The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

Saturday, September 1, 2001, Chandigarh, India

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M A I N N E W S

24 Pak nationals repatriated
Tribune News Service

Wagah (Amritsar), August 31
India today repatriated 24 Pakistan nationals lodged in a high security jail here. The Government of Pakistan did not reciprocate the gesture by releasing any Indian national.

Earlier, the repatriation of the Pakistan nationals, who were lodged in the local Central Jail, was postponed as Pakistan had refused to accept them without completing verification of their antecedents.

The Pakistani prisoners were between 16 and 80 years, Lieut-Col Changez Ali Khan of Pakistani Rangers received the prisoners at the Wagah joint checkpost.

The names of the Pakistan nationals who were repatriated include Shabir Hussain, Sayyad Khan, Asgar Ali, Noor Hussain, Gunga (a deaf), Mohammad Ashraff, Mushtaq Ahmed, Mohammad Jamil, Jahangir Khan, Mustaq Ahmad, Zulfiqar Ali, Abu Suleman, Mohammad Zubair, Mohammad Rafiq, Anwar Hussain, Sarwar Khan, Karamat Ali, Faqir Hussain, Feroze, Riaz Massih, Daniel, Shezad Ahmed, Jhanda and Parvez Akhtar.

12 intruders shot dead
Tribune News Service and agencies

One of the five children who were injured when an explosive device they come across while grazing cattle at Tangmarg went off as they fiddled with it, on Friday. One of the children, Farooq Ahmed, succumbed to his injuries in a Srinagar hospital. - PTI photo

Srinagar, August 31
The Army foiled a major infiltration bid at Muthal Gali along the LoC in Kupwara district, killing at least 12 militants in continuing gunfight today. Elsewhere, at least six persons, including two militants, were killed and eight others, five of them children were injured in separate incidents while four suspected militants were held in the Kashmir valley since yesterday.

A defence spokesman told TNS here that the operation was continuing till last reports came in. A large quantity of arms and ammunition was recovered from the site of the encounter. The spokesman said alert troops spotted suspicious movement of militants around 3 a.m. today and were challenged which resulted in exchange of fire for some time.

Three members of a family were killed by unidentified militants, who intruded into their house at Garoora, Bandipore, in Baramula district last night.

An unidentified militant was killed in an encounter with the Army and the SOG of the Jammu and Kashmir police at Dardpopra in Kupwara district yesterday, the police said here. One civilian was also injured in the exchange of fire between the militants and the security forces.

A former militant of the Al-Badr was killed by unidentified militants at Dooniwari, Sogam, in Kupwara district yesterday, the police said.

Schools and colleges also remained closed.

JAMMU: Militants have kidnapped six persons, including three Hindus, from separate villages of Rajouri district, even as a bandh was observed in Noushera town today to protest against the kidnappings, an official spokesman said.

A group of armed militants swooped on Chowkia-Handa village in Noushera tehsil of the district and took Ashok Kumar, Deep Kumar and Vijay Kumar, towards the Kinari forests last evening, the spokesman said.