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Intel inputs warn of rise in militant activity
Unhappy with NC, Cong leaders await Rahul’s visit
Terror activity has resumed after Pak elections: Army
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overnor reviews Amarnath pilgrimage arrangements
Governor, CM extend Buddha Purnima greetings
Hizb militant held with wife, 3 kids
LeT network in north Kashmir dented, claims police
Omar to throw open 5th bridge
on Tawi river tomorrow
5 more girls come forward against ‘rapist’ dervish
Decrease in flights and high airfare hit tourism in Ladakh
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Intel inputs warn of rise in militant activity
New Delhi, May 24 This year there have been regular attempts by militants in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) to cross over into India. Today, four Army jawans lost their lives in an attack by militants near Pulwama in south Kashmir. Chinese pistols and walkie-talkie sets have been recovered from militants, indicating that these were either drawn, or stolen, from the Pakistan army stores. Just 15 days ago, a policeman was shot dead by suspected militants in the same area. So far this year, 17 security personnel, including Army men, have been killed in attacks. During the same period in 2012, only one security personnel lost his life, while five personnel lost their lives in 2011 during the same period. These numbers, among other inputs, have led the agencies to conclude that there will be heightened militant activity. During the first half of the year, the militant activity is generally less. This year infiltration has been on even during winter months. So far this year, there have been 40 attempts by militants to enter India from PoK. In 2012 during the same period — which is winter and spring in Kashmir - there were only 31 attempts while there were 17 attempts in 2011. This year’s 17 deaths have rankled. The year started with the beheading of two Indian soldiers on January 6. India alleged it was the handiwork of a group backed by Pakistan army regulars. An assessment says there have been inputs of there being an increased activity on militant launch pads in the PoK. Leaders of terrorists have been visiting the PoK and areas close to the LoC to do reconnaissance of possible routes of ingress into India. “The onset of summer will see an increase in infiltration in Gurez, Keran, Macchal, Tanghdhar, Rampur and Uri,” a senior functionary confided while adding that terrorists were likely to use sniper rifles. “These can give an accurate shot from as far as 1 km away, allowing little scope for a retaliatory fire. The other methods to deter the security forces could be the use of mines and improvised explosive devices,” the source said. “A new phenomenon will be that militants will be well armed and gun battles could last longer”. Security agencies in their assessment also said the Pakistan army was unlikely to yield to the polity on the issue of Kashmir. Another point flagged to the government was that proper vetting was required for ex-terrorists returning on an amnesty scheme through the Nepal route. Recently, there was some confusion when former militant Syed Liyaqat Shah was arrested by the Delhi Police despite a clearance from intelligence agencies. So far this year, 17 security personnel, including Army men, have been killed in militant attacks in J&K. During the same period in 2012, only one security personnel lost his life, while five personnel lost their lives in 2011. These numbers, among other inputs, have led intelligence agencies to conclude that there will be heightened militant activity in Kashmir
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Unhappy with NC, Cong leaders await Rahul’s visit
Jammu, May 24 Rahul is visiting Kashmir on May 28 and will interact with party ministers, JK Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) members and leaders of the frontal organisations to review the functioning of the Congress in the state. “NC leaders have crossed all limits. They have reportedly given directions to the administration not to give importance to the constituencies being represented by the Congress MLA,” alleged former minister and sitting Congress MLA from Inderwal, Ghulam Mohammad Saroori. “We have prepared a detailed report of the discrimination and the same would be placed before the AICC vice-president”, Saroori told The Tribune. He alleged that in the name of reviewing the ongoing rescue and relief operations in earthquake-affected areas of the erstwhile Doda district, the NC leaders were brazenly playing politics. Vice-president of the Pradesh Youth Congress (PYC) Pranab Shagotra charged NC leaders with creating hurdles in extending the 73rd and 74th Amendments to the Indian Constitution in Jammu and Kashmir despite the fact that the issue formed the core of Congress ideology. “The PYC delegation, during its meeting with Rahul Gandhi, would brief him about the NC’s game plan of not strengthening the Panchayati Raj institutions in the state,” he said, adding that the visit of the AICC vice-president was significant because the campaign of the Congress for the 73rd and 74th Amendments had already been intensified by the JKPCC chief Saifuddin Soz. The Youth Congress, which had launched a state-wide protest last year against the delay in strengthening panchayats, has prepared a charter of complaints to be given to Rahul. “We have a long list of grievances against our coalition partner. We would like to utilise the visit of our leader (Rahul) to highlight these issues before him,” Pranab said. Sources said on the eve of Rahul’s visit, a meeting of senior Congress leaders, including heads of frontal organisations, would be convened to prepare a detailed report incorporating all issues which were raised by the party from time to time but ignored by the coalition partner NC. “Congress leaders will try to convey to Rahul Gandhi that the NC is deliberately delaying incorporation of the relevant clauses of 73rd and 74th Amendments to the Indian Constitution in the state Constitution,” a source said. The JKPCC chief, who is arriving in Jammu tomorrow, will convene a meeting with his confidants at Udhampur. |
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Terror activity has resumed after Pak elections: Army
Jammu, May 24 “Though there is no visible activity on the other side of the international border, we have intelligence inputs about the presence of terrorists on the other side of the borderline opposite the Basanter river (in Samba) and opposite the Manyari and Pansar posts of the BSF (in Kathua),” a senior BSF officer told The Tribune. “They are also present in other launch pads on the other side of the border waiting for an opportune time to attempt infiltration but we are alert,” he said. He said the BSF for the past three years had ensured zero infiltration on the international border. “Till date, we have been maintaining the tempo. Yes, there were two odd attempts in Samba and RS Pura sectors in recently but they were foiled by our border guards,” he said. On May 18, BSF Jammu Frontier IG Rajeev Krishna had said the BSF knew about specific locations on the other side of the border which had militants waiting in the wings. A senior Army officer said, “The activity in 42 terror camps on the other side of the LoC had been put on hold in the wake of elections in Pakistan but now it has picked up momentum.” “We are keeping a track of their activities and there are inputs that this year, the ISI would try its best to revive militancy in the state,” he said. The officer said terror attacks in Kashmir in March followed by another attack today in Tral were enough indications of upcoming activities. BSF jawan injured A BSF jawan sustained injuries during an “accidental firing” in a forward area of Arnia belt in Jammu district last night. “Border guard Naresh Kumar sustained three bullet injuries on his leg while on a patrol with another border guard. A court of inquiry has been initiated to know the truth,” said a BSF spokesperson. |
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overnor reviews Amarnath pilgrimage arrangements
Srinagar, May 24 “The Governor had wide-ranging discussions with Khandey on issues related to governance, security, and development of the state. Several important matters about the ensuing Amarnath yatra were also reviewed,” an official said. In another meeting, former Western Army Commander Lt Gen (retd) TK Sapru discussed security issues with the Governor. Lt Gen (retd) Sapru felicitated the Governor on his appointment for the second term. Meanwhile, Prof Saif-ud-Din Soz, president, Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee, also met the Governor. They discussed matters related to rapid socio-economic development of the state. |
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Governor, CM extend Buddha Purnima greetings
Srinagar, May 24 In his message, the Governor expressed hope that the auspicious occasion would be the harbinger of peace, progress and prosperity in the state. He said Lord Buddha was an apostle of peace whose message of non-violence assumed greater relevance in today’s world which was witnessing growing intolerance, violence and terrorism. The Governor prayed for the well-being of the people of the state. The Chief Minister in his message said Jammu and Kashmir symbolised
pluralistic ethos and a rich tradition of celebrating festivals and holy occasions with a spirit of amity and brotherhood. He prayed for peace and development of the state and the country.
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Hizb militant held with wife, 3 kids
Poonch, May 24 The arrested militant has been identified as Nazir Hussain of Marhot village, Surankote. During preliminary investigations, Nazir has revealed that he crossed over to Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) in 2001 via Cobra post at Sabjian sector in Poonch with some Pakistani militants for
arms training there and had later joined the Hizb-ul-Jihad-e-Islami outfit. He was also trainined in Kotli and Nakhial in
PoK, the SP said. Nazir got married in PoK and has three children from his wife Rifat Bibi. The children have been identified as Asia Nazir (6), Ahmed Nazir (4) and Osama Nazir (2). The police had received information that Nazir had managed to get a passport in PoK and was returning to Jammu and Kashmir via Nepal. He entered India on May 21 and after giving a slip to the Jammu and Rajouri police, he reached Jogi Morh but was nabbed by the police there at a naka. Nazir had reached Kathmandu via Karachi and entered India via Gorakhpur near the Nepal-Uttar Pradesh border. He boarded a TATA Sumo and was on way to his residence when he was nabbed. A case under the Enemy Agent Ordinance Act has been registered in the Surankote police station and investigations are on. A source said, “Nazir has revealed that he got a basic one-month training at Nakhial and returned to India in 2001 and remained active for over a month and again went to PoK via Sabjian sector. He got training in the Fagosh Militants’ training camp, went to Karachi, remained there for one and half years and got religious education there. He joined the HUJI in Nakhial and again went to Karachi and worked there as a taxi driver.”
Pak woman held in Samba Jammu: The BSF on Friday arrested a Pakistani woman who intruded into the Indian Territory along the International Border in Samba district. “Around 7.30 am today, we observed some suspicious movement along the border in the Camore forward post in Ramgarh. Soon, they came across a woman,” BSF Jammu Frontier DIG JS Oberoi said. The woman identified herself as Irshad Begum (45), a resident of Gujranwal (Pakistan). She said she had been walking for the past three days. “She doesn’t look mentally disturbed and it appears to be a case of inadvertent crossing of the border,” said Oberoi. “We approached Pakistan Rangers and provided them her details. Hopefully, they’ll get back to us to pave way for her repatriation,” he said. |
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LeT network in north Kashmir dented, claims police
Srinagar, May 24 “We have been able to achieve a major success against the LeT in the past one month. The network of the LeT --- from militants to their OGWs --- has been dented in north Kashmir. Most of them have either been detained or killed,” said a senior police officer in Srinagar. The police’s major catch was the Divisional Commander of the outfit, Fahadullah, a resident of Multan (Pakistan), who was arrested on April 17 in a village near Sopore. The police said Fahadullah was active since 2009 and had many a times given a slip to security forces. It was his arrest that led to the arrest of nearly a dozen of militants and OGWs. “A day after Fahadullah’s arrest, an encounter took place near Sopore town in which Shabir Ahmad Sheikh, alias Shaka, was killed. Hilal Maulvi, however, escaped during that encounter. Later during the questioning of the Pakistani militant, names of nearly a dozen militants and their OGWs surfaced and they were all arrested during various search operations,” he said. “The LeT members who were either killed or detained since April 17 were responsible for many attacks and killing of civilians,” the police officer said. Sources said the police was tracking Hilal Maulvi’s movement from the past one week and they finally managed to zero in on him in the old city. Hilal was the top commander of the LeT in north Kashmir. He was shot dead during an encounter in the old city on Thursday. |
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Omar to throw open 5th bridge
on Tawi river tomorrow
Jammu, May 24 Chief Minister Omar Abdullah along with Roads and Buildings (R&B) Minister Abdul Majeed Wani will inaugurate the bridge, connecting Belicherana with the Bhagwati Nagar area of Jammu city. The bridge has come up at a cost of Rs 147 crore and will give an alternate option to the people to reach Yatri Niwas. The bridge is aimed at diverting the traffic of the Jammu west areas which otherwise cause a traffic jam on the main Tawi bridge and on the canal road. “In the first phase, we completed the construction of bridge, which will be thrown open on May 26 by the Chief Minister. The .75-km-long bridge has been completed in less than three years,” said Tehseen Mustafa, chief engineer, R&B, Jammu division. The foundation stone of the bridge was laid in December 2009 but the actual work started in 2010. The movement of vehicles was allowed on the bridge on a trial basis a couple of months ago. During the second phase, the road connectivity will be provided from Yatri Niwas to the Akalpur area of Jammu for which the land acquisition is in progress. It will cost around Rs 100 crore and will provide the people of the Jammu west areas an easy access to the city areas. “The completion of work on the bridge has become possible with the full support of Chief Minister Omar Abdullah who himself visited the site five to six times. The R&B Minister also provided full support,” the chief engineer said. |
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5 more girls come forward against ‘rapist’ dervish
Srinagar, May 24 “Five girls are in contact with the police and they are willing to come forward. We are assuring them that their identity will be protected,” said a police official. Gulzar Ahmad Bhat, the man who was pretending to be a mystic, was arrested by the police on Tuesday on charges of raping four of his ‘disciples’ — all minor girls. Bhat is a resident of Shamsabad area of Budgam and was operating a bogus seminary for girls in the district. Prior to his arrest, Bhat was a frequent speaker on local cable channels delivering lectures on religion and mysticism. He also widely advertised about himself in vernacular newspapers claiming to have achieved “morifat”, a mystical intuitive knowledge of the spiritual truth. Bhat’s youngest victim was a 14-year-old girl from south Kashmir and the other three were also aged below 18 years. The medical examination of the four girls had confirmed that they were raped. The police said Bhat, an illiterate man in his forties, lured the girls into a trap by telling them that he would “purify” them. Several thousand girls, according to a police officer posted in the area where Bhat operated, had stayed at his seminary during the past 10 years where they were provided boarding facility during the two-month “spiritual” course. The official said the police had also detained several accomplices of Bhat and looking for three more people. Bhat’s cook Abdul Gani Ganai of Yaar village in Budgam district had already been arrested. |
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Decrease in flights and high airfare hit tourism in Ladakh
Leh, May 24 Summer is the peak season for tourism in Ladakh. However, the arrival of tourists in April was affected due to the Chinese incursion in the Indian territory along the Line of Actual Control in Ladakh. The situation started improving only in the second week of this month. All Ladakh Tourists Trade Alliance president PT Kunzang said, “The arrival of tourists even in the month of May in comparison to last year is very low and most of the hotels and guest houses are vacant. April and May are two months of the season when the arrival of domestic tourists used to be very high as compared to that of foreign tourists.” Assistant Director, Tourism Department, Leh, Sonam Dorje said only 3,416 tourists had visited Ladakh this year till now which is over 1,500 less than the number of tourists who had visited the region till April end last year. The Leh district has a 9,392-bed capacity for tourists per day in hotels, guest houses and local home stay. Dorje said, “Although Ladakh continues to be one of the most sought-after destination in the country, the high airfare and the unavailability of flights are the main reasons why less number of tourists are visiting the region.” Air connectivity is the main source of growth in the tourism sector due to lack other modes of transportation such as rail connectivity. The Leh-Manali highway is closed since November last year and the Leh-Srinagar highway was reopened for traffic only in mid April. Earlier, seven flights by three airlines were available per day during the summer season. This has decreased to three flights each day for four days in a week and four flights a day for the rest three days of the week. Kunzang said stakeholders in the tourism sector were demanding increase in the number of flights and encouragement to private airlines to operate in the Ladakh region. He said they would take up the demand with Union Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh, who is expected to visit Ladakh next month for a conference. |
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Srinagar, May 24
Jammu, May 24
