M A I N   N E W S

4 Indian, 6 Pak troops killed

Srinagar, October 8
Four Indian and six Pakistani soldiers were killed as troops of the two sides exchanged heavy fire in Uri sector in Jammu and Kashmir, official sources said.

The sources said Pakistani troops resorted to heavy artillery and mortar shelling in Uri sector early yesterday, targeting civilian areas and security force installations.

Some of the shells exploded near the forward pickets at Kamalkote and Harnar post resulting in the on-the-spot death of three security personnel and injuries to five others. One of the injured jawan died in a hospital late last night.

The sources said Indian troops also retaliated and hit a number of Pakistani bunkers. At least six Pakistani soldiers were seen falling after being hit in the retaliatory fire. A number of bunkers were also destroyed in the shelling by the Indian troops.

A BSF spokesman confirmed that two BSF personnel were killed and another was wounded in the Pakistani shelling in the Kamalkote area. The deceased were identified as Head Constable Khutappa and constable Dilbagh Singh.

Officials believe that the Pakistani troops have been firing mortar and artillery shells in the northern sector in order to help militants to infiltrate into the Indian side from the Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).

They said infiltration from the PoK had increased in the recent past as Pakistan never wanted normalcy to return to Kashmir.

JAMMU: Pakistani troops resorted to heavy mortar shelling in Kargil and Nowshera sectors in Jammu and Kashmir since Monday evening, defence sources said here on Tuesday.

Targeting forward defence positions in Kargil sector, the Pakistani troops used heavy calibre guns and also fired mortar shells, the sources said. Indian troops retaliated effectively and the exchange of fire continued for more than eight hours, the sources said. UNI, PTI

PoK leader fears anti-terrorist attack by USA
Rajiv Sharma
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, October 8
A Pakistan- occupied Kashmir (PoK) leader has written to the United Nations Secretary, Gen Kofi Annan, seeking his intervention to ensure that Pakistan closes down terrorist- training camps in PoK before the USA launches an Afghanistan-type military operation risking the lives of two million inhabitants of the area.

Mr Abdul Hamid Khan, Chairman, Balawaristan National Front (BNF), has, in a recent letter to Mr Annan ,also disclosed that Pakistan’s secret service Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) had smuggled Osama bin Laden into Teera, Korrum Agency of North- West Frontier Province (NWFP) ,and then into Darel of Balawaristan (PoK).

The letter, made available to The Tribune yesterday , also states that at the time when Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf was recently trying to misguide the USA by claiming Bin Laden’s death, Bin Laden was shifted to a place in the Baluchistan province of Pakistan near the Iran border.

Mr Khan has disclosed in the letter that more than 30 Taliban cadres had entered into the Dahrkoot valley of Yesen district of Ghezer, Baltistan (PoK) in July from Wakhan (Afghanistan). The cadres were provided ration by Abdul Qayum (alias Shah), a Pakistani government official working in the Forest Department.

In the letter, Mr Khan appeals to the UN Security Council, the international community and human rights organisations to take a pre-emptive action against Pakistan and ISI so that the terrorist- training camps running in Darel, Tangir, Astore and Ghowadi of Skardu of Balawaristan (Pakistan- occupied Gilgit-Baltistan) can be demolished. Mr Khan says this was necessary “to save the lives of two million people (from the expected USA bombing) and to avoid pre-September Afghanistan-like attack in this disputed region.”

Pak test-fires Hatf IV again

Pakistan's medium-range ballistic missile Shaheen 1 takes off from an undisclosed site on Tuesday. — Reuters

Islamabad, October 8
In its second test within five days, Pakistan today test-fired Hatf IV medium range surface-to-surface ballistic missile, which could hit targets within a range of 750 km, covering several parts of India.

Commenting on the missile tests, Pakistan Foreign Office spokesman Aziz Ahmed Khan denied allegations that the new series of tests by Pakistan would increase the missile race in the region. PTI