5 killed in valley violence
SRINAGAR, April 4 — At least five persons were killed and nine others, including six women, were injured in separate incidents of violence across the valley since yesterday. Two persons were killed and eight injured when an unexploded explosive device went off at Dra in Uri area of Baramullah district yesterday.

J&K Cong's charge against Centre
JAMMU, April 4 — The newly constituted Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee, which met here today, adopted a resolution accusing the BJP-led government at the Centre and the ruling National Conference of failing to fulfil their commitment to restore peace to the state.

5 killed in valley violence
Tribune News Service

SRINAGAR, April 4 — At least five persons were killed and nine others, including six women, were injured in separate incidents of violence across the valley since yesterday.

Two persons were killed and eight injured when an unexploded explosive device went off at Dra in Uri area of Baramullah district yesterday. Those killed have been identified as Abdul Majid Pati and Mohammad Lateef. Eight others, five of them women, were injured in the explosion. They have been admitted to a hospital, where their condition is stated to be out of danger.

Unidentified militants shot dead Ghulam Mohiuddin Ganai when they intruded into his house at Boonimar, Kalaroos in the north Kashmir border district of Kupwara last evening the police said here.

One person was shot dead by militants at Gadoora, near Ganderrbal, about 25 km from here last night. He has been identified as Ghulam Mohammad Bhat.

Militants hurled a grenade into the house of Mohammad Shaban at Solina this morning. Shaban's wife was injured in the explosion. She has been hospitalised and is stated to be out of danger.

The police today recovered the dead body of a woman, Mst Fazi from the Jhleum near Chanakhan bridge at Sopore in Baramulla district. She had been missing since March 26 the police said.

Agencies add: A major tragedy was averted when the security forces detected a powerful landmine planted on the main road at Chewa in Tral area of Pulwama district last evening. The landmine was later defused.

In a major breakthrough the police arrested two top militants, Arshid Slim Malik, self-styled deputy district commander of Harkat-ul-Mujahideen and his close associate, Tanvir Ahmad, from Parimpora area of Srinagar today, he said.

Two rifles alongwith some ammunition were recovered from the captured militants, the spokesman said.

Five militants were apprehended from Darhal area of Rajouri district yesterday.

Security forces nabbed a top militant of Hizbul Mujahideen, a rifle, a pistol, two grenades and a wireless set from Monool-Bhata area of Bhaderwah in Doda district last night.

Security forces recovered 18 rockets, 30 detonators, 12 improvised explosive devices, 23 grenades, 15 kgs of explosives from two separate militant hideouts.

Sources said militants fired at least four rockets towards an army camp at Wadipora in north Kashmir yesterday afternoon causing damage to several vehicles. No one was hurt.

Villagers of Wadipora took to streets and raised anti security force slogans alleging that immediately after the rocket attack the Army tortured about 30 youths of the village.

A spokesman of the Lashkere-e-Toiba who claimed responsibility for the attack said several Army Jawans were killed in the attack.

The people's Forum for Justice (PFJ), a non-political front, has called for a valley-wide strike tomorrow against "growing human rights violations and government's anti-people economic policies".

"Despite the bitter response from the people against the harsh budget, the state government remained rigid in its approach towards modifying the budget proposals and people have no other alternative than to observe strike," a PFJ spokesman told reporters here after the front's meeting.

Telecom services expanded
Tribune News Service

SRINAGAR, April 4 — To expand and modernise the telecom network in the Kashmir valley, the Department of Telecom has made significant achievement during the last financial year.

A spokesman for the department said here that a large number of major existing OCB exchanges in the Srinagar area such as Srinagar, Burzulla and Hariparbat were expanded each by 2000 lines, taking their individual capacity to 21000 lines, 10,000 lines and 8000 lines, respectively. In other parts of the valley, about 21 existing exchanges such as Pahalgam, Qazigund, Mattan, Chadoora, Handwara, Kulgam, Kupwara, Shopian, Pattan, Ganderbal, Chrar-e-Sharief, Budgam, Pampore, Malangpora, Narabal, Zainakote, Magam, Bandipore, Uri and Waterigam were either replaced by higher capacity or equipped with more connections.

Besides seven exchanges Pahalgam, Chadoora, Kugam, Narbal, Magam, Handwara and Shopian — were put on the STD/ISD map by commissioning state or art media, MCPC and Digital UHF. To cover far flung and remote areas with telecom facility, 448 village Panchayat Telephones (VPTs) were provided during the last year.

The spokesman started Internet is provided on demand in the valley. The ISDN facility is available on demand in Srinagar city. Unemployed educated youth were provided with 250 STD PCOs during this period besides sanctioning of 37 local PCOs to handicapped persons.

Work is in progress at Bemina for installing a 3000-line remote switching unit (RSU) and a 4000-line RSU at Soura. These units are likely to be commissioned by June this year. The exchanges at Anantnag, Baramulla and Sopore are being expanded soon.

J&K Cong's charge against Centre
Tribune News Service

JAMMU, April 4 — The newly constituted Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee, which met here today, adopted a resolution accusing the BJP-led government at the Centre and the ruling National Conference of failing to fulfil their commitment to restore peace to the state.

The resolution said after the BJP-led government assumed office at the Centre, the situation in the state worsened. It held the National Conference Government also responsible for it.

Criticising the BJP-led government for its "failure" to handle the economic crisis that had gripped the country the resolution added that the foreign policy had to be proved, a failure and no tangible results had been achieved.

The party blamed the state and the central governments for their inability to come to the rescue of people who had been living under the shadow of the gun and unprovoked firing by Pakistani troops. It said the unity and integrity of the state had been threatened by the "narrow and short-sighted political vision of the central and state governments."

The resolution said the Congress would play the role of an effective Opposition in the state and expose the misdeeds of the National Conference Government.

It resolved to fill the political vacuum caused by the unholy alliance of the National Conference and the BJP."

The PCC adopted another resolution expressing concern about the financial crisis in the state. It berated the government for imposing heavy taxes and for its failure to ensure uninterrupted supply of drinking water and electricity.

It accused the state government of grave financial mismanagement by spending heavy sums of money on non-productive activities thereby ignoring agriculture, industries and other activities. The PCC demanded, that the 73rd Amendment to the Constitution be extended to Jammu and Kashmir so that the ruling National Conference could not make a mockery of the ensuing panchayat poll by nominating sarpanches and electing women panches through nominations.