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| Govt intends to revive Ikhwaan? | | | Early Times Report
Srinagar, Jan 26: The stage seems all set for revival Ikhwaan the official claims to the contrary notwithstanding. A proposal has come from New Delhi and the state government has been directed to go ahead with the plan.
A local daily has claimed possession of a copy of the proposal sent to the state government. The creation of a new security agency hogged the headlines in all local newspapers early this month. The Hurriyat Conference saw a conspiracy in the proposal. In a statement the conglomerate said the government actually wanted to revive the dread Ikhwaan. However, the government denied the allegations as baseless. But the disclosures of the newspaper have created a scare across Kashmir.
The scare among the people is not totally unfounded. Renowned human rights defender and senior counsel, Parvez Imroz, people have every reason to feel scared. “If past experiences are any indicator, then the people are fully justified in opposing the revival of the dreaded Ikhwaan”, he said.
Imroz said creation of a new security agency in times of “de-militarization” makes no sense. Another lawyer says the unexpected increase in militant attacks during the past two months must be the reason for revival of the dreaded group.
Ikhwaan, a group of surrendered militants and unscrupulous elements wreaked havoc in Kashmir for several years starting 1995. This group caused massive internal displacement of people especially the activists of a particular political party. The group killed militants, their relatives, political activists and also abducted people fro ransom.
People in the fourth estate believe that the group was used by the security agencies as a tool to muzzle the pen. The Ikhwanies abducted them, harassed them and even killed them. In July 1995 a group of Journalists including Associate Editor of Greater Kashmir Bashir Manzar and editor of Daily Nida-e-Mashriq and their associates were abducted. Soon after Nabi Azad of Muslim Mujahideen, another renegade group, held an entire team of journalists hostage in his bastion. In October 1996, the Ikhwanies abducted the editor Greater Kashmir, Fayaz Ahmad Kaloo. However, he managed to give them a slip. A few months later, senior journalist Zaffar Mairaj was abducted and sho0t at. He, however, survived.
Some of the Ikhwanies were elected as MLAs and MLCs. However, most of them including father of counter-insurgency, Kuka Parray. Other prominent Ikhwanies who got killed include Fayaz Nabdi and Javed Shah. Dreaded Ikhwani from Pampore, Papa Kishtwari is facing trial for subjecting a man from Nishat to enforced disappearance. He is presently lodged in Srinagar Central Jail. The Ikhwanies were later absorbed in police, BSF and the army.
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