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| Friday, March 24, 2000, Chandigarh, India  
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J&K
House resolves to banish terrorism |
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J&K
House resolves to banish terrorism JAMMU, March 23 — The State Assembly today adopted a resolution pledging to remain vigilant and united “till we achieved the success in banishing terrorism” from Jammu and Kashmir. The resolution condemned the killing of 35 Sikhs in Chati-Singhpura village in Anantnag district. It appealed to the people to remain united irrespective of political affiliation for defeating the “forces of terrorism and darkness”. Moving a resolution the Speaker, Mr Abdul Ahad Vakil, said the “best homage to the martyrs would be to keep afloat the banner of glorious traditions, communal harmony and national integrity”. Members belonging to different political parties expressed heart-felt condolences to the dependants of those killed by the terrorists in village Chatsinghpura. Speaking on the resolution the Chief Minister, Dr Farooq Abdullah, said that Pakistan was bent upon destabilising peace in India. He said he had requested the US President, Mr Bill Clinton, that he should tell Islamabad, during his ensuing visit, that it should stop exporting terrorist to Jammu and Kashmir. He said that Mr Clinton should assert his authority and force Pakistan to end its 10-year-long-proxy war which had resulted in the death of several thousand people in the State. Dr Abdullah said the USA should declare Pakistan a terrorist state and impose sanctions against it. The Chief Minister said certain agencies in Pakistan were not interested in normalising Indo-Pak relations. There were other agencies, he added, that were in favour of prolonging Indo-Pak conflict for the sake of keeping alive military goods market. He said India was for peace and it had never launched a war against Pakistan. This should be conveyed to Islamabad by President Clinton. He said India had taken an initiative to promote peace and friendly relations when the Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee, visited Lahore. He said the ink on the Lahore Declaration has not dried when 22 innocent people were killed in Jammu and later Kargil conflict was thrust on India. Referring to Chatsinghpura massacre he said the Pak agencies had engineered it after they felt uncomfortable over the improving Indo-US relations. Referring to the demand for holding an inquiry into the Chatsinghpura carnage the Chief Minister ridiculed those who had started raising an accusing finger on the Army. He said he would order a probe and if the involvement of the Army was established he would resign immediately. He, at the same time, added that the innocent people at Chatsinghpura had been killed by foreign mercenaries. He praised the role of the security forces and said they were losing their men while defending the country’s integrity. He said it was a vast area to be covered. He said that there was no apprehension that the militants would target Sikhs and hence no security bandobast had been taken in hand. Dr Abdullah described the carnage as an act of cowardice and a sign of frustration on the part of Pakistani agencies and militants. He said these agencies had been upset over the statement of Mr Clinton in which he had demanded respect for the sanctity of the LoC, and favoured dialogue and described the demand for plebiscite outdated. He appealed to political party leaders and people not to fall prey to Pak machinations of kicking up communal turmoil in the state. He said Pakistan had already been destroyed and it “wants us to be destroyed” and the only way to foil this gameplan was to remain united. BJP leaders, Mr Piara Singh, Mr Ashok Khajuria, Congress members Mr Ashok Sharma and Mr Tara Chand, Sheikh Abdul Rehman of the BSP, Mr Harsh Dev Singh of Panthers Party, Mr M.Y. Tarigami of the CPM and Mr Abdul Rehman of the PDP spoke on the resolution and expressed their anger and shock over the massacre. Mr Tarigami ruled out Army’s hand and said that he spent four hours in the village and not a single person alleged Army’s hand. “Everybody suspected the hand of foreign mercenaries”, he said. The members agreed with the Chief Minister’s assertion that so long Pakistan encouraged the dance of death there should be no talks with Islamabad. The Speaker, Mr Abdul
Ahad Vakil, rejected three adjournment motions moved by
two BJP members, Mr Prithvi Chand and Mr Hans Raj Dogra,
and the Congress member, Mr Ashok Sharma. Later Mr Vakil
adjourned the House for the day. The carnage also figured
in the state Legislative Council. |
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SRINAGAR, March 23 (PTI) — Militants fired grenades at a police picket set up to protect a minority community concentration at Ganderbal and triggered three landmine explosions in Kashmir, as nine ultras and a person were killed in different encounters today. The toll in Tuesday night’s attack on the BSF headquarters at Chanipora here mounted to five with two more security personnel succumbing to injuries, as elsewhere in Jammu and Kashmir. The militants fired at a police picket set up near Nunar in Ganderbal to protect minority community members yesterday, he said, adding that no one was injured. The militants also triggered a landmine explosion in the Nunar area today in which a local station house officer, Ghulam Mohiuddin was injured, the spokesman said. The ultras triggered another landmine in Ganderbal and at Pothkhah in Sopore area today but no one was hurt in the explosion, he said. Two foreign militants associated with Al-Badr outfit were killed and another injured in an encounter with the police and BSF personnel at Batapora-Bonihama on the outskirts of Srinagar today, he said, adding that one of the deceased was identified as Naseem from Pakistan. The security forces gunned down three ultras in another encounter at Dara-Sangla in Rajouri district yesterday. In separate encounters with the security forces at Banihal, Jabla Bharat and Palmar in Doda district, he said, two unidentified militants were shot dead yesterday. The spokesman said the body of a Pakistan-trained militant of the banned Hizbul Mujahideen, Riyaz Ahmad Palla, was recovered from Landoora Bihibagh village in Shopian area. He said security forces also shot dead an unidentified militant in Rajouri district today. The bullet-riddled body
of a youth was recovered from Chuntwaliwar in Ganderbal
area today, he said, adding that the victim was killed by
ultras. |
Cong asks for J&K govt’s dismissal SRINAGAR, March 23 (PTI) — Senior Congress leaders today demanded dismissal of the National Conference government in Jammu and Kashmir accusing it of failing to protect the lives of common people in the state. The massacre of 35 Sikhs by militants Monday night was the result of a "serious security lapse on the part of the government", Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Mr Manmonhan Singh and other senior Congress leaders Ghulam Nabi Azad, Balram Jakhar, Ahmad Patel, Ambika Sonia said. "A government which cannot protect the lives of innocent people has no right to remain in power," they said addressing people at Chati Singhpora in Anantnag district, the site of the massacre. "No one feels secure in the valley in view of militancy," they said, adding the Congress will submit a memorandum to the President and the Prime Minister to draw their attention to the "deteriorating" law and order situation in the state. The Congress leaders said they will raise the issue of the massacre in both houses of Parliament and demand an explanation from the government. They also criticised the Centre for not deputing any senior Cabinet minister to the site of the carnage to express its sympathy with the bereaved families. The Congress delegation, which arrived here today, straight away drove to Chati Singhpora. The delegation included
state leaders Mohammad Aslam, Peerzada Mohd Sayed and Taj
Mohiuddin. They charged the state government with
"denying" permission to Congress chief Sonia
Gandhi to visit the families of the victims. |
More attacks ‘likely’ on minorities in J&K NEW DELHI, March 23 (PTI) — Even as the nation is recovering from the shock of the massacre of 35 Sikhs in Kashmir, security agencies are apprehending more such strikes and attacks on security installations in Jammu and Kashmir during the current South Asia tour of US President Bill Clinton. The Lashkar-e-Toiba militant outfit, which is suspected to be behind Monday’s massacre in Chatti Singhpura village in Kashmir, has been directed by its mentors from across the border to kill at least 100 minority community members during Mr Clinton’s visit, official sources told PTI here. The directions have been given to Abu Zaid, Lashkar’s top militant leader in Jammu and Kashmir, they said. The outfit has also been directed to intensify attacks on security installations in an attempt to draw world attention to the Kashmir issue, the sources said. Tuesday’s storming of a BSF camp in Chanapora in Srinagar by militants is also being viewed as an act in pursuance of this goal. In view of the reports, security forces in the state have been asked to remain more vigilant, they said. They said a large concentration of foreign militants had been witnessed in the Poonch and Rajouri areas of Jammu region of the state, raising apprehensions about a major strike against minorities or security installations in these areas. To intensify the attacks, about 200 additional ‘‘fidayen’’ (suicide militants) had been reportedly deputed from Pakistan. Syed Salauddin, self-styled supreme commander of Hizbul Mujahideen militant outfit, which is also suspected to be behind the massacre of Sikhs, had directed his cadres to step up their activities during Mr Clinton’s visit. Earlier, the ISI had directed all militant groups operating in J and K to intensify their activities in the run-up to Mr Clinton’s visit. The directions had come after a meeting at Rawalpindi in January which was attended by Pakistan’s military ruler Gen Pervez Musharraf, ISI commanders and leaders of various militant groups, they said. They said one Brig Riyaz
had been appointed as ISI’s director for Jammu and
Kashmir affairs to make concerted efforts for raising the
pitch during Mr Clinton’s visit. |
Kashmiri
Sikh leaders rule out migration SRINAGAR, March 23 — Seeking intervention of the Amnesty International and an enquiry by certain international agency into the Monday’s massacre at Chatsinghpura village of Anantnag district, the Kashmir Sikh Joint Action Committee (KSJAC) here today demanded identification of those responsible for the act. “The Sikh community wants a high-level probe into this planned massacre, identification of the culprits responsible for this inhuman act and bringing them to book immediately”, a statement issued by the KSJAC at their press conference here today stated. The Sikh leaders sought judicial inquiry into the incident. Representatives of over a dozen organisations comprising the KSJAC addressed the press conference. The KSJAC comprises the Shiromani Akali Dal (Badal), All India Sikh Student Federation, Gurdwara Parbhandak Board, Sikh Missionary College and the Khalsa Educational Society. KSJAC leaders ruled out the migration of the Sikhs from the valley on the pattern of Kashmiri pandits and added that any such eventuality would be the responsibility of those at the helm of affairs. They also sought assurance to the effect that no such incidents were repeated in future. Referring to the age-old
traditional brotherhood between the Sikhs and other
communities in the valley, the leaders also declined to
get the protection of the gun. “We want to live here
with dignity and honour without the protection of gun.
For this we appeal to all Kashmiris, especially to the
majority community to come forward and stamp out the
chances of any such killings in future so that no
Kashmiri Sikh was forced to leave his motherland for
which the responsibility shall not be our”, the
statement said. |
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