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Monday,
June 16, 2003, Chandigarh, India  
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Vohra ends Jammu visit, Ladakh next on itinerary Leave law and order to states: Vohra
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Top ultra killed in encounter JKLF to resume
signature campaign US defence team to visit Srinagar Jawan killed in firing ‘by mistake’ IAF recruitment rallies in J&K Tunnel at Zoji La under study 220 HIV cases detected in Jammu Court’s vacations from today
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Vohra ends Jammu visit, Ladakh next on itinerary Jammu, June 15 Mr Vohra concluded his tour of Jammu yesterday and is returning to Delhi. With this, his first round of interaction with a cross-section of people in the two main regions of Jammu and Kashmir valley has been completed. He will now visit the Ladakh region to interact with the people there. Earlier, he had visited Srinagar, where he stayed for nine days and discussed the Kashmir problem with the elected representatives and a number of other parties. The demand for the separation of Jammu from the Kashmir valley was made not only by the Jammu State Morcha (JSM), which contested the last Assembly election on this emotional slogan, but also by the Panthers Party, VHP, RSS, Jammu Mukti Morcha and a couple of other organisations and individuals. The state government was also accused of not implementing the recommendations of the Gajndragadkar, Sikri and Wazir commissions, which enquired into the complaints of discrimination against Jammu. The political parties and several individuals alleged that the Jammu region was discriminated in the allocation of funds also. The BJP sought, a “definite political instrument invested with legislative, executive and financial powers” for the Jammu region. The general impression here is that the Kashmiri leaders and bureaucrats were treating Jammu as their winter abode, where they shift from the valley in winters. The claim of the state government that the per capita expenditure was the highest in the Jammu region as compared to the Kashmir valley is being taken here with a pinch of salt, as it is thought that the figures have been cooked up by the authorities. Although the Congress party was choosy about words when its leaders met Mr Vohra at Srinagar, a senior leader and an MLC of the party, Mr Gulchain Singh Charak, who led a delegation of the Dogra Sadar Sabha, to Mr Vohra yesterday accused the successive state governments of being oblivious to the aspirations of the people of Jammu and Ladakh. It quoted the examples of discriminatory treatment in the legislature, administration, development and utilisation of water resources. The Dogra Liberation Front came out with figures to claim that the Jammu region was being discriminated against although it was fetching most of the revenue for the state government. The Panthers Party demanded that the CBI should inquire into the squandering of the Central Government grants which did not reach the Jammu region. It alleged that while 70 per cent of the revenue was being collected by the state government from Jammu, only about 30 per cent of it was being spent here and 70 per cent expenditure was in Kashmir. The VHP alleged that against 1.4 lakh Kashmiri Muslims having been provided government jobs in the past five years, only about 20,000 persons from Jammu recruited. The Jammu Mukti Morcha (JMM) alleged that although Jammu was larger in size and population, the number of Assembly seats here was intentionally fixed as 37 against 46 of the Kashmir valley.
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Leave law and order to states: Vohra Jammu, June 15 “I am of the opinion that the Centre should leave law and order to states alone and the use of central para-military forces should to minimum,” Mr Vohra, a former Union Home Secretary, said delivering the fifth Brigadier Rajinder Singh Memorial lecture here last evening. But at the same time, a comprehensive strategy needs to be formulated and executed with coordination between the Centre and states to effectively safeguard national security, he said. Mr Vohra, who met a cross-section of people during his week-long visit here as part of the dialogue process initiated by the Centre on Kashmir, said states should only use their police apparatus for maintaining law and order. “In this direction, they should improve the working of their own police forces,” he said. Mr Vohra, who retired as Union Defence Secretary, said internal security was linked to external security and it would be dangerous to deal with them separately. The most urgent step needed to be taken by states was to depoliticise the functioning of their police organisations and to strengthen their intelligence wings. He referred to deployment of central forces and Army for internal security in militancy-hit areas and said there had been an unending demand for this by states.
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DGP: cops involved in minister’s murder Srinagar, June 15 “The militants involved in the killing of Lone and his brother Ghulam Mohiuddin Lone have been identified by eight persons, including seven police personnel, arrested recently,” Mr Sharma said while addressing his first press conference after assuming charge as the DGP. “No police personnel will be spared if it is proved that he had provided any help to militants,” he asserted. He, however, said it was wrong to say that majority of police personnel had links with militants. “We have lost hundreds of police personnel all these years in our fight against militants from across the border,” he maintained. About the allegation that 20 militants were visiting the police station at Lalpora regularly in the past, Mr Sharma said: “We are on the job and would come out with the truth very soon. Besides, we are taking some corrective measures.” Lauding the role of the state police, he said: “There are some posts in the far-flung areas where our police personnel are facing difficulties. There we are increasing manpower, besides providing them sophisticated weapons to tackle any situation.” During the interrogation of the arrested police personnel and a civilian, he said besides coercion, money was also used to influence the police personnel by the militants. During interrogation, the arrested policemen revealed the modus operandi adopted for Lone’s killing. The militants roped in some policemen of Sogam police station — the ancestral village of Lone — to provide vital information as to the security structure and movements of the minister, Mr Sharma told reporters. After managing to involve several policemen in their activities, the militants used them to carry their weapons and even facilitate their movement in high-security areas, including police stations, he said. During the meeting to plan Lone’s killing, wireless sets were distributed along with codes, Mr Sharma added. An SPO, Rustum Lone, was waiting at Sogam and passed on the code “hoshiyar” (alert) when the minister left the town on the day of the killing. Another accomplice, Ghulam Mohammad Peer, was located at Gundmacher and communicated the word “government” to Constable Abdul Ahad via wireless when Lone passed the Bismillah Colony bridge. Ahad himself was located at Tekipora, the venue of the election rally, Mr Sharma said. Mr Sharma said Peer, being close to Lone’s family, got information about the minister’s schedule and passed it on to other members. Lashker-e-Toiba militant Nazir Ahmad Kaker, who was dressed in a women’s veil, joined a group of women and fired at the minister. He escaped under cover of gunfire provided by other militants. Mr Sharma said Hizbul commander Hilal Dar greeted Ahad and paid him Rs 1 lakh for his role in the killing.
UNI, PTI |
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SPO deserts, takes away AK rifle Srinagar, June 15 A hunt has been launched to nab SPO Hakim Din who deserted Gagal SOG camp, the sources said.
PTI |
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Top ultra killed in encounter Srinagar, June 15 Acting on a tip-off on the movement of a group of militants, troops of 61 Battalion laid an ambush at Takenwari on the outskirts of the city. The troops ordered the militants to stop, but they opened heavy fire and in the fierce encounter, a militant was killed. The others managed to escape under the cover of darkness. The slain militant was later identified as Gulam Mustafa Jatta, alias Khalid, a resident of Sialkot, Pakistan. Documents seized from his possession revealed that he was on a mission to form a new outfit the “Jammu and Kashmir Freedom Force” in the valley. One AK rifle, three AK magazines, one wireless set and two hand grenades and some incriminating documents were seized from the encounter site. In another incident, Pakistani troops fired mortars and artillery shells in the Dras and Kargil sectors, killing two jawans and injuring three civilians last evening. Official sources said the Pakistani troops opened indiscriminate fire, targeting security force installations and civilian areas. Indian troops retaliated and the exchange of fire continued for several hours. At least two BSF jawans — Manjit Thapa and Ram Bahadur — who were patrolling the area, were killed in the shelling in the Karnah sector last evening. At least 10 shells fell at Lamar village near the Line of Control, in the Dras sector, causing injuries to three persons. A shell also damaged a sub-hospital in the area. The injured were admitted to Army hospital, sources said. Reports of shelling were also received from the Kargil sector. However, most shells fired by Pakistani troops fell in the open mountains without causing any damage. JAMMU: A militant was killed by security forces in an encounter in the Darhal area of Rajouri district this morning. Police sources said, acting on a tip-off that some militants were hiding in the Boojan Wali and Tirkha Chote area under Darhal police station, police and Army troops launched an operation to flush them out.
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JKLF to resume
signature campaign Srinagar, June 15 The JKLF would resume the signature campaign on June 17 seeking to know the views of the people on the role Kashmiris wanted to play in any dialogue between India and Pakistan on resolving the Kashmir issue, Malik told reporters. Malik, along with his two close aides, was arrested at Kokernag in Anantnag district of south Kashmir on the second day of the campaign.
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US defence team to visit Srinagar Jammu, June 15 According to official sources, General Campbell, a senior defence officer, is scheduled to reach Srinagar on June 17. He will be leading a four-member American defence team. However, the visit is being kept a closely guarded secret from even the senior functionaries of the state government. Indications are that the American team will interact with the senior functionaries of the Army and the Air Force in Srinagar and visit some areas in order to understand the terrain which could be used in case of a battle against the Al-Qaida from the Indian soil. |
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Jawan killed in firing ‘by mistake’ Jammu, June 15 An SPO of the Jammu and Kashmir police, who was on night guard duty at the Chaktaroo police post in Poonch district, observed some movement in nearby bushes around 2 am, they said. Suspecting militants, the SPO fired from his light machine gun on the patrol party. One sepoy was killed on the spot and another injured in the firing, they added.
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IAF recruitment rallies in J&K Srinagar, June 15 On the request of the State Government, the Indian Air Force (IAF) would be conducting month-long special recruitment rallies in Kashmir, Ladakh and Jammu divisions from July 10. The candidates shall also have to appear for a written examination, he said. Meanwhile, the Department of Employment, in order to familiarise the candidates with the pattern of the examination and to improve their performance, would conduct a two-week pre-recruitment coaching for the candidates at all district headquarters.
UNI |
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Tunnel at Zoji La under study Srinagar, June 14 The centre would also be approached in this regard if the need arises, he told the Legislative Council yesterday. The Minister was replying to a resolution moved by a member of the House from Ladakh, Nassar Ullah, on the closure of the only surface link for six months in a year and the problems confronting the people of frontier region of Ladakh. The strategic 434-km-long
Srinagar-Leh highway which passes through the Zoji-La, lying on the lower depressions of the Himalayan region, 107 km from Srinagar, witnesses heaviest snowfall during the winter and remains closed to traffic for six to seven months in a year. The road was thrown open to the traffic this year on May 24, nearly a month behind the schedule because of unprecedented snowfall on the highway.
PTI |
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220 HIV cases detected in Jammu Jammu, June 15 “Eighty women and 140 men were found HIV positive during tests at GMCH’s laboratory between August 2001 to March 2003 in Jammu,” Deputy Medical Superintendent Yashpal Sharma told PTI here today. Most of cases were inter-state truckers, he said. As many as 1,444 suspected AIDS cases were referred to GMCH in this period, Mr Sharma said. “We have best testing facilities here for the detection of AIDS/HIV cases,” he added. Mr Sharma said 313 victims of bomb blasts were treated in 2001-2002 and 451 in 2002-03 in the hospital.
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Court’s vacations from today Jammu, June 15 Meanwhile, the subordinate courts working in summer zone in Jammu province were also closed today for summer vacations and will start functioning on July 1. During the vacations there will be three duty Magistrates including Special Mobile Magistrate
Excise. UNI |
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In
video: Farooq Abdullah welcomes the initiatives taken by N. N. Vohra
for solving the Kashmir issue. (
