Pak may kick up major border row
JAMMU, May 19 — If news comments on Radio Pakistan and the emergency meeting the Pakistan President and the Prime Minister held with the army chief in Islamabad yesterday are any guide, agencies across the border are planning to kick up a major border row with India.

Amarnath yatra from July 21
JAMMU, May 19 — The annual Amarnath yatra will commence from July 21 and will continue till August 20.

8 hurt in blast
JAMMU, May 19 — Eight person were injured, one of them seriously, when a bomb went off in a bus at the bus stand here tonight, the police said.

Major among 12 killed
Tribune News Service

SRINAGAR, May 19 — An Army Major was among twelve killed and three soldiers injured in separate incidents of violence in Kashmir valley today, while the security forces recovered a huge quantity of arms and ammunition during search operations.

A Major, Vinay Kumar, was killed and three soldiers were injured in an IED explosion at Sirhama, Beijbehara in Anantnag district of South Kashmir today. Other civilians who were injured in the explosion but later succumbed to their injuries have been identified as Nazir Ahmad Rather, Ghulam Qadir Rather and Ghulam Mohiuddin of Sirhama village and Khalil Ahmad Kuka of Miraham village in Beijbehara area of Anantnag district in South Kashmir.

The cause of the explosion could not be ascertained immediately. The police here said an IED planted inside the shop of Ghulam Mohammad Bhat at Sirhama village went off at 10.45 a.m. injuring four civilians and four Armymen.

Two unidentified militants were killed in an encounter with the Jammu and Kashmir police and security forces at Gunde-Umar, Kreeri in the Dooru area of South Kashmir district of Anantnag yesterday. The police said the hiding militants opened fire on the search party who retaliated. In the ensuing encounter two militants were killed.

One militant, Riyaz Ahmad Tantray, was killed in an encounter with the security forces at Saloora in Ganderbal, 25 km from here, yesterday, the police here said.

Militants shot dead one person, Habibullah Khan, alias Tonga of Bahauddin Sahib, near Tilwari in the Gojwari area of the capital city today. He was injured in an attack by some unidentified militants. He later succumbed to his injuries while being shifted to the hospital.

According to PTI, a militant was killed in an encounter with security forces at Guree Nullah in the Chatroo area of Doda district yesterday. Two civilians, including a woman, were killed and two women injured in the shooting.

Pak may kick up major border row
From M.L. Kak
Tribune News Service

JAMMU, May 19 — If news comments on Radio Pakistan and the emergency meeting the Pakistan President and the Prime Minister held with the army chief in Islamabad yesterday are any guide, agencies across the border are planning to kick up a major border row with India.

Pakistan, Radio comments, while referring to the turmoil in the Kargil sector, said: "Jang key baadal mandra rahein hain" (war clouds are hovering over Kargil). Observers here explain that the Pakistan Government-controlled electronic media had been dishing out commentaries conveying to the world that people in Kargil had risen in revolt against the government as they were seeking "liberation" from India.

The observers say this far-fetched analysis is a deliberate attempt to escalate the border trouble with India. Such commentaries are being used to prepare a base for Pakistani incursion not only in the Kargil sector but also in the Kupwara-Keran belt.

Reports available here revealed that the Pakistan President and the Prime Minister had detailed discussions with the army chief on the likely outcome of the offensive launched by the Indian troops against the militants. The Pakistani agencies had not visualised that a stage would come in the Kargil-Dras sector when the infiltrators would be encircled and eliminated by the Indian soldiers.

According to these reports, Pakistan has formulated a contingency plan under which its troops will resort to the shelling of Indian villages and posts in the Kupwara, Keren and Uri sectors in case the Indian soldiers zeroed in on all infiltrators in the Kargil-Dras belt.

Highly placed sources say the Indian troops have been carrying out heavy shelling of the bases of Pakistani troops and militant camps across Kargil and Batalik since last evening. The shelling was carried out to prevent Pakistan from sending reinforcements to the militants and the Pakistani soldiers who are holed up in several areas in the Kargil-Dras area. Though the Pakistani soldiers sided by foreign mercenaries have put up tough resistance in the upper reaches of Kargil and Dras, where they have occupied vantage positions, the Indian offensive resulted in clearing three areas between Dras and Batalik of infiltrators.

Following reports that Pakistani agencies were planning to repeat the Kargil drama in the Uri, Kupwara and Keran sectors, the Indian troops have been directed to use the maximum force to demolish the bases of militants across the Line of Actual Control.

The developments in the Kargil sector and the looming Pakistani threat in other sectors figured at a meeting of the Unified Command which was presided over by the Chief Minister, Dr Farooq Abdullah, in Srinagar today.

The Chief Minister urged different security agencies to promote coordination so that they shared information regarding the plans of the militants. In fact, the meeting could not discuss the basic strategy that was required to deal with the ongoing insurgency which had assumed new dimensions with the developments in the Kargil sector.

Reports said both the state and central governments had left it to the Army authorities to handle the situation in the Kargil-Dras area where the infiltrators had posed a serious security threat.

According to these reports, the Army had received instructions to clear the Dras Kargil road of any threat from infiltrators. For the past nine days the road has been blocked for passenger transport services as it was hit by Pakistani shells on several occasions.

Meanwhile, on the 11th day today life in the Kargil sector remained paralysed with most of the government offices, banks and educational institutions closed. People again had a sleepless night when the area resounded with exchange of artillery fire between the two sides. In another three to four days the Indian troops are likely to clear the area of the infiltrators who had sneaked into Kargil and Dras villages with LMGs and MMGs besides other weapons.

Efforts to encircle infiltrators
Tribune News Service

SRINAGAR, May 19 — Lt-Gen Krishan Pal, GOC, 15 Corps, said here today that at least 21 infiltrators were killed and 78 injured in the 10-day-long operation along the LoC in the Kargil and Drass sectors.

He said 12 Indian soldiers had been killed and 43 others injured, seven of them seriously, since May 8 following the infiltration of 300 to 400 militants into the two sectors.

"Our assessment is that the infiltrators have suffered large casualties. This is because the area of operation is yet to be combed, the Corps Commander told a press conference.

This is the first time since the 10-day-long operation against the infiltrators started in Kargil that the Corps Commander briefed the press on the situation in the Kargil and Drass areas.

The 15 Corps headquarters with Kashmir and Ladakh as its areas of operation did not come out with any details on the situation during the past 10 days "in the interest of security". General Pal described it as a "fairly large operation" in the militancy-infested border state during the past few years.

At least four civilians were injured in shelling by Pakistani troops in four villages near Kargil on May 9 when the ammunition dump of the Army was also destroyed.

Referring to the prevailing situation, the Corps Commander said the troops had "made significant gains". "Our troops have been able to push them and we are in an advantageous position", General Pal said, adding the troops expected to "get more success in the next few days".

"The infiltrators have been blocked, contained and cut-off. Efforts to completely encircle them are continuing. Due to difficult nature of the terrain, the operations are time-consuming", he said.

He added that efforts of the infiltrators to cut-off the Srinagar-Leh national highway had been failed. Military convoys were moving on the highway between Sonmarg and Drass. As soon as the Zojila Pass was made fit for traffic by the BRO, civilian traffic would be restored, he said.

He clarified that the infiltrators were neither regulars of the Pakistan Army nor members of the Taliban, but "militants well-trained in suicide missions".

He said the infiltrators were trapped in the upper reaches after having been detected.

The infiltrators had used machine-guns, pika guns and rocket-launchers and sneaked in under cover of artillery fire by the Pakistan Army, General Pal said.

"This infiltration is fully backed by the Pakistan Army and the ISI. Extended magnitude, methodology and the operational and logistic support to this infiltration clearly establishes Pakistan Army and ISI's planning, execution and subsequent efforts to sustain this operation", he stated.

The primary aim of the infiltration was to "revive the proxy war and internationalise the situation by building up a war hysteria". It was a local situation and would be dealt with locally, he said and added that there is no possibility of its escalation into war".

He maintained that no Indian post was lost in the zone and any claims in this regard were "false, baseless and mischievous". He pointed out that no helicopters, gunships or aircraft were used in the operation. "We have used small helicopters for reconnaissance and engaging the infiltrators, with small arms mounted on one of them. "Our response to this infiltration has been very swift, well-focused and hard-hitting", the Corps Commander said.

Replying to questions, he said since people in Kargil and Drass had not supported militants, the ISI had targeted the areas.

He held that somebody may be directing them (Pak troops) during the shelling and that is way specific installations like the residential house of the Deputy Commissioner, Kargil, were hit on Sunday. This was also hinted at by the Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister, Dr Farooq Abdullah, during his visit to Kargil yesterday.

He said reinforcements from Ganderbal and Safapora areas of the Kashmir valley were rushed to the troubled area. This was out of the reserve troops.

Militants attacking ‘soft targets’
From Our Correspondent

JAMMU, May 19 — Pakistan-sponsored militants, who have not been able to succeed in their nefarious designs in Jammu and Kashmir and are increasingly becoming alienated from the local population, have started attacking "soft targets".

Stating this here today, Mr Harbans Singh, provincial president of the National Conference, said the recent gunning down of a party legislator clearly showed the frustration among the rank and file of the militants who were being pressurised by their mentors from across the border to target political leaders and innocent civilians.

He said "NC workers and leaders have resolved to root out militancy from the state."

Mr Harbans Singh said the state, which was fighting a proxy war, had achieved major successes in the recent past. He, however lamented that the state had not got much help from successive governments at the Centre.

Criticising the Centre for not bailing the state government out of the financial crisis, he said not to speak of giving a special economic package, it had failed to keep its word to reimburse security-related expenditure.

As the BJP was unsure of its success in the coming parliamentary and panchayat elections, its leaders were issuing "irresponsible" statements. "How can the state government misutilise central funds when central teams have been coming here regularly for inspection and there has been total transparency?"

The NC provincial president rejected allegations that his party was changing the demography of the Jammu region.

Amarnath yatra from July 21
From Our Correspondent

JAMMU, May 19 — The annual Amarnath yatra will commence from July 21 and will continue till August 20.

This was disclosed at a meeting presided over by the Commissioner-cum-Secretary, Tourism, Mr Parves Dewan.

Mr Dewan said 35 non-governmental organisations (NGOs) had volunteered to cooperate with the government to make arrangements for the pilgrims. The meeting with NGOs would be held. The Telecommunication Department would make arrangements for the pilgrims from Pahalgam and from Baltal route.

Mr Dewan urged the Public Works Department to finish the repair work of all important routes connected with the pilgrimage.

8 hurt in blast

JAMMU, May 19 (UNI) — Eight person were injured, one of them seriously, when a bomb went off in a bus at the bus stand here tonight, the police said.

The bus had returned a few minutes ago from Poonch.

The injured have been admitted to the Government Medical College Hospital.