J A M M U   &   K A S H M I R

BJP leaders blame rift on RSS
Jammu, July 12
Infighting in the state unit of the BJP has come in the open with leaders of various factions trading charges during their meetings with the party vice-president Mr Kailash Pati Mishra. Mr Mishra has been sent by the party president, Mr K. Jana Krishnamurthi, to resolve the issue.

7 Army men, 4 militants killed in valley
Srinagar, July 12
At least five persons — four militants and a woman — were killed in separate incidents in the valley since yesterday. Two militants were killed in an encounter with the Army at Rangwar forests in Kupwara district of North Kashmir yesterday. The police said Mohammad Akram Khan and his brother Liaqat Khan were locals.

Two culprits involved in the Cherar-e-Sharief blast, in which six women were killed and 75 others injured in June 2001, squat next to Kashmir DIG K. Rajindera and Budgam SSP Ashiq Bukhari. — Photo by Amin War

BJP leaders blame rift on RSS
Tribune News Service

Jammu, July 12
Infighting in the state unit of the BJP has come in the open with leaders of various factions trading charges during their meetings with the party vice-president Mr Kailash Pati Mishra. Mr Mishra has been sent by the party president, Mr K. Jana Krishnamurthi, to resolve the issue.

Informed sources said a majority of party leaders held the RSS responsible for the growing dissension in the BJP and in this connection senior RSS leader, Mr Indresh Kumar, was named by some BJP men while trying to explain to Mr Mishra the extent of damage he had caused to the unity in the organisation.

Mr Mishra was told in specific terms that the RSS had given patronage to Vaid Vishnu Dutt, MP, who had been encouraged to raise a banner of revolt against the group loyal to Prof Chaman Lal Gupta, Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation. Since the RSS and the group loyal to Vaid Vishnu Dutt had felt isolated by the growing influence of Prof Gupta on party workers, supporters and the fence-sitters among the electorate attempts were being made to weaken his hands.

The pro-Gupta group informed Mr Mishra that its rivals were trying to create hurdles in the holding of elections for the post of BJP president and other office-bearers because they were not sure of the victory of their candidates. The party high command was being forced to maintain the status quo when the present party chief, Mr D.K. Kotwal, had months go, completed his tenture.

Others conveyed to Mr Mishra in clear terms that Mr Kotwal had not been able to handle the organisational affairs and he was tempted to side with one group or the other simply to retain his key post as party president.

Two senior party leaders informed Mr Mishra that a couple of BJP MLAs had been receiving favours from the ruling National Conference and in return they were trying to weaken the organisation. These two MLAs were they alleged trying to bag the coveted post of the BJP president in Jammu and Kashmir.

However, the other side informed Mr Mishra that those loyal to Prof Gupta did not allow Mr Kotwal to function freely. At times his decisions were defied and they, on two occasions, went to the Press to criticise the decisions taken by Mr Kotwal as party president.

However, two party MLAs informed Mr Mishra that Mr Kotwal was forced by a couple of RSS leaders and pro-NC BJP MLAs to take strict action against some dedicated BJP leaders and workers without and fault.

Informed sources said Mr Mishra was so much confused with the plethora of charges and counter-charges that he had an hour-long meeting with BSP president, Sheikh Abdul Rehman, here today. Sheikh Rehman was an old Jana Sangh leader and had quit the party 28 years ago. The Sheikh said he had been invited by Mr Mishra as they were old friends and had worked together in the erstwhile Jana Sangh.

He evaded a direct reply when asked whether Mr Mishra had suggested to him to rejoin the BJP or whether he had broached the issue of an alliance between the BJP and the BSP in the state.

Mr Mishra’s two-day visit has been in the shape of a fact-finding committee. He will submit his report to the party chief, Mr K. Jana Krishnamurthi.

Already Mr Indresh Kumar has been transferred to Delhi as senior RSS leader and as such he will play a limited role in Jammu and Kashmir. This step has been welcomed by a majority of BJP leaders in Jammu.

Another step which the party high command is likely to take is to hold the party poll before the end of September and have an elected president as being demanded by most of the party functionaries.

Some of the BJP leaders urged Mr Mishra to force the dissidents to fall in line because infighting in the party would help the National Conference, the PDP or the Congress in the next Assembly poll.

7 Army men, 4 militants killed in valley
Tribune News Service and UNI

Srinagar, July 12
At least five persons — four militants and a woman — were killed in separate incidents in the valley since yesterday.

Two militants were killed in an encounter with the Army at Rangwar forests in Kupwara district of North Kashmir yesterday. The police said Mohammad Akram Khan and his brother Liaqat Khan were locals. Two AK rifles with eight magazines and 523 rounds, a wireless set, one UBGL, 15 hand grenades, 27 rifle grenades and 18 kg of RDX were recovered from the slain militants, the police said.

One foreign militant was killed in an encounter with the security forces at Batapora in Hayhama of Kupwara district. The police said the militant, identified as Abu Zakaria of Jamiat-ul-Mujahideen was killed by a search party. The encounter ensued when the militant opened fire on the search party. The security forces recovered one AK rifle with three magazines and 23 rounds, two hand grenades and two rifle grenades from the site of the encounter.

Another foreign militant was killed in an encounter with the security forces at Tanseera, in Beerua of Budgam district yesterday. Some arms and ammunition were recovered from the site of the encounter, a police spokesman said this evening.

One woman was killed while another woman was injured when the militants fired a rifle grenade in the interior of the Maisuma locality in the Lal Chowk area here last evening. The police said the woman later succumbed to her injuries at hospital. There was a protest bandh in the area today as shops and business establishments remained closed.

The bandh was also observed partly in Baramula and Sopore for the second consecutive day today in protest against the alleged molestation of two women by the security forces at Marabal village near Sopore yesterday.

Four soldiers were killed and nine injured in an explosion at Mushkoo valley in the Kargil sector on the intervening night of July 10 and July 11.

Reports received here today said a device, probably an unexploded shell of the undeclared war of 1999 between India and Pakistan, went of accidentally.

No further details were available.

An encounter took place between the security forces and the militants hiding in the woods of Tulail Gurez, 110 km from here, late last night.

Sources said in the clash which continued till this morning, two militants were killed.

Three Army personnel, including two junior officers, also lost their lives. The forest area had been sealed and massive hunt had been launched to nab the militants hiding in the woods.

At least five BSF jawans were injured when the militants hurled a hand grenade at their vehicle in Bandipora this morning.

However, a Jamait-ul-Mujahideen spokesperson claimed that six security personnel were killed in the blast.

JAMMU: At least nine persons, including seven militants, were killed in three separate incidents in this sector on Thursday.

According to Defence Ministry reports, two militants, including one who had launched an armed attack on an Army convoy at Banihal in which three Army jawans were killed, were killed by troops in an encounter near Banihal.

In another encounter in Doda, three hardcore militants were killed after an hour-long encounter. These operations were launched after the Army authorities received information about the rebel hideouts.

In the third incident, in the Manjakot area of Rajouri district, the troops were locked in a fierce encounter with a group of militants who had also planted an IED on the road near the place of encounter. 

Pandits to protest against Musharraf’s visit
M. L. Kak
Tribune News Service

Jammu, July 12
While the All State Kashmiri Pandit Conference (ASKPC) will hold demonstration in Delhi on the eve of General Musharraf’s arrival, the Peoples’ Initiative for Peace and Unity (PIPU), comprising a wing of Panun Kashmir, Jammu Joint Students Federation and the Ladakh Buddhist Association, has given a call for Jammu Bandh on July 14.

PIPU leaders, Dr Ajay Chrungoo, Mr Rajinder Jamwal, told newsmen here today that the plan of having a porous Into-Pakistan border and the proposal to reduce the number of troops may “dilute” Indian sovereignty over Jammu and Kashmir and leave people at the mercy of armed fundamentalists.

Dr Ajay Chrungoo said that the BJP-led NDA Government seems to have forgotten how the Lahore bus journey was reciprocated by the Kargil conflict. If the Prime Minister failed to see through the US gameplan the security of the country could be jeopardised.

PIPU made it clear that it was opposed to any step that would dilute India’s sovereignty over the state. The Government of India should make it clear at the outset of the summit that Kashmir was non-negotiable.

Dr Ajay Chrungoo and Mr Jamwal explained that the reorganisation of the state was the most viable solution. They said that Ladakh province should be given union territory status, Jammu be delinked from the Kashmir valley by granting it statehood and a homeland for the Kashmiri Hindus within the valley.

PIPU blamed certain vested interests for giving currency to the idea that if General Musharraf returned empty handed the Taliban would takeover Pakistan. Dr Chrungoo said such ideas were being deliberately dished out to influence Mr Vajpayee.

The All State Kashmiri Pandit Conference (ASKPC), while welcoming the summit, has demanded that Mr Vajpayee should insist on a discussion on the cross-border terrorism with General Musharraf. Mr A.N. Vaishnavi and Mr Hira Lal Chatha, President and Secretary of the ASKPC, respectively, told newsmen here today that activists of their organisation would hold a demonstration in New Delhi on the eve of General Musharraf’s visit to India to press for an end to cross-border terrorism.

Mr Vaishnavi said that there was no harm in holding the summit, but the Government of India should insist on seeing an end to infiltration and the gun culture in Jammu and Kashmir.

Mr Vaishnavi also demanded that a commission should be set up to probe into the circumstances that led to the exodus of over 3.50 lakh Pandits from the valley in 1990. He said the commission should be asked to fix responsibility.

The plan of the state government to carry Kashmiri migrants back to the valley in groups was preposterous. Mr Vaishnavi and Mr Chatha said that so long the gun culture and the tirade of the fundamentalists against secular forces did not end rehabilitating the migrants in clusters was a dangerous plan. “We will not accept it,” they said.

They also blamed the state government for ignoring the plight of the migrants. They berated the government for posting migrant employees to far-flung areas.

Meanwhile, the state unit of the BSP has urged Mr Vajpayee and General Musharraf to forget about Kashmir and smaller issues during the summit and focus on normalising relations.

Sheikh Abdul Rehman, president of the BSP, said that the summit could be a great success if the two sides agreed to forge an Indo-Pakistan confederation on Kashmir. This could remove the threat of nuclear devastation.

He said Pakistan should reciprocate confidence building measures initiated by the Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee. He said that instead of harping on Kashmir the summit should discuss broader issues that could ensure peace in the Indian subcontinent.