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Sunday,
August 3, 2003, Chandigarh, India  
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4 infiltrators among 9 ultras killed DGP visits
Kishtwar, curfew
still on Hurriyat a confused lot, says Geelani PDP to attend conference in Pak 2 arrested on graft charge Close shave for
schoolchildren Don’t take over
college, Hindu body urges govt
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4 infiltrators among 9 ultras killed Srinagar, August 2 Official sources said alert security forces killed three militants immediately after they sneaked into India from Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) at Nowgam this morning. They said a large cache of arms and ammunition, including three AK rifles, 10 magazines, 47 rounds, one UBGL, 3 UBGL grenades, one wireless set and five grenades was seized from the slain militants. They were identified as Rahimullah, Qasim and Azizul Rehman, residents of PoK. Another infiltrator was gunned down at Thanda Pani near the Line of Control (LoC) this afternoon. Two militants of the Pakistan-based Lashker-e-Toiba (LeT) were killed by the security forces in an encounter at Arigam Kokernag in south Kashmir last evening. The encounter ensued after a search party was attacked by the militants, they said, adding that two AK rifles, six magazines, 109 rounds, one wireless set and two grenades were seized from the slain militants. Two more militants were killed by the security forces at Danas in the central Kashmir district of Badgam last night. Some arms and ammunition were seized from them. Two militants entered the house of released Al-Omar ultra Jameel Ahmad at Zonimar in the downtown today and shot him dead. Two police personnel were wounded when militants fired upon them at Hazratbal bus stand this afternoon. The security forces arrested two militants along with some arms and ammunition in Badgam district last night. —
UNI |
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DGP visits
Kishtwar, curfew still on Jammu, August 2 The authorities tried to persuade the 150 families, which have migrated to Kishtwar from Pular area, to return, but in vain. The migrant families were camping at Kuleed village near Kishtwar. Mr Rajinder Singh, former president of the local unit of the BJP, told TNS over telephone that the authorities did not take any steps to defuse the situation. He said nearly 500 migrants kept waiting for the DGP to tell him their grievances, but he did not visit them and returned in a helicopter. Meanwhile, the town remained under curfew for the second day. The Army and paramilitary forces continued to patrol the streets. |
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Hurriyat a confused lot, says Geelani Srinagar, August 2 Addressing a Friday congregation at Shopian in Pulwama district yesterday, as part of his month-long mass contact programme, the Jammat leader reiterated his stand on his return to the Hurriyat fold over the issue of Peoples Conference, one of its constituents, allegedly having participated in the elections. He, however, did not hint at any plans to form a new platform outside the Hurriyat Conference. Mr Geelani, said that Hurriyat was not sincere in its anti-election role while he had been in jail. Mr Geelani was released in April last after his detention for over nine months. The new Hurriyat chairman, Moulvi Abbas Ansari, who was unanimously elected here recently while the differences between the APHC and Geelani had deepened, had been claiming that it was due to the Jamaat’s internal elections that its representative could not attend the APHC meetings. Now, since both issues were over, time was ripe for changes in the separatist fold in Kashmir, both at Jamaat’s level and the Hurriyat Conference. |
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PDP to attend conference in Pak Srinagar, August 2 "I have informed the organisers that I am not going to participate in the conference as I am not a parliamentarian," PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti, who is among 45 Indians invited to the conference, said here. Terming the conference as a positive step, which would help create a congenial atmosphere in the sub-continent, she said, Mr Bajwa would represent the party in the conference. The PDP chief said she would like to travel to Pakistan in a bus once the
Uri-Rawalpindi road opened and not through Wagah border. PTI |
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2 arrested on graft charge Srinagar, August 2 Vigilance sleuths arrested the Assistant Commissioner (Development) of Srinagar, Mir Fayaz
Hussain, for issuing a cheque for nearly Rs 7 lakh which he allegedly embezzled, the spokesman said. He alleged that
Hussain, in connivance with the accountant of his office and others, drew the amount without executing any work on the
ground. Hussain was booked under Section 5 (1) d of the Prevention of Corruption Act, he added. In another case vigilance officials booked a junior assistant in the Directorate of School Education, Bashir Ahmad Dar, for obtaining Rs 500 as bribe from a teacher to process his promotion file, the spokesman said. —
PTI |
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Close shave for
schoolchildren Jammu, August 2 Two teachers were also injured. The injured were admitted to medical college hospital here. Nearly 50 students were present in the private school when the roof of the building caved in. Some students trapped in the debris were rescued by villagers. Some residents of the village pointed out that the building had become unsafe some time ago. The authorities have ordered a probe into the incident. |
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Don’t take over
college, Hindu body urges govt Jammu, August 2 The president of the society, Mr A.K. Dewani, told mediapersons here today that a section of the employees, patronised by those who were against the smooth functioning of institutions run by the minority community, had launched a “disinformation” campaign against the society in a bid to facilitate government takeover of one of the oldest colleges in Srinagar. He said even during the peak of militancy, the college remained functional. After the migration of 39 Pandit teachers from the valley, 41 were appointed in Srinagar, besides 30 non-teaching staff members. This was done to keep the college open to students of the majority community. Mr Dewani said even with meagre resources, the society rebuilt the buildings damaged during the militancy period. He blamed the state government for having favoured the takeover of the college, which, he said, was a symbol of secular traditions in Kashmir. Mr Dewani appealed to the Chief Minister, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, not to take over the college and instead increase the annual grants. |
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Ray of hope for tourist resort Aru (Pahalgam): Eight years after the kidnapping of five foreign tourists near here and 14 years after the trouble started in Kashmir, a ray of hope seems to emerge in this distant tourist resort that has remained the hub of trekkers in deep jungles around. The peasants living in about 50 houses have been earning their livelihood through tourism apart from little maize and potato crops. One of the few hotels that remained closed all these years, re-opened after a long gap in April last. There are a few others, which may also be re-opened depending on the flow of tourists, mainly the foreigners. A few structures belonging to the state government, including a Dak Bangalow, and residential huts sans active tourism activity, are being renovated. “This is the only source of income for my family”, said Assadullah Malik, owner of Milky Way hotel that re-opened here in April after remaining closed down for the past 14 years. Malik has only hopes in the growing tourism activity around. He has been getting a couple of customers over the past few weeks. Four foreign trekkers had returned after staying in the hotel last week, while two others had been on a day-long trekking expedition to the Katrinag water body, near a glacier, partly visible from the area. It has been sheer courage and endurance that kept the residents like Malik going on through these years of trouble. His young son, Arshad, has been active in attracting tourists to his hotel, who reach the area, after traversing 15 km from
Pahalgam. He laments over the situation that has been coming in the way of tourists’ flow to the area. But he has not lost hope, and awaits a good season ahead, as he has been closely associated with his father since his childhood guiding foreign and domestic tourists around. The Maliks have a registered business outlet with travel and guiding licences. The officials of the Wildlife Department in the area have been “harassing” the foreign tourists for overstay, Malik alleged. The Chief Minister, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, visited the area last week in order to get a feel of the problems faced by the people in distant areas like this, about 115 km south of Srinagar. It was a dream come true for many here on Friday last as the Chief Minister enquired about various issues. To uplift the poor and give boost to tourism here, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed later announced various measures at a meeting of the officers concerned in Srinagar. He said that a scheme be formulated for providing free of cost cooking gas connections to the people of far flung areas living adjoining the forests who largely depended on these for meeting their energy requirements. He said 50 LPG connections would be provided to the residents of Aru free of cost on an experimental basis. Moreover, the Chief Minister asked for developing a park here. He also issued instructions for upgrading the local primary school to the middle school level and opening of a dispensary. The motorable road link from Pahalgam and rest of the world culminates in the green slopes amid pine forests here which is separated by the gushing waters of Aru nullah flowing down to Pahalgam. Though free LPG connection is no solace for the residents like Assadullah Malik, he craves for the restoration of peace and return to normalcy to boost tourism he has been thriving upon for decades. At the fag end of his life, Malik longs to keep something for his posterity, through peaceful atmosphere, which provided sustenance to him, like many others. |
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