J A L A N D H A R    E D I T I O N

A small candlelight vigil turns into national festival
Amritsar, August 12
“Main akela hi chala tha, jaan-i-be manjil magar, lok saath aate gaye aur karavan banta gaya.”  The couplet precisely and appropriately depict the candlelight vigil that was launched on the eve of the Independence day of the two neighbouring nations of India and Pakistan at the Attari-Wagah joint check post about 14 years ago on the initiative of the veteran journalist Kuldip Nayyar with the support of local industrialists and social activist late Dilbir Singh.

Freedom Spirit Soars

With the Independence Day just two days away, Jagmohan Kanojia, a vendor, is working overtime to meet the demand for tricolour kites in Amritsar. —Photo by Vishal Kumar

Sud unanimously elected chief of Hoshiarpur MC
Hoshiarpur, August 12
Despite tussle over the local municipal council president election between the SAD-BJP alliance and its rebel councillors supported by the Congress councillors and independents, the former today succeeded in getting elected unanimously their official candidate Shiv Sud for the post here.

Dirty Deal
4 held for smuggling narcotics, liquor
Hoshiarpur, August 12
The district police has arrested four persons, including two women, in connection with the smuggling of smack, poppy husk and liquor.

Panch, wife, daughters cremated
Kapurthala, August 12
The bodies of a panchayat member of Chak Dona village Avtar Singh, his wife Surinder Kaur, his two daughters Rajwinder Kaur and Balwinder Kaur were cremated at a nearby village Sunarwal.

Ashram of mentally challenged flooded
Kapurthala, August 12
Mentally challenged children living in an ashram near the railway station were evacuated when the ashram was flooded with about 5 feet of water. The heavy rain today flooded many low-lying areas of the town under one to two feet of water.

A small candlelight vigil turns into national festival
Ashok Sethi and P.K. Jaiswar

Amritsar, August 12
“Main akela hi chala tha, jaan-i-be manjil magar, lok saath aate gaye aur karavan banta gaya.” 

The couplet precisely and appropriately depict the candlelight vigil that was launched on the eve of the Independence day of the two neighbouring nations of India and Pakistan at the Attari-Wagah joint check post about 14 years ago on the initiative of the veteran journalist Kuldip Nayyar with the support of local industrialists and social activist late Dilbir Singh.

The occasion has today acquired the status of a national festival where thousands of people from border areas jostles with the top stars to celebrate the historic occasion.

This sent strong signals to both nations and they decided to go in for a dialogue to create a thaw after the traumatic Kargil episode which had left both nations bleeding and the people were resigned to accept that the twain would never meet. But the relentless efforts of Nayyar and his ilk manage to bring people from both nations together on one platform on the national day of 14-15 August that forced the governments to come to table and create cordial atmosphere for developing good neighbourly relations.

Speaking to The tribune, Nayyar admitted that his small step had borne good results and although the relationship had not been developed to the desired level but hoped that the people to people relationship would one day open the floodgates for letting these two beleaguered economies form a common economic union on the lines of the European Union.

He said he would continue to pursue his single-minded crusade to bring both nations together for forging better economic ties and start a visa-free regime allowing people from both sides visit the other country easily.

A die-hard optimist, Nayyar said the days were not far when the regimes of both countries would realise the futility of war and the defence preparedness and divert the precious resources for the welfare of the poor people living across the Asian subcontinent.

Nayyar, who laid the foundation of the Hind-Pak Dosti Manch Forum in 1996 with Dilbir Singh had been bringing in celebrities from media and Bollywood, social activists and from Pakistan who, in a symbolic gesture of unity, would lit candles at the zero line to give a wakeup call to both governments to finish enmity and get on to the business like two good neighbours.

A motley group of media was witness to one fabulous candlelight vigil show at the zero line dividing the two nations in 1998 when finest exponent of Urdu poetry and famous director and lyricist Gulzar with his captivating Urdu shayari enchanted highly enthusiastic crowd of his Pakistani fans, which included great theatre artiste Madeeha Gauhar and human rights activist (from Pakistan) Aasma Jahangir across the border.

The crowd on the Pakistani side kept swelling to have a glimpse of their hero Gulzar much to the chagrin of Pakistani security guards who would never have thought a big group would gather around the highly sensitive border post. Suddenly, the Satluj rangers became little restive as the crowd kept swelling and decided to use force to disperse the crowd.

The mounted horsemen from Pakistan cane charged the excited crowd gathered across the border. The two celebrities, Gauhar and Aasma Jahagir, fell down in the melee. The crowd, which was thrilled with the impromptu musharia, was seen cursing the Pakistani security guards who had spoiled the party of some of the finest Urdu poetry of Gulzar.

The memories of the event were etched in the memories of those who had seen the fantastic closeness of the people on the historic occasion. Later, Nayyar organised a Punjab folk festival on the Indian side of the border where leading Punjabi artistes Hans Raj Hans, Wadaali Brothers, groups from various schools and colleges showcased their talent in front of a huge crowd.

The annual ritual has now acquired the status of a big national festival.

Sud unanimously elected chief of Hoshiarpur MC
Our Correspondent

Hoshiarpur, August 12
Despite tussle over the local municipal council president election between the SAD-BJP alliance and its rebel councillors supported by the Congress councillors and independents, the former today succeeded in getting elected unanimously their official candidate Shiv Sud for the post here.

In spite of rains, the meeting for electing the president and vice-president was held under the supervision of deputy commissioner, Nawanshahar, Neel Kanth S. Abad, who was appointed as an observer by the Punjab and Haryana High Court 
for getting conducted 
the election.

In the house of 31 members of the MC, the BJP has 13 councillors, SAD nine, Congress six and independents three. Besides, the MLAs of Hoshiarpur and Shamchaurasi segments are its ex-officio members.

Despite a support of five rebels each of the BJP and SAD, six of the Congress, and two independents, rebel BJP councillor Gopi Chand Kapur could not be elected due to the postponement of election on July 25. These councillors had fielded Gopi Chand Kapur against the official candidate of the SAD-BJP, Shiv Sud.

After the postponement of the election, Gopi Chand Kapur had filed a civil writ petition against the state government in the Punjab and Haryana High Court. In its judgement, the court had deputed the deputy commissioner, Nawahshahar, to get conducted the election under his supervision with a further direction to use secret ballot in case demanded by any member.

After the election meeting, the SDM, Dasuya, who presided over as returning officer today, said the proceeding of the meeting of July 25 in which the names of Shiv Sud and Gopi Chand Kapur were proposed was restarted. Gopi Chand Kapur withdrew his name on the plea that unanimous election for the president was required in the interest of the city and its inhabitants. After his withdrawal from the contest, BJP councillor Shiv Sud was declared president unanimously. Later, Kharaiti Lal Katna (SAD) was elected vice-president of the MC unanimously.

Braving the downpour, hundreds of supporters of the BJP and SAD assembled at Town Hall and raised slogans in favour of their leaders and parties. After the meeting Shiv Sud and Kharaiti Lal Katna were garlanded and welcomed with drum beats and a bhangra performance.

The entire area around Town Hall and Committee Bazar was cordoned off by the police. An ambulance from the local civil hospital and fire tender of the MC were also requisitioned.

Dirty Deal
4 held for smuggling narcotics, liquor
Our Correspondent

Panch, wife, daughters cremated
Tribune News Service

Kapurthala, August 12
The bodies of a panchayat member of Chak Dona village Avtar Singh, his wife Surinder Kaur, his two daughters Rajwinder Kaur and Balwinder Kaur were cremated at a nearby village Sunarwal.

Avtar Singh’s son Gurdial Singh lit the pyres. Earlier, the bodies were handed over to Gurdial Singh after their post-mortem examination at the local civil hospital.Avtar Singh had shot himself dead after killing his wife and two daughters on Monday evening. The reason of the murders could not be known.

Ashram of mentally challenged flooded

Kapurthala, August 12
Mentally challenged children living in an ashram near the railway station were evacuated when the ashram was flooded with about 5 feet of water. The heavy rain today flooded many low-lying areas of the town under one to two feet of water.

The children were taken out ofthe Sukhjit Ashram in a tractor and shifted to a safer place at the state gurdwara under the supervision of SDM G.S. Khera. Rainwater also entered the houses in Ajit Nagar, Guru Nanak Nagar, Adarsh Nagar, Devi Talab and Churwal areas. — UNI