Gen Avtar Singh made J&K security adviser
NEW DELHI, June 19 — Director-General of Rashtriya Rifles Lt-Gen Avtar Singh has been appointed the new Security Adviser to Jammu and Kashmir government in the wake of the Kargil operations and a fully independent headquarters given charge of conducting anti-militancy operations in the state, it was officially announced here today.

Pro-Mujahideen were lathi-charged
SRINAGAR, June 19 — The police used tear-gas and lathi-charged processionists expressing solidarity with the Pakistan-backed intruders near here this afternoon.

NC activist shot dead

SRINAGAR, June 19 (PTI) — Ten persons, including three policemen and an equal number of militants, and two counter-insurgents were killed and four wounded in militancy-related incidents in Jammu and Kashmir since last evening, an official spokesman said here today.

Militants shot dead a ruling National Conference (NC) activist, Abdul Salam Dar, at Kamrazpora in Badgam district of central Kashmir early today.

Mr Dar, a resident of Pakherpora, was called out of the bus he was travelling in at Kamrazpora and shot dead in public view.

Two constables of the Indian Reserve Police (second battalion) were killed and two more, including Deputy Superintendent, Devan Chand Sharma, critically wounded when militants attacked them at Pattan Bazar in Baramula district last night.

Militants also took away a self-loading rifle and a rifle from the deceased constables identified as Gafoor Ahmad and Tarseem Kumar. The injured were shifted to hospital where Constable Ramesh Singh also succumbed to his wounds.

The spokesman said militants gunned down two counter-insurgents identified as Mohammad Hanief and Abdul Qayum at Kandi village in the border district of Rajouri last night.

In the shooting incident, Mohammad Aarif was critically injured.

Militants shot dead Abdul Majid Kasana at Prang-Kangan near the site of the landmine blasts that killed four Army jawans and wounded 10 yesterday.

A self- styled battalion commander of the Hizbul Mujahideen, Imtiyaz Ahmad Sheikh alias Imtiyaz Moulvi was shot dead by the special operations group of the Jammu and Kashmir police at Baran-Pather Batamaloo in central Srinagar. A pistol, one magazine and some rounds of ammunition were recovered from his possession.

Another militant identified as Ghulam Mohiuddin Mir alias Ashiq Hussain, was killed in an encounter with the security forces at Maidan Behak near Bijhama in Baramula district .

He said the body of a militant was found by the security forces during routine search operations at the Chandan Khar in the frontier district of Kupwara yesterday.

A universal machine gun, a pistol, a silencer, a rocket projectile gun with seven rockets, seven boosters, 20 detonators, 200 rounds of ammunition and a hand grenade were recovered.

The spokesman said the police recovered three rocket launchers kept in a bag near a bridge at Kaloosa-Bandipora in Baramula district.

The state police recovered a revolver with a silencer, a binocular, two pistol magazines and 24 rounds of ammunition during searches in Samba area of Jammu yesterday.

The police detained 26 supporters of the Hurriyat Conference, including three top leaders, when they tried to hold a procession in violation of prohibitory orders, official sources said.

The police swung into action immediately after the supporters of the Hurriyat led by senior executive member Mohammad Yaseen Malik tried to hold out a procession from Maisuma in the heart of the city in protest against the air strikes by the Indian Air Force against the infiltrators in Kargil, Dras and Batalik sectors in Jammu and Kashmir.

The police fired warning shots and lobbed teargas shells when the processionists threw stones, injuring two policemen.

A report from Jammu said a police constable was killed and nine were injured when militants blew up a police post in Surankote tehsil of Poonch district in Jammu region.

Militants attacked the police post in Hari Bhuda area of Surankote last night with rockets, killing the constable. They also kidnapped a policeman.

The deceased cop was identified as Mushtaq Ahmed and the kidnapped Shabir Ahmed.

Three critically injured policemen, identified as Rajinder Singh, Jaswant Singh and Showkat Ali, were admitted to hospital.

Senior police and Army officials visited the post and an operation to nab the militants was launched.

Meanwhile, a militant was killed in an encounter at Nedochi village of Mahore tehsil of Udhampur district last night.

Troops recovered three rocket-propelled grenades, three rockets, two improvised explosive devices, a wireless set and a universal machine gun in Mal Rajdhani area of Rajouri last night.

‘No damage to rare manuscripts in fire’
Tribune News Service

SRINAGAR, June 19 — Mr Balwant Thakur, Secretary of the Jammu and Kashmir Academy of Art, Culture and Languages, today dispelled fears that rare manuscripts and paintings were damaged in a fire that gutted the Administrative Block of the Academy last week.

The crime branch of the Jammu and Kashmir police was investigating into the cause of the fire on the intervening night of June 10 and 11, he said.

"Indeed, the fire incident in the academy which is the central and ombudsman of cultural heritage of the state, is a cause of concern for the general populace knowing well the treasure of artefacts, manuscripts and paintings of the academy, including rare manuscripts of the Holy Quran," Mr Thakur stated at a press conference here this morning.

Paintings by M.F. Husain and G.R. Santosh were also safe, he said. The fire destroyed records of the accounts and personnel section but priceless manuscripts were not affected. Some books were slightly damaged by water used by fire fighters.

Mr Merajuddin, Additional Secretary of the academy, said the academy was in possession of 621 manuscripts, all of which were safe. The academy was in possession of 262 paintings, out of which 20 had been displayed at the SKICC and 15 handed over to the Hospitality and Protocol Department for display.

After the fire incident, 217 paintings were retrieved while 10 were gutted. At least 52 paintings, 26 by artists and 26 by students, received for display at the annual exhibition, were completely damaged in the fire.

Referring to the library books, Mr Merajuddin said the library had a collection of 12,070 books. All were safe except for minor damage to some books.

Mr S.S. Kapoor, Commissioner, Education, who was also present, said steps were being taken for greater safety of such academic centres with the assistance of the Central Government. Guidelines were being framed in this regard.

Since limited funds were available with the academy, much work could not be done for the development of cultural centres associated with the academy.

Mr Thakur said the Chief Minister, Dr Farooq Abdullah, ex-officio President of the academy, had directed them to engage an architect to find ways to create a fireproof structure for the academy. This, he said, would ensure the safety of valuable documents with the academy.

Embers of shrine say, love!
By Kavita Bhargava

PAKISTAN-sponsored militancy has brought much devastation to the state of Jammu and Kashmir. During the past decade, the Pak-sponsored mercenaries even destroyed those things and places which were, in one way or the other, associated with the religious and cultural sentiments of the people of Kashmir valley. But this has also shown that these terrorists are in no way, concerned with the people of the state.

However, year after year, the memories of such destructions keep coming back to us. On May 11, 1995, the sacred shrine of Sheikh Noor-ud-Din Noorani at Charar-e-Sharif was swallowed by flames lit by these terrorists.

This shrine, nestled in a bowl-shaped valley in central Kashmir's Budgam district, is about 45 km from Srinagar. The sacred shrine, after Hazratbal housed saint Noor-ud-Din's tomb and that of his 11 caliphs and relics, including an Arabian dress, believed to be that of Fatima, daughter of Prophet Mohammad.

Nund Rishi or Sahajananda was named Sheikh Noor-ud-Din by Mir Mohammad of Hamadan. He was born in 1377 AD on the 10th day of Zlill Haj, the day of qurbani, at Kaimuh, a village 2 miles to the West of Bijbehara. His ancestors belonged to a noble family of Kishtewar. His father Salar Sanz at the behest of Yasmen Rishi arranged his marriage to Sadra Maji. The child of their union was Nund Rishi, the patron saint of Kashmir.

After his birth for three days the infant did not have his mother's milk. On the third day, Yogini Lalleshwari or Lalded entered their house. She took the child in her lap and whispered "you have not felt shy of being born, then why from tasting its pleasures. She drew the child to her breast and the child had his first feed. While leaving he told his mother — "Take care of my spiritual heir". Salar and Sadra named their child as Nund. As A child he stayed away from domestic affairs. He apprenticed in several trades, but showed no inclination for taking up any of them. He meditated for 12 years in a cave. The news of his spiritual glory spread and attracted many. Though unable to read and write, his hundreds of sayings have terrestrial as well as celestial meanings. These concise and objective sayings have been preserved in two volumes called the "Rishi Nama" and "Nur Nama".

Sheikh Noor-ud-Din's sayings, like Lalleshwari's are in Kashmiri. They were handed down to generation after generation for 200 years after his death by word of mouth. He was influenced by Lalded. His sayings affirm the fundamental principles of Islam. He differed from other Kashmir Sufis in making a break with orthodoxy while retaining the devotional core. To him, not mere ritual observances but love, sincerity piety, were the basis of religion. Popularising this worldview made him "Alamdhar-e-Kashmir" in the real sense.

Nund Rishi's sayings show that he believed that the God is everywhere. According to him, all the branches of knowledge are nothing but the commentaries on the faith. He preached that all men should lead disciplined lives and not fall prey to worldly desires.

"Desire is like the knotted wood of the forest,

It cannot be made into planks, beams or into cradles;

He who cut and felled it,

Will burn it into ashes".

He was for keeping good company and shunning the bad, contrasting the two in forceful terms. His sayings have become proverbial among Kashmiris.

Nund Rishi's message was not confined to one race or class, but addressed to the mankind. "We belong to the same parents

They why this difference?

Let Hindus and Muslims together worship God alone,

We came to this world like partners.

We should have shared our joys, and sorrows together."

All his life, he wore nothing but a coarse 'pheran'. He died on the 26th of Jamu-ud-Sani in 1438. Within two days, 9000 people including Sultan Zain-ul-Abiden gathered at Charar-e-Sharif from every part of the valley. The Sultan wanted to take the body to Srinagar for burial, but the people prevailed upon him against the step. Every mourner wanted to take the body to his village.

Baba Nasser went towards the coffin. When he returned, he announced that the body would choose its own place for burial. The body was bathed and funeral prayers were offered on a hill-top. Then the coffin soared and each person felt that it was flying towards his home. Baba Nassar then declared that the body had returned from the heaven to a point near a rose-bush at Charar. Since then the Rishi's resting has became a pilgrimage.

Pak using women in Dras
From M.L. Kak
Tribune News Service

JAMMU, June 19 — Pakistani agencies engaged in prolonging the armed conflict in the Kargil-Dras belt have forced women across the border to work as porters for carrying weapons and essential commodities for infiltrators in the icy heights of the Dras region.

Right from February last when the infiltrators in large numbers started capturing the "unheld" areas in the Indian territory in the Kargil-Dras belt besides men, women were also forced to act as porters. This was confirmed by three Pakistani women who had strayed into the Dras sector recently when exchange of heavy artillery fire created chaos and confusion in villages across the border.

The three women had told Indian soldiers that they were working as porters along with four men across the Dras sector. They were threatened that they would be killed in case they did not carry bags of ammunition and food to the high altitude posts occupied by Pakistani troops.

They said when they were carrying the items to the camps there was a heavy exchange of fire between the two sides in which "our four men" were killed. They fled to safety, only to find themselves in the Indian territory. One of the three women, Hanifa, is said to have died while being questioned because she had received some injuries while fleeing to safety during the exchange of artillery fire between the Pakistani infiltrators and the Indian soldiers.

After preliminary interrogation the two women have been brought to Gumri where recently the brigade headquarters had been shifted from Matayan which was rocked by heavy artillery shelling.

Official sources said the interrogation of the three women had revealed that a large number of women were being booked by Pakistani agencies to act as porters. Since the infiltrators and soldiers had been camping at the high altitude posts in Kargil, Batalik and Dras sectors since January last some women were being sent to the camps for entertaining the Pak intruders and soldiers.

The Pakistani agencies, according to these official sources, had launched a propaganda across the border that the Kargil- Dras belt had fallen in the hands of Pak infiltrators and soldiers and those who wanted to visit the"liberated" area were welcome provided they carried weapons and other essential commodities for the infiltrators.

Gen Avtar Singh made J&K security adviser

NEW DELHI, June 19 (PTI) — Director-General of Rashtriya Rifles Lt-Gen Avtar Singh has been appointed the new Security Adviser to Jammu and Kashmir government in the wake of the Kargil operations and a fully independent headquarters given charge of conducting anti-militancy operations in the state, it was officially announced here today.

Lt-Gen Singh, stationed in Srinagar, replaces the two commanders of the 15 and 16 Corps of the Indian Army based in the state as security advisers and would ensure intimate planning and coordination of forces for internal security and the security of the lines of communication, an Army spokesman told reporters here.

The move comes in the wake of involvement of the Army in Kargil region to evict Pakistani intruders.

The fully functional and independent headquarters, which would conduct counter-insurgency operations, will have under it Rashtriya Rifles battalions besides 20 additional battalions of the Border Security Force and the Central Reserve Police Force and existing forces belonging to other central police organisations, he said.

Admitting that troops had been moved to forward areas in the Kargil sector from other areas of the state, he asserted "no reduction has really occurred in the force levels for conduct of counter-insurgency operations.

"The counter-insurgency grid has been appropriately readjusted with additional forces which include Rashtriya Rifles, the BSF and the CRPF battalions," he added.

Maintaining that there had been no let-up in the operations against the militants in J and K, the spokesman said that 120 militants had been killed, 23 arrested while 11 had surrendered in the operations in May and June this year.

At least 60 per cent of the militants killed were foreign mercenaries, he said, adding 228 weapons were recovered from them.

In the latest instance, four foreign mercenaries were killed on June 16 and three AK rifles, a pistol and other military hardware recovered, he added.

The spokesman said while forces had been moved from the valley to the Kargil sector for "Operation Vijay", "these voids have been filled up. We are fully balanced on the LoC as also in the hinterland to tackle insurgency.

"De-facto there has been no reduction of security forces in the state," he asserted.

Pro-Mujahideen were lathi-charged

SRINAGAR, June 19 (UNI) — The police used tear-gas and lathi-charged processionists expressing solidarity with the Pakistan-backed intruders near here this afternoon.

Twentysix processionists, including All-Party Hurriat Conference (APHC) executive committee member Mohammad Yaseen Malik, were detained for defying prohibitory orders.

The police burst tear-gas shells to disperse processionists when they were marching from Maisuma near here.

The procession, led by Mr Malik, was taken out to express solidarity with the ‘Mujahideen’ fighters in Kargil. They were also raising slogans against alleged security forces’ excesses in Kashmir.