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March 12, 2001, Chandigarh, India   
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MoD okays plan to plug infiltration
routes Hurriyat executive meets today Shah’s plea on Kashmir
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PDP leader, two
ex-SPOs shot dead J&K Budget today; scope for taxes
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MoD okays plan to plug infiltration
routes Jammu, March 11 Official sources said that in the context of this report, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) has okayed a plan for deploying additional troops near the border to plug the unconventional infiltration routes. Troops being sent to the border villages have been directed to take in hand measures for making it difficult for the infiltrators to sneak into the Indian villages in Jammu and Kashmir. The field agencies had informed the Centre that during the past three months, more than 500 militants, most of them foreign mercenaries, had entered the state from various border points. From Uri and Kupwara alone, nearly 200 militants had crossed into Kashmir since November last and the rate of infiltration from across Poonch and Rajouri had been higher. These agencies have conveyed to the government that over 1200 militants had been brought to the launching pads across the LoC and were waiting for an opportunity to cross into the state. As such there was an urgent need to stop their infiltration at any cost. Another suggestion given by these agencies was that both the State and the Central Governments should increase the job avenues so that unemployed youth, who were being lured to militancy, were weaned away from the clutches of the rebels. The Government of India and the state government had been advised to evolve a mechanism for checking the flow of money to Madarsas and mosques where teenagers were being imparted arms training after being indoctrinated and after making them ready to participate in Jehad. The agencies had informed the Centre that as a result of heavy flow of money there had been a mushroom growth of Madarsas in Kashmir and some hilly belts of Poonch, Rajouri and Doda districts, where under the garb of religious education youths were being motivated to join the armed struggle against India. The field reports have cautioned the Government against any laxity because the militants were being motivated to carry out rocket, grenade and IED attacks on the security forces and the police camps. The reports have revealed that attempts were being made to force policemen and officials manning the police stations and Special Operation Groups to either join militant groups or stop doing their duties for which they would be paid monthly salary. In Pulwama, the militants had succeeded in wooing two policemen. The same threat has been dished out to Special Police Officers. Whenever militants find no response from the police they step up armed attacks on the police camps to instil fear among the men in khaki. The report has described Islamabad’s ceasefire on the LoC simply as a ruse to win support from the world community because since this announcement the ISI and other Pakistani agencies had encouraged militants to escalate the level of violence. Under the ISI directions, the reports has claimed, militants motivated people to hold demonstrations. During the past three months, 32 public demonstrations had been staged against the security forces. Again the ISI-engineered Fidayeen attacks on security camps and convoys and the reports have indicated that such attacks would increase in the near future. According to these reports, the peoples’ euphoria over the Prime Minister’s unilateral ceasefire had died. People had thought that the unilateral ceasefire would usher in peace but when they found the level of violence had increased they have started buying peace with the rebels. The reports have stated that in the near future militants would step up looting of banks, post offices and damaging vital government installations so as to force the government to opt for tripartite talks. The reports had confirmed that tension had mounted in the entire Kashmir valley and some parts of the Jammu region following step-up in militancy-related violence. Increase in killing of civilians had fomented general scare in the state, forcing even the ardent supporters of ceasefire to change their opinion. |
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Hurriyat executive meets today Srinagar, March 11 The issue of the Jamaat-e-Islami’s decision not to recall its leader, Syed Ali Shah Geelani, from the separatist conglomerate, is also supposed to come up for discussion at the meeting, sources said. Except for the senior executive member and JKLF chairman, Mohammad Yasin Malik, who is undergoing treatment in the USA, all other six members of the seven-member executive body of the Hurriyat Conference are scheduled to attend tomorrow’s meeting. This would be the first such meeting of the APHC after it had on January 20 last decided not to insist on the issuance of passports to its five-member team to visit Pakistan. Earlier, the Hurriyat Conference had constituted a five-member team to visit Pakistan for holding talks with the militants and political leadership there for an “amicable solution of the Kashmir issue”. This decision had been taken following the announcement of the unilateral ceasefire by the Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee, which began on November 28 last year with the commencement of the holy month of Ramzan. The ceasefire has later been extended thrice and is now scheduled to continue till May end. The Union Home Minister, Mr
L. K. Advani had on Wednesday last clarified that the Hurriyat Conference leaders would not be mediators in any talks between India and Pakistan, adding that any talks between the two countries would not take place unless the neighbouring country stops cross-border terrorism. Mr Advani said that the government was ready to hold talks with any group in Jammu and Kashmir for restoration of peace in this trouble-torn border state. Senior Jamaat leader and former APHC chairman Geelani had criticised the statement, saying that the government looked at the Kashmir problem as a law and order problem only. He reiterated his stand that only tripartite talks were the solution to the Kashmir dispute, adding that Kashmiris were the “basic party to the dispute”. Subsequently, it was held by the Hurriyat Conference that any basic party to a dispute would in no circumstances become the mediator. The spokesman said that APHC had never sought to play the mediatory role. Moreover, while the Hurriyat Conference had guardedly welcomed the unilateral ceasefire in Jammu and Kashmir, Geelani had been opposing the same as it was no solution to the Kashmir problem. His stance on the issue came in the way for the Centre to issue passports to the five-member team for its Pakistan visit. While the Centre was, according to reports, ready to issue travel documents to three other leaders, Abdul Ghani Lone, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Moulvi Abbas Ansari, there were reservations over the issuance of the passports to the two leaders, Geelani of the Jamaat-e-Islami and Sheikh Abdul Aziz of the Peoples League, both pro-Pakistan groups in the Hurriyat Conference. Sources close to the Jamaat-e-Islami said that the party leadership yesterday discussed the issue of Geelani’s retention in the Hurriyat Conference and decided not to recall him from the conglomeration of 23 parties. It has thrown up a challenge for the Hurriyat Conference, with a majority of moderates like the chairman, Prof Abdul Ghani Bhat, Abdul Ghani Lone of the Peoples Conference, former chairman, Mirwaiz Moulvi Umar Farooq and Mohammad Yasin Malik of the JKLF. |
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Shah’s plea on Kashmir
issue Srinagar, March 11 Talking to mediapersons here yesterday, Muzaffar Shah, Chairman, Organising Committee of the Jammu and Kashmir Conference “In Search of Peace and Solution” said that most of the invitees belonged to India and Pakistan, from both sides of the Line of Control and eight prominent Kashmiri leaders having their base abroad. “We have positive signals both from India and Pakistan,” Muzaffar Shah said in reply to a question, adding that the people of Kashmir wanted to talk on the issue. “It is a simple and humble exercise to talk and discuss” the Kashmir issue, Shah said adding that all three questions related to one’s leanings to India, Pakistan or the independence would be discussed. He denied that the conference was being organised with “Delhi’s ashirwad”. He regretted the statement of the Hurriyat leaders over the issue, which had described the meet of the former Chief Minister, G.M. Shah as “sponsored by Delhi”. Mr Muzaffar Shah also denied that the meet had any links with the Hurriyat’s proposed visit to Pakistan. “In fact the decision to hold such a conference was taken long back”, Shah clarified. Elaborating on the response to the conference, Muzaffar Shah said that the response was encouraging and the list of invitees had additions all over. “Subsequent to the announcement of the conference and issuance of first list of invitees, the organisers have received a large number of requests for invitations. These invitations have been issued. As a result total number of invitees has increased from 399 to 674”, the organising chairman stated. He added that the number had gone up to 752 during the past one week. Mr Shah added that the move towards peace has also generated tremendous response from across the LoC. |
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PDP leader, two
ex-SPOs shot dead Srinagar, March 11 A police spokesman said militants entered the house of a PDP block president Mohammad Yousuf Lone at Growgund Pulwama and shot him dead late last night. Militants also sprinkled kerosene oil on his sister, Sara, and later set her on fire. She was admitted to hospital in a critical condition. Lone is the second PDP leader killed by militants in south Kashmir during the past one week. Two militants of the Hizbul Mujahideen were held here yesterday from whom two grenades, three detonators, one wireless set and some incriminating documents were recovered. They have been identified as Gulzar Ahmad Lone and Aijaz Ahmad Dar and were allegedly involved in the killing of an SHO, Ram Munshi, Bagh police station at Boulevard Road on January 24 last. The two are also allegedly involved in the IED blast on Boulevard Road on the eve of the Prime Minister’s visit to Srinagar. Militants shot dead two SPOs or counter-insurgents, Haroon Dar and Latief Dar, at Arath village in the Beerwah area of Budgam district today. A released militant of the Hizbul Mujahideen, Abdul Rashid Dar, was shot dead by gunmen in Sholipora village in Budgam district yesterday. One foreign militant, Abu Talha Hazari, was killed in an encounter with a joint patrol party of the police and security forces at Khan Sahib in Budgam district yesterday, the police here said. One AK-47 rifle, three magazines and some ammunition were recovered from the site of the encounter. A counter-insurgent or the activist of Ikhwan, Abdul Jabbar Sheikh, who was undergoing treatment for bullet injuries in a firing incident at Pattan, today succumbed to his injuries in hospital today. The police here said that the body recovered in Budgam district yesterday was identified as that of an ex-militant, Merajuddin Dar of Nasrullah Pora in Budgam district. Militants shot dead one Abdul Rashid Dar at Parsu village in Badgam last evening. A blast took place in the house of one Mohammad Shafi Lone at Qazipora Chandoora last night, causing damage to it and some adjoining houses. However, no one was injured. Militants hurled a hand grenade towards the house of one Mohammad Sidiq Parray at Janglat Mandi in south Kashmir district of Anantnag last evening. However, the grenade exploded in the compound without causing any damage. Meanwhile, former Hurriyat Conference chairman and firebrand Jamaat-e-Islami leader, Syed Ali Shah Geelani, was today placed under house arrest to foil his plan to visit Nowhatta locality of downtown Srinagar, official sources said. A joint party of the police and CRPF laid a cordon around the Hyderpora residence of the Hurriyat leader in the wee hours today and asked him to remain indoors. Geelani, who was scheduled to visit Nowhatta locality of interior Srinagar to express sympathies with those whose houses and shops were damaged in a fire incident after a powerful blast on Tuesday, was placed under house arrest in view of the reports that he was planning to organise a demonstration there, they said. Geelani confirmed the arrest, saying the cops led by a senior officer locked his house from outside and were not allowing anybody in or out.
PTI |
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J&K Budget today; scope for taxes Jammu, March 11 From militancy the scene temporarily has shifted to the Budget because people seem to be keen on knowing whether they will have to pay additional taxes or not. Experts have opined that the scope for leving additional taxes in Jammu and Kashmir was limited in view of the meagre tax base and resources. However, informed sources said that in view of acute financial depression Mr Rather is likely to impose a mild dose of new taxes to cover the deficit to a certain extent. In this context Excise duty on Indian made foreign liquor would be increased further. During the past three years Excise duty on liquor has registered successive rise with the result the prices of IMFL in Jammu are the highest in the north. Last year Excise duty on IMFL sold in Defence canteens was also increased inviting ire from ex-servicemen. Though every increase in Excise duty has not generated more than Rs two crore, the Finance Minister has taken the risk of doing so to impress the Centre that the state government was trying to generate internal resources. Power tarrif has been enhanced on three occasions in the past four years and there does not seem any further scope for increasing electricity tarrif even when the cost of one unit of power was lower than the rate prevalent in the neighbouring states. The per unit cost ranged between Rs 1.35 and Rs 1.50 when in other states it is nearly Rs three per unit. As part of resource generation exercise the Finance Minister may widen the tax base and bring those in the tax net who had been exempted so far. For instance traders and industrialists whose annual turnover is Rs one lakh have been exempted and those having higher turnover have taken shelter under this scheme. Though revenue and tax collections have increased during the past three years there has been still a wide gap between the target and the actual realisation of tax revenue. The thrust of the Budget proposals is likely to be on measures to realise tax arrears and motivation of the Centre to waive the loan and compensate losses the state faced on account of the Indus Water Treaty with Pakistan. |
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