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Srinagar, June 15 Maintaining that dialogue between the Centre and separatists in Jammu and Kashmir would not be result oriented unless Kashmir is treated as the core issue, chairman of the breakaway Hurriyat Conference Syed Ali Shah Geelani today said any invitation to his outfit from the government for talks would be discussed by its advisory council before taking a decision. 
Lashkar condemns killings, favours tourism revival
6 killed, 7 schoolchildren hurt in militant
violence
A woman attends to her son, who was among the seven schoolchildren and three others injured in a grenade attack by militants at Frisal village in Anantnag district of south Kashmir on Tuesday. |
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Plan to augment water supply in Jammu
city
Army issues precautionary
guidelines
Probe into grenade attack on
house
Amarnath Yatri Nyas holds
protest
Gang of thieves busted, Rs 9 lakh recovered
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Keep Kashmir at the core of talks: Geelani
Srinagar, June 15 “We will discuss any invitation from the Government of India in Hurriyat’s Majlis-e-Shoora (advisory council) before taking a final decision on whether to hold talks on the Kashmir issue, Mr Geelani told reporters here, a day after the Centre invited the Hurriyat faction led by Maulana Abbas Ansari for talks. “Any talks between Srinagar and New Delhi will not yield results towards the resolution of the Kashmir issue. At best, such a dialogue will produce the 1975 type of accord, which has failed”, he said. Mr Geelani said if the Centre was keen on the resolution of the Kashmir problem, the issue should form the core of the talks between India and Pakistan. Mr Geelani, however, said the two sides should take the people of the state into confidence before arriving at a solution to the 55-year-old issue. “Kashmir is not a territorial issue between two countries. It is a matter of the destiny of 13 million people living in Jammu and Kashmir and Pak-occupied Kashmir”, he added. He said there had been no change in the policy of the Centre towards Kashmir, although a Congress-led government had replaced the BJP-led regime. The human rights violations and atrocities in the state at the hands of security forces were continuing unabated even after a month of the Congress assuming power, he added. Mr Geelani said if the Centre wanted peace in the state, it should call the troops back to the barracks and stop the “excesses” against innocent civilians. —
PTI |
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Lashkar condemns killings, favours tourism revival
Srinagar, June 15 “Tourists coming from different parts of India and abroad are our guests and nothing should be done to harm them,” they said. “We strongly condemn the grenade attack on tourists at Pahalgam that left five dead and 19 others wounded,” Mr Geelani told newsmen here today. He said the killing of any innocent to whatever religion he or she belonged was un-Islamic and against humanity. He said he favoured increase in the tourist inflow so that they could also understand that the “fight in Kashmir was not of a communal nature”. Mr Geelani said a number of front-ranking militant outfits had already denied their involvement and condemned the incident at Pahalgam. Meanwhile, the Lashkar also condemned the incident in a statement to local mediamen here, saying that it was against such attacks. It said the outfit was in favour of reviving tourism in Kashmir. But it should not be linked with the ongoing “freedom” struggle, the statement said. — UNI |
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6 killed, 7 schoolchildren hurt in militant
violence
Srinagar, June 15 An unidentified gunman shot dead Mohammad Rajab Dar, brother of the Congress MLA from Sopore at
Dangarpora, Sopore, near Zainagir canal, while he was returning home from his fields early this morning. The state pradesh Congress Committee president, Ghulam Nabi
Azad, and other PCC leaders have condemned the killing and expressed their condolences to the bereaved family of the MLA, Abdul Rashid Dar, representing the Sopore constituency of Baramulla district. Suspected militants lobbed a grenade towards the vehicle of Gridhari Lal, Chairman, Scheduled Caste Board and Member of Legislative Council near Jahangir Chowk this afternoon. The grenade did not explode and was later defused by the bomb disposal squad of the police. A police spokesman said here that 10 civilians, including seven school children, were injured when militants hurled a grenade at Frisal
Adda, Kulgam, in Anantnag district at about 9.45 a.m. today. One seriously injured person was shifted to hospital here. In another incident, militants shot dead Abdul Ghani Wani at
Barzalla, Beerwah, in Budgam district at 2.50 p.m. today. One militant of the
Harkat-ul-Mujahideen outfit, identified as Mushtaq Ahmad Pala, was killed in an encounter with security forces near Beijbehara in Anantnag district yesterday. Two militants of the Hizbul Mujahideen were killed in an exchange of fire with security forces at Charwari Khari in Doda district of the Jammu region last night. One AK rifle, one magazine, two hand grenades and a wireless set were recovered from the site of the encounter. Unidentified militants killed Barkat Hussain by slitting his throat in the Thana Mandi area of Rajouri district last night, the police here said. A jawan who was injured in an encounter with militants in Baramulla district yesterday succumbed to his injuries in the hospital here today. Security forces recovered one AK rifle, one
UBGL, three rounds, three rocket propelled grenades, two RPG boosters, two hand grenades, 17 electric detonators, 1.5 kg of explosives, five battery chargers and seven time devices from a hideout of militants in the Darhal area of Rajouri district yesterday. The police recovered one AK rifle, three magazines, 75 rounds and six hand grenades from a hideout of militants in the Mahore area of Udhampur district yesterday. |
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Plan to augment water supply in Jammu
city
Jammu, June 15 Work on the project, scheduled to begin in September, is expected to be completed within three years. The project envisages, among other things, the construction of a filtration plant on the left bank of the Tawi river and a 5.4 mgd plant on the right bank of the Sitlee, replacement of worn-out machinery, provision for a 11 KVA separate feeders at PHE stations, augmentation of electric substations and replacement and extension of water supply lines. A plan for augmentation and equitable water distribution in all seven zones of Jammu city was awarded to Water and Power Consultancy Services ( India) Ltd ( WAPCOS), which has prepared a detailed project report proposing the tapping of Ranbir canal water against the earlier proposal for lifting water from the Chenab. The project will be taken up in two phases. The first phase is from 2004 to 2015 and the second from 2016 to 2031. About 100 cusecs of raw water shall be lifted from the intake to a water treatment plant near Gurapattan village. The water treatment plant will have a capacity to provide 38 mgd in phase I and an additional 30 million gallons per day in phase II. Water shall be conveyed from the water treatment plant at Gurapattan to various zonal reservoirs through a network of pipelines. To meet the immediate requirement of water in old city, especially new Plots, Sarwal, Bakshinagar, Roopnagar and the adjoining areas, a short-term scheme for augmentation of water supply in the core area has been taken up. The city is facing water scarcity due to a phenomenal increase in its population because of large-scale migration due to militancy and border conflict. About 3.50 lakh migrants have settled in Jammu who consume around 18 mgd of water, an official spokesman said. |
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Army issues precautionary guidelines
Srinagar, June 15 Seeking cooperation from the public, he said security forces on the Army helpline numbers should be informed about any suspicious person or object to avoid casualties. Every citizen can prevent casualties, he said. “During a grenade attack, just shout ‘grenade’ to alert others who can immediately lie down face downwards on the ground.’’ He said in order to avoid incidents in which people were killed due to mistaken identity, the public had to cooperate with the security forces. “All citizens are requested not to run away when challenged by the security forces to stop for identification. This could lead to cases of mistaken identity, which could have unfortunate consequences. The person should calmly remain on the spot with open hands to indicate that he is not carrying any weapon and disclose his identity,’’ he said. There were clear-cut instructions to all field commanders that no innocent person should be harassed during counter-insurgency operations in the valley, he added. These simple precautions could help save innocent lives and enable the security forces to protect the people from militants, he stated. —
UNI |
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Probe into grenade attack on house
Srinagar, June 15 The Deputy Superintendent of Police has been asked to inquire into the killing on Sunday night of a retired patwari, Abdul Fatah Bhat, and his sister Ashiya of Rearam village of Kunzar, an official spokesman said today. Bhat’s nephew, Mohammad Sultan Bhat, is associated with the Hizbul Mujahideen and is wanted by the police. The police blamed militants for the attack. However, residents, who observed a complete shutdown and staged demonstrations, alleged that counter-insurgents working with a local Army unit carried out the grenade attack to avenge the killing of their associate, Fayaz Ahmad Mir, by militants on Sunday. The villagers dispersed after State Minister for Tourism Ghulam Hassan Mir, who hails from the area, visited the village and assured them that the culprits would be nabbed. The Additional Deputy Commissioner, Baramulla, handed over cheques for Rs 2 lakh to next of the kin of deceased, the spokesman said. —
PTI |
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Amarnath Yatri Nyas holds
protest
Jammu, June 15 The president of the Nyas, Dr Ramakant Dubey, led the procession in which several prominent persons participated. An effigy of Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed was burnt. The leaders said while the Mufti was inviting tourists to the Kashmir valley, he was trying to put restriction on the annual pilgrimage. The state government was providing year-round security to tourists in the valley, then why could it not deploy security forces on the yatra route for two months, they asked. The protesters alleged that the administration in the valley always played a “Kashmir-centric card” to discourage the pilgrims. The state government had failed to identify land for a modern yatra house, for which the Centre had promised a grant of Rs 20 crore, the memorandum alleged. |
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Gang of thieves busted, Rs 9 lakh recovered
Jammu, June 15 A group of three youths, in connivance with a postal employee, had hatched a plan to rob the cashier of Mubark Mandi post office who frequently used to carry huge amounts of cash from his branch to the head post office, the Inspector-General of Police (Jammu zone), Mr P.L. Gupta, told reporters. The three youths intercepted the cashier, Mr Baldev Singh, who was carrying Rs 10.75 lakh, on June 12 and threw chilly powder in his eyes and took away the money. The police conducted raids at various places to trace the suspects, he said, adding two of them, identified as Kamal Kishore and Nand Kishore, alongwith the postal employee, Suresh Kumar alias Teeta, had been arrested during the past two days. Following their interrogation, the police had recovered Rs 8.95 lakh from a village outside the city. —
PTI |
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Srinagar, June 15
