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November 10, 2000, Chandigarh, India   
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9 shot; NC leader’s house attacked ANC meeting: Hurriyat yet to
confirm Groundwater resources depleting:
Sethi I know Mehdi’s
killers: Ansari Programme on Shina
applauded |
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9 shot; NC leader’s house attacked SRINAGAR, Nov 9 (UNI) — eight militants and a civilian were killed in separate incidents, while militants blasted the residence of a National Conference
(NC) leader in the Kashmir valley since last evening. Four militants were killed in a fierce encounter which broke out following a specific operation launched by security forces at Khandaypora in the Kulgam area of Anantnag district in south Kashmir last night, an official spokesman said here today. Two houses were also damaged in the encounter which yielded arms and ammunition to the search parties. Militants also triggered an explosion inside the house of nc block president Ghulam Mohammad Bhat at Handwara in Kupwara district early today, he said, adding that the house and an adjoining house suffered damage in the blast, but no one was hurt. In another encounter in Anantnag, a security forces ambush party killed a militant at Hanjipora in the Dooru area this afternoon. An
AK assault rifle was recovered from him. Security forces shot dead three more militants in another encounter at Watipora in Chadoora area of Badgam district yesterday. Militants shot dead a person and threw his body in a nullah at Driagam in Badgam district today. The body was fished out by the police. Meanwhile, residents of Trehgam in Kupwara held a protest demonstration against a group of surrendered militants who abducted a youth and caused injuries to his three family members last night. The surrendered militants, two of whom were identified as Mohammad Yaseen and Abdul Majid, forcibly entrered the house of Asadullah Mir at Trehgam and caused injuries to him, his wife, Naseema, and daughter, Zareefa, besides kidnapping his son, Bashir Ahmad, the sources said. A civilian was seriously injured and two houses were damaged as Pakistani troops shelled civilian areas in Karnah sector of north Kashmir last night, official sources said here today. Besides Karnah, Uri and Gurez in Baramulla and Nowgam, Keran and Teetwal also witnessed cross-border shelling since last night but no loss of life or damage to property was reported. JAMMU: Five militants belonging to the Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) were killed in two encounters in the border district of Poonch since Wednesday evening, while militants kidnapped a bakkerwal in Rajouri district. An official spokesman said here on Thursday that security forces conducted search operations in higher reaches of Pir Panjal range in the jwg sector adjoining Surrankote in Poonch district last evening following reports that some foreign militants were hiding there. Militants kidnapped Javid Khan, a resident of Kharak in Rajouri district. |
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ANC meeting: Hurriyat yet to
confirm SRINAGAR, Nov 9 — While the separatist Hurriyat Conference is yet to respond to former Chief Minister G.M. Shah’s call to attend a convention, mainstream parties have given their nod for attending the meeting to discuss a “peaceful solution to the Kashmir problem”. The Awami National Conference (ANC) led by former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Ghulam Mohammad Shah is holding a public meeting here on Saturday, the first of the party in the past 12 years. On Saturday, Shah is expected to announce the next date for the meeting of political parties and social organisations to “discus a lasting solution to the Kashmir issue”. The ANC has already sent invitations to over 70 mainstream and separatist political parties, social organisations and other groups to converge to discuss “a peaceful solution to the Kashmir problem”. These include the Chief Minister and the president of the ruling National Conference, Dr Farooq Abdullah, Prof Abdul Ghani Bhat, Chairman of the All-Party Hurriyat Conference and the Pakistan-based chief of the JKLF, Amanullah Khan. The letter was issued to these leaders by the president of the ANC on October 15. While the Chief Minister has already consented to send his party’s representative at the meeting, the venue for the scheduled meeting is yet to be declared. The meeting, according to Mr Shah was to be held at the Mujahid Manzil Complex of the National Conference, but owing to the dilapidated condition of the Complex Dr Abdullah has asked his brother-in-law to select an other “convenient” name. “There is no response from the Hurriyat Conference... they are quiet”, a senior ANC party leader told TNS. He said that most of the 70 invitees had sent their consent to attend the meeting. These include the former Sadar-e-Riyasat, Dr Karan Singh, the JKLF chief, Amanullah Khan in Pakistan, the two representative bodies of migrant Kashmiri Pandits, Panun Kashmir and Kashmir Samiti. The others who have sent their consent include the Congress, BSP, RJD and Panthers’ Party of Prof Bhim Singh. |
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Groundwater resources depleting:
Sethi JAMMU, Nov 9 — The first rooftop rainwater harvesting structure was dedicated to the people of the state at a function here today. The Union Minister of Water Resources, Mr Arjun Charan Sethi, and Prof Chaman Lal Gupta, Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation, were also present. Speaking on the occasion, Mr Sethi said with groundwater resources depleting in the country, it had become imperative for scientists to further modernise the rainwater harvesting methodology. He said if groundwater resources were not used judiciously, time was not far away when the country would face a water crisis as great as that of oil. The minister urged the Central Ground Water Board and the Ministry for Water Resources to evolve a suitable mechanism for harvesting rainwater so that stress on groundwater was reduced. Prof Chaman Lal Gupta, who has been instrumental in bringing to the state several water projects, including the Rs 59-crore drinking water scheme for Udhampur district and a tubewell for Katra, the base camp for pilgrims to Mata Vaishno Devi, said the NDA Government was committed to resolving water problem in the country. In this connection he said districts in the country had been identified and work on master plans initiated. He suggested to the state government to take up the drinking water problem in Jammu and Kashmir with the Centre for all possible assistance to enhance the per capita availability of drinking water. He said it was unfortunate that even after 50 years of Independence, the people, continued to face shortage of drinking water. While welcoming the ministers, Dr S.K. Sharma, member, Central Ground Water Board, said drinking water in the country was a scarce commodity. It was in this context that the board had taken in hand 74 rainwater harvesting schemes. |
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I know Mehdi’s killers: Ansari SRINAGAR, Nov 9 (PTI) — A former Jammu and Kashmir Minister and prominent Shia leader, Maulvi Iftikhar Hussain Ansari, has claimed that he knows the perpetrators of the Mazhama landmine explosion in which Shia leader Aga Syed Mehdi and six more were killed on November 3. “I know the killers of Aga Mehdi. They are five in number and involved in a lot of killings in the state and are posing themselves as champions of the Kashmir cause,” Mr Ansari, who himself has survived two attempts on his life, said addressing “Rasam-e-Chaharum” (fourth day ceremony) of the deceased at Badgam in central Kashmir yesterday. However, he said he would disclose the identity of the perpetrators of the crime at an appropriate time. Meanwhile, Mr Aga Syed Hassan, brother of the slain Shia leader and senior Hurriyat Conference leader, has demanded a judicial probe into the killing of his brother. He said his brother had resigned from the Congress not because of internal differences but in protest against the Central Government’s policy of “suppression against the Kashmiri people”. Over one lakh people from various parts of the valley thronged Badgam on the occasion. Mourners offered condolences to Mehdi’s ailing father, a revered religious personality. |
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Programme on Shina
applauded SRINAGAR, Nov 9 — Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee and Union Information Minister Sushma Swaraj have earned appreciation from the people of Dras, Kargil, Batalik and Gurez for starting a programme on the Shina culture on Doordarshan. The programme, to be telecast fortnightly, has provided an opportunity to the budding talent from Shina-speaking areas. The people see the measure as a historic step with far-reaching consequences. The Shina language has been one of the main languages of a sizeable section of the people along the old silk route touching Gilgit, Hunza and Nagri across the Line of Actual Control and parts of Central Asia.
“A long-standing demand has been met”, people across political lines say. |
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