Pan-Islamic groups welcome ceasefire with blasts

Pan-Islamic groups welcome ceasefire with blasts
MUZAMIL JALEEL

SRINAGAR, JULY 30: In a bid to render the Hizbul Mujahideen ceasefire irrelevant on ground, the pan-Islamic groups have intensified their attacks on soft targets.

The peace initiative was first welcomed by a series of bomb blasts in the Mughal Gardens and on Sunday a tourist vehicle was blown up killing one and injuring four others at Gulmarg. There is, however, no report of any violation of the ceasefire from both the Government and the Hizb since the operations were suspended.

The mood in the Valley is, however, full of hope and excitement as there is a substantial decrease in security force operations since the Hizbul move. The Centre's open invitation to all the militant and political groups for an ``unconditional'' dialogue and then the statement of the separatist Hurriyat welcoming it as a positive step has further strengthened the belief that things will change.

``It is a good omen for Kashmir. Once guns fall silent, reason and logic will start working,'' a senior political science lecturer of Kashmir University said. ``Common man desperately needs some respite and this ceasefire will surely provide it,'' he said. He said the move was significant because it came from Pakistan and that too by the strongest pro-Pakistan outfit. ``What makes this ceasefire offer much more significant and meaningful is that it has the blessings of Pakistani establishment,'' he said.

In fact, the ceasefire and its implications are the main topic of discussion everywhere here. ``Whatever the result of the talks, the ceasefire has definitely given an immediate relief to people. There is a change in the attitude of the security forces. The Task Force is not seen on the roads,'' said Dr Abdul Hamid, a medical officer in Baramulla. In fact, there has not been a single major security force operation launched since the ceasefire. Sources said the two main counter-insurgency forces, the Rashtriya Rifles and the Special Operations group of the Police have been given strict orders to avoid any `hot pursuit'.

Though the people don't give much credence to the foreign-militant dominated outfits opposition to this peace initiative, the security agencies feel the threat has increased immediately. ``There are elements, who have a vested interest in going against this peace process. They are trying to create a sensation,'' said Brigadier Mohan Bhandari, Brigade General Staff (BGS), 15 Corps. ``They will try to scuttle the peace process but we are alive to it,'' he said.

The police here believes that pan-Islamic outfit Lashkar-e-Toiba is behind today's blast in which a tourist, Satish Kanyal from Alwar, Rajasthan was killed while five others, Pawan Aggarwal, Satish, Deepak Gupta, Baks Gupta (all tourists from Alwar, Rajisthan) and the driver of the Tata Sumo Kewal Krishan of Nagrota, Jammu were seriously injured.

Director General of Jammu and Kashmir Police, Gurbachan Jagat, however, believes today's bomb blast as an attempt to scare away tourists. ``They are unnerved by the number of tourists roaming around here,'' he said. ``It would have been much more devastating otherwise. They have been attacking at tourist places but making it sure that there are minimum or no casualties,'' he said. However, he said, the ceasefire with the Hizb was successful and there was no report of any violation.

There is a growing belief that if the peace initiative does not get derailed and the modalities of the ceasefire get a bit clear, the opposition of the foreign-dominated outfits will not mean anything on ground. ``Hizb has been sustaining their militant activities despite the killing of around 5,500 of its cadres during the past 10 years. They are locals and know the nuances,'' a senior police officer said. ``The foreigners cannot even infiltrate without the local help. Militancy in Kashmir cannot sustain without Hizb's involvement''.