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Sunday,
December 23, 2001, Chandigarh, India  
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5 shot in Anantnag district
Pak shells Indian positions in Siachen, Kargil Hurriyat:
eschew confrontation |
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5 shot in Anantnag district Srinagar, December 22 Four heavily-armed gunmen attacked Poshkreeri and Hugam in Bijbehara, 45 km from here in Anantnag district last night, and a Sikh and two Pandit families fell victims to the indiscriminate firing, Inspector General of Police, Kashmir Range, K. Rajendra told PTI today. Constable Shamasuddin of the fifth battalion of the Indian Reserve Police was among the injured persons as he along with his colleagues manning a picket set up for the protection of minority community members at Hugam engaged the assailants. The ultras, however, escaped unhurt after the attack, he said. The group first struck a Sikh family at Poshkreeri village where they knocked the door of the joint residence of Shoda Singh, Mahinder Singh and Trilok Singh last night. Failing to get any response from the family, the gunmen smashed a window and fired indiscriminately on the inmates killing Sumi Kour (18), Rosy Kour (20), both daughters of Shoda Singh, and Julie Kour (12), daughter of Mahinder Singh, the police said. Trilok Singh and his wife Manjit Kour were also injured in the shooting. The gunmen then went to nearby Hugam village and stormed into the houses of two Kashmiri Pandits Makhan Lal and Govind Ram, and fired indiscriminately on the inmates. Sunita, wife of Makhan Lal, died instantly, while Lakshmi, wife of Govind Ram and her two daughters, Dora and Soba, were injured, the police said, adding that the gunmen at the same time also targeted the minority picket wounding constable Shamasuddin. No militant outfit has claimed responsibility for the twin attacks. However, the police suspect the hand of Jaish-e-Mohammad militant outfit in the first incident of its kind where females have been made the target. “Preliminary investigation suggest that the carnage was carried by the same group at both places,” the Inspector-General of police said, adding that “as the areas are dominated by Jaish-e-Mohammad militants it was enough to believe their hand in the incident”. Senior police officers and district administration visited the villages this morning to get first hand information about the incident, official sources said. They said senior police and district officials were camping at the villages. The gunmen who carried out twin attacks on minority pockets in Beijbehara in Anantnag district killing five women were in police uniform with faces covered with black scarves, according to the injured under treatment at two different hospitals in Srinagar. Dora (22) under treatment at SMHS hospital, who lost her mother in the firing while her younger sister was injured, said she was cooking food when the uniformed gunmen knocked at their Hugam house last night. The assailants jumped into the compound of her house and crossed the main gate, she said. The gunmen were speaking chaste Urdu, Dora said adding and opened indiscriminate fire as she responded to the knock. Dora said her mother, Lakshmi, bore the brunt of the firing and younger sister, Saba, also received multiple injuries in the shooting. Two other injured admitted in an another hospital said only one of the assailants was in police uniform and face covered. Elsewhere, at least two militants were killed and three others injured in separate incidents of violence in the Kashmir valley since yesterday. A foreign militant, Zahoor Ahmad alias Saifullah, was killed in an encounter with the security forces at Kazinar Khiram in Beijbehara area of Anantnag district yesterday. One AK rifle, three magazines, 68 rounds and two hand grenades were recovered from the site of the encounter. One militant of the Jamiat-ul-Mujahideen was killed in an encounter with the security forces at Warnow forests Lalpora in Kupwara district yesterday. One AK rifle, three AK magazines, 24 AK rounds of ammunition and four hand grenades were recovered from the site of the encounter. Three security forces personnel were injured when militants hurled a grenade at their vehicle at Soibugh crossing in Budgam district yesterday. |
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Killing
of Sikh women condemned Jammu, December 22 The Chief Minister, Dr Farooq Abdullah, while condemning the killing of five innocent Sikh women in Posh Kreeri and Hugam villages in the district yesterday said it was the most inhuman and cowardly act. He said during the last 12 years Pakistan-aided militants had carried out series of massacres in Jammu and Kashmir. The Chief Minister urged the world community to intervene and force Pakistan to stop aiding cross border terrorism. The leaders of the Shrimoni Akali Dal, the State Akali Dal and the Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee expressed their deep shock over the killings. They said the culprits involved in the massacre should be
identified and punished. These leaders also demanded adequate security cover to the minorities living in far-flung areas in the Kashmir valley. |
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Pak shells Indian positions in Siachen, Kargil
Jammu, December 22 Changing the target area, Pakistani troops resorted to mortar shelling and firing on several Indian positions in central and southern Siachen sector, Dras, Chorbatla and Turtuk areas of Kargil sector since last night, the sources said. Indian troops responded to Pakistani action, they said adding there was no loss of life or damage in the incident. Indian and Pakistani troops also exchanged moderate mortar shelling and small arms firing along Line of Control (LoC) in Kerni, Balakote, Mendhar, Noushera, Laam, Bhawani and Pallanwala areas of Jammu-Poonch sector since last night, the sources said. There were no reports of any loss of life or damage to property in the exchanges, the sources said. They said the situation was well under control in these areas. Firing was also reported from international border (IB) sector in Jammu from across till this morning, the sources said adding the Border Security Force (BSF) exchanged fire. With intensification in Pakistan’s army movement and reports of a build-up along Indo-Pakistan border, Indian troops have intensified surveillance and monitoring operations along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir, Defence sources said here today. The security set-up has also been upgraded around Listening Posts (LPs), Warning Posts (WPs) and Operational Posts (OPs) in view of possible border attacks by Border Action Team (BAT) headed by Special Service Group (SSG) during the tense situation. Pakistan’s army and intelligence agency, Inter-Service Intelligence (ISI) may try to push in regulars and Special Service Group (SSG) men for sabotage activities on this side, they said. “Even in remote areas the security apparatus has been beefed up to foil any type of sabotage activities,” the sources said. All infiltration routes have been sealed and at some sensitive places, deployment has been upgraded, they said. Round-the-clock patrolling along LoC in most of the J and K belts, monitoring intercepts and strengthening of intelligence apparatus and communication networks are other steps taken, said the sources. Pakistan has also moved three armed divisions from places opposite Gujarat border to Sialkot sector opposite IB and LoC in Jammu sector very recently, the sources said. Surveillance and monitoring operation have also been intensified by BSF troops along IB sector in Jammu-Pathankot sector, the sources said. PTI
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Hurriyat: eschew confrontation
Srinagar, December 22 “The All-Party Hurriyat Conference wishes that the Government of India takes a path of reconciliation instead of confrontation so as to bridge the gap rather than aggravate the situation,’’ said Hurriyat Chairman Abdul Gani Bhat. Jamaat-e-Islami leader and former Chairman of the Hurriyat Conference, Syed Ali Shah Geelani said “the decision clearly shows that India wants to create a war like situation. With the intention to put the Kashmir issue into the backburner”. He said “India has a big responsibility in restraining from taking any provocative step which will lead to a war”. JKDFP’s state President, Shabir Ahmad Shah, described the decision as “unfortunate” and said “the decision might further worsen the situation in the sub-continent rather than improving relations between the two countries”. “The decision has been taken in haste,” Mr Shah said and urged the two countries to avoid war and resolve the Kashmir issue through peaceful means. Meanwhile, the Hurriyat Conference today condemned the attacks on minority community members in Bijbehara area of south Kashmir in which five women were killed and demanded a probe “at international level” to unveil those responsible for the killing of innocent persons. “We consider minority members as the sacred treasure. It is not only our claim but we have proved it time and again by our deeds,” Hurriyat Conference spokesman Sheikh Abdul Rashid said here today. Reacting to the killing of five women belonging to Sikh and Kashmiri Pandit families in Bijbehara by unidentified militants last night, he said the Hurriyat had always condemned such acts and wanted a probe at the international level into this and other similar previous incidents to unveil the elements involved in these condemnable acts. The Hurriyat spokesman demanded human rights organisations to come forward and see why these incidents occur. PTI
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5 Army porters
feared killed Srinagar, December 22 The avalanche struck the porters identified as Imtiyaz Ahmad Lone, Gani Lone, Sultan Lone, Sattar Lone and Mohammad Shafi (all residents of Lachipora village of Uri) when they were on way to a forward post on December 18, the reports quoting delayed information said. The reports said efforts are on to extract the bodies of the deceased porters.
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