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Saturday,
October 26, 2002, Chandigarh, India  
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NC feelers to fledglings
Situation does not warrant
de-escalation: experts |
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Drought loss in Doda, Kishtwar massive Srinagar, October 25 The Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) celebrated its 41st Raising Day yesterday. On this occasion, 8th Battalion deployed on the Srinagar-Zojila axis on the Srinagar-Leh highway held a function at its TAC headquarters at Gund. Former minister and MLA of Kangan, Mian Altaf Ahmad and other prominent persons and schoolchildren of the area participated in the function. Operation Sadbhavana alive and kicking
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NC feelers to fledglings Srinagar, October 25 It is learnt that certain lieutenants of Dr Abdullah and his son, Mr Omar Abdullah, who was recently nominated President of the NC, met newly elected MLAs and sought their support to pave way for return of the Abdullah dynasty to power. However, there are indications that hardly any one of them obliged the emissaries. The Abdullah dynasty has for the first time been routed out of the state Assembly in the past 27 years with the defeat of Mr Omar Abdullah and his uncle Dr Kamal Mustafa, younger brother of Dr Farooq Abdullah. After lying low for a couple of days after the election results came in, it is learnt that the NC is making efforts to return to power by enlisting the support of Independents. Although the NC has lost power, it has emerged as the single largest party with 28 seats. An Independent, Mr Shahjahan Dar, recently joined the NC to increase its strength to 29 in the House of 87. It is learnt that the NC emissaries tried in vain to enlist the support of the four MLAs of the Panthers Party, the lone legislator of the BSP and some Independents of Jammu and the Kashmir valley. However, there is reluctance on the part of the legislators, particularly from the valley, in indulging in horse trade because of the mood of the people, which is against the NC. Mr Dar’s house was ransacked by a irate mob when he joined the NC. Mr Bhim Singh, President of the Panthers Party, has held a meeting with Dr Abdullah. Political circles are attaching significance to the meeting which Mr Muzaffar Beg, newly elected MLA of the PDP has held with Dr Abdullah. However, the latter has described it as a courtesy call. Sources said yesterday’s meeting of senior leaders of the NC decided that the party should not stop its efforts to form government when small parties like the Panthers Party with only four MLAs is also aspiring for chief ministership. Following the rout of the NC, many senior leaders of the party have begun to blame Dr Abdullah. They point out that his endeavour to install his son, Mr Omar Abdullah, as Chief Minister had led to the humiliating defeat of certain stalwarts. Mr Omar Abdullah, with little experience of the complex politics in the state, denied the party ticket to certain senior partymen. Dr Abdullah has now reversed his decision on retiring from state politics and announced that the political situation does not warrant him to do so. The Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee, has yet to decide on the resignation of Mr Omar Abdullah from the Union Ministry. |
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Top Hizb ultra among 6 killed Srinagar, October 25 A Border Security Force (BSF) spokesman said troops of the 9th Battalion, acting on specific information, cordoned off Batmaran village in south Kashmir district of Pulwama last evening to arrest the militants hiding there. He said when the troops led by commandant B.S. Kasana were sealing the area, they were fired upon by the militants hiding in a house. The troops tightened the cordon around the house and asked the holed-up militants to surrender, who continued to fire with automatic weapons and hurled grenades on them. The exchange continued throughout the night. However, in the morning, some civilians were sent inside the house to persuade the militants to surrender. Later, a militant, who was shifting from one house to another, was killed this morning around 8 a.m. He said the house of one Abdul Gani Sheikh was also gutted in the shoot-out. He said one AK rifle, six magazines and 78 rounds were seized from the slain militant, who was identified as Abdul Qayoum Sheikh, a self-styled district commander of HM. An
official spokesman said an encounter took place between a joint search
party of the BSF and Special Operation Group (SOG) of the Jammu and
Kashmir police at Chanchiwari Shopian in south Kashmir last night
during which two militants were killed. The encounter ensued after the joint search party was about to storm a particular house. Two houses were destroyed in the exchange of fire, he added. Some arms and ammunition were seized from the slain militants identified as Alyas Kashmiri, alias Saifullah, and Mushtaq Ahmad Lone. He said the police today averted a major tragedy when they detected and defused a powerful live grenade near Firdous cinema hall in the downtown city this morning. He said militants shot dead a Junior Commissioned Officer (JCO) at Chatabal in the downtown city last evening. One civilian was also injured in the shoot-out, he said. Militants shot dead a retired teacher Mohammad Anwar Shah at Sonargund in the frontier district of Kupwara last night, he added. The spokesman said security forces gunned down a militant during an encounter at Kharpora Kokernag village in south Kashmir district of Anantnag last night. One AK rifle, four magazines, 20 rounds and a grenade were seized from the slain militant. The
BSF arrested a militant Abdul Gani Pal and seized from him to AK
rifles, two magazines, two grenades and 55 rounds at Chadora in the
central Kashmir district of Badgam last night. UNI |
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Situation does not warrant
de-escalation: experts Jammu, October 25 Defence Ministry sources said there was no immediate possibility of de-escalation of tension on the LoC and the border in the Jammu sector where additional troops were deployed nine months ago with military build-up on either side of the border would continue to stay put. The sources said though there was relative calm on the border except that the Pakistani troops continued to resort to sporadic firing and shelling, the situation did not warrant total de-escalation. The sources did not fear war to be thrust on India by Pakistan and it was under this possibility that additional troops sent to the state for any eventuality on the border and stationed in interior areas were to be withdrawn in phases. To a question the sources said that removal of mines from the border belts had been deferred because reports indicated that the Pakistani agencies were engaged in pushing groups of militants into Jammu and Kashmir. They said that so long Islamabad did not stop encouraging terrorism, chances of removal of mines and de-escalation were remote. A report from various segments of the border in Jammu sector revealed that the fencing work under phase III in Samba, R.S. Pora and Akhnoor belts had not been started. The work was scheduled to begin somewhere in June-July. Under this phase, 13 km border stretch had to be fenced. So far 40 km border belt in R.S.Pora, Samba and Akhnoor sectors have been fenced and floodlights installed there. According to BSF sources, on the completion of the third phase, 40 km out of 187 km of the border stretch would be fenced. BSF sources denied reports that the delay in starting phase III fencing was due to border belt having been mined. They said fencing was to be done in interior areas whereas the mined areas were ahead of the fencing alignment. The sources confirmed that after the fencing infiltration and smuggling of arms from across the border had registered an all-time low. The deadline for fencing the 187 km border is 2003 but the progress made in fencing the 23 km stretch in the past one year shows the completion of the project may be delayed if more funds and manpower were not made available. |
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BSF jawan killed in Pak shelling Srinagar, October 25 Sources said a BSF jawan was killed and two others seriously injured when Pakistani troops fired artillery and mortar shells on forward positions and civilian areas along the Line of Control in Kupwara district last evening. A
jawan, Vinod Kumar of 75 battalion was killed and two of his colleagues — head constable
E.C. Dhar and constable Jai Prakash — were injured when a Pakistani shell exploded near their post in the Keran sector late last night.
UNI |
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Ultra-turned-MLA
talks peace Srinagar, October 25 Mr Majid told this correspondent here today that he himself had been misled by the slogan of “Jehad and azadi for Kashmir” in 1989 when he crossed over to Pakistan for a month’s training at Peshawar in the handling of arms and ammunition. He appealed to the Kashmiri youth not to waste their time and energy on the false promises of Pakistan as they would only meet with disappointment. He said he again went to Pakistan after five years but this time on a fake passport and an assumed name via Bangladesh. He became vice-chairman of the United Jehad council, which was guiding terrorist activities from Pakistan. Sallahuddin is now chairman of the council. Mr Majid said he did not kill anyone as he was in charge of the public relations set-up of the Students Liberation Front. He said he was arrested by the security forces in January, 1992, but was able to get himself freed a month later in exchange for three hostages, Dr Surinder Dhar, Mir Nassarullah, son of a former minister, and Mr Tej Raina, a former Divisional Commissioner. He unsuccessfully contested the Assembly elections in 1996 and the Lok Sabha poll in 1998. This time he contested as a candidate of the Awami League from the Bandipora constituency in north Kashmir. Mr Majid said the militancy would not survive in the state in case the Centre formulated a concrete policy for the development of Jammu and Kashmir. The previous National Conference
government, he alleged, did nothing for the development of the state. He blamed the late Sheikh Abdullah for the present turmoil in the state. The Sheikh, he said, had sown the idea of plebiscite in the minds of the people which had resulted in discontent among the people. Dr Farooq Abdullah was now again trying to mislead the people by raking up the issue of
greater autonomy, he alleged. Mr Majid is supporting the Congress. |
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Drought loss in Doda, Kishtwar massive Jammu, October 25 The team headed by Mr P.K. Misra, Managing Director, National Development Corporation, held a joint meeting yesterday of district officers and representatives of farmers from different parts of Doda district and took stock of the loss caused due to drought, an official release said here today. The loss to different crops has been assessed at 60 per cent to paddy, 78 per cent to maize, 52 per cent to vegetables and 100 per cent to pulses and fodder, the team was informed. In horticulture sector, against an area of 19,000 hectares under cultivation, only 2932 hectares had been affected due to drought resulting causing loss of 3096 metric tonnes of fruit. The team was told that in the Animal Husbandry sector, 50 per cent of the total cattle population of four lakh has been affected and that Rs 9 crore was required for purchasing feed and fodder for the live-stock. Mr Misra told the officers and representatives of the farmers that the Centre was aware of the difficulties, they were facing and was committed to provide relief. He said the loss had been assessed by the team and its report would be submitted to the Union Government for releasing funds.
PTI |
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ITBP celebrates
Raising Day Srinagar, October 25 Addressing the function, Mian Altaf Ahmad appreciated the role of the unit for the past two years in keeping the road stretch incident-free. He also lauded the unit for cooperating with the local people in development activities. A cultural programme was also presented by a joint team of the ITBP and schoolchildren of the nearby area. Over 300 persons, including schoolchildren, participated in the function. Mian Altaf Ahmad distributed prizes among the winner schoolchildren of villages of Gund, Kullan, Gohipora, Haknar, Reiyl and
Ramwari.
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Operation Sadbhavana alive and kicking Jammu, October 25 A Defence Ministry spokesman, Col Bhanwar Rathore, said here today that during 2001-2002 huge sums of money were spent on the construction of buildings, roads and water and electricity supply schemes. He said about Rs 92 lakh was spent on the construction and improvement of 50 km-long tracks and roads in the remote areas which linked several villages with the tehsil and district headquarters. Another sum of Rs 54 lakh was utilised in providing potable water to people in eight villages in the Poonch-Rajouri sector. |
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Two held for Godhra carnage Srinagar, October 25 |
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Shiv Sena leader attacked Jammu, October 25 |
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