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We will have to retaliate, says Vajpayee New Delhi, May 15 (ANI): Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee has said that India will be forced to take retaliatory action against Tuesday's militant attack near Jammu that left at least 34 people, including women and children, dead and scores injured. The incident was the deadliest in eight months in the troubled state and coincided with the visit to Delhi of Christina Rocca, US Assistant Secretary of State for South Asia. Addressing Parliament here on Wednesday, Vajpayee said, "Whatever has happened in Jammu is a massacre of innocents. We will have to retaliate." But he stopped short of saying who would be the target of the retaliation or what form it would take. Nevertheless, the Prime Minister said the government would consult all political parties after Defence Minister George Fernandes returned from the site of the attack. Meanwhile Fernandes, addressing a press conference in Jammu, said, "All that I can at this point say is that it is a situation which calls for punishment. What that punishment will be is something that needs to be deliberated upon but we cannot certainly have this kind of terror go unpunished." (ANI) Red alert in Jammu region
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to top Jammu, May 15 (ANI): Red alert has been sounded in Jammu in wake of worst-ever-terrorists strike in the region, that killed 30 people on Tuesday. Officials said that security has been beefed up in sensitive areas, around defence installations and VVIP areas to prevent any untoward incident. According to sources, all police stations and police posts in Jammu district, particularly in border areas have been asked to keep alert. The checking at the entry and exit points to the city has been intensified. Police said that additional check post have also been set up. (ANI)
Congress seeks strong action against Jammu killers Go to top Jammu, May 15 (ANI): Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Wednesday urged stern action against the perpetrators of suicidal attack on a bus and an army camp in Jammu in which 33 people were killed. 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. 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. Gandhi visited families of army personnel killed in Tuesday's violence near Jammu in a pre-dawn suicide attack on the army camp. Later speaking to newspersons, Gandhi said the attack was highly condemnable and urged the government to take strong action against the attackers. "We went to the incident site and also went to the hospital to see the injured. All those who have done this are the enemy of humanity and strong action should be taken against them," said Gandhi. "We have supported the government from the very beginning after the attack on Parliament.....and actually before the attack on the Parliament when the attack in the U.S. took place and on the war against terrorism we have supported the government all along. And I would go even back into the ceasefires, each time ceasefires were begun we supported the government in all their actions vis-a-vis Jammu and Kashmir," said Gandhi. A day after the suicide attack, top government officials visited the site to take stock of the situation. Minister of State for Home I.D. Swami who visited the town, said Pakistan has failed to play its role in the global fight against international terrorism. "The cruel and coward face of terrorism has once again come into the forefront. India has been fighting cross-border terrorism for more than a decade. What Musharraf had promised in his policy statement and to the international coalition that was formed to fight global terrorism, cross-border terrorism....there has been no implementation of that policy statement on the ground," said Swami. He added international coalition against terrorism has been unable to control cross-border terrorism in India. "The international coalition has not been able to contain the cross-border terrorism and proxy war in Jammu and Kashmir and India," said Swami.(ANI)
Andhra heatwave toll 178
Go to top Hyderabad, May 15 (ANI): Heatstroke and dehydration on account of excessive heat has claimed at least 178 lives in Andhra Pradesh during the past seven days. Temperature in the state's worst-hit district along the Bay of Bengal coast hit a high of 48 degrees Celsius in recent days compared with an average of 40 to 45 Celsius. The meteorological department has predicted that the heatwave conditions will prevail in the coastal districts in the next 24 hours and abate thereafter.(ANI)
Hurriyat condemns Tuesday's attack on army camp
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top Jammu, May 15 (ANI): Kashmir's separatist alliance All Party Hurriyat Confernce (APHC) on Wednesday condemned the suicide attack on an army camp in Jammu, which left 34 people dead. Javed Mir, a leader of the APHC, said violence was no solution to the problems of people of Jammu and Kashmir. "Hurriyat condemns this incident. We always condemn such attacks. We don't want problems to be resolved through bloodshed. Talks should be held and solutions can be found on the table. But unless India and Pakistan sit together, such violent incidents will keep happening", said Mir. According to officials, the Al Mansoorian outfit, an off-shoot of Lashkar-e-Taiba, carried out the attack. Lashkar-e-Taiba has launched several suicide attacks on army bases in the past also. Paramilitary officials in Srinagar said that their forces were cautious after the raid. "We are so well geared up to face fidayeen attacks. We are certainly cautious and we have a very good track record of eliminating any kind of fidayeen attack on our security forces", said HK Sarin, a senior official of Central Reserve Police Force. (ANI)
UK, USA condemn suicide attack in Jammu
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top New Delhi, May 15 (ANI): International communities have severely criticised the Kaluchak massacre that killed 30 people, including children, in Jammu. Condemning the suicide attack, White House spokesperson Ari Fleischer said in his message that in order to bring the situation under control in Kashmir that has long been marked with continuous violence it will require strong efforts and patience. "It will require continued diligence, continued effort, to maintain the atmosphere of calm in what is one of the world's most volatile regions,'' Fleischer added. British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw in a statement said, "Terrorism of this kind does nothing to advance the cause in whose name it is conducted. I hope that all countries in the region condemn this act unreservedly." UN Secretary General Kofi Annan also condemned the attack and urged everyone to maintain utmost restraint and try to bring back peace and normalcy. (ANI)
Advani convenes high-level meet
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to top Ponda (North Goa), May 15 (ANI): A high-level meeting has been convened in New Delhi on Thursday to formulate the response to the situation arising out of the terrorist attacks on the Army camp and a civilian bus near Jammu. The meeting will be attended by Defence Minister George Fernandes, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah and some senior army officials, Union Home Minister L K Advani told reporters here on Wednesday. Tuesday's attack near Jammu constituted a challenge not only to India but also to the international coalition against terrorism, Advani added. The message the terrorists gave was "we who are on the path of terrorism have launched a jihad and care two hoots for your coalition against international terrorism," the Home Minister said. He ruled out dialogue with Pakistan unless that country stopped cross-border terrrorism and hands over the 20 terrorists wanted by India. "This is the touchstone that will determine what Pakistan has been telling the West and what it actually does," Advani said. "We have made it amply clear that there can be no talks with Pakistan as long as cross-border terrorism continues. Pakistan is doggedly pursuing the path of terrorism," he said.(ANI)
Buddhadeb "denigrating" Basu?
Kolkata, May 15 (ANI): The West Bengal CPI(M) leadership appears to have wilfully ignored former chief minister Jyoti Basu's contribution to the Left Front's successive electoral victories while celebrating the first anniversary of the "new-look government" headed by his successor Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee. The party, which observed May 13--the day the Left Front was returned to power for the sixth consecutive term after the Assembly polls last year--as the "Victory Day," has taken care to highlight Bhattacharjee's new agenda and his favourite slogan "Do it now" to underscore the ruling Marxists' much-hyped policy changes in some of the vital sectors like industry, health and education. However, in the process the party has tended to lend credence to the opposition parties' charge that Basu indeed did precious little to achieve West Bengal's all-round development during his long and uninterrupted chief ministership. The state CPI(M) has not only forgotten to recall Basu's role as the main arbiter of the Left Front's victories in the eighties and early nineties but also failed to get him involved in the "victory celebration" this time. In fact, the Left Front's "victory celebration" this year has been the monopoly of the powerful trio at Alimuddin Street-- Bhattacharjee, state CPI(M) secretary Anil Biswas and politburo member and Left Front chairman Biman Bose. Both Biswas and Bhattacharjee have taken meticulous care to propagate the new government's agenda rather than the factors which helped the party consolidate its political power in the state. The former chief minister was not even asked to address any of the public rallies organised by the CPI(M) to mark the occasion. However, while Bhattacharjee has been candid enough in his media interviews to admit the "limited success" of the Left Front government. Biswas has attributed the state government's "great achievements to the people's spontaneous support to the CPI(M)'s policies and programmes." The "victory celebration" has, therefore, brought to the fore the inherent differences in the individual assessment and perception of the two stalwarts of the CPI(M) about the Left Front government's achievements and the state's progress during the past one and a half decades. Biswas has asserted in a special article, published in the party mouthpiece "Ganashakti" on Monday, that the main reason for the Left Front's successive poll victories is the state's "all-round development." However, the chief minister has told the media that the state government has not yet been able to fulfil the people's aspirations in some of the vital spheres. Political observers believe that Bhattacharjee's contention is an indirect indictment of his predecessor Jyoti Basu for his failure or inability to develop proper "work culture" among the state government employees. Basu has not taken kindly to his successor's tendency to hold the previous Left Front governments responsible for the present state of affairs and sometimes given vent to his displeasure on the matter at open public rallies. Bhattacharjee has also not tried to defend Basu over uncomfortable media queries regarding the clout enjoyed by Basu's industrialist son during the veteran Marxist's tenure as the chief minister. This shows that the present chief minister is extremely cautious of his public image and has no intention to get it "tarnished" by getting himself involved into any controversy. Bhattacharjee, however, is yet to get over the dilemma he has been facing on the question of bringing an anti-terror legislation and effecting necessary changes in the state's madarsa education. He has failed to announce any time-frame for his proposed anti-terror law, Prevention of Organised Crime Act(POCA) in view of the opposition he has been facing from a section of party leaders as well as left intellectuals. Similarly, the chief minister is yet to evolve a consensus over the required changes in the madarsa curriculum as the process may alienate a section of the minority community which is opposed to any kind of modernisation. Strangely enough, Bhattacharjee has held the opposition parties' "disruptive activities" partly responsible for the state's development problems. He, however, could not cite any instance to prove that the state's "peaceful atmosphere" has been affected by the activities of the opposition parties in general and Trinamul Congress in particular. The chief minister also conveniently forgot that his party was instrumental in introducing the "politics of bandhs and hartals" which has forced many industrialists to close down their units and move to other states. Both Biswas and Bhattacharjee have also consciously refrained from addressing the problem of corruption which has been plaguing both the party and the government headed by it. The state CPI(M) leadership has not been able to take firm disciplinary action against party workers and important functionaries involved in unlawful land deals, pond-filling and real estate activities. Police have not achieved breakthroughs in most of the criminal cases as the party is yet to drive out the anti-social elements which have infiltrated it over the years. The CPI(M)'s decision to celebrate the Left Front's victory in a big way this year did not escape the notice of Trinamul Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee who directed her party workers to observe May 13 as a "Black Day." However, Ms Banerjee's pre--occupations in Delhi in connection with the NDA meetings and the impending Cabinet reshuffle failed to enthuse Trinamul Congress workers to effectively register their protest against what has been described as "massive poll rigging by the Marxists." Ms Banerjee, of course, intends to launch a stir against the Left Front in the run-up to the next year's panchayat polls once she succeeds in consolidating her position within the ruling coalition at the Centre.(ANI)
Most wanted Pak terrorist killed in encounter
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to top Lahore, May 15 (ANI): Pakistan's most wanted sectarian terrorist and patron-in-chief of outlawed Lashkar-e-Jhangvi Riaz Basra and terrorist Shakeel alias Hamza were among four militants killed early Tuesday in a fierce gunbattle with villagers and police at a place some 20 km from Mailsi, police said. Four rocket launchers and as many kalashnikovs were among other heavy arms recovered from the slain militants. As the people on the roofs in the village challenged them, the terrorists started firing. The villagers retaliated. DSP Habib Ahmad Ghumman along with heavy police contingents reached the spot and joined the encounter. The terrorists tried to escape but were killed after an hour-long encounter. The police brought the bodies to District Headquarters Hospital for autopsy. Two of the four terrorists were clean shaven while two others were bearded. "Riaz Basra was one of the four assailants and he is dead. The country is rid of the most dangerous terrorist," said Javed Shah. The inspector general of Punjab police also confirmed Basra's death. Basra, who carried a head money of Rs 5 million, was founder of extremist group Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, which was outlawed in August 2001. Javed said another dead militant had been identified as Shakeel Hamza, wanted for the murder of a senior police officer in Lahore. Two others remained unidentified. All the terrorists were aged between 30 and 35.(ANI)
Pakistan condemns Jammu carnage
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to top Islamabad, May 15 (ANI): Pakistan has strongly condemned Fidayeen attack near Jammu on Tuesday morning in which 33 civilians were killed. According to a foreign office statement, the acts of violence resulting in civilian casualties continue to coincide with high- level visits to the region. "Such incidents warrant an impartial and comprehensive inquiry to unmask the motives of their perpetrators," the statement said. Tuesday's attack coincided with the visit of US Assistant Secretary of State Christina Rocca to New Delhi. Earlier, on the eve of former US President Bill Clinton's visit to India, 35 Sikh civilians were gunned down in a Kashmir village with New Delhi pointing its finger towards militant groups backed by Islamabad. In December last year, some unidentified armed men attacked the Indian parliament in New Delhi a few days before the visit of US Secretary of State Colin Powell to the region. The attack on Parliament triggered escalation of tension between the two countries who deployed their armed forces along the border. Since then both the armies are eyeball to eyeball prompting fears of an accidental nuclear war. Analysts believe that the Tuesday killings, coinciding with Rocca's visit, will further increase the tension between the two countries. (ANI)
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