Udhampur, October 27
Five militants of the Hizbul Mujahideen (HM), including one self-styled commander, were killed by the security forces in an 8-hour-long encounter near Nawapachi in Kishtwar district today.

“A joint search operation was launched by the police and the Army in which five HM militants were killed”, DIG, Doda-Ramban range, Hemant Kumar Lohia, said.

Police sources said a joint search operation was launched by the police and the Army in the Gokul Nathan area on Sunday night. During the search operation, security personnel engaged in a gunbattle with militants hiding in the forest. Five militants, including a self-styled commander, were killed in the encounter which lasted for more than eight hours.

The slain militants were identified as Mohammad Rajab, alias, Imtiyaz, Mohammad Shafi, Bashir Ahmed, Dodu Bakerwal and Mohammad Amin.

Police sources said Mohammad Amin was a self-styled “section commander” of the HM and had been was active in the state since 1998. He was involved in a number of militancy-related incidents. Four slain militants belonged to Kishtwar district, while Dodu Bakerwal was a residence of Ramkot Kathua. One AK 56 rifle, three AK 47 rifles, arms and ammunition and explosives were recovered.

Police sources said the slain HM militants were involved in extortions, kidnapping and other militant-related activities. The killing of HM militants is being considered a big blow to the Pakistan-based militant outfit. The HM along with other militant groups have launched a campaign against the forthcoming Assembly elections.

Srinagar, October 27
Normal life was paralysed across the Kashmir valley today in response to the separatists bandh call in protest against the landing of the Army in Kashmir this day, 61 years ago.

While the Army celebrated the occasion and paid homage to its jawans who lost their lives in the battle, senior separatist leaders - JKLF chairman Mohammad Yasin Malik were already detained and APHC chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq was placed under house arrest at his Negeen residence.

The police and CRPF personnel were heavily deployed here and in other major towns of the valley, enforcing an undeclared curfew.

Though the officials denied to have imposed curfew restrictions in Srinagar and in other towns of the valley, people were kept indoors and vehicles kept off the roads.

Steps were also taken to prevent the formation of a human chain by the separatist coordination committee from the lower courts in Lal Chowk to the high court as a mark of protest against the landing of the Indian Army in Kashmir. APHC chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, who was placed under house arrest on Friday last, was also prevented from moving to the Lal Chowk today. Mirwaiz was planning to lead the formation of a human chain in the Lal Chowk area, on the call of the coordination committee here last week. Three lawyers of the High Court Bar Association, a constituent of the Coordination Committee, who succeeded in reaching the Court Road near Lal Chowk were held by the police to thwart any attempts to form the human chain. Senior APHC leader Nayeem Khan was also arrested by the police at Tangmarg.

Separatist leaders - Mohammad Yasin Malik, Showkat Ahmad Shah of the Jamiat-e-Ahl-e-Hadeeth and Ghulam Nabi Sumjhi of Geelani's Hurriyat faction, all members of the coordination committee were arrested last week. The separatist parties have condemned the police action and expressed concern over the arrests of its senior leaders. They also condemned the recent police action at the Pantha Chowk, Naidkhai and Baramulla. One person was killed and 20 others injured when they fired to prevent an angry mob from marching towards Baramulla yesterday, following which, a strict curfew was imposed there.

Meanwhile, a curfew-like situation prevailed in the Kashmir valley today and all roads leading to Lal Chowk were sealed. All shops, business establishments, offices, schools and other educational institutions remained closed on account of the strike called by the committee in the midst of stringent security measures.

Even media personnel were not allowed to move freely as some CRPF and police officers claimed that curfew had been imposed in the city.

Kargil, October 27
Can the Border Road Organisation (BRO) pre-announce closure of a highway in anticipation of a snowfall? The state administration definitely thinks otherwise and has asked the BRO to refrain from closing the Leh-Srinagar highway from October 31, as announced by it earlier.

The highway is dotted with signboards these days informing drivers that the road would be closed from October 31.

This is very much an anti-thesis of the meaning of a highway, which enjoins upon the BRO authorities to keep the road motorable whenever possible. The BRO has now postponed the road’s closure but district officials in Kargil say this has been a practice every year.

“If there is not much snow, then drivers ply their vehicles even in December, as was the case last year”, a top official told The Tribune.

Meanwhile, this announcement comes handy for “corrupt” traffic officials who extract a considerable bribe from drivers, accused of violating rules by plying their vehicles. “Traffic cops charge anything between Rs 40-50. The bribe only multiplies if we drive after the BRO's announcement”, Mohd Sadiq, a Kargil-based driver, said.

Meanwhile, district commissioner Satesh Nehru has asked the BRO officials to keep the road open for as long as possible. Since it is a highway, they are bound to close it only in case of exigencies like snowfall or landslide and then open it when possible.

There could not be any pre-announcement, the DC said.

Zojila pass which connects Kashmir with Ladakh receives heavy snowfall which forces the closure of the highway.

Taxi drivers say they would not refrain from plying vehicles even after the BRO’s deadline in case there wasn’t much snow on the highway.

“But it increases their harassment as it gives the traffic police a “genuine” reason to trouble these drivers.

Srinagar, October 27
NC president Omar Abdullah has alleged that the coalition government had failed in the state during the past six years due to its “misrule” that had paralysed the administration.

Omar said the coalition government, a conglomerate of political parties and individuals with divergent ideologies, were only bonded by their desire to be in power and ignored the matters of the state for their vested interests.

Omar has been on tour to the Ladakh region. He visited Leh yesterday and met a number of deputations in Kargil today. Addressing a series of deputations in Kargil, Omar said: “The need of the hour is a stable one-party government to steer the state out of the administrative chaos created by the erstwhile PDP-Congress government.”

Omar said the party was concerned about the plight of the people and was committed to the development of far-flung areas of the state.

Accompanied by senior party leader and former minister, Abdul Rahim Rather, MLC Devender Singh Rana and Nasir Sogami, Omar assured the delegations that if voted to power, the NC would put in all efforts to mitigate their sufferings.

Meanwhile, Qamar Ali Akhoon and Feroz Khan filed their nomination papers as the NC candidates from the Kargil and Zanskar constituencies, respectively, in the presence of party president Omar Abdullah, former minister Abdul Rahim Rather, MLC Devender Singh Rana, Former MP Ghulam Hassan Khan and Feroze Ahmed.

A deputation of prominent citizens of Kargil called on Omar and urged him to expedite opening of the Kargil-Iskardu road. They urged upon him to get the work initiated on the Parkachick hydel project (Sooru hydel project), Zojilla tunnel, Paimohai-Pahalgam road and Drass irrigation project.

Jammu, October 27
The Jammu State Morcha (P) has outrightly rejected the proposal of self-rule floated by the PDP and termed it as a “blue print” of separating Jammu and Kashmir from India prepared with a “pro-Pakistani” mindset.

Morcha president Prof Virender Gupta alleged: “PDP’s election manifesto has exposed the evil designs of party’s chief patron and former chief minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed.

He is not merely the supporter of separatist elements but also one among them”.

“The attempt is to keep Jammu and Kashmir out of the jurisdiction of the Indian Constitution and ultimately create a separate independent country with or without the Pakistan-occupied Kashmir as its constituent”, Gupta averred.

He said the idea proposed by the PDP had dangerous consequences for the sovereignty of the country. Instead of solving the state imbroglio, this would allow talibnisation of the state, he added.

Gupta appealed to the people to thwart the moves of such elements.

Gupta said the PDP’s demand for withdrawal of all central laws from the state and rolling back of Article 356 and Article 249 was one such step in this direction. The party's demand for withdrawal of Indian troops and Indian services like IAS, IPS and IFS was another such seditious move, Gupta said.

Jammu, October 27
To review the security arrangements for the upcoming Assembly elections in the state, a core group meeting was today held at the headquarters of the Nagrota-based 16 corps of the Army.

The meeting was chaired by the GOC of the 16 Corps and security advisor Lt Gen P.K. Swamy. Senior Army, police and paramilitary force officers, including commissioner, Special Bureau; additional commissioner, Jammu; IGPolice, Jammu range, divisional commissioner, Jammu, IG CRPF, IG BSF and GOC of various Army formations.

“The meeting reviewed the security situation in the Jammu region in view of the upcoming darbar move and the Assembly elections”, an official spokesman said.

The spokesman said: “The security adviser complimented the security forces, intelligence agencies and civil administration for achieving peerless synergy, enviable harmony and immense coordination among themselves towards a common and national cause to eradicate the menace of militancy from the state”.

Gen Swamy attributed the downward slide in militancy-related incidents to cooperation among the entire security set up in the state. He stressed upon the need to maintain continuous pressure and moral ascendancy over the terrorists, “who have, by and large been marginalised”.

He emphasised that the coming few months were crucial in view of the elections and that security forces had to be extra vigilant to neutralize the designs of anti-national elements.

Meanwhile, DGP Kuldeep Khoda has said the Centre would send 452 companies of paramilitary force for the smooth conduct of the Assembly elections.

“The Centre has given a consent for the sanction of 452 additional paramilitary companies for security in connection with the Assembly elections”, Khoda said.

Khoda said each company would have the strength of 60 security personnel and would be deployed as part of the enhanced security setup for the smooth conduct of the elections.

Jammu, October 27
Panthers Party chief Prof Bhim Singh has declared 33 candidates from the Jammu province for the forthcoming Assembly elections. The candidates include nine Schedule Caste (SC) and Schedule Tribe (ST) candidates and three women.

According to a release issued here today, senior advocate from Bhaderwah, Bharat Bhushan Kotwal, will contest against former chief minister Ghulam Nabi Azad, whereas Panthers general secretary Anita Thakur (Marh), Tabassum Chaudhary (Poonch-Haveli) and Neelam Mahajan (Kishtwar) will fight against NC and Congress controlled constituencies.

Four lawyers and noted human rights activists H.C. Jhalmeria (Billawar) and Saleem Raja (Banihal) will contest from their respective areas against NC and Congress candidates.

The working committee has also decided that all four MLAs in the dissolved Assembly namely -Harsh Dev Singh (Ramnagar), Faquir Nath (Chenani), Balwant Singh Mankotia (Udhampur) and Yashpal Kundal (Samba) will contest from their respective areas.

The other candidates include Rajesh Padgotra (Vijaypur), Romesh Khajuira (Bishnah), Dr Karan Bhagat (R.S. Pura), Ashok Randawa (Suchethgarh), Ghulam Ali Engineer (Nagrota), Diwakar Bhagat (Raipur-Domana), Raman Kumar Mishra (Akhnoor), Janak Raj (Khour/Chhamb), Sardari Lal Dubey (Reasi), Pushpinder Singh (Gulabgarh-Mahore), G. M. Shan advocate (Gool-Arnas), Ashok Kumar (Hiranagar), Ravinder Pathania (Kathua), Rakesh Singh (Bani), Darshan Sharma (Basholi), Gajay Singh (Doda), Imtyaz Ahmed (Inderwal), Neelam Kumar (Ramban), advocate Rajesh Sharma (Rajouri), Mohammad Farooq (Darhal Budhal), Shamsher Singh Chib (Nowshera), Tariq Hamid Khan (Mendhar) and Jameel Ahmed Shah (Surankot).

Bhim said the names of three candidates from Jammu will be declared on November 1, while the names of the candidates from the Kashmir valley for the next six phases will be announced on November 2 in Srinagar.

Srinagar, October 27
To commemorate the Army’s landing in Kashmir 61 years ago, troops with traditional reverence and solemnity laid floral wreaths at the Sikh War Memorial at Baramulla and the War Memorial at the Badami Bagh Cantt here today.

The Army celebrates October 27 each year as the Infantry Day.

Governor N.N. Vohra was accompanied by Lt Gen Mukesh Sabharwal, GOC 15 Corps, Major-Gen S.A. Hasnain, GOC 19 Infantry Division and Masood Samoon, divisional commissioner, Kashmir.

In Srinagar, the GOC 15 Corps, Lt Gen Mukesh Sabharwal, laid a wreath at the Badami Bagh Cantt War Memorial. A large number of senior Army officers, JCOs and jawans also attended the ceremony.

Jammu, October 27
The state police seemed to has learned no lessons from the bomb blasts in various cities across the country where the terrorist had used two-wheelers to plant bombs.

Various sensitive places in Jammu are vulnerable to such attacks as the haphazardly parked vehicles and two-wheelers can provide a perfect opportunity to anti-national elements to carry out their nefarious designs in wake of the rush in the ongoing festival season.

A view outside the Raghunath Temple in Jammu city exposes the tall police claims of providing proper security cover to the area. The Raghunath Temple has always remained a soft target for militants and many people lost their lives in the earlier terror strikes.

Despite a ‘no parking and no entry’ signboard that has been kept in place by the traffic police, people continued violating the ‘norms with impunity’.

“People are least bothered with the security of the area. They violate the police instructions and park their vehicles in the no-parking zone outside the temple premises.” Kulbeer Kumar, a local shopkeeper, said. A senior traffic police officer said, “We need to educate people to follow traffic rules and regulations. We have placed signboards, but people violate the orders.”

“Despite repeated requests for the past many years, there has been no new recruitment in our department and with less manpower we are not in a position to deploy our personnel everywhere so people take advantage of it and violate the rules.” the officer said.

Jammu, October 27
Marring the mood of the festive season, the spiraling prices of tomatoes have left a bad taste in residents’ mouth.

People in Jammu these days have to shell out Rs 40 for a kilo of tomatoes, which is even higher than many varieties of apples. Reason: Local production is negligible and imported produce comes at a high price, which increases due to heavy transportation costs involved.

However, this is not a new phenomenon in Jammu as every year there is shortage of tomatoes during this time of the year.

For the time being tomatoes are being imported from Maharashtra, Gujarat, Meerut and Delhi as a result of which cost of the product increases on account of heavy transportation charges. “The availability of tomatoes keeps on changing while prices are skyrocketing. The department concerned should regulate the prices especially during the festival season,” said a housewife, Sheetal at Sabzi Mandi.

“Jammu city has a consumption of two to three truckloads of tomatoes every day and the same quantity of product is being imported from outside,” said Praveen Gupta, a supplier of vegetables at Narwal vegetable market.

Jammu, October 27
CPM leader and former MLA Muhammad Yusuf Tarigami today said he had been working out on the option of a strong third front.

He said the formation of the third front was the need of the hour and would be playing a vital role in the formation of next government in the state. However, the state committee of the CPM would be releasing its list of candidates for second phase of Assembly elections on November 4.

Addressing a press conference here, Tarigami said there was a need of secular and people-centric political parties to join hands to defeat communal and regional centric forces, which, he alleged were bent upon to divide the people of state on religious and regional lines.

“I am working on the formation of a strong third front to tackle the challenges of regional and communal forces, and for that I am in touch with various like-minded political leaders both in Jammu and Kashmir region,” he said.

To a question that what happened to his early efforts, Tarigami said he was having an image of an autonomous front and was in touch with various political organisations, but due to recent turmoil in the state everything was sidelined. But now I am reviving my contacts and would be able to get expected results, he added.”

He said this front would not be regional centric and become the strength of every region of the state.

Expressing concern over the boycott call by the separatist groups he said the elections were the democratic mode of governance for developmental purposes and, thus, participation of citizens is essential part and they should not be deprive of their right to elect their representative.

“The elections are democratic exercise and are no way any hindrance to the resolution of Kashmir issue, thus should not be connected with Kashmir issue,” he said.

Udhampur, October 27
Demanding release of their salaries, a large number of temporary employees of the Public Health Engineering (PHE) department staged a demonstration against the authorities at Reasi recently. The employees pointed out that for the past 18 months, they had been working in the department without salaries as funds allotted for their salaries had been diverted towards development activities.

Agitating employees warned that if their salaries were not released by tomorrow, they would launch an indefinite strike after Diwali.

Meanwhile, for the smooth functioning of a number of pumping stations, the PHE Department has engaged hundreds of temporary employees.