Assistant Director
shot dead
SRINAGAR, Aug 21 — Militants today gunned down an Assistant Director of the Agriculture Department, Mr Bashir Ahmad Safaia, an official spokesman here said.

3 injured in border firing
JAMMU, Aug 21 — Three civilians were injured in heavy Pak firing in the Kargil sector and on this side of the international border in Samba and R S Pora sectors during the past 12 hours.

Farooq’s appeal to UN
JAMMU, Aug 21 — Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah has appealed to the United Nations to look into the ramifications of growing terrorism in different parts of the world.

Assistant Director shot dead in Srinagar

SRINAGAR, Aug 21 (PTI) — Militants today gunned down an Assistant Director of the Agriculture Department, Mr Bashir Ahmad Safaia, an official spokesman here said.

He said Safaia was shot at as he disembarked from the official vehicle at the main gate of the Agriculture Department at Lal Mandi here around 11.50 a.m.

He was rushed to hospital where he was declared brought dead, the spokesman added.

After the incident, the employees struck work to protest against the "brutal act", the spokesman said.

Militants also struck in the nearby Rajbagh locality around 12 noon when they hurled grenades at the BSF complex injuring an inspector, the spokesman said.

Meanwhile, the Army shot dead four militants including a foreign mercenary in separate encounters since last evening, a Defence Ministry spokesman said.

While three militants were killed at Dardpora in Kupwara, the foreign mercenary was gunned down at Ara in Anantnag last night, the spokesman said.

He said five AK rifles, 20 magazines, 95 rounds of ammunition, 15 hand grenades, six rifle grenades, a grenade launcher tube and a nine volt battery were seized from them.

The spokesman also said a Pakistan-trained militant of outlawed Hizbul Mujahideen outfit surrendered to Army authorities at Kupwara and handed over six AK rifles, eight hand grenades and some ammunition last evening.

Security forces have gunned down 111 foreign mercenaries, mostly Afghans and Pakistanis, in operations against militants in Jammu and Kashmir during the last 45 days, raising the total number of mercenaries killed in the state this year to 176, an official spokesman said.

The month of July recorded the killing of 65 foreign mercenaries in the state — the highest number of foreign mercenaries killed in one month, the spokesman said.

Since the inception of militancy in the state, 849 foreign mercenaries have been killed, he said, adding most of the mercenaries killed belonged to Afghanistan, Pakistan and Sudan.

JAMMU: Militants killed an Army Jawan in Rajouri district while Border Security Force (BSF) troops nabbed eight nationals of Bangladesh from the Jammu region since last evening, official sources said here today.

A road opening party of soldiers was fired at by the militants in Saj area along Thanamandi-Rajouri road yesterday. In the ensuing encounter, one Jawan was fatally injured.

3 injured in border firing
Tribune News Service

JAMMU, Aug 21 — Three civilians were injured in heavy Pak firing in the Kargil sector and on this side of the international border in Samba and R S Pora sectors during the past 12 hours.

Reports said that Pak troops resorted to heavy shelling on the national highway between Dras and Kargil in which two civilians, Rajinder Kumar and Kuldeep Kumar were wounded. One civilian was injured in Pak firing in six border villages in Samba and R S Pora sectors.

According to these reports, Pakistani troops have been targeting the Dras-Kargil to try and snap the supply line from Srinagar to Ladakh. Pakistani troops violated the recent agreement reached between field commanders of the BSF and the Rangers by resorting to intermittent firing on border villages in the Samba and R S Pora sectors. Official sources said that during the recent meeting between the two sides it was agreed to stop the firing. But Pakistan Rangers did not stick to the agreement.

While the BSF jawans retaliated in the Samba sector they are watching the situation in R S Pora.

Meanwhile, the BSF arrested eight Bangladeshi nationals while they were crossing into Indian territory from Pakistan in the Samba sector. They have been sent for interrogation.

Militants killed 60-year-old Alif-Din in Sheer village in Tathri in Doda district. The militants, after killing the old man, manhandled scores of villagers. Some of them were injured in the beating.

In the nearby village of Faksoo one Mohammed Iqbal, was kidnapped by militants and taken to an unknown place.

Militants resorted to heavy firing on several villages in the Tathri area, including at Qasbela, Derna and Nandna. The members of the village defence committees returned fire and forced the militants to retreat.

The security forces, during search operations in Keri and Chingas villages in Rajouri recovered large quantities of arms and explosives, including two assault rifles, 43 kg of explosives, 34 hand and rifles grenades and ammunition. The recovery has confirmed reports that Pak agencies are leaning on mines and IEDs for attacks on security pickets and convoys.

Move to streamline assembly proceedings
Tribune News Service

SRINAGAR, Aug 21 — The Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister, Mr Pyare Lal Handoo, has proposed to constitute a committee to "organise the mechanism" of zero hour proceedings in the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly. He sought an immediate meeting for "streamlining" the proceedings so that the government was able to reply to questions raised by Members in the House.

This proposal was made by him yesterday while intervening during a discussion on the Bill, seeking an increase in the number of seats to the Legislative Council. The Speaker, Mr Abdul Ahad Vakil, informed the House that as many as 31 mentions were made during zero hour, prior to the discussion on the Bill.

The need to streamline the proceedings was also felt on Tuesday when the Revenue Minister, Mr Ali Mohammad Naik, intervened in the suggestions made by Mr Handoo. Mr Naik said zero hour questions should be marked first before being tabled in the House. "The most important thing is to see which questions can be raised during zero hour", he said, adding that "I am not in a position to react, in case I am not informed in advance about a query made by a member".

Both Mr Naik and the Rural Development Minister, Mr A.R Rather, felt that rules were not being strictly followed in the Assembly. Mr Rather said the procedures should be made clear to the members, particularly freshers, after the session was over.

They said the question posed by Ms Mehbooba Mufti of the Congress on the issue of a youth, Fayaz Ahmad Beigh, who had been missing since he was picked up by the police in September last was not meant for zero hour. A similar issue related to the misuse of a school building in Srinagar city, which was raised by Mr Mohammad Syed Akhoon (NC), should not have been brought up during zero hour as these were important issues, they felt.

Another issue that marked the proceedings during the past four days was that of the inability of the Civil Secretariat to provide answers to the Assembly Secretariat. Taking a serious note of this, Mr Vakil said it "reflects on the working of the departments of the Local Bodies and Employment. I request all departments to be alert in providing information to the Assembly Secretariat", he said, calling for "some mechanism" to put relevant information before the House.

The Speaker also expressed concern over the "wrong information" provided to him by the Assembly Secretariat.

The first four days of the sixth session of the Assembly were marked by noisy scenes and walkouts by Opposition members.

Farooq’s appeal to UN
Tribune News Service

JAMMU, Aug 21 — Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah has appealed to the United Nations to look into the ramifications of growing terrorism in different parts of the world.

He said here today that neither the USA nor the UN had taken any step when more than 50,000 persons were killed in militancy-related incidents in Jammu and Kashmir.

Dr Abdullah said had the USA realised the gravity of the situation created by Pak-sponsored terrorism in the state, militants would not have been encouraged to extend their activities to other countries.

He said he had told a US Senator who had met him in Srinagar recently that the US President should realise the implications of growing global terrorism and should persuade Pakistan to stop aiding militants operating in the state.

He wanted the world community to evolve a joint strategy to contain global terrorism.

He wanted Pakistan to stop encouraging terrorism in the state.

Meanwhile, Hurriyat Conference leader Abdul Gani Bhat has condemned the US attack on civilian centres in Sudan and Afghanistan.

He said equally condemnable was the bombing of US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania.

The Chief Minister wanted the UN, NAM and other world bodies to play an effective role in controlling terrorism wherever it existed.

He suggested to the Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee, to raise the issue of global terrorism with a specific reference to insurgency in Jammu and Kashmir during the forthcoming NAM conference.