Journalists walk out of J&K Assembly
SRINAGAR, Aug 28 — The entire press corps today walked out of the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly in protest against "encroachment’’ of the press gallery by non-media persons which disturbed journalists in recording House proceedings.
Indian, Pak troops exchange fire
JAMMU, Aug 28 — Indian and Pakistani troops exchanged intermittent firing at three places along the international border in the Akhnoor sector last night, official sources said here today.
Indo-China talks on reopening route
LEH, Aug 28 — India will shortly hold talks with China on the reopening of the Ladakh-Kailash Mansarovar route in the wake of death of 60 pilgrims following landslides and cloud-burst in Pithoragarh district, Home Minister L.K. Advani said.

Migrants’ safety top priority: Farooq

SRINAGAR, Aug 28 (PTI) — The Jammu and Kashmir Government, in consultation with the Union Home Ministry, is considering measures for the safe return of Kashmiri migrants.

Intervening during question hour in the legislative assembly today, the Chief Minister, Dr Farooq Abdullah said the Union Home Minister would soon hold a meeting of the representatives of the minority community in Delhi where the return of the migrants to the valley would be deliberated upon.

Declining to give details of the steps being taken for the migrants return, he said, vested interests get active to sabotage these efforts as soon as these were announced. The safety of the migrants was the government’s top priority which it would not like to jeopardise.

Dr Abdullah said both central and state governments were concerned about the issue and hoped that the migrants would return to their homes in the valley one day and restore original composite culture.

Regarding the migrants of the Prankote and Dakkikote, the Chief Minister said, the government wanted to send them back to their homes with proper security measures.

The migrants of these places would be provided six months free ration as they could not harvest their crops.

Temple bells toll again in valley
From Binoo Joshi

SRINAGAR, Aug 28 — After being silent for several years, temple bells have started tolling again in Kashmir, even though a majority of the worshippers are no longer in the valley.

Almost all temple gates were locked after over 3,00,000 Hindus of the valley fled to Jammu and elsewhere, some even outside the country, since the insurgency began a decade ago.

The gates stood locked and the bells hung still through the long violence-battered years. Some of the temples, particularly in southern parts of Kashmir, suffered immense damage when angry crowds attacked them in reaction to the demolition of Babri Masjid in Ayodhya in December 1992.

The security of all historic temples in Mattan and Nagbal in Anantnag and almost all temples in Srinagar has been entrusted to the paramilitary forces, who have renovated the temples.

An idol in one of the temples was restored with the help of a Muslim villager. Dedicated to Shiva in Onomh near Qazigund in south Kashmir, the temple's five-foot-high idol had been buried in the ground by a Muslim villager after it was thrown on the ground by militants who had ravaged the temple in 1992.

"This had pained me and I dug the ground and buried the idol to save it from desecration by children and others," Abdul Majid told the authorities later. The temple does not attract many worshippers, but it does attract attention as an example of Kashmir's rich secular tradition and religious tolerance.

There are others like Sri Chand Chinar in Srinagar where no security forces have been deployed, even the worshippers have resumed prayers.

In the beginning, before they entered its gates, they would look around carefully to ensure that they were not being watched. "Now those fears are gone," says Hilal Ahmad, a newspaper vendor of the area. "I see many people going into the temple throughout the day. They are no longer afraid," he says.

The temple of Khir Bhawani, visited by several thousands of Hindus from all across the valley before 1990, saw some of its glory restored when 15,000 Hindus came from Jammu to participate in the "Jeshth Ashtami," a local festival of Kashmiri Hindus.

Though most of the Kashmiri Hindus who fled their homes are yet to return, the sound of the temple bells is a reassuring sign that things may be returning to normal.— IANS

Journalists walk out of J&K Assembly

SRINAGAR, Aug 28 (PTI) — The entire press corps today walked out of the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly in protest against "encroachment’’ of the press gallery by non-media persons which disturbed journalists in recording House proceedings.

The mediapersons walked out as some of the journalists were standing while non-media persons had occupied the press gallery when question hour was in progress.

Senior National Conference members, Mohammad Shafi Bhat, Mubarak Gul and Parliamentary Secretary, Ghulam Hassan Bhat, came out to persuade the mediapersons to record the proceedings of the House.

Journalists refused to enter the House till the Minister for Parliamentary Affairs assured them that non-media persons would not be allowed to enter or occupy the press gallery.

Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister P.L. Handoo came out and told the journalists that all non-journalists had been removed from the press gallery and the mediapersons could take their seats in the gallery.

Minutes after the question hour, the House witnessed another walkout. This time by the BJP legislature group, which raised the issue of the alleged regional imbalances in the state.

Speaking during zero hour, seniormost member of the House and leader of the BJP Legislature Party, Shiv Charan Gupta alleged there were more Kashmiri employees in the secretariat.

Reading from a paper Mr Gupta said the state comprised three regions — Kashmir, Jammu and Ladakh — but majority of the employees in the civil secretariat belonged to Kashmir.

He said the government in reply to his question had stated that 1,225 Kashmiris were employees in the civil secretariat while only 398 belonged to Jammu. There were only eight employees from the Ladakh region in the secretariat.

Similarly, he said a total of 1857 employees belonged to Kashmir in the moving offices while only 511 belong to the Jammu region.

"This is a great injustice’’, he said, adding Jammu and Ladakh were being ignored in development and recruitment also.

Minister for Public Health Engineering, A.M. Sagar denied the allegations and said Jammu received equal attention of the government.

He said as far as his ministry was concerned it has allotted Rs 14.70 crore for Jammu while as Kashmir was allotted much less.

Upon this, Shiv Charan Gupta, Ashok Kumar Khajuria, P. Choudhary Pira Singh, Prithvi Chand, Hans Raj Dogra and Bali Bhagat walked out of the House.

The lone Panthers Party member, Hareshdev Singh also joined the walkout.

Indian, Pak troops exchange fire

JAMMU, Aug 28 (PTI) — Indian and Pakistani troops exchanged intermittent firing at three places along the international border in the Akhnoor sector last night, official sources said here today.

Pakistani Rangers, using light arms, opened unprovoked fire on the Rajpura, Jangowal and Nikowal border posts of the Akhnoor sector last evening forcing the BSF to retaliate, the sources said.

The intermittent firing exchange continued between the Pakistani Rangers and the BSF jawans throughout the night. No loss of life or damage to property was reported, the sources said.

Indo-China talks on reopening route

LEH, Aug 28 (PTI) — India will shortly hold talks with China on the reopening of the Ladakh-Kailash Mansarovar route in the wake of death of 60 pilgrims following landslides and cloud-burst in Pithoragarh district, Home Minister L.K. Advani said.

Army officers will take up the matter with their Chinese counterparts at the next border meeting shortly, Mr Advani, who was here to attend the Sindhu darshan abhiyan earlier this week, told PTI.

"I have spoken to the Army officers here and they will be taking up the matter in their next briefing with the Chinese side,’’ he said.

Describing the death of the pilgrims as a "grim tragedy’’, the Home Minister said he would also ask the Ministry of External Affairs to take up the issue with China through diplomatic channels.

Leading Ladakhi political and religious organisations, including the Ladakh Buddhist Association, the local BJP unit and the Hindu Trust, had also submitted memoranda to Mr Advani demanding opening of the route, closed following the Chinese occupation of Tibet in 1959.