J A M M U   &   K A S H M I R

Demining a time-consuming affair, says IG
Jammu, January 11
Demining of the villages on this side of the 187-km-long international border in Jammu sector, which was started recently, has brought back smiles on the faces of farmers. However, it seems to be a short-lived affair.

Ultra among 2 shot in valley
Srinagar, January 11
Two persons, including a militant, were killed while security forces busted a hide-out and recovered arms and ammunition in the valley overnight. Official sources said the security forces killed a militant during a search operation at Nadigund in the frontier district of Kupwara last night. Some arms and ammunition were recovered from the slain militant.

Govt’s ‘soft approach’ to ultras flayed
Jammu, January 11
The RSS-led State Morcha has criticised the PDP-Congress coalition government for adopting a “soft approach” towards Pakistan-aided militants in Jammu and Kashmir. Mr Onkar Seth, spokesman of the State Morcha, said here today that soft-peddling with Pakistan-sponsored terrorism could be “highly dangerous for the security of the state”. 

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mufti Mohammed Syed (R)  receives a gift from Stephen Pound, a British lawmaker from the Labour Party, during their meeting in Srinagar on Saturday.  — Reuters

Demining a time-consuming affair, says IG
M.L.Kak

Jammu, January 11
Demining of the villages on this side of the 187-km-long international border in Jammu sector, which was started recently, has brought back smiles on the faces of farmers. However, it seems to be a short-lived affair.

It may take between six months to one-and-a-half year for the complete demining of 28,000 acres in Kathua, Hiranagar, Samba, R.S. Pora, Jammu and part of Akhnoor sector. According to Mr Dilip Trevedi, IG, BSF, demining is a time-consuming affair because some of the mines have drifted.

He said Army experts had to be careful while detecting mines that had drifted, either due to rain or due to slopy border stretches.

One senior Army officer, who did not want to be identified, said it might take at-least one-and-a-half year for the total demining.

A number of farmers, including Darshan Lal and Gajjan Singh of Pindi village in R.S. Pora sector, said, “We may not receive any compensation from the Ministry of Defence.”

It may be mentioned that farmers of these sectors had received Rs 22.82 crore as compensation from the Ministry of Defence as mining under Operation Parakaram had prevented them from tilling their lands during two seasons.

Darshan Lal said, “Compensation should be continued till all sectors are demined and we are permitted to carry out farming.”

Rajinder Singh of Khurd village in R.S. Pora said, “We had reason to feel happy over demining of our villages, but another problem has cropped up.” He explained that under the instructions of the Defence Ministry huge clay bundhs were being raised behind the barbed fencing on the border. These bundhs had snapped the course of water channels that used to irrigate their fields.

He and others said if the Army authorities left no scope for the outlets “our fertile fields will become barren within a year.”

The Army authorities said, “We have to go slow in removing the mines, some of them have been moved away from their planted spots to avoid any human loss.” They added, “In the ongoing demining operations two jawans were wounded in recent days.”

According to the authorities, except for the withdrawal of additional troops from the border and the LoC, other steps taken in connection with Operation Parakaram had been withdrawn.

First of all those troops that had been brought from far-off places and kept in reserves in Jammu sector, have been withdrawn. Secondly, demining has been started on this side of the border. Thirdly, the Direct Outgoing Dialling (DOD) and the Direct Incoming Dialling (DID) from the Army exchanges, which were snapped with the Indian military buildup, have been restored.

They said the withdrawal of additional troops from the LoC and the border in Jammu and Kashmir depended on the “intentions” of Pakistan. “If Pakistan suspended assistance to militants and stopped infiltration from across the border we will withdraw additional forces.”

So far Pakistan, they added, had not responded to “our measures which we have taken.” They stated that there was no let up in the infiltration and arms smuggling from across the LoC and the Pakistan-aided militants continued to strikes against the security forces and civilians.

Ultra among 2 shot in valley

Srinagar, January 11
Two persons, including a militant, were killed while security forces busted a hide-out and recovered arms and ammunition in the valley overnight.

A report from Baramula said a security force search party led by Col A.K. Singh busted a hide-out at Gantamula in Baramula last evening. UNI

Govt’s ‘soft approach’ to ultras flayed
Our Correspondent

Jammu, January 11
The RSS-led State Morcha has criticised the PDP-Congress coalition government for adopting a “soft approach” towards Pakistan-aided militants in Jammu and Kashmir.

Mr Onkar Seth, spokesman of the State Morcha, said here today that soft-peddling with Pakistan-sponsored terrorism could be “highly dangerous for the security of the state”. Referring to the decision of the coalition government not to invoke the provisions of POTA, he said by doing so, cases booked under POTA had remained in abeyance because the government was not in favour of prosecuting the people detained under this Act.

The morcha leader wanted the Chief Minister to explain what policy his government would adopt against those militants who had carried out massacres in various parts of the state.

Jobs to 30 militancy victims
Tribune News Service

Srinagar, January 11
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed has said that the need for dialogue is now increasingly recognised at the national and international levels to solve the Kashmir problem. Addressing a public meeting at the district headquarters of Pulwama in south Kashmir today, he said the policy of the coalition government was based on the principal that peace and normalcy could be restored through dialogue and not through bullet.

The Chief Minister distributed appointment letters under SRO 43 among 30 victims of militancy. The pending 68 cases have been sent to the government for relaxation of conditions on qualification and age. Soon after he took over in November last year, the Mufti has distributed such appointment orders on compassionate grounds among 234 victims of Baramula district, over 200 others in Badgam district and 125 in Srinagar district.

The Chief Minister also announced that his government was increasing by two years the upper-age limit for recruitment to government service, adding that the Cabinet would take a decision to this effect very soon. In his address, the Chief Minister made it clear that the age limit for recruitment would be raised from 35 to 37 years. The announcement comes in the wake of a recommendation made by the coordination committee of the coalition parties at Jammu last evening.

Referring to the increasing unemployment, the Chief Minister said about 2,500 posts of constables would be created in the Indian Reserve Police (IRP) and the police department. Two battalions were to be raised in the IRP, he said. The Mufti said more than 3,000 schools would be opened in the state.