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Thursday,
July 17, 2003, Chandigarh, India  
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APHC open to US role
on Kashmir
Bad weather, rush halt Amarnath yatra
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Politicians cash in on Army operation Group of 25 NRIs fulfil vow to eliminate ultras J&K MP funds lying unspent Mystery shrouds death of noted Kashmiri singer Army men climb
Zanskar peak
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APHC
open to US role on Kashmir Srinagar, July 16 He also suggested that Iran and former South African President Nelson Mandela could act as “facilitators.” “US mediation on the Kashmir issue is welcome if that country wants to help as a friend ... not as a master,” he told reporters after chairing the first executive council meeting. The Hurriyat Conference, however, reiterated its stand of a meaningful dialogue for an everlasting resolution of the Kashmir issue at the earliest following “improving relations” between India and Pakistan. It expressed satisfaction over the peace initiatives taken by the two neighbouring countries during the past few months. Various other issues were also discussed threadbare at the meeting at the party headquarters today. It was the first meeting presided over by the newly elected chairman, Maulana Ansari, and was not attended by any Jamaat-e-Islami representative. Others who attended the meeting included former chairmen Abdul Ghani Bhat and Mirwaiz Umar Farooq. Bashir Ahmad Tota represented the Peoples League while the JKLF was represented by its senior member Ghulam Rasool Dar. To a question, the APHC chairman said any Jamaat-e-Islami representative could not attend the meeting due to the elections for its chief to be held on July 27. The absence of the Jamaat representative due to the elections of its Ameer or chief has also put at rest the controversy over the Peoples Conference participation in the last Assembly elections that was raised by a former chairman and Jamaat representative, Syed Ali Shah Geelani. A spokesman for the APHC said after meeting that executive members expressed concern over the arrest of JKLF chairman, Mohammad Yaseen Malik, yesterday. This, he said, was clearly in violation of the court orders as Malik was ailing for quite some time and in case of any harm to him, the government should be held responsible. The meeting also discussed the issue of having talks with diplomats of various countries in New Delhi, which had been suspended for some time. It has earlier constituted a three-member delegation of its executive members comprising former chairmen Abdul Ghani Bhat and Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, and Moulana Abbas Ansari. The delegation could not undertake the New Delhi tour to meet the diplomats due to unavoidable reasons, an APHC spokesman said. He added that the delegation would begin its process at on appropriate time. |
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Bad
weather, rush halt Amarnath yatra Srinagar, July 16 An official spokesman said here that 46,675 pilgrims had had ‘darshan’ of the ice lingam since the yatra had begun on Saturday. This is three times more than the recommended number of yatris. The state permits only 3,500 yatris, — 2,700 via Pahalgam and 800 via Baltal — to take the trek daily. The police and other security agencies had a tough time in checking the rush of pilgrims on the annual pilgrimage, who have joined in unprecedented numbers this year. The throng has led to the collapse of basic infrastructure for the yatris in the high mountains. The permission to those without proper registration has been in violation of the Sen Gupta recommendations that say the number of the yatris visiting the cave shrine of Amarnath at 3,952 m above the sea level should not exceed the limit. These recommendations were made by the committee set up by the Jammu and Kashmir Government, following the death of over 250 pilgrims due to bad weather in 1996. Official sources said nearly 35,000 pilgrims were on the two trekking routes since yesterday and the authorities were busy clearing the rush to save them from inconvenience due to a lack of infrastructure. Security of the yatris all along the route from Jammu to the base camp of Pahalgam in south Kashmir and Baltal-cave trek emanating from Sonamarag on the Srinagar-Ladakh highway, about 100 km east of Srinagar, has been the main concern of the police and security forces. These agencies have also set up various centres of assistance for the yatris, like medical camps. The security cover is more in view of three major attacks on the yatra in the past three years. The killing of 31 persons in a militant attack at Pahalgam on August 1, 2000, six others at Sheshnag in 2001, and nine pilgrims at Nunwan base camp near Pahalgam on August 6, 2002, is still fresh in public memory. Meanwhile, in Jammu, hundreds of pilgrims sat in Maulana Azad Stadium to pass time on being informed about the suspension of the yatra. There was a big rush of pilgrims in the stadium and Maulana Azad College, besides other places, where the lodging of the yatris had been arranged. Pilgrims who reached here yesterday for onward journey to Pahalgam were disappointed at not being allowed to leave the city, while more and more pilgrims from various parts of the country were still pouring in. Many religious and social organisations have set up community kitchens at the lodging places here and on the trekking route. |
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3 militants among six killed
Srinagar, July 16 The militant, believed to be a foreigner, was killed at Bontingoo in the Sopore area of Baramula. Militants killed two civilians — Mohammad Shafi Lone and Khatija Begum — inside their homes at Guzarbal in the Bandipora area of Baramula in the wee hours today. The motive behind their killing was not immediately known. A hunt has been launched to nab the killers. Militants also killed a former activist of the Al Jehad outfit, Farooq Ahmad Wani, at Lalhar in Pulwama district of south Kashmir this afternoon. Wani had been living a normal life after his release from jail some years ago. The sources said militants had lobbed a grenade on a Central Reserve Police Force picket at Chini Chowk in Anantnag district of south Kashmir last night, but no one had been hurt in the attack. Meanwhile, two militants of pro-Pakistani outfit Hizb-ul-Mujahideen, including a division commander, were killed in separate encounters with security forces in Doda and Poonch districts since last night, the police has said in Jammu today. The army cordoned off the Thaloran forest belt in Qandoh tehsil of Doda district last night to track a group of Pakistani militants operating in the area for the past three months. When the militants saw the troops approaching, they opened fire, following which, a militant, Zuber ‘Zahir’, divisional commander of Hizb-ul-Mujahideen, was killed. One AK assault rifle, one wireless set, 210 rounds, five magazines and four grenades were seized in the operation in which one jawan was also injured. The other militants, Waqas Khan was killed at Mendhar tehsil of Poonch district last night and a huge cache of arms and ammunition was sized in this operation, too. — PTI
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Politicians
cash in on Army operation Jammu, July 16 Minister of State for Defence Chaman Lal Gupta and former Chief Minister Dr Farooq Abdullah, have been making allegations against each other on the issue. The Congress president, Ms Sonia Gandhi during Congress Chief Minister’s conclave at Shimla did not lose the opportunity of accusing the central government of mishandling the situation in certain areas of the Poonch district while tackling terrorism. The operations at Hill Kaka by the Army have generated a controversy and the security forces are being accused of having virtually slept for more than 10 years when the terrorists constructed concrete bunkers in the hills of Poonch. All this is despite the Army issuing clarification on the issue. Mr Gupta has now accused the then Chief Minister, Dr Abdullah, of not cooperating with the Army for launching a full-fledged operation against the militants. He blamed Dr Abdullah for not restricting the movement of the nomadic shepherds to the higher reaches of the hills in summers which prevented the Army from launching the operation because of the fear of civilian casualties. He has said that the statement of Dr Abdullah aimed at questioning the credibility of the Army. On the other hand, Dr Abdullah has claimed that as chairman of the unified command he had been referring to the presence of terrorists at Hill Kaka since 2000. Ms Sonia Gandhi in her inaugural address of the Congress conclave at Shimla said that the country’s security was under threat as the NDA Government allowed the terrorists to set up bases in the forests of Surankot in the Poonch district. This major security lapse went to prove that the government had not learnt any lessons from the Kargil incursion. The “Sarapvinash” operation came to limelight when the Defence Ministry flew the media persons from Delhi to Hill Kaka. However, the PR exercise of the Army has set a controversy rolling. Various agencies involved in the handling of anti-terrorist operations in J&K have at times been accusing each other of erred at one or the other place. But the fact remains that the terrorists had started calling the areas across the Sura river and the mountain ranges of Peer Panchal as “liberated areas”. The terrorists ruled the roost in these areas as the security forces did not venture there before launching the “Sarapvinash” operation during which many concrete bunkers of terrorists were smashed. Defence Minister, Mr George Fernandes and Army Chief, General N.C. Vij, have visited these forward areas several times during the operation and after. |
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Group
of 25 NRIs fulfil vow to eliminate ultras Jammu, July 16 It is, in fact, these NRIs from Saudi Arabia who were instrumental in guiding the troops during the recent operation Sarap Vinash launched in the Hill Kaka area of Surankot in which over 63 hardcore terrorists were killed. Armed with sophisticated weapons, purchased with the money they had earned in Saudi Arabia, these NRI youths move from place to place in the twin districts of Poonch and Rajouri. Most of them concentrate in the Surankot area, there birth place and highly infested by militants, collecting information about the ultras’ hideouts. After getting information they lead the security forces to the spots and enable them to eliminate the groups of militants. While confirming the valuable assistance provided to the security forces by these NRIs a senior police officer said they had also been instrumental in securing peoples’ cooperation in their fight against the militants operating in the area. These youths were motivated by a solitary incident in which one youth, who had come to Surankot from Saudia Arabia on leave, was killed by militants. The news of his death “shocked his friends in Saudi Arabia,” according to the police officer. It was in Saudi Arabia that these youths from Surankot decided to return to their motherland and fight militants. On their return they had no problem as far as getting peoples’ support was concerned because they were not only the main bread winners for their parents and other members of their families but had also got modern gadgets, costly wrist watches, imported garments and other items for others in the Surankot area. Police sources said while some youths from the Poonch-Rajouri belt had gone to Saudi Arabia to work as labourers, technicians and engineers, others had gone for study. While, on one hand, these NRIs were leading the counter insurgency operations, on the other, they were motivating able bodied people to join them and strengthen their campaign against terrorists. They have assured people that those who joined their group would be provided with sophisticated weapons and their parents would be given sufficient material support to enable them to lead a comfortable life. There is one major difference in the style of their functioning when compared to that of the counter insurgents in the Kashmir valley, they have not indulged in any form of extortion.
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J&K MP funds lying unspent Jammu, July 16 According to an official spokesman, a sum of Rs 93.50 crore was sanctioned under the scheme till October 31,2002, but only Rs 60.82 crore, 65 per cent of the total grant, was spent. The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation released Rs 57 crore during the period for Lok Sabha members from the state, who have utilised Rs 36.35 crore in their respective constituencies. An amount of Rs 36.50 crore was released to Rajya Sabha members, who utilised Rs 34.66 crore. Expenditure reports received from other states indicate that of the total Rs 10,273.80 crore released under the scheme since its inception in December, 1993, a sum of Rs 7,861.42 crore has been utilised. This was 76.5 per cent of the total funds released. |
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Mystery
shrouds death of noted Kashmiri singer Srinagar, July 16 Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed has urged his Punjab counterpart Amarinder Singh to investigate the death of Sheikh, popularly known as Mehndi Hassan of Kashmir. According to reports, Sheikh, in charge of the music division of Radio Kashmir, had boarded the Delhi-bound Shalimar Express at Jammu on Sunday evening along with his daughter Huma Sheikh and a friend. However, on reaching Delhi the next morning, Sheikh’s daughter found him missing. Around the same time there were reports that the men of Railway Police Mukerian, had found a body on the railway track, suspected to be that of Sheikh.
— UNI |
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Army
men climb Zanskar peak Jammu, July 16 The team spent 45 minutes on the peak. Eight expeditions to the peak in the past have failed. The Army launched the first successful expedition in 1998. Since then two more expeditions have been successful, one each of the Indian Mountaineering Federation and the ITBP. |
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