J A M M U   &   K A S H M I R

Massacre accused escapes
Jammu, February 11
An accused of the massacre of 30 Hindu labourers in Qasim Nagar locality of Jammu city last year, today escaped from police lock-up in Surankote of Poonch district, police sources said here.

ARRESTS FROM PAK HIGH COMMISSION
Differences in APHC led to Habib’s confession
Jammu, February 11
When Mohammad Shafi Reshi, a less known Kashmiri separatist, was arrested while coming out of the Pakistan High Commission in Delhi 12 days ago, he had taken the lid off those channels which agencies across the border used for funding rebels and separatists.

JKLF founder remembered
Srinagar, February 11
The Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) founder Mohammad Maqbool Bhat was today remembered on his 19th death anniversary in the Kashmir valley. Condolence meetings and seminars were organised at different places in the valley to remember Bhat, who was hanged on this day in Delhi’s Tihar jail in 1984.

Hizbul leader, cop killed
Srinagar, February 11
A Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) commander and a policeman were among three persons killed in the Kashmir Valley overnight.

First Haj batch returns on Feb 18
Srinagar, February 11
The first batch of Jammu and Kashmir Haj pilgrims will return home from Saudi Arabia on February 18, officials said today.

Massacre accused escapes

Jammu, February 11
An accused of the massacre of 30 Hindu labourers in Qasim Nagar locality of Jammu city last year, today escaped from police lock-up in Surankote of Poonch district, police sources said here.

Altaf Hussain, a Lashker-e-Toiba (LeT) member of a six-member group that included a foreign mercenary and a LeT hitman, Abu Tallah involved in the massacre on July 13 last year, gave the slip to security personnel and escaped from the lock-up early this morning, the sources told PTI.

Hussain, a resident of Fazalabad village of Surankote was taken there in connection with the case sometime back, they said.

A hunt was launched in entire Poonch district to arrest him. The sources said adding that a probe had been ordered into his escape.

Two cops have been suspended in this connection, they said.

Hussain, was involved in several attacks on security forces and killings in Poonch district and also smuggled weapons from Surankote to Jammu city for use in the massacre, they said.

He was arrested along with six others, including hardcore terrorist Abu Tallah in October last year, the sources said. PTI

ARRESTS FROM PAK HIGH COMMISSION
Differences in APHC led to Habib’s confession
M.L. Kak
Our Correspondent

Jammu, February 11
When Mohammad Shafi Reshi, a less known Kashmiri separatist, was arrested while coming out of the Pakistan High Commission in Delhi 12 days ago, he had taken the lid off those channels which agencies across the border used for funding rebels and separatists.

Intelligence sleuths have confirmed that it was on his tip-off that Zamrooda Habib and Shabir Ahmed Dar were arrested in Delhi. The former was charged with having received funds from the Pakistan High Commission officials to be distributed among separatists. This episode is said to be one of the factors responsible for the latest diplomatic row between Delhi and Islamabad.

However, inside reports from separatist camps revealed that Ms Zamrooda’s confession that she had been sent to the Pakistan High Commission for collecting funds by the APHC chairman, Prof Abdul Gani Bhat, as being claimed by the interrogators and the police in Delhi, had the genesis in the growing row between members of the general council and the executive committee of the APHC.

According to these reports, several constituents, enrolled as members of the general council, have been mounting pressure on the APHC chairman to include them in the executive committee which he has, so far, stoutly opposed. Among those who are keen to be inducted in the executive committee of the APHC include the Gandroo faction of the JKLF, Islamic Students League, Anjuman Shia, Muslim League and the Peoples Democratic Movement.

Knowledgeable circles said that small separatist outfits would receive funds from the Pakistan High Commission in Delhi by other major organisations, including the bodies that have representations in the executive committee of the APHC through hawala transactions. One report said that about Rs 500 crore is pumped into Jummu and Kashmir as financial aid to rebel groups and separatist outfits per year through hawala transaction charities, fake currency notes and some companies engaged in the export of Kashmiri handicrafts.

These circles said that during the past three years, the quantum of financial aid from agencies across the border has been reduced after these agencies realised the futility of operations being carried out by several militant groups and separatist organisations. And those separatists or rebel groups that started assuming the role of moderates were ignored by Pakistan agencies or received meagre sums of money. In this category, Jamait-e-Islami tops the list.

It was learnt that some of the rebel outfits and several separatist leaders fell out with one another over a row on the quantum of aid they received. Official sources said that one of the reasons for infighting in the Hizbul Mujahideen and the tussel for supremacy between the Hizbul Mujahideen and the Lashkar-i-Toiba was over flow of funds and weapons from across the border.

The Pakistani agencies have succeeded in bringing about a patch-up between the Hizbul Mujahideen and the Lashkar-i-Toiba in PoK but the two continue to battle for supremacy in the Kashmir valley. The result of this tussel is that while Lashkar activists suffer demoralisation with dwindling support from local people, the Dar faction of the Hizbul Mujahideen is trying to shape itself into a Jehadi movement.

These developments have caused confusion among rebel outfits and separatists. The result is that there has been a drop in the level of violence in various parts of the state during the last two months. It is in this context that Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed has again advised the Centre to initiate a dialogue with elected representatives of the people and separatist groups for the settlement of the ongoing turmoil.

JKLF founder remembered

Srinagar, February 11
The Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) founder Mohammad Maqbool Bhat was today remembered on his 19th death anniversary in the Kashmir valley. Condolence meetings and seminars were organised at different places in the valley to remember Bhat, who was hanged on this day in Delhi’s Tihar jail in 1984.

The main condolence meeting was held at the JKLF headquarters at Maisuma near here, where large number of people, including its chairman Mohammad Yaseen Malik were present.

Speakers said it was because of the sacrifice made by Bhat, that the Kashmir issue had assumed importance.

Bhat who devoted his entire life for the people of the state also made a supreme sacrifice... it is now our duty to take his mission to its logical end, they said. However, there was no hartal today as the JKLF has appealed to people not to observe any strike because of Id-ul-Zuha tomorrow. UNI

Hizbul leader, cop killed

Srinagar, February 11
A Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) commander and a policeman were among three persons killed in the Kashmir Valley overnight.

The police today defused an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) planted in the Mehjoor Nagar area of the city today.

An official spokesman said security forces killed a self-styled commander of Hizbul Mujahideen Farooq Ahmad Wani in an encounter at Haigam in north Kashmir today. Arms and ammunition were recovered from him.

He said policeman Mohammad Ramzan was shot dead by unidentified gunmen at Rajpora bus stand in Pulwama district of south Kashmir this afternoon.

Security forces killed a militant in an encounter at Helmatpora in the frontier district of Kupwara late last night.

The encounter followed after a police party was attacked by the militants hiding there. One AK rifle and arms and ammuntion were recovered from the slain militant. UNI

First Haj batch returns on Feb 18

Srinagar, February 11
The first batch of Jammu and Kashmir Haj pilgrims will return home from Saudi Arabia on February 18, officials said today.

They said a meeting to finalise the arrangements for custom clearance and smooth departure of pilgrims from the airport to their respective places was held yesterday by Divisional Commissioner Kashmir Parvez Dewan.

The relatives of pilgrims scheduled to arrive by the first flight that day, had been asked to report at the airport at 10.30 am.

On February 19, they had been requested to arrive at the airport at 1 pm, the officials said. The last batch will arrive on March 15. PTI

J&K police seeks 5 more battalions

New Delhi, February 11
In a bid to expedite handing over anti-militancy operations to the state police, Jammu and Kashmir Government has sought permission from the Centre to raise additional five battalions of the Indian Reserve Police (IRP) force which would help in tackling the menace of terrorism.

State Chief Minister Mufti Mohammed Sayeed has taken up the issue with the Centre to raise additional five battalions of the IRP as this would strengthen the state police force in combating militancy in the state, official sources said here. PTI