Gilgit-Baltistan part of J&K, Pakistan in illegal occupation: British Parliament

LONDON: A motion was passed in the British Parliament condemning Islamabad's announcement+ declaring Gilgit-Baltistan as its fifth frontier , saying the region is a legal and constitutional part of Jammu & Kashmir illegally occupied by Pakistan since 1947.
The motion which was tabled on March 23 and sponsored by Conservative Party leader Bob Blackman, stated that Pakistan, by making such an announcement, is implying its attempt to annex the already disputed area.
"Gilgit-Baltistan is a legal and constitutional part of the state of Jammu & Kashmir, India, which is illegally occupied by Pakistan since 1947, and where people are denied their fundamental rights including the right of freedom of expression," the motion read.
It was further noted that the attempts to change the demography of the region was in violation of State Subject Ordinance and the 'forced and illegal construction' of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor+ (CPEC) further aggravated and interfered with the disputed territory .
Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the Chinese foreign affairs ministry has said that Beijing was ready to work with Islamabad to take forward the CPEC to benefit the people of both countries.The economic corridor is a $51.5 billion project that aims to connect Kashgar, in China's western province of Xinjiang, with the port of Gwadar+ in the Pakistani province of Balochistan.

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Pampore encounter: 3 militants killed

Three militants have been killed in the ongoing operation in Pampore, which is on for three days now.

Three unidentified militants were killed in the joint operation of Army, CRPF and J&K Police, said a police spokesman.

As the operation enters into the final stage, the army is sanitising the building room by room. "The operation is still on," said a police officer.

All day loud explosions and intermittent exchange of fire was reported.

Heavy artillery was used by the security forces in the final assault in the top floor of the building.

Three army men, two CRPF jawans and one civilian were killed in the three day long operation, longest in the recent time.

Two CRPF jawans and a civilian were killed while nine other jawans injured when the militants opened fire on a CRPF convoy Saturday afternoon.

Nearly 100 civilians — staff and students of the EDI — were evacuated to safety by the security forces.

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3 Army men dead in J&K gunfight

With militants taking the “advantageous position” in the seven-storey Entrepreneurs Development Institute (EDI) at Sempora in Pulwama district of south Kashmir for more than 28 hours, three Army personnel, including two Captains, of elite 9 PARA lost their lives while trying to storm the floor where militants are holed up. One militant was also killed. Three CRPF jawans and a civilian were killed on Saturday.

The Army has deployed unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to locate the position of the militants, thought to number three, in the government building. Several attempts to storm the building before sunset failed. “It is a 100-plus-room building. It will take time to sanitise it. The operation is on,” Inspector-General of Police (Kashmir) Syed Javaid Mujtaba Gillani told The Hindu.

Sources said the militants were well-versed with the area and the structure itself and carried enough ammunition to engage security forces in a long-drawn operation. The militants lobbed around two dozen grenades. “There are indications that the militants knew the place in advance,” Mr. Gillani said.

The building has a food court at the top, which caught fire in the exchange of fire, and concrete rooms, giving advantage to the militants “to move from one position to another.” An attempt to blow up a wall failed.

Captain Pawan Kumar led from the front

The first attempt by the Army to enter the Entrepreneurs Development Institute at Sempora in Pulwama district was made around sunrise on Sunday. Captain Pawan Kumar, 23, took a volley of bullets and died. The Captain, who also participated in the February 15 Pulwama encounter, had refused sick leave to take part in the operation and led from the front, an Army officer said. In the afternoon, Captain Tushar Mahajan and Lance Naik Om Prakash were killed.

Around noon, the Army entered the building after a gunfight. But the militants fired intermittently and lobbed grenades.

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