Sensing ‘mischief’ by Mir, Ansari, Govt deputes Kamaal to defuse crisis
Tension begins to recede on day 3 of curfew in Pattan villages

Ahmed Ali Fayyaz

SRINAGAR, Feb 27: Taking cognizance of the resentment against Minister of Agriculture, Ghulam Hassan Mir, among the Shias and against the Shia cleric-politician, Maulvi Iftikhar Hussain Ansari, among the Sunnis, Omar Abdullah-led coalition government has deputed senior National Conference (NC) leader and former MLA of Tangmarg, Dr Mustafa Kamaal, to defuse the sectarian strife in over two dozen villages in Pattan-Magam belt of Central Kashmir. Ansari’s brother, Maulvi Abid Ansari, and Dr Kamaal today visited Shia and Sunni villages respectively with the administration’s facilitation amid curfew in the worst affected locality and reports said that tension began to recede by late this evening.

Authoritative sources revealed to Early Times that mass resentment against Minister of Agriculture and MLA of Tangmarg, Ghulam Hassan Mir, in Shia-populated villages and against the Shia cleric-politician and PDP’s MLA of Pattan, Maulvi Iftikhar Hussain Ansari, in the Sunni-populated villages, today forced the coalition government to depute senior NC leader and former MLA of Tangmarg, Dr Sheikh Mustafa Kamaal, to defuse the sectarian tension in over two dozen villages in Pattan-Magam belt. Dr Kamaal, who now happens to be NC’s MLA of Hazratbal (Srinagar), visited the worst affected Sunni village of Kongamdara. He was accompanied by DC Baramulla, Bashir Ahmed Bhat, and SSP Baramulla, Shakil Baig. Nucleus of the sectarian conflict, Kongamdara and adjoining villages were reeling under curfew on the third consecutive day after hostile crowds clashed, caused injuries to about 50 persons and torched over 40 residential and commercial structures.

On the other hand, J&K Shia Association President Maulvi Iftikhar Hussain Ansari’s brother, Maulvi Abid Hussain Ansari, visited the Shia-dominated Hagarpora village, adjacent to Kongamdara. In view of tremendous resentment against DC Baramulla, SDPO and SHO of Pattan, Government had directed DC Budgam, Mohammad Rafi, and SSP Budgam, Aftab Ahmed Kakroo, to escort Abid Ansari and facilitate his interaction with members of the Shia community even as the area falls under Revenue and Police district of Baramulla.

Sources said that after visiting the devastated shops, Dr Kamaal interacted with residents of Kongamdara who listened to him patiently.

“I urged the people of Kongamdara to restore the centuries old atmosphere of sectarian harmony and brotherhood with their Shia neighbours and cautioned them that their common enemy could exploit such a chaotic situation to the hilt. They complained that the men responsible for creating the sectarian tension and burning of properties had been identified but they had been roaming about freely. According to them, Police have arrested innocent people but not laid its hand on the real culprits. We assured them necessary legal action but only after restoration of peace and tranquility”, Dr Kamaal told Early Times. He said that the residents demanded establishment of a Police Division at Kongamdara. “DC Baramulla assured them that it would be set up in due course of time”, he said.

Dr Kamaal added that the District administration distributed tents and blankets among the strife sufferers and began arrangements of providing them 40 Kg of free ration for the next one month. He said that he himself and DC Baramulla also assured the residents that appropriate compensation would be paid not only to those whose houses and shops had been destroyed but also to all the critically wounded people of both the sects. Yet another assurance was that all the innocent detainees would be set free as soon as possible. He said that the process of constituting the peace coordination committees in the affected villages had begun. In a few days, he said, Government would facilitate meeting of the peace committees of both the sects and a permanent solution would be found to the dispute over naming of the market.

As already reported, Shias of Hagarpora have named the market square as “Imam Khomeini Chowk” after their spiritual leader Ayatullah Khomeini. Sunnis of adjacent Kongamdara insist to call it Kongamdara Chowk. Transfer of DC and SSP of Baramulla at a crucial time and their replacement by the officials who had neither knowledge nor understanding of the urgency of resolving the dispute, led to a major clash between the two sects last week.

Sources said that in absence of his elder brother Maulvi Iftikhar Hussain Ansari, who is reportedly in Syria, Maulvi Abid Ansari interacted with the conflict victims at Hagarpora and adjoining villages. Like in Kongamdara, District Administration of Budgam and Budgam Police distributed relief among the affected people at Hagarpora. It was not immediately clear whether any relief had reached the worst affected Shia villages of Ahmedpora, Maharajpora and Tantraypora. Residents of Hagarpora said that a number of Ansari’s followers shouted pro-India and pro-Army slogans. They were highly critical of Pattan Police and all praise for Police Station Magam.

Sources said that there was tremendous resentment against Pattan Police in Maharajpora village as Police had allegedly arrested and detained one Ghulam Rasool Malla S/o Kareem Malla whose residential house has been torched by rioters. Malla’s three young daughters, widowed sister and aged mother have been living literally under sky as the family head has been detained by Pattan Police and his house has been completely ransacked and destroyed in fire. Residents also complained that fire tenders reached only after “all 25 residential houses” in Maharajpora village had gutted completely. They said that they made frantic calls to Director General of Fire Services and his subordinate officials who expressed their helplessness.

Reports said that rioters today made at least three attempts to loot and torch the properties at Goom Ahmedpora, Nooripora and even at distant Watamagam. However, Police and security forces swung into action and foiled their attempts. Officials contested a news agency’s report and asserted that the two sawmills at Kongamdara-Hagarpora had gutted three days ago. They claimed that no incident of clash or torching of properties had occurred anywhere in the last two days.

Sources said that Government had reports how close associates of Ghulam Hassan Mir and Mr Ansari, who have been arch rivals, have subscribed to increasing the tension and turning a minor local issue into a major clash, unprecedented in Valley. Three of the Cabinet Ministers---Minister of Agriculture Ghulam Hassan Mir, Minister of Rural Development, Ali Mohammad Sagar, and Minister of Animal Husbandry, Aga Syed Ruhullah, besides Chief Minister Omar Abdullah’s Advisor, Mubarak Gul, had visited the site of gutted shops at Kongamdara crossing but returned to Srinagar without meeting people in the villages under curfew.

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