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Sunday,
December 29, 2002, Chandigarh, India  
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Four
ultras, two cops killed Minister
reviews border security YEARENDER — 2002:
KASHMIR — TERRORISM APHC ready
for talks if Pak is involved |
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Hydel
projects: private parties to be invited Officials
charge-sheeted in graft cases Major police reshuffle in J&K Leopardess
in family way as ban goes
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Four ultras, two cops killed Srinagar, December 28 A report from Baramula said two militants were killed in an encounter with security forces at Saloosa village this afternoon. The encounter ensued after militants attacked a security force search party. Some arms and ammunition were seized from the slain militants. Meanwhile, two LeT militants were killed in another encounter with security forces. Acting on a tip-off, security personnel conducted searches at Beerwah in the central Kashmir district of Badgam late last night to arrest the militants. When the troops were about to storm a particular house, they came under heavy fire from militants hiding there. The security forces immediately retaliated and in the four-hour-long encounter, two militants were killed. Two AK rifles, six magazines, 145 rounds of ammunition and one wireless set were seized from the slain militants. A police Constable Ajaz Ahmad, who was shot at and critically wounded by militants at Naaz crossing last evening, died in the hospital late last night. Meanwhile, a policeman was killed and another injured when militants fired indiscriminately on a police party in the busy Batamaloo area near the general bus stand here this evening, official sources said. The policeman was killed on the spot while another was injured as militants opened indiscriminate fire on them at around 5.45 pm, they said. The security forces have cordoned off the area and launched a massive manhunt to arrest the militants, the sources added. Elsewhere, in a big haul, security forces today seized 10 kg of RDX and other explosive material from a shop in the Bandipora area of Baramula district, the police said. Security forces raided the shop at Kaloosa-Bandipora, 55 km from here, and seized 10 kg of RDX, an improvised explosive device and a wireless set from the business establishment of Mohammad Muzaffar Khan, the police said. The seizure comes close on the heels of recovery of 10 IEDs, 14 detonators, two remote control devices, 2 kg of explosive material, three boosters, three antennas, three wireless sets, 274 rounds and five magazines from Katiyan Wali in Baramula district yesterday.
UNI, PTI |
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Minister
reviews border security Jammu, December 28 The minister met a cross section of people and senior functionaries of the government and the Defence Ministry to have an on-the-spot assessment of the situation in which militants had issued a dress code for women asking them to move out of their houses in burqa. Addressing a series of public meetings Prof Gupta assured the people that necessary security arrangements were being made to meet the fresh challenges being posed by Pakistan trained rebels. He said the village defence committees would be further strengthened to contain the nefarious designs of militants. Pakistan was sending militants into Poonch and Rajouri districts to create a scare and force the minorities to migrate from their ancestral villages, he said. The minister said he would take with the authorities the issue of recruiting unemployed youths from the Poonch and Rajouri districts in the Army. He would also explore the possibility of providing jobs to at least one member of the militancy-affected families in the state and central organisations. |
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YEARENDER — 2002: KASHMIR — TERRORISM Srinagar Militants’ attacks ranged from suicide attack on the Kaluchak Army camp near Jammu in May, to the killing of Abdul Aziz Mir, MLA, belonging to Mufti Mohammed Sayeed’s People’s Democratic Party (PDP). Mir was elected from the Pampore constituency of Pulwama district. In unabated attacks during the year nearly 250 police and security forces personnel killed in the Kashmir valley alone, while 549 local and 279 foreign militants were killed. Though the number of these incidents throughout the year was more, the number of killings of civilians and security forces, according to official estimates, was less than those killed last year. The BSF alone lost 13 of its personnel during the conduct of the Assembly elections in September-October. The year saw a series of violent incidents, remarkably beginning with the assurance by Pakistan President General Musharraf that terrorist camps and activities aimed at creating trouble in Jammu and Kashmir would not be allowed from his country. This, according to the officials here, created a sense of confusion among the militant ranks operating in Jammu and Kashmir that was coupled with the decline in infiltration from across the border, both following the January 12 speech and the May 27 assurances. The decline was partly due to the heavy deployment of troops along the Indo-Pak border. But, despite the presence of troops, the militants’ activities were “back to normal” by March. There was a sudden spurt in their activities with the suicide attack on the residential quarters of Army personnel inside the Kaluchak camp near Jammu on May 14, followed by the killing of senior separatist leader, Abdul Ghani Lone, considered to be moderate within the separatist conglomeration of the Hurriyat Conference, in Srinagar on May 21. Immediately after, the level of infiltration came down following the May 27 speech of General Musharraf. Once again, the security agencies were caught off the guard when suspected militants attacked the Nunwan camp of Amarnath yatra near Pehalgam in south Kashmir on August 6 killing nine pilgrims. The level of violence witnessed a sudden spurt with the announcement of the Assembly elections in August, resulting in the killing of political leaders and activists to disrupt the poll process. During the first two weeks after the issuance of the first election notification, at least 37 civilians were killed and over 50 other injured. Attacks on contesting candidates to disrupt the poll process were unabated which also claimed the life of the former Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister, Mushtaq Ahmad Lone. Later, a slight climbing down in the level of violence in Jammu and Kashmir was observed when general elections in Pakistan were conducted. This was so, as the observers here believe that developments in Pakistan have a direct impact on the situation in Jammu and Kashmir. Once the elections were over, the activities of militants started picking up again. Though there was a respite in violence after the completion of the Assembly elections in the state, there was again a sudden flare-up. The PDP-Congress coalition government’s common minimum programme envisaging POTA to go, the release of political prisoners and the absorption of SOG into the police, though criticised by the opposition, has yet to bear fruit for the little time availed by the government so far. Though the programme roused hopes among people, it has not yielded any results on the militancy front. After the new government took over militants stepped up their activities instead. It started with the rifle grenade attack on the Nowgam residence of Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, the day he took over as Chief Minister on November 2. Later one of the Congress ministers in the new coalition government, Peerzada Muhammad Sayeed also escaped an attack on his life in south Kashmir. The militants struck in a big way with a suicide attack on Pamposh hotel here in which at least seven CRPF personnel were killed on November 22. Subsequently, an IED blast blowing up a bus carrying Army personnel and their families took the lives of over 12 persons near Qazigund on November 23 and a suicide attack on Raghunath temple in Jammu on November 24. Even as Mufti Sayeed’s government focusses on its policy of “healing touch”, the authorities here believe that the neighbouring country is bent upon “keeping the pot boiling” in Jammu and Kashmir. |
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APHC ready for talks if Pak is involved Srinagar, December 28 “We are ready to hold talks with anybody to find a durable and long lasting solution to the Kashmir issue”, senior Hurriyat leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq told PTI. However, it was necessary to involve Pakistan and Kashmiri people, both principal parties to the dispute, he said reacting to Mr Advani’s statement in Jammu yesterday. The talks do not have to be concurrent, Umar Farooq said. “If the government is serious about resolving the issue, it has to talk to the real representatives of the people of Kashmir”, the Hurriyat leader said. He described the spurt in civilian killings in Jammu and Kashmir by unidentified gunmen as unfortunate.
PTI |
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Hydel projects: private parties to be invited Jammu, December 28 This decision was taken at a high-level meeting held here today which was presided over by the Chief Minister, Mufti Mohd Sayeed. The Chief Secretary, Dr S.S. Bleoria, and other senior government officials were present at the meeting. The Chief Minister said that the private sector would be involved in tapping the hydel potential which had remained untapped for all these years resulting in an acute power crisis in the state. He said he would persuade the Centre to sanction incentives for micro hydel projects and disclosed that being a hilly state “we are entitled to 90 per cent of the project cost as assistance.” The same assistance could be given to private entrepreneurs who help the state in establishing micro power projects. He directed power engineers to formulate a new hydel policy with focus on micro and small hydel projects. The policy would be submitted to the state Cabinet for approval. While reviewing the situation in the power sector Mufti Sayeed directed the engineers to complete restoration work on the 105 MW Lower Jehlum hydel project, which was damaged early this year, by the end of next month. He also suggested that the 20 MW Pahalgam hydel project should be completed within the next five months. The fate of the 480 MW Bhagliar power project was reviewed in the light of suspension of work due to the paucity of funds. The Chief Minister announced that no new major hydel project would be taken in hand before the completion of two phases of the Bhagliar project which is estimated to cost Rs 4600 crore. The government has decided to float development bonds for raising funds for this project. The Cabinet has approved the floating of public bonds worth Rs 2700 crore for completing the first phase of the Bhagliar project. |
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Officials charge-sheeted in graft cases Srinagar, December 28 A State Vigilance Organisation (SVO) spokesman said the then Chief Medical Officer, Anantnag, Ghulam Rasool Hakeem, has been charged with making 36 illegal appointments in the department. A former Accounts Officer, Ghulam Muhammad Munshi and Muhammad Yahya Makhdoom in the Directorate of Health Services have been accused of purchasing substandard X-ray plants at a cost of Rs 7,87,095 in connivance with the then Controller of Stores, Dr Peer Muhammad Yousuf. In another case, the spokesman said, the SVO produced a challan in the court against a former tehsildar, R S Pora, Balwant Raj, for accepting a bribe of Rs 10,000 for getting a mutation attested through the then Naib Tehsildar, Bihari Lal. The spokesman said a former Zonal Education Officer (ZEO), Bhagwah, M P Sharma, has been charged with embezzlement of over Rs 17,000 on account of teachers’ Dearness Allowance arrears and about Rs 64,000 on purchase of books and other material for various educational institutions which they never received.
UNI |
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Major police reshuffle in J&K Jammu, December 28 The transfer of 47 police officers was ordered by the Cabinet after a cong meeting which started in the morning under the chairmanship of Mufti Mohammed Sayeed, Chief Minister. Mr Kamal Saini, SSP, Poonch, has been posted as SSP, Jammu, and Mr Javaid Gillani goes as SSP, Srinagar. The SPs of Udhampur,
Budgam, Kupwara, Kathua, Leh, Pulwama, Kulgam, Reasi and Ganderbal have also been shifted. Mr Mukesh Singh, SP (South), Srinagar, has been posted as SP, Poonch. Mr Munish Sinha, SP, Vigilance, has been appointed as SP, Kathua. Mr Sunil Sharma, SSP, Vigilance, has been posted as SSP, Traffic, Jammu, in place of Mr Nissar Ahmed, who goes as commanding officer,
JKAP, 3rd Battalion. Mr T. Punchok, Commandant, 3rd Battalion, JKAP, goes as SP, Leh. Mr
V.S. Sambyal, Assistant Director, police academy, has been appointed as SP, Udhampur. |
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Leopardess
in family way as ban goes Jammu, December 28 It happened after the state government lifted the ban imposed on mating in the sanctuary. According to the Chief Wildlife Warden, Mr Shafat Hussain, mating was disallowed due to financial problems. He explained that it cost over Rs 1 lakh to feed each leopard which included Rs 60,000 spent on the purchase of mutton per leopard per year. Mr Hussain stated that there were seven such wildlife species in the sanctuary after Rani, a 13-year-old leopardess died of the wounds inflicted on her by a four-year-leopard recently. Another reason for banning mating was insufficient number of enclosures. Last year Ms Maneka Gandhi, Union Minister, visited the sanctuary and sanctioned Rs 8 lakh for additional enclosures. The wildlife authorities would be sending one leopardess to the zoo in Jharkhand where the zoo officials were keen to carry out mating for raising the number of leopards. In case the resumption of mating resulted in a cub-boon the state will send leopards to zoos in other states. At present, Maani is being regularly examined by a team of veterinary surgeons. Doctors said her condition was normal and she was given extra mutton to keep her fit. |
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