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Terrorism to top agenda NEW DELHI, Nov 12: Terrorism will top the agenda at the crucial round of the Foreign Secretary-level talks between India and Pakistan to be held here on November 14-15. Foreign Secretary Shiv Shankar Menon will meet his Pakistani counterpart Riaz Mohammad Khan for the dialogue which assumes special significance as it is being held after nearly a year. The talks will also review the third round of the Composite Dialogue Process (CDP) and prepare a roadmap for future engagement. The talks, scheduled to be held in July, were put on hold in view of the Mumbai bomb explosions which killed nearly 185 people. India says ISI was involved in the incident. India will hand over "some" evidence about ISI involvement in the bomb explosions and has made it clear that it would put Pakistan to "test" how it cooperates in the fight against terrorism. "We will only share information which requires line of investigation in Pakistan. A charge-sheet has to be filed first before the evidence is given," a senior official said while clarifying why only "some’ evidence would be given. He, however, asserted that it did not mean that India did not have enough evidence. India had enough of it, he said. "We wait to see how Islamabad fulfils its January 6, 2004, commitment about stopping the flow of terrorism from its soil," a senior official of the External Affairs Ministry said. External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee said "terrorism is an important issue because earlier talks were suspended because of the public outrage after Mumbai blasts." "I would like that they should stick to the assurances (to check terrorism from their soil) which they have given," Mr Mukherjee told reporters on the sidelines of a conference here on Friday night. Mr Mukherjee said the two sides would also discuss the setting up of the joint mechanism on terrorism which was proposed at a meeting between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf on the sidelines of the NAM summit in Cuba in September. In Islamabad, a high-level inter-ministerial meeting was convened by the Foreign Ministry to review and finalise preparations for the peace dialogue. The Pakistan Foreign Secretary will lead a nine-member delegation "to discuss with his Indian counterpart the vital issues of peace and security as well as Jammu and Kashmir," a Pakistan High Commission official here said. The Pakistani delegation will comprise senior Foreign Ministry officials including Additional Secretary (Asia Pacific) M Akhtar Tufail, Additional Secretary (UN) Tariq Osman Hyder, Director-General (south Asia division) Jalil Abbas Jilani, Spokesperson and Director-General (UN) Tasnim Aslam. Director (Kashmir affairs) Mariam Aftab, Director (India) Irfan Ahmad and Director (Foreign Secretary’s office) Moin-ul-Haq. The talks will also be Mr Menon’s first meeting after his appointment as the Foreign Secretary. Prior to assuming charge as the Foreign Secretary, Mr Menon was India’s High Commissioner in Pakistan. The Pakistani delegation will arrive here tomorrow for the talks. A senior official of the External Affairs Ministry said India believes the upcoming round of negotiations will be different in view of the circumstances under which these are being held after a year. "It will be more than just a meeting. This is a round which is going to be different in view of the circumstances," the official said. "Pakistan is to be seen implementing its commitment on terrorism, first made on January 6, 2004." The official maintained that India had "credible" evidence about Pak-based terror groups’ involvement in terrorist incidents not just in Mumbai, but in other parts of the country. "We will see what is the forward movement." "Let’s see...We will put them to test," he said and added that India would not like to pre-Judge what Pakistan would do. "Our job is to get Pakistan to do something to stop terrorism. This is a Central issue which must be addressed." Referring to the entire peace process with Pakistan, the official said it was a "three-legged process." one was Pakistan’s commitment about stopping the flow of terror from its soil, the second was the resolution of all outstanding issues including Jammu and Kashmir and the third, attempt to build people-to-people contact which is more important than resolving disputes. The third aspect would make relations much more comfortable between the two countries and their people. To a question on India’s reaction to terror outfits changing their names, the official said the main issue was terrorism. "For us, terrorism is terrorism whether any group changes its name," he added. (UNI) |
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Snowfall in Kashmir's upper reaches Excelsior Correspondent JAMMU, Nov 12: Signaling onset of winter, heavy to moderate rains lashed different parts of Jammu region today. However, traffic on all major roads including Jammu-Srinagar national highway plied normally. Heavy rains lashed entire Jammu region this morning and continued intermittently throughout the day today resulting into chilly weather conditions and a considerable drop in day’s temperature by three degrees. Today’s temperature was recorded at 23.8 degrees celsius as compared to yesterday’s maximum temperature of 26.8 degrees celsius, Met Department said. Being a holiday today, most of the people stayed indoors. Traffic on all major roads including Jammu-Srinagar national highway remained though. However, the 300-km Srinagar-Jammu National Highway was lashed by rains. Authorities were maintaining a close vigil in avalanche-prone areas and directing drivers to take extra precautions while passing through these areas, official sources said. The 434-km-long Srinagar-Leh National Highway was closed this evening due to heavy snowfall and landslides at various places along the road, sources said. They said about 8-10 inches snow was recorded at Zojilla Pass and other places along the highway since this morning. The officials said heavy snow triggered landslides at many places along the highway forcing its closure at the India Gate near the Zojilla Pass. They said about 50 vehicles were stranded between the India Gate and Baltal along the highway. The Light Motor Vehicles, including passenger taxis, were turned back to Srinagar from Sonamarg, the officials added. They said the project Beacon of the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) had pressed men and machinery into service to clear the Srinagar-Kargil-Leh highway. "If the weather conditions improve and there is no further snowfall, the highway would be thrown open for vehicular traffic tomorrow," the officials added. The Srinagar-Leh national highway was expected to remain open till November 15. Our Srinagar correspondent adds: Higher reaches of the Kashmir valley experienced snowfall even as the plains in the State were lashed by heavy rains, thus setting in winter conditions. Gulmarg, the famous Ski Resort 55 km from here in north Kashmir, received the first snowfall of the winter season last night. However, the inch-deep snow cover vanished shortly as heavy rains lashed the tourist town this morning, official reports reaching here said. Snowfall started again this afternoon, kindling hope among people connected with tourism sector that tourists would throng the town in large numbers ending the brief lull due to several terror strikes on tourists in May-July this year. Heavy snowfall was also recorded in Aferwath, Khilanmarg and adjoining areas since Friday night. The slopes were covered by a sheet of snow that was one foot to one-and-a-half feet deep. Reports said it was snowing heavily in other high altitude areas of the Valley, including mountain passes used by militants to infiltrate into Kashmir from across the border along the Line of Control (LoC) in north Kashmir. The Valley is expected to witness a heavy influx of foreign tourists this season. As many as 300 skiers from abroad have booked in for long stay in Gulmarg, hosting a mega snow festival early next year. These skiers hail from Canada, Australia and many European countries, officials said adding the Government will organise the festival, first of its kind in the State, in the first week of February 2007. The holy cave shrine of Amarnath situated at 3,880 meter above the sea level and its periphery, Sadna Pass, Tangdhar, Gurez, Zojila Pass and upper reaches of Sonamarg, Yousmarg, Bandipora, Shopian and Duksum also experienced heavy snowfall, the reports said. Reports of snowfall were received from Zojila Pass on the 434-km Srinagar-Leh National Highway and Sadna Pass on Srinagar-Tangdhar road briefly disrupting traffic, official sources said. Meanwhile, normal life was disrupted in Srinagar and other parts of the Valley due to incessant rain since yesterday. Rain forced most people to remain indoors, resulting in decreased movement of civilians and traffic on roads. Most shops remain closed in the city on Sunday and roadside vendors usually do brisk business as people throng them in good numbers for shopping. However, this was not the case today as most vendors also did not display their wares for sale. |
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Terrorism biggest challenge for humanity: Farooq Excelsior Correspondent JAMMU, Nov 12: Cautioning people against evil designs of the enemy, former Chief Minister, Dr Farooq Abdullah today said that terrorism was the biggest challenge before humanity. He said that on going terrorism in the State has brought nothing except bloodshed and destruction in this part of country. Addressing a public meeting at Jhiri the holy land of Baba Jittoo, Dr Farooq Abdullah said that need of the hour was to properly guide and educate younger generation about menace of militancy and to save their future. This public meeting was organized by a faction with in the party while as local MLA, Ajay Sadhotra, who is also provincial president of NC, was conspicuously absent in the rally. The former Chief Minister, who came all the way from Doda, regretted that some vested interests have been exploiting religious sentiments of the people to accomplish their nefarious task. He informed that during his visit to Doda, announcements were made from mosques against participating in NC’s rally. "I fail to understand why some people have been exploiting sentiments of innocent youth’’, he said, adding, "need of the hour was to expose these forces’’. Dr Abdullah, who repeatedly shouted Bharat Mata Ki Jai, asserted that those spreading terrorism in the State should keep in mind that Kashmir is an integral part of India and no one can change this reality. He, however, said that his party was of the opinion that greater autonomy should be granted to the State with decentralization of power. " Power should be decentralized at regional level with empowering Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh without creating division of the State’’, he opined. Launching a scathing attack on People’s Democratic Party (PDP) for raking up the issue of self-rule, he asked former Chief Minister, Mufti Mohammed Sayeed to come out with concrete written document on his proposal. He said that instead of highlighting self-rule proposal in United Nations, Mufti Sayeed should evolve consensus among own people on this issue. Dr Abdullah was also critical of coalition regime for not giving heed to the woes of the farmers. He regretted that no compensation has been paid to the farmers whose crops have been damaged in recent rains and hailstorm. The NC patron, who arrived in the rally three hours behind scheduled time, lavished all praise on NC rural president Jagjit Singh Jagga and assured that party will not ignore his ‘sacrifices’ . Although the meeting was considered as show of strengthen among two warring factions of the party, Dr Abdullah said apparently encouraging a faction, said that he was very particular to reach in this function. "I have to drive my vehicle at the speed of 100 KMPH to reach here’’, he said. Former Minister, Harbans Singh, Abdul Karim Wani, Rampaul, Mohammed Aslam Goni, Sham Lal, T S Toni, S S Bunty, S S Jamwal, Ayub Malik, Leela Jamwal, Sham Lal and Kuldeep Sharma addressed the rally. Earlier addressing a public meetings at Doda bus stand and Seri Bazar, Bhaderwah, Dr Abdullah said that PDP has been exploiting sentiments of the people in the name of exploiting sentiments of the people. He further said that PDP has misguided the people of the State by parroting self-rule and now they have been talking of a mystic solution out of box. He cautioned the people against hollow slogans on PDP. Dr Abdullah said that gun has created mistrust towards the people of the State in and outside the country. He said that it was high time to restore the respect and dignity of the people. Ajay Sadhotra, provincial president, Khalid Najib Sohrawardy and others also addressed the rallies. |
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Manmohan, Vajpayee, Sonia's kins
to get high security NEW DELHI, Nov 12: In the wake of enhanced abduction threat from Pakistan-based militant group Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), the Centre will provide maximum security cover for kins of VVIPs including Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, his predecessor Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Congress chief Sonia Gandhi. A decision to this effect was taken at a meeting chaired by Home Minister Shivraj Patil in the middle of last month and was implemented recently after carrying out a review of security for the kins of the VVIPs, official sources said. Among others, grandchildren of Singh, Sonia Gandhi and Vajpayee would be provided by the "Z" category security. The meeting was called after security agencies in Jammu and Kashmir had intercepted a wireless message of JeM which suggested that militants were planning to kidnap kins of these VVIPs to secure the release of some militants in various jails of the country. The sources said the family members, including daughters, their husbands and the grand-children of the Prime Minister, would be put under the security net as a measure to thwart any of the nefarious designs of the militants. Under the Special Protection Group Act, the Prime Minister and his immediate family members get the SPG cover while the former premiers are provided with the cover of this elite force for one year after they step down. However, an amendment was made by the Government in early 90's under which the SPG cover was provided to Sonia Gandhi. Similarly, the cover for Vajpayee is also extended beyond the one-year period. Besides the Prime Minister, Gandhi and Vajpayee, SPG protects Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi as well. Earlier last month, a high-level meeting, chaired by the National Security Advisor M K Narayanan, took stock of the security situation, especially after reports suggested militant groups were planning to carry out a suicide attack against the Gandhi family. The security establishment has been examining new threats and sources said it has been decided to frame a new strategy for Sonia Gandhi and Rahul, who will be campaigning in the poll-bound states of Uttar Pradesh, Uttaranchal and Punjab. Uttar Pradesh is of greater concern for security agencies in view of the presence of sleeper cells of terror groups like Lashkar-e-Toiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed, the sources said. It is expected that before the announcement of polls there, a widespread crackdown will be conducted in some parts of the State to check Pakistani nationals who are in hiding after jumping normal visa regulations. (PTI) |
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Hurriyat leaders rush to Delhi to meet Pak Foreign Secretary NEW DELHI, Nov 12: After twice refusing to participate in the round-table conference on Kashmir convened by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, moderate Hurriyat leaders have rushed here to meet a visiting senior Pakistani official next week. A moderate Hurriyat Conference delegation reached the national capital today from Srinagar to meet Pakistan Foreign Secretary Riaz Mohammad Khan who arrives here on an official visit to hold crucial talks with his Indian counterpart Shiv Shankar Menon on various issues, including Jammu and Kashmir. While Hurriyat Chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq is in Cairo to attend the 56th Pugwash Conference on Science and World Affairs, the four members who arrive here today are Prof Abdul Ghani Bhat, Maulana Abbas Ansari, Bilal Ghani Lone and Aga Syed Hassan. The Mirwaiz would join the delegation before its meeting with the Pakistani official. The moderate Hurriyat leaders have twice refused to participate the round-table chaired by the Prime Minister, first in New Delhi (February 25) and second time in Srinagar (May 24-25). Political observers here say that the Hurriyat and other separatist leaders have on number of occasions disregarded the positive overtures shown by the Government of India, but always exhibited keenness to meet any Pakistani leader on an India visit. They have always made a beeline for New Delhi whenever a Pakistani leader or an official visited India, the observers said. Over the past two years, besides the Hurriyat leaders, other separatists, including Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front Chief Mohammad Yasin Malik and Democratic Freedom Party (DFP) President Shabir Ahmed Shah, have held talks with the visiting Pakistani dignitaries in New Delhi. In June 2004, the then Pakistan Foreign Secretary Riaz Khokhar, met the deeply faction-ridden separatists in an effort to unite them. However, he failed to bring about a rapprochement. This was followed by a meeting with Foreign Minister Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri on September 5, 2004 on the same issue when he visited New Delhi to meet his Indian counterpart K Natwar Singh. During Pakistan Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz’s visit here, the separatists, including firebrand leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani, were closeted in a marathon meeting with him for almost five hours on November 24, 2004. After the launch of the Srinagar-Muzaffarabad bus service on April 7 last year, Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf visited India for three days to watch an India-Pakistan one-day cricket match and met the secessionists, including Mr Geelani, on April 17. Foreign Secretaries of the two countries would meet from November 14-15, marking the resumption of the dialogue process, which had been stalled after the Mumbai bomb blasts on July 11 this year. An amalgam spokesman said Mr Khan had "expressed the desire" to meet the Kashmir separatist leaders during his India visit. "We (moderate Hurriyat leaders) have been invited for a meeting with Pakistan’s Foreign Secretary. We have accepted the invitation and would be going to New Delhi to meet Mr Khan," he added. Indications are that the chairman Mr Geelani, who is the chairman of the hardline faction of the Hurriyat Conference, would also meet the visiting Pakistani dignitary. Mr Geelani has over a period of time refused to meet any Pakistani leader or official, claiming that Islamabad has "diluted its stand on Kashmir". The Mirwaiz, during his foreign visits, has also held several meetings with President Musharraf. The Hurriyat leaders met Gen Musharraf on January 5 this year during their visit to Pakistan- occupied Kashmir (PoK) and Pakistan after the devastating earthquake on October 8 last year. Mirwaiz Farooq also met the Pakistan President on June 7 last year when the Kashmiri separatist leaders crossed over to PoK on the June 2 Srinagar-Muzaffarabad bus. On September 17 last year, they interacted again in New York when Gen Musharraf was there to attend the 60th Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) and the Mirwaiz had to participate in a summit of the Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC). On December 8 last year, the Hurriyat chairman called on Gen Musharraf on the sidelines of a two-day OIC summit in the holy city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia. (UNI) |
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Jamali arrested, 4 Asstt Supdts
picked-up By Sanjeev Pargal JAMMU, Nov 12: CID (Counter Intelligence) and Jammu Police tonight cracked down on high security Kot Bhalwal jail, which has recently shot into limelight following recovery of mobile phones from militants and clash between local and foreign ultras, and picked up four Assistant Superintendents for questioning and arrested a Pakistani militant. The crackdown was launched after the CID got "clinching evidence" that mobile telephones had been smuggled inside the jail with the "connivance" of jail staff. Gurmeet Singh, a murder accused under-trial from whose possession one of the mobile telephone was recovered, has told the CID sleuths during questioning that he had smuggled the mobile hiding it inside his headgear. A top Pakistani militant of Lashkar-e-Toiba, Zaffar Jamali, hailing from Punjab province, was arrested by police tonight as soon as he returned from court attendance in Poonch district. He was shifted to Ghrota police station under tight security and will be shifted to an unidentified location tomorrow morning. He has been booked under Sections 353 RPC (preventing a public servant from performing duty) and 323 RPC (causing injuries). A fresh FIR has been registered against him at Ghrota police station, official sources told the Excelsior. Jamali along with another Pakistani militant Aijaz Khokhar had held Kot Bhalwal Jail Superintendent Sheikh Rashid hostage on Wednesday afternoon. Mr Rashid was rescued by local militants of Jammu and Kashmir and, in the process, Ashraf Parray alias Ilyas, a Hizbul Mujahideen militant from Pulwama, was injured after being delivered a hit on his nose by Jamali. The CID sleuths picked-up four Assistant Superintendents of Kot Bhalwal jail during the raid and sent them to Joint Interrogation Centre (JIC) for questioning. They have been identified as Romesh Chander, Bharat Raj, Subash Raina and Bahadur Singh. Sources said Wardens of the jail and some other security staff are likely to be picked-up in next few days. All of them will be subjected to cross-questioning to ascertain how the mobile telephones managed to reach inside the high security jail. "It was virtually impossible for the militants to smuggle mobile phones inside the jail and use them freely without support of the jail staff. We are trying to find out at which level the jail staff had helped the militants", they added. Investigations by the CID revealed that one mobile telephone, which was recovered from the possession of Gurmeet Singh from inside the jail, had been smuggled by him hidden under his headgear. He was given mobile in a court during attendance by one of his friend, who was being searched by the Intelligence agencies. "Efforts were on to ascertain as to how two other mobile phones were smuggled inside the jail", sources said. While two mobile phones were recovered by new Jail Superintendent Sheikh Rashid from Gurmeet Singh and Altaf Choudhary of Rajouri, the third mobile was destroyed inside the jail by a Pakistani militant Abdul Hai. According to sources, they were also verifying the possibility of two other phones having reached jail detenue hidden inside leg pieces of mutton. Zaffar Jamali has become third militant and fifth under-trial to be re-arrested from Kot Bhalwal jail premises. Prior to him, Abdul Hai, a Pakistani and Raja Muzaffar of Uri, Baramulla, both militants and Gurmeet Singh of Mandlik Nagar, Tope Sherkhanian and Sanjeev Kumar Samyal of Samba, both facing murder charges were arrested. Gurmeet Singh, after completion of questioning, has been sent to District Jail, Ambphalla. |
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NC returns to home after 18 years From Ahmed Ali Fayyaz SRINAGAR, Nov 12: Jammu and Kashmir's largest political party, National Conference, today organised its first public meeting at its historical Mujahid Manzil headquarters after the eruption of secessionist militancy in the state in 1989. Dr Farooq Abdullah's party, then a coalition partner of Congress, had held its last meeting at this interior downtown centre in 1988. NC's birth place is still occupied by the paramilitary Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), which replaced a company headquarters of Border Security Force earlier last year. Party's Hazratbal MLA, Mohammad Sayeed Akhoon, who has had the distinction of being the only NC leader who stayed in the Valley in 1990-96 period, assured an enthusiastic gathering of workers that the organisation's headquarters would soon be relocated at Mujahid Manzil. Defying apprehensions of a militant strike and a continuous downpour at the onset of winter, about a thousand activists of the mainstream political outfit gathered here for the historic occasion. Party's official figure of attendance is 5,000. Significantly, in its 6-year rule Farooq, known for his absence from Valley, and Akhoon, known for exactly the reverse, had failed to recapture Mujahid Manzil in 1996-2002 period. Most of the 20th century Kashmir history's political developments and decisions---including the one of repelling the Pakistani tribal invasion with a civilian armed militia in 1947---had taken place at this seat of Sheikh Abdullah's legendary influence. However, most of the party headquarters' wings had been shifted to Nawa-e-Subah, a 4-storeyed complex beside Doordarshan Kendra in Civil Lines. This establishment of multiple commercial and organisational utility had been raised by Sheikh Abdullah's son-in-law, Ghulam Mohammad Shah, who functioned as Minister of Works in 1980. NC's Kashmir Province chief, Dr Mehboob Beig, who presided over the standing function in the party President Omar Abdullah's absence, directed much of his ire on his one-time Congress colleague Mufti Mohammad Sayeed. "Mufti went to America with New Delhi's self-rule, not that of Kashmir's. His sole agenda is to obliterate and eliminate Kashmiriyat", Dr Beig thundered. His second target was obviously Mufti's daughter and the President of People's Democratic Party (PDP), Mehbooba Mufti. "With her bogey of self-rule, she is desperately trying to create an atmosphere for disintegrating this state. Trifurcation is actually RSS agenda pursued by Mehbooba Mufti. We will never allow this to happen. Jammu and Kashmir shall remain a single and unified entity and it can't have Mohalla Assemblies here and there", Beig added. While NC's woman leader Shameema Firdaus remained focussed on the infamous 'Srinagar sex scandal' ---in which her Habbakadal constituency rival and former Minister Raman Matoo has been behind bars for over seven months now---Beig counted sectarian terrorism as the coalition governments "yet another gift to Kashmir". According to Beig, those having faith in moderate Islam, shrines and Sufism, were for the first time facing phenomenal elimination in the Valley. He said that the Bareilvi cleric Maulana Abdur Rasheed Dawoodi had been attacked in Tahab after two attacks on him and his associates in Pinglena and Ganderbal earlier this year. This year again, famous mystic Ahad Sahab had been subjected to a grenade attack in Sopore and the Jamiat-e-Ahl-e-Hadith chief Maulana Showkat had a narrow escape in an armed attack on him in Srinagar. Ten devotees got killed and nearly a hundred injured in grenade attacks on Maulana Dawoodi and Ahad Sahib. Party's firebrand leader, Ali Mohammad Sagar, lashed out at the coalition government and said that it had failed on all fronts. He asserted that corruption and administrative anarchy had grown to menacing proportions, prices of essential commodities had risen meteorically, development had disappeared almost completely and economy had nosedived in the last four years of the coalition government. He demanded that all the power plants in Jammu and Kashmir should be handed over to the state. MLAs Mohammad Akbar Lone and Mubarak Gul, NC's Political Secretary Nasir Sogami and youth wing's General Secretary Irfan Shah also addressed the gathering. |
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NEW DELHI, Nov 12: Ahead of Indo-Pak Foreign Secretary level talks, infiltration remains a cause of worry for New Delhi as the number of infiltrators from Pakistan has been put at nearly 650 this year, more than double than last year. The infiltrators, entering the Valley mainly through Kupwara region in north Kashmir and Balakote in Jammu region, have cut the barbed wires at certain places, sources in the Union Home Ministry said. At a recent meeting of Union Home Ministry officials with central security agencies and other central para military forces, inputs from various forward posts and those gathered through technical intelligence and human intelligence were shared after which the figure of nearly 650 was arrived at, the sources said. India’s concern over infiltration would be shared with the visiting Pakistani delegation, the sources said. Most of the militants who infiltrated are from Afghanistan and Pakistan while a small number of terrorists, mostly belonging to Hizbul Mujahideen, are Kashmiri. Besides sneaking into the Valley through traditional routes in Kupwara, the militants also used difficult terrain along the Razdan Pass in Gurez sector, they said. In Jammu region, the militants entered into the State through Poonch and Mendhar sectors. The infiltration figures last year stood at less than 200. (PTI) |
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Hizb 'bn commdr' killed in Pahalgam Excelsior Correspondent/Agencies SRINAGAR, Nov 12: Police and security forces have killed a "battalion commander" of Hizbul Mujahideen in an encounter in Pahalgam area of south Kashmir today. Official sources said that Anantnag Police, CRPF 156 Bn and Rashtriya Rifles killed a top wanted militant, Mohammad Shafi Meloo alias Younis, resident of Khilan, in an operation at Batkote, near Pahalgam, in the afternoon today. Sources said that Younis was a "battalion commander" with Hizbul Mujahideen who had been active as a militant in the last eight years. Sources said that Police and security forces swooped on the house of one Mohammad Ramzan on a specific information and found the militant hiding in a room. As the militant opened fire, troops managed to rescue about a 1000 people who were present at a marriage ceremony at a nearby house. Thereafter, the holed up militant was killed in the encounter in which Mohammad Ramzan's house was destroyed in a fire. Officials said that one civilian sustained injuries. Meanwhile, reports from north Kashmir said that a civilian, Mohammad Maqbool Khatana S/o Nooruddin, sustained injuries in an encounter between militants and security forces in Magam area of Handwara. Meanwhile, Eight-year-old Shazia, who was among those wounded in a grenade attack on a religious congregation at the Jamia Masjid Tahab in Pulwama district of South Kashmir on Friday, succumbed to wounds at the Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS), Soura today, raising the death toll to six. At least six people were killed and 40 others, including a top Muslim cleric, wounded in the grenade attack. Meanwhile, a gun-battle erupted between the Special Operation Group (SOG) of the State Police and militants in the world famous tourist resort of Pahalgam this afternoon. Police said SOG personnel, on a specific information, launched a search operation at Batakoot in Pahalgam area at 1330 hrs. On seeing the SOG personnel, militants opened fire on them which was retaliated, resulting in a fierce gun-battle. The encounter was on when reports last came in. Further details were awaited.
7000 snow warriors trained every year in Siachen Siachen Base Camp: Braving hostile weather conditions, almost 7000 soldiers are trained every year in the Siachen Training Area, near here and deployed in the world highest battlefield, the Siachen Glacier. Commanding Officer of Training Area Colonel R L Patro said the soldiers here are trained for three weeks. These 'spidermen' are taught snow climbing and how to survive in snow clad areas. Col Sunil Kumar of 5 Rajputana Rifles said 7000 jawans are trained here every year. Every soldier posted in Siachen has to undergo training here. The soldiers, also known as 'spidermen', are taught the intricacies of surviving in high altitude areas, as well as climbing snow clads mountains. These jawans are taught how to fight the enemy and nature and emerge victorious. These jawans regularly carry 20 kg on their training sessions and are equipped with ice picks and ropes, among other things. Col S Shankar said 80 per cent of the Siachen area comprises peaks above a height of 16000 feet. The highest peak Bana Point is at an altitude of 21667 ft. (UNI)
Joint Mechanism on Terror to be given shape New
Delhi, Nov 13 : The
proposed Joint Mechanism on Terror is likely to be given
shape at the Foreign Secretary-level talks between India
and Pakistan to be held here tomorrow and on Wednesday.
The two-day talks, which are being held after a gap of
nearly one year, will focus mainly on the issue of
terrorism besides reviewing the progress on the three
rounds of the Composite Dialogue Process (CDP) held so
far. These will mark the beginning of the fourth round of
the CDP. Pakistan Foreign Secretary Riaz Mohammad Khan,
leading a nine-member team, will arrive here from Lahore
this evening for talks with his Indian counterpart Shiv
Shankar Menon tomorrow and on Wednesday. Sources said the
Pakistan Foreign Secretary will also call on Prime
Minister Manmohan Singh and External Affairs Minister
Pranab Mukherjee. The Pakistani delegation
comprises Additional Secretary (Asia Pacific) Akhtar
Tufail, Additional Secretary (UN) Tariq Osman Hyder,
Director-General (South Asia) Jalil Abbas Jilani,
Director-General (UN) and spokesperson Tasnim Aslam,
Director (India) Irfan Ahmad, Director (Kashmir Affairs),
Mariam Aftab, Director (Foreign Secretary's Office)
Moin-ul Haq and Assistant Director (India) Qamar Abbas.
Pakistan's outgoing High Commissioner to India, Aziz
Ahmed Khan, and High Commissioner-designate Shahid Malik
will also join the delegation in Delhi.
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