J A M M U   &   K A S H M I R

Congress-PDP coalition drops partners
Jammu, February 8
The Congress and the PDP are learnt to have decided not to offer any seat to coalition partners, the Panthers Party and the Peoples Democratic Front (PDF), in Lok Sabha elections. The lone seat in the Ladakh region may be left for the local joint front of the parties of the area.

J&K ministry may be reshuffled
Jammu, February 8
Following pressure mounted by disgruntled Congress legislators, who had a day-long interaction with the PCC President, Mr Ghulam Nabi Azad, AICC General Secretary, Ambika Soni, and other senior leaders in Delhi, the prospects of a reshuffle in the Council of Ministers in Jammu and Kashmir has again brightened.

Abbas faction’s bid to broaden APHC base
Jammu, February 8
While the hardliners among the Kashmiri separatists, headed by Syed Ali Shah Geelani, were toying with the idea of giving a new nomenclature to the faction of the APHC, the Abbas faction of the APHC has started wooing different political groups in a bid to broaden the base of the conglomerate.

Protest against killing of 5 youth in Kashmir
Srinagar, February 8
The police today fired into the air and lobbed teargas shells to disperse demonstrators at Bandipore protesting against the killing of five youth allegedly by security forces in a Aragam village in North Kashmir.

Malika Pukhraj’s memory  still ‘jawan’
in Jammu

Jammu, February 8 Although melody queen Malika Pukhraj died last week, Lahore, where she migrated after Partition, her memories, particularly her song “Abhi to mein jawan hoon”, linger in the minds of people here.

The house in Jammu where Malika Pukhraj spent her early years. She died in Lahore last week. — Photo by Sarabjeet Singh

YOUR TOWN

Jammu Srinagar

Security personnel keep vigil on the Jammu-Udhampur railway track to be made functional from March 25 this year, near Jammu on Sunday. — PTI

	19 killed, 27 hurt in valley February 8, 2004
	AITUC for probe into Dul Hasti project delay February 7, 2004
	Pandits divided over talks with APHC (Abbas) February 6, 2004
	Dy CM should quit, demands Bhim Singh February 5, 2004
	Militants recruiting tribal children February 4, 2004
	Offer to surrendered militants may fuel militancy, says JMM February 3, 2004
	Jammu-Srinagar highway reopened February 2, 2004
	US officials ask hardliners to join dialogue February 1, 2004
	2 LeT commanders among 10 ultras shot in valley January 31, 2004
	APHC endorses Delhi talks January 30, 2004

Lieut-Gen  K.K. Khanna
Jammu, February 8
Maj-Gen K.K. Khanna has been promoted as Lieut-General and posted the new Chief of Staff of the Udhampur-based Northern Command of the Army. He was currently posted at the command headquarters as Major-General (General Staff).

Congress-PDP coalition drops partners
Tribune News Service

Jammu, February 8
The Congress and the PDP are learnt to have decided not to offer any seat to coalition partners, the Panthers Party and the Peoples Democratic Front (PDF), in Lok Sabha elections. The lone seat in the Ladakh region may be left for the local joint front of the parties of the area.

It is reliably learnt that the Congress has decided to contest both seats of Jammu, Udhampur here and the Baramula seat in the Kashmir valley. The Srinagar and Anantnag Lok Sabha seats were being left for the PDP.

The National Conference had five seats and the BJP one in the dissolved Lok Sabha.

The decision may widen rift among coalition partners as Panthers Party Chief Bhim Singh has announced to contest all seats if not given due share of seats.

The Congress has started selecting candidates for three seats. Mr Sat Mahajan, a minister of Himachal, has been asked to shortlist candidates in consultation with local activists of the Congress. He was here to held a series of meetings with various faction leaders.

PCC chief Ghulam Nabi Azad may talk to parties of Leh and Kargil for a consensus candidate to defeat the National Conference.

Sources said party activists had suggested that Deputy Chief Minister Mangat Ram Sharma would be the most suited for the Jammu Lok Sabha seat. If he declines then Social Welfare Minister Mula Ram, PWD Minister Madan Lal Sharma, Mr Janak Raj Gupta, Mr R.S. Chib, Mr Dharampal Sharma, Mr Ashok Sharma and Mr Balwan Singh are in line for consideration.

It is learnt that Mr Saifuddin Soz, who was responsible for the fall of the Vajpayee government by going against the vote of confidence when he was in the National Conference and a minister at the Centre, was likely to be fielded by the Congress for the Baramula seat.

Mr Soz has come closer to Ms Sonia Gandhi and was among the handpicked allowed to speak at a public meeting addressed by her recently.

Health Minister Lal Singh was reportedly the choice for the Udhampur Lok Sabha seat after Dr Karan Singh, who reportedly is not enthusiastic to contest. Certain Congress legislators were not in favour of the candidature of Mr Lal Singh.

Public Health Engineering Minister Jugal Kishore and three others were also being considered for the Udhampur seat.

J&K ministry may be reshuffled
M.L. Kak

Jammu, February 8
Following pressure mounted by disgruntled Congress legislators, who had a day-long interaction with the PCC President, Mr Ghulam Nabi Azad, AICC General Secretary, Ambika Soni, and other senior leaders in Delhi, the prospects of a reshuffle in the Council of Ministers in Jammu and Kashmir has again brightened.

The Congress dissidents also met the Chief Minister, Mufti Mohd Sayeed, in Delhi and extracted an assurance that the Council of Ministers would be reshuffled shortly and at least three non-PDP MLAs would be accommodated.

Informed sources said that the Chief Minister has suggested to the Congress President to send the list of MLAs who were to be given berth in the Council of Ministers and of those who were to be dropped from the Cabinet.

As far as the choice of  legislators belonging to the PDP and the PDF was concerned it would be the prerogative of the Chief Minister to drop  old faces or include new ones.

The Congress legislators had threatened the party high command that if the expansion of the Council of Ministers was further delayed they would not be in a position to campaign effectively for the party candidates in the ensuing Lok Sabha elections.

The Chief Minister has one problem. The size of the Council of Ministers is about 35 per cent of the total number of seats in the Assembly and hence he may not go in for a major expansion.

Abbas faction’s bid to broaden APHC base
Our Correspondent

Jammu, February 8
While the hardliners among the Kashmiri separatists, headed by Syed Ali Shah Geelani, were toying with the idea of giving a new nomenclature to the faction of the APHC, the Abbas faction of the APHC has started wooing different political groups in a bid to broaden the base of the conglomerate.

Informed sources said that after feeling dismayed over the refusal of the Jamait-e-Islami leadership to join or support the separatist amalgam headed by Syed Ali Shah Geelani, moves have been initiated by him to float a new organisation.

Mr Geelani has told his supporters that he had waited for months to get the full support of the Jamait-e-Islami. The Majlis Shoura of the Jamait-e-Islami, at its recent meeting, decided to stay neutral, neither joining the Abbas faction nor shaking hands with Mr Geelani.

Sources said that Mr Geelani was trying to win over the support of those Jamait-e-Islami leaders who continue to toe his line even while being active members of the Jamaat’s Majlis Shoura. The Naib Amir (Deputy Chief) of the Jamait-e-Islami, Mr Mohd Ashraf Sehrai, continues to support Syed Ali Shah Geelani and the latter may use him in causing a split in the Jamait-e-Islami.

The aim of the harliners is to bring fence-sitters among the separatists in to their fold once they gave a new name to the APHC faction headed by Syed Ali Shah Geelani in order to deprive the APHC (Abbas) of its claim to represent the biggest conglomerate.

The APHC (Abbas) has already enrolled the faction of the Democratic Freedom Party, headed by Mr Salim Geelani. However, its talks with Mr Shabir Ahmed Shah, founder president of the Democratic Freedom Party, have not materialised because the APHC (Abbas) leaders did not accept Mr Shah’s suggestion of merging all constituents in the APHC. The Awami Action Committee, headed by Molvi Umar Farooq, and the Peoples’ Conference leadership, were opposed to winding their shops by fully merging with the APHC (Abbas).

Protest against killing of 5 youth in Kashmir
Tribune News Service

Srinagar, February 8
The police today fired into the air and lobbed teargas shells to disperse demonstrators at Bandipore protesting against the killing of five youth allegedly by security forces in a Aragam village in North Kashmir.

Thousands of demonstrators reportedly ransacked the local office of ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Town Hall and attempted to storm into the local police station. They also set ablaze the official vehicle of Deputy Superintendent of Police, posted at Bandipore, 57 km north of here in Baramulla district. This forced the police to fire into the air and lobbing of teargas shells.

The youth killed were identified Mohammad Sakhi Charra, Mohammad Yaqoob, Ghulam Jeelani Ikhwan, Farooq Ahmad Reshi and Mohammad Aslam Mir, all residents of Chitgi Banday village near Aragam, about 10 km from Bandipore.

The trouble started when five bodies of youth were brought to the police station. The residents alleged that the youth were killed by security forces. At least six militants and a JCO of the Army were killed in an encounter in the forest area on Friday. Later, it had been reported that three more militants were killed in the encounter.

The residents alleged that the 10 JAKLI deployed in the area had picked up 25 youth from the villages while the encounter with the hiding militants was going on. Of these five were allegedly killed by security forces, the residents claimed. The Army, however, admitting that the youth working as porters were taken from the area after the encounter and killed by the hiding militants. They claimed that two of them were killed by the fleeing militants from a gorge, while three others had been fired upon by the militants hiding in a cave.

Malika Pukhraj’s memory still ‘jawan’ in Jammu
S.P. Sharma
Tribune News Service

Jammu, February 8
Although melody queen Malika Pukhraj died last week, Lahore, where she migrated after Partition, her memories, particularly her song “Abhi to mein jawan hoon”, linger in the minds of people here. She had spent the early years of her life here, before touching the heights in the world of music.

Malika Pukhraj, over the years, has attained the status of a legend here. Elders of the town recall how she was forced to leave the place because of intrigues in the palace, where she had become a court singer.

He fans here treat her house in a narrow lane of Kanak Mandi in the heart of the old city area as a relic. A Hindu family occupied the house following her migration to Lahore. Malika’s personal room with a carved wooden ceiling is still intact, while some alterations have been made over the years in other parts of the building.

It was an atmosphere of festivity here when Malika Pukhraj visited the town for the last time in 1988 along with her daughter Tahira Syed. During her weeklong stay here, she sang at various places. The main function was organised at Maulana Azad Stadium. She also visited the house that was once her’s.

Malika Pukhraj, in an interview with this correspondent, had said she would never forget Jammu, where she had spent her childhood. She was against the commercialisation of art.

She also recalled Baba Roti Ram, a spiritualist of the Akhnoor area, who had given her the name “Malika” after her birth.

Lieut-Gen K.K. Khanna
Tribune News Service

Jammu, February 8
Maj-Gen K.K. Khanna has been promoted as Lieut-General and posted the new Chief of Staff of the Udhampur-based Northern Command of the Army. He was currently posted at the command headquarters as Major-General (General Staff).

An alumni of the National Defence Academy, General Khanna was commissioned in June 1967 in the 16th Jat Regiment and commanded the battalion from June 1988 to May 1990. He later raised a sector of the Rashtriya Rifles in Jammu and Kashmir and was awarded the Ati-Vishisht Seva Medal.