Srinagar, February 4
APHC Chairman, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, here today sought militant leaders’ initiative for ceasefire in Jammu and Kashmir that should be reciprocated by the Government of India for strengthening dialogue process for a solution to the Kashmir problem. Initiative had also to be taken by Indian government on reducing strength of security forces and the “first step should be that an understanding is created in India and Pakistan on de-militarisation”, he said.

“We have put forth our ideas on a time-bound ceasefire earlier also…. An initiative should come from Mujahideen leadership, which has to be reciprocated by the government of India”, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq said here this afternoon. He was talking to reporters on APHC leaders’ recent visit to Pakistan that was discussed at a meeting of the executive and general council members of the Hurriyat Conference. He held that initiative on ceasefire should come from the Kashmiris, which needed to formulate “a joint policy and approach” on this issue. During the nine-day-long Pakistan visit, the APHC leaders met leaders and commanders of all shades of opinion, the Mirwaiz said and added that there was need to have an “all inclusive approach”. Though there were certain inhibitions and concerns about the dialogue process among some leaders, but these were also becoming thinner, the Mirwaiz commented.

Expressing serious concern over the present situation in view of human rights violations and fake encounters, the APHC chairman extended support to the JKLF agitation programme to protest the fake killings unearthed recently. He demanded an “impartial commission” to investigate all the killings in Kashmir after 1990 saying “APHC wants impartial probe” on about 8000 missing persons. Rejecting investigations by the government on the recently unearthed killings in fake encounters, the Mirwaiz said this was “election-oriented politics”. “This is a commercial exercise… we do not accept this enquiry”, the Mirwaiz commented. The NHRC and the SHRC were “toothless bodies” and the government and security agencies were trying to cover up such issues, he added.

Replying questions on Pak tour, Mirwaiz observed that encouraging developments were taking place and different ideas were being exchanged between India and Pakistan on the resolution of Kashmir issue. He hoped further steps were being taken in this direction and all shades of leaders including the militant leadership felt that India needed to move further ahead. He added Pakistan had also shown “flexibility” in its approach. The Mirwaiz held that the APHC approach on the involvement of the people of Kashmir for finding a solution in accordance with the wishes and aspirations of the people of Jammu and Kashmir was being appreciated by all shades of opinion in Pakistan.

Referring to President Musharraf’s four-point formula, the Mirwaiz said it was a good beginning and needed to be discussed and debated at all levels in India, Pakistan and both sides of Jammu and Kashmir. There was no military solution possible to the Kashmir problem which needed a political resolution, he said, adding India would also have to take an initiative by reducing strength of security forces in the state.

Jammu, February 4
The Army and the CRPF have ordered an inquiry into the reported involvement of their men in the controversial incidents of picking up innocent civilians in the Kashmir valley and killing them in fake encounters by dubbing them foreign terrorists.

A spokesman of the Udhampur-based headquarters of the Northern Command of the Army today said that an inquiry had been ordered into the alleged involvement of the Rashtriya Rifles (RR) in these incidents. Disciplinary action will be initiated if anyone was found guilty.

It is learnt that the CRPF has also ordered a similar inquiry as its unit had taken part in one of the encounters.

Preliminary investigations indicate that the RR had taken part in joint operations with the Special Operation Group (SOG) of the state police in encounters in which four innocent civilians were killed.

Mohammad Yaqoob Mir, a labourer, who had disappeared on January 21 while working at the Budshah bridge in the heart of Srinagar town and his body was handed over to the police by the 52 battalion of the RR a day later.

The five innocent persons dubbed terrorists were picked up by SOG personnel from different parts of Srinagar city and were killed in fake encounters in a bid to grab cash rewards and promotions.

The Deputy Inspector-General of Police (Central Range), Srinagar, Mr Farooq Ahmad, is inquiring into these cases.

Srinagar, February 4
The National Conference (NC), the main opposition party in Jammu and Kashmir, has demanded a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into the alleged killing of Kashmiri youths in fake encounters by the security forces and Special Operation Group (SOG) of the state police.

Addressing a public meeting at Kokernag in South Kashmir yesterday, NC President Omar Abdullah said a CBI probe should be ordered immediately to ''bring the culprits to book.'' He said the security forces and SOG of the state police personnel were carrying out ''genocide of innocent Kashmiris after labelling them as foreign militants.''

Mr Abdullah, MP, said Abdul Rehman Padroo, a carpenter, was killed by SOG personnel in a fake encounter. ''The SOG men were rewarded for each innocent killing,'' he said and demanded stern action against them.

Alleging coalition government's inaction, he said that during the four-year rule ''many youths have been killed in fake encounters, labelled as foreign terrorists and later buried without making proper identification.''

He alleged that the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), a partner in the coalition government, was ''trying to derive political mileage out of the killings of Kashmiris.'' Mr Omar said the PDP claimed to have disbanded the SOG as it (SOG) was ''involved in maximum human rights violations in the valley.''

Demanding scrapping of all laws which gave the security forces ''a licence to kill people in Jammu and Kashmir,'' he said need of the hour was to build a tension-free environment and make people feel secure. — UNI

Srinagar, February 4
The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel replacing the Border Security Force (BSF) in North and South Kashmir from next week are being given proper lessons about human rights.

Ten more CRPF battalions will be inducted into the valley to replace the BSF.

The process has already started to induct the CRPF personnel into the valley, a CRPF spokesman 
told UNI.

He said advance parties of all the ten battalions had already arrived here as the process to replace the BSF has to be completed by March 31. He said the members of the advance parties were visiting the areas in north and south Kashmir where they have to replace the BSF.

They were holding meetings with the BSF officials and others to get full details of these areas, he said, adding the first convoy of the CRPF from plains would probably arrive here on February 10.

He said the CRPF personnel immediately after their arrival here would be given full details about the situation in the valley.

No CRPF personnel would be deployed in the valley without Human Rights (HR) lessons; he said adding proper lecture on HR would be arranged for them here.

He said there were very little complaints of HR violations against the CRPF.

“We take note of every complaint of HR violations,’ he said adding “We have given clear instructions to all that no such violation will be tolerated.”

He said the personnel would also be taught how to deal with the common man. The spokesman said the CRPF would now have its own intelligence network in the valley for which men were being trained. He said ten more battalions of CRPF would take charge of Kupwara and Baramulla districts in north Kashmir and Pulwama and Anantnag districts in south Kashmir. Six battalions would be deployed in north Kashmir, while four in south Kashmir.

He said the CRPF had already replaced BSF in Srinagar, the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir.

With this, a total of 59 battalions of the force would remain deployed in the valley which is one-third of the total strength of the CRPF, Mr Sharma said.

Classes are going on for the CRPF personnel, educating them how to work on tip-off provided by different sources and general public,” he said.

He said two to three CRPF personnel of lower rank were being trained and given lecture by the intelligence officers of different forces, including BSF, ITBP and local police who had already served in the valley. He further added that in the second phase, officers would be trained about how to spread the intelligence network. — UNI

Jammu, February 4
At least 13 soldiers were injured when a bus in the Army convoy fell into a gorge near Nowshera in Rajouri district of Jammu and Kashmir today, official sources said.

The condition of two soldiers was said to be critical.

A civil bus hired by the Army for transport was on its way to Jammu form Mendhar (Poonch) when the driver failed to negotiate a turn at Siot, about 115 km from Jammu, the sources said.

Forty-two Army personnel were travelling in the bus.

The injured were rushed to the nearby sub-district hospital, Sunderbani. — UNI

Jammu, February 4
Wildlife officers in the three neighbouring states of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttrakhand have expressed concern over the bureaucratic constraints that were coming in the way of protecting the endangered species of the snow leopard and other wildlife.

The top brass responsible for wild life protection in the five Himalayan states of J&K, Himachal Pradesh, Uttrakhand, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh, during a recent meeting at Leh, highlighted the impediments in the way of protection of various species, particularly the snow leopard.

The host state of J&K regretted that the wildlife departments in the high altitude areas are often given very low priority amongst all departments at the district level. Special equipment, including clothing and camping gear, was not available in the harsh climatic conditions.

There was lack of coordination between the wildlife set up and the Army and security agencies in the mountainous areas, the home of snow leopard, as a large area was under the direct control of defence forces.

In most high altitude areas, even basic survey has often not been conducted. There is lack of information on even the presence or absence of species, the threats they face etc. There is also lack of information on natural resource use of the people, who live in these sparse-resource areas, their livelihood and socio-economic changes. Information on species ecology and aspects such as predator-prey relationship is also lacking.

The participants from Himachal Pradesh have blamed the single-line administration in the high altitude areas for poor management of wildlife.

Under the single-line administration the forest department officials draw all or most of their financial allocation from the district administration, rather than from their own departmental head.

In many cases, wildlife conservation is not a priority mandate for the district administration, which “hinders” effective conservation management. Furthermore, since the district administration is often not sensitive to the need for adaptive management of wildlife and biodiversity, the forest department officials often have to work with a rigid and non-flexible set up.

The tribal areas of Lahaul-Spiti, Kinnaur, Pangi and upper Chamba are considered the home of snow leopard in Himachal Pradesh. Due to construction of the road network in areas like Pangi, Lahaul and Spiti, the migratory labourers were involved in poaching and with a skeleton staff it was not possible to keep a track of their activities.

The delegation from Uttrakhand pointed out that the wildlife department is often seen as an “anti-development organisation”. The other higher revenue-generating and development-oriented departments sometimes work at cross purposes with the wildlife department that result in a conflict. They also complained of lack of basic data relating to wildlife in most high altitude areas.

The wildlife officers in Sikkim also suffer from the pangs of concentration of administrative powers in the state headquarters.

The unique problem they were facing was of unfenced landmines along the border with China that leads to wildlife casualties. Food wastes that are littered or unscientifically disposed by the Army units breed feral dogs, which prey on wildlife during lean season.

Those from Arunachal Pradesh pointed out that a considerable high altitude area has yet to be surveyed.