Pak blamed for pan-Islamic movement
Dialogue, not war is solution: CM

Excelsior Correspondent

JAMMU, Sept 24: Accusing Pakistan of creating pan-Islamic terrorists movement in the world, Chief Minister, Dr Farooq Abdullah today said that Pakistan cannot shirk its responsibility from the prevailing blood-shed and violence in the world.

Addressing a seminar on ‘Role of the media and terrorism’, Dr Abdullah said, "sources of unrest in entire world especially in South Asia lie in terrorists training camp being operated and funded by Pakistan". He said that Islamic terrorists, trained in these training camps, have been imported to different parts of the world on the name of Islam to spread terror.

Dr Abdullah said that terrorists training camps have been operating on the soil of Pakistan and successive Pakistani Governments have instigated Islamic terrorists to unleash a reign of terror in India and resorted to selective killings. "Terrorists, at the behest of Pakistani Government, have executed bomb blasts at Mumbai, Coimbatore and other parts of the country to create communal divide", he said and appreciated people of the country for maintaining brotherhood and unity despite repeated attempts by the enemy.

Pointing towards the difficult situation being faced by Pakistan after September 11 terrorists attack on World Trade Centre (WTC) and Pentagon, Chief Minister said that Pakistan was itself responsible for the same situation. "We have repeatedly advised Pakistan not to operate militants training camps and not to instigate people on the name of religion but successive Pakistan governments did not pay any heed to our advice", he said, adding, "with its nefarious designs to destablise India, Pakistan Government has continued its support to terrorists"."Now Pakistan itself has become victim of the same conspiracy which it had hatched to destablise India", he said.

Virtually taking a U-turn of his previous stand, Chief Minister, Dr Farooq Abdullah today said that war with Pakistan was no solution of terrorism. He stressed on the need of continuing dialogue with Pakistan to contain blood-shed in the region.

"It is easy to start war but we should have to keep in the mind the destruction which occurrs during war", Dr Abdullah said and hoped that Pakistani leaders will realise that dialogue was the only solution.

Pointing towards the statement of US Secretary of State Colin Powell in which he has stated that J&K terrorism was in US President George W Bush’s target list, Dr Abdullah said, though, we support US efforts against terrorism but we will not tolerate any interference in the internal matters of the country. Chief Minister said that India was competent enough to fight its battle. He, however, hoped that India and Pakistan will sit together after the on-going crises was over and solve their disputes.

Expressing his grave concern over killing of innocent people in the terrorists attack on WTC and Pentagon, Dr Abdullah said that terrorists attack was an eye opener for those forces who have maintained a criminal silence over our repeated concern regarding terrorism.

" India had been voicing its concern over the terrorism since 1990 but it found no takers, we even highlighted the hijacking of Indian Airlines plane to Kandhar and asked the world community to take serious note of the development", he said, adding "unfortunately, there was no response except a few condemnations here or there", "We were forced to release three dreaded terrorist during Kandhar hijacking episode as there was no support to India during that crucial time", he regretted and hoped that now the world will evolve a composite strategy to fight terrorism.

Chief Minister, however, said that instead of looking towards USA or another country we should evolve an effective strategy to fight terrorism ourself. "USA and other countries have their own interest and they should not fight our war. Our war against terrorism is only ours and we should remain united to win this war", he said.

Pointing towards some questions raised by the speakers regarding human rights violations, Dr Abdullah said that, our law was not sufficient enough to deal with terrorists. He stressed on the need of giving some more teeth to the existing laws to deal terrorists and other anti-national forces. Chief Minister also criticised some media-men for irresponsible reporting.

Pak trying to dismantle terrorist camps

NEW DELHI, Sept 24: Faced with growing American pressure, Pakistan is in the process of dismantling terrorist camps in occupied Kashmir (PoK) and other places and asking the militants to move into Afghanistan, senior Defence Ministry officials said today.

Quoting wireless intercepts of instructions from Pakistani Army and security agencies to the militant outfits, the officials said in the first week after the September 11 terror strikes in the US, "confusion" prevailed in the militant ranks about these directions.

But now there are indications of the militants moving out of PoK though the "full impact of these measures are yet to be seen", the officials said observing that there has so far been no large-scale exfiltration of the terrorists.

The signal communications, intercepted by military and intelligence agencies, also revealed that the militants who move out of their camps in PoK would be "escorted" by the Pakistan Army through to Afghanistan.

The officials said the Musharraf regime was under "tremendous pressure" to dismantle the terrorist training camps in PoK and elsewhere and had given clear instructions that the terrorists should not remain on the Pakistani soil.

The Pakistani regime was earlier trying to push out the militant groups into Jammu and Kashmir but were prevented from doing so as "our troops were on high alert and had sealed the borders", they said.

Describing Pakistan regime’s move as "positive", the officials, however, said they would make an assessment only after a few days of watching the terrorist movements.

There are between three to four thousand militants in these training camps at the moment, the officials said, adding that half of them were foreign mercenaries including Afghan nationals.

They said the number of terrorist incidents in J and K had come down from over 40 on the week after the terrorist attack in the US to between ten and 12.

Asked about the status of regular Pakistani Army personnel who have been so far fighting alongside the Taliban in Afghanistan, the officials said there were about 6,000 such personnel who included about 1,000 Army regulars.

While the Pakistani authorities had asked the Army regulars to return from Afghanistan, the others - mainly militants - were on their own, they said.

Reports of "rifts and schism" have been received between the Taliban and the Pakistani Army advisers, with the former now paying "less heed to or having less faith" on the regulars the officials said.

India has already given intelligence inputs to the US on the presence of Pakistan Army’s regular units, para-commandos and personnel of its elite Special Services Group (SSG) stationed in Afghanistan. The Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) has already opened several offices in that country. Besides the regulars, hundreds of militants belonging to several outfits like Sipah-e-Sahaba, Harkatul Mujahideen and Jaish-e-Mohammad, which are based, trained and equipped by Pakistan, are still positioned in Afghanistan, according to reports here.

The reports said a Pakistan Army sub-unit from Peshawar was stationed in Kabul, while the first battalion of SSG from Cherat headquarters has been redeployed in Afghanistan.

A Pakistani parachute regiment was located at the barracks of the 11th Nangarhar division of Taliban, commando sub-units were stationed in the building of the artillery headquarters in Nangarhar where 110 division was earlier located. The reports said a group of Pakistani military advisers were at the Bagram air base of Taliban.

The ISI has opened two new offices in Kandahar and Kabul "ostensibly to liaise with Taliban authorities" and "greater and more effective coordination" with Taliban. Another office was "opened in Mazar-e-Sharif to facilitate coordination with Islamic forces in Uzbekistan", the reports said.

The ISI-Army combine was "using abandoned chemical factories, fertiliser depots and closed cotton textile mills located in Mansehra, Lakki, Nowshera and Charsadda areas of north-western frontier province of Pakistan "as staging posts for onward dispatch of arms and ammunition to Taliban". (PTI)

Bush freezes assets of Laden, Harkat outfit
*27 entities targeted

WASHINGTON, Sept 24: Pakistan-based militant outfit Harkat-ul-Mujahideen is among the 27 individuals and groups linked to terrorism whose assests were frozen by President George Bush today.

White House spokesman Gordon Johndroe said Bush signed the order last night, and would announce the step at 9:30 a.m. (1900 hrs IST). "He did do it (sign the freeze) last night," Johndroe said.

A White House official said the order freezes US assets of bin Laden, whom Bush accuses of masterminding the September 11 attacks on New York and Washington, and Al Qaeda. It also bars transactions with persons or groups suspected of committing acts of terrorism.

Herewith is the list of entities affected by his executive order:

Al-Qaeda/Islamic army

Abu Sayyaf Group

Armed Islamic Group (GIA)

Harakat ul-Mujahideen (HuM)

Al-Jihad (Egyptian Islamic Jihad)

Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU)

Asbat Al-Ansar

Salafist Group for Call and Combat (GSPC)

Libyan Islamic Fighting Group

Al-Itihaad Al-Islamiya (AIAI)

Islamic Army of Aden

Osama bin Laden

Muhammad Atif (Aka Subhi Abu Sitta, Abu Hafs Al Masri)

Sayf Al-Adl

Shaykh Sai-Id (Aka Mustafa Muhammad Ahmad)

Abu Hafs the Mauritanian (Aka Mahfouz Ould Al-Walid, K Alid Al-Shanqiti)

Ibn Al-Shaykh Al-Libi

Abu Zubaydah (Aka Zayn Al-Abidin Muhammad Husayn, Tari)

Abd Al-Hadi Al-Iraqi (Aka Abu Abdallah)

Ayman Al-Zawahiri

Thirwat Salah Shihata

Tariq Anwar Al-Sayyid Ahmad (Aka Fathi, Amr Al-Fatih)

Muhammad Salah (Aka Nasr Fahmi Nasr Hasanayn)

Makhtab Al-Khidamat/Al Kifah

Wafa Humanitarian Organization

Al Rashid Trust

Mamoun Darkazanli Import-Export Company. (Agencies)

Civilian killed, youth kidnapped
Fidayeen attack on IRP hqrs repulsed

Excelsior Correspondent

POONCH, Sept 24: Jawans of Indian Reserve Police (IRP) repulsed a fidayeen attack on their headquarters in Draba area of Surankot last night while a youth was kidnapped by two Afghan militants in Shahpur area. A woman alongwith her two infants crossed over to Pakistan from the Line of Control (LoC) while a civilian was killed in cross-firing.

Official sources said two fidayeen of Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) were noticed by the sentries posted at IRP headquarters when former were moving towards the headquarters at 2030 hours last night in Draba area of Surankot.

Sentries lit up the area and opened firing on fidayeen. After brief exchange of firing, the fidayeen fled away. No casualty was reported on either side. Sources said the fidayeen attack was thwarted due to timely action taken by the sentries.

An unidentified civilian was killed this evening in exchange of firing between security forces and militants in Sathra area of this district. The civilian was on way to his house when he was trapped in exchange of firing and got killed.

Militants escaped during the firing. Body of the deceased civilian has been shifted to a hospital.

Meanwhile, two Afghan militants kidnapped a youth Mohd Saleem son of Ghulam Hussain from his house in Gandaria dhok in Shahpur area of this district last night. Whereabouts of Mohd Saleem couldn’t be ascertained immediately.

Reports said that Mohd Saleem might be taken across the LoC by Afghan militants forcibly for arms training in Pakistan.

A young woman Pervez Akhter wife of Mohd Fareed crossed over to Pakistan from LoC in Shahpur area last night. She also took away her two children—Jehangir, 4 and Shaheen, 2 alongwith her.

Mohd Fareed had already crossed over to Pakistan few months back.

JE, property dealer among suspects
AG official murdered

Excelsior Correspondent

JAMMU, Sept 24: An employee of Accountant General (AG) office was murdered at his Gandhi Nagar house late last night allegedly by a Junior Engineer and a property dealer, both of whom were absconding. Both parties had a long pending property dispute involving a Housing Board plot.

Shakti Partap Sharma, 53, an official in AG office was alone in his Gandhi Nagar house last night when the assailants struck sometime between 2030 hours to 2100 hours. They inflicted a deep wound on his forehead with a blunt weapon, reportedly killing him instantly. Assailants escaped after locking main gate of victim from inside.

Police officials, investigating the case, said Sharma’s wife Sunita Sharma had gone to the market at the time of incident. When she returned, she found the gate locked from inside. As her repeated knocks were not responded, she approached a police party at Gole Market at about 2115 hours.

Police party scaled wall of the house from backside and saw Shakti Partap lying dead on a LPG chullah. He had received a deep wound on his forehead with a blunt weapon resulting into his instant death. He was shifted to hospital by police party, where he was declared as ‘brought dead’.

Police cordoned off the area but couldn’t hunt down the killers. SP City (South) Jagdish Lal Sharma and SHO Gandhi Nagar Gian Sharma rushed to the scene of crime. Body of the victim was handed over to his family after post-mortem.

Police said the murder appeared to have taken place at 2030 hours while police could launch a hunt for the criminals only at 2230 hours after shifting Shiv Partap to Medical College. This might have given an ample opportunity to the assailants to escape.

Investigating police officials said Shakti Partap had been kidnapped about a month back from his same house by a PHE Junior Engineer Dil Bahadur and Ashwani Kumar alias Kaka, a property dealer. Duo had forced Shakti to sign some documents regarding his disputed plot and paid Rs one lakh to him to leave the plot No. 423 A/B Gandhi Nagar, where he had been putting up currently.

Later, Dil Bahadur had also approached police with a bullet wound, which had reportedly been inflicted on him by Shakti’s supporters. Police had launched counter FIRs in the case and also formally arrested Dil Bahadur for kidnapping of Shakti Sharma.

Police officials said they raided the houses and offices of both Dil Bahadur and Ashwani ‘Kaka’ besides their other suspected houses at different places in Jammu but both were untraced. They have gone under-ground raising police suspicion that either they were directly involved in the murder or were conspirator to the killing, they added.

A murder case has been registered against the accused at Gandhi Nagar police station for further investigations. However, no arrest has been made so far.

Police said the plot No. 423 A/B, where Shakti Partap had constructed two room set, was being claimed by both the groups. Both of them had certain documents in support of their claim. A decision to decide owner of the case was pending before the authorities.

Meanwhile, in another incident, a middle-aged woman Parsano Devi wife of Garu Ram was stabbed and seriously injured by three persons in a group clash at Makwal village under the jurisdiction of Satwari police station.

Woman was stabbed by Darshan Lal and Ram Dass, both brothers and son of Naba Ram and Bachan Lal, all residents of Makwal. While Bachan Lal has been arrested by police, Ram Dass and Darshan Lal were absconding.

Pak asks ultras to move to Afghanistan
Militants leaving J&K in panic

NEW DELHI, Sept 24: Panicked by the US resolve to demolish all terrorist networks, Pakistan has asked 3,000 to 4,000 militants presently operating in Jammu and Kashmir to move to Afghanistan to fight shoulder-to-shoulder with the Taliban militia, senior defence officials confirmed today.

Pakistan has sent an express advisory to the commanders of various militant groups holed up in the Valley "to go to Afghanistan to join the Taliban," according to intercepted messages for militant leaders from across the border.

There are indications that militants are moving towards the Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) from where they would be escorted by Pakistani rangers to Afghanistan for fighting against the US.

This new development in the 13-year old militancy in Kashmir is the result of tremendous US pressure on Pakistan to abandon terrorism and align with the international community to fight the scourge.

There has been certain lowering down of incidents of violence in Kashmir since the September 11 terrorist attacks on the US, the officials admitted.

Pakistani authorities have directed the militants to use two routes for escaping to Afghanistan — one direct and the other via PoK.

However, the officials made it clear that there were no reports to suggest that any group had left the troubled state. "Visible signs on the ground regarding exfiltration are so far not there. We have to wait and see how the situation develops in the present scenario."

The officials also expressed the fear that Pakistan, in its anxiety, may push militants into Jammu and Kashmir once it felt the pressure of the international community. This may be the result of Pakistan’s decision to disband all terrorist training camps on its soil.

The officials said that US Secretary of State Colin Powell’s observation that the Bush administration would target terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir and other parts of the world besides Afghanistan had also impacted upon the militant groups in the Valley.

They said that nearly 3000-4000 militants were at present operating in the State out of which nearly 50 per cent are foreign mercenaries.

Referring to the current security scenario in Kashmir, the officials admitted that the number of militancy-related incidents had come down sharply during the past two weeks. While in the first seven days 40 incidents were reported, only 10-12 incidents were reported in the second and third weeks. (UNI)

PM convenes NDA meet

NEW DELHI, Sept 24: As part of ongoing broad-based consultations in the aftermath of the terrorist strikes in the U S, Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee has convened a meeting of NDA on September 26 and of major opposition parties the next day to brief them on the latest situation.

This would be the second interaction between the Prime Minister and the political parties on the development as Vajpayee had convened the first all-party meeting on the issue on September 15, four days after the tragedy that struck New York and Washington.

The all-party meeting had backed the Government on steps to combat terrorism but cautioned it against decisions that would affect national security.

The meeting has been called a day after the Congress demanded that Government should consult the political parties on a daily basis as "things are moving so fast" in the light a spate of developments after the strike.

The Congress has favoured a broad-based international coalition against terrorism as envisaged in the UN resolutions and has maintained that any international strategy in this regard "must be credible, just, effective, sustainable and defencible in the eyes of the international law and world public opinion."

Several political parties wanted the world community to take into account fully India’s concerns and predicament in the face of sustained cross-border terrorism.

Left parties are opposed to any move by Government to offer logistic facilities or participate in the proposed US military action.

India has been maintaining that the US is yet to make a request for specific logistical support for possible air strikes on Afghanistan, but has expressed readiness to extend refuelling, landing, medical and overflight facilities to Washington for the anti-terrorist operations.(PTI)

Taliban abandon Pak army officials

NEW DELHI, Sept 24: The sudden shift in Pakistan’s policy towards Afghanistan has forced the Taliban to abandon over 1000 Pakistani army officials of various ranks who were actively involved in the Taliban operations against the Northern Alliance.

The Taliban do not trust Pakistani officials anymore and maintain a distance from them, defence analysts here said.

Moreover, the Pakistani military regime that was helping the Taliban militarily and financially, is also recalling its defence personnel from Afghanistan to avoid any embarrassment over its engagement with the Taliban.

There are at present 5000-6000 Pakistanis fighting alongwith the Taliban. While the army personnel are set to return to Pakistan, the civilians, mainly products of ‘Jehadi Madrassas’, will stay back to join the Taliban fight against the US.

Referring to internal problems in Pakistan, the analysts feel that President Pervez Musharraf had weathered the "initial storm." The anti-US protests were not massive. Even the differences within the army have been overcome for the time being, although the situation is not totally rosy for the military regime. (UNI)

Musharraf to meet PoK leaders today

ISLAMABAD, Sept 24: Faced with mounting opposition to his decision to cooperate with US campaign against terrorism, Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf will meet leaders of Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) tomorrow as part of his consultations with cross sections of society to discuss the situation arising out of the Sept 11 terrorist attacks in US.

Official media reports here said today that during the meeting Musharraf would take the PoK leaders into confidence over the Government’s decisions to tackle the crisis.

According to official sources all the heads of political parties, PoK based Hurriyat Conference leaders and the PoK Government functionaries have been invited to the meeting. (PTI)

Taliban take over UN offices

ISLAMABAD, Sept 24: Afghanistan’s ruling Taliban militia has taken over UN offices in the southern city of Kandahar and placed a communications blackout on other UN operations, a spokeswoman for the world body said today.

Spokeswomen Stephanie Bunker also said most UN humanitarian operations in the country had been disrupted or had ceased altogether due to a ban on communications slapped on UN offices last week.

"It is possible that any attempt to communicate with the outside world could put staff at the risk of their lives," she said.

She said the Islamic militia had entered the UN offices in Kandahar, Taliban’s southern stronghold, over the weekend and closed down vital relief work and mine clearing operations amid a deepening humanitarian crisis.

"Local authorities have taken over UN offices in Kandahar as well as some NGO offices. They have also taken over the offices of two NGOs working under the umbrella of UN mine action programme in Afghanistan," Bunker said.

She said the move had obvious "profound consequences" for the more than 100,000 people who are believed to have fled Kandahar for safety of the countryside or the Pakistani border over the past two weeks.

On Friday, Taliban "entered UN offices in Kabul and locked and sealed all communications equipment," she said.

"Over the weekend similar actions were taken at three other locations around the country," Bunker said. (AFP)

Pak pulls out diplomatic staff from Afghanistan

ISLAMABAD, Sept 24: As the US stood poised to attack Afghanistan, Pakistan pulled out its diplomatic staff from the country citing "abnormal situation" and a high-level American team today held talks here to firm up Islamabad’s offer of cooperation for a possible military reprisal against Osama bin Laden and his network.

In another related development, the defiant Taliban took over UN offices in the southern city of Kandahar and placed a communication blackout on other UN operations.

With the US ready to unleash its mass military forces against terrorist bases in Afghanistan, Pakistan said it has pulled out all its staff from its diplomatic missions in Kabul and other cities in the country "in view of the abnormal situation."

"They were withdrawn over the weekend. They are all in Pakistan," Foreign Office spokesman Mohammad Riaz Khan said.

A high-level US team comprising officials from the State Department and the Pentagon, which arrived here late yesterday, was assessing the situation in Quetta and Peshawar bordering Afghanistan ahead of meeting with Pakistan military and Government officials, CNN quoting diplomatic sources reported.

The meetings are expected to take place throughout the week under extreme secrecy, it said adding that the delegation is likely to inspect military facilities in Pakistan and evaluate whether they can be used for any potential US military action.

President Pervez Musharraf, who has promised "unstinted cooperation" to the US in its fight against terrorism, recently said America had sought use of Pakistani airspace, logistical support and intelligence for any military action against bin Laden, prime suspect in terror strikes in New York and Washington.

A UN spokesperson in Islamabad was quoted by AFP as saying that the Taliban militia has taken over UN offices in Kandahar and placed a communication blackout on other UN operations.

"Local (Taliban) authorities has taken over UN offices in Kandahar as well as some NGO offices," including two working under the umbrella of UN Mine Action Programme, she said.

The Taliban cabinet held an emergency session in Kabul and discussed in depth the defence and security affairs of the country as also deployment of its fighters, Taliban embassy officials here said.

Taliban Defence Minister Mullah Obaidullah in a statement said 300,000 Afghans "experienced in Jehad" had been deployed in Kabul, along the borders and other important sites.

All the ministers and secretaries attended the meeting which discussed different aspects of the threats against Afghanistan’s independence and territorial integrity posed by the US and took a number of "necessary decisions" in this regard, they said without elaborating.

They reviewed reports of US and British troops landing in areas under the control of opposition Northern Alliance and the escalation in fighting.

The meeting also discussed the availability of food supplies in the country and constituted teams to fan out to different provinces to explain to people their national and Islamic obligations under the present circumstances, the officials said.

As Taliban maintained that bin Laden had disappeared, a claim dismissed by the US, militia supremo Mullah Mohammad Omar said the US preparations were an attempt to overthrow the Taliban regime and take Islam "hostage."

"The US wants to end the Islamic system in Afghanistan, create lawlessness and establish a pro-American Government," he said in a statement carried by Afghan Islamic Press.

Russian news agency Itar-Tass reported that bin Laden is shuttling between his numerous secret hideouts in Jalalabad in Afghanistan and may take over the command of Taliban forces in case of US attacks on Kabul.

The agency quoting intelligence sources said bin Laden had set up several secret command centres in Jalalabad for controlling Taliban militia forces.

He is likely to take over the command of Taliban in case of a US attack on Afghanistan, it said.

Meanwhile, Taliban said today it had still not found bin Laden to deliver a request that he leave the country.

"I do not know exactly where he is," Taliban ambassador to Pakistan Abdul Salam Zaeef said in Islamabad.

"There is an effort to locate him. He may be in Afghanistan and he may be hiding." (PTI)

Centre to discuss anti-terrorism law

NEW DELHI, Sept 24: Centre would soon initiate discussions with states on the possibility of enacting federal laws to combat terrorism, drug trafficking as also providing protection to security forces fighting Pakistan-backed proxy war, Home Minister L K Advani said tonight.

Government would seek the opinion of State Governments on changes in law to extend legal cover to security personnel engaged in battle against terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir and elsewhere, Advani told reporters.

"There are certain crimes and threats, primarily relating to terrorism, which do not affect merely a city or a State even though under the Constitution law and order is a state subject. Like in the US, these crimes should be dealt at the Central level which could require a federal law to effectively combat terrorism and drug trafficking," he said.

Advani said the Centre would initiate consultations with Chief Ministers, Chief Secretaries and Directors General of Police on the possibility of formulating a comprehensive anti-terrorism law.

The Home Minister had earlier said there should be some legal provisions so that "no policeman who acted firmly and without malafide against terrorists in the cause of his national duty, is hounded out for extraneous reasons.

"But in an abnormal situation of proxy war, there are no legal provisions to protect a policeman who has done something in a bonafide manner to provide security to the common people," Advani had said.

Replying to questions, Advani said that so far there had been no problem in getting the cooperation of the states in fighting terrorism, including bombing of churches by Deendar Anjuman, which has been banned now, and busting ISI modules across the country.

He expressed hope that consultations with the states on the proposed law would be over before a conference of Chief Ministers in November.

Meanwhile, Home Ministry sources said the Indian Space Research Organisation spy case had brought into focus the need for such a Central law as intelligence agencies and those directly fighting terrorism required some kind of legal cover.

The sources referred to cases in Punjab where police personnel were being hauled up and some even convicted for the actions they had taken to eliminate terrorism in the State.

What needed to be viewed was that their actions were bonafide and whatever protection they should get under law should be given, the sources opined.

They said special powers were granted to security forces during a war under various laws like Article 352 that could be invoked during external emergency which suspended the fundamental rights of the people or under the Defence of India Rules.

However, there were no rules or law to provide such protection to security personnel who were fighting the Pak-sponsored proxy war, they added.(PTI)

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