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| Thursday,
May 24, 2001, Chandigarh, India   
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BJP
favours 5-yr J&K Assembly tenure Hurriyat
team meets French, US officials APHC
leader held Narrow
escape for CRPF officer |
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| BSF
DG visits forward areas Jammu, May 23 The Director-General, BSF, Mr Gurbachan Jagat, today visited various forward areas on this side of the international border to have an on the spot assessment of the security situation following heavy firing resorted to by the Pakistan Rangers and militants to disrupt the ongoing fencing process. 
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BJP favours 5-yr J&K Assembly tenure Jammu, May 23 The demand was voiced by the BJP president, Mr D.K. Kotwal, at a news conference here today. Mr Kotwal said, Dr Farooq Abdullah had not paid heed to the suggestion of reducing the term but on the other hand had announced the holding of early assembly elections. Mr Kotwal said the National Conference had a two-third majority, which could enable it to pass the amendment. The BJP chief said the plan of the Chief Minister to go in for early elections was motivated by two factors. First, he wanted to take advantage from the fluid security scenario owing to continued militancy-related violence. He said since the separatists were not in a mood to contest the poll and militants were bent upon disrupting the poll process, Dr Abdullah was keen to get the benefit and regain power. Secondly, the Chief Minister, according to Mr Kotwal, was trying to “sabotage” the peace process. He said as far as the BJP was concerned it was ready to contest the poll whenever it was held. He blamed the state government for adopting wrong policies as far as tackling the problem of militancy was concerned in Doda district and other areas. Mr Kotwal said several police-posts had been removed from various areas in Banihal range and Doda-Kishtwar belt with the result militants, especially foreign mercenaries, had fortified their bases. He demanded the setting up of more security pickets in the troubled Doda district. Mr Kotwal also accused the government of not fulfilling its commitment of strengthening the village defence committees by equipping their members with sophisticated weapons. In reply to a question Mr Kotwal said whatever the party high command decided regarding the organisational elections in Jammu and Kashmir “we will obey that.” The party has not been able to hold the elections for the post of the BJP president and other office-bearers because of dissensions in the organisation. For the time being either the present arrangement would be allowed to continue or an ad hoc committee would be set up. However, Mr Kotwal did not speak on these issues. Regarding fresh moves to give admission to students, who have got admission in an unrecognised college, in government medical colleges in the state, which had resulted in the month-long agitation forcing the Centre and the state government to cancel the admission, Mr Kotwal said the BJP would oppose re-opening of the case. He said, “We will not allow these students to get admission in government medical colleges.”
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Hurriyat team meets French, US officials New Delhi, May 23 The team informed Mr Montferrand of the latest situation in the state in view of the Centre’s offer of peace talks, Hurriyat sources said here. The other members of the delegation were Jamat-e-Islami leader Qazi Abdullah and Ghulam Rasool Idi (Dar) of the Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF). The meeting was part of a regular contact maintained by the French Ambassador with components of various political groups in the country, embassy sources said. Mr Montferrand had led a European delegation to the troubled state in September last and met representatives of many political groups there. Later, the team was joined by senior Hurriyat leader Abdul Gani Lone. The delegation also met American Congressional interns at the US Embassy. The trainees are from the US State Department, who have been designated for postings in South Asia region. The visit is a part of their training programme. Meanwhile, senior executive member Syed Ali Shah Geelani left here for Srinagar yesterday after undergoing treatment for heart ailment. The 71-year-old Jamat-e-Islami leader had complained of pain and was admitted to the Escorts hospital.
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APHC leader held Srinagar, May 23 He had been lodged in a police station near his residence in Pampore. However, the police denied his arrest. The trouble started when a large number of his supporters were stopped by the police from proceeding to the airport to receive the People’s League leader. He was allegedly whisked away to an unknown destination. As the news about the arrest of Sheikh Abdul Aziz reached his supporters, they demonstrated in the Lal Chowk area. All the shops and business establishments in the area were closed down. |
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Narrow escape for CRPF officer Srinagar, May 23 Elsewhere in the valley, the police seized 200 kg of explosives while three militants were killed and eight others injured overnight. Security forces arrested a youth near the Line of Actual Control in the Uri sector while trying to sneak into Pakistan occupied Kashmir for receiving arms training. A report from Baramulla said militants planted a powerful IED at Khawaja Bagh on a road leading to a nearby CRPF camp this morning which exploded about 10 minutes before the CRPF Commandant’s convoy passed the area. Three civilians were injured in the explosion. In the downtown M.R. Ganj locality, the Jammu and Kashmir police seized 200 kg of explosives from a shop last night. Official sources said an encounter, that lasted the whole night took place between militants and the security forces and Special Operation Group of Jammu and Kashmir police at Markote in Bandipora in which three militants, two of them foreigners, were killed. Two AK rifles, four magazines and two grenades were seized from the slain militants. Militants hurled a hand grenade at a Border Security Force bunker in Soura, which missed the target and exploded on the roadside injuring five pedestrians, who were later hospitalised.
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BSF DG visits
forward areas Jammu, May 23 The field commanders of the BSF showed Mr Jagat the pillars which had been partially damaged in blasts triggered by the Pakistani Rangers during the past one week. So far about 35 pillars have been partially damaged. In addition to this the Rangers resorted to heavy firing on the Indian posts and villages in Ramgarh and Akhnoor sectors to force the BSF to suspend border fencing. In one incident militants and the Pakistan forces even targeted the Kanachak police station, hardly 3 km away from the border in Jammu. Mr Jagat interacted with the BSF jawans and field commanders and is said to have surveyed the BSF preparedness to meet any eventuality. Later the DG, BSF, had a discussion with senior BSF officers at the BSF headquarters, where he was briefed about the latest situation on the border. Sources said Mr Jagat expressed satisfaction over the preparedness of his men to counter any threat. He was told that so far fencing along 10 km of the 187-long border had been completed. Mr Jagat was also informed about the measures that the BSF had taken to check infiltration and smuggling of arms and narcotics from across the border. On his return to Delhi Mr Jagat would brief the Union Home Minister on the security situation along the border where Pakistan had deployed additional troops. |
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