Indian, Pak troops exchange fire
SRINAGAR, Sept 24 — Indian and Pakistani troops traded gunfire across the border in the Karnah sector while eight persons were killed in sporadic overnight skirmishes in the Kashmir valley, officials today said.


Blast in Regal Cinema
SRINAGAR, Sept 24 — At least one person was killed and 12 others were injured when militants exploded a grenade in the compound of Regal Cinema which reopened after 10 years today.

Another cinema reopens
SRINAGAR, Sept 24 — Encouraged by the overwhelming response of filmgoers, another cinema in the heart of the city today started functioning amid tight security.

Indian, Pak troops exchange fire

SRINAGAR, Sept 24 (UNI) — Indian and Pakistani troops traded gunfire across the border in the Karnah sector while eight persons were killed in sporadic overnight skirmishes in the Kashmir valley, officials today said.

Among those killed were a government employee, a soldier and a militant.

An official spokesman said a self-styled platoon commander surrendered along with one AK rifle, four magazines and 120 rounds of ammunition at Kupwara last evening while two major tragedies were averted at Surankote and Lal Chowk during the period.

Official sources said the Pakistani troops fired artillery and mortar shells, targetting civilian and security force instalations, in the Karnah sector since last evening. However, there were no reports of casualties or damage to property in the intermittent shelling which continued throughout the night and this morning.

The Indian troops returned the fire, but the casualties across the border were not immediately known.

One militant, reportedly a foreigner, was killed and some arms and ammunition were recovered in an encounter between militants and soldiers at Bugund in North Kashmir early this morning.

The spokesman said militants gunned down a government employee, Ghulam Mohammad Bhat, in his Watlar Ganderbal house early this morning.

The spokesman said militants attacked a security patrol at Chana Palnar Arigam in Baramula district last evening, resulting in the death of a jawan. Militants however, managed to escape before security forces could repulse the attack.

He said the body of Azhar Parveez Wani a resident of Dangerpora Nowgam, was recovered from Natipora early this morning while militants shot dead Mohammad Sikander Malik at Arwani in his house.

He said militants shot dead Mohammad Zaman Bakerwal and Sader-ud-Din at the Adai Top Loran sector last evening while one person Karim Ali was killed in an encounter between militants and security forces at Karh Chatroo last evening.

He said forces averted a major tragedy when they defused a powerful improvised explosive device planted by militants at Surankote this morning.

A grenade was found at the historic Lal Chowk near here last evening and was defused by the bomb dispoal squad.

He said there was another exchange of fire between security forces and militants at Batwani Rajpora. Militants hurled a grenade on a security force picket at Awantipora last evening. However, no one was injured in the incidents.

He said the Jammu and Kashmir police and security forces in a joint operation recovered five AK rifles and one universal machine gun.

Blast in Regal Cinema

SRINAGAR, Sept 24 (UNI) — At least one person was killed and 12 others were injured when militants exploded a grenade in the compound of Regal Cinema which reopened after 10 years today. Official sources said the explosion occurred when people were coming out at 7.10 p.m. after the last show of the film ‘‘Pyar Koi Khel Nahin’’. The injured were admitted to hospital where the condition of some of them was stated to be critical.

Dry spell broken in valley

SRINAGAR, Sept 24 (PTI) — Srinagar and other parts of Kashmir valley were lashed by heavy rain today breaking a prolonged dry spell.

It started raining in Srinagar and other major towns of the valley bringing respite from the unusual hot temperature, official reports said today.

The rain came at a time when a five-member central team visiting the drought-hit areas of the valley.

The team led by the Joint Secretary of Union Minister of Agriculture, Mr S.K. Ojha, visited the drought-hit areas of frontier districts of Kupwara and Baramula in North Kashmir yesterday.

The members of the team took stock of the damage caused to the kharif crop due to the continuous dry spell, an official spokesman said.

Crops spread over nearly 36,700 hectares suffered due to the dry spell this year in Kupwara district alone, the spokesman said, adding that the damage caused to the crops is estimated to be Rs 37 crore.

Of this, the horticulture sector has approximately suffered a loss of Rs 27.67 crore, including a damage of Rs 15.60 crore to fresh fruits and Rs 12.07 crore to dry-fruits.

In Baramula district of North Kashmir, about 38,000 hectares of cultivable land is estimated ot have been affected by the continuous dry spell.

Another cinema reopens

SRINAGAR, Sept 24 (PTI) — Encouraged by the overwhelming response of filmgoers, another cinema in the heart of the city today started functioning amid tight security.

After the reopening of Broadway Cinema in the high security Batwara area and Neelam Cinema in uptown Srinagar early this year, Regal Cinema today joined the select group of big-screen operators to defy militant dictates and reopened the cinema after a gap of nearly a decade.

The management of the cinema termed the response to its first show as "encoraging".

All cinemas in the Kashmir valley were closed in early '90s because of militancy.