Govt to put Lashkar, Jaish on notice but extend ceasefire

Govt to put Lashkar, Jaish on notice but extend ceasefire
SANKARSHAN THAKUR

NEW DELHI, FEBRUARY 20: The extension of ceasefire in Jammu and Kashmir this time may come with a stern warning to Lashkar-e-Toiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed, the two Pakistan-based terrorist groups active in the Valley, that the truce may not apply to them if they persisted with the strikes.

The Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS), likely to meet tomorrow, will endorse Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee's line on giving another month to the ceasefire but serve notice on the two terrorist outfits which have made open declarations of violating the ceasefire and threatened to hit targets within and outside the Valley. These include the Prime Minister's Office and senior security personnel in Kashmir.

Sources said another extension remained crucial to achieving the ``larger and long-term objectives'' behind the original ceasefire announcement but added that the two terrorist groups had offered ``enough provocation to be singled out''.

President K.R.Narayanan's address to Parliament yesterday, in which he lauded the ceasefire but blasted Pakistan and the militant groups, probably contained clues to the Government's intention. Adding riders to the ceasefire, the Centre believes, will also contain elements within and outside the Government which want the ceasefire scrapped. Home Minister L.K. Advani and Defence Minister George Fernandes -- both members of the CCS -- are believed to have questioned a step that has led to higher civilian and security losses and fetched no political breakthrough.

New Delhi believes the ceasefire has earned it some ground-level support in the Valley, if only because it has freed people of the harassment of frisking and search and cordon operations. It has also helped in confidence-building with the Hurriyat and created an atmosphere for a dialogue at an enhanced level. So much so that the Government is in the midst of facilitating a trip to Pakistan by a Hurriyat delegation. Most of all, the ceasefire has put Pakistan on the backfoot and gained India diplomatic brownie points for showing greater restraint and commitment to sorting out the Kashmir problem.

The Government feels Gen Pervez Musharraf has been forced to make noises about containing `jehadis' on Pakistani soil in response to the pressure brought upon him by the ceasefire. Sources conceded this may be only symbolic and agreed that so far there has been no clear directive from the Pakistani leadership to the militants to stop violence. ``But ending the ceasefire now may be just what Pakistan wants us to do since it would relieve the pressure on them,'' the sources said.

At the moment, the Vajpayee Government wants to lower tensions in the Valley which reached a disturbing pitch following the Haygam firing by Army jawans last week. The release of Hurriyat leaders late last night is part of the strategy to soothe frayed tempers and bring them back to discussing a negotiated peace. The Government is keen, sources said, to resume talks on sending a Hurriyat delegation to Pakistan. However, it remains firmly against any trilateral dialogue on the Kashmir question and has made it clear to the Hurriyat leaders that it would not accept them as brokers between New Delhi and Islamabad.