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PDP leader escapes bid on life
Mufti for revival of cultural
activities in J&K
‘Excesses affecting peace process’
11 bodies recovered in Gurez, operation on
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Jammu, July 17 Fifty persons, including 10 Amarnath yatris, were wounded in different road accidents in the Jammu region today. Police sources said a bus carrying Amarnath pilgrims collided head-on with a truck on the Jammu-Srinagar road, near Nagrota, resulting in injuries to 10 passengers. Two more yatris die of heart attack
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PDP leader escapes bid on life
Srinagar, July 17 Ansari had a narrow escape as the police detected an IED planted by militants on a road in Budgam district just before his visit to the area today, official sources said. They said the IED was planted on a road between Khabar and Khanpora villages with the intention to target the prominent Shia leader. Ansari, a former minister who recently quit opposition National Conference and joined the PDP, visited Khanpora to address a religious function. Six civilians were injured when militants tossed a grenade towards a security patrolling party at Koimoh-Kulgam, 65 km from here, in Anantnag district today. Three of the injured were discharged after first aid while three others were hospitalised, a police spokesman said. He said two militants, yet to be identified, were killed in an encounter with the security forces at Tukson-mahore in Udhampur district last night. Two AK rifles, five magazines, 56 rounds, a dicta phone and a wireless set were recovered. Another militant was killed in a gunfight with the security forces at Putshahi-Bandipora in Baramula district. The spokesman said a suspected militant was arrested in an operation joint launched by the police and the security forces at Mohra-Jaglanoo in Rajouri district along with two hand
grenades, two kgs of explosives and some medicines. The police has busted a militant hideout at Manjakote in Rajouri district and recovered five kgs of RDX, 4.5 kgs of gelatine sticks, 11 hand grenades, two UBGL grenades, 50 grams of gunpowder, 108 AK rounds and a wireless set, the spokesman said. He said the police also busted a hideout at Batnoor-Poshapathri in the Tral area of Pulwama district today and recovered one AK rifle and some clothing and ration items.
— PTI |
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Mufti for revival of cultural
activities in J&K
Srinagar, July 17 The joint efforts by various organisations like J&K academy of art, culture and languages, Doordarshan, Radio Kashmir and Information Department were needed for setting up of a core group for the promotion of art and culture in the state, he said at a theatre festival organised by Doordarshan here. Underscoring the need for a cultural centre on the pattern of Pune-based Film and Television Institute of India in the state, Mr Sayeed said revival of cultural activities in the valley was imperative as it had been part of life here. He said Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had expressed his keenness for such an institution in the state. Mr Sayeed said there should be balanced portrayal of the pain and agony people of the state had gone through. He asked the Doordarshan to hold events like theatre festival at places like Pahalgam and Gulmarg to extend the reach of their
message. The Director General, Doordarshan, Mr Navin Kumar, said the purpose of holding festival was to promote theatre in Kashmir. DD Kashmir would start new programmes and was planning to seek feedback on the kind of programmes it should do, he added. A total of 10 plays would be staged during the festival including eight Kashmiri, one Urdu and one Ladakhi. The first phase of the festival was held at Jammu in April this year.
— PTI |
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‘Excesses affecting peace process’
Jammu, July 17 According to the president, Democratic Freedom Party, Mr Shabir Ahmed Shah, “continued excesses being committed by the security forces in the remote rural areas are having an adverse impact on the peace process.” He said “in the rural areas there does not seem to be any accountability as far as the operations and activities of security forces are concerned.” He said “if the troops were needed to maintain law and order the soldiers should be stationed at tehsil headquarters where police teams could
accompany them during operations against the Jehadis.” Mr Shah while referring to a recent incident in which a security man had raped and killed a girl in Dooru area of Anantnag district, said he and his activists had staged a two-hour dharna on the Srinagar-Jammu highway three days ago simply to convey to Amarnath pilgrims from various areas of India about the nature of “excesses” being committed by the security forces. He said that police should be entrusted with the task of handling law and order in the villages. He and a senior APHC leader, Prof Abdul Gani Bhat, said “the recent withdrawal of some battalions of troops was simply a cosmetic exercise.” They wanted the government to try on an experimental basis the issue of reduction of troops. In reply to a question the
separatist leaders said once troops were withdrawn those holding guns may not resort to violence in the rural areas. They said presence of soldiers was a kin to a “red rag to a bull and guntoting youths usually
targeted convoys or pickets of security forces leading to killing of civilians in the crossfire.” Mr Shah said he would send a detailed communication to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and the UN Secretary-General in which “I shall plead for withdrawal of troops from within the rural areas of Jammu and Kashmir.” In reply to another question, the two separatist leaders said they equally condemned any atrocity having been committed by the gun toting youths. “We criticised those who carried out bomb and grenade explosions outside the school in Srinagar and the one in Pulwama where scores of people were killed and several injured,” they said. The separatists said that “if peace is to be a given a chance and if the Government of India is sincere in seeing the ongoing confidence-building measures with Pakistan reach a logical conclusion, troops need to be withdrawn from the villages in Jammu and Kashmir.” |
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11 bodies recovered in Gurez, operation on
Srinagar, July 17 A defence spokesman said 11 bodies of militants had been recovered so far. The combing operation, which started on July 12 evening, is on to search for more bodies of militants and weapons, he added. He said the bodies of two more infiltrators were recovered last evening. Till yesterday, nine bodies had been recovered, some from the Kishenganga river. The
spokesman said efforts were being made to bury the militants in the Gurez area itself as it was very difficult to bring them to the base camp here. Troops launched the operation in the glacial heights of the Gurez area near the LoC after intercepting a large group of infiltrators on July 12. ‘’The infiltration bid in the Gurez sector is part of a larger plan from across the border. This is the biggest incursion bid from across the border in the recent past as nearly four days have passed and the operation is still on,’’ he added. He said it was the 14th infiltration attempt since April this year, resulting in the elimination of 52 militants. Giving details, he said an unspecified number of infiltrators were successfully trapped by the troops of 20 Punjab about 9 km inside the Indian territory in the snowbound area of Kabuli Gali which is at an altitude of 16,000 ft between the Gurez and Mushkoh sectors. ‘’The number of intruders is not known so far. Perhaps it was a very large group...the biggest in the past several months,’’ he said. The spokesman said glaciers, high altitude, rugged terrain and incessant rains had hampered the operation against the intruders. — UNI |
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10 yatris among 50 injured in road accidents
Jammu, July 17 Police sources said a bus carrying Amarnath pilgrims collided head-on with a truck on the Jammu-Srinagar road, near Nagrota, resulting in injuries to 10 passengers. Forty persons, including some labourers, were injured after a truck in which they were travelling skidded off the road and fell into a deep gorge at Bani in Kathua district at about 2.30 pm. The injured were admitted to sub-district hospital, Basohli, and District Hospital, Kathua.
— UNI |
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Two more yatris die of heart attack
Srinagar, July 17 The sources said Suman Kumar Mandal, a resident of West Bengal, and Ms Agarwal of Mumbai died of a massive heart attack near the holy cave shrine of Amarnath today. So far, 19 pilgrims have died since the commencement of the two-month-long annual Amarnath yatra on June 21. Most of the pilgrims have died of cardiac arrest. JAMMU: Amidst tight security arrangements, 3,302 pilgrims left for the cave shrine of Amarnath today. The pilgrims left around 5 a.m. from here in a fleet of 136 vehicles, Senior Superintendent of Police Alok Puri said. “There was no report of any untoward incident from anywhere during the yatra which was going on smoothly,” Mr Puri, who is looking after the security of Amarnath pilgrims, said. About 1.60 lakh devotees have so far offered prayers at the cave shrine. — UNI, PTI |
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