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October 9, 2000, Chandigarh, India   
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2 militants killed, 6 suspects
held Samiti to fight for women’s right Charas worth
35 lakh seized BJP reiterates call for
trifurcation Theatre festival
from today |
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People’s Conference for tripartite talks Generals’ statements surprise state officials Three lakh visit
Vaishno Devi
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2 militants killed, 6 suspects
held SRINAGAR, Oct 8 — At least three persons, including two militants, were killed and three others injured in separate incidents in Jammu and Kashmir since yesterday. The security forces have apprehended six suspects. Aijaz Ahmad Najar was killed and Maimoona was injured when militants entered their house at Churumujroo in Beerwah area of the central Kashmir district of Budgam last evening. The police said the militants entered the house of Parvez Ahmad Najar and resorted to indiscriminate firing. In the shootout, Aijaz Ahmad Najar, brother of the houseowner, and Maimoona, wife of Parvez Ahmad were injured. Later Aijaz Ahmad succumbed to his injuries in a hospital, the police said. A foreign militant, Abu Massani of Bahawalpore, Pakistan, was killed in an encounter with the security forces at Gundi Budhal in Rajouri district of Jammu region yesterday. One AK rifle, five magazines, two hand grenades, a wireless set, 40 AK rounds, Indian currency worth Rs 320 were recovered from the site of the encounter. Another foreign militant, Abu Talha of Narwal, Pakistan was killed in an encounter with the security forces at Tangagali in the Chasana sector of Udhampur district on Friday, according to a delayed report, the police said. One AK rifle, three magazines with 100 rounds and a currency worth Rs 1011 was recovered from the site of the encounter. Three suspects were apprehended by the security forces at Hadipora in Baramula district yesterday. The police said the militants fired upon the security forces camp at Hadipora, Pattan, without causing any damage. The security forces cordoned off the area and launched a search operation during which three suspects were held. Their identities were not disclosed. In another incident, the militants hurled a grenade towards a security picket at Arampora, Sopore in Baramula district. No harm was caused as it exploded on the road. A security force jawan was injured when an explosive planted by the militants went off at Lam Naushehra in Rajouri district. Two suspects were held from Doda district while another suspect was held from Budgam district, the police said. JAMMU: Pakistani troops continued to resort to unprovoked firing and shelling in the Jhallas border belt of Poonch district and a few segments in Ahknoor sector on Sunday. Reports from various border belts said Pakistani troops resorted to heavy shelling in Poonch, including Laam sector. In Jhallas border belt, a school building was damaged and several structures suffered partial damage. Three civilians were said to have been wounded. |
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Samiti to fight for women’s right JAMMU, Oct 8 — The Rashtriya Sevika Samiti, the women wing of the RSS, today pledged to fight for the women who were being deprived of being a permanent state subjects if they married outside the state. While addressing a press conference here today, Pracharika of the samiti Santosh Kumari strongly opposed the discriminatory attitude towards women. She said they had held meetings with several women and got their signatures against this law. She said if they failed to get justice in a peaceful way, then they would adopt the agitational path. She said it is their fundamental right under Article 14 and 19 of the Constitution. While replying to a question, Mrs Rama Shastri, a prominent activist, vehmentally opposed the demand of 33 per cent reservation for women in Parliament. Samiti supported the demand for the reorganisation of Jammu and Kashmir. Samiti leaders said militancy-related activities had increased in Jammu and Kashmir. They said the samiti was helping the girls who had been victimised by militants. Earlier, samiti leaders informed that they had set up samiti’s office in Jammu where women would be imparted arms training.
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Charas worth
35 lakh seized SRINAGAR, Oct 8 — The police arrested one person and seized 20 kg of charas worth Rs 35 lakh from his possession in the Beijbehara area of Anantnag district yesterday. This follows the arrest of the members of an inter-state charas smugglers’ gang in Khannabal five days ago. The police said the seizure was made in a raid at the residence of Abdul Rehman at Pamposh Colony, Beijbehara, early on Sunday. During the search of the house and the arrest of the person 20 kg of charas was seized. The cost of the seizure in the international market is said to be Rs 35 lakh. The accused has admitted to being a member of the Mumbai-based gang of Kareem Lala. Kareem Lala, stated to be a resident of Beijbehara, is wanted in charas smuggling cases by the police in all four metropolitan cities of the country. The gang has been active in and outside the state, the accused Abdul Rahman has admitted. The accused had been arrested with 10 kg of charas in Khannabal three years back and was later released on bail. The district administration, it may be pointed out here, has launched a drive against the bhang crop in the district on a large scale. Crop over 400 kanals of land has already been destroyed by the district administration, the Deputy Commissioner of Anantnag, Mr C.A. Peer, has stated. The district, according to the Deputy Commissioner, has got poppy spread over 2500 kanals of land and efforts are on to stop the cultivation. Poppy cultivation had gained momentum over the past five years while it had been stopped during the early days of militancy. Since it brought heavy profits to the growers, the farmers in the area had been attracted to its cultivation over the years. The police had arrested more than 12 persons last year in connection with the smuggling of poppy. However, there has been no action against the cultivators and those involved in the smuggling of poppy in the district. While the district administration has been engaged in stopping the cultivation effective action against the culprits is needed.
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BJP reiterates call for
trifurcation UDHAMPUR, Oct. 8 — A week- long campaign against the autonomy demand of the National Conference concluded with the inauguration of the Vidya Mandir School building at Thati by Mr Shiv Charan Gupta, leader of the BJP Legislature Party. Condemning discrimination against Hindus in general and Jammuites in particular by the ruling National Conference government and efforts to change the demographic character of Jammu, Mr Gupta called for the trifurcation of J&K into Jammu , Kashmir and union territory status for Ladakh. Mr M. L. Gupta, in charge of publicity called for the dismissal of the Farooq government to save Jammu from a demographic invasion. His disclosures about militant formations in Khari ( Banihal) and Lapri (Gool) and formation of parallel governments in the Gool Gulabgarh area had led to Army operation and transfer of police personnel from Gool. He said last year’s conversions in Latti and the abortive plans for conversion in Dhula reveal the designs the National Conference supported ISI elements. |
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Theatre festival
from today SRINAGAR, Oct 8 — The much-awaited Kashmir theatre festival will begin under the aegis of the Jammu and Kashmir Academy of Art, Culture and Languages at Tagore Hall here tomorrow. Hari Krishan Koul’s play, “Natuk Kariv Sand” will be staged at the inaugural function which will be attended by renowned Kashmiri writers and scholars. Giving details about the event, which is being organised after a gap of 12 years, the Secretary of the Academy, Mr Balwant Thakur, said renowned theatre and television personality, Mr Pran Kishore, would inaugurate the festival with the lighting of the traditional lamp at Tagore Hall. The inaugural play written by Hari Krishan Koul and directed by Dr Ali Mohammad Nishtar would be presented by the Wehab Dramatic Club, Hajin. Five contemporary Kashmiri plays would be featured in the festival, including “Insaaf”’, written by Fayaz Tilgami and directed by Ghulam Hassan Darvesh presented by (Young Welfare and Cultural Forum, Khahipora, Baramula), “Kandam Maal’’ by Mohammad Yousuf Shaheen and directed by Abdul Majid Wani (Kashmir Kalla Manch, Srinagar), “Adir Zeat’’ by Ashok Kak and directed by Gulshan Badrani (Gulshan Cultural Forum Badran, Budgam) and “Nagare Roze Wazaan” written and directed by Shafiq Qureshi (Dayari Fun, Srinagar). Mr Thakur said a project had been initiated to revive the contemporary theatre movement of Jammu and Kashmir. After the festival, a directors’ workshop would be held. Later, a month-long residential theatre training programme would be organised at Jammu in December. |
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People’s Conference for tripartite talks SRINAGAR, Oct 8 — The People’s Conference, a constituent of the separatist All-Party Hurriyat Conference (APHC), has reiterated its demand for tripartite talks “for an amicable and everlasting solution” to the vexed Kashmir problem. The demand was raised at the party’s day-long convention, the first of its kind over the past decade of militancy, at Sher-e-Kashmir Park in the Civil Lines area today. More than 10,000 delegates, many of them from Jammu province, took part in the convention of the delegates held for the first time here. In his address, Mr Abdul Ghani Lone, chairman of the Peoples Conference and a senior executive member of the APHC, dwelt on various issues related to the Kashmir problem. He said the issue came in the way of peace in the subcontinent. He expressed concern over the killings in Kashmir at the hands of the security forces and sought the intervention of the world fora to play their role in bringing about a “solution to the Kashmir problem”. This is for the first time that the administration has allowed the party to hold a convention at Sher-e-Kashmir Park in the Civil Lines area. Earlier also, the APHC was not allowed to hold a public meeting at the park, which has been the venue of public meetings of the mainstream political parties like the ruling National Conference and the Congress. Some other unions of employees have also been holding public meetings in the park. Six resolutions were passed at the Peoples Conference convention today which included the party’s resolve to continue its struggle “till the restoration of the unity of the entire state of Jammu and Kashmir”. The party leaders said tripartite talks to resolve the issue were necessary as the Kashmiris were a basic party to the dispute. Since a part of the state was under the occupation of India and a part under that of Pakistan there was a “need to hold tripartite talks”. The resolutions further said the Kashmir issue was not a territorial dispute nor a border dispute but an issue related to the independence of the people of the entire state of Jammu and Kashmir as it existed in 1947. The resolution held that the matter was presented in the world fora in a different situation to present it as a territorial dispute. It added that an amicable end to the dispute would lead to an end to the turbulence and pave the way for economic stability of all parties in the subcontinent. The resolutions also expressed concern over the alleged custodial killings and continued detention of many people without trial. It also urged the UN Secretary-General, Mr Kofi Annan, to take steps for the welfare and rehabilitation of those made orphans and widows in the Kashmir violence.  |
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Generals’ statements surprise state officials JAMMU, Oct 8 — The state authorities engaged in anti-insurgency operations have been surprised by repeated statements of the army top brass about turmoil in Kashmir. Several state officials have pointed out statements of senior Army officials in which they had stated that the Kashmir issue needed to be resolved politically as it was not a military problem. They said Gen V.P. Malik, weeks before his retirement as the Army Chief, had favoured a political solution. The corps commander, Lieut-Gen A.S. Khanna, almost echoed Gen Malik’s statement while taking to newsmen at Nagrota last month. Gen S. Padmanabhan, the Army Chief, told newsmen in Srinagar that Kashmir was a political problem and not a military problem. The All Party Hurriyat Conference had endorsed Gen Padmanabhan’s stand. A senior Hurriyat Conference leader, Maulvi Abbas Ansari, even went to the extent of saying that the Army Chief had “endorsed our stand” on two issue. The state officials said the separatists have given a twist to the Army Chief’s observation who waned that politicians should find a solution to the vexed issue. Senior police officers said that Gen Padmanabhan or his predecessor should have realised that the turmoil was the result of a proxy war launched by Pakistan. They said even if the Kashmir issue had remained alive for the past 53 years it was the result of sustained campaign launched by Pakistan. Within the valley people had not so far taken to the gun to force a settlement of the Kashmir problem. The Army Chief’s observation had political overtones. They said the problem of militancy or subversion was the result of infiltration from across the Line of Control. During the past 11 years the troops guarding the border have been able to reduce the level of infiltration. So long the infiltration routes were not totally plugged the problem of militancy may not be resolved in the near future. The state authorities said that they agreed with the Army authorities that the border routes being tough owing to lofty mountains, dense forests and deep ravines and rivers could not be sealed. But, at the same time, a mechanism should have been evolved during the past 11 years for ending infiltration. |
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Three lakh visit
Vaishno Devi KATRA, Oct 8 (PTI) — The Vaishno Devi shrine is witnessing a heavy rush of pilgrims, with nearly 3 lakh persons having visited it during the Navratras, a senior police official said. “During the Navratras from September 28 to October 6, as many as 2,96,476 persons came for the darshan,” the SSP, Udhampur, Mr Satvir Gupta, said. Every day, 35,000 to 40,000 devotees were arriving here at the base camp on their way to the cave shrine, he said. |
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