J A M M U   &   K A S H M I R

Shah not to press for tripartite talks
Jammu, June 30
The Democratic Freedom Party chief, Mr Shabir Ahmed Shah is not keen to have an audience with the Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee, and the Pakistani President, Gen Parvez Musharraf, on the sidelines of the summit or his party’s involvement in the talks as is being demanded by the All- Party Hurriyat Conference.

BORDER MIGRANTS-II A Tribune special Govt machinery non-existent

Pallanwala (along the LAC), June 30 The shadow of the Kargil war still looms large above the border villages of the Pallanwala sector along the Line of Actual Control. Houses in the sector have been lying deserted for two years and the entire government machinery has come to a halt.

The building of the Government's Primary Health Centre at Pallanwala which has been lying closed for over two years.

Huge cache of arms seized
Jammu, June 30
A huge cache of arms and explosives, including 165 rockets and 62 improvised explosive devices, was seized in Jammu division where an intrusion bid was foiled and three persons were killed since yesterday, official sources said here today.

Shah not to press for tripartite talks
Tribune News Service

Jammu, June 30
The Democratic Freedom Party chief, Mr Shabir Ahmed Shah is not keen to have an audience with the Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee, and the Pakistani President, Gen Parvez Musharraf, on the sidelines of the summit or his party’s involvement in the talks as is being demanded by the All- Party Hurriyat Conference (APHC).

“I do not want to create any hurdle in the smooth passage of the summit by insisting on a meeting with the heads of the two countries,” according to Mr Shabir Shah.

“I know that tripartite talks are a must for the peaceful settlement of the Kashmir issue. But let the two sides meet first and we will watch the progress of the summit. If we raise the issue of holding tripartite talks at this stage we will be sabotaging the summit,” he said.

Mr Shah made it clear that the 52-year-old Kashmir issue “cannot be settled in four sittings during the summit.” “A good beginning has been made and we should not create any hurdles.”

Mr Shah said after over two years the heads of the two states had decided to meet and “I am all praise for Mr Vajpayee for having demonstrated broad vision and wisdom that he invited General Musharraf to Delhi for talks despite the fact that the Lahore meeting was greeted with the Kargil conflict”.

The Democratic Freedom Party President said “we would like to get associated with the parleys at a later stage because we know that bilateralism had failed in the past.”

He added that “representatives of the people of Jammu and Kashmir had to be involved in the talks and that could be perused after the end of the first or more summit meetings.”

Mr Shah wanted Prime Minister Vajpayee, to create a congenial atmosphere for the summit and the talks between the two sides. In reply to a question he said the Indian Government should release all detinues languishing in jails for the past over 10 years. The government should revoke the Disturbed Areas Act and simplify the visa system after making the Indo-Pak border soft so that leaders from both sides of Kashmir could meet and come out with a solution for the Kashmir issue which could be acceptable to all three parties, India, Pakistan and the people of the undivided Jammu and Kashmir.

Asked why should he not suggest to Pakistan to stop infiltration of militants into Jammu and Kashmir, Mr Shah said Islamabad had already stated that “mujahids” were crossing into the state on their own.

In reply to another question he said the militants would suspend the ongoing armed struggle once they found that the Indo-Pak talks were progressing smoothly.

In this context he referred to a recent statement made by Abdul Majid Dar, chief commander operations of Hizbul Mujahideen, in which Dar had said the guns would fall silent if the summit showed signs of positive results.

Mr Shah agreed that after Mr Vajpayee displayed courage and broadmindedness it was the turn of General Musharraf to reciprocate. He had hopes that General Musharraf would be flexible.

Asked whether he had any solution for the complex Kashmir issue, Mr Shah said, “I have a solution but that can be divulged only when he was invited to the tripartite talks.

He said the conversion of the LoC into a permanent border was not the “ideal” solution to the dispute.

Meanwhile, Mr Shah seems to be busy in inflating the number of leaders and activists in his organisation. He has already toured Jammu and Ladakh regions where he has set up organisational units and enrolled people belonging to different faiths and ethnic groups.

Sources close to Mr Shah disclosed that Mr Shah was trying to project himself and his party as the genuine representative of the people of the three regions of Jammu and Kashmir.

BORDER MIGRANTS-II
A Tribune special
Govt machinery non-existent
Aditi Tandon
Tribune News Service

Pallanwala (along the LAC), June 30
The shadow of the Kargil war still looms large above the border villages of the Pallanwala sector along the Line of Actual Control (LAC). Houses in the sector have been lying deserted for two years and the entire government machinery has come to a halt. Commercial activity is no more heard of and all service-providing wings of the government – right from the Primary Health Centre and hospital to the government post office – have become virtually non-existent. Given the state of affairs, the estimated 5,000 residents of the border villages of Pallanwala (Panchtut, Chapryal, Kachryal, Channi, Shelawali and others), who have left their homes, do not have any reason to come back.

Passing through this belt which lies along the LAC, the first government building encountered was the government post office at Pallanwala. One was surprised to find that it had been converted into a shed for sheep and goats. When this correspondent reached the post office premises, a shepherd named Budhi Raj was forcing the herd outside. When asked whether any government official sat in the post office, he replied: “I have not seen the shutter of the post office being lifted in the past two years. Not even a soul lives here.”

The next government wing that fell along the way was the government dispensary and Primary Health Centre at Pallanwala, which has also not seen any operation since the time of the Kargil war. A visit to the spot revealed that the building was lying in a shambles, with its entrance door sporting a big lock. Dense wild growth dots the entire premises, which was created with the objective of serving village families. With no medical facilities available, the residents of Pallanwala sector villages cannot return to their houses, even if they want to. They have all migrated from these villages and have settled in tented camps at Ramnagar, Nai Walla, Devipora and Thandi Chui. All these villagers depend upon the Army’s Advanced Dressing Station (ADS) for medication. 60-year-old Budhi Devi and her daughter-in-law visit the ADS regularly. “I have come from the Bamwal camp of Ramnagar. I travel a long distance to receive medical aid because there are no facilities anywhere. The Army gives us medicines free of cost,” Budhi Devi said.

Many migrants from the border villages of Pallanwala come to the ADS for seeking treatment of dysentery, diarrhoea, snake and scorpion bites. Speaking to The Tribune about the prevailing mess, Dr Alok Gupta, stationed at the ADS, said: “They are all helpless. They have nowhere to go except the ADS. Here we run a daily OPD where we get at least 400 patients from the nearby camp areas. Last week, we got two snake bite cases, which we successfully cured. With monsoon round the corner, there will be a spurt in the number of snake bite cases.” The ADS is situated underground.

Just like medical facilities, other government services have also been discontinued. Mulk Raj, a resident of Panchtut who lives in Nai Wala camp, said: “We have to travel about 7 km to Jaorian in order to seek postal services. There are no bank services in Pallanwala area. For that also we have to go to Jaorian.”

Now about the only government school of Pallanwala. The building of the school is in a dilapidated condition. It was subjected to heavy shelling during the Kargil war. Its roof had collapsed during the cross firing along the LAC in 1999. The same has not been restored till date. No wonder the future of about 600 children to which Government High School, Pallanwala, catered, stands ruined.

The only government outlet which can still be seen in the Pallanwala sector, is the Pallanwala police post.

Huge cache of arms seized

Jammu, June 30
A huge cache of arms and explosives, including 165 rockets and 62 improvised explosive devices (IEDs), was seized in Jammu division where an intrusion bid was foiled and three persons were killed since yesterday, official sources said here today.

Troops seized a huge quantity of ammunition and explosives from the higher reaches of Pir Panjal. The seizure included 151 anti-tank rockets, 14 RPG rockets, 12 hand grenades, 516 rounds of AK ammunition, 209 electric detonators, eight boxes of explosives, 20 IEDs, 19 IEDs (square type), 17 IEDs (box type), three IEDs (speaker type), three IEDs (magazines type) and 23 remote controls, they said.

The seizure was made about 3 km away from the Line of Control in the Pir Panjal area and the arms and explosives were sufficient for causing large-scale damage, the sources said.

In another incident, the sleuths of the CID wing of the police smashed a militants hideout in the Chingus area of Rajouri district and seized arms and ammunition from it. The seizures included 3000 AK rounds, 1980 Pika gun rounds, 5 kg RDX, five grenades, 20 AK grenades, eight highly explosive shells along with boosters and five anti-tank rifle grenades with one grenade thrower, the sources said.

They said the troops foiled an intrusion bid in Swajian area of Poonch yesterday and shot dead two militants.

In Rajouri district, militants abducted a civilian, Sajwal, and later shot him dead, the sources said, adding that two youths, who were recruited by militants, were also apprehended by the security forces from the Loran area of Poonch.

Srinagar: Two persons, including a militant, were killed and two brothers, working as upper ground activists of the Hizbul Mujahideen, arrested along with some explosive material in the Kashmir valley since Friday night, an official spokesman said on Saturday.

Militants opened fire on an army search party at Umarabad on the outskirts of Srinagar on Saturday forcing the troops to retaliate, he said adding that an unidentified militant was killed in the ensuing shootout. An AK 47 rifle, five magazines and a wireless set were seized from the killed ultra.

He said militants shot and killed a civilian in his house at Kangroo in the Rafiabad area of Baramula district on Friday night.

Militants engaged the security forces in an encounter in the Sirigufwara area of Anantnag district, but there was no report of any casualty, he said.

He said the militants exploded a grenade at Seer-Hamdan in Anantnag on Saturday but no one was hurt in the explosion. PTI

Web site on herbs launched
Tribune News Service

Jammu, June 30
The Regional Research Laboratory today launched a database Web site to impart information regarding cultivation of herbs and their utility in the treatment of many physical ailments.

Inaugurating the Web site at a workshop Mr D.N. Tewari, former Director-General of the Indian Council of Forest and Research and Education said the Regional Research Laboratory in Jammu had done a commendable job of popularising cultivation of medical plants. He said the laboratory “cannot function in isolation” and the launching of the website would bring the Regional Research Laboratory and the people closer.

The Director of the Regional Research Laboratory, Dr G.N. Qazi said that the unit was planning to sign agreements with several foreign firms of the cultivation of different varieties of medicinal plants.

He said 80 per cent of people in developing nations depended on traditional medicines for their primary health care. He said as a result of growing interest in the use of plant-based drugs in the world the global market of herbal drugs was more than $ 60 billion which was expected to touch over a trillion dollars within next few years.

Dr Tewari said the Planning Commission, of which he is a member, have framed a long-term policy for encouraging efforts for diversifying cultivation and harnessing of herbal plants. He disclosed that 60 foreign universities have shown interest in starting work on Ayurveda and India should take lead in this area and achieve as much results as possible before WTO deadline of 2003.