6 militants killed in J & K
SRINAGAR, Dec 28 — At least nine persons, including six militants, were killed in separate incidents across the valley since yesterday, a police spokesperson said here today.

Amity lessons for youth
JAMMU, Dec 28 — Braving icy winds participants from various states attending the five-day all-India inter-university national integration youth camp here start their day with yoga exercises in the early hours to keep them fit for a series of discussions on need for promoting communal amity and brotherhood.

6 militants killed in J & K
TNS and agencies

SRINAGAR, Dec 28 — At least nine persons, including six militants, were killed in separate incidents across the valley since yesterday, a police spokesperson said here today.

Six militants and two security forces personnel were killed in an encounter in the Kangan area of Srinagar district yesterday. Three assault rifles and a wireless set were recovered from the site of the encounter. The identity of those killed was yet to be ascertained.

Reports said the Jammu and Kashmir Police, assisted by the security forces, cordoned off Bud Pathri locality, near Kangan, last evening on specific information. The hiding militants were asked to surrender, but they opened fire on the search party. In the encounter that ensued six militants and two security forces jawans were killed in the five-hour long operation.

Elsewhere, the police today recovered the body of a woman in Kupwara district. She has been identified as Khatija Begum. Further details were awaited.

Meanwhile, a jawan of the Special Operations Group (SOG) of the Jammu and Kashmir Police was killed and five others wounded in a landmine blast in Baramulla district of North Kashmir today, an official spokesman said here.

The landmine, planted by the militants, went off around 4 p.m. when the vehicle carrying the SOG personnel ran over it at Watergam, 68 km from here, he said.

Of the five injured policemen, two were in a critical condition, he added.

In another incident, the militants fired rockets at a dak bungalow in Surankot in the wee hours today. However, these rockets, at least 12, exploded outside the bungalow without causing any damage, the police said. The security forces immediately cordoned off the area and started a massive search operation to nab the militants responsible for the attack, he added.

Meanwhile, militants triggered two blasts in the border areas of Rajouri and Poonch, damaging a house.

He said the militants attacked a security picket at Nawakadal in downtown Srinagar and a police post at Zachaldara in Baramula last night. the securitymen returned the fire but no loss of life was reported.

He said the security forces seized nearly 1,000 rounds of assault and sniper rifles from the line of control in the Uri sector of Baramula district last evening.

The police recovered two plastic bags in the Rajouri area of border district of Rajouri, containing 2 kg of RDX. Three grenades and two detonators, the spokesman said.

He said security personnel raided militant hideouts at five places and recovered an AK rifle, 18 detonators, eight hand grenades, and a large quantity of assorted ammunition.

A militant was nabbed by the security forces from the Srinagar area and seized two rifle grenades and 40 rounds of ammunition at his disclosure, he said.

A stray shell fired by the Pakistani troops damaged a panchayat building at Titwal in the frontier district of Kupwara, but no loss of life was reported, an official spokesman said.

There was unprovoked shelling from across the border on Indian posts in the area last night and a stray hit damaged the building completely, he said.

Amity lessons for youth
Tribune News Service

JAMMU, Dec 28 — Braving icy winds participants from various states attending the five-day all-India inter-university national integration youth camp here start their day with yoga exercises in the early hours to keep them fit for a series of discussions on need for promoting communal amity and brotherhood.

The camp, organised by the Foundation for Amity and National Solidarity (FANS), was inaugurated here yesterday by Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama. Youth were apprised of the nature of tolerance. Several scholars from Jammu and outside had a free exchange of views on issues, including cultural plurality and national integration, religion source of compassion and the role of women in society. It was for the first time that discussions were held on AIDS.

Interestingly, a number of ministers participated in the discussions and interacted with the campers on various national issues. The campers were told to promote religious tolerance which alone could defeat machinations from across the border. They were told to unite in order to counter growing regionalism, communalism and social and political violence.