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Tuesday, April 27, 1999
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J A M M U C & CK A S H M I R |
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Tuesday, April 27, 1999 |
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8 killed in J&K, Army
camp attacked |
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Ultras
may opt for new weapons: NHRC APHC unlikely to take part in poll Pak moves camps close to LoC Jammu panchayat poll schedule Make India strong, RSS urges
Muslims |
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8 killed in J&K, Army camp attacked SRINAGAR, April 26 (PTI) — Militants made an unsuccessful bid to blow up an Army camp by triggering a series of explosions, while eight persons, including three militants, an Army jawan and a teenaged girl were killed in Jammu and Kashmir since yesterday. Twenty suspects, 13 of them Bangladeshi nationals, were arrested by security forces which sparked off protest demonstrations at two places in the state, an official spokesman said here today. A Defence Ministry spokesman said militants fired five grenades in quick succession on Jammu and Kashmir Light Infantry Regiment at Haft-Chinar in central Srinagar yesterday. The grenades, fired from adjoining Batmaloo area, landed inside the camp but did not damage anything, he said. However, official sources said ultras fired eight rocket-propelled grenades towards the Army camp and the deafening sound of the explosions were heard throughout the city. The blasts caused panic in the entire area and people were seen running to safer places in Siddiqabad, Magermalbagh, Aloochibagh and some other parts of Batmaloo. Immediately after the attack, security forces sealed the nearby areas and carried out house-to-house searches to nab the militants till late last night. Three top militants of the banned Hizbul Mujahideen, identified as self-styled battalion commander Bashir Kataria, platoon commander Bashir Ahmad and Din Mohammad, were killed in an encounter with security forces in the forest area of Lolab in frontier district of Kupwara today, the official spokesman said. He said the encounter took place when the Special Operations Group of the police assisted by security forces raided a hide-out of militants set up at Khori village of Lolab to flush them out. Militants opened heavy fire on the approaching party but the troops retaliated and in the ensuing shoot-out the three ultras were killed. Two AK assault rifles, a pistol, a wireless set, five grenades and some ammunition were recovered from the slain militants, the spokesman said. An army jawan lost his life in an improvised explosive device (IED) explosion at Marot in the Surankote area of Poonch district yesterday, official sources said. The IED had been planted by militants on the main road at the village and detonated when the Army patrol was moving in the area. Two Border Security Force (BSF) personnel, Lance Naik Arjun Singh and Constable Angad Singh Basa, were critically wounded in another powerful IED explosion which was triggered by militants at Nallah Basin in the Mahore area of Udhampur district of Jammu, last evening, the spokesman said. He said militants also shot dead one Abdul Hamid at Gundi-Gool village in Udhampur district last night. Nine-year-old Shaheena Bashir was killed when militants opened indiscriminate fire on the house of one Haji Jalal-ud-Din at Zazun in the Ganderbal area on the outskirts of Srinagar late last night, the spokesman added. The house of Haji was attacked by the militants as he did not responded to the repeated knocks at the door by the gunmen. Militants also kidnapped and later shot dead one Suliman Khan in the forests near Wanidoosa in frontier district of Kupwara yesterday. The bullet-riddled body of an unidentified person was picked up by police from Khurigam in Baramula district today. Three Pakistan-trained militants — two belonging to Hizbul Mujahideen and one to Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front — were arrested by the security forces from the Naidkadal area of downtown Srinagar today, the spokesman said. He added that the security forces also raided a militant hide-out at Shishgari Mohalla in downtown Srinagar and recovered an AK assault rifle, four magazines and 23 rounds of ammunition during search operation yesterday. Security forces also carried out search operations at Shamaswari and Boatman Colony in Bemina in Srinagar today and picked up four suspected youths for questioning, official sources said, adding that people of the areas took to streets immediately after the cordon was lifted and staged a dharna demanding the immediate release of the youths. Behama Chowk in the Ganderbal area of Srinagar also witnessed a similar protest demonstration by people today. The sources said the
police persuaded the protesters, mostly women and
children, to disperse assuring them that the innocent
youths were set free. |
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Leh road to open in May GUMRI (Zojila Pass), April 26 — The 434-km long Srinagar-Leh road, the life line of the desert region of Ladakh, will open to vehicular traffic next month, a few weeks earlier than in previous years. This was disclosed by Mr Bansi Lal Tikoo, Additional Director General of Border Roads Organisation (BRO), who inspected snow clearance work along the strategic Gagangir-Gumri link through Zojila Pass on Sunday. "It depends upon the quantity of snow accumulated on the road. This year the road will be opened for normal traffic within next 20 days", as snow has started melting earlier than usual. Mr Tikoo said the latest technology was being used. He was accompanied by Brig D Satyanarayana, Chief Engineer, Project Beacon of the BRO, which looks after most of the main border roads of Kashmir including the Srinagar-Jammu national highway. Mr Tikoo said work had already been started on a bypass road around Kargil, to protect vehicles from firing from across the border. The decision to construct a bypass was taken up last year following heavy firing along the road and on Kargil town in the past two years. At least 20 persons were killed in shelling in Kargil in 1997. Vehicles were also often targeted. The men and machines of the Beacon Project have been engaged since March in clearing the deep snow around Zojila Pass about 100 km north-east of Srinagar. The depth of snow was recorded at 102 feet at Dayal Slide here in 1985, a Guinness record. The slide is named after Dayal Singh, Beacon employee who lost his life during snow clearance here a few years ago. Brig D Satyanarayana said it is often difficult to find the road from under 50-60 feet of snow and "during snow clearance operation in Zomorh area and Zojila many times the road alignment is not correctly cut". He said snow-clearance operations start in late February from both ends of the road around Gagangir and HAWS detachments of 72 km and 88 km from Srinagar by teams equipped with dozers and steyrs. The team on the far side of the pass remains out of physical contact with the rest of the world for around six months each year. Brig Satyanarayana said
the first snow clearing cut had been done but one or two
more cuts were required for making the road safe for
vehicular traffic. |
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Food on credit JAMMU, April 26 — The Jammu and Kashmir Government has again requested the Centre to persuade the FCI to extend credit facility to Jammu and Kashmir to enable it lift foodgrain on time to avert crisis on the food front. After the FCI refused to extend credit facility to the state government following the state's inability to clear arrears of Rs 140 crore, foodgrain stocks in the state have almost been used up. Senior government functionaries said that the stocks might last for less than 15 days. The Food Minister, Mr Ajay Sadhotra, could not visit Delhi again because of the uncertain political situation. Now he would leave for Delhi shortly to persuade the Union Minister for Food to do something. Mr Sadhotra has decided to release another instalment of Rs 25 crore to the FCI so that limited quota of wheat and rice was released in favour of Jammu and Kashmir. The Food Minister had already visited Delhi thrice but failed to convince the Centre about the economic crisis the state was faced with. He explained to the Centre that in the light of the security scenario which had imposed heavy burden on the state and on account of delay on the part of the Centre to reimburse security-related expenses the state government had been placed in an embarrassing position owing to acute cash crisis. Mr Ajay Sadhotra's worry is two-fold. One that in urban areas foodgrain stocks would last for not more than three weeks. Secondly, the road links with Leh, Kargil, Gurez, Machel and other far-flung areas have reopened after the melting of snow and rice and wheat had to be rushed to these areas as the six-month stock of foodgrain had been sold to consumers and there would be crisis if fresh stocks were not built in these areas within next three weeks. Farmers have yet to
complete harvesting wheat in the Jammu region. In several
areas it may take another 15 days for wheat crop to
ripen. Government reports said that owing to vagaries of
weather and militancy-related violence hopes of a bumper
wheat crop have receded. Hence the state has to bank on
the FCI for the supply of foodgrain. |
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Ultras may opt for new weapons: NHRC JAMMU, April 26 (UNI) — The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has cautioned the Jammu and Kashmir administration that terrorists may use atomic, biological and chemical weapons in their future attacks. Addressing a seminar on the "Effects of Militancy on Criminal Justice System", organised here by the zonal police headquarters, here yesterday, Mr Shanker Sen, Adviser to the NHRC, said terrorists may use ABC system, which means atomic, biological and chemical weapons, and other modernised and sophisticated weapons to attack government and army installations. Stressing on the need for developing adequate response to these futuristic trends of terrorists, the NHRC adviser said, "We must also improve the functioning of the police and criminal justice system." On the role of Pakistan in using the path of terrorism to disrupt normalcy in our country, he said terrorism had affected the normal functioning of the police in the affected areas. However, he advised that short-cut methods should not be used in dealing with insurgents and law should be properly implemented to combat terrorists. Mr Sen said though there had been some exaggeration by a few human rights groups, yet respecting these rights would check excesses in genuine cases. In his welcome address, the Jammu and Kashmir police chief, Mr Gurbachan Jagat, said the police were working under difficult circumstances and needed encouragement and incentives to improve efficiency and commitment towards the profession. He added that there was a need for enacting new laws which should suit the emergent trends in the country, especially in militancy prone areas. He also suggested that a resolution should be adopted or a parliamentary committee set up for reviewing the judicial system and making it more responsive to present-day needs. The IGP (Headquarters),
Gopal Sharma, Advocate-General, Jammu and Kashmir
government, M.A. Goni and Prof K.L. Bhatia of the Law
Department of Jammu University also presented their views
on the subject in the seminar which concluded yesterday. |
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APHC unlikely to take part in
poll JAMMU, April 26 — The All- Party Hurriyat Conference (APHC) is unlikely to participate in the mid-term Lok Sabha elections. Although the APHC will meet in Srinagar shortly to discuss the political situation that has risen in the country following the dissolution of the Lok Sabha, most of the Hurriyat leaders have already shown stiff opposition to their participation in the poll. A senior APHC leader said there was no question of taking part in the general election. "We have nothing to do with the Lok Sabha poll because our one-point programme and policy is to ensure for the people of Kashmir the right to self-determination". He said: "We are not even in favour of participating in the assembly poll. Yes, we will take part in the assembly elections provided these are held under UN supervision". In fact, before the rise of insurgency in Kashmir in 1990, separatists had not shown any keen interest in Lok Sabha elections. Hence, it used to be a Congress and National Conference show. However, between 1972 and 1987 separatists, especially the Jamait-e-Islami, took part in the assembly poll and the last elections the separatists fought was under the banner of the Muslim United Front in 1987. The seats won by them in the assembly never crossed five. Since 1990 the separatists have boycotted both the Lok Sabha and assembly elections. APHC leaders are of the opinion that participation in the Lok Sabha poll will be a negation of their stand on Kashmir. "We cannot complete the formalities while filing nomination papers as we do not consider ourselves as citizens of India but of Kashmir", another Hurriyat leader said. Asked whether the APHC
would lend support to some political parties which they
treated as friendly, the leader said: "There is no
question of giving overt or covert support to any
individual or political organisation when we are opposed
to the poll process itself". |
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Pak moves camps close to LoC SRINAGAR, April 26 (PTI) — Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) has moved its bases and militants’ training camps close to Line of Control in a bid to step up efforts to infiltrate insurgents into Jammu and Kashmir in the coming summer, according to Army officials. Army officials at the Line of Control (LoC) have monitored additional movement on the Pakistani side, particularly in those areas where snow has melted. "There is lot of movement across the LoC particularly in those areas where snow has melted. The road network has also been upgraded near the LoC in areas such as Kahuta, Alabad, Haji Pir, Dholi, Bhagh and Muzaffarabad," said Brigadier R P S Malhan, in-charge of LoC in Uri sector. He said that around 40 militants training camps, besides ISI bases, had been established near the LoC to step up efforts to infiltrate into Jammu and Kashmir after the passes are cleared of snow. Brigadier Jasbir Singh, in-charge of LoC in Poonch sector, added that at least 10 militant camps had been set up within 150 km of the LoC in PoK. He said Pakistani army men had even started crossing the LoC along with the infiltrators and cited a recent incident in which two Pakistani regulars were killed while infiltrating. The infiltration
attempts generally pick up in summer after the mountain
passes open. |
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Jammu panchayat poll schedule JAMMU, April 26 — Panchayat elections in Jammu and Kathua districts will be held during the first phase of polling in the state. This will be followed by elections in Rajouri and Poonch districts in the second phase and Udhampur and Doda districts in the third phase. The polling will be held between 7 a.m. and 1 p.m. and counting of votes will start in the same day at 3 p.m. in respective panchayats or at the headquarters of returning officers. The Chief Election Officer, Mr S.P. Bhave, stating this here yesterday while reviewing the election arrangements in Kathua district said the elections would be held in this district on two dates. Two command and two non-command blocks would be covered on the first day and remaining on the second date. He said over 5,700 ballot boxes were required during the first phase of polling in Jammu and Kathua districts. The ballot papers would be printed at the district headquarters and name of the contesting candidates would be written in Hindi and Urdu. However, the ballot papers would be serialised in Urdu alphabetic orders. He issued instructions that no village-level workers would be appointed on duty. However, they should be assist the returning officers. The Deputy Commissioner
Kathua, Mr Chaman Lal, who is also the District Panchayat
Election Officer, all efforts would be made to ensure
free, fair and peaceful poll in the district. |
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Make India strong, RSS urges Muslims JAMMU, April 26 (PTI) — The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) has said Muslims have played a crucial role in India's history and now they should contribute to make it stronger. Muslims should adopt modern scientific and technological knowledge for the advancement of society and in the true spirit of Islam, RSS Joint General Secretary K. C. Sudershan said at a symposium on "The Role of Bharatiya Muslims in the Changing Socio-Economic Political Scenario’’, organised by the Kashmir Ekta Manch here yesterday. He said Muslims should be proud of the common cultural heritage of this country. Citing the example of great saints and scholars who preached greatness of the rich Indian traditions, Mr Sudershan called upon Muslim intelligentsia to assert to bring about a healthy change in society. He added that there was
no danger to the identity of Muslims in India. |
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