Jammu, August 31
Even as curfew was clamped and the Army was called out in Jammu today in the wake of the terror threat to the “victory rally” of the Amarnath Yatra Sangharsh Samiti, at least 20 persons were injured when the revelers entered into violent clashes with the police at Dogra Chowk in the city.

The samiti had given a call for a provincial-level rally at MA Stadium today but with the resolution of the land row, the samiti decided to turn it into a “victory rally”.

However, apprehending terror strike at the rally venue in view of the reports of some militants' presence in Chinore again, the administration clamped the curfew soon after the samiti and the Governor's panel inked the agreement to resolve the land issue.

Curfew was also imposed in the districts of Samba, Kathua and Reasi, as the people from these areas were also expected to turn up in huge numbers for participating in the rally. The security forces were deployed in large numbers to ensure strict imposition of the curfew. The trouble broke out when defying curfew, around 10,000 revelers converged at Dogra Chowk for celebrating their win after 62 days of the agitation by taking out a 'victory march'. The revelers, which also included women, were holding the Tricolour in their hands. They soon entered into a clash with the security forces.

While the revelers pelted stones at the police, the latter resorted to a canecharge, tear gas shelling and water canons to disperse the crowd. The rapid action force (RAF) was also called to control the situation.

Reports of violent clashes were also received from Reshamgarh, Purani Mandi, City Chowk and Shahidi Chowk. The police reportedly lobbed tear gas shells on a procession at Shaheedi Chowk.

Meanwhile, the sangharsh samiti has condemned the police action on the people celebrating the restoration of land to the Shri Amarnath Shrine Board. The district administration, however, lifted the curfew at 6 p.m.

Udhampur, August 31
For the first time ever, curfew was imposed in Katra town today, to stop people from participating in the victory rally of the Shri Amarnath Yatra Sangharsh Samiti, scheduled to be held at the MA Stadium in Jammu.

Curfew was imposed at about 4.30 am here which took the people by surprise. Initially residents thought the curfew was imposed as militants had entered the town, but they realised it later that it was a precautionary measure taken to restrain people from going in the rally.

The town wore a deserted look and the pilgrimage of Mata Vaishno Devi was suspended for 8 hours. The curfew was lifted at 12.30 pm.

Similarly, curfew was imposed in Reasi after 24 years. Although the town witnessed violent incidents during the stir, the authorities avoided imposing curfew in this belt.

Jammu, August 31
When the state administration clamped curfew across Jammu today, it was meant to restrain people from participating in the ‘Vijay’ rally called by the Amarnath Yatra Sangharsh Samiti but despite clear instructions not to stop patients, those needing immediate medical attention were made to suffer on account of the curfew.

With the entire city virtually turned into a cantonment, patients had a tough time reaching their respective destinations.

Talking to this correspondent a scribe of an English daily said, “I was asked to bring my wife to the clinic in Gandhi Nagar at 10.30 am. We did reach his clinic but at 2 pm.”

“For us the nightmarish experience began at Tawi Bridge where security forces had put up barbed fences which forced me to adopt a longer route through the Sher-e-Kashmir Bridge to reach Gandhi Nagar,” he said.

At western end of the bridge a police officer realised the gravity of the situation and allowed us to move further but at the southern end cops, including an ASI, made us stand for nearly an hour, he added.

Even though I told the purpose and showed my I-card and curfew pass, the adamant ASI didn’t allow us to go to Gandhi Nagar, he said.

“Just think if they can do it to a journalist with a valid curfew pass and whose wife needs immediate attention, what about those patients, for whom every single minute is precious,” he asked.

Srinagar, August 31
Mainstream parties in Kashmir offered a mixed reaction to the compromise formula worked out between the state government and the Amarnath Yatra Sangharsh Samiti.

National Conference patron and former Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah has welcomed it, saying that it would pave the way for return of normalcy in the volatile state while PDP president

Mehbooba Mufti termed the decision "unilateral" and "appeasement" of Jammu, which will further alienate Kashmiris.

The government will draw some comfort from unambiguous support of NC to the deal. Talking to The Tribune over the phone, Abdullah said his party was taken into confidence by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and he did not find anything irregular in the deal.

"Amarnath yatra is a part of Kashmiri tradition and the compromise would restore harmony between the two regions. I have no complaints," he said. He said it was high time that life returned to normal in the valley and schools, colleges and offices, closed for weeks due to the prevailing unrest, should open.

"How long can we allow people to suffer from this turmoil? The poor are starving and life has come to a standstill," he said.

Taking a diametrically opposite stand, PDP president Mehbooba Mufti said the unilateral decision on land use for the Amarnath yatra was a move to "disrespect the popular sentiments in Kashmir". She said any decision on this sensitive matter should have been taken only with consensus and after consultation with the Kashmir coordination committee and civil society. She said the yatra should have been allowed to continue without giving any rights to the Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB) on the land at Baltal. "What about the rest of the land being used for yatra in other places?" She asked.

She said this was not a Jammu and Kashmir peace formula as presented but a Jammu appeasement policy. "All popular sentiments in Kashmir are being suffocated with brute force," she said in a statement. She also condemned what she called indiscriminate arrests made by law-enforcing agencies in Kashmir. The government says those being arrested are separatist leaders and their sympathisers.

Abdullah criticised the negative politics of the PDP and said Mehbooba was largely responsible for the bloodshed in the valley. "Her father, Mufti Sayeed, was taken into confidence by the Prime Minister in the same way as I. How can she criticise it now? " he said.

Srinagar, August 31
With the agitation in Jammu being suspended by the Amarnath Yatra Sangharsh Samiti, highway traffic would get a major boost as apprehensions of violence among drivers, especially Kashmiris, would ebb away.

An official spokesman said the flow of goods on the highway had been steady since the past several days but not like the average flow on usual days.

He said as many as 599 load carriers with essentials and fuel had arrived in the valley during the past 24 hours up to 2 pm. Of these, 72 were loaded with rice, 37 flour, six fruit, 21 chicken and 368 were loaded with other essential commodities. The official said 28 tankers with diesel, six with kerosene oil and 34 empty trucks also entered the valley simultaneously. “We have an adequate stock of essential commodities,” he said.

The spokesman said as many as 628 trucks and tankers had left the valley for various destinations outside the state during the same period. “Of these, 201 fruit-laden, 38 vegetables, 97 with other essential commodities and 292 empty tankers also returned after offloading fuel here”, he added.

He said with the apple season peaking up, the normal number of cargo carriers leaving the valley had crossed over 100. “We had established complete security on the highway but apprehensions remained due to volatile situation. Normalcy in Jammu will be a big plus,” he said.

Rajouri, August 31
Even as the security forces have managed to cap the common routes used by the infiltrators along the Line of Control (LoC) to sneak into India, militants in an apparent new tactic are using less frequently used routes for crossing LoC in twin frontier districts of Rajouri and Poonch.

With election in the state probably slated later this year, the Pakistani Army is exploring all ways to infiltrate trained militants into this side to increase the violence level in this troubled state.

In the first such case, in February-March this year, more than 10 militants had reportedly sneaked into the Indian territory, using “less frequently used routes” from the Rakhi post in Sunderbani sector.

In a more recent case, a group of four to five militants allegedly chose the “not frequently used route” of Kaskancha in Laam sector of Nowshera tehsil of this frontier district to infiltrate to this side of the LoC and had reportedly successfully infiltrated into the Indian side.

“These militants who infiltrated through the less frequently used routes are reportedly active in Buddhal, Darhal and upper reaches of Thanamandi in this border district besides some are active near Mendhar, Surankote and upper reaches of Pir Panjal,” a intelligence source claimed.

He further said with the melting of snow on the mountains, the infiltrators preferred to sneak through the traditional routes of Mendhar, Balnoi, Krishna Ghati and Mankote in frontier district of Poonch and some areas in Sunderbani and Nowshera sectors of this border district, but this time around the infiltrators have made attempts through the “less frequently used routes” of Jhallas, Mandi and Poonch sector in Poonch district and Rakhi post in Sunderbani, Jabran in Keeri sector near here and Kaskancha in Laam sector of Nowshera in this frontier district.

“Krishna Ghatti, Mendhar, Balnoi, Mankote in Poonch and Keeri, some border areas in Sunderbani and Nowshera in Rajouri were frequently used by infiltrators to sneak to this side of the LoC. But Jhallas, Mandi and Poonch sector in Poonch district and Rakhi post in Sunderbani, Jabran in Keeri sector near here and Kaskancha in Laam sector of Nowshera in this border district were not frequently used by infiltrators. Now they are using these routes also,” said an Army source.

“It appears that by choosing less frequently used infiltration routes, they are trying to reduce the causalities they suffer. Even as they are exploring new tactics to infiltrate into our territory, we are to the task and have been thwarting their attempts successfully,” the source added.

Despite repeated attempts, defence spokesperson couldn't be contacted. However, defence sources maintained that the Army was taking all preventive measures and has been successfully foiling all infiltration attempts through Rajouri and Poonch sectors.

Jammu, August 31
Production activities in the industrial estates at Bari Brahmna and Samba have been hit hard by the ongoing shutdown over the revocation of the land diversion order.

Senior functionaries of the State Industrial Development Corporation (SIDCO) said several units had stopped production after the owners failed to procure raw material.

Explaining it, they said since the transport services remained paralysed in the region the unit holders could not transport raw material to the estates.

For about a month, production in some units remained normal but it was suspended when the owners exhausted their stocks of raw material.

A number of unit holders have not been in a position to market and export their finished goods, which were piling up within the factory premises.

A number of unit holders stated that owing to shutdown in passenger transport services, labourers and technicians too failed to be on duty for a number of weeks with the result their units could not run their factories to their optimum capacity.

They said power crisis for over a fortnight too had contributed to the losses. The major setback these units received was suspension in the central incentives.

“Though the policy on central incentives had been amended thereby providing concessions to some categories of units we had to bear heavy losses on this account also,” they said.

The SIDCO officials confirmed that as a result of withdrawal of central incentives about five industrialists had announced that they were not going to set up their units in Samba and Bari Brahmna.

They said the government had not approved the products they were to manufacture because such units already existed in the estates.

The officials feared that more units might close if the situation in Jammu did not improve, as number of unit holders had not been able to repay bank loans.

Though they were given exemption on repayment of loan for a specific period that time too had elapsed. An unit holder said: “When we are neither in a position to produce goods nor are we able to market the finished goods then how will we repay bank loans,” they said.

Srinagar, August 31
The PDP has urged the Centre to take bold political initiatives to douse the flames in Jammu and Kashmir.

“After all the Government of India did promise to restore Kashmir to its natural geography. The government should courageously override its national security apparatus and make good on its promise,” PDP leaders asserted.

The PDP has expressed concern over the indiscriminate arrest of youths across the Kashmir valley, alleging that the law-enforcing agencies had failed to uphold the rule of law.

In a joint statement, PDP general secretary Nizamudin Bhat and general secretary youth wing Bashir Assad took a strong exception to the indiscriminate arrests in rural and urban areas of Kashmir.

They said in repeat of what was done in 1989, the law enforcing agencies clamped down on the local media, thrash demonstrators and journalists, broke into the homes and intimidate the inhabitants including elderly, children and women.

“There was no difference between the attitude of the state then and now,” the PDP leaders said and maintained that the unprecedented peaceful demonstrations, despite disproportionate brutal reprisal, ought to have evoked a healthy response from the government.

The government was imposing a collective punishment on the entire population by launching a manhunt throughout the valley to nab youths and has rounded up hundreds of peaceful protesters many of them being booked under the PSA, the PDP leaders commented.

They maintained that the repressive measures against Kashmiris had neither worked in the past nor would such undemocratic actions help in dousing the flames sparkled by communal and fascist forces by arousing anti-Kashmiri passions across the country. It was unfortunate that the Government of India chose not to provide effective means of assuaging people’s anxiety over the economic blockade of valley, when people came out massively to protest peacefully, the government deliberately created a confrontationist situation, they added.