SRINAGAR: Kashmiri separatists have rejected Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah’s notice to surrender within 30 days and said their fight will continue till the “goal of azadi” is achieved. Shoora e Jehad, a combine of six prominent militant organizations including Hizbul Mujahideen, Harkatul Ansar, Tehreekul Mujahideen. Al Baraq, Al Jihad and Al Ummer Mujahideen dismissed the ultimatum as “childish” and meaningless’, saying such Statements were not new. “The military government, earlier, served many such threats’. The Shoora said “and these could never make any difference.” The statement issued late on Monday said the Kashmin youth had taken to the gun with full confidence and conscience and knowing the consequences. “We will not shun it till the ongoing movement reaches its logical conclusion”, the statement added. Hizbul Mujahideen, the strongest militant organization operating in the State, in a separate statement, flayed the Chief Minister’s ultimatum and said that nobody would be allowed to lay low the sacrifices made by the people. The organization described the Chief Minister as a “puppet” and said that Dr. Abdullah belongs to the sort of people who “surrendered in 1953 and 75″. “They will not be allowed to repeat this in the face of the sacrifices people have made”. The Hizbul statement said the organization would see that the blood of the members of the “Mujahideen” and the people of Kashmir would not be wasted. Al Fateh Force, a major component of another militant amalgam, Islamic Resistance Forum, also rejected Dr. Abdullah’s ultimatum and said the Kashmiri youth would not give up the gun till they achieved their goal. The Fateh statement said that it was neither proper nor wise to surrender after the lives of more than 60 thousand people had been sacrificed. The militant group castigated the Chief Minister, as an “agent of the enemy’ ’and said that the group would not yield to any pressure. Ansarul Islam, Harkatul Momincen and Al Jihad, also decried Dr. Abdullah’s ultimatum and reiterated that they would not surrender arms till they achieved their objective. Dr. Abdullah had, served an ultimatum to the separatists to surrender their arms within 30 days, Meanwhile, the entire family of a National Conference functionary was wiped out in a South Kashmir village in two powerful explosions * Details available said that the two explosions occurred in the house of one Ghulam Hassan Nadaf, a block president of the ruling National Conference at Sin Gulwata village in Anantnag district in South Kashmir bringing down the house. Five members of the Nadaf’s family died instantly, those killed included three sons of Mr. Nadaf of whom one was a constable in the Jammu and Kashmir police and the other two were activists of the pro Government Muslim Mujahideen militant group. Mr. Nadif, himself was not present at his home when the incident took place. No definite clue was available as how the explosions occurred. Senior district authorities rushed to the spot to take stock of the situation. Officials suspect the hand of separatist militants behind the act. However, no militant group has so far owned responsibility. In a separate incident, four militants of the Hizbul Mujahideen, one Jammu and Kashmir Police personnel and a security jawan were killed in a gun battle between militants and security forces on the outskirts of Srinagar on Sunday. Two houses were also destroyed in the incident.
Article extracted from this publication >> October 23, 1996
