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Tuesday,
September 10, 2002,
Chandigarh, India  
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Unprecedented shelling by
Pak HRF chief, 15
others held
JKPDP releases poll
manifesto |
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Constituency profile EC notifies list of
parties NC scaring voters: PCC
chief BJP-JSM row: efforts on to avert votes
split 2 BJP men file
nominations
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Unprecedented shelling by Pak Kargil, September 9 A labourer from Udhampur was killed and another injured in the shelling at Titithumik area, 6 km from Kargil. The condition of the injured is critical. Five houses and a school were damaged in the shelling in the Bimbat area of the Dras sector. Three houses were also damaged in the Chutak area of Kargil. The defence sources said this was for the first time since 1997 that there had been such heavy shelling from the Pakistani side. However, the shelling had stopped since last night. Eyewitnesses described the shelling as unprecedented. Kargil resident Ghulam Nabi Zia said: ‘’We have not seen such pounding from Pakistani troops even during the Kargil conflict.’’ Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah visited Dras this morning to take stock of the situation. The locals apprised the Chief Minister about the unprovoked shelling and were appreciative of the assistance rendered by the police, particularly constable Nazir Ahmad Zargar. The shelling struck a 9 Dogra Regiment ammunition and supply depot, setting it afire. In Kargil, the enemy targeted a new airport, Kurtuthang TCP and an old ammunition depot in Chutak. There was no report of casualty. A report from Jammu said a Pakistani soldier and an intruder were killed and three Pakistani bunkers destroyed in retaliatory action by Indian troops. The Pakistani troops fired with heavy calibre machine guns on the Bimbat, Yaldor and Hadabork areas and followed it with artillery firing in the Kargil and Mushkoh sectors last evening, a defence spokesman for Northern Command said. Apart from machine gun firing the Pakistani troops fired 540 artillery rounds yesterday on Indian positions which was retaliated by the troops, he said, adding that in the counter-offensive one Pakistani jawan was killed and three of their bunkers were destroyed.
UNI, PTI |
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Army seals off 2
villages to Press Jammu, September 9 When this correspondent visited the Suchetgarh border constituency today for a feel of the pre-elections scenario he was not allowed to visit Devigarh and Begha villages. Army officials guarding the checkpost told “me get permission from the Army authorities first without that we will not allow you to enter the villages.” When assured that this correspondent had come to cover the pre-election scene and not the developments on the border they said “we have instructions not to allow any newsman to visit these villages without prior permission from the Army authorities at
R.S. Pora. A group of people, coming out of Devigarh village and moving to R.S. Pora, in a tonga, refused to speak to this correspondent in the presence of the Army officials. They seemed to be scared of meeting a journalist when the Army officials were around. The Army officials agreed such restrictions were not there a couple of months back. They said “these restrictions had been imposed only after the poll schedule was announced.” It would have been a waste of couple of hours to get in touch with the army officials concerned at
R.S. Pora where the correspondent would have to answer questions even after showing them the press accreditation card. |
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460 politicians killed in 13
years Srinagar, September 9 A police spokesman said here that others killed included 54 of the Congress, 15 of the BJP, 10 of the Janata Dal, nine of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), six each of the CPM and Awami League and three of the Awami National Conference. Since the announcement of the election schedule, the graph of violence has gone up. During August, 88 civilians were killed and 160 others injured in 382 incidents. |
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HRF chief, 15
others held Srinagar, September 9 They were detained for violating prohibitory orders in force in the city, official sources said. The police started action on the protesters soon after they staged dharna outside HRF headquarters near Central Telegraph Office this afternoon to protest against the arrest of shopkeeper Mohammad Hanief by security forces on August 29 from Khanyar locality and his subsequent disappearance, the sources said. The demonstrators, mostly relatives of
Hanief, were carrying placards demanding what they called “end to state terrorism”, the sources said, adding they also raised slogans “we want justice and release of the innocent shopkeeper”. The police initialy tried to persuade them to disperse. However, as they refused, the police took into custody Antoo, nine women, four children and two men and lodged them in Kothibagh police station, they said.
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JKPDP releases poll manifesto Srinagar, September 9 Mr Sayeed said his party would set up an accountability commission and would seek dismantling of the “repressive regime and withdrawal of draconian laws like POTA in the disturbed areas and the Armed Forces Special Powers Act”. Asserting that the party was in favour of unconditional talks with the people of the state, he said the party would focus on identifying these mistakes and seek legal and constitutional safeguards against any repetition of these mistakes. “We are committed to seeking the release of all detenues being held without trial for long periods,” Mr Sayeed said, while demanding “stern punishment for those responsible for custodial killings”. The party also reaffirmed its stand for the resettlement of Kashmiri Pandits. The JKPDP chief demanded disarming of the surrendered militants, alleging that “the officially patronised gun culture has provided the licence for killing of innocents with impunity”, he said. He said a commission would also be set up to inquire into the allegations against the Special Operations Group of the Jammu and Kashmir police and the security forces in connection with custodial killings. On the occassion two senior leaders of the ruling National Conference from Pulwama district of South Kashmir Abdul Aziz Mir, block president, and Ghulam Hassan Bhat, zonal president, announced their decision to join the JKPDP.
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Constituency profile Gulmarg It is the Industries Minister, Dr Mustafa Kamaal, who is the younger brother of the Chief Minister, Dr Farooq Abdullah, pitted against a former minister, the lone PDP candidate, Mr Ghulam Hassan Mir in the Gulmarg constituency. The Education Minister, Mr Mohammad Shafi, is pitted against the Congress candidate, Mr Taj Mohiuddin, in Uri. In the 1996 elections, there was a three-cornered contest in the Gulmarg constituency, while in Uri there were five candidates. An electorate of 63,054 voters, including 34,219 males and 28,835 females will decide the fate of the two candidates in the Gulmarg constituency on September 16, for which 100 polling stations have been set up. Dr Kamaal was elected from this constituency in the 1987 and 1996 elections. The constituency was represented by National Conference members, Mr Mohammad Akbar Lone and Mr Ghulam Hassan Mir in the 1977 and 1983 elections, respectively. Mr Mir, this time the lone contesting candidate of former Union Home Minister, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed’s Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) against Dr Kamaal, unsuccessfully contested the seat as a Congress candidate in the 1996 elections. “There is no third choice”, laments a resident of the area adding that the representatives over the past five decades have “not come up to the expectations of the people”. At the same time there is a threat from the militants, who have “conveyed messages” not to participate in the election process. The Industries Minister survived an attack on his life at Sheikhpora while electioneering on September 2. A political worker from the area having an old affiliation with the National Conference, Mr Ghulam Rasool, was recently kidnapped and subsequently killed in the nearby Beerwah area. As the rows of vehicles carrying party supporters and flags of the National Conference and PDP make frequent movements on the Kunzar-Tangmarg road on way to Gulmarg, the people here are “indifferent”, according to a retired government official. “The aspirations of the people have not been met”, laments another resident, on condition of anonymity. “It is only the domination of candidates taking care of those belonging to bad pockets, backward class etc. in the upper reaches of Tangmarg and Gulmarg”, laments a peasant. He said those belonging to such pockets were only given their due share in jobs and other considerations while those belonging to other areas were ignored. Threats from militants against participation in elections, non-adherence to the promises made by different political parties during election campaigning and the alleged exploitation by representatives over the decades have left the voter least concerned about the poll process. “May be the security forces resort to coercive measures on the day of polling, but the people are in no mood to vote”, said a resident near Kunzar. He adds that the boycott of poll may be helpful to the ruling party. |
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EC notifies list of
parties Srinagar, September 9 An official spokesman said here that the political parties in Jammu and Kashmir which had been listed as registered unrecognised parties under Table III of the notification issued by the commission include the Jammu and Kashmir Awami National Conference (JKANC), the Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Conference (JKPC), the Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Democratic Party (JKPDP), the Jammu and Kashmir Awami League (JKAL), and the Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Front (JKPF). The candidates fielded by a registered unrecognised party for the Assembly elections or any other candidate (Independent) should choose and be allotted on of the 77 free symbols specified in the notification under Table IV, in accordance with the provision laid down therein. A candidate fielded by a recognised party should choose and be allotted the reserved symbols notified in the Table I of the notification, the spokesman said. |
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NC scaring voters: PCC
chief Jammu, September 9 Mr Azad alleged on telephone that the NC activists on behalf of terrorist outfits were pasting posters and
dispatching threatening letters asking the electorate not to participate in voting. He said that Chief Minister, Dr Farooq Abdullah and his son had become panicky as response to the NC in most of the constituencies was poor. People were fed up with the ‘dynastic’ rule in Kashmir and wanted change which was possible only if free and fair elections were ensured. The PCC chief alleged that corruption was rumpant under the NC rule and there virtually was no administration and government worth the name. He accused the Abdullahs of misleading people on the name of “azadi” and autonomy. He said the NC government headed by Sheikh Abdullah came to power with Congress support in 1975 thereafter he lent support to the Janata Dal government at the Centre. Dr Abdullah supported the Congress when it wrested power at the Centre and shifted loyalty to the third front. But now he has alliance with the BJP whose policies are opposite to that of the NC. While the NC was for autonomy for the state, the BJP favoured the abrogation of Article 370 which bestows special status on Jammu & Kashmir and the interest of Dr Abdullah was only to retain power. He alleged that certain ministers and senior functionaries of the NC were involved in purchases and grant of contracts. |
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BJP-JSM row: efforts on to avert votes
split Jammu, September 9 The BJP recently arrived at the poll alliance with the JSM which has been demanding statehood for Jammu, but both parties have now put up candidates against each other. The BJP general secretary, Mr O.P. Kohli, told The Tribune that although deadline for withdrawal had ended, but efforts were on for arriving at an understanding with the JSM so that the votes which could add up in containing the National Conference and the Congress, were not divided. The BSP was trying to persuade Mr Tilak Raj
Sharma to withdraw from the contest against Mr Ashok Khajuria, a sitting MLA of the BJP in the Jammu (East) constituency. A sitting MLA of the BJP, Mr Hans Raj Dogra, has filed his papers as an Independent against Prof Virender Gupta of the JSM in the Jammu (West). The JSM had announced its candidates for 12 seats of the Jammu division even before the poll pact between the two parties was finalised at the residence of Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee, at Delhi. Nine seats were given to the JSM under the pact. However, the JSM was firm that it would contest all seats for which it had announced its candidates. The JSM vice-chairman, Mr Ramesh Sabharwal, said the BJP had Gandhinagar seat to the Akali Dal. The seat was given to the JSM under the sharing of seats. Mr Onkar Seth, a lawyer, has been fielded by the JSM. BJP activists were claiming that the JSM had overestimated its strength by fielding its candidates on all three seats of the town. They should not expect the BJP to deny ticket to the sitting MLA. On the other hand, the JSM leaders have pointed out that the city being the epicentre of demand for statehood for Jammu, the JSM would contest these seats as the people favoured the demand. Meanwhile, it is learnt that the senior leaders of the BJP were in touch with the RSS which is backing the JSM to resolve the dispute as both parties fitted against each other would split their votes. |
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2 BJP men file
nominations Srinagar, September 9 Mohammad Yousuf Sofi and Shoukat Hussain Wani filed their papers for the October 1 elections. Twentyseven constituencies will go to the poll on the day, official sources said. Mr H.N. Bhat, also of the BJP, had filed the papers for the Wachi Assembly seat in Pulwama district on September 6. September 13 is the last date for the filing of nominations for the third phase, while the scrutiny of papers will take place on September 14. The last date for the withdrawals is September 16.
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Srinagar,
September 9
