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Tuesday,
April 22, 2003, Chandigarh, India  
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PDP major
gainer from PM’s Kashmir visit ‘Infiltration
of utras from Pakistan up’
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ST status
sought for Pahari speakers Gang of
grenade-throwing militants busted Terrorism
victims to get preference in govt jobs Spurious
medicines seized from shop 2 ultras
on fast in jail NC
ex-minister Bali dead
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PDP major gainer from PM’s Kashmir visit Jammu, April 21 The APHC leadership felt a sense of victory when Mr Vajpayee, on day one, announced his readiness to extend his hand of friendship to Pakistan. And out of this miscalculated belief the APHC called off the general strike on the second day. But the Prime Minister took the wind away from the APHC sails when on the second day he, while reiterating his readiness to extend his hand of friendship to Pakistan, said talks could begin if Islamabad reciprocated his offer by stopping its aid to cross-border terrorism. This was seen in Kashmir nothing but a repetition of the two-year-old stand Delhi had taken vis-a-vis the resumption of the Indo-Pak parleys. Still the APHC leaders tried to put on a mask of success. The APHC Chairman, Prof Abdul Gani Bhat, said “Whatever Mr Vajpayee said in Srinagar indicates change in his mindset and attitude.” He told this correspondent “it is a change for better and I strongly believe that there is no escape from the resumption of the Indo-Pak dialogue for the settlement of the Kashmir dispute.” However, a senior APHC leader, Molvi Abbas Ansari welcomed Mr Vajpayee’s offer of friendship to Pakistan but added “bilateral talks alone will not clinch the issue. “He stated” we have to be involved in the talks. “The APHC Chief, on the other hand was seen in a submissive mood, when he said “If the Indo-Pak talks are initiated we too can contribute to the success of the parleys.” No doubt Mr Vajpayee indulged in what in Kashmir parlance, is called damage-control exercise by imposing the already known condition for the resumption of talks with Pakistan Islamabad and its cronies in Kashmir had started denying emphatically Pakistan’s involvement in abetting cross-border terrorism. Besides the spokesman of Pakistan Government, senior separatists in Kashmir felt no need for imposing the condition of stopping infiltration for the resumption of talks because Islamabad had already taken measures to check ingress. In fact a couple of separatist leaders said “the Indian Army personnel are well entrenched on the border and it is their job and not of Pakistan to stop infiltration because militants were seen to be crossing and recrossing the border on their sweet will. It is in this connection that Molvi Abbas Ansari suggested to Delhi to take up the issue of infiltration during the broadbased dialogue with Islamabad. Another damage control exercise on the part of Mr Vajpayee was his assurance that a team of state and central Government with representatives from banks and financial institutions would be constituted to find ways and means for providing jobs for one lakh youths, in Jammu and Kashmir. This announcement was made on the second day of his tour when the first day he was silent on employment package. Similarly the way he imposed a precondition to Pakistan that it should first stop aid to cross-border terrorism then come for talks had been the outcome of the reaction from the BJP, the VHP and others to his first day speech where no condition had been imposed. Neither the state government nor the people in Kashmir have felt flattered over the announcement of the hike in the annual plan by Rs.400 crore. Their argument is that “it is nothing new because each year there has been an increase in the annual plan. They had expected the Prime Minister to announce specific economic package which could have a direct bearing on the lives of common people. However, the ruling PDP has been the main gainer by the way Mr Vajpayee committed himself to supporting the Mufti-led government and its healing touch policy. Another aspect of Mr Vajpayee’s visit has gone unnoticed. Those 20,000 persons, who had come from distant places in the valley, to listen to the Prime Minister were not attacked by militants and anti-government forces when they started returning to their villages when in pre-militancy period participants in meetings addressed by Congress leaders were stoned and abused. These two incidents do speak of a gradual change in the political weather in Kashmir. “It depends on Mr Vajpayee and the Mufti whether they will be able to sustain this change or not,” said Ghulam Ahmed a trader. |
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‘Infiltration of utras from Pakistan up’
Krishnagati (Poonch), April 21 Despite international pressure to shun cross-border terrorism, “Pakistan has accelerated pumping in foreign mercenaries, particularly Pakistani militants, to keep militancy alive in J and K, where local militants are fed up with the gun culture,” Brigade Commander of Krishnagati, Brig V.K. Patil told a visiting PTI correspondent here today. He said the infiltration would rise in May, June and July (the peak period). “A day after our Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee asked Pakistan to shun cross-border terrorism, its army pushed a group of nine highly trained gunmen to keep the pot of militancy boiling here,” Brigadier Patil, who looks after the Poonch area of LoC, said. This was the seventh infiltration bid by militants during the past fortnight but was foiled by the troops who killed all the nine infiltrators during a 16-hour operation, he said. He said 24 militants were killed in these infiltration bids. The number of attempts of pushing in armed militants was 34 this month as compared to 16 in the previous month. The Brigadier said a new method of sending a coordinated group was being adopted by the Pakistani establishment, which has been coordinating the militants of different outfits. These militants are then directed by the United Jehad Council (UJC) under the dictates of the Pakistani army and ISI, he said. The Deputy Army Chief Lt Gen J.B.S. Yadava had said during a meeting of General Officers Commanding (GOCs) of Rashtriya Rifles here that infiltration was up and a new modus operandi was being adopted by militants to sneak into this side. The militants are using anti-mine boots, night vision goggles and GPS systems to force themselves into the Indian territory along LoC, General Yadava said. Rajouri-Poonch hills have the safest routes of infiltration due to highly difficult terrain connecting J and K with PoK, where dozens of launching pads and training camps are located along the LoC.
PTI |
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ST status sought for Pahari speakers Jammu, April 21 The Minister of State for Forests, Thakur Puran Singh, who represents the Buddhal constituency of Rajouri district, has been elected convener of the Pahari Forum which is spearheading the demand for granting Scheduled Tribe status. A senior National Conference leader, Mirza Rashid, has been made patron of the forum. The forum also presented a memorandum to the Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee, during his recent visit to Srinagar in support of their demand. The memorandum has been signed by leaders of the Congress, the PDP, the National Conference and Independent legislators. Thakur Puran Singh said that Mr Vajpayee had invited forum leaders to Delhi in the second week of May to discuss the issue. A resolution of the state government seeking Scheduled Tribe status for the Pahari-speaking people was at present with the Standing Committee of the Lok Sabha. He said while the Gujjars and Bakerwals residing in the same areas and speaking a similar language had been granted Scheduled Tribe status, similar treatment for them had been pending for a long time. Thakur Puran Singh said nearly 5.56 lakh Pahari-speaking people, mostly living near the Line of Control, had always been loyal to the country and had performed heroic deeds during Indo-Pak conflicts. However, they had remained economically backward all these years. The memorandum presented to the Prime Minister pointed out that the children of the Pahari-speaking people had been deprived of proper educational opportunities and as such they were unable to get admission to professional institutions without Scheduled Tribe status. Among the signatories to the memorandum were Thakur Puran Singh, Mirza Abdul Rashid, Mr Ghulam Mohammad Jan, MLA, Mr Kafeel-ul-Rehman, MLA and Vice-Chairman of the Pahari advisory Development Board, Kanwar Rashpal Singh, MLA, Mr Abdul Gani Malik, MLA, and Sardar Ikhlaq Ahmed Khan,
MLC. |
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Gang of grenade-throwing militants busted
Srinagar, April 21 Acting on a tip-off, the security forces raided different hide-outs of the Hizbul Mujahideen in downtown Srinagar following the arrest of deputy district commander of the outfit, Tanveer Ahmad Khan, from the Khanyar locality, the spokesman added. Based on the information Shakil Ahmad Khanday, Jehangir Salim Khan, Bilal Ahmad Kaling and Qaiser Farooq Gilkar were arrested, he said. In another operation the security forces arrested the district commander of Al-Jehad militant outfit Nazir Ahmad Bhat from his Nawakadal residence, the spokesman said. Bhat revealed the presence of a huge arms dump in the house of Ghulam Ahmad, which was dug up and seized, the spokesman said, adding that the house owner was also arrested. He said the recoveries included four AK rifles, two pistols, two grenade launchers, 20 rifle grenades, three hand grenades and other assorted ammunition. Meanwhile, a person was killed and a woman was injured in the Kashmir valley overnight. An official spokesman said the body of Mohammad Maqbool Pahroo, who was abducted recently, was recovered at Kalam Chakla in Kupwara today. Militants shot at and wounded Zaiba, wife of Ghulam Nabi, at Harnu in Baramula district, last night. A personal security officer of a National Conference leader was shot dead by militants in Shreekhi village of Doda district, where he was attending a marriage, the sources said. A group of militants intercepted a marriage party and after making enquiries shot dead Mohammad Amin, PSO of NC block president Abdul Rehman of Needi village, they said. Abdul Gani, a forest guard, was kidnapped and killed by militants on Ramkunda hilltop in Gool area of Doda district. A militant was killed in an encounter with security forces at Lanjote village in Poonch district. JAMMU: Militants hanged a member of the Gujjar Tribe in Rajouri district of Jammu and Kashmir after abducting him when he was on his way home, official sources said here on Monday. Abdul Rasheed was kidnapped on Saturday from Gambhir Muglian village and after a day-long torture hanged from a tree on the outskirts of the village, they said. The body was recovered by the police last night. Meanwhile, four suspected accomplices of militants were arrested by the security forces in Rajouri district on Sunday, defence sources said here on Monday. The security forces raided a militant hide-out in Kalakote area of the district and arrested the four, they said, adding that the ultras managed to escape. On interrogation the four reportedly admitted to assisting militants in their activities, the sources said. Those arrested are Zakir Hussain, Shakir Hussain, Manzoor Hussain and Mohammad Farooq of Kalakote, they added.
PTI, UNI |
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Terrorism
victims to get preference in govt jobs Srinagar, April 21 Welcoming the employment package, state Finance Minister Muzaffar Hussain Baig said while making appointments preference would be given to the victims of militancy who had lost their bread earners. Mr Baig, along with Minister for Revenue Hakeem Mohammad Yaseen, distributed appointment orders among 90 victims of militancy at a function here. They also distributed ex-gratia relief amounting to Rs 12 lakh among 16 affected families. Besides, the ministers also disbursed Rs 1 lakh among 10 families under the Family Benefit Programme of the Social Welfare Department and Rs 4 lakh as scholarships for obc/st/sc students of five colleges.
PTI |
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Spurious
medicines seized from shop Jammu, April 21 Regarding the raid at the Primary Health Centre, Ramkot, Khathua, Mr Lal Singh said hospital medicines were found dumped in a nullah behind the health centre. He said disciplinary action would be taken against the medical officer and the cost of the destroyed medicines recovered from his salary. He assured that adequate medical and paramedical staff would be provided in all the district hospitals. For the convenience of the patients, the District Hospital at Udhampur would soon be equipped with telemedicine and CT-Scan facilities, he added. |
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2 ultras on fast in jail
Jammu, April 21 “Two Pakistani militants, Zulfikar Ali and Shabir Ahmed, have been on fast since this morning in the Kotbalwal jail asking the state and Central governments to push them back to Pakistan along the LoC,” the sources said. They demanded the grant of Indian citizenship in case the authorities failed to “push them” back. The militants have been undergoing a jail term for the past seven years.
PTI |
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NC ex-minister
Bali dead Jammu, April 21 They said Bali had a severe attack at his residence and was taken to Government Medical College Hospital, where he breathed his last. Bali became Cabinet minister twice in the Farooq Abdullah government. He had been recently replaced by another senior NC leader, Ajay Sadhotra as provincial president of NC in Jammu division.
PTI |
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In video: At least one person
killed and eight others injured in continued Pakistani shelling in
Kargil. (
