M A I N   N E W S

Restraint not weakness, India warns Pakistan

New Delhi, August 6
India today warned Pakistan not to mistake its restraint as a sign of weakness and asserted that it would act with firmness against those who threaten its sovereignty and security.

“India has been the soul of restraint and maturity in its reaction to these terrible events. But let that not be mistaken as a sign of weakness or softness when it comes to dealing with the situation,” External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Nirupama Rao told reporters reacting to the terrorist attack on Amarnath pilgrims in Jammu and Kashmir.

Describing the massacre of innocent pilgrims as an act of unmitigated terrorism, she said: “We have always said we continue to be extremely concerned about the activities generated by terrorism in our neighbourhood and on sovereign Indian territory as a result of support received from cross-border forces”.

Mr Rao said: “In all previous instances involving such terrorist attacks, investigations have consistently revealed that the perpetrators were members of terrorist outfits directly linked to Pakistan.”

India, she asserted, had “every reason and every right to defend its security and to act with firmness and determination against those who threaten our sovereignty and security and to resolutely resist the forces of terrorism.”

She stressed that the international community could not afford to “let up on and indeed must intensify its efforts to eliminate the forces of terrorism.” PTI

No let-up in Pakistan shelling
Tribune News Service

Jammu, August 6
After a gap of three weeks Pak guns and mortars have started roaring from across the LoC and the International Border. During the past five days three Indian Army men have been killed and four civilians wounded in heavy artillery and mortar shelling from across Karnah, Machail and Gurez in North Kashmir. Two Army men and three civilians were wounded in the Pak firing from across the Poonch, Khour, Kanachak (Akhnoor sector) and Samba during the past four days.

Defence Ministry sources said throughout winter the LoC in the Kashmir valley remained quieter than the one in Jammu. But during the past one month the Pak troops have intensified firing and shelling from across the Kupwara, Dras and Kargil sectors.

In the shelling more than 20 civilian structures were damaged. The sources said the Indian troops retaliated effectively and destroyed a number of Pak bunkers from across the Kupwara and Kargil sectors.

According to these sources, the Pakistani troops resorted to small arm and heavy calibre weapon firing from across the Poonch, Akhnoor and Samba sectors in the Jammu region but from across the Kupwara and Kargil sectors they used artillery and mortar guns to pound some of the Indian border villages.

The sources said the Pak gunners had become active to create scare in the state so that people were not encouraged to take part in the ensuring Assembly poll. They said that besides this, an attempt was also being made to push into Jammu and Kashmir groups of militants under the cover of fire.

Since January military build-up Pak agencies had found it difficult to send large groups of militants into Jammu and Kashmir. Hence efforts were being made to push them under the cover of artillery and heavy calibre weapon fire.

The sources said the Indian troops have been directed to remain vigilant all along the Pak border to foil any Pak mischief. Senior police officials said repeated attempts to disrupt the Amarnath pilgrimage was a part of the separatists’ plan of communal trouble in the country and of adding to the scare level which may force the government to postpone the Assembly poll.

The officials, while referring to today’s attack on Amarnath pilgrims at Nunwan, attacks on security pickets in Handwara and near Baramula, in which three security personnel and four militants were killed, said the inputs received from across the border had revealed that the Pak-trained militants were under pressure to escalate the level of violence.

They stated that in Magaam area of Budgam district two policemen were gunned down by the militants in broad day light indicating that bigger groups of militants had been set up to raise the level of violence which was enough to keep the voters away from the booths on the polling days. It would give India baiters a chance to seek US intervention for settlement of the Kashmir issue.

On its part the state government is waiting for additional companies of security forces to reach the state so that the grey areas in different parts of Jammu and Kashmir could be provided with adequate security cover to keep the militants at an arms length.

Another senior police officer of the rank of DIG said, the state needed at least 10,000 men of the paramilitary forces to plug the loopholes. Once these forces were in the state, operations against the rebels could be initiated failing which it would be difficult for the government agencies and the political leaders to organise incident-free polling.