Army’s flag march brings calm to curfew-bound Valley

Bar chief Mian Qayoom detained under PSA, lodged in Heera Nagar Jail

Ahmed Ali Fayyaz

SRINAGAR, Jul 7: Even as it returned to barracks within one hour, Army today brought total calm to Kashmir valley with a flag march in this curfew-bound capital city amid day-long confusion over deployment of regular combat troops. In the face of indications of a fresh crackdown against actors of current political turbulence, Omar Abdullah’s government has detained High Court Bar Association (HCBA) President and influential separatist leader, Mian Abdul Qayoom, under Public Safety Act (PSA) and lodged him in a jail at Heera Nagar in Jammu.

Defence spokesman, Col J S Brar, told Early Times from Srinagar headquarters of Army’s 15th Corps that in response to a communication from the state government, Army today conducted a flag march in Srinagar. He made it clear that it was a brief military intervention and troops returned to the barracks within an hour. He admitted that Army was in a “stand-by mode” and would move out within minutes when required but asserted that it was not meant to deal with law and order situation.

SSP Srinagar, Syed Ashiq Hussain Bukhari, endorsed the assertion of Defence spokesman and explained that a convoy of some eight vehicles conducted a flag march from Badami Bagh cantonment to Srinagar Airport and back to its formation through Civil Lines in the forenoon. He said that there was absolutely no deployment of Army in Srinagar as the thin convoy with all the troops had returned to the barracks. He also disputed the volume of Police and paramilitary deployment in the capital city and asserted that the statistics projected by national news channels (35,000 men) were wrong. According to him, total number of Police personnel on duty in Srinagar district was around 5,000 and 3,000 men drawn from six battalions of CRPF were assisting Police in maintenance of law and order.

With the wire agencies and national news channels reporting deployment of Army in Srinagar and broadcasting special programmes on “Army’s first take over in 15 years”, this correspondent did not find a single trooper or Army vehicles during his extensive tour in curfew-bound capital city from 1300 hours to 1900 hours.

Surprisingly even the Union Minister of State for Defence, M M Palam Raju, told mediapersons in New Delhi that troops would return to the barracks as soon as there was improvement in the situation. He asserted that it was a short term military intervention. On one point of time, District Magistrate of Srinagar, Meraj Ahmed Kakru, told Early Times that the civil administration had requisitioned for Army deployment. He said that troops would move out in a while as all decks had been cleared for their deployment. However, no deployment or movement of regular combat troops was in sight anywhere in the capital till midnight.

In the evening, a high level official delegation from New Delhi arrived in to assess the latest obtaining security scenario in follow up to today’s meeting of Cabinet Committee on Security Affairs, presided over by Prime Minister. The team, headed by union Home Secretary G K Pillai and Director General of Military Operations held a series of meetings with senior government functionaries, defence and intelligence officials till late tonight. Sources revealed that CCS would take a final decision with regard to J&K Government’s requisition for Army deployment on the basis of the report likely to be submitted to Prime Minister on Thursday.

Late evening reports from Delhi said that Chief Minister Omar Abdullah spoke to both, Prime Minister as well as the Union Home Minister, and apprised them of the latest political and security situation in Jammu & Kashmir.

In apprehension of largescale street demonstrations, clashes and violence over death of four more youth in different incidents of firing and baton charge on Monday and Tuesday in Srinagar, authorities today enforced curfew strictly. Curfew was officially declared in Srinagar, Anantnag and Sopore but remained in force without a formal announcement in some other major townships and rural district headquarters. Reports said that barring few minor clashes and incidents of stone pelting on Police and CRPF in interior localities, there was no major violation of curfew today. One-odd disturbance in Srinagar was yet again in Batmaloo interior where scores of people came out and engaged Police and CRPF in a clash.

Official as well as independent sources maintained that nobody was killed or injured in today’s clashes and demonstrations. According to these sources, there was calm in Srinagar and entire Kashmir valley even as some minor incidents of stone pelting were reported from Baramulla, Sopore and Manigam area of Ganderbal. Amarnath Yatra proceeded smoothly as no untoward incident has been reported since the day annual pilgrimage commenced earlier this month.

Apparently casting a psychological impact, Army’s brief flag march in Srinagar also brought calm to rest of the Valley which was on the edge yesterday. Contrary to pro-Azadi, pro-Islam and anti-India slogans over the public address system of scores of mosques last evening, there was total calm in the curfew-bound Valley towns today. Police and CRPF enforced restrictions strictly. Even as most of the mediapersons were permitted to carry out their duties, a number of them complained that CRPF roughed them up and did not allow their movement as DC Srinagar refused to issue any curfew passes to the journalists.

Meanwhile, in a significant development, Police today arrested HCBA Chairman, Advocate Mian Abdul Qayoom, detained him under PSA for two years, shifted him to Jammu and late tonight lodged him in a sub jail at Heera Nagar. An influential and audacious separatist leader, Qayoom has been arrested and detained under PSA for the first time in nearly two decades of the secessionist movement. With his arrest, Omar Abdullah’s government seems to have sent a tough and terse signal of crackdown against the actors of current turmoil in Valley. Sources, believed to be well informed, said that Police and other government agencies had launched a manhunt for over 100 more separatist activists, notably the detained Hurriyat Chairman Syed Ali Shah Geelani’s confidante, Massarat Aalm, and Dukhtaraan-e-Millat chief, Asiya Andrabi. However, according to these sources, there were currently no plans of detaining head of another faction of the Hurriyat Conference, Miwaiz Umar Farooq, Prof Abdul Ghani Bhat, Bilal Gani Lone, Maulvi Abbas Ansari and Aga Syed Hassan.

Lawyers’ fraternity in Srinagar has taken exception to the arrest of HCBA chief and announced boycott to all court proceedings in Kashmir for the next three days. HCBA spokesman Ghulam Nabi Shaheen disclosed that the lawyers’ forum would announce its fresh resistance programme over Qayoom’s arrest at a news conference here tomorrow.

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