Eight Pak soldiers killed
4 "sangars" destroyed
Tribune News Service

NEW DELHI, June 19 — Indian troops achieved another success in the operations underway north of Tololing in the Kargil sector of Jammu and Kashmir as four of the "sangars" (field fortifications) of the Pakistani infiltrators were destroyed and eight more Pakistani army regulars killed.

The Indian troops made advances in almost all sub sectors of Kargil as fierce fighting was underway in most of the places in Dras and Batalik. Another body of a Pakistani army regular was also recovered by the advancing Indian troops, who now were in the process of encircling infiltrators holed up at heights.

The Indian Air Force (IAF) for the second day today did not carry out any strikes at the infiltrators. However, other air missions for recce purposes were carried out. The IAF was also continuing with its 24-hour Combat Air Patrol (CAP) with state-of-the-art MiG-29 fighters.

Reports here said that while advancing in the Tololing hills, the Indian troops had destroyed four sangars of the infiltrators in the process killing eight of them. The Indian soldiers had earlier captured most of the heights in Tololing and were now progressing north of it to cut off their supply routes.

Casualty figure among Pakistani army regulars today was 313 killed. There was sharp rise in the number of casualties among the Indian soldiers with the killing of six soldiers in the last 24 hours. Ten Indian soldiers were also wounded in Operation Vijay. As of now 112 Indian soldiers have been killed and 249 wounded with eight missing in action.

Army spokesman, Col Bikram Singh of the DGMO said that besides the casualties in Operation Vijay, four Indian soldiers were killed and 10 wounded in the simultaneous Operation Rakshak, underway in the Kashmir valley. Among those killed in Operation Rakshak, which is underway to fight militants operating in the valley, was Capt Deepak Guleria of the Rashtriya Rifles.

The Army spokesman said that the initial identification of the Pakistani army soldier, whose body was recovered by the Indian troops reveals that he was again from the Northern Light Infantry. He has been identified as naik Mohd Noor and now efforts were underway to identify his battalion. The troops had also recovered three more Universal machine guns with large quantity of ammunition from Tololing.

The Army today confirmed that a Pakistani camp cum administrative base in the Skardu region had been hit by the Indian artillery firing on Friday. He said that this camp was located very near to the LoC and was not close to Skardu, which is almost 70 km inside the PoK as the crow flies.

Pakistan continued with artillery and mortar shelling from across the border. Reports said that there had been an intense exchange of artillery and mortar fire in the Batalik and Dras sectors and the Indian troops were also continuing to cause attrition on the fighting potential of the Pakistani army personnel and the armed intruders holed up in the pockets of intrusion.

Pakistan also continued with unprovoked artillery and mortar shelling in Keran, Poonch, Bhimbergali, Sunderbani and Naushera sectors. The Indian troops were also responding adequately to this artillery and mortar shelling.

Meanwhile the Indian Army clarified that there had been no side stepping of the Army formations from the Kashmir valley to Kargil which had created voids in the security scenario there. The Army spokesman said that although there had been some movement of troops from the valley but with the posting of additional forces in the region the balance was being maintained.

He said there were adequate forces all along the Line of Control as well as to take care of any internal security problems in Jammu and Kashmir. A fully functional and independent headquarters had been given charge of conducting the anti militancy operations. This Headquarter has under it the RR battalions and additional 20 battalions of the BSF and CRPF, besides the existing force level of the Central Police Organisations.

In view of the Kargil situation, the Director-General Rashtriya Rifles, has been appointed as the Security Adviser to the J and K Government and he was located in the state capital. He had replaced the earlier two security advisers and was ensuring planning an coordination of forces for internal security and security of lines of communications.

The Army spokesman said the impetus gained in the security situation in the state in the past few years was being maintained. During May and June itself, 120 militants had been killed, 23 nabbed and 11 had surrendered. He said that of the killed militants, nearly 60 per cent were foreign mercenaries. The security agencies also had recovered 228 weapons during this period.

India rejects Pak claim on LoC
Tribune News Service

NEW DELHI, June 19 — Asserting that the United States of America had asked Pakistan to undo its intrusion into Kargil, India today rejected categorically Pakistan’s contention on the Line of Control saying that Islamabad was trying to justify post facto its "fool hardy" armed aggression in the Kargil sector of Jammu and Kashmir.

"There is every reason to believe that the United States of America is part of the international consensus which is asking Pakistan, that this foolhardy enterprise should be folded up", a Ministry of External Affairs spokesman said here today refuting Pakistan Foreign Office's claim that the USA had not sought withdrawal of the Pakistani army regulars from occupied areas.

"The international community knows and accepts that Pakistan is engaged in armed intrusion. It is also clear that the international community including major countries have asked Pakistan that this armed intrusion and aggression should end", he said.

Replying to questions at the joint briefing of the Ministry of External Affairs and the Ministry of Defence, the spokesman said the LoC, which had arisen out of the Simla Agreement of 1972, was clearly delineated and both Indian and Pakistani armies were clearly aware of the alignments of the LoC.

"The LoC is well defined and delineated and is the very cornerstone of the Indo-Pak relations", he said adding that "it is basic and fundamental for maintaining peace and security between the two countries". "Therefore to claim it otherwise, it is simply wrong", the spokesman asserted.

The LoC was drawn after five months of discussions between August 1972 and December 1972 in which the Pakistani team was led by the then Lt-Gen Abdul Hamid Khan and the Indian side was led by the then Lt-Gen P.S. Bhagat, the spokesman said adding that the two sides had a set of maps consisting of 27 detailed maps of the area.

The final agreement was signed by the two Generals on December 11, 1972, the spokesman said adding that approximately 740 km of LoC begins at Sangam which lies 12 Km south west of Jaurian and goes up to NJ 9842. The detailed coordinates of the LoC were clearly given in 19 annexures of the agreement on the LoC, he stressed adding that " so far the de jure position is concerned, there are no doubts".

To another question on Pakistan Foreign Office spokesman’s statement that it was committed to extend moral and diplomatic support to Kashmir militants, the spokesman said that Islamabad had not only been extending moral and diplomatic support but "it is a support of every conceivable kind" to terrorists for the past 10 years. Pakistan had been sponsoring terrorism in India including Jammu and Kashmir and North East, he pointed out.

To a question on Pakistan’s claim that the USA had not asked Islamabad to end its action in Kargil, the spokesman said that "it is not for me to say as what the USA has asked Pakistan to do"

In reply to another question, the spokesman said there was no question of India accepting diktats from any country for resolving the Kargil situation.

"India never accepts any diktats. It does not conduct its foreign policy on that basis", the spokesman said.

EC to keep Kargil in mind

NEW DELHI, June 19 (PTI) — The Election Commission will "keep in mind" the developments on the Line of Control (LoC) before announcing the schedule for the Lok Sabha polls, Election Commissioner G.V.G. Krishnamurthy said here today.

The commission will keep in mind the situation in Kargil before deciding the final dates for the coming polls, Krishnamurthy told reporters after a conference on the ‘National Security Concerns of India’.

He, however, said "as of now we are preparing for the elections as per schedule". The commission had announced last month that the Lok Sabha elections would be held in September-October.

Krishnamurthy was responding to queries on certain points raised by former Prime Minister I.K. Gujral on the issue.

"I don’t want to go into a debate whether this (caretaker Vajpayee) government can handle the situation or not. But to deal with such a crisis should we not have a national or a composite government," Gujral told the meeting where the Election Commissioner was a key speaker.

"The job of the Election Commission is not only to conduct elections but also to ensure survival of democratic polity in the country," Gujral said, adding that with the announcement of poll schedule it would only be natural for political parties to attack each other on various issues, including defence matters.

Such political one-upmanship could have demoralising effect on the soldiers fighting at the borders, the former Prime Minister said.

Gujral said President K.R. Narayanan’s role had gone up manifold at this juncture in view of the Kargil crisis. "His is the only elected office now," Gujral said adding that "it is a different chapter whether it was right to topple the (Vajpayee) government".

The former Prime Minister demanded immediate summoning of a special Rajya Sabha session for a threadbare discussion on Kargil and give parliamentary approval to the government’s actions on it.

Later he said while he did not favour postponing of elections, "election schedule should be worked out keeping in view national realities".

Asked how India could deal with the Kargil situation at diplomatic level, Gujral said "so far we have done well".

Speakers from all walks of life, including retired army personnel and old war heroes, paid tributes to the soldiers who attained martyrdom defending the country’s borders.