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Tuesday,
November 12, 2002, Chandigarh, India  
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Freed ultras welcome steps by
Mufti Yaseen freed, in police
custody 8 CRPF jawans killed in
blast
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164 militants killed in
October Coalition ‘bundle
of contradictions’ Tourism to get impetus: LAHDC Abdullah, Azad, Soz, elected to
RS Villagers protest against ‘excesses’
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Freed ultras welcome steps by Mufti Srinagar, November 11 “There has been a perceivable change in the situation after the new government took over the administration in the state,” Showkat Bakshi, one of the accused in the Rubaiyya Sayeed abduction case, told mediapersons at the Hurriyat Conference headquarters here. He claimed that the new government “cannot resolve” the Kashmir issue as governments come and go for administrative purposes only. “A dialogue between three parties — India, Pakistan and Kashmiris — should start to find a lasting solution to the Kashmir issue, he said. “The new Chief Minister has called for unconditional talks to resolve the basic (Kashmir) issue, while former Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah was dead against any such dialogue,” Bakshi, flanked by other former JKLF commanders Nazir Ahmad Shiekh and Mushtaq Ahmad Khan, said. The former JKLF commander, who is also under trial for the killing of four Air Force officers here in 1989, was, however, non-committal about a ceasefire in Jammu and Kashmir saying that the Defence Minister (George Fernandes) had already rejected it. Asked if he was satisfied with the functioning of the Hurriyat Conference, Bakshi said “The JKLF is a constituent of the Hurriyat and we will all abide by the party directives.”
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Mufti reviews
security Jammu, November 11 Presiding over a meeting of senior officers of the state government, the police, the Army and the paramilitary forces here last evening the Chief Minister said that while there was no room for complacency, the security forces were called upon to carry out operations against militants tactfully so that there was no room for custodial killings or excesses. The meeting had been convened to review the overall security scenario in the state. |
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Mufti lays stress on technology Jammu, November 11 Speaking at a 5-day symposium on high energy physics at the university, the Chief Minister said considerable investment had been made in the country in the fields of education and research. “The investment now needed to be augmented through parallel investment in research and development,” he added. The scientists of the country had earned a reputation internationally. “We must focus on original research and share the same. Plagiarism and concocting of data must be avoided and condemned wherever it occurs,” he observed. Describing the use of technology as a engine for development, he said many countries had improved their economy and the quality of life of their citizens through it. In Jammu and Kashmir, technology could be used in areas like fruit preservation, market forecasting, biotechnology and communication, he said. |
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Yaseen freed, in police custody Srinagar, November 11 Acting Chairman of the JKLF Javid Ahmad Mir said they were told that Mr Malik and two more JKLF leaders had been released. However, he said, nobody was allowed to meet them at the Jammu aiport before they boarded the plane for Srinagar. After arriving at Srinagar airport, the three were taken to an unknown destination in a police vehicle. Mr Malik was arrested in March this year under the POTA after $ 1,00000 were seized from a woman on the Srinagar-Jammu highway at Batote. She alleged that the money was for the JKLF. However, Mr Malik had denied the allegation. Later, he was arrested while addressing a press conference at the Hurriyat Conference headquarters and taken to Jammu. Mr Malik is the third JKLF leader to be released on bail after the new coalition government headed by Mr Mufti Mohammad Sayeed assumed power in the state. Mr Sayeed has declared that he will not implement the POTA, and review the cases of all detainees. Those not involved in any serious crime would be released.
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8 CRPF jawans killed in
blast Jammu, November 11 The bus carrying the CRPF personnel was on its way from Srinagar to Jammu. As the bus reached
Hingri, militants are suspected to have trigged the blast by remote control. The IED had been planted on the highway. The police said the militants may have been hiding somewhere near the spot and caused the explosion by remote control the moment they saw a vehicle carrying security personnel. This was the first major incident on the highway after the
PDP-Congress coalition government was formed in the state on November 2. A spokesman for the Hizbul Mujahideen claimed responsibility for the blast. Four of the seven injured have been airlifted to Udhampur for specialised treatment while the rest have been admitted to a local hospital, sources said. SRINAGAR: A National Conference worker was killed by militants here on Monday morning, while at least two others were injured and another kidnapped in separate incidents in the Kashmir valley since Thursday. The police here said the militants fired upon Ghulam Nabi Chheentsaz at his house at Islamyarbal in the M R Gunj area of the city at 11.10 am. Chheentsaz succumbed to his injuries while being shifted to hospital. He was an employee of the Srinagar municipality and was associated with the N C. The National Conference has expressed concern over the “apathetic attitude” of the new coalition government headed by Mufti Mohammad Sayeed for not providing adequate security to its workers and leaders. A spokesman for the National Conference here said on Monday that the security of its leaders and workers was being withdrawn under a “well-planned policy” of the government. Elsewhere, militants shot at and injured one person, Mr Mohammad Aslam
Kulay, in the Kokernag area of Anantnag district on Monday. In another incident, Mr Tanveer Ahmad
Ganai, was injured when he was fired upon by a militant at his house of Tawheed
Gunj, Baramula, at Sunday. |
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164 militants killed in
October Jammu, November 11 According to the spokesman for the Army’s Northern Command, security forces engaged militants on the LoC and within the state in 166 encounters which resulted in the death of 164 rebels last month. During the last 10 months there were as many as 1347 encounters between militants and security forces within the state and on the LoC. The spokesman said security forces seized 1319 assault rifles from the slain rebels during the past 10 months. During this period 6319 grenades, 1500 kg of high explosives, 289 pistols and revolvers, 36 machine guns and 43 rocket launchers were seized. He said the militants killed 61 civilians which was 13 less than in September, 2002. During the past 10 months 704 civilians had been gunned down by the militants in different parts of the state. The highest civilian casualty was registered in August 2002 when the militants eliminated 643 persons in a bid to create scare among the people so that voters responded to the call for Assembly poll boycott. The spokesman confirmed that between September and October 2002 militants made 56 bids to infiltrate into Jammu and Kashmir from across the LoC and in the process 106 intruders were eliminated. He said that during the past 10 months there were 148 intrusion bids on the LoC in which 314 rebels were killed. As many as 34 militants were either apprehended or surrendered on the LoC during the past 10 months. |
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Coalition ‘bundle
of contradictions’ Jammu, November 11 According to the president of the state unit of the BJP, Mr D.K. Kotwal, senior PDP and Congress leaders were working on different wavelengths with one side demanding a ceasefire and the other opposing it. Mr Kotwal told newsmen here today that while the Chief Minister, Mufti Mohd. Sayeed, had called for a unilateral ceasefire by the security forces during the month of Ramzan, the PCC chief, Mr Ghulam Nabi Azad, opposed it on the plea that the ceasefire announced earlier had not evoked a favourable response. The BJP chief said his party was opposed to the ceasefire because there was no sense in speaking the language of reason with gun-toting youths. Accusing the coalition government of betraying the people of the Jammu region, Mr Kotwal said both the Congress and the PDP had promised in their poll manifestos that regional boards or councils would be established for the three regions in the state but so far the government had been silent on the issue. He said it was sheer mischief that Mr Azad had stated that the District Development Boards were sufficient to cater to the requirements of people. He said that another constituent of the coalition, the Panthers Party, was playing a dubious role. Its chairman, Prof Bhim Singh, had been trying to “sail in two boats, one supporting the government without any condition and the other criticising the Congress for betraying the people by having succumbed to the pressure mounted by the
PDP. Mr Kotwal said the coalition might not last long. In a bid to keep the flock together the PDP-Congress combine entered into a secret understanding with the Opposition National Conference in sharing the four Rajya Sabha seats. He said the coalition was unlikely to solve the problems faced by the people and it was unfortunate that the promise of removing regional discrimination had been placed on the sidelines by the government. |
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Tourism to get impetus: LAHDC Jammu, November 11 The main issues which were discussed at the meeting were legal framework of the LAHDC, administrative relationship between the LAHDC and the state government, tourism and economic development of Ladakh. It was decided to undertake a comprehensive exercise to review the rules and regulations and to frame new rules or incorporate amendments wherever necessary as per the time-bound programme to ensure the LAHDC had the necessary powers, delegation of authority and the administrative wherewithal to meet the legitimate aspirations of the people. It was also decided that all routine and pending issues would be settled within a time-bound schedule. Decisions on sanctioning of NABARD schemes and recruitment of teachers would be taken within a week. The meeting was chaired by Finance, Law and Parliamentary Affair Minister Muzzafar Hussain Beig and attended, among others by the Chief Secretary, Mr I.S. Malhi, Chaiman, LAHDC, Mr Thupstan Chewang and Minister of State for Works Nawang Rigzin.
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Abdullah, Azad, Soz, elected to
RS Jammu, November 11 Mr Abdullah (National Conference), Mr Azad, Mr Soz (both Congress) and Trilok Singh (PDP) had filed their nominations on November 8. Their papers were found valid after scrutiny on November 9. Mr Abdullah’s candidature was backed by the ruling coalition, which includes the PDP, Congress, CPI-M and the Panthers Party. The four seats to the Upper House from the state fell vacant after the expiry of the terms of Mr Azad, Mr Mirza Abdul Rashid, Mr Sharief-ud-din Sharik and Mr Koushak Thiksey (all National Conference). |
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Villagers protest against ‘excesses’ Srinagar, November 11 The residents, numbering more than 1,000, alleged that security personnel were “snatching the identity cards of village youths and forcing them to search for landmines along with them,” they said.
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Srinagar, November 11
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