Hurriyat was the main reason for the Indian Government's reluctance to grant permission to  visit Pakistan," sources said. The taped speech of Geelani was later played at various public meetings in  Pakistan organised to mark the so-called "Kashmir Day".

The LeT, Jaish-e-Mohammad and Harkat Ul Mujahideen are  three Pakistan-based militant outfits which believe they are waging a "jehad" in Kashmir. The  militants owing allegiance to these outfits have let loose a reign of terror in Kashmir in the last few  months. In fact, the LeT stepped up the terrorist  activities during the ongoing ceasefire period and carried out  audacious attacks on Red Fort, security forces camps and threatened to blow up the Prime Minister's Office  (PMO).

Given this backdrop, Geelani's speech saying that  "Kashmir was part of Pakistan and that it should lead the Ummah all over the world" have set the alarm bells  ringing amongst the strategists here responsible for chalking out the peace process, sources admitted.

The Union Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS), meanwhile,  on Tuesday reviewed the situation in Jammu and Kashmir in  the wake of extended ceasefire. The CCS also took stock  of the developments having a bearing on security in other  parts of the country.

The meeting chaired by Prime Minister Atal Bihari  Vajpayee was attended among others by Union Home Minister L K Advani, Union Defence Minister George  Fernandes and External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh. The recent attacks on Sikhs in the strife-torn  state reportedly figured during the meeting.
 

Back                          Top

	This site is part of Dharma Universe LLC websites. Copyrighted 2009-2011, Dharma Universe.