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Thursday,
June 7, 2001, Chandigarh, India  
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Unfit,
untrained youths not welcome Qureshi in
the firing-line Turtuk
women take to books Omar
Abdullah addresses public meetings |
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Unfit,
untrained youths not welcome Jammu, June 6 This is the latest message rebel outfits have sent to agencies across the border. The despatch of this message was warranted following reports that scores of militants, who were pushed into the state in recent months, had fallen ill. It had become risky for the group leaders to get timely medical aid for the sick. Another message, reports said, sent across the border was that the agencies engaged in infiltrating groups of rebels into Jammu and Kashmir be properly trained in the handling of sophisticated wireless system that has been in the possession of district commanders of various militant outfits. The group leaders have conveyed to Pakistani agencies that youths sent to Kashmir in recent weeks have not been able to handle the wireless sets by creeding coded messages and for decoding the messages received from across the LoC. The district commanders of various rebel outfits have also suggested to their partons across the border to see that all weapons smuggled into Jammu and Kashmir are fully tested. The field reports received by these district commanders had revealed that more than 30 per cent weapons were either obsolete or non-functional, which had forced them to bank on grenades to avoid eliminated during encounters with the Indian security forces. “We do not want a crowd of useless youths. We want highly motivated people who have the will to fight to the last.” This message has been sent across the border after it was found that a large number of militants had been forcibly pushed into the state who had neither the will nor the courage to carry operations against the security forces and against government agents. The Pakistani agencies had been rattled by the rise in the elimination of militants, especially foreign mercenaries in Poonch and Rajouri districts during the past six months. During the past over 180 days more than 220 militants had been killed in Poonch and Rajouri districts. The Pakistani agencies wanted to know from the commanders of various rebel outfits the reason for the loss of so many militants in Poonch and Rajouri districts. The commanders, according to
reports, had conveyed to their patrons across the LoC that since the area was smaller as compared to Doda and the Kashmir valley “our boys get trapped” when “our number is much larger than in any other district in the state. It is in this context that agencies across the border have been advised not to push more militants from across Poonch and Rajouri and since the number of militants belonging to different outfits is quite large it has given rise to inter-group clashes. Commanders of the
Lashkar-e-Toiba, operating in Poonch and Rajouri districts, have informed agencies across the border that activists of a couple of rebel outfits had been passing on information “about our hideouts” to the security forces which also resulted in high casualty “among our boys.” The Pakistani agencies have been told they should not send activists belonging to the Lashkar-i-Toiba to Poonch and Rajouri so that the Hizbul Mujahideen, the Harkat-ul-Ansar, the Harkat-ul-Jehadi Islami and Jash-e-Mohammad could operate in these areas. Meanwhile, the Pakistani agencies have refused permission to those militants who have stayed in Jammu and Kashmir for over one year to cross back. They have been told that when the Indian security personnel could stay in the troubled state for more than two years why could they not do the same and that too at a time when operations against all government agencies were required to give teeth to the ongoing anti-India armed campaign. On the other hand the Lashkar-i-Toiba too has started following the path shown by the Hizbul Mujahideen. The Lashkar outfit is preparing a list of the militants killed in operations carried out by the Indian security forces. The purpose of this exercise is to distribute ex gratia to kin of the slain militants in order to earn goodwill of the people. Though both the Hizb and Lashkar leaders feel the pinch of cash crunch they have decided to launch fund collection drive to release ex gratia to the families of the slain militants. |
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Qureshi in
the firing-line Jammu, June 6 PCC members, including former legislators and ministers from the valley, also reached Jammu to take part in anti-Qureshi demonstrations. Today’s demonstration was triggered off by Mr Qureshi’s decision to expel eight senior PCC members, including four district presidents. They said they “will flight to the last” against the “high-handedness” of the party chief. Earlier, they had protested when party spokesman Amrit Malhotra was sacked. Some of them said: “We will persuade the party President, Ms Sonia Gandhi, to remove the PCC chief and if our demand is not accepted, we may go to any extreme and form a new organisation.” However, senior vice-president Mangat Ram Sharma
said: “We will mount pressure on the party high command for replacing Mr Qureshi either by a new leader or through organisational elections. We will fight it out but leaving the party is out of question.” The state unit of the Congress which has been in disarray during the past over a year has witnessed serious cracks. Top leaders are engaged in a one-point programme of removing Mr Qureshi. The AICC General Secretary, Mr Ghulam Nabi Azad, had supported Mr Qureshi which prolonged his stay as PCC chief. Now it seems the scales are reversed. A majority of leaders have gone closer to Mr Azad and several had gone to receive him at the Jammu airport today. Though Mr Azad arrived here on a two-day visit do Doda and Batote, the leaders apprised him of the situation. Mr Azad gave them a patient hearing and assured them that on his return to Jammu from Batote he would have a fresh debate on the issue. One leader, who had stated six months ago that Mr Azad was presiding over the liquidation of the state unit of the Congress, today seemed to be a changed man as he too was present at the airport. He said the situation had changed and Mr Azad had become one of the trusted men of Ms Sonia Gandhi. Some staunch supporters of Mr Azad have joined hands with the dissidents, including Peerzada Mohammad Syed. What seems to worry the senior Congress leaders is that the party may face a rout in the next Assembly elections scheduled to be held next year or earlier if the dispute was not resolved. Numerically, the dissidents have emerged stronger after several party leaders from the valley launched an agitation against Mr Qureshi. Leaders of the National Conference and the Peoples Democratic Party are watching the situation keenly. In case there is split in the Congress both parties will open their doors to the dissidents. |
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Turtuk women
take to books Turtuk, June 6 The past few years have seemingly done more to the lives of the residents of these villages than the efforts of the past five decades. There are goodwill schools, adult education centres, vocational training centres, and hospitals. 14 Corps, under ‘Operation Sadbhavna’ is also contributing to the electrification of villages, besides helping residents get gas cylinders and, in some cases, even free ration and transport. In Partappur Army Goodwill School, which is equipped with a generator and six computers, there is special section for the mentally retarded children. Seven children suffering from serious handicaps, are brought to the school by the men of 102 Infantry Brigade from villages located miles away and taught vocational skills. They are also given medical treatment. About 200 other children at this primary school, opened three years ago, are taught mathematics, English, Hindi, Urdu and religious studies. Children, according to their choice, are given lessons in Buddhism and Islam. Computers are a big hit with the students who can draw and paint on them. Says Sonia Suri, Principal, “the school has been a trendsetter here and the locals are keen to get their wards admitted.” It is not only the children who are benefiting from the goodwill schools, the teachers are equally happy. Ask the volunteers from a Banglore-based NGO about their experience of teaching these children and they are all smiles. Then there are teachers like Mrs Ichwant Bana who has joined her husband here during vacations in her Merrurt college. Sixteen Sadbhavna Schools have been opened so far in various places along the LoC and the network of adult literacy centres and vocational training institutes is being expanded. The community services being extended by 14 corps as part of the ‘Operation Sadbhavna’ are greatly appreciated by the locals with the Army even sending at its cost critical patients to Chandigarh for specialised
treatment. The effort is also to boost the local economy by introducing new varieties of vegetables and crops and improved cattle breeds. Locals are given preference in all projects. Lieut-Gen Arjun Ray, who has given a new thrust to Operation Sadbhavna in the past 10 months, emphasises that human security, which is oxygen of national security, critically depends on development. “Human development and border development is part of border management,” he says. Acting as a facilitator, the Army has been able to win the hearts of people along the LoC in Ladakh. In the process, the area which has only 20 per cent literacy at present, is leapfrogging towards computer-literacy. |
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Omar Abdullah addresses public meetings Srinagar, June 6 Addressing a series of public meetings in the border area of Tanghdar and Kupwara today, Mr Omar said he hoped that Pakistan would stop abetting militancy. Accusing the All Party Hurriyat Conference (APHC) leaders of being responsible for bringing miseries to the people of the state, he said while their children were enjoying all luxuries of life, the poor Kashmiris were getting killed every day. He said the biggest problem facing the state was of unemployment as lakhs of educated youth were without jobs. The Union Minister announced that a special drive was being launched shortly to absorb the youth from the border areas in security forces, Railways and other Central services. Speaking on the occasion, Minister for Works Ali Mohammad Sagar said that under the massive reconstruction drive launched by the government, hundreds of bridges, school buildings and hospitals that had been damaged during militancy attacks were rebuilt during the past four years. He said for providing better road connectivity to the far flung areas of the state, the government has launched a Rs 500 crore programme with assistance from NABARD. Special thrust was being given to the border areas under the rural connectivity programme as most of the border villages are still inaccessible.
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