J A M M U   &   K A S H M I R

Kabul fallout on Kashmir
Srinagar, November 17
When the Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee, announced the cessation of combat operations against militants in Jammu and Kashmir with the commencement of the holy month of Ramzan last year, the focus of attention was the developments taking place at the militancy front. 

BSF HQ attacked, 3 injured
Srinagar, November 17
A BSF jawan was killed and eight others were wounded in two attacks by militants while elsewhere in the valley, two persons were killed and one ultra was nabbed during the past 24 hours.

APHC divided over Bhat’s proposal
Jammu, November 17
Differences between moderates and hardliners in the APHC have resurfaced over the peace proposal mooted by its chairman, Prof Abdul Gani Bhat. The hardliners headed by Syed Ali Shah Geelani and the moderates, headed by Prof Bhat have exchanged charges against one another. 

Ultra-police clashes in Doda intensify
Jammu, November 17
The ongoing bloody encounters between the police and militants in Doda district of the Jammu region will become fiercer with militants descending on the district from the high mountains to escape snowfall and biting cold, a senior police official has said.

2 die in mishaps
Kathua, November 17
Two persons were killed and three others seriously injured in two road accidents. According to a report, a milkman was run over and killed by a truck near the Magghar Khud on the Kathua-Pathankot national highway today.

Kabul fallout on Kashmir
Tribune News Service

Srinagar, November 17
When the Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee, announced the cessation of combat operations against militants in Jammu and Kashmir with the commencement of the holy month of Ramzan last year, the focus of attention was the developments taking place at the militancy front. The announcement followed a similar offer by the pro-Pakistan militant outfit, Hizbul Mujahideen, for three months, that for varied reasons, was withdrawn only after two weeks. The Ramzan ceasefire that continued for six months, though outrightly rejected by militant outfits, witnessed a series of stepped-up activities by the militants in Kashmir, one of these major attacks being the suicide attempt to enter the Srinagar airport.

A year later the question whether USA-continues its attacks on Afghanistan through Ramzan remained the focus of attention. The scenario having been totally changed after the fall of Kabul, with the Northern Alliance “making inroads” in the country, Kashmir seems to be again in the forefront of the issues facing the country. Different mainstream and separatist political organisations and the people in general view the situation from varied angles, even as there are “areas of disagreements”. It is generally believed that the fall of Kabul has been a blow to militancy in Kashmir, while the officials here claim that security forces will have more dominance over the militants.

Only a day before the fall of Kabul, the Hurriyat Conference, a conglomerate of 23 separatist organisations, Chairman, Prof Abdul Ghani Bhat floated a three-point formula for the “resolution of the Kashmir issue”. He pointed out that a ceasefire followed by tripartite talks within a fixed timeframe would lead to the solution of the Kashmir problem. Mr Bhat pointed out certain hurdles in the way of solving the Kashmir issue. He said that Hurriyat’s decision to send a delegation to Pakistan for having dialogue with the leadership there following the Centre’s announcement of unilateral ceasefire, was not allowed. It had also decided not to meet the Centre’s chief negotiator, Mr K.C. Pant, he said. However, the staunch Jamaat-e-Islami leader and former Chairman of the APHC, Syed Ali Shah Geelani, and the Pakistan-based United Jehad Council opposed the three-point formula, describing it as irrelevant. The Hurriyat Chairman made it clear that the September 11 incident had proved to be a shot in the arm for Kashmir as the 53-year-old dispute had attained international limelight along with Palestine and other conflict zones.

The CPM leader and MLA, Mr M.Y. Tarigami, holds that any delay in the resolution of the Kashmir issue among all other issue between India and Pakistan would lead to the worsening of the situation in the sub-continent resulting in the suffering of people on both sides. He believes that India and Pakistan should draw lessons from Afghanistan and use it as an opportunity to evolve reconciliation between each other. “They should learn to live in each other’s shadow,” he comments suggesting that dialogue on the issue should emerge from within the state.

BSF HQ attacked, 3 injured

Srinagar, November 17
A BSF jawan was killed and eight others were wounded in two attacks by militants while elsewhere in the valley, two persons were killed and one ultra was nabbed during the past 24 hours.

Official sources said the militants threw a hand grenade inside a BSF vehicle at Magam bus stand at around 4 p.m. A jawan died on the spot and five others were wounded, the sources said.

The injured were admitted to a hospital where the condition of two of them was stated to be critical.

A spokesman said the militants attacked a BSF TAC headquarters at Tral in the south Kashmir district of Pulwama with automatic weapons and grenades in the wee hours today.

Three BSF personnel were injured in the attack. However, the ultras managed to escape under cover of darkness.

At least two women were injured when the security forces opened fire to disperse women protesting against the arrest of some villagers by 35 Rashtriya Rifles at Kachwari in the central Kashmir district of Badgam this morning.

The demonstrators alleged that the troops arrested some villagers when they were going to offer prayers at a mosque.

The militants shot a former ultra, Abdul Rashid Parray, near the shrine of Baba Hyder at Tulmulla, last night.

A timber smuggler was killed when the security forces opened fire after he tried to run away when signalled to stop at Riban Sopore in north Kashmir late last night.

A civilian was injured when the militants and the security forces exchanged fire at Ratta in the Chingus area while in another clash two civilians and a jawan were injured at Mehrote village. However, the militants escaped.

The Special Operation Group of the Jammu and Kashmir police arrested a militant along with a pistol, a magazine, four rounds, one UBGL, five UBGL grenades and five hand grenades at Wusan Kunzer in Tangmarg last night.

A report from Jammu said the security forces recovered a huge quantity of ammunition, including 26.5 kg of RDX, from two militant hideouts in Rajouri district.

A patrol of the security forces, during search operations, busted a militant hideout in the Thanamandi area of Rajouri last evening. The militants had fled away before the security forces reached the spot.

The recoveries from the hideout included 25 kg of RDX, 10 AK magazines with 307 rounds, seven hand grenades, one radio set and a compass, besides some incriminating documents.

Another militant hideout was busted by the security forces during joint operations in Rajouri and recovered four magazines and 308 rounds of AK rifle, 123 pistol rounds, seven rifle grenades and 1.5 kg of RDX from it. UNI, PTI

APHC divided over Bhat’s proposal
M.L.Kak
Tribune News Service

Jammu, November 17
Differences between moderates and hardliners in the APHC have resurfaced over the peace proposal mooted by its chairman, Prof Abdul Gani Bhat.

The hardliners headed by Syed Ali Shah Geelani and the moderates, headed by Prof Bhat have exchanged charges against one another. While Mr Geelani said the peace proposal mooted by Prof Bhat were violative of the APHC constitution which only voted for tripartite talks under UN supervision, Prof Bhat told TNS that the constitution provided for a peaceful settlement of the Kashmir issue.

Prof Bhat claimed that Mr Geelani’s opposition to his proposal was an isolated voice and said all other senior leaders were with “me in my desire to see the resolution of the Kashmir issue through negotiations.”

Defending his proposal, he said: There are some vested interests who wish to capitalise on the bloodshed.” He said the Kashmir issue “cannot be settled through wars and bloodshed. It has to be resolved through talks between India-Pakistan and representatives of people of Kashmir, even if that included jehadis.”

Prof Bhat said: “One day these vested interests will break.” He wanted Mr Geelani and those following his line to “avoid building castles in air and instead come down on the ground and face the realities.”

Mr Geelani felt that some of the Hurriyat leaders had been “dismayed” over the international developments but they should stick to their stand. The Hurriyat chairman said the proposal was a collective decision and Mr Geelani had only one grouse that he was not consulted. “You don’t have to consult everybody when you have to suggest a peace proposal,” he remarked.

He said when the Government of India announced a unilateral ceasefire in November last year, the APHC had welcomed it on the condition that it should be a “conjoint” ceasefire, meaning that Pakistan and jehadis too should respond to it.

When asked if he could expect his proposal to prove meaningful when neither Pakistan nor the jehadis responded to it, he said: “Even the Government of India has rejected my peace proposal.” At the sametime, Prof Bhat said people in the subcontinent “will support my proposal because this is the only why to reach the end of the tunnel as far as the resolution of the Kashmir issue is concerned.”

Supporters of Prof Bhat were hitter over the way Mr Geelani lambasted some APHC leaders for visiting Delhi frequently and meeting ambassadors and diplomats. They said: “Senior Hurriyat leaders have been visiting Delhi where they stay for a couple of days and meet intellectuals and diplomats for the purpose of securing their intervention for resolving the Kashmir problem.

“Mr Geelani too has been a frequent visitor to Delhi where he stays for longer periods. Geelani probably does not want us to interact with the diplomats. He wants to be the sole voice of the APHC. It is nothing but fascism on his part,” they added.

Ultra-police clashes in Doda intensify

Jammu, November 17
The ongoing bloody encounters between the police and militants in Doda district of the Jammu region will become fiercer with militants descending on the district from the high mountains to escape snowfall and biting cold, a senior police official has said.

Talking to UNI Senior Superintendent of Police, Doda, Ashkoor Wani today said apart from the routine anti-insurgency operations, the police and personnel of the elite Special Task Force (STF) would double the pace of operations to eliminate ultras who had entrenched themselves in the upper reaches of the district.

Mr Wani informed that about 3,000 STF personnel were combating insurgents in the district and in the recent past they had notched up resounding victories in different encounters with ultras of various outfits.

The SSP, however, expressed concern that in the recent encounters quite a few foreign militants had been slain which meant that more foreign nationals were joining local terrorist outfits.

He conceded the hilly terrain of the district did create some problems for counter-insurgency operations, especially in the far-flung areas which were still incommunicable.

Unconfirmed reports suggest that the ultras have managed to conceal their weaponries in inaccessible higher reaches of the district.

Despite the odds, the morale of the security forces was high and they have managed to eliminate about 40 ultras, including foreign mercenaries, official sources said and added that the militants were on the defensive following fierce gun battles between them and police.

Doda district witnessed some brutal massacres by terrorists years ago which galvanised the state government to rush in additional battalions of security forces to contain terrorism.

Mr Wani said the increasing presence of foreign mercenaries in the region testified that the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) of Pakistan was trying to spread terror in the region by asking its operatives here to target innocent civilians.

In an earlier interview to UNI, Director General of Jammu and Kashmir Police A.K. Suri had said ISI’s design was to kill minorities of the state and incite communal tension.

Police sources said about 60 per cent of the militants operating in Doda were foreign nationals who were gradually trying to control the local insurgents and Pakistan ensured perennial supply of arms and money from across the border for them.

In fact, the pace of firing between Pakistani and Indian troops has more than doubled in recent times, which the police said was an attempt on the part of Pakistan to ensure safe passage to its militants by providing them artillery firecover.

Senior police officials say more number of infiltrators were killed in the Jammu region than in the valley this year, a definite pointer that the ISI has been of late trying to pump its operatives here in view of increased police operations in the valley.

It may be recalled that sometime back, a police spokesman had said the quantity of weaponries seized from the slain ultras in the past two years were enough to equip three divisions of the Army. UNI

2 die in mishaps
Our Correspondent

Kathua, November 17
Two persons were killed and three others seriously injured in two road accidents. According to a report, a milkman was run over and killed by a truck near the Magghar Khud on the Kathua-Pathankot national highway today.

In another accident, a load carrier and a truck collided head on near Kootah turning on the Kathua-Jammu national highway. The driver of the truck was killed on the spot.

Nirankari Sant Samagam begins
Our Correspondent

Kathua, November 17
The Head of the Sant Nirankari Mission, Baba Hardev Singh Ji Maharaj here today inaugurated the 54th annual Nirankari Sant Samagam. The three-day samagam is likely to be attended by lakhs of devotees of the mission and others from all parts of the country and abroad.

In a brief message, the Baba urged mankind to work for peace. He exhorted humanity to shun violence and usher in an era of love and peace.