Centre
aware of Kashmir’s financial requirements Excelsior Special Correspondent NEW DELHI, Nov 29: The Government of India has no plans to establish contact with All-Party Hurriyat Conference (APHC) of Jammu and Kashmir. The Government’s stand, in this regard, was made clear in the Lok Sabha on Monday, by the Minister of State for Home Affairs, Mr Vidya Sagar Rao. During question hour, Mr Vilas Muteemwar enquired if the Union Government was making efforts to start a dialogue on Kashmir with the All-Party Hurriyat Conference. "No", pat came the reply from Mr Vidya Sagar. On the reported "jehad" call by Afghanistan-based Osama bin Laden against India, Mr Vidya Sagar Rao, informed Mr Vilas Muttemwar that Osama’s statement came at a time when the US counter terrorism team was visiting India (September 17) for discussing measures to counter international terrorism. Mr Rao said, at the same time, that report about ‘jehad’ was refuted by Maulvi Saeed-ur-Rahman Haqqani, the Taliban envoy in Pakistan, stating that Osama had neither issued any statement nor met any person since November 1998 and the statement about Kashmir attributed to him was totally baseless. Mr Rao, nonetheless, assured the House that the Government was vigilant regarding any threat to national security from all possible quarters and had sensitised all concerned in this regard. In his reply to a question by Mr Naresh Puglia, Mr Vidya Sagar Rao stated that a truck carrying arms and ammunition in a hidden cavity coming from Kupwara in Kashmir towards Jammu collided with another truck at Patnitop on September 30 this year. Militants who were reportedly in the truck fled. According to the Minister, 30 improvised explosive devices, 4 anti-personnel mines, 2 pistols, 4 hand grenades and some cartridges of AK-47 were recovered from the truck. No militant was arrested. However, the driver and cleaner of the truck were taken into police custody. Mr Rao, while making a pointed reference to what he termed as the ‘sinister designs’ of Pakistani ISI to destabilise India by supporting terrorism and subversive activities in different parts of the country, said in reply to a question by Mr Utamrao Dhikale that a close and continuous watch was being kept on the situation and "all necessary efforts, including sustained operations against terrorists and subversive elements, are being made to ensure that such designs are not allowed to succeed". On the prevailing law and order situation in the country, the Home Minister, Mr LK Advani, informed Mr Ramsagar Rawat that despite some areas of concern, the law and order situation in the country is under control. Mr Advani, however, admitted that the major concerns centred around Pak-sponsored terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir, inter-linked and externally supported subversive activities of militant groups in the North-East and the violence perpetrated by the Left wing extremist groups. While arguing that in view of ‘public order’ and ‘police’ being state subjects it is for the concerned State Governments to devise various methods and take concrete steps to improve the law and order situation in the States, Mr Advani stated that action, at the Central level, was taken to facilitate coordination of the anti-terrorist operations of different States and to improve flow of information useful for control or their activities among the States. Answering a question by Mr AC Bose, Mr Vidya Sagar Rao stated that it was decided at the November 17 meeting on Jammu and Kashmir in Delhi that representatives from the Planning Commission, Department of Expenditure and Ministry of Home would, after discussion with the representatives of the State Government, make an assessment of the short and medium term financial requirements of Jammu and Kashmir. In this context, a meeting, he said, was held on November 22. "Till date, no new financial package has been worked out for the State of Jammu and Kashmir", Mr LK Advani said in reply to a question by Mr Ajoy Chakraborty. The Minister of State for Home, Mr Vidya Sagar Rao, said, on the other hand, informed the House that the Government of India is reimbursing security related expenditure (SRE) incurred by Himachal Pradesh for containing and controlling the spill-over of militant activities from J&K to Himachal, on the basis of approved guidelines with effect from November 1, 1998. Mr Rao said in reply to a question by Mr Suresh Ramrao Jadhav that the Central Government was reimbursing such expenditure incurred by States of Jammu and Kashmir, Assam, Manipur, Nagaland and Tripura. In case of Jammu and Kashmir, the Government of India has made reimbursement to the tune of Rs 1334.78 crores for the 1990-99 period. This amount included Rs 152. 16 crores for election related SRE. |
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Several modules of ISI
neutralised From B L Kak NEW DELHI, Nov 29: The Minister for Home Affairs, Mr LK Advani, divulged on Monday that Pakistani Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and pro-Pak militant outfits had been found making efforts to induct more mercenaries into Jammu and Kashmir from across the border. This, he explained, was being done as part of the gameplan to carry out terrorist activities in J&K. Even as he informed the Lok Sabha about the "continued efforts" by Pakistani ISI and pro-Pak militant outfits to encourage infiltration of additional mercenaries into J&K, he admitted: "It is difficult to precisely ascertain the exact level of infiltration". Mr Advani, while answering a question by Dr S Venugopal and Mr Ramanaidu Daggubati, stated that with a view to tackling the problem of terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir, the Government had adopted a multi-pronged approach which included inter alia strengthening the border management, neutralising plans of the militants by pro-active action against them in the hinterland, gearing up intelligence machinery, greater functional integration through an institutional framework of operations groups and intelligence groups of the Unified Headquarters at all levels, improved technology, weapons and equipment for security forces. Mr Advani also divulged that steps were being taken afresh to flush out militants and curb militant activities. This apart, steps, he said, were also being taken to ensure closer vigil on the border, establishment of more naka parties in depth area to check infiltration and exfiltration, more pickets, intensive patrolling and extensive cordon and search operations. The Home Minister also informed the House that during the year as many as 748 civilians and 945 militants have been killed in terrorist incidents (up to November 15) as against 867 civilians and 999 militants killed during the previous calendar year. Some incidents of attacks on the camps of security forces personnel have been reported during the current year. A total number of 295 security personnel have been killed in militant actions during the year (up to November 15). Mr Advani stated that a court of inquiry had been ordered on the incident of attack on the BSF campus in Bandipore in Kashmir valley on the intervening night of July 12 and 13 last. Army, he said, had ordered courts of inquiry into two incidents, namely, attack on the PRO office in the Badamibagh cantonment on November 3 and unsuccessful attack on one of the Army posts in Kupwara district on August 6 this year. In his reply to a question by Mr Adhir Chowdhury and Ms Shyama Singh, Mr LK Advani said that a total of 11,327 Pakistani nationals had not returned to their country after their unauthorised stay in India. Of these, 8700 had overstayed and 2,627 were reported untraced, he added. In Jammu and Kashmir, 94 Pakistani nationals have been reported to be overstaying, while 4 others are said to be untraced. Maximum number of Pakistani nationals untraced has been reported from Maharashtra (1172), while the number of Pakistanis overstaying in this State has been put at 244. According to Mr Advani, Rajasthan accounted for the maximum number of Pakistanis (4658) overstaying in different parts of that State. The number of untraced Pakistanis in Rajasthan has been put at 75, as against 29 in Andhra Pradesh, 36 in Bihar, 90 in Delhi, 20 in Gujarat, 68 in Karnataka, 112 in Kerala, 231 in Madhya Pradesh, 8 in Orissa, 20 in Tamil Nadu, 400 in Uttar Pradesh, and 362 in West Bengal. Answering supplementaries, the Home Minister reiterated that the Central Government continued to be in constant dialogue with all States and Union Territories on the subject of tracing out such Pakistani nationals and to deport them. He made it clear that steps taken to check illegal immigration included border fencing, flood-lighting, construction of patrolling tracks, upgradation of intelligence capabilities at the border and improved border management and deployment of Army, central paramilitary forces and State police for checking of infiltration at Line of Control (LoC) and border. Mr Advani disclosed that as many as 33 major outfits operated in India and some of them were enjoying support of foreign countries. Answering a question by Mr Ramdas Athawale and Mr Sheesh Ram Singh Ravi, Mr Advani said that the Government had been regularly sensitizing all State Governments and concerned agencies regarding the activities of ISI. According to him, intelligence is shared on "continuous basis" and support is provided by way of financial assistance for modernising the State police and deployment of central paramilitary forces. With a view to preventing infiltration, border fencing and flood lighting, he pointed out, had been undertaken along stretches of the Indo-Pakistan and Indo-Bangladesh border, besides patrolling. He informed the House that several modules of the ISI had been neutralised all over the country through coordination action. Diplomatic initiatives, he added, had also been taken with the concerned countries to curb cross-border terrorism. Mr Advani identified 13 major Muslim terrorist organisation as Hizbul Mujahideen, Harkat-ul-Mujahideen, Lashkar-e-Toiba, Al-Barq, Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF), Al-Jehad, Jamiat-ul-Mujahideen, Tehrik-ul-Mujahideen, Tehrik-e-Jehad, Al-Badr, Harkat-ul-Jehad-e-Islami, Al-Umar and Al-Ummah. Remaining 20 terrorist outfits operating in India, according to Mr Advani, are Babbar Khalsa International, Dal Khalsa International, International Sikh Youth Federation (Rode), International Sikh Youth Federation (Chaheru), Khalistan Commando Force (Panjwar), Khalistan Zindabad Force, Khalistan Liberation Force, Khalistan National Army, Kama Gata Maru Dal, United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA), National Democratic Front of Bodoland, Bodo Liberation Tiger, National Liberation Front of Tripura, All Tripura Tribal Force, National Socialist Council of Nagaland, Naga National Council, Manipur Peoples Liberation Front, United National Liberation Front, Peoples Liberation Army and Liberation Tigers Tamil Elam (LTTE). |
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