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| Wednesday, February
21, 2001, Chandigarh, India   
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10-hr encounter ends, 9 militants
killed Seizure of arms by Romeo
Force JUTA blames top brass for
interference Hurriyat, JKDFP
leaders released |
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J & K tourism hit, but not quite
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10-hr encounter ends, 9 militants
killed Jammu, February 20 Official reports said on a specific information, troops cordoned off a militant hideout. As they approached the hideout, they came under heavy fire. Militants used assault rifles but the troops retaliated with heavy machine gun fire and blew up the hideout. The militants were well equipped. The encounter which started late last evening, ended this afternoon. Large quantities of arms and ammunition were recovered from the spot. With this, the total number of militants killed in Rajouri district during the past three days reached to 19. Among those killed included those involved in the massacre of 15 civilians near Budhal in Rajouri a week ago. In Srinagar, a ruling National Conference (NC) leader and 10 Lashkar-e-Toiba militants were among 14 persons killed in Jammu and Kashmir over the past 24 hours. Meanwhile, life returned to normal, after about a week’s strike and curfew in the valley today. A report quoting defence sources said the Army killed four militants on Sunday while six more were killed yesterday. An Army patrol sent to Kot Chadwal to instill confidence was fired upon on Sunday. In the ensuing night-long encounter, six militants, including some from Pakistan, were killed, taking the number of those killed in the area to 10. Seven AK 47 rifles, one RPG, three radio sets, five hand grenades, a dictaphone, transistor, some incriminating documents and Rs 4,950 in Indian currency had been recovered. An official spokesman said a group of six militants entered the house of a 75-year-old NC leader, Mr Wali Mohammad at Sadal Magam village in central Kashmir late last night and dragged him out. They later shot him in the presence of his family members. Official sources said Mr Wali had recently filed his nomination papers for the panchayat election. However, after a threat from the militants had withdrawn his candidature. A youth identified as Gowhar Ahmad was killed and four others injured critically, when an explosive device they were fiddling with, exploded at Lalpora in Kupwara last evening. The militants shot dead a counter-insurgent, Mohammad Yousuf Dar at Chakla in Baramula district last night. A detenue, Mohammad Ramzan Sheikh, who was injured in a Hizbul Mujahideen attack on a police party at Amargrah Sopore yesterday afternoon died in hospital this morning. Three police personnel were killed and another policeman injured in an attack on their vehicle. Militants hurled hand grenades towards BSF pickets at Narwara and Nawa Kadal down town city last evening causing injuries to two jawans. At least six civilians were injured when a hand grenade lobbed by militants on a security force convoy at Bijbehara on Srinagar-Jammu national highway exploded on the roadside last evening. Meanwhile, life was limping back to normal after about a week’s massive demonstrations and strike in protest against the security force firing at Haigam and Maisuma that left six persons dead and 20 injured. However, business activities in Maisuma and adjoining localities remained disrupted as people again took to the streets this morning demanding the release of youths arrested by the police during the past three days. There were stray incidents of stone throwing in the Civil Lines. The APHC chairman, Abdul Gani Bhat, who was put under house arrest from Saturday evening visited Haigam today to express his sympathy with the families of those killed in the firing. |
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Seizure of arms by Romeo
Force Jammu, February 20 Militant groups had dumped large quantities of weapons and explosives in various places of Rajouri which were to be used to destroy vital installations and for attacking security pickets, convoys and other soft targets. Reports received by intelligence agencies had revealed that the militants had plans of creating fear psychosis among people so that they were forced to migrate from remote villages. The plan was to be implemented during the ongoing ceasefire period. Official sources said the top brass of the Romeo Force discussed the rebel threat and Major Gen Richard Khare and Brig J.S. Jaswal who directed the force to intensify patrol. The troops had been advised not to violate the ceasefire by launching search operations or by targeting militant hideouts in villages as it would inconvenience villagers. Regular patrol was carried out and wherever they came under fire, they retaliated immediately. They targeted the hideouts only after receiving specific information regarding the presence of the militants. Since November 28, when the ceasefire came into force, the Romeo Force eliminated more than 50 dreaded militants, including those who were involved in two massacres. Romeo Force lost 11 soldiers in the process. Angry over the seizure of large quantities of arms and ammunition, the militants attacked the house of those whom they suspected to be police informers. Jawans seized one 82-MM mortar, rocket launchers, pistols and explosives from under a culvert. During the ceasefire, the jawans, along with the police, built confidence among people. There was not a single complaint of human rights violations against the troops. |
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JUTA blames top brass for
interference Jammu, February 20 While accusing the university authorities of having allowed all the legitimate rights of the autonomous body to be “grabbed” by the ruling political leaders and senior bureaucrats, JUTA has said that under the career advancement scheme, interviews and selection of teachers for higher posts had been finalised on October 12, 2000. But till date, the selections were not approved despite the fact the University Council, the highest decision-taking body, had met in Jammu on January 15, 2001. The JUTA, President, Prof Virender Gupta, said that the cases of selection for the posts of reader had been forwarded to the Chancellor-cum-Governor, Mr G.C. Saxena, by the university in November last through the Pro Chancellor, Dr Farooq Abdullah. The selection list of professors had been submitted to the pro chancellor in December last but the file was ‘lost’ in the Chief Minister’s office. While the teachers were waiting for the clearance of the list of selected candidates, a joint committee of the universities of Kashmir and Jammu was set up on January 17, 2001, to decide on certain queries raised by the Chancellor. The committee had also been entrusted with the task of fixing the seniority of those promoted under the career advancement scheme. Professor Gupta said that it was “unfortunate and shocking” that the joint committee went against its own decisions taken earlier and violated norms and guidelines set by the University Grants Commission. He explained that under the UGC guidelines those promoted to higher ranks were to be given the benefit from July, 1998, but the two universities had decided that the benefit was to be given from the date they became eligible for promotion. Cases regarding pay anamolies too had not been settled so far. He said JUTA had tried to make the university authorities adopt practices being followed by other universities but they had become “prisoners of indecision,” thereby ‘bartering’ the autonomous character of the universities. |
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Hurriyat, JKDFP leaders released Srinagar, February 20 JKLF Chairman Mohammad Yaseen Malik, his deputy Javid Ahmad Mir and Ghulam Mohammad Hubby of the People’s Conference, detained on Sunday, were released from Kothibagh police station late last night, official sources said. They said restrictions imposed on the movement of Hurriyat Chairman Abdul Gani Bhat and his predecessor Syed Ali Shah Geelani were also lifted late last night. The two leaders were placed under house arrest on Saturday evening. All the Hurriyat leaders left for Haigam and Sonawari to express condolences to the family members of those killed in Haigam firing, Hurriyat sources said. JKDFP chief Shah, his deputy Maulana Mohammad Abdullah Tari and five others, arrested for violating curfew restriction at Badshah bridge on Saturday and sent to Srinagar central jail, were brought to the office of the Deputy Commissioner today and let off, official sources said. Soon after his release, Shah and his colleagues went to Maisuma and expressed condolences to the kins of Javed Ahmad Nath, who was killed in police firing on Friday last.
PTI
J & K tourism hit, but not quite Chandigarh, February 20 “There is no doubt that the number of tourists visiting J and K has gone down but it has not stopped completely”, said Mr M. Ashraf, Director-General of J and K Tourism, in an interview with TNS here today. The fact of the matter was that despite all the adverse publicity received by the hapless state because of the unremitting wave of militant violence, not more than 10 per cent of the state was affected. Life was normal in Leh and almost the whole of the Jammu region, which continued to attract tourists in large number. While those visiting Leh were mostly foreigners, those visiting Vaishno Devi and other shrines in the Jammu region were domestic tourists. Mr Ashraf also said that now the number of Indian tourists to the Ladakh region was also rising. He said that the media had to play a positive role in projecting J and K as an attractive tourist destination. He had been personally requesting mediamen to be meticulous in identifying the places where incidents of violence had taken place so as to avoid giving the impression that the whole of J and K was on fire. Mr Ashraf, who also spoke at a seminar on “Discovering paradise with J and K Tourism” held here under the auspices of the Institute of Tourism and Future Management Trends (ITFT), noted that in 1998 as many as 22,000 tourists, including 5,000 domestic tourists, visited Ladakh, which generated Rs 40 crore in foreign exchange for the country. Ladakh, on account of its unique and distinct culture, geographical terrain, religion and lifestyles of the people inhabiting this land that lay locked among the Himalayas, the Karakoram and Zanskar ranges, was a big attraction for foreigners. Mr Ashraf said now there were more than 3,000 hotel beds in Leh while there were only 500 in 1975, adding that to encourage the local residents to convert their houses into guest houses, the state government was giving 50 per cent of the cost of renovation up to a maximum of Rs 2 lakh for this purpose. He said that tourism had a salutary effect on the economic and social life of the people as tourism had helped in the revival of their ancient culture and some of the old customs and traditions. The Ladakh Festival, which was celebrated from September 1 to 15 every year, focused on activities like polo, archery, mask dances and other aspects of Ladakh’s culture. Mr Ashraf said that another positive impact of tourism could be seen in the environment-friendly local architecture being adopted by the people in converting their residences into accommodation for tourists with traditional motifs and paintings. He said that Kargil after the war also became an attraction for tourists, especially foreign visitors. While 12,000 tourists visited Ladakh in 1999 as many as 18,000 tourists had visited the area after the Kargil conflict. According to the new policy, the government was to act as a facilitator, protector of the environment, creator of the basic infrastructure, regulator of the travel trade to protect the interests of the visitors and provider of incentives to the private sector to promote tourism. He said that the thrust now was on promoting destination tourism rather than regional tourism. He said that a new phenomenon of tourism development was the package tours being organised by travel agents and hoteliers at Katra to Kashmir in Tata Sumo vehicles. Almost 80 to 90 such vehicles visited Kashmir daily. He said the tourism facilities were now being developed in an integrated manner, by adding some lesser known places to the traditionally known ones like Vaishno Devi. Shiv Khori, which was known for its cave temples and was 90 km from Katra, was being promoted as an integral part of a pilgrimage package. The Shivratri festival was being organised there from February 20 to 23. This year more than 5 million devotees visited the Vaishno Devi shrine. He said that other places like Patnitop, Mansar and Sanasar were also being promoted in an integrated manner. Earlier, Dr Gulshan Sharma, Director, ITFT, also spoke. |
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