Srinagar, February 10
A young shopkeeper in the Batamaloo locality here, Manzoor Ahmad, has been missing for the past seven years.

He is believed to have been picked by security forces, with members of his family not knowing his whereabouts.

Like many others, they have left no stone unturned to know where he is, but the government has not come out with a satisfactory answer.

They have demanded an independent commission to probe the cases of disappearance and have rejected the government orders regarding investigation into the cases.

Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad has put the number of the disappeared at 1017 and assured that all cases of disappearance since 1990 will be investigated.

NGOs have put the number of the disappeared at over 10,000 and Hurriyat Conference chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq at 8000 since the eruption of militancy.

Protest demonstrations were held here today by groups of youths in the Lal Chowk area, demanding an end to the occurrence of disappearance and killing in fake encounters.

The Association of Parents of Disappeared Persons today provided members of aggrieved families with a platform to tell their tale of woes.

Members from different walks of life, joined by one factor, the disappearance of their loved ones, assembled here.

Jammu, February 10
The three-member committee appointed by the Jammu and Kashmir government to probe functioning of Acharaya Shrichand Medical College here, has recommended that a central agency be assigned the inquiry of the institution listing dead persons as its patients.

The committee consisting of the principal and administrator of the government medical college and medical superintendent of the psychiatry hospital has pointed out the case was of multi-dimensional nature and there were certain areas of suspicion in the case where in even the hand writing experts from authorised centers may have to be involved.

The report of the committee was tabled in the Assembly today by Health Minister, Mangat Ram Sharma. — TNS

Srinagar, February 10
Three persons, including two militants, were killed in an encounter with the security forces near Shopian in Pulwama district of south Kashmir this morning.

Acting on specific information the police and security forces launched a search operation at Chak Choolan, Shopian, early this morning. The militants, hiding in a house, tried to break the cordon by firing on the troops, which ensued the encounter. One civilian, Nazir Ahmad Shah, was also killed in the encounter. The residents, however, alleged that the security forces had killed him. Two AK-56 rifles, eight magazines and 176 rounds have been recovered from the site of encounter, the police here said.

Protest demonstrations were held in the area against the alleged killing of the civilian, Nazir Ahmad Shah, at the hands of security forces during the operation.

A Defence spokesman said that 62 RR launched the search operation and cordoned of the house where militants had taken shelter at 7.50 am. “The hiding militants rushed out of the house and started firing in all directions indiscriminately and killed one civilian,” the Defence spokesman said. Both the militants were killed at about 8.30 am in the encounter that followed. One of them was identified as Pak-trained Noor Khan, alias Abu Maviah, alias Bangladeshi, a district commander of Harkat-ul-Mujahideen.

The Army had been looking for the militant since he escaped after Nildora, Shopian operations taking advantage of using innocent civilians as human shield a month ago, the spokesman added. The identity of the other militant was being ascertained.

Meanwhile, during a search operation in the Marsari forests, Kralpora, Trehgam, in Kupwara district, the police and the security forces recovered one AK 56 rifle, three magazines, 148 rounds, one radio set, 16 UBGL grenades, two mortar shells and one IED from a militant hideout.

Jammu, February 10
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) today decided to continue to support Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad although the party’s relations with the Congress were strained recently.

Sources said the decision of the PDP to continue to be part of the government in Jammu and Kashmir was taken at a meeting of the political affairs committee (PAC), the highest decision making body, presided by former Chief Minister and patron of the party Mufti Sayeed. Senior party leaders attended the meeting for four hours.

Significance was being attached to the meeting held amidst heightened crisis between the Congress and the PDP. The Mufti, Ms Mufti, PDP ministers and legislators recently surrendered their security cover in support of their demand for the demilitarisation of the Kashmir valley. The Mufti and his daughter Ms Mufti drove to their residence in private vehicles yesterday after reaching here respectively from Delhi and Srinagar to participate in the meeting.

Speaking at the meeting, the Mufti emphasized the ongoing Indo-Pakistan peace process should form part of a comprehensive integrated and amicable settlement structure addressing aspirations of the people of Jammu & Kashmir.

The Mufti pointed out his party’s ‘Self Rule’ formula encompassed all essential elements of a durable solution as, it was not aimed at mere empowerment of the state government but of the people of the State. “The empowerment of people entails not only political and constitutional issues, but also administrative and economic problems of the people,” he said.

Jammu, February 10
Governor S K Sinha today exhorted agricultural scientists to intensify interaction with farming community for better animal management and optimum agriculture production.

Speaking at a function after inaugurating the state-of-art veterinary referral hospital-cum-complex, one of the best such facility in the country, at Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology here, the Governor said the university had a greater responsibility in this regard as agriculture was the mainstay of majority of our population.

In the development of agriculture lays the prosperity of the state and the nation, said the Governor, adding, “I see a bright future for agriculture and allied sectors in the region”.

General Sinha referred to the location advantage of the university complex in famous Basmati bowl of Ranbirsinghpura, known around the country, and hoped that advanced research would benefit farmers and help in having a better yield.

The Vice-Chancellor said that the referral hospital would be made a model institute for treatment of livestock and training centre for veterinarians of the state for proper coverage of animals.

About the upcoming library complex Professor Sharma said that it would not only be a storehouse of books and journals but efforts would be made to integrate the library with other knowledge-based activities in the local area to develop a community-based information system.

The double-storey hospital-cum-clinical complex has been constructed at a cost of Rs 9.88 crore. The complex is equipped with all advance facilities for clinical examination like X-ray, ultrasound, blood gas analyser, advanced diagnostic laboratory, investigation and operation theatres for small and large animals, artificial insemination facility using frozen semen would also house the veterinary clinical divisions of veterinary sciences and animal husbandry.