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‘GoI
to take decision correctly’ Excelsior Correspondent SRINAGAR, May 19: After a crucial meeting at the Unified Command Headquarters here, Home Minister L K Advani today said the Centre would soon decide on extension of ceasefire in Jammu and Kashmir in a manner that will "subserve both peace and security". Advani, who reviewed the situation in the State along with Defence Minister Jaswant Singh and Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah, told news persons that the Cabinet Committee on security would consider measures to be pursued for heralding peace and ensuring security of border people in the State. "Inputs that we have received today have been very valuable and they would enable the Government of India to take its decision correctly and in a manner so as to ensure that both our objectives namely of peace as well security are subserved," the Home Minister said. The inputs would help in deciding how to go further in pursuit of peace, Advani said. The ceasefire initiated during Ramazan last year was extended twice and is to expire this month end. The Home Minister termed the meeting as "very significant" as it provided an opportunity to assess the situation in the State and to analyse the gains registered in the wake of ceasefire. Participants had free and exhaustive discussions on the situation prevailing in the State, he said adding he was delighted to note that the armed forces were doing a remarkable job in the development of border areas that has endeared them with the people. Advani, however, said that the security forces were not condoning the occurrences of any excess. Asked whether he was satisfied with the peace process Advani described it as "sound and correct" decision. He did not agree with a reporter that the initiative has been a non-starter. The meeting was also attended by Governor G C Saxena, J and K Minister of State Mushtaq Ahmed Lone, Corps Commander of Srinagar-based 15th Corps Lt Gen J R Mukherjee, Principal Secretary (Home) C Phunsog, Director General of Police A K Suri, senior civil, military, security force officers and representatives of various intelligence wings, the sources said. Asked if the ceasefire would be extended, Advani said it was not possible for him to speculate as a decision in this regard would be taken by Cabinet Committee on Security. Defence Minister Jaswant Singh said the border fencing in the State would go on. Asked about Pakistan’s objection to it, he said Islamabad had no locus standi on the issue. "The border fencing comes under the ambit of Ministry of Home Affairs and it will go on," he said. Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah admitted that civilians’ killings in the State had increased in the recent months and said steps would have to be taken to stop this. |
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Bus rolls down near
Mendhar Excelsior Correspondent RAJOURI, May 19: Eight persons were killed and 19 others were injured, four seriously, when a passenger bus of Karan Travels rolled down into a gorge at Bhata Durian in Mendhar tehsil of Poonch district this morning. Fatalities included both driver and conductor of the bus, a young girl and a Selection Grade Constable (SGC) of District Police Lines, Poonch. Four injured were airlifted to Jammu in view of their critical condition. Official reports said the ill-fated bus No. 6447 JK02L was on its way from Poonch to Jammu. It skidded off the road and went about 200 feet deep into a nullah at about 0730 hours killing seven passengers on the spot and wounding 20 others. Another injured died on way to hospital. Army jawans from their nearby Jharan Wali Gali (JWG) Brigade rushed to the site of accident and started rescue operation. Local police and people also joined the operation. Timely action by JWG troops helped in saving the lives of many injured persons, reports said. Injured were shifted to civil and Military Hospital of Udhampur from where four of them were airlifted to Jammu and admitted in Medical College hospital. Deceased have been identified as Mehmood son of Fazal Hussain R/o Morha Bachchai, Surankot, Channi S/o Mohinder Singh R/o Ward No. 1, Poonch, Dildar Hussain, a Selection Grade Constable, posted in DPL Poonch, Vipan Kumar S/o Ram Avtar R/o Surankot, Shakeel Anjum S/o Nazir Hussain R/o Dhar Galoon, Mendhar, Richi Sharma D/o Om Parkash R/o Nanak Nagar, Jammu and Rajinder Parsad R/o Reasi. Joginder Singh was driver of the bus while Shakeel Anjum was conductor. Both of them had died instantly, reports said. Four injured, who have been shifted to Jammu, included Durga Parsad R/o Udhampur, Manjeet Singh S/o Swaran Singh R/o Gurdaspur, Punjab, Sita Ram S/o Dayal Singh R/o Gurdaspur and Avinash Shishu S/o P L Sharma R/o Nanak Nagar. Fifteen other injured were responding to treatment in civil and Military hospitals of Udhampur. Local police have started investigations into the accident. Meanwhile, another bus No 2863 JKS also met with an accident in Dhar Galoon area of Mendhar this afternoon causing injuries to four civilians. The bus was on way from Rajouri to Mendhar. Injured have been identified as Farooq Hussain S/o Saab Din R/o Darhal, an ITI employee, Ghulam Hussain S/o Mir Mohd R/o Balnoi, Mendhar, Rab Nawab S/o Faiz Hussain R/o Daar Galoon, Mendhar and Balram S/o Beli Ram R/o Mankot, Mendhar. Injured have been admitted in sub district hospital of Mendhar where their condition was stated to be stable. Reports said mechanical failure led to the accident in which a case has been registered by local police. Both buses were badly damaged in the accidents. |
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BJP wants special attention paid to Amarnath pilgrims DEHRADUN, May 19: The Bharatiya Janata Party today said that the Government should pay special attention to the security aspect of Amarnath pilgrims while considering extending the ceasefire in Jammu and Kashmir. Addressing newspersons, BJP spokesman Narendra Modi, who is here to attend the two day national office bearers meeting at Mussoori beginning tomorrow, said the party reiterated its support to the Government for solving the Kashmir problem through peaceful means. By providing special attention to the security aspects of the pilgrims, the Government would be instilling confidence in the minds of the people throughout the country, he said. Commending the strategy adopted by the NDA Government, Mr Modi said the steps taken had sent right signals not only in the country but throughout the world. For the first time the world was not discussing Kashmir but terrorism. We consider this as a big achievement of the NDA Government, he said. He said the number of civilian deaths in Kashmir valley had come down and the number of terrorists killed especially the foreign mercenaries had gone up, he contended. The two day meeting of BJP office bearers would review the latest political situation after completion of assembly elections in five States. As far as BJP was concerned the number of legislators in these States had gone up to 14 from a mere eight MLAs, Mr Modi said. The meeting would also take a decision on the strategy to be adopted by the party in the coming assembly elections especially in Uttar Pradesh, to be held later this year. He said the Assam election results had highlighted the ‘influence’ of ‘foreigners and infiltrators’, and the power of ULFA guns tilted in favour of Congress. This also explained the ‘stoic silence’ of that party towards the pre-election killings, he said, adding that the party did not denounce the killings even once. The party’s hope to enter the Kerala assembly could not be achieved while it made inroads into Pondicherry. The results in Tamil Nadu were a matter of concern and about social values, he said without elaborating. Asked if the party was tying up with Ajit Singh’s Rashtriya Lok Dal, Mr Modi said you will get answers in the coming days . He said besides party president K Jana Krishnamurthy, senior leader and Home Minister L K Advani would be attending the two day meeting. (UNI) |
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Pak civilians settled along IB to help infiltration By Dinesh Manhotra JAMMU, May 19: Though the Central Government is thinking of again extending six months long cease-fire, Pakistan on the other hand has been trying to infiltrate maximum number of trained foreign mercenaries to intensify violence in this State. Keeping in view the strict vigil on the Line-of-Control (LoC) by the Indian Army, the Pakistan has diverted its attention towards the International Border (IB) especially in the Samba and Hiranagar areas of Jammu province. Defence sources said that to facilitate foreign hard-core mercenaries who have been trying to sneak into this side, Pakistani agencies have established new launching pads to help the terrorists to infiltrate into this side. Beside establishing new launching pad Pakistani authorities have also settled a large number of civil population just adjoining the border to keep a vigil on the activities of Indian forces and to provide transit camps to the infiltrators. Sources further said that ISI has established new launching pad at Shakargarh, Roopuchak, Leri Kala, Bhoi Brahmana, Sukh Mal, Labreyal, Abhyal Dongar and other adjoining areas. These places located just near the International Border. Admitting that it is difficult rather impossible to stop infiltration, sources said that ISI has adopted new modus oprendi to get terrorists infiltrated into this side. "While checking has been intensified on IB but they have been adopting one after another method to dodge the security forces", they said, adding "for the last six months ISI has explored as many as 10 new routes for infiltration". "Sometime back terrorists used to infiltrate from Shap, Bassera and Fag Nullahs and Chor Gali. We have plugged these infiltration routes", sources said, but admitted that ISI has been continuously changing their infiltration routes". Disclosing modus oprendi of ISI to infiltrate terrorists from IB, sources said that mercenaries are being brought directly from the training camps to these launching pads where they used to stay for a fortnight to get aware of the activities of Indian forces. "In the guise of Pakistan farmers settled near the IB, these terrorists particularly foreign mercenaries usually visit to the extend of the boundary line", sources said, adding "terrorist are being brought here so that they can easily locate the loop holes in the security set-ups and infiltrate into this side by taking the benefit of the same". After infiltrating into this side, the sources said, the terrorists have been provided local guides who helped them to reach to Doda, Mahore and some other areas of Udhampur district which are considered as hot-beds of militancy. Pointing towards the recent encounter with mercenaries in these areas, defence sources said these areas were sometime back considered as safer routes for militants but due to alertness of civilians encounters took place and large number of terrorists got killed. "Militants never tried to confrontate with civilians or security forces in these areas as these were their safer routes but now situation has changed", they said and added that civilians have been passing more and more information to the forces regarding movement of terrorists in these areas. The success we have achieved so far, the defence sources said, was all due to the information passed by the alert civilians. Sources said that the information about the presence of terrorists at Dinga Amb was also given by civilians which resulted into a fierce gunbattle followed by killing of eight dreaded terrorists. The security forces, they said, have been planning to provide sophisticated communication equipments and modern weapons to the villagers so that they can easily take on terrorists before arrival of security forces. "We have sent a proposal to the concerned authorities to provide advances wireless sets and automatic weapons to the member of Village Defence Committees (VDCs)", the sources said and hoped that the proposal would be materialized. |
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Sunday Special From B L Kak NEW DELHI, May 19: Union Ministers, not all of them, though, are angry at the Prime Minister’s Principal Secretary, Mr Brajesh Mishra. The chagrined Ministerial colleagues of Mr Vajpayee had, obviously, not expected Mr Mishra’s letter asking them to declare their assets. These Ministers are said to have protested. And the cause of their protest is a Demi-Official (DO) letter dashed off by Mr Brajesh Mishra on May 8, demanding statements from them declaring their assets and liabilities. Mr Mishra cannot be faulted for his letter. The letter was prepared at the instance of the Prime Minister. In fact, Mr Vajpayee has had a series of meetings in his office and residence spread over more than two weeks, before his Principal Secretary was mandated to send out the letter to all the Ministers. The letter also reminded the Ministers that the code of conduct required all members of the Council of Ministers to make a declaration in a sealed cover disclosing their assets and liabilities to the Prime Minister, before assuming office and then by every March 31. The letter, which has gone out to all Cabinet Ministers and Ministers of State, reminds them that they are supposed to declare not only their personal assets and liabilities but also their business interests as well as the business interests of their respective family members. The Demi-Official letter, however, does not set any deadline for response. Nonetheless, the letter seeks the statements of assets and liabilities of the Ministers and their family members as on October 15, 1999, when the Vajpayee Ministry was reconstituted after the Lok Sabha elections, as also on March 31, 2000 and March 31, 2001. Those joining the Ministry at a later date have been asked to furnish statements on that date. A survey carried out in the wake of "informal" meetings with several Ministers has revealed that the letter has evoked a measure of indignation among them. They feel that the letter should have stated that Mr Brajesh Mishra was seeking the information on behalf of the Prime Minister. One of the aggrieved Ministers argued that even if the letter had been written at the instance of the Prime Minister, propriety demanded that Mr Vajpayee should not deal with his colleagues in the Government through an aide. "It would have been an ideal move had the Prime Minister dealt with the issue directly", the Minister said. It is not for the first time that the Ministers have been told to furnish statements of their assets and liabilities. Half a dozen such reminders have been received by them earlier as well. The proforma in which Mr Brajesh Mishra has sought the information is the same which had been attached with all previous reminders. Some Ministers also resented that even as they had submitted the details to the PMO (Prime Minister’s Office) as per the drill they had agreed upon in the past, Mr Brajesh Mishra shot out the letters to them without bothering to find out from the PMO if they were at all defaulters to be subjected to such a treatment. On the other hand, informed sources told EXCELSIOR that there were at least 18 Ministers who had not submitted any declarations despite so many reminders. Others had complied with the orders but their submissions were in different formats. Hence, they had to be asked to fill up the details as per the proforma as otherwise it became difficult to analyse these declarations. The proforma which has gone out with Mr Mishra’s letter requires income and asset details of the Ministers, their spouses, parents and children. It seeks to cover not only moveable and immovable assets but also commercial assets. The Ministers are also supposed to provide details of the gold and other precious jewelry owned by them, their spouses, parents and children, details of the bank lockers where these are kept and value of the ornaments at today’s price. They are also required to furnish details of their bank accounts. Similarly, details of their fixed deposits, shares and insurance policies have also been sought. |
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Lashkar ‘Comdr’, 2 jawans among 9 killed in Valley SRINAGAR, May 19 : Four militants, including a self-styled deputy district commander of Pakistan based Lashker-e-Toiba (LeT), and two jawans were among nine people killed in the Kashmir valley since last night. Panic gripped Batmaloo this afternoon after militants lobbed a hand grenade at an army patrol, which missed the target and exploded on the roadside, killing one and injuring 12 others, including two Armymen. An official spokesman said, a search party of the Special Operation Group of the Jammu and Kashmir Police and the Army was fired upon by militants at Kabamarg in Anantnag late last night. In the ensuing encounter, three Hizbul Mujahideen militants, one soldier and a civilian were killed. Three AK rifles, three magazines and two grenades were recovered from the ‘site’. At Pethpora Nesbal, the Army killed a self-styled deputy district commander of the LeT, Bashir Ahmad Bhat late last night, the spokesman informed. However, residents of the area later took to streets alleging that Bhat was tortured to death by the forces after his arrest. In another incident, militants shot dead constable Mohammad Rafiq of the Rainawari Police Station last night, even as two persons were injured in a shootout near village Fujipora Badgam in central Kashmir this morning. The spokesman also said, militants kidnapped and later killed a woman Fehmida at Kokernag, while a police head constable was critically wounded by militants when he was shot at near Kulgam Police Station in south Kashmir this afternoon. Also, militants and security forces exchanged fire at Charar-e-Sharief last night in which one Police Constable was injured. The grenade was hurled towards an Army patrolling party at bus stand at Batmaloo injuring two soldiers and 13 civilians, a police spokesman said. He said the injured were rushed to hospital where one of them succumbed to his injuries and another was battling for life. Meanwhile, Border Security Force (BSF) unearthed a militant hideout at Trehgam in frontier district of Kupwara and recovered a big cache of arms and explosives. The seizure made from the hideout included six rockets, nine boosters, 70 rifle grenades, two hand grenade and a magazine of AK assault rifle, the spokesman said. (AGENCIES) |
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Pak bid to stop fencing
thwarted Excelsior Correspondent JAMMU, May 19: Two powerful bombs, each weighing three kg, and other explosive devices were recovered by army and police from village Adhber in RS Pura tehsil this morning. Official sources said local people noticed an unclaimed bag lying in a field in Adhber village at 0500 hours today. They sounded a local army formation which sealed village with the help of local police. Army and police seized the bag and started a search operation in other parts of the village. During searches, they came across two more large bags in another field and seized them. Total recovery made from the bags included two Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) weighing six kgs, six Chinese hand grenades, one buoynet, seven cartridges of 7.4 mm, two time pencil bombs, one magazine, 13 rounds of 7.4 MM and some clothes. According to sources, the recovery indicated that militants had dumped their consignments at two separate places in Adhber village after their infiltration from Pakistan. They had changed their Pakistani clothes in the village and dumped them alongwith the consignment. They escaped from the village following movement of local people in early hours of the morning. Number of the militants was suspected to be four. Sources said army and police continued searches in forward villages of RS Pura but couldn’t get the militants. Only few days back, members of a Village Defence Committee (VDC) had spotted five militants moving in Badyal Barahamana village. By the time, army and police could lay a cordon around the village, the militants had escaped. RS Pura sector was being used by Pakistan army for infiltration of the militants for the past quite sometime. Meanwhile, BSF jawans have foiled an attempt by Pakistan to stop fencing work on the International Border in Ramgarh sector this morning. Official sources said militants opened firing and then triggered explosions in Ramgarh sector early today causing damage to fencing related material including few pillars. BSF jawans retaliated. However, the action of militants had no impact on the fencing work, which was going on uninterrupted, sources said, anticipating more such attempts by Pakistan in future to sabotage fencing operation. They said security forces were determined to thwart Pakistani attempts. Stepped-up firing by Pakistan army at several places on the International Border was also aimed at sabotaging the fencing work, they asserted. |
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Fidayeen attack on Surankot PS foiled Excelsior Correspondent RAJOURI, May 19: Police beat back a ‘fidayeen’ (suicide squad) attack on Surankot police station in Poonch district early today. Two militants of Lashkar-e-Toiba’s suicide squad were injured in the attack but they managed to escape. DIG Rajouri-Poonch range S S Bijral said an alert ‘sentry’, who was on guard duty at Surankot police station, noticed two militants moving towards the police station at about 0100 hours and opened firing. Instant reaction by police guard halted the march of ‘fidayeen’ towards police station. Both the militants took position at a distance of about 100 meters and opened firing. In the meantime, police and para-military personnel in Surankot police station also joined the guard and brought down heavy firing on two suicide squads. Both the militants sustained serious injuries in the shoot-out. However, they managed to escape taking cover of darkness. No casualty was reported on police or para-military side in the exchange of firing. In the morning, army and police carried out searches in the area but couldn’t spot the militants. Searches continued in surrounding forests anticipating that the militants might have succumbed to their injuries after their escape. Meanwhile, Indo-Pak troops exchanged firing on the Line of Control (LoC) in Nowshera and Sunderbani sectors of Rajouri and Mandi sector in Poonch. Firing, started by Pakistan, was aimed at infiltration of the militants, official sources said, adding Indian side effectively replied the firing and thwarted infiltration attempts. Indian side didn’t suffer any loss of life or damage in the firing. |
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SI thrashed by mob publicly in Rajouri Excelsior Correspondent RAJOURI, May 19: A Sub Inspector, posted in Rajouri police station, was publicly beaten-up by women and children in Ward No. 10 of the town last night for arresting a local youth and allegedly abusing the girls. SI Sajjad Mirza, who was in civil dress, was rescued by some elderly citizens and police, which rushed to the spot after getting a report of assault on police officer. Police said Sajjad Mirza, son of a retired DySP Shahbaaz, had allegedly used third degree methods during questioning of Nissar Ahmed, a resident of Ward No. 10, who had been arrested on the charges of being a drug-addict. Nissar was released last evening. His body had marks of torture and electric currents. Reports said Nissar told local people that SI Sajjad Mirza not only tortured him but also abused some local girls of locality by casting aspersions on them. Statement of Nissar before local people after his release irked the inhabitants of Ward No. 10, who laid a trap for the SI late last night. When Mirza was returning to his house after his duty, the agitated people including women and children surrounded him and subjected him to severe thrashing. SI’s clothes were torn off and he was beaten with whatever objects the people had in their hands. However, some elderly people immediately intervened and rescued the police official. As tension mounted, a meeting was convened between two sides by MLC Nazir Ahmed Mir, Advocate today in which both the groups of Nissar Ahmed and Sajjad Mirza participated. Muslim Federation president Abdul Rashid Bhat also attended the meeting. Both groups reportedly agreed not to pursue the case further. Nissar, who had planned to approach the court against third degree torture, has shelved his plan following the meeting while SI decided not to lodge a FIR of thrashing. |
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MEERUT (UP), May 19: Police have arrested Punjab militant, Gurmed Singh, alleged to be a close confidant of Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale. Gurmed was nabbed yesterday from Khadder area under Hastinapur police station, police said, adding a Japanese revolver was also recovered from him. Police said Gurmed, hailing from Laddanwala village in Ferozepur district of Punjab, had been hiding in the area to avoid arrest for the last six years. Gurmed’s brother, Tirlok Singh, was shot dead in an encounter in 1984, police added. (PTI) |
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Samata to reconsider participation in NDA NEW DELHI, May 19: In a sudden development, the 12-member Samata Party tonight said it will hold an emergency meeting on Monday of its national executive committee to reconsider its participation in the NDA Government at the Centre. Announcing this in a press release, party general secretary Shambhu Srivastawa, however, did not give any reason for the move. |
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NEW DELHI, May 19: Delhi Police today arrested a Pakistani national and aide of underworld don Dawood Ibrahim, who had escaped from custody in Allahabad on Tuesday, from the Jama Masjid area of the capital this afternoon. Special Task Force (STF) of Uttar Pradesh Police, in a joint operation with the special branch of Delhi Police, managed to arrest Noor Baksh from a house in the densely populated walled city area. A senior police official told UNI that Noor Baksh would be taken to Allahabad where he is facing charges of indulging in anti-national activities. (UNI) |
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NEW DELHI, May 19: Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee has convened a meeting of State Chief Ministers here on May 21 to discuss future policy formulations relating to negotiations within the WTO. The meeting is being held on the initiative of Karnataka Chief Minister S M Krishna, who is likely to argue that States should be involved in policy formulations, Karnataka’s Minister of State for Information B K Chandrashekhar said in a statement here today. Krishna has constituted a WTO cell in the Department of Agriculture in Karnataka Government to study the agreement on agriculture and specifically its impact on the State. He had also written to the Centre and asked the Prime Minister to let States express their well-considered views on the WTO in the light of the fact that the implications of the agreement affected them directly. (PTI) |
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Shabir Shah writes to Musharraf SRINAGAR, May 19: Jammu and Kashmir Democratic Freedom Party (JKDFP) president Shabir Ahmad Shah has written a letter to Pakistani military ruler Gen Pervez Musharraf regarding the on-going peace process in Kashmir. The letter will be delivered to Pakistani envoy Qazi Ashraf Jehangir in New Delhi tomorrow by a two-member JKDFP delegation, a party spokesman told PTI. He said secretary general Maulana Mohammad Abdullah Tari and chief organiser Syed saleem Geelani would leave for Delhi tomorrow to hand over the letter to Jehangir. They would also exchange views on the latest situation, the spokesman said. Shah, who had sought clarifications from the Centre’s interlocutor on Kashmir K C Pant on whether India was willing to involve Pakistan in the Kashmir dialogue, yesterday said he would hold talks with Pant when he visits the Valley in the near future. Shah asserted that Kashmiri leaders across the globe, including in PoK, favoured continuation of the dialogue process. However, an aide of Shah, Hakeem Abdul Rashid, who had refused to be part of a three-member team nominated by the Shah to hand over a letter to Pant earlier this month, yesterday resigned from JKDFP and joined Jammu and Kashmir Muslim League, a constituent of the Hurriyat Conference. Rashid, JKDFP publicity secretary, said he had "revolted" against Shah on the call of his conscience following latter’s inclination to enter into bilateral talks with New Delhi on Kashmir issue. (PTI) |
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