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32 killed as militants strike in Jammu Jammu, May 14 (ANI): Suspected Islamic militants opened fire on bus passengers and attacked an army camp nearby in Jammu on Tuesday, killing nearly 32 men, women and children before being gunned down, an army spokesman said. It was the bloodiest attack in nearly eight months in the region, the focus of a military buildup between India and Pakistan, and coincided with a visit to New Delhi by U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Christina Rocca to try to ease tension between the two neighbours. Analysts said the raid would increase pressure on the government to act against Pakistan-based Muslim rebels, but they did not expect an immediate military response. Three militants, wearing army uniforms, opened fire inside a bus near the Ratnachak army camp killing several passengers. They ran off the bus and into the camp to an area housing family quarters, workshops and canteens. Many of the victims were wives and children of soldiers stationed at the base about 15 km south of Jammu. Dozens of Indian army personnel were swarming the camp around the bodies of the militants. In a Jammu hospital the bodies of civilians were lying wrapped in white sheets as their family members looked on. The militants, suspected members of Islamic groups fighting Indian rule in Kashmir, were killed four hours after the start of the attack, in which 32 people, including the three raiders, died, an army spokesman in New Delhi said. A defence spokesman said in Jammu that the rebels in combat dress alighted from a (public) transport bus near the army camp after opening indiscriminate fire. The spokesman said that after storming the gate, they injured the gate-keeper and then barged into the family quarters. The intruders, armed with AK 47s, hand grenades and explosives, were firing all around. And once they reached inside the house, they wired the houses with the explosives, Major-General Mohan Pandey told reporters. No one claimed responsibility for the attack, but police said they suspected members of the Pakistan-based militant groups Lashkar-e-Taiba or Jaish-e-Mohammad, who have launched suicide attacks on army installations in the past. It was the bloodiest attack in Kashmir since 38 people were killed in a suicide raid on the state assembly in October. About a dozen Muslim separatist groups are battling Indian forces in Kashmir. At least 33,000 people have been killed since the revolt erupted in 1989. Separatists say the death toll is at least 80,000. India accuses Pakistan of stoking the rebellion by arming militants and sending them across the border. Pakistan denies the charge, saying it provides only moral support for what it calls a legitimate Kashmiri struggle for self-determination. India and Pakistan, which have fought two of their three wars over Kashmir, have been locked in a tense standoff since a December 13 raid on India's parliament that New Delhi blamed on Pakistani-based Kashmiri rebels. More than a million men have massed along the border, backed by warplanes, tanks and missile batteries. India controls about 45 percent of Muslim-majority Kashmir, Pakistan a third and China the rest.(ANI) Dhumal condemns "dastardly" attack
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to top New Delhi, May 14 (ANI): Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal has strongly condemned the dastardly attack on innocent passengers by a "Fidayeen" (suicide) squad in Jammu- bound bus at Kaluchak on Tuesday morning, in which seven people were killed and several others injured, according to information reaching the State Headquarters. He described the attack as an act of cowardice. Dhumal on receipt of information about this incident has directed Transport Minister Kishan Kapoor to rush to the site of the incident to take stock of the situation alongwith Deputy Commissioner and Superintendent of Police. He asked them to arrange for identification of the bodies and bringing them to their homes. He also directed the administration and HRTC to provide relief to the bereaved families. The Chief Minister has directed authorities to beef up security on the borders as well as in the buses plying in terrorist- affected areas. He has asked the Chief Secretary to take up the matter with the Jammu and Kashmir Government and ask them for providing security to the Himachal Pradesh buses plying in Jammu and Kashmir areas.(ANI)
"Indo-US relations a priority of Bush Administration" Go to top New Delhi, May 14 (ANI): The development of Indo-US relations is a priority for the Bush Administration, especially in the defence arena, stated Douglas Feith, US Under Secretary of Defence for Policy at a seminar organized by the Confederation of Indian Industry, the National Defence Industrial Association and the US- India Business Council here on Tuesday. According to Feith, both India and the US were natural allies as they shared many common features such as a vibrant democracy and similar values and ideology. Therefore, it was only natural for the two countries to work together to combat terrorism. He highlighted the growing number of US officials that had visited India over the past year. According to him, these visits were the fallout of the agreement between President Bush and Prime Minister Vajpayee to strengthen defence cooperation, according to a CII press release. He noted that this resolve had already begun to show results with the rapid conclusion of the deal to sell eight fire-finder radars to India, joint naval exercises and joint patrolling of shipping lanes. (ANI)
Tripathi elected UP Speaker third time
Go to top Lucknow, May 14 (ANI): Senior BJP leader Kesari Nath Tripathi was on Tuesday unanimously elected Speaker of the Uttar Pradesh assembly. He has been elected to the post for the third time. His was the only nomination filed for the post. All the main political parties, barring the Samajwadi Party, proposed Tripathy's name.(ANI)
Govt has come through successfully on Gujarat issue: Vajpayee
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top New Delhi, May 14 (ANI): Expressing satisfaction on the overall performance of the Government in the current budget session of Parliament, Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on Tuesday said it had come through "successfully" on the Gujarat issue having defeated the Opposition censure motion in Lok Sabha despite Government favouring a consensus resolution. Briefing reporters after a BJP Parliamentary Party meeting, its spokesman VK Malhotra said the Prime Minister told members that the Government had wanted the Lok Sabha to adopt a resolution through consensus, but the Opposition wanted to censure the Government. "In Lok Sabha, we wanted a consensus on the resolution on Gujarat, but our opponents were not ready for it. Due to this there was voting and in that we proved our majority," Vajpayee told the meeting. The Prime Minister told members that there was apprehension at the beginning of the Budget session of Parliament over the Government's stability, but this was proved otherwise when the censure motion moved by the Opposition in the Lok Sabha was defeated. Malhotra said Vajpayee asked members to fan out to their constituencies immediately after the session and portray the right picture of the government and inform their constituents about the stability of the government.(ANI)
Infiltration through Pir Panjal pass in J-K
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top Srinagar, May 14 (ANI): Army officials say a group of Pakistan- trained militants have infiltrated into India recently through the Pir Panjal pass, closer to the border in Jammu and Kkashmir. "In the valley, I think a few people have managed to infiltrate over the Pir Panjal pass, that means from the south west corner of the valley. But we are not sure and we do not have information of any infiltration that may have taken place elsewhere," said V.G. Patankar, an army commander. "The total number if you would like me to say-- maybe some infiltration has taken place from other places---I would say not more than 50-55 people have infiltrated," Patankar said. Pir Panjal ranges have been found to be the most convenient hide- outs for militants as they can easily take shelter in nomads' houses on gun-point. Patankar claimed the incidents of violence had gone down in the Kashmir valley after India amassed troops along its border with Pakistan following last year's attack on its parliament. But he was quick to add that terrorist activities would increase after the snow melts in the higher reaches. "On the one side the law and order situation is getting better. This is what the police said and they are right. On the other hand since this is not something that can be allowed by Pakistan to happen because it is only a matter of time then everything will become normal here and that is when the level of terrorism has been pushed here," V.G. Patankar said. "And that is why and this is where the security forces have achieved greater success. That's why we have had success. So it is a peculiar situation that in one column there is a decrease and at another column there is an increase," he added. Since January, security officials have killed more than 800 militants in Jammu and Kashmir. New Delhi accuses Islamabad of fomenting the decade-old separatist rebellion in Jammu and Kashmir by providing support to militant groups determined to wrest control of the Himalayan territory from India. It has said Pakistan must halt "cross-border terrorism" and propaganda against India before peace talks between the nuclear- capable rivals can resume. Islamabad denies New Delhi's charges but says it provides only moral, diplomatic and political support to the Kashmiri people's struggle for self-determination. India controls about 45 percent of the disputed territory comprising the regions of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh. Pakistan holds just over a third of the territory and China controls the remainder.(ANI)
India strongly condemns suicide attack by militants
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to top New Delhi, May 14 (ANI): India on Tuesday condemned the rebel suicide attack on an army camp and a public transport bus in the revolt-torn state of Jammu and Kashmir that killed 33 people. "Of course, we all strongly and unequivocally condemn this dastardly act of terrorism. But as you know the investigations are on and at this moment I will not make a further statement on this subject," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Nirupama Rao said while briefing newspersons. The attack, the bloodiest since 38 people died in a raid on the Jammu and Kashmir assembly in October last year, coincided with the visit of the U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for South Asian Affairs Christina Rocca. Rao said Rocca was briefed about the prevailing situation in Jammu and Kashmir. "As far as the contents of the discussion (are concerned), I can only broadly indicate that yes the situation in the region was discussed and we conveyed to her our assessment of the situation," Rao said. The disputed Himalayan region of Kashmir has been at the centre of a tense military confrontation between the two nuclear-armed rivals since a December attack on parliament that New Delhi blamed on Pakistan-based guerrillas. Separatist violence has continued unabated since then. Nearly 850 people, mostly militants, have been killed since January this year in the region.(ANI)
Lashkar behind Jammu attacks: Advani
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to top New Delhi, May 14 (ANI): Union Home Minister Lal Krishna Advani said on Tuesday three Pakistani Islamic militants staged the attack on a bus and army camp in Jammu in which 33 people were killed. The militants were killed four hours after the start of the attack. The attack was the deadliest in almost eight months in the disputed region at the heart of an armed standoff between India and Pakistan, and was expected to stoke tensions further. Advani said in a statement to the Lower House of Parliament that Pakistan-based separatist outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) had claimed responsibility for the dastardly act. "Abu Osama said to be the spokesman of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) based in PoK (Pakistan-occupied Kashmir) has telephonically claimed to a Srinagar News Agency that the incident was a handiwork of the new outfit Al-Mansoorian floated by the LeT. The Jamiat-ul-Mujahideen (JuM) has also claimed responsibility for the incident. The incident appears to have been timed to demonstrate to the world that despite the global coalition against terrorism, terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir will continue to be active," said Advani. Al-Mansoorian is believed to be the new name adopted by the LeT after it was banned under a crackdown on Islamic militants by Islamabad. LeT is one of two guerrilla groups New Delhi blames for last December's attack on its Parliament in which 14 people, including five assailants, were killed. The attack coincided with a visit to India by U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for South Asian Affairs Christina Rocca. "It is not a coincidence that the incident has occurred at a time when a senior U.S. state department official (Christina Rocca) is visiting our country. It may be reiterated that the government remains committed to taking all steps to control militancy within Jammu and Kashmir," he added. Three militants, wearing army uniforms, opened fire inside a bus near the Ratnachak army camp killing several passengers. They ran off the bus and into the camp to an area housing family quarters, workshops and canteens. Many of the victims were wives and children of soldiers stationed at the base about 15 km (10 miles) south of Jammu, winter capital of India's Jammu and Kashmir state. State Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah alongwith Governor Girish Chandra Saxena held an emergency meeting with senior police and state administration officials. Analysts said the raid would increase pressure on the government to act against Pakistan-based Muslim rebels, but said they did not expect an immediate military response.(ANI)
Togadia blames secularists for growth of jehadis
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to top Dehradun, May 14 (ANI): Politicians who believe in secularism are responsible for the growth of jehadis in India, said VHP spokesperson Praveen Bai Tagodia, at press conference here on Tuesday. While reacting on the militant attacks in Jammu, Togadia held secular forces responsible for growing jehadi activities in India. He said that secular parties in India and their leaders like Mulayam Singh ,Sonia Gandhi are fifty percent responsible while fifty percent outside forces are responsible for militant attacks in Godhra and Kashmir. He further said that these politicians have failed to provide security to the Hindus. "Starting from Mahatma Gandhi all the politicians have failed to provide any kind of security to the Hindus, and I believe that these politicians are responsible for the growth of the Jehadis". He further stated that if incidents like Godhra happen so Gujarat will be happening, if Jammu(Raghunath Temple) happens so incidents like Ahmedabad will be repeated. "To stop terrorism we should stop incidents like Godhra and Jammu which take place in different parts of the country.(ANI)
Benazir decides to end exile for October election
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to top Dubai, May 14 (ANI): PPP Chairperson and former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto has decided to end her exile, return home and contest the general elections which will be held in October this year, reports BBC. This was decided at an informal meeting of PPP central leaders which was held here on Monday. It was chaired by Benazir Bhutto. "Benazir Bhutto has, in principle, decided to go back home before the forthcoming general elections but the date for this purpose will be fixed after the announcement of the election schedule," BBC quoted PPP Vice-Chairman Makhdoom Amin Fahim as saying. Benazir Bhutto has been living in self-exile for about three years. Meanwhile, former Punjab Chief Minister Ghulam Mustafa Khar held a detailed two and half hours meeting with Benazir Bhutto in which both the leaders discussed ways and means to remove their differences. Khar once again offered his services to play a key role in the PPP. Benazir Bhutto will take a decision about giving any important responsibility to Khar again in the next few days, sources said.(ANI)
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