J&K to waive house loans to MLAs
JAMMU, Sept 13 — The Jammu and Kashmir Government has decided in principle to waive house building loans sanctioned to sitting and former legislators, including ministers, till 1990.

19,956 killed in J&K since 1990
JAMMU, Sept 13 — As many as 19,956 persons, including militants and security force personnel, have been killed in militancy-related violence in Jammu and Kashmir between January 1990 and August this year, an official report said.

Pak troops resume firing
JAMMU, Sept 13 — Pakistani troops fired at seven border outposts along the international border in Samba and R.S. Pura sub-sectors here last night, officials said here today.

Special pickets, VDCs to combat militancy

JAMMU, Sept 13 (PTI) — Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh have finalised a special operation to combat militancy which killed 51 persons in Doda and Chamba districts of the two states recently.

Under the plan, worked out at a day-long meeting of police officials of the two adjacent districts along with commandants of the ITBP, permanent security pickets would be set up on the passes connecting Doda at Chamba to stop militants' movement between the two states and a "communication grid" established for the sharing of intelligence between the cops of the two districts, official sources here today said.

A decision was taken to form village defence committees (VDCs) in remote Chamba villages in Himachal on the pattern of Doda, they said, adding members of the VDCs would be given training in arms and ammunition.

The plan also mooted the idea of keeping a tab on the movements of Gujjars and Bakkerwals tribes following reports that nomads acted as guides and porters of militants, the sources said.

In other development the police recovered 25 kg of RDX and arrested six youths working as couriers for militants along with a top militant from Surankot in Poonch district yesterday, officials said here on Sunday.

The RDX was recovered from a militant hideout in the Mandi area of Poonch during a raid yesterday while six youths working as militants' couriers were arrested along with a top militant Hakim Shah in the Bhamer Gali area in the same district, they said.

In another incident militants last night kidnapped a businessman Gulam Hassan Tantray from his shop in Banihal town of Doda and took him to some unknown destination, they said adding a search operation had been launched.

SRINAGAR: Six persons, including a woman, were killed in separate incidents of violence across the valley since yesterday while the security forces arrested 12 militants of the Harkat-ul-Ansar here yesterday.

Suspected militants intruded into the house of Ali Mohammad Bhat at Naik Mohalla in Padshahi Bagh here late last evening and opened fire at the inmates. The wife of Ali Mohammad Bhat, Haleema and their son, Shakeel were killed on the spot while two girls, Afroza and Waheeda were injured. The injured have been shifted to the hospital.

The militants intruded into the house of Ghulam Mohammad Dar at Sumbal in Baramula district last night and shot him dead. Further investigations are in progress, a police spokesman here said.

One militant was killed in an encounter with the security forces at Chandrigam in Kulgam area of Anantnag district today. Till the last reports came in the encounter was still going on. Reports said the security forces cordoned off the locality on a specific information about the presence of the militants in the locality.

A foreign militant, identified as Samiullah of Peshawar in Pakistan was killed in an encounter with the security forces at Simba, Nowgam in Kupwara district. Another militant was killed in an encounter with the security forces at Thathri in Doda district, a police spokesman here stated.

The Special Operations Group (SOG) of the Jammu and Kashmir police yesterday apprehended 12 militants of the Harkat-ul-Ansar. They have been identified as Riyaz Ahmad Shah, alias Javed, Samiullah Bashir, alias Sadam, Showkat Ahmad Malik, alias Nadeem, Asif Iqbal Wani, alias Khalid, Sajad Rashid Khan, alias Owais, M. Ishaq Sheikh, alias Jafar, Ghulam Hassan Naqeeb, alias Muzamil, Mohammad Lateef Bhat, alias Adil, Altaf Ahmad Bhat, alias Baradar Sajad Ahmad Rather, alias Waseem.

J&K to waive house loans to MLAs
Tribune News Service

JAMMU, Sept 13 — The Jammu and Kashmir Government has decided in principle to waive house building loans sanctioned to sitting and former legislators, including ministers, till 1990.

Official sources said the government had taken the step for two reasons. First, the sitting legislators and ministers would not be entitled to seek fresh loans from either government or financial institutions till they repaid the previous loans. Second, the government had realised that the eight-year-long turmoil in the state had hit their financial resources and they needed assistance for either building or renovating houses which had been damaged in militancy-related incidents.

Sources said the waiving of the house building loans of five ministers was cleared after it was found that they were unable to rebuild or renovate their houses.

According to the sources, the sitting and former legislators, including former MPs, had received house building loans ranging between Rs 3 lakh and Rs 5 lakh. Loans of more than Rs 10 crore had been disbursed between 1986 and 1990.

Others had received car loans between Rs 1 lakh and Rs 2 lakh. Not even 10 per cent of them had repaid the loans.

Reports said that certain politicians had secured house building loans from Jammu and Kashmir Bank. A senior leader who was constructing his house on the outskirts of Jammu city has secured a loan of Rs 10 lakh from the bank.

The applications of others were being processed and the delay in sanctioning the loans was said to be the result of cash crunch.

19,956 killed in J&K since 1990

JAMMU, Sept 13 (PTI) — As many as 19,956 persons, including militants and security force personnel, have been killed in militancy-related violence in Jammu and Kashmir between January 1990 and August this year, an official report said.

Among those killed were 9,123 militants, 6,673 civilians killed by militants, 2477 civilians killed either in cross-firings or in the course of "maintenance of law and order" and 1,593 security force personnel, the report said.

A total of 40,031 militancy-related incidents took place during the period out of which 7,567 were of explosions and 4,708 that of arson, it said.

There were 11,517 incidents of exchange of fire between militants and security forces and 594 rocket attacks by ultras on various installations and security force positions.

Militants abducted 3,316 persons and killed several of them while 2,833 extremists surrendered during the period, it said adding that a large quantity of arms and ammunition was also seized from militants and their hideouts.

Pak troops resume firing

JAMMU, Sept 13 (PTI) — Pakistani troops fired at seven border outposts along the international border in Samba and R.S. Pura sub-sectors here last night, officials said here today.

Pakistani Rangers, after a break of two days, resorted to heavy firing on seven Indian positions and civilian areas at Sangral, Mangral, Khatmari, Paharpur, Regal, Bobiya, Londi in Samba and R.S. Pura sub-sectors late last night which was returned by the BSF.

The intermittent exchange of fire continued till early morning without any casualty or damage on the Indian side.