J A M M U   &   K A S H M I R

Grenade attacks leave 5 dead, 11 injured
Srinagar, July 16
Five persons were killed and 11 others injured in separate incidents as militants carried out three more grenade attacks in Jammu and Kashmir, where security forces foiled an infiltration bid and arrested two militants since last night, a police spokesman said today.

Musharraf’s double standards exposed
Jammu, July 16
The double standards of Pakistan on the Kashmir issue got exposed during the Tuesday’s elections for the National Assembly of the Pakistan-occupied Kashmir in which General Pervez Musharraf debarred the pro-independence candidates from contesting the polls.

Amarnath yatra resumes after 4 days
Jammu, July 16
The Amarnath yatra resumed today from Jammu after being suspended for four days due to inclement weather along the route of the Pahalgam and Baltal base camps.

Grenade attacks leave 5 dead, 11 injured

Srinagar, July 16
Five persons were killed and 11 others injured in separate incidents as militants carried out three more grenade attacks in Jammu and Kashmir, where security forces foiled an infiltration bid and arrested two militants since last night, a police spokesman said today.

The infiltration bid was scuttled at Tarkundi, Gali-Manjakote in Rajouri district last night when security forces intercepted a group of militants who had entered into this side from across the border after cutting the fencing, the spokesman said.

He said an exchange of fire took place between the security forces and the ultras and some of the militants were injured. However, they managed to escape.

A massive search operation has been launched to nab the militants, the spokesman said.

A group of militants barged into two houses in the remote mountainous hamlet of hill tak in rajouri district late last night and killed two villagers, 50-year-old mohammad Shafi and 30-year-old Mohammad Niaz, the spokesman said.

In a case of mistaken identity, a 60-year-old man identified as Abli Wani was shot dead by Rashtriya Rifles outside his house at Braripora village of Chogal in Handwara area of North Kashmir Kupwara district in the wee hours today, the spokesman said.

Wani, a mentally ill person, ran into an ambush by troops in the village and ignored repeated warnings, he said.

However, local residents who claim that the deceased was a mystic and curing patients staged a demonstration accusing the Army of killing him when he came out of his house to ease himself.

Body of an unidentified person was recovered by police from Kalinar in Doda district today, official sources said. — PTI

Musharraf’s double standards exposed
S.P. Sharma
Tribune News Service

Jammu, July 16
The double standards of Pakistan on the Kashmir issue got exposed during the Tuesday’s elections for the National Assembly of the Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) in which General Pervez Musharraf debarred the pro-independence candidates from contesting the polls.

While General Musharraf was pampering the separatists and pro-independence elements operating on this side of the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir, he was firm in not allowing their counterparts in the PoK to even file their nomination papers.

General Musharraf has on various international platforms, demanded the introduction of “self-rule” on this side of Jammu and Kashmir, but reports said that fingers were being raised on the elections in PoK by Sahibzada Ishaq Zaffar, president of the Peoples Party Azad Jammu Kashmir (PPAJK), who has accused General Musharraf of “manipulating the election results”.

India has also said that the elections in the PoK lack credibility.

Zaffar has said that General Musharraf was fiddling in the affairs of the PoK, particularly at a time when a “broader consensus was required on the Kashmir issue”.

A Pakistan Muslim League leader, Sardar Sarwar Khan, has also accused him of “taking sides” with the ruling Muslim Conference (MC) during the PoK elections.

Elections have been held for 40 seats and the schedule for election to the eight special seats would be issued later. The MC has emerged as the single largest party.

Reports indicate that about 50 per cent polling was registered in the PoK. This was very low compared to the 70 per cent polling during the recent byelection for four assembly seats in J&K valley.

Doubts were being raised on the fairness of the elections in the PoK right from the beginning. Nomination papers of 30 of 31 candidates of the pro-independence J&L Liberation Front of Amanullah Khan were rejected.

Amarnath yatra resumes after 4 days

Jammu, July 16
The Amarnath yatra resumed today from Jammu after being suspended for four days due to inclement weather along the route of the Pahalgam and Baltal base camps.

The fleet of 105 buses and light motor vehicles with 3,565 pilgrims, including 697 women and 54 children, left from Jammu to the holy cave for darshan of “ice Shivlingam”.

Meanwhile, the number of pilgrims visiting the holy cave shrine of Amaranth has reached 2.13 lakh for darshan of the icelingam, Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB) sources said here today. — UNI