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Saturday,
May 25, 2002, Chandigarh, India  
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India may
shut Pak Embassy: Omar Army gears
up for ground operation ‘Nothing’
for common man in package |
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PM not
sincere, says Hurriyat chief Anti-India
slogans at Lone’s ceremony Declare
Pak terrorist state, says Panun Kashmir Eleven
killed in truck accident
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India may shut Pak Embassy: Omar
Srinagar, May 24 “I don’t think Pakistan is foolish enough to carry out nuclear attack against us. They know after that what serious problems they will have to undergo,” Mr Abdullah, who was here to attend the crucial unified command meeting chaired by Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee, told PTI here. “We have already assured the international community that we will not make the first use of nuclear weapons but that does not mean that we will not hit back if attacked,” he said. He said that Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf should take a look at the atlas and see for himself the size of his country as “compared with ours”. Asked whether this implied that the entire South Asian region was standing at a nuclear flashpoint, the minister said “this is where Musharraf has been able to gain points. If Pakistan had to use a nuclear weapon, then they could have used it during Kargil when their soldiers had to bite the dust at the hands of our troops”. Regretting the role of international community, Omar Abdullah said: “The world must not condone terrorism and effectively direct Pakistan to stop all kind of violence being perpetrated from its side in Jammu and Kashmir”. Asked about the diplomatic offensive launched by the world community to defuse the growing tension between India and Pakistan, he said: “We don’t need any sermon, it is to those sitting across the border that all the talking needs to be done”. He said President Musharraf was playing on both sides of the fence. “While he is aligning with world community in its fight against the Taliban on one hand, he supports militancy on the other hand in our state.” Stating that New Delhi was contemplating all moves within the diplomatic parametres, the Union Minister said “closing of Pakistan mission is also not ruled out”. Stating that the Pakistan High Commission was a supporter of overground separatist leaders of the state, he said “once it is shut, I wonder where these Hurriyat leaders will get their diktats from”. Asked whether India was also giving a serious thought to reviewing the Indus Water Treaty, he said “everything means everything including this treaty”. To a question as to how India could go back on an international treaty, he said: “Why is that the world always expects us to stick to a treaty. Pakistan has been violating every single treaty including the latest resolution 1373 passed by the United Nations after the September 11 attacks on the USA”. The treaty was signed in the fifties between India and Pakistan in which the World Bank acted as a guarantor. Under this treaty, India cannot store water of three rivers- Indus, Jhelum and Chenab- flowing through the state. Referring to the recent statement of President Musharraf, he said “as our Prime Minister has said that words should be matched with deeds. I want to draw attention that while he (Musharraf) talks of defusing the tension, his troops continue to shell the innocent villagers”. To a specific question as to how close both the countries were to war, he said: “We are weighing all options but let me assure you that India will go to the extreme only after exploring all diplomatic channels”.
PTI |
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Omar to take
over as NC chief on June 5 Srinagar, May 24 Asked whether he would resign from the Vajpayee Cabinet after assuming the post of the party President, he said, “It is too premature to say anything. Everything will be decided after I take over.’’ To a question whether he was the chief ministerial candidate of the party in the poll slated for later this year, he said, “It is too premature to say anything. ’’
PTI |
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Army gears up for ground operation
R S Pura (Jammu), May 24 “The digging work is on all along the Indo-Pak border for defensive purpose of setting up new positions,” Army officials told a visiting PTI correspondent during a tour of Line of Control (LoC) and international border (IB) here today. New bunkers, defence lines and trenches are coming up in order to save troops from the increased mortar shelling, rocket attacks and heavy firing on Indian positions all along the border, the officials said. “Not only did Pakistani troops target our border outposts (BoPs), bunkers, observation towers and listening posts (LPs), but also shelled civilian villages and destroyed them, the officials said. So far, 23 villages with a population of nearly 40,000, have been destroyed by Pakistani guns forcing people to shift to safer areas, they added. Troops, in war fatigue perform duty of patrolling along the border with Pakistan round the clock and have set up multiple nakas and ambushes for the infiltrating armed militants from across the line during night, the officials said. “We are combat ready along IB, LoC and await orders for war. Not only we will go for a war, but we will also win it,” the jawans at forward line said. “During retaliatory action, we respond to Pakistan with lethal fire and mortar assault until they escape to save their skins after much destruction to their positions,” the jawans said. “Although our troops did not target their civilian areas, they still continue to shell civilian areas on this side of the border to cause terror and kill villagers,” they said. So far, 19 civilians have been killed and 52 injured in Pak mortar shelling and heavy firing along the IB and LoC in the Jammu-Poonch sector. As many as 43,796 persons have migrated from IB and LoC to safer areas due to Pak shelling and firing since the Kaluchak terrorist strike. Meanwhile, the Pakistan army is continuing to strengthen its position along the LoC on a war-footing as additional troops and military hardwares have been rushed there amid reports that the Peshawar-based 11 Corps deployed on the frontiers bordering Afghanistan have moved up to the LoC. Security sources said personnel from the corps had been deployed in the entire stretch along the LoC bordering the Rajouri, Poonch and Uri sectors during the past fortnight. The deployment of the corps is expected to boost the firepower and reinforce the rank and file of the 10 Corps already deployed along the LoC. Meanwhile, movement of two tank regiments from the Gujranwala-based 30 Corps have been witnessed near the areas bordering Kathua and Hiranagar sectors in the Jammu region. Another report today said a tank regiment had been moved closer to the border in Tawi river island and the eastern bank of Chenab river.
PTI, UNI |
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‘Nothing’ for common man in package Jammu, May 24 The meeting lasted for about three and a half hours. Inside reports said the issue would be taken up at the next meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) in Delhi. The reports said the state team headed by the Chief Minister, Dr Farooq Abdullah, drew the attention of the Prime Minister, the Union Home Minister and the Defence Minister towards the infiltration. The Prime Minister adopted the role of a listener rather than a commentator and was said to have suggested that intelligence and security agencies should coordinate their efforts and share information promptly. It was also decided to raise the monthly emoluments of Special Police Officers (SPOs) from Rs 1,500 to Rs 2,500. In addition to this, it was decided to raise a separate battalion of SPOs whose track record in eliminating militants had been good so that with better weapons they could fight the militants on their own. Despite repeated suggestions by the Union Minister for Food Processing, Prof Chaman Lal Gupta, regarding the remuneration for members of the village defence committees, no final decision was taken on the matter. However, it was agreed to provide the members with sophisticated weapons. When the Chief Minister and other members of the committee pressed for sending additional companies of paramilitary forces for taking care of grey areas, it was decided to forward this demand to the CCS. A cross-section of people, including traders, said: “If the Prime Minister is disappointed by Gen Pervez Musharraf on the plea that he has not kept his word, people of Jammu and Kashmir have been disappointed in Mr Vajpayee.” They said out of the Rs 6165-crore economic package, over Rs 5321 crore had been earmarked for extending the railway line from Srinagar to Baramula, on doubling the tracks from Jalandhar to Jammu and on the development of the Leh-Manali and Batote-Kishtwar-Anantnag road. “Except for the police there is nothing special for the common man in the package,” said a senior Congress leader, Mr Raman Bhalla. He said more than one lakh migrants had expected the Prime Minister to announce a rehabilitation programme for them. The government had expected the Prime Minister to waive the Central loan on which the state had to pay over Rs 400 crore as annual interest. Except for the sanction for raising two more battalions of the police, there was no mention about any package on tackling unemployment. The separatist camp has already rejected the package. Prof Abdul Gani Bhat, Chairman of the Hurriyat Conference, said: “We do not want economic doles but permanent settlement of the Kashmir issue.” |
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PM not sincere, says Hurriyat chief Srinagar, May 24 The APHC Chairman, Abdul Ghani Bhat, held that the Prime Minister was not sincere in his approach while renewing the offer for talks. It was in reply to a question that the Prime Minister extended the offer for talks, Mr Bhat said. Mr Vajpayee during his press conference at the end of his three-day visit to Jammu and Kashmir yesterday while renewing the offer for talks to the Hurriyat Conference held that the Centre’s interlocutor, Mr K.C. Pant had already extended his invitation to Hurriyat leaders last summer. “Unless Pakistan is involved in any talks to resolve Kashmir issue, nothing is going to change”, Mr Bhat said, reiterating the APHC stand on the tripartite talks. The APHC Chairman said it was ready for talks but on the condition of the involvement of Pakistan. “We can talk to New Delhi only if that is followed by talks with Pak leadership”, the Hurriyat leaders maintain. The Hurriyat Conference rejected the invitation of the Centre’s interlocutor, Mr K.C. Pant for talks last year, while many other leaders like Shabir Ahmad Shah and former Chief Minister, G.M. Shah, apart from the mainstream political leaders and social organisations had meetings with Mr Pant. The Jamaat-e-Islami leader and former Chairman of the Hurriyat Conference, Syed Ali Shah Geelani while rejecting the offer for talks said this would lead to nowhere. He said he favoured talks with the Centre, but the importance of the basic issue pending for the past 54 years had to be kept in mind. |
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Anti-India slogans at Lone’s ceremony
Srinagar, May 24 Top Hurriyat leaders, including Abdul Gani Bhat and Syed Ali Shah Geelani, attended the “chharum”, fourth day ceremony of Lone who was killed by two unidentified gunmen at the Idgah grounds on May 21. Anti-India slogans were raised at the ceremony. A public condolence meeting, addressed by various separatist leaders, was also held at Lone’s Rawalpora residence in the outskirts of Srinagar, which was attended by thousands of people. Calling for unity among the rank and file of separatist organisations, fire-brand Jamaat-e-Islami leader Geelani said “Peace will return to Jammu and Kashmir only by resolving the long standing dispute’’ on the state.
PTI |
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Declare
Pak terrorist state, says Panun Kashmir Jammu, May 24 At a meeting of senior leaders of the organisation, which was presided over by Dr Ajay Chrungoo, chairman, here today a resolution was adopted urging the Government of India to declare Pakistan a terrorist state for aiding and encouraging crossborder terrorism. The resolution said it was unfortunate that most favoured nation status granted to Pakistan had not been withdrawn so far despite the Government of India’s claim that Islamabad was the epicenter of international terrorism. Dr Chrungoo said expulsion of the Pakistan High Commissioner, reducing the embassy staff in Islamabad and other diplomatic measures should have succeeded declaration of Pakistan a terrorist state. He said “We all expected the Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee, to declare Pakistan a terrorist state while being on the soil of Jammu and Kashmir.” He said it was funny that India expected other countries to do for her what Delhi should have done for itself. Dr Chrungoo said even after series of massacres including the terrorist strike on the Parliament, Jammu and Kashmir Assembly and the Kaluchak Army camp, the Government of India had shown itself as a wavering agency with no firm policy to tackle the menace of terrorism. He appealed to the Prime Minister to review the situation and adopt firm measures as simple war cries were not going to help. |
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Eleven killed in truck accident
Jammu, May 24 The accident occurred when the driver lost control of the vehicle while negotiating a curve, they said. The victims were mostly labourers engaged in road construction, the police said. Rescue teams were rushed to the area, it said, adding the injured had been admitted to hospital. The identity of the victims was yet to be ascertained.
PTI |
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Dodging
Pakistani mortar shelling and heavy firing, Indian soldiers dug new
positions along the Jammu-Poonch sector in preparation for ground
operation. “The digging work is on all along the Indo-Pak border for
defensive purpose of setting up new positions,” Army officials told a
visiting PTI correspondent during a tour of Line of Control and
international border here today.
In video: Shops remain closed and streets wore a deserted look in
response to a shutdown in protest against the killing of a moderate
separatist leader Abdul Gani Lone. (
