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A woman on Monday crossed over to Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) from a border village along the Line of Control (LoC) in Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir, police said.
Noorjahan, 32, married to Abdul Majeed of Gotaraya village crossed over from Kerni forward belt along the LoC early today, they said.
Police have registered a case in this regard and investigation has begun.
Kerni village is divided into two parts, one part on either side of the LoC, they said.
Ottawa, May 19 (ANI): In the latest and sensational twist to the botched Times Square bombing plot, a Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) commander has claimed that Faisal Shahzad, the confessed bomb plotter of Pakistani origin, had received terror training in one of the ‘jihad’ camps of the banned outfit in Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK).
A report in Maclean, Canada’s weekly current affairs magazine, cited an unnamed LeT commander as saying that Shahzad, during his visit to Pakistan in 2006, had visited the LeT’s main base of operations in Dulai, a village situated 25 kilometres away from Muzaffarabad, the capital of PoK.
“He was an eager recruit. Very intelligent but also very intense, and driven to make his mark for the sake of Islam,” the magazine quoted the LeT commander, as describing Shahzad.
The LeT commander, however, denied any direct involvement of his organisation with New York bombing plot.
“Shahzad came to us for training. He stayed with us for three months and we provided him with the basics. Then he went back to the U.S,” the commander claimed.
The terror commander added that following the training, Shazad was asked to return back to the US and directed not to contact the LeT, which carried out the ghastly Mumbai terror attacks in 2008, for at least six months.
“After six months, we tried to contact him, but we received no response, not from emails or by telephone. We thought, well, okay, so maybe he’s had a change of heart. We have thousands of recruits who come to us for training. It doesn’t affect us if one of them is lost,’ the magazine quoted the militant leader, as saying.
Recalling Shahzad’s attitude during his terror training, the LeT commander said one thing which was most noticeable in him was that he had a strong desire for glory.
“He wanted to do something big, not just die an anonymous martyr alongside hundreds of other martyrs. He wanted something international. He wanted to be famous. For us, that was dangerous. We don’t want attention brought to us, and we were worried that Shahzad’s personal agenda would get him captured and bring the spotlight on us,” the commander said. (ANI)
Tehran, May 18 (ANI): Before emplaning for New Delhi after attending the Group of Fifteen Summit here, Indian External Affairs Minister S.M.Krishna on Tuesday told ANI in an interview that during his visit to Pakistan from July 15, terrorism would be one of the important issues covered in talks with Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi
Krishna”s comment assumes significance in the wake of reports that hundreds of militants are regrouping in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (POK) and waiting to cross the border into India.
He said that Pakistan should take serious note of terrorists regrouping under different names
He further claimed that terrorist groups regroup if one terrorist outfit is banned. Sometimes, a same group changes its name, but its intent remains constant and unchanged, he added.
He said that this should be taken serious note of by Pakistan because it is happening on their soil.
Last week, Krishna said he hoped his proposed visit to Islamabad would help reduce the trust deficit between the two nations.
“I hope that my visit, when I go there and then I certainly would be extending an invitation to Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi to visit India. So these high-level visits will only act as some kind of panacea to reduce the trust deficit,” he said.
“We can talk to each other with a little more confidence in each other, and that certainly would create the right kind of atmosphere for very productive talks between our two countries,” he added on his way to New Delhi after a three-day visit to Kazakhstan.
Relations between the two Asian neighbours went into a diplomatic freeze after India blamed Pakistan-based militants for the 26/11-Mumbai terror attacks.
The call for resuming talks at the foreign ministers level came from Qureshi on May 11.
Addressing the media then in Islamabad, Qureshi said all issues would be discussed with Krishna, and Islamabad would not hesitate to present its stated positions on all issues bedevilling bilateral ties.
“Don””t expect miracles overnight. It is an uphill task. The two foreign secretaries will meet on the sidelines of the SAARC conference to do the ground work for the foreign ministers meeting which will take place on July 15. I will be visiting New Delhi after the Islamabad meeting at a mutually convenient date for the next round of talks,” he said.
“Recognising that this is a very important engagement and step forward in our bilateral relations, I have decided to undertake a number of steps for preparation, consultations and national consensus building on some very sensitive issues that are outstanding between India and Pakistan,” he added. (ANI)
Militants have regrouped in large numbers in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and are crossing the Line of Control to sneak into the Indian side of the Himalayan region, local residents and political leaders have said.
The militants have regrouped and launched jehadi activities in the Neelum valley on the Pakistani side of the LoC, local politician Arif Shahid said. Local residents and Shahid said the militants were not from PoK.
“Jihadi activities have been restarted during the last few weeks,” said Shahid, the secretary general of the All Parties National Alliance.
“Most of the activities are concentrated in the Neelum valley along the LoC,” Shahid told the BBC.
Shahid, who had visited the region with other APNA leaders, said the militants were based there in large numbers and had set up camps in the area.
“The men are not locals they have long hair and beards. Most do not speak the local language,” he said.
Residents of Neelum valley backed Shahid’s assertions. “We are scared… The armed men are moving around the area and are trying to cross the border,” a local resident said.
“We can make out from their appearances and languages they are not from any part of Kashmir,” the resident said.
Shahid said he believed that militants are planning to sabotage ongoing peace negotiations between India and Pakistan.
“They have set up camps in the region and many are crossing the border… This is the start of another proxy war,” he said.
Following a meeting between Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani and his Indian counterpart Manmohan Singh last month, the Foreign Ministers of the two countries recently agreed to meet in Islamabad on July 15 to nudge the peace process forward.
Shahid’s comments were supported by Jammu and Kashmir National Liberation Front leader Shaukat Maqbool Bhat. “The fighters are there and they are regularly crossing into India,” Bhat said.
“The local people are very scared they believe the (militant) crossings are going to restart artillery exchanges between the Pakistani and Indian armies,” Bhat said.
Indian and Pakistani troops regularly fought artillery duels and exchanged small arms fire till a ceasefire was put in place along the LoC in November 2003.
From 1988, militants aided by Pakistan’s security forces and intelligence agencies waged a guerrilla campaign in Jammu and Kashmir. Their activities were curtailed during the rule of former President Pervez Musharraf, who quit in August 2008.
The BBC quoted unnamed officials as saying that jehadi activities had recommenced across the LoC in recent weeks. It also quoted its correspondents as saying that the renewed militant activity is bound to be of concern to India, especially when Delhi and Islamabad almost came to war when militants accused by India of being Pakistani-based attacked the Indian parliament in December 2001.
London, May 15 (ANI): Putting a stamp on India’s stand that there several terror training camps in Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) along the Line of Control (LoC) exist, local PoK political leaders and residents have said that extremists are ‘regrouping’ in the region and trying to cross over.
Arif Shahid, Secretary General of the All Parties National Alliance (APNA) told the BBC that “Jihadi” activities have recommenced on the Pakistani side of the LoC.
“Most of the activities are concentrated in the Neelum Valley along the LoC,” added Shahid, who personally had visited the region and confirmed that militants are present in the region in large numbers and have set up several terror training camps there.
“The men are not locals – they have long hair and beards. Most do not speak the local language,” he said.
Shahid also pointed out that the sudden surge in militant activities might be aimed at sabotaging the renewed peace process between India and Pakistan.
“They have set up camps in the region and many are crossing the border. This is the start of another proxy war,” he said.
Shahid was backed by Kashmir National Liberation Front (JKNLF) chief Shaukat Maqbool Bhat, who said the militants are crossing into India on a regular basis.
“The fighters are there and they are regularly crossing into India,” BBC quoted Bhat, as saying
Local residents also confirmed the presence of ‘foreign’ militants in the region and said they are on the look out to sneak into Indian territory.
“We are scared. The armed men are moving around the area and are trying to cross the border. We can make out from their appearances and languages they are not from any part of Kashmir,” a local said, while refusing to be named.
“The local people are very scared – they believe the militant crossings are going to restart artillery exchanges between the Pakistani and Indian armies,” Bhat added. (ANI)
Jammu, May 12 (ANI): Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) militant-cum-trainer Mohammad Ashraf, has said thousands of misguided Kashmiri youth are still receiving training in camps in Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK).
Ashraf, who was held by the Army near the fencing at Sawjian in Poonch District along with his wife Asima, said the youths, who were getting training in different militant training camps in PoK wanted to return homes and lead a peaceful life.
He further said that neither he nor other militants had any knowledge of the state government”s proposed rehabilitation policy for them.
He said he had crossed over to PoK along with 25 other Kashmiri somewhere from Poonch in 1999 when he was 13.
He confessed to have received training at a militant training camp in Kacharban, PoK.
Senior Superintendent of Police Manmohan Singh, said: ” The duo was taken into custody last evening.”
Preliminary investigation has revealed that Ashraf of Budgam district had crossed over to PoK via Poonch in 1999, Singh said, adding that he had received three-months arms training in a camp across the border.
Ashraf claimed he had married Asma, a resident of Kota district in PoK about four months back and crossed over to Poonch to join his family.
Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM), Poonch, has sent them to seven days police custody. (ANI)
Islamabad, May 12 (ANI): Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (POK) Prime Minister Raja Farooq Haider has denied allegations levelled against him in a TV programme, and said that he is “as patriotic as any other Pakistani citizen, while fulfilling the role of a key person in the valley’s administrative matters.”
Addressing a press conference, he said he would inform Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani about the details of the TV programme, and “ask him to take action against the person responsible for deliberately defaming and demoralising him at the forum of state-run media.”
He also ruled out differences in the All Jammu and Kashmir Muslim Conference (AKJMC), saying the “ruling party is successfully running POK’s affairs”.
Paying respect and homage to Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the POK premier said he was “shocked beyond belief” over accusations that he had spoken disrespectfully of Jinnah.
“How I can utter such words,” the Daily Times quoted him, as saying.
Haider added that he and his forefathers had never accepted the slavery of English rulers, and played a cohesive role in the freedom movement, and succeeded in gaining a separate homeland. (ANI)
Srinagar, Mar 29 (ANI): The Indian Army on Monday sounded a terror alert, claiming that as many as 400 infiltrators are attempting to sneak into Jammu and Kashmir.
“This is going to be hot summer terrorism-wise in Kashmir as approximately 300 militants are active in the valley while another 400 are waiting in the wings in PoK to cross over to this side to step up violence,” said Brigadier General Staff, 15th Corps, Gurmeet Singh.
Singh added that there was no need to worry, as the troops were well prepared to confront any challenges.
He, however, claimed that the weapons, ammunition, equipment, food items, medicines and also some video-clips and photographs recovered from the killed militants showed signs of a high degree of terrorists anxiety.
“Approximately, 42 training camps were intact across the border. Of them 34 are active and 400 militants are waiting for an opportunity to cross over to this side from 20 launching pads,” said Singh, adding that the army had prior information about the recent infiltration attempts in Kupwara district”s keran sector.
“We were prepared for this and eliminated 8 terrorists in keran sector between March 24 to March 28. The mixed group of militants of Lashkar-e-Toiba, Hizbul Mujahideen and Harkat-ul-Mujahideen comprising eight terrorists were eliminated,” Singh said.
Singh further said the operation against the terrorists was still on in the region and the area is being extensively searched to avoid any untoward incident. (ANI)
Peshawar, Sep.17 (ANI): The United States has confirmed the death of top Taliban commander Ilyas Kaashmiri in a drone attack conducted earlier this month.
According to US intelligence sources, Kaashmiri was killed in a missile attack carried out by unmanned aircrafts in South Waziristan on September 7.
Kaashmiri was the founder leader of the Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) based extremist group Harkatul Islam.
He was once arrested and sent to jail for plotting an attack on former President General Pervez Musharraf, but was subsequently released as the authorities failed to substantiate the case against him.
After the elimination of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) chief Baitullah Mehsud, Kaashmiri became the top most wanted terrorist in the region followed by Hakeemullah Mehsud and Qari Hussain Mehsud, The News reports. (ANI)
Islamabad, Sep.12 (ANI): Pakistan is looking to rake up the Kashmir issue at the United Nations General Assembly which is scheduled to be held later this month.
According to sources, in two separate meetings held at the Foreign Office, concerned officials briefed Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi regarding both the Kashmir and Afghanistan issues.
Sources said that it was decided that Islamabad would urge the United Nations to ensure a resolution of the long-lingering Kashmir dispute on a priority basis for durable peace in the region.
“The international community would also be informed about the human rights violations committed by Indian forces in held Kashmir,” The Dawn quoted sources, as saying.
They said the Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) chief Lieutenant General Shuja Pasha was also present in the meeting.
According to a private television channel, Pakistan is also likely to take up the issue of presence of US led allied forces in Afghanistan
Islamabad has decided to inform the international community about the problems being faced by it due to the presence of NATO forces in Afghanistan, the channel reported.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has said that resolution of the Kashmir issue is the key to establishing good ties with India and restoring peace in the sub-continent.
During a meeting with Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) Prime Minister Sardar Yaqub Khan, Gilani said resolving the Kashmir dispute was Islamabad’s top priority. (ANI)
Lahore, Aug. 13 (ANI): Pakistan occupied Kashmir’s (POK) Prime Minister Sardar Yaqoob Khan has said India is not in a position to prolong the Kashmir dispute, and that the issue would be resolved within two years.
Addressing the Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), Khan said the Kashmir issue could not resolved until India withdraws its troops from the region.
“India can not become an ‘Asian Tiger’ until it withdraws its 800,000-strong army from Kashmir,” The Daily Times quoted Khan, as saying.
He said the dispute should be resolved according to the will of people of the region and the international community, and warned that India could disintegrate into ‘six different states’ if its fails to arrive at a solution.
Commenting on the rising need for electricity in the country, Khan said the POK has the potential to generate over 14,000 megawatts of electricity through hydro-power projects.
There is a tremendous scope for expansion in the handicraft, woodcraft and handloom industries in the region, Khan said.
He stressed on the need for luring private entrepreneurs and foreign investors to tap the immense potential of establishing small and medium industries in the region. (ANI)
Peshawar, July 7 (ANI): After being mysteriously missing for the past two months, the Tehrik Nifaz-i-Shariat-i-Muhammadi chief Maulana Sufi Mohammad has reportedly resurfaced.
A close relative of Sufi Mohammad, Bakht Wahid, claimed that the TNSM chief has arrived here along with his family, but refused to comment on his whereabouts.
Wahid also refused to disclose where Sufi Mohammad would be staying in Peshawar.
“We don’t know where Maulana Sufi and his family were detained,” The Dawn quoted Wahid, as saying.
Mohammad’s son, Rizwanullah also called media houses and said that his father has been released, but he too refused to divulge much detail.
However, the government has said that it has no knowledge about Mohammad’s whereabouts, and don’t know much about his release.
“We were neither privy to his arrest nor are we privy to his release,” a government official said.
According to sources, Mohammad and his family members were taken into protective custody just before the government launched a military offensive against the Taliban and other extremists in the North West Frontier Province’s (NWFP) Swat and Malakand Divisions.
Mohammad and his 12 family members had moved to Mirpur, in Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK), where security agencies had taken them into custody, and shifted them to an undisclosed location, sources added.
It may be noted that Pakistan government had released the 80 year old TNSM chief to strike a peace deal with the Taliban, but the government’s attempt failed to yield the desired results, and he went missing days before a full fledged military operation was initiated in the region. (ANI)
Lahore, July 1 (ANI): The banned Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD), the political wing of the Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT), is expanding its operations, and carrying out recruitment drives in the Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK), police has said.
According to a secret report submitted to the Pakistan government, the JuD is planning to set up mosques, schools and dispensaries in the region and has already bought a vast piece of land in the Dulai area of Muzaffarabad.
The Inspector General of Police (IGP) of the region, Javed Iqbal said that the authorities were closely monitoring the JuD’s activities.
However, the Information Minister Qamar Zaman Kaira, denied any such ‘secret’ report being shared with the government.
“No such report has come before the government claiming these organisations have revived their activities,” The Daily Times quoted Kaira, as saying. (ANI)
Muzaffarabad, June 27 (ANI): After purportedly being pushed out of the Swat and Malakand Divisions by the Pakistan Army, the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), in an apparent bid to expand its regime of terror, has claimed responsibility for the suicide strike in Muzaffarabad in which two security personnel were killed and three others injured here on Friday.
Claiming the responsibility for the attack, a deputy to the TTP chief Baitullah Mehsud, Hakimullah Mehsud, said the attack was in retaliation against the recent strikes carried out on its hideouts.
Mehsud said the suicide attack has proved that the Taliban is not weakened by the military’s offensive against the banned organization.
The attack, which took place in the army barracks in Shaukat Lines, was the first of its kind in Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK).
According to sources, the attack was carried out by a bearded man supposedly in his twenties.
The attacker entered the barracks used by non-commissioned security personnel and blew himself up around 6.30 in the morning.
“The bomber was intercepted by a soldier whom he tried to engage in a conversation presumably to attract other soldiers around for causing maximum casualties’ and then blew himself up,” The Dawn quoted an official, as saying.
The blast was so powerful that it destroyed several army vehicles parked near by.
Meanwhile, the authorities have tightened security across the region and are conducting massive search operations.
In a latest development, the Muzaffarabad police arrested more than five dozen Afghan nationals, and other people belonging to the Frontier province.
Sources said all those who have nabbed by the police lacked proper identification documents. (ANI)
Lahore, June 27 (ANI): Former Pakistan President General Pervez Musharraf has rejected former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s claims that he was kept in the dark regarding the Kargil issue.
In an interview to a private television channel, Musharraf claimed that he had shared all details with Sharif regarding the Kargil conflict.
Terming Sharif’s statement as “an absolute lie”, Musharraf said he gave Sharif a detailed presentation on the Kargil situation just two days before the former left for the US.
He said that Sharif repeatedly enquired about whether the troops could be withdrawn from Kargil, to which he claimed to have replied that it had to be decided by the country’s leadership.
“I said I have informed you about the military situation but the withdrawal of forces is a political decision which has to be taken by the political leadership,” The Daily Times quoted Musharraf, as saying.
The former military general also claimed that he came near to resolving the Kashmir dispute with India during the infamous Agra summit in 2001.
Musharraf said that he and the then India Prime Minister, Atal Bihari Vajpayee had even agreed to draft a joint declaration regarding the Kashmir issue, but blamed New Delhi for ditching Islamabad at the last moment.
“The Indian leadership changed their mind at the last minute and did not support the joint declaration, saying that the cabinet had not approved it,” said Musharraf.
Musharraf said he tried his best to resolve the issue which is pending for years, and in that context even held talks with all the stakeholders such as All-Parties Hurriyat Conference and various leaders of the Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK).
He, however, said the meetings did not yield substantial results, as the leaders ‘failed to guide him in the right direction’.
Musharraf also rejected the notion that the country’s Army did not want a resolution on the Kashmir issue.
He said all such reports were primarily aired to malign the image of the security forces, and a part of a “vicious propaganda” against the country. (ANI)
Lahore, June 27 (ANI): Former Pakistan President General Pervez Musharraf has claimed that he came near to resolving the Kashmir dispute during the infamous Agra summit in 2001.
In an interview to a private television channel, Musharraf said that he and the then India Prime Minister, Atal Bihari Vajpayee had even agreed to draft a joint declaration regarding the Kashmir issue, but blamed New Delhi for ditching Islamabad at the last moment.
“The Indian leadership changed their mind at the last minute and did not support the joint declaration, saying that the cabinet had not approved it,” The Daily Times quoted Musharraf, as saying.
Musharraf said he tried his best to resolve the issue which is pending for years, and in that context even held talks with all the stakeholders such as All-Parties Hurriyat Conference and various leaders of the Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK).
He, however, said the meetings did not yield substantial results, as the leaders ‘failed to guide him in the right direction’.
Musharraf also rejected the notion that the country’s Army did not want a resolution on the Kashmir issue.
He said all such reports were primarily aired to malign the image of the security forces, and a part of a “vicious propaganda” against the country.
Musharraf also rebuffed former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s claims that he was kept in the dark regarding the Kargil issue.
Terming Sharif’s statement as “an absolute lie”, Musharraf said he gave Sharif a detailed presentation on the Kargil situation just two days before the former left for the US.
He said that Sharif repeatedly enquired about whether the troops could be withdrawn from Kargil, to which he claimed to have replied that it had to be decided by the country’s leadership.
“I said I have informed you about the military situation but the withdrawal of forces is a political decision which has to be taken by the political leadership,” said Musharraf. (ANI)
Jammu, May 3(ANI): Another two militants have been arrested after they entered India from Nepal carrying Pakistani passports, senior Superintendent of Police in Jammu said here today.
About half a dozen militants, holding Pakistani passports have been caught in Jammu and Kashmir during the past three months.
The SSP informed that the two people were arrested while the state police was conducting a ‘naka’ in several areas of Jammu.
With the arrest of Hizbul Mujahideen militant Zaid Ahmed Dar, alias Mubassir, of Mustafabad HMT in Srinagar and overground worker Ateeq Ullah Dar of Behota Mohalla in Doda District, a major tragedy has been averted, the police said.
During interrogation, the militants admitted that they were trained in Pakistan.
They had crossed over to Pakistan occupied Kashmir (POK) in 1998 and received arms training there, the police informed.
The militants further revealed that they entered India via Nepal on Pakistani passport on November 26 last year.
Two Pakistani passports and two Pakistani identity cards were recovered from them.
India shares nearly a 1,850-km border with Nepal, which is by and large porous with not many manned check-posts.
Traditionally, there has been no strict enforcement of immigration laws, and travel from one country to the other for Indian and Nepalese nationals is without restrictions. By: Tahir Nadeem Khan (ANI)
Poonch (Jammu and Kashmir), Mar 19 (ANI): People residing in Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) has expressed their disgust at Pakistani authorities for long delays in clearing travel papers and allied permits.
Eighty-three people crossed the Line of Control (LoC) on Wednesday. Among them only two went to PoK from Indian side while 41 came to India.
All the travellers had complaint against the Pakistan Government for late verification of papers for crossing the LoC.
“I submitted my form two years back and got it verified now. I had nine people along with me but only I could return back. These verification works should be done within 15 days to one month otherwise it gets very late for those who have been left behind,” said Gulzar Bibi.
The travellers also complained that even in emergent situations the verification is not done in time.
“We had to wait for a long period. My uncle’s health is deteriorating and I wanted to be with him on his last days. Sometimes people die while waiting for their loved ones. Therefore I appeal to both Indian and Pakistan’s government to make this procedure easier where we can visit and leave within eight days,” said Mohammad Rafiq, a resident of Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK).
In response to these complaints the Divisional Commissioner of Rawalkot, Shouket Majid said that the procedure was being made easier now.
“It takes some time for the verification of the documents as it passes through eight agencies. Secondly the procedure is becoming much easier now. I would like to say that if one has such trivial complaints then it should not be generalized,” Majid said.
Launched in June 2006, Poonch-Rawalakot is the second bus service between the two neighbouring countries.
The transport link has made it possible for members of the divided families of Kashmir to meet each other after decades. (ANI)
Jammu, March 9 (ANI): Territorial Army and police sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, fear that one of their personnel has deserted his unit and joined the Lashkar-e-Toiba.
Both claimed that Zafarullah, a soldier with the 169 Territorial Army, which is posted in Doda district, ran away with two rifles on Sunday morning.
Police said they were verifying a report that Zafarullah is the brother of dreaded Laskhar-e-Toiba (LeT) militant Hanief Mohammad, who has presently taken shelter in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).
Zafarullah was recruited by the Territorial Army three years ago.
He was attached with the 8 Rashtriya Rifles, which was deployed on Bharat Road at Deshnan near Doda.
A red alert has been sounded for the capture of the deserter.
PRO (Defense) Lieutenant Colonel Biplab Nath confirmed the news of Zafarullah’s desertion.
“A massive manhunt has been launched by a joint team of the army and police to nab the deserter. The cops have been put on alert and all routes have been plugged to stop the deserter from moving out of Doda district,” he said. By Tahir Nadeem Khan (ANI)
Muzaffarabad, Jan 8 (ANI): The way the new Pakistan Occupied Kashmir Prime Minister Muhammad Yaqub was forced by the PPP-led Government to dislodge his predecessor Sardar Attique Ahmed, has made it clear that he will ratchet up the anti-India rhetoric now in vogue in Pakistan, without regard to how far it pushes back the cause of Kashmir.
The ruling Muslim Conference in POK was split on the directives of Islamabad to replace Prime Minister Sardar Attique Ahmed with Muhammad Yaqub following a no-confidence vote based on allegations of “corruption and nepotism”.
It is becoming more and more imminent that Yaqub will only cleanse the administration of corruption and leave the posturing over Kashmir.
Charges of “interference” will never be irrelevant in POK because of Article 21 of its Constitution, which vests all authority in the Prime Minister of Pakistan, rather than the Prime Minister of POK, the Daily Times said in its lead editorial.
This means the POK PM serves at the pleasure of the Kashmir Affairs Ministry in Islamabad and often has to encash his infinite flexibility with marginal “collection” of rewards for himself and his cronies.
Sardar Attique’s Muslim Conference has been in power since July 2001 when the government of the POK People’s Party was toppled after it was accused of moral impropriety and promoting graft.
The Muslim Conference was loyal to the PML-N and it had supported the Kashmir policy of General Zia too. After 2001, the realism of Muslim Conference made it ride with General Musharraf’s new proposals for Kashmir, like the Theory of Four Regions and the declaration of Line of Control (LoC) as Line of Commerce (LoC).
The man behind this change was the intellectually supple Sardar Abdul Qayyum Khan, Sardar Attique’s father, who could communicate at the global level.
The PPP government if it has at all participated in the toppling may want to get rid of the vestiges of former President Pervez Musharraf and his policy. (ANI)
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