J & K news and discussion

Gerard · Post by **Gerard** » 27 Apr 2009 05:25

40 infiltrators killed in Kupwara, Gurez: Army

Y I Patel · Post by **Y I Patel** » 27 Apr 2009 07:16

There are some really positive signs emerging from the recent string of news of attempts at heavy infiltration during winter months.

Having to infiltrate during adverse winter conditions is no diabolical strategy, just a sign of desperation. A group of 120 infiltrates, and 75% of them are porters and guides. The logistics resemble those of an army expedition! Where is the cost effectiveness of a classic guerrilla operation?

Trained to army levels? Give me a break. All through the 90s, we fought their actual army while battling infiltration; artillery, heavy infantry weapons and all. And now we are supposed to have palpitations because they have GPS and Thuraya? 155 mm shells I would be worried about. Mortars and HMGs give me pause. But a rag tag bunch trying desperately to break through successive army lines of defense, spending most of their time getting chased around and getting shot at or dodging avalanches... who exactly are they terrorizing?

So was it an ambush that the paras walked into? Classic ambush strategy is about small, mobile groups that land their best punch and then melt away. A large group (and for ambushes, >20 is huge) that holds its ground? Against a trained, well equipped and motivated army? What they have been doing goes against all fundamentals of guerrilla warfare. And BTW, hats off to the paras for holding their own when surprised. Even exchange of casualties under such circumstances actually speaks volumes to their training and effectiveness.

Terrorists are most effective when they operate in small elusive groups that hit soft targets and melt away. That's how terror spreads - when they inflict pain far in excess of pain inflicted on them. This bunch, in contrast, is fighting the best of IA in situations that maximize IA's strengths. Think back just 10 years. IA and other Indian security forces had to face these vermin in far more unfavorable circumstances. In crowded cities, against local militants who could mingle with supportive local populations and hide behind international sympathizers. If they died, they made headlines for their cause and gained martyrdom. Where is the martyrdom in being buried under tons of snow, or being hounded like vermin in some remote forest? If a terrorist dies in a forest where no one hears his screams, is his martyrdom validated?

vsudhir · Post by **vsudhir** » 27 Apr 2009 20:34

400 terrorists waiting to cross LoC: Indian Army

ashish raval · Post by **ashish raval** » 27 Apr 2009 21:13

Why can't India install massive towers which can transmit Doordarshan Kashmir or Radio to whole PoK to let the PoK kashmiri know about the development of Indian state of J&K.

sum · Post by **sum** » 27 Apr 2009 21:34

ashish raval wrote:Why can't India install massive towers which can transmit Doordarshan Kashmir or Radio to whole PoK to let the PoK kashmiri know about the development of Indian state of J&K.

I thought we are doing it already....

Terrorists are most effective when they operate in small elusive groups that hit soft targets and melt away. That's how terror spreads - when they inflict pain far in excess of pain inflicted on them. This bunch, in contrast, is fighting the best of IA in situations that maximize IA's strengths. Think back just 10 years. IA and other Indian security forces had to face these vermin in far more unfavorable circumstances. In crowded cities, against local militants who could mingle with supportive local populations and hide behind international sympathizers. If they died, they made headlines for their cause and gained martyrdom. Where is the martyrdom in being buried under tons of snow, or being hounded like vermin in some remote forest? If a terrorist dies in a forest where no one hears his screams, is his martyrdom validated?

Patel-guru,
After reading your post, it does indeed seem that the "guerilla" aspect is gone in this face off...All the points you mention are very valid and true.

I actually feel for the brainwashed pigs since they have to trek through all the hazardous high altitude braving avalanches only to try and escape the ence level ambush teams of the IA. Even if they do that, the IA knows they have crossed over and hunt them down ruthlessly ensuring that the poor pig isn't even able to rest easy a single minute from the time he sets off from his base camp in Pak till he eventually meets his 72...

jamwal · Post by **jamwal** » 28 Apr 2009 14:32

PTI quoting an unnamed CID officer:
LeT, JeM, LeJ join hands under banner of ‘Muslim United Army

LAHORE:Banned terrorist groups in Pakistan’s Punjab province are gaining strength after joining hands on a new platform – Muslim United Army – and have become a serious challenge for the Government which lacks resources to effectively counter their activities.

The banned groups—Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Mohammed and Lashkar-e-Jhangvi – have a common cause under the banner of MUA and their activities are also in line with those of the Taliban, according to a report drawn up by the Crime Investigation Department.

The report also said militancy has been rapidly taking roots in Punjab province, especially in the five districts of Muzaffarghar, Dera Ghazi Khan, Bahawalpur, Rahim Yar Khan and Bhakkar.

sum wrote:Why can't India install massive towers which can transmit Doordarshan Kashmir or Radio to whole PoK to let the PoK kashmiri know about the development of Indian state of J&K.

Last year when I was near Rajouri-Poonch border, not even mobile signal was Indian. Things are slowly changing, but not as fast as we'd like.

I actually feel for the brainwashed pigs since they have to trek through all the hazardous high altitude braving avalanches only to try and escape the ence level ambush teams of the IA. Even if they do that, the IA knows they have crossed over and hunt them down ruthlessly ensuring that the poor pig isn't even able to rest easy a single minute from the time he sets off from his base camp in Pak till he eventually meets his 72...

What about sparing a thought for our own soldiers who have to endure far worse conditions for a much longer amount of time just to hunt these useless turds down. Unlike these terrorists, our soldiers don't have any wet dreams about 72 virgins after death and have families waiting and praying for their safe return.

Ardeshir · Post by **Ardeshir** » 28 Apr 2009 15:20

sum wrote:
ashish raval wrote:Why can't India install massive towers which can transmit Doordarshan Kashmir or Radio to whole PoK to let the PoK kashmiri know about the development of Indian state of J&K.
I thought we are doing it already....

I lived with a couple of Pakis, and one of them was from a village near Sialkot, and he told me how they were hooked to Doordarshan programs because they didn't get good Pak TV reception where they lived.

sum · Post by **sum** » 28 Apr 2009 18:34

Last year when I was near Rajouri-Poonch border, not even mobile signal was Indian.

That would be because of jamming of mobiles at border areas to avoid piggies using them.....Would be the same case at the BD and China borders (though it seems a negative and self defeating action)...

What about sparing a thought for our own soldiers who have to endure far worse conditions for a much longer amount of time just to hunt these useless turds down. Unlike these terrorists, our soldiers don't have any wet dreams about 72 virgins after death and have families waiting and praying for their safe return.

True....

But since none of our GoI netas/babus have the b@lls to go after the pigs in their staging areas itself, this is the second best scenario we can hope for...

ashish raval · Post by **ashish raval** » 28 Apr 2009 18:56

Prasant wrote:
sum wrote: I thought we are doing it already....
I lived with a couple of Pakis, and one of them was from a village near Sialkot, and he told me how they were hooked to Doordarshan programs because they didn't get good Pak TV reception where they lived.

That is good sign. I hope they do it big time.

jamwal · Post by **jamwal** » 29 Apr 2009 11:09

Militant commanders now use Pak companies' mobiles

JAMMU, Apr 28: Commanders of different militant outfits operating close to Line of Control (LoC) and Pir Panjal range were now more relying on Pakistan mobile telephones to communicate with their mentors in Pakistan and occupied Kashmir instead of using high frequency wireless sets for the fear of interception.
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Sources said three telecom companies, operating from Pakistan including U-Fone, PK-2 and Pak Airtel have been forced to raise powerful towers close to LoC in PoK especially the areas bordering twin districts of Poonch and Rajouri by Pakistan army and Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).
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This has been done to facilitate easy communication between militant commanders on two sides of LoC. It may be mentioned here that Pakistan militants can speak to their associates on this side even on Indian companies mobile telephone but the ultras from this part of the State can’t dial the numbers of PoK or Pakistan as ISD calls to the neighbouring country have been barred due to security reasons.

Is it possible to eavesdrop on Paki mobile communications?

Substantial rise in infiltration: Army chief

NEW DELHI, Apr 28:Infiltration of terrorists into Jammu and Kashmir, helped by Pakistani establishment, has risen substantially, with March recording the highest influx as compared to the corresponding month in the last seven years.
Army chief Gen Deepak Kapoor today said there was information about more militants preparing to infiltrate into India and that his force has "refined" the pattern of deployment to foil these attempts.

"As far as Jammu and Kashmir is concerned, infiltration has increased in March because of the elections being held there and to disrupt the electoral process in the State, "
"The figure upto March 31 says that 54 terrorists have come into Jammu and Kashmir," Gen Kapoor added.

ashish raval · Post by **ashish raval** » 29 Apr 2009 13:29

sum wrote:Last year when I was near Rajouri-Poonch border, not even mobile signal was Indian.
That would be because of jamming of mobiles at border areas to avoid piggies using them.....Would be the same case at the BD and China borders (though it seems a negative and self defeating action)...

I think if we know the GPS locations of this towers, occassionally IA can "mis" fire the precision artillary during the practice sessions which can lant in those sensitive areas.

sum · Post by **sum** » 29 Apr 2009 14:57

Is it possible to eavesdrop on Paki mobile communications?

Would assume that our agencies having Sat phone intercepting capabilities must be able to intercept GSM?
Gurus could explain....

Tanaji · Post by **Tanaji** » 29 Apr 2009 15:16

http://cryptome.info/0001/a51-bsw/a51-bsw.htm

GSM uses a stream cipher A5 for encrypting the voice part of it. That has been broken as is evident by the above link.

A3 and A8 are used for authentication and key generation respectively. Both have been broken.

Bottom line: GSM is hopelessly broken.

jamwal · Post by **jamwal** » 30 Apr 2009 10:49

CDMA ?

Dilbu · Post by **Dilbu** » 30 Apr 2009 11:48

jamwal wrote:CDMA ?

I am no techie abdul but AFAIK CDMA needs dedicated mobile phones adhering to that communication protocol, which leads to proper registration and identification of the user. That takes out cheap tarrel than mountain phones and sim card swapping from the equation. The CDMA service providers are lower in numbers when compared to GSM and finally I believe CDMA will also be intercepted as easily as GSM. Gurus please correct me if I am wrong.

Rudradev · Post by **Rudradev** » 30 Apr 2009 23:46

jamwal wrote:

Substantial rise in infiltration: Army chief

NEW DELHI, Apr 28:Infiltration of terrorists into Jammu and Kashmir, helped by Pakistani establishment, has risen substantially, with March recording the highest influx as compared to the corresponding month in the last seven years.
Army chief Gen Deepak Kapoor today said there was information about more militants preparing to infiltrate into India and that his force has "refined" the pattern of deployment to foil these attempts.

"As far as Jammu and Kashmir is concerned, infiltration has increased in March because of the elections being held there and to disrupt the electoral process in the State, "
"The figure upto March 31 says that 54 terrorists have come into Jammu and Kashmir," Gen Kapoor added.

I'm a little confused as to what is being measured here. Is it the absolute value of infiltration/influx as the DDM report implies? Or is it the number of detected infiltration attempts that has increased this March as opposed to March of the last seven years?

I suppose it must be to some extent a combination of detected/foiled attempts, plus estimated numbers of successful infilitators per humint reports and listening in on Paki communications? After all there is no way to count how many terrorists actually slipped into J&K undetected.

pgbhat · Post by **pgbhat** » 01 May 2009 00:57

Dilbu wrote: The CDMA service providers are lower in numbers when compared to GSM and finally I believe CDMA will also be intercepted as easily as GSM. Gurus please correct me if I am wrong.

CDMA can be intercepted nowadays.... although frequency hopping was first devised to avoid interception.

Nihat · Post by **Nihat** » 08 May 2009 12:16

Poonch (Jammu and Kashmir): The worst fears and relentless intelligence inputs of an increased infiltration from Pakistan into India have been confirmed with Jammu and Kashmir police seizing Pakistani SIM cards from a Laskhar-e-Toiba commander arrested recently in Poonch.

According to police, Pakistani mobile networks are fully functional on the Indian side of the border, with a better connectivity than Indian networks themselves.

That's because Pakistani signals spill 10 to 15 km inside Indian territory

Police say the seizure is a damning proof that terror outfits are increasing relying on Pakistani telecom operators for communication in the border areas of Jammu and Kashmir.

“They (terrorists) have been using Indian SIM cards but it’s for the first time that Pakistani SIM cards have been used,” says Additional SP, Poonch, Tahir Bhatt.

Among the telecom operators traced are PK Ufone, Telenor, Pak PL, Warid Tel and Pakistan's telecom giant Mobilink.

Security agencies say the use of these networks make it harder to track records and intercepts of conversations between terror groups. Also, these networks facilitate outgoing calls from Jammu and Kashmir to Pakistan - a service which is otherwise barred by the Indian operators

While most Indian network services are barred in the region, a manual search on a mobile handset throws up five Pakistani networks.

The Home Department had earlier warned that Pakistan was erecting more mobile towers along the border to increase signal strength.

This latest seizure of SIM cards is grim reminder of how allowing such developments may increase misuse by cross-border terrorists, posing a threat to India's security.

http://ibnlive.in.com/news/terror-on-sp ... 095-3.html

Surely these can be jammed well inside PoK too

Gaurav_S · Post by **Gaurav_S** » 09 May 2009 06:38

Militants trying to shoot down helicopters in J&K

Srinagar, May 6: Militants are attempting to shoot down helicopters over the jungles of Doda in Jammu and higher reaches of North Kashmir, prompting the Union home ministry to advise on the appropriate height to maintain during a flight and securing the landing area at the helipad.

A circular was issued after central security agencies reported to the Ministry about a hole in the tail of a Pathankot-based helicopter squadron which had returned after a sortie from militancy-hit Doda region, official sources said.

A forensic examination of the 20 MM hole on the side of tail-fin of the chopper left the sleuths and the Indian Air Force officials zapped as it confirmed that it was caused by a bullet.

It is suspected that the most probable location of firing was Doda in Jammu and Kashmir. The flight path of the helicopter was chalked out and it was found that it was flying over the jungles in Doda after which a conclusion was drawn that militants could have attempted to target the helicopter which was on a regular Pathankot-Kud-Mundhar-Batot sortie, the sources said.

In a communication to state police chiefs, the home ministry asked them to ensure proper flight path and securing helipads properly and also to take extra precautions by deploying Quick Reaction Teams in case of a VIP.

tripathi · Post by **tripathi** » 09 May 2009 14:58

Gaurav_S wrote:Militants trying to shoot down helicopters in J&K

Srinagar, May 6: Militants are attempting to shoot down helicopters over the jungles of Doda in Jammu and higher reaches of North Kashmir, The flight path of the helicopter was chalked out and it was found that it was flying over the jungles in Doda after which a conclusion was drawn that militants could have attempted to target the helicopter which was on a regular Pathankot-Kud-Mundhar-Batot sortie, the sources said.

may be above chopper incident prompted the search of militants in the said area and hence the following encounter:

Top LeT militant, aide killed in Jammu and Kashmir

Jammu: A top commander of the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LET) terrorist group and his aide were killed in a gunbattle with security forces in Jammu and Kashmir's Doda district on Saturday morning, officials said.

In a joint operation, the army and police threw a tight cordon around the Dhar forest area of Doda district, about 170 km from here, late Friday night following a tip off about the presence of terrorists.

'We managed to hole in the group and the gunbattle began on Saturday morning,' Hemant Lohia, deputy inspector general of police (Doda range), said.

sum · Post by **sum** » 09 May 2009 15:05

Militants are attempting to shoot down helicopters over the jungles of Doda in Jammu and higher reaches of North Kashmir, prompting the Union home ministry to advise on the appropriate height to maintain during a flight and securing the landing area at the helipad.

Isn't this stupidity on part of the Pakis/pigs since aircraft shooting ensures all gloves are off? (IIRC, India and Pak had a "gentleman's agreement"

of no stingers/AA in the valley meaning no all out,no holds barred action against Pak for sponsoring the pigs)

Gaurav_S · Post by **Gaurav_S** » 09 May 2009 15:06

If that's the case then I would say very stupid of militants who fired at chopper and hence revealed their location.

I dont buy, their motive was to just crash the chopper.

Or else they were stuck in the forest for days and very frustrated.

tripathi · Post by **tripathi** » 09 May 2009 15:15

seems to be different encounter apart from doda dhar forest.

Militant killed in Srinagar encounter

A militant was killed in an encounter with security forces in Ganderbal district on Saturday, army sources said.
Acting on specific information, security forces sealed Kangan area, 40 kms from here, this morning to flush out militants.

As the troops zeroed in at a particular house, where the militants were hiding, the ultras opened fire at the forces and in the ensuing gunbattle a militant was killed, the sources said.

The operation was still in progress when reports last came in, they added.

tripathi · Post by **tripathi** » 09 May 2009 15:27

sum wrote: Isn't this stupidity on part of the Pakis/pigs since aircraft shooting ensures all gloves are off? (IIRC, India and Pak had a "gentleman's agreement" of no stingers/AA in the valley meaning no all out,no holds barred action against the pigs)

when this agreement of no stingers/AA happened.Didnt pak army used stinger to down mig27 in kargil war in 1999.

sum · Post by **sum** » 09 May 2009 15:38

Other than the Kargil war, there are no other instances of stinger usage in the 20 years of "insurgency".

Anyways, the IA went the whole hog with complete escalation during Kargil, something they avoid in normal times.

negi · Post by **negi** » 09 May 2009 20:30

It seems they are using MMG's or Heavy Machine guns in AA mode ; low flying choppers specially the one's with no or little Armour are vulnerable to heavy caliber rounds.

jamwal · Post by **jamwal** » 11 May 2009 11:59

Travel by fake passports on rise. Militant comdrs develop new infiltration routes

By Sanjeev Pargal

JAMMU, May 10:

Intelligence sources told the Excelsior that Pakistan army and Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) were hesitant to push the top militant commanders of Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) and Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) through Line of Control (LoC) or International Border (IB) mainly for the fear of getting trapped by the security forces in view of fencing and installation of sophisticated gadgetry.

All four commanders had flown from Islamabad to Karachi and then taken a flight from Karachi to Kathmandu. From Kathmandu, they had reached Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh by bus. They took train from Gorakhpur to New Delhi and then from Delhi to Jammu.

From Jammu, the commanders are sent to their destinations including the Kashmir valley and Doda belt etc. (Railway line between Jammu and Srinagar will be operational soon)

According to sources, in addition to Karachi-Nepal air route, some of the militant commanders have also taken Karachi-Dhaka route and then sneaked into India via Bangladesh-West Bengal border.

The seized passports had been issued from Islamabad and provided multiple entries with immigration stamps of Nepal and Bangladesh. Both these nations have been turning into a hub for the militants planning to sneak into India.

According to sources, some of the militants entering the country on fake passports were also leaving for other States. As the militants carried passports and identity cards which, though being fake can’t be detected by the local staff on duty, it was becoming very difficult to check their infiltration into the country, they said.

Earlier, even the top militant commanders were pushed into J&K either from LoC or IB. However, the ISI and Pakistan army with the help of their guides living close to the border, had developed certain ‘safer routes’ exclusively for intrusion of top commanders to ensure their safe infiltration. After fencing and installation of modernised gadgetry on the borders, these routes too had been plugged by the security forces.

negi · Post by **negi** » 11 May 2009 22:53

I understand that enforcing or making a law like POTA is a NO NO for Secular India ,but WTF we do not enforce a strict Passport and Visa check for people coming in from NEPAL and even BHUTAN ? As it is former will be gobbled by the lizard in a few years from now, GOI should at least demarcate the International boundary clearly else will onlee

later .

archan · Post by **archan** » 18 May 2009 21:22

Hizb leader attacks party, kills groom

Hizbul Mujaheeden (HM) militants killed Ejaz Ahmed in front of his newly married wife late Thursday night.

The reason: she had spurned a militant leader, Ishfaq, and got married to Ahmed, a smalltime businessman at Dewal Morha Bharmidhar village in Reasi district, about 125 km from Jammu.

And they still call themselves mujahideen? they seek freedom for whom? the same people they are killing? what happened to "a Muslim cannot kill another Muslim"? I guess they don't need 7000000000000000000000 Hindu troops to kill the innocent Kashmiris after all? their self proclaimed liberators are doing it. How long can they fool the poor Kashmiris?

Tilak · Post by **Tilak** » 24 May 2009 00:45

Srinagar-Muzzafarabad open to all Indians
May 23rd, 2009 - 5:58 pm ICT by ANI

Srinagar, May 23 (ANI): The bus service from Srinagar to Muzzafarabad in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (POK) has been thrown open to everyone in India. Earlier, it was restricted only to people with relatives across the border.Government has eased the existing rules, as a result of which more people can now travel across the border. They don’t need a valid passport but a permit issued by the passport officer in Kashmir is mandatory. The permit would be valid only for POK.

“The ministry has sent us clarifications that any Indian national can apply for cross LOC (Line of Control) travel. After applying and verifications we send the documents to the Pakistan authorities. It is up to the Pakistan authorities to accept or reject them,” said B.S Manavalan, regional passport officer, Srinagar.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has also come up with a ‘triple entry permit’ for frequent travelers, which will put an end to the agony of going over the formalities repeatedly.
...

sunnyP · Post by **sunnyP** » 01 Jun 2009 21:28

Why don't we see such protests when Pakistani based jihadis are slaying innocent civilians in J&K?

Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said an inquiry had become necessary because of the people's lack of faith in police investigations.

"Initial findings do not suggest either rape or murder. But there is a need to establish beyond doubt so that people are satisfied as far as possible.

"Most of the Valley is shut down. People want truth and they want it from a credible source," he said.

A retired high court judge, Justice Muzaffar Jan, has been given one month to complete the inquiry.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/8076666.stm

Ameet · Post by **Ameet** » 02 Jun 2009 01:37

The Jammu-Kashmir rail link gets a final fillip

link

The project, regarded as one of the most formidable in the world in terms of execution as it deals with earthquake-prone, conflict-mired terrain and other geological difficulties, ground to a halt when mid-way through the construction of the Chenab bridge doubts arose about whether the structure would hold. The project, under construction since 1994, was given the status of a national project in 2002 under the Vajpayee government. The initial deadline was for 2009. Various delays pushed it to 2012.

However, some officials say the deadline could be pushed further. "With a new minister in Mamata Banerjee, the project will have to be presented to her and then taken forward," says a senior rail ministry official. There is also talk of building a rail link to Ladakh. While no detailed project report has been submitted, the idea is being pitched as a project for the new government.

p_saggu · Post by **p_saggu** » 02 Jun 2009 03:44

Udhampur Katra section is to be completed by 2011.

Is this correct? I looked this up on google earth, the railway line now goes right around Katra. So anyone who wants to go to Vaishno Devi can hop on to a train from Jammu-Udhampur-Katra.

I think they are referring to the Katra Section rather than Katra town itself.

KLNMurthy · Post by **KLNMurthy** » 02 Jun 2009 04:11

sunnyP wrote:Why don't we see such protests when Pakistani based jihadis are slaying innocent civilians in J&K?

Because it is completely unacceptable for a kaffir to be doing anything aggressive against one of the elect; while the elect are allowed to have normal hierarchical bullying and killing among themselves.

But you knew that, right?

shiv · Post by **shiv** » 02 Jun 2009 16:09

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Citi ... 605520.cms

This soldier was to name his baby in July
2 Jun 2009, 0245 hrs IST, Prashanth G N, TNN

BANGALORE: A terrorist encounter in faraway Kashmir may not always directly impact our lives, but the Saturday night one at Rajpura in interior
Kashmir has left a family grieving in Malathhalli near Nagarbhavi, Bangalore.

Gururaj Singh, a soldier shot dead by terrorists near Rajpura, leaves behind his shocked wife K Usha and eight-month-old son
at their modest home in Malathhalli.

....

Usha's father Krishnappa said, "I spoke to him on Saturday night at 6.30 pm. It was all normal and he was his usual self. After speaking for some time, he said he would call by 10.30 pm to speak to everybody else. But no call came till midnight. Normally he would call. But we got to know that the encounter with terrorists took place around that time.''

In his previous call, Singh had said he would be coming to Bangalore in July for his child's christening. "It had been six months since he came home and we were expecting it to be a good family get-together. Earlier too, he had been posted in Kashmir and told us many times that he was safe. He himself had not suspected this would happen, since in his earlier postings, he didn't come across any such encounter. We did not expect this."

vsudhir · Post by **vsudhir** » 02 Jun 2009 18:10

This soldier was to name his baby in July
2 Jun 2009, 0245 hrs IST, Prashanth G N, TNN

BANGALORE: A terrorist encounter in faraway Kashmir may not always directly impact our lives, but the Saturday night one at Rajpura in interior
Kashmir has left a family grieving in Malathhalli near Nagarbhavi, Bangalore.

Gururaj Singh, a soldier shot dead by terrorists near Rajpura, leaves behind his shocked wife K Usha and eight-month-old son
at their modest home in Malathhalli.

Ayyo. This is very sad indeed. He made the supreme sacrifice. May the brave soul RIP.

negi · Post by **negi** » 04 Jun 2009 00:18

TOI at its best

Curfew in Srinagar, Geelani arrested

SRINAGAR: Chairman of the hardline faction of Hurriyat Conference Syed Ali Shah Geelani was arrested from his residence here on Wednesday, in the midst of an agitation over the death of two women in Kashmir Valley.

Geelani, 79, who had called for strike and protests after bodies of two women were found on Saturday in Shopian, was arrested by police minutes before he was scheduled to address a press conference at his Hyderpora residence on Srinagar-Airport road at 4 pm.

The separatist leader was under house arrest since April 12.

A curfew was imposed in Srinagar on Wednesday, as protests continued for the third consecutive day over the alleged rape and killing of two women by security forces.

The protesters burnt effigies of Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah, who has ordered a judicial inquiry into the deaths.

Streets remained deserted, shops and businesses shut, as the strike called by separatists crippled activity. Security personnel patrolled the roads, as movement was restricted in the city.

The strike called by the All Parties Hurriyat (Freedom) Conference, also closed schools, colleges and many government offices in Kashmir.

The shutdown strike left the residents harried and troubled. Life was at a standstill as many were forced to remain indoors.

"We are facing a lot of problems. We are not allowed to go anywhere. Life has come to a standstill. There are many difficulties," said Nisar Ahmed, a resident.

Residents alleged the two women, aged 17 and 22, were abducted, raped and killed by security forces in Shopian, 60 km from Srinagar.

The authorities denied that the women had been drowned in a stream. A police statement said the post-mortem revealed no marks of violence.

Gerard · Post by **Gerard** » 07 Jun 2009 06:46

Kashmir in a cusp

Gerard · Post by **Gerard** » 07 Jun 2009 06:47

Impotent West rages at Lanka

In those days the Anglo-American media merrily concocted grim stories of human rights violations by the Indian state, many of them fed by a certain Robin Raphel who had been appointed America’s official busybody for South Asia by President Bill Clinton. The terrorists, separatists and assorted Islamists in the Valley hero-worshipped her while human rights organisations tripped over each other to produce gory reports which Ms Raphel would then cite to denigrate India. I recall receiving a glossy report published by Amnesty International on ‘extrajudicial killings’ in the Kashmir Valley by the Indian Army. The cover showed a distraught, dishevelled woman wailing over a grave and the caption said, “A Kashmiri widow grieves for her husband killed by the Indian Army” — or words to that effect. A friend in London alerted me that it was a con job; friends in the Government helped track down the origin of the cover photograph: It had been shot at the grave of a peer in south India, a visit to which is believed to cure lunatics of their lunacy. There was no e-mail those days, so a fax was sent to Amnesty International seeking its comment. There was no response. The Pioneer ran a story pointing out the inaccuracy and raising questions about the contents between the misleading covers. It was subsequently picked up by other newspapers and news services. Amnesty International put out a long statement, insisting that the cover was ‘only illustrative’ and the contents of the report were ‘correct’. But nobody, barring the Anglo-American media, bothered to take note of it.

Gerard · Post by **Gerard** » 07 Jun 2009 07:12

Some dangerous liaisons in July
By MJ Akbar