Jammu and Kashmir: News and Discussion

[RAM]

India plans to construct tunnels in India-controlled Kashmir
ia is planning to construct two tunnels on Srinagar-Ladakh highway in India-controlled Kashmir to make it all weather and improve the road connectivity to the region.

Replying to a question in the Lok Sabha, the lower house of the bicameral Indian Parliament, Minister of State for Road Transport and Highways R.P.N.Singh Tuesday made the announcement.

The minister said two tunnels, one at Zojila Pass between Sonamag and Drass measuring 12 kilometers and another one at Z Morh measuring 3.10 kilometers are proposed to be constructed.

The survey on the project is going on and the feasibility report is expected to be submitted with the ministry within a period of 18 months.

Road to Ladakh remains closed during heavy snow in winters mainly at Zojila Pass and the tunnels would make it all weather.

India is also planning to connect Ladakh region with rest of India through a railway line via Himachal Pradesh.

The first rail link measuring 498 kilometers is likely to come up between Leh district of Indian-controlled Kashmir and Bilaspur of Himachal Pradesh.

Already Indian Air Force (IAF) is building an airbase at Neomanear line-of-actual-control (LaC). The airbase in east Ladakh would be made operational this year as per IAF officials.

Last year Daulat Beg Oldi and Fuk Che airbases were built by Indian Air Force in Ladakh.

The airfields are being revived for defense purposes but officials said that they would also use them for tourism purposes to cater to future tourist inflow in the mountain-locked region.

Ladakh is the gateway to the highest battlefield in the world, Siachen Glacier.

 

[I-G]

2 injured in grenade attack on CRPF picket in J&K
PTI 9 August 2009, 03:40pm IST


SRINAGAR: Two persons, including a CRPF jawan, were injured in a grenade attack by militants on a security picket in an old city of Jammu and Kashmir, a police spokesman said on Sunday.

CRPF constable Anu Kumar and selection grade constable of Fire services Fayaz Ahmad were hit by splinters when a grenade exploded at Habba Kadal locality last night, he said.

Militants wanted to target the CRPF picket, but the grenade exploded outside it, the spokesman said, adding CRPF and local police cordoned off the area and conducted a search operation, but the ultras managed to escape, he added.

Both the injured were shifted to hospital, he said

2 injured in grenade attack on CRPF picket in J&K - India - NEWS - The Times of India

 

[RPK]

Jammu bandh hits normal life, J&K BJP chief among 25 held


Jammu: Normal life was affected here Monday due to Jammu bandh called by a group of activists demanding location for the proposed central university in Jammu, even as 25 BJP leaders including state party chief Ashok Khajuria were arrested.


The arrests were made after the BJP activists tried to take out a rally in violation of prohibitory orders under section 144 CrPC, police said.

The rally was being taken out as part of protests by the Central University Andolan Samiti (CUAS) in support of their demand to set up proposed university here.

Most of the shops and business establishments remained closed and public transport was off the roads in Jammu city, they said.

Though the Transport Associations opposed the bandh call, hardly a few vehicles plied on the roads.

There was partial attendance in the government offices, schools and banks due to strike, officials said.

"The bandh has so far peaceful. There were no reports of any untoward incident reported from anywhere in the city," police said.

 

[yuebaili]

Again as an outsider I am just asking a question: India is a democracy. And today even Pakistan is a democracy (although unfortunately not a secular one). So why can´t the Kashmiri issue be resolved in democratic ways by letting the Kashmiris decide?

 

[Yusuf]

Again as an outsider I am just asking a question: India is a democracy. And today even Pakistan is a democracy (although unfortunately not a secular one). So why can´t the Kashmiri issue be resolved in democratic ways by letting the Kashmiris decide?

UN resolution passed ages ago calls for Pakistan and India to withdraw its troops from Kashmir and hold a plebiscite. Pakistan refuses to withdraw, India refuses to hold any excercise. But what should be of importance to you is that India has held elections all along and inspite of having the spectre of terror looming, people have come out and vote to elect their own government.

 

[RPK]

Railways complete work on Quazigund-Anantnag stretch

New Delhi (PTI): Travelling through the tough terrain of the Kashmir Valley will become easier soon as the Railways have decided to open the 20 km stretch of Quazigund-Anantnag to passenger traffic.

This follows the Commissioner of Railway Safety (CRS) giving the go ahead for commissioning of the 20 km stretch, implying passengers would avail train service right from Quazigund to Srinagar and Baramulla.

With this, the construction of 120 km long Quazigund-Baramulla section has also come to an end.

Construction of the other two sections — the Udhampur Katra section and Katra Quazigund section — is also in progress.

"We hope passenger train service between Quazigund and Anantnag will start soon with the clearance from CRS already in place," sources in Northern Railway said.

The Baramulla-Qazigund rail network project has come up with an investment of Rs 3,200 crores.

The first train operation in the valley, the 66-km-long rail link from Anantnag to Mazhom on this section, was flagged off by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in October last year.

In February this year, 35-km-long Mazhgom-Baramulla rail track was inaugurated by Congress president Sonia Gandhi.

 

[yuebaili]

UN resolution passed ages ago calls for Pakistan and India to withdraw its troops from Kashmir and hold a plebiscite. Pakistan refuses to withdraw, India refuses to hold any excercise. But what should be of importance to you is that India has held elections all along and inspite of having the spectre of terror looming, people have come out and vote to elect their own government.

When you say Kashmir, does that include Azad Kashmir? As Pakistan is now democratic, I suppose now democratic elections can be held there too. Right? So if both India and Pakistan agree to respect the results of the elections there should be no reason for conflicts. I suppose I am naive, but.....


What have been the results of the elections so far?

 

[Daredevil]

When you say Kashmir, does that include Azad Kashmir? As Pakistan is now democratic, I suppose now democratic elections can be held there too. Right? So if both India and Pakistan agree to respect the results of the elections there should be no reason for conflicts. I suppose I am naive, but.....


What have been the results of the elections so far?

Indian kashmir doesn't include azad kashmir (we call it Pak-occupied Kashmir-POK). Pakistan democracy has never been strong and the present one is no exception with military establishment being the main power holder in Pakistan.

POK has its own prime minister (PM) and different from pakistani PM. The POK PM is elected by the northern areas (FANA) and azad kashmir of pakistan, but it has been time and again proven that elections in POK are nothing but a big farce as the candidates for the law making institutes win by blatant rigging at the behest of Pakistani Army. Moreover, candidates who wish to participate in elections in POK has to sign a condition of accession of PoK with Pakistan, which exposes the claims of Pakistan that they wish for Independent kashmir.

Fresh elections in Azad Kashmir sought -DAWN - National; March 29, 2008
Azad Kashmir elections rigged: JI
Elections in Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir: A Farce

On the other hand, elections in Indian Kashmir (Jammu and Kashmir state) are free and fair conducted by Election Commission of India. Jammu and Kashmir is the only state in India which enjoys special autonomy under Article 370 of the Constitution of India according to which, no law enacted by the Parliament of India, except for those in the field of defense, communication and foreign policy, will be extendable in Jammu and Kashmir unless it is ratified by the state legislature of Jammu and Kashmir. Jammu and Kashmir is also the only Indian state that has its own flag and constitution, and Indians from other states cannot purchase land or property in the state.

So, there is sea of difference between the autonomies that POK and Indian Kashmir enjoy, which clearly tells you about the intentions of Pakistan vs India.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jammu_and_Kashmir

 

[I-G]

Four militants killed in gun battle with Army in J&K

Updated on Saturday, August 15, 2009, 13:00 IST

Jammu: Four terrorists have been killed in a gun battle with the Indian Army in Jammu and Kashmir, a defence official said Saturday.

The Army raided the militants' hideout in the forested area of Mahore, 175 km from here, Thursday. The terrorists were killed Friday night, the source said.


"The gun battle is still on," the official said.

Early this week, security forces had gunned down four militants, three of them of the Hizbul Mujahadeen outfit, in the same area.

IANS

Four militants killed in gun battle with Army in J&K

 

[I-G]

BSF foils infiltration bid, heavy firing across border near Jammu
PTI 16 August 2009, 12:51pm IST
|

JAMMU: Heavy exchange of fire erupted on the Indo-Pak border in Jammu and Kashmir on Sunday as BSF troops foiled a pre-dawn infiltration bid by suspected militants in Ramgarh in Samba district, official sources said.

A group of suspected militants entered into the Indian side via the international border and the movement was picked up by the BSF troops near the Border Out Post in Palhad belt of Ramgarh at around 0105 hours, they said.

On being challenged by the troops, the militants fired on the post, they said. The BSF troops also retaliated.

Heavy exchange of fire continued till 0145 hours, the sources said adding that the operation was still on in the area. "There was no casualty on the BSF side," a source said.

A BSF spokesman said details about the operation were still awaited. He said that senior officers have gone to the spot.

The five battalions with troops strength of 5000, withdrawn from Kashmir, were mainly from the Counter-Insurgency-Grid (CIG), where one-third of paramilitary strength has been deployed.

While three battalions were shifted from Srinagar, one each was taken out from Bandipore and Kupwara.

BSF foils infiltration bid, heavy firing across border near Jammu - India - NEWS - The Times of India

 

[RPK]

Sailor-turned-LeT man killed in J&K - India - NEWS - The Times of India

SRINAGAR: A former Indian Navy sailor turned Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorist was killed in an encounter with security forces at Aarmullah in south
Kashmir's Pulwama district on Sunday.

Pulwama SSP Kifayat Haider said Jan Mohammad Ahangar had deserted the Navy in 2004 after serving as sailor for three years. ‘‘He had joined the Navy after passing his class 12th exams in 2001,’’ he said. He returned to his native Tral in the Valley and joined the militant ranks in 2004.

The officer said Ahangar first joined Hizbul Mujahideen and then switched over to LeT recently. ‘‘He was the outfit’s south Kashmir commander,’’ he said. The security forces, who were hot on Ahangar’s trail, were tipped off on his presence at Aarmullah on Sunday morning. ‘‘He was killed in the exchange of fire after security forces laid a siege around his hideout,’’ the SSP said.

Haider said one grenade and two AK-series magazines were recovered from the encounter site. Sources said two of Ahangar’s accomplices, including a Pakistani terrorist, managed to flee after breaching the security ring around their hideout. One of them was identified as Zahoor Ahmad Mir of Armullah.

 

[I-G]

Hizbul Mujahideen Pir Panjal range commander killed
PTI 17 August 2009, 09:11am IST


UDHAMPUR: A top Hizbul Mujahideen militant was shot dead by security forces during an encounter in Reasi district today.

On a tip-off, army and police launched a joint cordon and search operation in Larad area of Mahore tehsil, 107 km from here, this morning, police said.

Militants opened fire on security forces who retaliated. In the subsequent encounter, the self-styled district commander of Hizbul Mujahideen identified as Altaf Hussein was killed.

The encounter was still continuing.

Hizbul Mujahideen Pir Panjal range commander killed - India - NEWS - The Times of India

 

[RPK]

Insurgents could exploit CRPF absence; replacement needed: Omar

New Delhi: Cautioning that withdrawal of CRPF deployed for counter-insurgency operations in sensitive districts would leave a vacuum that could be exploited by insurgents, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Monday sought an "immediate replacement" for the paramilitary forces in the state.

Speaking at the Chief Ministers' conference on Internal Security, Omar said, "The Ministry of Home Affairs has ordered the withdrawal of five CRPF battalions from the state. Four IRP battalions from Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab and Uttarakhand which were meant to replace the CRPF battalions have not reported as yet except for one battalion."


The CRPF was withdrawn from J&K for anti-naxal operations in other parts of the country.

"The withdrawal of the five CRPF battalions which are deployed for counter insurgency operations in sensitive districts would leave a vacuum which is bound to be exploited by the insurgents," Omar said.

The Chief Minister asked the Centre to take immediate action to ensure that suitable replacements for the CRPF battalions are sent to the state immediately.

"An immediate challenge faced by the state government, and the state police in particular, is to manage the transition from a situation when the focus was almost entirely on tackling terrorism and militancy to the present situation where priority is on handling law and order situations," he said.

Omar said it was a "paradigm shift" for the state police involving a re-orientation of mindset and significant re-training and re-equipping for handling these situations.

"I would request the Ministry of Home Affairs to provide us with all the necessary assistance so that we are able to re-train and re-equip the state police so as to enable them to effectively handle law and order duties," he said.

 

[RPK]

The Telegraph - Calcutta (Kolkata) | Nation | Infiltration warning from Kashmir

Srinagar, Aug. 17: Top intelligence officials in Jammu and Kashmir today said a large number of militants were waiting to sneak in across the border even as warnings of a “disturbing” surge echoed far away from the troubled Valley.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh told chief ministers at a meeting in the national capital that the levels of infiltration that had “come down very substantially” had seen a “surge this year”.

“The infiltrators are more battle-hardened, better equipped and in possession of sophisticated” communication systems, he said at the chief ministers’ conference on internal security in Delhi.

In Kashmir, top intelligence sources said hundreds of militants had gathered at 42 training camps across the Line of Control and were waiting to cross over.

“We fear escalation of violence during Ramazan, which is just days away,” said an official.

The United Jihad Council (UJC), an umbrella body of 13 militant outfits based in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, has already ruled out a unilateral cease-fire in Jammu and Kashmir during the Muslim holy month.

“If the Government of India takes a positive step in this direction, the UJC will sit and think over it,” UJC chairman and Hizb-ul Mujahideen supreme commander Syed Salahuddin told a local news agency on Saturday.

The infiltration alerts, from Delhi and Kashmir, have come at a time the LoC has seen a spurt in militant activity. Sources said there had been at least 13 infiltration bids in the Kashmir valley alone that left dozens of militants and several jawans dead.

The Border Security Force on Saturday foiled a major attempt when a group of militants tried to cross a river flowing close to the international border in Jammu’s Samba sector.

Defence spokesman Lt Colonel J.S. Brar said the security forces had strengthened the counter-infiltration mechanism on the LoC that had suffered damage during the winter because of snowfall.

“That is why most of the militants are being gunned down near the LoC and they do not succeed in crossing into the hinterland,” he said.

But sources said many militants had already entered the Valley.

“Around 195 militants have managed to infiltrate into the Valley in the past seven months against the 84 in the corresponding period last year. Some of them have been killed or arrested but most are active,” an official said.

He said 370 militants were active in Kashmir and that more than 40 per cent of them were foreigners. “This is in addition to 70 unlisted militants (unidentified but accounted for),” he added.

Although militant violence has come down substantially over the years, officials said a year of unrest that began with the Amarnath land row had helped the rebels, who were now back in a position to carry out attacks with ease.

“Our counter-insurgency grid has been disturbed as our focus has been to quell street protests. In the process, the militants have regrouped and consolidated their position,” an official said.

 

[I-G]

Time not ripe for total withdrawal of Army: J&K govt

Updated on Tuesday, August 18, 2009, 14:07 IST Tags:Army, J&K, Jammu and Kashmir, withdrawal, government

Srinagar: Though there has been marked improvement in the internal security situation in the state, Jammu and Kashmir government on Tuesday said time is not ripe for total withdrawal of the Army and Central paramilitary forces.


"Time is still not ripe for the total withdrawal of the Army and Central paramilitary forces from the state even as there has been marked improvement in the internal security situation," Law and Parliamentary Minister AM Sagar told the state Legislative Council.

Replying to supplementaries by Murtaza Ahmad Khan of PDP, Sagar said any such withdrawal will be considered only after the defeat of insurgency and terrorism.

"We also want withdrawal of the Army and paramilitary forces from the state but since encounters are still taking place, the government does not want to take any hasty decision in this regard," Sagar said.

He, however, said that the deployment of security forces is under continuous review and adjustments will be considered depending on ground situation.

Chief Minister Omar Abdullah had, at an internal security meet in New Delhi yesterday, pressed for partial withdrawal of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) from the districts where terrorist activities are "minimal".

Time not ripe for total withdrawal of Army: J&K govt

 

[I-G]

Huge arms dump recovered near LoC in Poonch

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

STAFF WRITER 17:21 HRS IST
Poonch (JK), Aug 18 (PTI) Security forces today recovered a huge quantity of arms, ammunition and explosive, from two militant hideouts near the Line of Control (LoC) in Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir, police sources said here.

During a search operation, a joint team of army and police busted a militant hideout in forest area of Balakote, about 60-km from here in the border district of Poonch this afternoon, they said.

The recoveries from the hideout yielded one AK bullet action gun with 19 rounds, one AK-56 rifle with five magazines, four pistols with five rounds and four magazines, ten grenades, two wireless sets, 885 ak rounds, one ak magazine and two pouches, they said.

Security forces also busted another hideout in the forest area of Patri, about 80-kms from here, in the same district today, they said.


fullstory

 

[yuebaili]

Indian kashmir doesn't include azad kashmir (we call it Pak-occupied Kashmir-POK). Pakistan democracy has never been strong and the present one is no exception with military establishment being the main power holder in Pakistan.

POK has its own prime minister (PM) and different from pakistani PM. The POK PM is elected by the northern areas (FANA) and azad kashmir of pakistan, but it has been time and again proven that elections in POK are nothing but a big farce as the candidates for the law making institutes win by blatant rigging at the behest of Pakistani Army. Moreover, candidates who wish to participate in elections in POK has to sign a condition of accession of PoK with Pakistan, which exposes the claims of Pakistan that they wish for Independent kashmir.

Jammu and Kashmir - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Please correct me if I am wrong! But I have understood that the overwhelming majority in Azad Kashmir are Muslims. So even if the elections were fair, pro-Indian candidates would have no chance. Wouldn´t it be best - or at least more realistic - to try to reach an agreement that Jammu and Kashmir belong to India and Azad Kashmir belong to Pakistan?

 

[Daredevil]

Please correct me if I am wrong! But I have understood that the overwhelming majority in Azad Kashmir are Muslims. So even if the elections were fair, pro-Indian candidates would have no chance. Wouldn´t it be best - or at least more realistic - to try to reach an agreement that Jammu and Kashmir belong to India and Azad Kashmir belong to Pakistan?

This is what at least majority people from India would want, that is, status quo (don't know what Pakistanis think). Pakistan should recognize Indian Kashmir and vice versa. But, apparently Pakistan wants to bite more than what it can chew. For them, recognizing Indian Kashmir as an undisputed territory will be a loss of face especially for the Pakistani Army which has grown too big for its shoes by showing the Indian threat. Once the Kashmiri conflict is solved, there will be serious demands for retrenching of the over bloated Pakistani army. This is definitely not a good news for Pakistani Army, so they will make their best efforts to not solve this problem or keep this issue boiling as long as it can. The military and its intelligence agency ISI has been doing all it can to disrupt such peaceful talks between India and Pakistan towards the Kashmir conflict resolution, case in point being Kargil war.

 

[I-G]

Two Hizb militants killed in J&K

Updated on Wednesday, August 19, 2009, 21:09 IST Tags:Hizb-ul-Mujahideen, militants, J&K

Jammu: Security forces on Wednesday shot dead two Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) militants in Kishtwar district of Jammu and Kashmir, raising the number of slain ultras of the group to 13 since August 10.


Acting on a tip off, police and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) launched a cordon and search operation in Koki Mohalla area in Kuchhal forests of Chatroo belt this afternoon, a police official said.

Militants fired on the team and in a retaliatory fire HM ultras identified as Tehsil Commander Manzoor Wani and his associate Javed Alias Shaka were killed.

Wani, a former commander of Harak-ul-Jehadi Islami (HuJI), had shifted to HM in 2007, the official said.

Eleven Hizbul militants, including two commanders, were killed in Mahore and Chatroo areas of Reasi and Kishtwar districts of Jammu region in the past ten days.

Four were killed in Mahore area of Reasi district on August ten, followed by killing of four others on August 14 and another commander three days later in Mahore.

Bureau Report


Two Hizb militants killed in J&K

 

[I-G]

After 19 years, CRPF moves out of Sopore
M Saleem Pandit, TNN 20 August 2009, 03:58am IST
Print Email Discuss Bookmark/Share Save Comment Text Size: |

SRINAGAR: Bringing smile on the face of the people, troops of CRPF's 177 Battalion have vacated camps being run in houses around Jamia Masjid Qadeem in Meer Sahib locality of Sopore town in north Kashmir after 19 years. They have also started dismantling the pickets.

For the first time in the last 19 years, late evening (Isha) prayers were offered at Jamia Masjid Qadeem on Tuesday. "We're happy that the forces are pulling out of the area. We could not offer late night prayers at the mosque," Farooq Ahmad, a resident, told TOI.

CRPF had occupied several residential houses adjacent to the mosque in 1991. They had also made dozens of bunkers around the area to prevent attacks from terrorists. The paramilitary force had also warned people not to come out of their houses after sunset.

"Fearing action by CRPF, people preferred to stay indoors and did not even offer late night prayers," said Ghulam Nabi Dar, a Sopore resident.

Sopore ASP Abdul Waheed said the CRPF unit will leave the area in a few days. The troops, he said, will be relocated. At Bandipore in north Kashmir, troops, however, continue to occupy 26 buildings and 1,675 kanals of land, according to the government. Besides buildings, 13 kanals of private land and 996.9 kanals of government land in Bandipore tehsil are under the occupation of forces.

After 19 years, CRPF moves out of Sopore - India - NEWS - The Times of India