BSF jawans under stress in J&K
BARAMULA (J and K), — Continued deployment of Border Security Force personnel on internal security duty in the valley without rest for up to three years, lack of basic facilities and prolonged separation from their families are telling upon their health, say officials.

2 Pak soldiers killed
JAMMU, Aug 12 — Pakistani troops resorted to unprovoked firing in Naushehra sector today which was effectively retaliated by the Indian troops. Two Pak soldiers were killed and a number of Pakistani bunkers in the same sector destroyed.

NC not backing militancy: CM
SRINAGAR, Aug 12 — Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah yesterday denied a report that the National Conference was supporting militancy.

BSF jawans under stress in J&K

BARAMULA (J and K), Aug 12 (PTI) — Continued deployment of Border Security Force (BSF) personnel on internal security duty (ISD) in the valley without rest for up to three years, lack of basic facilities and prolonged separation from their families are telling upon their health, say officials.

Units of the BSF, operating in the valley since early 1989-90, have been shifting from one place to another to plug the gaps as well as voids created by the shifting of Army and Rashtriya Rifle units from one place to another.

Besides being engaged in counter-insurgency operations, it is the personnel of the force who are primarily responsible for sanitising and maintaining a vigil on the roads which link the state’s sensitive districts including Srinagar, Baramula, Badgam and Kupwara.

"No proper accommodation is available. In most places we have improvised accommodation while at some places houses of Kashmiri Pandits who have migrated from the valley have been taken over to house company and battalion headquarters but they are all scattered, which is a security hazard," Inspector General, A.S.Mangat (BSF), Baramula, told visiting journalists from Delhi recently.

What is worse, even in cities like Srinagar, the "johnnies", as the jawans are called, are living in bunkers "which are most uncomfortable and where even hygiene and sanitation cannot be ensured," he said.

"Even then, our officers and men have been braving all odds and have done very well in the discharge of their day to day duties without caring for their personal comforts," he said.

Road vigilance, duties sometime extending up to 18 hours a day, take the maximum toll on the men who do not get rest or time for even washing their uniforms.

According to an official in Uri, a jawan was drowned in the Jhelum last week when he stole some time during duty hours to take a bath, which he did not have for days together.

Another major factor contributing to the physical and psychological fatigue of the force was the prolonged separation from their families, sometimes extending up to three years.

"Officers and men cannot live with their family and children because of the tense situation and bad living conditions," Mr Mangat said.

He said unlike in the Army, no separation allowance was admissible in the BSF.

The Union Government, he said, had sometime back decided to compensate Central Government staff in Kashmir by extending certain pay and allowances as admissible to their counterparts in the North-East, but while applying it to Kashmir its scope was confined to all-India service officials, the IAS and the IPS.

"Thereby the very purpose of extending these facilities has not been achieved," he added.

2 Pak soldiers killed
Tribune News Service

JAMMU, Aug 12 — Pakistani troops resorted to unprovoked firing in Naushehra sector today which was effectively retaliated by the Indian troops. Two Pak soldiers were killed and a number of Pakistani bunkers in the same sector destroyed.

Firing continued unabated all along the Line of Control in the twin districts of Rajouri and Poonch also. Pakistani troops also targeted a number of civilian areas in which Hajira Bee, daughter of Khadim Hussain, a resident of Sandot village in Bhimber Gali sector, was injured. She was given first-aid and is out of danger.

Mufti to contest from Anantnag
From Ehsan Fazili
Tribune News Service

SRINAGAR, Aug 12 — Two days after the issuance of the notification for the first phase of elections, Mr Umar Abdullah of the ruling National Conference, today filed his nomination papers for Srinagar constituency which he held in the last Lok Sabha. So far there were no reports of the filing of any other nomination papers by candidates of other parties from Srinagar and Ladakh constituencies which goes to the polls on September 5.

Accompanied by a large number of party leaders, Mr Umar Abdullah, son of Dr Farooq Abdullah and the Youth National Conference President, filed his papers before the electoral officer of the Srinagar parliamentary constituency. Srinagar constituency comprises two districts of Srinagar and Budgam in Central Kashmir having 10 and five Assembly segments, respectively.

Two other main parties, the Congress and the Peoples Democratic Party of the former Union Home Minister, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, announced candidature of some of the party nominees contesting the ensuing Lok Sabha elections for the six constituencies in the state. The ruling National Conference has so far not announced the candidatures of other nominees contesting the elections.

Mufti Mohammad Sayeed announced the names of the four candidates contesting the Lok Sabha elections here today. These included Mufti Mohammad Sayeed from Anantnag, Mr Muzaffar Hussain Beigh from Baramulla, Mr Trilok Singh from Jammu and Mr Jagdish Sapolia from Udhampur. The Mufti is yet to decide on the candidates for fielding against Mr Umar Abdullah and for the Ladakh constituency comprising Leh and Kargil districts.

Announcing the names of the candidates the Mufti hailed the decision of the state government on the directives of the Election Commission of India to transfer three Deputy Commissioners of Anantnag, Srinagar and Baramulla and also the Superintendent of Police for Kupwara and DIG for Baramulla-Kupwara Range.

These transfers were ordered recently by the state government on the directives of the election commission. However, the Chief Minister, Dr Farooq Abdullah, here yesterday made it clear that the officers would be sent back to their respective places of posting after the election process was over.

Meanwhile, the state Congress here today organised a convention of the party leaders and workers beloning to the Kashmir valley. It was addressed by the party General-Secretary, Mr Ghulam Nabi Azad, and former Railway Minister and Governor of Madhya Pradesh, Mr Mohammad Shafi Qureshi, apart from senior Congress leaders of the state PCC. The PCC President, Choudhary Mohammad Aslam, also addressed the gathering.

Both Congress and the PDP leaders have criticised the alleged corrupt practices prevalent in the state. These leaders said there were apprehensions of regarding the ruling NC indulging in rigging in the elections.

The Chief Minister here yesterday described the charges of rigging against his government as baseless.

The Congress is fielding Mr Agha Sayed Mehdi from Srinagar, whose name was formally announced at a convention held at Sher-e-Kashmir Park here today. Two other candidates, Dr Mehboob Beigh and Mr Thupstan Chewang were going to contest Anantnag and Ladakh constituencies, respectively, according to the sources.

However, the names of these candidates were not announced at the party convention today. The Congress may support Prof Saifuddin Soz who was contesting the Baramulla constituency as an independent after his life-term expulsion from the National Conference.

NC not backing militancy: CM
Tribune News Service

SRINAGAR, Aug 12 — Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah yesterday denied a report that the National Conference was supporting militancy.

"I do not know what the Hurriyat Conference is doing or other nationalist parties are doing.... we do not support militancy. We are not a party to it..... None of us is involved in militancy in the state", Dr Abdullah said at a press conference here.

He described the report published by some newspapers that National Conference leaders were supporting militancy as baseless. The report was based on an interview of the Inspector-General of the Border Security Force (BSF) Baramula range, Mr A.S. Mangat. The Chief Minister said Mr Mangat was "misquoted".

The Chief Minister, who is also the President of the National Conference, said every day there were killing of his partymen or attacks on their houses.

He lamented that police and paramilitary personnel were becoming the target of the ISI and other agencies. "Our police is at the receiving end", the Chief Minister said, adding that his government proposed to announce special packages for next of kin of those personnel who were killed by militants.

The Chief Minister expressed the hope that there would be peaceful elections in spite of attempts made by Pakistan and its agencies.

He expressed concern about recent militant attacks on Army camps in Kupwara district.