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Srinagar, Mar 03: The Handwara gunfight today ended after three days of intense battle. During the gun battle at Babagund village of Handwara in district Kupwara eight persons were killed that included 2 militants, 3 CRPF men, 2 JKP cops and 1 civilian.
According to reports, eight houses including two cowsheds damaged in the ensuing gun battle. Till latest reports, the internet services were still suspended in the area.
According to police, “This operation posed considerable difficulties to the security forces due to the topography of the area. Area where the militants were hiding was very congested and civilians in the adjoining houses had to be evacuated to the safer places away from the site of encounter,” said a police spokesman.
He said bodies of both the militants were recovered from the site of the gunfight. “Their identities and affiliations are being ascertained,” he said.
“Incriminating materials including arms & ammunition were recovered from the site of the gunfight,” said the spokesman.
Police has registered a case in this matter and the incriminating materials retrieved from the site of encounter have been taken in the case records for further investigation.
“Citizens are requested not to venture inside the encounter zone since such an area can prove dangerous due to stray explosive materials. People are requested to cooperate with police till the area is completely sanitized and cleared of all the explosives materials if any.”

Srinagar: Organization of Islamic Cooperation has condemned in the strongest terms recent wave of Indian terrorism in Kashmir and expressed deep concern over the atrocities and human rights violations in the valley, reported Radio Pakistan.

According to a report published by Radio Pakistan, in a resolution adopted by the 46th session of the Council of Foreign Ministers in Abu Dhabi, the OIC member states reiterated that Jammu and Kashmir remains the core dispute between Pakistan and India and its resolution is indispensable for the dream for peace in South Asia.

“It reaffirmed its unwavering support for the Kashmiri people in their just cause and reminded the international community of its obligation to ensure implementation of UN Security Council resolutions on the dispute,” Radio Pakistan reported.

“In the context of the current volatile situation in the region, the OIC member states adopted a new resolution sponsored by Pakistan, which expressed grave concern over the Indian violation of Pakistani airspace; affirmed Pakistan’s right to self-defence; and urged India to refrain from the threat or use of force,” it said.

“It also welcomed Prime Minister Imran Khan’s renewed offer of dialogue to India and the goodwill gesture of handing over the Indian pilot,” said the report.

The resolution called for restraint and de-escalation as well as the need to resolve outstanding issues through peaceful means.

In another significant development, the OIC elected Pakistan as a member of its Independent Permanent Human Rights Commission from the Asian region, in acknowledgement of Pakistan’s constructive contribution to human rights discourse, norms and policies.

The report said the OIC adopted two other resolutions sponsored by Pakistan on international disarmament and non-proliferation issues and reform of the UN Security Council.

The strong OIC support to the people of Kashmir and the centrality of this core issue to regional peace is recognition of the key role that Pakistan plays as a founding OIC member,” reported Radio Pakistan.

In response, India issued a statement saying that Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part of the country, and the matter is “strictly internal to India”. The Ministry of External Affairs, which issued the statement, also said that “we deeply appreciate” the “historic gesture” of inviting External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj to the 50th-anniversary meeting of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation.

Srinagar, March 2: The standoff between government forces and a militant, who rose from the rubble of a house yesterday, continued at Babagund Langate area of Handwara in frontier Kupwara district on Saturday.

So far, four government force men including an officer of Inspector rank of CRPF 92 battalion were killed and eleven other personnel—four from paramilitary and others from Army— were injured. One militant has been claimed to have been killed but so far no body has been retrieved from the gunfight site.

Official sources told GNS that on early Saturday morning, elite Para commandos from 3 and 9 battalion joined the already strengthened posse of government forces comprising army’s 22 Rashtriya Rifles, 92 battalion CRPF and police’s Special Operation Group.

They said that there was fresh fire between the militant and the government forces and it continued intermittently for the day.

The government forces allegedly razed one more house to rubble by blowing it up with an Improvised Explosive Device. The three houses so far damaged belong to Manzoor Ahmad shah son of Ghulam Hassan, Fayaz Ahmad Peer son of Wali Mohammad and Imtiyaz Ahmad Bhat son of Ghulam Ahmad Bhat. Two cowsheds and a tin shed were also damaged so far, the officials added.

The encounter broke out during the night between February 28 and March 1 after the joint team launched a cordon-and-search operation. A fierce encounter started and two militants were believed to have been killed.

However, when the joint search team went to retrieve the militant bodies amid a lull, one of the two militants, earlier believed to be dead stood up and fired indiscriminately. A CRPF Inspector namely Pintu Kumar and paramilitary trooper Vinod besides two policemen– Naseer Ahmad Kholi and Ghulam Mustafa Barah—were killed and eleven uniformed men, seven of the army men, were injured in the subsequent gunfight. A civilian was also killed in alleged government forces action amid clashes near the encounter site.

Meanwhile, a wreath-laying ceremony was held at District Police Lines, Handwara and officers led by IGP Kashmir S. P. Pani (IPS) laid floral wreaths on the bodies of SgCt Naseer Ahmad Kholi resident of Gund Gujran Karnah and SgCt Ghulam Mustafa Barah resident of Zachaldara Handwara.

Among others who attended the ceremony include DIG NKR Mohammad Suleman Choudhary (IPS), SP Handwara Ashish Kumar Mishra (IPS), Commander 7th Sector, CO CRPF and other officers and personnel of the district.

According to a police spokesman Naseer is survived by parents, wife, 2-year-old son and 4-year-old daughter.

Ghulam Mustafa’s family is survived by aged mother, wife, two daughters and as many sons, the spokesman added. (GNS)

SRINAGAR, MAR 02: Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Chief Spokesperson Rafi Mir said that BJP can’t force people of Kashmir to stay with India.

While speaking to News agency Press Trust of Kashmir Rafi Mir said, “BJP can’t win a single seat in 2014 election. It all depends upon people which party do they want in Jammu and Kashmir”.

He further added that the Agenda of alliance of BJP and PDP was based on development of the State, if they stand with the statement of late Mufti Sahab, then BJP should started the talks about issues”.

He further added that people know what happen in Kashmir and people cannot forget about the rape case of Kathua in which BJP leader take part and try to create chaos”.

Reacting over the article 370, PDP Chief Spokesperson said, “The relationship between India and Kashmir is based on 370. They never accept that Kashmir is integral part of India and the relationship is based on 370”.

He further added, “The 370 is most important for the people of Jammu and Kashmir, and we can do anything to save it”.

Earlier BJP National General Secretary Ram Madhav said that Article 370 must go from Jammu and Kashmir.

He added “Removal of Article 370 and bringing Jammu and Kashmir on par with other states is the only viable solution to the issue,”

He said this would be a befitting reply to separatists and Pakistan who are supporting and nourishing terrorism in the state and will pave the way to bring the people of Jammu and Kashmir, particularly those of the Valley, into the national mainstream.

He added that today large parts of the Valley are normal and peaceful. “Stone pelting has dropped. Problem confined to few districts in south Kashmir”. (PTK)

Srinagar: Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi has dispelled the impression that captured Indian pilot Abhinandan Varthaman was released under any pressure.

Talking to BBC Urdu, the minister said Islamabad intends to move against extremist elements and it would not allow non-state actors to put the regional peace at stake.

“Government will not allow any militia or any militant outfit to spreed extremism. “If any group is found involved in doing this, government plans to take against them,” he said.

“We can’t allow non-state actors to bring our country and the entire region to the brink,” he said.

Talking about the captured Indian pilot, he rejected the impression that there was any kind of pressure that could have forced Islamabad to release the detainee.

“We wanted to convey them the message that We don’t want to add to your pain, we don’t want to mistreatment of your citizens. We Want peace,” said he.

He expressed Pakistan desire that regional peace must not be put at risk for political gains.

The foreign minister said Pakistan would take action if it is provided with evidence against Jaish-e- Muhamamd.

SRINAGAR: Former IAS officer Shah Faesal today said that there has been a war playing in our lives for the last 30 years.

Shah Faesal said,”panic” that gripped the strife-torn region as India-Pakistan tensions reached boiling point after the attack in Pulwama.

“The last fortnight has been a horrific time for all of us,” Faesal, who resigned from the civil service in January, said at the India Today Conclave in New Delhi.

“I was in my home, and all of us were really waiting for these jets to crash over us and all these bombs to crash in through our roofs.”

“We haven’t slept,” Shah Faesal said.

“All Kashmir had gone for panic-buying and we were preparing for, maybe, a war of a couple of months,” recalled Shah Faesal, describing the past fortnight. “People were thinking: what if there is a nuclear attack?”

“Our children were totally agitated and we didn’t know how to arrange for their baby food.

“When there are hostilities between India and Pakistan”, Shah Faesal said, “it’s fundamentally the people of Jammu and Kashmir who become the worst sufferers of that war. So we would not want that war to happen.”

“There has been a war playing in our lives for the last 30 years,” Shah Faesal said. “And every morning, when my kid goes to school, my wife tells me that we don’t know [whether he will] come back. This war plays every evening in my house when my mom looks at the portrait of my dead father, who lost his life in this conflict.” (PTK)

SRINAGAR: Bharatiya Janata Party National General Secretary Ram Madhav said BJP has achieved normalcy in Kashmir Valley.

Speaking to the India Today Conclave, BJP leader Ram Madhav said today large parts of the Valley are normal and peaceful. “Stone pelting has dropped. Problem confined to few districts in south Kashmir,” Ram Madhav said. (PTK)

Ops on, says no mismanagement in conducting ops, area congested

Handwara, March 02: The encounter which started between security forces and militants on Friday midnight is still underway and there is no confirmation regarding the killing of any militant while as four forces personnel were killed so far.
According to KNO IGP Kashmir SP Pani while talking to reporters here on the sidelines of wreath lying ceremony of the two police men said: “There was no mismanagement in the proper special operation procedure (SOP), firing was going in from both the sides amid which four of our security personnels were killed but it’s sure there was no lag from the security end, Since we also had to vacate the civilian population as well.”
The encounter site is very congested, there are few operation difficulties, whatever is needed there is being done with respect to the situation, IG Pani said.

While as he said that, once the operation is over later it can be said how many militants have been killed in the operation, But he had the inputs regarding the presence of two militants there, following which the operation started.
However he said that, the operation is still on the area. A wreath lying ceremony was held for the slain JKP cops at District Police Lines Handwara, which was attended by, IG Kashmir, DIG North Kashmir, High officials from Army, CRPF, BSF, SSP Handwara and relative of the slain cops.
The two CRPF personals were were taken to srinagar and then to be diverted towards their respective destinations. The two JKP cops were identified as Naseer Ahmad and Ghulam Mustafa both residents of Kupwara district and Inspector Deepak Kumar and Constable Vinod of 92BN CRPF.(KNO)