4 soldiers killed in Pak shelling
KARGIL, July 27 — Four Indian soldiers were killed as Pakistan shelled Batalik and Dras sectors while both sides exchanged fire in the Mushkoh area in Kargil today.

Army asks for more porters
UDHAMPUR, July 27 — Army authorities has asked for more volunteers for the Tanda Tiger Force. This force is an organisation of displaced and unemployed boys of rural areas in Akhnoor tehsil.

4 soldiers killed in Pak shelling

KARGIL, July 27 (PTI) — Four Indian soldiers were killed as Pakistan shelled Batalik and Dras sectors while both sides exchanged fire in the Mushkoh area in Kargil today.

Pakistan shelling hit Army personnel engaged in mopping up operations near Point 5465 in Batalik last evening killing two jawans of Ladakh scouts and two paratroopers, official sources said.

They also shelled Dras and targeted Point 5100, which was countered by the Indian artillery division.

Armies of both sides exchanged small arms fire in Mushkoh sub-sector while Indian artillery units continued to pound Zulu spur, also known as the tri-junction near the Marpola pass.

The sources said the Pakistan army was continuing to maintain its position along the LoC and did not move back 1 km as agreed by the Directors-General of Military Operations of both sides.

Pakistani shelling created panic among residents of Goma village near Kargil town as they moved out of their houses and rushed towards the bunkers.

Shells also landed on the plateau area on the Kargil-Leh highway this morning but the traffic was not disrupted, the sources said.

BARAMULA: At least one woman was killed and a house damaged as Pakistani troops resorted to unprovoked artillery and mortar shelling on Indian positions in the northern sector since last evening.

Official sources said certain Pakistani shells fired at Maidan Post, Uri, in the morning hours on Tuesday exploded in a residential area resulting in the death of 40-year-old Akhtar Jan on the spot.

Pakistani troops had been targeting security installations and residential areas in the Gurez sector since Monday evening.

One house was completely damaged after a shell landed on it. There were no casualties as occupants had already migrated to safer places.

Meanwhile, about 20 families were shifted to safer places from gurez in view of the shelling.

Four houses were damaged in unprovoked and indiscriminate Pakistani shelling in Kupwara district of North Kashmir on Tuesday.

The shelling, aimed to give fire cover to armed militants to sneak into the valley, broke out a Keran sector of Kupwara in the wee hours, official sources said.

The Pakistani troops shelled forward Indian villages and security installations forcing Indian troops to retaliate.

Four houses were damagd in Chinakote village of Keran which was the worst hit as nearly 25 shells exploded in the villages and its periphery. No one was injured in the shelling.

JAMMU: An Army jawan was injured in firing by Pakistani troops from across the international border in R.S. Pura sub-sector of Jammu Division on Monday, official sources said here on Tuesday.

Shakeel Ahmed received a bullet injury in his thigh, the sources said.

Intermittent exchange of fire between Pakistani Rangers and BSF troops also took place in R.S. Pura and Samba sub-sectors on Monday.

However, there was no loss of life or damage on the Indian side, the sources added.

SRINAGAR: The security forces seized about a quintal of deadly RDX, several assault rifles and rockets while militants killed the personal security officer (PSO) of a senior police officer, made an attempt on the life of a National Conference leader and attacked a police station in the Kashmir valley during the past 24 hours.

An official spokesman said the security forces seized 70 kg of RDX from a water pipe at Allochibagh near a Khadi mill in the town on Tuesday while more than 20 kg of RDX, 10 rockets, two AK rifles, one pistol, five magazines, 16 grenades and 1,100 rounds were seized in the frontier district of Kupwara.

The spokesman said the seized RDX was enough to make more than 100 bombs, which could have caused extensive damage to life and property. However, no arrest was made.

Militants shot dead Personal Security Officer Rafiq Ahmad in his Pinglish Tral house on Monday evening. He was posted as PSO to the Superintendent of Police Awantipora.

Militants fired at the residence of a National Conference block president Ghulam Mohammad Ganai at Palpora in the central Kashmir district of Badgam late on Monday night. However, the guards posted there fired back, foiling the designs of the militants to cause harm to the NC leader.

He said militants attacked the police station at Bijbehara in Anantnag with automatic weapons on Monday night. However, guards retaliated. No one was injured in the incident.

This was the second attack on a police station in less than 12 hours in the valley. Militants hurled a hand grenade at the police station in Shaheed Gunj, near here, on Monday resulting in the death of a police constable and injuries to 10 others.

Militants lobbed a hand grenade at a security picket at Naid-Kadal in the downtown city on Monday evening. However, the grenade missed the intended target and exploded on the roadside, causing injuries to two civilians and a security jawan.

No one was injured when a grenade hurled by militants at a security picket missed the intended target and exploded on the roadside at Karan Nagar on Monday night.

Forces captured a militant and seized one pistol, one magazine and two rounds at Tral on Monday night from him.

NC, BJP faced with pre-poll problems
From M.L. Kak
Tribune News Service

JAMMU, July 27 — Both the National Conference and the BJP have been confronted with a ticklish pre-poll problem in the constituencies of Baramula and Jammu. The problem is not the same for the two principal contenders.

The National Conference leadership has been taken aback after the Finance Minister, Mr Mohd Shafi, conveyed his unwillingness to the Chief Minister, Dr Farooq Abdullah, to contest the election from Baramula constituency. Sources close to the Finance Minister say Mr Shafi rejected the party’s offer to field him from Baramula constituency despite the fact that Dr Abdullah requested him telling him that the National Conference needed candidates with untainted image to meet the challenge from the opposition.

The National Conference would have faced no problem as far as picking up a candidate for Baramula constituency was concerned had not Prof Saifuddin Soz, who has been elected from this constituency since 1984, been expelled from the party for having voted against the confidence motion moved by the Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee, in the Lok Sabha.

Mr Mohd Shafi is not afraid to contesting the Lok Sabha poll but in view of his domestic problems, including his frail health and commitment to the people of Uri Assembly constituency, which forms a segment of the Baramula Lok Sabha constituency, he has decided not to contest the Lok Sabha poll. Sources close to him say he was prepared to face the worst. His supporters have accused senior bureaucrats and some ministerial colleagues of Dr Abdullah of having suggest his name for the party ticket from Baramula simply to send him packing to Delhi. These bureaucrats and some ministers were not happy with the attitude of the disciplined and honest Finance Minister.

For two other constituencies the National Conference faced no problem after it decided to field Mr Omar Abdullah son of the Chief Minister, from Srinagar and the Revenue Minister, Mr Ali Mohd,Naik from Anantnag.

However, the party’s choice of fielding Mr Ram Paul, Parliamentary Secretary from Jammu constituency, has seemingly "enraged" voters belonging to the Gujjar community. The Gujjars have a population of over 10 lakh and Poonch and Rajouri districts, which form part of the Jammu Lok Sabha constituency, have predominant by Gujjar voters.

In the 1998 Lok Sabha poll the National Conference had ditched them and a big chung of Gujjar voters had voted in favour of the BJP. Reports said Mr Ram Paul had been picked up by the National Conference as the party candidate from Jammu on the suggestion of the BSP Chief, Mr Kanshi Ram, who had wanted a Dalit to contest the poll with an assurance that he would campaign for him.

For the state unit of the BJP the Jammu constituency has started kicking up division in the party. The BJP, which won the Jammu and Udhampur seats in 1998, may repeat the performance provided the party high command does not make a mistake in selecting the candidates. Prof. Chaman Lal Gupta will be fielded from the Udhampur constituency. His candidature has been unanimously supported but the party is divided over refielding Mr Vishnu Dutt from Jammu. Mr Dutt won from Jammu in the 1998 elections.

Out of 20 as many as 17 BJP mandal presidents have communicated to the BJP high command that the party ticket be given to Mr Chander Mohan Sharma, vice-president of the BJP. Mr Sharma has been a dynamic BJP leader who was denied the Lok Sabha and the Assembly tickets in the past because of factionalism in the party. The majority of BJP leaders and workers, who support Mr Chander Mohan Sharma, have nothing against Mr Vishnu Dutt. They have informed the party high command, including the chief, Mr Kushabhau Thakre, that age and the falling health of Mr Dutt was against him and when the National Conference had fielded a youth from Jammu the BJP could retain the Jammu seat in case the party did not change the candidate.

When the Lok Sabha was dissolved the BJP had decided to retain all those partymen who had won in 1998. However, several party leaders have met Mr Thakre and suggested to him that in the interest of the party Mr Sharma be given the BJP ticket from the Jammu constituency. The supporters of Mr Sharma have conveyed to the party bosses in Delhi that since the pre-poll campaign was expected to witness militancy related violence the BJP needed a young candidate who could move about in all 20 Assembly segments in the Jammu constituency.

Senior BJP leaders fear internal sabotage in case Mr Sharma is not fielded from Jammu though Mr Sharma has remained a disciplined BJP leader he would not favour any mischief by his supporters. But indications are that the BJP, which sits pretty in Jammu and Udhampur constituencies, may lose the Jammu seat if a suitable candidate is not fielded.

After the exit of Mufti Mohd Sayed from the Congress the party headed by Ms Sonia Gandhi has no problem in selecting candidates from the three constituencies of Srinagar, Baramula and Anantnag. It has decided to retain Aga Syed Mehdi from Srinagar, field Mr Ghulam Rasool Kar from Baramula, from where he was elected to the Lok Sabha in 1996 and Dr Mehboob Beg, son fo Mirza Afzal Beg, a close associate of late Sheikh Abdullah, from the Anantnag constituency.

While the Congress may field Mr P. Namgyal from Ladakh it has yet to take a decision about Jammu and Udhampur where the list of candidates is a slightly big one. Mr Mangat Ram Sharma, vice-president of the PCC, should have been a natural choice for the Congress for the Jammu constituency but after Mr Janak Raj Gupta rejoined the Congress the scene has changed. It will be a tussle between Mr Gupta and Mr Sharma before the AICC leadership.

The Mufti camp is yet to finalise its list of candidates. Its tentative decision is to field Mr Muzaffar Hussain Beg from Baramula, Mufti Syed from Anantnag and Ms Mehbooba Mufti from Srinagar constituency. Reports say a former Chief Minister, Mr G.M. Shah, has conveyed to the Mufti camp that he would support the regional party provided his son, Mr Muzaffar Shah, was given the ticket from Srinagar constituency. Hence, this issue is yet to be resolved.

Army asks for more porters
From Our Correspondent

UDHAMPUR, July 27 — Army authorities has asked for more volunteers for the Tanda Tiger Force. This force is an organisation of displaced and unemployed boys of rural areas in Akhnoor tehsil.

Hundreds of boys had volunteered for enrolment in the Porters Company of the Army and were despatched to Kargil and Leh in groups commencing in the first week of June. More than 800 such volunteers from Chhamb Jourian and Akhnoor areas are already working as porters in Dras, Kargil and Leh for Army units.

A fresh batch of 55 volunteers was recently despatched for enrolment in Porter Company No. 4.

These volunteers were greeted at Udhampur by Colonel H.N. Singh, Director, Pioneers, and Colonel J.P. Singh.