Arms
consignment recovered Excelsior Correspondent RAJOURI, Dec 18: Army have achieved a major success by killing a notorious militant Imtiaz Ahmed alias Major Gul, district commander of Rajouri and Poonch districts of Hizbul Mujahideen outfit. A Defence spokesman today said Major Gul was killed after a fierce gun-battle with Army at Khari Marg area located at a height of 10500 feet along Pir Panjal Range in Thanna Mandi area of Rajouri district the other day. The spokesman said a hardened militant and mastermind behind a series of subversive activities in the two border districts of Poonch and Rajouri, Major Gul had his headqua-rter in Surankote area of Poonch district. He was accused in a large number of killings of civilians, rapes, kidnappings, extortions and IED explosions. He said Major Gul had left his headquarter in Surankote due to mounting pressure of Army and security forces and taken shelter in forest areas of upper reaches in Pir Panjal Range to escape security forces dragnet. The documents recovered from the scene of encounter and radio intercepts of militants have confirmed the killing of Major Gul, the spokesman said, adding the killing has delivered a major blow to all militant outfits especially the Hizbul Mujahideen group. The spokesman anticipated surrenders from some top militants of different outfits in view of Major Gul’s killing. Activities of militants were also likely to come down in view of the killing, he added. It may be reported that Army had gunned down seven top militants in Khari Marg area of Thanna Mandi the intervening night of December 15 and 16. All of them were foreign mercenaries. Major Gul was identified from the documents recovered from his possession. His identity was also confirmed by the arrested militants. Meanwhile, Army party recovered a big consignment of arms and ammunition during a search operation carried out at Katarian forest area in Poonch district. The recovery was made by Commando Platoon of local Army unit after two-days long searches in the forest areas. The seizures include five AK-47 rifles, four pistols, one revolver and a huge quantity of ammunition. The spokesman said the consignment had been dumped by the Army in forest area of Katarian after smuggling it from across the border. The militants had to pick up the consignment at an opportune time. However, no arrest has been made in this connection. Army continued search operations in the forest area to eliminate or capture the militants, who were reported to be hiding there. |
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Crime
Branch unearths fraud Excelsior Correspondent JAMMU, Dec 18: Crime Branch of Jammu today arrested Private Secretary of State Legislative Council Chairman on the charges of forgery and duping the state exchequer worth Rs 4.60 lakhs. Identified as Maharaj Krishan Koul, the Private Secretary, who happens to be a Gazetted Officer, had withdrawn Rs 4.60 lakhs by forging the signatures of former Council Chairman Hakim Habibullah immediately after his death. Official sources said the investigations conducted by the Crime Branch revealed that Koul forged the signature of late Hakim Habibullah and withdrew Rs 4.60 lakh by producing two cheques in Jammu and Kashmir Bank (JKBL) Residency Road branch. He withdrew Rs four lakh in first cheque and Rs 60,000 in second cheque, the sources said, adding since Maharaj Krishan Koul had worked as Private Secretary with Hakim Habibullah for quite a long time, he easily forged his signatures and produced the two cheques in Bank branch. The signatures were forged in such a way that even the Bank officials couldn’t detect them and cleared the cheques. The cheques were produced by Koul within a couple of days after the death of Hakim Habibullah in the middle of this year. The Private Secretary put back date on the cheques to ensure that they had been signed by the Chairman before his death. He also adjusted the cheques in the official book. However, getting an information from some reliable sources, the Crime Branch sleuths started investigations in the case and seized the entire relevant record from the Legislative Council office. As prima-facie the involvement of Chairman’s Private Secretary was established in fraud, the Crime Branch arrested Koul immediately from the office and shifted him to Crime police station. Sources said initially Maharaj Krishan Koul stated that the cheques had been signed by Hakim Habibullah before his death. However, he broke down during interrogation and admitted the forgery as Crime Branch had gathered sufficient evidence to prove the case. They said a formal case of forgery and cheating has been registered against the Government officer for further investigations, which were going on. The case is being produced in the court of law very soon, they added. According to sources, efforts were on to recover the forged amount from the arrested officer. No air-traffic in
Valley Excelsior Correspondent SRINAGAR, Dec 18: While as for the third successive day, no air traffic operated in Kashmir valley due to thick fog and extremely poor visibility, a portion of the world-famous Dal lake has frozen due to the mercury dipping point by point. Hundreds of passengers with confirmed air tickets in hand for Jammu, New Delhi and other destinations, have got stranded here as no flights could operate to and from Srinagar airport due to poor visibility conditions since Wednesday last. Consequently, the already booked cargo items have also heaped up at Srinagar airport. Aviation sources this evening told EXCELSIOR that there was very little possibility of air services to and from Srinagar for the next five days. Sources said that only a snowfall had the potential of wiping out the thick fog. With continued dry weather conditions, Valley had not experienced rains or snowfall for the last several months, though minor snowfall has lashed very high altitude areas. The maximum temperature by day revolves round 5 to 6 degree celsius while as the minimum temperature in the capital city dips upto minus 8 degrees during night. However, the 3-hour feeble sunshine from 1200 to 1500 hours daily lends a semblance of normalcy to the Valley environs. Consequently, civil construction works at several places are still going on and masons are seen laying cement concrete blocks and raising brick-walls. With the minimum temperature of the day dipping upto minus 8 and 9 degrees for the last ten days now, a major portion of Dal Lake and other water bodies in Kashmir valley has frozen, though not as thick as it was in1984-85. Core of the winter season, Chilla Kalan, is all set to commence on December 22. Prices of fire-wood, charcoal and wollen clothes have gone up but still the shopkeepers are doing a brisk business. Consumers are seen making advance preparations for Chilla Kalan as well as the month of Ramazan when Muslims are supposed to observe day-long fasts from December 21. Excelsior Correspondent SRINAGAR, Dec 18: In the one-odd incident of violence in Kashmir valley today, militants gunned down the uncle of the former ‘‘chief commander’’ of Jammu & Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) at Maisuma in the capital city. An unidentified gunman, wielding a pistol, fired several shots on a 70-year-old contractor, namely Abdus Samad Kachru of Telbal, at 1350 hours today when he was coming out of a mosque after performing the weekly Friday prayers at Maisuma. Kachru sustained critical injuries while as another civilian namely Ghulam Nabi Dar of Vecharnag, Soura, also got injured. Both of them were rushed to hospital but Kachru succumbed before reaching there. Abdus Samad Kachru was a prominant contractor and businessman of Telbal locality who happened to be the uncle of the former ‘‘chief commander’’ of JKLF (Amanullah faction) ‘general’ Basharat Raza. Basharat was eliminated by Special Operations Group (SOG) of Jammu & Kashmir Police alongwith 31 other JKLF militants outside the historic Hazratbal shrine complex in March 1996. He was among the key dramatis personae of Hazratbal crisis, both in October 1993 as well in March 1996. Kachru, then enjoying intimate relationship with security forces as well as militants, was one among the four intermediaries of Hazratbal impasse in March 1996. He had played a role in the JKLF militants vacating the sanctum sanctorum three days before 24 of them were wiped out in a pre-dawn operation. Even as over a year ago, militants had fired a rocket on Kachru's residential house at Telbal, he was living without any security cover. Reports from Kulgam said that militants had kidnapped one Shabir Ahmed son of Ghulam Mohammad Mir resident of Chee Mohalla, Qazigund, from his house on December 15. He was untraced till this evening. Meanwhile, J&K Police in Pulwama district apprehended a militant namely Abdus Salam Dar alias Parvez Qadiri from Cheewan with one AK-56 rifle. Police also apprehended Nissar Ahmed Mir alias Aadil R/o Kralchak and Fayaz Ahmed Dar alias Irshad R/o Keegam. Three AK-56 rifles and one pistol were claimed to have been recovered from them. Militants trigger
IED blast Excelsior Correspondent POONCH, Dec 18: Militants made an unsuccessful attempt to blow up a private school by triggering an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) blast in Surankote town in this district today. Official reports received here said that Pakistan- trained saboteurs had planted an IED in Model School with a view to blow up the school building and cause casualty among students. The device was detonated with a remote control device. However, militants failed in their target. There was no loss of life in the explosion. Only minor damages was caused to the structure of the school building, the reports said. Hearing the sound of the explosion, locals rushed towards the site. Security personnel and local police also reached there for onspot assessment of the situation. Bomb disposal squad was summoned, which has collected splinters of the explosive device for further analysis. Senior police officers also visited the school.Reinforcement of security forces and police was rushed to the site to trace the saboteurs, who had detonated the blast. Subsequently, troops also conducted search and cordon operations in the area. However, none of the militants responsible for the explosions had been apprehended till the latest reports came in. "Some persons had been rounded up for questioning", sources said.``Had the blast occurred during morning time, it could have caused considerable damage of life’’, they said, adding ``a major tragedy was thus averted’’. Tension gripped Surankote area as the news of the blast spread across the entire area. Locals, who interacted with the visiting officers demanded that the saboteurs and their links in the town be apprehended at the earliest. Final impeachment hearing
against WASHINGTON, Dec 18 : The U S House of Representatives opened a historic debate today on four formal charges against beleaguered President Bill Clinton that could well set the stage for the second impeachment trial in the American history. The proceeding began shortly after 1930 IST and a vote was expected to take place tomorrow on what would be the first articles of Presidential impeachment referred to the Senate for trial since 1868. The majority Republicans decided to go ahead with the debate, rejecting the Democrats contention that the discussion would undercut the authority of President Clinton at a time when air strikes against Iraq were taking place. The Democrat sponsored motion was rejected by 225 votes to 183, five Democrats joined hands with Republicans against the motion securing to stop the impeachment proceedings while U.S. Military strikes against Iraq were underway The beginning of only the second Presidential impeachment debate in U.S. history followed Bob Living-ston’s disclosure of marital infidelity last night. The four articles, alleging two counts of perjury and one each of obstruction of justice and abuse of power, were approved last week by the House Judiciary Committee on party-line votes. A House vote for impeachment would send the case to the Senate for a trial, where 67 votes, or a two-thirds majority, would be needed to remove Clinton from office — a result no one expects. The charges against the President — perjury, abuse of power and obstruction of justice — stem from his affair with White House Intern Monica Lewinsky and his testimony in the Paula Jones sexual harassment case. (PTI) Laloo’s plea on
Jan 5 NEW DELHI, Dec 18: The Supreme Court today ordered release of former Bihar Chief Minister Jagan Nath Mishra after granting him bail in a fodder scam conspiracy case but adjourned till January 5 the hearing on the bail plea of Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader. A three-judge bench headed by Justice G T Nanavati, while allowing the appeal of Mishra against Patna High Court order, directed that the former Chief Minister would be released from Beur Central Jail subject to the satisfaction of the Special Judge at Patna trying the fodder scam cases. The court, however, made it clear that on no account the trial proceedings relating to Mishra would be allowed to be held up and directed Mishra to be present on each hearing. The bench adjourned hearing on the bail plea of Yadav saying it would require the state of Bihar to be represented so that certain directions could be passed to ensure safety and security of the witnesses as CBI has expressed its grave apprehension on the issue. Counsel for Laloo, Rajinder Singh and Kapil Sibal, agreed to make state of Bihar a party and circulate the application in advance to facilitate its presence before the court on the next date of hearing. The bench on January 5 will hear the bail petitions of Yadav, former ministers Chandradeo Prasad Verma, Vidya Sagar Nishad and two others, who have appealed against the Patna High Court order rejecting their bail pleas in fodder scam related cases. The bench repeatedly asked CBI whether it had any material to substantiate its claim against Mishra that if released on bail he would tamper with evidence. However, Additional Solicitor General C S Vaidyanathan appearing for CBI could not produce a single material that could satisfy the court in this regard. Counsel for Mishra, senior advocate R K Jain, said that the investigation was complete and that Mishra had always cooperated with the probe. While considering the bail plea of Yadav, the court was considering whether it could impose a condition on the former Chief Minister not to venture into the state except for appearing before the court. However, counsel for Yadav, Kapil Sibal vehemently opposed it saying he was a Member of Parliament from the state as well as president of RJD and such a condition would curtail his political activity. The bench said it knew the state of affair in Bihar and would like to consider directing the state to provide security to witnesses in the case as CBI has expressed grave concern over the safety and security of them. The Patna High Court on November 10 had rejected the bail plea of all the accused, who have approached the Apex Court, saying that there was prima facie evidence linking them to the scam. (PTI) Centre unwilling to declare Pak a terrorist State From B L Kak Even as New Delhi is highly agitated by Islamabad’s continuing support to terrorists and militant organisations operating in Jammu and Kashmir and other parts of the country, the Government of India does not want to rush into extremes by way of declaring Pakistan as a terrorist State. A section of the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) continues to favour the idea of declaring Pakistan as a terrorist State. But the Government is not prepared to go against the wishes of the United States, which does not want New Delhi to adopt a policy that can, in the ultimate analysis, result in further deterioration in the relationship between India and Pakistan. The Union Home Minister, Mr LK Advani, as well as the Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister, Dr Farooq Abdullah, had, not long ago, favoured "hot pursuit" in the wake of Pakistan’s unwillingness to close down camps for terrorists and militants in Pakistan and Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK). However,the idea, in this regard, had to be abondoned after Washington reportedly advised New Delhi not to adopt "hot pursuit" policy. Washington has, of course, taken due note of New Delhi’s protests against Pakistan for actively sponsoring terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir and other parts of India and against the existence of training camps for terrorists and anti-Indian subversives in Pakistan and PoK. But the Clinton Administration has not yet approved the idea for declaring Pakistan a terrorist State. It was apparently in this context that the newly-appointed Minister for External Affairs, Mr Jaswant Singh, avoided offering a direct reply to a question in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday on the Government’s intention, if any, to declare Pakistan a terrorist State. Mr Jaswant Singh did not deem it necessary to publicly concede that India would stir up host of enemies by declaring Pakistan a terrorist State. In spite of mounting criticism from the Sangh Parivar against Pakistan’s unabated support , moral and material, to terrorists and militants, the Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee, is reported to have called for a cautious approach in order to ensure that India was not blamed by the international community for vitiating the atmosphere in the event of any extreme step such as declaring Pakistan a terrorist State in the given situation. No wonder, Mr Jaswant Singh as well as Mr LK Advani have chosen to highlight the need for steps to fully safeguard India’s security and territorial integrity. New Delhi , according to Mr Singh and Mr Advani, has sufficient evidence to prove that while Pakistan actively sponsors terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir and other parts of India, Islamabad has also provided sanctuary to known anti-Indian elements and those declared as fugitives from the law in India. In fact, this issue as well as India’s deep concern at the existence of training camps for terrorists and foreign mercenaries in Pakistan and PoK were taken up during discussions between the Foreign Secretaries of the two countries in Islamabad in October . And the Indian delegation also submitted a list containing names of all those anti-Indian elements who had been provided sanctuary in Pakistan and called for their return to India . Far from encouraging response from Pakistan even to New Delhi’s candid message that Islamabad’s hostile disinformation campaign against India "is not only a violation of the Shimla Agreement but it also vitiates the atmosphere of the bilateral relations" was, naturally, followed by the Government of India’s warning that it would not permit anyone to threaten security and territorial integrity of India. Official sources told EXCELSIOR that although Bangladesh, Nepal and Bhutan had affirmed that they would not allow their territory to be misused by anti-Indian elements and agencies, there was evidence that certain forces and organisations inimical to India continued to misuse the territory of these neighbouring countries for instigating terrorist activities on India. While admitting that much ground had not been covered during the recent talks between India and Pakistan first in Islamabad and then in Delhi, these sources said that since the dialogue process had been initiated, the Government of India had planned to reiterate the relevance and significance of its proposal during the next round of discussions between the Foreign Secretaries of the two countries. "We want Pakistan to abandon the policy of state sponsorship of terrorism in India, close down training camps for terrorists functioning in Pakistan and PoK, hand over terrorists and underworld operators (of Indian origin) sheltered in Pakistan and dismantle the infrastructure that exists in Pakistan for indoctrination, training, funding, arming and infiltration of militants and mercenaries for sponsoring terrorism in India", sources said. India’s North-East region shares international borders with Bangladesh, Bhutan, China and Myanmar. The borders with Bangladesh, China and Myanmar are quite porous . Mr LK Advani has already made it public that a series of measures have been taken by the Government to curb the problem of infiltration into India. The Assam Accord, he says, provides inter alia that the international border shall be made secure against future infiltration by erection of physical barriers like walls, barbed wire fencing and other obstacles at appropriate places. In pursuance of this, sanction for the construction of 2784 km of roads and 896 km of fence along the Indo-Bangladesh border was accorded by the Central Government. According to Mr Advani, 2116 km of border roads and 789 km of fence have already been completed. Sources also told EXCELSIOR that there was evidence to indicate the involvement of Pakistani ISI(Inter-Services Intelligence) in attempts at keeping alive and kicking the banned organisations in India’s North-East region, particularly ULFA. And reports received by the Union Home Ministry also indicate that ULFA has commercial interests in Bangladesh and has been indulging in activities prejudicial to the security interests of India. Reports also indicate that bank accounts are being operated by insurgent groups in Bangladesh. The Union Home Ministry has, without any fanfare, directed certain States, particularly Jammu and Kashmir and Assam, to take action against certain "influential touts" and other negative elements found assisting in the process of illegal infiltration and forging documents to enable illegal migrants to claim Indian citizenship . Taliban presence in J&K propaganda ploy by ISI RAJOURI, Dec 18: The alleged presence of Taliban militants in Jammu and Kashmir is a mere propaganda ploy by Pakistan’s Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) and a section of militants to keep alive the sinking morale of those fighting a loosing proxy war in the State, a senior Army official has said. We have neither any intelligence report concerning Taliban presence here, nor have we killed or captured any since the outbreak of militancy, Brigadier S Ahluwalia told. He termed the claims about the presence of Taliban in Jammu and Kashmir as nothing but propaganda to keep the militancy pot boiling in Kashmir. The failure of Pakistan’s Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) to mobilise local support for the proxy war could be the reason for the propaganda, Ahluwalia added. We have not seen or gunned down any of them (Taliban militants) during the last one year. We feel that this theory of a Taliban presence here is being propagated by ISI and its militants to keep the morale of terrorists alive, he said. Foreign mercenaries constitute the larger part of militants operating in the border areas of Rajouri and Poonch. More than 80 per cent of the militants operating in the hills of Pir-Panjal in Jammu region are Pakistani and only a fraction belong to countries such as Sudan, Afghanistan, Turkmenistan, Iraq and UAE, Ahluwalia said. Only some foreign merenaries belonging to the above-mentioned countries have been killed in the Kashmir valley, the official added. The situation is well under control in the sensitive border areas of Rajouri and Poonch has come down owing to the tight security now in place along the Line of Control (LoC), Ahluwalia said. Additional troops have also been deployed in these areas for combating insurgency. He said that as many as 182 terrorists have been killed by the Army troops in these twin districts of Jammu region during the last 11 months. Weapons recovered from the area include AK-type rifles, 107 high power rockets, 668 improvised explosive devices (IED), 71 high power radio sets, fake Indian currency, Ahluwalia said. (PTI) Car bomb blast near Assam CM’s office kills 8 GUWAHATI, Dec 18: Eight people were today killed and 36 injured, 26 of them critically, when a car bomb exploded near the office complex of Assam Chief Minister Prafulla Kumar Mahanta, who said it might have been aimed at taking his life. The bomb exploded around 1110 hours as soon as an Ambassador car carrying the explosive moved after refuelling at a petrol station adjacent to the Capital complex, killing three people on the spot. Five of the injured succumbed to their wounds later, official sources said. Mahanta, who was to take the route around the time of the blast on way to Borjhar airport to go to New Delhi for the Chief Ministers’ and Power Ministers’ meeting convened by the Prime Minister, said the act of genocide might have been aimed at him. The Chief Minister, who was not present in his office when the blast occurred, ordered a magisterial inquiry into it and announced an ex-gratia of Rs 1 lakh to the relatives of each of the dead and Rs 25,000 each to the injured. Mahanta told reporters after visiting the injured at the Guwahati medical college hospital that he was not sure which group of militants was behind the explosion. The sources said the explosion might have occurred by accident while the militants were transporting the bomb to another place. The involvement of a suicide squad is not ruled out and it is possible that those travelling in the car and killed in the explosion were militants, they said. (PTI) |