The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

	Pak violates ceasefire again, targets border post in Poonch Ravi Krishnan Khajuria Tribune News Service Jammu, September 4 After a brief lull at the frontiers, Pakistan yet again violated the ceasefire agreement and opened unprovoked fire on an Indian forward post along the Line of Control (LoC) in the Krishna Ghati (KG) sector of Poonch district late last night. “Around 10 pm on Monday, Pakistani troops opened unprovoked fire in the KG sector and it continued till 11 pm,” said a senior Army officer. “Amidst inclement weather conditions, we retaliated with a calibrated response. It was more of a preventive fire by our troops,” he added. However, there was no loss of life or damage to property in the firing from across the border, said the officer. “We have already lodged a protest with Pakistan via hotline,” he added. “It was a clear case of ceasefire violation but we didn’t see any movement of ultras on the other side of the LoC,” said the officer. He also denied reports that the LoC fence in the KG sector had been tampered with by suspected ultras during the Pakistani firing. “The LoC fence is intact,” he said. It may be recalled here that ever since the BSF had detected a transborder tunnel in the Samba sector on July 28, there had been a sudden spurt of truce violations along the international border in particular. On August 19-20, Pakistan Rangers had fired at four Indian posts along the international border in Jammu's Akhnoor sector. One intruder was killed in the retaliatory firing by the BSF. On August 19, Pakistan had violated the ceasefire by targeting a forward post in the KG sector along the LoC in Poonch. Search ops near LoC in Nowshera Rajouri: The Army along with the police launched a massive search operation after some suspicious activity was noticed near the LoC in the Manpur area of Rajouri district today. Reports said Army troops deployed along the LoC in the Manpur area had launched a manhunt today morning after a Class VII student, identified as Kamal Kumar, noticed some suspicious activity near the fence and informed the local police and the security forces.
	Army on alert after infiltration bid in Uri Majid Jahangir Tribune News Service Srinagar, September 4 Troops in north Kashmir’s Uri sector have been put on an alert after they foiled an infiltration bid near the Line of Control (LoC) on Sunday night in the Kamalkote area. While the Army said that they fired at the infiltrators after they noticed movement near the Zero Line, residents of the village said that troops from India and Pakistan exchanged heavy fire for at least two hours. “After the Sunday night firing, there has been panic in the area. We suspect that it was not only the firing between militants and the Army, but it was the first ceasefire violation since 2003 when India and Pakistan announced the ceasefire pact,” said an elderly resident from the village over phone. “The two sides also exchanged mortar fire, but luckily there was no causality,” he added. The Army, however, said that there was no exchange of fire between Indian and Pakistani troops in the sector. The Army spokesman in Srinagar, Col Birjesh Pandey, said the troops deployed in the area opened fire on Sunday night when they noticed movement near the LoC in the Kamalkote area. “There was no exchange of fire between the troops of the two countries. The Pakistani troops did not open fire on our posts, but they were providing cover to infiltrators who were trying to sneak into the Valley,” Colonel Pandey said. “We searched the area on Monday morning, but the troops found nothing,” he added. The spokesman said Pakistan was desperate to infiltrate militants into Kashmir ahead of winter. “After the latest infiltration bid in the Uri sector, our troops are on an alert,” he said. Sources said in the coming days there could be more attempts by militants to sneak into the Valley. The latest incident, the sources said, was likely to be discussed in a day or two on the hotline between Indian and Pakistan Army officers. Once the worst-hit sector Before the 2003 ceasefire on the LoC, Uri was one of the worst-affected sectors by cross-border shelling. The heavy shelling had even forced residents to migrate to safer places. But, after 2003, the entire Uri sector has been calm, even though militants sometimes try to cross the LoC after scaling or cutting the barbed wire fencing on it.
	Baglihar-II project to generate Rs 500 crore annually: Omar Tribune News Service Jammu, September 4 Chief Minister Omar Abdullah today said the Baglihar Hydroelectric Project (BHEP) stage-II would generate an average annual income of about Rs 500 crore by producing over 1,300 Million Unit (MU) of energy. He said the state government had launched a number of power projects for execution and many were in the pipeline to achieve the target of generating over 4000 MW of power during the next five years. The Chief Minister, who visited the project at Chanderkote in Ramban district, inspected various units, including the dam, which is common for the stage one and two of the BHEP. He was accompanied by Principal Secretary of the Power Development Department Sudhanshu Pandey and J&K Power Development Corporation Managing Director Basharat Ahmad Dar. Omar was briefed about the status of the implementation of the Baglihar stage-II. He was told that the contracts for civil, hydro-mechanical and electro-mechanical works were signed on March 31. Pre-commencement works, besides some essential works of stage-II, are under execution. Omar underlined the importance of construction of hydroelectric projects in the state to harness its vast hydroelectric potential and achieve self-sufficiency in energy generation. An official spokesperson said Rs 673 crore had been incurred on the second stage of the BHEP till July, 2012. The stage first of 450 MW was inaugurated by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and the project started commercial generation of power from April 1, 2009. Since its inception, the power plant has generated 10,724.06 MU of energy by August 2012 worth Rs 4,027.450 crore against an expenditure of Rs 5,506.30 crore. The financial closure for the BHEP stage-II is being achieved after signing a loan agreement with the Power Finance Corporation of India for Rs 1,679.23 crore and Rs 500 crore with the J&K Bank. The completion cost of the project is likely to be Rs 3,113.19 crore. The balance amount of Rs 933.966 crore will be met by the state.
	I’m being isolated, says Hurriyat chief Geelani Arun Joshi Tribune News Service Srinagar, September 4 Hurriyat Conference chief Syed Ali Shah Geelani, regarded as a symbol of hardline separatism in Kashmir, is feeling isolated and shifts the whole blame to the government, saying that his freedom of expression and movement has been curbed . “I cannot reach out to my people, talk to them and in the process I am being isolated,” said Geelani while talking to The Tribune on Tuesday. Peppering his narrative with his traditional anti-India diatribe, Geelani said: “If the government thinks that by keeping me under house arrest and curbing the movement of the people on streets to air their grievances it can silence us, that’s not going to happen.” “Kashmir is a Himalayan issue, it cannot be dislodged just by India or Pakistan backing out of it,” he said even as he described the current situation in Pakistan “beyond any level of tolerance”. “The people there are killing their own people and there are attacks on army and air force installations…that’s disappointing.” Geelani asserted that Pakistan could not back out of the K-issue because it was party to it.” While he claimed that he was only left with the option to give general strike calls to make “people show their resentment against the violation of our rights”, he said he could do little to curb the anti-social activities in society. “It is happening because I am not allowed to move around”. “I am not allowed to attend weddings or funerals, leave alone hold rallies or demonstrations,” he said. On his call for a bandh on Tuesday against the reported construction of the road to the Amarnath shrine, knowing well that none of the pilgrims has ever stayed over at the cave shrine (at 13,000 feet) after offering prayers, the separatist leader said “there is a plan under way”. But he did not have the details of the plan. He, however, said there were four lakh Biharis in Kashmir. “Earlier, they used to go back after summers but now they continue to live even during the severest of winter.” When told that the migrant labourers were invited by farmers and orchardists in Kashmir, and why should he blame them, Geelani admitted that “there were weaknesses in our society. I do acknowledge that.” About the possibility of his protest calls causing unrest in the state on the pattern of 2008, he said: “Kashmiris are not communal. Our record shows that pilgrims were never harmed here (in the Valley).” He, however, claimed that there was a concern for ecology. “If there is restriction on the pilgrims visiting Gangotri, why should the number of pilgrims to Amarnath shrine increase every year?” he asked.It appears that Geelani whose calls have failed to evoke the response that it evoked in 2008 and 2010 —the years of turmoil and street protests in Kashmir — is looking for an issue to end his isolation.
	With water taxis on Jhelum, Srinagar going the Venice way M Aamir Khan/TNS Srinagar, September 4 Ferries were meant to serve as an alternative means of transport to counter the traffic snarls on city roads but they are turning out to be a tourist attraction. While commuters are giving the inland water transport plying on the Jhelum river a miss, tourists on the other hand are enjoying the ride as the ferries cruise through the old city areas giving sightseers a glimpse of the summer capital’s rich cultural heritage. The Honda engine-powered ferries ply on a 15-km river stretch between the Panthachowk on the outskirts of the city and Chattabal in downtown Srinagar. The boats pass through the interiors of the old city and since people earlier lived on the banks of the Jhelum, the commuters catch a sight of ancient structures. The government has already announced its plans to promote heritage tourism in a big way. “Around 100 tourists and others, who want to see Srinagar’s rich heritage, take a ride on a daily basis especially in the afternoons,” said Ufair Ajaz, who owns the Kashmir Motors Marine Service (KMMS) that looks after the water transport service. He said the KMMS wanted to revive water transport in a big way and also make it a more popular tourist attraction. “In places like Venice, water transport is a major attraction and we want people to get the same feel when they pass through the old city here,” Ufair said. “After people outside the state came to know about these water taxis, travel operators have been calling us for bookings even for next year. It is good for the promotion of heritage tourism in the state.” Regarding the failure of the service as alternative means of transport, Ufair said: “The service is at an early stage and we have been operating for the past two months only. Acceptance among the people is important and we are hopeful that the service, besides attracting tourists, will gradually come up as an alternative to road transport.”
	Search for militants on in Ganderbal forest for fourth consecutive day Majid Jahangir Tribune News Service Srinagar, September 4 The combing operations continued in the forests of central Kashmir’s Ganderbal district for the fourth consecutive day today. The security forces suspect the presence of four foreign militants in the forest area. The police said since the encounter started on Saturday morning inside the dense forest, the Army and the Special Operation Group of the police had killed two militants and busted two cave hideouts. “The operation has not been called off. The last contact with the militants was established on Sunday. Since then there has been no exchange of fire. The joint teams of the Army and the police are conducting searches in the forests,” a police officer said. He said the search operation was taking time due to tough terrain of the Chattergul forest area. “We suspect that there are more militants in the area so we are continuing our searches carefully,” he added. Army sources in Srinagar said troops in neighbouring Bandipore district had been put on an alert. “The troops in Bandipore are also maintaining a tight vigil to ensure that the hiding militants in the forests are not able to escape the cordon,” sources said. The encounter in the Chattergul forests area had erupted on Saturday morning after specific information from the police in Srinagar about the movement of a group of militants in the area. As the troops and the police challenged the militants’ group, they (militants) opened fire triggering an encounter. One militant was killed in the initial gunfight. The militant was believed to be a foreigner. Another militant was killed on Sunday. The police said it was not sure about the identity of the militants. “We are checking whether the militant group in the forests had recently infiltrated to Kashmir or had been operating in north or central Kashmir for some time,” said the police officer. Arms, ammunition recovered In a joint operation, 19 Rashtriya Rifles of the Army and the Anantnag police recovered a haul of arms and ammunition from the Pathribal area of Anantnag district. The Commanding Officer of 19 RR, Col AL Naimi, said some suspicious movement was reported from the area and a search operation was launched by the joint team. “The arms and ammunition were hidden beneath the ground,” said Col Naimi. The recovery included two AK-56 rifles, five AK magazines, 200 AK ammunition rounds, grenades and medicine. “Presence of militants in the area was being reported for some time. We are hopeful of nabbing the militants soon,” said the Army officer.
	33 timber smugglers booked, courtesy Public Safety Act Amin Masoodi Kupwara, September 4 At least 33 notorious timber smugglers have been booked under the Public Safety Act (PSA) in the Kandi range of the Kamraj forest division in north Kashmir from March 2011 to June 2012. The Act has proved to be a strong deterrent against potential smugglers in the smuggling-prone compartments of the forest range, claimed officials. The forest rangers have seized over 4500 square feet of timber during the period. The seized timber costs Rs 4.50 crore. Until recently, the forest compartments from 26 to 32 had earned a dubious distinction of being the largest smuggling affected areas in the Kandi forest range. Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Kamraj said after years of effort, the forest officials had finally managed to put a check on unabated timber smuggling in compartments. “We booked Mohammad Maqbool, a smuggler, under the PSA few weeks ago. During the last months, 33 smugglers have been booked under the Act,” said DFO Mohammad Sadiq Lone. Two more timber smugglers, Farhat Dar and Shahzad Beig, both residents of Mundji, Sopore, are wanted under the PSA are at large. Maqbool was involved in the killing of a forester on January 1, claimed the DFO. Four employees were injured in the nocturnal attack. For the past many years, a gang of notorious timber smugglers has been active in areas, including Rampur, Rajpur, Chahar and Kahwal, falling under the Kandi forest range. The Forest Department has to some extent been able to check smuggling in these areas during the last one year, but in the process lost one of its senior employees. “Forester Shakeel Ahmad Malik, who was critically injured in an attack by smugglers in compartment No 31 on January 1, died at the Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences after a week. Four other employees on night patrol were also injured,” the official said. The forest range has seized 27 horses, 27 horsecarts (locally called rehris), 12 vehicles, including two trucks and a Matador, during raids on timber smugglers. It has also recovered two boats from the Wular Lake and four hand-driven rehris. An official said, “Last night, the officials held a biker and recovered a log of wood and axe from him. The pillion rider took the advantage of darkness and fled.” HARD TIME FOR SMUGGLERS 4500 square feet of timber worth Rs 4.50 crore seized from March 2011 to June 2012 The forest compartments from 26 to 32 had earned a dubious distinction of being the largest smuggling-affected areas in the forest range 27 horses, 27 horsecarts, 12 vehicles, including two trucks and a Matador, seized during raids on timber smugglers
	Mixed response to Hurriyat’s call for bandh over Amarnath issue Azhar Qadri Tribune News Service Srinagar, September 4 A day-long shutdown was observed by people in the Valley today in response to a bandh call given by the hardline Hurriyat Conference headed by Syed Ali Shah Geelani. The shutdown, which evoked a mixed response, was to protest against the alleged “politicisation” of the annual Amarnath pilgrimage, which the separatist faction demanded should be limited to its original duration. Geelani had alleged that the 40-day pilgrimage inside the Himalayan mountain range in south Kashmir was “harming” the ecological balance of the region, as hundreds of devotees visited the cave shrine every day. In Srinagar city, commercial hub Lal Chowk and major markets adjoining it remained closed. Most of the shops, schools, colleges and business establishments also remained closed in response to the shutdown call. Public transport and private vehicles were plying on some routes around the city. The inter-district transport service was not much affected by the shutdown. The impact of the shutdown call was visible in the interiors of the city where people stayed indoors, but the impact of the call was less in suburban uptown localities of Srinagar. The shutdown call got a mixed response in south and north Kashmir districts as shops and businesses remained closed. But public transport was plying on the roads. The hardline Hurriyat Conference in a statement “thanked” the people for observing a “complete shutdown against what it called was a “political, cultural, sectarian and environmental aggression”.
	BJP concerned over rise in militancy-related incidents Demands screening of police recruits to detect moles in force Tribune News Service Jammu, September 4 The state unit of the BJP has expressed concern over the spurt in militancy-related incidents and cautioned the government against adopting a casual approach to deal with militancy. In a resolution passed in the state executive committee meeting of the party, the BJP observed that the Congress-led UPA government at the Centre and the NC-Congress coalition government in the state were on one hand continuing with their past policy of appeasing and accommodating separatist and anti-national forces and on the other hand promoting corruption, which was scaling new heights and demoralising and discouraging nationalist populace, which constituted an overwhelming majority in the state. “Both the state and the Central governments are continuing with their policy of accommodating and rehabilitating anti-national elements and people are bearing the brunt,” the party observed. It added, “The recent arrest of a police constable, who has admitted to having committed 13 acts of terrorism while working in the police, is an indicative of the militant-police nexus.” The BJP demanded screening of all police recruits to single out the moles in the force. “Discovery of a long and a well-provisioned underground tunnel at the border indicates the futility of the rehabilitation policy and providing financial help to former militants and being accommodative and soft towards Pakistan,” the party said. “The chance discovery of the underground tunnel at the border requires a paradigm shift in our perception and assessment of the threat posed by the anti-national forces, which are in symbiotic partnership with the ISI and the Pakistan army, and warrants a new and more strict response,” the party observed.
	Army fair in Kargil draws large crowd Tribune News Service Jammu, September 4 The Army fair in Kargil evoked an overwhelming response from locals in Kargil yesterday. Organised by the ‘Forever in Operations’ Division, the fair was held at the Kargil helipad. The mela started off with a “run for fun” for schoolchildren of the region to emphasise the role of physical fitness among them. Stalls were put up by forest, agriculture and tourism departments, Army Welfare Housing Organisation, Army Welfare Education Society, Army Placement Agency, Zila Sainik Board and the National Cadet Corps. There was an impressive display of various military weapons and equipment. Later, the gathering was also treated to a spectacular pipe band display and an Army dog show. Ex-servicemen, who came from far-flung areas of the region, were felicitated on the occasion. A variety of games and competitions were also held for the gathering. The mela culminated with a cultural programme organised jointly by Army personnel and locals. A medical-cum-dental care camp was also organised on the occasion. A large number of senior Army and civilian dignitaries, including the Chief Executive Councillor, LAHDC, Kargil DC and Executive Councillors, attended the function. The event, which drew a large crowd, showcased the commitment of the Army and civil administration towards working together for providing a better quality of life to the locals. The local populace thanked the Army for the efforts being done for its welfare.
	Importance of network security highlighted Our Correspondent Rajouri, September 4 A workshop on network security was organised by the Department of Information Technology and Engineering at Baba Ghulam Shah Badshah University’s College of Engineering and Technology today. Maninder Singh, Associate Professor and Head of the CSED, Thapar University, Patiala, was the guest speaker. The workshop was inaugurated by Prof AK Koul, Dean, Academic Affairs, who emphasised the need of security in the present era. Prof M Asger, Principal, COET, highlighted the importance of network security and the growing demand for secure networks while Malik Mubasher Hasan, Head of the Department of ITE, presented a welcome note. Network security consists of provisions and policies adopted by a network administrator to prevent and monitor unauthorised access, misuse, modification and denial of a computer network and network-accessible resources. It also involves the authorisation of access to data in a network, which is controlled by the network administrator. It secures the network and protects and oversees operations being done in the present day scenario of unsecure access of the Internet. The workshop was divided into four technical sessions, web identity, ARP spoofing, DNS alterations, buffer overflow and debugging.