J A M M U   &   K A S H M I R

ADDRESS TO JOINT SESSION
Treat J&K crisis as national issue: Saxena
Jammu, February 24
The Governor, Mr G.C. Saxena, has expressed satisfaction on the appointment of Mr N.N. Vohra as the Centre’s interlocutor for initiating a dialogue with various sections in Jammu and Kashmir to restore peace with dignity and has fervently appealed that the state’s crisis should be treated as a national issue which should be dealt with above partisan considerations.

Two Cong men elected to J&K council
Jammu, February 24
Two Congress candidates, Mr P. Namgial and Mr Nassarullah Khan, were today elected unopposed as members of the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Council. They belong to Leh and Kargil districts, respectively.

A Kashmiri fisherman rows his boat near a flock of migratory birds at Dal Lake in Srinagar on Monday. According to officials, more than 300,000 migratory birds have come to Kashmir's wetlands from Siberia and Central Asia. — Reuters

A soldier stands guard as children play cricket in Srinagar on Monday. The World Cup in South Africa has caught on with Kashmiri youths who play the game in parks and on the streets. — Reuters

2 militants, 2 VDC members killed
Srinagar, February 24
Two militants were killed and a Congress worker injured in the Kashmir Valley overnight. Official sources said militants shot at and wounded a Congress worker Haji Sonaullah at Bodasgam in Anantnag district last evening. He has been admitted in a hospital, they added.

J&K disbands SOG
Srinagar, February 24
Fulfilling its election promise just two days before the Pampore assembly byelection, the PDP government in Jammu and Kashmir today disbanded the Special Operations Group of the local police. A government order directed the absorption of SOG personnel into the regular force.

ADDRESS TO JOINT SESSION
Treat J&K crisis as national issue: Saxena
Tribune News Service

Jammu, February 24
The Governor, Mr G.C. Saxena, has expressed satisfaction on the appointment of Mr N.N. Vohra as the Centre’s interlocutor for initiating a dialogue with various sections in Jammu and Kashmir to restore peace with dignity and has fervently appealed that the state’s crisis should be treated as a national issue which should be dealt with above partisan considerations.

Mr Saxena, who was addressing the joint session of the legislature here today on the beginning of the budget session, said it was a matter of satisfaction that the state government’s agenda for a dialogue for the restoration of peace with dignity had evoked a positive response across the entire political spectrum of the country.

The state government would continue to address the internal dimensions of the problem while leaving the diplomatic channels to take care of the aspects that were not under its control.

He said Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh did not merely represent the geographical frontiers of the country that had been facing a war-like situation, resulting in untold miseries on its residents. It was as well an ideological fortress which had to be defended at the ideological plane not for the three regions of the state but for the future of India as vibrant, modern and progressive society.

Even as world opinion was focussed as never before, on eliminating politically or ideologically driven violence, it was sad that some elements here had adopted an ostrich-like attitude. Regrettably, these elements did not see the futility of the gun and violence that had cost many a precious life and sought to put the state in a reverse development gear, he said.

He hoped that these youngmen who were yet to see the writing on the wall would, hopefully, soon realise that in modern, civilised societies political goals were not achievable through the barrel of gun. He reiterated that the release of prisoners who were not involved in serious offences had been declared an objective of the government.

The Governor appreciated the unprecedented forward movement of certain key issues that had been pending at the central level and said this reflected a greater degree of appreciation for tackling the special development needs of the trouble-torn state.

Referring to the critical financial position of the state, Mr Saxena stressed the need to undertake fiscal reforms in all seriousness if the objective of ensuring a sustainable fiscal situation in the state had to be achieved.

He also appreciated the decision of the government to present a vote-on-account for three months which would enable effective implementation of fiscal reforms.

The Governor said the government was in the process of evolving a fiscal business and economic policy that was tailored to the specific circumstances of the state. The effort of the government was to work out a well laid-out financial reconstruction of the state and stop ad hocism in the matter.

The basic objective of the fiscal policy would be to move towards fiscal autonomy. The government wanted to bring about a balance between revenue and expenditure and create non-plan surpluses to finance at least 30 per cent of the capital expenditure in the next three years.

Mr Saxena listed various other steps that the government had taken to restore the tourism which had been hit because of militancy and introduce biotechnology, information technology and open a new chapter in the socio-economic development of the state.

In the beginning of the Governor’s address, the National Conference members of the Assembly and the Legislative Council were on their feet with their leader, Mr Mohiuddin Shah, saying that the Mufti-led coalition government should have first identified some places for rehabilitating the persons whose houses and shops were being demolished in the state. He also protested against the withdrawal of security which was provided to the leaders of the opposition parties.

Two Cong men elected to J&K council
Tribune News Service

Jammu, February 24
Two Congress candidates, Mr P. Namgial and Mr Nassarullah Khan, were today elected unopposed as members of the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Council. They belong to Leh and Kargil districts, respectively.

Their unopposed election was announced here as the deadline for the withdrawal of nomination papers expired this afternoon. The papers of Mr Qamar Ali Akhoon of the National Conference for the Kargil seat were earlier rejected.

With Mr Ghulam Hassan Geelani of the NC withdrawing from the contest today, 10 candidates, including the Chief Minister, Mufti Sayeed, are now left in the fray for the elections which will be held on March 4.

Of the six vacant seats in the Upper House, two are from the Kashmir valley and four in Jammu. The other candidates in the fray are Mr Ali Mohammad Sofi (Cong), Mr Ghulam Qadir Tak (NC), Mr Ved Mahajan (PDP), Mr Amrit Malhotra (Cong), Mr Mohammad Sabar (Cong), Chaudhary Bashir Ahmed Naz and Mr Bashir Ahmad Zargar (both NC).

Dy CM: give notice to encroachers

Jammu, February 24
Deputy Chief Minister Mangat Ram Sharma has asked Jammu municipality to give at least a week’s notice to encroachers before removing illegal structures, even as he sought people’s cooperation in the ongoing ‘beautification’ drive in Jammu.

Seeking public cooperation in the anti-encroachment drive, Mr Sharma asked the people to voluntarily remove unauthorised structures so as to boost tourism in the temple city.

Mr Sharma, who was inaugurating a ‘foot over bridge’ here at Gandhinagar yesterday, however, said the PDP-Congress coalition government represented the aspirations of the people and, hence, would certainly consider rehabilitating “hard cases” at alternative sites and asked the municipality to give a week’s notice before removing encroachments. PTI

2 militants, 2 VDC members killed

Srinagar, February 24
Two militants were killed and a Congress worker injured in the Kashmir Valley overnight.

Official sources said militants shot at and wounded a Congress worker Haji Sonaullah at Bodasgam in Anantnag district last evening. He has been admitted in a hospital, they added.

Sources said the security forces killed a militant in a search operation at Check Doodi Handwara in north Kashmir last evening. One AK rifle and some arms and ammunition were recovered from the slain militant. However, residents alleged that the militant was killed after his arrest.

A Border Security Force (BSF) spokesman said troops of 171 batallion and 2 RR on a tip-off cordoned off the Rushu village in Badgam district last night. When the troops were about to storm a house, they came under heavy fire from militants. Troops retaliated and one Harkat-ul-Mujahideen militant Mohammad Rafiq Khan, resident of Pakistan, was killed. One Ak rifle, two magzines and 40 rounds were recovered from the slain militant.

Jammu: Militants shot dead two Village Defence Committee members in Rajauri district last night, official sources said.

A group of militants barged into the houses of two VDC members Mohammad Sharief and Nassar Ahmed in Gadyog village Mohra in Rajauri district and fired at them, the sources said.

The militants escaped after the attack, they added.

Meanwhile, militants fired at a civilian identified as Lahar Singh at Deoli village in Doda district, injuring him. He has been hospitalised, the sources said. UNI, PTI

J&K disbands SOG

Srinagar, February 24
Fulfilling its election promise just two days before the Pampore assembly byelection, the PDP government in Jammu and Kashmir today disbanded the Special Operations Group of the local police. A government order directed the absorption of SOG personnel into the regular force.

It directed that the post of SP (Operations) should be abolished and redesignated as Additional Superintendent of Police of the district. The district SPs would be in charge of all counter-insurgency operations in their areas, the order said.

The SOG was accused of extra-judicial killings, extortion and kidnapping and the state government had drawn flak from the Opposition for not disbanding it. PTI