'Govt must have talks with Muslim youth'

Author: Nitin Yeshwantrao
Publication: The Times of India
Date: May 23, 2003
URL: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/cms.dll/html/uncomp/articleshow?msid=47200284

The first clear evidence of a nexus between the now- outlawed Students Islamic Movement of India (Simi) and Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) emerged in December 1991 at the All India Simi Conference held at the Bandra Reclamation grounds, say ex- Simi members.
 
Alleged ISI agents mingled freely with Simi cadre, informally discussing issues ranging from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) rath yatra, Kashmir and Khalistan to the formation of a militant wing for Muslims aged 18 to 30.
 
The three-day conference, presided over by Simi president CAM Basheer and his aides Saquib Nachen and Taheer Jamal, was attended by over 15,000 Simi activists. Among the "special invitees'' to the conference were Pakistan-based Kashmiri separatist leader Amir Azim and Khalistani terrorist Lal Singh, who was wanted in connection with the 1985 blast of Air-India's Kanishka aircraft.
 
"The terrorists were invited to assure them that Simi youths were a potential weapon who could be used for disruptive activities in India,'' said Abdul Aziz, an ex-Simi member, now based in Mumbra, a predominantly Muslim township 30 km from Mumbai. It was during this conference that 'MissionK-2'was discussed with Simi members.
 
The mission was a pan-India alliance between Simi and terrorists fighting for Khalistan and Kashmir, with arms provided by the ISI. However, one section of Simi's cadre stubbornly refused to be part of any anti-national activities and started a campaign to dissuade youths from being influenced by Basheer's and Nachen's rhetoric.
 
"Senior Simi members, in fact, resented Saquib Nachen's presence at this conference. He was above 30 years old, the upper age limit for Simi. Our constitution prohibits any one other than Ansars (decisionmaking senior members) from participating in the meeting of the central representative council (CRC). Nachen, however, not only attended the meetings, but also participated in the CRC discussions,'' said Aziz.
 
"It was now obvious that Simi was slipping into the danger zone. Basheer and Nachen had cast a spell and convinced a sizable number of youths to prepare to die for the cause of Allah. Many youths left their homes and to date are untraceable, either killed in some action or waiting in some part of the globe for orders to strike,'' Aziz said.
 
The hardline stance led to a split in Simi. The faction that disapproved of the "gun culture'' joined the Students Islamic Organisation (SIO),while the other faction, led by Basheer and Nachen, vowing to wage a religious war against the forces representing Hindutva. "Nachen and Taheer Jamal were arrested in July 1992 from Mumbra and Millat Nagar, respectively, for their links with Lal Singh. Basheer fled to Saudi Arabia and is said to be funding terrorist activities in India,'' Aziz said.
 
Funds were never short for Simi activities as ex-Simi cadre residing in the Gulf countries contributed generously, not knowing where the money was going.
 
"Basheer is active in Saudi Arabia. There are two other ex- presidents who function from Moradabad and Bhopal and have floated two new organisations working on the same mission as Simi,'' Aziz said, adding that if the government was serious in its intentions, it had to initiate a dialogue with Muslim youth before they fell prey to the flawed ideology preached by Simi.
 
"In the past, talks have been held between the government and the Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front and extremists from the northeast. Similarly, this is the right time to initiate a dialogue with Muslim youth and win them over.''
 
(Some names have been changed to protect the identities.)
 
(This is the final report in a twopart series on Simi. The first part was published on May 20.)
 

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