& CK A S H M I R
Wednesday, September 15, 1999
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J A M M U C & CK A S H M I R |
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Wednesday, September 15, 1999 |
weather  spotlighttoday's calendar |
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Piling up stocks for
troops Rocket attacks on BSF camp: 1
killed |
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Migrants
for separate homeland in Kashmir BJP to expose Karan Singh Fire damages 20 houses Conference of rural surgeons in
Oct Tagore Hall to be reopened |
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Piling up stocks for troops KARGIL, Sept 14 — A logistic exercise going on along the LoC in Kargil, which witnessed a two-month-long armed conflict this summer. Men and mules have been pressed into service to pile up stocks for troops for the coming winter months, before the Zojila Pass is closed to vehicular traffic due to heavy snowfall. Though the area is free of tension, there have, however, been intermittent incidents of firing of small arms in some parts to which the troops are not retaliating for they do not cause any damage. The intensity shelling in some villages is, however, high due to which the villagers have not returned there. Faksar and Kharbu villages continue to remain deserted even after the guns have been silenced in most areas of Kargil district. "The sanctity of the LoC has been restored .... now many new positions have been set up along the LoC". said Col A.S. Chhabewal. The troops have moved to many such positions that were not held before the armed intrusion in May this year. It was earlier stated that armed intruders made their entry through the areas not held on both sides of the LoC. No positions were earlier set up in these areas on either side of the LoC due to the high and difficult terrain. Some positions are being held at a height of 17000ft to 18000 ft. "The piling up of stocks for the six months of winter is an Herculean task", said an Army officer, looking after the logistic exercises and other operations in the area. He admits that there are "negligible fires" coming from across the LoC now". But the men and mules have to be engaged in the continuous exercise of piling up stocks on the highest peaks in the area for the next winter months. "It takes days for them to return back to the base camps", he adds. Columns of mules carrying foodgrains and other essential items are a common sight around Kargil and adjoining areas. Clearing the territory of Pakistani intruders needed additional troops and installation of artillery and Bofors guns. "We have used artillery in the most innovative manner", says Brig Lakhwinder Singh, Commander of Artillery Brigade in the area. He adds that the major contribution goes to firepower, which has been effectively used in the Tololing area. As compared to the field gun, Bofors has a heavy shell capable of causing heavy damage to the target. "The multi-barrel rocket launchers (MBRL) were also used for the first time and there was no choice before the enemy either to vacate or die", he adds. After the guns "actually fell silent", after July 27, there have been firing incidents from across the border. "These do not harm us any way and there is no damage", Brig Lakhwinder Singh says. "This is a useless effort.... if we fire, it will be damaging.... we may not use the Bofors so loosely", he adds, in view of the high cost of the Bofors shell. A heavy cost is being incurred on the maintenance along the entire LoC in the region after the armed intrusion this year. According to Mr Qamar Ali Aakhoon, Minister of State for Works, who represents Kargil constituency in the state assembly, the cost is Rs 11 crore a day while it is already Rs 8 crore at Siachen per day. "There is a need to negotiate with Pakistan leadership for an end to such unwanted exercises which involve unnecessary burden on the economy of both the countries", Mr Aakhoon said. The over 100-km-long stretch of the NH IA from Zojila Pass to Kargil bears scars of the "war like" situation that recently prevailed in the region. There are traces of the presence of Army positions and the gun positions along the dusty and semi-delapidated road on the highway. The craters dug in for guns in these areas have been partly filled by duststorms through the "tunnel along a river sandwiched between hills on both sides". Shells of artillery and Bofors guns used in the conflict scattered. Most of these shells and cansters carrying other essential items have been removed by the troops, but the remains of ammunition and gun positions are still there. The small township of
Dras that bore the brunt of the armed conflict at the
foothills of Tiger and Tololing features is buzz with
business. The majority of the population has returned,
but await assistance as they could not grow their barley
crop in the mountains. |
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Rocket attacks on BSF camp: 1
killed JAMMU, Sept 14 — A tailor was killed in rocket attacks by militants in the Budhal area of Rajouri last night. Reports said the militants fired five rockets on a BSF camp at Budhal. The rockets missed the target and one of them hit the tailor’s shop, killing its owner, Liquat Ali. According to the reports, Pakistani agencies have targeted the border in Jammu sector for pushing in large groups of militants. Recently, four militants were killed and three others were arrested with the help of the people in the Hiranagar area of Kathua district. Similarly the Army foiled a major Pakistani plan of sending a large group of infiltrators into the Jammu area from across Chhamb sector by killing five infiltrators. At Gursai village of Poonch, the militants ambushed an Army patrol and killed a Captain and a soldier. One civilian was also killed in the exchange of fire and three others were wounded. Meanwhile, according to a PTI report an Army patrol defused an improvised explosive device (IED) planted by the militants under a culvert on the Surankote-Poonch road. UNI adds: Rashtriya Rifles personnel rescued six Kashmiri boys from the captivity of militants in different operations in Jammu and Kashmir, a defence spokesman has said. Personnel of 5 Rashtriya
Rifles rescued six Kashmiri boys who had been kidnapped
by militants near Ganderbal in Kashmir valley. The boys
who were all in the age group of 18-25 years had been
kidnapped from two villages of Batvyena and Barsu in
August. |
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MiG crashes near Udhampur JAMMU, Sept 14 — An Air Force MiG-21 fighter plane today crashed over a hilltop near Oso village, 20 km from Udhampur. The police said the MiG was on a training flight from Srinagar. When it hovered over Udhampur it lost control with the Air Force ground station. While the police said the aircraft crashed, a Defence Ministry spokesman said the plane was missing. He said search parties had been sent to the area to find out the fate of the plane. People in the surrounding areas of Udhampur said they heard a loud bang which might have been the result of the crash. The ministry spokesman said there was no clue yet about the fate of the pilot. According to a delayed report, search parties have spotted debris of the plane. The pilot, Flight Officer Sisodia, was killed on the spot. His body has been recovered. Investigations are being
conducted to find out whether the aircraft developed some
technical fault resulting in the crash or some militants
hiding in the forest targeted it with stinger missiles or
anti-aircraft guns. |
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Migrants for separate homeland in
Kashmir JAMMU, Sept 14 — As part of the observance of "balidan divas" hundreds of Kashmiri migrants, under the banner of the Panun Kashmir, today took a pledge to fight for "attainment" of a homeland on the north-east of the Jehlum in Kashmir for the displaced community. Despite high humidity, a large number of members of the displaced community took out a silent march in the city in protest against the continued "apathy" of the state and the Central Government towards the plight of the displaced families which were leading a miserable life in the plains for the past 10 years. Panun Kashmir leaders also paid tributes to the martyrs of Kargil who had laid down their lives while defending the country’s integrity. The marchers perspired but stood calm while praying for the souls of those who were killed in the Kashmir valley by militants. Several public programmes were held at migrant camps which the Panun Kashmir called the concentration camps in the light of the lack of basic amenities available there. The leaders said: "We stand martyred at the altar of the faith and loyalty to our country" and expressed deep anguish over the continued neglect of successive governments towards their future. They said those who were killed by the militants died as the martyrs but those living in the camps and other places were facing "death by inches". Students, employees, traders, agriculturalists and others belonging to the community had faced tribulations for these 10 years and "we do not know for how long we have to suffer" they said. Rejecting the recommendations of the Koul Committee on the return of the displaced people, the Panun Kashmir said the committee had not gone into the basic problems that led to the genocide and consequent exodus. They said only a separate homeland within the Kashmir valley was a suitable solution to their problems. They said "all the
rights are denied to us" and the only right
available to the community was the right to protest. They
lamented over the way the community had been forgotten by
all political parties only because "we do not
constitute a vote bank." |
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BJP to expose Karan Singh JAMMU, Sept 14 — The BJP has decided to launch an aggressive campaign against Dr Karan Singh, whom the Congress has fielded against Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee in the elections to the Lok Sabha from Lucknow. Addressing a press conference, senior BJP leader and former member of Parliament Prof Chaman Lal said today that his party would expose Dr Karan Singh's follies for which over 1,000 BJP activists from the state would leave for Lucknow. Expressing his surprise over the Congress decision to field Dr Karan Singh against Mr Vajpayee, Prof Gupta recalled that Mr Karan Singh was the first minister in the Congress ministry, led by Indira Gandhi, who opted to appear before the Shah Commission appointed by the Janata government in 1978-79 to depose against her. He said Mrs Sonia Gandhi also needs to give an explanation as how could she grant ticket to such a person who had betrayed her mother-in-law. Her late husband also never allowed him to rejoin the party, despite the fact that he had showed his willingness to join the party. He also criticised Dr Karan for becoming the chairman of the state Autonomy Committee which had the objective to reverse to pre-53 condition in the state under which the state would have a prime minister, a Sadar-e-Riyasat and the Centre would have very limited hold on its affairs. Prof Gupta said he had agreed to become the chairman of the State Autonomy Committee as he was given a Rajya Sabha seat. Dr Karan Singh, he said, also owe an explanation to the people of the state of Jammu and Kashmir as why he advised his son, who is the Information Minister in the Farooq Cabinet and other people to join the National Conference in 1996 when it was the same party which had connived with Jawahar Lal Nehru to humiliate his father, Maharaja Hari Singh, in 1949 and thus force him to leave the state and die in an exile in Mumbai. Mr Charanjit Singh
Khalsa, Vice-President of the SAD, Jammu and Kashmir who
was also present at the press conference, informed the
mediapersons that his party had also agreed to extend
full support to the BJP in exposing Dr Karan Singh. |
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Fire damages 20 houses SRINAGAR, Sept 14 (PTI) — Twenty residential houses and 13 other structures were razed in a devastating fire in Anantnag district of south Kashmir today, official sources said here. The sources said the fire, which broke out at Narsangar village in Kokernag in wee hours today, damaged 20 houses, besides nine cowsheds and four kothars. No one was injured in the fire, cause of which was said to be "accidental", the sources said. They said senior
district, fire brigade and police officials have gone to
the fire ravaged village to evaluate the damage. |
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Conference of rural surgeons in Oct JAMMU, Sept 14 — A three-day national conference of the Association of Rural Surgeons of India will be held at Udhampur in Jammu from October 1. A number of delegates from the USA, Germany, Nepal, Bangladesh and Pakistan, besides from all over the country, will be participating in the conference. According to the
organising secretary, Dr K.C. Sharma, discussions on
research papers on heart surgery will be held and new
surgical techniques evolved by rural surgeons
demonstrated. The Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister, Dr
Farooq Abdullah, would inaugurate the conference. |
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Tagore Hall to be reopened JAMMU, Sept 14 — Kashmir's hub of cultural activity the Tagore Hall which was damaged by militants several years ago, will be reopened by the Chief Minister, Dr Farooq Abdullah on September 19. It will be the first auditorium in the North to have a remote faster lighting system. The secretary of the
J&K Academy of Art, Culture and Languages, Mr Balwant
Thakur said the hall would track digital boosting sound
system. A seminar room, had also been created which was
equipped with latest electronic gadgets. It would be
available for cultural programmes after September 19. |
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