J A M M U   &   K A S H M I R

Strike hits life in valley
Srinagar, February 24
Normal life was paralysed across the valley in response to the strike call in protest against the incidents of blasts on places of worship in Iraq and the killing of four youths by the security forces in Handwara on Wednesday.

3 militants, jawan killed in Bandipore encounter
Srinagar, February 24
Three militants of Lashkar-e-Toiba and an Army jawan were killed while a jawan was injured in an encounter between militants and security forces at Aragam near Bandipore, about 50 km north of Srinagar, in Baramulla district last night.

Geelani taken in preventive custody
Srinagar, February 24
Chairman of the breakaway Hurriyat Conference Syed Ali Shah Geelani was today taken in preventive custody near his Rawalpora residence this afternoon. Official sources said Mr Geelani had been put under house arrest since February 22 to prevent him from visiting Handwara where four youths were killed, allegedly by the Army during a search operation.

Include PoK refugees in talks: Sikh bodies
Jammu, February 24
A number of Sikh organisations here have said that the roundtable conference convened by prime minister Manmohan Singh at Delhi tomorrow would be unfruitful without the involvement of the refugees from the Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) who are in a sizable chunk in Jammu and Kashmir.

J&K outlay Rs 5,648 crore
New Delhi, February 24
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad today said that the number of violent incidents in the state had come down in the past four months but correct picture of infiltration will emerge in the next few months when snow melts in higher reaches.

Strike hits life in valley
Tribune News Service and PTI

Srinagar, February 24
Normal life was paralysed across the valley in response to the strike call in protest against the incidents of blasts on places of worship in Iraq and the killing of four youths by the security forces in Handwara on Wednesday. The police resorted to lathicharge and lobbed teargas shells at several places to quell the demonstrators taking to streets in response to a call given by both factions of the APHC and supported by various other organisations.

All shops and business establishments were closed and traffic was off the roads. However, private vehicles were plying in some areas. There was thin attendance in government offices and banks due to the strike. Demonstrations were held at several places after the Friday prayers this afternoon.

The police lobbed teargas shells and resorted to lathicharge in the Jamia Masjid area and other areas of interior city after a large number of people held protest demonstrations. Earlier, resolutions were passed at the main mosque in which the APHC, led by Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, condemned the incidents that had taken place in Iraq. It condemned the “plans of certain vested interests to create confusion” through such incidents so as “to divide the Muslims” around the world. The APHC also condemned the killing of four youths at Dodhipora near Handwara.

Meanwhile, a senior Shia leader and former APHC chairman, Moulvi Abbas Ansari, was allegedly beaten up by the police at Mirgund, about 15 km from here today. He was on way to address a Friday congregation in the Shia-dominated area.

The police also resorted to lathicharge to disperse demonstrators in Dodhipora, Chogul, Kupwara and Sopore in Baramula districts.

At least 25 persons, including two woman and six policemen, were injured when the police used batons and fired tear gas shells to disperse crowds at different places in the Kashmir valley protesting against the killing of four youths in Doodipora and bombing of a holy shrine in Iraq.

3 militants, jawan killed in Bandipore encounter
Tribune News Service

Srinagar, February 24
Three militants of Lashkar-e-Toiba and an Army jawan were killed while a jawan was injured in an encounter between militants and security forces at Aragam near Bandipore, about 50 km north of Srinagar, in Baramulla district last night.

A woman was also killed when an illuminating device “malfunctioned and went astray” hitting her in the house in a nearby locality.

Hawaldar Sushil Kumar was killed and Sepoy Joginder was wounded in the encounter, while the security forces recovered three AK rifles, one UBGL and a pistol from the site of encounter.

Reacting to the reports about the incidents of killing of four youth in Handwara on Wednesday and the encounter in Bandipore yesterday, Lieut-General S. S. Dhillon, GOC of the 15 Corps of the Army, today denied the “targeted killing of civilians”.

He said the killing of innocent civilians in the two incidents was “unfortunate”, and asserted that all measures were being taken to avoid any harm to civilians.

He added that the Army, apart from the assistance from the state government, was going to duly compensate the families of the civilians killed in these incidents.

Giving details of the encounter at Aragam in Bandipore yesterday, Lieut-General Dhillon said one militant had been killed before dusk after about six hours.

Thereafter, the encounter continued in the night with the help of illuminating devices and another militant had been killed by 8-30 pm even as the fire from the militants hiding in the area continued, he added.

“We fired some illuminating devices that work with the help of parachutes and are not explosive devices,” Gen Dhillon said and added that these devices helped in locating the militants so that effective fire was directed towards them in the dark.

Geelani taken in preventive custody

Srinagar, February 24
Chairman of the breakaway Hurriyat Conference Syed Ali Shah Geelani was today taken in preventive custody near his Rawalpora residence this afternoon. Official sources said Mr Geelani had been put under house arrest since February 22 to prevent him from visiting Handwara where four youths were killed, allegedly by the Army during a search operation.

They said when Mr Geelani attempted to leave his home for Friday prayers, he was taken in custody by the police personnel deployed there.

Later, a group of Mr Geelani’s supporters protested against his arrest.

A report from Kupwara said the police burst tear gass shells and resorted to a lathi charge to disperse people who were on the way to Handwara from Kupwara. — UNI

Include PoK refugees in talks: Sikh bodies
Tribune News Service

Jammu, February 24
A number of Sikh organisations here have said that the roundtable conference convened by prime minister Manmohan Singh at Delhi tomorrow would be unfruitful without the involvement of the refugees from the Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) who are in a sizable chunk in Jammu and Kashmir.

While talking to media persons here today, leaders of various Sikh organisations urged the prime minister to involve them in the dialogue process as they were the real victims of the division of Kashmir.

Mr Sudershan Singh Wazir, a former president of the J&K Gurdwara Prabandhak Board, said that the refugees of PoK were forced to leave their hearth and homes when Kashmir got divided between India and Pakistan.

While complementing the Centre for initiating a dialogue with the valley-based separatists, Mr Wazir said that the entire exercise would be meaningless unless the real sufferers were involved in the talks.

Mr Narbir Singh, president, Shiromani Youth Akali Dal, regretted that while various relief and rehabilitation measures had been taken for the Kashmiri migrants, the PoK refugees had been ignored all these years.

Mr Mohinder Singh, chief organiser, Bhai Kanhaiya Nishkam Seva Society, said that while 24 seats in the Assembly had been reserved for the PoK areas, the refugees from there had been kept out of the dialogue process.

Among others, Mr Paramjit Singh, president, All-India Sikh Students Federation, Mr Amar Singh, president, Sikh Welfare Society, and Mr Kulwant Singh, chief organiser, Sikh Naujawan Sabha, were present at the news conference.

J&K outlay Rs 5,648 crore
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, February 24
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad today said that the number of violent incidents in the state had come down in the past four months but correct picture of infiltration will emerge in the next few months when snow melts in higher reaches.

Talking to mediapersons after his meeting with Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia in which state's outlay for the 2006-07 was fixed at Rs 5,648 crore, Mr Azad said there had been reduction in the number of violent incidents, civilian casualities, hartals and custodial killings, custodial disappearence in the last four months.