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Friday,
May 31, 2002, Chandigarh, India  
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1,000
militants ready to cross over LoC: Army Farooq
sees war clouds
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Where
adults fear, children dare No leave
for J & K doctors
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1,000 militants ready to cross over LoC: Army Srinagar, May 30 ‘’About 1,000 militants, mostly foreigners, have been brought near the Line of Control (LoC) to push them into our side anytime now,’’ Lt Gen V.G. Patankar told newspersons at 15 Corps headquarters. According to information received, about 3,000 to 5,000 youths were being trained in terrorist activities in camps in Pakistan- occupied Kashmir and about a 1,000 were waiting near the LoC to infiltrate, he said. “We have taken all necessary measures to foil any infiltration attempt. But because of the difficult terrain it is not possible to plug all the infiltration routes,’’ the General Officer Commanding, 15 Corps, said. ‘’There remains the possibility that militants in the group of two to four can sneak into our territory through nullahs where it is difficult to keep a vigil,’’ he added. He said the troops on the border were ready to meet any challenge from the other side. ‘’We assure people of our country that they will find us always in a position of readiness to give the enemy a befitting reply.’’ Lt Gen Patankar said there were only two reasons behind Pakistani shelling, mostly targeting civilian population, on the Indian territory. The main reason was to provide cover to militants to infiltrate into this side. Another aim was to demoralise the civilian population and force them to leave their homes, he said. ‘’It is the civilians who suffered more casualties in Pak shelling than security forces.’’ ‘’Our troops are effectively retaliating to Pak shelling in every sector. We have succeeded in eliminating a number of infiltrators in the recent past.’’ ‘’But our targets always remain Pak security installations and bunkers while troops from across the border always try to hit civilians,’’ he said. He said there were reports about shelling by Pakistan troops in almost all the sectors in the northern area during the past 24 hours. However, the level of shelling was comparatively very low and ‘’we did not suffer any casualty or damage to property’’, he said. About the possibility of war, Lt Gen Patankar said: ‘’We are facing the proxy war for the past 12 years in Jammu and Kashmir.’’
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Farooq sees
war clouds Jammu, May 30 Dr Abdullah flew from Srinagar today to the border town of Poonch to assess the damage caused by the Pakistani shelling in which several civilians had been killed and more than 20 wounded last night. He said he was shocked to see the miseries and death caused by the Pakistani troops. The Chief Minister said that it was unfortunate that the Pakistan President did not match his words with his deeds and added that if the cross-border terrorism continued to receive support from Pakistan war would be imminent. He said if Gen. Musharraf wanted peace with India he should stop aiding cross-border terrorism. Dr Abdullah expressed his dismay over poor response by the Pak-military ruler to the international pressure. He said that if Islamabad paid no heed to the advice being given by the USA and the British leaders “there is nothing left for us except to go to war against Pakistan.” Accompanied by his son, Mr Omar Abdullah, Union Minister of State for External Affairs, his Principal Adviser, Mr Ashok Jaitly, and the Director General Police, Mr
A. K. Suri, the Chief Minister suggested to the district administration to assist the civilians in digging trenches which could ensure their safety in case of fresh mortar shelling form Pakistan. |
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Where adults fear, children dare Srinagar, May 30 The tour which began on May 18 was undertaken by the Army under Operation Maitree to generate awareness among children from northern parts of the country about the Kashmiri culture, customs and traditions and foster everlasting bonds of friendship with their counterparts in the valley with an aim to create a proverbial bridge from the Ganga to Jhelum. For Aroma Ghotra, one among seven students from Ambala in Haryana, it was courage and curiosity to visit the beautiful Kashmir valley during the summer vacations. “Everybody asked us why we chose to visit Kashmir amid reports of tension within and along the borders”, said Aroma. She adds that it was courage and curiosity that brought her and her schoolmates to undertake a trip to the valley. Her parents did not hesitate to send her to the trouble-torn valley but her grandparents had many doubts over the situation prevailing in the valley and were sceptical about the safe return of the children. Aroma and Mandeep held that students here were very talented but needed a conducive and tension-free atmosphere to continue their studies. The group visited many areas along the LoC in north Kashmir from Tangdhar — Machil- Shamshanbari to the Gulmarg areas. They, however, regretted that their visit to tourist spots like Pahalgam in south Kashmir could not be undertaken. Sumanth Arora, another student from Meerut in Uttar Pradesh, had similar feelings. She had convinced her parents and made it to the visit to Kashmir. Many students had cancelled their visits and others had to be goaded to undertake the trip. “Today we are going back from the valley with cherished memories…”, said Aroma. She expressed the hope that such trips were undertaken more frequently in future also. She also lauded the role of the soldiers who “sacrificed their today for our better tomorrow”. The students met senior Army officers at the Srinagar-based 15 Corps headquarters of the Army before their return. Addressing the students on the occasion, Lt Gen V.G. Patankar, GOC, 15 Corps, hoped that bonds of friendship between the visiting students and those with whom they interacted in Kashmir would be further strengthened in future. He asked the students to form everlasting bonds of friendship so that together they achieved glory for the country. He held that the visit had created new ties among the visiting and some of the Kashmiri students who joined the group during the visit. In this excursion 27 children, including 18 boys and nine girls, accompanied by two teachers from various schools in Meerut, Yamunanagar and Ambala came to the valley where they were joined by 11 boys from various schools in Kupwara district to form a cohesive group. The group then participated in cultural events at Drugmulla and Tangdhar, ventured out on picnics, went for sight seeing in Srinagar, Gulmarg and Tangdhar, had a camp-fire at Drugmulla, saw Army units and equipment during training and also visited a Kashmiri village to learn about the way of life in the valley. |
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No leave for
J & K doctors Jammu, May 30 Addressing the annual day function of Government Medical College here this afternoon, Jammu and Kashmir Minister for Health and Family Welfare Mian Altaf Ahmed said in view of the present situation on the borders thousands of people from the border villages have migrated to safer places in the hinterland. He informed that to cope with this situation, the district hospitals at Kathua, Poonch and Rajouri districts have been strengthened and adequate quantity of medicines have been provided to them. Mr Ahmed informed that special teams of doctors have been deployed to provide better medical facilities to the border migrants at their doorstep.
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