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| Thursday, January 4, 2001, Chandigarh, India   
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Woman SPO among 5 killed in valley
Bhat demands passports for all Troops maintain vigil in Kishtwar |
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| J&K minister cautions Centre 
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| Woman SPO among 5 killed in valley SRINAGAR, Jan 3 (UNI) — A woman special police officer (SPO) was among five killed, while a security man was injured and two Hizbul Mujahideen militants were arrested in the Kashmir valley during the past 24 hours. Meanwhile, the police has launched a massive hunt to trace two Maruti cars, taken away by unidentified gunmen from Karan Nagar and Daresh Kadal last evening. The police fears these cars might be used as car bombs against security force installations in the valley. The cars, used in the past by militants while attacking security forces camps or causing blasts, were snatched from their owners. Militants attacked the security forces with grenades and automatic weapons at three different places in the state during the period. However, no one was injured in these attacks, an official spokesman said. He said militants shot down SPO Saleema at Vilgam in Kupwara district late last night. Militants detonated a powerful improvised explosive device (IED) at a village in the same district early this morning but no damage has been reported. A hand grenade was lobbed at the security forces at Kunzar on the Srinagar-Gulmarg road today but it missed the target and exploded without causing any damage. A report from Baramula said the bodies of two former militants, Habibullah and Ghulam Rasool, were recovered at Mirgund in North Kashmir this morning. The identity of those behind the killings had not yet been ascertained, the report added. Official sources said militants shot dead a released militant, Farooq Ahmad Bhat, at Nowgam bypass last night. JAMMU (PTI): Two Army Jawans were killed and a large quantity of arms and ammunition seized in different militancy related incidents in Rajouri and Poonch districts of Jammu division since Tuesday, official sources said today. A jawan was killed in an encounter with militants who sneaked into the Indian territory via the Noushera sector of Rajouri district on Tuesday night they said. A jawan of Rashtriya Rifles was killed in an encounter with ultras in the Mandi-Arai area of Poonch district on Wednesday. The encounter was continuing when last reports came in, the sources said. A large quantity of arms and ammunition was seized in a joint operation by the security forces in the Bandi-ka-Makhan area near Sekhloo village in Poonch district, they said. |
| Bhat demands passports for all JAMMU, Jan 3 — The All-Party Hurriyat Conference (APHC) chairman Prof Abdul Gani Bhat, has taken a tough stand on the issue of the Hurriyat team’s visit to Pakistan. Prof Bhat, who has been authorised by the executive committee to select the team, has announced that he will not make a selection unless the Government of India issues passports to all seven executive committee members. Professor Bhat told TNS, “I must know first of all whether the people I select for visit to Pakistan have valid travel documents. If I announce my team and later I find that some of them do not have a passport it will be an embarrassment for me.” He said out of the seven executive committee members only two Maulvi Umar Farooq and Mr Abdul Gani Lone, had passports and valid travel documents. He said the passports of Syed Ali Shah Geelani and Maulvi Abbas Ansari were impounded several years ago. He and Mohammed Yasin Malik had applied for passports. “We had deposited the fee but so far we have not been issued any passport. The fate of the seventh member, Sheikh Aziz Ahmed is the same,” he said. When asked whether there was any problem if he made the announcement of the team first and then wait for the government to issue passports Professor Bhat said “why should I do it.” “I shall pick up a team out of the seven executive committee members only when I know that those selected have passports. May be I select all seven and the government does not issue passports to all”, he said, adding that the choice of selecting the team should be left to “us” and the government should first issue travel documents to all seven members of the APHC executive committee. In reply to another question Professor Bhat denied that by insisting on issuance of passports the APHC leadership was trying to wriggle out of the peace process. “We are keen to be key players in the peace process in the interest of people of India and Pakistan and in the interest of peace in the subcontinent,” he said. In reply to a question whether he had fears that the first casualty in the peace process would be the APHC, he said, “It is not important whether we or Mr Vajpayee or Gen Pervez Musharraf become a casualty. We are for promoting peace in South Asia by hammering out a durable settlement of the Kashmir issue.” He said it was now for the Government of India to respond to “our suggestion.” He said he would again convey to Delhi that the APHC team would visit Pakistan not for a pleasure trip but for serious talks. |
| Troops maintain vigil in Kishtwar JAMMU, Jan 3 — Normal life continued to remain paralysed in Kishtwar town where no relaxation was given to curfew restrictions which were imposed on Monday evening following incidents of violence over the destruction of a mosque in a fire. The police said since last evening the town, which was rocked by violence triggered by groups of angry youth protesting against the destruction of the mosque, did not witness any untoward incident. However, curfew restrictions were strictly enforced by the police and the paramilitary forces as part of precautionary steps. The adjoining towns of Doda and Bhaderwah observed a complete bandh during the past two days. Shops remained closed and passenger transport services were disrupted by the curfew restrictions and the general strike. The police made it clear the mosque caught fire because of a short circuit and some miscreants and anti-social elements exploited it to foment communal trouble. The protesters attacked the fire services van and damaged a couple of government vehicles besides torching two liquor shops on Monday evening which prompted the district authorities to clamp curfew restrictions for an indefinite period. Senior police and civil authorities have been camping in Kishtwar for the past two days and additional forces have been rushed from Doda and Batote to maintain law and order. The police spokesman said the situation was tense but under control. Meanwhile, Pakistani troops resorted to heavy firing on the Indian border villages and posts in Paharpur in Kathua district this morning. This was for the first time after the ceasefire and Islamabad’s announcement of maximum restraint on the LoC that the Pakistani troops opened fire on the Indian border villages. The Indian troops retaliated. There was no casualty on “our side”. Official sources said the Pakistani troops had resorted to heavy firing to carve out an infiltration route for militants who had been brought across Kathua, R.S. Pora and Samba areas. Since the infiltration hid had been foiled by the Indian border guards during the past 10 days the Pakistani troops resorted to heavy firing to divert the attention of the Indian forces for facilitating militants to sneak into the Jammu sector. |
| J&K minister cautions Centre JAMMU, 3 — The ruling National Conference while supporting Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee’s peace initiative has opposed mainstream political parties and pro-India forces in the peace process. A senior National Conference leader and Public Works Minister, Mr Ali Mohd Sagar, has cautioned the government against any attempt to sideline those forces which had fought anti-India forces in the state politically. Addressing a function here today where a directory on the status of water supply schemes was released, Mr Sagar said the peace process in Jammu and Kashmir had been possible mainly because of the congenial political atmosphere created in the state by the National Conference government during its four-year rule. He said the Farooq government had not only re-established the writ of the administration by breaking the nexus of militants and government employees at a certain level but also created a situation where secessionist groups and some local militant outfits were compelled to talk about dialogue and peace. He said the National Conference had been in the forefront in facing the brunt of Pak-sponsored militancy as Pakistan considered the National Conference the major stumbling block in the fulfilment of its gameplan. He said the situation had undergone such a significant turn in Kashmir that even political parties like the BJP, which did not have much political base in the valley, were today holding public meetings in Srinagar city without any hitch. The call given by militants for bandhs do not get much response government offices remain totally unaffected by these calls. Not opposing the Centre’s dialogue with the Hurriyat, Mr Sagar, however, ridiculed the APHC claim of having a representative character and said Hurriyat men delivered their speeches before “captive namaziz” in mosques. He said against such helplessness of the Hurriyat ministers moved in the valley, addressing well-attended public meetings. Referring to his recent tour of the valley, he said at least 10,000 people came to hear him in Arvani in South Kashmir where militants frustrated by the popular response hurled grenades, injuring a large number of participants. Taking on the critics for their unjustified criticism of the National Conference government, Mr Sagar said the Farooq government had done much more in four years than done during the Centre’s seven years’ rule. He asked how one could turn Nelson’s eye to the fact that over one lakh youth were provided employment against the commitment of 26,000 jobs. He said the police, earlier considered to be weak and unfit to combat militancy, had been strengthened by raising additional 12 battallions and increasing the member of police personnel from 30,000 to 85,000. The police force was today in the forefront in meeting the challenges of militancy. More then 2,000 engineers had been recruited. The bridges which could not be constructed in the past decades had been commissioned. In this connection, he made a special mention of the Aik Nullah and the Beter bridge and said the two major bridges under construction over the Tawi river would be completed during the current year. Mr Sagar said the derailed education system was brought back on the rails and a novel Rehbar-e-Taleem system was introduced to make defunct schools functional. He said health institutions, some of which had become hideouts for militants, were restored to their original status as institutions for health care. The minister said the government was also making serious endeavours to mop up additional resources even in the present situation. He said the revenue collection had increased 10 times as compared to central rule. He said even in his department water tax collected had increased from Rs 75 lakh to Rs 6 crore. 3 days for filing papers in J&K JAMMU, Jan 3 (PTI) — Three working days had been given to the candidates for filing nomination papers in panchayat elections in all blocks in Rajouri, Poonch and Kupwara districts, which go to the polls this month and thereafter, the State Electoral Officer said today. The Deputy Commissioner had apprised people of the election schedule, in all blocks and panchayats, he said. Besides, publicity was also being done through print and electronic media, he added. |
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