Author: General Hamid Gul, Former
ISI chief
Publication: The Times of India
Date: June 16, 2002
Introduction: No. The jehadis will
be satisfied only after a settlement in Kashmir
Musharraf claims Pakistan will go
all out to stop the jehadis from making incursions into Indian territory.
That's a significant step. But the key question is whether such a clampdown
will work.
The jehadis have been fighting in
the Valley for the last 13 years. Musharraf does not possess a magic wand
which will make them disappear. They will be satisfied only after a political
settlement in Kashmir. Since the likelihood of that happening in the immediate
future is almost nil, they'll continue their acts of violence.
What Musharraf has ensured is that
these jehadi elements lose their confidence in Pakistan. Once he forces
a clampdown on them, Pakistan will lose the moral authority to control
them. They will then be on their own and choose targets at will. In the
past, India has witnessed the December 13 bombing of Parliament and the
Jammu attack on May 14. But matters will only get worse. After all what
does it take for a few desperate men to launch such attacks - some Kalashnikovs
and a few hand grenades, all of which are available in the free market.
In fact, the chances of an all-out
war have increased further by Musharraf having given such an assurance.
The militants will step up their violence right upto the October elections
in Kashmir. When this happens, what explanation will the Indian leadership
give to its army? The Indian military has been straining at the lease for
some time now. India has also increased defence expenditure by 45 per cent
after Kargil.
Even if one were to concede that
the Pakistani army was lending support to the jehadis, theirs has been
an indigenous struggle. That's bound to continue. How can Musharraf stop
them from raiding police stations and military camps in India as they have
been doing in the past? And once these raids continue, who will India apportion
blame to? An all-out war, in the light of greater jehadi action, will prove
inevitable. This will provide the Americans an opportunity to gain a foothold
in the subcontinent.
A democratic solution to the Kashmir
issue has been bypassed. India should have prepared a roadmap taking the
Kashmiris into confidence. The Mori report was a very clever ploy to show
that ultimately the Kashmiris want to be with neither India or Pakistan.
If we had settled Kashmir bilaterally, there would have been no question
of US mediation now. But the Americans have been putting pressure and India
has vicariously accepted their role in this situation.
Indian leaders unfortunately remain
myopic. Global imperialism has arrived in the subcontinent as it had earlier
in the garb of the East India company. I find it strange that your defence
minister George Fernandes is not able to understand this gameplan. The
Taliban and Al-Qaeda are only an excuse for the Americans to bring NATO
into this region. This is part of America's strategic gameplan to contain
China and to use the resources of Third World countries to do its dirty
work.
(As told to Rashme Sehgal)
============================================
Title: Can president Musharraf rein
in the jehadis? (Part II)
Author: Maj Gen Rashid Qureshi,
Pakistan Government spokesman
Publication: The Times of India
Date: June 16, 2002
Introduction: Yes. He has already
ordered the arrest of 2000 people linked to militants.
Firstly, the armies of India and
Pakistan are not going to allow anyone to get close to the LoC. Nevertheless,
President Musharraf has agreed to take extra measures which will ensure
that no one carrying arms can cross over. Of course, the situation on the
ground today is such that even farmers with land close to the LoC can't
cultivate it.
Musharraf has already come down
hard on jehadi elements within Pakistan. Five months ago, all organisations
having close links with such groups were banned. Musharraf ordered the
arrest of 2,000 people known to be linked to militants. Of these, 1,065
remain locked in jail and proceedings are going on against them. Only those
against whom no charges can be proved have been released. India has not
even acknowledged this gesture and claims all this is an eyewash.
As for this talk of jehadi training
camps inside Azad Kashmir, it is sheer propaganda by India. We can do the
same thing. We could put up 55 such camps there and claim on our television
that India was sponsoring cross-border terrorism. How can footage shown
on Indian TV networks be regarded as evidence especially since the source
of information could well be their own intelligence agencies?
Also, the problem of infiltration
has been greatly exaggerated. The Indian media has been playing up this
problem as though there are hordes of armed people crossing over from Pakistan,
totally oblivious to the many soldiers and mines deployed on both sides
of the LoC.
Twelve years ago, there was a mass
uprising in Kashmir and thousands of Kashmiri youth crossed over and came
to Azad Kashmir. It is these youngsters who have been moving back-and forth.
But India has deployed thousands of troops along the LoC. It is no longer
easy for these Kashmiris to tunnel back and forth. In these 12 years, 75,000
Kashmiris lost their lives. Were these jehadis? Who killed them? Certainly
not Pakistan. Infiltration will halt by getting UN observers to monitor
the LoC. They will nail the lie of Indian propaganda and their presence
will seal the border to the satisfaction of both nations. But India is
unwilling to do so. How can it then accuse us of being uncooperative? Why
is India not willing to resume bilateral dialogue? It is because of its
unreasonable attitude that the situation has festered.
Pakistan had condemned the attacks
on the Srinagar assembly and on the Indian Parliament but to accuse it
of masterminding them is ridiculous. Every time an American dignitary arrives
in India and some terrorist attack takes place, the blame is put on Pakistan.
In the recent attack on Jammu, India
claimed that the jehadis had travelled from Faisalabad and had wrappers
of Pakistan chocolates in their pockets. This is ludicrous. Would anyone
on a suicide mission be carrying this kind of identification on their person?
Both countries should assist each other in this fight against terrorism.
We are always willing to take action.
(As told to Rashme Sehgal)
