SRINAGAR, India: New killings and the detention of 19 journalists by Muslim guerrillas in Kashmir have clouded New Delhi’s plan to bring peace to the region by holding local elections, analysts and residents said Tuesday. A splinter separatist group held 19 journalists hostage for 10 hours Monday after local newspapers refused to obey the group’s order to close temporarily when they did not publish one of its statements.

The seizure of the journalists coincided with an all-party meeting in New Delhi that approved Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda’s plan to hold state assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir in September, the first in nine years. “Do you think the situation is conducive for the so-called assembly polls?” asked Abdul Ghani Bhat, leader of the All Parties Hurriyat (Freedom) Conference, which groups 30 separatist religious or political groups.

“Over a two dozen people have died and 19 journalists were kidnapped Monday,” he said, referring to the killing of migrant workers by militants. Bhat said the journalists’ ordeal and continued killings threw into question New Delhi’s claim that violence was on the wane in Jammu and Kashmir, the only Muslim majority state in mainly Hindu India.

Every day at least 10 people die in militancy related incidents and still the government claims that the situation is conducive for the assembly elections in the state. It is ridiculous,” said local journalist Mukhtar Ahmad. Hospital sources and police say more than 20,000 people have been killed in the six year insurgency waged by dozens of separatist groups, which are fighting for absolute freedom or for merger with neighboring Pakistan.

Government officials said Deve Gowda’s promise of political autonomy for Jammu and Kashmir and signs of an economic recovery in Kashmir could help a peace process.

During India’s general elections in May, Kashmir was relatively free of incidents after several separatist leaders were put under house arrest.

But with more people and political parties involved in the local assembly polls, police fear an increase in violence.

Article extracted from this publication >>  July 10, 1996