J A M M U   &   K A S H M I R

Major, 4 ultras killed
Srinagar, February 8
An Army Major, two soldiers and a militant were killed in a fierce encounter at Zainapora Shopian village in South Kashmir while elsewhere in the state four militants and a jawan were among six persons killed and three wounded during the past 24 hours.

• BSF personnel killed

Five suspected militant commanders of the Jamiat-ul- Mujahedeen who were arrested during raids in different towns of Kashmir being produced before media persons at a police camp in Srinagar on Saturday. — Photo Amin war

APHC panel discusses Delhi developments
Srinagar, February 8
The executive council of the All-Party Hurriyat Conference today discussed the latest developments in Delhi, including the arrest of its Kashmir Awareness Bureau chief Shabir Ahmad Dar and Muslim Khawateen Markaz chief Zamrooda Habib.

Geelani may be released soon
Jammu, February 8
The state government is considering the release of senior Hurriyat Conference leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani following reports that he has been admitted to Tata Memorial Hospital in Mumbai with a kidney ailment.

J&K dominates CM, Blackwill meeting
Jammu, February 8
The Chief Minister, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, has called for international pressure on Islamabad for stopping its aid to cross-border terrorism.

Major, 4 ultras killed
TNS and agencies

Srinagar, February 8
An Army Major, two soldiers and a militant were killed in a fierce encounter at Zainapora Shopian village in South Kashmir while elsewhere in the state four militants and a jawan were among six persons killed and three wounded during the past 24 hours.

Major Yasheen Achariya, signal man Babar and soldier Umesh Singh of the 44 Rashtriya Rifles were killed in the day-long gunfight with militants who were hiding in Gunchoo village of Shopian area in the district, they said. A team of the Rashtriya Rifles (RR), on a tip off, that some militants were hiding in the village in Pulwama district, cordoned off the entire area.

However, when troops were conducting house-to-house searches, they came under heavy firing from a house reportedly owned by a numberdar.

The security forces immediately retaliated and in the shootout three soldiers, including a Major, were killed, sources said, adding one militant was also gunned down. An official spokesman said militants dragged out three persons — Fayaz Ahmad Dar, a woman Shagufta and Javed Ahmad Dar — from their houses at Shiva Spopre and fired upon them. They sustained injuries and were admitted to medical institute here, he said.

He said Gulzar Ahmad Ganai, who was wounded in a shootout at Frisal yesterday, died in hospital today.

Meanwhile, the killing of four terrorists of a newly-floated outfit — J&K National Liberation Army, by the military in a village near Mendhar today exposed the move of Pakistan to merge the splinter groups of militants for carrying on their activities in Jammu and Kashmir. A large quantity of ammunition, including four AK-rifles, two pistols and grenades were seized from them.

The blank identity cards of the JKNLA seized from them indicated that they were engaged in recruiting the local youth in the terrorist outfit.

Brig N.S. Malik, commander of the Mendhar sector, said that one of the killed militant was the district commander of the outfit for Rajouri, while two others were tehsil commanders of Surankot and Mendhar. They were killed in an encounter near a village of Mendhar. The operation was still on when a group of media persons flew to the area.

These terrorists were also carrying stickers having printed the call for reunification of Kashmir and complete independence of J&K. They were also carrying literature in Urdu authored by Amanullah Khan, chief of the J&K Liberation Front (JKLF). Khan is directing terrorist activities from the Pakistan occupied Kashmir and was reportedly trying to unite various splinter groups of trained militants.

The seizure of the identity cards and other documents has established that the JKLA has been constituted by Pakistan. The Army authorities had earlier only intercepted signals indicating that the outfit was there. This is for the first time that terrorists belonging to the outfit were killed.

BSF personnel killed

Jammu, February 8
Pakistani troops targeted seven Indian border outposts along the international border in Jammu and Kashmir since last night even as a BSF personnel injured in the firing earlier succumbed to his injuries today, official sources here said.

Using light and medium machine guns, the Pakistani forces fired from 10 posts opposite the R S Pura, Samba and Akhnoor sectors along the international border till 6 a.m., BSF sources said adding the Indian forces retaliated. The intermittent exchange of fire continued without any damage to the ongoing fencing work.

BSF personnel Suman Kumar, who suffered bullet wounds in his head yesterday morning, succumbed to his injuries in hospital, they said.

The two sides also exchanged fire along the Line of Control in the Bhawani sector in Rajouri district last night, the sources said. PTI

APHC panel discusses Delhi developments

Srinagar, February 8
The executive council of the All-Party Hurriyat Conference (APHC) today discussed the latest developments in Delhi, including the arrest of its Kashmir Awareness Bureau chief Shabir Ahmad Dar and Muslim Khawateen Markaz chief Zamrooda Habib.

The meeting of the highest decision-making body of the amalgam was attended among others by chairman Prof Abdul Gani Bhat, former chairman Moulvi Omar Farooq, JKLF chief Mohammad Yasin Malik, Maulana Abbas Ansari, Sheikh Ali, Peer Hafiz Ullah Makhdoomi and Ghulam Nabi Darzi.

After the meeting ended here, APHC spokesman Sheikh Abdul Rashid told reporters that the meeting discussed Delhi developments and resolved “not to be cowed down by such repressive measures and continue the march towards the goal.’’

Mr Rashid said that the amalgam still believed that the Kashmir issue could be resolved peacefully across the table by the parties concerned.

The arrest of Dar and Zamrooda was an attempt to defame the Hurriyat, he said. “It is nothing but a deliberate and calculated attempt to defame the Hurriyat Conference and the freedom struggle.’’

The spokesman said that the meeting also discussed the alleged harassment of APHC Bureau officials in Delhi by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad.

The VHP activists allegedly harassed and threatened the officials of the Bureau in Delhi. The activists also put warning and the landlord to vacate the Bureau office. This is a provocation to complicate the issue, Mr Rashid said.

He further alleged that some television channels had also started a campaign to malign the Hurriyat through false propoganda. Meanwhile, the Muslim Khawateen Markaz, a constituent of the amalgam, in a statement said that police raided their Rajbagh office last evening and harassed the officials.

The statement said that Zamrooda, who was arrested by the Delhi police on Thursday evening along with Rs 3.70 lakh, was scheduled to attend a conference in Thailand. The money she was carrying was meant for the ticket and other arrangements, it further said. UNI

Geelani may be released soon
Our Correspondent

Jammu, February 8
The state government is considering the release of senior Hurriyat Conference leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani following reports that he has been admitted to Tata Memorial Hospital in Mumbai with a kidney ailment.

Official sources said senior functionaries of the state administration had conveyed this to the Chief Minister. Geelani has been detained under POTA at Ranchi jail.

The sources said the medical board which had examined him at Ranchi had recommended that he be shifted to Tata Memorial Hospital where he might be operated upon within the next few days.

Senior Hurriyat Conference leaders, including APHC chairman, Abdul Gani Bhat, have expressed concern over the deteriorating health of Geelani. 

Hashim Qureshi in preventive custody

Srinagar, February 8
Jammu and Kashmir Democratic Liberation Party president Hashim Qureshi was today detained, along with about 12 party activists, for staging a dharna outside the party headquarters here in protest against the issuance of death penalty to convicts in the state, official sources said.

Mr Qureshi led a group of party activists to his party office at Rajbagh, shouting slogans against the issuance of death sentence, and were prevented by the police to march onwards, sources said.

Carrying placards and banners with anti-capital punishment slogans, they staged a dharna, but were chased away by the police, which then took Mr Qureshi and his party activists into preventive custody for violating prohibitory orders, the sources said.

The detainees were taken to the Ram Munshi Bagh police station, they said. Today’s protest demonstration was the third organised by separatist organisations in the city during the past few days.

Shabir Ahmad Shah-led Democratic Freedom Party held a demonstration against alleged human rights violations on Wednesday, followed next day by a rally taken out by JKLF chairman Mohammad Yaseen Malik. PTI

J&K dominates CM, Blackwill meeting
Our Correspondent

Jammu, February 8
The Chief Minister, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, has called for international pressure on Islamabad for stopping its aid to cross-border terrorism.

The demand was put forth by the Chief Minister during his 70-minute meeting with the US Ambassador, Mr Robert Blackwill, who had invited the former to dinner in Delhi last evening.

Source close to Mufti Sayeed said during the detailed meeting political situation in Kashmir and the security scenario dominated the discussion. According to sources, the Chief Minister conveyed to the US diplomat that the political atmosphere had changed after the recent Assembly poll.