Srinagar, May 5
Former Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, speaking at Srigufwara, today said the demand of the withdrawal of troops from internal security duties in Jammu and Kashmir was an essential component of the peace process and a necessary step towards the resolution of the Kashmir problem.

Those who opposed and ridiculed this demand were negating the aspiration of the masses, he asserted.

He added that the criticism strengthened his resolve to revive the rule of law and give and people-friendly politics full space.

Addressing a public meeting at Srigufwara near Beijbehara in Anantnag district of south Kashmir today, the PDP patron asserted his party would take its agenda of the empowerment of people of Jammu and Kashmir to logical conclusion.

He was accompanied by senior party leaders, including PDP general secretary and MLC Nizamuddin Bhat, and former minister Abdul Rahman Veeri.

The Mufti said it was time for the gun-toting youth as well to take note of the miseries of their own people, which get compounded by hard stances. Violence in the changed scenario acted as a hurdle in resolution of the problems, he said.

The former Chief Minister said the Army and paramilitary forces had played their part in the restoration of peace.This should be realised by all concerned, including those who still believed the gun could force a resolution of the Kashmir problem.

He said the Indian armed forces had distinguished themselves by their commitment to non-interference in the political affairs of the country and its democratic functioning.

To strengthen belief of the people of Jammu and Kashmir in democratic functioning and constitutional governance it was necessary the same principle was followed here as well.

"Jammu and Kashmir could not be an exception to the democratic functioning of the country", he said.The Mufti added the need for reducing troops in a phased manner and scrapping the Special Powers Act (AFSPA) had been recognised at the national level and the Prime Minister's commitment in this regard was proof of the urgency of the matter.

Those who oppose this even after the decision at the highest level were obviously speaking out of turn, he said , adding that it was satisfying that some areas had been vacated by the forces recently.

The Mufti said atmosphere had become conducive for final resolution of the Kashmir problem as there was greater realisation across India and Pakistan on the need for reducing tension and acrimony.

Referring to his recent meetings with Pakistan’s foreign minister Khurshid Mehmood Kasuri and former President of PoK Sardar Abdul Qayyum Khan, he said the inputs from these leaders were encouraging.

Srinagar, May 5
Life was across the valley was affected due to response to a strike call given by the hardline Hurriyat Conference to protest the arrest of its senior leaders, four of whom had been detained under the Public Safety Act (PSA).

All shops and business establishments remained closed here and skeleton transport plied on the roads.

Attendance in government offices and banks was thin while most of the educational institutions were closed. Passenger transport was off the road, though private vehicles and autorickshaws were plying in some areas.

Life was affected in other major towns of the valley, as thin traffic was plying on inter-district routes, reports reaching here said.

The bandh call was given by the hardline faction of the Hurriyat Conference led by Syed Ali Shah Geelani in protest against the arrest of his party associates.

Six of Geelani’s close associates, including Ghulam Nabi Sumjhi and Massarat Alam, were detained here on April 26, four days after the Eidgah rally addressed by the APHC chairman.

Meanwhile, a large number of locals also reached the spot and staged dharna on highway which continued till 4 am today.

Jammu, May 5
Roots in Kashmir (RIK), a body of Delhi-based Kashmiri Pandit youths, today demanded a high-level probe into the exodus of the community from the valley 17 years back.

“It has been a demand of the Kashmiri Pandit community for the past more than one and a half decades that a commission be set up to probe the cause of exodus of Pandits but the government is not responding to this crucial issue’’, RIK leader Aditya Raj Kaul said at a press conference here.

A commission has been set up to probe the killings in fake encounters in J and K, but the governments at the central as well as the state level were turning a deaf ear to the demand of the Kashmiri Hindu refugees displaced from their places in the valley more than 15 years back, Kaul said.

The RIK activist also stated this organisation had initiated a campaign against Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) chief Yasin Malik in Delhi when the said ex-militant leader had come for a fast at Jantar Mantar in the national capital.

“Yasin Malik is a murderer of Kashmiri Pandits,’’ he said.

He, however, added the RIK should not be misunderstood against the Kashmiri Muslims.

Acknowledging there had not been any communal riot in the entire phase of militancy in the valley, Kaul said the killings of Hindus were organised or masterminded by certain bad elements which included political leaders as well.

Jammu, May 5
The University of Jammu has been invited by the Republic of Mauritius to establish its campus there.

According to vice-chancellor Amitabh Mattoo, the invitation was handed over by P.Mohadeb, executive director, Tertiary Education Commission, Mauritius, to a team of the University of Jammu that visited there recently.

The university team comprising N.R.Sharma, Lokesh K.Verma and Rajiv Rattan visited Mauritius to explore the possibility of a collaboration with the Tertiary Education Commission and other post-secondary educational institutions in Mauritius.

Mohadeb informed the team that they had been following the progress made by the university.

Another team of the university also visited Lahore University to explore the possibility of reviving Jammu’s traditional education links with Lahore.

Academic tie-ups with some European universities were also in the pipeline.

Bhalera (Bhaderwah), May 5
As terrorists have been adopting new techniques to execute their nefarious activities, the Indian Army has started a special training programme to train cops of the Jammu and Kashmir police in guerilla warfare.

The cops are not only trained in the latest aspects of counter-insurgency, but are also taught the new technique of`quick reflex' to eliminate maximum terrorists within two-three seconds and to ensure minimum fatal causalities on its own side.

The passing-out parade of 414 police personnel, including 13 sub inspectors of the Special Striking Reserve Force (SSRF) of the Jammu and Kashmir police, was held today in the Bhalera Valley.

Trained in the latest techniques, the pass-outs will go to militancy stricken areas to conduct operations.

Once considered to be a safe haven for terrorists, the Army ‘cleared’ the Bhalera Valley in a massive operation three years back, and has established its training camp to train its own troops as well as other security personnel.

The Army has so far trained 2,000 police personnel, including some surrendered militants, in this training institute known as Combat Training School.

Constable Mohammed Amin, who has completed his four-week training looked confident and said, “Now I can fight with any militant as this training has inculcated a sense of confidence in me.”

Pointing towards various sophisticated weapons, he asserted, “With the help of these weapons I can eliminate terrorists within one to three seconds.”

Chief instructor of Combat Training School, Lt Col S.K. Singh, told The Tribune that the first time in the history of the country, that`quick reflex' had been introduced in the counter-insurgency training.

He said in counter-insurgency, cops had to fight close-quartered battles so they had to be trained well and added that “dash, down, crawl, observe and then fire technique” had become outdated in such operations.

Lt Colonel Singh further said cops had been trained in the latest techniques of counter-terrorism, including cordon and search operations, dhok clearance, room intervention, counter-ambush, search and destroyed operation and firing control.