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WE are going through the third month of ceasefire. It has been a very bold step. It sent the right signal to the people of Kashmir and the rest of the world about the sincerity of the Indian nation on finding an amicable solution to the Kashmir problem. When the first ceasefire was announced to coincide with Ramzan festival, the Kashmiris became ecstatic. It marked a sea change in their daily life style. There was no physical checking. There were no cordon and search operations. It generated hope of some kind of solution. People in the valley celebrated Ramzan with great gusto.
However, the peace was shortlived and the hopes were belied by the escalation in violence. Militants took advantage from day one. Hizbul Mujahideen militants came to the Hazratbal shrine at the time of Friday prayers, fired a few shots in full public view and later held a press conference. The various jehadi outfits simply refused to reciprocate positively. They grabbed this opportunity to do the necessary regrouping of their outfits, strategically locate their units and the dumps of arms and ammunition. They stepped up their violent actions, started attacking the security installations. In the first two months of ceasefire, there were 342 killings, including a large number of civilians.
My own assessment is that the security forces have a very grim situation ahead. Gen Pervez Musharraf reciprocated the Indian gesture of ceasefire by a token thinning of the Pak troops on the line of control. Terrorist actions by the jehadi outfits continued unabated. Obviously, he has no control over these organisations. It is jehad in Kashmir, a call for a total Islamisation of the state. It is no more indigenous movement of the so-called liberation of Kashmir. It is a pan-Islamic movement, liberation of Kashmir from the "infidels", setting up the "rule of Allah" first in Kashmir, then in India and the rest of the world. One thing we must understand and assimilate is that jehad has come to stay in the valley because of the presence of the mercenary terrorists. Our future course of action should be worked out accordingly.
Syed Ali Shah Geelani, a hardcore Jamaat-e-Islami fanatic and one of the top leaders of the All-Party Hurriyat Conference who stands for the merger of Kashmir with Pakistan, has said: "Struggle is not for the restoration of Kashmiriat or national identity. Muslims though equal citizens of India like Hindus, Sikhs and Budhists, are also part of MILAT, an extended Muslim Nation. Nobody will be allowed to disintegrate MILAT".
No one can utter a discordant note in the valley. Abdul Gani Lone, a Hurriyat leader, said on his return from Pakistan: "Foreign militants came to Kashmir for fighting a jehad voluntarily. Let them fight for jehad but not make the political choices for the Kashmiris". Now observe the rejoinder from Ayesha Andrabi, Chief of Dukhtaran-e-Milat, a pro-Pak militant outfit of Kashmiri women. She said: "Kashmiri movement did not belong only to Kashmiris but to foreign militants also who are laying down their lives" and warned Abdul Gani Lone of dire consquences if he speaks anything against foreign militants.
These jehadi outfits have the required wherewithal and infrastructure to sustain and fight a long-drawn battle for the "glory of Islam." The J&K police is reported to have seized some documents from the bank where the Lashkar-e-Toiba had an amount of Rs 1 crore in their account. It was also reported in the media that the Lashkar-e-Toiba had so much money of its own that it could start a bank. By now it is well known that the proceeds from the vast illegal trade in narcotics is used by the Pakistani Generals and the ISI to finance the Islamic terrorist outfits worldwide.
Leaders of the All Party Hurriyat Conference, a conglomeration of disparate factions who had lost all credibility as the people of Kashmir held them responsible for the killing of their kith and kin, have come to the centrestage and are going to Pakistan to talk to the jehadi organisations purportedly to request them to give peace a chance. The Lashkar-e-Toiba, the Jaishe-a-Mohammed and the Harkat-ul-Mujahideen have already made their intention clear that there is no way they will stop their jehad. They want the Government of India to talk directly to the Mujahideen. They have claimed that Bharat is loosing ground in the valley and that is why Indians are panicky for the initiation of talks. In their bravado, they have promised a safe passage to the Indian forces in case they withdraw from the valley. It is rather strange that Pakistan is insisting on the Government of India to give passports to all the Hurriyat leaders. There is some game plan. It will definitely unfold during the visit of these Hurriyat leaders. It is very likely that Pakistan will force these leaders to accept Pakistan as the third party to the dispute and insist on the Government of India for starting a tri-partite dialogue.
On the other hand the top leaders of the Jamat-e-Islami and the Let have ruled out any kind of compromise on the premise that the Muslim clerics will declare it unIslamic. In that situation, will General Musharraf be able to go against the stated position of the jehadi chiefs and take along all the Corps Commanders of his army. Lieut-General Hamid Gul, former chief of the ISI, has observed that Pakistan feels much more secure with the Indian army having been fully trapped in the valley. Everyone in Pakistan is aware that if Kashmiris are to choose between merger with Pakistan and the independence of Kashmir, about 90% will opt for independence. Pakistan will never allow the consolidation of pro-independence forces in the valley.
Kashmiris feel much more insecure than ever before. They again close their establishments by five in the evening and rush back to their homes. With the security forces not undertaking any combat operations, militants have the field day. In such a situation, Kashmiris find themselves at the mercy of armed terrorists. Time is not far when the jehadi terrorists will have a complete sway over the people of Kashmir. One goes with the mighty. It is a fact of life and it will be evident in the valley in the not too distant future.
So as to showcase it as an indigenous secessionist movement, the Jaishe-e-Mohammed is making local recruitment on a larger scale than ever before. They have also started espousing the pro-people causes in the valley. The recent ultimatum to the Government of J&K to ensure regular supply of electricity to the people in the valley or face dire consequences is an indicator to that effect. After an unsuccessful attack on the Srinagar airport by the Lashkar-e-Toiba, about 1000 people had collected in front of the police station to claim the bodies of the slain militants. It is quite ominous. We may drift back to the situation of 1990 when thousands of Kashmiris would come out in procession in the streets of Srinagar and demonstrate before the office of the UN observers demanding withdrawal of the Indian security forces and the independence of Kashmir.
Not everything is lost in Kashmir. People want peace. Kashmiris are a progressive society. They are worried about the future of their children. Young children are taken away by the jehadis at gunpoint. All those who can afford it have sent their children outside the state to other parts of India. Kashmiris want this problem to be solved through negotiations and dialogue but not with guns. Kashmiriat is a synthesis of Hinduism, Buddhism and the Muslim religion. It should also be understood that Kashmiris whether Muslims or Pandits have been suffering from the psyche of Riyasti (separate sovereign state). Even after its merger with India, it remained aloof from the national mainstream.
Holding of the panchayat elections is another bold step by Dr Farooq Abdullah. It is a shot in the arm for the nationalist forces. In the first phase nearly 85 per cent exercised their franchise. It is a big achievement. Let us build on it. It indicates that the people of J&K respect the democratic traditions of the country. It is sheer bravery that people in such a large number went to the polling booths despite threats to their lives by the terrorists and the boycott call by the Hurriyat.
If we analyse the events in Kashmir since 1947, the Government of India has never allowed the people of Kashmir to decide their fate on their own. Chief Ministers and the governments have been foisted on them. They have never been allowed to elect their Government on their own except, of course, once when the late Mr Morarji Desai was the Prime Minister. One can safely say that elections to the State Assembly of J&K in the year 1987 gave birth to an organised secessionism in the state. All the anti- India and fundamentalist organisations decided to contest the elections to the State Assembly under an umbrella organisation of the Muslim United Front. The present Chief of Hizbul Mujahideen, Syed Salahudin, was the candidate and his Commander in the valley, Majid Dhar, who declared the ceasefire earlier, was his election agent. It is widely alleged that there was large-scale rigging and the candidates who were sureshot winners were declared to have lost. These are the people who then spearheaded the movement for the separation of Kashmir from the Indian Union.
It is time to win back the trust of the Kashmiris. I have a few suggestions to make.
Create a conducive environment for the forthcoming elections to the State Assembly in 2002. If the people of J&K could exercise their franchise in such a large number in the panchayat elections, why should it not be repeated for elections to the State Assembly? Leaders of all political parties should tour the countryside in the remaining phases of the panchayat elections. The State Government must provide full security. The recent grenade attack on Dr Farooq Abdullah when he was addressing a public rally and his courage in not leaving the ground and continuing with speech exhorting people to remain calm is an example worth emulating by all.
We should get into some understanding with the Kashmir valley faction of the Hizbul Mujahideen and moderate leadership of the Hurriyat before the coming Assembly elections.
The Government of India should immediately undertake a massive reconstuction of the damaged roads, bridges, school buildings etc. The newly elected members of the panchayats should be entrusted with the responsibility of supervising the development works. It will be a manifestation of the Lokshakti at the grassroots level.
More army units should be deployed on the LoC to effectively check any further infiltration. Operations in the valley should be conducted jointly by the local police and the paramilitary forces with the army at the back to provide additional firepower if need be. People must feel secure.
Protection of the human rights must be ensured effectively. The institution of judicial enquiry into the Pathribal killings and Chittisingh Pura massacre must be taken to the logical conclusion. It will be a litmus test for the Dr Farooq Abdullah government. If we are transparent and honest about it, it will bring about a positive change in the thinking of the Kashmiris. The recent protest demonstrations over the alleged custodial killings are indicative of the prevailing resentment.
Like Chief Minister of Punjab, Sangat Darshans (meeting the people) should be organised in a big way where all the senior officers concerned should be present and the grievances addressed on the spot. Sheikh Abdullah used to hold such development meetings when he was the Chief Minister of the State. He even used to sit on the ground along with the people.
Educate the Kashmiris about the assault on their Kashmiri heritage and the impending talibanisation of their composite culture by these jehadi outfits.
Invest in the people of Kashmir. It will yield rather positive dividends.
(The author has been an Inspector
General of B.S.F. of Jammu, Srinagar and Additional Director General, B.S.F.
J&K.)
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