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Jammu, February 23 The Speaker, Mr Tara Chand, adjourned the assembly during the discussion on the demands for grants of the Chief Minister as the Treasury Benches wore a deserted look with many of the members out of the House. No seat-sharing in valley: PDP Jammu, February 23 The Peoples Democratic Party of Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed has refused to spare even a single Lok Sabha seat for the Congress in the Kashmir valley, though it has left the field open to it in the Jammu and Ladakh regions.
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Separatists launch anti-poll
drive
Srinagar, February 23 While mainstream political parties have begun to hold election rallies, separatist militant and political organisations have launched anti-election campaigns in Jammu and Kashmir. At least four workers of the ruling People’s Democratic Party have been killed by suspected militants during the past week. Gujjars turn tide against
terrorists
CRPF camp attacked, two
injured
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NC resents CM’s absence from
House
Jammu, February 23 Some members of the National Conference said that the Chief Minister, Mufti Sayeed, himself was not present in the House during the important debate on his own demands for grants. The House reassembled after 10 minutes when the members on the Treasury Benches, including Ministers, were on their seats. Opposition members alleged that the law and order situation in the state had worsened under coalition rule. Human rights violations had increased, they alleged. In his reply, the Chief Minister asserted that the gaining of momentum of the peace process and reconciliation would herald a new era in Indo-Pak friendship, minor aberrations notwithstanding. The Mufti said that during the past one year there had been a decline in the number of killings, particularly of political workers and civilians, by militants. He said that 274 detainees were released last year and 52 were let off during Id this year. As many as 533 persons were detained under the Public Safety Act. As many as 36I of them belonged to Jammu and Kashmir while 172 were foreign terrorists. A DSP and an inspector of police had been dismissed from service on a charge of being involved in human rights violations. An SP, an inspector and two sub-inspectors had been suspended. The Chief Minister denied allegations that the bureaucracy was ruling the roost in the state. He said that it was the political leadership that was taking policy decisions. He said the Vigilance organisation had been given a free hand to take action against “tainted” officers. Later the House passed the grants for the departments under the charge of the Chief Minister. |
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No seat-sharing in valley:
PDP
Jammu, February 23 The executive committee of the PDP, which met here last evening, constituted a committee under the chairmanship of the Mufti to finalise the party candidates for the elections. Ms Mehbooba Mufti, president of the PDP and daughter of the Chief Minister, presided over the meeting. This is likely to create differences between the two coalition partners over the sharing of the six Lok Sabha seats in the state. Besides the two seats of Jammu and one in Ladakh, the Congress is demanding that it should be allowed to contest the Srinagar and the Baramula seats as well, while the PDP should contest from Anantnag, where the party has a stronghold. However, the executive committee of the PDP has rejected the claim, pointing out that the Congress has a formidable position in Jammu and Ladakh, while the PDP has emerged as a real force in the Kashmir valley and is in a position to give a decisive defeat to the National Conference. The PDP executive committee will meet again on March 1 over the choice of candidates. Meanwhile, the Congress observer, Mr Sat Mahajan, a Himachal Pradesh minister, is learnt to have already sent a panel of names for two seats of Jammu to the party high command. The names of Mr Mangat Ram Sharma, Deputy Chief Minister, Mr Madan Lal Sharma, PWD Minister, Mr Dharampal Sharma, Mr Janak Raj Gupta and Mr R.S. Chib are among those on the panel. Following refusal by Dr Karan Singh to contest from Udhampur, the Congress is in a fix over the candidate to be fielded against Mr Chaman Lal Gupta, Minister of State for Defence. Mr Lal Singh, Health Minister, was reported to be the choice of a section of the party. Mr Saifuddin Soz and Mr Ghulam Rasool Kar are the main contenders for the Baramula seat. |
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Separatists launch anti-poll
drive
Srinagar, February 23 The Hizbul Mujahideen has warned people against participating in the elections as these “are no substitute to the ‘Freedom struggle’ in Kashmir”. A poll boycott appeal has been issued by the chairman of the breakaway group of the Hurriyat Conference, Syed Ali Shah Geelani. There has, however, so far been no such boycott call from the Abbas faction of the Hurriyat Conference. Its senior leader Abdul Ghani Bhat said here that the APHC would not participate in the elections. To a question, he said any decision to issue a boycott call would be taken at a “proper time”. An APHC (Abbas) spokesman said here that it stood for the
resolution of the Kashmir issue through dialogue and that it was in no way interested in the election process. Senior separatist leader Shabir Ahmad Shah has also appealed for a poll boycott call. The Hizbul Mujahideen threat and the poll boycott call by APHC leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani follows two recent election meetings held by the BJP and the Congress-PDP combine. The BJP election campaign was launched by its President, Mr M. Venkaiah Naidu, here on Mahashivratri last Wednesday. Congress leaders Ghulam Nabi Azad and Ambika Soni credited the party with bringing a sea change in the situation and restoring normalcy in Kashmir. This was followed by the Congress-PDP combine rally near Sopore, where the Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister, Mufti Mohammed Sayeed, launched the election campaign. The venue, Tujjar Sharief, near Sopore, was well-chosen as it is bastion of senior separatist leaders, Syed Ali Shah Geelani and Abdul Ghani Bhat. The National Conference, whose cadres were the most targeted during the last Assembly election held in September-October, 2002, is yet to start its election campaign. The party, which is in the process of giving final touches to issues ranging from autonomy to failures of the present government, is awaiting a “proper time” to formally launch its campaign. |
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Gujjars turn tide against terrorists Udhampur, February 23 Officials involved in the operations say about 800 local Muslim Gujjars have joined the security forces in flushing out terrorists from their hideouts to sanitise the area, located in the foothills of the towering 11,000-foot Pir Panjal ranges in the district. The development has resulted in the elimination of local terrorists and also led to the surrender of a few key terrorist commanders. Mahore, an administrative unit in the north-western part of the Jammu region, is largely populated by Gujjar Muslims and lies along a strategic route of terrorists sneaking into the state via Rajouri and Poonch sectors. A vast terrain with dense forests, the area has for the past few years provided sanctuary to terrorists. Whenever the forces managed to kill a terrorist, there used to be a reprisal from terrorists. The ground reality is now changing as the Army in coordination with the police is entering into the areas with the help of watchful Gujjar Muslims. The scenario changed after 800 Gujjar Muslims of the area, equipped with weapons, formed village defence committees (VDC) to take on the terrorists. Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Reasi, J.R. Sharma said the forces had been working to get the support of the Gujjars. The areas where security personnel could not even enter, were now getting sanitised. This has enabled the administration to strike a rapport with the locals, who earlier obeyed the terrorists’ diktat out of fear, he said. A former Lashkar-e-Toiba terrorist commander, Mohammad Rafiq, had surrendered with his weapons and expressed a desire to join as a special police officer. He was instrumental in the killing of terrorists, including three Pakistani nationals. The main driving force behind the surrender of the locals is the growing domination of foreigners in the terrorist outfits, surrendered ultras say. —
UNI |
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CRPF camp attacked, two
injured
Srinagar, February 23 Militants fired four rifle grenades on a CRPF camp near Hawal this afternoon, injuring a Sub-Inspector and a jawan. A parked vehicle was also damaged in the incident, the police said. The militants had shot dead Ghulam Nabi Beigh, a PDP worker, at Aishmuqam in Anantnag district yesterday. Two militants were killed in an encounter with the security forces in the Kulgam area of Anantnag district A schoolchild was killed and four were injured when an explosive device that they were fiddling with went off in a school at Dadasar, Tral in Pulwama district this morning. The injured have been hospitalised. A militant was killed in an encounter with the security forces in the Akhal Devsar forest area near Kulgam in Anantnag district last night. The militants shot dead Noor Mohammad Bhat, a government employee, at Krimshore in Budgam district yesterday. JAMMU: Militants on Monday kidnapped two villagers and killed one of them in Doda district of Jammu, official sources said here. A group of militants kidnapped two villagers identified as Kuni Lal and Girdhari Lal of Nagri village in the Thatri belt of Doda district from the Khatru forests. They tortured them for several hours and Girdhari Lal escaped. The body of Kuni Lal was recovered from the same area. A combing operation has been launched in the forest area to track down the militants. |
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Tension in village over ‘custodial’ death
Srinagar, February 23 Ghulam Ahmad Mir, was reportedly picked up by troops during a search and cordon operation yesterday and his body was handed over to his family late last night, the sources said. As the news of his death in custody spread, residents of the village assembled at his home this morning and later took to the streets, demanding an inquiry into the killing and punishment to the guilty. Raising slogans, the protesters, numbering nearly 5,000 and carrying the body of the victim, were heading towards Tral township to lodge their protest. —
UNI |
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Coop movement leader dead
Jammu, February 23 The Chairman, Mr Abdul Rashid Dar, to mourn the death of Mr Jatinder Dev, adjourned the Legislative Council for the day. Mr Jatinder Dev (78) was a member of the House in 1957 and 1981. Members of the council paid tributes to him. |
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