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Monday,
July 7, 2003, Chandigarh, India  
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New outfit after mass contact:
Geelani 4 ultras, 2 kids killed in J&K
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| BSF raises fence, despite
hurdles Jammu, July 6 As the evening shadows fall on a stretch of the international border in Abdullian village in R.S. Pora sector, flood lights are switched on. The 8 foot high barbed-wire fence stands like an alert border sentinel. Army absolved of custodial death
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New outfit after mass contact:
Geelani Srinagar, July 6 The former APHC chairman and senior Jamaat-e-Islami leader, Mr Syed Geelani, following his over two-month-long differences with the Hurriyat Conference, said a cadre-based statewide movement along with those associated with the Jamaat-e-Islami would be launched in case there was no other alternative. At the same time, he said the forum politics had failed in Kashmir and that it was no solution to the resolution of the Kashmir problem. He reiterated his stand on the right of self-determination for the people of Jammu and Kashmir to seek a final settlement of the vexed Kashmir issue. In his first public appearance following release after nine-month detention in April last, Mr Geelani expressed concern over the APHC’s failure to take action against the Peoples Conference. The Peoples Conference, one of the seven main constituents of the Hurriyat Conference, according to Mr Geelani, had actively participated in the last Assembly elections. While Mr Geelani had been in jail since June 9 last year, he expressed concern over the dismal role of the APHC during the elections. He blamed the APHC leadership for either having remained busy in negotiations with Mr Ram Jethmalani or touring. Differences between the hard-liner Jamaat leader and the Hurriyat Conference came to the fore following a decision by the Jamaat-e-Islami to replace Mr Geelani by advocate Sheikh Ali Mohammad in the APHC in May last. The Jamaat had cited health grounds for the replacement, which, however, was denied by Mr Geelani. He had pointed out that the Peoples Conference, had actively participated in the last Assembly elections, adding that the Hurriyat had failed to take action against it. Mr Geealni, however, set the ball rolling by denying his health grounds being the reason behind his replacement. He made it clear that the role of the Peoples Conference in the elections was the reason behind the development and that he had declined to attend any meeting of the APHC unless any action was taken. He did not attend any meeting of the Hurriyat Conference since his release after detention in April this year. Two militant outfits, Hizb-ul-Mujahideen and Jamait-ul-Mujahideen, had also extended their support to Mr Geelani and deplored the decision of the Hurriyat ousting him from the conglomeration. In a related development here on Friday, the Jamait-ul-Mujahideen outfit has asked Mr Geelani to conform to the ideals adhered by jehadi leadership in case of the formation of a new political front. |
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4 ultras, 2 kids killed in J&K Srinagar, July 6 Two militants of pro-Pakistan Hizb-ul-Mujahideen were killed in an encounter with security forces at Hafoo-Haina Tral village in Pulwama district of south Kashmir last night, the spokesman said. Two women were injured in the exchange of fire and were given medical treatment, he said. A self-styled battalion commander of Al-Badr outfit, Imran Bhai of Pakistan, and another militant, Asamat Ullah Farooqi of Jaish-e-Mohammad outfit, were killed in separate gunbattles with security forces in Kupwara and Rajouri districts. Two minor children - Sameer Ahmad Bhat(7) and Ishfaq Ahmad (6) - were killed and another boy was injured in an explosion at Raj Mohalla Wazrpora near Sopore in Baramula district last evening, he said. Militants intruded into the house of Ghulam Rasool Bhat at Kreeri in Baramula district last night and kidnapped him. Ghulam Bhat, an employee in the Public Health Engineering Department, was later killed by the militants, the spokesman said. He said militants also shot at and critically injured an employee of the Social Welfare Department, Haseena, in her house at Yunsoo-Handwara in frontier district of Kupwara. Meanwhile, the BSF arrested an ultra of Pro-Pakistan Hizb-ul-Mujahideen outfit, who sent Kashmiri youth to Pakistan for arms training, in Pulwama district of south Kashmir today. In a pre-dawn raid on Washbugh in Pulwama, the BSF troops arrested Khurshid Ahmad Bhat, who worked as a ‘motivator’ for Hizb-ul-Mujahideen militants, sending youth from the state across the border for arms training. On his lead, the BSF troops immediately carried out a series of raids and rescued four youths, Rayeez Ahmad Wani, Ajiz Ahmad Ganai, Riyaz Ahmad Wani and Khurshid Ahmad Wani, all from Washbugh, who were about to go to Pakistan for arms training, the spokesman said. They were handed over to their families later, he said. The troops recovered a grenade thrower, three rifle grenades, a hand grenade and 10 electronic detonators from Khurshid Bhat, the spokesman said. Security forces arrested three more militants from the Dangerpora and Arampora areas of Sopore town in Baramula district and seized three handgrenades and 34 rounds of ammunition from them, the spokesman said. He said security forces seized five safety fuses, two detonators, six chargers, 50 grams of gun powder and 250 grams of explosive material from a militant hideout at Darhal in Rajouri district. Jammu: Army troops foiled an infiltration bid but lost a jawan during a gunbattle with ultras near the Line of Control in Rajouri district where Pakistani troops resorted to mortar shelling and small arms firing, official sources said today. A group of armed militants, who sneaked into the Indian side of Rajouri district via the Noushera sector were challenged by Army troops on Saturday, they said, adding that in the subsequent gunbattle Lance Naik Naresh Singh was killed and three jawans sustained bullet injuries. The ultras, however, managed to escape towards Pakistan under the covering fire provided by troops from across the border, the sources said here. Pakistani troops had earlier resorted to firing mortar bombs in Jhanghar, Bhawani, Kalsian and Rumlidhara areas of Rajouri district. The Indian troops retaliated and the intermittent exchange of fire between the two sides continued till 3 pm, they said, adding that the exchange of small arms fire also took place in the Bhawani sector of Rajouri district last night. Reports from international border said the exchange of fire also took place in Karotna and Khurd in the R.S. Pura sector and Badowal, Sain, Kote Kuba and Treva in the Arnia sector last night. However, there was no loss of life or damage to property on our side, the sources added. —
PTI |
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BSF raises fence, despite
hurdles Jammu, July 6 Under the flashing lights even the movement of a mouse can be monitored by alert BSF jawans peeping through their binoculars. The Inspector-General, BSF, Mr Dilip Trivedi, seems to be satisfied with the feat his men have achieved in raising the fence in difficult circumstances. Mr Trivedi explains to a team of mediapersons how the Pakistani Rangers created hurdles by resorting to intermittent but heavy firing in every pocket where the work on the fencing project had been started. In a bid to foil the Pakistan’s game of disrupting the pace of the work, tall clay bundhs have been raised a few metres ahead of fencing alignments which acted as a bullwark against the enemy bullets. Nearly 80 km of the 187 km-long international border from Kathua to Akhnoor have been fenced and the project is expected to be completed by the end of next year. Senior BSF functionaries have claimed that the rate of ingress and arms and narcotics smuggling from across the fenced border belt has witnessed marked decline. “In fact none from the other side has ventured to break through the fence,” says a BSF officer. He explains that fencing the IB had become imperative after Pakistan trained militants had concentrated on the international border for infiltrating into Jammu sector two years ago. The installation of flood lights too had become necessary to prevent militants from infiltrating into the state during night hours. Pakistan had objected to the fencing of the international border on the plea that it treated the IB as a “working border”. But the Indian Government, particularly, the Union Home Ministry, went ahead with the schedule of raising a barbed-wire fence. Encouraged by the success the BSF achieved in halting infiltration and arms smuggling the Army authorities too have started fencing those stretches of the LoC which are known to be the routes adopted by the Pakistani infiltrators. In Jammu sector; nearly 200-km LoC stretches are to be fenced for checking infiltration. |
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Army absolved of custodial death Srinagar, July 6 The Additional District Magistrate of Kupwara, who probed the incident gave a clean chit to the Army, saying that Shabir Ahmad Pir was pickedup by the Army for interrogation two days prior to his death, but was handed over to four prominent persons of the area in good health. Pir was handed over to four prominent persons of the area after he requested to prove his innocence, the inquiry officer said in a report submitted to the government recently. The state government had ordered a magisterial inquiry after the local residents held demonstrations and alleged that Pir was killed by the Army on February 4 when he was in their custody. Pir was in good health and reached his residence safe, Habibullah, who worked with him and was picked up for interrogation along with Pir, told the commission. The deceased’s father also told the commission that his son had reached home safe on the fateful day. The inquiry commission found that Pir was beaten ruthlessly by unidentified masked persons, who barged into his residence on the fateful night of February 4. He succumbed to the injuries soon after. Pir and Habibullah of Shirhama-Handwara were picked by 30 Rashtriya Rifles headquartered at Langate two days prior to the incident. However, Pir’s body was found by the roadside, while his friend Habibullah was injured, leading to protest by the locals. —
PTI |
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400 patients treated JAMMU: Army doctors have treated 400 patients, including women and children, at a three-day camp in the remote villages of Udhampur district in Jammu and Kashmir, a defence spokesman said here on Sunday. A team of Army doctors, provided free medical check-up to the people of
Bhaga, Shikari, Sungri, Dubri, Angrala and Badr villages. |
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