Jawan among 4 killed in valley
SRINAGAR, Oct 28 — Four persons, including a militant and a security jawan, were killed, four wounded and militants made abortive attempts to abduct two persons in the Kashmir valley since last evening.

Plea to sanction interim relief
JAMMU, Oct 28 — Mr Subash Shastri, president of the National Mazdoor Conference, has urged the Prime Minister, Mr A.B. Vajpayee, to sanction interim relief at the rate of 10 per cent to both central and state government employees immediately keeping in view the steep increase in the prices of essential commodities.

Villagers hold anti-Pak rallies on border
From M.L. Kak
Tribune News Service

HIRANAGAR, Oct 28 — Amid mounting tension following heavy Pak firing on 27 Indian villages in Samba sector over 1,000 persons, including women and children, today staged anti-Pakistan demonstrations in front of this subdivisional headquarters. The agitators gheraoed the tehsil headquarters demanding compensation for the crops damaged by Pak firing and for those killed in Pak firing during the past nine months.

The protesters called for strict action against the Pak Rangers whose heavy firing during the past 24 hours had caused panic and tension in the entire tehsil. Several houses in the border villages, including Londi and Khora, bore the bullet "wounds" on the smashed windows and doors.

More than 260 families comprising about 2,000 persons have fled from 27 villages and most of them have been camping near the tehsil headquarters and voluntary organisations have stepped in to provide food and other necessities to the migrants. It may be mentioned that during the past nine months more than 20 civilians have been killed in Pak firing on this side of the international border. Besides this, farming practices have been suspended on over 20,000 kanals of land forcing farmers to bank on meagre government doles.

Most of the border villages, including Londi, Khora, Kothey and Faqira, wore a deserted look after a majority of the villagers fled from the border hamlets. As the Pak firing assumed alarming proportions, villagers fled on rehris, tongas and tractor-trolleys to reach this town. Others fled to Kathua district headquarters and have been camping there with their relations.

Official sources in Hiranagar said during the past 24 hours Pakistani Rangers fired more than 10,000 rounds in several Indian villages. This morning the roar of the gun fire was heard right on the Kathua-Hiranagar road. And yesterday passenger transport services had to be suspended in the interior areas of Hiranagar subdivision because of heavy Pak firing.

The sources said possibly Pakistan had replaced Rangers by troops across Samba sector. As such the BSF had been put on maximum alert with clear instructions to repulse any attack from Pak soldiers. The BSF jawans had been directed to foil any intrusion bid by Pak troops and militants.

Eyewitness accounts said the trouble arose after the farmers mounted pressure on the BSF to convey to the Pak Rangers that they should postpone harvesting of paddy in villages across Samba sector on the plea that harvesting on both sides of the international border be carried out simultaneously. Since the crop on this side of the IB would take another week to be ripe for reaping, Indian farmers had fears that if Pak farmers harvested their crops, the Rangers would resort to heavy firing, as had been the case during the past two years, to prevent "us from reaping paddy."

A group of villagers told TNS that the BSF had conveyed peoples' desire by placing red flags on the border. "We were upset when we saw farmers across Samba sector busy in harvesting," said Shanti Devi and her husband Kartar. At one stage the BSF fired warning shots to convey to the Pak Rangers that they should stop harvesting across the border. There was no response.

Instead the Pak Rangers opened fire on the Indian villages and pickets. When a rain of bullets hit Londi and other villages, the BSF retaliated. Reports said in the retaliatory fire four Pak civilians, two in Boi Brahmna village, one each in Jagwal and Sugmal, across Samba, were killed. This enraged the Pak Rangers to resort to heavy firing on the Indian villages.

The police said the situation was tense but not alarming. There are some rival political groups which were trying to exploit the situation for their ulterior political motives. In some villages, which were not affected by Pak firing, some villagers had migrated to Hiranagar simply to seek compensation and free ration.

Senior civil and police officers have been seen shuttling between one border village to another assuring people of protection. It was as a result of the persuasion from the Deputy Commissioner, Mr Chaman Lal, the SSP, Mr R.R. Swain, and others that migration from other interior villages was checked. Over 100 families whose members had packed their valuables were persuaded to return to their ancestral hamlets. The BSF and the border police have started round-the-clock patrolling in the border hamlets.

Jawan among 4 killed in valley

SRINAGAR, Oct 28 (PTI) — Four persons, including a militant and a security jawan, were killed, four wounded and militants made abortive attempts to abduct two persons in the Kashmir valley since last evening.

Security forces arrested seven militants and recovered a big cache of arms and ammunition during the period, an official spokesman said here today.

The police repulsed a militant attack on a house at Wanihama in the Beerwa area of Badgam district in central Kashmir last night. No one was injured in the shootout, he said.

An unidentified militant was killed in an encounter with security forces at Banali-Ramput village in the border town of Uri in Baramulla district yesterday. An AK assault rifle, a pistol, a wireless set, six magazines with 280 rounds, Rs 35,000 in Indian currency and Rs 2,000 in Afghan currency were recovered from the slain militant.

He said militants today gunned down a counter-insurgent associated with Ikhwan outfit outside a security force camp at Palhalan village in Pattan area of Baramulla.

A Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) jawan, Havaldar Lakminder Singh, shot himself dead at Shargari police station here today. The motive behind committing suicide was not known.

A body bearing bullet wounds was recovered from Durli in Doda district today, the police said.

Plea to sanction interim relief
From Our Correspondent

JAMMU, Oct 28 — Mr Subash Shastri, president of the National Mazdoor Conference (NMC), has urged the Prime Minister, Mr A.B. Vajpayee, to sanction interim relief at the rate of 10 per cent to both central and state government employees immediately keeping in view the steep increase in the prices of essential commodities.

In a memorandum sent to Prime Minister yesterday, Mr Shastri while giving out facts and figures pleaded that the average consumer price index steadily rose from 358 in July 1997 to 384 in January 1998. Then it dipped for the next two months and again rose and took a high jump to 399 in June which had now jumped further to an all-time high. The hike in inflation had also shown a steep rise, thereby dipping the value of the rupee further.

As a result, the purchasing power of the rupee had fallen to 25.06 paise in 1982. In other words, what could have been had for 25.06 paise, now demands a full rupee, he added.

In the memorandum, Mr Shastri further said this relief was imperative because it had become very difficult for employees to meet the expenses of commodities of daily use.

He pointed out the financial relief made available to the employees with the implementation of the Fifth Pay Commission report had already evaporated due to the constantly rising prices in the past over six months. Thus, there was no justification for withholding interim relief, he added.

Mr Shastri further urged Mr Vajpayee to enhance the wages of daily wage earners from Rs 35 per day to Rs 100 per day besides raising the income tax slab from Rs 60,000 to Rs 1 lakh.