3 Lashkar militants killed in valley

SRINAGAR, April 17 (PTI, UNI) — Troops foiled Pakistan's bid to infiltrate trained militants into Kashmir while five persons, including three foreign mercenaries, were killed and three others wounded in Jammu and Kashmir since last evening.

Meanwhile, 41 structures, including 16 houses and four shops and two school buildings, were gutted in three fire incidents in Kashmir during the period, an official spokesman said here today.

He said certain Pakistani intruders had tried to cross the Line of Control via Peer Badesar in the Chingas area of Rajouri last night. Their attempt was foiled by troops forcing them to go back to Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.

The search of the area led to the seizure of an AK assault rifle, its one magazine and 25 rounds of ammunition.

He said two foreign mercenaries of the pro-Pakistani militants outfit, Lashkar-e-Toiba, were killed and another was wounded in an encounter with troops at Kot-Chadwal in Budhal sector of Rajouri district last evening.

One AK rifle, its two magazines and 100 rounds of ammunition were seized from the deceased militants.

In another gunfight with troops, a militant belonging to the Lashkar-e-Toiba was killed near the Line of Control in the Mendhar area of adjacent Poonch district last night.

A group of militants shot at and wounded a fruit merchant on the outskirts of Srinagar last evening. He was rushed to a hospital, where he died. Militants killed a revenue official in his house at Tang Chitri-Kangan, 40 km from here on the Srinagar-Leh national highway last night.

Two persons were injured in an explosion at a taxi stand in Anantnag town of south Kashmir yesterday, the spokesman said, adding that militants also shot at and critically wounded a woman at Marmat in Doda district last night.

Militants attacked village defence committee members at Kuthiara near Danawa-Bambla in Doda last night. The attack was repulsed by the village defence committee members. No one was injured in the incident.

He said 41 structures, including 16 houses and four shops, were gutted in a devastating fire at Nowpora-Kreeri in Anantnag district of south Kashmir last night, he said.

Preliminary investigation revealed the fire broke out due to a "short circuit," he said.

The historic Bumbai Higher Secondary School building in Sopore town of north Kashmir was reduced to ashes in a mysterious fire incident last night, he said. School records, the library, the laboratory and games store were damaged in the fire.

In another fire incident, a middle school building was gutted in a fire in the frontier district of Kupwara last night.

J&K autonomy panel report 'inflammatory'
Tribune News Service

JAMMU, April 17 — The Political Affairs Committee of Panun Kashmir, an organisation of displaced families, which met here today described the State Autonomy Committee report, seeking restoration of pre-1953 constitutional status to Jammu and Kashmir, as dangerous.

Characterising the report as "inflammatory and secessionist" the Chairman of the political affairs committee Dr K.L. Chowdhary, said his organisation had warned the people about the real motive and designs of the National Conference in weakening and eroding the links between the state and rest of India as a step towards independence.

He said what was not achieved during a 10 year insurgency was now aimed to be consolidated through "crafty" political and constitutional manoeuvres. The formation of the committee was a mere eye wash and the two-year exercise a facade to give legitimacy to the separatist ambition of the ruling party, he alleged.

The convener, Dr Agnishakhar, said the panel did not represent the real urges and aspirations of the three regions of different ethnic and religious groups of Jammu and Kashmir.

The deletion and repeal of various laws and restoration of various Articles of the Constitution after 1953 as recommended by the committee was clearly aimed at reversing the 50 year clock of history and undoing the political, constitutional, economic and emotional integration of the state with the rest of the country.

Dr Choudhary apprehended that the recommendations, if adopted, would blaze a trail of regionalism and extreme federalism, threatening the unity and integrity of the country as such the demand for separate homeland with union territory status for exiled Kashmiri Pandits in the valley with free flow of Indian Constitution stands vindicated.

Govt to mobilise 20 cr for militancy-hit
From Our Correspondent

JAMMU, April 17 — The Jammu and Kashmir Government will be mobilising a corpus of Rs 20 crore initially for the rehabilitation of victims of militancy in the state. So far, a sum of Rs 10 crore has been mobilised by the State Council for Rehabilitation of Militancy Victims for the purpose. The council intends to raise the corpus to Rs 100 crore gradually with the assistance of central and state governments and donations from other sources.

Disclosing this at a meeting of the executive council of the rehabilitation council, the Chief Secretary, Mr Ashok Jaitely, said the council had been constituted with a few to rehabilitate a large number of victims of militancy in the state.

The executive council also approved the action plan of Rs 88 lakh for the current financial year for the implementation of various rehabilitation and welfare schemes for militancy-hit victims. Ten awareness-cum-publicity camps will also be organised for creating awakening among militancy victims about rehabilitation and welfare programme launched by the council for them. Last year, about Rs 62 lakh were spent on various welfare schemes introduced for militancy victims. As many as 1,002 school-going orphan children were provided scholarships for continuation of their studies.

The Chief Secretary stressed the census of militancy-hit victims being conducted by the council in collaboration with the Divisional Commissioners of Jammu and Kashmir should be completed by the end of June this year. He said a seminar would be organised at Srinagar shortly for suggesting ways and means for psychological rehabilitation of militancy victims. He said experts in the field would be invited at the seminar.

Mr Jaitley also appealed to industrialists and other philanthropists to contribute for the corpus of the council. He suggested the council should identify cases for sponsoring them for self-employment programmes. The Council will act as a catalyst for arranging self-employment to the youth affected by militancy. In this context, he said, the matter should be discussed with the Director Employment.

The Chief Secretary also said a regular campaign should be launched for educating the victims about the schemes of the council.