J A M M U   &   K A S H M I R

Large voter turnout in Kathua, Udhampur
Jammu, October 1
Undeterred by militant attack on a passenger bus at Hiranagar, in which 12 civilians were killed, voters turned out in large numbers to cast their votes in Kathua and Udhampur districts, which together have 11 constituencies, today. For an hour voters in several villages, including Bagochechak and Gura Mundian, near Hiranagar Morh were gripped by panic resulting in thin lines outside the polling booths.

Policemen searching voters outside a polling booth at Laripora in the Pahalgam segment, which witnessed the highest turnout in the 16 constituencies of south Kashmir on Tuesday. — PTI photo

Foreign diplomats satisfied with poll
Srinagar, October 1
Fourteen foreign diplomats, who visited Pulwama and Anantnag districts today to monitor the third phase of the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections, expressed satisfaction over the arrangements made by the government for conducting a transparent poll.
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Polling officers waiting for voters at Janglatmandi in Anantnag district in the afternoon, after six hours of the commencement of polling. Only seven votes out of 783 had been cast at the polling booth. — PTI

A Central Reserve Police Force man patrols on the banks of the Dal Lake in Srinagar on Tuesday. — Reuters

• Hundreds ‘denied right to vote’

• NC lodges protest against PDP

• 19 poll officials suspended

• Booths shifted to makeshift tents

• Faulty EVM delays polling

• EC assures probe into rigging charges

Life hit in valley; JKLF chief held
Srinagar, October 1
Life was crippled in the Kashmir valley on a general strike call given by the All Party Hurriyat Conference in protest against the Assembly elections as the third phase of polling got underway today.

Terror: Farooq for global drive
Srinagar, October 1
The Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister, Mr Farooq Abdullah, has sought united and well-meaning global campaign against terrorism.

Bairagi Mandal backs Congress
Chandigarh, October 1
A meeting of the Bairagi Mahan Mandal, Punjab, was held on Sunday at Bhindari village of Kathua constituency in Jammu and Kashmir under the presidentship of Ajit Bawa of Bhindari in favour of Mr Rattan Chand Kumar, Congress candidate from Kathua.

• Pak troops resort to shelling

Large voter turnout in Kathua, Udhampur
M. L. Kak and S. P. Sharma
Tribune News Service

Jammu, October 1
Undeterred by militant attack on a passenger bus at Hiranagar, in which 12 civilians were killed, voters turned out in large numbers to cast their votes in Kathua and Udhampur districts, which together have 11 constituencies, today.

For an hour voters in several villages, including Bagochechak and Gura Mundian, near Hiranagar Morh were gripped by panic resulting in thin lines outside the polling booths. However, the voter queues thickened after an hour of the incident and during the first two hours its percentage in the Hiranagar constituency had touched seven against 10 in Kathua, 13 in Bani.

Within next two hours the Hiranagar constituency witnessed brisk polling and the polling percentage shot up from seven to 18 by 11 a.m. Gurdev Singh of Raj Bagh said, “Even those voters who were not in a mood to cast their votes came out in large number to reply to the Pakistani bullets with ballots.”

While during the first two hours the polling percentage in five constituencies of Kathua district — Hiranagar, Bani Basholi, Kathua and Billawar — was 9.5 during the next two hours it shot up to over 20 per cent in these five constituencies.

Raj Kumar, voter in Chagowal, said: “We have voted in full strength and others too would do it to show to Pakistan that we were not going to be cowed down by rebel attacks.”

Unexpectedly the Bani constituency witnessed 26 per cent polling in the first four hours which was followed by 20 per cent in Basholi.

In the six constituencies in Udhampur district the first two hours of polling was dull as these constituencies recorded 5.50 per cent polling, with Reasi, Gulabgarh and Chenani segments registering between 4.5 and 5.89 per cent voting.

A scare had been caused when militants fired on a polling station in Hasot village in Mahore tehsil of Udhampur district in which one BSF jawan was killed. Additional police reinforcement built confidence among the people who came out of their houses to cast their votes.

Within first four hours of polling the voting percentage in the six constituencies in Udhampur district touched 15.5. Several towns including Kathua, Hiranagar, Udhampur wore a festive look with buntings and banners of different contesting parties fluttering in the breeze.

In the morning hours, many shops remained closed as their owners wanted to finish their voting schedule first. Women outnumbered men at several polling booths in Udhampur, Kathua and Hiranagar.

As many as 164 candidates are in the field in 11 constituencies in Kathua and Udhampur districts. Heavy security arrangements had been made in and around 450 hyper-sensitive and sensitive polling stations out of over 930 in these two districts.

The Superintendent of Police, Reasi, Mr Satish Khandiare, when contacted on the telephone, said a BSF jawan, K. Sudershan, was killed when terrorists opened fire on a police party which reached a polling booth at Harsot in the Mahore area last night. The wounded BSF jawan could not be evacuated for treatment from the remote area and succumbed to the bullet wounds this morning.

All polling booths in the Mahore area were declared hyper-sensitive because of large scale terrorist activity there in the past.

Despite threat by terrorists, 29.53 per cent votes were cast till 1 p.m. in the Gulabgarh constituency of Udhampur district and 40.15 per cent in the Gool-Arnas segment. Both these Assembly segments are terrorist affected, but people came out in strength to cast their votes. The polling percentage was the highest in Gool-Arnas till 1 p.m. The Sub-Divisional Headquarter, of Reasi registered 34.47 per cent, while the district headquarters of Udhampur had 31.39 per cent votes polled till 1 p.m. The Chenani and Ramnagar segment registered 33.56 and 34.99 per cent polling during this period respectively.

Foreign diplomats satisfied with poll

Srinagar, October 1
Fourteen foreign diplomats, who visited Pulwama and Anantnag districts today to monitor the third phase of the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections, expressed satisfaction over the arrangements made by the government for conducting a transparent poll.

The diplomats, mainly from the USA and European nations, were allowed to visit all constituencies to witness the poll process.

This is for the first time that most diplomats travelled by road to see the voting pattern, ignoring militancy-related violence. They were provided adequate security by the authorities .

Significantly, when some diplomats were visiting various areas, militants made abortive attempts to disrupt the poll at a number of places, particularly in the Tral, Pulwama, Shopian and Kokernag Assembly segments.

The Election Commission has issued special passes to Delhi-based foreign diplomats to witness the poll.

Twenty-eight diplomats had witnessed the earlier two phases of the poll in the Kashmir valley.

The fresh batch of diplomats comprises three from France, two each from the USA, the UK and the European Commission and one each from Luxemburg, Spain, Greece, Italy and Germany, officials said.

The diplomats were seen talking to a number of people, including voters at several booths.

They were briefed by the Divisional Commissioner of Kashmir, Mr Pervez Dewan, before they left for 16 Assembly segments spread in Anantnag and Pulwama districts. UNI

Hundreds ‘denied right to vote’
Tribune News Service

Jammu, October 1
The National Panthers Party headed by Prof Bhim Singh has conveyed, in writing, its protest against what he called “criminal conspiracy” to deny several hundred voters their right to cast their votes.

In a letter faxed to the Chief Election Commissioner, Prof Bhim Singh, alleged that a large number of voters, who had been enrolled in the supplementary electoral rolls and who had been issued identity cards were not permitted to cast their votes in Udhampur and Kathua.

He told newsmen here today that voters in polling station numbers 45, 45-A and 34 were told that their names did not figure in the electoral rolls when a week ago the Election Commission had issued identity cards to them after verifying their names in the electoral roll.

Prof. Singh also alleged that the electronic voting machines were not functional in several booths till 8.30 A.M. and voters had to wait for over one and a half hours for casting their votes. He said in several polling stations the officers did not know how to start the machine.

He talked to the Election Commission authorities and requested them to extend the period of polling from 4 P.M. to 6 P.M. to make for the loss of time in setting right the electronic voting machines.

NC lodges protest against PDP

Srinagar, October 1
The National Conference (NC) today lodged a strong protest with the Election Commission (EC) against Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) leader Mehbooba Mufti, accusing her of using surrendered militants to prevent the ruling party supporters to exercise their franchise in several constituencies in Anantnag district.

In a written complaint to the commission, NC leader Rafiq Ahmed Mir said the PDP leader had “organised renegades and surrendered militants’’, who threatened voters in many areas not to come out for casting their ballot.

He said PDP workers along with the renegades were moving in four vehicles to intimidate voters. This was also brought to the notice of the local Returning Officers. Similarly, the PDP was also harassing voters in several other constituencies, where voting was marred by militant violence, he claimed. However, the PDP levelled counter-allegations against the NC about engineering booth-capturing in various segments. It has also brought to the notice of the commission alleged rigging by an NC candidate in Sriguphar in the Pahalgam constituency.

Meanwhile, former Home Minister Mufti Mohammed Sayeed today attributed low percentage of voting to militant attacks in various areas in South Kashmir. UNI

19 poll officials suspended

Srinagar, October 1
Nineteen officials were suspended today for not reporting on poll duty today in Pulwama.

Official sources said 19 officials of different state government departments, who were assigned poll duty, did not turn up at their designated polling stations, probably due to fear of militants.

However, backup arrangements saved the situation. Officials from the standby staff were immediately rushed to assist the poll officials from UP.

Meanwhile, the Pulwama District Election Officer placed under suspension with immediate effect M.A. Qawoosa for refusing to discharge his election duty in the militancy-infested Tral constituency, the sources said. UNI

Booths shifted to makeshift tents

South Kashmir, October 1
After setting up polling stations in tailor and barber shops, the Election Commission (EC) was today forced to shift the designated polling booths in several constituencies in the area to makeshift tents as it failed to get proper place for the people to cast their votes.

Voters at Khirman Ganesh Raina village Wanpoh, in the Homeshalibug constituency were taken by surprise this morning when they found the polling station shifted from a school building to a small co-operative store.

Another polling station at Khudwani in the Devsar assembly segment was shifted from a school building to a makeshift tent on the same premises after the building was found in a dilapidated condition.

Voters were seen exercising their franchise in two makeshift tents on a school premises in the Shopian constituency. These were shifted due to inadequate space. UNI

Faulty EVM delays polling

Homeshalibug, (South Kashmir) October 1
Voting at a polling booth in this Assembly segment started two hours late after polling officials discovered a defect in the electronic voting machine (EVM).

Officials detected the defect in the machine at the Khirman Ganesh Raina polling station of Wanpoh in this constituency minutes before the scheduled beginning of polling.

Presiding Officer N.P. Kanoria said the machine was replaced two hours later. The delay, he said, would be adequately compensated. UNI

EC assures probe into rigging charges

Srinagar, October 1
Chief Electoral Officer Pramod Jain today assured that all allegations of rigging, malpractices and intimidation in the third round of Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir will be thoroughly investigated. Addressing a press conference at the conclusion of the poll, he said the Election Commission will take cognisance of the complaints of the political parties, candidates and mediapersons regarding allegations of misuse of the state machinery. UNI

Life hit in valley; JKLF chief held

Srinagar, October 1
Life was crippled in the Kashmir valley on a general strike call given by the All Party Hurriyat Conference (APHC) in protest against the Assembly elections as the third phase of polling got underway today.

Meanwhile, acting chairman of the Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) Javid Ahmad Mir and about a dozen others have been arrested in Srinagar in overnight raids.

Shops and business establishments in Srinagar and some other major towns of the valley also remained closed. Vehicles kept off the roads. UNI

Terror: Farooq for global drive

Srinagar, October 1
The Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister, Mr Farooq Abdullah, has sought united and well-meaning global campaign against terrorism.

“A thorough strategy has to be adopted against perpetrators of terrorism who have held the world community to ransom,” Dr Abdullah said in a message on the eve of Gandhi Jayanti, the birthday of the Father of the Nation.

Dr Abdullah said the agony of terrorism could not be felt more by the world than the people of Jammu and Kashmir, who had been undergoing traumatic period of militancy unleashed from across the border for over a decade. UNI

Bairagi Mandal backs Congress
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, October 1
A meeting of the Bairagi Mahan Mandal, Punjab, was held on Sunday at Bhindari village of Kathua constituency in Jammu and Kashmir under the presidentship of Ajit Bawa of Bhindari in favour of Mr Rattan Chand Kumar, Congress candidate from Kathua.

Mr K.K. Bawa, President, Bairagi Mahan Mandal, Prof Jiwan Dass Bawa, General Secretary, Bairagi Mahan Mandal, Mr Baldev Dass Bawa, President, Banda Bahadur Brigade, Mr Rajinder Kumar Bawa, Mahant Faqir Chand Bawa also participated in the meeting. The Bairagi community of J&K decided to support the Congress party in the Assembly election.

Mr Bawa said only the Congress was in position to give a fight to the communal forces.

Pak troops resort to shelling

Jammu, October 1
The Pakistani troops resorted to shelling and firing from across the Line of Control and international border on various sectors from Saichen Glacier to Kathua district in Jammu and Kashmir last night, a Defence spokesman of the Northern Command said here today.

The Pakistani troops resorted to artillery shelling in the Yaldor area of Kargil district from 4 p.m. to 11 p.m. yesterday. They also targeted the Moshkoh area of Dras sector with 60 artillery shells last night. PTI