Centre
has taken serious note: Advani Excelsior Correspondent JAMMU, Nov 7: Union Home Minister Mr L K Advani said here today that Pakistan has added a new "sinister dimension" to the ongoing proxy war in Jammu and Kashmir by inducting highly sophisticated and modernised "flying bombs" into the State. Addressing a press conference at Raj Bhawan soon after reaching here from Union capital and inspecting two pilotless aircrafts seized by Jammu Police recently from Kalakote area of Rajouri district, Mr Advani observed: "hitherto, we had been talking of sophisticated weaponry being pushed into Jammu and Kashmir by Pakistan. But, the recovery of two flying bombs shows the keenest designs they (the Pakistanis) have in their mind vis-a-vis J&K". Declaring that Government of India has taken "serious cognisance" of induction of flying bombs, the Union Home Minister said "the Government will ensure that counter-insurgency wing and security forces are properly equipped to meet this new challenge effectively. Mr Advani was shown the pilotless aircrafts at Raj Bhawan, soon after he reached here from Union capital, by Inspector General of Police, Jammu Range Mr Kuldeep Khuda and BJP MP from Udhampur-Doda Parliamentary constituency Prof Chaman Lal Gupta. Prof Gupta briefed Mr Advani on the security and political scenario prevailing in the sensitive border State especially in the wake of stepped-up violence in the twin border districts of Poonch and Rajouri. Governor Mr Girish Chander Saxena and Special Secretary Home (Incharge J&K Affairs) Mr M B Kaushal were also present in the press conference besides Prof Gupta. The Home Minister came down heavily on Pakistan and charged the neighbouring country with double speak. "On the one hand, Pakistan speaks of dialogue with India and, on the other, it has stepped-up its support to insurgency by pushing modernised weaponry and explosives", he said. "There was no let up in the proxy war which Pakistan had been actively engaged in for the last several years", he asserted. Declining to confess that it (pushing in of flying machines) was a security lapse, the Union Home Minister, however, said :"none of us can deny that over a lot of period of time the infiltration and smuggling of weapons was going on. It was due to twin factors—terrain of border and continued shelling on borders and Line of Control (LoC) by Pakistan". "Even anti-aircraft guns have been smuggled into the state. The weaponry recovered from militants and the border which was on display at New Delhi and Srinagar was self explanatory", he said. He claimed that there was a definite turn around in the situation on the anti-militancy front in Jammu and Kashmir during that last about five-six months. "Security scenario has improved. The Centre Government has established regular contact with the State Government", he said. Mr Advani disclosed that Centre has decided to convene another high level meeting on Jammu and Kashmir in the month of December. The meeting will review security and development scenario in the state, he said, adding "venue of the meeting was yet to be decided". In reply to a question whether he shares the view of his predecessor Mr S B Chavan that United States was directly involved in insurgency in Jammu and Kashmir, Mr Advani said: "the Government wants Kashmir issue to be solved between India and Pakistan under Simla Agreement. We won’t like mediation of any country. Every nation is gradually coming to this conclusion". He said United States Ambassador in India recently met him at New Delhi after visiting Srinagar and told him that security situation was undergoing perceptible change towards normalcy. He said India will continue talks with Pakistan on all bilateral issues. He said India would not go beyond the Simla agreement which has a provision that both countries will resolve all contentious issues bilaterally on talks basis. He said divergent stands by India and Pakistan won’t come in way of continued process of dialogue between the two countries. To a question on Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK), he said the Parliament resolution was binding on the nation that PoK is a part of India. However, he evaded the question about PoK’s liberation. Replying to another question, Mr Advani said Centre had already re-imbursed Rs 700 crore to J&K incurred on security related expenditure. "Constitutionally, the security related expenditure was responsibility of the State. But, as a special case, the Centre has decided to re-imburse security expenditure of Jammu and Kashmir". Terming Romesh Sharma as the front man of Dawood Ibrahim in Delhi, Mr Advani said the ISI was trying to raise militant outfits as well as such front men so that they could carry out its subversive activities in India. The Home Minister reiterated that the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had been assigned the task of finding out all political and administrative contacts of Romesh Sharma and persons who were providing him protection for his activities. Mr Advani said there was no threat to the Centre Government. He said there was nothing wrong in some political parties, supporting centre Government, fielding their candidates in Assembly elections in the state. "Support to Centre doesn’t mean that allies can’t contest elections", he told a questioner. Mr Advani later flew-in to Sanji Chat for darshan of Mata Vaishnodevi’s holy shrine. He returned to Union capital in the evening. |
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Advani’s
shoot-at-sight orders From BL Kak JAMMU, Nov 7: In a swift turn of events, Indian security forces deployed in Jammu and Kashmir were directed on Saturday by none other than Mr LK Advani himself to liquidate Pakistan-sponsored militants and battle-hardened mercenaries and their hideouts. The Union Home Minister, who spent more than 70 minutes to discuss the altering, or altered, law and order situation with senior functionaries of the Indian security forces and J&K Police after his arrival in Jammu on Saturday morning from Delhi, insisted on the need for the continuance of pro-active measures till Pakistan’s proxy war in Jammu and Kashmir was completely brought to an end. That Mr Advani is firm to keep Jammu and Kashmir as item number one in his agenda against forces seeking to destabilise the security environment in India became evident as he sought answer, during his meeting at Raj Bhavan, to a host of questions. These questions, obviously, were occasioned by Pakistani ISI’s desperate attempts to create disorder and disturbances in parts of Jammu region, particularly within the municipal limits of Jammu town, on the pattern of 1989-90 in the Kashmir valley. Mr Advani’s visit to Jammu took place at a time when a powerful Muslim country had reportedly assured Pakistan that it would arrange Rs 500 crores as first instalment for facilitating the ISI’s proposed task of engineering exodus of a particular community in Jammu region by 2003 AD. And if Mr Advani let it be known for the first time in Jammu’s Raj Bhavan that the BJP-led Government at the Centre would not permit unwilling Hindu migrants to be forced to return to Kashmir valley, he had strong reasons to depart from his earlier standpoint. Mr Advani sought to drop clear hints that although he had no intention to trigger a controversy over the J&K Government’s insistence on the need to have majority of Hindu migrants rehabilitated in the Valley, the Centre did not want the ISI and its conduits in Kashmir to make the migrants as soft targets for no fault of theirs. It was apparently in this context that Mr Advani, while responding to questions at a press conference at Raj Bhavan, made it abundantly clear that the question of the future of Kashmiri Pandit migrants would be discussed by the Centre, next month, not only with the J&K Government but also with the representatives of the Pandit community. "No force will be used to send back to the Valley unwilling migrants," the Home Minister asserted. Significantly, his assertion, in this regard, brought to the fore two important developments -- first, of course, the continuing pressure on Mr Advani against hasty steps with regard to the re-settlement of Kashmiri Pandits in the Valley and, secondly, acceptance by the Centre of the fact that Pakistan and its "patriots" in the Valley would method, fair and foul, against Delhi’s endeavour to preserve and promote secular character of the Valley. Significance was also attached to Mr Advani’s one-to-one meeting with the J&K Governor, Mr Girish Chandra Saxena. According to informed sources, the meeting which was held after Mr Advani had studied Mr Saxena’s ‘confidential’ assessment report on Kashmir, also covered three important subjects, namely, how and when to start re-settlement of Kashmiri Hindu migrants in the Valley, how to put to halt the far-from-satisfactory utilisation of Central funds in Jammu and Kashmir, and how to tackle a section of political class and local administration while doing away with anti-Delhi expression or feeling in the Valley. While discussing certain aspects of the situation, particularly the one arising from the continuing infiltration from across the border, Mr Advani favoured "bullet-for-bullet" operations and "harsher" treatment for those who were found aiding and abetting groups of Pakistan-sponsored militants and foreign mercenaries. Migrants call on
HM; meet with CM today Excelsior Correspondent HIRANAGAR, Nov 7: Even as the visiting Union Home Minister Mr Lal Krishan Advani today assured to mitigate the miseries of border areas migrants by deputing a high level Union Home Ministry team to the spot, the migrated border villagers, camping at tehsil headquarter, were adamant on their Secretariat March on November 9 when the office re-opens here after six months move. A deputation of the border villagers facing unprovoked Pakistani firing met Mr Lal Krishan Advani at Raj Bhawan here and apprised him the problems being faced by the inhabitants. The deputation was led by Prof Chaman Lal Gupta, Member Parliament and comprised Mr Prem Lal, MLA Hiranagar and other prominent members of the Border Action Committee. The Union Home Minister assured the displaced people of Londi, Khawaraha, Chak Sadha and adjoining border areas that Government will take immediate steps to permanently solve the problems of border people. He told the deputation that a high level Home Ministry team along with a team of State Government will very shortly visit the displaced people, their camp and villages to assess the situation. Union Home Secretary will also accompany the team. Mr Advani assured that effective measures would be taken for rehabilitation of the villagers, who were forced to leave their native places. Government will also take up the matter with Pakistan, Mr Advani said and added that effective measures would be taken to counter the Pakistani firing. Mr Advani assured villagers that till return of normalcy, the Government will provide relief, compensation and temporary accommodation to the affected people. A deputation of the Border Action Committee will also meet Chief Minister, Dr Farooq Abdullah, tomorrow afternoon to discuss the problems. The delegation is leaving for Jammu tomorrow for the meeting scheduled in the afternoon. Sources said a breakthrough was expected during the meeting. However, despite assurances of the Union Home Minister, the displaced villagers, who have taken shelter at Tehsildar’s office in Hiranagar were adamant to intensify their agitation. "We are not going to postpone our already announced programmes", said a leader of Border Union, spearheading the agitation. "We will not accept any thing less than temporary settlement at some safer place", he said. An emergent meeting of the Border Union was held this evening to chalk out the future course of action. The meeting decided to intensify the on-going agitation. Although, no fresh migration has been reported from any part of the Hiranagar tehsil but Pakistani Rangers continued their unprovoked firing on border villages. Heavy firing was reported from a number of villages on the International Border in Hiranagar, Samba, RS Pura, Kanachak and Akhnoor areas. BSF acting tough in
J&K From BL Kak JAMMU, Nov 7: The well-knit smugglers’ lobby of Punjab has been thrown into confusion in Jammu region, with the Border Security Force (BSF) personnel acting tough as part of the plan to throw out of gear the mechanism evolved by Indian and Pakistani smugglers for the clandestine transhipment of contraband goods via Jammu’s International Border. Government sleuths have come across evidence with regard to "a great deal of perturbation" among several professional smugglers from Punjab in recent months following their failure to sustain their operations in Jammu region, even as their nexus with equally professional local smugglers belonging to Jammu, Ranbir Singh Pora, Hiranagar, Samba and Kathua has officially been termed as "undisturbed." And the perturbation, BSF authorities point out, is the product of a series of effective measures taken in recent months by security personnel all along the International Border in Jammu region against smuggling of contraband goods to and from Pakistan. Between May and October this year, the BSF’s restructured strategy, in this regard, led a powerful group of smugglers from Amritsar to wind up one of its underground cells in Ranbir Singh Pora. This group was forced to go slow after a transport company owner of Ranbir Singh Pora was recently informed by a functionary of the local Government in the area that the BSF intelligence wing had identified the underground cell and was planning to liquidate it. The transporter acted fast and ensured the shifting of the smuggled goods to an unknown destination well before the raiding party had received orders to attack. Attack they did -- not there but at a different place in Samba section -- which was followed by the arrest of three intruders from across the border. And these intruders, during their questioning, fereted out sensational details about how the ISI-aided narcotic lobby of Pakistan had motivated several smugglers from Punjab to shift their activity to Jammu region after the sealing of the Punjab border with Pakistan by erecting 10-feet-high wire fencing by India. In the initial stages, unidentified smugglers from Punjab, majority of them from Amritsar, selected Samba and Ranbir Singh Pora for their operations. And as days and weeks rolled by these smugglers, with the help of their accomplices in Jammu region, extended the area of operation to Hiranagar, Kathua and Bishnah. Those were the days when the International Border in Jammu, by and large, was quiet. And those were the days when smugglers from Amritsar, Ajnala, Khemkaran and Ferozpur experienced little difficulty while creating secret bases in Jammu region with the support of several local smugglers. Significantly part of their plan was to woo some local politicians, some media-persons, police and customs officials and "I-want-to-make-a-fast-buck" type of elements in the student community. The scenario, however, changed soon after the International Border suddenly became active last year. The BSF’s twin strategy -- to hit back the trigger-happy Pakistani soldiers and to come down heavily upon smugglers of the two sides -- yielded encouraging results. A senior BSF official told EXCELSIOR that smuggling activity had "considerably diminished" from January to the end of October this year, although the involvement of an unspecified number of transport operators and garment dealers of some sectors of Punjab in attempts aimed to facilitating the passage of smuggled items from Pakistan, particularly heroin, to Delhi and Mumbai via Jammu sector still continued. Government sleuths have already informed the Union Home Ministry that as the ISI’s anti-India scheme of things, particularly in Jammu and Kashmir, is partly funded by the Pakistani narcotics lobby, sections of Pak Army and Chenab Rangers across the International Border have strong reasons for offering assistance to Pak smugglers in delivering contraband goods to their Indian counterparts on this side in Samba and Ranbir Singh Pora. India’s Narcotics Control Board (NCB) is, of course, aware of the existence in Jammu and Kashmir of scores of smugglers, particularly the ones involved in the smuggling of high-grade Kashmiri hashish. But the NCB seems to be alarmed by the flow of narcotics into India from Thailand and Myanmar en route to the United States and Europe. And as the drug-runners were also using a number of routes to bring high-grade heroin into India and Bangladesh for transshipment to Western countries, the NCB is keen to have increased help from Indian Army, the Navy and the Border Security Force to check the flow of narcotics to India. If Pakistan has already been found encouraging drug-runners to carry small consignments of arms and ammunition as well into the Indian territory via Jammu’s International Border, the NCB has been reported to have come across evidence making it clear that a number of insurgent groups based in India’s northeast region and in Sri Lanka are involved in the drug trade for generating cash to purchase arms and ammunition from South-East Asia. Kashmiri groups blame ISI for Wani’s killing From A K Dhar LONDON, Nov 7: Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) groups and Kashmiri leaders here have blamed Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) for the killing of prominent Kashmiri leader Ghulam Qadir Wani in the Valley recently. They told reporters here that the killing, which has evoked sharp condemnation from almost all pro-independence Kashmiri groups here, was aimed at foisting a rubber stamp, Taliban type leadership in Jammu and Kashmir. They (Pakistanis) don’t want any free-thinking and independent leadership to emerge in Kashmir. They want only rubber stamps like the Hurriyat Conference, whose leaders have never shown any guts to condemn large-scale killings or excesses by Pakistani mercenaries in Kashmir, PoK leader and chairman of Jammu and Kashmir Peace Committee Anwar Khan said. He said Pakistan’s designs should now be clear to the Kashmiri people. JKLF (Yasin faction) general secretary Azmat Khan termed the killing as a shock to Kashmiris and said many believe Wani was made a target by those who disliked his views. Wani, secretary general of the erstwhile Muslim United Front (MUF) and former official spokesman of JKLF, was gunned down by unidentified gunmen at his Arin-Bandipora residence in Kashmir on Wednesday last. During his frequent visits here and meetings with British Foreign Office and Members of Parliament, Wani had become very outspoken on continued violence in Kashmir and called for a political dialogue to settle the issue. Chairman of the Kashmir International Front Afzal Tahir called for setting up of an international tribunal to investigate killings of Kashmiri leaders. He said the Hurriyat Conference had to be blamed squarely for failure to safeguard outspoken leaders of Kashmir. By not taking a resolute stand on ISI plans to annihilate Kashmiri leadership, Hurriyat in fact has become a party to killing of patriotic Kashmiris, he said. Shiban Durrani of the Indo-European Kashmir Forum said, killing of Ghulam Wani should make it clear to Governments in Europe and United States that Pakistan wanted to turn Kashmir into another killing fields. Two militants killed,
BSF jawan Excelsior Correspondent RAJOURI, Nov 7: The Border Security Force (BSF) and police today carried out a joint operation at village Angari near Jathanmala in Tatta Pani area of Kalakote and gunned down two militants. A BSF jawan was injured in the encounter. Official sources said BSF and police parties had launched a joint search operation in the forest areas of Kalakote following the recovery of two pilotless aircrafts from Adarnia area recently. They said a group of 15-16 militants was sighted in village Angari during the search operations. As security forces tried to lay a cordon around them, they were fired upon by the militants. Security personnel retaliated. In the ensuing encounter which continued for more than three hours, the security personnel gunned down two militants while others managed to escape towards forest areas. A BSF constable identified as Mehar Singh was also injured in the encounter. Dead bodies of both the slain militants have been recovered by the security forces but their identification hasn’t been carried out so far. The slain militants were suspected to be the Pakistan nationals, the sources said. The injured BSF jawan was evacuated from the firing site and has been admitted in the district hospital here where his condition was stated to be critical. Two AK-47 rifles besides other arms, ammunition and explosives have been recovered from the scene of encounter, they said, adding more recoveries were expected from the spot. Security forces and police continued search operation in the forest areas of Kalakote to apprehend the absconding militants. Additional troops have also been rushed to Kalakote to assist the forces in search operations following reports that militants who include foreign mercenaries were equipped with sophisticated weaponry. Our Jammu correspondent adds: Identity of two slain militants killed in an encounter with Army at Bittola area of Doda district has been carried out as Mohd Abbas (code Maqsood) son of Azam Mir, a resident of Amrit Garh and Nissar Ahmed son of Abdul Zabbar of Notal. Both of them were activists of Harkat-ul-Ansar. Dead bodies of both the militants have been brought to Gandoh and will be handed over to their families tomorrow after completion of legal formalities. Police recovered 10 more grenades from encounter site at village Chushul in Banihal area of Doda district where two militants were gunned down by the Rashtriya Rifles and Special Task Force (STF) last night. Identity of these slain militants hasn’t been established as yet. Their dead bodies have been kept at police station for identification. SOG nabs another Harkat chief Excelsior Correspondent SRINAGAR, Nov 7: While as a militant, believed to be a foreigner, got killed in a fierce encounter with Border Security Force (BSF) and Special Operations Group (SOG) of Jammu and Kashmir Police at Bandipora this evening, militants gunned down a constable of J&K Armed Police (JKAP) as also two ex-militants in Kashmir valley since last evening. In yet another operation, SOG Srinagar claimed to have apprehended the "Ameer-e-Aala" of the pan-Islamic Harkat-ul-Ansaar from the capital city here. Official sources told EXCELSIOR that SOG Baramulla and BSF launched a joint operation in Ward No: 5 of Bandipora township this afternoon following specific information regarding the presence of 3 foreign militants at the house of a mainstream political activist Mohammad Ramzan. The SOG-BSF combine rushed to Nishat park locality of the north Kashmir town and laid siege to the particular house, close to Jamia Qadeem mosque. Three well-armed militants, believed to be foreigners, opened fire and a fierce encounter began before sunset which was in progress even beyond midnight. DIG BSF Mr Chakravarti was personally supervising the operation. Sources said that one of the three holed up militants received a burst on his body. He was believed killed as none of his movement was observed thereafter. The security forces destroyed the target house as also two adjacent structures in exchange of fire but the two die-hard militants were still fighting the troops. According to the specific information, the three militants had been present there since last evening. In Baramulla district again, gunmen shot dead a former militant of JKLF who had been reportedly helping BSF in conducting the counter-insurgency operation after his release from jail. Identified as Tariq Ahmed Sheikh son of Ghulam Mohammad Sheikh of Kripalpora, he was shot dead at Zangam, one km short of Pattan town, on Srinagar-Baramulla highway at 1030 hours today. During last night, unidentified gunmen appeared at the residence of a former militant namely Bashir Ahmed Parray at Bundgam village near Soibug and shot him dead. In a similar militant attack, Parray had got injured and reports said that his leg had also been amputated. At the same village, residential house of one Sona-ullah Parray was also set ablaze by unidentified persons. Two days ago, another ex-militant had been similarly gunned down at the nearby Aarth village. Sources said that at 0045 hours last night, a group of militants appeared at Tawheed Abad locality of Bemina Colony in the capital city outskirts and attempted to force their entry in a single-story house situated next door to a senior police official’s house. The JKAP guard challenged the militants. Militants fired upon the guard, killing one constable and leaving another injured. The JKAP 7th Bn constable killed on spot was identified as Mohammad Ishaq of Bandipora while as the injured constable was identified as Aurang Zeb. He was rushed to hospital for treatment. Militants have been marking their presence and activity in Bemina colony-Batmaloo belt for the last one month as several incidents have taken place here after a pause of three years. Dead body of an unidentified person, possibly from south Kashmir, was fished out from river Jhelum at Budshah bridge this afternoon. In two incidents of mysterious fire, six residential houses gutted at Vakil Kocha, Zainakadal, today while as an equal number of houses, belonging to migrant Kashmiri Pandits, perished at Brah village in Anantnag district during last night. Official sources said that SOG Srinagar demolished two militant hideouts in the capital city and apprehended at least 7 militant functionaries including the "Ameer-e-Aala"(supreme commander) of Harkat-ul-Ansaar. Following the recent killings by militants, a special team of officers and men was constituted by the SOG to nab the killers. Special Nakas at vulnerable places were organised. During one such Naka, following a radio intercept, one suspect was lifted from downtown of Srinagar. The preliminary questioning of the suspect led the party to a militant hideout in Khanyar area. During raid on the hideout the party arrested one Mohd Younis Chowhan, the Imam of Khalilapora Masjid. During questioning, the Molvi turned to be Amir-e-Aala of banned Harkat-ul-Ansar and was going by code name Mohd Shafi alias Molvi alias Younis. Prior to his elevation to the present rank, he had been a member of Shoura-e-Jehad and Amir of Majlis-e-Amla of Harkat. He had been a close associate of Hamid Turkey, involved in the kidnapping case of the foreigners at Pahalgam, Aamir Khan chief of the Harkat and Parvez Baba erstwhile deputy chief of the outfit. One loaded Chinese pistol was recovered from the his possession, arrested militant has confessed his involvement in a number of militancy related crimes. Sources said that in addition to the Harkat chief, SOG Srinagar also apprehended six other militants and recovered from them a large quantity of arms and ammunition. Two hideouts were demolished in the capital city and 22 kg of RDX was recovered. Earlier, Harkat’s "chief commander" Shahji, "chief commander Haji Aarif, deputy chief Abdullah, deputy chief Mohammad Azam were eliminated by SOG Srinagar in the last two years while as another top functionary Sikandar had got killed in a mine-blast at Anantnag. Dreaded Harkat commander Hameed Turki was killed in an encounter with security forces at Dabran, Anantnag in December 1995. Excelsior Correspondent HIRANAGAR, Nov 7: Tension gripped Hiranagar this afternoon as migrant families from border areas shouted slogans against Union Home Minister Mr L K Advani as he didn’t visit them despite his one day tour to Jammu. The migrants rejected a suggestion by the administration to accompany a delegation to meet Mr Advani at Raj Bhawan, Jammu. "Why should we go to Raj Bhawan. Why can’t Mr Advani come here now as he used to visit earlier before coming to power"? they asked. The people also turned violent and started shouting slogans against Mr Advani and the BJP. Later, only selected BJP leader left for Raj Bhawan and met Mr Advani. Migrants regretted that Mr Advani and his party, which used to be in fore-front in raising the voice against militants and Pakistan when they were in the Opposition, have suddenly shifted their stance after coming to power and joining hands with the National Conference. PAKUR (BIHAR), Nov 7 : The owner of a shop was stabbed to death and his son critically injured by inebriated customers who were angry at his refusal to put sufficient onion in their omelettes, police said today. Police said six persons came to the shop of one Noni Sarkar at Sundarpahari village, about five km from here, last night and asked him to prepare omelettes. Finding little onion in the item, they demanded some more which Sarkar refused. Enraged, they stabbed him and his son who protested. While the former died on the spot, his son was admitted to hospital in a serious condition. Police have registered a case under different sections of IPC against the six persons who are still evading arrest.(PTI) India deprecates ‘selective’ approach of US NEW DELHI, Nov 7: India today deprecated the selective and discriminatory approach of the United States in permitting lending from multi-lateral financial institutions to support an International Monetary Fund (IMF) agreement with Pakistan whose implosion Washington is keen to prevent. Giving a guarded reaction to reports from Washington regarding lifting of some economic restrictions imposed by the US against India and Pakistan, an External Affairs Ministry spokesman said we have always maintained that such unilateral and coercive measures are unjustified and counter-productive, and should be lifted. He said India had nothing against economic assistance to Pakistan and has consistently voted in the World Bank and other fora in favour of such assistance. The remarks attributed to US officials, however, reveal a selective and discriminatory approach which we find hard to understand and reconcile with, he said. India, he said, had been engaged in an intensive dialogue on a range of issues relating to disarmament and non-proliferation with the US. These discussions have led to a narrowing of gaps of perception. We note that according to press reports, it is in recognition of this that the United States has lifted some of the measures. Washington’s announcement comes on the eve of expert level talks with New Delhi commencing on Monday on issues relating to post-Pokhran developments. India is of the firm view that all such measures, particularly those relating to lending by Multilateral Financial Institutions, should go, the spokesman stressed. The Multilateral Institutions, in particular, are economic and development-oriented organisations, and should not be misused for political purposes to suit the whims and preferences of particular countries, he said. A report from Washington said President Bill Clinton had decided to use new authority granted by Congress to waive some sanctions on India and Pakistan because of progress on the arms issues. (PTI) Militant group claims links with Bin Laden Excelsior Correspondent SRINAGAR, Nov 7: Even as authorities are still trying to verify the reported nexus between Pakistan-backed militants operating in Jammu and Kashmir and exiled Saudi millionaire, Osama Bin Laden, a self-styled group commander of Taliban, Maulana Mohammad Qasim, has claimed that they are in "constant touch" with Osama. Talking to the newspersons in Sopore in north Kashmir, Qasim said there are 28 training camps in north Kashmir where 1350 youths are undergoing arms training. All the camps are run by Lashker-e-Hyder company of the outfit, he added. In addition, there are camps run by other companies of the outfit, he said adding that their efforts are to impart training to as many local youths in these camps as possible. Replying to a question, Maulana Mohammad Asim said his outfit has no truck with Hurriyat Conference. He claimed that his outfit is equipped with the latest and sophisticated weapons. The claims made by Qasim come in the wake of British press report that Laden has asked his Afghan and Arab militant to gather in Kashmir for a major terrorist offensive in the Valley and beyond. Kalyan’s Secretariat computerised LUCKNOW, Nov 7: The Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister’s Secretariat has gone on line. An official spokesman said today that the total computerisation of the Chief Minister’s Office was aimed at bringing more transparency in Government functioning and developing a better monitoring system. It would facilitate data entry and processing together he said adding that work on the multi-user unix operating system had also been started. The existing system was being upgraded and improved to make the new technology fully viable. As per the proposals, all the employees of the Chief Minister’s Office would be given computer training followed by data entry of income and expenditure of important departments, progress of important schemes, details of the law and order situation and progress of various developmental schemes being run in the districts. There was also a proposal for installation of a computer terminal in the Chief Minister’s Office reception. Chief Minister Kalyan Singh has appointed his special secretary in charge of the new system. (UNI) Fernandes for check on price rise NEW DELHI, Nov 7 : Defence Minister George Fernandes today dismissed the need for convening an immediate meeting of the coordination committee of BJP and its allies on price rise saying it was more important to take steps to check it. There was no need to call a meeting of the coordination committee. As far as the price situation is concerned, it is important to check hoarding and look into the actual reason behind price rise, Fernandes told reporters here. He said a meeting of Chief Ministers also will not serve the real purpose though he was not against convening it. (PTI) |