J A M M U   &   K A S H M I R

Army man killed, 2 hurt in Pak shelling
Jammu, June 30
One Army man was killed and two civilians were injured when Pak troops resorted to heavy shelling from across Samba and R.S. Pora sectors since late last evening. Official sources said one Army man succumbed to his wounds when he was hit by a mortar shell at Regalpur in Samba sector last night.

An Army jawan displays arms and ammunition recovered from Hizbul Mujahdeen militants in the Sabjian area of Poonch on Sunday.  — PTI

Militants ambush patrol, kill cop
Jammu, June 30
One policeman was killed and two others were wounded when a group of militants ambushed their patrol party in hill Shikari village of Mahore in Udhampur district today.

55 KAS officers promoted
Srinagar, June 30
Director Information Narinder Singh was among 55 KAS officers promoted by the Jammu and Kashmir Government, an official spokesman said.

Abolish Amarnath yatra fee: VHP
Jammu, June 30
The VHP and the Bajrang Dal today threatened to launch a country-wide agitation if registration fee on the Amarnath yatra was not abolished till the first week of July.

Army man killed, 2 hurt in Pak shelling
Tribune News Service and Agencies

Jammu, June 30
One Army man was killed and two civilians were injured when Pak troops resorted to heavy shelling from across Samba and R.S. Pora sectors since late last evening.

Official sources said one Army man succumbed to his wounds when he was hit by a mortar shell at Regalpur in Samba sector last night. The Pak troops fired between 40 and 50, 60 MM mortar shells from across Samba and R.S. Pora since last night in which two civilians were injured.

Indian troops retaliated with heavy-calibre weapon fire and mortar guns and damaged at least three Pak bunkers. The sources said seven Pak soldiers were wounded especially near the Patwal post.

The Pak troops also resorted to small arms firing in other areas but there was no loss of life on “our side”, the sources said.

Meanwhile, Brig Mahesh Eranna, heading the troops guarding the LoC in Mendhar, said there was no change in the “pattern of infiltration”. He said during the past one week, the Pak side made three infiltration bids. He said, “We retaliated and killed six infiltrators at two places within two days.”

He said if the rate of ingress had dropped it was because of better border management “by our boys”. He said the Pak agencies continued to aid infiltration.

The Brigadier said in recent months militants, operating in the depth areas of Poonch and Rajouri districts, were faced with shortage of arms, ammunition and explosives. He said to replenish their weapons, militants were being pushed into the state from across the LoC with heavy sacks of ammunition and explosives.

In support of this contention, he showed to visiting newsmen sacks of ammunition and high grade explosives which had been seized from the six slain infiltrators.

Meanwhile, militants kidnapped and later killed a youth in Doda district, while another youth sustained serious injuries in a landmine blast in the Samba area of Jammu district since yesterday, the sources said here today.

The sources said a group of militants swooped on Dudhra village in Doda district on the night of June 28 and kidnapped Rakesh Kumar from his house.

Family members of Rakesh Kumar tried to rescue him but were beaten by gunmen with their rifle butts.

The militants later took Rakesh Kumar to the outskirts of the village and shot him dead, the sources said, adding that his body was recovered yesterday.

In another incident, a youth identified as Pawan Kumar sustained serious injuries when he stepped over a landmine while working in a field at Sinki-Chapri village of Samba tehsil.

A four-year-old girl was killed when Pakistani troops opened heavy and unprovoked fire on the Joura Farm Border Out Post (BOP) and its adjoining areas along the international boundary in the Ranbir Singh Pora sector of the district late last night, the police said today.

The police said Pakistani troops opened sudden fire from heavy machine guns (HMGs) on the Joura Farm BOP and its adjoining areas along the international boundary around 3.55 am late last night and rained fire ceaselessly for 25 minutes killing Joura Bi (4) on the spot.

In retaliation Indian soldiers opened fire from similar calibre guns and the showdown lasted intermittently till this morning.

BARAMULA: A woman was injured and two houses were damaged when Pakistani troops resorted to unprovoked shelling in Keran, Karnah and Teetwal sectors in Jammu and Kashmir on Saturday evening.

Official sources said Pakistani troops fired mortar and artillery shells targeting civilian areas and defence installations in these sectors on Saturday evening.

Most of the shells fell in open fields without causing any damage. However, some shells fell at Kundi Gugral village causing injuries to a woman. Two shells also hit the houses of Bashir Ahmad and Qaiser Uddin causing damage. However, the occupants of these houses escaped unhurt as they had shifted to safer places.

Indian troops also retaliated and the exchange continued for about five hours, the sources said. Casualties suffered by Pakistani troops were not immediately known, they said.

Militants ambush patrol, kill cop
Tribune News Service

Jammu, June 30
One policeman was killed and two others were wounded when a group of militants ambushed their patrol party in hill Shikari village of Mahore in Udhampur district today.

According to the police, a police party comprising 25 jawans, launched search operations in and around Shikari village on a tipoff that a group of militants had established a hide-out there. As the policemen were nearing the spot they came under heavy fire in which one policeman was killed and two others were wounded. 

6 CPM leaders, 150 activists join CPI
Tribune News Service

Jammu, June 30
Six senior CPM leaders and about 150 party activists of the region today resigned and joined the CPI. Mr Kanwal Dev, Secretary of the CPI, welcomed the leaders.

In a signed statement issued here today, Mr Balkar Singh, CPM leader, Mr Rakesh Sharma, President of the state unit of the Democratic Federation of India, Dr Ghani Shayam Singh Charak, leader of the All-India Kisan Sabha, Mr Om Prakash, Secretary of the Democratic Youth Federation, Mr Mandev Singh, CPM member and Mr Balbir Singh, trade union leader, announced that they along with 150 activists resigned from the CPM and joined the CPI.

They said they had resigned from the CPM because of its secret alliances with reactionary forces failure to promote inner party democracy and on the plea that its leaders were taking individual decisions.

These leaders said by joining the CPI they would be able to join hands with secular and democratic forces for promoting peace and communal harmony in Jammu and Kashmir. They said “We are for peace and not for war against Pakistan. We believe firmly that free and fair Assembly poll would result in the settlement of the Kashmir problem.”

The CPI leader made it clear that they were totally opposed to the vivisection of Jammu and Kashmir on communal lines. It favoured devolution of more powers to each region in the state which would end regional discrimination.

Face-off between friends
Tribune News Service

Jammu, June 30
As members of the UN Peace-Keeping Force in Kuwait, Col S.K. Saini of India and Col Khalil Ahmed of Pakistan were friends. They would spend hours together, sharing jokes, food and their experiences during their two-year stay in Kuwait.

Each has kept picture of the other in his respective drawing room. And whenever anyone would enquire from Col Saini, “Who is this gentleman in the picture?” he would reply, “He is my friend from Pakistan.”

But within a span of six months the scene as well as the saga of friendship have changed. Col Saini and Col Ahmed are in an “eyeball-to-eyeball” confrontation on the LoC in Mendhar. While Col Ahmed guards the Janda post, his one-time friend, Col Saini looks after the Phagwari post.

“He is firing on me and I am firing on him,” said Col Saini, adding that “he is aiding infiltration and I am killing the infiltrators.”

“We can be friends again if Col Ahmed stops firing and shelling on our border villages and stops aiding cross-border terrorism,” said Col Saini who has not forgotten the days of friendship he spent with Col Ahmed.

In fact, the Partition has divided families, sisters from brothers, parents from their children, said a villager, Mr Talib Hussain, whose two sons were still in Pakistan since 1947. He said Col Saini and Col Ahmed had been friends for two years and again the wall of mistrust between “India and Pakistan has placed the two Army Colonels in the position of sworn enemies.”

Col Saini said ever since his posting to Mendhar he had not been in touch with Col Ahmed who was heading the unit of 815 Mujahide Battalion at Phagwari post across Poonch.”

He said, “I am sure Col Ahmed would be remembering me as I have been haunted, on many occasions, by the bond of sincere friendship, adding that, “duty is duty. The country’s interest comes first and friendship takes a back seat. “Col Saini was interacting with a group of newsmen.

55 KAS officers promoted

Srinagar, June 30
Director Information Narinder Singh was among 55 KAS officers promoted by the Jammu and Kashmir Government, an official spokesman said.

The spokesman said Narinder Singh and 19 other Kashmir Administrative Service (KAS) officers, including Kachoo I. Khan, Tashi Dorge, M.M. Handa, M.M. Khan, Shahid Iktikhar, Syed Ahmad Sheikh, Shiv S.D. Jamwal, S.S. Bhalla, D.K. Sharma, Saif-ud-din, N.A. Bhat, Farooq Ahmad, Syed Haq Nawaz, J.K. Sawheny, Vinod Koul, G.R. Bhagat, Gazzanfar Hussain, M.Y. Shoru and B.S. Jamwal were promoted to a special scale with an immediate effect. Majority officials were promoted on their proforma basis, the spokesman said.

He said the government had also promoted 33 KAS officers to selection grade with an immediate effect. UNI

Abolish Amarnath yatra fee: VHP

Jammu, June 30
The VHP and the Bajrang Dal today threatened to launch a country-wide agitation if registration fee on the Amarnath yatra was not abolished till the first week of July. “We will launch country-wide agitation in all district headquarters, lock all Jammu and Kashmir tourism offices and sit on dharna before the Rashtrapati Bhavan and other VIP places from middle of first week of July to press for abolition of registration fee on the Amarnath Yatra,” National Convenor VHP-Bajrang Dal, Surinder Jain, told reporters here.

Mr Jain said we would also send a batch of 51,000 Bajrang Dal activists from different parts of the country to Jammu and Kashmir to take part in the Amarnath yatra without any registration. He said the VHP would hold sants’s yatra in the state to organise Hindus in different places towards religious teachings from July end. PTI