2 brothers among 6 killed in valley
SRINAGAR, Dec 23 — Two brothers and an infiltrator, were among six persons killed, while security forces arrested three militants and seized arms and ammunition in the Kashmir valley during the past 24 hours.

J&K staff extend strike
JAMMU, Dec 23 — Employees, who have been on strike during the last four days in protest against the delay in the release of two instalments of DA and wage arrears, have decided to extend the strike till December 30.

Farooq sore about Central aid
From M.L. Kak
Tribune News Service

JAMMU, Dec 23 — The Chief Minister, Dr Farooq Abdullah, is sore with the Centre over the inordinate delay in releasing additional funds for resuming work on various development projects. Work on these projects, including those relating to drinking water and power supply, had been suspended a year ago owing to a cash crunch.

He is unhappy over the refusal of the Centre to release the Rs 400 crore required to release two instalments of DA and arrears of wage hike under the Fifth Pay Commission report. When the recommendations of the Pay Commission were implemented in Jammu and Kashmir, the Chief Minister had been promised that the entire financial burden would be met by the Centre. This promise has not been fulfilled, the Chief Minister claims.

This has resulted to the employees' strike, which entered the fourth day today, thereby paralysing work in government offices, civil secretariat, educational institutions and hospitals. Dr Abdullah has made it clear that the acceptance of the demands of the employees depends on the release of funds by the Centre.

Instead of negotiating with the employees, the Chief Minister has sought their cooperation so that work in a troubled state like Jammu and Kashmir does not suffer. He has conveyed to the employees that there is nothing to be discussed on the negotiating table when their demands are directly linked to Central aid.

Dr Abdullah and his Finance Minister, Mr Abdul Rahim Rather, feel that if the Centre waives the Rs 1275 crore loan, it will spare the state of the trouble of paying over Rs 600 crore as service charges on the loan annually. What seems to have peeved the Chief Minister is that the Centre has waived a bigger loan in case of Punjab and given relief to Haryana as far as supply of electricity is concerned, but it has hardly given respite to Jammu and Kashmir .

Another issue that seems to have hurt Dr Abdullah is the Centre's procrastination over despatching additional battalions of paramilitary forces to the state. He claims that foreign mercenaries have sneaked into Srinagar city owing to the declining strength of security forces.

"We had 18 battalions of paramilitary forces in Srinagar and now there are only 12 battalions, "he said, adding that this had allowed a passage for the militants into Srinagar city and led to kick-up in subversive violence.

He is keen to meet the Prime Minister and explain to him the raw deal he got when the Pakistani agencies had sent more material aid to the rebels for stepping up violence.

Dr Abdullah does not agree with the report on the security situation of the Central team which visited Srinagar recently. He wants more forces to meet the challenge. "Forces were required to check infiltration on the border. Additional security personnel were needed to take on the militants within the state, "he has informed the Centre.

However, Dr Abdullah now prefers to put up with the Centre's delaying tactics. He is no longer in favour of dishing out threats of quitting the Government as he has hopes that the Prime Minister will on his own come to the rescue of the state.

Crisis in J & K Cong deepens
Tribune News Service

JAMMU, Dec 23 — The three-year-old crisis in the state unit of the Congress has deepened following the appointment of nine district presidents by the PCC chief, Mr Mohd Aslam. The presidents of five district committees in Srinagar were already in office and Mr Aslam redesignated them along with four others.

The banner of revolt against the PCC chief's decision was raised by Mr Ghulam Rasool Kar and Mr Mangat Ram Sharma, who sent protest letters to the AICC leaders, accusing Mr Aslam of aggravating dissensions in the party. Mr Sharma and others talked on the phone and conveyed their resentment against the PCC President to Mr Ahmed Patel, informing him that some defectors had been installed as presidents of the District Congress Committees.

It is almost a war of nerves between the Aslam and the Ghulam Nabi Azad groups and the faction led by Mr Sharma and Mr Ghulam Rasool Kar. Informed sources said that Mr Ahmed Patel has conveyed his and Ms Sonia Gandhi's displeasure to Mr Aslam, directing him to send a panel of names for each district after a meeting of the PCC leaders to the AICC.

Mr Sharma and others have informed Mr Patel that even those who refused to contest the Lok Sabha elections on the party ticket had been installed as district presidents.

The Mangat Ram group was peeved when the Aslam group did not join the massive demonstration held in Jammu on December 14 to demand deletion of Rajiv Gandhi's name from the Bofors case.

Congress leaders said that the party may suffer a split if the PCC was not reconstituted and loyalists were not given their due share in the reorganised committee. They feared that some dissidents were in secret league with the National Conference for weakening the Congress in Jammu and Kashmir. They alleged that it was due to the poor performance of the PCC chief that the Congress lost the Ladakh Lok Sabha seat in the recent poll and fared badly in four other constituencies.

They have conveyed to the AICC leaders that the Congress may cease to exist in the state if Mr Ghulam Nabi Azad was not prevented from interfering in the party's matters in Jammu and Kashmir.

2 brothers among 6 killed in valley

SRINAGAR, Dec 23 (UNI) — Two brothers and an infiltrator, were among six persons killed, while security forces arrested three militants and seized arms and ammunition in the Kashmir valley during the past 24 hours.

Shops and business establishments at Wusan Ganderbal remained closed as villagers took to streets in protest against the killing of Habibullah Sofi allegedly by security forces last night.

They alleged Sofi was shot for he refused to accompany them to a nearby forest.

An official spokesman said militants shot at and critically wounded Zahoor Ahmad at New Colony Lal Bazar at about 10.30 a.m. today. He later died in the hospital.

He said militants shot dead Girdhari Lal in his Muthi house while forces gunned down a militant at Yakwanpora in Baramula district last evening.

He said Ali Mohammad and his brother Kala were killed when they were caught in crossfire in an encounter between militants and security forces at Kalakote during a search operation last evening. However, the militants managed to escape.

The forces captured three militants and a large cache of arms and ammunition including 110 grenades, 19 rockets, 32 detonators, one pistol, one AK rifle, one wireless set and 19 kg of explosives in the valley during overnight operations, he said.

JAMMU (PTI): Border Security Forces jawans found a huge cache of ammunition and explosives, including 19 rockets and 17 improvised explosive devices (IEDs), in Rajouri, a BSF spokesman said here today.

The BSF laid an ambush in the Kari area of Kalakot tehsil of Rajouri in Jammu division yesterday after receiving specific information about the presence of militants in the area. On being challenged, the ultras fled, leaving behind five bags containing the ammunition and explosives, he said.

The haul includes 15 kg of explosives, 22 hand grenades, four grenade launchers, one rocket launcher sight, 435 rounds of ammunition, six magazines, 24 batteries, 22 electronic detonators and a radio set with antenna, the spokesman said, adding that it was one of the biggest hauls in the recent past.

J&K staff extend strike
Tribune News Service

JAMMU, Dec 23 — Employees, who have been on strike during the last four days in protest against the delay in the release of two instalments of DA and wage arrears, have decided to extend the strike till December 30.

A section of the employees had favoured calling off the strike to enable the employees to receive the December salary. This suggestion was opposed after the Government did not pay them the salary today.

With the extension of the strike the work in government offices, educational institutions and hospitals would remain paralysed for another one week.

The Chief Minister, Dr Farooq Abdullah, has left it to the Centre to resolve the employees' demands and after having refused to have any negotiations he reached London to be present during the burial ceremony of his mother-in-law, Ms Pitcher, who expired at the age of 70 on Wednesday