Links with Al-Qaeda
Kashmir born truck driver gets 20 years jail in US

WASHINGTON, Oct 29: An Ohio truck driver, Kashmir-born naturalised US citizen Iyman Faris, was sentenced to 20 years in prison for plotting with Al Qaeda terror network to blow up the Brooklyn Bridge in New York and launch a simultaneous attack in Washington.

The district court in Alexandria (Virginia) sentenced Faris after a Federal Judge rejected his attempt to withdraw his guilty plea on the plot.

Faris told the court yesterday that he was only trying to fool the FBI when he pleaded guilty on May 1 because he wanted to gather material for a book. Officials said Faris had fantasies of travelling to Pakistan and working with the Government to find Osama bin Laden, whom he had met.

US District Judge Leonie M Brinkena rejected the attempt, which included revelations that Faris had started banging his head against a steel door during an interview with the FBI at the Alexandria jail. A psychiatric report sought by his lawyer later found he had no mental illness.

Faris told the judge yesterday that he was innocent. "I don’t have any connection to Al-Qaeda except my best friend worked for Al Qaeda," he said. He added: "You have every right to punish me because of my stupidity that day (when he pleaded guilty). I was depressed."

Faris’ guilty plea was unsealed June 19, when Attorney General John Ashcroft said he appeared to be a hardworking truck driver but "had a secret double life" that included carrying cash for Al-Qaeda, providing bin Laden with information about ultralight aircraft and scouting equipment for sabotaging railway tracks and bridge cables.

Officials said Faris was an Al-Qaeda scout who had planned with its top operative Khalid Sheikh Mohammed to sever the cables of the Brooklyn Bridge and to derail trains in or near Washington.

Court papers say Faris scouted the Brooklyn Bridge and, after concluding the plot would fail because of the bridge’s security and structure, sent a coded message to Al Qaeda this year that "the weather is too hot."

Paul J McNulty, the US Attorney in Alexandria, called the 20-year sentence "a significant accomplishment in our mission to prevent terrorist attacks in the United States."

On Faris’ contention about gathering material for a book, McNulty said: "He did some very serious things. Like most criminals, when they are caught, they have a number of ideas to get themselves out of accountability."

Faris’ Attorney, Fred Sinclair, told the judge that as he investigated the charges further, he developed doubts that Faris was involved in the bridge plot. "The problem, is, he admitted to it. What really happened, only Mr Faris knows."

Assistant US Attorney Neil Hammerstrom told Judge Brinkema that Faris also said he "wanted to be an agent for the FBI, to go to Pakistan to help identify Osama bin Laden."

Hammerstrom said Faris was simply "a calculating, devious individual. He had this unrealistic expectation that he would become an agent for the Government in Pakistan." (PTI)

4 ‘commanders’ among 17 ultras surrender

Excelsior Special Correspondent

POONCH, Oct 29: A divisional commander and three district commanders were among 17 militants surrendered along with their arms and ammunition before the security forces at Surankote today.

According to an official spokesman their surrender could be possible with sustained operations and mounting pressure of the security forces besides new surrendered policy of the Government. The local Panchayat members also played a key role in their surrender.

Corps Commander—Lt Gen TPS Brar, IGP Jammu— P L Gupta, DIG Poonch-Rajouri Range S M Sahai, SSP Poonch Mukesh Singh, D C Poonch Ejaz Iqbal besides prominent citizens and Sarpanchs of various Panchayat Halqas were also present on the occasion.

These militants who surrendered today belonged to TEJ, JuM, LeT and HUJI. Some of these organisations like TEJ and JuM were completely wiped out in district Poonch with the surrender of these militants. The surrender of the LeT militants also dealt a severe blow to the morale of this outfit and a large number of over ground workers were identified and dealt under law.

The divisional commander of TEJ who surrendered was identified as Mohd Rashid, son of Jalal Din of Loran, Two distt commanders of TEJ—Rashid Dori, son of Jamal Din of Marhote, Mohd Rafiq, son of Noor Mohd of Marhot and distt commander of LeT—Noor Mohd alias Khatana of Marhote. Huge quantity of arms and ammunition was also recovered.

The process started with the new approach of dealing with the militants through those very people who were effected by militancy in remote areas of Surankot. VDCs were formed in remote areas of Marha and Marhot with the help of local people. The concept of starting of these VDCs with the active support of police posts and nearby army units was to spread this effect slowly to neighbouring areas thereby making it a people’s movement.

The surrenderees are—Manzoor Hussain of HUJI, Khalid Mehmood JuM, Noor Ahmed of Marhot, Liaqat Hussain of LeT, Basharat Hussain of Marhot, Showkat Hussain of Morha Bachhai, Mohd Khursheed JuM, Bashir Ahmed JuM, Mohd Razak alias Ghazi of TEJ of Marrha, Mushtaq Ahmed of Doggrain, Mohd Altaf and Ghulam Hussain of Marhot and Faiz Ahmed alias Shahbaz of Anantnag.

The spokesman said that these surrenderees were being rehabilitated in the vicinity of secured areas so that their families were safe. Incentives were given by the army by way of security and monetary relief. Added support was provided by the district administration by way of providing free ration and blankets to the migrated families of militants.

Akhnoor operation ends with militant’s killing
*Injured woman, jawan succumb

Excelsior Special Correspondent

JAMMU, Oct 29: Akhnoor operation finally ended in wee hours of this morning when army jawans eliminated a lone surviving militant in kitchen of MES employee Beli Ram’s quarter while death toll in the gun-battle that lasted three days today went upto nine with two injured—a woman and an army jawan—succumbing to their injuries.

Defence sources said the troops maintained a cordon around the quarter of Beli Ram where the militant had taken shelter yesterday afternoon after raining bullets on the civilians. At 0100 hours, an army team led by Lt Madan Lal Thakur gunned down the militant in kitchen of the quarters where he had taken shelter.

Reports said the troops lobbed grenades in the quarters after identifying a "specific spot" where the militant was hiding. The militant was killed. His body was recovered this morning by the troops during search of the quarter. An AK rifle, used by the militant in firing, was also recovered from the quarter.

There was no army casualties in the latest operation.

Meanwhile, a woman Shama Devi wife of Beli Ram, who was seriously injured in the militant’s firing yesterday, succumbed to her injuries in Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of Medical College hospital at 5 AM today, hospital sources said. Her two children Aman and Nancy were also seriously injured in the firing and had later died in the hospital. Beli Ram was among the injured but his condition was stated to be stable.

Reports said an army jawan, who was injured in the gun-battle with the militants on Monday morning, also died in the hospital today taking army toll to 3.

A total of nine persons have been killed in Akhnoor gun-battle which began on 11.55 PM on Sunday night when army naka jawans intercepted a TATA Sumo carrying three militants in police uniform. Fatalities included three militants, three army jawans and three civilians. In addition, four army jawans including a Major and seven civilians were injured while TATA Sumo driver Faisal Javed of Ustaad Mohalla, who drove the militants from Maheshpura Crossing to Akhnoor, has been arrested.

Besides Akhnoor killings, the militants had also gunned down two civilians and injured four others at Jatwal near Hiranagar on Jammu-Pathankote national highway and derailed Shalimar Express by detonating an IED and lobbing a grenades besides resorting to firing on it at Jatwal at 10.06 PM on Sunday night.

Meanwhile, bodies of all three militants were buried this afternoon in the presence of police personnel. Sources said identity of all three militants couldn’t be established but they were suspected to be Pakistanis.

India, UK ties extraordinary: Prince

NEW DELHI, Oct 29: Terming the ties between India and Britain as "extraordinary", Prince Charles, heir to the British throne, today said the relationship between the two countries is "acutely modern in many of its manifestations" driven by a healthy and shared perception.

"This extraordinary bond has deep historical roots, but is acutely modern in many of its manifestations. That modern relationship is driven by a healthy and shared perception that both countries have a lot to gain from building it further", he said at a reception hosted in his honour by the British council here.

Observing that India and the UK were trading with each other and investing in each other as "never before", the Prince, who arrived here on a nine-day visit to the country, said he was told that bilateral trade grew by an astonishing 16 per cent in the first six months of this year.

"But it is perhaps in the sharing of people and knowledge that our relationship is so unusual and so strong", he said referring to 1.3 million of Indian origin residents in UK.

Charles, who called on President A P J Abdul Kalam early this morning, cited the President’s emphasis that knowledge has "always been the prime mover of prosperity and power" and said "I believe that herein lies one of the keys to our successful and close partnership.

"India has deep roots in our past. It is part of our collective memory. It will also be a long-term partner in our future security and prosperity", he asserted.

The Prince, who is visiting India after a gap of 11 years, said the two countries must continuously "reconnect" and help build and strengthen the relationship.

Lauding the role of British council, Charles, who is the vice patron of the council, said there had been a big increase in the past four years in the number of Indian students going to Britain. He said there were now nearly 12,000 arriving to study this year.

The Prince was introduced to a number of prominent Indians from the field of arts, conservation, education and creative industries. (PTI)

Vohra meets DPM, discusses talks

NEW DELHI, Oct 29: The Centre’s interlocutor on Jammu and Kashmir N N Vohra today held discussions with Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani who is to hold talks with separatist conglomerate Hurriyat Conference.

Emerging from the one-hour long meeting also attended by Union Home Secretary N Gopalaswamy, he told reporters that Hurriyat had responded positively to nomination of Advani for holding talks with it.

He said the meeting deliberated over finalising modalities for holding talks with the Hurriyat.

The Centre last week nominated Advani to hold talks with Hurriyat, which had refused to meet Vohra, for restoration of peace in the State.

Vohra, who has held talks with a cross-section of society in Jammu and Kashmir sans Hurriyat, is understood to have given his assessment about the ground situation and response of other groups in the State.

The former Union Home Secretary, who was named Centre’s special representative to hold talks with various sections in Jammu and Kashmir in February, has travelled to all the three regions of the State — Kashmir, Jammu and Ladakh — in phases to discuss ways for restoration of peace there.

Hurriyat and some other separatist groups refused to meet him maintaining that they would not talk to a pointman but only with the political leadership. (PTI)

HC acquits Geelani, Afshan

NEW DELHI, Oct 29: The Delhi High Court today acquitted two accused in Parliament house terrorist attack case — lecturer S A R Geelani and a woman Afsan Guru — who had both been sentenced to death, but upheld the death sentence on two other accused holding that the act amounted to attack on India’s sovereignty.

A bench comprising Justice Usha Mehra and Justice Pradeep Nandrajog upheld the death sentence awarded to Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorist Mohd Afzal and Shaukat Hussain Guru, husband of Afsan alias Navjot Sandhu, by a POTA Court.

While upholding the death sentence awarded to Afzal and Shaukat for causing death of nine persons during the attack on Parliament on December 13, 2001, the Court imposed death sentence on them under section 121 of the Indian Penal Code for waging war against the country.

The Trial Court had sentenced the two for life for the offence under section 121 of the IPC and the prosecution had moved the High Court for enahncing it to death penalty.

Rejecting the prosecution evidence linking Geelani to the conspiracy behind the attack, the Court said that the only piece of evidence was the telephonic conversation between him, Afzal and Shaukat.

"This circumstance, in our opinion, do not even remotely, far less definitely and unerringly point towards the guilt towards the accused S A R Geelani," it said and added that prosecution failed to bring on record evidence to conclusively point towards the guilt of the accused.

The Court ordered forfeiture of rs 10 lakhs recovered by police from Afzal and Shaukat, who had admitted to having recieved it from another terrorist. "We accordingly forfeit the said amount to the Government of India," the bench said.

The acquittal of Geelani was applauded by his counsel and noted criminal lawyer Ram Jethmalani, who said it "will restore the confidence of the entire world, particularly the inhabitants of Jammu and Kashmir, in the integrity and competence of Indian judicial system."

Going beyond the judicial fallout of the order, he said it would even have a bearing on the ongoing peace process on Kashmir. "I think this is the greatest benefit of this judgement. I also think that it will help to solve the Kashmir problem", he said.

Acquitting Afsan, who was sentenced to five years in prison for her failure to disclose the conspiracy to police, the bench observed that no case was established against her.

"She was admittedly a house-wife and Shaukat was her husband. Merely because some meetings took place, assuming it to be correct, in the house would not be sufficient by itself to impute knowledge," it said.

The High Court took note of the fact that the Trial Court too had absolved Afshan of the conspiracy charges.

Satisfied with the evidence produced by prosecution against the JeM militants Afzal and Shaukat, the Court said "we accordingly hold that the prosecution has brought home its case of conspiracy against accused Mohd Afzal and Shaukat...".

The Court noted the gravity of the offence and said "the attack was on Parliament, when in session. The sovereignty of the country was attacked."

The audacious attack on the Parliament on December 13, 2001, had brought the country’s ties with its neighbour Pakistan to a flash point with the prosecution pointing fingers that this terrorist act was part of the larger conspiracy hatched by Pakistan to actively support cross-border terrorism.

The bench noted this aspect of the case and said "indeed after the unfortunate incident, this country had to station its troops at the border and largescale mobilisation of armed forces took place.

"The clouds of war with our neighbour loomed large for a long period of time. The nation suffered not only an economic strain but even the trauma of an imminent war," the bench said and agreed with the prosecution that Afzal and Shaukat deserved a penalty higher than life imprisonment for waging war against Indian Government.

The attack on Parliament, while in session, could have been a major catastrophe but for the security forces which successfully prevented the terrorists from entering the house by shooting down all the five militants who had stormed the building.

The Trial Court had wrapped up its proceedings in the case within a year and imposed death penalty on three - Geelani, Afzal and Shaukat. (PTI)

Brahmos flight-tested

BALASORE, Oct 29: Brahmos, the supersonic cruise missile, was flight-tested successfully for the fourth time from the Integrated Test Range (ITR) at Chandipur, about 13 Km from here, today.

The missile roared into the sky at 11.20 AM.

Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) sources said that this flight had the primary objective of establishing precision guidance capability in surface to surface version.

The flight trial had met all the mission objectives, they said.

The ground range instrumentation from ITR and ships located near the impact point tracked the mission trajectory and monitored all the missile parameters from launch to impact, the sources said.

The missile, jointly developed by India and Russia, was test fired to a range of 290 Km with precision impact on the desired target point.

It was a wonderful test-flight. This flight was intended to evaluate the precision guidance system and improved fire control system, Dr A S Pillai, Chief Controller, R and D, DRDO, and CEO and MD, Brahmos, told PTI after the test firing of the missile.

Though it was primarily an anti-ship missile, it also had the capability to engage shore-based radio-contrast target, they said.

Brahmos could be fired from multiple platforms which included ship, land, submarine and air.

The President Dr A P J Abdul Kalam and Defence Minister George Fernandes had congratulated the scientists of DRDO and participating agencies on the successful test firing of the missile, the sources added. (PTI)

Proxy voting for armed forces

NEW DELHI, Oct 29: For the first time, armed forces personnel would be able to exercise their franchise through proxy voting in the coming assembly elections with the army authorities making all preparations in time.

The Adjutant Generals branch at Army Headquarters had circulated form 13F to the troops even in far-flung and inaccessible areas to nominate blood relations as proxy voter, an Army spokesman here said.

The forms, the spokesman said, are required to be countersigned by the soldier’s Commanding Officer or Notary or a first Class Magistrate. The completed form would be then sent to returning officers of the constituencies going to polls.

For the ensuing assembly elections to Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Delhi,Chhatisgarh and Mizoram these forms are required to be sent to returning officers by November 3 for the constituencies going to polls on November 20 and by November 13 for others, he said.

Earlier, though the soliders were allowed to vote by postal ballots, these invariably did not reach the returning officers in time. But with the passage of the proxy voting bill, armed forces personnel would now get a chance to exercise their franchise by proxy. (PTI)

Dialogue offer historic: PC

Excelsior Special Correspondent

SRINAGAR, Oct 29: Terming as "truly historic and of multi-dimensional significance" the Centre’s offer of talks, the Peoples Conference, one of the main constituent of the separatist Hurriyat Conference, today said it is incumbent upon the Kashmiri leadership to rise up to the occasion and deliver on behalf of the people.

"We welcome the possibility of the initiation of a dialogue process between the Centre and the Kashmiri leadership," Peoples Conference chairman Sajjad Gani Lone said after the working committee meeting here.

"The invitation is truly historic and carries multi-dimensional significance. It is for the first time in the entire history of the Kashmir issue that the offer of talks has come from the highest level," he added.

It was by far the most explicit admission of accepting the Kashmiris as a party to the "dispute", Mr Lone said in a statement, adding "it signifies the moral acceptance of the exemplary sacrifices made by the people of Jammu and Kashmir".

"The Hurriyat will have to act as a nation and not as a forum. The Hurriyat constitution should be the guiding principle, governed by the concept of Kashmir first, Kashmiri first."

It is time to remember the mission of late Hurriyat leader Abdul Gani Lone, who worked relentlessly for initiating a dialogue process, he said.

He was a strong votary of peaceful methods of conflict resolution and laid down his life in pursuit of the peaceful resolution of the Kashmir issue, Mr Lone said.

The Peoples Conference would like to stress that success or failure of talks is unimportant as in the civilised methods of conflict resolution the process is more important, he added.

The present talks offer cannot be seen in isolation of the invisible efforts being carried out by the international community, Mr Lone added.

It is imperative to exhibit dynamic leadership, palatable and acceptable to the international community and ensure that negative behaviour is not attributed to the people of the restive State, he said.

Both the Central and the Kashmiri leadership need to move away from semantic-centered confusion and make way for visionary statesmanship and let the language of leadership prevail, Mr Lone said.

Two ultras killed, 3 jawans injured

Excelsior Special Correspondent

UDHAMPUR, Oct 29: Two militants were gunned down by the army in Paddar, Kishtwar this morning while three BSF jawans including a Sub Inspector were injured in an IED blast at Dharamkund, Ramban in Doda district.

Troops of 11 Rashtriya Rifles and police launched a search operation in Nutan area of Paddar in Kishtwar tehsil at 6 AM today on a tip off about presence of the militants. Two militants, hiding in the area, were

killed at 9.30 AM. However, body of one of the militants fell into Chenab river and was washed away while body of another militant has been recovered by the security personnel, Additional SP Kishtwar Pankaj Magoo said.

Identity of the militants hasn’t been established. Two AK-56 rifles and five magazines were recovered from the militants. Army or police didn’t suffer any casualties in the operation.

Meanwhile, three BSF jawans were injured when the militants detonated an IED at Jawahiri in Dharamkund area of Ramban tehsil at 10 AM today. Injured included Sub Inspector Satvir Singh, D M Mig, head constable and Jalkar Chetan, constable. They belonged to 172 battalion of BSF.

SI and head constable have been airlifted to Military Hospital, Udhampur in view of their serious condition while constable Jalkar was being treated in a local hospital.

Soon after the IED blast, the BSF personnel cordoned off the area and started a search operation for the militants responsible for the explosion. No arrests have, however, been made so far.

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