SRINAGAR, April 13: A feud within his party has forced Shabir Shah, a moderate Kashmiri secessionist leader, to go public and declare that he has accumulated assets worth Rs 1 crore out of the donations from overseas Kashmiris during eight years of insurgency. Announcing this at a press conference today, Shah said he would donate the money and property to a trust, which will work for the rehabilitation of militancy victims. He mentioned two objectives: education of orphans and the marriage of women from families who have suffered economically during the turmoil.Shah's move comes in the wake of a split within his already fractured People's League. Incidentally, Nayeem Khan, a close lieutenant of Shah, broke away from him and is said to have recently staked claim to one of the bungalowspurchased by Shahin a plush Srinagar neighbourhood.
Separatist leaders of all groups have built sprawling mansions and have come in for criticism for their lavish lifestyle. Shabir's move is clearly aimed at giving him amoral edge which could help him revive his political career.
Sources said it's also aimed at pre-empting Nayeem's threat to ``expose'' Shah by making his assets public and thus tarnish his relatively clean image.Shah today said he had about Rs 60 lakh in cash and the rest in real-estate which includes, ``four or five bungalows'' and plots. He claimed he distributed Rs 50 lakh to militancy victims and that he had accounts for this.
Shah was evasive when asked who were the sources of the foreign donations. ``Kashmiris living abroad had sent these donations for the (freedom) movement,'' he said. Lashing out at his adversaries for launching what he called a slander campaign against him, he alleged that large sums from abroad which had come as donations for him had been siphoned off by others. He said that the money should be returned or else he would have to go public with the details.
Shah nominated retired judges, a former BJP leader, two eminent doctors and one Kashmiri Hindu to the proposed trust andannounced that all the districts of the state would be represented. The trustees, he however said, were yet to be contacted for their consent.
Attacking his critics, Shah said he ``had a realistic view about the Kashmir problem and did not believe in launching paper organisations and surviving through media publicity.'' He said he was soon going to announce his ``broadbased'' political party.
Shah, once rated as the most charismatic separatist leader of Kashmir, lost much of his popular support and image due to his passive role after being released from prison four years ago.
Copyright © 1998 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
