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PDP leader shot in Mufti’s home town Coalition puts up joint face Move on bureaucrat’s posting scuttled BSF withdrawal begins on Nov 15 Rs 100 crore package for degraded catchments |
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Protest against ‘custodial’ killing Four injured in bear attack
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PDP leader shot in Mufti’s home town Srinagar, November 7 Elsewhere in the valley, another PDP worker and a foreign militant were killed and a BSF jawan was injured overnight. Official sources said the PDP leader Zulfikar Ali was shot at by the militants at Lasibal, Anantnag, last night. He later succumbed to his injuries. Zulfikar is the second PDP leader killed by the militants during the past four days. The body of another PDP worker Haider Ali, who was abducted from Malganipora a fortnight ago, was recovered at Rafiabad today. PDP President Mehbooba Mufti has strongly condemned the killing of Zulfikar and Haider. She said Zulfikar was offered security by the party which he turned down as he firmly believed that he was working for the uplift of the poor. Meanwhile, the Baramula district president of the PDP has demanded probe into the killing of Haider. In a separate incident, Om Prakash, a BSF jawan, was injured when militants attacked a patrol party near Victory Crossing Khanyar here last night. The security forces also killed a militant during a search operation at Ganderbal last night. Militants hurled a grenade at an official guest house in the high-security Gupkar road area last night but failed to cause any casualty. A grenade landed at house Number 5, used as a guest house by senior state department officials, at around 8 p.m. JAMMU: Two bullet-ridden bodies were recovered by the security forces in the Banihal belt of Doda district on Friday. During a search operation the semi-decomposed bodies with multiple bullet marks were recovered in the Khadi forests of Banihal tehsil. — UNI, PTI
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Coalition puts up joint face Jammu, November 7 The meeting was organised by the coalition partners on the completion of their first year in office. The chairman of the Panthers Party, Mr Bhim Singh, who has been strongly criticising various steps of the state government, was conspicuous by his absence. However, Mr Harsh Dev Singh, Education Minister, of the Panthers Party, was present. Although certain members of the Peoples Democratic Forum (PDF), formed by Independent MLAs supporting the government, had yesterday decided not to participate in the meeting as they were not taken into confidence. However, they were seen on the dais as they were reportedly persuaded not to take the step, which could strengthen the allegation of the Opposition that there were cracks in the coalition. Mr Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami, a CPM MLA, who was the spirit behind the unity among the Independents, spoke high of the Mufti government. Most of the ministers and other leaders accused the National Conference and the BJP of spreading rumours that the government would collapse soon. They said not only the NDA government at the Centre, but other national parties were also supporting the policies of the state government. The Chief Minister, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, said that there was no discrimination against the Jammu region and this year’s plan allocation for the area was Rs 446 crore, as against Rs 497 crore for Kashmir. Investments amounting to Rs 1,700 crore had come in for the industrial sector in Jammu. He said that of the 1900 persons recruited in the India Reserve Battalion
(IRB), 928 belonged to Jammu. As many as 445 contractual teachers had been appointed in Jammu division as against 558 in the Kashmir valley. He said the coalition government was better than single-party rule because it did not allow hegemony of any party. The Mufti said although there was criticism of certain decisions pertaining to the handling of terrorism by his government, but the NDA government at the Centre and the Congress had endorsed his policies. He said that a healthy Opposition was necessary for the proper functioning of his government. It was unfortunate that the hardliners in Kashmir kept mum when innocent persons were killed by militants, he added. The Chief Minister said Pakistan should not allow the opportunity of restoring normal relations with India slip out of its hands. It should not hesitate to accept the confidence-building measures offered by India. He wondered why Pakistan was hesitant in accepting India’s offer of reopening the Uri-Muzaffarabad road. The Suchetgarh-Sialkot road in Jammu should also be opened, he suggested. The Deputy Prime Minister, Mr L.K. Advani, who had been nominated by the centre to open a dialogue with the Hurriyat Conference, should deal with all shades of opinion, he said. The Deputy Chief Minister, Mr Mangat Ram Sharma, and the PWD Minister, Mr Madan Lal Sharma, said the promises made in the common minimum programme of the coalition would be implemented in a phased manner. The report of the Wazir Commission for creating three new districts would be implemented and a delimitation commission would be set up. A finance commission for equitable distribution of funds among the three regions of the state would also be established, they said. |
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Move on bureaucrat’s posting scuttled Jammu, November 7 The Cabinet’s decision met the same fate as that of the earlier one regarding the appointment of Mr Pandit as Chairman of the Public Service Commission as the General Department was asked by the Chief Secretary’s office in the afternoon not to issue the posting order of Mr Pandit to the Waqf Board. The Cabinet had decided to bestow the status of a Cabinet minister to the IAS officer on his posting as Chief Executive of the Waqf Board in place of Mr Nayeem Akhtar, Special Secretary to the Chief Minister. Mr Vijay Bakaya, Secretary, Planning was to take charge of the Finance Department, but the move has now been scuttled. With Mr Pandit once again managing to remain in the Secretariat, uncertainty continues to prevail in the Public Service Commission, which has been without a head for the past over four months. The decision regarding the appointment of another Chairman will be taken at the next meeting of the Cabinet, which is expected to be held after the return of the Mufti from London. Mr Pandit was appointed Chairman of the Public Service Commission last month by the Cabinet. His appointment was also cleared by the Governor. However, Mr Pandit was seemingly reluctant to go out of the Secretariat to take up the new post. He was appointed Chairman-cum-Managing Director of the Rural Electrification Corporation at the Centre earlier this year, but he was presumably not willing to proceed on central deputation. According to reports, a strong lobby of Kashmir leaders is backing his candidature for the post of Chief Secretary. However, the Mufti is not in a position to oblige them by replacing Mr Biloria, the first Chief Secretary from Jammu, as his government is being accused of discriminating with the Jammu region. |
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BSF withdrawal begins on Nov 15 Srinagar, November 7 Disclosing this here this evening, the Inspector-General of the Srinagar-based Kashmir Frontier of the BSF, Mr Vijay Raman, said the withdrawal would be phased, beginning on November 15. The decision to replace the BSF with the CRPF in anti-militancy operations within the valley had been taken by the Central government last year, in view of improvement in the situation. There was no fixed time frame for the withdrawal of the BSF from the valley, Mr Raman said. Answering questions at a press conference while hosting an Iftar party here this evening, Mr Raman said over 70 per cent of the militants operating in Kashmir were foreigners. The withdrawal was being effected from the Srinagar Frontier, which has 32 battalions operating in Central and South Kashmir. There was no decision yet on withdrawal from the Baramula Frontier, where 16 battalions were operating. |
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Rs 100 crore package for degraded catchments Jammu, November 7 According to Mr Mohiuddin Sofi, Minister for Forests and Environment, of this a sum of Rs 19 crore would be utilised during the current year. This would help protect the degraded areas of the two important basins. He said the Centre had released Rs 12 crore for the afforestation of 5,985 hectares. He said that last year, 845 sawmills operating illegally had been dismantled and about 1,636 hectares of forest land got evicted and demarcated. Mr Sofi said a new forest policy would be formulated soon for which suggestions had been sought from intellectuals, mediapersons, NGOs and students. |
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Protest against ‘custodial’ killing
Srinagar, November 7 Hundreds of protesters took to the streets as news of Mohammad Haider Bhat’s death in an encounter at preng in the Kangan area of Srinagar district spread, the sources said. The police resorted to tear gas shelling to disperse the protesters who pelted the police station building with stones. Nearly 2,000 persons gathered around the police station and the police apprehended that more protesters would gather when the body was brought here. — PTI
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Srinagar, November 7 The bears descended from the forest area yesterday and went on the rampage, the sources said. They said an elderly man had been admitted to hospital in Srinagar for treatment where his condition was stated to be critical. The attack was the fifth by wild animals in the past month. Twelve persons were injured in such attacks. — PTI
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