Spl
powers to armed forces in J&K From B L Kak NEW DELHI, Dec. 12: The Government of India has no plans to withdraw the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (J&K), which currently covers all six districts of Kashmir Valley and a 20-km long belt along the Line of Control (LoC) in Poonch and Rajouri districts of the Jammu region. Continuance of this Act, a top Government source told EXCELSIOR on Saturday, had been necessitated by the choice of operations employed by the Pakistani ISI (Inter-Services Intelligence) aimed at infiltrating maximum number of foreign militants and mercenaries into Jammu and Kashmir. The Unified Headquarters in J&K as well as the State Chief Minister, Dr Farooq Abdullah, the source divulged, had, in fact, pressed for the continuance in parts of the State the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (J&K), 1990, in view of anti-India militants and battle-hardened mercenaries having intensified their attacks on Indian security personnel in several parts of Jammu and Kashmir in recent days. The source also divulged that the Centre had no plans to suspend operations by the Army in J&K and Assam. Talks with militant groups in the two States, he said, would be encouraged "only after they give up arms and come forward for unconditional talks." The source also disclosed that the recent assessment of the modus operandi of certain militant outfits in J&K and the north-eastern region at a high-level meeting chaired by the Home Minister, Mr L K Advani, resulted in the decision favouring the continuance of the offensives against the outlawed organisations there. "In other words, ban imposed on them will continue", he said. Yet another decision, taken at the meeting, favoured action against those secessionist leaders and organisations in Jammu and Kas-hmir which, according to the Government, had received "large sums of money from diverse channels and sources in contravention of law." The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had already registered three cases under the Foreign Contri-bution (Regulation) Act, 1976, and all these cases, the source said, were under investigation. The J&K Police, he added, had also registered five cases relating to funding of militancy through international sources. Unpublished raids carried out, in recent days, in several parts of Poonch and Rajouri districts by the security forces, it was explained, were the outcome of the disclosure made by several captured militants about the involvement of small groups of porters, ponywalas and local guides in attempts at helping infiltrators from across the border in crossing over into the Indian territory. According to the statistics avai-lable with the Ministry of Home Affairs, "Indian" terrorists nabbed in Jammu and Kashmir during the current year numbered nearly 1350 as against 3632 (including 344 Pak-trained) in 1995, 2940 (including 183 Pak-trained) in 1996 and 2557 (including 276 Pak-trained) in 1997. The number of suspected ISI agents arrested in other parts of the country was around 40 (Indians) and 20 Pakistanis) in 1998 as against 10 (Indians) in 1994, 6 in 1995, one in 1996 and 37 in 1997. According to the source, the police and intelligence agencies are under instructions to neutralise the ISI modules and activities in all parts of the country "whenever and wherever these come to notice." |
||
NC leader, Ji activist among 6 killed in Valley Excelsior Correspondent SRINAGAR, Dec. 12: Even as security forces eliminated a separatist militant in Kashmir valley, unidentified killers gunned down yet another block president of the ruling National Conference (NC) at Baghat-e-Kanipora, a Jammat-e-Islami activist at Goshabug Pattan and a traders community leader at Dooru, Anantnag. Besides, an identified dead body was recovered from Pahalgam and militants left a BSF jawan killed in an offensive at Anantnag. Informed official sources told EXCELSIOR that at 1130 hours today, a Kashmiri militant wielding a loaded pistol appeared at the Kanipora residence of NC's block president Mohammad Ramzan Wani son of Ghulam Qadir Wani and fired upon him a couple of shots when he came out on the verandah of his house. Wani sustained fatal injuries, collapsed in a pool of blood and was rushed to SMHS hospital. He succumbed two hours after he was operated upon by doctors in presence of MLA Chadoura Ali Mohammad Dar and MLA Budgam Syed Ghulam Hussain Geelani. 63-year-old Mohammad Ramzan Wani was a prominent NC activist of Baghat-e-Kanipora locality who had earlier worked for years in J&K Plebiscite Front of Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah. He was living like an ordinary civilian and he had no official protection. Reports from Kanipora said that some people spotted the gunman and chased him in their attempt to capture him but he managed to flee while firing several shots backward. He has been identified as a local pro-Pakistan militant. This evening at 1730 hours, unidentified gunman appeared at Goshbug, Pattan, in the jurisdiction of Police Station Pattan and shot dead a middle-aged activist of Jamaat-e-Islami namely Haji Mohammad Akbar. Residents of the area believe it to be the handiwork of pro-Government militants. Rival militants have killed a number of each other's overground activists and sympathisers in Pattan area this year. Last evening, militants struck in the residence of the president of local Beopar Mandal namely Mohammad Maqbool Shah at Arabal, Dooru, in Anantnag district and fired upon him indiscriminately. He got killed on spot while as his son sustained critical injuries. Reports from Anantnag added that an unidentified bullet-riddled dead body was recovered in close vicinity of Pahalgam health resort. Sources said that last evening, militants launched an attack on a BSF picked at Mattan Chowk, Anantnag. One BSF jawan got killed and another injured. Unconfirmed reports said that he too succumbed later on. Inspite of retaliation, all the militants managed to escape. Sources said that security forces and Special Operations Group (SOG) of J&K Police eliminated a militant namely Abdul Lateef alias Nika at Belidooru. One AK-56 rifle was claimed to have been recovered from the site of encounter. Reports availables from Bandipura said that security forces today spotted an IED planted on Sopore-Bandipora road at Keema. It was seized and defused by experts. Besides, an IED blast occured at near a Filling Station at Bandipura on Friday. However there was no damage. Security forces apprehended Bilal Ahmed Beig alias Babloo of Qamarwari and Amir Khan alias Usman of Aalikadal from Lalchowk area. They were described as militants of Al-Umar. One pistol, 3 rifle grenades and one hand grenade were recovered from them. Sources said that Khazir Moham-mad Ganai of Pazalpora, a dreaded militant of Hizbul Mujahideen, and Nazir Ahmed Sheikh of Lashkar-e-Toiba laid down arms before security forces at Kupwara. Sources said that they surrendered during the course of an encounter. Status quo only solution to Kashmir problem: Farooq NEW DELHI, Dec 12: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah today asserted that the only solution to the Kashmir problem would be through observance of territorial status quo by India and Pakistan. "Let us hold on to what we have in Jammu and Kashmir. Let them (Pakistan) hold on to what they have. Let us forget the past to ensure peace and stability in the region," he said at the concluding session of an International conference on terrorism: Threat to the 21st century here. Abdullah said a solution has to be found to the Kashmir problem, which not only threatened peace and stability in the region but also crippled development process, through true discussion and not through war. Citing the example of German unification, he said if capitalists and Communists could come together "why cannot India and Pakistan do it." He said the menace of terrorism in the region must be wiped out as it caused sufferings to the people. "Terrorism will die when the two hearts will meet," he said. The huge money spent by Pakistan in sponsoring terrorism and that by India in countering it could be utilised for development purposes and for providing educational, health care and other facilities to their people, he said. Abdullah said it would be tough to eliminate state-sponsored terrorism since a number of countries which are behind the menace would always try to obstruct initiatives regarding peace and stability. He said a number of countries manufacturing arms and ammunition have been earning a lot by selling their products to terrorist outfits in various parts of the world. Referring to Pakistan-sponsored terrorism, he said many terrorist elements sent by Islamabad have found sanctuaries even in Nepal. Pakistan should realise that it would never be able to acquire even an inch of Jammu and Kashmir by sponsoring terrorist activities, he said, adding whenever skirmishes take place between two countries, Muslims in India suffer. Terrorism can be wiped out and peace established only through positive political will on the part of the leaders to save mankind from destruction. The two-day conference was organised by international institute for non-aligned studies. (PTI) ISI plot for fanning insurgency in North-East region exposed GUWAHATI, Dec 12: A plot by Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) for fanning insurgency and subversive activities in the Northeast region has been exposed with the recent seizure of explosives in the city and arrest of some of the carriers, a senior Assam Police official said today. As part of its ‘proxy war’ against the country, the ISI was dispatching explosives to the different militant outfits in the region to destabilise the area, Assam Deputy Inspector General of Police, CID, S P Kar told. The recent arrest and interrogation of carriers of a number of such consignments at the Guwahati and Kamakhya railway stations revealed that the explosives were manufactured in Pakistan and smuggled in through Bhilwara and some other small towns in Rajasthan on the Indo-Pak border for transportation to the Northeast. The explosives and devices which included gelatine sticks and detonators were labelled as made in India and manufactured in fictitious factories in Uttar Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh, the official said. The smuggled in explosives were handed over to professional carriers who fanned out to different parts of the country for delivery to militants and other destabilising agents. Kar said the carriers, claimed during interrogation that the explosives were for catching fish although the region’s water bodies remained mostly dry in the Winter season, being only rainfed. On December One Army had seized from the Guwahati railway station a huge amount of explosives including 2840 gelatine sticks and 3400 detonators, found abandoned in two compartments of the Delhi-Guwahati Brahmaputra Mail. The explosives were to be used for subversive activities in the North Eastern region, especially Manipur, as revealed by documents seized along with them. This was the third haul from the railway station after the railway police had seized certain quantity of explosives on two other occasions recently. Kar said the carriers transported the gelatine sticks and detonators in bed rolls, rucksacks and holdalls travelling in trains orienting from Delhi to the northeast. They often disguised themselves in military uniforms to avoid detection and sometimes even claimed to be ex-armymen, the CID DIG said. Railway police personnel and Army personnel detected the carriers who sometimes fled leaving behind their consignments during random or specific information checkings. That the explosives were meant for militants was confirmed by the carriers getting off at the Kamakhya or Guwahati railway station when they should have proceeded to Dimapur in Nagaland if the explosives were to be used for catching fish there or taken Silchar-bound trains for going to other parts of the region. (PTI) Law commission proposes to NEW DELHI, Dec 12: In a bid to curb corruption of public servants, the Law Commission today proposed legislation to seize their illegally acquired properties. Addressing a press conference here, Commission Chairman B P Jeevan Reddy said the definition of public servant in the proposed law includes Ministers, former Ministers, legislators, central and state government employees and their relatives. Illegally acquired properties include cash, jewellery and interest on property, movable or immovable. Justice Reddy said that the Commission has sent its working paper to the Central Vigilance Commissioner for comments. Corruption has threatened the very security and safety of the country besides taking its toll on many welfare schemes, he said. Justice Reddy regretted that the Prevention of Corruption Act 1986 and criminal justice have failed to effectively deal with the cancer of corruption. While the number of prosecutions under the act were low, the high and mighty were able to escape from law due to long drawn proceedings. Justice Reddy said that though there is a provision for forfeiture of properties under the Act, nothing could be done unless a person is convicted under it. The Commission has noted that even under the Prevention of Money Laundering Bill 1998, introduced in the Parliament recently, the confiscation of proceeds of crime is possible only after the person is convicted of an offence in the schedule. The schedule to the bill does not include the offence of possession of disproportionate assets. Mr Justice Reddy said that the legislation proposed by the Law Commission would reach not only properties of public servants but also assets or properties in the hands of relatives and associates of such public servants. He said that the proposed law contemplates issuance of a show cause notice to public servants believed to be holding illegally acquired properties to explain and establish that those properties had been acquired by lawful means. Mr Justice Reddy said that competent authority like CVC and State Vigilance Commissions will have the power to call upon any public servant believed to be in possession of illegally acquired properties to disclose by affidavit, the property held by him, his relatives and associates. He said that refusal to disclose or a false disclosure entails punishment of imprisonment. Mr Justice Reddy said that the copies of the working paper of the proposed legislation would be sent to all political parties, Bar Associations, Human Rights Commission and alike. He said that provisions would be made to ensure that once the Bill was poised by the Parliament, it could not be challenged. (UNI) No move to float new party: Gowda BANGALORE, Dec 12: Former Prime Minister H D Devegowda today scoffed at reports that he was making moves to float a new party and said no political significance be attached to his meeting with Congress president Sonia Gandhi. Gowda, whose meeting with Sonia Gandhi on December 9 fuelled speculations about his moves to form a new party after breaking away from Janata Dal, and to align with the Congress, told reporters that it was only a courtesy call. He said he would take all steps to strengthen the Janata Dal and embark on a statewide tour after the Parliament session. Gowda said it was left to Dal president Sharad Yadav to decide on party affairs in Karnataka in line with the authoristion given to him by the Janata Dal Legislature Party last month in the backdrop of dissident MLAs demand for change in Chief Minister J H Patel’s leadership. He said the Janata Dal Government in Karnataka would last its full five year term. (PTI) 2 gangsters of Chhota Rajan gang shot dead MUMBAI, Dec 12: Two gangsters belonging to the Chhota Rajan gang were shot dead and two inspectors were injured in an encounter near Navrang theatre in Andheri of North West Mumbai this afternoon. Acting on a tip off, police inspectors Sunil Mane and Sanjeev Gavde, from Oshivara police station tried to nab the duo Ravindra Jagtap (35) and Chandrashekhar Rao (32) in D N Nagar area of Andheri. While they were chasing the gangsters, Mane was attacked with a chopper while Gavde was struck by a bullet, sources said. The policemen fired in retaliation and the two gangsters sustained severe injuries. They died on way to hospital. Mane and Gavde have been admitted to hospital. Police have recovered one country-made revolver, four empty cartridges, a live cartridge and a Chopper from the site of the incident. Over a dozen criminal cases were registered against Jagtap and Rao. (UNI) 11 killed in Bangla group clash DHAKA, Dec 12: At least 11 people were killed today when two outlawed Leftist groups clashed in Bangladesh’s South Western bordering district of Jessore, police said. Trouble started when members of Biplabi Communist Party killed a worker the rival of Sarbhahara party in Ghoshnagar village, police said. Angry members of the Sarbhahara group, along with villagers, chased the assailants and in the ensuing armed clash 8 people were killed on the spot, police said. Two persons succumbed to their injuries at the hospital, police said, and added some arms and ammunition were recovered from the site of the clash. More police contingents have been rushed to the site and the situation was said to be tense but under control. (PTI) Common man’s faith in justice delivery system eroded: CJI NEW DELHI, Dec 13: Chief Justice of India A S Anand today said that the common man’s faith in the justice delivery system has been eroded due to astounding cost of litigation, unnerving delays and a heavy backlog of cases. The basic drawbacks of justice delivery institutions are access, backlog of cases, cost and delay, Justice Anand said while inaugurating a conference on disputes resolution here. We have not so far succeeded in developing an effective mechanism for pre-trial settlement of legal disputes with the result that there is heavy inflow of all sorts of civil, commercial and criminal matters into the courts, he said. The inadequate judge strength vis-a-vis population in this country adds to the woes of judicial institutions and parties who have been wronged find it difficult to get judicial orders in time thereby undermining the importance of legal rights and obligations, he said. People want justice, pure and unpolluted, and they have every right to receive the same Justice Anand said adding comprehensive steps are required for providing quick and inexpensive justice to people. Justice Anand lauded the role of Lok Adalats, which settled over 66 lakh court cases upto March this year, and emphasised on alternate dispute resolution methods like More power to panchayats, establishing family courts and setting up of conciliation centres in all districts. (PTI) BJP threatens to file defamation case against Rabri Govt PATNA, Dec 12: The BJP today threatened to file a defamation suit against Bihar Chief Minister Rabri Devi for her alleged vituperative remarks against Governor Sunder Singh Bhandari. It is highly objectionable for a Chief Minister to use derogatory language against the constitutional head of the State, Senior BJP leader and leader of the opposition in Bihar Assembly Sushil Kumar Modi said in a statement here. The BJP would consult lawyers before filing the case, he added. He denied he had made any abusive remarks against RJD president Laloo Prasad Yadav or Rabri Devi and said we have only called Laloo the kingpin of the fodder scam but it was the court which put him behind bars. He brushed aside yesterday’s allegation by Yadav that BJP-Samata leaders had hurled abuses against former Governor A R Kidwai in the past. I had never used the term ‘murgichor’ (chicken-thief) for Kidwai, he said. Asked to react to threats by State RJD secretary general Ramkripal Yadav to gouge Modi’s eyes if the opposition made indecent remarks against Rabri, Modi said I have got used to such threats. (PTI) |