No Al Qaeda in Kashmir

By Abdul Latif Bhat

KW archives file: November 2003


"Kashmir has become another terrific recruiting force for Al Qaeda," a UK government official dealing with counter-terrorism told a few days ago in London to visiting Indian journalists. It is not the first time that Kashmir struggle was linked with Al-Qaeda. Only a month ago, the Indian Army chief Gen N C Vij in a press conference at Jammu also admitted that there could be "some presence" of Al-Qaeda militants in Jammu & Kashmir.

Few months ago the daily Hindustan Times in a book review by Rohan Ganartana of "Inside Al Qaeda" concluded that Al-Qaeda is planning to enter Kashmir in the near future.

The same newspaper dated 12th June 2002 while quoting DIG BSF R S Bhullar claimed the existence of Al-Qaeda in Bandipore in North Kashmir and Khagh, Beerwah in the centre of Kashmir, however remains to be confirmed even by a single incidence of the presence of Al Qaeda.

Later two other writers, Josey Joseph and B Raman, made disclosures in a news portal in the month of May and tried to link Kashmir freedom movement with Al-Qaeda.

Al Qaeda, a worldwide Jehadi network, captured the attention of international media after the historic event of 9/11. Media controlled by Jewish lobby gifted Osama bin Ladin a Saudi national the otherwise unachievable heights of fame. The lobby on the front of media, as is a known fact, was already all set against Islam and the Muslims of the world. And the 9/11 incident intensified their propaganda against Islam and the Muslims world over.

It is a historical fact that from the early days of Islam the infidel powers always tried to put off the light of Islam however despite their typhoonic propaganda Islam became even brighter. The war became historic redundance and where ever and whenever there were messengers; saints and scholars spreading Islam the negative propaganda of infidels played its own role irrespective of their success and failure to harm Islam.

History is a standing-out witness that the dissenting propaganda from infidels has always turned against the infidels only. It got also proven in the case of post 9/11 propaganda whose sole direction was to prove Osama, a terrorist however much to the disappointment of Jewish lobby Osama emerged as a hero of Muslim community.

The Jews and other of their sympathisers caught in the fear-psychosis of the jehadi movement are maneuvering to label Islamic warriors as terrorists and jihad as a terrorism. This again proved a realization for the oppressed Muslim community that they are being declared terrorists and their religion is being subjugated under the farcical criticism of Jewish lobby. Failing in their entire endeavors even Jewish lobby realize that Islam has become more prominent.

Reports suggest that the people in America and Europe are nimbled to embrace Islam. The detestation spread against Islam and Jihad is resulting into its acceleration and the Muslims have become more prone to Jihad fighting for the legacy of Islam.

Even the tactics employed to crush Al Qaeda network proved more than a failure and in fact it has extended its network more than earlier. America exploited 9\11 incident in propaganda against Al Qaeda however the truth coming to the floor and with the increasing American atrocities Muslims are merge with Al Qaeda and are ready to fight the American war against Islam. Even the Arabs are being engulfed in the wave of curiosity after the America's illegal and unilateral war against Iraq. The reaction of this illegitimate occupation on Iraq becomes too obvious with the rising incitement and needs no elaboration and the responsibility solely lies with America and its allies who challenged the Arabs after nearly crushing Iraq.

K.P.S.Gill former Police Chief of Punjab regarded as an expert on global terrorism, had alarmed America about the consequences of war against Iraq. "The greater danger however, is that a war against Iraq may lead to more violence and instability in the immediate neighbourhood especially in Pakistan, Afghanistan and possibly in Iran and Saudi Arabia as well. There are already indications of spurt in terrorist activities in Afghanistan and this trend can be expected to intensify when the campaign against Iraq begins", Gill had pointed out. before the war on Iraq broke out. Much to the disappointments of American expectations Iraqis never welcomed the American troops. The absence of proper government in America resulted in anarchy and Iraq got turned into a shelter for warriors rendering the scene after Russian occupation of Afghanistan.

America tried to kill two birds with one stone. After Afghanistan America entered Iraq and started harrasing the other countries like Syria, Iran and North Korea. Garner an American general appointed to govern Iraq indicated in his statement that they wanted to enter Kashmir by force under the garb of Kashmir Road Map. In fact Garner had a hidden agenda of capturing Kashmir. If not so then what could be the meanings of such a statement from the battlefield of Iraq.

The decision of Pakistan and India to solve the Kashmir issue bilaterally through dialogue is very wise. America fears the situation, as both the countries very recently were at daggers drawn against each other but now that they are reconciling with each other America wants to spoil the broth as the unison between both the countries would put an end to the American hegemony in this part of world.

The change in Kashmir map by C.I.A and pronouncing the 'Mujahideen' as the terrorists indicates that C.I.A wants to blackmail Pakistan and ensure that American role in Kashmir cannot be ruled out.

Now on the above deliberations and statements let's take the stock of our main question whether Al-Qaeda remained in touch with Kashmir or not? The head of Al-Qaeda is a Saudi millionaire Osma who took part in Afghan jihad against Russia when America was aiding and abetting the mujahideens. At that time it was Holy War for America and now it considers the same as terrorism.

It is a known fact that in 1988 when the Kashmiris resorted to armed uprising against India they traveled through out the world to seek the support for their movement. Some of them came across Afghanistan and were trained there. They also bumped on mujahideens from the world across participating in jihad against Russia and most of whom where Arabs.

In 1989-90 struggle turned into mass movement and thousands of Kashmiris were killed. The mujahideen in Afghanistan turned the face of their struggle to Kashmir hoping that they would liberate it from India within weeks.

But the warfare in Kashmir was totally different from that of Afghanistan. The different war strategy needed to be employed. The warriors had thought that they would attack the Indian forces and come back in the area that they would have already brought under their control. But they found the situation entirely unlike Afghanistan.

The Kashmiris advised the guest warriors to restrict their movement by adopting Hit-and-Run tactics, which fell upon the deaf ear of the guest warriors and would always react by saying, 'it is a cowardice act to hide themselves from the enemy'. Thus the guest warriors remained stuck to the policy of Afghan war, which resulted in their one by one killings and the remaining migrated back to join Afghan jihad. At the same period few of the Arab mujahideen had also entered Kashmir and they too adopted the same tactics and were all killed at last. The names of Akhter Abdul Rehman of Bahrain and Engineer Ibni Masood of Sudan are few to be mentioned. These were the times when Kashmiris were also present in Afghanistan having direct links and approaches with the warriors in Afghanistan. Had Kashmiris wished then, they could have convinced the guest warriors including the Arabs to fight in Kashmir when the jihad in Afghanistan was legitimised by America.

Now we see even the countries like Pakistan disowning any kind of links with Al-Qaeda, then how could it be possible that Kashmiris will join the hands with Al-Qaeda. As by doing so the Kashmiris understand that their political and democratic struggle would get clouded down, hence nullifying the existence of Al-Qaeda in Kashmir.

The proof given by Raman is that the policy of fidayeen attacks in Kashmir is the result of Al-Qaeda 's planning. But here Raman is losing the sight of the fact that this policy was adopted right after the Kargil war when Pakistan retreated from its positions realizing that the Kashmir struggle would be pursued by Kashmiris with their own sources and power.

The first fidayeen attack was done by the activists of Hizbul Mujahideen in the area of Natnusa of Kupwara district in the month of August 1999 in which about 50 warriors took part out of them seven were killed, however they also killed and wounded dozens of the Indian troops. Other mujahideen organizations followed and pursued the fidayeen attacks in entire Jammu and Kashmir.

It is also undeniable fact that during the Taliban rule in Afghanistan, India also raised hue and cry that Taliban were about to enter Kashmir. Perhaps the world was unaware of this reality that the mujahideen who fought against Russia were more interested to participate in Kashmir struggle. If the countries who fear the Al Qaeda that it's another station might be Kashmir, then why don't they endeavor to pressurize India to solve this dispute once for all. So that Kashmir can be saved from an unseen Al Qaeda net.

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