Author: Express News Service
Publication: The Indian Express
Date: November 21, 2002
URL: http://www.indianexpress.com/full_story.php?content_id=13434
A large group of 'militants' arrived
at the Jammu press club this evening, addressed a press conference announcing
a new alliance to replace the Hurriyat and then disappeared. Later, the
police sounded a red alert in the city, claiming they had no knowledge
of their presence.
The reaction from Hizbul Mujahideen
in PoK was swift. Spokesman Saleem Hashmi told The Indian Express on phone
from Muzaffarabad that the entire incident was a ''drama enacted by Indian
intelligence agencies'' and hosted by Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed.
''There is an alliance of mujahideen called Jehad Council and it exists
on the ground. Our supreme commander, Syed Salahuddin, is also the head
of this amalgam. We have nothing to do with this development,'' he said.
''Mufti should shun the path of
such drama because it won't help at all,'' he said. ''If he is sincere
and wants to resolve the problem, he should convince the Government of
India to implement UN resolutions,'' he said.
Those who were present at the Press
conference in Jammu claimed to be members of Hizbul Mujahideen, Jaish-e-Mohammad,
Al-Jehad, Hizbul Momnin, Paswane Islam, Hizbullah, Al-Umar and JKLF. The
rest were said to be activists of 13 overground Islamic organisations.
The men were carrying briefcases
and wearing formal clothes and could have been mistaken for businessmen.
''We have formed the J&K Shuja-ut-Alliance which means a group of brave
men. Our organisation is an alternative to the All Party Hurriyat Conference
(APHC) that has now become outdated and lost its importance.''
They virtually announced an end
to the violence. ''We feel the gun has completed its work and now the time
has come when a sincere effort should be made to solve the Kashmir problem
through dialogue, which the APHC has failed to do,'' they said.
''We also commend Chief Minister
Mufti Mohammad Sayeed for his positive approach towards militants. If he
agrees to some of our conditions, we will support him in our way to restore
peace in J&K,'' they added.
One of the men, Nissar Ali Sabazwari,
claimed to be the Chief Coordinator of this alliance. Throughout the Press
conference, he didn't lose any opportunity to assail the APHC, saying its
policies were wrong and anti-Kashmir.
''What is APHC?''he asked. ''Nothing,
but a group of spent forces. They claim to be a conglomerate of 24 organisations,
we at present have 20 with us and soon more are going to join us. We are
the real Hurriyat, and in future, peace talks should be held with us only.
APHC is Kashmir-based while we represent all the three regions of the state.''
Asked if their outfit would support
the National Conference's demand for autonomy, Sabazwari replied: ''Yes,
we support the autonomy demand, but we hold the view that the basic issues
should be addressed first.'' He did not elaborate.
Shoukat Hussain, who identified
himself as JKLF's commander in Srinagar district, said he was fed up with
the APHC and Yasin Malik's policies. ''I have joined the Shuja-ut-Alliance
along with 150 JKLF men,'' he claimed.
JeM's 'District Commander' of Rajouri,
Manhas Askari of Manjakote, proclaimed that the gun was no solution to
any problem. The others, who claimed to be HM's Section Commander Altaf,
Al-Jehad's Section Commander Mohammad Yousaf Sofi code Khalid Khan, Hizbul
Momnin's District Commander Ali Mohammad, Paswane Islam's District Commander
Zahoor Ahmad Mir, Hizbulla's Company Commander Mohammad Yasin, Al Umar's
Company Commander Mohammad Afzal Sazgiri and Haq-ul-Mobin's Chairman Riaz
Hussain, supported his views. Nissahe Markaz's chairman Gulji wasalso present.
Slamming this development, Hizbul
spokesman Hashmi said it was a step towards creation of another counter-insurgent
group like Ikhwan in Kashmir. ''It is aimed at de-railing the freedom movement
in Kashmir,'' he said.
''If such a big announcement was
to be made, then some known face among the mujahideen leadership would
have done it. Nobody knows who this Sabazwari is.''
