News Analysis India

Tag: Jammu and Kashmir

  • Both factions of Hurriyat Conference likely to be banned under UAPA

    By PTI

    SRINAGAR: A ban under the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act may be imposed on both factions of the secessionist conglomerate Hurriyat Conference which has been spearheading the separatist movement in Jammu and Kashmir for over two decades, officials said.

    They said that a recent probe into the granting of MBBS seats to Kashmiri students by institutions in Pakistan indicates that the money collected from aspirants by some organisations which were part of the Hurriyat Conference conglomerate was being used for funding terror organisations in the union territory.

    The officials said both the factions of the Hurriyat are likely to be banned under Section 3(1) of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, or the UAPA, under which “if the Central Government is of opinion that any association is, or has become, an unlawful association, it may, by notification in the Official Gazette, declare such association to be unlawful”.

    They said that the proposal was mooted in accordance with the Centre’s policy of zero tolerance against terrorism. The Hurriyat Conference came into existence in 1993 with 26 groups, including some pro-Pakistan and banned outfits such as the Jamaat-e-Islami, JKLF and the Dukhtaran-e-Millat.

    It also included the People’s Conference and the Awami Action Committee headed by Mirwaiz Umer Farooq. The separatist conglomerate broke into two factions in 2005 with the moderate group being led by the Mirwaiz and the hard-line headed by Syed Ali Shah Geelani.

    So far, the Centre has banned the Jamaat-e-Islami and the JKLF under the UAPA. The ban was imposed in 2019.

    The officials said a probe into funding of terror groups indicated alleged involvement of secessionist and separatist leaders, including the members and cadres of the Hurriyat Conference who have been acting in connivance with active militants of proscribed terrorist organisations Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM), Dukhtaran-e-Millat (DeM) and Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT).

    The cadres raised funds in the country and from abroad through various illegal channels, including hawala, for funding separatist and terrorist activities in Jammu and Kashmir, they said.

    The funds collected were used for causing disruption in the Kashmir Valley by way of pelting stones on security forces, systematically burning schools, damaging public property and waging war against India as part of a criminal conspiracy, they claimed.

    Supporting the case for banning the two factions of the Hurriyat Conference under the UAPA, the officials cited several cases related to terror funding, including the one being probed by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in which several of the conglomerate’s cadres were arrested and jailed.

    Many of the second-rung cadres of both the factions are in jail since 2017, they said.

    Among those in jail are Altaf Ahmed Shah, the son-in-law of Geelani; businessman Zahoor Ahmed Watali; Geelani’s close aide Ayaz Akbar, who is also the spokesperson of the hardline separatist organisation Tehreek-e-Hurriyat; Peer Saifullah; Shahid-ul-Islam, spokesperson of the moderate Hurriyat Conference; Mehrajuddin Kalwal; Nayeem Khan; and Farooq Ahmed Dar alias ‘Bitta Karate’.

    Later, JKLF chief Yaseen Malik, DeM head Asiya Andrabi and pro-Pakistan separatist Masarat Alam were also named in a supplementary charge sheet in a case of terror financing.

    Another case which is likely to be cited for banning the two Hurriyat Conference factions is the one against PDP youth leader Waheed-ur-Rahman Parra, who is alleged to have paid Rs 5 crore to the son-in-law of Geelani for keeping Kashmir in turmoil after the death of Hizbul Mujahideen terror commander Burhan Wani in 2016, the officials said.

    The NIA has alleged that after the death of Wani, who was killed in an encounter with the Army in July 2016, Parra got in touch with Altaf Ahmad Shah, alias Altaf Fantoosh, and asked him to ensure that the Valley was kept on the boil with widespread unrest and stone pelting.

    Also, the Counter Intelligence (Kashmir), a branch of CID department of Jammu and Kashmir Police, registered a case in July last year following information that several unscrupulous persons, including some Hurriyat leaders, were hand in glove with some educational consultancies and are selling Pakistan-based MBBS seats and admission in other professional courses in various colleges and universities.

    At least four persons, including Mohammad Akbar Bhat alias Zaffar Bhat, self-styled chairman of Salvation Movement which is part of moderate Hurriyat Conference, were arrested in this case. It is alleged that the constituents of Hurriyat Conference were “selling” MBBS seats in Pakistan to Kashmiri students and using the money collected, at least partly, to support and fund terrorism.

    During the probe, it had surfaced that individual Hurriyat leaders had their quota of seats which were sold to people desiring to obtain MBBS and other professional degrees in one way or the other, the officials said.

    The officials said evidence showed that the money was “put into channels that ended up in supporting programmes and projects pertaining to terrorism and separatism like payment for organising stone pelting”.

    Citing investigation, the officials said that average cost of an MBBS seat in Pakistan was anything between Rs 10 lakh and Rs 12 lakh. In some cases, the fee was brought down on the intervention of Hurriyat leaders.

    Depending upon the political heft of the Hurriyat leader who intervened, concessions were extended to aspiring students, the officials said.

  • Several stranded in Jammu & Kashmir as 40 trains cancelled due to farmers’ protest in Punjab

    By PTI

    JAMMU: Thousands of passengers are stranded in Jammu and Kashmir as railway authorities have cancelled over 40 trains since Friday due to an ongoing agitation by farmers in neighbouring Punjab, officials said.

    Scores of farmers on Friday launched an indefinite agitation in Jalandhar and blocked train movement on the Ludhiana-Amritsar and the Ludhiana-Jammu railway routes to press the Punjab government to accept their demand to increase sugarcane prices and clear issues related to pending dues. “A total of 40 trains were cancelled since yesterday (Friday),” an official of the Northern Railways told PTI on Saturday.

    He said only a few trains left the Jammu railway station on a different route on Friday, while early Saturday morning rains in Delhi forced cancellation of some more trains bound for Jammu. “Twenty trains were cancelled on Saturday. Some trains scheduled later in the day are likely to leave the Jammu station for their destinations,” the official said.

    The cancellation of trains has left thousands of passengers stranded in Jammu and they were seen making desperate attempts to get information from railway authorities. “We had come for the Mata Vaishno Devi pilgrimage and came to know that all the trains have got cancelled due to the farmers’ agitation in Punjab,” Neha, a young woman from Haryana, said as she looked for buses or taxis to leave with her family.

    Another passenger from Ballia in Uttar Pradesh said, “The farmers should have given a 10-day ultimatum before launching the agitation so that people could plan their trip accordingly.”

    He said that his train was scheduled at 2 pm but its cancellation has left him and his family members stranded. “A traveller usually has a limited budget. How can I feed myself and other family members?” he said requesting the Punjab government to hold talks with the farmers as soon as possible and lift the blockades.

  • ‘Terrorists frustrated with our popularity’: Jammu & Kashmir BJP chief receives terror threat

    By PTI

    JAMMU: Pakistan-based terrorists are frustrated with the BJP’s growing popularity and are conspiring to derail the peace process in Jammu and Kashmir, senior party leader Ravinder Raina asserted on Saturday and said “intelligence agencies” have informed that a terror outfit has issued a threat against him.

    The Jammu and Kashmir BJP president also condemned the killing of party functionaries by terrorists in the Union Territory, saying they want to create fear among the people. The BJP also claimed that 23 of its members have been killed in the last two years in Jammu and Kashmir.

    In this month, terrorists killed two BJP functionaries — Javeed Ahmad Dar on August 17 in Kulgam and Ghulam Rasool Dar on August 10 in Anantnag. Dar’s wife was also killed in the attack. “I was informed by intelligence agencies about a threat statement of TRF (The Resistance Front) on social media against me. I was asked to stay alert although all necessary measures have been taken to counter the threat,” Raina told PTI.

    TRF is an offshoot of the Pakistan-based terrorist group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT). However, the BJP leader said he was least bothered by such threats which have become a routine. In April, he had received a call and a video message from a Pakistani mobile number with the caller introducing himself as a LeT commander and threatening him.

    “This shows the frustration in the ranks of the Pakistan-based terrorists over the growing popularity of the BJP, especially in the Valley. During my recent visit, thousands of people welcomed me in South Kashmir and took part in our rallies which has left the terror groups frustrated,” Raina said.

    He said the condemnable attacks on innocent BJP members were the outcome of the frustration on the part of the terrorists who want to derail the peace process and create fear among the local population.

    The BJP is not going to be cowed down by such threats and will continue to work for peace, progress and development of Jammu and Kashmir under the mission of ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas’, Raina said.

    He said the BJP is gaining ground across Jammu and Kashmir and is going to form the next government whenever the assembly elections are held. “Anti-national elements are frightened and they will not be spared,” the BJP’s J&K chief said.

  • Centre must step up outreach in Kashmir amid Afghan crisis: Ex-COAS General Shankar Roychowdhury

    By PTI

    KOLKATA: The government needs to step up its outreach in Jammu and Kashmir, reassuring the people that India will continue to be a secular democracy as the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan is likely to trigger a renewed offensive by Pakistan-based terror groups in the region, former Army chief General Shankar Roychowdhury said.

    Gen Roychowdhury, who commanded the 16 corps in Kashmir at the height of the militancy in the early 1990s, said that buoyed by the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan, Pakistan “will make a fresh bid on Kashmir”.

    He said that India needs to reach out to former Afghan government forces rallying around Ahmad Massoud, son of late legendary anti-Taliban commander Ahmad Shah Massoud, in Panjshir Valley, besides the factions within the Taliban that are friendlier to India. “We have to step up our outreach to Kashmiris, we also have to re-assure them that India will continue to be a secular democracy,” he told PTI in an interview.

    The 1999 hijack of the Indian Airlines plane to Kandahar by Pakistani terrorists is believed to have been with active cooperation of the earlier Taliban regime. India had to exchange top terrorists, including Jaish-e-Muhammed (JeM) founder Masood Azhar, for the passengers and the crew.

    “We need to understand that the (Taliban) victory in Afghanistan is being seen (by terror groups) as a Pakistani victory and India’s defeat…We have to organise ourselves for a renewed offensive by elements like the JeM,” said Gen Roychowdhury, a veteran of the 1965 and 1971 wars, besides several counter-insurgency operations.

    “We have to be prepared for Pakistani intentions (covert operations), supported by radical elements here,” he added.

    A study by French think-tank Centre d’ analyse du terrorisme (Centre for Analysis of Terrorism) published last week warned of the possibility of “more operational coordination between Pakistan-supported groups like the Lashkar e Toiba and JeM, and the Taliban”.

    India steadfastly refused to do business with the Taliban regime of the 1990s, which it saw as a proxy for Pakistan’s military. India continued to support the remnants of the Afghan government and later the Northern Alliance, aiding them with training and supplies.

    Gen Roychowdhury, who at present heads think-tank Research Centre for Eastern and Northeastern Studies, said India’s role in Afghanistan should revolve around providing training, relief materials and above all giving refuge to those who seek shelter. “People of Afghanistan remain our friends and we must be willing to give them refuge,” he said.

    He also warned that while Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina are on good terms, opposition forces in Bangladesh, which include “the entire radical set-up”, would be re-invigorated by the Taliban take over and they “may not let this chance slip by”.

    There has been a disquiet in India’s security community about the possibility of Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh drawing upon released Bangladeshi Taliban fighters, increasing their activities in bordering Indian states.

  • Three Jaish militants killed during gunfight Jammu and Kashmir’s Pulwama

    Express News Service

    SRINAGAR: Three militants of Jaish-e-Mohammad were killed in an encounter with security troops in the forest area of Tral in south Kashmir’s Pulwama district on Saturday.

    A police official said a joint party of police, CRPF and Army launched a search operation in upper reaches of the forest area of Nagbaeran Tral in Pulwama district in the early hours of Saturday after receiving inputs about the presence of militants there.

    He said during the operation, security men came under fire from militants hiding in the area.

    The fire was returned by the troops, triggering an encounter.

    The police spokesman said three Jaish militants were killed in the ongoing encounter.

    “The search operation is going on when reports last poured in,” he said.

    The spokesman said the identity of the militants killed in the gunfight are being ascertained.

    It is the third encounter in militancy-hit Jammu and Kashmir in three days.

    On August 19, a JCO of Army and a militant was killed in an encounter in Thanamandi area of Rajouri while two local militants of Hizbul Mujahideen were killed in a gunfight in Khrew, Pampore area of Pulwama yesterday.

  • Two militants killed in encounter with security forces in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pulwama

    By PTI

    SRINAGAR: Two militants were killed in an encounter with security forces in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pulwama district on Friday, officials said here.

    Security forces launched a cordon and search operation at Khrew in Pampore area of the district following information about the presence of militants there, the officials said.

    They said the search operation turned into an encounter after the ultras opened fire at the security forces which was retaliated.

    In the ensuing encounter, two militants were killed, the officials said.

    They said the identity and group affiliation of the slain ultras was being ascertained.

    Incriminating material including arms and ammunition have been recovered from the site of the encounter, they added.

  • Encounter breaks out between militants, security forces in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pulwama

    By PTI

    SRINAGAR: An encounter broke out between militants and security forces in Pulwama district of Jammu and Kashmir on Friday, officials said here.

    The security forces launched a cordon and search operation at Khrew in Pampore area of Pulwama district following information about presence of militants there, the officials said.

    They said the search operation turned into an encounter after the ultras opened fire towards security forces’ positions, which was retaliated.

    There were no casualties reported so far in the operation on either side, the officials said.

  • Army JCO killed in encounter with terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir’s Rajouri

    By PTI

    JAMMU: A Junior Commissioned Officer (JCO) of the Army was killed in an encounter with terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir’s Rajouri district on Thursday, a Defence spokesperson said.

    Security forces had launched a search operation in Thanamandi belt following inputs about the presence of terrorists there, a police official said.

    The search operation turned into an encounter after the terrorists opened fire on the forces, who retaliated, the official said.

    “One JCO of the Rashtriya Rifles had suffered bullet injuries in the encounter. The JCO was immediately evacuated to the nearest medical facility, but he succumbed to the injuries,” said Defence Public Relations Officer (PRO), Jammu, Lt Col Devender Anand.

    Rajouri SP Sheema Nabi Qasba said the encounter is going on.

    This is the second encounter in the area in August this year.

    One August 6, two Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorists were killed in an encounter with security forces in Thanamandi belt.

  • Soldier injured in encounter with terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir’s Rajouri

    By PTI

    JAMMU: A soldier was injured in an encounter with terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir’s border district of Rajouri on Thursday, sources said.

    Security forces had launched a search operation in Thanamandi belt following inputs about the presence of terrorists there, a police official said.

    The search operation turned into an encounter after the terrorists opened fire on the forces, who retaliated, the official said.

    One soldier was injured in firing by the terrorists, the sources said, adding he has been hospitalised.

    Rajouri SP Sheema Nabi Qasba said the encounter is going on.

    This is the second encounter in the area this month.

    One August 6, two LeT terrorists were killed in an encounter with security forces in Thanamandi belt.

  • BJP sarpanch arrested for brandishing pistol at patrolling team in Kashmir

    Express News Service

    SRINAGAR:

    SRINAGAR: A BJP sarpanch along with one other person was arrested for brandishing his pistol at a patrolling team of security forces in Kulgam in south Kashmir on Wednesday evening. The duo was on a motorcycle bearing registration No PB-H-1118 and were coming from Khudwani when they were stopped by a joint patrol party of Army’s 1 Rashtriya Rifles and the police. 

    Identified as Aqib Shafi Badder, he showed his pistol to the patrolling team when they signalled to stop him and tried to escape from the area, a police spokersperson said. “A pistol, two magzines and 12 rounds were recovered from the duo. 

    The other person was identified as Mohammed Amin Hajam, a resident of Anantnag. The security forces have registered an FIR under relevant sections of law against the duo. 

    BJP district president Kulgam Abid Hussain Khan confirmed with the New Indian Express that sarpanch Aqib Shafi had joined the party about five months back.“However, unfortunately we had no information that he had been a stone pelter, an FIR stands registered against him and he was an Over Ground worker of militants,” he said.

    Khan said police did not inform the party that he was a stone pelter and had received pellets in his left eye during security forces action.