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Pakistan
issued final warning NEW DELHI, Dec 28: Terming the terrorist attack on Parliament as the greatest challenge posed by Pakistan’s proxy war in India, Home Minister L K Advani today said New Delhi would now wage a decisive battle to put an end to Pak-sponsored terrorism even if the international community did not support it. The neighbouring country, he said, had now crossed the Lakshman Rekha by attacking the Parliament House and given India the greatest challenge ever since it began its proxy war in the country in the early eighties. Although they have faced defeat at our hands several times, they never stopped fighting against us. After the three wars they fought with India, they have been waging a proxy war against us which reached up to the Parliament House, Mr Advani said while speaking at the CRPF day here. We will now wage a decisive battle against their proxy war irrespective of the support we get from other countries in this war against terrorism, the Home Minister said. Asserting that India would fight this battle on its own strength, he said: if the other countries support us, it’s well and good. If they don’t, we are not bothered. Mr Advani, however, clarified that the objective of India’s battle was not to vanquish or disintegrate another country but to wipe out terrorism. Regarding the diplomatic offensive launched by India against Pakistan, the Home Minister said: we were forced to take these decisions in view of the consistent inimical acts perpetrated by our neighbours. Making light of Pakistan’s past misadventures against India, he said Islamabad had fought against New Delhi several times and got a drubbing every time. They are now used to it, he quipped. So much so that in the 1971 war, as many as 93,000 of their troops were captured by India on the battle field. Such a large number of soldiers surrendered before us, the Home Minister said. Giving Islamabad a final warning, Mr Advani said if Pakistan still decided to dissociate with terrorism India would extend a hand of friendship towards that country. Then we can together fight the war against terrorism. As in case of Afghanistan, Pakistan had been supporting the Taliban regime there but the neighbouring country finally distanced itself from Taliban to protect themselves. The Home Minister justified the move to cut down the diplomatic staff of Pakistan High Commission in India, saying several staff members were involved in espionage and they were supporting the terrorists operating in India at the behest of Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). About the Government’s decision to disallow Pakistani aircraft to fly over Indian airspace, he said: they will now have to travel longer distances to reach South Asian destinations and also incur more expenses. But there are times when you are forced to take such decisions. Referring to the US war against the Taliban and the ongoing hunt against Osama bin Laden, he called upon the world not to confine the war against terrorism to an outfit or a person. "The problem of terrorism cannot be linked to one outfit or one person. It takes roots in a certain kind of mentality—a mentality of fundamentalism that has no faith in democracy, Mr Advani said. He further said: if we have to fight terrorism, our battle should be against fundamentalism. It should be against hegemonistic tendencies and ideologies that do not believe in the rule of democracy.’’ Comparing the Jaish-e-Mohammad attack on Parliament House with a quake, he said 2001 would be an unforgettable year for India as it began with a quake in Gujarat and also ended with another kind of quake. The attack on Indian Parliament would have eclipsed the September 11 terrorist strike in the US if the five Pakistani ultras carrying AK 47s, grenades and explosives had managed to enter the House, the Home Minister said. Aisa Bhayanak Kand Hota, Jiski Tulna Mein 11 Sitambar Ko Log Bhool Jate. (it would have been such a terrible tragedy that the people would have forgotton September 11 in its comparison), he said. But for the valiant efforts of the securitymen deployed in Parliament, the Jaish terrorists could have wiped out the top leadership of the country, creating a political void which would have been difficult to fill, Mr Advani said. Had the securitymen failed to perform their duty, the future of India would have been different. There could have been political upheaval in the country, he said. The Home Minister said India had consistently been warning the world against terrorism but the other countries did not take a serious note of it, thinking they would not be harmed by the menace being far from it. But the September 11 terror strikes in the US broke their illusions and they finally got awakened to the dangers of international terrorism, with Washington leading a war against it. (UNI) |
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Osama hiding in Pakistan’s FATA, Omar in Gilgit NEW DELHI, Dec 28: World’s most wanted terrorist Osama bin Laden and Taliban supreme commander Mullah Omar are hiding in Bajoaur agency of Federally Administered Tribal Area (FATA) in Pakistan and Gilgit in Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir (PoK) respectively, intelligence sources said today. The sources said Osama, who carries a cash award of 25 million dollars, and Omar managed to sneak into Pakistan after the fall of Kunduz and Kandahar earlier this month. While Omar reached Gilgit on December four, Osama is believed to have crossed over some time in the first week of this month. Their escape from Afghanistan was faciliated by the activists of the Tehrik Nifas Shariat Mahmud (TNSM) which sent thousands of volunteers to Afganistan in October and November to fight alongside the Taliban and Al-Qaeda forces against the US-led coalition forces. TNSM leader Sofi Mohammed had also crossed over to Afghanistan in November to join ranks of Al-Qaeda to defend Mazar-e-Sharif, Kunduz and Kandahar. Osama is understood to have been living in Bajoaur agency of FATA, a stronghold of the Talibans in the North-West Frontier Province (NWFP) of Pakistan under protection of tribal chiefs. FATA is directly controlled by the Government of Pakistan. But the President Pervez Musharraf is reluctant to take action due to intense pressure from the tribals. The sources said after the Talibans were dislodged from Kunduz and Kandahar, TNSM activists brought Osama to FATA in disguise. Interrogation of several arrested terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir also hinted towards the presence of Osama and Omar in specific areas in Pakistan. The sources said the recently released tapes of Osama where he had praised Al-Qaeda’s actions against the United States are also believed to have been shot during his stay in FATA. Al-Jazeera television channel had on Wednesday released a half-an-hour footage of Osama’s message in which he openly talked about his plans against the US. He predicted that the US would be disintegrated whether he is dead or alive. Yesterday, the Afghanistan’s Defence Ministry spokesman had said that Osama is in hiding in Pakistan under the protection of supporters of radical Islamic leader Fazalur Rehman, who helped to create the Taliban. However, the spokesman could not specify in which area of Pakistan Osama was hiding. Rehman, who is under house arrest, is head of the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam party, a long-time supporter of Osama. The sources also believe that the United States to some extent has the knowledge of Osama’s whereabouts. But they are keeping quiet expecting the Pakistan Government to act. Pressure is being mounted on Pakistan to nab Osama dead or alive. (UNI) |
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India seeking extradition of Salah-ud-Din, Mushtaq Zargar From Ahmed Ali Fayaz SRINAGAR, Dec 28: Hizb-ul-Mujahideen supremo, Syed Salah-ud-din, and "commander-in-chief" of Al-Omar Mujahideen, Mushtaq Ahmed Zargar, are among the 20 Kashmiri militant leaders whose extradition from Pakistan is being sought by Government of India. Highly placed official sources disclosed to EXCELSIOR that dossiers are being made for top ranking leaders of at least six Kashmiri militant organisations who have been operating from Pakistan for the last several years. Specific cases have been registered against them in different matters like killings, bomb blasts, kidnappings, hijacking, attacks on security forces and Government installations and assassination of the minority communities in Jammu and Kashmir and other parts of the country.s Hizbul Mujahideen "supreme commander" Mohammad Yusuf Shah alias Salah-ud-din — who also happens to be the head of Muzaffarabad-based conglomerate of about a dozen Kashmiri militant outfits Muttahida Jehad Council — is said to be on the top of the list among the Kashmiri militants whose extradition is being sought in over a dozen criminal cases. Eight other commanders of the organisation, reportedly in Pakistan, include Aamir Khan alias Saifullah Khalid, Riyaz Rasool, Omar Javed and three others who have functioned as "deputy chief", "divisional commander", "district commander" or in any other capacity in the top echelons of the organisation. In fact, Memon brothers, involved in the Bombay blast of March 11, 1993, and the underworld don Dawood Ibrahim are said to be on the top of the 30-names list. They are followed by Jaish-e-Mohammad supremo Maulana Masood Azhar, Lashkar-e-Toiba founder Prof Haafiz Sayeed and even Hizbul Mujahideen’s one-time terror ‘Maj’ Mast Gul, known for his allegedly burning Chrar-e-Sharif town and escaping to Pakistan amid limelight of Pakistan Television. Dawood, as claimed by Indian authorities and some Pakistani magazines, has been living in Karachi. Al-Omar Mujahideen chief, Mushtaq Ahmed Zargar alias Latram, who was among the three detenus released by India in exchange for Indian Airlines plane at Kandahar on December 31, 1999, is another Kashmiri militant functionary whose extradition is being sought by New Delhi. Sources said that Zargar, Masood Azhar and Omar Sheikh have already been booked in the hijacking in accordance with an amendment in the law. As per the amendment, anybody whose release is sought by kidnappers or hijackers as ransom is booked among the hijackers and conspirators. According to official records, Zargar and Azhar had driven all the way to Islamabad after their release at Kandahar airport. Sources said that Jamiat-ul-Mujahideen chief, General Abdullah — who has been living in Islamabad after his dramatic escape from Police custody at SMHS Hospital of Srinagar — besides J&K Islamic Front supremo, Bilal Ahmed Beigh, are also in the list which is being handed over to Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi and also to Pakistan’s Foreign Affairs ministry in Islamabad in a couple of days. A copy of the list is being sent to the American Ambassador Robert D Blackwill at New Delhi. Most of the militant leaders in the list have been booked in Bombay blasts, three mine blasts in New Delhi, October 1st blast at Srinagar Assembly, Fidayeen attacks on Srinagar Airport, Awantipore Airbase of IAF, Parliament, Jammu Railway Station and Corps Headquarters besides massacres of the minority community members in Wandahama, Sangrampora, Chittisinghpura and Jammu. Some of them are also involved in the assassination of MLA Abdul Ahad Kar, Kashmiri Minister Ghulam Hassan Bhat, former Speaker Wali Mohammad Yatoo and other political leaders. JKIF leaders have been implicated in a number of kidnapping cases besides the killing of Kashmir University Vice Chancellor Prof Mushir-ul-Hassan, his assistant Abdul Gani Zargar and General Manager of HMT, H L Khera. Since there is no extradition treaty between India and Pakistan, submitting the list and seeking expatriation of Pakistan-based fugitives is likely to be viewed as a pressure building tactics by the Indian authorities. This exercise may put Pakistan in a difficult situation as responding to the Indian requisition may further weaken Gen Musharraf’s position in his home constituency and a blatant cussedness may invoke further pressure from America. |
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Special Report From B L Kak NEW DELHI, Dec 28: The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) has no time to pursue covert peace initiative in Jammu and Kashmir, following the eruption of cold war between India and Pakistan and growing threat from the belligerent Muslim rebels or jihadis. The two key players in the PMO, namely, Mr Brajesh Mishra, Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister, and Mr Amarjit Singh Dulat, Officer on Special Duty (OSD) and former chief of the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) are learnt to have been forced to concentrate their attention and energy on issues more important and crucial than the ongoing covert peace initiative in J&K. In other words, Mr Brajesh Mishra and Mr Dulat have for the time being put off the process of behind-the-scene consultations with a set of Kashmiri opposition leaders. These leaders, too, can’t deny the fact that the ongoing covert peace initiative in J&K is one of the casualties of the events triggered by the terrorist attacks on Parliament House on December 13. The attack, however, was followed by a set of queries from the various intelligence agencies in Delhi and Jammu and Kashmir. These queries did call for the intervention, quiet though, by the Prime Minister’s Principal Secretary. Prof. Abdul Ghani Bhat, chairman of the All-Party Hurriyat Conference (APHC), who triggered the queries, avoided—perhaps, for the first time in recent years—throwing a gauntlet to the Government of India when he was quietly contacted by a functionary in the Prime Minister’s Office to seek ‘correct’ and ‘relevant’ details that had culminated in his ‘sensational’ remark on December 12, barely a day before the attack on Parliament House. The Indian official, who has had a few unpublished meetings with the Hurriyat chairman in the past some months, adopted the role and style of a typical police investigator when he confronted Prof. Abdul Ghani Bhat with questions vis-a-vis his observations in the course of his meeting with a group of journalists on December 12. The Hurriyat chief had been reported to have told scribes to expect dramatic developments over the following 12 hours. No wonder, after the suicide squad attacked Parliament House, the PMO was left with no alternative but to devise ways and means to extract ‘correct’ details from the Hurriyat chief. And when the official was said to have threatened of some kind of administrative action in the event of anyone trying to suppress facts vis-a-vis the terrorist attack on Parliament, the Hurriyat chief tendered an apology for having made a remark which, he reiterated, had nothing to do with the attack on Parliament House. Prof. Bhat was said to have repeatedly told the official that he (Prof. Bhat) had referred to a meeting scheduled to take place in New York. Be that as it may, the PMO has, on the other hand, received a set of reports suggesting the involvement of a set of Hurriyat leaders and supporters in attempts aimed at spreading disaffection against New Delhi. These leaders seem interested in giving currency to reports that the Vajpayee Government is not sincere and keen to hold talks with representatives of the Kashmiris on the region’s future set-up and that there is no prospect of any progress towards building a democratic dialogue and that a further escalation of hostilities between India and Pakistan is ‘imminent’. Whatever the attitude adopted by the Hurriyat hard-liners towards New Delhi, there is no doubt that the Centre’s first priority, as for the present, is to crush mercenary-backed terrorism with strong hand especially in the Kashmir valley. With focus being shifted to offensive against terrorism and infiltration in J&K, chances of initiating a political dialogue with separatist Kashmiri leaders, at present, are ruled out. The Government of India cannot be expected to rush to citadels at a time when the tone and tenor of statements from different leaders of the Hurriyat Conference differ. While Syed Ali Shah Geelani has argued that right of self-determination is the most suitable way of resolving the Kashmir issue, Mr Abdul Ghani Lone and Maulvi Umar Farooq have not placed any rider on their preparedness to start talks with the Centre. And the Hurriyat chairman, Prof. Bhat, has advocated the need for tripartite talks. |
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Musharraf’s
action not enough : Straw LONDON, Dec 28: Britain today virtually accepted India’s evidence on the involvement of Pak-based Lashkar-e-Toiba and Jaish-e-Mohammad in the attack on Indian Parliament and asked Islamabad not to "turn a blind eye to terrorist activities" by simply labelling them as "Kashmiri freedom fighters". Indicating that action taken by Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf against the terrorist outfits was not enough, British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw told the BBC Radio 4 "Musharraf has now taken some action, but, yes, we do look to him to take further action." "It is almost certain that the evidence points to LeT and JeM in respect of" the attacks on Indian Parliament and Jammu and Kashmir. Straw said "I banned the two organisations, JeM and LeT, against whom it is almost certain the evidence points in respect of both of these outrages. I banned them as Home Secretary". Straw said "Pakistan has now taken some action, but yes, we do look to him to take further action and in addition to this, in my view, there has to be a more intensive dialogue amongst the Pakistani community, in Pakistan and elsewhere about the fact that you cannot go on turning a blind eye to terrorist activities by simply labelling those terrorists Kashmiri freedom fighters." "You happen to be a victim of terrorism then it matters not to you that the person who has caused the terrorism and killed or maimed you and done untold damage so as ‘a freedom fighter’ rather than a terrorist. If we want a safer world and if we want this kind of very serious conflict, which arises over Kashmir, resolved in the only way it can be resolved, peacefully, then we have to have a single categorical approach to terrorism and that is that terrorism has to be stopped", Straw said without mincing words. "There has been general mobilisation by India for the first time since 1971 and public anger in India over the attacks, first on Oct 1 on the Kashmir assembly in Srinagar and then on Dec 13, on the heart of India’s democracy, their Parliament, in which together nearly 50 people were killed," he said. "The anger amongst the Indian public is very intense and they point the finger at Pakistan. What I’ve been involved in over the Christmas period is intense diplomatic activity, which has been led by US Secretary of State Colin Powell: both to urge restraint, but particularly to urge the Pakistan authorities to take much more effective action against the Kashmiri terrorist groups, which have been operating until recently with impunity in Pakistan and then making incursions across the border," Straw said. Asked whether Pakistan was responding well enough, the British Foreign Secretary said Musharraf is now showing very considerable statesmanship, just as he did in the aftermath of Sept 11, following the attack on the World Trade Centre. "But the problem in Pakistan, and some action has already been taken to freeze the assets of two of the terrorist groups and to arrest leaders of one of these terrorist groups, is a deep one and all of us greatly admire the work of Musharraf and the enormous courage that he has shown since Sept 11, but we have to bear in mind the fact that before Sept 11, Pakistan as a society was showing ambiguity to one of the century’s and the previous century’s worst terrorist sheltering organisations, namely the Taliban. "The Taliban and Al Qaeda were filtering pretty freely across the borders from Pakistan into Afghanistan. So there was a complacency at best about the terrorism based in Afghanistan. There has in the past been at least similar complacency, if not ambiguity about terrorism from Pakistan into the Indian side of Kashmir and now right into the heart of Indian democracy itself. "If I may make this point, it is that India is the world’s largest democracy. It is a properly, fully-functioning democracy and an attack on the Indian Parliament has to be seen as an attack on democracy world-wide." Straw refuted the charge that the US was adopting "double standard" in fighting terrorism. "The US, in the person of Secretary of State Colin Powell, has been working phenomenally hard right through the Christmas period. Of course, there is an issue of double standards and it has occurred to Colin Powell as well. If you are making the charge against the US of double standards, it is a charge that does not fit and the US has a clear view about terrorism as do we, that you have to have a single definition of terrorism. I, as Home Secretary, banned the two organisations, JeM and LeT, against whom it is almost certain the evidence points in respect of both of these outrages," Straw said. (PTI) |
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People desert Pargwal
island Excelsior Correspondent JAMMU, Dec 28: An army jawan and a child were killed as three explosions rocked the forward areas in Jammu and Poonch sectors where massive build-up continued from both the sides resulting into migration from Akhnoor sector while the authorities in Poonch today decided to evacuate the civilians from six villages amidst continued shelling. A mine blast killed an army soldier Mandeep Singh of 117 Engineering Regiment at village Gigrial in Khour area of Pallanwalla sector in Akhnoor tehsil this afternoon. Mandeep died on spot after he walked over a mine in a field, resulting into a powerful blast, official sources said. It couldn’t be ascertained immediately as to whether the mine had been laid by army as part of mining of the forward villages or by the saboteurs, the sources said, adding the investigations were on. Body of Mandeep Singh is being sent to his house. Two explosions, meanwhile, rocked the forward villages of Londi and Karol Krishna in Hiranagar sector of Kathua district this morning. The explosions were reported triggered by the firing of two heavy mortar shells by Pakistan army. Two days back, three mortar shells had exploded in Londi creating panic among the people. Target of the mortar shells was suspected to be a Border Security Force (BSF) tower. However, the target was missed narrowly. Meanwhile, continued skirmishes on the border, today resulted into migration from Pargwal island, Molu Chak and Rajpura villages of Akhnoor sector. A large number of families carrying their luggage reached Sua No. 1 in Akhnoor this afternoon and were camping there. Sources said there was no extraordinary firing or shelling in Pargwal island and other areas of Akhnoor sector but only routine exchange of small arms firing between Indo-Pak troops. However, what panicked the people and forced them to migrate was the heavy movement of army on both sides of the border and mining of the forward villages. Civil and police officials have rushed to Sua No. 1 to assess the situation. On the Line of Control (LoC) front, the district administration of Poonch today decided to get six forward villages evacuated. A meeting chaired by Deputy Commissioner, Poonch Ejaz Iqbal held this afternoon also identified the Government accommodation to be provided to the migrant families. The villages, being evacuated, included Salootri, Khari, Karmara, Digwar, Sokar and Mill Dallan. All these forward villages on the LoC were witnessing heavy exchange of shelling for the last five days. The decision to get the villages emanated from a similar decision taken by the administration of Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) opposite Poonch sector. Five Pakistani villages namely Titrinot, Mandal, Nangi Tekri, Kota and Zeera have also been evacuated from the civil population, the sources in Poonch said quoting the reports received from across the LoC. As Indo-Pak troops continued to exchange shelling, a three year old child Tabassum Hussain son of Maqbool Hussain, a police constable posted in Ramban and a resident of Surankot, was killed when a shell exploded inside a house at village Digwar. Tabassum had come to his house of grandparents in Digwar. House of one Harinder Singh son of Avtar Singh was completely damaged in the shelling in Digwar. Indian army replied shelling at all the places. Details of the casualties on other side of the LoC were not available. |
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4 houses torched in Doda Excelsior Correspondent JAMMU, Dec 28: Terrorists gunned down a civilian and kidnapped his son in Kot Chadwal area of Budhal in Rajouri and set ablaze four houses, one of which had earlier been housing an army picket in Gandoh area of Doda district in two separate incidents overnight. Three terrorists were reported to have attacked the village Kot Chadwal in Budhal, bordering Chasana area of Mahore in Udhampur district, and entered into the house of Munshi Hussain Mohammed Chiki son of Noor Hussain Chiki in the mid-night, official sources said. They said the terrorists tried to kidnap Munshi’s son Abdul Rashid Chiki to join their ranks. This was objected by Munshi, who outrightly refused to handover his son to the terrorists. This angered the ultras, who opened firing and shot dead Munshi on the spot. They then kidnapped Abdul Rashid and took him alongwith them in a forest area of Kot Chadwal. A report of the incident was lodged with police in Dhakikot, Chasana by a Munshi’s neighbourer Wasim Din. A police team has left for the spot for investigations of the case. A search operation is being launched by the security personnel to trace the terrorists and rescue the hostage. Meanwhile, a group of Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) terrorists struck in village Batoh Gara in Gandoh area of Doda district last night and set ablaze a house of Ghulam Rasool. Three adjacent houses were also torched by the ultras before fleeing from the spot. Ghulam Rasool’s house was vacated only a day before by the troops of 26 Rashtriya Rifles, who had established a temporary picket there. The ultras struck within few hours after the troops left the house. The house was gutted in the fire. Three other houses were also reduced to ashes. The terrorists fled away after setting the houses on fire and remained untraced even after a search operation launched by the security personnel. |
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Six terrorists killed, 13 nabbed in Poonch Excelsior Correspondent JAMMU, Dec 28: Army and Poonch Police today jointly eliminated six terrorists and apprehended 13 active supporters of the ultras in two separate search operations in Surankot tehsil of Poonch district. SSP Poonch Dr Kamal Saini said a swift operation was launched by the army and police personnel at village Kachara Para in Marhot area of Surankot this afternoon. The operation was based on a specific information developed by the troops. After about two hours of searches, the army and police jawans had a face-to-face encounter with the terrorists that lasted more than 45 minutes. All six terrorists were eliminated in the operation while the security forces didn’t suffer any casualties. Three AK-56 rifles, one pistol and a large quantity of ammunition were recovered from possession of the slain terrorists, who hadn’t been identified so far. All of them were, however, believed to be the foreign mercenaries and activists of Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) outfit. Meanwhile, troops stormed a hideout of the terrorists in general area of Kopra near Draba in Surankot tehsil this evening. During searches of hideout, the army jawans succeeded in apprehending alive 13 active supporters and harbourers of the terrorists. Sources said the terrorists’ supporters made a vain attempt to escape from the hideout when it was being surrounded by the troops. Troops chased and succeeded in apprehending all of them. They have been identified as Mohd Sharief son of Mohd Khan, Mohd Yusuf son of Mohd Khan, Atta Mohd son of Mir Mohd (Nambardar), Mehmood Khan, Maqsood Khan, Mohd Yaqoob, Mohd Yaqoob Ali son of Ghulam Hussain, Wazir Hussain and Mohd Abdullah, both brothers and sons of Chandu, Inayat Khan son of Sultan Khan, Mohd Khan son of Mir Ali, all residents of Bani Khet and Showkat Hussain and Mohd Tafall, both brothers and sons of Lal Din, residents of Hill Kaka. After preliminary interrogations, the troops handed over the terrorists’ harbourers to local police for sustained interrogation. |
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Azhar shifted to unknown place ISLAMABAD, Dec 28: Jaish-e-Mohammad (Al-Furqan) chief Masood Azhar, mastermind of the December 13 terrorist attack on the Parliament House, has been shifted to an undisclosed place. The Dawn said today quoting police sources that Masood Azhar, who was taken into Government’s custody on Wednesday, had been taken to an unknown place. The sources, however, declined to mention the place of his detention. Maulana Azhar, was on his way to Karachi on Wednesday when law enforcing agencies intercepted him near Hyderabad. He was arrested in Sindh from where he was shifted to an undisclosed place. Police said Azhar was not wanted in any case by the local police, therefore, he was detained by the Government. (UNI) |
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CRPF cop held with militants’ wireless set Excelsior Correspondent SRINAGAR, Dec 28: A Kashmiri jawan of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) has been arrested by security forces in Kupwara for his "actively working for militants". Official sources in north Kashmir told EXCELSIOR that constable Mohammad Ashraf Pir, a resident of Chandigam, Kupwara, had been informing militants about the movement of security forces. For that, he had also been provided with a wireless set. It was during a cordon-and-search operation today that troops of Rashtriya Rifles 32 Bn and 1/4 GR apprehended the CRPF personnel alongwith the wireless set from his village. Ashraf is reportedly a constable of CRPF 127 Bn which has remained stationed in the Valley for the last few years. He is under transfer to CRPF 132 Bn, headquartered in Gujarat. However, he has not reported for duty. Sources said that security forces conducted the operation on the basis of some radio intercepts and intelligence inputs which resulted in the arrest of the CRPF jawan. |
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KABUL, Dec 28: In a possible shift of strategy, US special forces were reported to be leaving the Tora Bora caves after searching in vain for weeks for Osama bin Laden amid numerous conflicting reports about the whereabouts of the terrorist mastermind. American heavy bombers and tactical aircraft using both precison and non precision weapons destroyed a compound near Ghazni town, south-west of Kabul, which the Pentagon believed was used by senior figures in the ousted Taliban Government. The bombing of the compound came amid mounting concern over civilian casualties from US raids, and calls for the bombing to stop soon. The US had "very good indications" that Taliban leaders were inside the compound, according to American officials. Two convoys of US special forces were seen leaving the Tora Bora area down a road leading to Jalalabad after being involved in weeks in the hunt for bin Laden in the caves, according to CNN. In the first such attack since the eastern city of Jalalabad fell to anti-Taliban forces fell month, four rockets struck an Afghan army base there. According to the Pakistan-based Afghan Islamic Press (AIP), no one was injured in the attack. American reconnaisance planes continued to fly over the white mountains near the eastern border with Pakistan, and local Afghan forces were still scouring the caves for any remnants of Taliban and Al Qaeda fighters. Responding to concerns over civilians being killed, especially after an unconfirmed report said that 25 residents had been killed in a night time raid at Naka village in eastern Afghanistan, the new Government said it would decide in the coming days whether to ask the US to end its 12-week long bombing campaign. According to a Defence Ministry spokesman, the last pockets of Al-Qaeda resistance should be crushed in "three or four days" after which the interim Government will decide whether the bombing campaign is necessary. Tribal leaders in the past few days have been urging the Afghan interim leader Hamid Karzai that the US should be asked to stop the air strikes. American officials acknowledged that they have no idea where bin Laden is or even whether is dead or alive while the new Afghan Government believes he has fled to Pakistan "We do know of certain knowledge that he is either in Afghanistan, or in some other country, or dead. And we know of certain knowledge that we don’t know which of these happens to be the case," Rumsfeld said. (PTI) |
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Musharraf willing to meet Vajpayee ISLAMABAD, Dec 28: Pakistan’s General Pervez Musharraf today said he would be willing to meet Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee during a South Asian summit in Nepal next week. "I don’t mind meeting him (Vajpayee). But as I said once before, you can’t clap with one hand. And if there is a willingness from the other side, then there is a willingness from my side," Musharraf told reporters. (AFP) |
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Maj drowned, 3 rescued in Baramulla Excelsior Correspondent SRINAGAR, Dec 28: One Major of Uri-based161-Infantry Brigade died and three other Army personnel sustained injuries when their vehicle plunged into the Jhelum on Baramulla-Uri road today. Official sources said that Maj Manmeet Singh drowned to death in the Jhelum when his vehicle skidded off the road and plunged into the river near Sheeri. However, his colleagues Major S K Mullick, Lance Naik P K Yadava and driver P Verghese were rescued as they sustained injuries. They were rushed to hospital. |
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Pak will never initiate war, says Musharraf ISLAMABAD, Dec 28: Pakistan "stands for peace" and will never initiate a war, its leader General Pervez Musharraf said today as tensions rose with India. "Pakistan is passing through a difficult stage. There is tension on the border," Musharraf told at dinner at the Presidential palace. "Pakistan stands for peace, we do not want war. We will never initiate a war unless it is thrust and initiated on us. "We do not want war because we understand all the hazards that could follow," he said. Musharraf said he was aware of India’s demands and understood what Pakistan had to do to defuse the tensions. "We understand our responsibilities. We are to crack down and we do understand that," he said. He also welcomed intervention from the United States in trying to defuse the brewing crisis between the two neighbours. "They are showing a lot of concern and I know they are involved, certainly they are already involved and they are trying to reduce the tension and we appreciate that." (AFP) |
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Justice Anand conferred with LLD Excelsior Correspondent JAMMU, Dec 28: Former Chief Justice of India, Dr Justice Adrash Sein Anand has been conferred with degree of LLD Honoris Causa by the Punjab University today. He has been conferred with this prestigious degree in recognition of his distinguished service to the judiciary and society. He is held in high esteem amongst teaching community, legal fraternity and intellectuals for his contribution in development of law and selfless service to judiciary and society. |
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