Author: hamid

40 civilians killed, nine at encounter sites, eye on summer months now, say security officials

Srinagar, June 11 : First six months of year 2019 have given a reason for security agencies operating in Kashmir to boast on something—killing of 115 militants—including 38 militants from the Jaish-e-Muhammad outfit that carried out the deadly suicide attack on the CRPF men resulting in the killing of CRPF men.

This is for the first time since 2016—when the new age militancy became a major attraction for the youth, especially those living in southern districts of Kashmir, to pick up arms that such a huge number of militants were killed in Kashmir. While as year 2017 and 2018 showed a tremendous surge in the local militant recruitment, the year 2019 so has proved to be a “major success”, official figures available with KNO.

Ever since the security grid of Kashmir—police, army and the CRPF—started major assault against militants—in January this year, for the first time since 2017, 115 militants have been killed in the first quarter of the year 2019.

“Of the 110 militants killed this year so far, 38 alone belong to Jaish-e-Muhammad outfit including its four top commanders. The Jaish militants who masterminded the Lethpora, Pulwama suicide attack were also killed,” a senior security expert who is privy to the figures revealed to KNO.

Similarly, the official said that other militant outfits like Hizbul Mujahideen, Lashkar-e-Toiba and Ansaar Gazwatul Hind also bore the brunt in a series of “successful operations” launched by the forces on the basis of credible “human and technical intelligence inputs.” “The killing of AGH chief Zakir Rashid Bhat alias Zakir Moosa was indeed a great, rather a big success,” the official told KNO.

The figures, according to the official, also revealed that due to intense counter insurgency operations launched by the forces against the militant leadership, the local militant recruitment also witnessed a significant dip. “This year only 40 boys picked up gun and we succeeded in bringing back six boys, who joined back their families while as six were killed and five others apprehended, who are undergoing a thorough mental therapies and counselling sessions,” the official said.

About the civilian killings, the official said that less than 25 civilians were killed this year so far that include nine youth who were part of protests at the encounter sites. “Even though we witnessed violent protests at a few encounter sites this year that saw the fatal injuries to some boys, but the figure is far less than the previous years,” the official told KNO.

He said among the 115 militants killed this year, there was a foreign component as well. “Some 25 foreign militants were also killed this year. But what is interesting is that one of the foreign militant was killed on LoC this year so far,” he said.

The official, however, said the summer months were challenging and “there was no question of lowering the guard.” “We are maintaining a tight vigil on the borders and also in the hinterland while as multi-layer security cover will remain for the smooth conduct of annual pilgrimage of Amarnath commencing from July 1,” he said.(KNO)

Sopore, June 11: Gunfight broke out between militants and government forces in Wadoora Payeen village of Sopore in North Kashmir’s Baramulla district on Tuesday.

Official sources told KNO that contingents of Army 22 RR, SOG Sopore, 177 and 179 CRPF, 92 BN, Baramulla QRT and Police cordoned off Wadoora Payeen village in the wee hours.

As the forces intensified the searches, the hiding militants in the area opened fire, leading to a gunfight, which was going on when the report was last filed.

The Army has already rushed more reinforcement in the area, they said. A police officer told KNO that the cordon was launched following specific inputs about in the village.

Sources said two Lashkar-e-Taiba militants are believed to be trapped in the area. Meanwhile, mobile internet service has been suspended in Sopore.(KNO)

“It is the poor who visit government hospitals with a hope that they will receive free treatment, but to their disappointment they have to pay huge money to meet their health needs,”

Srinagar, June 11: While government hospitals are duty bound to provide free treatment to patients, Doctors Association Kashmir (DAK) on Tuesday said patients are charged hefty sums on tests, procedures and medicines in Kashmir Valley’s government-run hospitals.
“It is unfair for government hospitals to charge patients as they have an obligation to provide services free of cost,” said DAK President Dr Nisar ul Hassan.
“It is the poor who visit government hospitals with a hope that they will receive free treatment, but to their disappointment they have to pay huge money to meet their health needs,” he said
DAK President said it is painful to see poor patients leaving hospitals without treatment because they cannot afford expenses of tests and medicines.
“Despite the availability of latest equipment at government hospitals, patients are deprived of treatment because of financial constraints, he said adding that all these advances are meaningless if patients cannot avail them.
Dr Nisar said government hospitals in Kashmir are no less than private hospitals when it comes to spending money.
“Cardiac patients have to pay 1, 20,000 rupees on pacing, 70,000 on angioplasty and 30,000 on radiofrequency ablation.
For coronary angiography and electrophysiological studies patients are charged 5500 rupees each,” he said.
Dr Nisar said Contrast enhanced CT scan costs Rs 3700 to patients and CT angiography 4200.
MR angiography and MR spectroscopy and contrast enhanced MRI costs 3700 each.
“If a patient wants to correct his refractory error by LASIK (Laser eye surgery), he/she has to pay 10, 000,” he said.
“From simple tests like CBC, KFT, LFT, Lipid profile, thyroid function, Urine examination, X-ray’s, ECG to hospital stay, patients are charged,” he added.
“While government has announced free drugs in government hospitals, the patients have to pay even for life-saving medicines. If someone gets a heart attack, he/she has to pay Rs 30,000 for tenecteplase, a thrombolytic drug that dissolves clot in clogged arteries and restores blood flow to heart. Poor have to end up on compromise in treatment as they cannot afford this costly drug,” said Dr Nisar.

Poonch, June 10: A soldier was killed and another sustained injuries after Pakistani forces attacked the Indian army’s posts in Shahpur sector of Poonch district in Jammu and Kashmir on Monday.

Official sources told GNS that Pakistani army opened fire and used mortar shells on Indian army’s posts in Shahpur sector. The soldiers manning the fence responded strongly.

In the incident, two army soldiers suffered serious injuries and were evacuated to nearby military hospital for treatment, they said.

He said that one among the injured later succumbed to injuries.

A police officer also confirmed the killing of the soldier and injuries to other. (GNS)

Pathankot (Punjab): The verdict in the case of rape and murder of an eight-year-old nomadic girl in Kathua in Jammu and Kashmir will be delivered by a special court here on Monday.
The in-camera trial in the case that shook the nation ended on June 3, when district and sessions judge Tejwinder Singh had announced that the verdict was likely to be delivered on June 10.
Elaborate security arrangements have been made in and around the court and in Kathua in view of the pronouncement of the judgement, officials said Sunday.
The situation will be monitored closely, they said.
According to the 15-page charge sheet, the eight-year-old girl, who was kidnapped on January 10 last year, was allegedly raped in captivity in a small village temple in Kathua district after having been kept sedated for four days before she was bludgeoned to death.
The day-to-day trial commenced in the first week of June last year at the district and sessions court in Pathankot in neighbouring state of Punjab, about 100 km from Jammu and 30 km from Kathua, after the Supreme Court ordered that the case be shifted out of Jammu and Kashmir.
The apex court order came after lawyers in Kathua prevented Crime Branch officials from filing a charge sheet in the sensational case, which shocked the nation.
The prosecution team in the case comprised J K Chopra, S S Basra and Harminder Singh.
The Crime Branch arrested village head Sanji Ram, his son Vishal, juvenile nephew and his friend Anand Dutta, and two special police officers Deepak Khajuria and Surender Verma. Head constable Tilak Raj and sub-inspector Anand Dutta, who allegedly took Rs 4 lakh from Sanji Ram and destroyed crucial evidence, were also arrested.
Charges of rape and murder were framed by the district and sessions judge against seven out of the eight accused. The trial against the juvenile is yet to begin as his petition on determining his age is to be heard by the Jammu and Kashmir High Court.
The court framed charges under the Ranbir Penal Code (RPC), including Sections 120-B (criminal conspiracy), 302 (murder) and 376-D (gang-rape), according to the prosecution.
The accused, if convicted, face minimum life imprisonment and maximum death penalty.
The court also framed charges of destruction of evidence and causing hurt by poisoning under Section 328 of the RPC. The two policemen – Raj and Datta – were also charged under Section 161 (public servant taking illegal gratification) of the RPC.
All the accused, barring the juvenile, were shifted to Gurdaspur jail following an intervention by the Supreme Court which also restricted appearance of the defence lawyers and limited it to one or maximum of two per accused.
The charge sheet said the girl had gone missing while grazing horses. Investigators said the accused juvenile had abducted the girl under the pretext of helping her find her horses.
The abduction, rape and killing of the child was part of a carefully planned strategy to remove the minority nomadic community from the area, it said.
The case had become a bone of contention between the then ruling alliance partners PDP and the BJP after two ministers of the saffron party, Chowdhury Lal Singh and Chander Prakash Ganga, participated in a rally organised by the Hindu Ekta Manch in support of the accused arrested by the state crime branch.

Srinagar, June 09 : The anti corruption bureau (ACB) on Sunday concluded its search of the JK Bank corporate office here.

In a hand out issued to KNO, the ACB spokesman said the searches were conducted in continuation to registration of case FIR No.10/2019 on 08.06.2019 under Prevention of Corruption Act on outcome of a written complaint received in ACB, Headquarters.

J&K to look into the allegations related illegal and fraudulent appointments made in the Bank.

“During the search operations documents/discriminatory material pertaining to the appointments were seized.

Further investigation are going on and questioning of accused and suspects will follow,” he told KNO.(KNO)

PAMPORE, June 09: National Conference leader and parliamentarian from Anantnag parliamentary constituency, Justice (retired) Hasnain Masoodi demanded an inquiry into alleged “recruitment and loan” scam in State’s only listed company, The Jammu and Kashmir Bank limited.
Masoodi who was on a visit to his constituency in Galander Pampore area told Sachnews Jammu Kashmir that for last two years the J&K Bank was in news for alleged recruitment scam and granting loans to blue eyed persons.

He termed the recent move of removing Parvez Ahmed from post of chairman and CEO as a good step for bringing transparency in the functioning of the financial institution.

“If this will bring transparency in J&K Bank then it should be welcomed,” he told Sachnews, demanding an inquiry into alleged recruitment scam and sanctioning of loans to some favourite persons who were close to previous government officials.
“A time bound inquiry should be asked to probe the scams and those found guilty should be held accountable,” he said. He said that authorities should look into how the bank officials recruited 4000 candidates against a mere 1000 advertised posts.
The bank officials pushed the competent youth to the wall only to favour candidates recommended by a particular political party.
He told Sachnews that if the bank has around 6 and half thousand NPAs( non performing assessts) those responsible for this should be held accountable.
He also demanded that huge sums of money sanctioned in loans to persons close to corridors of power should be recovered and the list of such defaulters should be made public.
He urged up on authorities to restructure the bank so that it serves poor and weaker sections of society than to few influential persons.
“The J&K Bank is no more a poor man’s bank, it serves interests of a few influence yielding people”.

Srinagar: June 09, 2019: In a strong reaction to the statement of Indian Prime Minister, in Maldives, pertaining to Kashmir issue, All Parties Hurriyat Conference chairman, Syed Ali Geelani termed it as a blatant negation of the hard facts of history of Indian division of 1947.

Vehemently disproving the strange and illogical arguments put forward by Narinder Modi regarding the position of India on Kashmir, the Hurriyat leader advising Indian Prime Minister not to build castles in the air, not to beat about the bush and not to flee from the reality of Jammu and Kashmir where more or less one million occupational military, para-military and police forces have rendered the local population in a hell.

Terming Kashmir as an outcome of non-compliance of Indian Independence act of 1947, the basic formula for the partition of India, the Hurriyat leader laid stress on the early resolution of Kashmir issue by granting right to self-determination in a peaceful atmosphere, which has been guaranteed by the United Nations and India is the signatory to it.

Pro-freedom leader castigated the Indian obduracy, stubbornness of parroting Kashmir as an integral part of it and its illogical rigidity, said that as a nation people of Kashmir love peace, dignity and freedom. We are not segregating any part of India, but are demanding the end of forcible and illegitimate occupation.

Urging the United Nations and other world powers including USA, Britain, France, Russia and China to expedite their moral, diplomatic and political efforts to resolve the Kashmir dispute and deter Indian barbarism, ruthless killings of innocent people, incarceration of political activists and gross violation of human rights in Kashmir.

Rejecting terrorism in all its forms, the veteran Hurriyat leader appealed these world powers to differentiate between terrorism and a legitimate movement for right to self-determination and also take a serious note of Indian state terrorism used to suppress the popular demand for civil liberty and freedom from forced subjugation of the state of Jammu and Kashmir.