Author: Iftikhar Gilani
Publication: Daily Times
Date: January 18, 2004
URL: http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=story_18-1-2004_pg7_2
The operation in which two senior
Hizbul Mujahideen commanders were killed in Held Kashmir soon after the
Indo-Pakistan talks is being speculated in Srinagar as part of a "secret
agreement" with Islamabad.
Calling it a major success, Indian
officials claim that they have almost wiped out the Hizbul Mujahideen's
entire top brass by killing its Deputy Supreme Commander Ghazi Nasiruddin
besides Financial and Publicity Chief Fayyaz Ahmed and Deputy Commander
Mohammad Abbas Malik within the past 48 hours.
Many in Srinagar are trying to link
the Indo-Pakistan peace process to the commanders' killing. "The militancy
in Indian Punjab was buried following former Pakistan prime minister Benazir
Bhutto's sharing of intelligence with former Indian prime minister Rajiv
Gandhi. Perhaps history is repeating itself," Kashmiri Sociologist Dr Khursheed
told Daily Times. Pointing out to various recommendations forwarded by
some US think tanks, he believed both countries had taken their (think
tanks) advice and shared intelligence in this regard.
Calling the meeting between Indian
Prime Minister Vajpayee's security advisor, Brijesh Mishra, and Pakistan's
Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) chief "very vital", observers here said
there was every likelihood that the Pakistan government had decided to
share intelligence with its Indian counterpart regarding militants operating
in Held Kashmir.
The killings have come at a time
when the leader of moderate faction of the All Party Hurriyat Conference
(APHC) is travelling to New Delhi to meet Deputy PM LK Advani. Sources
said Ghazi Nasiruddin alias Riyaz Rasool alias Ghulam Rasool Dar had actually
come to Srinagar to pressure the moderate leadership not to enter into
any accord with New Delhi. Sources further said it was a meeting between
Jamaat-e- Islami Ameer Maulana Nazeer Ahmed Kashani and Ghazi Nasiruddin
that led the former to pull out from the Ansari-led Hurriyat. He was trying
to garner political support for Syed Ali Geelani, who had opposed talks
with New Delhi, although backing the India-Pakistan détente.
Interestingly, ruling People's Democratic
Party (PDP) President Mehbooba Mufti had recently said India might also
start negotiating with the Hizbul Mujahideen leadership. Kashmiri experts
here had longed for talks with militants rather than their political leadership
to enforce a ceasefire. They viewed talks with the moderate leadership
futile, as they had no control over the militants.
Indian national daily, The Hindu,
reported here on Saturday that both Ghazi Nasiruddin and Central Divisional
Commander Abdul Rashid Pir had in fact met with a senior PDP leader. A
senior National Conference (NC) leader had also met them in Srinagar. It
is therefore believed here that a section within the Indian government
was trying to rope in the Hizbul Mujahideen for negotiations and had even
invited them to Srinagar. The process was, however, stymied by another
section within the government by ordering the killings.
An influential group here also believes
that information about Ghazi's whereabouts had come from within the Hizbul
Mujahideen, as there was a feud within the organisation following the 2002
assassination of pro-dialogue commander Abdul Majid Dar.