ELECTIONS '98
COMMENTARY
SPECIALS
INTERVIEWS
CAPITAL BUZZ
REDIFF POLL
DEAR REDIFF
THE STATES
YEH HAI INDIA!
ARCHIVES

Kashmiri counter-insurgents on the run

Mukhtar Ahmad in Srinagar

The pro-government militants, or 'friendlies', are on the run.

These militants, who had surrendered to the security forces and were turned against their erstwhile separatist comrades, dominated several areas of Jammu and Kashmir until a year ago, with even foreign mercenaries scared to enter.

The counter-insurgents had become so powerful that some even harboured ambitions of becoming politicians and ministers and contested the assembly election two years ago.

Today, however, the tide has turned and the counter-insurgents are being hunted down by pro-Pakistani terrorists.

Tuesday's elimination of the entire family of top counter-insurgent Ghulam Nabi Jan has underlined this new reality and hastened the disillusionment of the 'friendlies'.

They now accuse the government of having failed to provide them with sufficient security and the promised rehabilitation. Even those who were accommodated as MLAs and MLCs are now saying they must be allowed to migrate or set up their own armed groups for protection.

Abdul Rashid, a surrendered militant, blamed Jan's murder on a "security lapse". But a senior officer from the security wing of the state police said that despite strict instructions, the nearly 2,000 people under its protection often flout restrictions. He said all persons under protection have to inform the security wing about their movements to be provided with an official car and escort vehicle. But they seldom do so.

The experiment with counter-insurgency began in August 1995 with the Ikhwan-ul Muslimeen of Jamshed Shirazi aka Kuka Parray. Shirazi later entered politics and was elected to the state assembly in 1996.

Following Parray's example, several disgruntled elements from the ranks of the secessionists left and formed counter-insurgency groups. Two top leaders of these groups, Nabi Azad and Javed Shah, later joined the ruling National Conference.

But police officers now admit that the number of pro-government militants in the valley is dwindling. Several have been killed in north and south Kashmir.

They also fear that the elimination of several of these pro-government militants will have an adverse effect on the situation in the valley. Their biggest fear, however, is that the scare may spread to the grassroots political activists who, at great personal risk, helped to revive the political process in the state two years ago.

Tell us what you think of this report