NSG commandos for Doda
JAMMU, Oct 23 — After completion of crash course at Rajouri, between 350 and 400 NSG commandos are now being deployed on the mountain ranges between Ramban and Banihal to carry out anti-insurgency operations in the area.

7 killed in J&K violence
SRINAGAR, Oct 23 — Seven persons, including three militants and an Armyman were killed in separate incidents of violence as two IEDs exploded across Jammu and Kashmir during the past 24 hours.

7 killed in J&K violence
Tribune News Service

SRINAGAR, Oct 23 — Seven persons, including three militants and an Armyman were killed in separate incidents of violence as two IEDs exploded across Jammu and Kashmir during the past 24 hours.

A Junior Commissioned Officer of the Army (JCO) was killed and two jawans injured when the IED planted by suspected militants exploded in Safapore area of Baramulla district early this morning. The JCO has been identified as Subedar Baktabir Pun. Two of his associates were injured in the explosion when the vehicle in which they were travelling passed over the IED planted on the road. Two houses were also damaged in the explosions and heavy damage caused to the vehicle.

Reports said the Armymen had gone to nab militants hiding in the locality.

Another IED (improvised explosive device) planted by suspected militants at Fatehpur in Rajouri district of Jammu region was detected by the security forces and neutralised.

Unidentified militants opened fire on a police patrol in Gojwari area of Nowhatta police station in the capital killing a Head Constable this morning. He has been identified as Ghulam Nabi. His associate, Mohammed Maqbool, who was injured in the attack, has been shifted to the hospital.

Three unidentified militants were killed in an encounter with security forces in Potushai forests of Kupwara district of north Kashmir. Further details were awaited.

Militants shot dead Ghulam Qadir in his house at Ashmoji in Kulgam area of Anantnag district in south Kashmir. Mohammad Hanif was shot dead by militants in his house in Poonch district, police here stated.

PTI adds from Jammu: The bodies of two persons were recovered from the Chatta area of Doda district. One of them had been kidnapped by militants, while the other was shot dead at his residence.

The spokesman said one civilian was killed in an encounter between Rashtriya Rifle troops and militants in Prem Nagar Area of Baderwah, town of Doda district today.

Reports from Udhampur said two persons were injured and a shop was partially damaged in a blast at Gool village today.

The spokesman said militants shot dead a person after dragging him out of his house at Moda Bechai in Poonch district late last night.

A self-styled coordinator of Harkat-ul-Ansar Gulzar Ahmad Mir was arrested by the security forces from Balgarden area of Srinagar last evening.

The militant during questioning led the security forces to a hideout from where six kg of explosive, a timer and two remote control devices were recovered, the spokesman said.

Three suspected militants were arrested from Barzulla area of Srinagar last evening.

Security forces recovered a magazine and 34 rounds of assorted ammunition during search operations at Trag-pathari in Anantnag district last night.

Escaped militants back in Pakistan
From M.L. Kak
Tribune News Service

JAMMU, Oct 23 — Reports have revealed that three dreaded Pak-militants, who managed to escape from Kotbalwal Jail in Jammu on October 16, have crossed over into Pakistan.

Soon after the three militants, Major Irfan, Mohammed Salim and Mohammed Khalid, escaped from the jail under mysterious circumstances, which resulted in the suspension of 11 officers, including the SP Jail, reports had reached the state intelligence agencies that the three had gone to Doda. Another report said that they had been taken to the border area of Hiranagar.

Latest reports based on information collected by field sources of intelligence agencies, revealed that the three militants had crossed into Pakistan and were in Islamabad. According to these reports militants operating in the Kashmir valley had flashed messages to those who accompanied the three fugitives that Major Irfan and his two accomplices be sent to Kashmir as "we need them here".

However, the plan of sending them to the valley for organising of subversive violence on a large scale were changed when Major Irfan and his two associates conveyed their unwillingness to go to Srinagar at that point.

Those connected with the management of the security in Kotbalwal jail do not agree with the reports that the three Pak militants had been assisted by the jail staff and the CRPF personnel in moving out of the jail from the main gate and that the breaking of a cell window had been stage-managed subsequently to sow confusion.

They said the jailed militants could not have been helped in being unless more than 30 jail employees and security personnel were taken into confidence. Preliminary investigation has indicated that the militants had received help from outside accomplices. Those who hold this view argue that outside the jail wall there were depressions which could have been the result of the militants jumping on the soil from a height. The soil was damp.

NSG commandos for Doda
From M.L. Kak
Tribune News Service

JAMMU, Oct 23 — After completion of a one-months crash course in an Army school in Rajouri between 350 and 400 NSG commandos are now being deployed on the mountain ranges between Ramban and Banihal in the troubled Doda district to carry out anti-insurgency operations in the area.

Initially the plan was to deploy these NSG commandos in Poonch and Rajouri, border districts where, in recent months, militancy related activities have registered an upward trend. But the situation assumed alarming dimensions in Poonch and Rajouri districts the state government pressed for despatching additional battalions of troops to take on foreign mercenaries who had established bases in the alpine forest belts. The senior functionaries of the Union Home Ministry and the Defence Ministry then formulated a joint plan under which more than 3,000 soldiers were to be deployed in Poonch-Rajouri districts to flush out insurgents.

With the troops reaching the twin border districts, the government decided to post the NSG commandos in the hill region of Doda district.

Meanwhile, reports said that it took the Chief Minister, Dr Farooq Abdullah, and the police chief, Mr Gurbachan Jagat, over four months to persuade the Centre to release funds for implementing the Rs 560-crore action plan. The amount will be divided between the Army and the police.

The BSF has been left out for the time being although its share is Rs 196 crore for modernisation of communication systems and weaponry. Part of the money was to be spent on purchase of vehicles which can run on rough mountain routes. In this connection BSF experts and favoured purchase Swedish vehicles.

Out of the Rs 561 crore plan the Army was to get Rs 167 crore and the police over Rs 197 crore. While both will utilise the funds on modernisation of weaponry and communication system the latter has an additional commitment of raising two additional battalions.

Senior government functionaries said that the assurance of the Centre on release of the first instalment of Rs 118 crore will not be sufficient for meeting the urgent demand for modernisation as part of the money has to be transferred to the Army.

Senior police functionaries are of the view that once the additional troops reached Poonch and Rajouri within the next fortnight and the NSG commandos took up positions in the hill belts of Doda-Udhampur it would be possible for the security forces to force the militants out.

One-way traffic on Srinagar-Jammu road

SRINAGAR, Oct 23 (PTI) — Traffic on the 300-km-long Srinagar-Jammu road, the only surface link between Kashmir and the rest of the country, has been restricted to one-way.

The step has been taken to ensure smooth and uninterrupted flow of traffic on the arterial road in view of the biannual shifting of the secretariat and other government offices to Jammu for winter, an official spokesman said today.

No vehicle, light or heavy, will be allowed to ply from the opposite direction except long route passenger buses plying from Baramula, Sopore, Kupwara and Uri to Jammu from October 25.

This was decided at a meeting of officials of the Transport Department, the traffic police, the J&K State Road Transport Corporation, the Indo-Tibetan Border Police, the Border Roads Organisation and the police, the spokesman said.

The western tube of the Jawahar Tunnel would be thrown open to traffic before the offices moved to Jammu. Both the tubes of the tunnel would be thrown open to traffic from October 25 to check smoke pollution in the tunnel.