M A I N   N E W S

7 ultras shot in fierce encounter
Tribune News Service and PTI

Five policemen, including two SPOs, were wounded and they were shifted by a helicopter to Jammu Medical College.

According to the police, these militants had created a scare among the people by indulging in selective killings and kidnappings. Some incriminating documents have also been recovered which revealed that these foreign mercenaries had plans of attacking defence and government installations and security camps.

Another task assigned to these foreign mercenaries was to recruit local youths in arms training camps.

Senior police officers have appreciated the role of the STF in smashing the militant hideout.

A week ago, five militants involved in the killing of seven Hindus were killed by the security forces in the upper reaches of Kishtwar.

Ceasefire extension decision today
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, May 22
The decision on extending the Ramazan ceasefire beyond this month would be taken tomorrow with the Cabinet Committee on Security meeting in the Capital at the Prime Minister’s residence.

The CCS is expected to extend the ceasefire in view of the positive response from some militant groups and the naming of the Deputy Chairman of Planning Commission, Mr K.C. Pant, as the government’s chief interlocutor with the Kashmiri leaders, sources said.

The “inputs” and “feedback” from the May 19 meeting that the Union Home Minister, Mr L.K. Advani and the Defence and External Affairs Minister, Mr Jaswant Singh, had with the unified command at Srinagar would be taken into consideration by the CCS before taking a final decision.

Development since the February 22 ceasefire extension, stand taken by various Kashmiri groups, including Shabir Shah and Hurriyat Conference would be considered by the CCS.

If extended, it would be the fourth extension of the ceasefire in the state. It was last extended on February 26.

Ultras’ plot exposed, 3 held
Our Correspondent

New Delhi, May 22
Nexus between an underworld gangster and a Pakistan-backed militant organisation was exposed today with the arrest of two activists of Jammu and Kashmir Islamic Front (JKIF) and a Punjab-based criminal, who was associated with Chhota Shakeel gang. Their target was to trigger off a series of bomb blasts in Mumbai and assasination of BJP, Shiv Sena and Bajrang Dal leaders in Punjab and Delhi.

The accused had no connection with the recent bomb explosions in the Capital which had injured a person in Army headquarters bomb explosion incident, the Commissioner of Police, Mr Ajai Raj Sharma said.

While addressing the mediapersons, the Commissioner of Police said the militants, Mohammad Asghar and Abdul Jabbar, activists of the JKIF and Gurvinder Singh Bhullar, member of the Chhota Shakeel gang, were arrested from the parking lot of Bangla Sahib Gurdwara yesterday. The militants came to the parking lot of the gurdwara in a Maruti car to hand over a consignment to Gurvinder. The consignment was meant for a series of bomb explosions in Mumbai.

The police seized 2 kg PETN, two radio-based detonating devices, two detonators, two nine volt batteries, six 1.5 volt pencil cells and a digital Kenwood wireless from their possession.

The police has also seized three mobile phones and the Maruti car carrying the contraband.

The Commissioner of Police said the radio-based detonating devices and wireless set were very sophisticated. Explosives could be exploded from long distance with the help of these devices. The police had seized such high-tech devices for the first time.

Mr Sharma said while investigating the recent bomb explosions in the Capital, including the recent one at the BSF headquarters building, specific information was received by the Special Cell of the Delhi Police which acted immediately and averted major incidents in Mumbai, Delhi and Punjab.

During interrogation the accused disclosed that the JKIF had established links with Chhota Shakeel to do militant activities in India. The consignment was sent by the outfit chief, Bilal Ahmed Beg.

A few days back Mohammad Asghar received the consignment from another activist of the JKIF, Nazir Ahmed in Kupwara. He was asked to go to Abdul Jabbar in Faridabad and then to Delhi to deliver the consignment to Gurvinder whose code name was “Raju”.

Gurvinder Singh disclosed that Chhota Shakeel directed him to go to Punjab and recruit youths for the gang. He was also directed to identify the BJP, Shiv Sena and Bajrang Dal activists in Punjab and Delhi for elimination. Gurvinder was based at Beas in Amritsar district.