|
COVER STORY: INDO-PAK SUMMIT
Ominous Aftermath
The failure of the summit heralds more bloodshed in
Kashmir. Militants have promised an escalation in violence; the Indian authorities
indicate the cease-fire is truly over. The average Kashmiri has much to
fear.
By Irshad Wani
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
GRIM REAPERS: Bodies of militants killed after a gun battle at
a police station in Gandarbal near Srinagar (above); the Hurriyat
delegation headed by Lone (centre) arrives for the tea party with
Musharraf
|
Hope for the best
and prepare for the worst. The writing on the wall is clear for everyone
in Kashmir following the "failure" of the India-Pakistan summit
at Agra. No sooner did Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf leave for
Islamabad than the militant groups announced their renewed jehad plans
across the strife-torn state of the Jammu and Kashmir.
The optimism that swayed even the better-informed
Kashmiris between the beginning of the summit till its last-hour failure
has swiftly made way for apprehensions and insecurity. As militant threats
to increase violence transform into reality, it is the average Kashmiri
who will have to bear the brunt of the post-summit cycle of violence.
Militant groups say a surge in violence is inevitable,
as the deadlock at Agra has proved the dispute over Kashmir cannot be
resolved through talks. The impasse, they say, has vindicated their stand.
"Jehad is the only way to resolve the Kashmir issue," Abu Osama,
the chief spokesman of the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Toiba militant group
told India Today. "Given the rigid stand of India, our group has
decided to increase jehad to achieve our goal of Kashmir's liberation."
Security officials say they are more than capable
of handling the pan-Islamic militants, and that there had been no let
up in violence either during the six months of unilateral cease-fire or
during the summit itself. "We are prepared to meet their threats,"
says Kashmir's Inspector-General of Police Ashok Bhan. "We have killed
90 militants in the first 18 days of the month, and our intelligence gathering
is at its best."
Chief Minister Dr Farooq Abdullah says, "I
am confident the entire nation will be behind the Jammu and Kashmir Government
to meet this challenge from militant outfits." The threats and the
counter-measures to be taken have sparked fears among the civilian population.
There is no major worry as long as the fight remains between the battle-hardened
militants and the security forces. But once the clashes erupt in congested
areas, civilians and property become highly vulnerable.
People's Conference Chairman and executive member
of the All-Party Hurriyat Conference (APHC) Abdul Gani Lone says, "I
don't think that the deadlock will have any major impact on the Kashmiris.
The level of violence will remain more or less the same." Adds APHC
Chairman Abdul Ghani Bhat: "The summit wasn't a failure. It was a
positive political development." Bhat, along with other APHC leaders,
has returned to Kashmir from Delhi with a renewed mandate from Pakistan
to lead the separatist struggle at the political level.
With President Musharraf having ignored Indian
sensitivities in meeting with APHC leaders in Delhi, the leaders of the
separatist alliance have started regarding Musharraf as a messiah. Bhat
is upbeat that the summit was a psychological victory for the people of
Kashmir "as for the first time the Kashmiri leadership was taken
into confidence by the Pakistan Government". Separatist leaders even
thanked Musharraf for not letting them down at the summit. "We urged
President Musharraf to impress upon the Indians that Kashmir is the main
issue," says Lone.
Even the militant groups, which till the beginning
of the summit had warned Musharraf against any backdoor agreement, were
in the forefront to felicitate the General on his return. "The way
he handled the Indian officials and didn't budge an inch on Kashmir speaks
of his diplomatic skills," says Ghulam Rasool, chief commander of
Jamiat-ul-Mujahideen.
The Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF)
which boycotted Musharraf's reception in Delhi for having agreed to hold
talks with India without the participation of Kashmiris, has warned time
and again that no bilateral solutions would be acceptable to the Kashmiris.
JKLF says it had not attached any hopes to the summit. On the other hand
senior separatist leader Shabir Shah says he is hopeful that the two leaders
will make progress. "New Delhi should accept Kashmir as a dispute
and take the process of dialogue forward," he says. He hopes India
and Pakistan will talk again.
For the ordinary people in the the state, the
deadlock at Agra has come as a shock. Following the media hype, their
hopes had soared. "The border residents are dejected, disappointed
and depressed with the outcome," says Abdul Aziz, a resident of Uri.
However, there are many Kashmiris who have not lost hope altogether. Many
believe that since the two leaders met five times in two days, they must
have reached some "off the record" understanding. "They
must have understood each other's compulsions and positions very well,"
says another resident Idress Ahmed, "and I am sure when they meet
in future, they will push the peace process forward."
For the Kashmiris, the only hope now is that
the meetings between the two leaders will continue. "Much before
the vested interests in the two countries try to make political capital
of the summit setback, the leaders of the two countries should commit
to meet again and thrash out issues that have not been dealt with so far,"
says an editor in Srinagar.
Even Farooq is optimistic that another meeting
will come about. "I am sure many more such meetings will take place
in the future," says Farooq, who Kashmir experts believe will capitalise
on the summit's failure as much as possible to strengthen his position.
There is likely to be a surge in separatist
activities both on the political and military fronts in the days ahead.
The common Kashmiri is worried about violence, as he has seen much of
it over the past 12 years. He is still hoping for the best, but it is
the worst that is more likely to happen.
|
METRO TODAY
Web
Exclusives
