US decision to brand LeT 'long expected'

NEW DELHI, Dec 21: India today welcomed US decision to brand Lashkar-e-Taiba as a "specially designated global terrorist" and noted Washington’s recognition of the outfit as an armed wing of the Pakistan-based religious organisation Markaz-ud-Dawa-wal-Irshad.

"We welcome the US notification of Lashkar-e-Toiba as a specially designated global terrorist, along with other Pakistan-based organisations such as Jaish-e-Mohammad and Harkat-ul-Mujahideen, which has been designated earlier," the External Affairs Ministry said in a statement.

After a 90-minute meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS), External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh told reporters that the US decision was "long expected."

The MEA statement said "we note that the US has recognised that LeT is the armed wing of the Pakistan-based religious organisation Markas-ud-Dawa-wal-Irshad and has conducted a number of operations against Indian troops and civilian targets in Jammu and Kashmir."

Referring to US President George W Bush’s statement yesterday, it said New Delhi appreciates that the American President has condemned the terrorist attacks against India.

President Bush’s remarks that though progress has been made in the global campaign against terrorism, terrorists continue to target freedom and democracy, as seen in the terror strikes in Srinagar on October one and Parliament on December 13, "points to the need for continuing our struggle against terrorism until it has been rooted out from every place in this world," the statement said.

"It also highlights the obligation of all nations to join this battle without adopting a selective approach. India has its own experience regarding President Musharraf’s willingness to fight all forms of terrorism, wherever they might exist," the statement said.

"We hope that all countries will unreservedly take punitive measures against these terrorist organisations," it added.

Referring to the US decision, Singh said "it has been long expected. I am glad that LeT has been included in the list of terrorist groups."

In response to questions, an External Affairs Ministry spokesperson told reporters that LeT is clearly a terrorist organisation which receives the support and sustenance of Pakistani authorities.

It was operating from Pakistani soil and its sole agenda appears to be directed against India, she said.

The CCS reviewed the security situation and the investigations into December 13 terrorist attack.

The meeting, chaired by Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee, also reviewed the international security scenario. A discussion was held on India’s demand that Pakistan should ban Jaish-e-Mohammad and LeT and bring the culprits, responsible for the strike on Parliament, to book, Singh said.

Besides Singh, Home Minister L K Advani, Defence Minister George Fernandes, chiefs of the three armed forces and top security officials also attended the meeting. (PTI)

Delhi police opens new line of probe in Parliament attack

NEW DELHI, Dec 21 : Delhi Police today opened a new line of probe into the Dec 13 attack on Parliament trying to ascertain a link between the perpetrators of the assault and last year’s storming of the Red Fort even as raids continued in the Capital for locating more contacts of Jaish-e-Mohammad terrorists and an automobile dealer was questioned.

Ashfaq, arrested in the Red Fort case and lodged in Tihar Jail, and Shaukat Hussain, alleged conspirator in the Parliament attack, were together taken to various places in the Capital to track down more contacts, police sources said.

Ashfaq, owner of a cybercafe in South Delhi, was one of the co-accused in the Red Fort case last year which was the handiwork of Lashkar-e-Toiba.

Police are examining if there were common accomplices in the two incidents, the sources said.

Delhi Police also detained and questioned the automobile dealer who had sold a second-hand motorbike to JeM terrorists involved in the December 13 attack. The motorbike was used by the terrorists to conduct reconnaisance around the Parliament complex and adjoining areas.

Delhi Police personnel picked up the dealer from his shop in Karol Bagh in Central Delhi last evening and questioned him for several hours, the sources said.

The dealer is said to have sold the Yamaha motorbike for Rs 20,000 to Shaukat Hussain, an arrested accomplice of the five terrorists who were killed while trying to storm the Parliament House.

The dealer was asked to identify Shaukat and questioned about the circumstances in which he sold the motorcycle, the sources said.

Police also took Afsan alias Navjot Sandhu, wife of Shaukat, and A R Geelani, a Delhi University lecturer, to various places in the Capital to conduct raids, the sources said. Sandhu and Geelani have already been arrested.

Meanwhile, information from the laptop recovered from two arrested accomplices of the five killed terrorists is being collated and leads are being probed, Delhi Police sources said adding a "lot of vital information" had been received, recovered from Mohd Afzal, JeM’s main pointman in Delhi, and Shaukat Hussain Guru, when they were arrested in Srinagar after their escape from the Capital on December 13, is being termed "one of the most valuable tools" to provide complete information about the operation plan to attack Parliament.

According to the details revealed from the laptop so far, terrorists had used it to create the topography of the Parliament House using TV snaps. It was also used to prepare the fake Home Ministry lable pasted on the white ambassador by which the attackers had entered Parliament complex.

The sources said the terrorists also had a plan to go to Palam Airport but their intention was being ascertained.

Investigators also have a map of diplomatic enclave of Chanakyapuri from the five slain terrorists and a probe is on to ascertain whether any foreign mission was also a target.

Delhi Police Commissioner Ajai Raj Sharma met Union Home Minister L K Advani to discuss the progress of investigations. (PTI)

Dissidents to convince high command for
working presidents in Cong

Excelsior Correspondent

JAMMU, Dec 21: Although general secretary of the All India Congress Committee (AICC) and incharge of the Pradesh Congress, Mrs Mohsina Kidwai has flatly ruled out any proposal to appoint working presidents at regional level, a group of Congress leaders, on the other hand, have decided to continue their efforts to ‘convince’ the party highcommand for same appointments.

Some Congress leaders, who have been dubbed as dissidents by the pro-Qureshi group, said that demand for working presidents has nothing to do with the on-going differences in the party. "Since long Congress workers of Jammu and Ladakh regions have been demanding appointment of working presidents so that regional aspirations could be fulfilled", said a senior dissident Congress leader, adding, "it is wrong to relate this demand with present turmoil in the party".

Dissidents leaders are, although, upset over refusal of the AICC general secretary to appoint working presidents but they exuded confidence that they will convince the party highcommand. Some of the dissidents leaders are of the view that party highcommand is not properly educated about this demand.

A senior dissident leader on the condition of anonymity said that some leaders have launched malicious campaign against dissidents and they have related this demand with the on-going differences among warring factions of the Pradesh Congress. He, however, disclosed that party highcommand has assured them that their genuine demands will be fulfilled. He further informed that AICC secretary, Mr Satyajit Gaekwad too has assured them that dissidents will be taken into confidence before taking decision.

When contacted, former Member Parliament, Pt Mangat Ram Sharma, who has been dubbed as leader of the dissidents by the pro-Qureshi group, said that party highcommand has every right to reject their demand of appointing working presidents. "In my opinion highcommand was not properly educated about this demand. This demand has nothing to do with present differences in the party", he said, adding, " we have been raising this demand since long".

"Appointment of working presidents at regional level does not mean constitution of parallel bodies against Pradesh Congress Committee, he said and argued "regional presidents will work at their respective regions under the supervision of PCC". He further argued that appointment of regional presidents will help in fulfilling aspirations and wishes of the people of different regions. "Being a unique State, aspirations and wishes of the people of all the three regions are entirely different from one region to another", he said, adding, "it is difficult rather impossible for a president of particular area to fulfill aspirations of all the three regions".

Mr Sharma gave examples of some other political groups of the state to substantiate his argument. "These types of arrangements have been made in PCC of some other states", he said and gave examples of Madhya Pradesh and Maharasthtra Congress. "It is absolutely wrong to relate this demand with the on-going differences", he said and hoped that they will succeed in convincing the party highcommand to accept their demand.

Reacting to the efforts initiated by Mr Satyajit Gaekwad to iron out differences among warring factions of the PCC, Mr Sharma refused to disclose what was discussed in the meeting. "He has given some proposals and we have been seriously consulting these proposals among our people", he said and exuded confidence that some thing positive will be salvaged very shortly.

Pt Sharma, however, made it clear that they too were making serious efforts to iron-out differences to further strengthening the party. "We are soldiers of Congress party but have some genuine grievances so these grievances should be redressed", he said and made it clear that dissidents will not work against Congress at any cost.

It is worthwhile to mention here that Mr Gaekwad, who was assigned the task by the party highcommand to iron-out differences among different factions of the party, too had disclosed that dissidents had assured him that under no circumstances they will work against Congress party and remain in the party at any cost.

3 militants, army source killed in Valley
Hartal: In Pulwama against militants; In Tral against forces

Excelsior Special Correspondent

PULWAMA, Dec 21: Even as the valley of Kashmir ignored the rising "pre-war tension" between India and Pakistan and celebrated the carnival of Eid with enthusiasm, Pulwama and Tral townships are constantly melancholic. On the eve of the festival, BSF gunned down two suicide militants and equal number of civilians at Tral. And, two days after Eid, militants left one civilian dead and 60 others wounded at Pulwama.

In both the south Kashmir towns, the number of civilians killed in militancy-related incidents has been much more than that of militants or security forces. Both places are infamous for the fact that militants have been using civilians as human shield at Pulwama and security forces have been killing civilians and burning properties in over-reaction at Tral. At Pulwama, more than 40 civilians each have been injured in 15 grenade blasts. And, Tral has been witness to inferno after inferno from the burning of Khankah-e-Faiz Panah, in December 1998, to last month’s killing of five civilians and devastation of over 50 structures.

"It’s no Jehad, hurling grenades on public", says a female relative of Nazir Ahmed Wani of Pulwama who died in a militants’ grenade attack on Wednesday. The bereaved family has been publicly cursing militants who had already killed Nazir’s younger brother, Mohammad Rafeeq Wani, in a similar grenade attack last year. The whole town is grief-struck. Those who had been condoning the militants’ anti-people acts as "passive sacrifices for Azadi" in the past, are now in the forefront of calling a total shutdown against them. "Enough is enough. Why should they (militants) spill the blood of kids and Eid revelers while targeting a petty Police vehicle?" asks Gulzar Ahmed, a shopkeeper.

Minister of State for Food and National Conference leader, Bashir Ahmed Nengroo, makes a point that "terrorists" actions have been "essentially coward" as they have been, invariably, using unarmed civilians as a human shield. He is confidant that one day "in near future", terrorists would have to disappear from Pulwama "like Taliban in Kabul" and on that day nobody would stop the children from celebrating Eid. Minibus driver, Mohammad Sultan, dismisses it as Nengroo’s "wishful thinking" but admits that there was little room for oppressive militants in post-Taliban future everywhere.

SP Pulwama, Javed Riyaz Bedar, asserts that there is unprecedented public fury against militants who killed the only bread-earner of the poor Wani family and left 60 more civilians wounded. While there was total shutdown against militants in Pulwama town on Thursday, Wani’s neighbouring shopkeepers at Chat Mohalla, Rajpora Chowk, refused to resume business on Friday.

The scene is a stark contrast at Tral. Residents have been on continuous hartal since Monday, which, otherwise, was the day of happy festival. They have been putting forth only one demand that the camp of BSF 120 Bn and SOG Tral be shifted to "any other place". "We have no faith in the justice of the administration. They have accepted our demands of investigating similar incidents and punishing the guilty. And, the result is lack of accountability among the armed forces", says Abdul Hameed, himself a schoolteacher. "Every militant strike is retaliated by an over-reaction. Last time, IGP himself visited the spot and gave clean chit to SOG", laments he.

Everybody interviewed in Tral disputes the BSF claim that all the four killed on Sunday evening were "Fidayeen of Jaish-e-Mohammad". They claim that Ghulam Ahmed Shah was a meat-seller and Abdus Salam Dar was a horse-cart driver. According to them, both had gone to meet SHO Bashir Ahmed to seek the release of one Bashir Ahmed Malla. They allege that the two civilians were killed in "cold blood" as, caught in the shoot-out, they had raised their hands and screamed for life.

SP Awantipore, Vijay Kumar, asserted that the "confusing episode" was being investigated. Quoting BSF, he said that one of the two civilians had earlier been arrested in a militancy-related matter. He said it was being ascertained whether the peoples’ hartal and demand was "indigenous" or there was militants’ hand behind it. "I read in a Srinagar newspaper that Syed Ali Shah Geelani and other Hurriyat leaders had visited Tral on Thursday. But, my SHO says repeatedly that no Hurriyat leader did visit the town at all", said he, while making suggestion that there could be "some outside hand" behind the agitation.

Meanwhile, well-placed official sources in south Kashmir revealed to EXCELSIOR that SHO Tral was being shifted to SOG Anantnag in a day or so. Sources said that the senior NC leader and PWD Minister Ali Mohammad Sagar and some other NC leaders were likely to visit Tral to pacify the angry people.

3 militants, army source killed

Meanwhile, informed sources in Srinagar told EXCELSIOR that troops of Rashtriya Rifles 03 Bn and Anantnag Police eliminated an unidentified militant in an encounter at Pach-har, in Khiram Sirhama locality of Anantnag today. He is believed to be a member of Hizbul Mujahideen. Another gunbattle took place between militants and troops of RR 18 Bn/SOG Lalpora at Warnau, Lolab, in Kupwara. One Pakistani militant of Jaish-e-Mohammad got killed. Sources said that security forces eliminated a militant in an encounter at Makahama, Magam, in Budgam district. He has been identified as Hilal Ahmed Sheikh alias Shahbaz R/o Bonsheran, Tangmarg.

However, residents described him as a civilian and claimed that he was never a militant. Officials claimed he was a Hizbul Mujahideen militant from whom one AK-56 rifle was also recovered. Troops of RR 02 Bn, BSF 194 Bn, SOG Budgam and SOG Baramulla participated in the operation.

Reports from south Kashmir said that militants appeared at Behibagh, Kulgam, and fired upon Nisar Ahmed Sheikh S/o Abdul Gani Sheikh of the same village. With critical injuries he was rushed to hospital where he breathed his last. According to reliable reports, he had worked as a counter-insurgent source with RR 01 Bn.

At Soibug, in Budgam district, militants hurled a hand grenade on a patrol of RR 02 Bn. It exploded, causing injuries to three soldiers and equal number of civilians.

A boy, identified as Mohammad Lateef Sheikh S/o Abdur Rasheed Sheikh of Kralpora, died on spot when a Srinagar-Nihalpora passenger bus ran over him at Hanjivera, Pattan, this afternoon.

EXCELSIOR Exclusive
He also did PR job for London-based human rights activist
Geelani had met Pant before attack on Parliament

From Ahmed Ali Fayaz

SRINAGAR, Dec 21: Days before he figured as the master coordinator of the terrorist attack on Parliament on December 13 last, Delhi University lecturer Abdur Rehman Geelani had a closed-door meeting with the Government of India’s Kashmir interlocutor, K C Pant, in New Delhi. He, indeed, was the coordinator of the rendezvous of peace and Pant’s high profile guest was none other than Nazir Geelani —a London-based human rights activist, patronised, among others, by the veteran British philanthropist Lord Avebury.

Highly placed sources, investigating the modern day India’s most audacious guerrilla strike, disclosed to EXCELSIOR that the top echelons of power in New Delhi were stunned to hear that Rehman had played key role in planning and coordinating the sabotage. Until that eventful day, he for them was a suave, anti-terrorism academic and an Islamic scholar pursuing non-Jehadi ideology of his religion.

India’s top political leadership could have been wiped out, had the intruders succeeded in sneaking into the bastion of democracy. Security guards’ timely action prevented the terrorists’ intrusion into the business corridors but recovery of their cellular phones, as claimed by Delhi Police, exposed a many connections. Abdur Rehman Geelani, working in Delhi University’s Zakir Hussain College, has allegedly surfaced as the key coordinator.

Thirty-seven-year-old Rehman’s alleged involvement in the broad daylight strike has been received incredulously by his relations and acquaintances. Resident of Naranthal, a dusty village in Baramulla outskirts, Rehman is the son of one-time influential spiritual leader, late Maulana Waliullah Shah Geelani. Residents say that the cleric has been classmate and contemporary of Maulana Anzar Shah Lolabi, vice chancellor of Dar-ul-Uloom Deoband.

The Geelani family is widely known for anti-violence preaching and staunch opposition to extremist interpretations of Islam. Deoband, known for stiff opposition to Mohammad Ali Jennah’s two-nation theory and today’s Jehadi format of the religion, has been the family’s fountainhead of knowledge and education.

Rehman’s sibling, Abdur Rahim Geelani, has been running a non-Jehadi Dar-ul-Uloom in Baramulla. This, in fact, was considered to be an ideological threat to the radical format of Islam being taught in Pakistani Madrasas. Till date, none of the family has been heard with a word of praise for Kashmiri or Pakistani militants. Many here believe that, to an extent, it was this "anti-Pakistan background" of the family —and, of course, the Deoband credentials—which earned Rehman a coveted job in Delhi University.

For Rehman’s Delhi acquaintances, the most astonishing factor is that the Arabic lecturer had been doing a vigorous public relations exercise for his fellow villager and distant relative, Nazir Geelani. Head of London-based Kashmir Council for Human Rights, Nazir has been frequently visiting New Delhi and meeting top Government of India officials and agencies. Due to his staying at the super luxurious Hyatt Regency, his source of funding is still suspect in Kashmir’s pro-Pakistan leadership.

For New Delhi, Nazir has been "an anti-Pakistan celebrity" since 1978-79. While pursuing his post-graduation course in English language and literature at the University of Kashmir, he married a relative of the former National Conference leader and Union Minister Prof Saif-ud-din Soz. However, the couple fell apart and Nazir crossed over to Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir. He was arrested by Pakistani intelligence sleuths and prosecuted as an enemy agent. Fortunately for him, the Chief Justice of ‘Azad Kashmir’ High Court was another Baramulla migrant and Walliullah Shah Geelani’s friend, Justice Saraf. The saint’s letter to Saraf resulted in Nazir’s release.

Later, Nazir completed his M.A (English) from a Pakistani University and also passed a competitive examination. He became a District Information Officer in the Bhutto regime. However, after some time, his services were terminated and he was forced to go in exile when he authored and published an article. In the write-up, he had glorified Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto as a great hero of the Muslim world "whose daring efforts strengthened the Muslim nations". Thereafter, Nazir settled in Britain and gained access to eminent human rights activists and Parliamentarians, including Lord Avebury.

Days before the attack on Parliament, Nazir had arrived in India, met with several officials and also visited hometown Baramulla. In New Delhi, it was Abdur Rehman Geelani, who fixed his appointments with senior officials and shared his company in the meeting with Pant and others.

Enquiries revealed that when a couple of years ago Nazir was once arrested by Police from a New Delhi hotel, it was Rehman, Prof Soz and the former Director General of Jammu & Kashmir Police, Pir Ghulam Hassan Shah, who managed his release. Nazir’s younger brother, Manzoor Geelani (who is presently working as a Chief Accounts Officer in Kupwara) is the husband of the former DGP’s niece.

SPO killed, 3 injured in Rajouri mini-bus blast

Excelsior Correspondent

RAJOURI, Dec 21: A Special Police Officer (SPO) was killed and three others were seriously injured when the SPO fiddled with a transistor bomb presuming it as a radio set in a mini-bus in Fatehpur factory area early today.

The mini-bus No. 912 JK02B was on a City route from Rajouri to Thanna Mandi and was extensively damaged under the impact of explosion at 0705 hours today, police said.

They said the deceased SPO Abdul Qayoom, Rajouri was on way to his duty alongwith another SPO Shafiq Ahmed, both residents of Khablan in the mini-bus. Qayoom spotted a transistor lying on the wall of a factory at a bus stop across Darhali bridge and picked-it up. Unmindful of the fact that the transistor was a booby trap, laid by the terrorists for a security forces vehicle, Qayoom tried to on the radio set resulting into an explosion inside the matador. While Qayoom died on spot in the explosion, his SPO colleague Shafiq Ahmed, sitting by him, was seriously injured.

Driver of the mini-bus identified as Tariq Hussain son of Mohd Din, a resident of Saj and a civilian Basharat Hussain son of Wazir Hussain besides SPO Shafiq Ahmed son of Abdul Ahad of Khablan were injured in the blast.

All four blast victims were rushed to the district hospital of Rajouri where Abdul Qayoom was declared as brought dead. Three other injured were admitted with serious splinter injuries.

A police party from Rajouri police station alongwith security personnel rushed to the site of explosion and seized the splinter of transistor bomb for investigations. Bomb experts also visited the spot.

Investigations, carried out by local police, revealed that the suspected terrorists had laid a booby trap in the shape of transistor, filling it with explosive device. They had planted it on the road side and planned to detonate it with a remote control device to blast a security forces vehicle.

However, the terrorists’ plan failed as SPO Abdul Qayoom picked up the transistor and kept it with him, police said, adding a search operation was carried out by police and security personnel around Darhali bridge but the ultras, who had to detonate the booby trap, remained untraced.

During recent past, the terrorists had made two attempts to blast Darhali bridge by detonating powerful Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) and firing indiscriminately. Last attack on the bridge was carried out by the ultras despite presence of a number of police personnel in their picket, located right on the bridge.

Terrorists strike on minority clusters
4 Sikh, Hindu women gunned down in Anantnag

Excelsior Special Correspondent

SRINAGAR, Dec 21: Four members of the minority Sikh and Hindu communities were shot dead and five others were left wounded when unidentified terrorists struck on Poshkreeri and Hugam villages, in Anantnag, this evening.

Informed sources in south Kashmir told EXCELSIOR that a group of unidentified gunmen appeared at Poshkreeri village, in Anantnag, at 1900 hours this evening and opened indiscriminate gunfire on a cluster of houses. Members of the minority Sikh community have been living in these houses, protected by Police. Three girls died on spot. They were identified as Sunny Kaur (18) and Rosy Kaur (20), daughters of Sobha Singh, and Julie (12) D/o Mohinder Singh. Trilok Singh S/o Onkar Singh and his wife Manjit Kaur sustained injuries.

At around the same time, another group of unidentified gunmen swooped on a cluster of houses occupied by the minority Hindu community at the adjacent village of Hugam. Lakshmi W/o Govind Ram got killed in the shoot-out while as two of her daughters__ Doora and Soba__ sustained injuries. Constable Shams-ud-din of IRP 5th Bn, who was on the guard duty, also sustained injuries.

All the five injured were rushed to District Hospital of Anantnag. Senior Police officials and troops of Rashtriya Rifles 03 Bn besides SOG Anantnag rushed to the spot and laid siege to several adjoining villages for conducting a combing operation. Officials put the blame on militants and claimed that a "Jaish-e-Mohammad group of four militants" had struck to unnerve the civil administration and security forces.

However, nothing could be ascertained from independent sources as the incident occurred late in the evening and was reported only late tonight.

Muslims protest against Pak

NEW DELHI, Dec 21 : Scores of Muslim youth today marched to Pakistan High Commission here to lodge a protest against Islamabad’s support to terrorism in India and vowed to make "any sacrifice" to ensure crushing of terrorist groups like Lashkar-e-Toiba and Jaish-e-Mohammad.

Chanting anti-Pakistan slogans and carrying placards denouncing Islamabad’s support to terrorism in India, the protestors demanded that Indian forces attack terrorist training camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.

"We demand from Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee that Indian forces launch an operation against militant training camps in Pakistan and destroy them," said Mohd Shakil Saifi of All India Muslim Youth Community (AIMYC), under whose banner the protest was organised.

They also submitted a memorandum to the Pakistan High Commission asserting that "Muslims in India are ready to make any sacrifice for ensuring crushing of terrorist groups". (PTI)

Alleged bank cheat arrested

NEW DELHI, Dec 21: In a major catch, the CBI has arrested accused Paramjeet Singh Patheja for allegedly cheating banks, including Bank of India, of 29 million dollar (nearly Rs 102.47 crore).

The CBI investigations found that the accused had availed Foreign Currency Loan (FCL) of 15 million dollar in respect of Patheja Brother Forgings and Stamping Limited from Syndicates of Bank including Bank of India (7.5 million dollar) and Dresdner Bank (7.5 million dollar), an agency spokesman said here.

The disbursement of the entire amount was done through Dresdner South Asia from Singapore, the spokesman said, adding another foreign currency loan of 14 million dollar was taken from three banks, including Bank of India.

He said five million dollar were taken from Bank of India, five million dollar from Banque Indosuez and four million dollar from ING Bank.

The entire amount allegedly misappropriated by the accused was to the tune of Rs 53.19 crore in one case, Rs 49.28 crore in another case and during investigations it was found that he had an outstanding liabilities from other financial institutions running into hundreds of crores.

The accused had used bank accounts in Punjab National Bank to siphon off Rs 102 crore, the spokesman said, adding Patheja was arrested and remanded to CBI’s custody till December 20.

The designated court had now remanded Patheja, who carried a reward of Rs one lakh, to judicial custody till January three, the spokesman said. (PTI)

Loan to Pak’s Kashmir Affairs Ministry not
yet decided: China

BEIJING, Dec 21: China today said that no decision has been taken on providing loan to Pakistan’s Ministry of Kashmir Affairs.

"It is only a letter of intent and not decided yet," Deputy Director-General of the Asian Affairs Department of the Chinese Foreign Ministry, Sun Guoxiang, told reporters when asked to comment on the agreement reached yesterday as part of Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf’s on-going state visit.

The official Xinhua news agency reported that relevant Government departments and enterprises from both countries signed seven cooperative documents without naming them.

Sun said that the seven documents signed by China and Pakistan were in the form of Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and letters of intention.

"Some are in the form of MoUs and some are in the form of letters of intention. One of them is related to the question you just raised," Sun told PTI without divulging the details of the document.

The seven documents in the economic field were initialled yesterday after the Jiang-Musharraf summit meeting.

Sun also said that during the Jiang-Musharraf talks, military cooperation between the two sides was not discussed.

However, he went on to describe the close Sino-Pakistani military ties as normal.

"China and Pakistan enjoy good relations. Military cooperation and trade is one aspect of bilateral relations. I want to emphasise that this is part of the normal relations between the two countries," Sun added. (PTI)

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Panch killed in Gool

Excelsior Correspondent

UDHAMPUR, Dec 21: Terrorists kidnapped and killed a Panch Ghulam Hyder Mir in Gool area of this district last night.

A group of terrorists barged into house of the Panch and took him to a forest area where he was later killed, official sources said, adding his body was recovered this morning. The sources said troops have launched a massive search operation in the entire belt to track down the ultras responsible for the killing.

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