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| Sunday, February
25, 2001, Chandigarh, India   
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Security
camps attacked Security
staff warned against extension J&K
govt plan on evacuee property Declare Kashmir
disputed: Geelani SAD blames
govt for not giving security to Sikhs |
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Security camps attacked Srinagar, February 24 He said the militants fired five rifle grenades towards a BSF camp at Saidpora in downtown Srinagar last night, injuring a constable. While four grenades exploded inside the camp, another remained unexploded and was defused by experts. He said the militants also hurled two grenades at a security camp at Pothkah in the Sopore area of Baramula district in north Kashmir last night, but no one was hurt in the explosions. Meanwhile, the Special Operations Group of the local police recovered two rockets from Nagpathri Baba village in Baramula district last evening. The militants also set off a grenade near a shrine at Delina in the same district today, he said. The security forces averted three possible tragedies with the timely detection of powerful explosive devices planted by the militants with the intention of triggering off explosions in the state, the official said. They detected and defused an IED weighing 25 kg in Rajouri district, he said. Another IED weighing 4 kg and fitted in a cycle seat with a timer detonator was found planted in a busy area at R.S. Pora in Jammu last evening |
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Security staff warned against extension Jammu, February 24 These agencies had given a detailed account of the activities of the militants within the state and across the
LoC, indicating that since November 28, when the ceasefire was implemented, large groups of militants had fortified their bases not only in the upper reaches of
Anantnag, Baramula, Kupwara, Budgam, Poonch, Udhampur and Doda, but in the several towns and in the summer capital of
Srinagar. The way a police jeep was ambushed near the Kokernag area in South Kashmir on yesterday, in which six policemen and one civilian were killed and weapons looted, confirmed the fears of the security agencies that in the absence of combat operations, militants had created a scare among the people, who preferred to “buy peace with rebels than provide assistance to the security forces.” It was for the first that in the recent public demonstrations against the Army firing on civilians in Haigam and Maisuma in Srinagar, protesters shouted pro-Lashkar slogans. At a number of places, demonstrators shouted, “Lashkar agency bado, ham tumharey saath hein” (Lashkar march ahead, we are with you). The reason — people have started living under the shadow of threats from the militants and they are no longer prepared to distance themselves from the foreign mercenaries. A majority of those militants who had bid farewell to their arms have started rejoining rebel groups to ensure their safety. The scare among the people in remote areas was so intense that several civilians, including Ashok Kumar, Surjit Singh, Som Raj, Ch Mohd belonging to far-flung areas of Poonch and Rajouri, have already migrated to safer places. They said in a chorus, “Ceasefire is aimed at eliminating us. We have fled from our ancestral villages because we became targets of militant firing within hours of the announcement extension in ceasefire.” Two months ago, security and intelligence agencies had formulate rough figures showing that 70 per cent foreign mercenaries and 30 per cent of the local militants, out of a total of 4,000 rebels, were operating in the state. These very agencies have, in their latest reports, revealed that the local militants constituted 50 per cent of the total rebel force, which should have increased to over 6,000. This suggests that local youths have also joined militant groups and most of them had received arms training in camps across the border in recent months. In the first week of December last, when the ceasefire period was just one-week-old, Pakistani agencies had pulled back over 1,000 militants who had been brought forward on the launching pads for being pushed into Jammu and Kashmir. However, reports with the Government indicated that more than 1,000 trained rebels, equipped with sophisticated weapons, have been brought back to the launching pads across
Kupwara, Randipore, Tangdhar, Uri, Poonch and Rajouri and these would be pushed in the state in small groups for kicking up subversive violence. No doubt, peoples’ demonstrations against killing of civilians in the custody of security forces were engineered by some Pakistani agencies, Jamait-e-Islami and a section of the APHC, their participation in the protest rallies was also the result of their fresh belief that the militants had enlarged their bases to such an extent that they would be able to secure “Azadi” for Kashmir. Activists of the Hizbul Mujahideen, Lashkar-e-Toiba, Jash-e-Mohammad and Al Badr have started making use of explosives, especially IEDs and landmines, to draw blood from the security personnel. These IEDs and Rifle Grenades are being used to launch armed attacks on the security camps and soft targets. A senior police officer said that the situation was alarming. He said that after the militants, especially battle-hardened foreign mercenaries had built their bases within towns and heavily populated villages, besides outskirts of Srinagar city, it would be difficult to smash these hideouts without causing heavy casualties among civilians. The police officer, while supporting the Prime Minister’s peace initiative, suggested the combat operations against the militant hideouts should be allowed only after the security forces had obtained specific information. He said that when during the past three months, the security forces remained passive spectators of large-scale movement of militants from one place to an other, an impression had gone round that ceasefire had given a licence to the rebels to fortify and attack targets of their choice. It may worsen the atmosphere. |
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J&K govt plan on evacuee property Jammu, February 24 The plots would be leased out through open auction to fetch income to the government and efficiently maintain and protect the evacuee property in the state. The Evacuee Property Department has already removed illegal encroachment on an orchard measuring 25 kanals at Rawalpora, Srinagar and converted it into residential plots, which are being leased out through open auction. The government has taken several measures to streamline the functioning of the Evacuee Property Department. In order to update the inventory of the evacuee property, survey teams were constituted to indentify shops, orchards and other properties which were hidden so far. The department has already restored the position of one orchard at Patniyal and the process of identification and restoration of other properties is on. The department has also prepared a plan for Malyari at Akalpur, Jammu to carve out plots on the pattern of Rawalpora, Srinagar and lease out them on auction. An inquiry has also been ordered against the officers who were found involved in embezzlement or graft of evacuee property orchards in the state. In order to remove encroachments on evacuee properties, the department is maintaining close liaison with the Revenue Department authorities. The department also intends to submit a proposal to the government for better utilisation of evacuee property land at Boulevard, Srinagar to raise some commercial assets on it which will fetch handsome income to the department. Illegal mutations under Section 4 or 8 of the Agrarian Reforms Act previously being attested by the department have been stopped forthwith. As a result of this measure, a large number of mutations have been challenged and action against defaulting officers was initiated. The department has launched a vigorous campaign to collect out standing rent arrears from the occupants of evacuee property. Against the target of Rs 6.47 crore, the department collected rent arrears amounting to Rs 5..06 crore during the last two years. Rs 3.20 crore was realised in Jammu Division and Rs 1.86 crore in Kashmir division. The department also proposes to undertake the revision of present rent structure to meet the management and maintenance of evacuee properties. |
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Declare Kashmir disputed: Geelani Srinagar, February 24 “A conspiracy is going on in the Hurriyat Conference and it is you who have to distinguish and choose between the so-called secular leaders and those toeing the Islamic line,” Mr Geelani told a Friday congregation in Baramula district yesterday. Lashing out at the People’s Conference Chairman and senior executive member of Hurriyat Conference, Mr Abdul Gani Lone, the fireband pro-Pakistan Jamaat-e-Islami leader said there was no room for secular politics in Kashmir and urged the people to reject secular politicians. “Time has come when the people of Kashmir have to decide whether to support secular politics or politics based on Islamic principles,” Mr Geelani said and asked people to extend their full support to the politics supported by religious tenets. He said the ongoing movement drew inspiration from Islam and he did not believe in “La-Deen” (anti-Islamic) politics. Mr Geelani also said if India accepted Kashmir as a disputed territory there would be no need for the separatist leadership to go to Pakistan to rein in militants. Denouncing the unilateral ceasefire as a “mere gimmick”, he asked the Centre to read the writing on the wall and accept Kashmir as a disputed territory. Mr Geelani alleged India had been using delaying tactics for the past 53 years and was misleading the world community all the way. “Parliament is in session these days. Let the Prime Minister show his sincerity on the floor of the House by repealing the 1994 resolution passed by it which describes Jammu and Kashmir as an integral part of India and replacing it by another resolution declaring Kashmir to be disputed and expressing its commitment to resolve the issue according to United Nations resolutions,” he said. Mr Geelani, considered a hardliner, said the moment Parliament repeals its 1994 resolution and replaces it by the new one, there would be no need for Hurriyat leaders to go to Pakistan. “We will urge militants to stop operations against the security forces from Srinagar’s Lal Chowk or even from Baramula on the plea that India had accepted our basic right and wants to solve the dispute in keeping with people’s aspirations,” he said. Referring to the ceasefire, Mr Geelani said, “It is only to hoodwink the international community, to make them believe that India wants peace in Jammu and Kashmir.” “The ceasefire is holding good only on paper,” he said and charged the security forces with continuing their operations against militants in the state. Mr Geelani alleged government agencies were behind the recent killing of Sikhs in the valley and said such incidents were aimed at inciting communal passions.
PTI |
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SAD blames govt for not giving security to Sikhs Jammu, February 24 The Dal members held a meeting here today under the chairmanship of Mr Harnam Singh in which all party district presidents participated. The meeting took stock of the plight of the community members in Kashmir and said that no proper security measures had been taken in “our villages and in Srinagar city and towns, with the result our lives and property are unsafe.” |
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