Pak violates airspace
25 intruders killed in Batalik
Tribune News Service

NEW DELHI, July 23 — A Pakistani air force helicopter violated Indian airspace in the Batalik sub-sector of Kargil yesterday as there were reports of killing of 32 Pakistani soldiers during fierce battle at positions held by intruders and in retaliatory mortar shelling by Indian troops along the Line of Control (LoC) in the Rajouri and Poonch sectors.

According to reports fierce fighting was on in Batalik and Kaksar sub-sectors as the Indian troops launched operations to evict the intruders from the three pockets they were holding in these areas. Fighting was under way at Point 5353 in Dras, Muntho Dhalo and Shangruti Ridge in Batalik and also at a position in Kaksar.

Reports here said at least 25 Pakistani soldiers were killed in a close hand-to-hand battle with Indian jawans in the Batalik sub-sector. The intruders were said to be holding on to two small pockets in Muntho Dhalo and Shangruti, both of which fall in Batalik. Fighting was also on in the Mashkoh Valley.

Reports said 11 Indian soldiers were injured in artillery shelling by Pakistan. Another six Indian troops were injured in the small arms exchange of fire. Indian troops were engaged in small arms firing with the intruders in Kaksar and Dras.

Reports said so far seven Indian soldiers have been killed after the formal announcement of Pakistan withdrawal in landmine explosions. Before retreating, the Pakistanis have littered the areas of intrusion with booby-traps and landmines to create problems for the advancing Indian troops. Due to this reason, the movement of the Indian troops was very slow.

Sources said the PAF helicopter entered about three km inside the Indian airspace, but flew back after Indian ground troops opened fire.

Indian military officials here were trying to verify the possible reason for the incident. During the Kargil conflict, there had been a number of instances when Pakistani fighter aircraft had violated the Indian airspace, but this is the first occasion in recent times of the PAF helicopter intruding into India.

The sources here did not rule out the possibility of the Pakistani helicopter trying to drop essential supplies to the small number of intruders who were still holding on to a small pocket along Shangruti Ridge in the Batalik sub-sector.

Reports said seven Pakistani soldiers were killed in retaliatory shelling by the Indian troops along the LoC. The Pakistanis have been continuing unprovoked shelling.

Pakistani troops continued firing artillery shells and small-arms rounds on Indian positions from across the Line of Control (LoC) in Kargil (Ladakh region), Kupwara, Uri, (both in the Kashmir valley) and Poonch, Rajouri and Naushera (in Jammu region).

The sources said Pakistani troops fired 120 artillery rounds and 915 small-arms rounds in Kargil, 160 artillery rounds and 520 small-arms rounds in Kupwara, 75 artillery and 315 small-arms fire in Uri, 720 heavy machine gun and 3200 arms fire in Poonch, 195 heavy machine gun and 3200 small-arms fire in Rajouri and 765 heavy machine gun and 3725 small arms fire in Naushera.

JAMMU, (PTI): Seven Pakistani soldiers were killed in retaliatory mortar fire by Indian troops along the Line of Control (LoC) opposite Rajouri and Poonch Sectors since Thursday, defence authorities said here.

Pakistani troops continued unprovoked shelling in Sunderbani Sector of Rajouri district on Friday forcing Indian troops to effectively retaliate, a statement said.

Pakistani troops used mortars and rockets accompanied by small arms fire, it said, adding four Pakistani soldiers were killed opposite Sunderbani area.

In an unprovoked exchange of fire in Naushera and Poonch Sectors, Indian troops killed two Pak soldiers opposite Poonch and Naushera Sectors.

A Border Security Force (BSF) jawan was critically injured at the Khora border outpost when Pakistani troops resorted to heavy firing along the International Border (IB) in Samba and R.S. Pura sub-sectors.

After several days’ lull, Pakistani troops resorted to firing on several BSF positions in the sectors. The BSF jawan was hit by a volley of bullets and critically injured, the sources said.

The areas which came under fire were Khora, Pagwari, Nanga, S.H. Way, Jabwal, Nikwal, Pindi and Suchetgar.

Panel to probe Kargil intrusions
PM’s excellence, BJP’s main plank

CHENNAI, July 23 (UNI) — The BJP-led government at the Centre has decided to constitute a committee to inquire into the alleged lapses that led to the Kargil operations.

Disclosing this, Union Power Minister Rangarajan Kumaramangalam, during informal talks with reporters at the state party headquarters here today, said the committee, headed by a person of high stature, would be set up "very soon’’.

He made it clear the committee was not being constitued under the Commission of Inquiries Act. It would ascertain what went wrong and where, and the factors that led to the aggression by the Pakistan-backed intruders in the Kargil, Dras and Batalik sectors.

The committee would also make recommendations on averting such intrusions in future, he said.

Replying to a question, Mr Kumaramangalam said Kargil would not be an election plank but would definitely be an issue in the elections. "The BJP’s main poll plank will be Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee who led a government par excellence".

Mr Kumaramangalam said it could never be a question of Mr Vajpayee versus Congress President Sonia Gandhi, as his party leader was "a sagacious leader of statesmanship, providing the best administration in a short span of 13 months, besides paving the way for economic recovery.’’

He said if the Opposition were to target the Vajpayee government for allowing the intrusions in Kargil, the BJP would counter it by raking up the issue of the 1962 Chinese aggression during the Congress regime.

"We would ask them how the ‘Chinese walked in and took over thousands of square miles of the Indian territory and held it on’," he added.

The handling of the Kargil conflict was proof of Mr Vajpayee’s statesmanship, as the Army had recaptured the occupied territory and the entire international community had condemned Pakistan.

On his ministerial colleague Vazhapadi Ramamurthy’s charge that political clouds were looming large over Rashtrapati Bhavan, he said it was little unfair to criticise the Office of President. "I do not think the Office of the President should be brought into controversy," he added.

Describing Mr Narayanan as a sagacious person, Mr Kumaramangalam said: "We may not like his decisions, but he takes all decisions on his own and they are never influenced by others.’’

He termed as baseless the corruption charges against him in connection with the award of contract for boilers for the Talcher thermal power plant of the National Thermal Power Corporation. The tenders called for placing orders for the boilers were still under evaluation, he said.

He said the Central Vigilance Commission could not entertain the charge as the tenders were yet to be finalised.

Denying another charge that he had acted against the interests of Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) in the award of the turbine contract to it, he said despite BHEL being the second lowest bidder, he had ensured the award of contract to it, using the 15 per cent price preference available for indigenous manufacturers.