|
Kashmiri Separatists Dispense Quake Aid
Shaukat Khan hiked across a valley to collect food and supplies he thought were being handed out by authorities. Instead, he found what thousands of others discovered after the earthquake that shattered their villages: the help was coming from Kashmiri separatists on the Indian side of the disputed territory. "We are the ones who are here with blood, with food, with medicines — the people can see that," said Yasin Malik, leader of the separatist Jammu and Kashmir and Liberation Front.It's an aid effort that has not gone unnoticed in a land sharply opposed to Indian rule amid a 15-year insurgency that has claimed more than 66,000 lives, mostly civilians. The Islamic rebel groups say they are only trying to help the needy but admit with some satisfaction that the tragedy could end up boosting their cause to wrest the bitterly disputed Himalayan region from mostly Hindu India. Within hours of the quake that devastated towns and villages on Saturday, separatists had started up what three days on remains the most visible aid operation in Indian Kashmir. "No one else is giving the people as much as we are giving," said Hidayat-Ullah Sheikh of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference, a leading separatist alliance. Posted by: Fred 2005-10-11 |
| http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=131865 |