Army in dark on ‘Operation Flush Out’

KOLKATA, Dec 11: The Indian Army are still in the dark regarding any operation, launched by its Bhutanese counterpart to flush out North East militant groups, including the Nationalist Socialist Council of Nagaland (Khaplang) and the United Liberation Front of ASOM, based on its soil a year after the launch of "operation all clear".

Addressing mediapersons here today after the launching of the fast attack craft "Bangaram", Vice-Chief of Army Staff Lt General Shantonu Chowdhury said, "we have no knowledge about the launch of the flush out operation by the Royal Bhutan Army. We do not have any military to military level contact with our Bhutanese counterpart."

Clarifying that the final decision to work out the ways and means of the flush out of militants have to be taken at the political level, he said agreements between the two Governments were in place.

"The flush out issue has to be addressed at the political level. There are agreements between the two Governments to take care of the modalities of the issue," Mr Chowdhury said, hinting that action against the North-East militants was long overdue.

Reports here have quoted a senior army official saying Myanmar has begun massing troops to flush out North East militant groups.

"Operations against the North East rebels seem imminent in Myanmar. We have concrete reports that Myanmar authorities have started deploying troops along the border and are ready for a crackdown," General Officer Commanding of the Army’s 4 corps Lt Gen Anup Singh Jamwal had reportedly told the media yesterday.

The army were in a better position now to intercept the fleeing rebels and the operation "all clear" had not wiped out the ULFA and the National Democratic Front of Boroland (NDFB), Mr Jamwal said.

The Vice-Chief said the Indo Myanmar Border terrain was very difficult and it was both time and troop consuming for the army to operate in the area.

However, Mr Chowdhury said the forces of both the countries shared a good ground understanding and in the event of a full fledged flush out operation they could work in tandem.

The North East shares a 2326 km border with Myanmar of which 1,126 km is in Arunachal Pradesh. The remaining is in Nagaland, Manipur and Mizoram.

Besides the NSCN(K) and the ULFA other outfits having bases in Myanmar are the United National Liberation Front, Revolutionary People’s Front and the people’s revolutionary party of Kangleipak, all from Manipur.

Most of the rebel camps are located deep inside the jungles in Myanmar’s Sagaing Division. NSCN(K) "commander" S S Khaplang was also based in the council headquarters in Sagaing.

The Indian Army are in the midst of full-fledged operations in Manipur’s Sajik Tampak Valley, bordering Myanmar and is a well-known base of militant groups.

The Bhutan operation had destroyed the bases of the Kamtapur Liberation Organisation (KLO), ULFA and the NDFB but most of the rebels had managed to escape.

The Indian Army had launched a full scale operation in Arunachal where rebels especially of ULFA were trying to sneak in through the border. (UNI)

Track II meet on Kashmir begins in Kathmandu

KATHMANDU, Dec 11: A three-day Indo-Pak informal meet on Kashmir began here today, with participation from both sides of the Line of Control (LoC), including a two-member delegation of the Hurriyat Conference, politicians, former bureaucrats, former Army chiefs and journalists.

"It is very positive step towards settling the Kashmir dispute," said Justice Abdul Majeed Malik, chairman of Jammu and Kashmir Liberation League of the PoK, about the `Indo-Pak Track II meet’. Hurriyat Conference leaders Mirwaiz Umer Farooq and Abdul Ghani Bhat are taking part in the conference organised by Pugwash, a US-based think tank.

"I think we shall move forward after the conference," Malik said adding it will ultimately lead to key developments in improving relations between India and Pakistan.

Abdul H Nayyar from Sustainable Development Policy Institute, Islamabad said that it helps in trying to understand each other’s point of view and each other’s position in Kashmir.

"Kashmir is a very complex problem, and to resolve it we need understanding, flexibility and tolerance among us," he said. Kashmir issue should be resolved on the basis of the 1972 Simla Agreement, said Bhim Singh, chairman of Jammu and Kashmir National Panthers Party. "The people of Kashmir are non-negotiable, their fate cannot be decided either in London, New York or Kathmandu," he said.

Former Prime Minister of Pakistan occupied Kashmir Sultan Mahmud said, "though I would not give high hope, it is a right step towards right direction. It will help to start some sort of dialogue." Former Foreign Secretary MK Rasagotra, Jawaharlal Nehru University Professor and Journalist C Rajamohan, Pakistan’s former Secretary of Defence Lt. Gen. Talat Masood are some of the prominent personalities taking part in the meeting.

The meeting, which is closed to the media, will not pass any formal resolution, according to a participant. The delegates from Jammu and Kashmir did not face any problem while entering the immigration at the Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu, as Nepal Government has already given permission to hold the conference.

After initial hiccups at the Indira Gandhi airport over the issue of travel documents, both Mirwaiz and former Hurriyat chairman Abdul Gani Bhat were allowed to travel to the Himalayan Kingdom on the identity cards of their respective organisation to attend the two-day conference beginning tomorrow.

This is the first time that Bhat, considered to be the brain behind the moderate faction of the Hurriyat Conference, is attending a conference on Kashmir abroad.

On their arrival here, Bhat said "we will be exploring possibility of capturing today and making tomorrow brighter and clearer."

Bhat, who was flanked by Mirwaiz, said such conferences would help in evolving a consensus on Kashmir issue which has been dogging relations between India and Pakistan for nearly six decades. "We will choose to get some gems from the mountains of beautiful Nepal," Bhat said when asked whether he was optimistic about the outcome of the conference.

Among others attending the conference are Vice Chancellor of Jammu University Amitabh Mattoo, Panthers Party chief Bhim Singh, former Foreign Secretaries M K Rasgotra and Muchkund Dubey, former Indian High Commissioner to Pakistan G Parthasarthy and senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh.

Those attending the meeting from from Pakistan occupied Kashmir include former PoK Prime Minister Sultan Mahmud, Jammu and Kashmir Muslim Conference president Atiq Ahmed and chairman JK Liberation League Majid Malik.

The conference had come under cloud after Nepal had made it clear that it would not allow anyone to use its soil for anti-India propaganda and that separatist leaders needed to have proper identification to enter the kingdom. However, Nepal gave a last minute permission to them to enter the country. Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Sharan Mahat said "we gave them permission because the concerned countries have shown no objection to the meeting."

The conference is being held with a view to improving communication between the two countries under Track II diplomacy. The meeting basically aims to develop contacts between India and Pakistan at the people’s level, says Paolo Cotta-Ramusino, secretary general of Pugwash Conference, according to the Himalayan Times. (PTI)

Two militants killed in Gool

Excelsior Special Correspondent

JAMMU, Dec 11: Two militants including a Pakistani of Harkat-ul-Jehad Islami (HUJI) outfit were reportedly gunned down by their rivals in Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) at Kot Baggar in upper reaches of Gool in Ramban police district last night.

In two separate incidents, security forces arrested three persons including an Over Ground Worker of the militants and two Bangladeshi nationals.

Reports said security forces rushed to village Kot Baggar in Lancha area of Gool last night after getting an information of a clash between the rival militants. During searches, the security personnel recovered dead bodies of two militants.

The militants were later identified as Mohd Rafiq, 21, son of Ghulam Nabi, a resident of Maswa Ind, Gool and Abidullah, 25, a Pakistani. They both belonged to the HUJI outfit.

It was revealed that the militants had been gunned down by their rivals in Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) outfit on the issue of sharing some money.

Bodies of the militants were recovered by the security forces. However, no recoveries were made from the scene of encounter which indicated that weapons of the slain militants might have been taken away by their rivals.

However, an official handout said that both the militants were killed in a counter terrorist operation by the security forces. The handout gave no further details of the operation.

For the last couple of years, a number of incidents of inter-group rivalry have been reported among the militant ranks in upper reaches of Doda, Mahore, Gool, Rajouri and Poonch areas. Earlier, the gang rivalry was reported between Hizbul Mujahideen and Lashkar-e-Toiba outfits. However, this was for the first time when the militants of LeT and HUJI clashed in Gool area.

According to sources, the clash between HUJI and LeT took place due to distribution of some money. Exact details of the reasons behind the clash are being ascertained by the security forces.

Meanwhile, security forces have arrested an Over Ground Worker (OGW) of the militants from Thanna Mandi area in Rajouri district. He has been identified as Mohd Yakub son of Baz Khan, a resident of Patnitop.

Sources said he was moving under mysterious circumstances at Thanna Mandi when he was arrested by the security forces. After preliminary questioning, security forces handed over the suspect to Kud police.

Yesterday also, security forces had arrested two suspects from Thanna Mandi.

Security forces also arrested two Bangladeshi nationals, both 20 years old, when they were trying to exfiltrate to Pakistan from Simbal area in RS Pura sector today. They have been handed over to the local police.

BJP ruled states demand zero rate loan for calamity relief

NEW DELHI, Dec 11: The Finance Ministers of BJP-ruled states today demanded that loans raised for meeting natural calamities be provided at zero interest rate and the Centre must bear the full interest burden.

While asking the Centre to classify state loans in three categories, it also demanded that there be greater flexibility on the quantum of loans State Governments can raise for infrastructure development and other productive enterprises.

Besides loans for meeting day-to-day expenses of the Government should be strictly regulated and capped, they said.

These were some of the recommendations at the day-long meeting, attended by Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar and the Finance Ministers of Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Rajasthan and the Revenue Minister of Orissa.

The meeting inaugurated by former Finance Minister Jaswant Singh and chaired by former Foreign Affairs Minister Yashwant Sinha, was a follow up of the CMs conference of BJP-ruled states held in September to further the party’s commitment to good governance and accelerate development.

Talking to newspersons, Mr Sinha said the meeting decided to make BJP-ruled states models in fiscal management by enacting necessary legislation for fiscal responsibility and budget management.

The states would have a fixed date for presentation of the budget and action taken report in every State. In addition, state economic survey and human development reports would also be prepared annually, he said.

The Finance Ministers strongly reiterated the demand made by the conference of BJP Chief Ministers that the states’ share in central revenues be raised from the existing level of 29.5 percent to around 35 per cent, with an additional 5 per cent allocated exclusively to Panchayati Raj Institutions.

It urged the Centre that the debt burden of states be lightened by granting a one-time settlement of the old high-cost loans, while demanding that the states’ share in service tax be raised to 50 per cent.

The participants were unanimous that the states facing Left-wing extremism should get special assistance on par with Jammu and Kashmir and the North-East, which are reeling under terrorism. The BJP Finance Ministers expressed concern over the ‘visible slowdown’ in the implementation of major road construction projects such as the National Highway Development Project and the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana, initiated during the National Democratic Alliance regime.

They had serious apprehensions that the Centre was adopting a partial attitude towards the BJP-ruled states, Mr Sinha said.

While resolving to take further steps to augment revenue collection, mainly through enhanced efficiency in the processes of revenue collection and better compliance, it was decided to complete computerisation in all tax departments in a time-bound manner.

It was decided to abolish land revenue and review the various levies and fees prescribed in municipal and other loans.

Mr Sinha said the Finance Ministers were of the view that since the Centre had imposed 2 per cent education cess for universalisation of primary education and mid-day scheme, the whole expenditure in this respect should now be met by the Centre.

In order to promote investments, the states decided to give emphasis on public-private partnerships in irrigation, roads, electricity, housing, urban development, health and education.

Mr Sinha said it was decided to create a nodal agency in each State for promoting public-private partnerships and for putting in place an enabling legal framework for the same.

Besides, the State Governments would make a critical review of state PSUs and take appropriate measures to restructure them to improve their efficiency and profitability, he added. (UNI)

Judges must strike balance in gender issues: CJI

NEW DELHI, Dec 11: Judges must strike a balance in their approach in dealing with gender issues and make efforts to render quick, speedy, cheaper and effective justice to women victims, Chief Justice of India R C Lahoti said here today.

Addressing the first ever meeting of Chief Justices of High Courts on ‘women’s empowerment vis-a-vis legislation and judicial decisions’, Justice Lahoti asked them to ensure that the women victims are treated as equals.

"Treat women with dignity and honour and inculcate confidence in them by your conduct, behaviour and ideology whenever they come to you as victims or seekers of justice," the CJI said at the conference, organised by the National Commission for Women (NCW).

Enunciating the principles to be kept in mind by Judges to achieve the goal of gender justice, he said "Judges should be informed of the historical and cultural background in which the women have lived over the ages and understand their feelings and have regard for their needs as a class."

He, however, said the issue of gender injustice should not be perceived as a war between the two sexes and "approach should be of complementing each other rather than competing on perceptions, which may not be real...".

Justice Lahoti called for perceptional change to achieve greater social awareness and sensitization which would breed equality of sexes.

Asking Judges to carefully guard against gender bias in courtroom, the CJI said "a message should clearly go that any behaviour unbecoming of the dignity of women shall not be tolerated by the court".

Advising the members of the judiciary to treat women with courtesy and dignity in court, the CJI said "any comment, gesture or other action on the part of any one in or around the courtroom which would be detrimental to the confidence of the women is to be curbed with a heavy hand".

He also stressed that the examination and cross examination of women witnesses must be conducted by the court itself or under the direct supervision of the presiding Judge.

"Crime against women ought to be dealt with on a priority basis so as to decide it finally at an early date lest the delay should defeat the justice", he felt.

Justice Lahoti suggested that female members of the bar should be encouraged in the profession by giving assignments as court commissioners for inspections and recording statements of witnesses and also as amicus curiae.

The CJI released a book, "search for a vision statement on women empowerment vis-a-vis legislation & judicial decision", prepared by Indian Trust for Innovation & Social Change for NCW on the occasion.

Earlier, NCW chairperson Poornima Advani said the Supreme Court guidelines on sexual harassment at workplace issued in Visakha case were not being followed. She demanded enlargement of the definition of rape under section 376 of IPC which was drafted in 1843 and enforced in 1860.

Advani criticised the media for revealing identity of the victims of sexual crime which had disastrous consequences as in the case of Sajal Jain of Ahmedabad last year.

The NCW Chairperson said "in some cases we have good laws but their implementation is very poor". (PTI)

Pak arrests UN workers’ abductor

ISLAMABAD Dec 11: Pakistan has arrested the head of a militant group, accused of masterminding kidnapping of three UN workers in Afghanistan in October, Information Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed said today.

Syed Akbar Agha, the chief of militant group Jaishul Muslimeen, was arrested yesterday in Karachi following a tip-off, Rashid said, but gave no further details.

Media reports here said he was arrested following a tip off from his close lieutenants who developed differences with him over sharing of the 1.5 million dollars ransom amount received by Agha for releasing the three UN election workers — Irish woman Annette Flanigan, Shqipe Hebibi of Kosovo and Filipino diplomat Angelito Nayan — last month after keeping them captive for over three weeks.

US military authorities or the Afghan Government could ask Pakistan to hand over Agha to them for putting him on trial for his alleged role in the kidnapping of the three UN election workers, they said.

Some of Agha’s former Afghan colleagues, who quit Jaishul Muslimeen after accusing him of pocketing USD 1.5 million in ransom, claimed that their ex-boss was picked up by Pakistani intelligence officers from a Karachi home last Friday, the reports said.

Two of Agha’s lieutenants — Jaishul Muslimeen’s military commander Mulla Ishaq and one of the spokesmen of the group Khalid Agha — had gone underground after the release of the UN hostages. Agha too had gone into hiding, though he emerged later to deny the allegations that he took money to release the hostages.

Another Jaishul Muslimeen spokesman Habib Noorzad told the ‘The News’ daily that the man picked up by the Pakistani security forces was Hafiz Abdul Karim and not Agha.

"They are holding the wrong man. The person in their custody is a former Mujahideen fighter Hafiz Abdul Karim of Afghanistan’s Arghastan area in Kandahar province," he said.

But, Pakistani officials said they were certain that the person under their detention was Agha.

Some reports here said Agha, whose group claimed a number of attacks on US and Afghan troops and accepted responsibility for some kidnapping incidents including those of Indian road construction workers in Zabul province, was arrested along with his family in a raid in Karachi, and later his wife and children were released.

Agha is a former Afghan Mujahideen commander who joined the Taliban movement in 1995. He served as the Taliban military commander in the then frontline at Maidan Shahr, capital of Wardak province west of Kabul, for 11 months before his removal.

He had developed differences with the Taliban leader Mulla Mohammad Omar and had to go into obscurity during the later years when Taliban were in power.

He told the Pakistani media a few months ago that he launched the Jaishul Muslimeen in December 2001 after the fall of the Taliban regime to fight the US-led forces in Afghanistan. (PTI)

Kargil Council to elect new chief

Excelsior Special Correspondent

SRINAGAR, Dec 11: Jammu and Kashmir Government has convened a meeting of the 44-member Kargil Autonomous Hill Development Council on December 20 to elect a new Chief Executive Councillor following the ouster of senior National Conference leader Qamar Ali Akhoon against whom a no-confidence motion was passed last month.

A notification, issued by the Deputy Commissioner, Kargil, K Mahinder Singh, has requested all the members of the council to attend the meeting on December 20.

A political turmoil gripped Kargil last month after a no confidence motion was passed against senior NC leader and Chief Executive Councillor Qamar Ali Akhoon.

The motion against Akhoon succeeded when 21 of the 44 members cast their votes in favour of it on November 22.

The Council which came into being in 2003 has 40 elected members and four nominated members.

The opposition National Conference had accused the ruling coalition headed by People’s Democratic Party of toppling the elected council by using undemocratic and unconstitutional methods.

14 Revenue officers suspended

Excelsior Special Correspondent

SRINAGAR, Dec 11: The Minister of Revenue, Relief and Rehabilitation Hakim Mohammed Yasin during his surprise visit to various tehsil offices in south Kashmir districts of Pulwama and Anantnag today placed 14 officers under suspension for negligence of their duties.

The Minister who had received many complaints regarding negligence of duty by the officers in tehsil offices of Anantnag and Pulwama districts during his visit personally checked the staff rolls of various offices. He also scrutinized the record pertaining to various matters.

He seized the revenue record and referred it to the Divisional Commissioner Kashmir for verification and action.

Tehsildar Bijebehara who was absent from duty is among the 14 officers placed under suspension in the twin districts by the Minister. He has also been attached with the office of Deputy Commissioner Anantnag.

It may be recalled that a fortnight earlier the Minister had also conducted inspection of revenue offices in Budgam district and over 30 officers were placed under suspension by him in the district.

Mr Yasin has warned the officers and employees of the Revenue Department that delinquency and irresponsibility will not be tolerated at any cost. He appealed the people to bring the cases of misappropriation in the Revenue Department to his notice so that the Government can take the stringent action against the erring officers and officials.

Father-son held for relief scam

Excelsior Special Correspondent

JAMMU, Dec 11: Police today arrested a father-son duo for claiming relief under the Kashmiri migrants’ category for last 11 years "in connivance with some officers" in Channi Himmat area.

The cheat have been identified as Vijay Kumar and his father Gopi Nath, residents of Bihar, presently putting up in Channi Himmat.

Police said so far they had taken relief worth Rs six lakh. They were taking relief on the basis of fake documents for last 11 years.

Their migrants cards and certificates of personal knowledge had been attested by J L Koul, an Assistant Engineer, police said, adding they had been drawing relief ration from Rattan Lal fair price shop, Channi Himmat.

Police didn’t rule out the possibility of the involvement of Relief Commissioner staff in distribution of relief, both in cash and kind, to undeserving persons.

A case against the accused has been registered under Section 420, 468 and 471 RPC at Channi Himmat police station for further investigations. The case was worked out by a police team led by SHO Channi Himmat Pramajeet Singh under the supervision of SDPO East Rajesh Gupta. Some more arrests in the case are expected shortly.

Rao’s condition stable

NEW DELHI, Dec 11: The condition of former Prime Minister P V Narasimha Rao, who had suffered "severe disturbances" in heart beat early today, was now stable and he continued to be under constant observation.

The 83-year-old leader, who was admitted to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences early yesterday after he complained to breathlessness, had suffered a cardiac arrest soon after but was revived.

"He again experienced severe disturbances in heart beat (this morning) which required resuscitation. The heart beat abnormalities were corrected with the insertion of a temporary pacemaker and circulatory assist device," an AIIMS spokesperson said.

His condition was now stable and he was asleep under the effect of sedatives, she said.

Rao was "maintaining vital functions and is under intensive care with close monitoring by experts from several departments," the spokesperson said in a statement.

The Congress leader has been suffering from problems related to diabetes, coronary heart and vascular diseases, besides pulmonary fibriosis.

Vice President Bhairon Singh Shekhawat, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi, former Prime Ministers Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Chandrasekhar were among senior leaders who visited Rao in the Intensive Care Unit of the cardiothoracic centre of AIIMS yesterday. (PTI)

Pak Anti-Narcotics Force delegation arrives

NEW DELHI, Dec 11: A Pakistani Anti-Narcotics Force delegation arrived here tonight to hold talks with their Indian counterparts from Monday to control smuggling of narcotic and psychedelic substances as part of the ongoing composite dialogue process between the two countries.

The five-member Pakistani delegation, led by Director General of the Force Maj Gen Nadeem Ahmed, took the road route via Attari-Wagah border in Punjab to reach here, officials said.

At the two-day talks from Monday, the Indian side will be headed by Director General of Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) Swaraj Puri.

An Indian delegation from NCB had visited Pakistan in June for the first round of talks to check smuggling of narcotic drugs which, in this region, originate mainly from Afghanistan.

Before the start of the talks, the Pakistan delegation would call on Home Minister Shivraj Patil on Monday. (PTI)

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