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Serious About Peace

Moderate Hizbs distance themselves from their militant cousins

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Serious About Peace
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This should be good news for Kashmir. The Hizbul Mujahideen (HM), the most dominant militant group operating in Jammu & Kashmir, seems headed for a split. Serious differences have emerged among top leaders of the HM over basic issues, including its future strategy in the Valley. The moderates, led by former chief commander Abdul Majid Dar, are advocating that the group opt for a ceasefire followed by the setting up of an alternative political platform. The hardliners, backed by Pakistan-based supreme commander Syed Salahuddin, oppose any idea of a ceasefire or the organisation entering politics.

The announcement that the HM is ready to consider a fresh ceasefire was made in Srinagar on November 20 by senior militant commander Asad Yazdani, who claimed to be the organisation's spokesman. Outlining the new line of thinking in the HM, he said: "The Hizb believes in a peaceful solution to the Kashmir problem and is ready to participate in negotiations provided India shows sincerity and agrees on tripartite talks. We announced a ceasefire last year to give peace a chance but our gesture came to naught due to the lack of sincerity on India's part."

Yazdani made one other announcement that could assume significance given the large number of foreign militants involved in the armed struggle in the Valley. He said that the Kashmir struggle had nothing to do with the Taliban or Osama bin Laden and was completely indigenous in its nature. Yazdani termed New Delhi's apprehensions on the influx of Taliban militia into Kashmir after their retreat from Afghanistan as unfounded. "It is wrong to assume that the Taliban militia, who have suffered a defeat in Afghanistan, will move into Kashmir and join the freedom struggle," Yazdani said. He claimed that "there is no link between any Afghan group and the ongoing armed struggle in Kashmir".

He also stressed that the Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT), the Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) and the Harkat-ul Jehad Islami are "guests" and should be working within the framework of policies formulated by militant groups in the Valley. "This movement is ours, we have initiated it and we will take it to its logical conclusion," he said.

But within 24 hours of Yazdani's press meet, Salahuddin issued a statement from Islamabad brushing aside any suggestion of a ceasefire. He, instead, vowed to intensify attacks on security forces in Kashmir. In Srinagar, his spokesman Mujatab Islam, in a statement, denied any Hizb move to set up a political platform. "We need no political platform as all our activities are and will take place under the banner of the Hizbul Mujahideen."

The future of Kashmir as well as that of the separatist movement could thus well evolve from whether the hawks or doves emerge as the dominant force within the HM. Insiders point to an emerging faction within the Hizb in the Valley which thinks their organisation post-9/11 can't afford to be clubbed with groups like the LeT or the JeM.

Senior separatist Kashmiri leaders have welcomed Yazdani's offer. Says Shabir Ahmad Shah of the Jammu-Kashmir Freedom Party: "It's a welcome step. If like-minded people or groups unite, we can evolve as a force to be reckoned with. The need to have a strong political platform is important today and the Hizb's initiative seems to be an outcome of that realisation."

Fearing that the Hizb's entry into the political arena would only marginalise it, the Hurriyat Conference has decided not to respond to the group's overtures. Yazdani criticised its reaction, saying: "They (the Hurriyat leaders) lack any strategy or policy to solve the Kashmir problem. We have never questioned the Hurriyat's credentials. However, we are not satisfied with their half-baked and flawed political statements that only create controversy."

The real strength of the moderates will only be gauged in the weeks to come. Srinagar is abuzz with talk of Hizb moderates chalking out their future plans and, in all probability, snapping ties with the Pakistan faction led by Salahuddin. They are also considering the idea of coming overground and launching their own political party. If that happens, it could add a new and positive dimension to the Indian peace initiative in the Valley.

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