Jammu, September 19
Tomorrow’s visit of Union Minister, Ghulam Nabi Azad and Congress leader, Ms Ambika Soni here has generated enthusiasm among Congress circles in the light of the forthcoming transfer of power in Jammu and Kashmir when the party is supposed to assume power from Chief Minister Mufti Sayeed.

Silence of the Congress high command on the issue has given sleepless nights to grass-root party workers and also those aspiring for a ministerial berth.

Partymen hope that Ms Soni might give some indication about the changeover during the meeting of the executive committee of the PCC tomorrow. Mr Azad, during his earlier visits to the state generally was silent on the issue.

The PDP is scheduled to complete its three-year term of heading the government in the state in the beginning of November. Jammu and Kashmir is the only state in the country where the term of the Assembly continues to be six years, whereas all other states reverted to the five-year term during the regime of the Janata Party at the Centre.

Congress men recently started speaking publicly about the change of the government in the state. However, the Congress high command took a serious note of this and asked them to keep silent on the issue.

Most of the Congress men in the state have started rallying around Mr Azad, who is being considered as a hot candidate for the chair of the Chief Minister.

PCC president and Rural Development Minister Peerzada Ghulam Ahmad told this correspondent “we have authorised Ms Sonia Gandhi to chose the party’s nominee for chief ministership”. Ms Soni is coming here along with Mr Azad tomorrow to preside over the meeting of the executive committee at which several issues would be discussed, including the coming Municipal Elections, he added.

Although several aspirants for the post of Chief Minister have sprung up in the Congress, but behind-the-scene efforts are also being made by various leaders for continuance of the Mufti on the post. There are indications that Deputy Chief Minister, Mr Mangat Ram Sharma, who is in the other camp, also does not relish the coming of Mr Azad as Chief Minister and has sent feelers for the continuance of the Mufti.

There are also indications that an influential group within the Congress high command might also not like the Mufti to be replaced at a time when the situation has started changing in the state and a dialogue had started between the Centre and the Hurriyat leaders to find a solution to the Kashmir problem.

Over the years, the Mufti has created channels to help further improve the situation here, observers feel.

On the other hand, it is learnt that Mr Azad was not so keen to grab power in the state, but would comply with the directions of the party high command in case he was asked to shift here.

A section of the Congress has pointed out that the party would suffer badly in case power was not transferred to it. Aspirations particularly of the Jammu region would get harmed as most of the legislators of the party belong to Jammu.

Srinagar, September 19
Six persons, including three militants of the pro-Pakistan Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) were killed while security forces unearthed hideouts and recovered biggest-ever arms haul in Jammu and Kashmir, an official spokesman said today.

He said security forces, acting on a tip-off, cordoned off Lashtiyal village in the frontier district of Kupwara to nab militants hiding there.

However, when the troops were about to storm a particular house they came under heavy fire from militants. The fire was returned and in the ensuing gun battle three Hizbul militants were killed. Three AK rifles, six magazines and three hand grenades were recovered from the slain militants.

The militants had killed one Ajaz Ahmad Khan at Batapora in Baramulla district this morning, he said.

Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Doda and Udhampur range Satvir Gupta said two to three militants entered the house of one Mohammad Rafiq at Kushan and shot him dead.

In another incident, one Abdul Rashid was killed by militants at Bajmasta in Ramban, he added.

The DIG said Rashid originally hailed from the militancy infested Sumber and had migrated to Bajmasta a few months back.

A Defence Ministry spokesman told reporters at the headquarters of 15 Corps here this afternoon that troops guarding the Line of Control (LoC) conducted search operation at Dawar, 12 KM from Gurez following a tip-off that militants had stored a large cache of arms and ammunition there.

He said the area was cordoned off and after a massive search operation troops recovered the biggest-ever arms cache buried in different natural caves in the rugged mountains near the Kishanganga River close to LoC.

Describing it a major success for the troops, he said the arms and ammunition recovered included 14 assault rifles of the AK-47 and AK-56 variety, a rocket laucher RPG of Russian origin, rocket propelled missiles, 12 under barrel grenade launchers, six pistols of Chinese and Pakistani make, 65 under barrel grenades, 20 Chinese grenades and over 5000 rounds of AK ammunition.

The arms and ammunition were enough to equip several squads of militants operating in Jammu and Kashmir.

He said the explosives and accessories recovered included 80 sticks of deadly RDX, 100 detonators, 59 battery-operated improvised explosives devices and a large number of remote devices.

The material is sufficient to prepare more than a 100 improvised explosive devices which could have caused mass death and destruction, he said.

In addition, four modern hand-held radio sets, night vision binocular, day binoculars and a large number of warlike stores also form part of the recovery. — UNI

Jammu, September 19
The BJP has expressed concern over the stepped up incidents of terrorism in the Kishtwar and Reasi areas of the Doda and Udhampur districts, respectively, and has urged the Centre to take effective steps in these areas.

In two separate statements here today, Dr Nirmal Singh, state BJP chief and Prof Chaman Lal Gupta, a former union minister and BJP leader, have alleged that the law and order situation has virtually collapsed in these areas and the residents have lost faith in the civil administration.

Dr Nirmal Singh urged the Governor to intervene and order the state government to take steps to clear the area of terrorists. Terrorists have pasted posters in the Palmar, Chhatru and Thakral areas threatening the people. This has resulted in a curfew-like situation and the roads were deserted. Terrorists have banned all types of movement in the area.

He said that the civil administration was a mute spectator to all this and has failed to restore confidence among the people.

He demanded that Army should be deployed in strength in these areas so that the people could move out without any fear.

In the other statement, Mr Gupta has stressed the need for strengthening the village defence committees in the Reasi and Mahore areas to boost the morale of the people.

Srinagar, September 19
For 23-year-old Ladole, a schoolteacher in the Dha area of Leh district and her 31 colleagues, it was a good experience to be here. The group of 32 selected trainees from eight Women Empowerment Centres set up by the Army under Operation Sadhbhavana in the area, are on their maiden trip to Delhi, Agra and Jaipur which began yesterday.

It is dream come true for Ms Ladole, a matriculate from the area, about 100 km from Kargil, to be a part of this trip after she took up the job as a teacher under Operation Sadhbhavana about three years ago. “I am happy and it is a good experience,” she commented as she reached here from Kargil yesterday. It was difficult for her old father to make two ends meet, even as her elder brother runs a shop in the remote corner of the Leh district.

“It has become easy to provide succour to the five-member family since I took up the job of a teacher,” she said, adding that the troops in the area were helping to empower the women and educate children.

Unlike Ms Ladole, Ms Tsering Yangskel, a resident of Darchiks in the Batalik sector in Kargil district, has been earning her livelihood by working at a tailoring centre for the past five years. After completing Class VII she took up the job at the Army’s centre. “Like my other friends, I have not seen the world outside Kargil,” she said.

Commenting on the visit of the girls from Ladakh, Major-Gen V.K. Singh, Chief of Staff at the Srinagar based 15 Corps, said the aim of such visits was to show them the country and parts of their home state. “The children here are isolated, and that is why such programmes are being conducted. The Army has been sending children on such trips from the Kashmir valley and it is now the turn of the trainees at the Women Empowerment Centres in Ladakh region to venture out,” he said.