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EU Parliamentarians meet Mufti
Involve locals in talks: Inquilabi Major among 4 dead in mishaps |
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CM grants Rs 1 cr to beautify Kargil Savitri idol missing from temple
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EU Parliamentarians meet Mufti Srinagar, June 24 In his meeting with the delegation at his residence here last evening, the Chief Minister urged the European countries to “invest” in peace in Jammu and Kashmir by withdrawing the adverse travel advisories warning their citizens against visiting Kashmir. He said the situation in the state had improved a lot and there was no need to continue issuing such advisories. The members of the delegation sought information on various points and gave their perception of the situation. The Deputy Chief Minister, Mr Mangat Ram Sharma, and the PDP President, Ms Mehbooba Mufti, also held discussions with the visiting EU delegation at the Chief minister’s residence. The Chief Minister said he believed that only dialogue could resolve problems. He said both India and Pakistan had realised that war was not the solution and only talks would lead them to lasting peace. He said his government had been advocating the need for a dialogue to resolve both internal and external dimensions of the problem. Mufti Sayeed said he wanted the Centre to talk to both factions of the Hurriyat Conference for finding an amicable solution to the problem, agreeable to all sections of people. The PDP President and MP, Ms Mehbooba Mufti, said the people of the state wanted an honourable solution to the political problem of Kashmir. She said the state should be included in the confidence-building measures taken by India and Pakistan and called for opening of the Srinagar-Muzaffarabad road and the Suchetgarh-Sialkote road. While concluding their visit the EU parliamentarians also met leaders of the APHC, the JKLF leader, Mohammad Yaseen Malik, and Chairman of the Democratic Freedom Party (DFP), Mr Shabir Ahmad Shah. The EU delegation, led by Mr John Cushnahan, included Mr Bob van den Bos, Mr David Bowe, Mr Glyn Ford and Mrs Luisa Morgantini, besides members of committees, delegations secretariat, political groups and European Commission officials. Replying to questions of waiting mediapersons at the APHC headquarters at Rajbagh here this morning, the EU members reaffirmed that they were concerned about the Kashmir issue. They added that it was necessary that the Kashmiris be also involved in the final resolution of the issue. They also stressed the need for putting an end to human rights violations at all levels and ensuring the observance of the rule of law. The APHC members who met the EU delegation included its chairman, Moulvi Abbas Ansari, former Chairman, Abdul Ghani Bhat, and Bilal Lone. Commenting on their meeting with the EU members, Mr Bhat hailed the stand of the members to involve the people of Jammu and Kashmir in any dialogue process to resolve the Kashmir issue. After their meeting with JKLF leader Mohammad Yaseen Malik and other activists, Mr Malik also hailed their stand on involving the people of the state in resolving the Kashmir issue. |
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Involve locals in talks: Inquilabi Srinagar, June 24 Addressing a press conference here today, Azam
Inquilabi, leader of the Mahaz-e-Azadi (Fredom Front), welcomed the dialogue process being initiated by the governments of India and Pakistan. He also hailed the stand of the visiting European Union Parliamentarians seeking resolution on the Kashmir issue as it had been a nuclear flash point. He also welcomed the reported statement of Pakistan President, Gen Pervez Musharraf seeking reunification of the entire Kashmir. Appreciating the ongoing development and improving relations between India and Pakistan, which included the confidence building measures, ceasefire along the borders etc., Azam Inquilabi warned that these should not be “at the cost of our freedom”. Otherwise these measures would be superficial without any originality to the final solution of the Kashmir issue, he
added. Claiming that he and the like-minded parties were for “peaceful resolution of Kashmir issue”, Azam Inquilabi said the violence had “highlighted” the issue. He added that such parties had no control over the militants who had their own leadership. He sought immediate solution of the issue so as to avoid passing on the legacy of the problem to the future generations. “We are not Sheikh Abdullahs to reconcile”, he commented and added the time had come to resolve the issue.
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Major among 4 dead
in mishaps Jammu, June 24 In a separate accident, Major Rajiv Sharma was killed and three others were critically injured when their vehicle collided with a truck on the Sapwal-Samba area on the highway in Jammu late last night. In another collision between two vehicles at Halti Morh in Jammu district last night, one person was killed and another wounded.
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Devotion transcends Indo-Pak border Chamliyal (Indo-Pak border), June 24 Several hundred devotees stood on both sides of the border to have a glimpse of the ritual of handing over of a “chaddar” of flowers to BSF officers by Pakistani Rangers for being laid on the tomb of the baba. There was a lot of enthusiasm among the people on both sides, but they were not allowed to reach “no man’s land” where the officers of the BSF and Pakistani Rangers exchanged gifts. The men, women and children on the Pakistani side anxiously waited for the “shakkar” (soil) and “sharbat” (water) from the well near the tomb that was dispatched in tractor-trolleys and tankers to them from here. There is a belief that the soil and water near the “dargah” has medicinal values to cure various skin diseases. There was an unending stream of devotees on both sides from the morning. People across the border organised a “mela” at Saidanwali village, located at a distance from the border. Adequate quantity of “shakkar” and “sharbat” is sent to them from here. A contingent of officers of the Pakistani Rangers led by the commander of the Sialkot sector, Rabnawaz, arrived here around noon to hand over a “chaddar” to the DIG of BSF, P.K. Misra, for offering at the “Dargah”. Members of families of the Rangers accompanied them. This is after three years that people were allowed to gather on both sides to pay obeisance to the saint. People had not been able to turn up in the past three years because of the build-up along the border. The officers of the BSF and the Pakistani Rangers exchanged sweets and gifts. Commander Rabnawaz brought cricket bats, badminton rackets, shuttlecocks and others gifts for the children of BSF personnel. He presented a sword Mr Misra and gifts to Mr Ashok Yadav, Mr Rajesh Gupta and Mr Sushil Kumar Singh, commanding various units of the BSF along the border. Interacting with media persons, Mr Rabnawaz said they wanted to live in peace with India. He hoped that the ceasefire would be a permanent feature as this had given respite to poor farmers on both sides, besides leading to friendly relations between the two countries. Farmers on both sides were now able to cultivate their lands up to the zero line. He said relations between the BSF and the Pakistani Rangers were friendly and both frequently met. Mr Rabnawaz said the BSF and the Rangers were committed to not allowing infiltration and exfiltration and to respecting the sovereignty of one another. Mr Misra said the BSF and the Pakistani Rangers were ready to meet at any time and any place to sort out any problem through discussion. Wards of officers of the Pakistani Rangers were curious to have a look at the Indian side of the border. Zahara, daughter of Wing-Commander Khalid, said she was a fan of Shah Rukh Khan and Aiswarya Rai. Adnan Nawaz, son of Mr Rabnawaz, said manmade boundaries between the two countries had failed to disintegrate the common culture of the people on both sides of the border. |
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CM grants Rs 1 cr to beautify Kargil Srinagar, June 24 Addressing public meetings in Kargil on the second day of his visit to the district yesterday, the Mufti said the normalisation process initiated by India and Pakistan had produced encouraging results, with the guns falling silent on the borders and the LoC becoming peaceful. He said the people living along the LoC had suffered tremendous hardships during the period of tension and hostile posture on either side of LoC of Control. He said many lives were lost and property damaged due to shelling and several villagers suffered physical disabilities. Entire villages had to be shifted to take cover from border shelling and firing. He expressed satisfaction over the situation that had led to the return of migrants back to their villages. Mufti Sayeed also appreciated the courage of the people of Kargil for withstanding the hardship during shelling and assured his government’s resolve to speed up the development process in the district. He said Kargil had a vast potential for promoting adventure tourism and assured that the Union Ministry of Tourism would be approached to develop the area. The Chief Minister announced a grant of Rs 1 crore for the beautification and expansion of Kargil town and assured that he would take up with the Defence Ministry the matter regarding vacating of the Kurbathang plateau of the Army so that the town could be expanded. He promised adequate funds for making all three units of the Iqbal Hydel power project functional. He said that a Rs 3-crore 950-KV diesel-generating set would also be commissioned in Kargil to augment the power supply in the town. Earlier, the Chief Minister chaired the joint meeting of the Kargil Autonomous Hill Development Council and district officers and reviewed the pace of development works in the district. The meeting was attended by the Minister of Rural Development, Peerzada Mohammad Sayeed, Minister of Science and Technology and IT, Mr Nawang Rigzin (MLA, Leh), Minister for Youth Services and Sports, Haji Nissar Ali (MLA Kargil), legislators Haji Mohammad Abbas (MLA Zanskar) and Mr Nasrullah and Chief Executive Councillor and former minister Qamar Ali
Akhoon. |
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Savitri idol missing from temple Jammu, June 24 The police has registered a case and Deputy Inspector General of police has been asked to investigate the case, they said. The temple, surrounded by a dozen natural caves, is on the banks of Tawi river. “We want the police to act swiftly and recover the idol so that its restoration could be done at the earliest,” president of the Dogra Liberation Front (DLF), Ram Pal Sharma said. Following the incident, Jammu and Kashmir Department of Archives, Archaeology and Museums, has constituted a committee of four members, which would maintain a complete record of the Antiques housed in various temples of the city.
— PTI |
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