archive: Pak disarms militants to avoid civil war
Pak disarms militants to avoid civil war
PTI
The Times of India
July 23, 1999
Title: Pak disarms militants to avoid civil war
Author: PTI
Publication: The Times of India
Date: July 23, 1999
Wary of a backlash, the Pakistani army is reportedly disarming
mercenaries withdrawing from Kargil before sending them in escorted
convoys to the west Punjab heartland.
According to reports, a substantial number of mercenaries, mostly from
Karachi and west Punjab, had agreed to withdraw, but they were being
disarmed by Pakistani army units based in Shing Valley. The men were
being "moved in escorted convoys, the same way in which they were
brought to the Line of Control heights over five months ago".
The reported disarming of militants by the Pakistani army assumes
significance in the wake of fears expressed by major opposition
parties in Islamabad of a threat of civil war by these private armies.
While a large number of militants, particularly those belonging to the
Al Badr and Hizbul Mujaheedin factions, have retreated, many from
groups like Markaz-Dawat Wali Irshad, Lashkar-i-Toi-ba and
Harkat-ul-Mujaheedin, run by the Pakistani military intelligence, are
still atop some of the Mushokh Valley heights.
According to the ethnic Pakistani media here, these groups had been
instructed by the ISI to sneak deeper into Kashmir valley, but were
thwarted by the heavy Indian army presence in the Dras-Zoji La areas.
"These groups are making their way to the Deosai flatlands from the
adjacent Gurez and Tillel Valley into Sonmarg to move towards the Doda
heights, where some of the mercenary groups have established big
bases," Pakistani media reports said.
Contradicting Pakistan's claims, British media reports said almost 90
per cent of the militants who had intruded into Kargil were Pakistani
nationals from Markaz-run seminaries in the NWFP, Punjab and Sindh,
besides a fair chunk of mercenaries from Afghanistan, Sudan, the Gulf
region and Egypt.
Lashkar's self-styled chief commander Mufti Mohammad Saeed recently
declared that the intruders would not withdraw from Kargil, but
readjust their positions due to strategic reasons. The British media,
quoting Western intelligence sources, said this meant these groups
would be trying to sneak into the Valley to carry out militant
activities.
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