J A M M U   &   K A S H M I R

Kashmiri groups’ differences grow
NEW DELHI, Sept 15 — With resentment against gun culture and yearning for the return of peace growing among the people of Jammu and Kashmir on both sides of the Line of Control, the differences among the expatriate Kashmiri groups are also coming out into the open.

Minister invites investment
SRINAGAR, Sept 15 — The Industries and Commerce Minister, Dr Mustafa Kamal said that the private sector will be encouraged to invest to give a fillip to the economy.

3 militants killed in Kashmir
SRINAGAR, Sept 15 — Three militants were killed in a night long encounter with security forces at Vilgam in the frontier district of Kupwara while four civilians were injured in a grenade blast at Magam in North Kashmir today.

5 killed in road mishaps
JAMMU, Sept 15 — Two women from Yamunanagar were killed and 35 others injured when a truck from Haryana collided with another truck belonging to Jammu and Kashmir at Bari Brahman near here yesterday.

Militants mine hideouts
JAMMU, Sept 15 — Militants have adopted a new strategy of fortifying hideouts and ambushing security forces. This was indicated in the way three Army Jawans and a member of a village defence committee were killed when the rebels triggered IEDs planted around their hideout in Shikar forests, near Budhal, in Rajouri district late last evening.

Workshop for BSF officers concludes
SRINAGAR, Sept 15 — A four-day workshop on various subjects related to humanitarian law, organised by the Border Security Force (BSF) concluded here today. Sixty six officers participated in the workshop.

Use of recycled bags prohibited
SRINAGAR, Sept 15 — The Jammu and Kashmir Pollution Control Board had prohibited the use of carry bags or containers made of recycled plastics for storing, carrying, dispensing or packing of food stuffs.

Hizb condition for talks with Centre
NEW DELHI, sept 15 — The Hizbul Mujahideen today said it might consider a dialogue with the Centre on the Kashmir issue without immediate participation of Islamabad if New Delhi accepted it as a tripartite issue.

Kashmiri groups’ differences grow
From Satish Misra
Tribune News Service

NEW DELHI, Sept 15 — With resentment against gun culture and yearning for the return of peace growing among the people of Jammu and Kashmir on both sides of the Line of Control, the differences among the expatriate Kashmiri groups are also coming out into the open.

Two expatriate Kashmiri organisations, the London-based World Kashmiri Freedom Movement (WKFM) and the Kashmiri American Council (KAC), have crossed swords publicly with the former opposing the latter’s seven point peace proposal.

The KAC chairman, Dr Ghulam Nabi Fai, had come out with a seven point peace plan for jump starting the peace negotiations particularly after the suspension of ceasefire by the Hizbul Mujahideen. The WKFM president, Dr Ayyub Thukar, had opposed it and described it as an “ill advised instance”.

The two organisations, which have been broadly acting as advocates of expatriate Kashmiri interests in the UK and the USA, have been trying to strengthen fragile unity among various Kashmiri groups both in India and Pakistan.

The reports about Islamabad’s move to sideline the Hizbul Mujahideen and the other Kashmir-based organisations, including the All Party Hurriyat Conference (APHC) from the decision making process on the Kashmir policy has also unnerved Dr Fai and Dr Thukar as both of them had told their interlocutors in the European capitals and in Washington that they had excellent rapport with the organisations back home.

In the changed international circumstances, it is becoming increasingly difficult for leaders like Dr Fai and Dr Thukar to make tall claims to their host governments.

The recent Pak move to restructure the Jehad-e-Kashmir and to pass on the control of the organisation to the Amir-e-Jammat of the Jammat-e-Islami, Qazi Hussain Ahmed has not only depressed the Jammu and Kashmir-based organisations but has also led to lot a of rethinking among the leaders as well as followers, well-informed sources said.

Qazi Hussain Ahmed is a fundamentalist as well as a hardliner and has a reputation for taking hard decisions. He recently visited the USA to convince Washington that Pakistan was not fundamentalist and conservative as was being perceived by many think tanks there. He enjoys a close rapport with the military rulers in Pakistan.

While earlier the United Jehad Council, consisting of many outfits, used to be an organisation which was the main decision making body for deciding the Kashmir policy, the move to make Qazi Hussain Ahmed the sole arbiter of the fate of Kashmir has obviously not gone well with many Hurriyat and Hizbul Mujahideen leaders.

The move has cut the Hizbul and other organisations to size, sources said adding that there used to be considerable debate in the United Jehad Council but in Jehad-e-Kashmir it would not be possible.

Observers on Kashmir said Islamabad had moved quickly to wrest control after its experience of the last ceasefire offer by the Hizbul Mujahideen commanders in Srinagar in July last.

When Pakistan had allowed the Hizbul commander, Mr Abdul Majid Dar and his other colleagues to come to Jammu and Kashmir, the ruling elite in Islamabad had not realised that the people in the state longed for peace. Organisations like the Hizbul, which are heavily dependent on the people particularly the youth of Kashmir, have begun to realise that the people at large want return of peace.

Islamabad feared that outfits like Hizbul were increasingly becoming independent and a time might come when they may not listen to Pakistan’s dictates and suggestions.

With Kashmiri youth becoming disillusioned with the futility of gun culture, the ruling military establishment in Islamabad has already been sending lot of non-Kashmiri militants in the valley and the state for maintaining the level of violence.

Even the Hizbul’s supreme commander, Syed Salahuddin, has not particularly been happy over the development, sources said.

As the western world particularly Washington has started to distance from Pakistan’s approach on Kashmir which describes acts of terrorism and militancy as “jehad”, Islamabad has thought it more appropriate to control the flow of events.

Islamabad has been watching helplessly as even expatriate Kashmiri organisations are becoming more independent and have begun to follow the western line on Kashmir.

Sources said Qazi Hussain Ahmed would not only control flow of funds to Kashmiri organisations but also their pronouncements and movements.

Being at the mercy of one individual is obviously not being accepted by many leaders, sources said. But they can do very little to change the situation, sources said.

Minister invites investment
Tribune News Service

SRINAGAR, Sept 15 — The Industries and Commerce Minister, Dr Mustafa Kamal said that the private sector will be encouraged to invest to give a fillip to the economy.

Speaking at a gathering after laying the foundation stone of a Rs 4.35 cr milk processing plant of 30,000 litres capacity per day in the private sector at Puchel, Pulwama, the minister said that politics should not be brought into the trade and business spheres as it hampered economic activities.

The minister said that the government will make every effort to set up a milk chilling plant at Pulwama, which tops in milk production in the valley, so that scientific chilling facilities are provided to milk producers. He said such dairy units will help cope with the pressing demand for milk which, according to a conservative estimate, is about two lakh litres of liquid milk per day, in addition to other dairy products like curd, paneer, butter and ghee.

He said milk producers can also be provided facilities at the new Food Park at Khonmoh.

Appreciating the efforts of the Animal Husbandry Department in introducing cross-bred varieties of cows, the minister said that the production of high yielding cross-bred progeny has reached 44.32 per cent of the total cattle population of 31.062 lakh. Cross-bred progeny was just 15,000 in 1976-77. He said milk production, which was 81,000 tonnes in 1951 has now increased to 4.52 lakh tonnes, 80 per cent of it from cross-bred cattle. The per capita availability of milk has increased from 56 ml in 1951 to 268 ml in 1999-2000.

3 militants killed in Kashmir

SRINAGAR, Sept 15 (UNI) - Three militants were killed in a night long encounter with security forces at Vilgam in the frontier district of Kupwara while four civilians were injured in a grenade blast at Magam in North Kashmir today.

A report from Baramula said troops, on receiving a specific information that militants were hiding in the woods of Vilgam, cordoned off the entire area yesterday.

It said advancing troops were heavily fired upon by militants wielding automatic weapons. The troops retaliated, and in the night-long shootout, three militants were killed.

Official sources said militants hurled a hand grenade towards a security force convoy at Magam on the Srinagar-Gulmarg road this morning.

However, the grenade missed the intended target and exploded on the roadside, causing injuries to four civilians. The injured were hospitalised.

Meanwhile, an official spokesman said of Rs 11.43 crore had been distributed to 1635 militancy-affected families as ex-gratia relief in Anantnag district during the past four years.

JAMMU: Seven militants, including foreign mercenaries, and two army personnel were killed in three separate encounters in the Jammu region yesterday.

Official sources said the troops of Delta Force killed two terrorists, including a foreigner, in the Jang Tarang area, 4 km south west of Banihal in Doda district in an encounter last afternoon. There was no loss of life on the security forces’ side. The slained ultras have been identified as Sardar Nehman Afghani, from Kahuta (Pakistan) and Raja Maulvi. They reportedly belonged to the Hizbul Mujahideen’s Pir Panjal Regiment. Two AK rifles with six magazines and 150 rounds, one pistol with two magazines and 22 rounds, six hand/rifle grenades and one diary were recovered from the spot.

In another incident, the troops of a Sikh Li Battalion, acting on a tip-off, launched a search operation to flush out terrorists hiding in Shikari forests, 13 km south east of Budhal. They were counter attacked and a fierce firefight ensued. Three Army personnel and a village development committee member (who was accompanying the forces), were seriously injured, when the militants triggered a series of IED explosions. Two Army men later succumbed to injuries.

The forces managed to eliminate four terrorists in the hideout.

At Kaliar, near Barmoregla, a BSF team killed a foreign terrorist Abushah wagen from Pakistan.

5 killed in road mishaps
From Our Correspondent

JAMMU, Sept 15 — Two women from Yamunanagar were killed and 35 others injured when a truck from Haryana collided with another truck belonging to Jammu and Kashmir at Bari Brahman near here yesterday.

Those killed were identified as Kamla Devi and Kanta.

Doctors said the condition of five wounded persons, stated to be serious.

The police said the truck was carrying more than 40 pilgrims. The truck was on its way to Yamunanagar. The driver of the truck tried to change the lane and collided with another truck.

In another mishap, two jawans were killed and three others injured, one of them seriously, when a Gypsy van of the Central Industrial Security Force skidded off the road and fell into a deep gorge at Thatri in Doda district early today.

The injured jawans were later airlifted for treatment at the medical college here.

In yet another accident, a woman died on the spot and five others were injured, when an ambulance skidded off the road and turned turtle at Nagrota, 11 km from here last evening, the reports said.

Six others were injured in a separate mishap in the city.

Militants mine hideouts
From M.L.Kak
Tribune News Service

JAMMU, Sept 15 — Militants have adopted a new strategy of fortifying hideouts and ambushing security forces. This was indicated in the way three Army Jawans and a member of a village defence committee were killed when the rebels triggered IEDs planted around their hideout in Shikar forests, near Budhal, in Rajouri district late last evening.

Official reports said that militants have been changing strategies to restrict security operations.

In the recent case the Army swung into action following a tip off. When the soldiers neared the militant hideout the militants held their fire. Instead a number of IEDs were triggered off in which three Jawans were killed and four others wounded. The informant, a VDC member, was also killed. Later troops opened fire on the hideout and killed four rebels. Eyewitnesses said that at least six rebels managed to escape.

According to official reports, militants belonging to Laskhar-i-Toiba, Jamaitul Mujahideen, Jash-e-Mohammad and Hizbul Mujahideen have been directed to adopt hit and run strategies against security forces.

They have also been asked to take defensive measures around their hideouts, including planting landmines and IEDs.

Pakistani troops in turn have been instructed to carve out infiltration routes for several thousand militants, a majority of them foreign mercenaries, waiting to sneak into Jammu and Kashmir. They have concentrated their efforts on the 187 km long International Border from Akhnoor to Kathua, which has witnessed several incidents of border firing.

The Pak agencies are trying to push in some 3,000 militants before the border routes between Poonch and Uri are buried under heavy snow in November. 

 Workshop for BSF officers concludes
Tribune News Service

SRINAGAR, Sept 15 — A four-day workshop on various subjects related to humanitarian law, organised by the Border Security Force (BSF) concluded here today. Sixty six officers participated in the workshop.

The workshop, held at the Subsidiary Training Centre at Humahama, covered subjects like law of armed conflict, principles of LAOC, behaviour in action, conduct of operations, low intensity operations, command responsibility, lecture techniques, legal issues, human rights and international humanitarian law in internal conflicts.

An ICRC (International Committee of Red Cross) team gave the lectures. 

 Use of recycled bags prohibited
Tribune News Service

SRINAGAR, Sept 15 — The Jammu and Kashmir Pollution Control Board had prohibited the use of carry bags or containers made of recycled plastics for storing, carrying, dispensing or packing of food stuffs.

According to an official spokesman, the board in pursuance of the notification by the Centre has restricted the use of recycled polythene/plastic bags and containers in view of its harmful effects.

The notification makes manufacturers duty-bound to code mark the carry bags and containers as per the Bureau of Indian Standards Specification. The notification says that products out of recycled plastic shall be marked “recycled” along with the indication of percentage of the recycled material.

The board has advised the public not to accept food stuffs in recycled polythene bags.

Hizb condition for talks with Centre

NEW DELHI, sept 15 (PTI) — The Hizbul Mujahideen today said it might consider a dialogue with the Centre on the Kashmir issue without immediate participation of Islamabad if New Delhi accepted it as a tripartite issue.

Hizbul Mujahideen also said all differences with Hurriyat Conference after intense talks had been resolved and it held the amalgam in an esteemed position.

“There were differences of opinion with the Hurriyat Conference which have since then been resolved,” Hizbul spokesman Saleem Hashim told pti over phone from Islamabad.