Demand for buses to Sialkot, Rawalpindi
JAMMU, March 31 — Will the Delhi-Lahore bus service be followed by a Jammu-Sialkot or Srinagar-Rawalpindi bus service? This question is being posed by people after the Chief Minister, Dr Farooq Abdullah, spoke in favour of reopening the Jammu-Sialkot road to the public.

4 securitymen, 8 others killed in J&K

SRINAGAR, March 31 (PTI) — Twelve persons, including four securitymen, three militants and a counter-insurgent, were killed as militants triggered two powerful explosions, clashed with security forces and members of Village Defence Committees in Jammu and Kashmir since last evening.

Militants also made an abortive attempt on the life of a senior CPI state leader while security forces arrested three militants and smashed five militants hideouts to recover a large quantity of arms and explosives in the state during the period, an official spokesman said here today.

Two Army jawans and a special police officer (SPO) were killed and another SPO received serious gun-shot wounds in a militant ambush at Barshalla village in Doda district shortly after midnight last night, he said.

The militants ambushed the security party when it was on way to a militant hideout around 1 a.m. The security forces returned the fire, but the militants escaped.

The area was cordoned off by the security forces and a massive hunt has been launched to nab the militants, the spokesman said.

He said body of SPO, Mohammad Iqbal, had been recovered by the police from his village at Drena in Bhaderwah area of Doda last evening. Iqbal was abducted by a group of militants from his house and later killed.

The spokesman said three unidentified militants had been killed in an armed clash with security forces at Nowgam sector of Baramula district in north Kashmir today. Further details of the operation are awaited.

However, official reports reaching here said the deceased included a driver and a conductor who were burnt to death in their truck after it caught fire due to indiscriminate firing by paramilitary forces.

The truck, carrying timber, was asked to stop by the security forces at Nowpora-Jageer in Nowgam sector. As it failed to do so, security forces opened fire on it causing the fire.

Later, half-burnt bodies of three persons — Abdul Ahad Bhat, Rashid and Mohammad Ashraf Chichi — were recovered from the truck which was coming from Kunzar Tangmarg, the reports said.

A counter-insurgent, Abdul Hamid Bhat alias Hamid Janwar, was shot dead by unidentified militants who raided his Teran Tangmarg residence in Baramula late last night, the spokesman said, adding a 70-year-old person, Asadullah, had been seriously injured in the shootout.

Bhat, also known as "Rashid Bhat", was a surrendered militant formerly associated with the outlawed Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front, the spokesman said.

He said militants gunned down two persons — Mohammad Shafi Bhat, an employee of Forest Department, and Manzoor Ahmad Bhat in their houses at Munghal and Semthan-Bijbehara in Anantnag district last night.

The spokesman said militants shot dead an employee of Handicrafts Department, Ghulam Nabi Mir, inside his house at Wachi-Haker in the frontier district of Kupwara around last night.

The police picked up the body of a woman from the Jhelum river at Pampore in Pulwama district today, he said.

He said militants opened indiscriminate fire towards the house of district CPI secretary Ghulam Nabi Yatoo at Panzer-Shopian in Pulwama last night, personal security officers of Yatoo retaliated, foiling the militants’ attempt.

He said militants hurled a grenade from a matador van at the Bijbehara police station in Anantnag district last evening. The grenade exploded but caused no damage.

He said VDC members repulsed militant attacks on Pathan, Chenani and Throngi villages in Doda district yesterday.

Armed with sophisticated weapons, militants opened indiscriminate fire towards the villages, but the VDC members immediately took positions and fired back forcing militants to flee, the spokesman said, adding nobody had been hurt in the exchange of fire.

The spokesman said two militants of the banned Hizbul Mujahideen had been arrested along with two pistols, two magazines, seven rounds and a hand grenade from their hideout in Pulwama district which was raided by the special operations group of local police last evening.

The police, assisted by security forces, also arrested a militant from Dachigam village in Baramula district and seized an AK assault rifle, a pistol, three grenades, four magazines and 60 rounds of ammunition from him, he said.

He said the police and security forces smashed five militant hideouts during search operations at Basantbagh, Kral Khud and Gund Checkpora-Chanpora in Srinagar, Gujjarnar in Baramula, Bugam in Anantnag and Laddu-Gandoh in Doda yesterday.

A large quantity of arms and ammunition and explosives, including an AK assault rifle, two pistols, 1.5 kg of RDX, two revolvers, two grenades, an electric timer, two 12-bore guns, two-muzzle loading guns, five Kg of sodium carbonate, five Kg of potassium ferro cyanide, 3.5 Kg of sulphur powder and eight Kg of potassium nitrate were recovered from the hideouts, the spokesman said.

Demand for buses to Sialkot, Rawalpindi
Tribune News Service

JAMMU, March 31 — Will the Delhi-Lahore bus service be followed by a Jammu-Sialkot or Srinagar-Rawalpindi bus service?

This question is being posed by people, especially those whose relatives live across the border, after the Chief Minister, Dr Farooq Abdullah, spoke in favour of reopening the Jammu-Sialkot road to the public.

The road was closed after partition. The same was the case with the Srinangar-Rawalpindi road.

The demand for reopening of the road to Sialkot has gained ground as Sialkot is not more than 25km from here and through this route people can reach Pakistan within half an hour instead of the longer route via Wagah. The road journey from Srinagar to Wagah takes more than 20 hours.

While hailing the resumption of the Delhi-Lahore bus service, Dr Abdullah had explained that it was possible to reopen the Jammu-Sialkot and Baramula-Rawalpindi roads provided the relations between India and Pakistan improved.

It is for the first time in recent times that Dr Abdullah has spoken in favour of reopening the Jammu-Sialkot road. In the past, the National Conference had supported the demand for reopening the Srinagar Rawalpindi road and the party had included this demand in its poll manifesto on several occasions. Since the Chief Minister was addressing a religious congregation at Jama Masjid here recently, he touched upon the issue of reopening the Jammu-Sialkot road. Later, he also revived his demand for reopening of the Srinagar-Rawalpindi road.

Experts are of the view that reopening of the Srinagar Rawalpindi road could provide an alternative road link between the summer capital of this state and the rest of the country. In case the route is reopened, travellers from Srinagar will have to travel to Rawalpindi via Uri and Domel and from Rawalpindi to Lahore to cross into Amritsar. Once in Rawalpindi, the travellers can have two other options. Either they can cross into Mandhar in Poonch district of Jammu from Rawalpindi, a distance of less than 70 kms, or cross into Kathua district of Jammu, bordering Punjab, from Sialkot.

However, the experts feel that so long as the tension between Islamabad and Delhi continues, the reopening of the Srinagar-Rawalpindi or Jammu-Sialkot roads is out of question. In these circumstances, if the bus services between Rawalpindi and Srinagar and between Sialkot and Jammu are resumed, they would open the floodgates for infiltration and arms smuggling.

They cite the example of the 'soft' border between Dhaka and Delhi and say that millions of Bangladeshis have sneaked into Indian states through that route during the past 28 years. However, on the other hand the reopening of the Srinagar-Rawalpindi and Jammu-Sialkot roads will only make travel between Jammu and Kashmir and Pakistan easier, but also help promote trade between the two sides.

But in the absence of cordial ralations between the two countries, the reopening of the two roads and resumption of bus services on them is fraught with security risks.

Rajouri now hotbed of militancy

Srinagar, March 31 (ANI) — Rajouri , once known for its natural beauty and peaceful environment, has now become a hotbed of militant activity.

Till three years ago Poonch and Rajouri were only a transit route for the smuggling of arms and ammunition, besides the infiltration of militants, into the Kashmir Valley. But when a popular government took over in 1996, pressure was put on the militants by the security forces. This made them shift their bases from the valley to these transit areas. This was the main reason for the outbreak of militant activity in Doda and Udhampur districts.

There is now a feeling among some militants that leading a normal life would be a better option. One such militant is Nasir Hussain, a trained AK-47 operator, who says he was caught by the Indian security forces two months ago. He claims he had not become a militant by choice. He said he was kidnapped by suspected Pakistani militants one night when he was going to buy medicines for his pregnant wife.

"I had no choice — they told me if I don’t come along with them they’ll kill me".

Fooled by false promises made by militants a lot of youngsters from these areas left their families as they were lured by money.

Munaf Mullick, commander-in-chief of the militants in Rajouri, Udhampur and Doda districts, also claims that he is a victim of similar circumstances. "Halaat ki majboori say kadam rakh diya......training included usage of heavy weapons, barood", Mullick said.

In fact, even some Pakistani militants seem to be victims of poverty and helplessness. Mohammed Sharif (55) was once a soldier of the Pakistani army. Adverse financial conditions made him resort to training people in the use of arms and acting as a guide to militants in Pakistan. Sharif was later caught on the border by the Indian security forces.

"I’ll always say that Indians are good and we Pakistanis are bad. Actually in our country whatever is being done is thanks to the Americans — they’ve bought our country".

On the one hand, former militants are realising the worthlessness of taking innocent lives and on the other the district administration is venturing into far-flung villages to propagate against militancy .

Each village is divided into five to six "Modas" or more viable units of control and every household member, be it male or female, between the age of 12-65, is made responsible for his or her own security.

Mr Hemant Kumar Lohia, SP in Rajouri, says: "We go to the people, understand their problems, involve them in our schemes, eliminate the middlemen and be one with the people".

Mansar fair from April 2
From Our Correspondent

JAMMU, March 31 — The Jammu and Kashmir Government is working on several plans to boost tourism in the trouble-torn state. To start with, the state Tourism Department is organising a three-day mela at Mansar, a picturesque lake situated 60 km from here, from April 2.

Announcing this here today, the state Commissioner-cum-secretary, tourism, Mr Parvez Dewan, told newsmen that the three-day festival would have many attractions like ethnic folk dances and songs, a wildlife corner, camel and horse riding, canoeing and kayaking, amusement corners, wrestling competitions, baby show, fancy dress and music competitions.

The main attraction of the Mansar mela would be an Odissi dance performance by Madhumita Raut, an artist of national repute, he informed.

He also said that the Tourism Department would be organising an all-India artists' camp at Gulmarg and a theatre festival in Kashmir valley.