J A M M U   &   K A S H M I R

3 BSF men die; TV tower damaged
SRINAGAR, Sept 1 — A transmission tower of the 33,000 KV transmission line was damaged in an explosion at Qazigund in Anantnag this morning. However, there was no disruption in the power supply due to the explosion, the police here said.

A border villager pointing towards the roof of his house damaged due to Pakistan shelling in URI sector on thursday. (right) Two villagers, a father and a son, removing the debris of their damaged house. — PTI photo

Madhok: Advani has betrayed nation
JAMMU, Sept 1 — Veteran Jana Sangh leader Balraj Madhok has opposed the Union Home Ministry’s plan of holding talks with terrorists, especially the Hizbul Mujahideen outfit.

1st anniversary of Kilo Force celebrated
SRINAGAR, Sept 1 — Kilo Force of the Rashtriya Rifles has eliminated at least 267 militants, most of them foreigners, while 142 hideouts have been destroyed and a large quantity of arms and ammunition seized during the past one year in north Kashmir. The recoveries include 250 AK-47 rifles, 60 rocket launchers and over 630 kg explosives along with ancillary detonating devices.

J&K cultural academy exhibition in Nov
SRINAGAR, Sept 1 — The Jammu and Kashmir Academy of Art, Culture and Languages is organising a state-level millenium art, exhibition in collaboration with the All-India Fine Arts and Crafts Society, New Delhi, in November this year.

3 BSF men die; TV tower damaged
Tribune News Service and agencies

SRINAGAR, Sept 1 — A transmission tower of the 33,000 KV transmission line was damaged in an explosion at Qazigund in Anantnag this morning. However, there was no disruption in the power supply due to the explosion, the police here said.

Giving details of the incident, the police said an IED blast took place in a transmission tower at Nipora, Mirbazar in Anantnag this morning, causing damage to the tower. While inspecting the spot, the police spotted another IED planted, which was later neutralised by the bomb disposal squad. Militants had caused heavy damage to another transmission tower on the line near Mirbazar in December last year, disrupting power supply to the valley from the northern grid for over two months.

Three Border Security Force (BSF) personnel were killed in Pakistani shelling along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir, official sources said here today.

They said Sub-Inspector Hans Raj died instantly and Assistant Sub-Inspector S.K. Sinha was grievously injured when the Pakistani troops targeted a BSF post in Nowgam sector of north Kashmir last night. Sinha succumbed to his wounds in hospital.

The sources said the Pakistani troops also suffered casualties in the retaliatory action by the Indian security forces but the exact number was not known immediately, the sources said.

In the militancy related incidents, at least three persons, including two militants, were killed in separate incidents in Srinagar and Anantnag districts since yesterday.

Two foreign militants were killed in an encounter with the security forces at Lawaypora on the outskirts of Srinagar city today. The police here said the security forces cordoned off the village to conduct search operations on receipt of specific information. The hiding militants opened fire on the search party. Two foreign militants were killed in the encounter. Two AK rifles and eight magazines with 500 rounds were seized. Till the last reports came in the search operations were continuing.

Unidentified militants shot dead Nazir Ahmad Sheikh at Halwan, Verinag in Anantnag district. He is reported to have been a surrendered militant.

JAMMU: One BSF jawan, Ishwar Hari from Tripura, was killed and another wounded when the Pakistani troops resorted to heavy firing on Mangu Chak border village in Samba sector early on Friday morning.

Official reports said the Pakistani troops used MMGs and LMGs to pound the border village and the BSF post. Ishwar Hari who was on duty received a hit in his eye and died on the spot and another BSF jawan was wounded.

The BSF immediately opened fire which resulted in partial damage to a couple of Pakistani bunkers.

Elsewhere, the Pakistani troops launched a rocket attack on the police and Army camp in the Surankot area of Poonch sector last night. There was no casualty on this side because the rockets missed the targets.

Defence Ministry sources said during the past five days the Pakistani troops have resorted to heavy mortar shelling in Akhnoor sector and MMG and LMG firing in Poonch and Rajouri border areas. There was no casualty on this side of the border.

The sources said the Indian troops retaliated effectively and silenced the Pakistani guns for the time being. They alleged the Pakistani troops were trying to escalate border conflict so that the Kashmir issue was further internationalised.

The Indian troops had been directed to take all possible steps to foil the Pakistani gameplan of capturing any Indian post or intruding into the India territory or sending groups of militants under cover of fire. They said this was the reason that Pakistani troops fired on an average 20,000 rounds from MMG and LMG from across Poonch and Rajouri to carve out infiltration route for the militants.

Madhok: Advani has betrayed nation
From Our Correspondent

JAMMU, Sept 1 — Veteran Jana Sangh leader Balraj Madhok has opposed the Union Home Ministry’s plan of holding talks with terrorists, especially the Hizbul Mujahideen outfit.

He told newspersons here today the Union Home Minister, Mr L.K. Advani, had betrayed the Indians and brought “shame to the nation” by his willingness to hold talks with the Hizbul Mujahideen.

Professor Madhok said there should be no talks with any militant outfit. “If talks have to be held they should be held with various ethnic groups and other political organisations, including those belonging to Ladakh, “he said, adding that he did not find any fault in holding parleys with the Hurriyat Conference.

Referring to the current security situation in the state, the Jana Sangh leader demanded emergency should be declared in Jammu and Kashmir after dismissing the state government led by Dr Farooq Abdullah.

He said India should not hold talks with Pakistan as far as the future of Jammu and Kashmir was concerned. He said if talks were to be held they should confine to the future of Pakistan occupied Kashmir. He said the LoC should be converted into a permanent border.

When reminded of the resolution in Parliament favouring liberation of Pakistan occupied Kashmir, Professor Madhok said, “Resolutions are invariably adopted in Parliament” but he felt that conversion of the LoC into a permanent border was the valid solution to the Kashmir problem.

He said both the BJP-led central government and the National Conference government had failed to tackle militancy. He said being senior to Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee and Mr L.K. Advani he would suggest to them to quit and hand over Jammu and Kashmir to the Army.

Professor Madhok wanted the Army to have a free hand in dealing with the militants and said interference by the ruling politicians in the anti-insurgency operations had created a problem for the security forces.

1st anniversary of Kilo Force celebrated
Tribune News Service

SRINAGAR, Sept 1 — Kilo Force of the Rashtriya Rifles has eliminated at least 267 militants, most of them foreigners, while 142 hideouts have been destroyed and a large quantity of arms and ammunition seized during the past one year in north Kashmir. The recoveries include 250 AK-47 rifles, 60 rocket launchers and over 630 kg explosives along with ancillary detonating devices.

Raised on September 1 last year, and located at Sharifabad here in lieu of 8 Mountain Div which had to move post haste to Kargil sector last summer, Kilo Force has the onerous responsibilities of neutralising militancy in Kashmir in a credible manner and simultaneously engendering reassurance among the people of north Kashmir.

During the past one year, Kilo Force has established schools, community development centres and medical camps where treatment was provided to 11,000 persons last year. Numerous physically handicapped persons have been helped and an amount of over Rs 50 lakh has been disbursed through civic action, with an equal amount in the pipeline, a defence spokesman stated here.

To help out the unemployed, special training is imparted by the officers of the Kilo Force to youth. The training is aimed at improving their chances of getting recruited into the Army and para-military forces. To give young minds a fresh perspective of life to widen their horizon on understanding communal harmony and the opportunities offered by India, numerous special trips were organised for schoolchildren and they were taken on conducted tours to places of historical significance in the country.

Today’s ceremonies marking the first anniversary of Kilo Force included a wreath-laying ceremony in honour of the soldiers who had sacrificed their lives. Kilo Force has been awarded two Kirti Chakras, one Shaurya Chakra and 25 Sena Medals.

J&K trifurcation stir from Oct 2
Tribune News Service

JAMMU, Sept 1 — A movement for the trifurcation of Jammu and Kashmir will be launched on October 2 by the Jammu Kashmir Nationalist Front through dharnas and demonstrations.

This was stated at a seminar organised by the front here yesterday. Presiding over the seminar, which was attended by a large group of political leaders, academicians, social and religious scholars, Prof Balraj Madhok, a former president of the Jana Singh, supported the demand for re-organisation of the state so that Jammu region was granted statehood and Ladakh province given a union territory status.

Professor Madhok said the only way to end regional discrimination of Jammu and Ladakh was to segregate these regions from the Kashmir valley. He and other leaders blamed the Kashmiri leadership for giving a raw deal to the people of Jammu and Ladakh regions.

He also demanded the immediate dismissal of Farooq Abdullah government, and after dissolving the Assembly the state should be placed under the Governor’ rule. He said there was need for recalling Governors G.C. Saxena.

The president, Ladakh Buddhist Association, Mr Tsering Samphel, advocated the cause of the people of Ladakh and said nothing short of union territory status would “fulfil our aspirations.”

Mr K.N.Pandita, a scholar on Central Asian history, called for quadrification for the state so that Kashmiri Pandits were able to have a separate homeland within the valley.

Others who supported the demand for trifurcation included Mr Tilak Raj Sharma, Convener Jammu Kashmir Nationalist Front, Lt-Gen (retd) K.K. Nanda, Mr Bashir Ahmed Naaz, a former MLA, Mr Yash Bhasin, Mrs Kousar Naseem, president, Dukhtarani Hind.

J&K cultural academy exhibition in Nov
Tribune News Service

SRINAGAR, Sept 1 — The Jammu and Kashmir Academy of Art, Culture and Languages is organising a state-level millenium art, exhibition in collaboration with the All-India Fine Arts and Crafts Society, New Delhi, in November this year.

The entries will be received by the Academy in its offices at Srinagar and Jammu between October 9 and 19, for the exhibition to be held at the Abhinav Art Gallery at Jammu in the last week of November, a statement of the academy stated here yesterday.

Eight cash awards of Rs 6,000 each will be awarded and two awards in each section i.e. painting, drawings, graphics and sculpture. These eight awards winning entries will further be included in the Millenium All India Art Exhibition being held in New Delhi in March next year. In this national exhibition four cash awards of Rs 25,000 each, 12 cash awards of Rs 15,000 each and four cash awards of Rs 7500 each will be awarded by the All India Fine Arts and Crafts Society.

The exhibition will be open to all artists who have completed the age of 21 years as on January 1 this year, the statement said.

Giving details of the project, Mr Balwant Thakur, Secretary of the Academy said a similar kind of exhibition was held at the Abhinav Art Gallery, Jammu, on January 26, 1997 in connection with the 50 years of India’s Independence.