SRINAGAR, July 9: The militant-turned-legislator, Kuka Parrey, said that about 3,500 foreign mercenaries, including a large number of Afghans, have infiltrated into Kashmir this season.

Expressing concern over the build up of mercenaries in areas hitherto free of pro-Pakistan militants, Parrey alleged the Ganderbal area, the constituency of Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah had been turned into a camp for these foreigners.

Talking to The Indian Express Kukka Parrey said, Ganderbal, a central Kashmir township, has become a base camp for mercenaries and their local allies belonging to the Hizbul Mujahideen. The reason for there being almost no resistance to their domination, Parrey said, was the fear among security forces that any mistake during counter-insurgency operations would be blown out of proportion by political pressures operating in the area. He alleged that the chief minister's constituency had been chosen carefully since it was strategically located. The mercenaries, he said, had mainly infiltrated into adjoining Manasbal and Srinagar city areas to create large-scale disturbances in the coming days.

However, Parrey said the the situation was redeemed by, serious differences between the Jamat-E-Islami, the main over-ground network of pro-Pakistan militants, the Hizbul Mujahideen organisation and the mercenaries.

``The Hizbul Mujahideen had recently proposed a plan to execute prominent Kashmiri intellectuals. The move was supported by the Jamait-e-Islami but the foreigners were opposing the strategy'', Parrey said. The main reason for their opposition to the plan was their fear that such a move would alienate the public from the separatists and they may be deprived of the goodwill of the locals.

Parrey attributed the rise in militancy in the Valley to a nexus between politicians of the ruling party and the militants in some areas, besides the influx of foreigners.He was, however, reluctant to divulge the names of those MLAs with alleged links with insurgents. ``At this stage it would be construed as my effort to help the enemy'', he said. Parrey, one of the three Opposition members in the Legislative Assembly from Kashmir, said he was dismayed over the ruling party apathy to the people's woes. ``These ministers are only after the blood of employees and officials''.

Copyright © 1997 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.