M A I N   N E W S

Gao wins Nobel for literature

STOCKHOLM, Oct 12 (Reuters) — Chinese writer Gao Xingjian won the Nobel prize in literature for 2000, the Swedish Academy said today.

Gao won the prize, worth nearly $ one million for “An oeuvre of universal validity, bitter insights and linguistic ingenuity, which has opened new paths for the Chinese Novel and drama’’, the academy said in its citation. 

Squabbling militants being pushed into J&K
Tribune News Service

JAMMU, Oct 12 — Following a series of armed clashes among activists belonging to different militant groups in three areas of Pakistan occupied Kashmir, agencies across the border have stepped up their efforts to push large groups of rebels into Jammu and Kashmir.

Reports reaching here from across the LoC said during the past one week seven rebels and three civilians were killed in these inter-group armed clashes. More than 20 rebels were injured.

According to reports, the trouble started when Masood Sarfaraz Khan, a close relative of Sardar Sikandar Hayat Khan, a former president of Pakistan occupied Kashmir, was replaced by Sher Khan as the divisional commander of the Hizbul Mujahideen Pir Panjal regiment.

Sarfaraz and his supporters avenged this insult by launching armed attacks on the rivals. The rebels also fired rocket launchers on the arms training centres at Kotli and Muzaffarabad.

Reports said the Jamait-e-Islami leadership in PoK sided with Sher Khan and his group. Jamaat leaders achieved initial success by sidelining Sarfaraz Khan with the help of activists of the Hizbul Mujahideen Pir Panjal regiment.

Since the rebel groups are locked in a fight to finish the tussle, the Pakistani agencies, especially the army, are trying to push bigger groups of militants into Jammu and Kashmir. These agencies had concentrated on Rajouri and Poonch sectors for infiltration but alert Indian troops foiled the attempt.

Following this development, the militants operating in Rajouri district have been directed to target the Army’s divisional headquarters in the border town. Several rockets and grenades were fired on the headquarters situated inside the historic fort. This was the third attempt by the militants to blow up the headquarters and other security camps and units. Last month the militants had attacked the fort with Pika guns and rockets.

Rebels also fired 17 rockets and mortar shells on Rajouri town last month. The aim was the divisional headquarters and the rockets had exploded 300 to 500 metres away from the Army unit.

These steps were being taken to keep the troops engaged in the crossfire and carve out infiltration routes for the rebels under the cover of heavy fire. The ISI top brass and Army authorities were said to have grown wary of the activities of the militants biding time at camps across the border as prolonged stay has generated a friction between the local (Kashmir) and non-local (Pakistan and PoK) militants. Hence they want the rate of infiltration to be accentuated so that the majority of the rebels were in Jammu and Kashmir.

In addition to this the militants have started kidnapping and killings policemen.

In Drabha village of Surankot in Poonch militants had kidnapped three policemen, Abdul Majid, Ghulam Mohammad and Abdul Rashid, on Tuesday. The police recovered the bodies later. The barbaric way of eliminating policemen was part of the plan of militants to create scare among the people and the police so that they refused to pass on information regarding the hideouts of the rebels and about their plans to the Army.