Kashmir update – August 6 and 7

(The following is from an English language daily news service bringing news from Indian Kashmir. It contains news from the perspective of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference.)

Srinagar, (Hindu Occupied Kashmir),

Srinagar (Hindu Occupied Kashmir),

August 07:

The Chairman of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference, Professor Abdul Ghani Butt has said, talks between Hizbul Mujahideen and the Indian officials will yield no result.

In an interview today, he said, "talks can only be fruitful when these are held in the light of international principles and participated by all the three parties to the dispute. India, Pakistan and APHC, representing corporate will of Kashmiri people. India has to spell out parameters of the talks including its agenda and the objective to be achieved. Professor Abdul Ghani Butt said, the APHC's stand is that it wants determination of political destiny of Kashmiris, and not transfer of power in Jammu and Kashmir.

He said, we do not agree with those who say that in the first round, talks should be held with Hizbul Mujahideen and Pakistan should be included later on. Our stand is that all the three parties, India, Pakistan and APHC must continue the talks process from the very beginning. Talks should be meaningful and progress towards a definite destination. Professor Abdul Ghani Butt said, conducive condition has to be created for the negotiating process by release of all Kashmiri detenus, stopping custodial killing, ceasing human rights violations and allowing political activities.

According to Indian journal. "India Today", Indian government is exploiting its talks with Hizbul Mujahideen for limited purposes. It is not ready to concede any political concession. Spelling out India's limited purposes, India Today says, these are two fold, one to create disunity among the Mujahideen ranks and two, to bring about conducive condition for Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayees's forth coming visit to New York. The talks process is to enable him to say in New York that India is engaged in talks with dissident group and there is no need to worry about the Kashmir situation. India Today said, the strategy of the Indian government is to drag on the talks indefinitely and to persuade Hizbul Mujahideen to convert itself into a political party and take part in the elections.

About the Pahalgam massacre, the Indian journal reports that of the 30 dead bodies, subjected to post mortem, 20 were found to have been killed by bullets of the Indian para-military forces.

Daily, Kashmir Times of Jammu has said, the police of IHK has recorded evidences about the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel directing their machine guns towards the Hindu pilgrims in Pahalgam. CRPF did use rifle butts and iron rods as well. The Daily further said, Mujahideen cannot be held responsible for the massacre in Pahalgam.

Meanwhile, a former Indian Foreign Secretary J N Dixit has admitted the disputed nature of Kashmir territory and urged the Indian government to seek a solution of this issue. In a write up in Indian Express he said, the world community considers Kashmir to be disputed territory and none of the five permanent UN Security Council Members is ready to consider it as integral part of India. He said the big powers want Pakistan and India to resolve Kashmir issue through talks to avert nuclear conflict in South Asia.

On the other hand, the Chief spokesman of Hizbul Mujahideen, Commander Masood Tantery has said, Indian troops are pressurising Hizb's cadres to lay down their arms. He said, several aommanders of Rashtria Rifles have been mounting pressure on Hizb cadres at Gotilbagh, Kengan, Sheikhpura and Tallamulla, in Srinagar district to lay down their weapons. He said, "this is a serious development which proves that the Indian security forces are not respecting the ceasefire". He also said that relatives of Hizb cadres were victimised at Moolu Chatragam, Trakawangam and Dangerpura in Shopian area.

Meanwhile, the troops continued its stepped up operation to victimise innocent Kashmiris which triggered forceful anti-India demonstrations at Pantha Chowk, in suburb of Srinagar. Earlier, the troops had besieged thousands of labourers, working in stone quarries, who were subjected to severe physical violence. The troops also raided houses, carried out plunder and physically tortured the inmates. The enraged people took to streets in large number in anti-India protests, raising pro-liberation and anti-India slogans. They staged sit-in on Jammu-Srinagar highway, blocking traffic for several hours.

Two Kashmiri youth were reported killed by troops in Kupwara area. Dead body of a young man, killed in custody was recovered from a fruit orchard in Pulwama.

Meanwhile, the APHC spokesman has strongly denounced the military terrorism at Beerva in Budgam. He welcomed release of the Head of the Kashmir Mass Movement, Farida Behanji after 5 years' detention without trial. The troops arrested and put in Srinagar central jail, Javed Ahmed Shah, brother of advocate Shahid ul Islam of Awami Action Committee.

Srinagar (Hindu Occupied Kashmir),

August 06:

Reports from various places in occupied Kashmir amply indicate that India has not only stepped up aggressive military action against Mujahideen, it also increased manifold victimisation of innocent people. The Indian occupation troops are using gunship helicopters against Mujahideen in Pir Panjal range as well as at various places in the Valley. Rajouri, Doda, Kupwara, Handwara and Budgam areas are particular targets of brutal military operation.

Victimisation of innocent people is also on the increase and at least 15 people have been killed in custody in the past 5 days. In several areas, people are compelled to migrate in order to escape military terrorism. Blood-curdling details of military atrocities were narrated to newsmen in Srinagar by delegations from various affected areas.

Meanwhile, taking notice of the increased Indian military actin against Mujahideen and savage tyranny against innocent people, political observers in Srinagar, expressed surprise over the act that on the one hand India has been engaged in duping the world through the talks bogey and on the other, it has further intensified its ongoing orgy of death and destruction on occupied Kashmir. They were of the view that the talks trickly device was entirely aimed at gaining time to suppress the liberation movement as well as ti isolate and destroy the other forces fighting India to secure their right of self-determination. The intriguing fact, they pointed out, was that there was no time-frame for the Indian talks with a group of Mujahideen, nor India has stated in clear terms whether this process was within the frame work of Indian Constitution or outside of it. Parameters of the talks are not at all clear. The political observers also expressed their reservations over the fact that India had no intention whatsoever of tripartite talks.

Four innocent people were reported missing in military custody in Kupwara area. Three of those missing in custody have been identified as Shabbir Ahmed Ganai, Nisar Ahmed Ganai and Muhammad Rafique Ganai. Their relatives are worried about their safety.

Meanwhile, reports from Jammu say, indefinite curfew has been imposed in Rambir Singhpora following violent incidents. Three Christians have been arrested in connection with slaughter of a cow.

The violence reportedly erupted, following slaughter of a cow. The agitated Hindu extremists raided Tehsil Office and Police Station, damaging the building and putting on fire vehicles. Situation is reported to be tense in the area.

Reports from Ladakh say, dead bodies of three troops, killed in Kargil conflict, were recovered. The dead bodies included that of Captain SK Yadav. Those dead bodies lay buried under the snow. Three more Indian troops, involved in the conflict, are reported missing.

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