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Monday,
August 25, 2003, Chandigarh, India  
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PM’s visit rescheduled, Jammu
included Ultra, shepherd killed in J&K 5 Pak soldiers killed Consensus on BJP unit chief
candidate Gang of burglars busted |
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PM’s visit rescheduled, Jammu
included Jammu, August 24 Mr Vajpayee, who is to preside over a meeting of the Inter-State council in Srinagar on August 27, will now also visit the winter capital of Jammu on August 28 and leave for Delhi on August 29, they said. The Prime Minister would attend a civic reception organised by the Pradesh Janta Party at Abhinav Theatre on August 29 before leaving for Delhi. President of the state unit of BJP Nirmal Singh said Mr Vajpayee would be meeting the party leaders during his overnight stay. The leaders of the state unit, during a recent visit to New Delhi, had impressed upon the Prime Minister to visit Jammu as well, he said, adding that was why the Prime Minister had rescheduled his visit. The sources said Mr Vajpayee was likely to launch a job package during his stay in Srinagar. Meanwhile, the activists of the ruling PDP — Congress coalition have not relished the decision of the Prime Minister to make an overnight stay here on August 28. The BJP leaders were expecting Mr Vajpayee to make some important announcements during the civic reception pertaining to the Jammu region as an impression prevailed in the region that like the previous governments the BJP-led NDA government was also concentrating on the development of the Kashmir valley. There were indications that even the government circles had not appreciated the decision of the PM to stop over here. The decision of the PM’s visit here had been taken all of a sudden as the local leadership of the BJP had earlier persuaded him to meet the commitment of visiting here which he made during his recent visit to Srinagar. A senior officer said that the state government was not taken into confidence before finalising the PM’s visit to Jammu. On the other hand, the BJP spokesman, Mr Hari Om, was wondering why leaders of the coalition were reacting in a funny manner to Mr Vajpayee’s visit here. Did they not consider Jammu as an equal partner of the J&K state, he asked. Soon after reaching here, Mr Vajpayee would meet various delegations, including a delegation of residents of the border villages who have been rendered refugees in tented colonies for the past six years because of indiscriminate firing by the Pakistani troops. The senior BJP functionaries of the state would meet him separately to apprise him of the ‘discriminatory’ treatment meted by the state government to the Jammu region and the reaction among the nationalist forces due to the soft approach of the Mufti government towards those involved in terrorism. The local BJP leaders were also upset over Mr Advani showering praise on the functioning of the Mufti government. The BJP has its base only in the Jammu region of the state and its leadership wanted to take political mileage out of the visit of Mr.Vajpayee. This is the second visit of any Prime Minister to the Kashmir valley in the past four months. Earlier, Mr Vajpayee had visited there in March when he extended a hand of friendship to Pakistan. |
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Ultra, shepherd killed in J&K Srinagar, August 24 Militants kidnapped and later shot dead a shepherd, Ghulam Mohiuddin Chopan, at Sakiwas Bahak in the Pahalgam area of the district, where he had gone for grazing cattle. In Poonch, security forces shot dead a militant during an encounter at Lohar Gali in the Mendhar area. One AK rifle was recovered from the possession of the unidentified ultra. In north Kashmir’s Baramula district, security forces raided a militant hideout at Palhalan-Pattan and recovered four UBGL grenades, two binoculars, three explosive devices and some uniform articles. During search operations in Doda district, security forces recovered one pistol, two magazines and three hand grenades from a hideout at Beoli in the Banihal area. A huge quantity of arms and ammunition was recovered from the possession of six militants who were killed while trying to infiltrate in the Mendhar sector yesterday. The recoveries included six AK rifles, 29 magazines, 265 rounds, one UBGL, four UBGL grenades, nine hand grenades, two mines, three timer devices, three remote control switches, 20 detonators and Rs 2,585 in Pakistani and Rs 61,000 in Indian currencies. The six militants were part of a suicide
squad of the Hizbul Mujahideen, a spokesman said. — PTI |
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5 Pak soldiers killed Jammu, August 24 Pakistani troops fired mortar bombs targeting civilian and forward defence locations along the LoC in Mankote, Tain, Pathrigali, Langote, Balnoie, Dhargaloon in Krishnagati, Kerni, Balakote, Jangard, Kalsia, Bhawani, Laa and Jallas in the Rajouri-Poonch sector since last night, the sources said. Two civilians, Nageen Akhtar and Riyaz Ahmed, were critically injured in the heavy shelling followed by small arm firing in the Upper Balnoie area in Poonch, they said. Indian troops retaliated and in the heavy exchange of fire, which was still on in the area, five Pakistani soldiers were killed, the sources said. Heavy shelling and firing from across the border were reported from Drass, Batalik, Thang, northern Siachen areas in Jammu. —
PTI |
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Consensus on BJP unit chief
candidate Jammu, August 24 A senior BJP leader said, “We will complete the election to the posts of
mandal, block and district president before September 28 when Dr Nirmal Singh’s term as the party chief ends.” Dr Nirmal Singh was installed as president of the BJP unit on ad hoc basis to replace Mr D.K. Kotwal whose extended term had expired five months ago. Despite a continued rift between dissidents and loyalists in the organisation, Dr Nirmal Singh has emerged as a consensus candidate for the post of the president. A stage is being set where there will be no contest and for this the party high command has already conveyed to both the loyalists and the dissidents that Dr Nirmal Singh be elected the unit chief without a contest, according to BJP leaders. Supporters of Dr Nirmal Singh have conveyed to the senior central leaders details of the activities carried out by Dr Nirmal Singh which had brought the party out of the rut and as a result of his efforts the intensity of the tussle between the dissidents and the loyalists had decreased. The party leaders have favoured that dissident leaders too would be accommodated in the party’s organisational set-up so that it can pose a serious challenge to the Congress and the Panthers Party, the two parties that have fared well in the last Assembly elections. The BJP leadership has, during a series of public rallies,berated the congress and the Panthers party for their failure to remove discrimination against the people of the Jammu region and to ensure implementation of the Wazir Commission recommendations. |
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Gang of burglars busted Srinagar, August 24 At least 15 members of the gang, including its kingpin Farooq Ahmed Garoo of Rabityar, have been nabbed so far, Deputy Inspector-General (DIG) of Police Mohammad Amin Shah told reporters here. The gang had been very active in the downtown city for the last one year and had committed burglaries in Hazratbal and surrounding areas, he said. He said an investigation team led by the SP Hazratbal, was formed to crack down the gang. Mr Shah said Farooq, the kingpin of the gang, had been absconding for the past three months. Stolen goods worth Rs 80 lakh had been recovered so far from the possession of the burglars, he said. Meanwhile, in a sudden operation, the city police arrested many businessman, including a Delhi-based trader, for selling fake goods. Spurious goods worth several lakhs were also recovered from their godowns. —
UNI |
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