Confused Hizb men go underground

SRINAGAR, AUGUST 7: Last-ditch efforts are being made to convince Hizbul chief Syed Salahudin to extend his August 8 deadline and give unc...

SRINAGAR, AUGUST 7: Last-ditch efforts are being made to convince Hizbul chief Syed Salahudin to extend his August 8 deadline and give unconditional talks a chance. Salahudin had demanded that New Delhi should, by tomorrow, agree to involve Pakistan in the dialogue process.

In fact, Hizbul8217;s operational chief Majeed Dar and his commanders 8212; all of whom have gone underground snapping any links with Government officials 8212; are confused regarding their next step given that the Centre has ruled out tripartite talks. It is learnt that Salahudin has asked Dar to buildpressure on the Government and convince them that Pak involvement wasimperative. 8220;If India agrees to a tripartite dialogue, then we are ready foronly bilateral talks with Delhi at the first stage,8221; he said in a recentinterview in Pakistan.

However, sources revealed that friction on the deadline issue won8217;t boil over into a split, at least for now. 8220;Everybody knowsthat the outfit will vanish if there is a breakup. And this process willalso end as nobody will accept the dialogue of a splinter group,8221; a Hizbulsympathiser said. 8220;To go ahead with the dialogue or not, the Hizbulhas to take a collective decision.8221;

What didn8217;t help matters was the earlier statement from New Delhi that talks would held within the ambit of the Constitution. Tempers ran high in the Hizbul camp and Dar called it a 8220;big joke.8221;

8220;The Government of India8217;s earlier response had generated hope among thepeople. However, Prime Minister Vajpayee8217;s recent remarks that thedialogue will be within Indian constitution has dashed all hopes that thedark days are numbered,8221; Dar said in a statement.

Dar claimed that the Hizbul was seriously considering whether to go ahead with ceasefire or not. 8220;However a final decision will be taken by the Command Council.8221;

However, after Vajpayee made it clear that as in the case of Nagaland, talks would continue even if issues were raised which were outside the Constitution, Shakoor, claiming himself to be Hizbul8217;s Srinagar divisional commander, told a TV channel: 8220;We are assessing the Prime Minister8217;s clarification.8221;

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Shakoor, however, reiterated that the Hizbul will not hold talks within theframework of the Indian Constitution. He too, however, said a decision will be taken by the supreme commander Salahudin in Pakistan.

Meanwhile, a Muzaffarabad Pakistan Occupied Kashmir-based top Kashmiriseparatist and People8217;s League leader Farooq Rehmani has been involved bythe leadership within separatist circles here who don8217;t want theprocess to come to an end so prematurely tomorrow to talk toSalahudin and get a way out for an extension to his deadline.

The Hizbul-nominated-mediator Fazal Haq Qureshi too appealed to Salahudinto extend the deadline so that ceasefire is implemented on the ground andthe dialogue moves ahead. Confusion has engulfed the entire process andnobody can say what turn things will take till 5.30 pm on August 8, whenthe deadline expires.

Muzamil Jaleel

Muzamil Jaleel is a Deputy Editor at The Indian Express and is widely recognized as one of India’s most authoritative voices on Jammu & Kashmir, national security, and internal affairs. With a career spanning over 30 years, he has provided definitive on-the-ground reportage from the heart of the Kashmir conflict, bearing witness to historic political transitions and constitutional shifts. Expertise and Investigative Depth Muzamil’s work is characterized by a rare combination of ground-level immersion and high-level constitutional analysis. His expertise includes: Conflict & Geopolitics: Decades of reporting on the evolution of the Kashmir conflict, the Indo-Pak peace process, and the socio-political dynamics of the Himalayan region. Constitutional Law: Deep-dive analysis of Article 370 and Article 35A, providing clarity on the legal and demographic implications of their abrogation in 2019. Human Rights & Accountability: A relentless investigator of state and non-state actors, uncovering systemic abuses including fake encounters and the custodial death of political workers. International War Reporting: Beyond South Asia, he provided on-the-spot coverage of the final, decisive phase of the Sri Lankan Civil War in 2009. Landmark Exposés & Impact Muzamil’s reporting has repeatedly forced institutional accountability and shaped national discourse: The Kashmir Sex Scandal (2006): His investigative series exposed a high-profile exploitation nexus involving top politicians, bureaucrats, and police officers, leading to the sacking and arrest of several senior officials. Fake Encounters: His reports blew the lid off cases where innocent civilians were passed off as "foreign terrorists" by security forces for gallantry awards. SIMI Investigations: He conducted a massive deep-dive into the arrests of SIMI members, using public records to show how innocuous religious gatherings were often labeled as incriminating activities by investigative agencies. The Amarnath Land Row: Provided critical context to the 2008 agitation that polarized the region and altered its political trajectory. Over the years, Muzamil has also covered 2002 Gujarat riots, Bhuj earthquake, assembly elections in Bihar for Indian Express. He has also reported the peace process in Northern Ireland, war in Sri Lanka and national elections in Pakistan for the paper. Awards and Fellowships His "Journalism of Courage" has been honored with the industry's most prestigious accolades: Four Ramnath Goenka Awards: Recognized for J&K Reportage (2007), On-the-Spot Reporting (2009), and Reporting on Politics and Government (2012, 2017). Kurt Schork Award: From Columbia University for international journalism. Sanskriti Award: For excellence in Indian journalism and literature. IFJ Tolerance Prize: For his empathetic and nuanced reporting in South Asia. International Fellowships: Served as a visiting scholar at UC Berkeley and worked with The Guardian, The Observer, and The Times in London. He has also received Chevening fellowship and a fellowship at the Institute of Social Studies, Hague, Netherlands. Professional Presence Current Location: New Delhi (formerly Bureau Chief, Srinagar). Education: Master’s in Journalism from Kashmir University. Social Media: Follow him for field insights and rigorous analysis on X (Twitter) @MuzamilJALEEL. ... Read More