Mirwaiz Moulvi Farooq chairman of the Awami Action Committee, says, “I do not say there are No militants. But some people are trying to make a mountain out of a molehill. There are secessionists. But they are not communal and they are not terrorists.”
Referring to the mounting un employment among educated youth, Syed Mir Qasim, the former Congress Chief Minister of the State, asks: “When was Pakistan not training subversive elements? ‘Are we not providing the raw material? There are a large number of young men who may not be terrorists or militants. I will not still call it terrorism. I will call it militancy. for this, there are two reasons: the faith of the people in the ballot box has been shaken because of rigging and their is certain motivation provided by religion, making it a fight not only for Kashmiri identity but also for Islam.”
Almost all opposition leaders are convinced that the police operation in the Jama Masjid here on August 25 in search of alleged terrorists has alienated a sizable section of the people. Those who were rounded up are said to be innocent, They include minors as in the Operation Bluestar in the Golden Temple. What is not widely known is that the local Muslims sought to purify the mosque by washing it after the police action.
Article extracted from this publication >> October 20, 1989
