Jammu Srinagar

Migrated family returns to Uri
SRINAGAR, Dec 3 — A Kashmiri family which had migrated to Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) returned to its native village in the border town of Uri in north Kashmir.

Five militants shot dead

SRINAGAR, Dec 3 (UNI) — Five militants, including a foreign mercenary and a security jawan, were among nine persons killed in the Kashmir valley during the past 24 hours.

Security personnel cordoned off about a dozen localities in Baramula town following an encounter with militants near the electrical maintenance engineering workshop of the Army last night during which two foreign militants and a junior commissioned officer (JCO) were killed and two civilian injured.

A report from Baramula said the security forces conducted house-to-house searches and paraded all male members before "cats" (informers). Some suspected persons were taken into custody.

An official spokesman said the Jammu and Kashmir police special operation group (SOG) and the security forces in a joint operation killed a militant at Buran-Palhalan in Baramula district last evening. A rifle, two magazines and some rounds of ammunition were recovered during the operation.

A jawan lost his life and two more sustained injuries when militants attacked them in Malwana forest last evening. The militants escaped.

The security forces gunned down a militant in an encounter at Dugyana while another was killed at Harni this morning.

Militants killed Saifullah Khan in his water flour mill at Handwara late last night while some unidentified militants looted cash and valuables from four houses at Baripora in the frontier district of Kupwara late last night.

The spokesman said unidentified gunmen shot dead a teacher Mr Mohammad Maqbool in his house in Delina Bazar in Baramula late last night. People of the area took to the streets in protest against the killing. They alleged he was killed by surrendered militants.

Militants shot dead counter insurgent at Hajin in Baramula last evening.

Plea to insulate police against meddling
Tribune News Service

JAMMU, Dec 3 — The three-day 31st All-India police science congress ended here today with the recommendation that in view of the challenges posed by cyber crime and narco-terrorism there was a need for computer network for the police and the standardisation of training curriculum of both recruitment and in service training for all ranks.

It was recommended that the police should be insulated against political, bureaucratic and other extraneous interference which had affected the morale of the police and accountability. It suggested that in the light of changing socio-economic, socio-political and cultural scenario of some of the functions now performed by the police should be privatised. It said that the role of the police should be re-defined by repealing police Act of 1861 and replacing it by a new Act to make the police more people-friendly.

Delivering the valedictory address, the Chief Minister, Dr Farooq Abdullah said the role of the police in fighting terrorism should not be underestimated. He said the country faced serious challenges from across the border and some of the countries hostile to India were using Pakistan to weaken India. He said as such the police needed to have better weapons gadgets and means of communication to take on separatists and the terrorists.

Dr Abdullah said Pakistan was trying to use the All Party Hurriyat Conference for launching anti-India campaign in Jammu and Kashmir.

He urged the Centre that the state needed better weapons, equipment and facilities for developing a strong police force. He agreed with the recommendations of the police science congress that the police chief and other senior officers should have a fixed tenure.

Mr B.B. Nanda, Director General Bureau of Police Research and Development said there was a need to amend criminal laws so that cases in courts did not gather dust. The congress also emphasised the need for increasing funds for the police and the security agencies which would help the state governments to carry out upgradation programme.

Cabinet reshuffle soon: Farooq
Tribune News Service

JAMMU, Dec 3 — Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah warned Pakistan that if it tried to open a front against India in any sector in Jammu and Kashmir, the "Indian troops will cross the Line of Control."

Talking to mediapersons here today, the Chief Minister said "If General Pervez attempted to open a Kargil-type front, our troops will hit back hard and cross the Line of Control. Our people would cross the border and fight the Pakistani troops."

The Chief Minister said the conversion of the line of control into international border could be one of the solutions to the Kashmir issue. "What is with us will remain with India and the part of the state that is under occupation, may remain with Islamabad," he said.

In reply to a question, he said a Cabinet reshuffle and a shake up in the state administration were on the cards. He hoped to carry out the reshuffle "soon". But he made it clear that the reshuffle would be cosmetic in nature. He said he did not want to repeat the 1984 mistake when a reshuffle led to defections and the fall of his government.

He said he had not asked the Housing Minister, Molvi Iftikhar Hussain Ansari, to submit his resignation. He said the Molvi had joined duty after a month and "we will look into charges of corruption against him."

He hinted he would restructure ministries because the division in some ministries carried out by him three years ago had not paid dividends.

He hoped the state would receive an economic package from the Centre. Earlier, during his address to the Police Science Congress the Chief Minister expressed dismay over the attitude of some bureaucrats in Delhi who had no knowledge of the situation in Jammu and Kashmir. He said during one of the meetings, a bureaucrat had said Dr Farooq needed funds to buy another helicopter. He said he had actually pleaded that the police and the paramilitary forces needed choppers to carry out speedy operations against militants in remote hilly areas.

There was laughter when he said another bureaucrat had stated that Dr Farooq needed Rs 250 crore to "blow it up in Bombay." Did I need the amount to purchase film actress Madhuri Dixit? Was she ready to be bought for Rs 250 crore," he quipped.

Migrated family returns to Uri

SRINAGAR, Dec 3 (PTI) — A Kashmiri family which had migrated to Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) returned to its native village in the border town of Uri in north Kashmir.

The family, headed by Mohammad Ismail Tash, which had migrated to PoK a year ago returned to its village, Hawala, located near the Line of Control (LoC) on Wednesday, an official spokesman said here yesterday.

Mr Tash along with his family members went to the Uri police station immediately on return from across the border and surrendered three AK assault rifles, two pistols and some ammunition to the authorities, the spokesman said. However, the spokesman did not divulge further details of Tash's family.

Meanwhile, reports received here from Uri said the residents in several villages along the LoC had migrated to safer zones in the wake of renewed shelling from across the border. The shelling in the sector resumed two days back and several villages of Uri, including Nambla, Jabla, Navrada, Sangri, Gowalta, Asham, Dolanja, Soura and Khandra were badly affected. Soura village was affected the most and almost 50 per cent of its population has migrated so far, the reports said, adding that many of the families have reportedly moved across the LoC to Pakistan administered Kashmir.