SOG camp attacked, 8 killed
SRINAGAR, Jan 5 — Eight persons, including an Assistant Sub-Inspector of the Jammu and Kashmir police, his wife and three militants were killed and 10 wounded as militants attacked a camp run by special operations group of the local police and clashed with the security forces in Jammu and Kashmir since last evening.

Move to include mother tongues in curriculum
JAMMU, Jan 5 — The Chief Minister, Dr Farooq Abdullah, today announced that the Punjabi, Kashmiri and Dogri would be included in the academic curriculum in Jammu and Kashmir soon.

• J&K staff stir off

SOG camp attacked, 8 killed

SRINAGAR, Jan 5 (PTI) — Eight persons, including an Assistant Sub-Inspector of the Jammu and Kashmir police, his wife and three militants were killed and 10 wounded as militants attacked a camp run by special operations group (SOG) of the local police and clashed with the security forces in Jammu and Kashmir since last evening.

Security personnel arrested three militants and unearthed a major militant hideout, an official spokesman said here today.

Panic gripped Jehangir Chowk and adjoining areas in Srinagar city following a grenade attack by militants which left eight persons including a policeman, wounded.

He said the grenade was aimed at a security vehicle but it missed the target and exploded on the road. The injured were rushed to hospital.

In a major strike, official sources said militants fired rockets towards an SOG camp at Palhallan in Pattan area, 27 km from here in Baramulla district of North Kashmir late last night, killing an Assistant Sub-Inspector and his wife.

Two more rockets, fired by the militants towards the camp, exploded in the nearby wasteland without causing any casualty.

Militants also killed a counter-insurgent associated with the Ikhwan outfit, Lassa Dar at Wakoora-Ganderbal on the outskirts of Srinagar today. The body of Dar, a resident of Tulmullah was recovered from a water-reservoir in the area, the sources said.

The spokesman said three militants, including a foreign mercenary, were killed in two separate encounters at Prancel-Sazan in Doda district and Mahore in Udhampur district yesterday.

He said militants shot dead a Pashmina dealer, Ghulam Hassan Bhat outside a mosque at Zoonimar in Rainawari locality of downtown Srinagar. The body of Rahman Sheikh alias Rahma, was recovered from a water-reservoir at Basa-Kuchan in Shopian area of Pulwama district.

Sheikh was kidnapped by militants on December 29.

In a successful operation, a major militant hideout at Rangatgali in the frontier district of Kupwara was unearthed yesterday and a big cache of arms and ammunition recovered.

The seizure included six disposable rocket launchers, three 107-mm rockets, 59 rocket projectile gun (RPG), 49 rocket boosters, 137 hand grenades, 12 rifle grenades, 3.6 kg of explosives, 50 gelatine sticks and 11,500 rounds of ammunition.

The spokesman said the security forces also recovered nine anti-personal mines near the Line of Control in the same district.

The security forces apprehended a militant at Zainakadal in downtown Srinagar and recovered a grenade from his possession. The police assisted by the security forces nabbed two militants, one each from Dharote-Budhal in Rajouri and Duroo in Anantnag district.

Move to include mother tongues
in curriculum
Tribune News Service

JAMMU, Jan 5 — The Chief Minister, Dr Farooq Abdullah, today announced that the Punjabi, Kashmiri and Dogri would be included in the academic curriculum in Jammu and Kashmir soon.

Addressing a mammoth Sikh Dewan at Samadhi Maharani Chand Koura, in connection with the Gurpurb celebrations, here this afternoon, the Chief Minister said his government's endeavour would be to include these languages in the academic calendar before April 13. He said though the students were more concentrating on English due to growing competition around the world, it was necessary to teach them their mother tongue.

Referring to the celebrations of 300 years of Khalsa Panth, the Chief Minister said a committee has been constituted in this regard in Jammu and Kashmir. He requested the MLAs Mr Ashok Khajuria and Sheikh Abdul Rehman, who were present on the occasion, to remain associated with committee. He responded positively to the demand for a bus service between Jammu and Anandpur Sahib during the celebrations of the Khalsa Panth. He said a private bus service would be launched soon.

The Chief Minister assured the Sikhs that the Ansari report on killing of Sikhs several years ago would be examined by a committee. He said the government does not want to conceal anything from the people.

Expressing concern over the differences between Mr Parkash Singh Badal and Mr Gurcharan Singh Tohra, the Chief Minister said the unity among Sikhs was not imperative for Punjab only but it has a bearing on the country as a whole, including Jammu and Kashmir. Unity among the people is essential for the strength of the nation. He recalled the apprehensions he had expressed before Sant Longowal in the early eighties that Jammu and Kashmir cannot escape the effects of embers which might engulf Punjab in the event of militancy. Similarly the unity among Sikhs is necessary for greater national interest, he said and hoped that the Sikhs of Jammu and Kashmir will also exert their influence in bridging the gap between the two Sikh leaders.

The Chief Minister said the government would soon re-examine the issue and ensure justice.

J&K staff stir off
Tribune News Service

JAMMU, Jan 5 — Following the decision of the state government to enhance medical allowance of employees from Rs 80 to Rs 100, increase in daily wages from Rs 35 to Rs 45 and payment of arrears of the Fifth Pay Commission in cash after middle of April the 16-day strike by government employees has been called off.

The entire work in government offices and hospitals had been paralysed during all these days and it was after the return of the Chief Minister, Dr Farooq Abdullah, here on Monday that the ministerial team accepted some of the major demands of the employees, including payment in cash the second instalment of dearness allowance. The agreement was finalised between the ministerial team and the leaders of the employees after a four-hour long discussion.