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On the turning away

On the turning away

Author: Pradeep Dutta
Publication: The Indian Express
Date: October 13, 2000

Villagers in parts of Jammu and Kashmir are gradually losing faith in militants and reporting their activities to security forces.  And they're paying the price, reports PRADEEP DUTTAOn September 19, 31 militants belonging to Jehad-e-Turq, a newly floated militant outfit hops across the border.  An hour after their stay in the interiors of Saujian forest in Poonch, the police gets a tip-off, and pass it on to the troops posted there.  In a 10-hour long operation, 23 of them are eliminated.

Several such successful operations have taken place over the past few months at the southern end of Pir Panchal ranges comprising Poonch, Rajouri and Doda districts.  What has helped the security forces is the People hitherto supporting militants have turned their backs on militants.

yed there to inflict heavy militant casualties.

Earlier, once militants crossed the Line of Control (LoC), they could move unhindered along the thickly wooded slopes of Pir Panchal.  After crossing the National Highway, they could move up again, cross the range and then come south to the Doda district across Synthen and other passes, or from the meandering nullahs barge into any of the house, knowing that they would be helped and even fed along way.  Some of the villagers would even help the militants flee.

Terror tactics by militants like killing civilians by branding them as mukhbirs (informers) or slitting their necks, gouging out their eyes or chopping their limbs have made villagers do a rethink.

According to Maj Gen G.S.  Negi of Dah Division, since March this year, the militants have killed 25 villagers in Mahore teshil.  In Warwan forest area in Doda, considered a hotbed of militancy, when a family refused to serve meals to militants, they tried to gouge out their eyes by placing red-hot iron rod on their eye-lids.  One of the women lost her sight, while two others are undergoing treatment at Batote Hospital.

In another incident some weeks ago, militants abducted four villagers from Chak Balota area in Doda.  The next day, they threw their bodies with the limbs chopped off in one of the schools in Kancha area.

These killings has snatched many bread-earners, and many have been forced to take to menial jobs or begging.  Nazir Begum, 69, a resident of Kot Dharra, Rajouri, is one such victim.  She leaves her dhok early morning, treks more than three km to reach the houses where she works as a maidservant.  Back home are her paralysed husband, Hakim Din, pregnant daughter-in-law and her two children.

From her meagre income, Begum can barely manage a meal once a day for them.  ``At times, I am unable to earn anything.  Those are the days when I hide my face from my grandsons.  They expect me to turn up with eatables.  On days when I get nothing, they drink water and fall asleep,'' says Begum.

Begum's son Mohammad Rashid was gunned down militants on August 14.  He was spotted talking to security personnel who had visited the workshop where he was working.  ``They didn't just kill Rashid, but also snatched our lone bread-earner.  If they are true jehadis, they should have at least thought of these toddlers,'' says Begum.

So far, about 73 villagers have been killed in Poonch and Rajouri while 29 civilians have been done in Doda district.  These killings and atrocities have taken away the little support militants enjoyed here, and the villagers are instead turning into informers.

``It is because of this information that we've been able to inflict heavy casualties on militants,'' said Ram Lubhaya, Deputy Inspector General of Police, Rajouri-Poonch Range.

``The time lag in information has decreased,'' he added.

A senior army officer said villagers now promptly inform security forces to get rid of militants.  ``Earlier, we had to use force to quiz people about the movement of militants.  Now, they voluntarily pass on information about militants,'' informed a senior army officer.

Lt Gen A.S.  Khanna, added that for the past several months, ISI operatives have been scouting around for potential leaders to launch strikes in Doda, but they are finding the going tough.  The impediment before them is not only the forces, but also the people.

Mohammad Nawaz, alias Abu Hijrat, a Lashkar-e-Toiba (leT) instructor, who trained the first batch of fidayeen which attacked Badami Bagh Cantonment, killing Major Purushottam and wiping out his entire public relations team two months ago, surrendered before the Romeo Force last month.  He said it was his disillusionment with the cause that led him to shun the path of violence.

While talking to people in Rajouri and Poonch, the area he was operating, he found that people were happier before militancy.  ``I realised that the presence of militants added to their woes rather than giving them relief,'' Hijrat said.
 


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