145;Delink J038;K polls from peace process146;

The informal third front, a loose amalgam of various separatist and militant groups and individuals, which is in touch with New Delhi8217;s...

The informal third front, a loose amalgam of various separatist and militant groups and individuals, which is in touch with New Delhi8217;s interlocutors is said to have argued that the Assembly polls should be delinked from the peace process. And, therefore, elections scheduled for later this year should be deferred at least until March.

Sources said the PM8217;s Kashmir pointman, A S Dullat, is working to involve more separatist groups and leaders into the front.

Although this front is yet to get an organisational structure, it already includes separatist leader Shabir Shah, various factions of his Peoples Conference8212;a constituent of the Hurriyat8212;a group of former militant commanders and even a few second-rung Hurriyat leaders. Sources say that expelled Hizbul Mujahideen commander Abdul Majeed Dar is also part of this latest front.

Dullat and former Union Law Minister Ram Jethmalani had held talks with leaders of this 8216;8216;third front8217;8217; for more than a week which was followed by another round of talks in Delhi last week.

Sources in the front reveal that the Centre8217;s Track 2 channels had first focussed on getting the separatists to contest the elections, which did not work.

8216;8216;We believe that free and fair elections cannot exclusively resolve the problems. It could, in fact, complicate the situation at this point of time. We want them the Centre to delink the polls issue from the peace process. We have been pressing for a delay in the polls by at least six months to ensure a serious work on various proposals which are making rounds at the Track 2 level,8217;8217; a leader said.

8216;8216;We told them the Centre that a free and fair poll could backfire as the Hurriyat and the senior separatist leadership are not inclined to participate,8217;8217; he said. The third front8217;s leadership hopes that Vajpayee will visit Kashmir any time before July 15 and talk peace, even announce a major political step forward.

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8216;8216;We know that the Centre wants to accommodate the National Conference in its scheme of things. They cannot dismiss the Farooq Abdullah government which we believe is a major hurdle. The only alternative is to delay the conduct of polls and put the state under direct rule from Delhi,8217;8217; said the third front leader. There are indications that the Centre isn8217;t averse to the deferment demand. One reason is logistics. September is not an ideal time for polls because the current dip in infiltration will start showing positive results on the ground only after winter. The Amarnath yatra is on till mid-August which will call for major security deployment.

The Third Front8217;s proposal is weaved around discusions at a Ford Foundation-sponsored April seminar in Chandigarh where a separatist leader G M Naiku floated the idea of 8216;8216;freezing Kashmir dispute for a mutually decided time frame followed by a direct dialogue and reconciliation effort between India and Pakistan, de-escalation on the borders, a dialogue between Kashmiri separatist leadership and New Delhi, an intra-Kashmir dialogue and opening up of channels of communication with PoKr which means porous borders and a genuine political package for Kashmir.8217;8217;

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