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Saturday,
June 23, 2001, Chandigarh, India  
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8 ultras
killed in J&K NEWS ANALYSIS Pak
Rangers fire rockets Unified
Command HQ warns militants |
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New
inputs to boost fruit production Non-functional
exchange bane of Dras
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8
ultras killed in J&K Srinagar, June 22 An official spokesman said militants kidnapped the SPO Abdul Rahim Ganai at Chinar and later killed him at Panzigam village in Baramula this morning. He said an encounter took place between militants and security forces at Darnar near Farkian top forest in the frontier district of Kupwara during which two militants were killed. In another encounter in the same district at Kralpora, one militant and a security jawan were killed. One house was also damaged in the clash. He said in a fierce clash at Zinhal Banihal, the security forces killed three militants this morning. Three AK rifles, 10 magazines, one wireless set, 11 grenades and one binocular were recovered from the slain militants. |
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NEWS ANALYSIS Jammu, June 22 Mr Lone had stated in an interview and at a public rally in north Kashmir that some agencies across the border were trying to bring even two-men outfits under one umbrella which could function as an alternative to the Hurriyat Conference. The reference to Syed Ali Shah Geelani’s behind-the-scenes activities was clear in the sense that moderates in the APHC have started blaming Syed Geelani for providing moral and material assistance to activists and leaders of the Islamic Student League, the Muslim League, the Jammu Kashmir Freedom Movement and the Peoples’ League. These moderates have definite reports that hardliners in Pakistan and occupied Kashmir have been encouraging Syed Geelani, its supporters in
Jamaite-e-Islami, and other political groups to form a conglomerate which could act as an alternative to the Hurriyat Conference, if the need arose. What seems to have provoked Mr Lone is that the moves for forming an alternative to the Hurriyat Conference were being blessed by agencies across the border. He said if such moves had been blessed by the Government of India and the security agencies it would have been understandable but what was amazing was that “our friends across the border” were patronising new outfits which could result in the end of the ongoing “tehreek” (political movement). It is no longer a secret that Mr Lone has been in favour of independence for the Kashmir valley. He is opposed to Kashmir’s incorporation with Pakistan. With the Hurriyat getting divided over
pro-Azadi and pro-Pakistani forces, agencies across the border have started providing encouragement to those hardliners who have been vocal in demanding merger of Kashmir with Pakistan. And in the scheme Syed Ali Shah Geelani continues to be the most trusted man of Pakistan. In addition to this, Pakistani agencies do not want to put all their eggs in the basket of the Hurriyat Conference. Islamabad has become wiser from the events that took place in Kashmir during the past 25 years when its anchor in this state, Sheikh Abdullah, changed his approach and signed an agreement with the then Prime Minister, Mrs Indira Gandhi, in 1974 to regain power. It was out of this realisation that the Pakistani agencies had floated scores of militant outfits in Kashmir since 1989 and at one time there were about 150 rebel groups operating in the valley. Though their number has dwindled to half a dozen the agencies across the border have not kept even the foreign mercenaries under one umbrella. There are Lashkar-e-Toiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed outfits which are dominated by foreign mercenaries. Experts are of the opinion that by encouraging Syed Geelani and others to form a parallel body the Pakistani agencies are trying to force the moderates in the Hurriyat Conference to either follow pro-Pak line or lose support from across the border. The moderates in the Hurriyat Conference are also worried over the attempts being made to ‘weaken” the representative character of the 23-party conglomerate. The worry is manifest following moves by the Democratic Freedom Party Chief, Mr Shabir Ahmed Shah, to rope in Political leaders and separatists of different hues so as to form a new conglomerate to pose a threat to the Hurriyat Conference. Mr Shabir Shah has been in constant touch with several separatist leaders, including Mr Azam Inquillabi of the Liberation Front Mr Misadiq
Adil, Mr Fazal Haq Qureshi and Mr G.N. Naik of the People’s League and Mr Hashim Qureshi and Mr Abdul Majid Dar. The latter is the chief commander, operations, of the Hizbul
Mujahideen. These leaders are said to have the blessings of the former Pakistan occupied Kashmir Prime Minister, Sardar Abdul Qayoom Khan, and the JKLF chief, Mr Ananullah Khan. But if Mr Khan has to choose between this group and Mr Abdul Ghani Lone he would side with the latter because his daughter is married to Mr Lone’s son. And the group headed by Mr Shabir Shah is engaged in giving due representation to people from Jammu and Ladakh in this set-up. He has decided to include Kashmiri Pandits also in his group. If such moves materialised the Hurriyat Conference would have no face to claim that it represents the people of the state and deserved to be involved in the talks between Delhi and Islamabad. As such the worry on the part of the moderates in the Hurriyat Conference is understandable. |
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Pak Rangers fire rockets Jammu, June 22 The sources said of the four rockets fired by the Pakistani Rangers on the Pansar post in the Hiranagar sub-sector yesterday, one rocket hit the generator set of the security forces. However, three other rockets exploded without causing any damage, they said, adding the security forces also returned the fire to silence the Pakistani guns. They said the firing exchanges along the border continued at 21 places in the Samba, R.S.Pura, Arnia and Ramgarh sub-sectors last night. But no loss of life or damage to property from the Indian side was reported. Meanwhile, the police recovered a live 3 kg improvised explosive device (IED) from Shahpur village in the Arnia sector. The IED along with RDX hidden in a bicycle was later defused.
PTI |
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Unified
Command HQ warns militants Jammu, June 22 The warning has been issued in the form of a public notice following recent incidents in which militants, after carrying out killings of security personnel took shelter in mosques and other religious places to prevent retaliation by the security forces. One incident had taken place at Shopian in Pulwama district where the security forces were forced to give a safe passage to the holed-up militants. This was followed by a similar incident in a mosque at Shangus where six militants took refuge in the religious place after having killed two police personnel. It was under pressure from the security agencies that the state government ultimately gave a green signal to the security forces to initiate action they deemed fit to eliminate the hold-up militants. Crack commandos were deployed and a portion of the mosque was damaged in the action launched by the security forces which resulted in the elimination of all six militants. The unified headquarters has appealed to religious heads and community leaders to “ensure that the religious places are not abused by the criminals.” It has, in the public notice issued today, grouped criminals, insurgents, terrorists and militants in one category thereby leaving no room for any outfit activist to evade action from the security forces in case they took shelter in religious places. The unified headquarters has made it clear that the new orders and warning have been issued “in public interest” so that any retaliatory action by the security forces is not misconstrued as an act of sacrilege. |
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New inputs to boost fruit production Srinagar, June 22 An official spokesman said here new technology has being adopted to improve quality and increase production of fruit in the state. As a result of these measures the per hectare production of apple will be increased from 12 metric tonnes to 50 metric tonnes per hectare by adopting high-density plantation and other improved horticulture practices. Walnut production which earns around Rs 100 crore foreign exchange for the country has been bracketed as a thrust area. Several strategies are adopted to increase walnut production under a FAO project. Olive and kiwi production being a promising area in sub-temperate conditions, projects have been formulated to tap this potential. Nearly 10,000 olive plants produced at the horticulture base station in Ramban were distributed among farmers for expansion of area under olive cultivation. Base stations of Ramban as well as Rajbagh in Srinagar also distributed 1.82 lakh strawberry runners of selected cultivations among the growers last year. During this year over two lakh strawberry plants will be made available to the farmers from these nurseries. To provide quality fruit plants to the orchardists the Horticulture Department has set up a number of nurseries in the state. Last year, two lakh high density plants of apple and cherry grafted on clonal roots were made available for distribution to the farmers at 50 per cent subsidy. Over 2.50 lakh such plants will be produced in the nurseries this year, the spokesman said. Jammu and Kashmir has also started supplying superior quality fruit plants to other states of the country. Last year, 18,470 budded appeal, pear and walnut plants besides 15,300 clonal root stocks of apple and cherry valued at Rs 6.30 lakh were supplied to Arunachal Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. All these plants were produced from the departmental nurseries. The Horticulture Department will supply fruit plants worth Rs 10 lakh to the neighbouring states this year. A gross orchard area of 3.574 lakh hectares had been treated against various pests and diseases last year. During 2000-01, 50,000 posters have been distributed to the fruit growers of the valley for control of various pests and diseases like leaf fall, apple scab, etc. The state earns about Rs 1,050 crore from the horticulture sector every year. This includes Rs 800 crore from fresh fruit and Rs 250 crore from walnut. Nearly five lakh families of the state are directly associated with horticulture while this vital sector of Jammu and Kashmir’s economy is indirectly providing employment to over 25 lakh persons. |
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Non-functional exchange bane of Dras Dras, June 22 The lone PCO set up by Abdul Wahid a local youth, in April last year, remain closed most of the time contrary to such STD booths in Kargil, the district headquarters and other major towns. “There is no work, as STD facility is not functional”, said Abdul Wahid, who opened the PCO on April 1, 2000 about a year after Dras remained in focus due to the Kargil intrusion. “The PCO has remained closed for about two-and-a-half months since January this year”, said Wahid. He adds that he is not able to provide requisite services to the customers, who need to remain in touch with their relatives and friends and the business contacts outside the area. “We cannot get through to Kargil”, only 60 km from here, he adds. Only 67 telephones installed at various residential premises and government offices in the town remain functional. Wahid complains of “extra-billing” due to the faulty system. He had to pay Rs 35,000 extra for the faulty system. “There is a loss of Rs 19 per minute, due to the faulty system, and that is why the extra payment of Rs 35,000 has been charged”, said Wahid. The only hope for the residents to remain in touch with the outside world is the STD facility provided by the Army deployed in the town. According to Brig E.R. Williams, there are only six lines in the local exchange, out of which three are outgoing, two incoming and one the engineering line. That is why customers have to face difficulties in getting through the lines. To come to the rescue of the people in distress for want of communication with the outside world, a PCO has been set up by the Army in the township with the facility of a satellite services. While the Army has offered various other services like the modern system of education of computers, teaching of English, Hindi and Arabic with the help of voluntary teachers, free medical services to the needy in the inaccessible areas up-front, it has also come to their rescue in case of the telecommunications. Over 10,000 residents of the border town, having the distinction of being the second coldest place in the world after Siberia, are linked by radio, the only mass media that reaches the area in the high mountains. As they keep watch over the forthcoming Indo-Pak summit, radio is the only source of information and entertainment. Most of the residents here are unaware of the innumerable TV channels, for some of them have only access to the national channel of Doordarshan. Dish antennas are, however, installed at a couple of places, mainly a hotel, which remains the resting place for the tourists coming and going to the Ladakh region on the Srinagar-Leh highway passing through Zojila Pass. Most of the Shina-speaking residents are yet to watch the Shina language programmes, telecast on Kashmir channel from Srinagar Doordarshan. Newspapers are a rare commodity in the area. Occasionally, vernaculars from Srinagar, including a daily and a weekly are brought by buses from Srinagar. That too once or twice a week, according to the locals. |
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