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Friday,
September 12, 2003, Chandigarh, India  
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Minister not linked with terrorists, says Mufti Daring youth misguides terrorists, averts massacre Soldier killed in
Pak shelling Mir, 6 others
arrested
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Gulmarg festival concludes Wullar Lake project on anvil Probe sought into sarpanch’s killing
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Minister
not linked with terrorists, says Mufti Jammu, September 11 The Mufti, who was talking to this correspondent during his two-day tour here, said that Mr Zargar had migrated from his native village and never gone back for about 13 years. Militants had broken the locks of the vacant houses in the area to take shelter there. He said Mr Zargar was a simpleton. “He did not visit his village even during the Assembly elections as a murderous attack was made on him there,” the CM said. The Chief Minister was reacting to the demand being made by certain Opposition parties, including the BJP, for action against Mr Zargar. He said the split in the Hurriyat Conference was to the disadvantage of the separatists, including Mr Ali Shah Geelani, who had always been taking extreme postures. With their internal dissensions, the Hurriyat leaders will have to ultimately enter into a dialogue with the Centre on the Kashmir issue. Referring to a spurt in terrorist activities in the state, he said it might be a gameplan of militants. “Even we do not expect the violence to stop all of a sudden as terrorists have been here for the past about 14 years. However, the government is determined to accelerate the normalisation process.” “The peace process has survived because of the people, who want peace to return. Another indicator of the situation heading towards normalisation is the return of foreign and domestic tourists to the valley. The stray incidents of terrorism should not affect the peace process,” he said. The Mufti denied that the takeover of the Muslim Auqaf Trust (MAT) by the state government was a political vendetta against Dr Farooq Abdullah and his National Conference. This had been done on the pattern of the Vaishnodevi Trust whose income had risen from Rs 1 crore to Rs 70 crore after takeover by the government. Under Dr Abdullah, the environs of the Hazartbal shrine were bad and equally dirty were the conditions in and around the Idgah in downtown Srinagar. A congenial atmosphere was being created for the return of the Kashmiri Pandits to the valley. It was proposed to create 300 clusters for the community with all facilities and jobs for those who would return. He said the statements of Mr Bhim Singh against the government were unwarranted as his Panthers Party, being a coalition partner, had full say in any Cabinet decision. Reopening the land routes to Pakistan from Uri and Suchetgarh would increase people-to-people interaction and clear many misunderstandings. |
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Daring youth misguides terrorists, averts massacre Chandigarh, September 11 This is the second such incident in the same area in the past two years. In the earlier incident, two youngsters, who were forced to act as guides for militants, were later killed by their captors. After having infiltrated into Indian territory on the night between August 31 and September 1, the group of seven militants kidnapped a 35-year old unemployed graduate, Virender Kajuria, from Dono village. Virender was guarding crops from wild animals. He was asked by the militants to guide them to the Jasrota temple, a historical shrine visited by a large number of devotees, or take them to a small dam nearby. He was also questioned about the number of devotees the temple received and when the peak visiting time was. Talking to The Tribune here about the incident, Nationalist Congress Party president and former minister in the Jammu and Kashmir government, Thakur Randhir Singh, who was present at his native village Ghatti adjoining the battle zone when the operation was under way, said Virender took the militants in a somewhat different direction. Except for their leader, who was 25 years old, all were aged about 21 years. They were wearing military-pattern clothes, were well armed and carrying maps and compasses. Virender was also forced to wear similar clothes. While proceeding in the dark along the rocky banks of the Ujh river, which was in spate because of the rains, Virender slipped into the river, got carried away a little distance and pretended to have drowned. The militants were taken in by his game and they settled in the forest instead of proceeding further. The place was about three kilometers away from the dam and was bushy rather than being a dense forest as was claimed by security forces, Mr Singh said. Crossing the river after some time, Virender walked into a nearby house, which turned out to be the home of Gobind Singh, who had lost his sons, Rajkumar Singh and Madan Singh, in an earlier incident. Gobind Singh took Virender back to his village, about half-an-hour’s walk away, where they raised an alarm. He also handed over his military-pattern clothes over to the police. Though it was still pre-dawn, the operation, according to Mr Singh, began only by 3 pm as the local authorities lost a lot of time in gathering forces. “Had the dam been blown up, it would have affected the irrigation system of the border belt and the lower region of Kathua,” Mr Singh remarked. “”You can also well imagine the outcome had they attacked the temple,” he added. The former minister said the area is a perennial route of infiltration and militants use this route to enter Kathua district and then move on to Doda. This area is of strategic importance as the vital Udhampur — Dhar defence road, Pathankot — Jammu National Highway and the rail link to Jammu lie in the vicinity of the area of the operation and are just a few kilometers from the border. |
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Soldier
killed in Pak shelling Poonch, September 11 The Pakistanis initially used mortars, followed by artillery shelling, they said. The shelling was continuing and the Indian troops were responding “appropriately”, the sources said.
— PTI BARAMULLA: A soldier was killed when Pakistani troops shelled the Nothern Sector on Thursday afternoon, official sources said. The sources said the Pakistani troops fired mortars and artillery shells
targeting civilian areas and military installations in the Keran and Gurez sectors. A shell fell near a bunker killing the jawan, the sources said.
— UNI |
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Mir, 6 others
arrested Srinagar, September 11 A group of JKLF members, led by Mir, gathered at Pratap Park and raised slogans against alleged atrocities committed by the security forces. They were arrested while they were proceeding towards Regal Chowk. Mir and his supporters have been detained at the Kothi Bagh police station.
— UNI |
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Gulmarg
festival concludes Gulmarg, September 11 Speaking on the occasion, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed said basic aim of such an event was to promote tourism and thereby provide succour to the poor local people. He said efforts were being made to increase the accommodation facilities at Gulmarg as the lack of such facilities was felt during the recent months with the flow of more tourists. Mufti held that rehabilitation measures would also be taken for those affected as part of the beautification of the tourist spot. Giving an account of the measures taken in view of the government’s plan to promote tourism in the area, Mr Farooq Ahmad Shah, Chief Executive Officer of the Gulmarg Development Authority (GDA), said various measures had been taken during the past three months. He added that the oldest golf course that existed here was revived. A heritage building and church were renovated, and prayers were held at the church after a gap of over 13 years last month. Referring to the Gondola cable car project that links Gulmarg with its upper reaches of Kongdori, the Chief Executive Officer said its second phase from Kongdori to Apharwat would be completed by the end of November. Mr Shah said there was an increase of 45 per cent in the income of the Gondola project this year as compared to that of last year. By dint of several developmental measures taken by the GDA, the tourist spot gave a “different and more beautiful look” at this time of the year, said many of those attending the festival here yesterday. A number of unauthorised constructions that came up over the years as a blot on the face of the scenic spot, have also been removed as part of the beautification measures. The movement of all types of vehicles within the bowl-shaped meadows of Gulmarg has also been restricted and only those vehicles with overnight stay are being allowed to enter the area. “This has prevented the area from pollution and more green patches of grass and bushes have been added”, said an official pointing towards various spots that came up during this season.
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Wullar Lake project on anvil
Srinagar, September 11 The World Bank is being approached for arranging funds for the purpose, Forests and Environment Minister Ghulam Mohi-ud-Din Sofi said at a high-level meeting here last evening with forest and environment officers. Minister of State for Forests and Environment Thakur Puran Singh was also present in the meeting. Mr Sofi said the demarcation of the lake would be conducted jointly by the Environment Department and revenue authorities of Baramulla district. The minister asked the officers to complete all formalities so that the state government could approach the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests for sanctioning financial assistance for the implementation of the project during this year till the World Bank sanctioned necessary funds. — UNI
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Probe sought into sarpanch’s killing Jammu, September 11 Mr Mushtaq Ahmed Khan, the president of the party, along with several other leaders, told newsmen here yesterday, that so far no senior civil and police officials had visited the area where people had been gripped by fear after the incident. Mr Khan also demanded ex gratia relief for the kin of the deceased. He urged the state Chief Minister, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, to order the establishment of security pickets in and around the village.
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Governor
visits Siachen base camp Srinagar, September 11
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