Author: Neerav
Publication: Organiser
Date: September 3, 2000
It is unfortunate that
none of the parties involved in the Kashmir imbroglio-the State Government,
Pakistan and the Jehadis- have any real concern for the people. Even
after so much of bloodshed of both Hindus and of the Muslims, they do not
want to compromise to give people some respite. Their own vested
interests take precedence over every thing.
Dr Farooq Abdullah, the
democratically elected CM of the State, is trying desperately to force
through his own agenda- autonomy just short of azadi- like his father,
and Pakistan in its desperate attempt to dismember India has once again
slipped into the hands of its army generals. It is increasingly getting
isolated and criticized for supporting and becoming a hub of terrorism.
All its stunts for instance support to seperatist movements in Punjab,
hijacking of aircraft, massacre of innocent Hindus and Sikhs, projecting
Kashmir as a nuclear flash point have all boomeranged and as a nation Pakistan
today stands exposed.
Pakistan thought of launching
war from the madarsas with war cries of azadi and dreamt that this would
engulf India is now shell shocked and finds that instead of strangulating
India, its own society has fallen prey to conservatism, fundamentalism,
religious bigotry and sectarian violence. The madarsas which it established
to destroy India are not only destroying its peace but have become stumbling
block on its march towards development and modernity.
As regards the much acclaimed
jehadis or the so-called freedom fighters, they are nothing but sheer mercenaries.
The entire jehad movement run by Pakistan is basically organised on the
lines of a business enterprise. Unemployed, poor, beggars, criminals,
illiterate, and uneducated youngmen mainly from Pakistan are running this
business enterprise. In this unique freedom movement/holy war every
one right from top to bottom is being handsomely paid.
Terrorists like Mushtaq
Ahmad Zargar (one of the terrorists released during the hijack) was a plumber
and could have never dreamt of earning Rs 20,000 a month. And becoming
a divisional commander with hundred odd guys under his command. Those
who were begging on the streets of Lahore and Karachi or wandering aimlessly
in the sleepy towns of Pakistan and could not even get a square meal are
earning anything upto a lakh each year.
Even those who are supposed
to motivate the young men to join the so-called jehad are paid between
Rs 10,000 and 15,000 per recruit, the poor Bakarwals/Gujjars who are used
by the ISI to guide the terrorists are paid Rs 3000-5000 per month, this
is besides one to two lakh of rupees that a terrorist gets before he enters
India and if he dies while fighting the Indian forces his family gets a
lumpsum amount of over a couple of lakh of rupees. This is how the
jehad for Kashmir is being fought by the holy warriors of Islam.
Therefore it would be naive to expect these enterpreneurs to talk peace
and in the bargain give up their source of earnings.
Pakistan because of its
peculiar genetic problem will continue to remain an eternal source of supplying
Islamic zealots like Maulana Masood Azhar. The Binori mosque, located
in Karachi of which Maulana is the product is one of the largest institutions
in entire Asia, producing almost 1000 Islamic warriors every year.
These Islamic fighters are trained in Afghanistan by Talibans who treat
these students as the state guests. It has a strength of around 8000
students. The head of the institution Maulana Shamzai is considered
to be the spiritual mentor of Mullah Omar of Taliban and is also called
the Mullah Omar of Pakistan. There is hence no doubt that Maulana
Masood Azhar has the blessings of both Mollah Omar and Shamzai. The
formation of Jaish-e-Mohammad (JEM) by Maulana recently with the help of
ISI is a clear signal that in days to come J&K is likely to witness
Taliban kind of operations.
Hizbul Mujahideen (HM),
the largest terrorist group operating in India numbering around 1500 (40
per cent Pakistanis and 60 per cent Indians), receives over Rs 50 lakh
per month from the ISI. All Party Hurriyat Conference (APHC) leaders
have made a lot of money in the last 10 years, even the so-called "Nelson
Mandela" of J&K, Shabir Shah has made enough money to send his son
abroad for education. Peace would ruin their business. Who
would then listen to the dictats of uncouth, illiterate/semiliterate terrorists?
How would Taliban's opium economy flourish if there is peace, after all
75 per cent of the world's opium comes from Afghanistan? There are high
stakes involved in this supposed to be holy war fought by these unholy
men.
The current situation,
particularly after the demand of autonomy by NC Govt, refusal by the Hurriyat
to negotiate within the parameters of the Constitution and the declaration
of ceasefire by the Hizbul Mujahideen, has become quite volatile and tricky,
it has the potential to spread to other sensitive parts of the country.
However the threat to India's unity and integrity is not as grave as being
illustrated by a section of media and Farooq Abdullah for own vested reasons.
Superficially we may look to be in mess and divided but our unity is much
deep-rooted.
The offer of the HM however
cannot be taken lightly and the Government must act very cautiously while
dealing with them. We should not overlook the fact that Hizb is a
pro-Pakistan tanzeem which is sustaining itself on the funds supplied by
the ISI, how come it has suddenly taken a diagramatically opposite view
vis a vis Pakistan? During the press briefing Abdul Majid Dar who had earlier
never figured in the hierarchy of the group was flanked by the self-styled
deputy supreme commander, the division commanders of all the divisions
of the group operating in Kashmir, signifying that it is not a break-away
faction of the group. We must also not forget that 40 per cent of
its cadres are Pakistanis/Afghans. How come Syed Salahuddin the supremo
of Hizb has taken such a decision while on Pakistan soil?
The leadership tussel
with the JEM chief Maulana Masood Azhar might have probably prompted him
to take such a decision particularly after becoming the chief of the much
talked about Kashmir Liberation Army (KLA). However Salahuddin must
have weighed his chances (if the ceasefire is his own decision), because
if the negotiations fall there will be no turning back for him as no terrorist
organisation can sustain itself without Pakistani support. We have
already witnessed the degeneration of JKLF.
The-couldn't-careless-attitude
of Pakistani terrorists, atrocities on locals particularly women had often
in the past led to internecine fight between the locals and foreigners.
But the ceasefire has brought in the forefront the serious differences
that exist between the Pakistani and the Indian extremists. Ever
since the formation of the JEM with the help of the ISI and Taliban, HM
was at the receiving end; More funds had started flowing towards the JEM
whereas the HM the party of the sons of the soil was deprived of it.
As a result most of the terrorists started migrating to the JEM.
The HM leadership fearing the growing influence of Maulana/JEM probably
realised in time that the jehad leadership is slipping out of their/local
terrorists hands and thus took this bold decision.