KASHMIR SITUATION

CBI's Chargesheet against Top Hurriyat Leaders

The CBI has filed first information reports (FIR) against the All Party Hurriyat Conference leaders, Syed Ali Shah Gilani, Abdul Gani Lone and Maulvi Abbas Ansari, alleging that they have received huge sums for their political parties from abroad.

The CBI contends that the three politicians violated the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act. Besides, they are alleged to have kept a substantial part of the money for their personal use.

Preliminary investigations were carried out by the Farooq Abdullah government. The findings were referred to the Union Home Ministry, which in turn entrusted the case to the CBI on March 13.

According to the FIR Gilani received Rs.22 crore from abroad on behalf of his party, Jamait-e-Islami. It says his son-in-law Altaf Shah alias Santoshi, who runs a cloth shop in Srinagar's Lal Chowk, received two million riyals (approximately Rs. 2 crore) from Kashmiris in Saudi Arabia. No date is mentioned.

The report further states that in October 1995 Gilani accepted Rs. 10 crores, and in July Rs. 10 crore from the Kashmiri American Council for reconstruction of Charar-e-Sharif. The funds were collected allegedly on his behalf by Firdous Kirmani.

The FIR says Gilani used a part of the money to purchase property worth Rs. 87 lakhs in Altaf's name; two palatial houses in Srinagar, an orchard in Doru village, Sopore, and two double-storey houses at Dangarpora (Sopore) and at Pirbagh in Badgam.

The CBI has accused Lone, chairman of the People's Conference, of being on the payroll of the Pakistani secret service ISI on a stipend of Rs.30 lakh a month. Again there are no dates.

It appears from the report a Pakistani called Mohommed was arrested. Delhi on February 29, 1993. "Anis stated that he had given Rs. 3,02,000 to Shabnam, who handed it over to her father".

Lone toured Saudi Arabia, the UK, the USA and Iran from February through June 1993, ostensibly for medical treatment. The FIR says his tour expenses and medical bills were picked up partly by the prime minister of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, Abdul Qayyum Khan, and Dr. Gulam Nabi Fai of the Kashmir American Council.

The FIR says Lone received Rs. 10 crores sent through hawala channels from the USA by Dr. Fai in July 1995. The money was sent for the reconstruction of Charar-e-Sharif. According to the CBI, Noor Haji, who exports carpets to Saudi Arabia, is the front man for Lone. He received funds through hawala, which he passes on to Lone. The CBI says these contributions financed a palatial house in Srinagar and a number of flats in Delhi

Ansari, leader of the Anjuman-e-Ithad-ul-Muslameen party, accompanied by Mirwaiz Umar Farooq of the Awami Action Committee, visited Casablanca in Morocco on December 13, 1994 for the seventh Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC) summit. From there they proceeded to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on December 26.

The case against Ansari is that in Jeddah he urged Kashmiri and Pakistani expatriates to donate a month's salary for the "liberation of Kashmir". He is said to have collected one million Saudi riyals from the expatriates and two million from the Saudis.

The next stopover was Kuwait, where he allegedly collected Kuwait dinars 25,000 from the Pakistani community and 2,000 from Haji Afzal Noor, president of the expatriate Pakistani People's Centre (approximately Rs. 27 lakhs). It is also alleged that he got money from the ISI and Iran.

"Ansari has built a palatial house at Ali Musjid Zadi Bal Road and is developing a significant Karan Nagar, Srinagar", says the FIR. "He has also purchased a house from Dr. Nazir Ahmed Jaffri at Khan Kahi Sokhtas and a house for his brother at Khaewan, Narwara in Srinagar. He owns Alfia Musalmeen printing press and purchased two Ambassador cars. '

(Source: Rajesh Ramachandran in The Week, 11 May, 1997)

Government Statements On Jalil Andrabi's Murder

 The High Court of Jammu and Kashmir, in its order of 10th April, 1997, has directed the Special Investigating Team enquiring into Jalil Andrabi's case to secure the presence for questioning of a Territorial Army Officer, Major Avtar Singh. The concerned Army authorities have also been asked to render all possible help to the Special Investigating Team in this regard.

(Source: LSUQ No. 4793 dated 6 May, 1997 by K. Bose)

On Terrorists Activities in J&K

No. of Terrorist Incidents:

1996                                                    4224

199                                                      820 (upto March 31)

No. of Persons Killed:

                                    Civilians         Militants         SF

1996                            1333                1329                241

1997                            247                  273                  32

(upto March 31)

Details of Property Damaged:

                        Govt.Bldg.      Educ.Instt.       Houses            Bridges             Shops

1996                      49                     67                612                      7                  264

1997                       5                       4                  128                     2                   16

(Upto March 31)        

(Source: LSSQ No. 434/6 May, 1997 by R.K. Pandey & J.V.S. Drona)