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Shaheen
Talibani, associate killed in Surankote Excelsior Special Correspondent POONCH, Oct 20: Army and police this evening gunned down five dreaded militants at Chappar Dhok in Loran area of this district. A huge quantity of weaponry was recovered from their possession. SSP Poonch Mr J P Singh told EXCELSIOR that Loran police and 31 RR launched an operation in Chappar Dhok on the basis of an information supplied by an arrested militant. The operation, which was launched this morning, culminated in success this evening with the killings of five dreaded militants. There was no casualty on army or police side during the day long encounter. Bodies of all five slain militants have been recovered from the encounter site but their identity hasn’t been established so far. Some of them were suspected to be foreign mercenaries. Mr Singh said police and RR personnel played a tremendous role in the day-long operation and fought bravely to liquidate all five militants present in Chappar Dhok. He said a huge quantity of weaponry including four AK-47 rifles were recovered from the scene of encounter. Other details of the recovery were being worked out, he added. Meanwhile, army and police today achieved another big success in Surankote tehsil of this border district when they gunned down two dreaded foreign mercenaries including a most wanted ultra Shaheen Talibani, an area commander of Harkat-ul-Ansar outfit. Eight local harbourers of the militants, who had been providing shelter to Shaheen Talibani from time to time, were also apprehended by the troops and police. Defence sources here said a joint party of army and police trapped Shaheen Talibani and his associate Abu Uqaib, both Pakistanis, in their hideout at village Ranjara in Banwali Dhok, near Surankote this morning after getting a report that duo had sneaked into the village to indulge in civilian killings tonight. Troops cordoned off the village and asked the civilians to move out in a bid to avoid civilian casualties. Militants, however, lobbed grenades aiming the army and police column and opened firing. Initially, the army personnel retaliated cautiously to avoid civilian fatalities but once the civilians moved out of the village, they returned the firing vigorously. The exchange of firing continued for more than two hours. Finally, army and police succeeded in eliminating both the militants without suffering any casualty on their side. Bodies of both the militants were recovered from the hideout, from where they had been operating, the sources said. Their identity was established from two identity cards recovered from their possession. Recovery made from the hideout include one Pika gun with 338 rounds, two AK-56 rifles with 12 magazines, 12 rounds of SLR, eight kgs explosives, four grenades, 18 detonators, one telescopic sight and some incriminating documents. During continued searches in the area, troops and police parties arrested eight overground harbourers of the militants, who had been providing shelter and other help to Shaheen Talibani and Abu Uqaib. The overground harbourers were identified from a diary seized from the possession of Talibani. The harbourers were being interrogated, the sources said, adding with the disclosures activities of some more militants in Surankote area were expected to be established. They said Shaheen Talibani and Abu Uqaib, both Afghanistan-trained mercenaries had let loose a reign of terror in the areas of Surankote and were involved in a series of subversive activities including killings, kidnapping, extortions and rape with poor and innocent girls. Meanwhile, another encounter was going on between army and militants at Issawali Dhok in Surankote area. The encounter, which started at 1600 hours, was on when the reports last came in. However, there had been no report of any casualty on either side so far. |
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Sayeed
to be Dy Speaker NEW DELHI, Oct 20 : Telugu Desam nominee G M C Balayogi today became a consensus choice for the post of Speaker and Congress veteran P M Sayeed for Deputy Speaker of the 13th Lok Sabha with the ruling combine and Opposition jointly agreeing on their names. Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee proposed Balayogi’s name for speakership which was seconded by leader of the Opposition Sonia Gandhi as the deadline expires tomorrow for nomination to Speaker’s election on Friday, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pramod Mahajan said. More than a dozen resolutions backing Balayogi’s candidature have already been tabled. The Deputy Speaker’s election is likely to be held on October 28. Both Balayogi, who defeated P A Sangma in the first-ever election to the post last year, and consensus candidate Sayeed will be getting a second term in the posts. The consensus was evolved after discussions between the two sides and Congress spokesman Ajit Jogi welcomed Government’s decision to honour the healthy tradition of leaving the Deputy Speaker’s post to the Opposition. Balayogi’s choice for the Speaker’s post became clear when his party, which has 29 MPs, decided to give outside support to the Vajpayee Government. Since the Speaker’s post is being decided uncontested, the ruling combine has chosen to follow the tradition of leaving the Deputy Speaker’s post to the main Opposition. A host of leaders belonging to the National Democratic Alliance constituents and Opposition groups affixed their signatures on different sets of resolutions to be moved on Friday. They include Home Minister L K Advani and Defence Minister George Fernandes, Industry and Commerce Minister Murasoli Maran, CPI-M leader Somnath Chatterjee, Samajwadi Party leader Mulayam Singh Yadav, NCP leader Sharad Pawar and BSP leader Mayawati. As the Speaker’s election was notified, Government swung into action seeking consent of all major groups in Lok Sabha, including the main Opposition party Congress. The signatures were collected in the Lok Sabha which met today to transact the business of oath-taking by the newly-elected members. Earlier, minutes before the House was to meet for the first time, Balayogi went around shaking hands with leaders in the front row and exchanged pleasantries with Gandhi. (PTI) |
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Three PSOs, driver
also wounded Excelsior Correspondent UDHAMPUR, Oct 20: Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) president and MLA Bhaderwah Sheikh Abdul Rehman was seriously injured while his wife was killed in a road accident at Shaitani nullah on Jammu-Srinagar National Highway this evening. Three Personal Security Officers (PSOs) of Mr Rehman and TATA Sumo driver were also injured in the accident. Mr Rehman was on his way to Srinagar to attend the resumed session of Legislative Assembly. The tragedy occurred around 1730 hours when TATA Sumo No.3139 skidded off the road and rolled down over 200 feet deep into Shaitani nullah. Fatima Begum wife of Sheikh Abdul Rehman was killed on the spot in the accident. Mr Rehman, his three PSOs—Mohammad Iqbal, Mohammad Hussain and Kamal Nayan Sharma and driver of TATA Sumo Bhupinder Singh were injured in the accident. Local people and a police party reached the spot after getting a report of the accident. The victims were brought out of the nullah and rushed to sub district hospital in Banihal where Fatima Begum was declared as brought dead. Mr Rehman was also admitted in Banihal hospital and was being referred to Medical College hospital. He was responding to treatment, the reports said, adding condition of other injured—PSOs and driver—was also improving. Mr Rehman had left Jammu around 1030 hours for Srinagar to attend the Legislative Assembly session, which resumed today after Dussehra holidays. Our Jammu correspondent adds: A youth, Rakesh Sharma, who had fell down alongwith his motor-cycle from Fly Over bridge at Indira Chowk last night, succumbed to his injuries in the Medical College hospital early this morning. Body of Rakesh Sharma, a resident of Seri Pandita, was handed over to his family today after post-mortem. Armed cops on patrol to strike terror in criminals’ minds NEW DELHI, Oct 20: In a major operation to strike terror among criminals, Delhi police has deployed over 200 armed motorcycle-borne personnel to patrol the most crime-prone police station areas in the Capital, city Police Commissioner Ajai Raj Sharma said here today. We have identified 18 police station areas where about 38 per cent of the total crime in Delhi takes place and have allocated 12 personnel and six bikes to each one of them to patrol the locality and gather information, Sharma told PTI. The personnel have been put on patrol during the most crime-prone 1600 to 2400 hours and like Police Control Room (PCR) Gypsies, their locations and movements are directly monitored from the Police Headquarters, he said. South Delhi remains the most crime-prone followed by North-West, West and North-East districts and worst affected police stations include Okhla, Mangolpuri, Nangloi, Najafgarh, Kalyanpuri, Trilokpuri, Seelampur and Gokulpuri, he said. While most of the crimes are committed between 2000 hours and 2400 hours in the night, the banking hours between 1000 hours and 1300 hours are also very sensitive, Sharma said. In a rare gesture to boost the morale of the 55,000 strong force, for the first time, the Police Chief would honour 19 widows of personnel who died in harness and give appointment letters on compassionate grounds to 103 dependents of police personnel who died while performing their duty. This is to convey to the personnel that if they die on duty, the Police Parivar will look after their families, that we are sensitive to their fears, he said. Police Commissioner Sharma would honour the widows and give the appointment letters at a special ceremony at the New Police Lines here tomorrow to mark police commemoration day. The programme includes a commemoration parade and laying of wreath at the renovated police memorial. The widow of Constable Ashok Kumar, who succumbed to spinal injury sustained while nabbing three fleeing robbers in the Karol Bagh area of central district on January two, is among those to be honoured at tomorrow’s function. Others include widows of Constable Maharaj Singh who was gunned down while attempting to nab a robbery suspect in South-West Delhi on March 19 and Constable Ram Vir, whose body was found in the Rajokri area in March with head smashed and bullet injuries on the chest. All Deputy Commissioners of Police were asked to visit the families of personnel who died in harness in the past one year and inquire about their problems, Sharma said. We wanted to tell them that they are part of the family and that we have not forgotten them, now that their men are no more alive, he said, adding the police officials were specifically asked to look into harassment of widows, if any. "I do not have any magic wand to solve all their problems. I am trying to do what is there within my limits," he said. (PTI) |
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STF post attacked at
Bhaderwah Excelsior Correspondent UDHAMPUR, Oct 20: Continuing with the major offensive against militants, the elite Rashtriya Rifles today met with another success when it gunned down four militants after a fierce day-long encounter in Dharna Keri area of Banihal tehsil in Doda district. Another militant was nabbed in Mahu Mangat area of Banihal. Official reports reaching here said troops of 20 Rashtriya Rifles assisted by Special Operations Group (SOG) launched a search operation in Dharna Keri village, located in the upper reaches of Banihal. The operation was launched on the basis of an information developed by the Intelligence agencies about the presence of a large group of militants in the area. Reports said atleast 10 militants had taken positions in the village with a view to devise their future strategy and step up attacks on security forces and civilians. While troops were zeroing-in-on the hideout of militants, the latter opened heavy volume of firing on the former with heavy fire arms and hurled explosive devices towards them. Troops, who were anticipating such an attack, immediately took positions and returned the firing effectively. The heavy fire arms exchange, which started at 1000 hours in the morning, continued intermittently till 1600 hours and resulted into the death of four dreaded militants. There was no casualty on army side in the successful encounter. Atleast two militants were injured in the encounter but they managed to escape alongwith their other associates and fled towards higher reaches. Bodies of four slain militants have been recovered from the scene of encounter but hadn’t been identified so far. Two of them were believed to be foreigners while two others were their local associates. A huge quantity of arms and ammunition have been recovered from the encounter site the exact details of which were being worked out. Meanwhile, troops and SOG personnel continued searches in the upper reaches of Dharna Keri village to locate the absconding militants, who numbered six and all of them were top ultras. Another group of militants opened firing on a post of Special Task Force (STF) at Sartingal under the jurisdiction of Bhaderwah police station on the intervening night of October 19 and 20. The STF personnel returned the firing. The cross-firing continued throughout the last night but STF personnel succeeded in repulsing the militants’ attack. In the meantime, the reinforcement of STF also reached the post. The area, from where the militants had opened firing, was sealed by the STF personnel. Searches were being carried out to locate the militants. |
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FIR begins probe into
Sharif's bank frauds ISLAMABAD, Oct 20: Military authorities in Pakistan today said the new Government will be in place within next few days and that most of the people in the new set up will be civilian experts. Consultations are on for finalising who would be included in the six-member National Security Council (NSC), which would run the affairs of the country under Chief Executive General Pervez Musharraf, an Army spokesman said. Asked how long the process will take, he said it should take a few more days. I guess it would not take more than one week, he said. The spokesman explained, each decision that is taken is going to be well deliberated, well studied because if that amount of effort does not go into initial stages, it is likely to go wrong. He also stressed that most of those to be included in the NSC would be civilian experts. With Gen Musharraf already announcing that the Air and Navy Chiefs would be included in the NSC, only four other members, who will be specialists in the fields of legal, finance, national affairs and foreign affairs, are to be nominated. Meanwhile, media reports said Gen Musharraf was engaged in deliberations with his top aides at the Army Headquarters to choose his team for running the country. The military authorities are trying to give a non-political face to the forthcoming set up and technocrats and retired bureaucrats are likely to get most of the positions, The Nation said quoting sources. Former Interior Secretary Omar Afridi, another senior bureaucrat Azam Khan and leading economist Dr Hafiz Pasha are expected to be included in the set up. Gen Musharraf is reportedly looking for a seasoned economist who is known among the international financial institutions for undertaking immediate negotiations with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for the release of crucial 280 million dollar loan which Pakistan badly needs at the moment. The report said Gen Musharraf was contemplating to form a small Cabinet consisting of 10 members to assist the National Security Council, which would be the supreme decision making body headed by him. He is also expected to finalise a think tank to advise the experimental Government. The other awaited appointments are those of provincial Governors of Punjab, Sindh, Baluchistan and North West Frontier (NWFP). A 10-member Cabinet is expected in each provincial set up, the report said. A massive bureaucratic reshuffle is also on the cards with reports suggesting that most of the Federal Secretaries appointed by the Sharif regime could be replaced. Meanwhile, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) of Pakistan has initiated probe into ousted Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s alleged involvement in bank frauds and charged him with financial misdeeds amounting to over 100 million US dollars, a media report said here today. In a report submitted to the military authorities, FIA accused Sharif of money laundering to the tune of 40 million dollars, tax evasion of over 60 million dollars, bank fraud and forgery of over 10 million dollars and an unspecified amount by misusing his office and public funds for personal benefits, the domestic PPI news agency said quoting official sources. The FIA report said the agency along with commercial banks of Karachi circle have also initiated probe into the alleged involvement of Sharif and his Interior Minister Choudhury Shujaat Hussain in bank frauds. The report, quoting sources, said Sharif’s first cousin and owner of Kashmir Sugar Mills Javed Shafi was sanctioned a bank loan of Rs one billion, while a close relative of Hussain who also owns a sugar mill was sanctioned a loan of Rs 200 million. Sharif’s family business concern - the Ittefaq group -and Hussain have major interest in the sugar business and they control more than 80 per cent of Pakistan’s sugar industry. Almost the entire lot of sugar exported to India recently were made by these two business groups. Former FIA Director General Rehman Malik had earlier sent from London a 200-page report to President Muhammar Rafiq Tarar making almost similar allegations of money laundering by Sharif and his business group. But the president had ignored the report then. Malik was the head of FIA during the Benazir Bhutto regime and was investigating cases against Sharif before he was dismissed and put behind bars following Sharif’s return to power in February, 1997. Malik later obtained bail from the Supreme Court and escaped to London, where he is living in exile. Meanwhile, the report said authorities have also finalised a list of nearly 400 major defaulter firms and companies owing more than Rs 70 billion to the public sector banks and about 2500 owners and partners of these firms have been barred from leaving the country. General Pervez Musharraf, who took over as the Chief Executive after the proclamation of emergency on October 17, had issued a stern warning to all the loan defaulters, including almost the entire business group of Sharif, and given them four weeks’ time to voluntarily repay their loans. Persuant to Musharraf’s proclamation, the country’s main governing bank - the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) - has set a deadline of November 16 for banks to recover all their outstanding loans. A SBP circular issued yesterday said the defaulted loan of over Rs one million amounted to Rs 143 billion on June 30, 1999. (PTI) |
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Huge arms seizure in
Kupwara Excelsior Correspondent SRINAGAR, Oct. 20: While as militants have eliminated a counter-insurgent helper of security forces in Kupwara district, two militants have got injured but managed to escape in an operation in the same district. Besides, security forces have recovered a large quantity of arms and ammunition in Kupwara and SOG Srinagar have apprehended three militants. Official sources told EXCELSIOR that during last night, militants intruded into the house of a prominant counter-insurgent and former militant, namely Haakim-ud-din S/o Lal Din, at Nunawani, Kalaroos, in Kupwara district and shot him dead. Troops of Rashtriya Rifles 18 Bn and SOG Kupwara carried out a joint operation at Kanthpora in Lolab, Kupwara. An encounter took place between militants and security forces. Official sources claimed that two militants got injured but both of them managed to escape. Two AK-56 rifles and 12 rifle grenades were recovered from the site of encounter, last evening. In Kahmil forest area, near Chowkibal and Chornar, security forces claimed to have smashed a major hideout of militants. Two AK-56 rifles, 2960 round, 2 RPG launchers, 10 rockets, 1 disposable rocket launcher, 148 rifle grenades, 37 hand grenades, 25 anti-tank grenades, 6 IEDs and 90 detonators were lcaimed recovered from the hideout. At 0915 hours today, militants caused two IED blasts near Habak in Zakoora area when security forces were making preparations for setting up a medical camp in the suburban locality. Minor damage was caused to a tipper. Last evening, militants fired upon a patrol of 6 Jak rifles between Reban and Nawpora near Sopore. Troops retaliated but militants managed to escape unhurt. At 1730 hours this evening, militants hurled a hand grenade on a CRPF vehicle at Maisuma. it failed to explode and was later defused by bomb disposal squad. Later, at 1950 hours, militants hurled another grenade on a BSF picket at Noorbagh, Iddgah. It missed the intended target and exploded on road without causing harm to anybody. Meanwhile, SOG Srinagar claimed to have apprehended three militants since last evening. They were identified as Mohammad Shaban Dar alias Lala S/o Ab Rahim Dar of Bandipore, Shabir Ahmed Dar alias Kurma S/o Mohammad Sadiq Bhat of Shala Kadal and Ghulam Mohammad Bhat alias Shahid S/o Ghulam Ahmed Bhat of Ajas Bandipore. An official handout claimed that Shaban was "battalion commander'' of Hizbul Mujahideen. Shabir was a militant of Tehreek-ul-Mujahideen and Bhat was the "bodyguard'' of the Harkat-ul-Mujahideen chief Jehadi Arms and ammunition were claimed recovered from them. |
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Police crackdown on students; 3 serious Excelsior Correspondent SRINAGAR, Oct 20: In a late night move, Police swooped down upon the striking students of Prime Dental and Medical College here and arrested several of them. Meanwhile, one more student, Iftikhar Geelani has been hospitalised in a serious condition. He was suffering from acute dehydration and starvation. As per the version of the students on hunger strike, forces from Police Station Kothi Bagh raided the Polo Ground, where students of Dental College were observing hunger strike for the last one week against Kashmir University’s failure to conduct the examinations. Police confiscated the tents of the striking students and took away all the banners. Several of the students were also taken into custody. On visit to the Police Station Kothi Bagh, this correspondent saw more than 12 students lying in haggard condition. While complaining that no doctor had been provided to monitor the condition of the arrested students who were still on hunger strike, the striking students revealed that the condition of three more students was serious. They have been identified as Shahnaaz, Basharat and Faisal. Asserting that they will continue to observe hunger strike till their problem was solved, the students at the Police Station said that they will rather die of hunger than to let these indifferent authorities spoil their career. |
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Ultras mow down woman, wound son in Mendhar Excelsior Correspondent RAJOURI, Oct 20: Militants gunned down a woman and wounded her young son in their dhok at Deedar Nar near Hill Kaka in Poonch district late last night. The killing of an innocent woman was resented by the local people. Official reports reaching here said militants sneaked into the dhok of Sabi Bi, 53, wife of Jamaal Din, a resident of Mendhar and tried to forcibly take away her 18-year old son Mohd Hanief for arms training in Pakistan. The woman, who had come to dhok alongwith cattle, strongly resisted the militants’ attempt to take away her son for militants’ activities. She even grappled with the militants to save her son from falling into the trap of militants. The frustrated militants pumped a volley of shots into woman’s body killing her on the spot, the reports said, adding even after the killing of her mother, Mohd Hanief refused to accompany the militants. The ultras then also fired two shots on Hanief wounding him critically. Militants fled from the spot after the incident. Local people raised an alarm and informed at a nearby picket of security forces and police. Police teams reached the village and shifted the victims to Mendhar hospital. The woman was declared as brought dead while her son was admitted in the hospital in critical condition. Police cordoned off the area and launched searches for the militants involved in the heinous crime. Local people said that militants were five in number and all of them looked like foreigners. Local people strongly protested against the killing of a poor woman by the militants. They also held a demonstration protesting against the incident. |
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Fernandes to handle defence policy matters NEW DELHI, Oct 20: Defence Minister George Fernandes would handle all policy matters relating to his Ministry leaving aside the areas of defence production and supplies and welfare for the two Ministers of State, Harin Pathak and Bachi Singh Rawat, official sources said tonight. As per the work allocation of the Defence Ministry, Pathak would take care of defence production and supplies including the functioning of 39 ordnance factories and eight defence Public Sector Undertakings, the sources said. Rawat, who would deal mainly with the welfare aspects, would also overlook the working of National Cadet Corps, Territorial Army and the National War Memorial which is coming up here, they said. Besides ex-servicemen’s welfare, Rawat would also be the chairman of the Defence Minister’s appellate committee on pensions. Both Pathak and Rawat would look after the personnel matters in their respective areas of responsibilities upto the rank of Brigadier and equivalent of the three services, the sources added. (PTI) Non-bailable warrants against Rajesh Khanna MUMBAI, Oct 20: A local court today issued non-bailable warrants against cine star Rajesh Khanna as he failed to appear before the court in wealth tax evasion cases filed against him by the Income Tax Department. The orders were issued by Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate C L Thool, who directed the actor to appear before him on October 28. Khanna had sent a fax message to the court yesterday saying that he had engaged S P Munghate to appear on his behalf. Munghate did not appear today but another advocate moved an application on behalf of the actor seeking exemption for a day. The Income Tax Department opposed the exemption plea of the actor on the ground that the court had earlier cancelled non-bailable warrant against him and directed him to appear today which he failed to obey. The Magistrate, in his order, noted that the actor had shown disregard towards the court proceedings by absenting himself. Besides, he had been frequently changing lawyers who sought adjournments every time, he said. The Magistrate further observed that the case had been pending since 1983 and had not been proceeding further due to non-appearance of the accused and his advocates. The Income Tax Department had registered six cases against him for alleged false declaration of income under the various sections of the Income Tax and the Wealth Tax Act in 1983 involving a total concealment of Rs five lakh. (PTI) |
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