Britain asked to rescind advisory
Tribune News Service

JAMMU, Feb 14 — The Jammu and Kashmir Government has appealed to the British Government to withdraw its advisory asking British tourists not to visit Kashmir because of the ongoing violence in the state.

The Chief Minister, Dr Farooq Abdullah, is said to have discussed the matter with British officials when he was in London. He took up this issue with the former British envoy in Delhi, Mr David Gore Booth. Mr Booth is said to have assured Dr Abdullah that he would get in touch with the British Foreign Office and persuade it to withdraw the advisory.

Dr Farooq Abdullah has informed the British authorities that the Kashmir situation was showing definite signs of improvement required for normal tourist traffic. He had told Mr Booth also that during the past two years of his party’s government more foreign and home tourists had visited Kashmir.

The state government was keen on increasing the flow of foreign tourists to Kashmir which could help it to come out of the acute cash crunch which had affected the pace of development.

The Chief Minister had also conveyed to the agencies connected with tourist trade that the incident regarding kidnapping and missing of four foreign tourists four years ago was part of history and since then the situation that existed in the valley was conducive for foreigners to roam about.

According to the Director-General Tourism, Mr Mohd Ashraf, the state used to earn about Rs 500 crore per year from foreign tourists visiting Kashmir before the rise of insurgency in 1990. And after the American tourists the holiday-makers from the UK formed a major component of foreign visitors to Kashmir.

Mr Ashraf said that the government was busy in developing the pre-requisite facilities for encouraging foreign tourists to take part in tourism related sports, including mountaineering, skiing, trekking, fishing and rafting in Kashmir and Ladakh. He said several thousand tourists had not long ago participated in skiing at Gulmarg.

He admitted that the British Government’s advisory had affected tourism traffic to the valley. Asked whether foreign tourists had any threat in Kashmir, he said, "people in Kashmir love tourists, especially foreigners".

He said that the improvement in the situation was evident from the over 3,000 foreigners including British, French, Germans and Talibans visited Kashmir last year.

4 hacked to death in Udhampur

SRINAGAR, Feb 14 (PTI) — Four Hindus, including a teenaged brother and sister and a five-year-old boy were hacked to death by militants in Udhampur district of Jammu and Kashmir last night, an official spokesman said today.

Elsewhere in the state, four separatists were killed and a top extremist was arrested since last evening, he added.

Suspected Lashkar-e-Toiba militants struck at three houses of Village Defence Committee (VDC) members in Morah-Sukhal village in Udhampur district around 8 pm and hacked to death four persons including a VDC member, the spokesman said.

Militants first forced their entry into the house of Pritam Singh, a VDC member. When told that Mr Singh was not in the house, they dragged his five-year-old son Mohinder Singh out of the house and slit his throat.

Militants lined up all members of the three families outside their houses and slit the throats of Ashok Singh (20) and his sister Maya Devi (16) and a Village Defence Committee member Inder Singh (35). Other male members tried to intervene but were threatened at gun point.

Militants also attacked and critically injured a minor girl Anjana when she came running down at the site. They later fled threatening villagers of dire consequences if matter was reported to authorities, the spokesman said.

This is the second massacre of its kind in Udhampur. Twentyseven villagers were killed by militants at Prankote and Dakikote villages of the district last year.

Security forces came to know about the incident this morning only and have launched a massive manhunt to nab the culprits.

Meanwhile, a foreign mercenary, Abu Khalil, was killed and two security personnel were injured in a fire fight at Dudpath in Doda district of the Jammu region last evening, the spokesman said.

He said the owner of the house from where the militant fired on the search party was also injured in the exchange of fire.

The spokesman said an unidentified militant was killed and a special police officer was injured in an encounter at Phagla in border region of Poonch yesterday. Huge quantity of arms and ammunition was recovered from the slain militant.

Two militants were killed in a gun-battle with security forces during cordon and search of Batagund-Duroo village in Anantnag district, the spokesman said.

He said militants attacked a search party at Dabtal-Dudoo near Bijbehara in Anantnag district. The securitymen returned the fire but no loss of life was reported.

Security forces also raided a militant hide-out in Pulwama and recovered 2.5 kg of explosives, he said.

Special Operations Group of the state police and the security forces arrested a self-styled "launching chief" of outlawed Hizbul Mujahideen, Farooq Ahmed Khan, from his hide-out at Babapora-Humhama in Kupwara district last evening.

Pilgrimage to Shiv Khori
Tribune News Service

SHIV KHORI (Udhampur), Feb 14 — Instead of "Jai Mata Di" the chanting of "Jai Shiv Shanker" rented the air as here thousands of men, women and children crawled into a cave Nestled in a hillock dotted with tall coniferous and kail trees. The devotees from different areas had made to this sleepy hamlet for celebrating Mahashivratri.

From the morning of Saturday pilgrims began flocking to the holy cave. The pilgrims rush will continue till Monday.

For the first time the state Department of Tourism has made arrangements for bringing devotees to the cave.

The department plants to extend the pilgrim tourism circuit from Vaishnov Devi to Shiv Khori and Sudhmahadev Mantalai in another direction and the holy cave of Pingla Mata in yet another direction.

Though the holy cave and its environs are not connected by roads, the panoramic view of the cave hidden in the dense forest casts a spell on pilgrims. Pilgrims have to take a narrow path and trek the 3 km mountain track to the cave. It was one by one affair. The outer chamber could accommodate not more than 200 pilgrims and the inner, the sanctum sanctorum of a four-feet lingam, has the capacity for a dozen devotees.

On way to the cave the pilgrims had made though a swift Shiv Ganga stream. Hundreds of pilgrims waited for their turn to enter the cave on the undulating banks of the stream.

Verdant scenic beauty of the area round the cave has not been marred by shelters sheds, guest houses. The 'development' of this area has not been possible because a baba who looks after the shrine prevented the Mata Vaishnov Devi Shrine Board from taking over the place. The baba got a court stay. He is not willing to handover the area, including cave, the shrine board on the plea that the spot belonged to his ancestors.

The state government has, in the meantime, contacted a cross section of people urging them to build small guest houses. The government would release loans for this project. So far there have been no takers. Once the holy place is connected with the pilgrim tourism circuit, it could encourage people, as has been the case in Katra, the base camp of the pilgrims to Vaishnov Devi, to build huts and houses for pilgrims.

Pilgrims carried milk and water, in small flasks and pitchers, for pouring on the lingam. Smoke from candles and incense burnt by hermits camping around the cave rose to the sky leisurely. However, some pilgrims felt asphysciated in the sanction sanctorum because of the smoke of candles and incense.

Many pilgrims suggested to the organisers of the festival to install neon lights inside the cave.

Shiv Khori has a vast potential for attracting pilgrims tourists provided the area is given a facelift on the pattern of the 19-km-long mountainous track between Katra and the Mata Vaishnov Devi shrine. Hitherto the mountain cave here receives pilgrims only during Mahashivratri and once the area gets bus services it could prompt millions of pilgrims visiting Vaishnov Devi to make it to Shiv Khori. During the peak season between 30,000 and 50,000 pilgrims have to wait for two to three days at Katra. These very pilgrims could spend the waiting period, at Shiv Khori and Mata Pingla Devi.

'Beware of antisocial elements'
From Our Correspondent

JAMMU, Feb 14 — The Speaker of the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly, Mr Abdul Ahad Vakil has cautioned people to remain vigilant against anti-national elements, who could exploit them in the name of caste and religions.

Addressing a big public rally at Sarwal Chowk near here today, the Speaker said the sole purpose of such elements was to initiate the peaceful atmosphere of co-existence in the state by trying to create hatred among various sections of the society.

He said all religions preach love, compassion and brotherhood and there was no room for violence.

Mr Vakil said the National Conference government headed by Dr Farooq Abdullah was committed to the principles of secularism and balanced development of all areas of the state.

The Minister of State for Home, Mr Mushtaq Ahmed Lone said that during over two years' rule of the present government economy of the state which had been shattered due to eight years of militancy had been brought back on the rails. Peace had been restored and tourism — the backbone of economy of the state — had been revived to a large extent.

Mr Lone said peace was essential for the execution of development projects and launching of welfare schemes and appealed to people to supplement efforts of the government in realising its objective.

The minister praised people of the state in extending whole-hearted cooperation to the authorities for faster restoration of peace and order.

Referring to the ensuing panchayat elections, Mr Lone asked the people to take part in this grass-roots level democratic exercise in a big way and choose men of integrity and calibre as their representatives.