 |
Jaswant
claims ‘credible evidence’ NEW DELHI, Dec 14: India today blamed Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Toiba for yesterday’s terrorist attack on Parliament saying it has "credible evidence" and formally asked Islamabad to arrest the leadership of LeT and another militant outfit Jaish-e-Mohammad freezing the organisations’ assets. Foreign Secretary Chokila Iyer summoned Pakistan High Commissioner Ashraf Jehangir Qazi and made out a demarche setting out the three demands which included stopping of the activities of the two organisations. A day after the terror strike, External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh told reporters "India has technical evidence that yesterday’s terrorist attacks on not only the symbol but also the seat of Indian democracy and sovereignty was the handiwork of a terrorist organisation based in Pakistan—LeT". Declining to go into the "credible evidence" Government has on LeT’s involvement, Singh said there were "obvious difficulties" in making it public as Government agencies had many means of obtaining intelligence. "This is technical intelligence, entirely credible", he said. Singh emphasised that the demands made out in the demarche were also in accordance with necessary international obligations and commitment in countering terrorism. He said alongwith the US, some other countries have been given information about the technical intelligence. Asked about demand by some BJP MPs (to Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee that the time has come for hot pursuit of terrorists in J and K and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and destroying camps in PoK, he said Government’s position was reflected in the cabinet resolution adopted yesterday. In the resolution, Government had declared that it will liquidate terrorists and their sponsors wherever and whoever they are. To a question whether India would pass on the credible evidence to Pakistan if it is sought, he said "it really is a decision that will have to be weighed against the requirements and the interest of the agencies that collect technical intelligence. I don’t think any country reveals the methodology etc. Unless the intelligence collected has no further use there. That is the standard procedure". Asked whether India would consider military retaliation, he said New Delhi’s position was outlined in the cabinet resolution and "it is not open for me to speculate". On whether New Delhi has received any response from pakistan to its demands, Singh said the demarche had been made out only this evening. About reports that Pakistan has put its troops on high alert, he said "we have no reports on this", and added that he has been in regular touch with the Defence Minister and the service headquarters. To a pointed question on whether India has any evidence of Pakistan Government’s involvement in any manner in yesterday’s attack, he said one had to reflect on the origins of LeT, its funding and patronage of both LeT and JeM. Asked what would be the next step if Islamabad chose to ignore the demarche, he said diplomatic demarche are not ignored. "Pakistan asserts that it is with the rest of the international community in its fight against terrorism. That it does not promote or encourage terrorism. It is our expectation that it will certainly abide by what it says itself," he said. Later, asked about the response of the Pakistani High Commissioner after the demarche was made out to him, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson told reporters that Qazi said he would refer its contents to his Government. To a question whether the Indian Government had set a deadline for Islamabad to act on the demarche, she said, "we have not set a deadline but we expect them to act early." Clarifying that it was a verbal demarche, she recalled that a similar demarche was given after the October one attack on J and K Assembly complex in Srinagar. Asked whether a team of federal bureau of investigation had come to Delhi in connection with yesterday’s attack, she said "no FBI team has come." India is in touch with a number of countries on the terrorist attack in Parliament, she said when asked about the support from various nations on the issue. (PTI) |
|
3 militants killed in
Valley Excelsior Special Correspondent SRINAGAR, Dec 14: While as District Police Budgam have unearthed a major arms dump from the old Jamia Majid in Baramulla and BSF claimed to have captured seven militants of two pro-Pakistan outfits in Kashmir valley today, security forces have eliminated at least three militants since last evening. Official sources told EXCELSIOR that during last night District Police Budgam conducted a raid an the old Jamia Masjid in Baramulla town and recovered a large quantity of arms and ammunition. The seizure included five AK-56 rifles, one rocket launcher, four boosters, one bag of Pika ammunition and seven rifle grenades. Sources said that the operation was conducted on the disclosures of the detained Hizbul Mujahideen militant, Rasheed Lone alias Ashfaq Maulvi. Earier, Police had recovered one pistol and three sacks of ration and utensils from the same mosque. Officials claimed that the Hizb militant had established a major hide-out inside the mosque. As already reported, Rasheed Lone had been captured by Police with cash worth Rs 40 Lakh in a Taxi in Parimpora outskirts of the capital city here. The consignee, according to Police, was Hizbul Mujahideen’s "Divisional Commander" and "Financial Chief" Nazir Ahmed Yatoo alias Shakir Gaznavi. On Thursday, SOG Baramulla and Army elminated Shakir Gaznavi alongwith two militant associates at his Goshbug village, in Pattan area. Cash worth Rs 60 Lakh is also reported to have been seized from the slain militants’ two hide-outs. However, Defence spokesman today said that Rs 32.62 Lakh had been recovered from Shakir’s hide-out. BSF today claimed that its operational units in Srinagar city had arrested 14 militants of Al-Omar Mujahideen and Jaish-e-Mohammad outfits. DIG BSF told mediapersons that security forces as well civilians in the capital city had heaved a sigh of relief with the arrest of 14 militants who were involved in a number of grenade throwing and fund collecting incidents. He said that during the last three months, these militants and their associates had caused 97 civilian casualties__ including three deaths__ while as 88 paramilitary personnel had sustained injuries in these blasts. DIG said that a large quantity of arms and ammunition was also seized from these militants. Meanwhile, reports from north Kashmir said that SOG Baramulla and Army eliminated a Hizbul Mujahideen militant in an encounter at Lolipora in Magam-Tangmarg belt early this morning. He was identified as Mohammad Muzaffar Lone alias Nadeem Gaznavi of the nearby Waripora village. One AK-56 rifles is claimed to have been recovered from the site of encounter. Sources said that two militants died in an encounter with security forces at Potshai, Lolab, late last night. One civilian, Ghulam Nabi Mir, sustained injuries in an exchange of gunfire between militants and security forces at Gagal in the same area. |
|
Extortionist operates from
Govt provided accommodation Excelsior Special Correspondent SRINAGAR, Dec 14: Residents of several villages in Budgam say that, before becoming a militant, he was an illiterate barber. During his tryst with terrorism, he seemed to be striving for money, and, of course, Azadi. When he switched over to the security forces, he parted with Azadi but not money. Within six months, he lifted over 50 people with BSF’s help, with one or the other allegation. As none of them proved to be a militant during the course of severe physical torture, all of them had to be released. His rates for releasing such "militants" ranged between Rs 5,000 and 20,000. By the time senior BSF authorities came to know about his hidden agenda of becoming the real ‘Amir’ (rich), at the cost of the paramilitary force’s reputation and threw him away, it was too late. For residents of half of Budgam district, BSF was nothing but an extortionist force. Ultimately, sustained efforts of image building by BSF’s IGs, C M Bhat and K Vijaykumar, prevailed upon the people of Kashmir and residents of Budgam were late but no exception. People began to distinguish between BSF its informers and misinformers. Meet Mohammad Jaffar Hajam alias Jabba Nayid of Chondpora, Budgam, who was one among dozens of Kashmiri misinformers who, for BSF, did the job untold. Like a many others, he was thrown away. He went to Army, SOG and other counter-insurgent organisations but none did welcome him for his extortionist image. In 1998 Lok Sabha elections, he allegedly kidnapped a girl and overnight he elbowed his entry into the BJP leader Abdur Rasheed Kabuli’s campaign. By the time Kabuli realised how great a damage he had suffered due to the company of terrorists and extortionists, he had lost at the hustings. For the last three years, Jabba Nayid has been living as a protected person and BJP activist at Pine guesthouse in Rajbagh for which the rentals are paid by Security Wing of Jammu & Kashmir. "I wonder, how he has been allotted protected accommodation when BJP has expelled him in 1998", says BJP State Vice President Mr Kabuli. He has also written a letter to SP Security, Bashir Ahmed Masoodi, making it clear that Jabba Nayid was a notorious extortionist and not any BJP worker. Asked for his comments, SP Security Masoodi admits that Jabba Nayid has been enjoying protected Government accommodation on the basis of threat perception ascertained by CID. But, SP Special Branch, Syed Ahmed Sayeed, argues that CID can not be held responsible for providing Government accommodation to every Tom, Dick and Harry. He denied that CID had ever recommended Government accommodation to the riff raff in mainstream politics. He clarified that assessment of the Security category had been done on 200 persons but an additional 250 had been allotted Government protection and accommodation for reasons beyond his comprehension. Jabba Nayid was one among those. Upto that point, allotment of Government accommodation or protection to a "non-category protected person" is just the Government’s privilege or headache. What actually is a hideous anxiety for the society is the fact that, according to residents and officials in Budgam, Jabba Nayid has been operating as a "don" from the accommodation provided to him by the National Conference (NC) Government. They swear that, while taking BSF for his own "barbarous ride", Jabba Nayid has been openly harrassing and blackmailing businessmen and even senior Government officials. He has been carrying out his extortionist mission again at the cost of BSF’s reputation. It is a matter of investigation whether Jabba Nayid is misleading BSF’s intelligence and operational units or they are actually part and parcel of his extortionist mission. But, residents of Garend Khorud say that he has been translating all his threats into action with the BSF’s support. According to them, Jabba Nayid lifted several innocent people from nearby villages, released them from BSF’s custody against cash payment and finally laid his hands on Garend last fortnight. First he went to about a dozen brick-kiln owners and collected from them cash or bricks. They included Ghulam Nabi Bhat of Garend, Mohammad Yusuf Bhat of Narkara, Bashir Ahmed of Batmaloo and others. Next time, Ghulam Nabi Bhat’s brother, Gul Mohammad, refused to oblige him by parting with another truckload of bricks. A couple of days after, Jabba Nayid appeared in Garend village in a private Maruti van and made public his "hit list". In addition to the poor Ghulam Nabi Bhat, Head of the Department of Entomology at Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agriculture Sciences and Technology (SKUAST) Dr Abdur Rahim Bhat, Sub Divisional Agriculture Officer Beerwah Mohammad Abdullah Mir, Associate Professor at SKUAST’s Agriculture College Wadoora Ghulam-ud-din Shah, Zonal Education Officer Magam Ghulam Mohammad Qadiri and a retired ZEO Ghulam Mohammad Mir are prominently on the illiterate barber’s hit list. Nayid’s allegation: "Hizbul Mujahideen commander Omar Sultan had taken tea and meals at your home in 1991". Omar Sultan was a militant of the area killed by SOG Budgam in 1998. The lifeline option is cash payment__ anything from Rs 5,000 to Rs 20,000. Residents say that Jabba Nayid has been flashing threats to them, which have been recorded on Bhat’s telephone. These threats of "reach Rawalpora or face death", according to them, have been coming from telephone Nos 456935 and 437632. Enquiries reveal that 437632 is the telephone number of BSF’s JAD(G) Mr B B Gosain at Rawalpora. When EXCELSIOR rang up Gosain and asked for his comments, he insisted that only PRO of BSF was competent to say anything official. He, however, admitted that Jabba Nayid has been working with Sector Headquarter of ISD-1 of BSF. JAD (G) claims that "some people of Garend" were wanted in his unit as IB had given some adverse reports about them. BSF’s PRO Tirath Acharya advises that the people of Garend, required by JAD (G), should present themselves before BSF. Residents refuse to accept that a notorious extortionist can be a source with BSF (G). "What’s the utility of a source who stands exposed in the whole district on account of his extortion and misdeeds. See RR and SOG have been having very professional sources who have been killing militants in encounters or arresting with no demands of money in this area", says a Government employee. Meanwhile, Jabba Nayid raids Garend at the time of Sehri and Namaz and picks up Ghulam Nabi Bhat’s two brothers, Gul Mohammad and Ghulam Mohammad Bhat in BSF’s vehicles. Gul Mohammad is thrown out of a BSF Gypsy at Hyderpora crossing after a day of severe physical torture and allegedly cash payment of Rs 5,000/-. Meanwhile, people approached Police. Sensing trouble, BSF hands over Ghulam Mohammad Bhat to Budgam Police Station with the charge that three rifle grenades have been recovered from his compound. Next day, Bhat is released on bail and Jabba Nayid begins to send threats. SP Budgam, Syed Ashiq Hussain Bukhari, said that Jabba Nayid was a notorious extortionist against whom there were several criminal cases registered at Budgam Police Station. He said that case FIR 316 of 2000 stands registered against him under sections 382, 342 and 28 Arms Act. Bukhari said that Police had conducted several raids in search of Jabba Nayid. "In case we fail to get him, we shall have to proceed against those who have been providing him shelter", said Bukhari who has himself over a hundred successful counter-insurgency operations to his credit. Still, Jabba Nayid continues to be the guest of BSF intelligence! |
|
US aircrafts bomb Tora
Bora TORA BORA/KANDAHAR, AFGHANISTAN, Dec 14: US aircraft bombed eastern Afghan mountains today, driving Osama bin Laden’s Al Qaeda fighters into a shrinking area and sending families fleeing the explosions. US marines swept in by land and air to take over the airport at the southern city of Kandahar, birthplace of the defeated fundamentalist Taliban movement. Anti-Taliban fighters said they had advanced towards the cave and valley hideouts in the dusty Tora Bora ridges. "In the morning at 9.00 a.m. we started to fight the Arabs," young soldier Akim Saidaqim told Reuters on a mountain road. "Since the morning we have pushed them from two mountains. It’s possible that they will surrender tomorrow." Hazrat Ali, commander of the eastern Jalalabad region that includes Tora Bora, declined to give details as he directed operations near the frontline but said he would have more news on Saturday. He told Reuters he did not know if bin Laden was in the area. Plumes of smoke rose into the sky as bombs hit home, followed seconds later by booms audible miles away. CNN said two US special forces soldiers, in hills with local fighters, were slightly wounded. There were no details. After several days of bombing, US planes have cornered many of the remnants of Al Qaeda in the barren Tora Bora — or black dust — region of the white mountains about 40 km (24 miles) south of Jalalabad. The UN Children’s Fund said it was worried about the toll on civilians, saying about 1,000 families had fled the mountains since the bombing began. "It is becoming increasingly clear that a significant number of people are in grave danger due to the combined effects of hunger, war, drought, displacement and abuse of civilians since the US-led bombing campaign started," a spokesman told a news conference in Islamabad. Supposed Al Qaeda surrender plans this week went up in smoke and an anti-Taliban tank commander said he saw no early end to the fighting. "There are many mountains, and as we take one we come to another," he said. Frontline commander Haji Zahir said Al Qaeda was being pushed back but showed no sign of surrender. "Two days ago they could have surrendered, but they didn’t and they are fighting still," he told Reuters. "When they lay down their weapons, we’ll say they have surrendered." US officials believe bin Laden, prime suspect in the September 11 attacks on New York and Washington, is in the area because of the fierce resistance, reports of sightings from opposition fighters and other intelligence, a senior defence official told Reuters. But the Pakistan-based Afghan Islamic Press (AIP) said bin Laden had left Tora Bora and his whereabouts were unknown. He remained in the mountains until around November 25 or 26, the tenth day of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, AIP said. "After the tenth of Ramadan, Osama bin Laden disappeared from Tora Bora and left for some unknown place," AIP quoted its source as saying. "Now it has been established that bin Laden has safely left (the Tora Bora) mountains." US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said yeterday bin Laden was believed to be in Afghanistan, despite recent media reports that he might have fled to Pakistan. In the south, hundreds of heavily armed US marines swept into Kandahar airport by land and air. Securing the airfield would provide a new base for US military flights to Afghanistan and allow the delivery of humanitarian aid to the Afghan people, officers said. The operation, which initial reports indicated had encountered no resistance, came a week after Kandahar —spiritual home and last stronghold of the Taliban — fell to Afghan opposition forces who made a preliminary security sweep of the airport yesterday. Special forces, their faces masked, drove in and out of the airport, a Reuters reporter said. In a sign of the vengeance apparently being wreaked on foreign Taliban fighters, at least 37 Arabs were killed by tribal fighters south of Kandahar on Wednesday night after being taken from a convoy of vehicles, Pakistan border authorities said. "These Arabs were arrested and slaughtered in front of their wives and children," an official said. There was no independent confirmation of the report. Kandahar residents said a night curfew had been imposed to crack down on armed tribal factions roaming the streets and jockeying for power now the Taliban have gone. In the capital Kabul, moves gathered pace to assemble an internationally backed Government. Prime Minister-designate Hamid Karzai met ex-President Burhanuddin Rabbani and other leaders in the Presidential palace yesterday. He travelled to the Panjsher Valley, north of Kabul on Friday and kissed the grave of Ahmad Shah Masood, former strongman of the Northern Alliance, who was assassinated in a suicide bomb attack two days before the September 11 attacks. The visit was seen as part of fence-building with Northern Alliance members, many of whom where his foes in the past. (REUTERS) |
|
Two youths arrested
in Srinagar NEW DELHI, Dec 14: A relative of a London-based Kashmiri separatist leader was among six people picked up by security agencies today in connection with yesterday’s terrorist attack on Parliament House even as two others were questioned. The Delhi-based academic was picked up from his residence and was being interrogated by joint team of various intelligence agencies on the basis of investigations made relating to details of mobile phones found in the bags of five killed terrorists, informed sources said. The agencies also laid their hands on intercepts of communication between the academic and militants and between the militants and the Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed headquarters in the days just preceding the attack. His interrogation is on and the agencies expect vital leads in unravelling the conspiracy behind the audacious strike. Meanwhile, five others were picked up from Prashant Vihar for questioning in connection with yesterday’s incident. Late yesterday, two Non-Resident Indians were picked up for questioning from the Indira Gandhi international airport as they were about to board a flight. Two women, suspected to have helped the terrorists, have so far been questioned by the security agencies, the sources said. The Delhi Police is sending a team to Sopore in Kashmir valley to check the antecedents of owner of the car used in yesterday’s attack, whose photograph matched that with one of the five terrorists. The car was purchased two days before the attack from a dealer in Karol Bagh in Central Delhi. The sources said several spotters from Jammu and Kashmir Police have been pressed into service and raids were on at various places in the capital, western Uttar Pradesh and other satellite towns. Unconfirmed reports said that one person owing allegience to Lashker-e-Taiba had been brought to capital from Barot in Meerut district of Uttar Pradesh. In Srinagar, an unspecified number of people have been rounded up following attack on the Parliament House. In Srinagar, Police today arrested two Kashmiri youths following leads from the site of yesterday’s terror attack on Parliament about ownership of the car used in the strike. The two youths having identical names Ashiq Hussain Khan were arrested by a joint team of Delhi and Jammu and Kashmir Police from Khwaja Gilgat in Sopore and were being flown to Delhi for interrorgation, Police sources here said. One of the youths is a computer engineering student in Bangalore who returned to Sopore five days back to celebrate Eid while the other is a local cable operator, the sources said. Delhi Police sources said the person who had bought the second-hand white ambassador car, used by the terrorists in yesterday’s attack, from a dealer in Karol Bagh area of Central Delhi only two days before the strike, had given an address in Sopore. He had also given a photograph of his as sought by the car dealer and police now say it matched with one of the five terrorists who stormed the Parliament complex. The Delhi Police team had gone to Sopore to ascertain the authenticity of the address and antecedents of the suspect. (PTI) |
|
Attack a staged managed drama: Pak ISLAMABAD, Dec 14: Even while expressing readiness to examine the evidence of the involvement of Pakistan-based Islamic militant groups in the terrorist attack on Indian Parliament, Pakistan tonight said the attack was "a stage managed drama by Indian Government to tarnish the image of the "Kashmir struggle." Pakistan Foreign Office spokesman Aziz Ahmed Khan said Islamabad would examine the evidence against the Pakistan-based Islamic militant outfit Lashkar-e-Toiba for its "involvement" in the attack on Indian Parliament. But in a late night television programme, Defence spokesman Maj Gen Rashid Qureshi virtually ridiculed the Indian contention saying it was "a drama enacted by the Indian Government to come of out international isolation." He told a talk show on State-owned television that Pakistan was expecting "such a drama by the Indian Government after its total isolation from the international community" following the Sept 11 attacks on American cities. Gen Qureshi, who is also the press secretary to President Pervez Musharraf, made his oft-repeated allegations that most of the major terrorist attacks in Kashmir, including the Oct 1 attack on Jammu and Kashmir State Assembly, were the "handiwork of Indian intelligence agencies." Qureshi said India recently tried to implicate Pakistan by "stage managing" a "false" hijacking incident besides the attack on the J&K Assembly. He said it was counter-productive for both Pakistan and the militant outfits to resort to such attacks. "Such an incident is against our interest whereas it serves a number of purposes of the Indian Government." Qureshi said such "attacks come in handy as the Indian Government was besieged by major scandals. It could even be the POTO or the coffin scandal", he said. He asked why India has not shown the faces and the identity of the attackers on Parliament. "They have not given us any proof. They don’t seem have any proof and yet fingers are being pointed towards Pakistan". Asked whether the attackers could have been Pakistani Prisoners of War in Afghanistan who were reported to have been handed over by the Northern Alliance to India, he said he was not aware of handing over of Pakistani PoWs by the Northern Alliance. Quereshi said questions like how the attackers managed to get uniforms of Indian security forces and how they managed to get inside the Parliament premises raise doubts. "All I say is that nothing is beyond the Indian agencies," he said. He said such attacks were also "an excuse" for India not to talk to Pakistan. He said since the Agra summit, India has been looking for excuses not to talk to Pakistan Government and Gen Musharraf. "From our side, we are prepared for a dialogue at any level, any time and any where", he said. Qureshi said India moved three more divisions of its army to Kashmir in recent days and warned of a "befitting reply if India resorted to any misadventure". (PTI) |
|
Suspected terrorist to confess
on Dec 18, MUMBAI, Dec 14: A suspected terrorist, claiming links with Osama bin Laden’s Al-Qaeda, today appeared before a city court to give a voluntary confession but the court decided to record his statement on December 18 on a plea made by his father even as police teams from UK and Australia met their counterparts here to exchange information about him. Mohammed Afroz Abdul Razak, who was part of squads formed by Al-Qaeda to blow up House of Commons in London, Parliament House in New Delhi and Romal Towers in Sydney, denied allegations of police torture and refused psychiatric treatment at a hospital on a plea made by his father. 25-year-old Mohammed Afroz told the magistrate that he wished to confess voluntarily and was prepared to give his statement today itself. He dismissed his father’s allegations about police torturing him in jail to make a confession and also refused treatment in hospital, saying he was fit and capable of giving a voluntary statement. The court, however, decided to record his statement on December 18 in the interest of justice so that the accused got more time to decide whether he should confess or not. ‘I do not want to engage any advocate to defend me. I have decided to confess on my own. It is also not true that I am mentally sick and I do not want to undergo any psychiatric treatment’, Afroz told the magistrate in fluent English. Deputy Chief Minister Chhagan Bhujbal told reporters that UK and Australian police teams exchanged information with city police about Afroz. A team of Mumbai Police will also visit these countries along with officers of central agencies and intelligence after Union Home Minister L K Advani had given the nod. Bhujbal told reporters that the foreign teams had not so far interrogated Afroz as he was in magisterial custody. He said they would prefer to wait for some more time till the legal process was over. Afroz was today produced before the court as he had urged on December 11 that he wished to confess. Accordingly, he was produced on December 12 for confession. But the magistrate gave him two days to make sure about his decision to confess. His father, Abdul Razak, prayed that Afroz be given more time to think whether he should make a confession. He alleged that police had refused him to meet his son in jail and pressurised him to make a statement. Prosecutor Prema Ranade denied allegations of police torture following which the magistrate decided to record Afroz’s confession on December 18 and allowed Abdul Razak’s plea to have a brief interview with his son inside the court. Afroz has been charged with IPC sections, including 120-B (conspiracy), 121 (waging war against the nation) and 126 (committing depradation on the territories of power at peace with Government of India). He was arrested on December 3. Afroz has confessed to police that he frequently visited Australia, USA, United Kingdom, Hong Kong and China between 1997 and 2001. He had also disclosed that suicide squads had been formed by Al-Qaeda network to carry out attacks on World Trade Centre, New York, British Parliament, London, Romal Tower, Australia and Parliament House, New Delhi. Afroz was in a squad meant for attack in Britain. He had obtained admission in pilot training on the strength of a false education certificate at Melbourne Flying Academy at Texas and London for flying boeing aircraft. (PTI) |
|
Trying to escape, 2 ultras killed Excelsior Correspondent JAMMU, Dec 14: Two terrorists of Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) outfit were shot dead by army and police when they tried to take advantage of Pakistani firing and jump custody of the security forces in forward village of Garkhal in Kanachak sector late last night. The terrorists, as reported today, were arrested by the troops of 5 Rajput Rifles from Kanachak early yesterday morning soon after they had infiltrated into Indian territory from the international border. Official sources said the terrorists, during their sustained interrogation by army jawans, disclosed that they had dumped a consignment of arms and ammunition in forward village of Garkhal while sneaking into this side of the border. Army and police took the terrorists to Garkhal late last night for effecting recovery of the consignment. Sources said one of the terrorist brought out a grenade that he had hidden in a field and threw it on the security personnel. Alert army and police jawans survived the explosion. Simultaneously, Pakistan army (after hearing the sound of blast in a forward area) also opened heavy firing to give a cover to the terrorists, trying to escape back to Pakistan. Security forces retaliated and in the exchange of firing both the terrorists were eliminated. No casualties were reported on security forces side in the cross-firing, which lasted about 20 minutes. Sources identified the slain terrorists as Parvez Ahmed alias Bashir son of Liaquat Ali and Shamas-ul-Haq alias Sohail son of Abdul Hamid, both residents of village Aptabad, Pakistan. One AK-56 rifle, a pistol, four grenades, seven AK magazines and 72 rounds, two pistol magazines with 24 rounds, a wireless set, Rs 38,000 Indian currency and literature of Azhar Masood’s Jaish-e-Mohammed outfit were recovered from possession of the slain terrorists. Sources said during their day long interrogation by army yesterday, the terrorists had initially disclosed that they hailed from Darana village of Udhampur dstrict. However, during their subsequent questioning, it was established that both of them were Pakistani nationals. They had disclosed that they intended to cause explosions and incidents of firing in crowded areas of Jammu, the sources said, adding a major tragedy was averted with the killing of terrorists and recovery of a consignment of arms and ammunition from them. A day before the arrest and killing of two terrorists, police had effected recovery of a large quantity of arms and ammunition including two AK rifles, grenade launching guns, wireless sets and explosive devices. Meanwhile, there was no let-up in firing by Pakistan army along the international border. Over-night, Pak troops continued firing at several posts in Hiranagar, Samba, Ramgarh, RS Pura, Kanachak and Akhnoor sub sectors. Firing was replied by the security forces at all the places. No casualties or damage was reported on Indian side in the firing. |
|
SOG Jammu nabs 6 top terrorists from Delhi Excelsior Correspondent JAMMU, Dec 14: Police and Special Operations Group (SOG) have arrested six terrorists from New Delhi and brought them here tonight under tight security arrangements. The terrorists were shifted to a Special Cell, where they were being interrogated. The terrorists were arrested yesterday almost simultaneously when the militants carried out a suicide attack on Parliament in which a dozen persons including six security personnel were killed, the sources said. Police as well as SOG Jammu sources were tight-lipped over the arrests, made yesterday from a posh locality of New Delhi. The arrests were stated to be a ‘prize catch’. Arrests were made on the basis of disclosures made by a terrorist, who was arrested from Kanachak sector on Tuesday morning alongwith a consignment of arms, ammunition and explosives. However, arrest of the terrorist from Kanachak was kept a secret by the police while recoveries from the spot were made public at a press conference. "Keeping arrest of the terrorist a secret was a calculated strategy of police to ensure that his associates in New Delhi didn’t get a feeler of what was in store for them", the sources said. They declined to disclose identity of the arrested terrorists but indicated that all of them were foreign mercenaries having their affiliation either with Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) or Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) outfit. Details of the weaponry recovered from the possession of slain terrorists were awaited. Sources declined to comment on whether the arrested terrorists were linked to the attack on Parliament or had the knowledge of that attack saying ‘the questioning (of the ultras) was at a preliminary stages’. "We will not like to comment on this at this stage", they said. Police was expected to come out with details of the arrests in the next couple of days. |
|
PM lambasts Opposition for pointing Intelligence failure NEW DELHI, Dec 14: Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee today flayed the opposition for alleging failures on the part of intelligence and security agencies for yesterday’s terror attack on Parliament and said the nation should come together in difficult times. "Even before the bodies of killed security personnel were consigned to flames, discussion started on whether there has been any security lapse", he said lamenting that the kind of unity shown in United States after the September 11 strike was not seen here. Vajpayee was speaking at a function on the tenth anniversary of the New Delhi edition of English daily The Pioneer. He said the nation should rise above issues at times of difficulty. Stating that yesterday’s terror strike was an attack on democracy and an attack on the heart of the nation, Vajpayee said there would be discussion on how it happened and if there was a security lapse. Asserting that BJP was in opposition for four decades and supported the Government on issues of national interest, the Prime Minister said that there could be differences on issues of policies in a multi-party democracy but at times of difficulty, the country should come together. He said yesterday’s terror attack on Parliament House showed it was a conspiracy that must have taken months to be hatched. The terrorists’ aim could have been to enter the House, kill some MPs or hold them hostage for extracting something from the Government, Vajpayee said. Turning to the role of press, he said though it enjoyed freedom and they did not need code of ethics, in times of difficulty, especially when the country was facing internal sabotage or cross border terrorism, its role became more important. There should be a ‘Lakshman Rekha" for the press to prevent the ‘Sita of democracy’ being taken away by the evil Ravana, the Prime Minister said. Vajpayee said that a resolve and political will was required to act against all individuals, organisations and states which sponsor, fund, arm, train or shelter terrorists. "India will spare no effort in convincing the world of the imperative urgency in acting on all three fronts’’, he said adding that the war against terrorist was not a clash of civilisations but a confrontation between civilisation and barbarism. The Prime Minister felt that while expressing condolences in the Lok Sabha today on the killing of security personnel, it would have been appropriate had their names been mentioned. He said when a member of Parliament dies, the House remembers him by name and we should have also recalled the names of personnel who sacrified their lives for protecting the Indian democracy. (PTI) |
|
Police
raids flour mill Excelsior Correspondent JAMMU, Dec 14: Police tonight raided New Jammu Flour Mills at Sarore under the jurisdiction of Bari Barahamana police station and seized about 12 trucks of sub standard and FCI marked wheat. Five persons including a Foreman of the mill have been arrested while the mill owner has gone underground. The flour mill, owned by Raj Kumar Gupta, was under strict vigil of police following reports that it was using the wheat rejected by Punjab and Food Corporation of India (FCI) illegally. Finally, after carrying out secret investigations, police raided the factory tonight and seized about 12 trucks of wheat. Five persons were taken into custody during the raid. They included a Foreman of the factory and four other employees. Owner of the factory managed to escape, the sources said. They said a number of wheat bags seized were ‘the material rejected by Punjab’ and was not ‘fit for human consumption’. Such wheat is either destroyed or given to the animals, they added. Besides, the factory was also getting the supply from FCI’s depots in Punjab and Jammu illegally. As per the modus operandi, discovered during the raid, the FCI stock, meant for its Chatha depot, was disposed off at New Jammu Flour Mills. "This was done with active connivance of FCI officials including store-keepers of Punjab and Jammu depots", the sources said, adding ‘the entire matter was under investigation’. They didn’t rule out the possibility of some more arrests in the case including officials and officers of the FCI after further investigations tomorrow. Besides, police was also making efforts to apprehend the factory owner Raj Kumar Gupta. A case in this connection has been registered at Bari Barahamana police station for further investigations. |
|
Provocative remarks on terrorists' car NEW DELHI, Dec 14: "This is the property of Ministry of Home Affairs and nobody can stop this car," wrote the terrorists in small-sized letters on the Home Ministry sticker pasted on the front windscreen of the white Ambassador car they used during attack on Parliament House yesterday. "Atal Bihari Vajpayee and L K Advani are Indians and we are going to kill them. They are friends of George Bush and our next target is George Bush," the message read. A police official said there were some spelling mistakes in the message written in English. The car with red beacon light was used by the five terrorists to enter Parliament complex. (PTI) |
|
|
Excelsior Correspondent JAMMU, Dec 14: Eighteen more explosions took place on zero line of the international border between Arnia and Ramgarh sector today but, like yesterday’s blasts at Kanachak, couldn’t cause any casualties or damage. The blasts took place between 0600 hours to 12 noon, official sources said. A similar modus operandi was used in triggering the explosions like Kanachak—the IEDs, fitted with time devices. Target was also the same—the border fencing pillars. However, the terrorists failed again in hitting the target. Security forces were maintaining a high alert on the international border in the aftermath of yesterday’s 27 explosions in Beli Azmat area of Kanachak. |
|
Fidayeen attack on Chatru police station repulsed Excelsior Correspondent JAMMU, Dec 14: A suicide attack on Chatru police station and an army camp in its vicinity in Kishtwar tehsil of Doda district was beaten-back by the security personnel late this evening. Police and army personnel acted swiftly after firing from the suicide attack at 1920 hours and repulsed the attack after about 20 minutes exchange of firing. Facing stiff resistance from the security personnel, all three fidayeens fled away. No casualties were reported on army or police side, official sources said. |
|
‘Pak could withdraw support to Kashmir’ ISLAMABAD, Dec 14: Pakistan-based Jamaat-e-Islami has said the Musharraf Government could withdraw its support to the separatists in Kashmir like it did in the case of Taliban in Afghanistan and compromise on the country’s nuclear programme under pressure from United States. "We must pressurise the present Government to resign and demand the setting-up of an interim Government before the United States starts targeting Pakistan and other Muslim countries," the group’s leader Qazi Hussain Ahmed, who was imprisoned two months ago following his outspoken support to Taliban, said in a statement from jail. He said Pakistan could withdraw its support to separatists in Kashmir if it is confronted with pressure from the international community, and added that "instead of fretting over the retreat of Taliban, we must chalk out long-term strategy as the US and its allies have launched a savage war against the Muslims and Islamic movements." "The United States and the West do not want the Islamic movements to spread, that is why they are out to uproot them before they take roots. They are using most lethal weapons, technology, financial resources and force to undermine the dream of the realisation of the dream of Islamic renaissance," he said. Hussain said in this long-drawn out war, mosques and madrassas have an important role to play and urged Islamic clerics to equip the younger generation with modern education besides religious training to enable them to meet the challenges of the future. (PTI) |
|
|
|
| home | state | national | business| editorial | advertisement | sports | |