M A I N   N E W S

Plan on J&K set in motion

NEW DELHI, Jan 18 (PTI) — The Centre today set in motion its action plan to effectively tackle the problem of cross-border terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir as part of its “pro-active” approach which will not allow militants to escape irrespective of consequences.

“We are recasting operations for better effectiveness by bringing all players in the field under a workable unified command,” official sources said after a meeting of senior officials chaired by Additional Secretary (Security) T.R. Kakkar.

The senior officials are also working on the plan of raising more specialised battalions of the paramilitary forces and restructuring of the counter-insurgency (CI) grid, the sources said.

The decision to pursue this policy was taken at a high-level meeting chaired by Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee here yesterday to review the security scenario in the state in the post-Kargil phase.

As part of the move to flush out militants “if we have to blow up even our own buildings, we would do so as we don’t want the militants to go back alive,” the sources said.

On the suicide squads of militants who have been attacking vital defence and paramilitary installations, they said “this sort of operation would die its own death”.

The sources said the suicide squads were a post-Kargil development and this indicated that “there was demoralisation among the militants.”

Asserting that the involvement of locals in militancy was negligible in the Kashmir valley, the sources said 80 per cent of the militants were foreign mercenaries while the locals were mostly “playing the role of couriers”.

At present there are nearly 3,500 foreign mercenaries in the valley, most of them from Afghanistan and others from countries like Yemen, Sudan and Saudi Arabia, they said.

Asked whether the handling of the Indian Airlines plane hijacking had any effect on the morale of the security forces, the sources replied in the negative saying that “otherwise they would not have been able to launch anti-terrorist operations.”

The sources said Pakistan has been on the defensive regarding encouragement to militants in the valley in the post-hijacking phase because of foreign pressure.

At present there are 5,300 village defence committees and about 18,000 special police officers (SPOs) in the state and almost all SPOs are ex-servicemen, they said.

The meeting was attended by the Home Minister, Defence Minister, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister, besides the Chief of Army Staff and senior central and state government officers.

2 BSF jawans killed in blast

SRINAGAR, Jan 18 (PTI) — Two Border Security Force personnel were killed and four wounded when militants set off a powerful blast near a petrol pump in Baramulla district of North Kashmir today, official sources said.

The explosion was caused by an improvised explosive device (IED) planted near the petrol pump at Harnoor village, 27 km from here, early today, they said.

Lance Naik R.C. Mohan and Constable Abdul Majid were killed on the spot, while four BSF men were wounded in the blast, they added.

The entire area has been sealed off by security forces.

No militant outfit has owned up responsibility for the blast, they added.

The condition of two of the injured was stated to be “critical”.

Elsewhere in the valley, militants gunned down a telephone booth operator. Security forces also arrested two militants, including a Pakistani national identified as Imran of Kotli.

Security forces also raided a militant hideout in Badgam district of central Kashmir and nabbed a local militant of the banned Hizbul Mujahideen, Mohammad Yousuf Najar.

Two militant hideouts were smashed by the security forces during search operations at Lilam forest in Kupwara and Yaripora-Kulgam in Anantnag district yesterday.