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| Monday, June 25, 2001, Chandigarh, India   
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Five Hizb militants
arrested Infighting persists in J&K
BJP BJP chief’s cautious optimism on
summit Rs 27.13 cr spent in border areas
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Jammu Bar body to
split Police told to expedite land scam
probe J&K poll ‘may not’ be held this
year
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Five Hizb militants arrested Jammu, June 24 The spokesman said a group of armed intruders sneaked into the Indian territory via the Gool Patan area in the Akhnoor sector yesterday. However, the BSF troops challenged them forcing the intruders to retreat towards Pakistani. The intruders, while fleeing, dropped seven bags containing time-deviced improvised explosive device (IED). The explosives later exploded without causing any damage. Another attempt was made by the intruders in the same area today. The spokesman said the intruders comprising militants and ISI guides had been making attempts to thwart work on fencing by causing explosions. However, the work had not been affected. Meanwhile, the militants killed a civilian and torched two houses in the Dudasan area of Rajouri district since yesterday. The police also seized a huge quantity of arms and ammunition from a militant hideout in Mahavir Basti of Dumana tehsil of Jammu district during the period. The recoveries included two AK-56 rifles with eight magazines and 239 rounds, a grenade launcher with 12 rifle grenades and two IEDs weighing 5 kg each. SRINAGAR: One person has been killed and seven others injured in Jammu and Kashmir while the Special Operation Group (SOG) of the state police has arrested five Hizbul Mujahideen militants since Saturday. Munir Ahmad Lone was killed when a mine went off at Warsun in the frontier district of Kupwara on Saturday, an official spokesman said. The militants hurled a hand grenade towards a security force picket at Nowhatta on Sunday. However, the grenade missed the target and exploded by the wayside, causing injuries to five pedestrians and a security jawan. One securityman sustained bullet injuries in an encounter with the militants at Dadipora Handwara in the frontier district of Kupwara on Saturday. The SOG (Badgam) had arrested Zahid, Firdous Ahmad, Abdul Salam Sheikh and Rouf Ahmad Wani of the Hizbul Mujahideen from different areas of the city. Their fifth accomplice had not yet been identified. One AK rifle, 2 kg of RDX, two detonators, 12 grenades, a grenade launcher, four magazines and 100 rounds were also seized from them. Meanwhile, Pakistan based militant outfit
Jaish-e-Mohammad on Sunday said it would not allow vested interests to encash people’s sacrifices.
PTI, UNI |
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Infighting persists in J&K
BJP Jammu, June 24 During his two-day visit to Jammu, Mr Krishnamurthi received an inside report on the nature of the differences and the source of the conflict. He has left the task of ironing out the differences to the party’s senior vice-president, Mr Kailashpati
Mishra, who will spend a week in Jammu to discuss the issue with several leaders separately. Reports said Mr Krishnamurthi was informed that some leaders of the RSS and those opposing Prof Chaman Lal Gupta, Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation, were trying to create misunderstanding among BJP leaders. An RSS activists, Mr Amar Nath, gatecrashed into the meeting of the Working Committee of the state unit of the BJP here today despite the fact that he was no longer its member. He is said to have given vent to his feelings, causing embarrassment to some party leaders in the presence of Mr Krishnamurthi. Senior leaders of the state unit of the BJP are also divided over the demand for the trifurcation of Jammu and Kashmir. A draft of the resolution, which was to be adopted by the committee at its meeting here today, was first shown to Mr Krishnamurthi yesterday. He did not approve the draft and suggested to the party leaders to stop supporting the demand for the trifurcation. It was the modified resolution which was adopted by the committee. The resolution did not endorse the demand for the trifurcation but demanded an economic package for Jammu and Ladakh. The committee thus opposed the RSS which supports statehood for the Jammu region. The resolution demanded that the provision made in the 1999 Finance Bill be implemented, under which Jammu and Ladakh regions were entitled to a special economic package to compensate for the prolonged discrimination against the people of these regions. It also demanded that a special central monitoring cell be constituted to ensure that the benefits of the special economic package percolated through to the common people. It also opposed the demand for the restoration of greater autonomy. Mr Krishnamurthi supported Mr Chander Mohan Sharma when the latter opposed the suggestion made by Mr Kuldeep Raj Gupta that the president of the state unit of the party, Mr D.K. Kotwal, be allowed to constitute party committees, including disciplinary and election committees, till fresh elections were held. Mr Krishnamurthi suggested that the party constitutions should not be violated. His attention was drawn towards the way some BJP activists were participating in the deliberations and programmes of the Nationalist Front. The party chief directed that the BJP activists should dissociate themselves from the front if they wanted to remain in the party. The Working Committee also expressed concern over the security scenario in Jammu and Kashmir following stepping up of the activities of the militants. It demanded that the security forces be given a free hand in dealing with situation. It also demanded strengthening of the village defence committees by equipping its members with sophisticated weapons. |
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BJP chief’s
cautious optimism on
summit Jammu, June 24 After the end of the two-day visit to Jammu, Mr Krishnamurthi addressed a news conference here today that the summit between Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee and President Pervez Musharraf would discuss many issues. “Kashmir also can be discussed,” but “at this stage one can neither be over- optimistic nor pessimistic about the outcome of the talks,” he added. He said, “We are for friendly relations between the two countries and for immediate restoration of peace to Jammu and Kashmir,” and if the summit led to such a conclusion it would be a successful bilateral dialogue. Asked whether the Prime Minister discussed the agenda for the talks with him, Mr Krishnamurthi said, “no”. He hastened to add that the government was not required to discuss the agenda for the summit with the party chief and explained that the Prime Minister had convened a meeting of all political parties to discuss the modalities for the dialogue and the BJP too would be represented at the meeting. To a question, he admitted that there were some differences among senior BJP leader in Jammu and Kashmir and added that such conflicts could be reconciled. He stated that a senior party Vice-President from Delhi would spend a few days in Jammu to iron out differences. The BJP chief announced that the organisational elections for the post of President of the state unit of the BJP and other office-bearers would be completed before September. He said the Vice-President, Mr Kailashpati Mishra, during his trip to Jammu would also submit his report to the party high command for fixing the poll schedule. Mr Krishnamurthi opposed the demand for the trifurcation of Jammu and Kashmir. He said the working committee of the state unit, at its meeting here today, had not endorsed the demand. He made it clear that there were other regions in the country which felt neglected and it did not mean that new states be carved out of these regions. He supported the demand for an economic package for Jammu and Ladakh regions. To another question, he said the Assembly poll in Jammu and Kashmir would not be held this year. The elections were due in September-October next year and at the most could be held early next year. He made it clear that though the National Conference was a constituent of the BJP-led NDA government, the party “will function as an opposition organisation in Jammu and Kashmir and offer constructive criticism wherever the government went wrong”. Mr Krishnamurthi said the party had decided to concentrate in Uttar Pradesh and Punjab where the Assembly elections were round the corner. Senior BJP leaders would spend eight days in UP and meet the electorate and party leaders in every Assembly constituency. At least 10 Assembly constituencies would be covered in a day. Similar steps would be taken in Punjab, he added. |
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Rs 27.13 cr
spent in border areas Srinagar, June 24 The action plan worth Rs 27.71 crore for the implementation of the schemes under the Border Area Development Programme (BADP) was approved by the state screening committee last year, according to an official spokesman. The prominent activities undertaken under the programme included upgradation of educational infrastructure, construction of primary health centres, procurement of diagnostic equipment for better health services, laying of roads, augmentation of sub-stations, provision of technical assistance for better agriculture yields and augmentation of the irrigation network. As many as 48 primary school buildings were constructed and 99 classrooms were built in existing schools.
UNI |
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Jammu Bar body to
split Jammu, June 24 However, Mr Sawhney has hit back and while supporting the Chief Justice for taking “justice” on people’s doorstep through the fast-track courts announced the setting up of a free legal aid committee to provide legal assistance to the litigants free of cost. Mr Sawhney would head the committee, but he avoided divulging the names of other members of the committee because of security reasons. Explaining the reason, Mr Sawhney said here today that he already had received threats from members of the association who had not called off the agitation and had started staging dharnas on roads. The rebel advocate contested the claim of the Bar President, Mr D.S.
Saini, that more than 250 lawyers out of more than 450 were with him. Mr Sawhney already has submitted a list of over 60 senior advocates to the Chief Justice informing him that they would provide legal assistance free of cost to the litigants in the wake of two-month-old agitation. Mr Sawhney alleged that the lawyers taking part in dharnas had no practice “at all” and more than 300 lawyers had informed him secretly of their support to the steps of the Chief Justice for having setup fast track courts. He said, “We have also welcomed the decision of the Chief Justice to set up a wing of the High Court in Ladakh so that the litigant public had not to spend thousands of rupees in attending the courts in Jammu or Srinagar”. Mr Sawhney in a letter to the Chief Justice has requested him to shortlist the candidates for the ensuing interview for the post of munsif and those who still were agitating and disrupting work of the courts should not be considered for the interview and for appointment as munsifs. He has informed the Chief Justice about the recent ruling of the Supreme Court in which it has been made clear that strike by lawyers would come under the purview of the essential services and, hence, the agitating lawyers were flouting the ruling of the apex court. Mr Sawhney accused the Bar President of duplicity on the plea that he appeared in the court and succeeded in getting bail for his client, but on the other hand “instigated” other members to continue the agitation which had no “justification”. He said he was expelled from the association without serving any show-cause notice on him and it was simply an ex parte decision which smacked of “conspiracy” against him, other “genuine” advocates and against the Chief Justice. The President of the Samba Bar Association, Mr Sukhdev Singh, has also supported “me” and welcomed the move to form the Provincial Bar Association which would enrol members from all tehsil and district headquarters in the Jammu region. This way the Jammu Bar Association is heading for a split. |
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Police told to expedite land scam
probe Budgam, June 24 On the complaint that the state land was being illegally transferred to private parties, a preliminary investigation was conducted by the government about two months ago. “It was found that the report was based on facts and mutations were illegal”, said Mr Rohit Kansal, Deputy Commissioner, Budgam. It has been reported that encroachments of the land was clandestinely carried out after illegal mutation in the revenue records with the connivance of revenue officials. Area of Narkara near Humahama and Rawalpora, in the vicinity of the Indira Gandhi Airport Road, have witnessed a steep rise in the cost of land. A large number of residents from interior Srinagar have settled, particularly in the Rawalpora area, due to accessibility to the main roads. Several residential houses and complexes have come up on the state land following illegal transfer of ownerships. About 329 kanals of land in Narkara village, which was illegally transferred to private parties, has gradually developed wetlands with the planting of trees and filling of the ground level, the Deputy Commissioner said. The city municipality has also been authorised to demolish the structures erected on the land within the municipal limits. The process may take long as the constructions on the illegally occupied land are yet to be identified. The second case pertained to 473 kanals of land at Rawalpora and Estate Ompora. There also revenue officials had fraudulently converted the state land into the proprietary land. A high-level meeting under the chairmanship of the Revenue Minister here on Friday discussed measures to check encroachments. Fencing the state land, handing over the land to various government departments and its auction are some of the suggested measures. |
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J&K poll ‘may not’ be held this year Jammu, June 24 “I personally feel that elections to the legislative Assembly in Jammu and Kashmir will not be held this year,” he told reporters here. “There are some law and order problems and other political parties need time,” he said. To a question on the continuing alliance with the ruling National Conference (NC) in the state, the BJP chief said it would be decided later after mutual consultations “if and only if the NC is interested.”
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