J A M M U   &   K A S H M I R

4 intruders, 7 others killed in J&K
SRINAGAR, Feb 24 — Troops scuttled a major attempt by Pakistan to push armed militants into Jammu and Kashmir, where 11 persons, including four Pakistani intruders, five militants and a BSF officer, were killed since last evening.

Army provides limbs to 16 disabled persons
SRINAGAR, Feb 24 — The Army believes that there has been an increase in the militancy in Kashmir since General Parvez Musharraf took over in Pakistan over four months back.

Acrimonious exchanges in Assembly
JAMMU, Feb 24 — The Jammu and Kashmir Assembly witnessed acrimonious exchanges today between the ruling party and Opposition members over yesterday’s interruption of the Governor’s address to both Houses of the state legislative Assembly.

4 intruders, 7 others killed in J&K

SRINAGAR, Feb 24 (PTI) — Troops scuttled a major attempt by Pakistan to push armed militants into Jammu and Kashmir, where 11 persons, including four Pakistani intruders, five militants and a BSF officer, were killed since last evening.

Four police personnel were injured and an Army jawan was abducted, while six militants were arrested and another laid down his arms in the state during the period, an official spokesman said here today.

He said troops in the Ramgarh sector of the Jammu region noticed a group of Pakistani intruders trying to sneak into Indian territory from across the border last night. They were asked to surrender soon after they crossed into the Ramgarh sector but they opened fire and in the ensuing gunbattle Four intruders were killed. The troops suffered no casualty,

A BSF inspector, Fateh Khan, was killed when militants attacked a BSF party in Magam Market in Badgam district of central Kashmir today.

Militants today gunned down a Special Police Officer, Manzoor Ahmad, at Warpora in the Sopore area of Baramula, he said.

He said two top Hizbul Mujahideen militants, one of them identified as Nazir Ahmad Kuchay, were killed in a gunfight with the security forces at Chani Mohalla in Srinagar yesterday.

In another encounter, two more Hizbul Mujahideen militants were killed by the security forces in the Bijbehara area of Anantnag district in South Kashmir last night. A rifle and a pistol were seized from them.

BSF jawans killed a militant in an encounter in Baramula district last night and seized a rifle from him, he said.

The spokesman said two policemen were wounded when militants attacked a guard post of the Jammu and Kashmir armed police at a local bank at Ajas in the Bandipora area of Baramula district last night.

The militants took away two rifles from the injured cops before escaping, he said.

On hearing about the incident, the SHO of the Sumbal police station, reached the scene today with his men. As they reached near the guard post, a powerful explosive device, planted by militants, went off wounding the SHO, Inspector Showkat Hussain and his deputy, Assistant Sub-Inspector Ghulam Nabi, he said.

The spokesman said all four police personnel were rushed to SMHS Hospital in Srinagar.

Army jawan Abdul Rashid Khan, who had come to his house on leave, was abducted by militants from Rakh-e-Brah in Anantnag district last night, official sources said.

A top militant, Khan Mohammad, surrendered to the police at Bandipora in Baramula district today, the spokesman said.

Army provides limbs to 16 disabled persons
Tribune News Service

SRINAGAR, Feb 24 — The Army believes that there has been an increase in the militancy in Kashmir since General Parvez Musharraf took over in Pakistan over four months back.

"Pakistan military has taken direct control of trans-border terrorism in conjunction with ISI ... militancy in Kashmir has increased after the Army took over in Pakistan", Maj Gen J.R. Mukherjee, Chief of Staff of the 15 Corps headquarters, told mediapersons here today after interaction with the 16 handicapped villagers who were provided with artificial limbs.

They were brought here from Chandigarh after being provided with these limbs.

Gen Mukherjee said there would be attempts of further "heightening of the terrorism" till the end of March coinciding with the visit of US President Bill Clinton.

Gen Mukherjee said suitable measures had been taken to counter the "Fidayeen attacks" on the Army installations. There had been a number of "successful encounters" with the militants during the recent months. January recorded an all time high success against militancy in which at least 77 militants were killed.

Referring to the situation on the LoC, Gen Mukherjee said there were firing incidents from across the border almost every day. At least five persons were killed and several others injured in the Tangdhar area of Kupwara district this week, while two women were also killed in the Karnah area last Saturday. The General said in spite of the pressure mounted on the border and the heavy accumulation of snow, infiltration was going on.

The Army has provided artificial limbs to 76 persons belonging to remote areas, mostly close to the LoC, during the last year, as a part of the "Operation Sadbhavana". There is a target of providing such limbs to at least 150 civilians, mostly victims of militancy this year.

Acrimonious exchanges in Assembly

JAMMU, Feb 24 (PTI) — The Jammu and Kashmir Assembly witnessed acrimonious exchanges today between the ruling party and Opposition members over yesterday’s interruption of the Governor’s address to both Houses of the state legislative Assembly.

The trouble began when an opposition member Harsh Dev Singh (Panthers Party) raised a point of order to expunge certain remarks made by ruling National Conference member Mubarak Gul.

Gul, while coming down heavily on the opposition for creating disorder in the House yesterday, had said that the accession of Kashmir with India was a "historic decision" because of its secular character.

Earlier, the House witnessed noisy scenes when opposition members took the government to task over the provision of security to some former and present legislature members, amounting to Rs 8.40 crore up to December 1999.