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| Tuesday,
October 3, 2000, Chandigarh, India   
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Fight with ultras in maize
fields Tough terrain, tougher IAF
men Dharna for trifurcation of J &
K CJ releases jail
manual |
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Fight with ultras in maize
fields JAMMU, Oct 2 — “Makki Hamari, Baraf Tumhari” (Maize is ours and snow yours). This is the watchword for militants operating in Jammu and Kashmir. According to Defence Ministry sources, the slogan has a deep meaning. Militants have been taking advantage of tall maize plants while laying ambushes for security forces and for hiding in Poonch and Rajouri belts. The militants and their across the border sponsors have organised infiltration when the maize crop is ready. Once the border routes in Poonch and Rajouri, Kupwara and Uri sectors are buried under snow the rate of infiltration comes down. Hence these days militants are working round the clock to send recruits across the border for arms training so that they are back in the state within next two months. Number of arms training camps have been set up in the Lolab valley, Rajwar belt in Kupwara and Baramula districts and in the upper reaches of Pir Panjal from Doda to Udhampur. Under a new strategy 50 per cent of the fresh recruits are sent across the border for arms training and the remaining are imparted training in the local centres. The chief of Jash-e-Mohammad, Maulana Masood Azhar, has launched a campaign for motivating youths in Pakistan and occupied Kashmir to join his militant outfit for Jehad in the state. The Maulana has visited Muzaffarabad, Kail, Lippa valley, Athmuqam and Nakial across Jammu and Kashmir where he has been making fiery anti-India speeches to secure support of the youth. To counter domination of foreign mercenaries, enrolled in Jash-e-Mohammad, Lashkar-i-Toiba, Hizbul Mujahideen has also launched a recruitment drive within Jammu and Kashmir. Police sources said that at least 500 school and college students have been enrolled in recent weeks. Some of the students were first kidnapped and later forced to join the rebel group. However, others are said to have joined on their own. Meanwhile, a large groups of trained militants have been brought close to the LOC in the recent weeks and attempts were being made to push them into Jammu and Kashmir in small groups. The idea behind this exercise is that a large number of militants should be in the state before the border routes are severed due to heavy snow. It has been seen during the past 10 years that Pakistani agencies have developed the system for pushing into Jammu and Kashmir groups of rebels even during the winter. These agencies have already purchased and procured rubber shoes, woollen jackets and other equipment which could help and protest them against snow barriers while crossing over to Jammu and Kashmir. Pakistani agencies are keen to increase the man power in Jammu and Kashmir as more than 600 rebels have been killed in the Jammu region during the past nine months. The figure in the Kashmir valley is much higher. All these rebel groups have clear cut instruction. They have been directed to attack security forces and government officials, installations and political leaders. They have been advised to make use of IEDs, grenades and rockets. Defence Ministry authorities said as a result of sustained operations launched by security forces in Poonch and Rajouri areas. Security forces launched search operations in maize fields and scores of rebels were tracked down. The authorities claim that the militants have been forced to be on the defensive. |
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Tough terrain, tougher IAF men SIACHEN, Oct 2 (PTI) — Their desire is to ‘touch the sky with glory’ and are guided by the motto ‘we do the difficult as routine; the impossible may take a bit longer’. They are the brave officers and men of the Indian Air Force who have proved by operating in the inhospitable terrains braving the enemy fire that nothing is impossible provided one has the indomitable will and audacity. “What can cause shivers within an ordinary pilot, the pilots of the IAF are performing routinely, for six-eight hours a day, 365 days a year,” says Air Officer Commanding, Leh, Air Commodore F.H. Major, referring to the sorties flown by the Air Force helicopters and planes to the Army posts situated amid mountain peaks in almost inaccessible heights ranging up to 20,500 ft. In fact, the IAF has been performing this routine for the past 16 years since Operation Meghdoot began in the glaciated 76-km stretch of Siachen as part of air maintenance and defence of the mountainous land of Ladakh. “To counter the cartographic aggression by the Pakistanis, the Indian Army launched an expedition to the Siachen glacier under the leadership of Col Narendra Kumar, a mountaineer of repute in 1978. On September 20, 1978, Chetaks flew the first sorties in the glacier in support of the expedition,” said Air Commondor Major. In 1984, a battalion strength force of the Army occupied the glacier and choked off the Pakistani access through Bilafond La and Sia La. “Siachen air operations today are a far cry from the ad hoc procedures of the first sorties of 1978. They are scientifically planned and meticulously executed, for both human lives and supplies are precious,” said Air Commondore Major. Both IAF aircraft and helicopters are engaged in continuous maintenance operations at the posts in the glacier with height in excess of 20,000 ft and situated within the firing range of the enemy. At places, enemy posts are a mere 300 metre away. “Flying a sortie in the Siachen glacier is a different ball game altogether as even a slight miscalculation or mishandling of controls by the pilot can cause force landing in an area where crevasses are so wide and deep as to swallow an entire aircraft without a trace,” said Air Officer Commanding Jammu and Kashmir, Air Vice-Marshal S. K. Jain. The Siachen glacier, where the Actual Ground Position Level (AGPL) is drawn forming the boundary with Pakistan, lies deep in the heart of the Karakoram mountains forming the main axis of the range itself. The ground here is so fragmented and uneven that one would stand a negligible chance of survival. Besides, the pilots have to brave temperatures as low as -60° Celsius, strong winds and flying in poor weather conditions in the close proximity of hills,” Air vice-Marshal Jain said. “There is always the threat of powerful down draughts that pull the helicopter down, if the pilots are not careful. Added to this is that the helicopters are flying at the extremes of their flight envelope where the power margin available is small, if not negligible,” he said, adding that above these there was a threat of enemy fire. |
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Dharna for trifurcation of J &
K JAMMU, Oct 2 — The Jammu and Kashmir Nationalist Front, an amalgam of different organisations of the Jammu region, has launched an agitation for reorganisation of Jammu and Kashmir state here today. The front organised a dharna at City Chowk here this morning in which persons from different communities participated. Addressing a public meeting, co-convener of the Front, Mr Yash Bhasin, demanded the reorganisation of Jammu and Kashmir state with Jammu as a separate state, the Ladakh region as a Union Territory and homeland for Kashmiri Pandits in the valley. He said separate statehood for Jammu would no way be on the communal basis as Muslims of Doda, Rajouri, Poonch were also being discriminated against by Kashmiri rulers. He said today’s dharna would followed by dharnas at all tehsil headquarters from October 31. Meetings in this regard would be held at Delhi and Chandigarh. Advocating trifurcation of the state, the convener of Panun Kashmir, Dr Agnishekhar, said reorganisation of the state was the permanent solution of the Kashmir problem. He alleged that the National Conference government had communal tension in the valley as well as in Jammu and Ladakh regions. He demanded separate homeland and safe and peaceful return and rehabilitation Kashmiri people. Mr Harshdev, MLA, Ramnagar, said “we are becoming a scapegoat of the National Conference government. He said statehood to Jammu would cut extra financial burden incurred on durbar move. Many BJP members were also present at the dharna. The state BJP secretary, Mr Kashmira Singh, said the movement was part of the demand for reorganisation of the state. He said the Centre should start a dialogue with people of three regions to know their aspirations. |
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CJ releases jail manual SRINAGAR, Oct 2 (PTI) — Jail reforms could succeed only if they are implemented in true spirit, Chief Justice of Jammu and Kashmir High Court B.P. Saraf said here today. Releasing the new jail manual, he said those entrusted with the task of jail management should familiarise themselves not only with the law on the subject but also with the changing ethos and new criminal jurisprudence. He said the provisions of the Prisons Act and the rules of the jail manual, circulars and instructions should be read in the light of relevant provisions of the Constitution. Elaborate guidelines had been given by the Supreme Court in various matters relating to prison administration, he said, adding that these guidelines must be strictly followed by prison authorities. He said the apex court had made it clear that violation of Article 21 by the jail authorities could invite serious action on them. Justice Saraf suggested that jail administration officials should keep the jail manual with them as a Bible and also keep it within ready reach of prisoners. Principal Secretary, Home, C. Phunsog, who is the chairman of the drafting committee of the new manual, told reporters that district jails were being set up in Kupwara, Anantnag, Pulwama, Kargil and Badgam to avoid transporting prisoners from far off places for court hearings. He said there were 1600 prisoners in different jails in the state of which half were militants, adding that there were about 115 foreign militants undergoing imprisonment in various jails of the state. |
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