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Hizb statement stuns Hurriyat;
amalgam adopts taciturn policy

The recent statement of senior Hizbul Mujahideen militant Asad Yazdani of forming its own political party appears to have stunned the Hurriyat Conference, an amalgam of 23 political parties, into silence with no leader willing to comment on the possibility of the formation of a new separatist political outfit.

"We can frame our own policies and we do not wan take diktats from any one," Yazdani had told a local news agency in Srinagar on Monday.

The Hizb's decision was based on the widespread perception that the amalgam had not lived up to the expectations of the people of Jammu and Kashmir.

When asked about the Hizb's plan, Hurriyat chairman Abdul Gani Bhat said, "I have no comments to offer."

However, the reticence on the part of the leaders could also stem from the fear of annoying militants and inviting their wrath, say Hurriyat insiders.

They point out that some militant outfits, notably Al-Barq, had already trained their guns on the amalgam leadership for alleged misuse of funds.

Political observers said the new developments had completely marginalised the entire Hurriyat leadership and it was the militants who were calling the shots.

The gulf between the Hizb and the Hurriyat started widening especially after the militant outfit suddenly announced a unilateral ceasefire in July last year, which came in for a sharp criticism by the conglomerate.

However, Pakistan-based leaders of the Hizb on Wednesday eased some of the pressure on the Hurriyat Conference with a statement disowning Yazdani's comments. This followed frantic messages from the amalgam leadership to its mentors across the border.

Yazdani's statement highlighted the fact that the valley-based Hizb was in no mood to take diktats from across the border and that the clout of its erstwhile chief commander in the valley Abdul Majid Dar within the organisation was intact.

Some time back, the Hizb's Pak-based leadership had appointed Saif-ul-Islam to take charge of its operations in the valley in place of Dar.

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