Desperate killing

THE DASTARDLY KILLING of the Kashmir Minister of State for Power, Ghulam Hassan Bhat, is not just an act of terrorism, but a rather desperate bid by foreign-based militant groups to thwart the Centre's bid to open a dialogue with the All-Party Hurriyat Conference. It was the first time that a Minister was killed and the second sitting MLA to fall a victim to terrorism in the State. The Hizbul Mujahideen has claimed responsibility for the killing, using a powerful remote-controlled improvised explosive device (IED). The impact of the blast was so pronounced that the vehicle was reduced to a shambles and the bodies were hurled over some distance. It left a 10-foot crater at the site. The naxals in Andhra Pradesh had done much the same, using a landmine to blow up a Minister's car as he was returning to Hyderabad from his home town. The movement of VIPs, facing a security threat, has been very predictable and they are often forced to travel on the same road, making it easy for the militant groups to set up a landmine or an IED. This is something that the security personnel must work on so that there is an element of surprise or a constant change in the route. The VIPs must also cooperate in this exercise.

Apart from killing the Minister, the Mujahideen have delivered a clear warning to the Hurriyat and any other group which may be inclined to talk to the Centre in the search for a political solution to the Kashmir issue. It has come just at a time when New Delhi is working informally to initiate a dialogue with the Hurriyat and a cross-section of the Kashmiri political spectrum. This is something that the militant groups or their sponsors across the border cannot accept. The Centre and the Hurriyat must be conscious of this threat and that is why most of the recently released leaders have been provided with security cover, perhaps to their utter discomfort. They cannot be seen taking New Delhi's security, nor can they expose themselves to the desperate terrorists who do not want any contact with the Government of India. This must also explain the background to the repeated demands or statements from some Hurriyat leaders for a tripartite negotiation, involving India, Pakistan and the Kashmiri people. The externally-supported groups will not want any direct talks between the Centre and the Hurriyat, until and unless New Delhi agrees to open talks simultaneously with Islamabad. India must be prepared for this tactic.

Anantnag and south Kashmir appear to have become a volatile region and the hotbed for terrorism now. Tuesday's explosion came even as the Air Force assisted the Army in locating and destroying a terrorist base in the Himalayan reaches. Helicopter gunships were used to neutralise the positions. When the Centre launches such a twin-track approach - of containing terrorism and also initiating a dialogue - there is bound to be despair in some quarters. Those opposed to peace and a political settlement of the issue will no doubt throw a spanner in the works. If they cannot disrupt the dialogue process, they will try to eliminate the players who may be involved in it. This must not deter either the Centre or the Kashmiri leaders from giving the proposed talks a chance. It may be preferable to keep the contacts low profile and informal till they make some headway. But in the meanwhile the key players must be protected. If some of the Hurriyat leaders or others do not want to take official security, an alternative arrangement must be made. Without losing heart from such cowardly acts of terrorism or the politics of threat, the Centre and the Hurriyat must carry forward the informal confabulations through reliable interlocutors so that a basic minimum framework for the talks can emerge. The Hurriyat must also see through these acts of terrorism.

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Section  : Opinion
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