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Large cache of arms seized in Kashmir
Srinagar, June 21
Troops of Rashtriya Rifles (RR) busted a specially built hideout in north Kashmir and seized a large cache of arms and ammunition. A defence ministry spokesman said here today.
He said based on a tip-off, RR troops launched a massive operation in Kalaroos in the frontier district of Kupwara yesterday. After a long search in the woods, troops finally unearthed a six-feet by four-feet underground hide out built close to a nallah bed. He said, in the search, a large cache of arms and ammunition, including one Sniper rifle, three AK-47 rifles, two AK-56 rifles, one 9 mm pistol and two single barrel rifles were seized. Other ammunition and explosives seized included a 107 mm shell, three 60 mm mortar bomb, two under barrel grenade launchers, five rocket propelled grenade rounds, five rocket propelled grenade boosters, 12 hand grenades, 12 kg IED, two RCDs, six pencil IEDs, 20 electric detonators (No 33), 35 electric detonators (No 27), one radio set ICOM, 800 AK 47 rounds of twenty sniper rounds, five rounds of 9 mm ball pistol, 15 rounds of 40 mm mortar, two binoculars, one 82mm mortar sight, one sniper sight, five magazines for sniper rifles, one magazine of 9mm pistol and ten magazines of AK rifles.
— UNI
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APHC ready for talks sans conditions
Our Correspondent
Jammu, June 21
The APHC leadership feels intrigued over UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi’s announcement that the government was ready to talk to anyone within the “framework of the Constitution”.
Ms Gandhi stated during an address in Poonch yesterday that if issues could be resolved through a dialogue, “we are ready to do so within the ambit of the Constitution”. Expressing the party’s views on the issue, a senior APHC leader, Prof Abdul Gani Bhat, said today: “We are for sustained and meaningful talks but no conditions should be imposed for the dialogue. When we started talks with the Government of India we never imposed any condition. For resolving the Kashmir issue, talks cannot progress if we are told we have to talk within the framework of the Constitution.” “Talks on Kashmir cannot be held within the ambit of the Constitution. If conditions like this are imposed, Pakistan, which is a party to the dispute, will start favouring the dialogue to be held within the framework of its Constitution,” he said. He said the UPA government should follow Mr Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who as Prime Minister, had stated that the dialogue “be held within the framework of humanity”. In reply to a question, the APHC leader said: “We favour opening of land routes for traffic and trade as it would ease tension between the two sides.” He made it clear that the involvement of Pakistan in the dialogue for finding a solution to the problem was “necessary”.
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Pak devotees allowed to pray in Jammu shrine
S.P. Sharma
Tribune
News Service
Jammu, June 21
After about 17 years, Pakistani devotees
will be allowed to enter Indian territory tomorrow in the Ramgarh sector
of Jammu to offer prayers at the shrine of Baba Chamaliyal.
The entry
of the Pakistanis will be regulated by the BSF that guards the border
between India and Pakistan, but no formalities of visa or permit would
be required for this purpose. The week-long annual fair at the shrine
would begin tomorrow when devotees from various parts of the country are
expected to converge at the shrine just near the border. Pakistanis
were earlier not allowed to offer prayers at the shrine because of the
tension on the border and the infiltration of terrorists. A BSF officer
said that as an effort to further improve relations between India and
Pakistan, people from both sides will be allowed to offer prayers at the
shrine. The Pakistanis will be allowed to carry the holy earth
(shakkar) and water (sharbat) from the shrine that is believed to
possess medicinal value for skin diseases. A contingent of the Pakistani
Rangers who are deployed on the other side of the border is expected to
offer a “chaddar” on the shrine. In the past, the BSF used to
carry the “shakkar and sharbat” to the other side in tractor
trolleys for being distributed among the Pakistanis who gather in large
numbers in their own territory. The BSF maintains the shrine and a rest
house for people suffering from skin ailments who come there for
treatment with the earth and water from near the shrine. It is believed
that most of them get relief with the treatment that they receive during
their week’s stay. Incidentally, the ceasefire between India and
Pakistan would complete 31 months on June 26. Except some stray
incidents, the ceasefire has remained effective. According to army
officers, no major violation of the ceasefire has been reported during
this period.
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