JAMMU: A number of militant outfits, particularly Hizbul Mujahideen, have claimed that they have immobilized all sources of Indian intelligence agencies, and the intelligence network built by the insurgents was far superior to that of Government agencies.

This claim is contained in a recent communication these militant outfits have sent to the ISI. According to reports from across the border, Kashmiri militants had stated that over 15,000 sources, working for different Indian intelligence agencies in Kashmir, had been “rendered useless” after over three dozen of them were killed, over 30 others injured and several having switched their loyalty to insurgents. This had accentuated fear among the sources, resulting in total collapse of the Government intelligence network.

It is believed that the communication was sent to the ISI with the sole purpose of encouraging official agencies across the border for increasing the supply of arms and ammunition, besides money to the militants in Kashmir, Hizbul Mujahideen in its communication urged the ISI and the Pakistani agencies to step up arms assistance and other moral and material aid so that the current anti-India campaign was carried to its logical conclusion.

According to these reports, several leaders and some representatives from the Kashmir valley had a detailed discussion with Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif at his residence in Islamabad a month ago, where the latest communication from the militants was discussed. Those who attended the meeting included Mr Atiq Ahmed Khalid, Secretary, General Islami Jamaite Tulba, Punjab, Mr Jehangir Khan, Punjab University Student Union chief, Mr Ghulam Mohd, Sufi, one of the commanders of Hizbul Mujahideen, Mr Muzaffar Khan, JKLF leader, chief of the World Kashmir freedom movement, Dr Ayub Thakur, Mr Azia-ul-Haq, Minister for Labour and Industry, who is also the son of late Zia-ul-Haq, and other representatives of some militant bodies,

A decision was taken at the meeting that agencies connected with the liberation of Kashmir would prepare literature on Kashmir would prepare literature on Kashmir history in different languages and circulate the material throughout the world through embassies so that world opinion was mobilized in favour of Pakistan’s right to annex Kashmir.

At the meeting with Mr Nawaz Sharif and later with “Azad” Kashmir President, Sardar Abdul Qayyum Khan, and the Prime Minister, Mr Mumtaz Rathore, the Kashmir militant leaders pleaded with Pakistani leaders to restructure Islamabad’s foreign policy in such a way as would deprive India of its current support from the USA, the Soviet Union, Britain and France.

Between April and September last the Government had succeeded in establishing good intelligence network which enabled the security forces to arrest a number of insurgents and eliminate another group of them after the militants directed their guns against police informers, rough estimates say at least 200 such informers have been killed so far.

Article extracted from this publication >> February 22, 1991