Situation 'explosive'
in J&K
JAMMU, Aug 8 — The three-member fact-finding committee of the Congress, comprising Mr S.S. Surjewala, Mr K.M. Khan and Mr Vinod Sharma, has described the security situation as "explosive" in the state, especially in Poonch and Rajouri districts.

Amarnath yatra concludes
JAMMU, Aug 8 — The month-long Amarnath yatra concluded today with the "Chhari pujan" at the holy cave by a group of sadhus led by Mahant Dipinder Giri and the darshan by last batch of pilgrims.

Situation 'explosive' in J&K
From M.L. Kak
Tribune News Service

JAMMU, Aug 8 — The three-member fact-finding committee of the Congress, comprising Mr S.S. Surjewala, Mr K.M. Khan and Mr Vinod Sharma, has described the security situation as "explosive" in the state, especially in Poonch and Rajouri districts.

It has called for the immediate resignation of the Union Home Minister, Mr L.K. Advani, who, it said, had failed to keep his promise of sending additional companies of the security forces to different parts of the Jammu region for fighting militants.

The team members told newsmen, after completing a tour of Poonch and Rajouri areas here today that people in these two districts had been in grip of fear following the escalation in the militancy-related violence. They said the central and the state governments had failed to protect the life and property of the people of Jammu and Kashmir.

The team had been sent by the Congress president, Ms Sonia Gandhi, for assessing the situation and submit a report to the AICC. Mr K.M. Khan said the "unholy nexus between the National Conference and the BJP" had shocked the secular forces in the state which were not being taken into confidence by the government to evolve a mechanism for ending the menace of insurgency.

Mr Khan expressed his surprise over the way the BJP had forged an alliance with the National Conference when the same BJP leaders used to dub Dr Abdullah as "anti-national".

Mr Surjewala said during their meeting with state officers in Poonch and Rajouri they were convinced that the situation was worsening and had the potential of fomenting a communal divide and mistrust. Some of the officers, they claimed, had told them that they were "sitting on a volcano".

The team members referred to Mr Advani's assurance at Chapnari village in Doda where a masscare had taken place in the last week of June and said Mr Advani had not fulfilled his promise of launching an action plan against the militants after deploying additional security forces. They said as such Mr Advani had no moral right to continue as Home Minister when during his tenure Jammu and Kashmir had recorded steep rise in the killing of innocent civilians.

The Congress leaders blamed the BJP-led government at the Centre and the National Conference in the state for their failure to counter Pak-sponsored proxy war and Islamabad's political campaign against India for internationalising the Kashmir issue. They said it was surprising that insurgency had raised its head in Poonch and Rajouri only after the National Conference assumed power. During the six years of central rule in Kashmir, Poonch and Rajouri remained peaceful which indicated that the policies of the National Conference Government were faulty.

Mr K.M. Khan said "a government that cannot protect the lives and property of people has no moral right to be in office", adding that the Union Home Minister should own the responsibility for the worsening law and order situation in the state and for the killing of scores of innocent people in recent weeks.

He blamed the militants for carrying out killings of innocent people which he said was not Islamic. He and other members said neither the state government nor the Centre had any perception or policy on handling the situation in the state. The Congress for a total review of the security arrangements and deployed additional companies of the paramilitary forces to foil Pak gameplan of kicking up subversive violence.

Amarnath yatra concludes

JAMMU, Aug 8 (PTI) — The month-long Amarnath yatra concluded today with the "Chhari pujan" at the holy cave by a group of sadhus led by Mahant Dipinder Giri and the darshan by last batch of pilgrims. After the darshan and puja the "Chhari Mubarak" (holy mace of Lord Shiva) has returned to Panchtarni on its way back to Srinagar marking the culmination of the yatra, an official spokesman said. A record number of 1.40 lakh pilgrims coming from all over the country participated in this year's yatra. Earlier, record figure of 1.20 lakh pilgrims was registered in 1996.