J A M M U   &   K A S H M I R

ISI “emboldened” under Musharraf
JAMMU, April 14 (UNI) — ISI activities along the Indo-Pakistan border have witnessed a manifold increase under General Pervez Musharraf’s regime and vigil has been stepped up considerably to counter Pakistan’s subversive designs.

Border fencing may be resumed
JAMMU, April 14 — India has decided to resume work on the fencing of 187 km-long international border in the Jammu sector. The work had been suspended in 1995 when Pak troops resorted to heavy firing scaring away labourers and contractors.

Muharram marchers lathicharged
SRINAGAR, April 14 — The Police today fired in the air and lobbed teargas shells to prevent Muharram processionists led by a senior APHC leader from going out in procession in the central Lal Chowk area this afternoon.

CM lauds Army on Rajouri Day
JAMMU, April 14 — The Chief Minister, Dr Farooq Abdullah, has lauded the Army for combating trans-border militancy in the state. He said that Pakistan would not succeed in its designs for Jammu and Kashmir.

ISI “emboldened” under Musharraf

JAMMU, April 14 (UNI) — ISI activities along the Indo-Pakistan border have witnessed a manifold increase under General Pervez Musharraf’s regime and vigil has been stepped up considerably to counter Pakistan’s subversive designs.

Border Security Force (BSF) Jammu Frontier Inspector-General U. C. Chhabra said that following the takeover by General Musharraf, the ISI, had come under the direct control of the Pakistan Army which has led to a spurt in their activities.

Talking to reporters last evening, he said more than 1,000 militants were waiting to cross over into India from the other side of the border.

“But we have stepped up our vigil on the border manifold and a close watch is being maintained to foil any attempt of infiltration,’’ he added.

A huge cache of arms and ammunition has been seized by the BSF (Jammu Range) from militant hideouts in Rajouri and Poonch border districts. A recoilless Rifle gun has also been recovered, he added.

Mr Chhabra said 18 hideouts were located by the BSF during the past one week and a huge quantity of arms and ammunition, meant to carry out subversive activities in different areas of Pier Panjal in the Jammu region, was recovered.

Eight militants, including two foreign mercenaries, were also killed by the BSF operation teams. Two BSF jawans also sacrificed their lives during the operations, he added.

Asked how could militants manage to infiltrate into the Indian territory despite a close vigil on the Border, Mr Chhabra said “we cannot raise a human wall along the border but maximum possible vigil is being maintained by the BSF”.

PTI: Over 1000 armed militants, including those from top-ranking militant outfits like the Hizbul Mujaheedin and the Lashker-e-Toiba, were waiting across the border in Pakistan to enter Jammu and Kashmir, a senior BSF official has said.

These militants, belonging to organisations like the Hizbul Mujahideen, the Lashker-e-Toiba, the Harkat-ul-Jehadi Islami, and the Pir Panjal regiment of the Hizbul Mujahideen, have been kept at various points across the border by Pakistani troops, said the BSF IG.

Since the military takeover in Pakistan, the army has taken control and command over militants and their launching pads, Mr Chhabra said.

Admitting that infiltration of militants and weapons was continuing from across the border, he, however, said that vigilance on the border has been stepped up with installations of more observation posts and mobile patrolling.

Replying on the question of porous borders, the IG (BSF) said “it is not possible to completely seal the borders”.

Mr Chhabra also said that there were around 40 to 45 military training camps in Pakistan and Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK).

Commenting on the smashing of 18 militant hideouts and recovery of two truckloads of arms, ammunition and explosives from Rajouri and Udhampur areas by BSF troops during the last few days, the IG (BSF) said, these were dumped over a period of time by militants to be used for specific purposes in June and July this year.

He also claimed that the recovery of huge arsenal of arms and explosives have averted a major tragedy as these could have been used against security force camps, convoys or against civilians, adding that reports indicated that more than 500 bombs were still hidden in untraced hideouts.

“We are on the look out and the operation against the militants and their hideouts will continue relentlessly”, he said.

While displaying a huge cache of recovered arms and explosives to reporters, the IG (BSF) pointed to the recovery of 82-mm recoilless gun which were recovered for the first time in the state, during the decade-long militancy.

Mr Chhabra said that these recoilless guns were capable of destroying bunkers and buildings, besides moving vehicles, he said, adding that they could hit a moving object at a distance of nearly 600 metres and stationary objects at a distance of about 800 meters.

Two persons have been arrested so far in connection with the arms haul and have been handed over to the police, he said.

One of the arrested persons is an ex-armyman and another was working in the security wing of the Chief Minister, Dr Farooq Abdullah, Mr Chabbra said, adding that a large quantity of explosives were recovered from them.

Border fencing may be resumed
From M.L. Kak
Tribune News Service

JAMMU, April 14 — India has decided to resume work on the fencing of 187 km-long international border in the Jammu sector. The work had been suspended in 1995 when Pak troops resorted to heavy firing scaring away labourers and contractors.

The security agencies have sent a proposal to the Union Home Ministry suggesting that the fencing of the border should be started following concentration of infiltrators and arms smugglers on the border belt.

Official sources said that the Union Home Ministry placed the project before the Cabinet which approved the Rs 26 crore project. In fact the project is to be started totally afresh because construction material for raising an eight-foot barbed fence was transported to Rajasthan.

The fencing project has been modified with change in the alignment decided way back in 1994. Pakistan had objected to raising the fence on the plea that it treated the border as a working border and in case India wanted to erect a barbed wire it should do it within 400 metres of the Indian territory. At that stage India rejected Pakistan’s suggestion and it had agreed to raise the fence within 100 metres inside the Indian territory.

Under the revised plan fencing would be done within 150 and 250 metres inside the Indian territory and several hundred border villages would lie on the other side of the fence. The villagers have been assured of full security cover for farming practices. For such villages gates would be set up and villagers would be allowed in after showing their identity cards.

According to the official sources, the decision to resume work on the fencing project had been hastened following series of bomb explosions Pak-trained militants carried out between Jammu and Pathankot railway track during the last three years. In the Samba sector the Pakistan border is just 3 to 8 km away from the railway track and the militants would sneak into Samba from across the Basantar river, carry out the explosion and cross back.

These sources said that the work would be started only after a front survey of the border. Those areas which are within the range of small arms fire from Pakistan would have to receive proper cover so that the labourers engaged in raising the barbed wire were not hit by Pak bullets. Already one senior BSF officer has conveyed to the higher authorities that out of 45 km-long border in the Samba sector, 25 km were quite safe and the fencing programme could be restarted.

Sources said that infiltrators were being equipped with wire cutters. Some of the arms and ammunition found from different segments of the border had revealed that wire cutters were to be used wherever a barbed wire had been raised.

The state government too had suggested to the Railway Ministry to install flood lights and construct sheds on the 88 km-rail track between Jammu and Pathankot, regarded as bomb prone area. The Railway Minister, Ms Mamata Banerjee, during her recent visit to Jammu had stated that construction of sheds and installation of flood lights as part of security building programme will have to be shared by the Union Home Ministry and the Defence Ministry.

Before the work would be resumed on fencing of the IB the police and the BSF authorities would discuss the matter with the local Army commanders so that in case there was need the Army could provide logistic support in preventing Pak troops from disrupting the work again.

Muharram marchers lathicharged
Tribune News Service and PTI

SRINAGAR, April 14 — The Police today fired in the air and lobbed teargas shells to prevent Muharram processionists led by a senior APHC leader from going out in procession in the central Lal Chowk area this afternoon.

Nearly 40 processionists were injured, while the condition of two of them was stated to be critical. They were admitted into a hospital here. Among those injured were the senior APHC leader, Moulvi Abbas Ansari, who is also the leader of the Ittihadul Muslimeen, a Shia Muslims organisation. Several Shia Muslims including Moulvi Abbas Ansari were among about 50 persons held by the police. The procession was being taken out in violation of the prohibitory orders on the Muharram processions in the capital city.

The mourners emerged at the Exchange Road near Lal Chowk at about 2 pm and started to take out procession towards the Imambada at Dalgate, 2 km from Lal Chowk. The police to prevent the mourners resorted to lathi charge on the processionists. It had to fire over 12 shots in the air to disperse the mourners, when the lathi charge and teargas shells failed to stop them.

Traffic on the Maulana Azad Road leading from Budshah Chowk to Dalgate was suspended and diverted over the Residency road when the police and Muharram processionists were engaged in a ding-battle near the Exchange Road. However, later the traffic in the area was restored. With the police action, the processionists could not reach Dalgate where the it was to culminate.

In another action, the police kept two other senior leaders of the APHC under house arrest to prevent them from proceeding to Anantnag. These leaders included its Chairman, Syed Ali Shah Geelani and Prof Abdul Ghani Bhat. Geelani, Bhat and Maoulvi Abbas Ansari were recently released after about six months detention in Jodhpur jail. The APHC leaders were planning to visit Anantnag district today which witnessed widespread demonstrations and tension over the past three weeks. The incidents included the killing of 35 Sikhs at Chatti Singh Pora, custodial killing of five persons at Pathribal and killing of eight protesters at Brakpora on the outskirts of the Anantnag town. The former APHC chairman, Moulvi Umar Farooq was held by the police at Pampore to prevent him from going to Anantnag this morning. Several of his supporters were also held.

Militants wiped out a family of three members and clashed with security forces which left two Army personnel and three militants dead and three paramilitary personnel wounded in Jammu and Kashmir since last night.

Militants barged into the house of one, Pesha Gujjar, at Kumrala-Harlang village in Dessa area of Doda district and opened indiscriminate fire at the inmates, killing Pesha Gujjar, his wife Saleema and daughter Reshma, an official spokesman said here.

The police rushed to the scene of the incident, but the militants had already escaped, he said.

Two Army personnel were killed in a militant ambush at Lasana top in Poonch district last night, he said, adding the troops retaliated but the militants fled.

Two militants were killed and three border security force (BSF) jawans wounded in an encounter at Achan village in Pulwama district of south Kashmir last night, he said.

He said a house was also damaged in the encounter which took place when a BSF party raided the militant hideout following information about their presence. Some arms and ammunition were recovered from the killed militants.

Security forces gunned down an unidentified militant in an encounter at Tradawali-Bufliaz in Surankote area of Poonch district today. A rifle was seized from the deceased militant, the spokesman said.

Militants attacked a security force patrol at Lassan top with automatic weapons last evening killing two jawans. The militants managed to escape in the dark before security forces could retaliate.

At Lolab and Langate, security forces gunned down three militants in encounters last evening. Some arms and ammunition were recovered from the slain militants.

Meanwhile, forces captured a militant Mohammad Yousuf and recovered one grenade and one wireless set from his possession.

Security personnel today foiled a major attempt by Pakistan to infiltrate 60 heavily-armed militants in the Kashmir valley, killing one of them and arresting two others.

The Pakistan-backed infiltrators tried to sneak into Indian territory through Nowgam area of Handwara in Kupwara sector but were confronted by alert security personnel guarding the northern borders, official sources told PTI.

CM lauds Army on Rajouri Day
From Our Correspondent

JAMMU, April 14 — The Chief Minister, Dr Farooq Abdullah, has lauded the Army for combating trans-border militancy in the state. He said that Pakistan would not succeed in its designs for Jammu and Kashmir.

Addressing a function held in connection with Rajouri Day yesterday, the Chief Minister said that Pakistan has always been defeated in its attempts to grab Kashmir and will meet the same fate in its misadventure this time also. He said Pakistan is not only getting increasingly isolated in the community of nations because of its ill-conceived policies towards its neighbour, but will also get itself destroyed in the process. Its economy has started feeling the pinch of the current proxy war and if it does not put an end to it, Pakistan will further hurt itself in many ways, he said.

Attributing the success of the security forces in combating militancy in the border districts of Rajouri and Poonch to unstinted people’s cooperation, the Chief Minister said that these two border districts have amply demonstrated that with the cooperation between the people and security forces, the enemy can never succeed. He complimented the people also for their cooperation and maintaining, peace and communal harmony even in the wake of provocative acts of saboteurs. He expressed hope that the people will exercise utmost vigilance and extend necessary cooperation to the security forces, police and the administration to meet the challenges.

Recalling the supreme sacrifices and exemplary valour exhibited by the people and the forces in liberating Rajouri town from the clutches of the Pakistani raiders on Baisakhi in 1948, the Chief Minister said their sacrifices have become eternal and will continue to inspire the younger generations to work for national integrity and to defeat the machinations of anti-national elements.