Jammu, August 28
President of Pakistan Pervez Musharraf has been debunked by the Pakistani media for the killing of Baloch leader Nawab Akbar Bugti in a military operation and some leading newspapers have described the incident as a national catastrophe and the biggest blunder since Bhutto’s execution.

The Dawn in its hard-hitting editorial has said, it is distressing to find the President congratulating the country’s security forces for their “successful operation” that killed Bugti and several of his companions in the Bhambore Hills of Balochistan on Saturday.

Every sensible person should be filled with deep foreboding at this critical development. The repercussions may not be visible immediately but these will appear in time, as our troubled political history has shown whenever force has been used to solve a political problem.

The newspaper said, but, outspoken as he was, Bugti also articulated nationalist aspirations of people of his province and was respected by almost every ethnic group there. His killing could easily lead to the recrudescence of nationalist sentiment, not merely in Balochistan but also in Sindh, and acts of sabotage in Balochistan, which appeared to be waning may return in a more violent form, the editorial feared.

The editorial added that it did not do the state any good to be remembered as an executioner of former Prime Ministers and Chief Ministers.

The Daily Times published from Lahore in its editorial has warned that Balochistan will be ready to ignite at any time in future. A pall of gloom has descended on Pakistan and it will not lift in a hurry.

The paper described the killing of Bugti as “the biggest blunder committed by the military since the execution of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto”.

The editorial pointed out that regrets and recriminations are going to fly thick and fast in Islamabad after the military operation that has killed Bugti. The combined opposition has already submitted a no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz in the National Assembly and is threatening to launch civil disobedience movement followed by mass resignations from Parliament. Until now, the government was concealing its jitters behind the clear majority it so far holds in Parliament. Now it might be up against a much bigger problem in the short as well as the long term.

The Times said that whoever in the national security establishment decided to eliminate Bugti physically is clueless about the force of politics, history and nationalism. Nawab Bugti, already 80 plus, wanted a heroic death for many personal, provincial and extra-provincial reasons. Whoever took military action against him has granted him his wish to be a martyr.

The News in its editorial has said that the repercussions of his death will cast a long shadow over the Baloch-Centre relations for the foreseeable future.

The Pak Tribune and many other newspapers in their news contents have criticized Musharraf for the killing of Bugti.

The Pakistan Times has underplayed the killing and its editorial was based on India’s nuclear tests.

Srinagar, August 28
The Jammu and Kashmir Governor, Lt-Gen S.K. Sinha, inaugurated a four-day international conference on Central Asia in Retrospect and Prospect at the University of Kashmir here today.

Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad presided over the inaugural function held at the Gandhi Bhavan in the university organised by the Centre of Central Asian Studies of the university. Mr Kairat-e- Umarov, Ambassador of the republic of Kazakhstan in India, and Prof Gregory Gleasong of the Department of political science, University of New Mexico, were among those present at the function, besides a galaxy of scholars and experts on the Central Asian Studies.

Speaking on the occasion, the Kazakhstan Ambassador said Central Asia played a major role in global politics and in political changes of nation building. He said the conference was useful for Central Asia, as it would help build foresight for the region. “Future cannot be built without the past”, he added.

The Governor said the development of relations between India and Central Asia was of prime importance to both sides. He said Central Asia was not only geographically neighbouring the state of Jammu and Kashmir, but also was more deeply connected with it in terms of history, geography, religion and several other fields of human activity. “It is in the fitness of things that the conference is being held here”, the Governor said, adding that it was of great significance.

Tracing the linkage and deep bonds of commonality between the two regions, the Governor said India and Central Asian republics became the victims of European colonial expansion in 18th and 19th centuries. The landward thrust of Russia engulfed Central Asia and the maritime thrust of the British engulfed India. In the 20th century, he added, both these regions had emerged as independent sovereign republics. “Today, with the discovery of rich hydro-carbon deposits and the eruption of international terrorism the stakes of the Great Game of the 19th century appear to be getting revived as both USA and Russia have interests in the area”. In this scenario, there is a greater need for Central Asian republics and India to come closer for the mutual benefit of their peoples.

“We have agreed to have an MoU between the University of Kashmir and the University of Kazakhstan”, the Governor said and added that it would be formalised soon. Relating Kazakhstan as the paradise of Central Asia with Kashmir, the paradise on earth, the Governor sought to work jointly to achieve the goal of peace and harmony. He said India and Central Asian republics had much in common like secularism, fight against terror, Central Asian support to India at the UN and human resources development.

Mr Azad asserted that except for different languages much was common between Kashmir and Central Asian countries that comprised one tenth of the globe. Describing the region as a cradle of civilisation, the Chief Minister expressed hope that the conference would further help improve relations between the two sides. He also disclosed that a group of 20 artists from the Jammu and Kashmir Academy of Art, Culture and Languages would be visiting the Central Asian region from October 2 next as part of the developing cultural relations.

The Vice-Chancellor of the University of Kashmir, Prof Abdul Wahid, in his welcome address, dwelt on various academic activities being conducted by the university and its plans ahead. The Director of the Centre of Central Asian Studies, Prof Mushtaq A. Kaw, dwelt upon the aims and objectives of the conference. 

Srinagar, August 28
JKLF chairman Mohammad Yasin Malik has announced to go on a day-long fast here on September 7 and court arrest on September 9 against the increasing alleged human rights violations at the hands of the security forces in Kashmir.

Addressing a press conference here today following his return after a three-month-long stay in the USA, Malik claimed that there had been “an unprecedented escalation in human rights excesses” by the security forces in Kashmir.

This was despite Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s assurance on zero tolerance to any such violations, Malik added. He, however, expressed the hope that the promise would be translated into reality on the ground.

Announcing his decision to go on fast here on September 7, Malik extended an open invitation to all intellectuals and students to participate. He added that the fast would be followed by courting arrests in all other major towns of the valley like Baramula, Kulgam, Kupwara, Handwara, Anantnag, Pulwama and Shopian on September 9.

The JKLF chairman dwelt upon his meetings with US Congressmen, intellectuals, policy makers, academicians and students there. He held that he was confident that the “undeniable truth and logic of our case found resonance in the official policy discourses going on in that country”.

For the first time he had been invited inside the White House to hold detailed discussions with the key advisors of US President George Bush, Malik disclosed and added that there were “positive developments”.

Srinagar, August 28
Two Pakistani militants of the Al-Badr outfit were killed in an encounter with security forces in Baramula while a district commander of the Hizb ul Mujahideen was caught apprehended from Anantnag district of Jammu and Kashmir today.

Two Pakistani militants were killed in an encounter with security forces at Chatusa village in Baramula district, 55 kms from here, a Defence spokesman 
said.

He said the encounter began at 9.45 am after the security forces cordoned off the area following tip-off about presence of militants there.

The slain militants were associated with the Al-Badr outfit and identified as Abu Waqas and Abu Hamza.

Two AK rifles, six magazines, four hand-grenades, one wireless set and some documents were recovered from their  possession.

Security forces today apprehended a self-styled district commander of the Hizb ul Mujahideen, Mohammad Ashraf Parray in the Kulgam area of Anantnag district, official sources said.

They said Parray, who was handling the recruitment of fresh cadres and financial matters of the Hizb ul in south Kashmir, was an associate of Sohail Fazal, the mastermind behind several IED explosions which killed many people, including security personnel, in the past two  years.

A huge quantity of arms and ammunition were recovered from the Hizb ul commander, including some universal machine guns and rocket projectile guns, the sources added. — PTI

Jammu, August 28
The controversy over the tampering of the ice lingam inside the Amarnath cave shrine does not seem to have ended with the K.K. Gupta Commission report exonerating the shrine board of any responsibility in the installation of a man-made lingam.

The controversy has taken a rebirth following protests by the priest of Mattan and Ganeshpora shrines in south Kashmir, blaming the commission for having "manipulated its report, so as to please the Governor and the shrine board."

Mr Gupta had in his report observed that the involvement of the priests in installing an artificial ice lingam "cannot be ruled out" and this very observation had angered the priests.

Mr Gupta told mediamen in Jammu on Monday that "his observations were based on two reports, one submitted to him by the Chief Executive Officer of the Shrine Board, Dr Arun Kumar, and the other by Mahant Deependra Giri, custodian of Shiva's silver mace."

He said the Mahant had given his report during a meeting of the Shrine Board on May 30, in which he had not ruled out the possibility of involvement of priests in the tampering of the ice lingam, and Dr Kumar had also in his report to the commission suspected priests' hand behind installing a man-made ice lingam.

About the priests' claim that since police personnel had been deployed in and around the shrine a month in advance of the commencement of the pilgrimage, there was no question of visiting the cave shrine for tampering with the lingam, Mr Gupta said this season the police was deployed after June 1 and entry into the cave prior to police deployment was not a difficult task. 

Srinagar, August 28
For the second time in the past one year the mainstream leaders of Jammu and Kashmir shared dais with the separatist leaders on the occasion of the golden jubilee celebrations of the local Urdu daily Aftab here yesterday. Such union was first witnessed on the occasion of the centenary celebrations of Sri Pratap College here in September last year, bringing together then Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, his predecessor Farooq Abdullah and senior Hurriyat Conference leader Abdul Ghani Bhat.

Chief minister Ghulam Nabi Azad, his deputy Muzaffar Hussain Beigh, former Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah, APHC chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and JKLF chairman Mohammad Yaseen Malik participated in the golden jubilee celebrations held at the highly-guarded Sher-e-Kashmir International Conference Centre.

Speaking on the occasion, the Chief Minister appreciated the role of the local print media .