March, 31 2005	Thursday	20 Safar 1426

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NEW DELHI, March 30: Four militant organizations in Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesdy gave a call for a general strike on April 7 when the Srinagar-Muzaffarabad bus service is scheduled to begin, and warned that those boarding it would be declared traitors.

Moderate Hurriyat leaders attending a reception in New Delhi in honour of PML president Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, said the threat was serious because it appeared to have come from “fidayeen” organizations.

“We humbly request the persons selected to travel on first and second bus to Muzaffarabad not to enter the coffin (bus) but if they do, they will find their names in the list of traitors,” Al-Nasireen, Save Kashmir Movement, Farzandan-i-Millat and al-Arifeen said in a joint statement faxed to newspapers in Srinagar.

The statement described the bus service as a “deadly weapon that India wants to use against the jehadi forces” in the disputed state.

The four groups called for a general strike in the state on April 7 when Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is scheduled to flag off the first bus to Muzaffarabad. The statement was accompanied by the list of 40 persons, complete with residential addresses and application form numbers selected to travel on the bus on April 7.

It also accused the Musharraf administration of “constantly working against Islamic forces in Pakistan at the behest of his masters” and criticized the stand of the moderate faction of the Hurriyat Conference led by Mirwaiz Umar Farooq as being “pro-India and totally against the freedom movement”.

The statement, however, praised the hardline Hurriyat faction led by Syed Ali Shah Geelani saying their stand was based on “realism and farsightedness”. Both leaders have met Chaudhry Shujaat in New Delhi.

At least 10 politicians from Indian administered Jammu and Kashmir are likely to travel on the first bus. Among those jumping on the peace bandwagon are the state’s ruling party president Mehbooba Mufti, National Conference leader Omar Abdullah and Congress party chief Peerzada Mohammad Sayeed.