 |
Wednesday,
June 19, 2002, Chandigarh, India  
|
5 militants, couple killed in valley J&K poll: officers get EVM training
Dismiss Farooq govt, says Panthers Party Panel for joint survey of border villagers’ loss |
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||
|
5 militants, couple killed in valley Srinagar, June 18 A self-styled company commander of the Hizbul Mujahideen, Fayaz Ahmad Wani was killed and two others, one of them a BSF jawan, were injured in an encounter at Chaterpora in Pulwama district of south Kashmir today, the spokesman said. A big haul of posters warning people against participating in the Assembly elections was seized from his possession. The encounter broke out when BSF personnel raided a Hizbul hideout to flush out hiding militants. Another militant, suspected to be a foreigner, was killed by the security forces in an encounter at Kreeri village in Baramula district in north Kashmir yesterday. Meanwhile, militants shot dead Ghulam Qadir and his wife Sara Begum, in their house at Brainwar in Badgam today. In another incident, two Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) militants, Shahnawaz, alias Bilal and Shabir Ahmed, were killed at Bisran Nallah in Doda district last evening, the spokesman said. The security forces shot dead a LeT militant, Abu Yonus, at Seoj Dhar in the district. The security forces busted a militant hideout in Thanamandi area of Rajouri district last evening and seized a huge quantity of arms and explosives, including 1 kg of plastic explosive, 11 anti-tank rifle grenades, four HE grenades, an RPG booster, eight pencil timers, 13 remote control units of IEDs, two IED demolition units, a detonator, some pistol rounds and five Pakistani maps. The spokesman said a body was found by the police in the Shadipora area on the outskirts of Srinagar today.
PTI |
|
J&K poll: officers get EVM training Jammu, June 18 The Chief Election Commissioner, Mr J.M. Lyngdoh, the Election Commissioner, Mr B.B. Tandon, and the Chief Electoral Officer, Mr Pramod Kumar Jain, supervised the training programme. Later, Mr Lyngdoh told newsmen that this programme would be conducted in Srinagar and Leh also. The Chief Election Commissioner ruled out the possibility of appointing foreign observers, including UN observers, for monitoring the Assembly poll in which not only the West but the entire world seems to have evinced keen interest. He said: “Our laws on elections do not allow foreign observers. The Election Commission has the powers to appoint its own observers who are senior civil servants. India has a large pool of neutral civil servants.” Mr Lyngdoh said the Election Commission would not invite any group, body or organisation to function as observers for the Assembly election. “However, if any individual, who is associated with the conduct of the elections in his or her country and that country has good democratic credentials, then in his or her individual capacity, such persons can come to observe the election, subject to the person’s getting necessary governmental clearance,” he stated. He said the commission was committed to ensuring free-and-fair poll and in this connection three steps were being taken. First, 8,000 electronic voting machines were being made available for voting in 6,000 polling booths. Second, the electoral rolls were being computerised after having been updated. Third, identity cards were being issued to the voters. He, however, made it clear that the identity cards would be an optional course. He said these measures would not leave scope for rigging. My Lyngdoh said the commission was examining the demand for equal security cover to all political parties, candidates and leaders, including the ruling party. He said the security forces would be directed not to resort to coercion while motivating voters to exercise their franchise. He said any obstruction caused by any quarters during the polling would have to be removed. He assured that despite militancy the poll would be free and fair. He admitted that the demand for authorising the Governor to look after the election and not the state government had been made by several political leaders. When asked whether the Election Commission had conceded this demand, Mr Lyngdoh was evasive and stated that measures were being taken to ensure free-and-fair poll. He said political leaders had also demanded that separate polling booths be set up for the Kashmiri migrants in Jammu and Delhi. But the commission was exploring some via media for ensuring participation of the migrants in the polling, he added. In the previous Assembly and Lok Sabha elections, migrants were given postal ballot facilities which did not satisfy them. |
|
Dismiss Farooq govt, says Panthers Party New Delhi, June 18 He accused both the Central Government and the Election Commission of India for trying to “impose a National Conference rule” on the people of Jammu and Kashmir. Talking to mediapersons here, the JKNPP chief expressed concern over the statement of the CEC in Srinagar on the reported coercion of voters by security forces. “Free and fair poll in J and K as promised by the Prime Minister is not possible unless a conducive situation is created and the people are involved in a genuine electoral process,” he said. Mr Bhim Singh demanded a fresh preparation of electoral rolls according to the Registration of Electoral Rules, 1960. This, he said, required extensive participation of the administration to record the number of voters after every Census. “The government should immediately notify the report of the 2001 census. The electoral college has to be framed according to the rules of registration,” he said. The preparation of identity cards of voters also had to be done according to Section 28 of the Registration of Electoral Rules, 1960, he added. The JKNPP chief said the Jammu and Kashmir Government was asking people to provide photographs which was a violation of the relevant rules as the cost of photographs had to be borne by the government. He said the JKNPP would move court if anamolies in the preparation of electoral roles were not removed. Elections to the Assembly after Census could not be held without the delimitation of the Assembly constituencies, he maintained. The JKNPP chief said about 3,50,000 Kashmiri migrants of the Kashmir valley living in Jammu, Jaipur, Delhi, Punjab and Himachal Pradesh could not be deprived of their right of franchise. He said over 50,000 voters had also migrated from Doda, Udhampur, Rajouri and Poonch. He said the Election Commission would also have to think of the right to vote of lakhs of people affected by firing on the borders. |
|
Panel for joint survey of border villagers’ loss Jammu, June 18 The five-member committee, headed by Mr Madan Lal Khurana, completed a two-day visit to several border villages in Samba and Kathua sectors to interact with the affected people. Mr Khurana, accompanied by Prof Chaman Lal Gupta, Union Minister for Food Processing, told newspersons here today that while the Army authorities had submitted a report indicating a loss to the tune of Rs 15 crore to villagers owing to the laying of mines, the state government figures were between Rs 50 and Rs 60 crore. He said this huge variation had caused a delay in the release of compensation. The committee distributed Rs 3.75 crore to the affected border people as the first instalment. Of this, Rs 2 crore were released for border villagers in Jammu district and Rs 1.75 crore in Kathua district. |
|
Thousands throng Khir Bhawani temple Srinagar, June 18 The Union Minister of State for External Affairs, Mr Omar Abdullah, who represents the Srinagar-Budgam constituency in the Lok Sabha, was also among those who attended the annual pilgrimage at the holy shrine. Adequate security arrangements were made by the state government for the smooth conduct of the pilgrimage at Tulamulla. The pilgrims offered special prayers for peace in Kashmir. It was an unusual event in the area, which is celebrated with the participation of many local residents providing essentials to the pilgrims. “The locals belonging to the majority community have been giving us all support and assistance for the smooth conduct of the annual pilgrimage”, said a migrant belonging to a nearby locality and presently living in Jammu. Selling essential items related to the special prayers and offerings at the shrine, the pilgrims complained of the lack of requisite basic facilities. “We offered special prayers and prayed to the Goddess to restore peace and stability in the valley so that we are able to return home” said another migrant on the condition of anonymity. It is his third visit to the shrine during the past over a decade, wherein he has been offering special prayers for the return of all migrants to the valley. “We have been craving for our homes and hearths for all these years”, he said. The scenes at the entry to the shrine were “reminiscent of the good old days”, according to Abdul Rashid, selling milk to the pilgrims outside the main gate of the shrine. The annual festival is held here on ‘Jeshth Ashtmi’ when pilgrims seek the blessings of the deity. |
 |
| Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir | Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs | Nation | Editorial | | Business | Sport | World | Mailbag | In Spotlight | Chandigarh Tribune | Ludhiana Tribune 50 years of Independence | Tercentenary Celebrations | | 122 Years of Trust | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | Suggestion | E-mail | |
Video
