TOP STORY OF THE DAY |
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| Top LeT commander Hamza killed in Sopore | | | | Early Times Report
Srinagar, Jan 28: A self-styled commander of Al Badr outfit and a top Lashker-e-Toiba militant were among four militants killed by security forces which also lost two jawans in separate encounters in the Kashmir valley today.
The top Al-Badr commander Abu Hamza was killed in a fierce gunfight with security forces at Amargarh village of Sopore in Baramulla district, official sources said.
Hamza, a resident of Pak-Occupied-Kashmir (PoK) was the operational commander of the militant outfit and had been behind several attacks on the security forces in the past.
Army jawan Sohan Singh of 52 Rashtriya Rifles was also killed in the encounter which began last evening and ended this morning, the sources said, adding an AK-47 rifle and four magazines were recovered.
After initial exchange of fire between the two sides, the operation was suspended late last night. At dawn, security forces resumed the operation and killed the lone militant hiding in a house, the sources said.
The sources said another army jawan was killed when militants opened heavy fire on a security... | |
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FRONT PAGE STORIES |
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| Hajj made complicated | | Aspirants need regular passport | | | HAMAAD SALIF
Jammu, Jan 28: Going on Hajj is all set to be a little complicated exercise this year onwards. Instead of the Hajj passes, issued instantly by government after draw of lots, the aspirants are now required to be in possession of a valid passport for obtaining visa for Saudi Arabia.
Muslims from all over India undertaking Haj from this year would require normal passports as special documents issued for the annual pilgrimage will no longer be valid.
Saudi Arabia has informed India that from this year, visas for Haj pilgrims will be issued only on normal "international" passports and not on the Haj pilgrim "passes" as has been the practice till last year.
The Ministry of Ex... | |
| | | | Two soldiers found dead | | | |
Srinagar, Jan 28: Two army personnel were found dead inside their bunker in Machil sector of Jammu and Kashmir, an army spokesman said here on Wednesday.
Rajesh Kumar and Rakesh Kumar, both sepoys, were found dead inside their bunker in Machil sector of Kupwara district on Tuesday, the spokesman said.
The bodies of the soldiers have been brought to the base camp for autopsy.
However, unconfirmed report said that the jawans died when the kerosene heater they were using in their bunker to beat the cold developed some fault during the intervening night and burst.
Both the jawans, who were asleep, were burnt to death in the incident, it said.
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| | | | Saji’s links go deep | | | |
ET DESK
Jammu, Jan. 28: Maharashtra anti-terror sleuths suspect that the heroin seized from IPS officer Saji Mohan, picked up from a Mumbai address last week, could have been sourced from Pakistan through a drug dealer in Jammu and Kashmir.
Parambir Singh, additional commissioner of the Maharashtra ATS which is probing the case, said the arrested officer of the Jammu and Kashmir cadre was giving “different versions” to his interrogators.
“But the markings found on the heroin (packets) indicate that they came from Pakistan between August 2007 and December 2008.”
Mohan’s colleagues at the Enforcement Directorate unit in Kochi, Kerala, where he had joined recently, however, said the of... | |
| | | | Kashmir off agenda of Obama envoy | | | |
AGENCIES
Washington, Jan 28 : The United States has made it clear that its newly appointed special envoy on Afghanistan and Pakistan, Richard Holbrooke, has no mandate to deal with Kashmir and his sole job is to help bring stability to Afghanistan.
"His mandate is to go out and try to help bring stability to Afghanistan, working closely with Pakistan to try to deal with the situation in the FATA region," Pakistan tribal belt along their porous border that has become a terrorist safe haven, State Department acting spokesman Robert Wood said Tuesday.
"Well, it's not in his mandate, as you mention, to deal with the subject of Kashmir," he said when asked why Holbrooke's brief did not i... | |
| | | | CM visits PM’s family in AIIMS | | | |
New Delhi, January 28- The Chief Minister, Mr. Omar Abdullah today visited the AIIMS to enquire about the health of the Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh.
Mr. Abdullah met the wife of the Prime Minister, Mrs Gursharan Kour and spent 20 minutes with her. He wished speedier recovery and early return to work of Dr. Singh.
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| | | | Omar bats for healthcare | | | |
ET REPORT
New Delhi, January 28: Chief Minister, Mr. Omar Abdullah underscored the need for setting up of two 400-bed maternity hospitals in J&K to reduce the heavy rush on the existing maternity facilities in the State and asked the union government to raise the central assistance to new maternity hospitals in Jammu and Srinagar.
In a meeting with Union Health Minister, Dr. Anbumani Ramadoss here late last night, the Chief Minister put forth the need to upgrade the health infrastructure in Jammu & Kashmir.
Dr Ramadoss assured the Chief Minister that efforts will be made to raise the resources and the Planning Commission will be approached in this regard.
From the Centre, Sec... | |
| | | | Train to go Baramulla next month | | | |
ET REPORT
New Delhi, January 28: The Rajwansher-Baramulla section of the railways in Kashmir will be thrown open for traffic with the inauguration of the Srinagar International Airport soon.
The assurance was given by the Railway Minister, mr. Lalu Prasad yadav to the Chief Minister, Mr. Omar Abdullah who met him here today.
The Chief Minister, who is currently on a visit to the national capital, called on Minister for Railways and requested him to have the work on Katra-Qazigund rail sector resumed at the earliest. The Railway Minister assured him that the work wherever suspended due to technicalities will be resumed soon.
The Chief Minister also urged him to throw open for traf... | |
| | | | 4 traffic cops suspended | | | | Early Times Report
Jammu, Jan 28 : The traffic wing of Jammu and Kashmir Police attached four personnel for not performing their duties in the absence of senior officer in Bakshi Nagar area of the city, sources said here today.
''As the in-charge of the check point was on leave, four officials were found not performing their duties in his absence, by the senior official during a surprise check,'' sources said.
They, however, have been attached to the Traffic Police Lines and identified as constables Mohan Krishan, Karan Kumar, Swaran Singh and Anil Kumar.
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| | | | Army’s eagle eye across IB | | | | Early Times Report
Jammu, Jan 28: Army is chalking out plans at the Corps level to counter the nefarious designs of the militants who are reportedly gathering across the international border (IB) at launch pads waiting to infiltrate into Jammu and Kashmir, official sources said.
As per the mounting intelligence reports, militants are gathering at the launch pads across the IB and waiting to cross over to this side.
Taking the intelligence reports seriously, Lt Gen Vinay Sharma, General Office Commanding, IX 'Rising Star' Corps, which holds the operational responsibility of the IB in Jammu region, arrived here yesterday on a ''significant'' four-day official visit to review the ground sit... | |
| | | | LS polls by mid May | | | |
ET DESK
Jammu, Jan 28: Political parties Wednesday said they are ready for the Lok Sabha elections, which will be held by May 18 as indicated by Election Commisssioner S.Y. Quraishi.
'Although it has not been announced officially, it was expected that elections would be held by mid-May and we are ready for it. We have been serving the people for five years and it has been a kind of preparation. We are ready to go to the electorate,' said Shakeel Ahmad, spokesperson of the Congress that leads the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government.
Asked about the selection of candidates, Ahmad said: 'The process is already on. The Congress Working Committee is meeting Jan 29 and soon all t... | |
| | | | ‘Elections can’t resolve K-issue’ | | | | Early Times Report
Jammu, Jan 28: Elections in Jammu and Kashmir, though fair and credible, are not linked with resolution of Kashmir issue which should be held by negotiations. This is what the Election Commission of India feels.
Delivering a lecture at the India House in London, the Election Commissioner SY Qureshi said the J-K assembly elections were not linked to the Kashmir problem. "It (the dispute) should be resolved through negotiations," he said.
Narrating the problems faced by the Election Commission in holding the 7-phase elections to the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly, Quraishi said the 61.5 per cent turnout despite adverse weather conditions justified their decision to go ahe... | |
| | | | Employees toughen stand, Govt in financial dilemma | | | |
BL KAUL
Jammu, Jan 28: Lakhs of government employees across different parts of state today observed strike, for second consecutive day, pressing for the implementation of the recommendations of sixth pay commission. Work in various state government offices remained paralysed due to the strike call by the employees' joint co-ordination committee. Shouting slogans for the extension of the Sixth Pay Commission benefits, hundreds of protesting employees marched through the city locations both in Jammu, Srinagar and other parts of the state.
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has already agreed to extend the benefits of the pay commission to the state. But the state government is yet to arrange ... | |
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