2 Pak intruders shot dead
SRINAGAR, July 3 — At least seven militants, including two Pakistani intruders and four security personnel were among 13 persons killed while the security forces captured three militants in different parts of the valley during the past 24 hours.

Bandh hits life in Srinagar
SRINAGAR, July 3 — Normal life in the city was affected today in response to a bandh call given by the APHC in protest against the recent killings in Poonch and Anantnag.

"Overhaul" Police Act
SRINAGAR, July 3 — Justice R.P. Sethi of the Supreme Court today called for overhauling the Police Act in a manner which assured the police agencies of their involvement in the criminal justice system as part of an organ of the welfare state committed to the rule of law.

Uniform ex-gratia for martyrs sought
JAMMU, July 3 — The Dogra Sadar Sabha, Jammu and Kashmir, at a meeting has expressed concern over the perilous conditions prevailing in the state with special reference to the large-scale Pakistan intrusion in the Kargil sector, escalated militancy-related activities in the border area and interior districts and the migration of people from border areas.

Additional foodgrains supply for J&K
JAMMU, July 3 — The central government has decided to sent 50,000 metric tonnes of additional supply of foodgrains to Jammu and Kashmir every month.

2 Pak intruders shot dead

SRINAGAR, July 3 (UNI) — At least seven militants, including two Pakistani intruders and four security personnel were among 13 persons killed while the security forces captured three militants in different parts of the valley during the past 24 hours.

Meanwhile, shops and business establishments here and some other parts of the valley remained closed today due to a bandh call given by the All Party Hurriyat Conference (APHC) in protest against the recent killings of innocent persons, including some labourers by unidentified gunmen in Anantnag, Poonch and Mendhar.

Attendance in government offices was affected while banks and educational institutions remained closed.

A BSF spokesman said that a search party noticed a group of Pakistani intruders at Barniee village near Krishanganga in the Gurez sector late last evening.

When the search party challenged and asked them to surrender, the intruders fired at them with automatic weapons. The BSF personnel returned the fire killing two intruders. The slain intruders are identified as Abdul Alkama and Abdul Jabbar from Pakistan.

He said another intruder, also from Pakistan was arrested by the BSF while the other who was injured escaped.

He said three AK rifles, grenades, explosives and ammunition besides some diaries, rubber stamps and other documents were seized.

The arrested militants, during questioning admitted that they had been sent by Pakistan to carry out blasts. The four had recently been sent to Kashmir from the occupied Kashmir, the spokesman said.

Militants detonated a powerful improvised explosive device at Warsoo Ganderbal on the Srinagar-Kargil road when an Army convoy was on its way to Kargil. Two security personnel were killed on the spot and five others injured when the vehicle was blown-up. The injured were hospitalised.

This was the fourth blast in the area since the Kargil conflict.

A security force jawan lost his life in an encounter with militants at Rafiabad while another was killed in a mine blast at Kupwara last evening.

Militants shot dead a village numberdar Abdul Ahad Bhat at Salusa village in Baramula. The security forces gunned down a militant in an encounter at Handwara last night.

Bandh hits life in Srinagar
Tribune News Service

SRINAGAR, July 3 — Normal life in the city was affected today in response to a bandh call given by the APHC in protest against the recent killings in Poonch and Anantnag.

Most of the shops and business establishments were closed and traffic was off the road. Transport service was also affected. Banks and educational institutions were also closed in response to the bandh call. There was a thin attendance in government offices.

The call given by the APHC was also supported by the Hizbul Mujahideen. The two organisations alleged that these killings were the handiwork of the security forces "to malign the ongoing movement" in Jammu and Kashmir. The APHC spokesman described these as inhuman and barbaric.

While the police has described the killing of 17 persons at Surankote in Poonch district as a result of inter-gang-rivalry, the APHC spokesman, said it was a "deliberate attempt by the security forces.

The spokesman added that last year 19 members of a family and relatives of a militant were also killed under similar circumstances allegedly by the security forces at Salain village in Poonch district.

According to Saifullah Khalid, commander-in-chief of the Hizbul Mujahideen, the Poonch massacre was the handiwork of the security forces and the Anantnag killings were meant to "defame the ongoing movement".

Syed Ali Shah Geelani, chairman of the APHC had said yesterday that the security forces at the beheast of the government were acting with a vengeance against the people of Kashmir. He said it was due to the "failure" of the security forces to contain the situation in Kargil.

‘Stop distress sale of foodgrains’
From our Correspondent

JAMMU, July 3 — Mr Balraj Puri, former Chairman, Regional Autonomy Committee, and convenor, Citizens Coordination Committee (CCC) has urged Jammu and Kashmir Government to stop the distress sale of foodgrains by farmers migrating from border areas due to continuous shelling from across the border.

Mr Puri, who convened a meeting of over 50 NGO representatives to review the situation here, urged the state government to fix a minimum price for foodgrain and also to procure food stocks. He suggested the Chief Minister to appoint a mini Cabinet comprising ministers stationed here assisted by a senior additional chief secretary with the powers of the chief secretary to deal with the problems created by the war in Kargil. He recalled that a similar experiment had been tried in 1971 with great success.

Similarly, he said administration of the actual war zone be handed to a separate divisional commissioner and an IGP stationed somewhere in between Leh and Kargil as its normal civil traffic to Srinagar had been suspended.

Mr Puri also urged the NGOs to express sympathy and solidarity with the families of the Kargil martyrs, check price rise and scarcities, prevent rumours and panic, maintain communal harmony and exercise coordination mechanisam between civil defence authorities and citizens. He also demanded the upgrading of the control room to enable it to respond to the queries.

Mr M M Khajooria, former Director-General, Jammu and Kashmir, Government pointed out that the infrastructural deficiencies in the present civl defence system which was outdated. He stressed the need of not only upgrading it but also making a permanent part of society.

Assuring the meeting that the vast network of the retailers in the region would maintain a price level, Mr Yash Pal Gupta, President, Federation of Ratailers said it would also prevent exploitation of the situation by the traders.

Mr Rool, President, HOPE (Humanist Organisation for Peace and Environment) pointed towards the problems of distress sale by the farmers and stoppage of irrigation water to fields.

Speaking at the meeting, Mr S C Sharma, SSP, admitted that the present control room was inadequate to meet the increasing queries of the people of the city in the event of any crisis. He promised at the meeting that the issue would be taken up with the officers of the department.

"Overhaul" Police Act

SRINAGAR, July 3 (PTI) — Justice R.P. Sethi of the Supreme Court today called for overhauling the Police Act in a manner which assured the police agencies of their involvement in the criminal justice system as part of an organ of the welfare state committed to the rule of law.

"The concept of the police representing the rulers has to be changed by making it the friend of the people and not their foe", Justice Sethi said, delivering the 6th Noomani Memorial Lecture here.

Deliberating on "Criminal justice system — the indispensability of the police force in its enforcement", he observed that only a few police officers were really aware of the basis of criminal trial — the investigation.

Uniform ex-gratia for martyrs sought
From Our Correspondent

JAMMU, July 3 — The Dogra Sadar Sabha, Jammu and Kashmir, at a meeting has expressed concern over the perilous conditions prevailing in the state with special reference to the large-scale Pakistan intrusion in the Kargil sector, escalated militancy-related activities in the border area and interior districts and the migration of people from border areas. The Sabha adopted some resolutions at the meeting.

Homage was paid to Army personnel who had made the supreme sacrifice in Kargil.

The Sabha demanded that the exgratia relief to the families of martyrs be paid on a uniform pattern throught out the country.

Additional foodgrains supply for J&K
From Our Correspondent

JAMMU, July 3 — The central government has decided to sent 50,000 metric tonnes of additional supply of foodgrains to Jammu and Kashmir every month.

Informing this, the Minister of State for Food and Supplies, Ajay Sadotra, said over 26,000 metric tonnes of foodgrains were available in the stocks of the Food and Supplies Department after the distribution of ration to the people of Kashmir valley till June.

Mr Sadotra said over 2.82 lakh families living below the poverty line had so far been identified and were being provided ration on subsidised rates.

He said the Union government had been asked to built up more stocks of ration in the state. He asked the officers to personally monitor the despatching work of the ration in snow bound areas like Gurez, Tangdhar, Narwah, Dachan, Tailel etc.