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SHO
suspended in Uri blast case Militants
open fire at Cong rally 21 Hizb
militants ready to surrender
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Split
in Hurriyat blamed on Centre
Pandits
want setting up of Sharda varsity Court
orders release of two from custody Army
conducts tour for children 167 pc
rise in ST revenue collection
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SHO suspended in Uri blast case Srinagar, April 11 The police has also issued orders for immediate attachment of the Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO), Uri, Mr Zuber Khan and suspension of the SHO concerned, Inspector Mohammad Amin, following the incident. It has also asked the political leaders participating in the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections to take precautionary measures in view of the threats from militants bent upon disrupting the poll process. The Minister of State for Home, Mr A.R. Veeri, while expressing concern over the incident, said those found guilty would be punished. The PDP, it may be mentioned here, has also blamed the security agencies for not providing any clues of the possible attack by militants in the otherwise peaceful town. Meanwhile, the government is seriously looking into the demand for withdrawal of security by the Finance Minister Muzaffar Hussain Beigh, who was injured in a grenade explosion while proceeding towards the venue of a public meeting in Uri on Thursday. In his letter to the State Chief Secretary, Mr S.S. Bloeria yesterday, the Finance Minister said “I would request that the security cover, as provided to me, be lifted so that I can move around like an ordinary citizen”. After Mr Beigh, himself a resident of the area, got elected from the nearby constituency of Baramula in 2002 elections, and shot into prominence, he was provided with “Z plus” security in view of threat to his life. He has, however, denied that he was provided with any special security cover under the category and was having security equivalent to that of an MLA. The state authorities are handicapped in providing all requisites of “Z plus” security cover to most of the top leaders in the category. The others who are in “Z plus” category, include the Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, his daughter MLA and PDP president, Mehbooba Mufti, former Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah, his son and National Conference president Omar Abdullah. The “Z plus” security requires a jammer vehicle for each person but the state has only two such jammers, one each at Jammu and Srinagar. These vehicles cannot be provided to all the leaders in the category, as their movements have increased in view of the elections, official sources here said. The Jammu and Kashmir Government has been pressing the Centre for the past two years for providing more such vehicles to the state in view of the increasing threat. “But due to administrative hassles things do not get materialised”, said a senior official on the condition of anonymity. |
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Militants open fire at Cong rally Srinagar, April 11 The militants hiding in a forest at Nagri-Malpora opened fire on the rally being addressed by the party candidate from the Baramula parliamentary constituency, Mr Ghulam Rasool Kar, they said. The militants shot dead PDP activist Assadullah Bhat in his house at Anantnag district of south Kashmir, sources said today. Gunmen barged into his house at Bona Nambal and fired at him, killing him on the spot. Three top foreign militants, including a self-styled senior commander of the Lashkar-e-Toiba, were killed in an encounter with the security forces in Baramula district today, the sources said. Acting on a specific information that a group of militants were present in a house, troops of the Rashtriya Rifles and the BSF raided Zargar mohalla in Kreeri-Pattan last night and encircled it. The militants opened fire on the troops and in the ensuing gunbattle which continued till this morning, the three militants were killed. The senior commander has been identified as Khalid. Three AK rifles and some ammunition were recovered from the slain militants.
— PTI |
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21 Hizb militants ready to surrender Jammu, April 11 According to senior police officials, these 21 militants, who have been operating in the Doda and Ramban areas, have agreed to surrender. The formal surrender had to be affected on Friday but the grenade attack on a PDP rally in Uri on Thursday force the government to defer the “ceremony.” Officials said the function had to be
postponed because “we did not want to give any provocation to the militants who could have pledged to avenge the surrender by resorting to bigger strikes.” Most of the militants who have agreed to surrender belong to the Hizbul Mujahideen. It was on the suggestion of these rebels that the function was postponed because the militants did not want to become target of the militants. Official reports said both Army and the police personnel had engaged middlemen through whom contact was established with the militants. These middlemen were motivating the rebels to lay down their weapons with a promise that they would be rehabilitated. A senior police officer confirmed that several militants in other districts were ready to surrender but they had become apprehensive after scores of those, who had laid down their weapons had been gunned down by the militants. |
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Cong not to allow gender-based discrimination: Jammu, April 11 Ms Soni was talking to mediapersons here after campaigning for the Congress candidate, Mr Madan Lal Sharma, in the border district of Rajouri along with Chief Minister Mufti Mohd Sayeed and the PCC chief, Mr Ghulam Nabi Azad. She said as per the composition of the Assembly and the legislative council, the Bill could not be passed without the support of the Congress. She said the Congress had already announced that the party would not allow any gender-based discrimination and the Bill should be referred to a select committee for a thorough scrutiny and a greater debate. No step that was violative of the Constitution providing equal status to men and women should be taken. Ms Soni denied that the Bill had become a bone of contention between the Congress and the PDP. She made it clear that the Bill was not a part of the common minimum programme (CMP) of the PDP-led coalition government. She said the CMP would be completely implemented before the term of the Assembly ended. The report of the Wazir Commission that had recommended the creation of three new districts and about a dozen of tehsils in Jammu would be implemented, as it was a part of the CMP. Steps would also be taken for delimitation of the constituencies, she added. She said a meeting of the Cabinet presided over by Mr Mangat Ram Sharma, Deputy Chief Minister, had already given a green signal to setting up of a finance commission for equitable distribution of funds among the three regions of the state. Ms Soni ruled out the possibility of the coalition falling out on the issue of its partners contesting against each other on four of the six Lok Sabha seats. The contest between the Congress and the PDP was “friendly” in Baramula as the Congress activists wanted that the party should show its presence in the Kashmir valley. She said Mr Azad had talked to Mr Bhim Singh, who was contesting from Udhampur, and Panthers Party activist in Jammu against the Congress nominees, but he had defied the principles of a coalition. She said the Congress was always of the opinion that the Kashmir problem could be solved only through a dialogue. The Congress government at that time had solved militancy problem in Punjab, Assam and Mizoram through a dialogue. The Prime Minister, Mr Atal Bihari Vajpayee, had earlier threatened Pakistan with a fight to finish, but ultimately had to come to a negotiating table. A ceasefire on the border would not solve the problem and concrete steps will have to be taken in this direction, she added. Ms Soni accused the BJP-led NDA Government at the Centre of having failed to implement the promises made during the last Lok Sabha elections. The NDA Government was involved in scams on which it was trying to put a lid, she alleged. There was no transparency in disinvestment of public sector undertakings. She accused the NDA Government of being anti-farmer as a result of which many small farmers had committed suicide in Andhra Pradesh and Haryana. Remunerative price was not being paid to them for their produce. |
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Split in Hurriyat blamed on Centre Srinagar, April 11 As predicted by the party founder late Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah Delhi would always try to divide Kashmiris in small groups to engage them in group rivalries, thus weakening the might of the people, NC president Omar Abdullah said during his padyatra (road show) in the Ganderbal area of the Srinagar parliamentary constituency yesterday. “What sher-e-kashmir had predicted is coming true. This is what it (Delhi) is doing and the recent division in the Hurriyat Conference is a glaring example,” Mr Omar said. Attacking the ruling PDP-led coalition government, he said it had failed on all fronts as it was pursuing anti-people’s policies. “What happened to its promise of providing a job to each household. And why Prime Minister, Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s promise of providing jobs to two lakh Kashmiris had not been fulfilled till now,” he said. Criticising the jumbo sized Mufti-led ministry Mr Omar said instead of mitigating and redressing grievances and problems of people, the PDP-led government raised an army of ministers and Rs. 1.20 crore was being spent on their monthly salaries alone.
— PTI |
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NC chief seeks forgiveness for ‘past mistakes’, Srinagar, April 11 He was on a visit to the Ganderbal area near here constituency represented by his grandfather Sheikh Mohammad Adbullah and father Farooq Abdullah. Omar also contested from the Ganderbal constituency in the last Assembly elections but lost. Mr Omar Abdullah said his party was for improving relations between India and Pakistan and wanted that people of Jammu and Kashmir be involved in the dialogue. He also supported opening of the Srinagar-Muzaffarabad road and other road links between two parts of Jammu and Kashmir. The National Conference president expressed concern over the failure of the coalition partners in fulfilling the promises made to the people during last Assembly elections. He added that the promise of job to at least one person in a family proved false and nothing was done to check growing unemployment in the state. He held that even Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s promise of two lakh jobs in the state was not fulfilled. Referring to financial crisis in the state Mr Omar Abdullah held that it was further burdened with the largest ever Council of Ministers, whose monthly expenses increased to over Rs 1.20 crore. He added power tariff was increased making life for poor masses difficult. |
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Pandits want setting up of Sharda varsity Jammu, April 11 “We demand setting up of Sharda University for safeguarding the thousand years-old culture and history”, Sharda Sanskrite Sammelan
President told PTI at the end of a three-day-long sammelan where a resolution to this effect was passed. The resolution will be submitted to state Governor S.K. Sinha. “We have been discovering ourselves for the past 15 years and it seems that the community has awaken from a deep slumber,” he said adding the Pandits have a rich history and despite facing odds they will get strengthened day by day. Appealing to the community members to come forward and make meaningful contributions, he said there was a need to launch a
campaign against bad customs and social evils. Stressing on creation of such a institution, Koul also said that such seminars and conferences would be held in Delhi, Bangalore,
Kolkata and other cities for building an opinion on Sharda University.
— PTI |
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Court orders release of two from custody Srinagar, April 11 Official sources said the Special Operation Group (SOG) of the police arrested Farooq Ahmad Dar of Dana Mazar Safakadal on August 23, 2000, and registered two cases against him. Following this, the District Magistrate, Srinagar, ordered his detention for two years in November, 2000. The family of Dar challenged the order in the court, which ordered his release. Instead of releasing him, the state government filed an appeal against the decision. A division bench of the court, however, ordered his release on December 20, 2002, when he completed the stipulated period of detention under the Act. But, the state government continued the illegal detention of Farooq Ahmad Dar holding him at Hari Niwas interrogation centre, Kothibagh Police Station and other detention centres. Farooq’s counsel, Mian Abdul Qayoom told the court that the police issued another order under the Act against Dar on July 9, 2003, which was again challenged by Dar’s family. Qayoom told the court that Farooq was alleged to have been involved in the attack on Radio Kashmir on June 24, 2003, and that he had contacts with the three militants killed in the attack. Advocate Qayoom argued that the allegations levelled against Farooq were baseless as he was in the custody of the police at the time militants attacked Radio Kashmir. The medical examination reports of Farooq filed by doctors of police control room on January 22, 2003 and June 5, 2003 testified that Farooq was in police custody at the time of the attack. After hearing the defence counsel, Justice Bashiruddin quashed the PSA orders against Farooq and ordered his release on the condition that he was not wanted in any other case. Justice Bashiruddin also quashed the PSA orders against Muhammad Yaseen Rather.
— UNI |
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Army conducts tour for children Jammu, April 11 The aim of the tour is to inculcate a sense of belonging and awareness about the country, a defence spokesman said here on Friday. During the tour, children would get an opportunity to visit places of historical significance and see advances made in science, technology and agriculture, he said. They would also visit amusement parks and interact with children from other parts of the country, he added. The tour was flagged off from the police ground in Poonch on Friday by local garrison commander in the presence of senior Army and civil officials. Those present included D.K. Hussain, Deputy Commissioner of Poonch and Mr Mukesh Kumar, SSP of Poonch. Local residents and civil administration officials appreciated the Army’s focus on development and its presence in these remote areas, the spokesman said. |
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167 pc rise in ST revenue collection Jammu, April 11 “We have achieved 167 per cent increase in revenue realisation. We have realised Rs 31.87 crore during the last fiscal registering an increase of Rs 19.93 crore over the revenue realisation of Rs 11.94 crore during the previous year (2002-2003),” Deputy Commissioner Sales Tax, Lakhanpur, Ajaz Kakroo told PTI here today. He said the revenue collected during the financial year 2003-04 include Rs 1.73 crore a passenger tax, Rs 1.58 crore a penalty, Rs 4.31 crore a security, Rs 18.84 crore an entry tax, Rs 0.17 crore and Rs 0.33 crore a composite tax on raw skin and almonds, respectively and Rs 4.91 crore a advance tax. The per centage increase had been 29, 76, 161, 195, 3, 27 and 372 in passenger tax, penalty, security, entry tax, composite tax on raw skin and almonds and advance tax respectively registering an overall increase of 167 pc over the revenue collected during the year 2002-2003, he said.
— PTI |
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