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Daughters’ Bill creates
communal divide
NC expels Dar, blames Mufti for |
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| BJP to continue struggle against daughters’ Bill Jammu, March 12 The Union Minister of State for Defence, Mr Chaman Lal Gupta, said the BJP would continue its struggle against the onslaught on women launched through the malicious daughters’ Bill adopted by the Jammu and Kashmir legislative assembly, though the move has now been temporarily withheld in the legislative council.
2 militant hide-outs busted, 7 shot CRPF jawans to be trained
before LS poll Central Reserve Police Force troops coming from different parts of the country to Jammu and Kashmir will undergo a six-day capsule course before taking up Lok Sabha election duties. Hurriyat Conference
mourns Dr Thokur’s death Both factions of the Hurriyat Conference here yesterday mourned the death of separatist Kashmiri leader Dr Ayub Thokur who passed away in London on Wednesday.
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Daughters’ Bill creates
communal divide Jammu, March 12 However, various political parties, including the ruling PDP and the Opposition National Conference (NC), were still trying to twist the issue in their own way with an eye on the coming Lok Sabha poll. Mr Omar Abdullah, President of the NC, flew to Srinagar this morning where his party was planning to put Chief Minister Mufti Sayeed on the defensive by accusing him of having played as a “puppet” of Ms Sonia Gandhi by putting the Bill in the cold storage. However, the PDP did not allow the NC to occupy the centrestage during the debate on the Bill in the council as it stuck to the demand for passing the Bill. The PDP member, Mr Tariq Hameed Qarra, at the beginning of the session took the lead by demanding that the Bill should be passed with a simple majority instead of two-third majority that was required for a constitutional amendment. The NC had planned to put the PDP-led government on the mat on these two issues. Both the PDP and the NC, during the debate, virtually unfolded their election agenda on the issue. The Bill had virtually created a communal divide in the state with various Jammu and Srinagar-based political parties interpreting the amendment to the Bill in their own ways. During the past six days, after the Bill was passed by the Assembly on March 5, an impression had gone around in the Jammu region that the Bill was aimed at depriving the girls of this area of their state subject rights. Many girls of the area are married in the adjoining states of Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and Delhi. But certain political parties tried to create an impression in the Valley that the Bill aimed to prevent erosion of the Article 370 providing a special status to J&K. The Mufti government was under a constant attack of the NC of “gradually eroding” the special status of the state. The episode has exposed the immaturity with which the Congress supported the Bill in the Assembly and when there was a strong reaction in the Jammu region, the party stepped back and started seeking in the Council that the Bill should be referred to a select committee. Several persons from the intelligentsia said the government had committed a mistake by bringing the Bill after the elections were announced. They have the apprehension that it was timed to create a polarisation on the poll eve. This is not for the first time that an emotional issue like the women’s Bill, that was numbered “9”, has been brought in the Assembly on the eve of the elections. Earlier in 1982 during the NC regime, a virtual communal frenzy was created when the Resettlement Act was passed by the legislature. The Act provided that all those residents of the state who had chosen to migrate to Pakistan between the Partition of the country in 1947 till 1954 could return to J&K and also reclaim their property. However, the Centre referred it to the Supreme Court and now Mr Bhim Singh has challenged the Act. The net result of the Bill was that the NC swept the poll in the valley and the Congress managed to bag 26 seats in the Jammu region. Incidentally, the Resettlement Bill was also numbered “9”. Some time ago, a resolution seeking restoration of autonomy for J&K was also brought in the Assembly. |
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NC expels Dar, blames Mufti for ‘sabotaging’ Bill Srinagar, March 12 “Yes, we have served Mr Dar a letter by hand in which it is clearly stated that he has been expelled from the party,” NC President Omar Abdullah told a press conference here this afternoon immediately after his arrival from Jammu. He said the role played by Mr Dar to stall the passage of the Permanent Resident (Disqualification) Bill in the council was “shocking”. “We have now just 14 members in the LC as Mr Dar has been disowned by us. We do not know whether the Congress or the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) will support him after he helped them stall the Bill,’’ he said. He said the NC had issued a no-confidence motion against the chairman. “We were aware that he had come under the influence of the Congress, the PDP and other people in New Delhi and had already prepared the no-confidence motion in the morning against him.” “But we did not introduce it, hoping he, as a citizen of the state, would help the passage of the Bill,’’ he said. Describing it as “black day” in the legislative history of the state, Mr Omar Abdullah blamed Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed for sabotaging the Bill. “It is my earnest appeal to the Chief Minister to rise above petty self interests and join my members in passing the Bill and make it a law,” Mr Abdullah told the press conference at the NC headquarters, Nawa-i-Subah. Mr Omar Abdullah, flanked by his father and patron of the party Farooq Abdullah and general secretary Sheikh Nazir Ahmad, besides other leaders, said there was still time for the Chief Minister to make amends. He said there was a “criminal silence” on the part of Mr Sayeed, who did not contribute a single word in or outside the House over the Bill. He blamed him for not making his stand clear, adding that he had come to power at the behest of Central leadership and was acting only under its instructions. Mr Farooq Abdullah expressed concern over the statement of Minister of State for Defence Chaman Lal Gupta for his remarks over the issue that it mounted to trifurcation of the state. He said Mr Gupta’s approach was partisan and asked the Prime Minister to seek an explanation and remove the minister for his irresponsible remarks. Replying to questions, Mr Omar Abdullah also expressed concern over the response of the Central Government and the leader of the Opposition. In this connection, he referred to “hasty” statements of
Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Congress President Sonia Gandhi. He was joined by Mr Farooq Abdullah on the issue, saying that the Congress and the BJP were earlier unanimous in the favour of the Bill but changed their stands later. Mr Omar Abdullah also appealed the Chief Minister to reconvene the House in his capacity as its leader and get the bill passed. “If this is not done, it would indicate that he does not want to do so.” He said that Mr Dar and his office had been used by vested interests to sabotage the passing of the Bill. The House, Mr Omar Abdullah said, discussed technicalities for over six hours that was followed by an unwarranted statement of the Chairman, who adjourned the House sine die. |
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BJP to continue struggle against daughters’ Bill Jammu, March 12 In a statement here today, Mr Gupta said the conflicting views that have been voiced in the legislative council over the issue by the coalition partners clearly indicate that there was no unanimity on the basic principles. In such a situation it becomes morally obligatory for the Congress and others to get out of this alliance, he added. He said the essence of the arguments given by the PDP and the National Conference in the support of the Bill clearly indicate that they were still operating under influence of fundamantalists. He appealed to all nationalists, especially the activists of the BJP, to expose the elements who supported the Bill in the Assembly and create public opinion against the move aiming at discriminating against the daughters of the
soil. SRINAGAR: Meanwhile, former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah today demanded the removal of Union Minister of State for Defence Chaman Lal Gupta from the Cabinet. The remarks by Mr Gupta demanding division of the Jammu and Kashmir are very unfortunate, Dr Abdullah told reporters at National Conference (NC) headquarters here this afternoon. ‘’I appeal to Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee to drop Mr Gupta from his Cabinet for his remarks which are against the unity and integrity of the state,’’ he said. He also urged Mr Vajpayee to ask Mr Gupta to explain
his remarks which could create wedge between the people of the three regions
of the state. — UNI |
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2 militant hide-outs busted, 7 shot
Jammu, March 12 Two AK rifles with three magazines and 200 rounds, one UBGL and its four grenades, one IED receiver and eight detonators were recovered from them, the sources said. Troops also busted another hide-out in Surankote area and recovered one magazine, one radio set antenna and 75 kg of asorted ration, the sources said. A delayed report said the Rashtriya Rifles seized 17 rounds of AK ammunition, two RPGs, one UBGL and one IED switch from forest area in Bafliaz village of Poonch district, they said. SRINAGAR: Militants gunned down three persons, including a young woman, and carried out a grenade attack on a security picket in Kashmir valley since last night, official sources said on Friday. Militants shot dead 21-year-old Imtiyaza Jehangir, daughter of Ghulam Ahmad, at Deeri village in Pulwama district of south Kashmir on Thursday night, the sources said. The motive behind her killing was not known immediately but the police suspect she was killed by the ultras on the suspicion of being an informer, they said. A released militant, Ali Mohammad Lone, was shot dead by ultras near a school building at Kulgam in Anantnag district of south Kashmir, the sources said. They said the body of an unidentified person, believed to have been killed by militants, was recovered by the police from Sherpor in Baramula district of north Kashmir on Friday. Militants lobbed a handgrenade towards a CRPF picket at the cement bridge in Baramula district town on Thursday night, but no one was hurt as the grenade missed its target and exploded on the road, the sources added. A spokesman said a militant, Shabir Ahmad Wani, was killed in a fierce encounter at Sherpora Kreeri in Baramula district on Friday. One AK rifle, three magazines , 61 rounds, two grenades and one wireless set were seized from him. In another encounter in the same district at Kreeri, the security forces gunned down two more militants. Two security personnel lost lives and three others sustained injuries in the gunbattle. The encounter ensued after a search party was attacked by the militants, he said, adding that two AK rifles along with arms were seized from the slain ultras.
— PTI |
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CRPF jawans to be trained
before LS poll Jammu, March 12 During the capsule course, jawans of the force would be trained to handle the coming elections in the militancy infested state. Inspector General (operations) of CRPF C. Balasubramaniam told reporters after flagging off a group of 40 children for a Bharat Darshan tour here yesterday. He said during the course, the jawans would be mentally prepared to discharge their duties efficiently. He said presently there were 69 companies of the CRPF deployed in all six districts of the Jammu division, including the winter capital of the state. CRPF personnel were performing counter-insurgency operations, guarding vital installations, looking after VIP security and also deployed on law and order duties, Mr Subramaniam said. In reply to a question, he said the CRPF would replace the BSF in the state by the end of 2006. Referring to all India tour of the children, he said it was a part of civic action programme which would serve as a bridge between the CRPF and local people.
— PTI |
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Hurriyat Conference
mourns Dr Thokur’s death Srinagar, March 12 A meeting was held under the chairmanship of Syed Ali Shah Geelani at his Hyderpora residence and paid tributes to Dr Ayub Thokur, leader of the World Freedom Movement. The meeting was attended by APHC members who lauded Thokur’s role in the “freedom movement of Kashmir” even in exile. He had been in London for the past over a decade. The Abbas faction of the APHC also held a meeting at its Rajbagh headquarters and lauded Thokur’s role in the freedom movement of Kashmir. |
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Governor releases Joshi’s book Jammu, March 12 The Governor also presented shawls to Mrs Kamlawati and Mrs Krishna Joahi, mother and wife of the late poet.
— TNS |
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