NEW DELHI, JANUARY 9: The Pakistani press is beginning to acknowledge the death of Pakistanis in Mujahideen attacks against the Indian Army in Kashmir valley. The most recent stories have appeared in an Urdu daily called Ausaf and a translation of its November 28 issue offers direct and compelling evidence.Meanwhile, New Delhi and Islamabad have exchanged notes on ``threatening statements'' made against Prime Minister A B Vajpayee by the terrorist group Lashkar-e-Toiba during a rally in Muridke, near Lahore, in early November. When the Government said it wanted Islamabad to take action against the group, the Pakistani Government is believed to have replied that it could not violate ``the freedom of speech and expression'' in its country.It is, however, the `Al-Badar annual report' in Ausaf newspaper that interests analysts more. According to these Pakistan watchers, the pressure on the Pakistani press, especially the Urdu press, to acknowledge the deaths of Pakistani citizens ``for the Kashmiri cause''has prompted the appearance of such a story.``Al-Badar succeeded in attacking (the) Indian Army in high-security zones and launched attacks on Indian Army camps in Bandipura, Gandarbal, Budgam, Anantnag, Rajauri, Naushera and Udhampur,'' the report says. The Al-Badar outfit is said to be directly linked to the Jamiat-i-Islami in Pakistan and, according to analysts, is ``tasked and trained'' by the ISI, Pakistan's intelligence agency. The report has details of as many as 113 people killed in Kashmir valley, ``almost all Pakistanis'', between October 1998 and October 1999. Besides attacking Army camps stationed across Kashmir, the report admits to Al-Badar men fighting battles in ``Kargil, Drass, Batalik and Mushkohsectors''.It goes on to add that fighters from this group mounted an operation called the `Badar operation' and snatched a large number of arms and ammunition from the Indian forces, ``which are now being used by the Mujahideen in the Valley''.The surprisingly candid report givesbesides names, other details such as aliases, where these men were killed in Kashmir and where they live in Pakistan.
