NEW DELHI: Twenty six year old ‘Yaseem Malik, president of the Jammu-Kashmir liberation Front (GKLF), has been shifted to Delhi from an Agra jail while three detained top militant leaders have ‘been moved to Jammu in the wake Of the firm assertion by the Center that it wanted to initiate political in the valley.

‘Yaseem Malik is very sick and reported to have been admitted in Delhi hospital. His mother and sister had recently come here all the way from Srinagar and met him in Agra where he had been kept in solitary confinement for nearly two years.

‘Three leaders who have been ‘moved to Jammu are: Abdul Ghani Lone (people’s Conference). All of them had been lodged amidst ‘tight security in a Mehrauli farm house during the last one year. ‘They have now been moved to a bungalow in Trikuta Nagar, a suburb on the outskirts of Jammu city.

A fourth leader, Syed Al Shah Geelani Jamaat-e-Islami), who ‘was also lodged in the Mehrauli

Farm house, has been shifted to ‘Agra jail. He is not keeping good health. Shabbi Shah Young leader of the Pro-Pakistan People’s League, who at the time was against the use of violence, has already been shifted to Jammu from Delhi.

‘Though the movement of these militant leaders looks significant view of Home Minister S.B. Chavan’s assertion the Government wanted to initiate a political dialogue, it is evident that no firm contact has been established with them as yet. Top Congress-I sources are confident that a breakthrough is possible through their own colleagues in the state.

‘Such confidence appears misplaced to many close observes of the Kashmir scene. ‘There is no indication that the militant leaders have given up their distrust of the ‘Congress (I) when has often maraqueities with close relatives and friends of jailed militant leaders, who have been allowed access to them, reveal that that there is no change in their tough stand. Lone, ‘Ansari and Prof Ghani and Geelani have participated in main stream politics at one time or the other. Except Geelani who belongs to the banned Jamaat-e-Islami which in tum controls the fundamentalist terrorist outfit? Hizbul Mujahideen the other three are linked with ‘mainly political groups which have no legal bar on continuing their activities. Their distrust of the Congress is also born of the Letter’s soft comer for the former Chief Minister Dr. Farooq Abdullah.

However there are indications that the Government is adopting a soft line towards the JKLF, compared to their militant organizations like Hizbul Mujahideen. This is evident not only from the movement of Malik from Agra to Delhi but also from the frequency with which Javed “Nalqa’”, chief commander Of the JKLF, holds Press conferences in the valley Militants deny any such arrangement. ‘They say that Javed derives this strength from the public support that is available to him and the caution that he exercise.

Article extracted from this publication >> March 13, 1992