The Hindu : Militant outfits disown `burqa' campaign

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Feb 11, 2003

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Militant outfits disown `burqa' campaign

By Our Staff Reporter

RAJOURI FEB. 10. Amid clear defiance of the burqa (veil) campaign and anti-education drive in the border belt of Jammu by Muslim women, militant organisations have not only publicly disowned the entire campaign but also warned against imposing any restrictions on women.

It was Al-Badr which first asked Muslim women to wear the burqa. Militants had also allegedly issued another diktat asking women police to leave their jobs, girl students to terminate their studies after eighth standard and parents to get their daughters married before 15 years.

Though in the initial phase, the burqa campaign picked up momentum in the interior belt of Rajouri, in Thanna Mandi and Dharhal, the other restrictions were largely dismissed. Later, the veil campaign too fizzled out.

Consequently, in view of the popular resentment and open defiance of the diktat, one of the main militant outfits, the Hizb-ul-Mujahideen, disowned the directives and said no one would be allowed to misuse the name of the organisation to curb the freedom of women.

Condemning the killing of three girls on December 19 in Hasyote village in Thanna Mandi, it said Islam preaches respect for women and anybody going against the tenets of the religion would be taught a lesson.

Bowing to public opinion, the Al-Badr — which was blamed for the girls' killings — disowned its responsibility for the crime as also the anti-women edicts attributed to it.

The Jaish-e-Mohammad also came out with posters apologising for the killing of the three girls.

The DIG (Rajouri-Poonch), S.S. Bijral, said: "we never took these edicts seriously. The more seriously you take these edicts and more we publicise it creates fear among the public... militants' edicts cannot change society's thinking and its age-old customs."

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Militant outfits disown `burqa' campaign