J A M M U   &   K A S H M I R

Militants kill one, loot bank
Srinagar, November 4
A policeman was killed and four bank officials were injured when suspected militants opened fire and looted about Rs 71 lakh from a branch of the Jammu and Kashmir Bank in the Shopian area of Pulwama district today.

Separatists’ unity chances bleak
Jammu, November 4
Though the Kashmir Mirwaiz and chairman of the APHC, Molvi Umar Farooq, plans to renew his exercise on bringing about reconciliation among various separatist groups, indications are that the chances of unity between the faction headed by him and the one led by Syed Ali Shah Geelani are bleak.

Porno CDs racket: former ‘Miss Jammu’ arrested
Jammu, November 4
A couple of bigwigs are expected to get trapped in case the investigations are properly conducted by the police into a flesh trade racket that has been exposed following arrest of a former “Miss Jammu”.

Militants kill one, loot bank
Tribune News Service

Srinagar, November 4
A policeman was killed and four bank officials were injured when suspected militants opened fire and looted about Rs 71 lakh from a branch of the Jammu and Kashmir Bank in the Shopian area of Pulwama district today.

Suspected militants boarding a Tata Sumo vehicle and two motor cycles forced their entry into the Imam Sahib branch of the J&K Bank in Shopian today, DIG Anantnag-Pulwama R.Kotwal said. The armed militants opened indiscriminate fire, injuring five persons inside the bank.

Those injured were a police guard, constable Ghulam Mohammad, Manzoor Ahmad Kuchay, manager, Abdul Majid Bhat, assistant cashier, Aftab Ahmad Deva, clerk and Mushtaq Ahmad Shaloo, peon. The seriously injured constable Ghulam Mohammad later succumbed to his injuries. Four others have been admitted to a hospital here where the condition of the manager was stated to be serious.

Mr Kotwal told The Tribune that a manhunt was launched to nab the culprits. The Tata Sumo vehicle (JK-03-9017) had been traced.

Meanwhile, the of five militants killed inside a mosque at Khilangund in Pulwama district yesterday had been identified, the police said here today. They are Javed Ahmad, alias Jehangir, Raj Hussain of Hizbul Mujahideen, Adil Khan, alias Sufiyana, all the three locals, and Hamza Bhai and Abdullah Bhai of Lashkar-e-Toiba and residents of Pakistan. Five AK rifles, seven magazines and an UBGL have been recovered from the spot.

One militant of Hizbul Mujahideen was killed in an encounter with the police and the security forces at Keller in Anantnag district today.

Two persons were killed by suspected militants in separate incidents in Baramula and Kupwara districts since yesterday, the police here said.

Separatists’ unity chances bleak
Our Correspondent

Jammu, November 4
Though the Kashmir Mirwaiz and chairman of the APHC, Molvi Umar Farooq, plans to renew his exercise on bringing about reconciliation among various separatist groups, indications are that the chances of unity between the faction headed by him and the one led by Syed Ali Shah Geelani are bleak.

The body language of the leaders of the rival Hurriyat conference factions during the Iftar party hosted by the Pakistan High Commissioner in Delhi bore ample testimony to the widening of the chasm between the two sides. In fact, Mr Geelani and his close associates, did not even exchange glances with Prof Abdul Gani Bhat and Mr Bilal Lone, leaders of the APHC headed by Molvi Umar Farooq.

When asked whether there was scope for unity among the separatists, former chairman of the APHC, Molvi Abbas Ansari, told this correspondent today: “I do not find any chance of Mr Geelani returning to the parent organisation.”

He said: “It is Mr Geelani who left the APHC and later floated the Tehrik Hurriyat Conference and as such he has to initiate moves for uniting all the separatist camps.”

Molvi Ansari said “We had entrusted the task of bringing about reconciliation among separatists twice to Molvi Umar Farooq and Syed Ali Shah Geelani refused to return to our fold.”

He said: “I had even resigned as chairman of the APHC, a year before completing my term, simply to encourage Syed Ali Shah Geelani to consider our unity proposal and again he refused to consider it.”

The APHC leaders blamed Mr Geelani for creating a situation in the APHC which led to the resignation of the JKLF Chief, Mohd Yasin Malik, Peoples’ League president, Sheikh Aziz Ahmed and others to quit the conglomerate.

Three months ago the union Home Ministry had urged to the separatists to unite which could facilitate the process of dialogue with the centre. The separatists ignored the suggestion.

Latest reports say the Pakistan President, General Pervez Musharraf, too, had urged Kashmiri separatists to unite. This suggestion was conveyed to Molvi Umar Farooq by General Musharraf during a chance meeting the two had in Amsterdam on September 24.

These moderates fear retaliation from the pro-Pakistan militants in case they agreed to talk to the Central Government. Hence they prefer watching the situation and the approach of the Union Home Minister to the resumption of the dialogue.

Porno CDs racket: former ‘Miss Jammu’ arrested
Tribune News Service

Jammu, November 4
A couple of bigwigs are expected to get trapped in case the investigations are properly conducted by the police into a flesh trade racket that has been exposed following arrest of a former “Miss Jammu”.

She was formally arrested yesterday although the police was questioning her for the past few days following seizure of porno films involving her and a boy.

The girl was selected “Miss Jammu” last year in a contest that was organised by a local cable operator. Thereafter, the cable operator allegedly lured her into the porno film business and they shot some of the films in Himachal Pradesh.

However, the racket got exposed when some youths watching porno CDs here identified the girl and the report reached the police. It is learnt that the girl has named certain VIPs during interrogation, but the police was tight lipped on the issue.

The girl has also named some college students who were involved in the call girl trade and have been going around with certain influential persons.

A set of such CDs was first found when the police searched the house of the main accused following an incident of defrauding of a bank by a boy posing as a BSF man. The boy was allegedly involved in the porno-CD trade.

This is not for the first time such case of flesh trade has been unearthed by the police here. It is alleged that such cases were generally hushed up due to pressure of some top political bosses. This time also efforts were reportedly being made to influence the police and get the case suppressed.