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| Saturday,
September 9, 2000, Chandigarh, India   
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12 Pak soldiers die in
shelling Hizb threat to
eliminate census
officials |
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| Soz may form political outfit Ultras injure two at beauty parlour Pak constitutes
‘action teams’ Tributes paid to
Sheikh Abdullah Hindus on Amarnath
Board sought
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12 Pak soldiers die in
shelling JAMMU, Sept 8 (PTI) — In escalated shelling along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir, 12 Pakistani soldiers and three Indians, including an Army man, were killed and five injured in Kupwara and Poonch sectors since yesterday, defence sources said here today. Pakistani troops resorted to heavy shelling and small arms firing along LoC in Uri, Tangdhar, Teetwal, Keran, Karnah, Balakote, Krishna Gati, Kerni, Mendhar, Laam, Noushera and Pallanwala sub-sectors since Tuesday night, the sources said. Three persons, including two porters, were killed in Pakistani shelling across the border in Uri sub-sector yesterday and three were injured in Kupwara sector, the sources said. In retaliatory shelling by Indian troops on Pakistani positions at Kunda and Juda sub-sectors, 12 Pakistani soldiers were killed and several injured, the sources added. The shelling continued throughout the night in Tangdhar, Teetwal, Keran and Karnah sub-sectors and the exchanges were continuing. Two Gujjars were injured in the shelling in Kerni area. Tangdhar and Kringla village of Teetwal were the worst affected by the shelling where 24 houses, six shops and a mosque were damaged. A tragedy was averted with the timely detection of an improvised explosive device (IED) containing 10 kg of RDX under a bridge in Rajouri district, an official spokesman said today. The explosive kept in a pressure cooker was found by a road opening party yesterday. The area was immediately cordoned off and the IED defused. A three-year-old boy was gunned down by militants while two surrendered ultras were shot at in the Kashmir valley today. One person along with his three-year-old grandson were shot dead by militants in Handwara area of Kupwara district, while another person was killed at Hamidpora-Dubtal in Srinagar. Militants also shot at and critically injured two surrendered militants at Kulgam in Anantnag district today. The condition of one of the injured was stated to be critical. |
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Hizb threat to eliminate census officials SRINAGAR, Sept 8 (PTI) — The Hizbul Mujahideen has issued a fresh warning against conducting census operations in Jammu and Kashmir and threatened to eliminate all involved in the exercise while accusing India of following an Israeli gameplan in this regard. “If the government does not adhere to the warning we will not desist from opening our guns at them”, local newspapers quoted “commander” Masood, spokesman of the outfit, as having said in a statement. He said the Hizb was willing to give one concession to the government that is till all the doubts were removed the census should be suspended. Warning the state government not to endanger lives by resorting to ‘adventurism’, he asked how in the prevailing situation, when so many had migrated and thousands of youth had either gone underground or were reported missing, a valid census could be taken. Alleging that the government’s plans were to change the demographic pattern of the state so that avenues of development for Muslims were restricted, Masood said “we know the intentions of the government behind this adventurism and we will never allow its nefarious designs to succeed”. The spokesman said the demographic changes in the state were being brought about on the advice of the Israelis who did the same in the occupied areas in Palestine. Terming it as a conspiracy against the Muslims, Masood castigated the Hurriyat conference for its silence on the issue. “The leaders claiming to be the representatives of the people should instead of exploiting the public sentiments rise to the occasion and raise their voice against the conspiracies being hatched against the Muslims’’, he said. The outfit also asked the leadership either to support the Hizb programme on the issue or come out with their argument against it. Another Pak-backed militant outfit Lashker-e-Toiba (LeT) had also handed out death threats to 22,000 government employees to be involved in the exercise. “If any one of the 22,000 government employees is seen participating in the census operation he or she will be killed without warning”, LeT spokesman Abu Ubaid told a local daily yesterday. Official sources said provisions had been made in the census with specific columns in the enumeration sheets to identify migrants from other areas and members of the armed forces. Therefore there is no question of the armed forces or migrants changing the demographic data of the state, they added. A representative body of Jammu and Kashmir government employees has directed workers detailed for census operation “not to endanger their lives” by taking part in the exercise slated to begin from September 11. “In view of open threats held out for the first time by the Hizbul Mujahideen and the Lashker-e-Toiba, we will not allow government employees to become “qurbani ka bakra” (sacrificial lamb)”, president of State Employees Conference (sec) Ashraf Qadiri told pti. “I have directed the government employees not to take part in the census operation pending an executive meeting of the conference which will be convened within a day or two,” he said. |
| Soz may form political outfit JAMMU, Sept 8 — Several political leaders, who have been adopting anti-BJP and anti-National Conference stance, plan to float a new political organisation in the Kashmir valley for highlighting the problems of the people. Informed sources said Prof. Saifuddin Soz, a former Union Minister who had been expelled from the National Conference for six years on the charge of defying the party whip in the Lok Sabha about one and a half years ago, has taken the initiative of forming a new political organisation. Professor Soz had recently hinted he was in touch with certain leaders belonging to the Hurriyat Conference. His intention was not to break the Hurriyat Conference but involve some of its leaders in his proposed political party which could negotiate without any inhibitions with non-BJP parties at the national level to resolve the Kashmir turmoil. Professor Soz hit the headlines when he supported the Hizbul Mujahideen outfit’s call to the people to boycott the census operation which was scheduled to start from September 11. He has said the census operation was to be carried in a way as could alter the population ratio in the state. Having realised that with his anti-BJP and anti-National Conference label he could be more acceptable to the people in the valley. Professor Soz was said to be exploring the possibility of forming a political organisation which would leave its doors open to dissidents belonging to the National Conference, the Congress and those who have felt disillusioned with the Hurriyat Conference. Professor Soz still had some friends in the ruling National Conference but they failed to persuade the party leadership to allow him to rejoin the party. As such , he had been trying to have a political footing which he could have only if he floated a new organisation or joined those already in existence in Kashmir. For the time being he has no plan to join the Hurriyat Conference. He is equally annoyed with Mufti Mohd. Sayeed who had fielded Peoples’ Democratic Party candidate against him in the Baramulla constituency in 1999 Lok Sabha poll which he lost. Sources close to Professor Soz said the former Union Minister was a shrewd politician and so long he was not assured of full backing by several senior political leaders he may not float a new organisation. Reports said he had been trying to establish links with some militant groups so that once he established a political party he received support from those groups. Another development that seemed to have prompted Professor Soz to float a new organisation was the failure of Mufti Mohd Sayeed in making his PDP emerge as a force to reckon with. The PDP leaders had expected that large groups of political leaders and workers, disgruntled with the National Conference and the Congress, would join the Mufti’s party but it did not materialise. Hence Professor Soz was planning to fill this gap. Political
observers were of the view that if ultimately Professor Soz decided in favour of forming a new political party it would weaken the anti-National Conference front in the sense that during any Assembly poll the anti-NC voters may get divided among several political parties. He may pose a challenge to the National Conference if he draws most of the NC workers at the grassroots level to his side. |
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Ultras injure two at beauty parlour srinagar, Sept 8 (PTI) — A day after Pakistan-backed Lashkar-e-Toiba issued a threat to Muslim women in the valley to use purdah (veil) or get ready to be shot in their legs, militants today fired at and injured three persons, including two women, at a beauty parlour here, an official spokesman said. The militants stormed the parlour at Gonikhan and shot at and injured the owner and his two women employees, the spokesman said. Lashker-e-Toiba last evening warned women in Kashmir that if they do not use purdah while outside their home, they would be shot in their legs. It also warned cable operators in the valley to stop relaying with immediate effect all channels except the BBC, PTV and the National Geographic. |
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Pak constitutes
‘action teams’ JAMMU, Sept 8 — Pakistani Army personnel and top Pakistani and Afghan guerrillas are said to have been enrolled in “border action teams” by Pakistani agencies. These teams have been deployed in various sectors across the Line of Control and have been assigned the specific tasks of attacking the Indian Army patrol parties at the border and carrying out surprise raids on Indian Army posts with a view to capturing some. The BAT members are said to have been directed to carry out heavy shelling and firing on Indian border villages and posts so that infiltration routes were carved out for militants. The Pakistani agencies find it no longer easy to push into Jammu and Kashmir large groups of militants because of tight security. It has been possible for the Pakistani agencies to push into this state militants in twos and threes. This exercise is cumbersome and affects the morale of rebels operating in Jammu and Kashmir who have started feeling the pinch of the shortage of man and machine power. Another strategy being formulated by agencies across the LoC is to recruit more youths for carrying out suicide bomb attacks on Indian security posts, pickets, camps and on VIPs. The dreaded Lashkar-i-Toiba is said to have trained 150 youths as “Fidayeens”. Since the Hizbul Mujahideen leadership has started wavering on initiating talks with the Government of India, Pakistani agencies have started banking on three rebel outfits for keeping the anti-India armed campaign alive. These outfits are Lashkar-i-Toiba, Jash-e-Mohammad and Al-Badr. These outfits, besides other small rebel groups, have been directed to carry out joint operations against the security forces and lay emphasis on targeting VIPs, including mainstream political leaders and senior functionaries of the state and Central Governments. Under the two-pronged strategy, the Pakistani agencies have asked the militants to step up subversion and sabotage within the state and directed the Pakistani troops to intensify shelling and firing on Indian border villages and posts so that a scare among the people was created which was necessary for sustaining the anti-India “Jehad”. |
Tributes paid to
Sheikh Abdullah SRINAGAR, Sept 8 (PTI) — Jammu and Kashmir Governor G.C Saxena today paid rich tributes to former state Chief Minister Sheikh Abdullah on his 18th death anniversary describing him as a great visionary who relentlessly led the people of the state from an era of autocracy and feudalism to one of democracy and socialism. “Sheikh Abdullah’s commitment to secularism, amity and Kashmiriyat made him reject the two-nation theory and tie the destiny of the people of the state with secular India,” the Governor said. He had dream of taking the state to glory and prosperity while upholding the honour and dignity of the people whom he loved from core of his heart, Mr Saxena said. Sheikh played an important role in ensuring the protection of minorities in the state at the time of partition when the sub-continent was engulfed in flames of communal frenzy, Mr Saxena said. The Governor said Sheikh’s message is all the more relevant today as it provides guidance and encouragement to the people of the state to stand up against the conspiracy that is being hatched from across the border and to work unitedly to take the state towards peace and prosperity. |
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Hindus on Amarnath
Board sought JAMMU, Sept 8 —Baba Amarnath Yatra Nayas has demanded that the proposed Amar Nath Yatra Board promised by the state government to be set up soon should have maximum number of Sanatan Hindu religious leaders. Particularly leaders of Hindu religious organisation in the state should be inducted in it. The proposed board should not to be a government or semi-government body but should have Sanatam Hindu religious leaders and prominent authorities on Shaivism. The demand was made by the Nayas and Vishwa Hindu Parishad representatives at a meeting convened by the state Tourism Ministry yesterday. The Baba Amar Nath Yatra Nayas was represented at the meeting by Mr Tilak Raj Sharma, founder trustee of the nayas, Dr Rama Kant Dubey president of the nayas and Mr Inderjit Khajups, executive member, Mr Surinder Sharma, secretary Jammu unit of the VHP and Mr Surinder Aggarwal president city unit of the VHP. The VHP and Amar Nath Yatra Nayas representatives also stressed upon the minister to arrange the things for next year’s Amar Nath yatra in advance so that the drawbacks of this year were not repeated. The arrangement should be made taking into account that yatra will attract 2.5 lakh yatris in 2001. Instead of curtailing the number of pilgrims, placing restrictions in keeping with the available infrastructure, the government should improve infrastructure taking into consideration the number of yatris visiting the holy place in coming years. Devotees willing to visit the holy cave of the Lord Shiva should not be refused permission on the ground of inadequate infrastructure, the representatives stressed. |
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