NC leader shot in valley
SRINAGAR, June 28 — Militants today gunned down Mohammad Shafi Sofi, block president of the ruling National Conference, in the Habba Kadal area, an official spokesman said.


Shabir Shah, 12 supporters detained
SRINAGAR, June 28 — The police lobbed teargas shells and resorted to lathicharge to disperse a procession led by Shahbir Ahmad Shah at Lal Chowk here today.

Section 144 imposed in border areas
JAMMU, June 28 — The District Magistrate, Mr P.K. Tripathi, here has restricted the movement of person or persons from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. in the border areas, including all areas west of Manawar Tawi right from Chakla up to Narojian.

Kashmiri migrants to get all help
JAMMU, June 28 — The state government was committed to providing basic amenities to people who had migrated from the border villages to safer places in the Akhnoor sector and other areas owing to heavy Pak shelling.

NC leader shot in valley

SRINAGAR, June 28 (PTI) — Militants today gunned down Mohammad Shafi Sofi, block president of the ruling National Conference, in the Habba Kadal area, an official spokesman said.

He said Sofi was shot dead from a point-blank range inside his shop by an unspecified number of militants.

The assailants fled immediately after the murder taking advantage of panic which gripped the entire area, he said.

No militant outfit has claimed responsibility for the killing so far.

Last night, militants shot dead Ali Mohammad, village head of Thoru in Udhampur and brother of senior National Conference leader Haji Buland Khan.

The spokesman said Ali Mohammad was gunned down in his house.

The victim is younger brother of Haji Buland Khan, member of the J and K legislative Council and Vice-President of the Gujjar Advisory Board.

Meanwhile, a report from Poonch said a civilian was killed, when a police constable’s gun went off ‘accidentally’ during an operation in the Mandi area of Poonch district last night.

Munir Hussain was critically injured in the bullet hit and was shifted to the Poonch hospital where he died this morning, sources said.

The constable was suspended today on charges of negligence of duty and a departmental probe ordered into the killing, the sources added.

Shabir Shah, 12 supporters detained
Tribune News Service

SRINAGAR, June 28 — The police lobbed teargas shells and resorted to lathicharge to disperse a procession led by Shahbir Ahmad Shah at Lal Chowk here today. The marchers were heading to the office of UN military observers group (UNMOG) at Sonwar to submit a memorandum to "end the trouble in Jammu and Kashmir".

Shabir Ahmed Shah, leader of the Jammu and Kashmir Democratic Freedom Party, was held along with over 12 of his supporters at Clock Tower at about 11 a.m. today. The procession started from Amira Kadal about half a km away.

The memorandum addressed to the UN Secretary General, Mr Kofi Annan, with copies to the US President, Mr Bill Clinton, and the Prime Minister of India and Pakistan, therefore, could not be submitted at the UNMOG.

It sought "an international attention for ending conflict in South Asia". He stated that Developments in Bosnia, Kosovo, Northern Ireland and East Timor have shown that international efforts can help foster peace and stability. "The world community must pressurise both India and Pakistan to solve the Kashmir dispute once for all in accordance with people's will, otherwise South Asia will continue to move from one crisis to another and there will always be this spectre of nuclear war hanging over", Shabir in his memorandum stated.

In his four-page memorandum, Shabir Ahmed Shah also reiterated that Kashmir was being wrongly viewed as a territorial dispute between India and Pakistan. "If any peace process is to be succeed it must recognise the basic rights and aspirations of the people of Jammu and Kashmir and thoroughly involved them in such process", he stated. A considerable international effort aimed at promoting peace in South Asia must be mounted as military solution was not feasible, he added.

India, Pak urged to avoid war
Tribune News Service

JAMMU, June 28 — Calling for restoring sanctity of the Line of Control in the Kargil sector organisers of a peace rally here urged both Pakistan and India to avoid war between the two countries.

The rally was organised by several organisations, including the Humanist Organisation for Peace and Environment, International Democratic Party, Kisan Union, Mahila Adhikar Sangathan, Jammu Kashmir Government Employees and Workers Federation and the Peoples’ Rights Organisation. The rally was organised from Samba to a border village of Phangdour today from where large groups of people had moved out.

The villagers greeted the rallyists and supported their demand for peaceful solution of the Kashmir issue. They appealed to the people of India and Pakistan to persuade their Prime Ministers and chiefs of armed forces to have a meeting for sorting out the irritants.

The organisers suggested that to pave way for a fruitful Indo-Pak dialogue the infiltrators should either be told to withdraw from the Kargil-Dras belt or surrender. They said once the status quo ante was restored in the Kargil-Dras belt both sides should withdraw the troops and start a joint patrolling on the Line of Control.

They expressed concern over the continued exodus from the border villages and urged the government to step up relief and other assistance to the displaced persons till they were able to return to their villages.

Section 144 imposed in border areas
 From Our Correspondent

JAMMU, June 28 — The District Magistrate, Mr P.K. Tripathi, here has restricted the movement of person or persons from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. in the border areas, including all areas west of Manawar Tawi right from Chakla up to Narojian.

This order issued under Section 144 Cr.Pc shall remain in force for a period of two months from June 29.

However, under exceptional circumstances, where the nearest SHO or the post commander of the BSF border outpost or of the Army is satisfied only then the person or persons be allowed to move about during curfew hours to seek urgent medical help or do farming related operations.

For this curfew passes would be given. Moreover, transportation of material will take place during the curfew hours.

Kashmiri migrants to get all help
Tribune News Service

JAMMU, June 28 — The state government was committed to providing basic amenities to people who had migrated from the border villages to safer places in the Akhnoor sector and other areas owing to heavy Pak shelling.

This was stated by the Chief Secretary, Mr Ashok Jaitley, during his tour of the camps of the displaced families in the Akhnoor sector yesterday. Mr Jaitley was accompanied by senior provincial officers, including Divisional Commissioner B.S. Jaswal, Deputy Commissioner P.K. Tripathi and Inspector-General Police Kuldeep Khuda.

The Chief Secretary reviewed the situation during his interaction with the refugees and assured them that electricity, drinking water and medical facilities would be provided to them in the camps. The refugees urged the Chief Secretary to make free ration and kerosene available to them till they returned to their villages.

Mr Jaitley directed senior government officers to pay frequent visits to the camps and ensure that the displaced families did not face any difficulty.