3 troops among 6 killed in valley
SRINAGAR, Aug 23 — Six people, including three security personnel and a foreign mercenary, were killed even as the Army smashed three militant hideouts in Jammu and Kashmir since last evening.


Mercenaries from 14 nations in proxy war
JAMMU, Aug 23 — Mercenaries from 14 countries are involved in 10-year-long proxy war aided and abetted by Pakistan in Jammu and Kashmir, a defence publication said.

Pak shells Kargil road; 1 killed
SRINAGAR, Aug 23 — One person was killed and another seriously injured as Pakistani troops targeted the Srinagar-Kargil highway yesterday, an official spokesman said here today.

Mufti files nomination from Anantnag
SRINAGAR, Aug 23 — President of Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Democratic Party Mufti Mohammad Sayeed and a Congress candidate filed their nomination papers for the Anantnag Lok Sabha constituency in South Kashmir today.

Panthers Party seeks poll postponement
JAMMU, Aug 23 — The Jammu and Kashmir Panthers Party today said the Lok Sabha poll in some border areas of the state should be postponed in view of "escalated militancy" and large-scale migration of people due to Pakistani firing.

Pahalgam route of yatra closed
JAMMU, Aug 23 — Authorities today closed registration counters for pilgrims in Jammu and did not allow any fresh group to proceed to Amarnath pilgrimage via Pahalgam route, official sources said.

3 troops among 6 killed in valley

SRINAGAR, Aug 23 (PTI) — Six people, including three security personnel and a foreign mercenary, were killed even as the Army smashed three militant hideouts in Jammu and Kashmir since last evening.

Militants also abducted two brothers and engaged security forces in armed clashes while security forces arrested a suspected militant in the state during the period, an official spokesman said here today.

Two Border Security Force personnel — constable Puroshotam Lal and Constable Chanderpal — were killed and another Jawan was seriously injured in a militant ambush at Nagri-Malpora in Kupwara district late last night.

The BSF personnel returned fire but the militants managed to escape, he said.

Militants also targetted an Army patrol party in Doda district last evening killing a security Jawan, he said.

He said security forces shot dead a foreign mercenary in an encounter during search operations at Haihama-Manigah forest in Kupwara district last evening.

He said security forces smashed three militant hideouts during search operations in Baramulla, Rajouri and Badgam district last evening.

A big cache of arms and ammunition including a rocket booster, 33 remote control devices, an improvised explosive device, 500 grams of RDX, 2.5 kg of other explosives were recovered.

Mercenaries from 14 nations in proxy war

JAMMU, Aug 23 (PTI) — Mercenaries from 14 countries are involved in 10-year-long proxy war aided and abetted by Pakistan in Jammu and Kashmir, a defence publication said.

The publication titled "proxy war" which was circulated recently by the Northern Command headquaters at Udhampur, said that 1,073 mercenaries of 13 countries had been killed and 136 others arrested between 1990 and December 1998.

The mercenaries belonged to Afghanistan, Baharain, Burma, Bangladesh, Chechenya, Iraq, Iran, Kazkhistan, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Turkey and Yemen besides from the occupied Kashmir, the publication said.

The maximum number of 400 mercenaries killed during the period belonged to Pakistan, followed by 190 of Afghanistan, 48 of the occupied Kashmir five each from Bangladesh and Sudan, two from Turkey, one each from Baharain, Chechenya, Iraq, Iran, Kazhakistan, Saudi Arabia and Yemen, it added.

The identity of 416 mercenaries killed and six arrested during various operations could not be established.

Among the arrested mercenaries, a maximum number of 59 belonged to Pakistan, 30 — the occupied Kashmir followed by 24 from Bangladesh, 11 to Afghanistan, five to Burma and one of Kazkhistan.

It also said that 7,776 militants were killed and 24,029 apprehended between 1990 and December last year besides, 1823 ultras surrendered during the period.

As many as 3,241 civilians and 959 Army personnel were also killed during the period, it said.

The report said the idea to annex Kashmir through a proxy war was first conceived by Pakistan General Zia-ul-Haq in 1977 under Operation Topac.

Under the plan, a three-pronged strategy was launched to initiate low-level insurgency and subvert the police, financial instituations and communication network and follow this by exerting direct pressure along the Line of Control by large-scale sabotage, infiltration of mercenaries and special forces to attack vital targets.

Religion was meant to be used in a manner to influence some sections of people at an appropriate time under the operation, it said.

The ISI, it said, had got tremendous experience in guerrilla warfare and sabotage while working with CIA against the Russians in Afghanistan till Soviet Union withdrew from the country by 1987.

The ISI also got a lot of sophisticated and advanced weapons and equipment and from 1987 to 1989 Pakistan initiated prolonged strikes in the Kashmir valley and attacks on political leaders, police and para-military bodies.

Giving brief account of the developments since 1990 with the resignation of Farooq Abdullah as Chief Minister of the state up to the holding of elections in 1998, the report said militancy had effectively been contained.

This had given a severe blow to the Pakistani design to annex Kashmir through proxy war, it said and added Islamabad had been inducting more and more Afghan and other mercenaries as the Kashmiris were realising nefarious Pakistani designs.

Kashmir’s economy had also suffered badly and although common folk were being terrorised by the mercenaries, many of them were coming out in open to say "enough is enough", it said.

Committed to feeling the pulse of Kashmiris
From Kavita Bhargava

JAMMU : If there is any organisation that has suffered much due to its commitment to provide an objective and balanced view to Indian viewers during the past decade of bloodshed and turmoil in the state of Jammu and Kashmir, it is undoubtedly the Srinagar kendra of Doordarshan, situated on the banks of the Jhelum near Zero Bridge.

With the brutal killing of its station director, Mr Lassa Koul, and Station Engineer, Mr S.P. Singh, the morale of the people working in this station should have been low but instead these people became more committed towards their responsibilities and the station worked up to the expectations of the people of the state. Till that time, the kendra used to telecast only religious programmes but soon after his assassination, the new station director, Mr Farooq Nazaki, gradually changed the programme schedule and today, the kendra has marched ahead in popularising mainstream sentiments among the people in general and the youth in particular.

Srinagar DD kendra has now entered its 26th year of existence. It is due to the concerted efforts of Mr Ashraf Sahil, station director, that the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting agreed to start a new Kashmir channel — exclusively for Kashmiri programmes and its culture. This satellite channel is now successfully being seen in whole of the sub-continent. This channel has done a tremendous job in projecting the correct picture and feelings of the Kashmiris and has a huge viewership. At the same time commissioned programmes are telecast for the unemployed and talented artistes.

Recently when there was panic among the people, especially tourists who had flocked the valley in thousands, the station once again guided them.

"My prime objective is to make more improvements in the standard of programmes and also to highlight the culture, ethos, heritage and the rich traditions of this great land of Kashmir," says Mr Sahil.

Besides highlighting these things through the medium of television, he is also working to bring the misguided youth back into the national mainstream. " I have always believed that this powerful medium of television can really work wonders," he says adding that in this direction, they have started a number of programmes for the people of the Kashmir valley.

Many new programmes which are becoming extremely popular are tele-press conferences where even a common man can talk to the Chief Minister and other members of his Cabinet and highlight his or her problems. The kendra has been playing a key role in educating and making the people aware of the nefarious designs of the enemy, at the same time spreading the message of peace and brotherhood among the masses.

"Besides maintaining the quality of our programmes, we have also put emphasis on public grievances, environmental problems, redressal of grievances, disseminating scientific information and also airing programmes on religious tolerance and brotherhood in programmes on Sufism and literature", informs the station director who has been associated with the kendra since the beginning. Before joining Doordarshan, he was working for Amrit Bazar Patrika as their J&K correspondent.

Mr Sahil who had been a witness to the glorious moments of the station and also to some sad happenings, is however very happy about the way things are improving in the station. Only recently, the kendra had come out with a voluminous book on the 25 years of Srinagar Doordarshan which has been edited and compiled by Mr Rajinder Singh Raina, assistant director of the kendra.

Pak shells Kargil road; 1 killed

SRINAGAR, Aug 23 (PTI) — One person was killed and another seriously injured as Pakistani troops targeted the Srinagar-Kargil highway yesterday, an official spokesman said here today.

The shells hit the truck, in which they were travelling, on the Harka Bahadur bridge in Kargil, 206 kms from here, killing one of them on the spot and injuring the other, the spokesman told PTI.

Pakistani troops resorted to unprovoked shelling on Srinagar-Kargil highway, the only surface link between Kashmir and Ladakh, in their bid to disrupt vehicular traffic on the road, he said.

Official sources said the Pakistani shelling was aimed at giving "fire-cover" to batches of militants sneaking into the valley.

Meanwhile, normal life was disrupted in Karnah town of the frontier district of Kupwara following the shelling.

Pakistani troops resorted to indiscriminate shelling targeting forward villages and defence positions in Karnah late last night, the sources said and added Indian troops retaliated to silence the Pakistani guns. Firing continued till noon today.

Although no loss of life or damage to property was reported in Karnah people abandoned normal activities in the sector and stayed indoors.

Mufti files nomination from Anantnag

SRINAGAR, Aug 23 (PTI) — President of Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Mufti Mohammad Sayeed and a Congress candidate filed their nomination papers for the Anantnag Lok Sabha constituency in South Kashmir today.

With the two nominations, the constituency which had elected the Mufti by a comfortable margin of over 52,000 votes in 1998, is all set to witness a four-cornered contest.

The Congress nominee Peerzada Mohammad Sayeed filed his papers after his name was cleared by the party high command today.

State Revenue Minister Ali Mohammad Naik of the National Conference has already filed his papers for the seat.

Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami, MLA and state secretary of the CPM, has also announced his candidature from the constituency.

Panthers Party seeks poll postponement

JAMMU, Aug 23 (PTI) — The Jammu and Kashmir Panthers Party today said the Lok Sabha poll in some border areas of the state should be postponed in view of "escalated militancy" and large-scale migration of people due to Pakistani firing.

A free and fair poll would not be possible in view of the these circumstances as "it will be difficult for contestants to motivate the voters to exercise their right of franchise freely," party president Bhim Singh told reporters here.

Mr Bhim Singh said he had submitted a petition to the Election Commission on the existing situation, especially that obtaining in Baramula, Udhampur and Jammu parliamentary constituencies and urged him to postpone the poll in some segments of these constituencies.

The JKPP chief said his party would contest five Lok Sabha seats in the state.

Pahalgam route of yatra closed

JAMMU, Aug 23 (PTI) — Authorities today closed registration counters for pilgrims in Jammu and did not allow any fresh group to proceed to Amarnath pilgrimage via Pahalgam route, official sources said.

Some pilgrims, who had arrived from various parts of the country, were advised to proceed to Srinagar for registration and onward journey to the cave shrine via Baltal route, they said.

With the departure of the last batch of 687 pilgrims from Jammu to Pahalgam base camp yesterday, a total of 1.05 lakh devotees have participated in the annual pilgrimage.

Of these, nearly 94,000 devotees have already performed darshan of the ice-lingum of Lord Shiva and others were on way to the shrine for paying their obeisance, the sources said.

The pilgrimage will conclude on August 26 on the occasion of "Shravana Purnamashi" which coincides with the Raksha Bandhan day.