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Saturday,
March 9, 2002, Chandigarh, India  
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Commission
to probe blood-sample case Jaish-e-Mohammad
again active in Pak |
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Farooq
wary of US intentions Qayoom:
442 cr spent on displaced families Army training capsule
ends
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Commission to probe
blood-sample case Jammu, March 8 The commission will be headed by Justice G.A. Kuchai (retd) who will be asked to submit his report within two months. Making a suo motu statement on the floor of the Assembly here today, the Chief Minister, Dr Farooq Abdullah, said fresh blood samples would be collected from the kin of those killed under the supervision of the Inspector-General of Police, Jammu, and doctors from the Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences, Soura, Srinagar. Dr Abdullah said the samples would be sent to DNA centres in Kolkata and Hyderabad. Apologising to the House and the people of the state for the way the government had been kept in the dark, he said the truth regarding the sending of spurious blood samples to DNA centres surfaced after a newspaper published reports on the basis of findings of the DNA centres in Hyderabad and Kolkata. Earlier, a report from the Hyderabad DNA centre had revealed that the blood samples of women relations of those killed did not match with the deceased and the samples were of men. The Chief Minister said the government, convinced that there was same foul play, had decided to hold a probe into the entire gamut of the case by a retired high court judge. He said if the commission found officials associated with the collection of the blood samples guilty they would be dismissed from government service. It may be recalled that in March, 2000, five persons were killed in operations launched by the security forces and they were allegedly accused of being involved in the carnage at Chattisinghpora village where 36 Sikhs were killed. People in Anantnag district had staged protest demonstrations alleging that the five youths killed were not militants. On the instructions of the government, the five bodies were exhumed and blood samples collected. The samples from their female relations were also collected and sent to the DNA centres in Hyderabad and Kolkata. Earlier, some Opposition members, including Mr Lal Singh, Mr Ashok Sharma, Mr Balbir Singh and Mr Somnath, staged a walkout from the House in protest against the failure of the government to give detailed replies to their questions. They staged another walkout when the Deputy Speaker disallowed them from raising further supplementaries. To a question posed by Sheikh Abdul Rehman of the BSP, the Home Minister, Mr Najib Sohrawardhy, said the commission set up to probe the communal riots in Jammu on January 13, 1989, had blamed the administration and the law and order agency for it. The commission had recommended Rs 1 lakh to the kin of those killed in the riots and full compensation to those whose property had been damaged and suffered heavy losses. It had also recommended some compensation to those injured in the riots. During question hour, the Industries Minister, Dr Mustafa Kamal, said after the terrorist strikes on key installations in the USA, the export of the Kashmiri carpet had registered a big slump. He said after the September 11 terrorist strikes, the export earnings from carpet, which had touched Rs 449 crore in 2001, had declined by 50 to 60 per cent. He, however, said the setback was temporary. The Chief Minister, while intervening, asked the minister, who happens to be his brother, to disclose whether steps were being taken to check the sale of substandard carpets and shawls from other areas in the name of Kashmiri products. At this juncture, the Law Minister, Mr Mushtaq Ahmed Lone, informed the House that the exercise on adopting a suitable legislation was on to prevent imitations to be sold as genuine handicraft items from Kashmir. |
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Jaish-e-Mohammad again active in Pak Jammu, March 8 Reports from across the border have revealed that leaders of the Jaish-e-Mohammad have been again active in recruitment drive and in during the past two months several hundred Pakistani youths have been enrolled as activists of the outfit. Intellectuals, academics, engineer and other categories of educated youths have been enrolled as members of the organisation and their task would be to inculcate anti-India and anti-Kafir sentiments among the activists who have been kept in the category of “fighters.” The outfit has also established its bases and training camps in several areas of Pakistan and occupied Kashmir. Conversation between two senior activists of the Jaish-e-Mohammad, intercepted by the Indian security agencies, has revealed that the outfit had regained control in Pakistan. The intercepted conversation on phone and wireless was between one Wakas and Momin. It read: Wakas: “Now we have established our control there (Pak/PoK)”. Momin: “Yes I have heard.” Wakas: “Things are now working fine there. Initially there were problems you will soon start hearing good news one after the other.” The conversation between two activists belonging to Hizbul Mujahideen ran as follows. Kasul: “Saifulla in Pakistani has told me that we will be able to meet each other after three months. Khalid: “When will you return from PoK?” Kasul: “I spoke to the Zimmedar but he has told me to go later. I will to Madrasas and convey your good wishes.” “How is the situation in your madrasas?” “It is very good. Number of colleagues are about to complete the training.” This, according to senior officers in the state, indicates that the training camps continue to train militants in guerrilla warfare. |
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Farooq wary of US intentions
Jammu, March 8 “There cannot be different yardsticks on terrorism which has engulfed almost all countries in the world”, he said last evening. Addressing the Fourth Amar Kapoor Memorial Lecture on “Afghanistan to Kashmir” here, he said “we as a country have been trying to project our case for the past several decades but the big powers like the USA and European countries never bothered to hear us and understand the dangerous consequences of it. “It was only the September 11 incident which shook the big powers out of deep slumber and understand the gravity of the situation.” Accusing the USA of not being sincere in the Palestinian issue, he said it could have been resolved long ago if Washington was interested to end the strife. “It is also not difficult for America to impose restrictions on Pakistan in order to contain terrorism in this region”, Dr Abdullah said. Terrorist training camps are operating on the Pakistani soil though they have changed their locations recently after the US attack on Afghanistan”, the Chief Minister said. On terrorism being linked with Islam, he said Muslims were not terrorists or supporters of the scourge. There had been several extremist groups among other religions which are propagating terrorism. Commenting on the militancy in Kashmir, he said it could be contained if Pakistan President Gen Pervez Musharraf was fair and true to his recent announcements. Dr Abdullah said it was essential to develop the country’s economy to counter terrorism. “At this crucial juncture when the nation is confronting communalism, it is the need of the hour to respect the religion of each community and live in peace, he said. Nagaland Governor and former Intelligence Bureau chief Shyamal Dutta in his keynote address said militancy could never be eliminated, it could only be contained. He referred to certain examples in different countries like Afghanistan, Palestine and also in the country’s North-East.
PTI |
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Qayoom: 442 cr spent on displaced families
Jammu, March 8 Of this, Rs 19.05 crore were spent on construction of one room tenements, Rs 333.45 crore provided as cash assistance, Rs 77 crore spent on their foodgrains and Rs 13.81 crore used as administrative cost, Revenue Minister Abdul Qayoom, told the legislative assembly in reply to a question of Sadiq Ali, here yesterday. He said a relief organisation was created for providing relief to the displaced families and the total number of such families registered were 33,948 till January this year. Qayoom said there were about 1735 Kashmiri pandit families and 6604 Sikh families among non-Muslim minorities still holding on in Kashmir valley and every possible step is being taken by the administration to make their lives safer and secure. The government intends to take measures for ensuring the safe and dignified return of this community back to where it belongs. He further added that the central government had approved the plan submitted for return of migrants to the valley with honour and dignity.
PTI |
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Army training capsule ends Jammu, March 8 A batch of 66 youths attended a week-long training in which Army imparted physical training which included 5 km run, push-ups sit ups, pull ups and ditch jumping. The youths were also coached by Army educational instructions in basic mathematics and science. |
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