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Tuesday,
April 2, 2002, Chandigarh, India  
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9 ultras,
1 NC man killed in J-K
Farooq
unhappy with Centre over J-K policy
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More paramilitary forces for J&K Kashmir
BJP leader quits Student
injured in school firing
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9
ultras, 1 NC man killed in J-K Srinagar, April 1 Unidentified militants shot dead an activist of the ruling National Conference, Ghulam Mohiuddin Dar, in the Kreeri area of Barmulla district last evening. Three militants of the Lashkar-e-Toiba outfit were killed in an encounter with the security forces at Babagund near Pattan in Baramulla district yesterday. Two AK rifles and a pistol were seized from the slain militants, a police spokesman stated here this evening. Two foreign militants were killed in an encounter with the security forces at Damhal Hanjipora in Anantnag district of south Kashmir yesterday. They were identified as Hamzullah Bhai and Zahid Bhai, both residents of Pakistan. A civilian was also injured in the exchange of fire between the militants and the security forces, the police here said. Two AK rifles, four magazines, 20 rounds, one pistol, one magazine, two pistol rounds, a wireless set and two pouches were seized from the site of the encounter. Two local militants of the Hizbul Mujahideen were killed in an encounter with the Army at Parwa forests in Kokernag area of Anantnag district yesterday. They were identified as Riyaz Ahmad Padroo, alias Ishtiyaq, and Khalid, alias Sher Dil. Two AK rifles, four magazines, 28 rounds and one UBGL were seized from the slain militant. An Army jawan was injured in the incident. The Army and SOG of the Jammu and Kashmir police killed a militant, Ghulam Nabi Wani, of the Harkat-ul-Jehadi Islami outfit near the bus stand, Kapran, Dooru in Anantnag district yesterday. Two AK rifles, 47 rounds and three hand grenades were seized from the site of the encounter, the police here said. Unidentified militants shot dead Sonaullah Mir, a teacher in the Handwara area of Kupwara district in north Kashmir last night. His son, Abdul Wahid Mir was injured in the incident. The police found the body of a militant near Khadinyar in Baramulla district, after he had been killed in an encounter with the security forces some days ago. |
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Farooq unhappy with Centre over J-K policy Jammu, April 1 Sources say that three main factors led to Dr Abdullah giving vent to his feelings. First, he has been quite unhappy over the result, or lack of it, from the military build-up on the border ordered by the Government of India. On the basis of state government reports, the Chief Minister asserted that deployment of additional troops on the LOC had not resulted in any check on the rate of ingress from across the border. He has reports which say that despite the military build-up, militants have been sneaking into Jammu and Kashmir from across Pakistan. In this connection his worry, as he spelt out in the House, stems from reports that battle-hardened guerrillas from Afghanistan, who had crossed over to Pakistan and occupied Kashmir, were planning to sneak into Jammu and Kashmir. Dr Abdullah knows that after the snow melted on the border routes infiltration could become an easy affair. He knows that after the troops were withdrawn from within the state to be deployed on the border, the Centre refused to accept the demand for sending over 50 companies of paramilitary forces. It is in this context that Dr Abdullah named several members in whose constituencies grey areas had developed after the security pickets were removed. The Chief Minister aired his differences when he told the Assembly here today that his demand for additional forces was not conceded by the Centre. If more than 63 companies of troops had been withdrawn from within the state for deployment on the border not more than 12 companies of paramilitary forces were sent to the state. Hence, the gap between the withdrawal and the deployment. Secondly, the Chief Minister has been peeved over continued dilly dallying tactics adopted by the Centre in providing financial support to the state’s budgetary proposals. He has raised the issue of delay in the finalisation of the plan allocations with men who matter in Delhi but not succeeded in moving the files speedily. He has expected a special fiscal package from the Centre in view of the disturbing security situation. But it has not been made available. Thirdly, the Chief Minister’s irritation against the Centre is his inability to see his dream of becoming the President or the Vice-President of the country getting fulfilled. Informed sources say that the Vajpayee-led government plans to taking the Congress into confidence in the election of the president and the Vice-President and the name of Dr Abdullah does not fit in this scheme. No doubt he has been able to carry on smoothly, notwithstanding occasional misgivings with the Prime Minister, the Union Home Minister and the Defence Minister, he has felt embarrassed by the campaign a major section in the state unit of the BJP has launched against him. Only yesterday the President of the state unit of the BJP, Mr D.K. Kotyal, blamed the NC for “terrorising the minorities in the state.” He also demanded imposition of Central rule to enable the Centre to formulate a new policy on tackling militancy. Since the Assembly poll is round the corner, the Chief Minister is aware of his limitations in keeping his alliance with the BJP intact. He is said to be trying to build up anti-BJP sentiments which may suit his party in the next poll. Consequently, he is looking for an appropriate time for snapping ties with the BJP. Even if he opts to retain the ties, he may not like to play second fiddle to the BJP policies when he and his partymen go the people for support in the poll. It is in this connection that he would like to keep the option open for reviving ties with the Congress. And a senior Congress leader, Mr Kamal Nath, is already on the job of bringing Dr Abdullah out of the fold of the BJP. And appointment of Mr Ghulam Nabi Azad as PCC President may make Mr Kamal Nath’s job easier as Mr Azad happens to be a friend of the Chief Minister. “If we go, you will also be no more,” the Chief Minister told BJP members in the Assembly. |
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Bandh hits
life
in Jammu
Jammu, April 1 The bandh call was given to register a protest against the terrorist strike near the Raghunath temple and against the sacrilege of the temple. The priests of the temple today performed a yagna and held prayers for peace to the souls of people who had been killed by militants and for peace in the state. Several ministers, bureaucrats and police officers joined the prayers. Roads wore a deserted look with passenger transport services remaining suspended and all business establishments closed. The government had ordered closure of educational institutions in Jammu for a day as part of precautionary measures. Examinations slated for today were also postponed. Attendance in government offices and banks were thin as the employees could not reach in the absence of the transport services. While yesterday protesters disrupted passenger transport services on the Jammu-Srinagar highway near Udhampur the plan for stopping the transport services to Srinagar was foiled by the police. Heavy deployment of security forces had been made at focal points on the highway from Jammu to Udhampur, preventing protesters from raising road blocks or staging dharnas on the highway. However, transport services on inter-district routes were partially affected. At a couple of places in Jammu, Udhampur and Kathua, small groups of demonstrators, protesting against the Raghunath temple incident, shouted anti-Pakistan slogans. Meanwhile, the BJP and the VHP leaders thanked the people of Jammu for having responded to their bandh call. They said that the National Conference government had failed to protect the lives and property of the civilians.  |
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More paramilitary forces for J&K Jammu, April 1 It was learnt that the Union Minister for Food Processing, Prof Chaman Lal Gupta, played a key role in motivating the Centre to sanction additional companies of the paramilitary forces to tackle militant-related activities which had witnessed a further step-up in recent days. Sources said the Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee, had directed Professor Gupta to get in touch with the Governor and the Chief Minister to find out what the state government wanted for strengthening the security cover in sensitive areas. Professor Gupta met Mr G.C. Saxena and Dr Farooq Abdullah yesterday and was apprised of the limitations the government had in strengthening the security cover around vital installations and religious places because of the paucity of forces. The Chief Minister had informed Professor Gupta that wherever the troops had been withdrawn for deployment on the border, militants had re-established their bases and struck with vengeance. He then informed the Prime Minister about the assessment of the situation and the need for deployment of additional forces in areas left vacant by the withdrawal of the troops. |
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Kashmir BJP leader quits Srinagar, April 1 “I have resigned from the BJP as killings of the Muslims in Gujarat was going on and no action had been taken against Bajrang Dal founder and BJP MP Vinay Katiyar for his remarks on Prophet Mohammad’s relic at the Hazratbal shrine,’’ Mr Kabuli said here this evening. The former MP said he had faxed his resignation to Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee today. “I have informed Mr Vajpayee the reasons for resigning from the party’s basic membership in my resignation letter.’’ Mr Kabuli said he had written a letter to Mr Vajpayee, requesting him to take action against Mr Katiyar for hurting the sentiments of Muslims. “I had demanded immediate and stern action against Mr Katiyar...But there is no reply from Mr Vajpayee till date. This forced me to resign from the party which is least bothered about the minorities,’’ he said. Mr Kabuli said another reason for taking the step was that anti-Muslim riots continued in Gujarat where the BJP is in power. The disgruntled BJP leader had dashed the two-page letter to Mr Vajpayee on March 21.
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Student injured in school firing Srinagar, April 1 Official sources said the gunmen fired at the students from a pistol injuring a student. He was admitted to a local hospital. The sources said students scurried for safety as the gunshots whizzed past. Normalcy returned in the school after about two hours, it added. The police said a case had been registered and further investigations were on.
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