Kashmir Coalition to Free Some Detainees

27/10/2002| IslamWeb

Indian Kashmir's new ruling coalition moved to reconcile nationalists Sunday, by vowing to release some political prisoners and probe custodial deaths, but left it to the federal government to open talks with the fighters."The goal of the coalition is to heal the physical, psychological and emotional wounds inflicted by 14 years of militancy," said an action plan agreed by the regional People's Democratic Party and the main opposition Congress.

The PDP, whose leader Mufti Mohammad Syed will be the new chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir, had campaigned in state elections on a platform of unconditional talks with kashmiri nationalist fighters to end a bloody 13-year revolt.

But the two parties, whose action plan came after two weeks of debate and wrangling over who would lead the coalition, threw the ball in the federal government's court over the sensitive issue of talks with the nationalists.

"We will request the government of India to initiate and hold sincerely and seriously wide-ranging consultations and dialogue without conditions with members of the legislature and other segments of public opinion," the plan said.

It did not say exactly who the talks should be held with.

The Congress, which also advocates a negotiated settlement of the revolt in the Muslim-majority region, has not said whether kashmiri nationalist fighters should be included in the talks or if they should be held without pre-conditions.

Nationalist groups boycotted the elections, calling them no substitute for a U.N. mandated plebiscite to decide whether Muslim-majority Kashmir should be part of secular but mainly Hindu India or Islamic Pakistan.

India's federal government, which blames Pakistan for fomenting the Kashmir revolt, has said it will discuss with new legislators demands for greater autonomy to the region, where the revolt has killed more than 35,000 people.

"Our policy will be to give a healing touch and win the hearts of the people," Syed, who was federal home minister when the revolt broke out late in 1989, told reporters.

"Prisoners against whom there are no cases will be freed. Many people are held under political grounds, we do not want to keep our people in jails," he said.

LITTLE HOPE AMONG KASHMIRIS

Kashmir's main city Srinagar was shut Sunday after nationalists called a protest strike to mark the 55th anniversary of the arrival of Indian troops in the Himalayan region.

Many Kashmiris, locked in a cycle of violence between kashmiri nationalist fighters and security forces, said they did not think the new administration would make a difference to their lives.

"Neither Abdullahs nor Muftis can change (the) situation in Kashmir," said businessman Reyaz Ahmad Bhat, referring to the powerful Abdullah family whose National Conference party was ejected by the elections. "Only God can save us."
It is not yet clear what role Syed's charismatic daughter, Mehbooba Mufti, who is widely said to be behind the party's strong showing in the elections, will have in the government.

Analysts were pessimistic of Syed's chances.

"He (Syed) is not going to make a much difference on the ground, because of the complexity of the issues involved," political expert Noor Ahmad Baba said. "However he might try to win goodwill of people by relaxing the security situation."
The coalition also promised to relocate men of the Special Operations Group, a counter-insurgency force of the Kashmir police whom nationalists and rights groups say abused their power.

India had banked on the elections to boost the legitimacy of its rule in the Himalayan territory, which was at the heart of a 10-month military faceoff with nuclear rival Pakistan that the foes said last week they would begin winding down.

PHOTO CAPTION

A Kashmiri Muslim woman collects saffron flowers in a wicker basket at a farm in Pampore, about 20 kilometers (13 miles) south of Srinagar, India, Sunday, Oct. 27, 2002. The stigma of the mauve flower is used as an aromatic herb around the world. It takes 75,000 flowers to produce a kilogram of saffron, an expensive spice used for coloring and flavoring food. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)