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Sunday,
June 1, 2003, Chandigarh, India  
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13 killed, 20 hurt in Kashmir violence J&K to have 6 new TA battalions CONG’S POLL STRATEGY
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Anti-insurgency operations to continue:
Advani Involve Kashmiris in dialogue: Akali
Dal Panthers to move 6 bills in
Houses 2 killed as Army vehicle hits check-post Lt-Gen Nanavatty retires
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13 killed, 20 hurt in Kashmir violence Srinagar, May 31 The sources said security forces acting on a tip-off conducted searches in Nandwandpora village of Badgam district early this morning. However, when the troops reached a particular area in the village, militants attacked them with automatic weapons and grenades. Security forces retaliated and in the ensuing encounter, two militants were killed. One civilian Ghulam Mohammad Bhat also lost his life in the clash. Three soldiers, including an officer were wounded, the sources said, adding that the operation was on when reports last came in. Meanwhile, militants shot dead Congress worker Gul Mohammad, a shopkeeper at Dooru in the south Kashmir district of Anantnag today. The sources said militants hurled a hand grenade towards a BSF vehicle at Khudwani around 11 a.m. today, causing injuries to two jawans besides damaging parked vehicles. Thirteen civilians were also wounded, they said. Security forces gunned down a Jaish-e-Mohammad militant in an encounter at BalaSaheb Shopian in Pulwama district today while another militant was killed at Ayatmulla Bandipora in Baramulla. The encounter ensued after a patrol party was attacked by the militants. Two security personnel were injured in militant firing at Shopian today. JAMMU: Unidentified militants killed Harbans Singh and his brother Mohinder Singh at Khwas village in Rajouri on Saturday morning, sources said, adding that ultras also injured one ex-serviceman and a civilian in the same village. Security forces shot dead two unidentified ultras in an encounter in the Mufra forest area in Reasi tehsil of Udhampur district last evening, the sources said. Reports from Rajouri district said two militants in army uniform barged into the house of one Sain Khan at Kandi Mohra last night and took him and his father Baka Khan outside. They then opened fire on the father-son duo with automatic weapons, killing both on the spot, they said. In another incident, militants kidnapped one Saber Hussain from his house and took him to a hilltop area in Darhal tehsil of Rajouri yesterday. In a separate incident in the Surankote area of Poonch district security, forces busted a militant hideout yesterday and recovered electronic gadgets from there, the sources said. An attempt by pro-Pakistan Hizbul Mujahideen militants to blow up a strategically located bridge and an LPG filling station in Jammu has been foiled with the arrest of four ultras of the outfit, the police said on Saturday. The militants were arrested by the police in a late night operation in Rajouri district and some LPG cylinder fitted with powerful improvised explosive devices were seized from them. |
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J&K to have 6 new TA battalions Jammu, May 31 Disclosing this the GOC 16 Corps, Lt-Gen
T.P.S. Brar, told newsmen at Nagrota Corps Headquarters today that these battalions would have local youths as recruits and after receiving training they would be deployed in parts of the state to meet militants’ challenge. Gen Brar credited with authoring the scheme of fencing various stretches of the LoC, said that since sneaking of Pakistan-trained militants had not stopped it had become imperative to raise a fence on the LoC. He said that at least 200 km of those stretches of the border would be fenced which were known to be main infiltration routes. The Corps Commander said that fencing along with the multi-tier defence line could go a long way in halting the ingress since the LoC remained porous on account of being a difficult terrain. He said it was not possible to seal the LoC. He said that the killing of 14 infiltrators in Kupwara sector and seven in the Poonch - Nowshehra sector indicated that infiltration had not been halted by agencies across the border. “We will watch the situation for another couple of months and see if the new measures were sufficient to stop ingress of the rebels,” he said. Referring to the ongoing operation Sarap Vinash in the Hill Kaka area of Surankot Gen Brar said that so far 63 militants had been killed. He said men of the Srinagar-based 15 Corps too had been involved in the operation. He said the operation was still continuing as “we are keen to eliminate those militants who had escaped to peripheral areas. Large quantities of weapons and ammunition, including 30 assault rifles, seven Pika guns, three RPG, eight pistols, one 61 mm mortar gun, 115 grenades, four anti-tank grenades were recovered. He explained that the preparations for the operation Sarap Vinash had been launched even when the area was under snow. During that period three helipads were constructed which facilitated series of sorties by the Chetak helicopters fitted with machine guns. Gen Brar denied reports that MI-17 helicopters had been pressed into services and added that Chetak copters had been used for providing logistic support to the troops. He said in 2001 an operation had been launched in the Hill Kaka area and its peripheral areas in which 196 militants had been killed. “This time we have decided to keep our forces permanently on the hill region so that militants do not reestablish bases, “he said. Asked whether the Army planned to launch operation Sarap Vinash in Doda district Gen Brar said “operations against the militants were continuing and we act on specific information.” He said “whenever and wherever we receive specific information regarding rebel hideouts we destroy these. He claimed that the mlitancy related incidents in the Jammu region had declined in the past three months. He said “we have deployed sufficient troops on the border and in the depth areas and rebels may find it difficult to break the defence.” |
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CONG’S POLL STRATEGY Srinagar, May 31 This was deliberated at the meeting on drawing up the broad outline of the election strategy of the Congress which was presided by Ms Gandhi last mid-night. The Chief Ministers of these states and the members of the strategy committee and general secretaries in charge of the four states were present at the meeting. The Congress high command is taking these Assembly elections seriously because it feels that it will be easy to throw out of power the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre in case the party retained power in these four states and also succeeded in capturing the fifth state. Ms Gandhi is understood to have made it clear that the Chief Ministers of these states and party leadership would have free hand to take a decision on taking support of any other party or entering into a pre-poll alliance. It is learnt that the contentious issue of reservation on an economic basis was deliberated threadbare in view of the BJP trying to steal the show by having recommended reservation to counter the initiative taken on the issue by Rajasthan Chief Minister, Ashok Gehlot. The Congress had earlier been saying that the agenda of the meeting of Chief Ministers here would be confined to the national issues and development in the Congress ruled states, but the party could not resist discussing the election strategy for the five states when all Chief Ministers and senior members of the CWC were present. The elections are coming in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Delhi and Mizoram. The other Chief Ministers were asked to follow in the footsteps of Mr Ashok Gehlot, Chief Minister of Rajasthan, in tackling the challenge of the VHP which was trying to polarise political situation in the state. Mr Digvijay Singh, Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, was reportedly confident that the power shortage in the state, made an issue by the opposition would be solved soon and he would be in a position to take on the BJP and other parties. He is also learnt to have claimed that his government did not face any threat from the BSP as most of the constituencies dominated by the BSP supporters have gone to Chhattisgarh. Mr Ajit Jogi, Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh, is learnt to have apprised Ms Gandhi and other members of the steps taken to counter the communal campaign in the state and said that it was no more an issue there. It was reportedly decided to maintain the pressure on the opposition parties in Delhi where a lot of development has taken place under the Congress government of Mrs Sheila Dikshit. Sources said that it was decided o take some steps to benefit the farmers and the poor sections before the elections. Ms Gandhi stressed on the launching of an employment guarantee scheme and make sure that the public distribution system provided adequate security to the poor. The leaders who participated in the meeting were reportedly of the view that the Centre was deliberately not coming out with an open heart to provide help to the Rajasthan government to meet the drought-like situation and was also shirking from providing additional power supply to Madhya Pradesh which was suffering because of erratic power supply. |
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Joining politics
Priyanka’s choice: Sonia Srinagar, May 31 “It is totally in the hands of Priyanka and Rahul. They have to take a decision on their own,” Ms Gandhi told reporters at the conclusion of the fifth Congress Chief Ministers’ conclave here. Asked if Priyanka and Rahul were inclined to join active politics, Ms Gandhi said, “if they have an inclination, so be it and if they don’t, so be it too...” Ms Priyanka Vadra has toured Amethi — her mother’s Parliamentary constituency — several times to know problems of the people and has been star campaigner for her during the elections.
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Anti-insurgency operations to continue: Advani Leh, May 31 Talking to reporters after a function of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police Force at its regional headquarters, Mr Advani said: “The steps taken by Islamabad are being reviewed and evaluated on a daily basis. We are also keeping in mind the level at which decisions are being taken and their timing.” Mr Advani, who is here to attend the annual ‘Sindhu Darshan’ cultural festival, said counter-offensive measures taken by New Delhi would not in any way affect the peace initiative made by Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, adding that security concerns could not be ignored in the name of diplomacy. “Counter offensive steps should not in any way be affected by the peace initiative made by a country”, he said adding that the NDA government could not be insensitive towards security requirements of the country. He said: “Our government has ruled the country for the past five years on the issues of security and development and we cannot compromise on security requirements.” But he felt that India always preferred the path of friendship with Pakistan because it believes that people on the two sides of the border want peace. However, he felt that it would not be in the interest of the peace to comment on a daily basis about the steps taken by Pakistan. To illustrate his point that operations would continue even as peace initiatives go on, the Deputy Prime Minister said Operation Sarpvinaash had been launched to bust militant camps even as the Prime Minister was addressing a public meeting in Kashmir. He said as many as 80 camps had been busted in the operations.
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Involve Kashmiris in dialogue: Akali Dal Srinagar, May 31 The people of Jammu and Kashmir, Leh and Ladakh should also be involved in talks to resolve the issue, party’s state unit chief Sant Singh Teg told reporters here. Supporting the suggestion of Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed for the softening of the borders, he said to bring the people of both the countries closer the barriers should be removed and the Jhelum valley road (Rawalpindi Road) and Suchedgarh should be opened. The softening of the borders would improve the trade between the two neighbours, he added. He also appealed to the militants to shun the path of violence. Mr Teg praised the Chief Minister for making “sincere efforts” aimed at removing illiteracy and unemployment in the state.
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Panthers to move 6 bills in
Houses Jammu, May 31 The Panthers Party chairman, Mr Bhim Singh, MLC, has finalised the draft of the Bills. The first Bill will seek the abolition of death penalty by seeking amendment to the Ranbir Penal Code. Another bill seeks amendment to Section 6 of the state constitution so that nearly 70,000 refugees from Pakistan, who have settled in Jammu since 1947 and allotted immovable property by the Government should be entitled to citizenship rights. Another bill seeks amendment to the state constitution so that those belonging to the tribes of Gujjars, Bakerwals and Gaddies enjoyed reservations in the Legislative Assembly. Another bill seeks equal Assembly seats for the Kashmir valley and the Jammu region. Presently the valley has 46 seats and the Jammu region 37 in the Assembly. Other resolutions and bills will pertain to better deal to the refugees from Pakistan occupied Kashmir settled in Jammu since 1947, waiving of bank loans in case of drivers and other weaker sections of the people and unemployment allowance till appointment in Government services for the youth in the state and reservation of Children belonging to the OBC in educational institutions. |
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2 killed as Army vehicle hits check-post Jammu, May 31 An Army truck, on way to Rajauri from Jammu rammed into a police check-post at Chingus, 90 km from here, on the Jammu-Poonch highway as the driver lost control of the vehicle at a sharp curve, sources said. Police officer Suraj Prakash, who was manning the post died on the spot and conductor Ajit was shifted to the hospital along with the injured, Roshan Lal and Surinder. Ajit succumbed to his injuries in the hospital. A case has been registered in this connection, sources added.
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Lt-Gen Nanavatty retires Jammu, May 31 General Nanavatty, who assumed the charge of the GOC-in-C, Northern Command, on February 1, 2001, will be succeeded by Lt-Gen Hari Prasad, presently Director-General of Infantry in New Delhi, defence sources said here.
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