3 BSF personnel killed
SRINAGAR, Nov 13 — Three Border Security Force personnel, including a Commandant, and a foreign militant were killed in a fierce encounter in the Safakadal area here this afternoon.

Ministers from Ladakh "unhappy"
JAMMU, Nov 13 — Three Ministers of State from Ladakh are said to be disillusioned with the attitude of the Leh Hill Development Council and the district administration towards them.

Paratroopers get refresher training
SRINAGAR, Nov 13 — Men of the 6th Battalion, the Parachute Regiment, in an AN 32 flew from the Awantipora Air Force base to Littar in Pulwama district.

Kargil residents take refuge in bunkers
Tribune News Service

JAMMU, Nov 13 — The majority of the people in Kargil town have been forced to spend a major part of the time in the bunkers and army units following continued heavy Pak shelling on the Shia-dominated area. Reports said that during the past 24 hours, Pak troops fired 150 mortar shells on the border town and security pickets. Half a dozen huts were damaged and two civilians received injuries. The town was rocked by about 5,000 rounds fired from small arms.

According to these reports, Pak troops renewed heavy shelling on the Siachen mountain glacier in the Kupwara and Uri sectors during the past 24 hours. The Kupwara border belt was rocked by 525 mortar shells and over 1081 rounds fired by Pak troops. On the Siachen glacier, the snowy silence was broken when about 410 mortar shells and 1176 small arms fire hit the icy slopes.

The Pak troops renewed shelling on the Siachen glacier to capture some mountain passes but the Indian soldiers repulsed the attack by hitting several Pak bunkers with artillery guns.

Reports said that the main aim of Pak shelling was to provide a fire cover to large groups of militants who were to be infiltrated into the valley from the Kupwara and Uri sectors. Unofficial reports said that as a result of tight security measures adopted by the Indian troops all along the border Pak agencies were able to push in not more than 30 to 50 odd foreign mercenaries from across the Kupwara sector during the past one week.

In the light of continued shelling on Kargil town,the State Government has sought additional funds from the Centre for the construction of massive bunkers so that people could take shelter during Pak firing.

The State Government has conveyed to the Centre the need for setting up a new town some 10 km away from the existing Kargil town so that the entire population could remain off the firing range of Pak gunners. But till this plan was implemented as it required several hundred crores of rupees, the Centre has been asked to assist the State government in building the bunkers which could allow government offices to remain open.

Since June last when Pak stepped up shelling in the Kargil sector, most of the offices remained closed as employees fled to safety.

3 BSF personnel killed
Tribune News Service

SRINAGAR, Nov 13 — Three Border Security Force (BSF) personnel, including a Commandant, and a foreign militant were killed in a fierce encounter in the Safakadal area here this afternoon. Six residential houses were also gutted in the firefight between the militants and the security forces.

The BSF personnel killed in the encounter have been identified as Vinod Sharma, Commandant, SI Bir Singh and Constable John Kennedy. One of the militants, whose body was found from the debris of the house, has been identified as Abu Shaheen, Section Commander of the Al-Badre Company of the Hizbul Mujahideen.

The police said that Abu Shaheen was a foreign militant. Three AK 56 rifles, over half a dozen grenades and some wireless sets have been recovered from the site of the encounter, a BSF official said.

Mr K. Vijay Kumar, IG, BSF said BSF troops on specific information cordoned off the Takanwari locality of the Safakadal area at about 11.30 am today. The residents had been assembled in order to avoid any civilian casualty. The BSF officer, Mr Vinod Sharma, lead his troops to one of the houses where militants were hiding. The militants opened fire and killed the officer on spot.

The other personnel, SI Bir Singh and Constable John Kennedy, were also killed in the encounter that followed.

Three militants were hiding in the house, one of whom was killed in the encounter, while the other two were believed to have been buried under the debris of the house that was gutted in the exchange of fire between the militants and the security forces.

This is the third such encounter between the foreign militants and the security forces in the capital city this month. Four militants, including two foreigners, were killed in a fierce encounter at Peerbagh on the Srinagar airport road last Monday. In another incident on Wednesday, three foreign militants were killed at Nowgam.

The Army also recovered 285 kg of explosives from thatched huts in the open fields of the Palapora locality in the Noorbagh area of the capital city early this month. Today's encounter took place in the same area.

No arrests were made when the Army recovered 285 kg of explosives on November 3. However, it had been working on the clues to the possible links with foreign militants.

Elsewhere, in the valley two persons were shot dead by militants in separate incidents since yesterday while an explosion took place in an ambulance vehicle at Pulwama this morning. The police said that militants shot dead Mohammad Abdullah Sheikh, a government teacher at his residence in Wularhama in Pahalgam area of Anantnag district, last night. Ghulam Rasool Malik of Shaltika village in Pulwama district was killed by some unidentified militants last night.

An explosion extensively damaged the ambulance vehicle of Old Hospital, Pulwama, at about 8.40 am today.

Ministers from Ladakh "unhappy"
Tribune News Service

JAMMU, Nov 13 — Three Ministers of State from Ladakh are said to be disillusioned with the attitude of the Leh Hill Development Council and the district administration towards them.

Official sources confirmed reports that two Ministers of State, Mr Togdan Rin Po Che and Mr T. Namgyal, were prevented by their supporters in the National Conference in Leh from attending the Civil Secretariat when it opened in Jammu on November 9. Though the Civil Secretariat has been functioning for the past five years, the two Ministers of State, one for Tourism and another for Planning and Ladakh Affairs, have not been attending it.

The reports said that the supporters of Mr Togdan Rin and Mr T. Namgyal persuaded them and other senior party leaders not to be in Jammu in protest against the failure of the state government to accept their demands.

Several National Conference workers in Leh were said to have told Mr Togdan and Mr Namgyal that they should not attend their work in the Civil Secretariat as their recommendations had been rejected by the district administration and the Leh Hill Development Council which was described by them as the "Congress fortress."

Another Minister of State, who wished to remain unidentified, said that there "is some problem between the ministers and the Leh Hill Development Council." He, however, said that the ministers might reach Jammu shortly.

When contacted on phone, the Deputy Commissioner, Leh, said that he was not aware of any protests by the two ministers. When informed that Mr Namgyal and Mr Togdan had been unhappy over the way the district administration had turned down their recommendations, the Deputy Commissioner said: "I have not been told about it."

However, reports from Leh indicated that the Leh Hill Development Council members were feeling that their powers had been curtailed by the state administration.

Paratroopers get refresher training
Tribune News Service

SRINAGAR, Nov 13 — Men of the 6th Battalion, the Parachute Regiment, in an AN 32 flew from the Awantipora Air Force base to Littar in Pulwama district.

The aircraft disgorged 240 paratroopers, their canopies flared up against the backdrop of the mighty Pir Panjal ranges and one by one, they touched the ground from a height of approximately 1200 ft. Another 120 paratroopers had jumped yesterday.

They were led by Col V.N. Prasad, CO 6 Para. Col Prasad is a veteran paratrooper who has jumped in numerous dropping zone in India and abroad. Officers, JCOs and men of 6 Para, including clerks, cooks, carpenters, painters and waiters, took part in the exercise.

The valley is witnessing parachute jumps after a gap of 18 years. Large crowds gathered to witness the jumps. School children gustily cheered the paratroopers as each came to land.

The event was organised by Lt-Gen Krishan Pal, VSM, GOC 15 Corps and Maj-Gen R.K. Kaushal, GOC Victor Force.

Para jump instructors (PJIs) from Paratroopers Training School, Agra, led by Flt-Lt Salim Baig put the paratroopers through refresher training.