Two militants killed in valley
SRINAGAR, Dec 9 — Army troops recovered a ballistic missile smuggled from Pakistan from a militant hideout in Jammu and Kashmir, where two militants were killed and four others were arrested since last evening. The ballistic missile smuggled by militants from Pakistan was unearthed during search operations at Lasana village of Surankote in border district of Poonch in Jammu region last night, an official spokesman said here today.

BJP to define role vis-a-vis NC
JAMMU, Dec 9 — A high-level BJP team led by the President, Mr D.K. Kotwal, has left for Delhi to discuss with the party high command the strategy the BJP in Jammu and Kashmir should adopt vis-a-vis the ruling National Conference.

Rebels repeat Kargil in Marwah valley
JAMMU, Dec 9 — After their failure to create Kargil-type situation in Kupwara, where the rebels launched an offensive against the security forces a couple of months back, the Pakistan-aided militants have started repeating Kargil in Marwah valley of Doda district.

Shah decries Hurriyat’s interest in talks
SRINAGAR, Dec 9 — The Jammu and Kashmir Democratic Freedom Party today criticised the Hurriyat Conference for its willingness to enter into a dialogue with the Centre and involve Pakistan at a later stage to resolve the Kashmir issue.

Rs 13 lakh looted from bank
SRINAGAR, Dec 9 — In a board daylight robbery, unidentified gunmen looted over Rs 13 lakh from a bank on airport road here today, an official spokesman said.

Two militants killed in valley

SRINAGAR, Dec 9 (PTI) — Army troops recovered a ballistic missile smuggled from Pakistan from a militant hideout in Jammu and Kashmir, where two militants were killed and four others were arrested since last evening.

The ballistic missile smuggled by militants from Pakistan was unearthed during search operations at Lasana village of Surankote in border district of Poonch in Jammu region last night, an official spokesman said here today.

Terming the seizure as a "major breakthrough", the spokesman said three militants were also arrested during the operation and they are being questioned.

The spokesman did not divulge further details regarding the arrested persons and the seizure.

Two unidentified militants were killed in an encounter with Army at Janbazpora in Baramula district last night, the spokesman said, adding the police also arrested a militant from Khanyar area of downtown Srinagar last night.

Meanwhile, Hari Singh High Street and its adjoining localities in Srinagar wore a deserted look today as shopkeepers in the areas downed their shutters in protest against yesterday's grenade and firing incident which left two persons killed and 25 others wounded.

The shopkeepers alleged that Border Security Force (BSF) personnel opened indiscriminate fire after militants exploded a grenade targeting their picket in the busy area of Srinagar yesterday.

UNI: Three persons were injured when Pakistani troops resorted to unprovoked shelling from across the border in the northern sector last evening.

Official sources said Pakistani troops fired mortar and artillery shells in the northern sector targeting civilian and security force installations.

Sources said some of the shells fell in Jabla village causing injuries to three persons.

Sources said Indian troops also retaliated. However, the casualties on the Pakistani side were not known.

BJP to define role vis-a-vis NC
Tribune News Service

JAMMU, Dec 9 — A high-level BJP team led by the President, Mr D.K. Kotwal, has left for Delhi to discuss with the party high command the strategy the BJP in Jammu and Kashmir should adopt vis-a-vis the ruling National Conference. The state unit of the BJP is not happy with the recent utterances of Mr Omar Abdullah, Union Minister of State for Industries and Commerce, blaming Prof Chaman Lal Gupta, Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation, and another BJP MP, Vaid Vishnu Dutt, for having sabotaged additional financial assistance plan of the Centre.

The National Conference too is not happy with the activities of the state unit of the BJP which it expected to play complimentary role after the former joined the NDA Government at the Centre.

It is in the context of these developments and the inherent differences in the ideology of the two organisations that the BJP unit has gone to Delhi to decide whether it should play a second fiddle to the National Conference or act as a responsible opposition party. Mr Kotwal, Prof Gupta and others are in favour of the BJP performing the role of an effective opposition party in Jammu and Kashmir. They are said to be of the opinion that since the National Conference had suffered major erosion in its strength it would be suicidal for the BJP to sit on the bandwagon of the ruling National Conference in the state.

Reports said that party General Secretary, Mr Narinder Modi, who is incharge of Jammu and Kashmir has summoned these leaders to know the ground realities so that the party high command could take a definite stand on the role the state unit of the BJP would play as far as the National Conference was concerned.

According to these reports the state unit of the BJP is peeved over the way the National Conference leadership has been ignoring it with the result the Chief Minister and his ministerial colleagues fail to honour the recommendations of the BJP leaders and legislators.

These reports said that the inherent cause of the conflict between the two parties was the result of division of opinion within the National Conference and the BJP as far as the unwritten understanding between the two was concerned. When the National conference announced a year ago that it would lend support to the BJP led Government at the Centre there were many in the ruling party in Kashmir who were opposed to it. The opposition became stronger after the National Conference joined the NDA on the plea that it would further weaken the National Conference in the Kashmir valley.

The case is not different as far as the BJP was concerned. Out of eight MLAs in the Assembly five are opposed to any alliance with the National Conference and several other party leaders hold a similar view on the ground that it would affect the image of the organisation in the Hindu-dominated Jammu region.

It is no longer a secret that the National Conference has joined the NDA as a result of personal relations between Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee and Chief Minister, Dr Farooq Abdullah.

Rebels repeat Kargil in Marwah valley
Tribune News Service

JAMMU, Dec 9 — After their failure to create Kargil-type situation in Kupwara, where the rebels launched an offensive against the security forces a couple of months back, the Pakistan-aided militants have started repeating Kargil in Marwah valley of Doda district.

Reports reaching here from the remote and the most backward valley have revealed that ace Afghan and Pakistani shooters have established a training centre where the fresh Kashmiri recruits were being given training in arms.

According to these reports, some of the trainers have crossed into Marwah valley from Kargil during the May-June conflict. Since Marwah is connected, one side, with Zanskar, on the other with Kishtwar and Kokernag in south Kashmir concentration of militants is viewed with serious concern by the security experts. Large groups of foreign mercenaries, who had established their hideouts on higher altitudes of the valley, are said to have come down to the lower belts after the upper reaches were gripped by cold wave and snow.

The valley remains cut off round the year because of absence of motorable road links. The Wadwan belt has remained a safe sanctuary for rebels. Officials sources said that since most of the valley's area had no security cover militants have taken advantage of it. It is one of the areas in the state where militants belonging to different outfits including the Lashkar-i-Toiba, the Hizbul Mujahideen have carved out safe sanctuaries. These outfits are running joint training centre where youths from Kishtwar, Udhampur, Doda, Bhaderwah, Anantnag, Pulwama, Stopian are being given arms training especially training them in handling of IEDs and grenades.

It is only during the summer that one company of the state police establishes its camp in Wadwan. And during the six months of winter the entire 2,000 sq km area remains without any adequate security cover. It is in this context that the security experts fear that the rebels may create Kargil type situation in Marwah valley.

Shah decries Hurriyat’s interest in talks

SRINAGAR, Dec 9 (PTI) — The Jammu and Kashmir Democratic Freedom Party (JKDFP) today criticised the Hurriyat Conference for its willingness to enter into a dialogue with the Centre and involve Pakistan at a later stage to resolve the Kashmir issue.

Apparently referring to the statement of acting chairman of the Hurriyat Mirwaiz Umer Farooq that there was no harm to enter into dialogue with central government and involve Islamabad at a latter stage, JKDFP Shabir Ahmad Shah told reporters here that "Any individual or an organisation within Kashmir favouring bilateral talks goes against the sentiments and aspirations of the people of Kashmir.

"I and my party had always supported meaningful dialogue but am of the opinion that bilateral talks either between India and Pakistan or between New Delhi and Kashmiri leaders will not lead to a permanent solution."

Advocating tripartite talks involving India, Pakistan and representatives of people of state to solve the Kashmir issue, Shah said "involvement of Pakistan, one of the three parties to the issue, is a must and militants should also be taken into confidence before entering into any dialogue".

Rs 13 lakh looted from bank

SRINAGAR, Dec 9 (PTI) — In a board daylight robbery, unidentified gunmen looted over Rs 13 lakh from a bank on airport road here today, an official spokesman said.

Armed with pistols and grenades two youths entered Allaqai Dehati bank in heavily-guarded Hyderpora, 7 km from here, on Airport road shortly before the closure of the bank at around 3 pm, the spokesman said.

The gunmen overpowered the sentry and decamped with over Rs 13 lakh after threatening the bank staff and some customers present there.

A massive hunt has been launched by the police to nab the culprits, the spokesman said.