Pak doesn’t want another war on Kashmir
“Greater intermingling across LoC will resolve Kashmir; Indo-Pak relations the best ever had”

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan does not want another war with India over Kashmir, Defence Minister Chaudhry Ahmed Mukhtar has said while describing the current status of bilateral relations as the ‘best’ the two countries ever had.
“We are having a very nice relationship with India, the best of the relationship we have ever had. The confidence-building measures are working very well and I think the defence of Pakistan today is much safer than five years (ago),” Mukhtar, senior leader of the Pakistan People's Party that heads the ruling coalition and one of Pakistan's leading industrialists, said.
Ruling out the possibility of a war on the Kashmir issue, the Pakistani minister said the two countries had shown flexibility in their traditional stand on the issue.
“I am sure that both the countries are showing flexibility from their traditional positions. We don't want to fight a war,” Mukhtar told Dawn News channel in an interview. He said the issue will be resolved only through the opening up of the borders and greater inter-mingling of Kashmiris from both sides.
“Today is the time for economic wars and we must prepare ourselves. There are other problems in Pakistan and India there are food shortages, the oil problem, the electricity problem and these problems can't be solved if we are at war with each other.” Pakistan, he said, was “trying to help India” in the economic field. “We are saying that we would like to buy gas from Iran and that pipeline will go to India, which is a big market. They will benefit and we will also benefit,” he said.
“We are looking at these kind of measures. We are giving them assurances that once you get the gas through the (pipeline), nobody would ever stop it. And if we are assuring them that it will never happen, nobody will stop it, that means that we have no intentions of going to war,” the minister said. Mukhtar, who was tipped for the post of prime minister before Yousuf Raza Gilani was chosen for the slot, also said India and Pakistan need “to have confidence in each other”.
“And that confidence will only develop once we start opening up and doing business with each other. This will take time, it will not be done overnight. The situation is not what it was five years ago or 10 years ago, it is much better,” he pointed out. full Story  >>>

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A Kashmiri youth cries and pleads ‘not guilty’ as CRPF men catch him during a protest rally led by Syed Ali Geelani in downtown Srinagar Friday. Eyewitnesses said that while the protestors headed by Geelani were not intercepted, CRPF trained their guns on youth who were playing cricket in a nearby play field. Several journalists, covering the event, too were injured in CRPF action.

Jammu: A major infiltration bid by militants from across the border was foiled by the Border Security Force in Samba sector of Jammu and Kashmir by appropriately retaliating the heavy firing resorted to by the intruders.  The incident on Thursday night prompted the BSF on Friday to lodge a strong protest with Pakistani Rangers.  A group of 10 to 15 militants from Pakistani side managed to cross the border and advanced towards fencing in Benglard area of Samba sector at around 2230 to 2245 hours on Thursday night, BSF Deputy Inspector General of Police (Jammu frontier) J B Sangwan told reporters here.  Among the militants, four to five reached near the fencing but alert troops challenged them and opened fire, he said adding the militants resorted to firing and also lobbed grenades. However, the BSF personnel continued the firing forcing the militants to retreat to the other side of the border, he said.  This was also evident from the trail of foot track observed in the area that militants had entered from Pakistan, Sangwan said.  About 450 empty cartridges of AK series weapons were recovered from 

Infiltration likely to go up: Army Chief
 

Reyaz Ahmed

Tangdar: Indian Army chief General Deepak Kapoor today warned about the possibility of increase in infiltration of militants across the Line of Control in the wake of forthcoming Assembly elections in the state. With Assembly elections round the corner, infiltration is likely to increase as snow melts on the mountains along the LoC, General Kapoor said even as he went on to day that the security forces were fully prepared to meet with any challenge, including the infiltration bids. “Even as army has nothing to do with the election process, but we have to ensure that the atmosphere here is secure enough for the people to exercise their franchise freely,” Kapoor said, as he expressed concerns that militants would try to sabotage elections.  Army chief was here to inaugurate a students’ hostel constructed by the army as part of its Border Area Development Project (BADP) with the help and collaboration of Care Today Foundation, an NGO of Living Media Group. Sharing some figurative details with the media, Army Chief said in the year 2006, there were 343

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Locals resist army’s meddling in civilian quarrel!
12 injured as troops clash with people in Handwara village

Srinagar, May 09: Over a dozen people including eight women were injured in a scuffle with army soldiers in Handwara when people resisted the alleged meddling of troops in a familial feud. Local news agency KNS quoted locals of Vanigam Qaziabad Handwara as saying that four son of one Abdul Gani Wani – Feroz Ahmed Wani, Ghulam Rasool Wani, Gulzar Ahmed Wani and Nazir Ahmed Wani – have been at loggerheads over some property feud for past several years. They said Feroz Ahmed Wani’s brother-in-law Manzoor Ahmed Mir, son of Abdul Rashid of Behrampora, who works for the Army, and his two brothers Rafiq Ahmed and Firdous Ahmed, Friday morning along with some troops of 32 Rashtriya Rifles from nearby Vitergam camp came to his Wani’s house in a minibus JK05-6339 and tried to harass Wani’s brothers.

Saudi national arrested near LoC

Srinagar: A Saudi national has been arrested from Jammu and Kashmir's frontier district of Kupwara, police here said. Noorul Haq Hussain was nabbed by the army Thursday during a routine check at Karnah, 150 km from here near the Line of Control (LoC) that divides Kashmir between India and Pakistan, and handed over to state police for investigations. Foreigners travelling to border areas in the state need prior permission from authorities here. “During questioning Haq claimed he had lost his passport and other travel documents. We are now ascertaining the facts and investigations are going on,” said a police official. Haq apparently told police that he was in Kupwara to meet friends. Meanwhile, Police has claimed the arrest of two Hizbul Mujahideen militants from Handwara. According to SP Handwara, one recycled militant, Mohammed Saleem Sheikh and a local trained militant, Abdul Hamid War, both residents of Baderkal have been arrested.

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Kashmir opens up to Gulf

DUBAI: Senior officials of Kashmir Tourism and some private tour operators are actively participating in the Arabian Travel Mart in Dubai to persuade Arab and expatriate tourists to visit the picturesque Kashmir Valley. According to Kashmir Tourism officials, their stall in the Indian Pavilion is getting very good response. A Kashmir Evening was organised in Royal Ascot Hotel which was attended by travel agents, airline representatives and media personnel. For the last few years, Kashmir's tourism officials and the other players have been making efforts to woo back tourists from the Middle East region, especially from the Gulf countries.  The important aspect of Middle Eastern visitors has been the return of families after a gap of a couple of decades.  Prior to the outbreak of insurgency in 1990, a large number of Arab families used to visit the Valley and stay in shikaras (house-boats) on the Dal Lake and in chalets in Gulmarg, Pahalgam as well as in posh residential houses in Srinagar during the months of July and August.  These families would take this accommodation for long

No breakthrough in London talks

LONDON: The first round of talks between the leadership of Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N) and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) for the judges restoration came to an end on Friday evening. According to sources, both the leaders failed to achieve consensus on the restoration of the judges; however, they agreed upon continuing the negotiations. After the talks, both the leaders accompanied with Shahbaz Sharif left for a hospital where the Kulsoom Nawaz is under treatment. Earlier, on arriving at the residence of Nawaz Zardari, Asif Zardari said the ruling coalition is not in jeopardy, adding the nation will hear the good news regarding judges. According to media reports, Ishaq Dar, Khawja Asif, Ghaus Ali Shah and Hussain Haqqani attended the meeting. When the leaders came outside after the negotiations, Asif Ali Zardari kept quiet most of the time on questions posed by the journalists. However, Mian Nawaz Sharif told the mediamen that the negotiations are still underway and will continue a little

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