Pan-Islamic outfits may disregard ceasefire

By Shujaat Bukhari

JAMMU, NOV. 26. With the formal ceasefire, beginning Tuesday, just 48 hours away, the change in the stance of the separatist conglomerate, All-Party Hurriyat Conference (APHC), is significant. However, it is unlikely that the militants, especially those having pan-Islamic leanings, would reciprocate.

Unlike its earlier stand on the ceasefire, the APHC has responded positively to the offer made by the Prime Minister, Mr. A.B. Vajpayee. When the Hizb-ul-Mujahideen announced a ceasefire in July, and the Government responded favourably, the Hurriyat had termed it a broken step.

Senior Hurriyat leader and Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front chairman, Mr. Yaseen Malik, has praised the peace initiative. The latest offer by Mr. Vajpayee - who has thrown the ball in the militants' court and that of Pakistan (which wields significant influence over the former) - has taken everybody by surprise.

Observers in Srinagar are sceptical about the Hurriyat succeeding in convincing the militants on the issue. As most outfits operating in the State have rejected the ceasefire, terming it a conspiracy against the ``freedom movement'', the Hizb-ul- Mujahideen has again insisted on a role for Pakistan for a meaningful dialogue.

Interestingly, the Hizb commander in Kashmir, Mr. Abdul Majid Dar, who made the July ceasefire public, has this time chosen to be silent. On the other hand, Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM), the pan- Islamic outfit headed by Moulana Masood Azhar (who was released from jail in exchange of passengers of the hijacked Indian Airlines plane last year), has criticised the Hurriyat for making pro-ceasefire statements.

(According to PTI, in a statement in a local newspaper, a JeM spokesperson warned of serious consequences if they did not stop issuing statements welcoming the unilateral ceasefire and expressing readiness to hold talks with the Centre. He said there would be no peace unless the Army is withdrawn from Kashmir. He said the parties welcoming the ceasefire offer had ``no base in Kashmir nor had people ever accepted them as their representatives... The leaders of these parties were all set to hold talks with Centre which the outfit would never allow.'')

The two incidents of killing of Sikh truckers and five Hindus in Kishtwar, immediately after Mr. Vajpayee's announcement, are seen as the first setback to the process by observers here. However, the authorities do not rule more such acts.

``We were expecting these incidents and cannot rule out similar ones in the future,'' said the outgoing IGP, Mr. Gurbachan Jagat. He, however, reiterated the Government's resolve to give peace a chance, keeping in view the aspirations of the people. With the ceasefire already in force on the Army side, it has become the first casualty in yesterday's attack. But top Army officials say that loopholes are always there.

Maximum alert has been sounded though the forces have been asked to stop combat operations. Developments in the coming days would determine the fate of the ceasefire initiative, which, if not reciprocated, is destined to ``expose the militants'', though not the Hurriyat this time.

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