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Tuesday,
April 1, 2003, Chandigarh, India  
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Seven
militants shot dead in J&K 31 kg of charas
seized, 2 held 5 more families
leave Nadimarg |
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Seven militants shot dead in J&K
Jammu, March 31 The Security
forces launched an operation in the Trenna area, south-west of Banihal
town in Doda district this morning and shot dead two ultras belonging to
the Hizb-ul Mujahideen outfit at around 9 am today, officials said. The
identity of slain militants could not be ascertained as the operation
was still continuing in the area, the sources said, adding that about
four to six militants were still trapped in the area. In a fierce
gunbattle with a group of militants in the Chatra area of Rajouri
district, a top foreign mercenary was killed while four other militants
managed to escape late last night, the sources said. The slain militant
was identified as Abu Javeed, area commander of Mr Al-Badr outfit and a
Pakistani national, the sources said and added that an AK-47 rifle,
three magazines, one wireless set, one pistol, four grenades, two IEDs
and one rocket launcher were recovered from the site of encounter. In
another encounter, the troops shot dead two militants belonging to the
Hiz Bul Mujahideen outfit, who were hiding in the house of Khursheed of
Dullian village in Doda district late last night, the sources said. The
slain militants have been identified as Hanif and Altaf, the sources
said and added that house of Khursheed was partially damaged in the
encounter and two AK rifles, 13 magazines, nine hand grenades, 380
rounds and some explosive material were recovered from the spot. In
another report, militants kidnapped two civilians, Mohammad Ayoub and
Wahid at the Nowshera area in Rajouri district and took them to upper
reaches, the sources said and added that the police had launched
operation to rescue them. Four houses belonging to Hindus were set
afire by the militants in Neerojal village in Rajouri district early
today, the sources said, and added that Hindus had already migrated from
the area in view of the terrorists incidents. Meanwhile, the residence
of senior National Conference leader and MP Choudhary Talib Hussain and
a police station in Jammu division were attacked by foreign mercenaries
last night, official sources said today. A group of foreign mercenaries
surrounded the house of Hussain at Fatepur area of Rajouri district
yesterday and hurled grenades and opened indiscriminate
firing. Security guards deployed at the house of the MP retaliated and
exchange of firing continued for over half an hour before the militants
fled from the spot. However, the MP and his family members were not
present in the house at the time of the attack, the sources said adding
that no one was injured in the incident. Meanwhile, the Army today
foiled militants’ plan to target vital installations and security
vehicles in Poonch district in Jammu and Kashmir with the recovery of
nearly 10 kg of RDX and two high-power mortar bombs. Acting on a
specific information that ultras were planning to bomb vital
installations in the border district, troops launched a search operation
in the Dhunluck area in Surankote hills and recovered 10 kgs RDX,
official sources said. Two mortar bombs, 3 kg of splinters and some
wire rolls were also recovered from a militant hide out. Srinagar: Two
militants of the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e- Toiba and a soldier were
among six persons killed in the Kashmir valley overnight. Official
sources said an encounter took place between militants and the security
forces at Madhu forest in Kupwara last night during which two Lashkar
militants identified as Karim Uddin and Abdul Salam, both Pakistani
national, were killed. The encounter ensued after a search party was
attacked by the militants. Two AK rifles and other arms and ammunition
were seized from the slain militants. Militants shot dead a
counter-insurgent Mohammad Ashraf Dar at Bonagam in south Kashmir
district of Anantnag last evening while another Ikhwani Abdul Hamid Khan
was shot at and critically wounded at Bijbehara today. He was shifted to
hospital where he succumbed, an official spokesman said. He said
militants also shot dead Mohammad Akbar at Jageer in north Kashmir
district of Baramula last evening. A soldier Nirmal was killed when a
huge wooden log fell on him at Zurhama forest in the frontier district
of Kupwara today. PTI, UNI |
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31 kg of charas seized, 2 held
Jammu, March 31 On a tip-off, NCB officials of the Jammu zonal
unit, headed by Mr Ravi Koul, laid a trap near Shakuntala theatre here
yesterday. A man aged around 22 years, who was carrying a gunny-bag, was
stopped near the gate of the theatre. On opening the bag a suitcase
containing 16 kg of charas was found. After further interrogation, the
smuggler, Sajad Ahmed Wagey of Srigaffar (Malpora) in Anantnag district
revealed that he had also delivered 15 kg of charas to another smuggler,
Mohammad Andraz Parrey of Channi Rama in Malik Market in Jammu. A team
of NCB officials along with police personnel immediately conducted a
raid on the place and seized 15 kg of charas. According to sources the
charas had been brought from the Bijbeh Ara area of Anantnag district to
Jammu and was meant for local consumption. The two persons, who had
been selling drugs in the state for a long time, had been arrested under
the Narcotics Act 1985. PTI |
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5 more families leave Nadimarg Jammu, March
31 Mr Hira Lal Chatha, secretary, All-State Kashmiri Pandit Conference, alleged that initially these families “were held hostage by the security forces”. He said “some of the families were not permitted to move to Jammu from the Khannabal check post.” The Chief Minister, Mufti Mohammed Sayeed, has denied the charge. He told the newsmen in Jammu yesterday that “we have no intention to hold the Pandits as hostages. We cannot do it.” He added that “ We have been trying to motivate the Pandits in Nadimarg and in other areas in Kashmir to abandon their plan of migration.” It is in this connection that several senior Pandit leaders had been sent to Kashmir along with a team of officers to persuade the Hindus, living in the valley, to give up their plan of migrating to the plains. Manohar Lal Pandit, who lost five of his relatives in the carnage in Nadimarg, said: We have been left with no other alternative but to leave our ancestral village.” Another migrant, B.L. Bhat, said: “The village has been converted into a fortress. Our village has been cordoned off by the police and the paramilitary forces and we were not allowed to move out for several days.” Neeru Tikoo, a student, said: “I will miss my Muslim friends who have been my classmates.” She said: “I have fled from the village with my two brothers and once we are registered as migrants in Jammu I will bring my parents also here.” She said: “For years we had no problems. When the massacre took place, in which more than 16 Hindus were killed several years ago, we had gripped by panic. But our Muslim neighbours had stood side by side with us which encourage us to abandon our plan of migration then.” Ms Tikoo said: “The story is different now. We have lost our near and dear once. We can no longer live in Nadimarg where we are haunted by the ghost of the incident”. Others said “We never felt unsafe during all these 13 years. Now we have been gripped by panic.” Reports from the field revealed that the state government authorities had made sincere efforts to halt fresh migration but when the panic-stricken Pandit refused to stay put they were not persuaded to return to the village. According to these reports, Union Home Ministry officials also communicated to the state government the desirability of allowing those Pandits to migrate to Jammu who were not prepared to live in the village any longer. The Relief Commissioner, Mr R.K. Thusoo, said the government would register all those Pandits who migrate from Kashmir so that they were entitled to free ration and cash relief. He said: “We have never forced the migrants to stay back. Our aim was to prevent fresh migration. Srinagar: The authorities have prevented the fresh migration of Kashmiri Pandits from the valley and persuaded the survivors of the March 23 massacre of the minority community at Nadimarg in south Kashmir to perform the 10th day ceremony at the their deceased kintomorrow. Local Muslims besides Minister of State for Industries Raman Mattoo and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Vice-President Mehbooba Mufti played a big role in prevailing upon the reluctant Pandits to peform the 10th day ceremony of their 24 relatives, who were killed by unidentified gunmen on March 23 night. The 28 Kashmiri Pandits belonging to 10 families, who survived the massacre, had decided to migrate to Jammu to perform the 10th day ceremony in the winter Capital as they were feeling insecure in the valley after the incident. However, Mr Matoo and Ms Mehbooba besides local Muslims met the Pandit families yesterday and assured them that they would be provided with all possible protection. This was for the first time that the authorities made such a serious effort to prevent the fresh migration of Kashmiri Pandits from the valley, a Kashmiri Pandit working in the Telecommunication Department, said. “I too had to migrate to
Jammu after all my community members in the neighbourhood left,’’ he
said, adding that “But I returned though my family is still outside the
valley. I cannot stay away from my motherland but I miss my family
also.’’ |
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Anti-war protests in valley Srinagar, March 31 The students boycotted
classes and staged demonstrations denouncing the USA and Britain for
invading Iraq. In Badgam, students took to the streets along with
Islamia college and Bemina Degree College also took part. PTI |
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