J A M M U   &   K A S H M I R

NC locks horns with govt over Resettlement Act
Srinagar, May 2
The National Conference has adopted an open confrontation with the coalition government over the Resettlement Act that allows rights over the property left behind by those who migrated to the PoK following partition.

Mufti’s nephew dead
Srinagar, May 2
The Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister’s nephew, Ateequllah Shah, who was fired at and injured by militants at Beijbehara in Anantnag district yesterday, died in the hospital here today.

Ansari resigns from NC
Srinagar, May 2
A senior leader and legislator of the opposition National Conference and a former minister, Moulvi Iftikhar Hussain Ansari, yesterday announced his resignation from the party following six-month-long differences over the functioning of the party and its leadership.

Pak clears 20 names for third bus
Jammu, May 2
Pakistan has cleared a list of 20 persons who will travel by the third bus from Srinagar to Muzaffarabad in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, official sources said today. The is scheduled for May 5.

BSF jawan kills senior
Srinagar, May 2
In a fit of rage, a Border Security Force jawan shot dead his senior before allegedly committing suicide in a nearby forest in Baramulla district of Jammu and Kashmir, official sources said today.

NC locks horns with govt over Resettlement Act
Tribune News Service

Srinagar, May 2
The National Conference has adopted an open confrontation with the coalition government over the Resettlement Act that allows rights over the property left behind by those who migrated to the PoK following partition. This follows claims made by some of the visitors who came from Muzaffarabad on April 7, over the property they had left in the Kashmir valley on their migration to the PoK about six decades ago.

The National Conference has also discredited the stand taken by Chief minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed and the Deputy Chief Minister, Mr Mangat Ram Sharma over the implementation of the Act. Talking to mediapersons here today, Mr Abdul Rahim Rather, Leader of the Opposition in the state Assembly and former minister described the “confusion” created over the issue as unfortunate saying its implementation was not going to create any problems.

“India and Pakistan are coming closer with the improvement in relations”, he said adding that so many confidence-building measures were taken. “There can be no other greater confidence building measure”, he pointed out as he referred to the resettlement of the divided families.

“We welcomed the CBMs and the Muzaffarabad bus, but the very spirit of peoples aspirations has to be respected”, he said.

Mr Rather, who had introduced the Bill as a private member with the support of his party in 1980, claimed that there was a difference of opinion between the Chief Minister and the Deputy Chief Minister on its implementation.

While the Chief Minister, Mufti Sayeed, favoured to give compensation to these claimants, his deputy was against it, Mr Rather claimed.

Senior Congress leader and Deputy Chief Minister Mangat Ram Sharma seeking the scrapping of the Act, had earlier approached the Governor to intervene. Mr Rather also described as “vague” and expressed concern over the PDP chief and the Mufti Sayeed’s recent statement over the issue. Mr Mufti had during his recent visit to Kerala asserted that status of the evacuee property would not be changed in the wake of free movement of people across the LoC.

“It clearly shows that the government is not going to give them rights over their own property”, Mr Rather told The Tribune.

It was in 1980 when the Resettlement Bill was introduced in the state assembly by Mr A R Rather, as a private member with the support of his party, the National Conference.

The then Chief Minister, Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah, had been champion of the cause, but since he had been jailed for several years, it could not be introduced with the party out of power. Having been passed by both Houses of the State Legislature it was sent for ascent to the Governor. After over six months, the Bill came back for reconsideration from the Governor on September 20, 1982, weeks after the death of Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah. Without reconsideration, it was passed again and sent to the Governor, who later gave an assent to it making it an Act, Mr A R Rather said.

It was sent to the President of India who sought advisory opinion from the Supreme Court, that was given after 19 years in 2001.

“The Supreme Court stated that since it was an Act, there was no need to change it”, the NC leader pointed out.

He added that the Constitution of India and the Constitution of Jammu and Kashmir “have clear provisions for the resettlement of those who shifted (around 1947) from here to Pakistan. If they come back at any time under any permit, they will also be considered as permanent residents, but the state legislature has to make a law for that”, he commented.

Mufti’s nephew dead
Tribune News Service

Srinagar, May 2
The Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister’s nephew, Ateequllah Shah, who was fired at and injured by militants at Beijbehara in Anantnag district yesterday, died in the hospital here today.

Ateequllah Shah, 58, nephew of the Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, was admitted to SKIMS Hospital here last night, after he received two bullet injuries near his house at Baba Mohalla in Beijbehera town.

A contractor by profession, Ateequllah was fired at by some militants in the vicinity of a shrine near his house. He was rushed to the Sher-e-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS), at Soura here, where he died today.

Militants had also killed brother of the Minister of State for Home, Mr A.R. Veeri some time ago, in Beijbehara, the home town of the Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed. Veeri represents the Beijbehara constituency in the State Assembly while the Chief Minister represents Pahalgam constituency. His daughter and the ruling PDP President, Ms Mehbooba Mufti, was elected from Beijbehara in 1996.

Elsewhere, a hand grenade was hurled on a convoy of security forces in Sopore town of Baramulla district today, which however, missed the intended target, the police said. The grenade exploded on the roadside without causing damage.

The police recovered one AK rifle, one magazine, 12 rounds of ammunition and three hand grenades from the site of an encounter between militants and security forces at Koil Muqam, Bandipore in Baramulla district. One militant was killed in the encounter yesterday.

The police and the security forces have held two suspects in Doda and Rajouri districts of Jammu region.

A condolence meeting of the Peoples Democratic Party was held at the party headquarters in which grief and shock was expressed over the killing of Atteequllah Shah. Condemning the incident, senior party leaders said the continuous killings of political workers and the family members of prominent political personalities was a dastardly act. “This is an act of cowardice that once again proves that some miscreants are out to disrupt the peace process initiated by the Mufti Mohammad Sayeed-led government.

Ansari resigns from NC
Tribune News Service

Srinagar, May 2
A senior leader and legislator of the opposition National Conference (NC) and a former minister, Moulvi Iftikhar Hussain Ansari, yesterday announced his resignation from the party following six-month-long differences over the functioning of the party and its leadership.

Blaming the party for not coming up to the expectations of the people, particularly after it lost power in the 2002 Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir, Moulvi Iftikhar hailed the policies of coalition partners Congress and PDP in the state. He, however, said he was yet to make a decision about joining any other party.

With his resignation, the number of NC members in the Assembly has declined to 26 in the 87-member House. The party, which emerged as the largest party in the last elections by getting 28 seats, chose to remain in the Opposition.

Pak clears 20 names for third bus

Jammu, May 2
Pakistan has cleared a list of 20 persons who will travel by the third bus from Srinagar to Muzaffarabad in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, official sources said today. The is scheduled for May 5.

However, only 17 of these are likely to board the bus as three have already cited prior commitments behind dropping the journey, they said.

“The Central Government has also cleared the names of 46 persons to travel here from Muzaffarabad, but the list of the exact number has not been sent by Pakistani authorities so far,” sources said.

The historic bus service was kicked off on April 7 from Srinagar in the backdrop of a militant attack on the tourist reception centre in Srinagar where the passengers had been lodged by the authorities under tight security.

The second Srinagar-Muzaffarabad bus rolled out on April 21 with only 22 passengers on board though a list of 30 persons had been cleared by Pakistan, sources said. Eight persons opted out on health and other grounds though it was felt it was due to threats from militant outfits, they said. — PTI

Army convoy attacked in Baramula

Srinagar, May 2
Militants today carried out a grenade attack in a bid to target a convoy of Rashtriya Rifles in Baramula district of Jammu and Kashmir, officials said.

Unidentified ultras lobbed a grenade towards Srinagar-bound convoy of Rashtriya Rifles at Chankipora, near Sopore, 55 km from here, on the Srinagar-Bandipora road around 11.30 a.m. they said.

However, the grenade missed the target and exploded on the roadside causing no casualty or damage, the officials said, adding the security forces cordoned off the area.

No militant outfit has so far claimed responsibility for the incident.

JAMMU: A top Hizbul Mujahideen militant was apprehended by the security forces at Poohi, near Kishtwar in Doda district, today.

Official sources said in order to avoid contact with the security forces, Farooq Ahmad was hiding in a house in Poohi for the past few days.

Acting on a tip-off, the security forces raided the house today and arrested the militant. Two grenades were seized from him.

In a separate incident yesterday, another Hizbul Mujahideen militant was arrested at Keri in Rajouri. — PTI, UNI

BSF jawan kills senior

Srinagar, May 2
In a fit of rage, a Border Security Force (BSF) jawan shot dead his senior before allegedly committing suicide in a nearby forest in Baramulla district of Jammu and Kashmir, official sources said today.

Constable Sanjay Kumar, overcome with anger on being reprimanded by Head Constable P. K. Goswami for dereliction of duty, went berserk and opened fire from his service rifle at Kanzalwan camp in Gurez sector on Saturday night, the sources said. — PTI