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Friday,
May 17, 2002, Chandigarh, India  
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Carnage:
Pak gave help to ultras |
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Hizbul
deputy chief among 6 shot
HC
clears admission of medicos Amarnath
yatra from July 22
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Kaluchak strike: govt under pressure to act Jammu, May 16 According to senior government functionaries, possibility of a limited war between India and Pakistan has become imminent following the carnage by the Pakistan trained militants in Jammu in which 32 persons lost their lives. The sources said that the very credibility of the BJP-led NDA Government was at stake as even senior Army functionaries are said to have questioned the utility of military build-up on the LoC with instructions to troops not to cross the border. When Defence Minister, George Fernandes, in Jammu while referring to the Kaluchak massacre, said that such acts “cannot go unpunished” was indicative of a change in India’s approach as far as handling the proxy war was concerned. Though Mr Fernandes ruled out Indo-Pakistan war being imminent, he gave an indication that some tough measures were being taken to deal with the situation. The Minister of State for Home Affairs, Mr I.D. Swami, while defending the military build-up on the plea that it had forced General Pervez Musharraf to repeat his offer of a dialogue with India he hinted that various options were open to India for dealing with the threat from Islamabad. Highly placed informed sources said that using its various options the Government of India would intensify its diplomatic offensive against Pakistan and wait for the reaction from across the border. If there was no let-up in the rate of infiltration and the strikes being carried out by the Pakistan-aided militants India may have to go in for a limited action against the “enemy troops” across the border. These sources said that India was likely to open front in three to five sectors, including Poonch and Rajouri besides the International Border in Jammu and Rajasthan. Already the Ditch cum Bundh (DCM) in Jammu sector has been filled with water to block the passage of Pakistan tanks and armoured cars besides the infiltrators. On the suggestion of the state Chief Minister, Dr Farooq Abdullah, the Centre is said to have agreed to send additional company of paramilitary forces and some columns of troops for taking care of the militants-infested areas. Once additional forces arrived in Jammu and Kashmir operations on a massive scale may be carried out with focus on the hill areas where the militants have carved out to the sanctuaries. Those who have been pleading for an all-out war against Pakistan have conveyed to Delhi that once the Indian forces kept the Pakistan troops engaged on the LoC large groups of Pak-trained guerrillas, already having brought to the launching pads across the border in Jammu and Kashmir, may not dare crossing into Kashmir. As far as the diplomatic offensive against Pakistan was concerned Delhi has renewed its appeal to the members of the international coalition to act against Islamabad as it continued to aid and encourage crossborder terrorism. As such India has no alternative but to wait for response from the coalition members because Defence Minister, Fernandes, said that “we have to take note of the international scenario”. This indicated that before Delhi could embark on a major offensive against Islamabad it would try to secure support from members of the coalition formed to fight against global terrorism. Also, Delhi has conveyed to these coalition members that terrorism in Afghanistan should not be delinked from terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir because the nature of terrorist activities in the Indian border states were akin to the ones that existed in Kabul and the spring of the menace in both the cases was Pakistan. Since India has no guarantee for a direct support from China and that the US Government has more interests at stake in Pakistan, Delhi has to take a cautious stand while deciding to open a front against Islamabad. But the way several sections of political leadership in Jammu and elsewhere have reacted to the continued killing being committed by Pak-trained militants there is tremendous pressure on the NDA Government with voices from different corners demanding stern action against the agencies encouraging terrorism in India. Will Delhi succumb to these pressures or remain satisfied with the existing arrangement on the LoC? This is a question that will have an answer with events that may take shape within the next two to three weeks. PTI adds: With logistic support from Pakistani Army’s Special Service Group (SSG), a suicide squad of at least five terrorists were pushed via International Border in Jammu from a special launch pad in Zafarwal belt of Pakistan to execute the Kaluchak attack here, highly placed intelligence sources said. The Pakistan Army’s sabotage group, SSG, currently attached with the strike Mangla Corps had picked five young terrorists from the cadres of the pro-Pakistani Lashkar-e-Toiba from Markaz-e-Dawa along with a group of 70 other young boys from al-Ikhwan Islamic Academy from Chakwal (Islamabad) a month back, the sources told PTI here today. These young boys were later further trained by the SSG and made as suicide squad members of LeT at different makeshift defence locations under the guise of army training in forward areas along the Indo-Pakistan border, the sources said. From among them, a group of five terrorists were pushed in to Jammu via IB through Sapowal Basantar Devik belt from a special post-cum-launching pad in Zafarwal area of Pakistan a fortnight back, the sources said. One of them is believed to be a militant from Kashmir, who was used as a guide in this attack, the sources said and added that these suicide squad members had undertaken surveillance and monitoring on the highway defence areas during the past few days. The sources added these militants in army fatigues had asked for a lift from some truck drivers around 10.45 pm at Chichi Mata (Mansar Morh-Samba), 15 km ahead of Kaluchak on the Jammu-Pathankot national highway on May 13, a few hours before the attack. The truck driver gave them lift and dropped them at Gangyal, the sources said and added that they later disappeared in civilian area, instead of army area. The sources said that over 60 more members of the suicide squad of LeT and JeM were still directly helped by Pak army and have been kept in launching pads from Bhimber sector to Zafarwal area for their infiltration into Jammu division to carry out large scale suicide attacks. The attacks will intensify with approaching Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir, the sources said. |
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Carnage: Pak gave help to ultras
Jammu, May 16 The Pakistan army’s sabotage group, SSG, currently attached with the strike Mangla corps had picked five young terrorists from the cadres of the pro-Pakistani Lashker-e-Toiba from Markaz-e-Dawa along with a group of 70 other young boys from the Al-Ikhwan Islamic Academy at Chakwal (Islamabad) about a month back, the sources said here today. These boys were later further trained by the SSG and made suicide squad members of LeT at different makeshift defence locations under the guise of army training in forward areas along the Indo-Pak border, the sources said. From among them, five terrorists were pushed into Jammu through the Sapowal-Basantar Devik belt from a special post-cum-launch pad in Zafarwal area of Pakistan a fortnight back, the sources said. One of them is believed to be a militant from Kashmir, who was used as a guide in this attack, the sources said, adding that these suicide squad members had undertaken surveillance and monitoring on the highway defence areas during the past few days.
PTI |
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Hizbul deputy chief among 6 shot
Jammu, May 16 Senior Superintendent of Police, Doda, Vijay Singh Sambyal, told UNI here that acting on a wireless intercept the Special Task Force (STF) and Rashtriya Rifles personnel launched a joint pre-dawn operation to flush out the ultras who were hiding in the Malna forest area. As soon as the security personnel reached their target area, the terrorists opened fire on them through their automatic weapons and in the subsequent gun battle, which lasted for more than three hours, Riaz Ahmed Batt was shot dead while another militant sustained bullet injuries, the SSP said. Meanwhile, the troops foiled a major infiltration bid when they fired upon a group of armed infiltrators, trying to cross the international border near Sarla border out-post, in the Pallanwala area, Akhnoor sector, in the district killing one of them. One Kalashnikov rifle, four magazines, 117 rounds of cartridges and three hand grenades were seized from the site of the encounter, the police said, and added that the slain intruder was yet to be identified. SRINAGAR: Meanwhile, Five persons, including an ITBP personnel, a National Conference activist and two militants were killed, and three security personnel injured in separate incidents in the Kashmir valley, official sources said today. The sources said two militants on Thursday snatched the service weapon of ITBP Sub-Inspector Nathu Ram at Bijbehara town, 47 km from here, on the Srinagar-Jammu national highway and fired upon him by the same. He was rushed to the hospital where he was declared brought dead, the sources said. Residents alleged that the attack took other ITBP personnel standing on road-opening duty by surprise, who in a fit of anger beat up passers-by, set ablaze four shops and ransacked over twelve shops. Senior police and district authorities rushed to the spot and the traffic on the highway was suspended as a hunt was launched to nab the militants, the sources said. In another encounter the sources said two militants were killed and three soldiers injured during search operations at Qazipora in Baramula district on Thursday. The operation in the area was still continuing. The sources said militants killed an NC activist, Bashir Ahmad Lone, in his house at Magam in Kupwara district on Wednesday. The police recovered the body of a former militant, Abdul Hamid Dar from Balhama in Pulwama district on Thursday, they said, adding that ultras shot at and injured a released militant, Bashir Ahmad Bhat at Kak Sarai in downtown Srinagar. Meanwhile, militants lobbed a grenade at a security picket at Batmaloo on Thursday, but the grenade missed the target and exploded on the road without causing any damage.
PTI |
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ANC to organise
intra-Kashmir meet Srinagar, May 16 Announcing the decision to hold the meeting here in July, Mr Muzaffar Shah, chairman, organising committee, today declared that it would not be postponed this time. The meeting scheduled for Jammu in March, last year, was postponed due to the denial of visas to about 100 participants from PoK and northern areas of Pakistan. He said former Prime Minister of India and Pakistan would be the observers for the July meeting in Srinagar. He disclosed that former APHC chairman Moulvi Umar Farooq and Shabir Ahmad Shah had already given their consent to attend the meeting. Mr Muzaffar Shah, son of the former Chief Minister, said, “It is high time that the people of all five regions of the state talk and the governments of India and Pakistan listen to us”. Mr Shah held that prominent Kashmiris from Kashmir, Jammu and Ladakh provinces of the state, and PoK and Gilgit would be participating in the meeting. A three-member delegation of the ANC will visit New Delhi to meet the Prime Minister and the Union Home Minister, Mr Muzaffar Shah told a press conference here today. It has also constituted different committees to interact with the people from all three regions of the state. A nine-member committee would be holding discussions with the people in Kashmir, a five-member committee for Jammu and two-member committee for Ladakh. The discussions would be held in Srinagar, Jammu and Delhi, respectively, Mr Shah Added. |
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10 parties launch united platform Srinagar, May 16 Addressing a press conference, leaders of the party said more than 10 political and religious parties had joined hands to launch the united platform. They included Imran
Rahi, Tariq Anwar, Hassan Jaffri, Shakir Kashmiri, Bashir Ahmad, Syed
Riyaz, Moulana Bashir and Yusuf Bangroo. Elaborating on the “endeavours for the restoration of peace and normalcy in the state” in the aftermath of the 12-year militancy, the new party urged upon the Governments of India and Pakistan to end violence on both sides. In the seven-point confidence-building measures, the Peoples Party urged the two countries to establish friendly trade links for creating a conducive atmosphere that would lead to the settlement of the Kashmir dispute through dialogue. It also demanded an end to human rights violations and revocation of the anti-terrorist
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HC clears admission of medicos Srinagar, May 16 Deciding the petition, the Division Bench comprising Mr Justice R.C. Gandhi and Mr Justice Muzaffar Jan, quashed the writ of certiorari government order No. 159-HME of 2001 dated 1.3.2001 dated impugned in these petitions. It also directed the respondents to forthwith admit the petitions to first year MBBS/BDS courses as the case may be and treat them as regular
students. They shall be allowed to appear in first professional examination in accordance with the respective statutes with which the respective colleges are affiliated. The Bench, however, directed that the judgement was restricted only to such writ petitioners who had approached the court till the date of delivery of judgement. The Bench has also considered it appropriate to leave it entirely to the respondents concerned (government) to adjust the petitioners in any medical college in Kashmir division, irrespective of their initial admission and pass appropriate orders of shifting with all consequential directions. The state government had established two medical colleges, one each at Jammu and Srinagar. The Jhelum Valley College of Medical Sciences (JVCMS) was established in private sector in 1988-89 in Srinagar and Acharya Sri Chandra Chinar College of Medical Sciences (ASCOMS) in Jammu. Following this, promoters of the Public Research Institute of Multiple Education (PRIME) also took steps to start a medical-cum-dental college in Budgam district of Kashmir and admitted 60 students in the MBBS course and 19 to BDS course in 1996. After the judgement in the Uni Krishnan case, the private medical colleges continued to admit students, cognizance of which was taken by the court and students of all private medical colleges were not allowed to appear in the examinations. The state government took over the management of JVCMS and ASCOMS. It was also granted affiliation by the University of Jammu, and in due course of time, recognised by the Medical Council of India. The students of prime medical college approached the Central and state governments for their settlement and the University of Kashmir accorded affiliation to the college in 1998. The college was later closed and students disallowed to continue. The Chief Minister, in order to safeguard the careers of the students, recommended for the adjustment of 53 MBBS and 14 BDS students of the prime in other colleges of the state. The Central Government agreed to permit 30 MBBS students in SKIMS, Srinagar, 12 MBBS students in Government Medical College, Srinagar, 11 in GMC Jammu and 12 in Government Dental College, Srinagar. The students after fulfilling the formalities were admitted to these medical colleges. However, the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad and Rashtriya Sewak Sangh (RSS) protested against the admissions of these petitioners of Kashmir division in the Jammu region by blocking roads, holding bandhs and instigating the students. The state government, in view of the disturbances, approached the Central Government for the cancellation of the admission, which was approved by the Central Government. |
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Amarnath
yatra from July 22
Srinagar, May 16 The decision was taken yesterday at a high-level meeting of officers of various departments presided over by the Divisional Commissioner, Kashmir, Mr Pervez Dewan, an official spokesman said here today. The registration of yatris will be done at the Nunwan base camp, where proper parking arrangements would will be made, the spokesman said. Reviewing the security arrangements for the pilgrims, the meeting also discussed various measures to facilitate a smooth yatra. The state road transport corporation will make arrangements to carry yatris from Jammu and other areas to Pahalgam and Baltal. The roads and building department has been directed to ensure that the 46-km track from Pahalgam to the holy cave is thrown open by June 15. The setting up of langars will not be allowed in Pahalgam area. Instead, langars will be set up at a distance from Pahalgam. Similarly, the Public Health Department will make available purified drinking water at different spots en route the holy cave. Temporary telephone booths at various stations of yatra will be installed by the Telecommunication Department.
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