PM to convey India’s concern on terrorism
Crucial Vajpayee-Bush summit today

From S D Rohmetra

WASHINGTON, Nov 8: Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and American President George W Bush will have talks tomorrow during which the Prime Minister is expected to convey India’s strong concerns over terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir, backed by Pakistan and seek a role for New Delhi in any future post-Taliban set up in Afghanistan.

The crucial talks at the White House at the invitation of Bush will be the first face-to-face contact between Vajpayee and Bush. The summit assumes significance in the context of the current campaign against terrorism after the Sept 11 terror strikes in the US and the subsequent military action against terrorist bases in Afghanistan.

The talks have more significance as Bush would be meeting Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf in New York a day later.

The one-to-one talks between Vajpayee and Bush, extending over the lunch with officials to assist the two leaders, are expected to cover the need to eliminate terrorism in all its forms wherever it exists.

Vajpayee is likely to stress the need to stamp out the state-sponsored terror fomented from across the border by Pakistan in Jammu and Kashmir.

Vajpayee is expected to emphasise three things: Treat all terrorism on the same foot, in expanding the six plus two mechanism for working out a post Taliban political set up for Afghanistan and let not the envisaged building of long term close relations between India and the US be hindered by factors like Pakistan, after having nursed and sustained terrorists, including the Taliban.

Vajpayee is likely to emphatically put across these concerns. He might tell Mr Bush that imperatives of changed US-Pakistan relationship should not effect the momentum of building Indo-US relations.

In a veiled reference to Pakistan’s aiding militancy in Kashmir, Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee today said members of the coalition against terror mastermind Osama bin Laden and his Al-Qaeda network cannot be permitted to indulge in terrorism elsewhere.

Addressing the House International Relations Committee, he said "as victims of terrorism over the last two decades, we are unanimous of the fact that unless this menace (of terrorism) is tackled in a global and comprehensive manner, it will raise its head in various regions of the world.

"It obviously follows from this that the battle against terrorism cannot end in Afghanistan. It has to address similar manifestations elsewhere," Vajpayee said.

"While tackling terrorism in Afghanistan, if members of our coalition are permitted to indulge in terrorist adventures elsewhere, it would defeat our objectives," he said.

"When I was in Moscow yesterday, President Putin reminded US that the suppression of terrorism in one place also restrains terrorism elsewhere. Conversely, condoning of terrorism encourages terrorism everywhere."

Vajpayee made it clear that India should not be expected tamely to accept Pakistan’s sponsoring of cross-border terrorism.

"Unfortunately, we continue to face cross-border terrorism and increased infiltrations across the border and the Line of Control," Vajpayee told the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

"You would understand, as elected representatives of the people, that public opinion seeks action from its elected representatives when such incidents occur. That is what I wrote to President Bush on October 1 after the terrorist act against the State Assembly of Jammu and Kashmir when over 40 people lost their lives," he said.

The Prime Minister said while India in no way wanted to shift the focus from the international coalition’s current military campaign against terrorism in Afghanistan.

"We have no desire to overload the agenda of the international coalition against terrorism. But at the same time, we need to ensure that we do not tamely accept terrorist acts against us from across the borders," Vajpayee said.

India, he said, was vitally affected by developments in Afghanistan as much of the terrorism in India in the last few years had close links with that country.

The Prime Minister pointed out that he recently wrote to President Bush suggesting the urgent formation of a group of countries which should engage in a focused manner on political reconciliation and economic reconstruction in Afghanistan.

"We hope Pakistan will play a constructive role in this," said Vajpayee, adding "if indeed it has made the correct strategic choice to change (by cooperating with the US-led fight against terrorism in Afghanistan), it would be a major advance towards peace in the region."

Meanwhile, Vajpayee today proposed "a more cooperative" Indo-US partnership as recent events would have a long-term and unpredictable consequences for international relations.

Addressing 130-members Congressional India caucus here this afternoon, he said: "events of recent weeks will have a long-term and unpredictable consequences in international relations. I believe, however, that the momentum of our relationship will sustain itself through these difficult times for the world".

"Last year, I said in Washington that India and the United States were natural allies. As the contours of the long- term changes in the world take shape, new challenges that will emerge will draw our two countries into a more cooperative partnership. I have no doubt that our partnership, grounded in the pluralist and democratic temper of our peoples, will continue to enjoy broad political support in both countries," the Prime Minister said.

The Prime Minister has a busy schedule tomorrow when he will meet the leaders of the two chambers of the US Congress, the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee, the Speaker of the House of Representatives as also Congressional caucus on India and Indian Americans.

After his meeting with Mr Bush, who would host a lunch for him after that engagement in the White House, Mr Vajpayee will leave for New York, where he will address the UN General Assembly on November ten. The same day Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf is to meet Mr Bush. The Vajpayee-Bush summit comes in the backdrop of US officials stressing that India has a role to play in putting in place a Government in post-Taliban Afghanistan.

"I am sure India has a view about the future of Afghanistan," State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said.

Though not on the agenda, an important item that is expected to crop up between Bush and Vajpayee is the prospects of a dialogue between India and Pakistan on which various countries have commended to New Delhi.

But Vajpayee has been repeatedly saying, as late as yesterday in Moscow, that time was not ripe now for talks with Musharraf and a conducive atmosphere has to be created for such an exercise.

He is expected to politely point out India’s position to Bush on the issue.

India’s offer of logistic support to the US in the action in Afghanistan would also come up but right now officials do not see the prospect of the offer being utilised.

Musharraf, arriving in New York for the UN General Assembly session, will be meeting Bush over the weekend and is expected to pursue his case for a halt in bombing operations in Afghanistan during the Ramzan, which Washington has so far declined.

He is also expected to impress on Bush the need for the US to take some initiative on the Kashmir issue in a bid to keep the dialogue with India on.

The Prime Minister is likely to extend an invitation to Bush to visit India soon. (With Agencies)

Oppn poised for assault on Mazar-e-Sharief
US planes attack Taliban frontline

JABAL SARAJ (AFGHANISTAN), Nov 8: US warplanes bombed positions on or near the Taliban front lines north of Kabul, witnesses said today.

In the afternoon, a bomber flew over the Taliban-held town of Qarabagh and enormous explosions followed. Qarabagh is about equi-distant between the Taliban-held capital Kabul and the opposition-held Jabal Saraj, some 60 km to the north.

Earlier, opposition fighters said they saw 10 bombs fall near Estargeh, a Taliban-held town. Two bombs fell on Rahesh. Another four bombs fell in the area of Qari Muheb, behind the Taliban front lines.

Meanwhile, armed with air dropped American ammunition, opposition Northern Alliance forces in Afghanistan were today advancing on horseback towards Mazar-e-Sharif and claimed to be about seven kilometers from the key city.

The fighters were fortifying their position before a major assault, Qari Qudratullah, a spokesman for Northern Alliance Commander Atta Mohammad, said in Islamabad.

"God willing we will soon enter Mazar-e-Sharif. Very soon you will hear the good news that we have liberated it," he said as US war planes attacked Taliban forces, striking at their frontline positions near the border with Tajikistan.

He said that opposition forces were using tanks and rocket propelled grenades in their offensive.

The Taliban officials acknowledged suffering setbacks south of Mazar-e-Sharif but said the opposition claims of territorial movement were exaggerated.

The alliance commanders would confer over the next few days on plans to capture the city without incurring large civilian casualties, opposition commander Mohammad Mohaqik said.

The city lies on important supply routes to neighbouring Uzbekistan. If the Northern Alliance won control over the area it could become a bridge-head for the US ground forces.

The opposition said they have captured four districts and the forces had dug in at a village at Chishma-e-Sharief, about 17 km south of Mazar-e-Sharif.

But a Taliban spokesman told Afghan Islamic Press news agency that only one district Zahre had fallen to opposition.

The spokesman said the militia had repulsed three opposition attacks southwest of the city early today. "Opposition forces are far away from Mazar-e-Sharief and they are making false claims," he added.

There has been no independent confirmation of the claims made by either side and the Americans, who have special forces in the vicinity.

The alliance also said that a key Taliban commander Gulgari was killed in American bombing raids near Mazar-e-Sharif but the militia denied this.

The opposition claimed that 500 Taliban troops had defected while another 250 were captured but the claims could not be independently verified.

The US warplanes targeted Taliban frontline positions north of Kabul in intensified attacks along the Shalami plains and Safy mountain range near the strategic Bagram air base.

A B-52 bomber flew over the area twice which was followed by large explosions.

Mohaqik said US war planes landed for the first time in the Bagram airport. "For the first time, since the start of the US and British air raids on Afghanistan, a number of US warplanes landed in Bagram," he said.

In Washington, US Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Marine Corps Gen Peter Pace described the fighting in the area as very fluid.

The Northern Alliance is "taking the war to our enemy. We know they have been making gains," he said. (AP/PTI)

JKBL opens 2 branches in Kerala
India can't be forced for talks: Omar

Excelsior Correspondent/Agencies

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, Nov 8 : Union Minister of State for External Affairs Omar Abdullah today asserted that India would have talks with Pakistan only on its own terms, and said no third country could force it into a dialogue with the neighbour.

Talking to newspersons after inaugurating the 438th branch of the Jammu and Kashmir Bank here, he said, "we cannot be forced into a dialogue with Pakistan by a third country. Nor can we be forced into a dialogue at the gun point".

Mr Abdullah said Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee had made it clear that no one could force India to have the dialogue with Pakistan, which had not responded positively to the confidence building measures after the Agra summit.

"Pakistan makes no effort to improve the bilateral relations with India", he added.

Accusing Pakistan of cross-border terrorism, Mr Abdullah said the suicide bomb attack at the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly and the Airforce Station were examples of such violence. "Under these circumstances, we will have the dialogue with Pakistan when the time is ripe", he added.

Asked if the international developments in the wake of the September 11 attacks on the US would help India in the Kashmir issue, Mr Abdullah said, "the situation will not help India on its own. We should work to impress it upon other countries."

Accusing Pakistan of being "very much part of the whole nexus of terrorism", he said terrorism abetted by Pakistan would be dealt with strongly.

Referring to Muslims in India in the context of the recent international developments in the region, the Minister said, "ours is a very tolerant and secular Islam. We should be proud of it".

He said, "while Muslims from Pakistan, Europe, Germany and other countries had gone to Afghanistan to join the Jihad, not a single Muslim from India had gone, which has a Muslim population of 140 million."

"This clearly shows that Indian Islam is different from fundamentalist Islam," he added.

Earlier at Kochi in the same State where Mr Omar Abdullah inaugurated J&K Bank’s 437th branch, said that it was strange that Pakistan, which encouraged cross-border terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir, had joined the US in fighting the evil.

"How can a problem become part of the solution?" he said .

Mr Abdullah said terrorism had to be fought wherever it was found in all its forms. There could be no distinction between good and bad terrorism and the world had realised its dangers since the September 11 terrorist attacks in the United States, he added.

He said J and K had been facing terrorism for the last 20 years.

The Government of India would continue to address the problem and the day was not far off when complete peace would prevail in Jammu and Kashmir.

With the opening of these two branch, the Jammu and Kashmir Bank went deep into the South by opening its new branches at Thiruvananthapuram and Kochi in Kerala. The Bank has now total of 438 branches all over the country.

Mr Omar Abdullah inaugurated both these branches while as Kerala Minister for Finance K Sankaranarayanan presided over the function.

Speaking on the occasion, J and K Bank Chairman M.Y. Khan said two more of its branches would be opened in Kerala.

The bank’s business turnover has crossed Rs 16,000 crore and it would touch the Rs 20,000 crore mark by the end of the current fiscal. It has made a profit of Rs 168 crore last year, he said.

Khan said that the net published profit of the Bank has crossed rupees 168 crore for the year ended March 2001, while’s the income of the Bank for the first half has recorded an increase of 33 percent to rupees 740 crore from rupees 559 crore during the previous year and the net profit has increased by 40 percent to rupees 108 crore against rupees 77 crore during the same period last year.

Kerala Finance Minister K Sankaranarayanan on the occasion expressed his support to the Bank and expected that Chairman of J&K Bank will play developmental role for the economy of Kerala.

The Jammu and Kashmir Bank has come into business in 1938 and has presently emerged as one of the leading commercial banks of the country with its branch network spread across length and breath of the nation.

Meanwhile, some of the leading businessmen at Jammu when contacted appreciated the performance of the Bank. They, however, demanded that more Bank branches be opened in the neighbouring State of Punjab like at Patiala where fruit growers and students face immense problems in absence of the Bank branch. They further demanded opening of Bank branches in Jammu city also to cater to the needs of the customers.

There are no two ‘set’ of terrorists
US to target terrorism in India

NEW DELHI, Nov.8: The US has emphatically said it intends to target terrorism faced by India and indicated it will not be linked to the conclusion of the current fight against terrorism in Afghanistan asserting there is nothing like two "set" of terrorists.

The US National Security Adviser Ms Condoleeza Rice told Karan Thapar in an interview for BBC"s "Hard Talk India" the war on terrorism is "indivisible" and that US will root out terrorism wherever it finds.

Rice, a powerful aide of President George W Bush declined to give a time frame by when the Pak-backed militant groups active in Jammu and Kashmir would be declared as a Foreign Terrorist Organisation (FTO) saying there is a process for this purpose but assured it was not a "lengthy process". The US Justice Department last week recommended to the State Department to designate them as FTOs.

"As to the terrorist groups that will be listed, the US has made very clear there is no good terrorism and bad terrorism," Rice said on the eve of Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s visit to the US.

Asked whether India has been given any assurance by the US that it will turn its attention to terrorism in India in the second phase after targeting Osama bin Laden and the Taliban, Rice said it is not a matter of phase two. "We have told the Indian Government that we intend to fight terrorism wherever we see it. That includes in India, that includes in the US."

Rice also categorically said the US has made it clear to Pakistan and other countries that support for terrorism is unacceptable.

Expanding on the demand by India to designate LeT and JeM in the FTO list, Rice said the US has already made it very clear there is no good terrorism and bad terrorism.

"You cannot say that you hate Al Qaeda and that you want to hug some other terrorist group," she said adding that the FTO list is made on the basis of whether the terrorist organisations deserved to be on the list. "There is no other criteria," she said.

Rice said the US takes the war on terrorism seriously and with determination and there is no such thing as a good terrorist.

To a question, Rice said Pakistan is a supporter in the war against terrorism and that Musharraf is doing "everything" that he can to support the US-led coalition.

The US is "completely satisfied" with the level of cooperation it was getting from Pakistan, she said adding that Islamabad is not just a "credible ally" in the fight against terrorism but an ally who is proving itself every day in its support for the coalition.

Rice said Bush will communicate to Musharraf the confidence the US had in him in the way he is leading Pakistan and in his support to the coalition.

"We have every confidence in President Musharraf and believe that Pakistan is a country which the US cares a great deal about its stability.... President Bush is committed to make life better for the Pakistani people, as a part of our concern about Pakistani stability," she said.

Rice ruled out a pause in military strikes in Afghanistan saying that Al Qaeda cannot be allowed to plan another major attack against the US.

"We have no choice but to root out Al Qaeda, to make certain that the Taliban cannot harbour them," she said.

Rice said the US was "very pleased" with the direction which the strikes on Afghanistan is taking and with what it is achieving.

"We intend to disrupt and eventually destroy the Al Qaeda network, to make certain that Afghanistan can no longer be used as a base for terrorism, and hopefully to leave a more stable Afghanistan, so that Afghanistan’s neighbours can feel a sense of security," she said.

"Osama bin Laden is on the run, from place to place,"she said adding that "at this point people will be hardpressed to find a major Al Qaeda military camp where they train these terrorists, where Al Qaeda feels comfortable going and training terrorists."

Al Qaeda’s network are being disrupted worldwide because there is a unity of work from intelligence services around the world that is making the cells of the network developed in 60 different countries difficult to work.

"We really believe that we are having a major impact on disrupting the campaign of terror," Rice said.

She said the strikes in Afghanistan was a "shadowy campaign" and that the US was going to fight this war smart.(PTI)

Advani rules out strike on camps
US asks Pak to handover Dawood, Memon to India

NEW DELHI, Nov 8: Home Minister L K Advani tonight ruled out any move by the armed forces to strike terrorists and their camps in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir although hot pursuit was a legitimate action against an enemy under the international law.

"It is our considered view that we will not do it (strike terrorist bases in PoK)," Advani told PTI.

He said when pressure was maximum to cross the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir during the 1999 Kargil conflict, "we resisted it".

Maintaining that hot-pursuit was internationally recognised as a legitimate course against an enemy, Advani however said "we hope we will be able to repeat the stand we took during the Kargil war."

Meanwhile, the United States is understood to have asked Islamabad to hand over to India Dawood Ibrahim, Tiger Memon and others accused in the Bombay blast case who have taken shelter in Pakistan, highly-placed sources said tonight.

Quoting intelligence reports, the sources said Washington had asked Islamabad to "take action" against the March 1993 serial blast accused and that the list of such terrorists "would be further enlarged".

This follows the US declaration that its fight against terrorism would not be confined to the war against Taliban in Afghanistan.

The sources said if Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf has now described the recent attack on Jammu and Kashmir assembly in Srinagar as "terrorism" and condemned it, "the US can ask Islamabad to close down all terrorist camps operating there."

Pakistan, which is now part of the battle against terrorism, can also be asked to hand over Dawood Ibrahim and Jaishe-e-Mohammad chief Maulana Masood Azhar and the hijackers of the Indian Airlines plane to Kandahar in December 1999.

Home Minister L K Advani had brought up these concerns before British Premier Tony Blair during his recent visit.

Advani had yesterday said it was "most significant that Musharraf had condemned the attack at the J and K Assembly in Srinagar and described it as an act of terrorism. The description (of the act) was different than what we heard at Agra". (PTI)

85 more militants dead
Harkat chief enters Afghanistan

ISLAMABAD, Nov 8: Fazlur Rehman Khalil, the leader of the Pakistan-based militant outfit Harkat-ul Mujahideen has crossed over to Afghanistan to join Taliban’s fight against the US, amid reports that 85 militants of another Pakistani Jihadi outfit were killed in the ongoing American bombing.

Khalil reported to have crossed over to the Afghanistan early this week from Mian Mandi, a commercial town of Pakistan’s north-western Mohammad agency near the Afghan border, Pakistan daily ‘The Nation’ said today.

He was reportedly accompanied by a number of guards and colleagues, it said.

Meanwhile, Kamal Azfar a spokesman of the Harkat Jihad-i Islami, said that 85 members of the group who fought along with Taliban in front lines against Northern Alliance in Afghan key town of Mazari-e-Sharif were killed in the US air strikes. A number of others were reported to have been wounded. A large number of Pakistanis along with Arab associates of Osama bin Laden held the front lines of Taliban in the north.

Harkat Jihad i-Islami, like Harkat-ul Mujahideen was part of the United Jihad Council (UJC), headed by Kashmir militant group Hizbul Mujahideen. UJC is a conglomerate of 14 Jihad groups.

Khalil was in news recently after 22 members of his outfit were killed in Kabul when US missiles hit the house where they held a meeting. Subsequently the group had tough time getting bodies into Pakistan as Islamabad declined permission to let the bodies to be transported through the main border check points.

Those killed included some middle rung leaders of the organisation. Khalil was also reported to have been briefly detained here in the recent weeks after his organisation was banned by US for its alleged links with Osama bin Laden. Pakistan Government has also recommended the freezing of the bank accounts of the outfit following the US ban.

Harkatul, which was a pan Islamic outfit took part in the ‘liberation’ movements in Kashmir, Chechenya and Afghanistan. (PTI)

Minor boy killed in Bhaderwah encounter

Excelsior Correspondent

UDHAMPUR, Nov 8: A minor boy was killed in exchange of firing between the terrorists and Special Task Force (STF) Doda at village Puneja in Bhaderwah tehsil last night while two Special Police Officers (SPOs) were injured in another encounter in Mahore tehsil.

Police said a team of STF Doda carried out an operation in Puneja, Bhaderwah last night on a tip off that two to three terrorists had taken shelter in a house of Shabir Ahmed Nazaar. As cops were encircling the house, the terrorists opened firing. STF jawans retaliated.

After a brief exchange of firing, the ultras fled away. Before fleeing, they set ablaze the house of Shabir Ahmed Nazaar. In the cross-firing, a nine year old boy Abdul Wahid son of Ghulam Nabi Wahid, a resident of Puneja, was killed.

House was gutted. Tension gripped Puneja and Bhaderwah town this morning with people protesting the killing of a minor boy. They alleged that Abdul Wahid was killed due to STF team’s mistake.

Shops of minority community in Bhaderwah remained closed today. Boy was buried this evening amidst protests by the people. Police and para-military was deployed in Puneja to keep a vigil on the situation.

Meanwhile, another encounter took place between STF Mahore and the terrorists at hilly village of Hasot in Chasana area last evening. The encounter continued for about one hour in which two SPOs were seriously injured.

They have been identified as Rashpal Singh (No. 291) and Abdul Lateef (No. 226). Rashpal sustained a gun shot in his chest while Lateef was injured in his arm.

Both were first shifted to Budhal hospital and then referred to district hospital of Rajouri.

The terrorists managed to escape during the encounter.

Janbaaz among 3 terrorist killed

Excelsior Correspondent

POONCH/RAJOURI, Nov 8: Three terrorists were killed in two separate operations in the twin border districts today while three others were captured alive from Poonch town last night.

Police sources said that army and police eliminated two terrorists after one and a half hour long operation at Sheen Dhara between Poonch and Surankot this evening. One of the killed terrorists was a dreaded ultra Janbaaz, a Pakistani and a ‘commander’ of Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) outfit.

Two AK-56 rifles, four magazines, 40 rounds, two grenades and a wireless set were recovered from the scene of encounter. Police party in the operation was supervised by SSP Poonch Dr Kamal Saini.

Identity of the slain associate of Janbaaz was not established immediately but he too was stated to be a Pakistani. No casualties were reported on army or police side in the operation that was still going on with two to three more terrorists being confronted by the security personnel.

Another group of seven terrorists was noticed by a joint patrol party of army and BSF after it had infiltrated into Indian territory from Line of Control (LoC) in Balakot sector. Army and BSF jawans chased the terrorists.

While a group of five ultras fled into an adjoining forest area in Berian Gali, two others were trapped. One of them was eliminated. He has been identified as Tufail Hussain alias Shahbaaz son of Mohd Akram, a resident of Langot Dabsi in Nikial area of Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK).

One AK rifle, 150 rounds, five magazines and three grenades were recovered from the possession of slain ultra.

Meanwhile, three suspected Kashmiri terrorists were arrested by police from Bus Stand, Poonch last night. They were being interrogated by police. Identity of the arrested terrorists couldn’t be ascertained.

Putin, Bush hold telephonic talks

MOSCOW, Nov 8: Russian President Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart George W Bush today held a telephone conversation on Afghanistan ahead of their meeting in Washington next week.

The two leaders discussed their forthcoming meeting and exchanged opinions about Russian-US interaction in the American-led strikes against Afghanistan, the Kremlin Press Service said.

Putin and Bush are to meet first in Washington and later at the American President’s ranch in Crawford, Texas during Putin’s November 12-15 visit. (UNI)

17 feared killed in Drass snowfall

CHANDIGARH, Nov 8: Atleast seventeen people are feared to have died in blizzards and avalanches in the snow-bound Sonamarg-Drass road passing through the 14,000-feet high Zozilla pass in Jammu and Kashmir since November three when the Srinagar-Leh National Highway was officially closed to traffic.

Indo-Tibetean Border Police (ITBP), who have been engaged in the rescue work, today told UNI that while nine people were travelling on foot when they went missing on November three, atleast eight others were in the four trucks, which rolled down into Ghumri nullah the same day due to an avalanche. All were feared dead now, according to ITBP 8th battalion’s second in command Ishwar Singh Duhan. The body of an unidentified trucker, which was retrieved yesterday, was today flown to Srinagar for identification, he added.

The officer said retrieval of other bodies would start tomorrow.

Altogether 816 people, who were stranded between Sonamarg and Drass, have been evacuated in the joint rescue operation codenamed "Operation Snow Storm" launched by the Army, Air Force, ITBP and the Border Roads Organisation (BRO).

In a statement to UNI in Jammu, the army said a convoy of 340 vehicles including 300 civil and 40 military vehicles were stranded since October 31 due to heavy snowfall on the Drass-Sonamarg road.

Brigadier R E Williams at Drass dispatched two medical teams along with sleeping bags, snow boots and medicines on snow vehicles while a foot-patrol column established contact with the stranded convoy, the statement said.

The civilians were evacuated to Srinagar and Sonamarg through numerous Mi-17 sorties. The army personnel were ferried either to Gumri or Drass. Major General Satnam Singh and Brigadier Williams personally supervised the rescue operation, it added. (UNI)

Labourer killed in shoot-out

Excelsior Correspondent

JAMMU, Nov 8: A labourer from Orissa was killed in firing by the BSF jawans in forward area of Paharpur in Hiranagar tehsil of Kathua district this morning.

The labourer Lal Tone of Sasaa district in Orissa was moving in Paharpur alongwith his friend when he was mistaken by the BSF as an infiltrator. Lal Tone was killed in the firing while his associate was arrested.

Reports said that both were staying in Paharpur and working as labourers.

Gupta restrained from working as CCBL Chairman

Excelsior Correspondent

JAMMU, Nov 8: The Court of Registrar Cooperative Societies Jammu has restrained Kuldeep Kumar Gupta, Chairman Citizens Cooperative Bank Limited (CCBL) from functioning or performing as Chairman and also Director of the Board of Management of the Bank.

The direction was passed on a petition filed by Sanam Soni of Trikutanagar Jammu wherein he sought removal of the respondent (Kuldeep Gupta) from the Directorship of the Bank for incurring disqualification to continue on the Board of the Bank.

The Court while passing these directions, issued notices to the other side and said that there is a prima facie case against the respondent. The Court further listed the case for November 21, 2001 for hearing.

Laden has $ 50 m

RIYADH, Nov 8: The wealth of prime terror suspect Osama bin Laden, estimated by Western reports to be in billions, is no more than 50 million dollars, the former head of the Saudi secret service said today.

"Westerners have estimated it at between one and five billion dollars," Prince Turki Al-Faisal said in an interview with the English-language Arab News and London-based Saudi-owned MBC TV.

"But our estimate, made when I was director of the intelligence, put it at between 40 and 50 million dollars at the most," the prince added.

Prince Turki was relieved of his post at "his own request" at the end of August after 25 years in the service. He is known for closely following the career of bin Laden.

"There are different methods of hiding money, from secret accounts to other criminal ways. He, like any other criminal, follows these well-known paths," the prince said about bin Laden’s way of hiding his wealth.

Prince Turki also ruled out the possibility that bin Laden’s Al-Qaeda organisation may have weapons of mass destruction.

"While I was in the intelligence service, we monitored all these claims, not only those related to Al-Qaeda, but regarding other organisations as well.

"There were reports that several individuals and organisations had acquired or were about to acquire such weapons, but we have not received strong evidence to back that up," he said. (AFP)

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