J A M M U   &   K A S H M I R

CM’s post: Azad, Soz, Qureshi frontrunners
Jammu, August 10
As decks for the transfer of power from the PDP to the Congress in Jammu and Kashmir are being cleared, a ministry making exercise has begun at different levels. According to senior Congress functionaries, the party High Command, has not yet dropped the names of Mohammad Shafi Qureshi, a former central minister and Governor and Prof Saifuddin Soz, Rajya Sabha member, from the list of names being considered for the post of Chief Minister.

Security beefed up ahead of I-Day
Srinagar, August 10
Tight security arrangements are being made across Kashmir valley to thwart the designs of militants to create trouble ahead of the Independence Day celebrations, as the main function is being held at the Bakshi stadium here. Security has been tightened in and around vital installations, particularly around the Bakshi stadium here, and at the district headquarters across the valley.

SPO, top commander of Jaish among 4 killed
Srinagar, August 10
A top commander of Pakistan-based Jaish-e- Mohammad and a Special Police Officer were among four persons killed, while the security forces busted two militant hideouts and seized a large cache of arms and ammunition in Jammu and Kashmir during the past 24 hours, an official spokesman said today.

CM’s post: Azad, Soz, Qureshi frontrunners
M.L. Kak

Jammu, August 10
As decks for the transfer of power from the PDP to the Congress in Jammu and Kashmir are being cleared, a ministry making exercise has begun at different levels.

According to senior Congress functionaries, the party High Command, has not yet dropped the names of Mohammad Shafi Qureshi, a former central minister and Governor and Prof Saifuddin Soz, Rajya Sabha member, from the list of names being considered for the post of Chief Minister.

Mr Ghulam Nabi Azad, Union Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, who is on the top of the list has the support of Ms Sonia Gandhi and several other senior Congress leaders and union ministers. Those who support Prof Saifuddin Soz, include Ms Ambika Soni, Communist leader Harkishen Singh Surjeet, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and former Prime Ministers I.K. Gujral and Deve Gowda. His supporters, according to sources in the Congress, argue that Prof Soz could deliver the goods as he is a polished politician and has experience in running the administration.

However, Ms Sonia Gandhi, Ms Mohsina Kidwai and Mr Digvijay Singh support Mr Mohd Shafi Qureshi on the plea that a troubled state like Jammu and Kashmir needs an able and experienced administrator and a politician who alone could launch a war against growing corruption in the state.

At the same time Mr Arjun Singh, Union Minister for Human Resources, Mr M.L. Fotedar and Mr V.P. Singh, a former Prime Minister, favour Mufti Mohammad Sayeed on the plea that continuing with the same Chief Minister would further promote people support for the peace process.

In the ministry-making exercise the Congress plans to downsize the ministry and induct at least two to three new faces from the party to the Cabinet. Senior party functionaries told this correspondent today “if there was no last moment hitch in the transfer of power then Mr Ashok Sharma and Mr Abdul Gani Vakil, both MLCs, would be inducted to the Cabinet.”

They said the party High Command was considering the option of dropping two Cabinet ministers Mr Mulla Ram and Ms Suman Bhagat.

Mr Azad has two factors in his favour for getting the post of Chief Minister, and in that case Mr Mangat Ram Sharma, Deputy Chief Minister is likely to be installed as Speaker of the state Assembly in place of Mr Tara Chand who may be inducted to the Cabinet.

The two factors favouring Mr Azad are — the Congress had already made a commitment that once the transfer of power was cleared a leader from Jammu region would be installed as Chief Minister. In that case Mr Azad has a better chance than Prof Soz or Mr Qureshi as he belongs to the Doda district.

Once a leader from Jammu is installed as Chief Minister there are chances that either Ms Mahbooba Mufti, PDP Chief of Finance Minister, Mr Muzaffar Hussain Being or tourism Minister, Mr Ghulam Hassan Mir would be inducted as the Deputy Chief Minister.

Another factor favouring Mr Azad is that he would not create any problem if asked to quit as Chief Minister in case Sonia-Hurriyat agreement fructified on the pattern of Indira-Sheikh Accord of 1975.

The Congress High Command has appreciated the gesture of Mufti Mohammad Sayeed after he agreed to step down to honour the power transfer agreement made in November 2002.

The Congress is in favour of giving a Cabinet berth to the Mufti in the Centre. However, sources close to the Mufti said he would not accept any Cabinet post but would concentrate on strengthening the PDP base in Jammu and Kashmir instead. He would not like to lose his political strength and cause any erosion in the PDP by joining the Union Cabinet on the basis of the experience of the National Conference when it joined the NDA enabling Mr Omar Abdullah to be a member of the Union Council of Ministers.

At the same time the Mufti may not ignore the option completely.

Security beefed up ahead of I-Day
Tribune News Service

Srinagar, August 10
Tight security arrangements are being made across Kashmir valley to thwart the designs of militants to create trouble ahead of the Independence Day celebrations, as the main function is being held at the Bakshi stadium here. Security has been tightened in and around vital installations, particularly around the Bakshi stadium here, and at the district headquarters across the valley.

Security arrangements were geared up over the past few weeks following a series of militant attacks here. These incidents included a car bomb blast in the high security zone of Ram Munshi Bagh on July 20 last in which at least six persons, including three Army personnel, were killed and over 12 others were injured. Two other incidents occurred in the Central Lal Chowk area, which included a suspected attack on the cavalcade of a minister in which at least five persons were injured and two vehicles damaged in a shootout last month. In another incident, two suspected militants and two security personnel were killed and 22 others, including seven press photographers, were injured in a 24-hour long encounter in the Budshah Chowk on July 30 afternoon.

In order to avoid such recurrences particularly ahead of the ID celebrations, the police and security forces have intensified search operations. Security forces around the vital installations and in the Central Lal Chowk area have stepped up random checking of vehicles and belongings of pedestrians. This is being done to prevent any suspected attacks, senior police officers here claim. The random checking of private vehicles, particularly Maruti cars, has been going on frequently. This is mainly to prevent any recurrence of the incidents involving private vehicles like that in a car bomb explosion at the Ram Munshi Bagh on July 20 and at Jawahar Nagar in May last. At least six such vehicles have been stolen in Srinagar, Baramula and Anantnag districts, which could fall “into wrong hands”, according to police sources.

The entire area around the Bakshi Stadium here has been virtually sealed off. The police assisted by the Border Security Force (BSF) and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) are keeping a strict vigil around the stadium with certain restrictions on the movement of traffic. The entry of people, except for staff, in various Central government offices has been restricted uptil the Independence Day.

The separatist Hurriyat Conference factions, each led by hardliner Syed Ali Shah Geelani and moderate, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, have called for a general strike on August 15 and asked for observing the day as “black day”. A spokesman for the APHC-Mirwaiz said the people of the valley “as usual, were being harassed and excesses were being committed allegedly by forces in the name of security on the occasion.”

SPO, top commander of Jaish among 4 killed

Srinagar, August 10
A top commander of Pakistan-based Jaish-e- Mohammad and a Special Police Officer (SPO) were among four persons killed, while the security forces busted two militant hideouts and seized a large cache of arms and ammunition in Jammu and Kashmir during the past 24 hours, an official spokesman said today.

He said SPO Sabeer Ahmad was hanged to death by militants in the Malangam forests in the Bandipora area Baramula district today.

A top commander of Jaish-e-Mohammad, Nazaqat Hussain, was killed by the security forces in an encounter at Bhati Dhar village in Poonch district late last night, he said and added two jawans were also killed in the same encounter.

The spokesman said the security forces, on a tip-off, cordoned off Posh Behak village, Kokernag in Anantnag district early today to arrest militants.

However, when the security forces were about to storm a particular house, they came under heavy fire from militants hiding inside. — UNI