Posted on 05/24/2002 5:32:00 PM PDT by swarthyguy
Crackdown on freedom fighters launched
ISLAMABAD: The military government in Pakistan has finally averted a war with India by guaranteeing that neither would it extend any material support to the Kashmiri freedom fighters, nor the territory of Azad (Independent) Kashmir will be allowed to be used by the Kashmiri freedom fighters.
The sources in the federal capital said that the military government compromised on the half a century old stance of Pakistan that Kashmir was a disputed territory and an unfinished agenda of the partition, and Pakistan would continue to support the struggle of Kashmiri people by all means.
The country has fought two major wars with India over Kashmir but governments in Pakistan never surrendered to the pressure of the Indian government. But Musharraf government that lacks popular support in home and abroad compromised on the right to self determination of the people of Kashmir only to perpetuate its rule, commented a political analyst.
Soon after the assurances to United States, European Union, India and United Nations that Pakistan would effectively stop the Kashmiri freedom fighters jihad in Indian occupied Kashmir, General Musharraf issued directives to the Ministry of Interior and all the four provinces to step up the crackdown on Kashmiri Jihadi groups including Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Muhammad.
During the crackdown on these groups, which was started about two weeks ago after the terrorist attack in Jammu, the government has arrested almost 1500 activists from the religious parties and Jihadi organizations such as Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Muhammad.
According to the fresh directives, the government has asked the law enforcing agencies to arrest each and every person associated with Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Muhammad. It is learnt that the government is amending the MPO to create a provision for the continuing imprisonment of religious activists without any charges or cases against them.
Lahore High Court had set free Hafiz Muhammad Saeed, founder of Lashkar-e-Taiba when the government could not justify his detention. According to the current provisions of the Maintenance Public Order (MPO) Ordinance, the government cannot detain anybody without specific charges or reasons that convince a judge of the High Court that the continuing detention of the person is must for public order.
To the dismay of the military rulers of Pakistan, Indian Prime Minister has refused to remove the troops from the border until actions of Musharraf government match its words. Hindustan Times reported that India has given Pakistan two months to stop all sorts of interference with Kashmir, however the Indian government has denied that Pakistan is given any specific time.
Not only that India has refused to pull back the troops, it is continuing shelling by heavy artillery in Azad Kashmir. Two persons were killed and several houses and a mosque were severely damaged by the Indian shelling in Azad Kashmir on Friday increasing the death toll to 26.
According to the sources General Musharraf was under pressure from United States and European Union to accept the Indian demands and stop supporting the Kashmir freedom fighters. Musharraf was not in a position to resist this pressure as his very own survival and perpetuation of his rule depended on the support of the US, analysts believe.
Meanwhile, All Parties Hurriet Conference (APHC), an alliance of the Kashmiri parties leading the freedom movement, has rejected an offer for talks from the Indian Prime Minister and made it clear that talks sans Pakistan cannot help in establishing peace in the region.
The APHC reiterated that the struggle for the independence of Kashmir will continue. 90,000 Kashmiris have sacrificed their lives for the independence of Kashmir and the people of Kashmir would not betray them, the APHC added.
Musharraf (mostly) lives in this century, along with the rest of the world. He is a shrewd man and politician. Most likely, the crackdown IS for real...within the constrainst of what the rabid radicals in his country will allow....that is, how much they dare to do behinf Musharraf's back. He wants to stay in power. We probably NEED for him to stay in power.
Without inja's 'irrational and jingoistic' stance he would have let these jihadis be;
he arrested them in last fall and released them anyway.
What remains to be seen are his actions against the jihadi strongholds in kashmir.
Joint Pakistani/Indian army ops against jihadis?
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