M A I N   N E W S

10 Pak troops killed

Jammu, January 29
Ten Pakistani soldiers were killed and 12 of their bunkers destroyed when Indian troops opened retaliatory artillery fire on Pakistani positions across the Line of Control (LoC) in the Gulpur, Karmara and Shahpur areas of Poonch district this afternoon.

A senior military officer of the Northern Command said here today that Pakistani regulars from 10 Corps began unprovoked firing on the Indian front positions around 3.30 pm, targeting forward bunkers and isolated communication towers. They fired 82-mm mortar shells and continued to rain fire for the next 45 minutes, provoking retaliation from the Indians.

Galvanised at the Pakistani firing, the Indian soldiers unleashed fire from 81-mm mortar guns targeting forward Pakistani bunkers and nearby ammunition depots. In the fiery showdown which continued for the next one hour, five Pakistani bunkers were blown to smithereens when the troops scored direct hits on them killing four regulars.

In the next two hours of showdown, the troops destroyed four more Pakistani bunkers and killed three more regulars in the Gulpur area. Reverberations of the booming of big guns could be heard miles away where scared villagers scurried for bunkers built for them in a bid to escape Pakistani firepower, the officer said. UNI

India’s demand on PoK absurd: Pak

Islamabad, January 29
Describing Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee’s demand for return of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) as “absurd”, Islamabad today continued its propaganda offensive, expressing readiness to begin a fresh dialogue with India to work out a phased withdrawal of troops from the border followed by a comprehensive dialogue on Kashmir.

Making a statement at the media briefing here, Foreign Office spokesman Aziz Ahmed Khan said it was unfortunate that despite the goodwill shown by Pakistan, the response from India has been negative.

“Absurd excuses are sometimes being made not to come for talks. All that we can say is that we will remain patient and steadfast to settle all issues,” he said.

He said Pakistan was willing to resume talks with India to discuss a phased mutual withdrawal of troops from their forward positions.

NEW DELHI: India on Tuesday rejected Pakistani criticism of Mr Vajpayee’s remarks demanding the return of PoK, asserting that the nation stood by the “well-considered, principled position’’ on the whole of Jammu and Kashmir being an integral part.

“It is a well-considered, principled position sanctified by Parliament,’’ an External Affairs Ministry spokesperson told reporters when asked about Islamabad expressing disappointment over the remarks by Mr Vajpayee.

“Our neighbour keeps inviting us for meetings and talks but I ask them, what do we do with the meeting if we have to meet to fight once again? It is better to remain separate,” Mr Vajpayee had said in Chhattisgarh on Monday. PTI

USA to help Pak combat terrorism

Islamabad, January 29
The USA has assured Pakistan that it will help in developing an effective command-and-control system at the federal level to combat terrorism and meet crime-related emergencies in the country.

The US Ambassador to Pakistan, Ms Wendy Chamberlin, assured Interior Minister Moinuddin Haider and his team of bureaucrats that the USA would provide necessary assistance to establish a modern command-and-control system at the federal level.

During her visit to the Crisis Management Centre of the Interior Ministry here yesterday, Ms Chamberlin said she would soon contact Washington to ascertain the extent of US assistance, The News daily quoted officials as saying.

Pakistan officials told the US Ambassador that technical and financial support might be required in expanding the scope of the command-and-control system to combat terrorism.

They said presently there was no federal agency which could provide necessary data to the authorities to meet emergencies or which could provide consolidated data on crime and terrorism.

The Crisis Management Centre has already engaged the expertise of two US firms to study what is required for the centre to be turned into an efficient federal command-and-control system. PTI