Udhampur/Srinagar, April 9
Within 24 hours of killing a divisional commander of Hizbul Mujahideen (HM), the security forces eliminated six more militants, four of HM outfit, in two different encounters at Reasi and Doda districts today.

Four militants were killed in Ghulabgarh area of Reasi district while as two militants were killed in Doda area. One of the militants killed by security forces in Doda was reportedly involved in infamous Kulhand massacre.

The Reasi Police and 59 Rashtriya Rifles launched a joint search operation in remotest area of Mahore. Four militants were killed in a gun battle, which lasted for more than two hours.

The slain militants have been identified as Mohammed Shafi alias Badshah Khan alias Gazi, Mohammed Rafiq alias Basharat, Talib Hussain and Munabar, all belongs to the HM outfit.

“It is severe setback to the HM outfit in Reasi district,” DIG Udhampur-Reasi zone, Alok Puri told The Tribune. He said Mohammed Shafi was chief area commander of the HM and was active since 1992.

In another encounter, Doda Police killed a militant, identified as Javed Iqbal Bhat, near Gandoh this afternoon. The slain militant was accompanying divisional commander of HM Ghulam Hassan Thool, who was killed by the security forces on Tuesday morning.

As Javed Iqbal had managed to give a slip to the security forces, cops were chasing him since Tuesday. This morning he was trapped near Cheera and gunned down by the security forces.

Meanwhile, the police and the Army in a joint operation gunned down three militants, including a Pakistan national in Lolab area of Kupwara today.

Kupwara SSP Vijay Kumar said they had information regarding the presence of militants in the forest of Putshahi and as their joint team zeroed in on them, they fired at the security forces.

Three militants were killed while three others are suspected to have fled. One militant has been identified as Ali Bhai, a company commander of Al-Badr, who, the official sources said, was responsible for the killing of two constables in Kupwara three days back.

Jammu, April 9
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad has asserted that warm bilateral relations between India and Pakistan were in the interests of the two countries as well as of the world.

"The desire for peaceful and cordial ties, seen for decades at the people's level on either side, was now showing itself at the official level also,” He said.

Azad was interacting with a group of pilgrims from Sindh province of Pakistan, who called on him today after visiting Mata Vaishno Devi shrine today, the chief minister, said that the yearning for peaceful and friendly ties between the two countries was always there among the people on both sides.

However, he said the two governments had also realised now that peace in the region and cordial bilateral relations were in the interests of both sides. He said during the past four years the two governments took significant initiatives, promoting the kind of warmth in relations as was never seen before.

The chief minister said the peace process initiated by the two countries had resulted in closing the mouths of guns and mortars on the border and opening of a new phase of reconciliation and friendship. He said border population on both sides had in particular felt relieved as peace prevailed on the Indo-Pak border. The people-to-people contact leading to exchange of journalists, politicians, pilgrims and students further improved the environment. The atmosphere of mistrust, he said, was replaced by optimism and trust.

He said the internal situation in the neigbouring country had slowed down the dialogue process which, he anticipated, would be now taken further from where it had been left in February, 2007.

The chief minister welcomed the pilgrims form Pakistan in Jammu & Kashmir and hoped that the frequency of such visits would be increased in future. He said the level of the two countries coming closer to each other was related with the frequency of visits at the people's level. He said the arrival of the Pakistani pilgrims in the state was a welcome beginning, adding that he would like to see pilgrims from Pakistan visiting the Amarnath shrine in Kashmir also.

Jammu, April 9
Jammu and Kashmir Governor Lt-Gen S.K. Sinha (retd) has offered seats to Pakistani students in Shri Mata Vaishno Devi University, Jammu.

Interacting with a group of Pakistani Hindu pilgrims at Raj Bhavan in Jammu, General Sinha said the university would offer seats to the students from Pakistan who would like to pursue their higher studies there. He also called for hassle-free travel for pilgrims and facilitating more people-to-people contact between India and Pakistan.

"I have observed in newspapers some Pakistani leaders suggesting free visa between India and Pakistan', he said,

He said that a decision in this regard would have to be taken by the two governments.

He said the normalisation process had got new impetus with positive signals emanating from the new Pakistani leadership and hoped this would fructify in lasting peace and tranquility on the subcontinent. He said improved relations would open up new vistas for people on both sides and the day was not far when more such groups would come to pay obeisance at the revered dargah of Sheikh Moin-ud-Din Chisti at Ajmer and Mata Vaishno Devi in Jammu and Kashmir.

He responded positively to the demand of visiting pilgrims about sponsoring groups from Pakistan to pay obeisance at the Trikuta Hills cave shrine and went ahead to offer seats to Pakistani students in Shri Mata Vaishno Devi University.

New Delhi, April 9
The Jammu and Kashmir Police adopted an innovative way to trap a dreaded militant of the Hizbul Mujahideen in Doda district where a team of eight policemen, posing as “VVIPs,” enticed him into the net. He was killed in an encounter which followed.

The team led by station house officer of Doda, Chanchal Singh, had spread a word through its informers about a surprise high profile VVIP visit in Doda district yesterday.

A vehicle breakdown was enacted as part of the police plan in Pyakul village in Gandoh area of the district, where the self-styled commander of the outfit Ghulam Hussain Wani, alias Thool (egg), alias Shamim Shahid, was believed to be in hiding. The eight-member team, in plain clothes and armed with weapons, staged the breakdown at the village to entice the militant.

“We were discussing very loudly about our plans to develop the Doda area but were keeping a bird's eye vigil about the arrival of our prize catch,” an officer, who was in the police party, said. Risking their lives, it was a patient three-hour-long wait and atch for their catch till he surfaced with an intention to kidnap the “VVIP” and demanded release of some members of the Hizbul Mujahideen, which has suffered a major dent in the recent past with several of its men landing in jails.

“As he realised that he had walked into a trap, he tried to make a hasty retreat by firing at the police party in disguise. In the ensuing encounter he was shot dead.”

Wani, who rose to notoriety by indulging in several massacres of Hindus, earned the nickname of Thool because of his love for eggs. — PTI

Jammu, April 9
The Army today claimed that the militant training camps across the Line of Control (LoC) were still intact and militants in large numbers were waiting across the LoC to infiltrate into the Indian side.

“The militant training camps across the border are still intact and around 300 to 400 trained militants are ready to infiltrate into our side of the state,” said Lt-Gen R.K. Karwal, General Officer in Command of Nagrota-based 16 Corps of the Army, which is believed to be the largest formation of Army in the entire world.

He said, “In the area which touches my area of responsibility (16 Corps) there are 19 active training camps that have been providing training to militants.”

He reiterated Army's stand that all militant training camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) was being sponsored by Pakistan.

He said due to the increased vigil by the Army at the Line of Control there has been a “remarkable decline” in infiltration from across the border.

“The formation (16 Corps) has succeeded in maintaining a near zero infiltration rate, 12 infiltration attempts were foiled by us last year in which 14 terrorists were killed and in the current year two such attempts were made in which we killed five terrorist,” General Karwal said.

He said around 20 per cent of the militants, active in Jammu region were foreigners and had been hiding in the upper reaches of the region.

“Affective measures are being taken to flush out the militants from higher reaches,” he said.

He said given the importance of the current year in the state as the state would be going for election in coming few months, the Army has made elaborate arrangements to tackle militant threat. However, he refused to disclose Army's strategy.

He said there has also been a record decline in the militancy-related violence in the hinterland as the militant organisations were facing leadership crisis.

“Terrorists are facing leadership crisis, their cadre strength is depleting, they also face resource crunch the rapidly waning support of the people have forced militant into frustration,” General Karwal said.

He said in the current year, the Army has so far eliminated 28 militants active in the region.

Jammu, April 9
The scheme for establishing fish ponds in various areas of the state, under the Prime Minister's employment package, has not made any headway as some vested interests seem to have gulped the subsidies entailed with the project.

A government report has stated that cash incentives were released in favour of 25 unemployed youth for establishing fish ponds in Kathua district for which the Fisheries Department was to supply the seed.

The report also stated that seeds were only used in three ponds and the remaining 22 entrepreneurs had simply gulped the subsidies without using the ponds for fish-rearing. A senior officer of the Fisheries Department said in Reasi district, subsidies were released in favour of seven entrepreneurs, but only two had utilised the aid, and within one year they earned a fortune. The two entrepreneurs succeeded in rearing heavy weight fish.

He said each entrepreneur was entitled to an aid of Rs 1.20 lakh which they had to spend on the construction of ponds, installation of a generator set and purchase of seed and feed.

In certain cases unfinished ponds were spotted and entrepreneurs had stopped completing the project after having received the subsidies. The officer said since the project would be sanctioned on the recommendation of MLAs, these legislators helped them in swindling the funds meant for establishing fish ponds.

The government report also said the fish pond project had proved a non-dividend exercise because the annual income from each pond ranged between Rs 6,000 and Rs 25,000 during three years of operation which was less than the minimum wage rate prevalent in the state.

According to the report, fish ponds can supplement about Rs 10,000 per year, but cannot provide sustainable employment opportunities.

The report suggested that a survey be conducted by a team of experts so that the Fisheries Department improved its performance, while making the Prime Minister's scheme attractive and profitable.

Jammu, April 9
Breaking the jinx nearly 300 people living with HIV (PLWH), for the first time ever in Jammu and Kashmir, attended a conference at Government Medical College (GMC) here. The state has an official figure of 1210 PLWH.

Organised by the State AIDS Prevention and Control Society (SAPCS), the conference attended by experts, doctors and other resource persons looked into every single aspect of PLWHs and their problems.

However, media was kept at bay with a purpose to keep their identity confidential in a predominantly ignorant society. At last the spadework by the State AIDS Prevention and Control Society (SAPCS) has started paying dividends.

Talking to The Tribune, SAPCS project director Dr MA Wani said, “Five days ago we organiaed a conference for HIV positive people and I must say that for the first time ever we got an impressive response as nearly 300 PLWH attended it.”

If the state had 1130 HIV positive people by the end of 2006, 80 more were detected in 2007 taking the total figure to 1210 PLHWs. It may be mentioned here that 42 full blown cases of AIDS have died so far in the state. However, sources divulged that in 2006 the state had a miniscule number of 34 PLWH and 15 months on the figure has soared up to 1210 PLWH in the state.

But SAPCS attribute sharp increase in HIV cases to rising awareness among the people towards the fatal infection.

The SAPCS project director informed that this year four new composite targeted intervention projects have been implemented in Jammu, Kathua, Rajouri and Srinagar districts. Under these projects high risk groups of intravenous drug users (IDUs), unsafe sex and men having sex with men (MSM) are being targeted.

Sources said, being militancy plagued tourist state it has a fair chance of vulnerability but IDUs, MSM and unsafe sex pose a major threat.

Under NACO phase III, SAPCS has also roped in some NGOs, religious teachers from different communities besides organising regular seminars in educational institutions and among truckers and slum dwellers to create awareness.

Srinagar, April 9
Taking suo moto cognisance of media reports on 1,000 graves near Line of Control, the Jammu and Kashmir State Human Rights Commission (SHRC) has recommended the state government to explore a mechanism to redress the serious issue as highlighted by Amnesty International among other organisations.

“The composition of such mechanism would be a soft-sweet healing band-aid to the bleeding wounds of the parents,” it observed 
here today.

Writing about these nameless graves in Bigalsur and Lolab in Kupwara district and several villages in Uri area of Baramulla district in north Kashmir, the SHRC has sought assistance of all others concerned. Further orders in this regard would follow on May 20 next, official sources said.

The Association of the Parents of Disappeared Persons (APDP) here on March 28 had in its report revealed that nearly 1,000 unmarked graves had been found in 18 villages in Uri area of north Kashmir. The APDP, which claims that about 10,000 persons were under enforced disappearance in Kashmir over the past 17 years of turmoil claimed that some of these might be among those buried in the unmarked graves.

“The Amnesty International on Monday urged India to launch an urgent inquiry into nearly 1,000 unmarked graves found in Kashmir during the past two years. Amnesty wants the government to determine if any of the graves contain the bodies of those listed as missing by local human rights groups”, the SHRC has observed on the basis of media reports.

Making an earnest recommendation to the government to explore the mechanism, the SHRC observed that the grievances, complaints and representations of the Association of Parents of Disappeared Persons (APDP) as highlighted by the Amnesty International and other NGOs and public bodies within the state.

The SHRC has also made a fervent appeal to all NGOs, public interest bodies, human rights activists and other dignified social personalities and legal professionals to assist the proposed mechanism as solicited to be explored by the government.

Srinagar, April 9
As human rights groups and separatist organisations train their guns on the government over illegal killing of civilians in the hands of security forces after finding close to 1,000 unmarked graves in Uri sector, the grim truth is that there is no way to know the actual number of victims.

Association of Parents of Disappeared Persons (APDP) says over 8,000 persons from Kashmir have gone missing since insurgency erupted two decades back. Parvez Imroz, the face of APDP, says these disappeared persons are largely feared killed by security forces.

Incredible, says the police. Hundreds crossed the border, especially in the early years of militancy, to become militants, and they are also missing on the paper, Kashmir IGP SM Sahai said.

If these graves carried bodies of some of those, whose whereabouts are not known to families, which is APDP's allegation, it could be verified scientifically only after all bodies are exhumed and their DNA profiling is matched with those of the missing persons' family members.

Sahai said during a recent inquiry the police found some “missing person” very much present at his address while in some other cases no such person existed.

Talwara (Reasi), April 9
Going by the plain facts, it’s a school set up for kids living in migrant camp Talwara. The school has 329 students, five teachers and other supporting staff.

Now besides these numbers, everything else mismatches. Out of five teachers, three live in Jammu and rarely give visit to the school before midday. The left two are male teachers, who are too busy in administrative work. Students have learnt skills on their own but can’t read or write.

So the elementary question is, who will teach these children?

And for those parents, who had earlier passed through a hell lot of time after migrating from the militant-infested regions of Jammu, saw some sort of hope in the school.

Six years later most parents realised that the school has done little more than providing a mid-day meal and a play field, while most students have hardly learnt to read or write.

Like most schools in the state that suffer from government apathy, the Migrant School Talwara has grown from primary to middle school, but without adequate teachers and other supporting staff.

“My son plays excellent cricket and he along with his friends - all in class VII and below appear to be professional players, because all they have done for years together is to play. But when it comes to studies hardly any student can read, write or even do elementary maths,” says a parent.

Since the school provides a mid-day meal, one or two teachers are tied up getting a meal prepared for 329 students. “After supervising a large kitchen, where is the time with the teacher for anything else,” says a camp elder.

While, the state of Jammu and Kashmir has a shortage of 15,000 odd teachers, it is only wishful thinking to hope that the government would focus attention on a school run for migrants.

Located at a distance of about 10 km from district headquarters at Reasi, the school has up to 95 students in each class housed in a rented building.

Locals have time and again requested for appointment of teachers from among the migrants so that they can act like “in-house teachers”. But while teachers from the migrant camp have been posted far away, teachers posted here have to travel long distances each day.

“The state provides free books and has promised free uniforms too. It is a different matter that the students are in no position to learn from the books. But the parents, who are mostly poor and have not received any relief from the state for months. So they regularly send children to school as it provides them one good meal a day,” says Santosh (name changed), whose son is one of 164 boys at the school. Incidentally, the school also has 165 girls aged 5-years and above at this co-educational institution.

Parents echo a common sentiments when they say, “even though the school may not be living up to its role as an educational institution, but at least it provides one meal to each child. We will continue to send our children to school till the meal continues.” 

Udhampur, April 9
Major-Gen P.C. Panjikar, General Officer Commanding (GOC), Uniform Force, today distributed shawls, blankets and solar lanterns under Operation Sadbhavana to needy persons of the Gujjar and Bakkarwal community.

People projected the difficulties faced by them during migration and during their stay in the higher reaches to the Army authorities.

The Gujjar and Bakkarwal leaders, while speaking on the occasion, expressed their gratitude and said the Army had addressed a large number of concerns of the community.

Sanjeev Verma, DC, Reasi, while addressing the gathering, lauded the role of the Army towards the overall development of the area. — TNS