|
|
|
|
|
Fidayeen stage a comeback
Suicide attack reignites debate on AFSPA revocation
|
|
|
Raising pitch over Afzal, PDP boycotts rest of session
Civilian killed as CRPF fires at stone-throwers
A security personnel keeps vigil in Srinagar during a strike call by separatists on Wednesday.
Parents relieved as school was closed due to
shutdown
Indian spy’s body handed over to his family at Wagah
Without weapons, CRPF men were ‘sitting ducks’
Cross-LoC trade via Poonch resumes after 2 weeks
Cong MLA alleges corruption in Rural Development Dept
BJP to gherao Assembly today
CPM MLA discusses situation in Valley with Governor
|
|
Fidayeen stage a comeback
Srinagar, March 13 The attack took place on the outskirts of the city where a number of vital installations, including the camps of various security forces and the state government, are located. While the Valley has witnessed a number of “suicide attacks” mostly in the capital city since 1999, this has come at a time when the graph of militancy registered the lowest ebb. The attack has also taken place at a time when the police and other security agencies are combating the law and order situation in the wake of the execution of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru early last month. Since Afzal was executed in Delhi’s Tihar Jail on February 9, the Kashmir valley has witnessed large-scale protests leading to frequent shutdowns and curfew in major towns across Kashmir. The last “suicide” attack had taken place on January 6, 2010, in central Lal Chowk in Srinagar when two militants of Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Toiba outfit targeted a security camp and got holed up in the nearby hotel. Both the militants, Qari Usman from Pakistan and Manzoor Ahmad from the Sopore area of Baramulla district, were killed in the 22-hour-long encounter. When insurgency erupted in the Valley around 1990, militant outfits in Kashmir were mostly involved in guerrilla warfare. But in the late 1990s, the pan-Islamic militant outfit LeT introduced the fidayeen attacks in the state. The first suicide attack (mission to kill and get killed) in Kashmir was reported from Bandipore in north Kashmir on July 13, 1999. One DIG and four other personnel of the
Border Security Force (BSF) were killed in the attack, which ended after a night and daylong operation. The attack came amid the Kargil war that ended on July 25 that year. Dozens of suicide attacks have taken place between 1999 and 2005. MAJOR SUICIDE ATTACKS z July 13, 1999: Suicide attack on BSF sector headquarters in Bandipore, in which a DIG and four other BSF men and two militants were killed z November 3, 1999: BB Cantt, where Army’s 15 Corps is located, was targeted. Ten persons, including the then Defence PRO, Maj P Purushottam, got killed z October 1, 2001: Four-member suicide squad attacked the Assembly complex in Srinagar. 39 persons, including 24 civilians, 11 security personnel and 4 militants, were killed z August 4, 2004: Suicide attack on a CRPF camp in the Rajbagh area of Srinagar city in which 10 persons, including nine CRPF men, were killed z April 6, 2005: The Tourist Reception Centre in Srinagar was targeted on the eve of flagging off of the bus to Muzaffarabad. Two militants were killed and the wooden complex was razed to ground. |
||
|
Suicide attack reignites debate on AFSPA revocation
Jammu, March 13 However, leaders of various political parties, barring the Chief Minister, strongly condemned the attack on a CRPF bunker and described it as “unfortunate incident”. Former Chief Minister and People’s Democratic Party
(PDP) president Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, while condemning the attack and killing of another civilian in a separate incident, said such senseless violence serves nobody’s interests. “Every life lost is a tragedy and we have to create an atmosphere of trust, justice and fair play in which such incidents do not take place. Military victory over terror and violence can never last unless people get a sense of justice and of being equal stakeholders in democratic process,” he said. The Pradesh Congress Committee
(PCC) chief Saifuddin Soz also condemned the killing of five CRPF personnel in a suicide attack on a CRPF camp at Bemina and termed it “a very unfortunate incident”. Ravinder Sharma, PCC chief spokesperson, described the attack as “dastardly and cowardly act”. “As far as demand for AFSPA revocation is concerned, the Congress party has already stated that all stakeholders should be taken on board and the Chief Minister should be consulted prior to the decision,” he said. PDP president Mehbooba Mufti condemned the terror attack and said that violence was not going to solve anything. The BJP state chief spokesperson Jitendra Singh while condemning the attack said, “AFSPA is a protective mechanism for military and paramilitary forces deployed in militancy-affected areas. Therefore, the demand for withdrawal of AFSPA at the time when these forces are already target of recurrent terrorist attacks is senseless and politically motivated.” He dared the Chief Minister that if he (Omar) and his government honestly believe there was a significant improvement in the situation of the state, a better CBM would be for them to surrender the Z-plus and NSG personnel security cover. Condemning the attack, the Panthers Party chairman Harsh Dev Singh asked how far they (CM and his government) justify their demand for withdrawal of AFSPA. “This is not the first attack of this kind. A few days back, two disarmed constables were gunned down by militants who successfully managed to escape from the busy market. It is duplicity on the part of state government that they demand AFSPA revocation and show no concern for security personnel,” Singh remarked. Omar fails to condemn attack Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Wednesday told the Legislative Assembly that five CRPF personnel were ‘martyred’ and five injured in a fidayeen attack on a CRPF camp at 10.45 am at Bemina Chowk in district Srinagar. He said three civilian have also been injured — two of them received bullet injuries — in the incident. Omar’s brief statement, however, was in sharp contrast to his remarks in the Legislative Assembly on March 5 when he broke down over the killing of a Baramulla youth in security forces firing as he neither condemned the fidayeen attack nor expressed his condolences to the families of five CRPF jawans who were killed in the incident. |
||
|
Raising pitch over Afzal, PDP boycotts rest of session
Jammu, March 13 For the first time, Congress members also entered into a verbal duel with the PDP on the Afzal issue and accused the former of indulging in “cheap” politics. After creating uproar in the Assembly, PDP members staged a walkout and announced boycott of the entire Budget session as PDP president Mehbooba Mufti alleged that the present regime had eroded the credibility of the Assembly. As the House assembled this morning, PDP members led by Mehbooba raised the issue of the return of Afzal’s body to the family. However, Speaker Mubarak Gul told them that they could raise the issue in the business advisory
committee meeting later in the day. Gul further said: “You had raised the issue and there was a debate on it. The government gave a statement on it. What is your issue now?” As most of the PDP members were on their feet, the Speaker asked one of them to speak. He said: “Let one of you speak over the issue, I want to know from you what the issue is and let me allow the House to run smoothly.” On this, PDP MLA from Pahalgam Rafi Ahmed Mir said, “It is unfortunate that we have raised the point of return of the body to the family but it has been turned down by the Home Minister of India. This House has been insulted, the Chief Minister has been insulted, the opposition has been insulted and nothing has been done to return the body”. In the meantime, BJP member Jugal Kishore and Ashwani Sharma of the JSM amid sloganeering and uproarious scenes said the PDP was only raising the issue of Afzal but there was no mention of the person who was killed in the Valley in a stone-throwing incident. This triggered a war of words between BJP and PDP Legislators. Amid uproar, Moulvi Iftikar Hussain Ansari of the PDP asked the House to pass a resolution over the return of Afzal’s body to the family. However, the Speaker turned it down, saying the state government had already taken up the issue with the Centre and the process was on. Mehbooba reiterated the demand of her party that Afzal’s body should be handed over. Condemning Union Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde, she said: “First he (Shinde) spoke about saffron terror. Then he thought how to prove himself that he was not against Hindus, so he hanged Afzal”. Irked over Mehbooba’s statement against Shinde, Congress member Mohammad Sharief Naiz tried to interrupt her. “They (PDP) are doing politics on this issue”, he shouted. Other Congress members namely Indu Pawar, Ashok Kumar and Krishan Chand Bhagat also supported their party colleague. National Conference members also joined the issue and there was complete din in the House. Amidst pandemonium, PDP members staged a walkout and Mehbooba announced the PDP’s decision to boycott the ongoing session, which will be over on April 4.
|
||
|
Civilian killed as CRPF fires at stone-throwers
Srinagar, March 13 The civilian has been identified as Altaf Ahmad Wani (24), a resident of Saidpora locality of Srinagar. A police spokesman said Wani was shot when CRPF personnel, who were returning from the Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS) at Soura, came “under the attack of stone-throwers” at Saidpora. “This resulted in opening of fire. As a result, Altaf Ahmad Wani, a resident of Saidpora, was seriously injured,” the police spokesman said. He said the CRPF personnel had gone to the hospital to donate blood for their colleagues who were injured in a militant attack in the Bemina area on the city outskirts today. A local resident, however, said no protests were going on in the area when the firing took place. Wani was taken to SKIMS where he died. The hospital authorities said Wani was taken to the operation theatre where he died. “He had bled extensively and we straightaway took him to the operation theatre,” said Director of SKIMS Showkat Zargar. The hospital official said Wani had suffered an injury in the chest. The killing of the youth increased tension in Srinagar city as hundreds gathered to offer his funeral prayers. Soon after Wani’s death, protests erupted in the old city, including at Aali Masjid, Eidgah, Darish Kadal and Nawab Bazar, which were continuing till the reports last came in. The government has announced imposition of curfew in entire Srinagar district from midnight today till further orders. A government spokesman confirmed that the authorities had ordered the imposition of restrictions across the city till further orders. Meanwhile, markets, offices, banks and universities remained closed across the Valley and transport services in most parts of the region remained suspended. Kashmir has remained on the edge since February 9 when Afzal Guru was hanged in New Delhi’s Tihar Jail. Three civilians have been killed so far in the aftermath of Afzal’s hanging while two drowned while being chased by police and paramilitary personnel. An auto-rickshaw driver died after he was beaten up by stone-throwers.
|
||
|
Parents relieved as school was closed due to
shutdown
Srinagar, March 13 The school is situated near the CRPF camp which was attacked by militants today. Some police personnel and local children were playing in the school ground when the attack took place. Around 1,100 students, including 700 children of police personnel, are enrolled in the school. “I thank God for the decision we took yesterday in a meeting convened by Kashmir’s private schools that schools will remain closed on shutdown days. Had the school been open today, it would have been dreadful,” said Tazeem
Wahidi, Principal of J&K Police Public School. The Principal of J&K Police Public School said it was decided to keep the school closed today in view of the inconvenience caused to students and teachers on strike days. The school imparts free of cost and subsidised education up to the higher secondary level to students whose parents were killed during two decades of militancy in the
Valley. Wahidi denied any interference by the police authorities in the management of school affairs, which was established by the police in 2001. “There is no interference by the police authorities in running the affairs of the school. The discretionary powers are with us, so we took the decision of keeping the school closed like other private schools,” he
said. Wahidi said many parents called him today to thank him for the decision the school had taken yesterday of keeping it closed on strike days. Although the state government had directed the Valley schools to remain open on strike days, a majority of the private schools remained closed. Some government schools, which were open today, had to shut in the wake of the attack on CRPF personnel and protests in the Valley. Director of School Education, Kashmir, Muhammad Shafi Rather said the directive was for the government schools only. He said if the situation becomes tense, they (government schools) can shut. Rather refused to comment over the safety of school students and said the schools could take a call on their own. “In some parts of the Valley where the situation is calm and transport plies, the schools may remain open. In the other parts, where functioning on strike days is not possible, schools can remain closed,” he said. The apprehensions of safety of children have only grown among parents who have flayed the government for its decision of keeping the schools open on strike days. “The results are for everyone to see. The situation here is tense on strike days. If the school would have been open today, so many children could have died. The government is making irresponsible statements by issuing such directives and is not concerned about the safety of children,” Maroofa Ahmad, a parent said.
|
||
|
Indian spy’s body handed over to his family at Wagah
Jammu, March 13 Additional Deputy Commissioner, Jammu, Ravi Shankar Sharma and some BJP workers accompanied Singh’s sons Deepak Singh and Dara Singh and his brother to Wagah today. “At the Wagah border, second secretary at the High Commission of India in Islamabad SR Meena along with the Pakistani authorities handed over Singh’s body to the Indian authorities,” said Sat Sharma, BJP leader, who accompanied the family. The body would be kept at the mortuary of Government Medical College and Hospital, Jammu, tonight and its post-mortem would be conducted tomorrow, Sharma said. It would then be cremated at Singh’s native Pargwal Molu village, he said. Sharma, however, expressed regret over the Jammu district administration’s insensitive approach while dealing with the issue. “The BJP had provided a well-equipped and fully air-conditioned critical-care ambulance to bring back Singh’s body. We had taken it from Jammu to Wagah but the Jammu administration official didn’t allow the family to use it for transporting Singh’s mortal remains. Instead he compelled the family to use a non air-conditioned ambulance of the administration despite knowing that Singh had died almost 60 days ago,” said Sharma. Even the Pakistani authorities had brought Singh’s body in a new ambulance, he said. Singh, a small time marginal farmer from Pargwal Molu, was launched into Pakistan on December 22, 2008. He was allegedly killed by the prison staff over a trivial issue of washing clothes.
|
||
|
Without weapons, CRPF men were ‘sitting ducks’
Jammu, March 13 “These five CRPF personnel were deployed on a road near J&K Police Public School in Bemina and they were not carrying firearms following the government instructions. Had they carried their weapons, they could have easily neutralised the terrorists instead of becoming sitting ducks for the latter,” a senior CRPF officer from Kashmir told The Tribune over phone on condition of anonymity. The officer said that there was no civilian movement on the road because of the separatist strike call and therefore unarmed CRPF personnel were the obvious and easy target for the terrorists. The officer fumed over what he dubbed the “illogical” instructions of
the state government to not allow security forces to carry firearms while out in the streets of Kashmir to maintain law and order. “It’s a very difficult situation for us. What do you expect from my men when they are fired upon from behind the shield of crowds,” said the officer. Predominantly, the CRPF maintains law and order in the Kashmir valley. The security forces have been asked to be in riot protection gear and use only accepted mob control measures like teargas
and batons. “The two constables of 13 IRP Battalion — Santosh Singh and Azad Chand — who were shot dead
in Handwara on March 2 were also not carrying firearms. They were simply carrying sticks when they were shot from a point-blank range. The government decision has made us more vulnerable to attacks because militants now know that we are not carrying any firearms,” he said. “This decision has demoralised our men,
who feel that they are nothing more than sitting ducks for terrorists,” said the officer. “From now on sportspersons will be on our radar and would be subjected to stringent checks because every man in the force is precious to us,” he said.
|
||
|
Cross-LoC trade via Poonch resumes after 2 weeks
Jammu/Poonch, March 13 To bring an end to the impasse and ensure resumption of the cross-border trade, the Poonch district administration had to reinstate Dewan Traders till March 31. Poonch-based Dewan Traders was blacklisted early in February after three empty AK cartridges were found in his consignment sent by his PoK counterpart. Consequently, the Indian traders went on an undeclared strike since February 26 that caused them a loss of Rs 6 crore. The traders had a meeting with Poonch Deputy Commissioner AK Sahu on March 11 wherein Abdul Gani Dewan, proprietor of Dewan Traders, was reinstated till March 31 so that he could settle his accounts with his PoK counterpart. Anand said, in the meeting with Sahu, who is also the nodal officer of the trans-LoC trade, “we urged him that Indian traders should not be held responsible for the contraband sent from PoK to this side.” Anand said the Poonch Deputy Commissioner had also agreed to increase the number of vehicles to 50 trucks per trading day on the pattern of the Salamabad Trade Centre in Uri. The Poonch Deputy Commissioner said traders didn’t project any other demand but requested him to reinstate the blacklisted trader till inquiry against him was completed. “I considered their request and reinstated the blacklisted trader till March 31. National security is our top concern and it would be maintained at any cost,” said Sahu.
|
||
|
Cong MLA alleges corruption in Rural Development Dept
Jammu, March 13 Taking part in a debate on grants for RDD, Naiz said despite sincere efforts of RDD Minister Ali Mohammad Sagar, there was rampant corruption in this department. He said due to corruption the quality of work had been adversely affected. Enumerating steps taken to ensure proper implementation and utilization of funds under various rural development schemes, Ali Mohammad Sagar said the government was trying to ensure sustained development of the rural and far-flung areas besides keeping ecological concerns, like sanitation, soil erosion and water scarcity under consideration. Replying to the demand of grants for the departments, the Minister said panchayats were being given the powers of 14 vital departments. Sagar said action had been initiated against the officials found deviating from their duties and 52 gazetted and 51 non-gazetted officers had been chargesheeted. He said a grievance redressal cell had also been established to get a feedback from different quarters about the implementation of various schemes and also complaints if any. Referring to the flagship programme of MGNREGA, the Minister said the scope of activities of the schemes had been widened by convergence of the same with other departments and also by including sanitation and livelihood activities. He said the state employment guarantee fund had been created under the scheme and the wage rate had also been enhanced to Rs 145 per day from April, 2013. Similarly, 823 technical assistants, 1,509 GRS and 249 operators had been engaged besides other engagements are in the pipeline.
|
||
|
BJP to gherao Assembly today
Jammu, March 13 Recent developments in the Assembly, especially regarding Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru and an attack on a CRPF camp today, have given an opportunity to the party to mobilise people against the Omar-led government. The party has also started to mobilise women for the programme. State president of the BJP Mahila Morcha Priya Sethi said women constituted about 50 per cent population of the state and had been subjected to discrimination in all fields. Despite repeated promises, women have not been politically empowered. Sethi said the participation of women in the Assembly gherao programme was imperative to express resentment and disapproval of the anti-people and anti-women policies of the NC-Congress coalition government. “The mis-governance of the coalition regime is now known to everyone,” she said and added that the same was clear from the fact that people were taking to streets everyday to register their protests against the government.
|
||
|
CPM MLA discusses situation in Valley with Governor
Jammu, March 13 Appointed: The Governor has appointed Roma Wani, former Special Secretary, Planning and Development Department, J&K Government, as Honorary General Secretary of J&K State Branch of Indian Red Cross Society. The Governor, who is the president of the J&K state branch of the Indian Red Cross Society, has made the appointment of Wani for a period of two years.
|
|
| HOME PAGE | |
Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir |
Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs |
Nation | Opinions | | Business | Sports | World | Letters | Chandigarh | Ludhiana | Delhi | | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | E-mail | |
A civilian was killed when CRPF personnel opened fire at stone-throwers at Saidpora in Srinagar today. Kashmir remained shut in response to a bandh called by the Muttahida Majlis-e-Mushawrat, a council of separatists, spearheading the demand for the return of the mortal remains of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru and Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front leader Maqbool
Bhat.
