Vakil is J&K Speaker
SRINAGAR, Aug 17 — Senior National Conference leader and former Revenue Minister Abdul Ahad Vakil was today elected the Speaker of the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly by a voice vote as the sixth session of the Assembly began here.
Govt faces fiscal crisis
SRINAGAR, Aug 17 — The Jammu and Kashmir is faced with an acute financial crunch. This was high on the proceedings of the question hour in the state Assembly today, where ministers admitted that various projects could not be undertaken due to the lack of funds.

Kashmiri Pandits seek homeland within valley
JAMMU, Aug 17 — Panun Kashmir, a premier organisation of displaced Pandits, has renewed its demand for resettlement of over three lakh migrants in a separate homeland within the valley — the only way to save "us from total annihilation."

Vakil is J&K Speaker
Tribune News Service

SRINAGAR, Aug 17 — Senior National Conference leader and former Revenue Minister Abdul Ahad Vakil was today elected the Speaker of the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly by a voice vote as the sixth session of the Assembly began here.

The Minister for Law and Parliamentary Affairs, Mr Pyare Lal Handoo, tabled the motion for the election of Mr Vakil as Speaker. It was seconded by Peerzada Ghulam Ahmad Shah, Minister for Haj, Auqaf, Parks and Gardens. Deputy Speaker Ghulam Hyder, who conducted the election by a voice vote, also chaired the proceedings of the House during the question hour before the election of the Speaker.

In his brief address to the members of the House, the newly elected Speaker, who represents the Sopore constituency, stressed the need for value-based politics' as against a "greed-based politics". He exhorted the members to follow the rules and regualations and assured them that all of them would be given equal chances of putting forth problems of their people. "I have been a part of the opposition also in the past. I know how members of the opposition suffer. You will get justice", The Speaker assured the members of the Opposition parties.

Mr Vakil had resigned as Revenue and Rehabilitation Minister early this year on the issue of a missing file. Former Speaker Ali Mohammad Naik was appointed as Revenue Minister in the last Cabinet reshuffle by Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah. Four new faces were then introduced into the Council of Ministers raising the strength of the ministry to 31.

Mr Vakil has been a close associate of former Chief Minister Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah and other senior party leaders, including Maulana Mohammad Syed Masoodi and Mohammad Afzal Beigh. "I learnt leadership and experience from such great leaders", Mr Vakil said.

Govt faces fiscal crisis
Tribune News Service

SRINAGAR, Aug 17 — The Jammu and Kashmir is faced with an acute financial crunch. This was high on the proceedings of the question hour in the state Assembly today, where ministers admitted that various projects could not be undertaken due to the lack of funds.

These ministers including Forest Minister Choudhary Mohammad Ramzan and Minister of State for Food and Supplies Ajay Sadhotra.

They expressed their inability to finalise various plans due to the lack of funds.

The Forest Minister said there has been encroachment on the forest land in the famous tourist resort of Patnitop on the Srinagar-Jammu highway. He said four guards had been suspended and a Range Officer had been attached on the charges of irregular services in the area. He said an inquiry has been ordered into the encroachment. Those found guilty would be dealt with sternly, he told the House.

The minister said Rs 1 crore were required for the demarcation of the forest area, which had already started. "Due to the financial crunch coupled with the Fifth Pay Commission payments and security related expenses, t he demarcation could not be done", Choudhry Ramzan told the Assembly. He said this while replying to a question tabled by Mr Shiv Charan Gupta (BJP), Mr Dilawar Mir of the Congress and Mr Ashok Sharma. They voiced concern over the degradation of environment and forest cover in the state.

The Minister of State for Food and Supplies, Mr Ajay Sadhotra, said the government had examined the issue of the equitable positioning of ration depots for a proper distribution of ration to the people both in the hilly and plane areas of the state.

In reply to a question by Syed Ghulam Hussain Geelani (NC) and other members, the minister said one depot for every 2000 people in plane areas and for every 1000 people in hilly areas were meant under rules. "But due to the paucity of funds, the new centres could not be opened", the minister said.

He said that the present crisis in the state was due to the non-availability of the census reports of 1991, which could not be held due to turmoil. The matter has been taken up with the Central Government, Mr Sadhotra told the House, adding that as soon as the funds are available the new centres would be opened.

In her supplementary, Ms Mehbooba Mufti of the Congress questioned the minister's statement that the people in Budgam district were not suffering on account of the non-availability of such centres and that any assurances were given by the government that new ration depots would be opened in these 14 villages of the district.

"The government is spending crores of rupees on other projects that give the impressions of normalcy in the valley to the outside world", Ms Mufti said. She deplored the government on the expenses on Gulmarg projects and subsidy of Rs 32 lakh to the opening of Broadway cinema in Srinagar. She said that the problems of the common man were not solved adding that no serious effort was made to redress the grievances of the people.

Mr Dilawar Mir (Janata Dal) questioned the improper appointments of store keepers at these ration depots. Mr Abdul Ahad Kar and Mohd Maqbool Lone, both (NC), also expressed their views on the non-availability of ration to the people in distant rural areas of the state.

Mufti, Shah unnerve NC govt
Tribune News Service

JAMMU, Aug 17 — Despite senior Congress leader Mufti Mohd. Sayeed's announcement that his party was not in a hurry to form the Government in Jammu and Kashmir the ruling National Conference circles appear upset over behind the scene activities of the Mufti and his old political ally, Mr G.M. Shah, a former Chief Minister. The two have become quite active giving sleepless nights to National Conference circles.

Will 1984 events, when the duly elected National Conference Government led by Dr Farooq Abdullah was toppled through defections, be repeated in the near future in Jammu and Kashmir? This question has assumed importance following secret parleys Mr G.M. Shah, the estranged brother-in-law, of Dr Farooq Abdullah have had in recent weeks with some disgruntled National Conference legislators.

According to National Conference circles, both the Congress and the Awami National Conference headed by Mr G.M. Shah were trying to create multi-dimensional problems for the state Government. On one hand they were sending wrong signals to the militants when they persist in their demand for holding talks with separatists and on the other they were trying to encourage employees to resort to strikes.

Knowledgeable circles are of the opinion that repeating 1984 political drama was not now an easy affair. First, neither the state unit of the Congress nor the Awami National Conference can claim to have as much support from the BJP led Government at the Centre to the operation ouster of the Farooq Government as it has in 1984 when the then Prime Minister, Mrs Indira Gandhi, sided with the Mufti when he was wooing National Conference MLAs. As such any bid to stage a coup against Dr Abdullah's Government may not necessarily have the backing of Governor, Mr Girish Chander Saxena.

Secondly, the Congress, which has seven MLAs in the Assembly, has to muster the support of at least 36 National Conference MLAs for toppling the National Conference Government. In 1984 the Congress needed the support of only 13 National Conference MLAs and when it got it, the duly elected Government was toppled and Mr G.M. Shah took over Chief Minister with the support of the Congress. In 1984 the total strength of the state Legislative Assembly was 76 and at present it is 87 in which the National Conference has a two-thirds majority. As such it is very difficult for the anti-Farooq camp to stage a coup when the Chief Minister has inducted 29 MLAs and MLCs in the council of ministers.

However, the number of those National Conference MLAs annoyed with the party leadership is increasing and one estimate puts the number at 24. Still the toppling exercise may prove counter productive. Observers are of the opinion that staging a coup against Dr Farooq Abdullah could be yet another blunder. They refer to 1984 and say that the seeds of insurgency in Kashmir had been sown after the Farooq-led Government was dislodged.

Such an exercise could gave ample material to Pakistan for exploiting the situation in Jammu and Kashmir. The difficult security scenario in Jammu and Kashmir called for reconciliation between the ruling National Conference and the opposition. Judged from the inside political view most of the opposition party leaders within and outside the Assembly have been playing role complimentary to the state Government. The only hitch is continued political rivalry between Dr Abdullah and Mufti Mohd Sayeed and between the Chief Minister and Mr G.M. Shah. Mr Shah and Dr Abdullah have not been on talking terms with each other though Dr Farooq's sister is married to Mr G.M. Shah. The two had fallen apart right in 1980 when Dr Abdullah was installed by his father, Sheikh Abdullah, as National Conference President and the final break in relations came when Mr Shah toppled Dr Farooq's Government with the help of the Congress in 1984.

Kashmiri Pandits seek homeland within valley
Tribune News Service

JAMMU, Aug 17 — Panun Kashmir, a premier organisation of displaced Pandits, has renewed its demand for resettlement of over three lakh migrants in a separate homeland within the valley — the only way to save "us from total annihilation."

This demand was made at a meeting of the working group of Panun Kashmir here today. Mr D.K. Koul, Chief Area Coordinator, presided.

While expressing deep distress over the treatment meted out to displaced families by the state government and the successive central governments, Panun Kashmir said as a result of their shabby treatment "we, the displaced families, are being preserved as an ethno-religious minority in the museum called the migrant camps."

It accused the state and the central governments of denying the displaced families the "basic right to live and survive with honour, comfort and dignity." The working group also expressed concern over the way the state government had failed in protecting the immovable property of displaced families, adding that hundreds of migrants had been forced to go in for distress sale of their property. Houses and land of others had been illegally occupied. In several cases, fictitious sale deeds had been registered allowing criminals to become the owners of houses and agricultural land without paying a penny to the legal owners.

Panun Kashmir has urged the Centre and the state governments to read between the lines the report of US Analyst, Mr Hiram Ruiz, in which he had supported "our demand for carving out a homeland for Kashmiri Pandits within the valley on the plea that their return to their homes is impracticable."

It pledged to struggle for a homeland for displaced Hindus and for securing a place of honour for the community.