NEW DELHI - Collateral damage of the
earthquake that has devastated
Pakistan-administered Kashmir has been the impact
on the infrastructure of militancy in the region.
New Delhi estimates that anywhere between
500 to 2,000 militants might have been killed in
the October 8 earthquake that has claimed over
40,000 lives. Although the impact on cross-border
militancy is yet to be known, several observers
have pointed out that the killer quake is the
biggest flushing out of the jihadi infrastructure
in Pakistan that might have occurred in the
region.
At the same time, there are fears
that the worldwide aid that is
flowing into
Pakistan may end up in the wrong hands to be
channeled into strengthening the militant
infrastructure. This, in turn, calls for a strict
monitoring of funds and material being routed to
the earthquake-ravaged nation.
It has been
repeatedly established by Indian security agencies
that the maximum number of terrorist camps hosted
by Pakistan are located in the Pakistani portion
of Kashmir, and specifically the capital city of
Muzafarrabad, which has been virtually destroyed
by the earthquake.
Senior Indian Army
officers recently claimed the existence of at
least 55 militant training camps in the region.
Almost all groups fighting the Indian army in the
Indian section of Kashmir have "camp offices"
either in Muzafarrabad or adjoining areas affected
by the quake. Indian security sources have said
that the earthquake has completely snuffed out 15
militant training camps. Military officials
have been quoted as saying that an estimated 1,000
Pakistani soldiers have also died in the
earthquake after their concrete-roofed bunkers
along the Kashmir frontier collapsed, though
Pakistan has said that all its bunkers are
earthquake-proof and as such unaffected.
Of particular speculation has been the
fate of Osama bin Laden, whom several Indian
intelligence agencies believe has been holed up in
Pakistani Kashmir, given the heat of joint
US-Pakistani forces in the western front with
Afghanistan. Most, however, feel that the wily
terrorist must have felt the tremors, but was
unlikely to have been caught in the maze of
landslides that followed the quake.
In an
interview, a senior Indian Army official, Major
General M S Balhara, general officer commanding,
Kilo Force, a counter-insurgency division, has
said: "We have intercepted many messages of
militants in North Kashmir and they all indicate
that around 600-700 militants were killed in the
quake. The control stations of Lashkar-e-Toiba and
Hizbul Mujahideen have been destroyed, too, across
Line of Control [LoC] opposite Kupwara sector. The
launching pads of militants have also been smashed
by the quake."
At a briefing organized at
the behest of the Home Ministry, director general
of military operations, Lieutenant General Madan
Gopal, said that the two hardcore terrorist
outfits, Hizbul and Lashkar, had suffered major
losses in camps in the Pakistani portion of
Kashmir.
Several security analysts have
also said that the earthquake in Pakistan's
highly-militarized Kashmir region had
"significantly depreciated" the militants'
capacity.
"The militant groups and their
army handlers will now be totally absorbed in
relief, rescue and rehabilitation efforts," said
Arun Sahgal, of the United Service Institution in
New Delhi. Militancy, however, has continued
unabated in Indian Kashmir following the
earthquake, with the Indian Army saying that it
had killed 29 militants in the last one week, with
16 militants shot dead while trying to sneak into
India from Pakistan. There have been targeted
attacks against Hindus in Jammu as well.
Most observers, however, see any setback
to the militants operating in the Indian
sub-continent as temporary, with the numbers
likely to be quickly replenished given the
industry that churns out indoctrinated youth.
It is in this context that the earthquake
is being seen as an opportunity for New Delhi to
provide a fresh impetus to the stalled peace
process, making it a two-pronged attack against
militant activities, apart from the forces of
nature.
India has promised all help, but
regional politics have prevented active
involvement, one ugly outcome being the late
arrival of US military helicopters when the Indian
response could have launched quicker and more
effective rescue operations, given troops
stationed in the region of devastation.
Pakistan refused an offer of Indian
helicopters and disaster management experts to
help distribute aid and ruled out a joint rescue
operation, given the proximity of the earthquake
to the LoC. However, there have been reports of
impromptu help by Indian troops along the border,
as well as the rare gesture of one Indian security
person being allowed to return back after he
accidentally crossed to the other side in the wake
of the quake.
A comment in an
international newspaper reads: :"The greatest
natural disaster in Pakistan's history offered a
rare chance to warm the slight thaw in relations
with India. By first prevaricating, then accepting
only limited help from a neighbor with vast
resources, [President] General [Pervez] Musharraf
has displayed a depressing lack of imagination."
But, by demonstrating that it is more than
willing to help, the image of India as a helpful
neighbor in times of need has been buttressed,
which creates a further constituency for peace.
There are fears, however, of earthquake
aid money from other countries falling into the
wrong hands. It is estimated that Pakistan has
suffered infrastructure loss to the tune of US$5
billion, apart from the loss of human lives. While
the United Nations and most Western countries,
such as the US, Britain, Canada, Germany, Turkey
and Greece, have pledged aid that will amount to
millions of dollars, doubts are being expressed
about the end use.
American Muslim leaders
have advised donors to thoroughly research
charities to avoid breaking US terrorism laws. At
least one group, the Washington-based Muslim
Advocates, has listed guidelines for giving money
to charities. "Some people are donating items such
as blankets and clothing to avoid the chance they
might be unwittingly bankrolling terrorists. I
think the vast bulk of people are giving, want to
give, and then it's a question of people wanting
to be sure that they're not running afoul of these
laws," said a spokesperson.
The secular
pro-independence Jammu and Kashmir Liberation
Front (JKLF) has accused Pakistan of adopting an
"indifferent attitude because of fear of exposure
of militant camps".
"One wonders why the
Indian offer of help was refused, which could have
saved hundreds of lives and could also have
boosted the confidence between both governments.
The answer to this is simple if we take militant
camps into equation," a senior JKLF leader said in
a statement from London.
Despite all the
claims of dismantling militant training camps, he
said, the open secret was that they were fully
operational, with more than 3,000 militants of
various nationalities. "These camps were located
in various parts of Pakistan [administered]
Kashmir," he added.
"What explanation
could the Pakistan government give if some
militants from Bangladesh, Sudan, Algeria and
Egypt are seen? This could have been very
embarrassing for the military government of
General Pervez Musharraf, who on more than one
occasion claimed there were no camps," the JKLF
leader said while reasoning Pakistan's turning
down of India's offer for joint relief and rescue
efforts.
Indeed, in times of tragedy it
will be a difficult task for monitoring agencies
to balance the needs of the victims and those who
do not deserve it.
Siddharth
Srivastava is a New Delhi-based journalist.
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