NC leader shot dead
SRINAGAR, Oct 11 — Militants gunned down a National Conference leader and attacked the house of a senior Congress leader even as security forces shot dead 12 militants, including four Pakistani mercenaries and recovered a big cache of arms and ammunition in Jammu and Kashmir since yesterday.

J&K House adjourns after obituary motion
SRINAGAR, Oct 11 — The Chief Minister, Mr Farooq Abdullah, today asserted that no separatist forces can change the borders, adding that those engaged in terrorism in Kashmir had already faced defeat in Kargil.

J-K BJP opposes NC joining NDA
NEW DELHI, Oct 11 — The Jammu and Kashmir unit of the BJP today opposed National Conference’s joining the National Democratic Alliance government at the Centre, saying that the ruling party of the state had not contested the elections on NDA’s manifesto.

NC leader shot dead

SRINAGAR, Oct 11 (PTI) — Militants gunned down a National Conference leader and attacked the house of a senior Congress leader even as security forces shot dead 12 militants, including four Pakistani mercenaries and recovered a big cache of arms and ammunition in Jammu and Kashmir since yesterday.

An official spokesman said militants shot dead NC block president Ghulam Nabi Dar on the outskirts of Srinagar today.

A militant attack on the house of PCC general secretary Abdul Gani Vakil in Sopore town of Baramula district was repulsed last night by guards posted there. While Mr Vakil escaped unhurt, a constable was seriously wounded.

The body of an alleged army informer, who was kidnapped and shot dead by militants, was picked up by the police from downtown Srinagar early today, the spokesman said, adding the militants also struck in interior Srinagar yesterday and shot dead two militants.

The spokesman said three militants, including a mercenary of the Lashker-e-Toiba outfit, were killed in separate encounters with security forces in Kupwara district yesterday.

The forces also smashed a militant arms dump during combing operations at the Marhama forest in Kupwara and seized 21 kg of RDX filled in tubes, 22 hand grenades, 18 rifle grenades, eight EDs, three anti-personnel mines, an anti-tank mine and 1698 rounds of AK ammunition yesterday.

He said two foreign mercenaries, both residents of Pakistan, were killed in a fierce encounter with security forces in the Kashtigarh area of Doda district last night. The forces also gunned down a foreigner from Kotli (Pakistan), in an armed clash in the border district of Rajouri.

Meanwhile, four top militants, including three Lashker-e-Toiba activists, and a villager were killed in militancy-related incidents in Doda and Rajouri districts of the Jammu region since last night, official sources said today.

Three Lashker militants were killed on the spot in a fierce encounter with Rashtriya Rifles troops who were undertaking a cordon-and-search operation in the Chakra area in Doda district last night, the sources said.

Among the three injured militants were Lashker’s area commander Abu Harkat, they said.

The operation was still on to trace the other militants in the area, the sources said, adding three AK rifles and some ammunition, besides a large quantity of explosives were recovered from the spot.

In another encounter at Androol village of Rajouri district, a top militant belonging to the Harkat-ul-Jehadi-Islami (HUJI) was killed last night, the sources said.

One AK rifle, one wireless set, two grenades and a rocket-propelled grenade were recovered from the spot.

Militants gunned down Gulam Hassan, an employee of the Education Department, at his residence at Shilmalia village of Doda district last night.

J&K House adjourns after obituary motion
Tribune News Service

SRINAGAR, Oct 11 — The Chief Minister, Mr Farooq Abdullah, today asserted that no separatist forces can change the borders, adding that those engaged in terrorism in Kashmir had already faced defeat in Kargil.

"Those who thought of annexing Kashmir are aware of the results... They attempted to change the border by intrusions in Kargil, but the borders have been more strengthened", Dr Abdullah said in the state Legislative Assembly here today.

He was speaking on the inaugural day of the 10-day session of the House which began here this morning. The House was adjourned after obituary references moved by the Speaker, Abdul Ahad Vakil, former Prime Minister of the State, Shamsuddin, a former minister, Noor Mohammad Sheikh and two members of the House, Abdul Ahad Kar and Mohammad Jabbar Mir.

The Chief Minister made a special reference to Abdul Ahad Kar, who was shot at his residence near Langate early this year. He asked the members to face the challenge boldly. He added that their life was in danger as separatist elements were creating trouble for them. The Chief Minister agreed to consider the demand of certain members for an insurance cover for members of the House.

Seven leaders of political parties spoke on the motion of obituary references.

The Chief Minister announced that he would not be attending the remaining session of the state legislature.

Elections to Langate and Bijbehara constituencies were held simultaneously with the Lok Sabha elections. The National Conference candidates lost to Mohammad Sultan Panditpuri and Abdul Rehman, respectively. Both the members were present today in the House. However they did not take oath.

The Assembly adjourned after observing two minutes silence for the departed leaders.

The Legislative Council also passed obituary references to the departed legislators.

J-K BJP opposes NC joining NDA

NEW DELHI, Oct 11 (PTI) — The Jammu and Kashmir unit of the BJP today opposed National Conference’s joining the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government at the Centre, saying that the ruling party of the state had not contested the elections on NDA’s manifesto.

"The NC did not contest the just-concluded Lok Sabha elections on the programme and agenda prescribed in the NDA manifesto. So the party has no moral right to join the government," Mr Chaman Lal Gupta, senior BJP leader and member of the Lok Sabha from Udhampur, told PTI here.

He said if the NC was so keen to join the government, it should have associated with the NDA before elections and not fought against the BJP in the state.

The development comes in the wake of the NC announcement about joining the NDA government. Several state BJP MLAs and office-bearers have already been trying to impress upon the party high command not to include NC in the government.

These leaders have already met BJP president Kushabhau Thakre, Home Minister L.K. Advani and party general secretary Narendra Modi, who is in charge of Jammu and Kashmir, and are understood to have expressed the state unit’s "resentment and reservation" to any move to include the NC in the government.

Charging that the NC lacked "political morality", Mr Gupta said the party contested the election projecting autonomy for the state "which finds no mention in the NDA manifest" as one of the major issues.

"It is a sad affair that the party which opposed the BJP in the state during elections has come forward when it comes to government formation," he said.

Mr Gupta, who has been elected to the Lok Sabha from Udhampur for the third consecutive term, said if representatives from Jammu and Kashmir were to be included in the NDA ministry, the BJP members had the first right to it.

The NC’s Lok Sabha member from Srinagar, Mr Omar Abdullah, said yesterday talks were on regarding the induction of a party MP into the NDA ministry, but added the allocation of portfolio was the Prime Minister’s prerogative.