 |
Monday,
March 25, 2002, Chandigarh, India  
|
J&K ultras trying to regroup
Sikhs seek quota
in J&K Assembly 5 IAS officers held
guilty of contempt |
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
8 Pak troops killed in border firing Flood-like
situation in Srinagar areas
|
|
J&K ultras trying to regroup Jammu, March 24 This has become evident from the messages which were intercepted by the security agencies in recent days and by the reports reaching here from across the border. A commander of Lashkar-e-Toiba based in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir was said to have sent a message to his field commanders in Kashmir stating “We have to change the present situation which has been continuing for sometime now. Mistakes committed by a few jehadis affect the spirit of jehad. We have to find out reasons for such mistakes.” The message also stated that “all colleagues in the valley should meet their commanders and accept their mistakes. They should accept that they have misused funds and ill-treated civilians.” He issued a clear direction asking activists of his outfit “to stop misusing funds and ill-treating civilians.” He also directed his field commanders to “treat fellow activists kindly.” Another message from a senior activist of the Hizbul Mujahideen to the Jehad Council across the border said “Hamare aadmi ney Delhi mein location deney sey inkar kar diya hai. Kya aap Bombay sey rupiya vasool kar saktey hain. Ham sey dariyafat karney key bagair aadmi aagey ravana nahin karna hai.” (Our man in Delhi has refused to give his location. Will you arrange money from Bombay? Do not send people forward without our approval). This indicates that the terrorist outfits plan to send militants to different areas in the country for carrying out acts of sabotage and subversion. State government functionaries apprehend bigger trouble in future if operations against militants within the state were not intensified and the troops did not succeed in checking infiltration from across the border. Addressing an Akali conference here today the Chief Minister, Dr Farooq Abdullah, referred to some of the dangers and said there was a possibility of Afghan rebels trying to cross into Kashmir. He said despite deployment of additional troops on the border infiltration continued. Dr Abdullah said Islamabad knew that Kashmir could not become part of Pakistan and so it would continue to create problems in “our state.” Senior functionaries of security agencies also feared that there could be a rise in the rate of ingress from Pakistan and PoK once the border routes were free from snow. It is in this connection that the state government has pleaded with the Centre to sanction the raising of two more battalions of the armed police so that additional security pickets could be set up in the sensitive areas and patrolling could be intensified in the border villages to stop infiltrators. |
|
Sikhs seek quota
in J&K Assembly Jammu, March 24 The demand was contained in a resolution adopted at a largely attended conference organised by the Shiromani Akali Dal at Digana, near here, today. The resolution said as problems of Sikhs remained unattended, their voice could be heard, so if the Sikhs got an entry into the state legislature under reserved category. The conference through another resolution called for the reservation of seats for the minority community in government services and educational institutions. Another resolution urged the state and the Central Governments to make arrangements for the repair and maintenance of gurdwaras in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and for regular visit of the Sikhs to these gurdwaras. They also sought payment of compensation to these refugees from Pakistan who had suffered since they landed in Jammu since 1947. The resolution also demanded grant of full citizenship rights to these refugees. Many leaders from Punjab, including Mr Gurcharan Singh Tohra and the AISSF President, Mr Harminder Singh Gill, blamed Mr Parkash Singh Badal, former Punjab Chief Minister, for having weakened the unity of the panth. Mr Gill said had Mr Badal listened to “our plea” for maintaining the unity of the panth the Akali government would have not faced a defeat. He claimed that the victory of the National Conference in the Jammu Lok Sabha seat recently was the result of the support of Sikhs to the ruling party and it was a befitting reply to the communal elements in the RSS. Prominent among those who participated in one-day’s Akali conference, held after a gap of 16 years, were Bhai Ranjit Singh, former Jathedar of Akal Takht, Mr S.S. Wazir, President, State Gurdwara Prabandhak Board, Mr Rangil Singh, a former minister, Mr Sukhdev Singh, President, Sarv Hind Shiromani Akali Dal and others. Mr Gurdev Singh Ishar, President, Shiromani Akali Dal, welcomed delegates and urged the State and the Central Governments to take steps for protecting the lives and property of Sikhs in the state. As usual the Chief Minister, Dr Farooq Abdullah, was a star attraction. Wearing a sports cap he spoke in Punjab much to the delight of the gathering. Dr Abdullah urged the people to maintain communal harmony. He said the state and the country were facing bigger challenges and if “we fight for mandir or masjid it will weaken us and strengthen our enemy.” The Chief Minister feared that following the melting of snow Afghan mujahideens may start infiltrating into the state and that is why “I have been urging the Centre to take steps to check infiltration.” The conference also adopted a resolution demanding the release of all those Sikhs who were languishing in different jails in the country since 1984. |
|
5 IAS officers held guilty of contempt Jammu, March 24 “There being a wilful disobedience on the part of the respondents, I find them guilty of contempt of orders ... and for that matter they are liable to be punished in accordance with the provisions of the Contempt of Court Act,” Mr Justice V K Jhanji said while passing the orders yesterday on a contempt petition filed by staff members of Gandhi Memorial College, Srinagar, who had migrated from Kashmir due to militancy. The staff and the management of the college had filed a writ petition that their salary be released on the pattern of migrant staff of Islamia College for Science and Commerce who also had migrated to Jammu and paid salary in terms of the government order dated March 14, 1990. The management of the Gandhi Memorial College had also submitted a bill for grant-in-aid for the payment of salary to the staff of the college who had migrated to Jammu on the plea that the migrant staff of Islamia College of Srinagar is paid salary directly by the government. Mr Justice Jhanji in his order said the case is a glaring example where respondents have created disparity and discrimination between the employees of the two colleges. The five officers held guilty include Additional Chief Secretary (Finance) Ajit Kumar, Additional Chief Secretary (Education), S S Kapoor Former Director (School Education), R K Goel, former Commissioner cum Secretary (Education department), Sushma Choudhary and Principal Secretary to Government (Education department), Vijay Bakaya.
PTI |
|
|
8 Pak troops killed in border firing Jammu, March 24 Highly-placed security sources said here this afternoon that Pakistani troops from the 10 Corps opened heavy mortar fire around 1.30 a.m. last night on forward Indian positions in Sunderbani, targetting ammunition dumps and watch-towers and continued to rain fire for the next 40 minutes. This invited retaliation from the Indian border guards who fired mortar shells from 81 mm guns. The fiery duel continued for more than one hour in which about six forward Pakistani bunkers and an ammunition dump were destroyed and four Pakistani troops killed, sources added. Plumes of smoke could be seen billowing out of the destroyed bunkers and the ammo dump and the fire spread out in the nearby Pakistani watch-towers, troops manning the forward positions reported.
UNI |
|
Flood-like
situation in Srinagar areas Srinagar, March 24 However, the 300-km-long Srinagar-Jammu national highway was open for traffic despite heavy rains. Most parts of the Srinagar city were under 1 to 2 ft of rain water making it impossible for the people to move because of total failure of drainage system. The Budshah Nagar Natipora, just a few kilometres from the civil secretariat, presented a flood-like situation today. People of the area alleged that even after light rains, the entire locality gets submerged as the drains constructed by the Block Development Officer, Srinagar, recently with the help of constituency fund of a local member of legislative assembly had collapsed as the material used was totally substandard.
UNI |
 |
| Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir | Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs | Nation | Editorial | | Business | Sport | World | Mailbag | In Spotlight | Chandigarh Tribune | Ludhiana Tribune 50 years of Independence | Tercentenary Celebrations | | 122 Years of Trust | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | Suggestion | E-mail | |
