Strengthen judiciary: Farooq
From Our Correspondent

JAMMU, March 20 — The Chief Minister, Dr Farooq Abdullah, yesterday called for strengthening the Jammu and Kashmir High Court for minimising pending cases and said the government was considering opening up off more subordinate courts for speedy dispensation of justice.

He sought the appointment of women judges on the Bench and said despite financial constraints, the judiciary would get all possible assistance.

Dr Abdullah, was speaking at the inaugural session of a two-day judicial officers' conference here. The conference was inaugurated by the Chief Justice of India, Dr Adarash Sen Anand, while the Governor, Mr Girish Chandra Sexna, presided.

The Chief Justice of the Jammu and Kashmir High Court, Mr Justice Bhawani Singh, sitting and former judges of the court, senior advocates of the Supreme Court and various high courts, speaker, Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly, Chairman, Legislative Council, ministers, judicial officers and functionaries of the Srinagar and the Jammu Bar Association and a large number of lawyers were present at the conference.

Dr Abdullah said one of the main causes of delay in the decisions of cases at the courts was a large number of holidays, and whenever cuts in these were mooted, there was a hue and cry on one or the other pretext. He, however, indicated at reducing the number of holidays in the state.

Expressing concern over the growing nexus of lawyers with mafia, the Chief Minister said though lawyers had a professional obligation to defend all, they should exercise discretion so that culprits don't go scot-free and the rule of the law prevails. He said this nexus should be broken which did not fit our democratic set up. During initial stages of militancy some of the lawyers were scared to take up government cases, some unscrupulous persons were swayed by the gun culture and the honest ones had to keep low. He, however, complimented those presiding officers and lawyers who withstood all these challenges. They deserved to be honoured, he said.

Dr Abdullah said the Kashmir valley was undergoing turbulence during the past several years, and "we are not over the hump, though the situation is gradually improving." During militancy some Shariat courts came up in the state which decided the fate of people and executed them, he said, and cited the brutal murder of Mir Mustaffa. Those days the administrative set up seemed to be collapsing.

Practising law is a noble profession and like any other profession, there are black sheep in it too who fall prey to money power, who, he said, should be isolated for keeping the dignity of the judicial system. He added that most of the cases pending before courts were those of government employees who sought stay orders from courts. For providing forum to employees, the government intended to set up a tribunal but the idea had to be abandoned on the argument put forth by the Law Minister that this experiment had failed elsewhere in the country. He, however, said the government had not shelved the idea.

Taking pride in the judicial system in the country, the Chief Minister welcomed improvement in the judiciary of Pakistan. "Coming up of judiciary in Pakistan is good for the region," he said.

Dr Abdullah said the bilateral talks between India and Pakistan was a step in the right direction, but cautioned against the wrong elements and army junta in Pakistan which might create hurdles as they didn't want the two to live in peace.

Referring to the state budget, the Chief Minister said though everybody would feel a pinch of it, but mopping up of additional resources was necessary for the fiscal health of the state. He said the implementation of the Fifth Pay Commission recommendation had shaken the financial structure of the country. "But India will come out of it", he hoped.

Money should not be goal: CJI
From Our Correspondent

JAMMU, March 20 — The Chief Justice of India Mr Justice Adarsh Sain Anand, said today that no society could be governed by the rule of law if its democratic functioning is not supported by strong ethical and moral foundations.

Giving this convocational Address at the ninth convocation of the University of Jammu here today, Mr Justice Anand asked the student community not to make money the only driving force and achievement should not become interchangeable with the amount of money one had. He said aggressive materialism should not be allowed to take them over.

Emphasising on the need to have a fresh concerted look at the present system of education in India, he said there was a woeful lack of educational facilities at the grass-root level in the country.

The proliferation of institutions and universities at the higher level, he said, had complicated the whole situation by thoughtlessly following courses which were losing their social relevance leading to a fall in standards and producing thousands of educated illiterates.

He emphasised the need for redefining the objectives of higher education for diversification into more job-oriented courses, need-based research and relevant education materials.

The Chief Justice of India lamented the fact that most of the ills that the society faces today are because people have taken to easy courses and drifted away from following the proper value system. He said there was a lack of character but people could redeem the whole situation and also strive for disciplined and enlightened lives.

Speaking on the occasion, the Chancellor of the University, Governor Mr Girish Chander Saxena expressed his happiness over the fact that Mr Justice Anand who hailed from the state and had graduated from the university, which had not been bifurcated them, had risen to occupy the highest post in judiciary.

In his address, the Vice-Chancellor of the university, Prof R.R. Sharma, highlighted the achievements of the university in different streams. He also added that many more new departments were in the offing which included sociology, Centre for Security Studies and Women's study centre for which they had received sanction from the UGC. The Vice-Chancellor, in his address, also made a plea to the Chancellor for the release of funds for the development of the university.

The Pro-Chancellor, Dr Farooq Adbullah, in his address assured the Vice-Chancellor of every possible help, including the release of funds, for the developmental activities.

Will panchayat poll pass off peacefully?
Tribune News Service

JAMMU, March 20 — Will the Jammu and Kashmir Government be able to conduct the panchayat elections proposed to be held towards the end of May? This question has assumed significance on account of the continuing cash crunch, when more than Rs 15 crore are need for the poll, and the threats from militant outfits to disrupt the pre-poll process so that the state government is forced to postpone the poll.

Apart from the cash crunch the security related matters seem to have cast a shadow on the proposed panchayat poll. The Centre is yet to respond to the state government's request for despatching additional companies of paramilitary forces to strengthen security arrangements before and during the polling, when more than thirty-five lakh electorate will cast their votes.

Official sources said Pakistani agencies have floated a new militant outfit, Al Badr, and the activists of this outfit have been drawn from Harkat-ul-Ansar and Lashkar-i-Toiba, two groups dominated by foreign mercenaries. The major task assigned to the activists of Al Badr, who have become active in Poonch and Rajouri belts, is to start subversive violence on a larger scale, including the elimination of political leaders and those planning to contest panchayat elections, so as to force the government to postpone the poll.

Activists of Al Badr have formed what is called "suicide squads" and the enrolment is being done through draw of lots. Activists belonging to Lashkar-i-Toiba and Harkat-ul-Ansar have been catalogued and under rotation draw of lots is held and the selection is made.

Al Badr is the latest outfit formed in the state and during the peak season of insurgency former Pakistan-occupied Kashmir Prime Minister, Sardar Qayoom Khan, had floated Al Badr across the border.

According to official sources, Pakistan agencies have made determined efforts to prevent the authorities from restoring and reviving democratic institutions. These agencies had to suffer a loss of face when two Lok Sabha and one Assembly elections were held in Jammu and Kashmir between 1996 and 1998. The agencies across the border are said to have formulated a two-pronged strategy to fulfil their motive.

First, the agencies have chalked out a plan of pushing into Jammu and Kashmir large groups of militants, especially foreign mercenaries, along with weapons and explosives. At present militant outfits face shortage of man and machine power and once the groups of infiltrators reach their destination they could pose problems for the state government.

Secondly, Pakistan agencies have directed the militants to create fear among the people so that those eager to contest the proposed poll may go in hibernation. In this connection the militants plan to attack political workers and leaders for generating fear psychosis so that employees refused to accept poll duty. Since polling stations have to be set up in remote villages situated in regions, militants have been reportedly directed to carry out grenade and bomb attacks to create terror among the people.

The state government is equally determined to foil the gameplan of sabotaging the panchayat poll. It has decided to conduct the polls in phases in case the central government did not make additional companies of paramilitary forces available.

Even if the polling will have to be completed in four to five phases the government would prefer it so that adequate security personnel were available to provide security cover to the electorates and the candidates.

The proposed panchayat poll will, therefore, have added significance as a peaceful and incident-free poll may determine not only the strength of the state government, but also the level of improvement in the security environment.

5 top militants killed in valley

SRINAGAR, March 20 (PTI) — Five top militants were killed and one was wounded in gunbattles with security forces while a Pakistan-trained militant was nabbed in Kashmir since last evening, an official spokesman said here today.

Two top militants, including a self-styled divisional commander of the Harkat-ul-Ansar, Manzoor Ahmad Baba, were killed in an encounter at Balgarden-Batmaloo in Srinagar today, the spokesman said.

Baba was wanted by the security forces in several militancy-related crimes. He and his accomplice, Shoukat Ahmad alias Puppa, were killed in the encounter that followed the sealing of a house at Balgarden, he said.

He said a self-styled district chief of the Tahreek Jehadi Islami, Mushtaq Ahmad Khan, was killed in another encounter at the Diver forest in Kupwara district last night.

Two militants, yet to be identified, were killed in a gunfight at the Gajana forest area in Udhampur district of the Jammu region yesterday, he said, adding one militant was injured in the operation.

He said the security forces apprehended a Pakistan-trained militant of the Ikhwan-ul-Muslimeen from the Nehru Park area of Srinagar last evening.

He said militants attacked Kangan police station, about 40 km from here on the Srinagar-Leh national highway last night. The policemen, returned the fire and in the ensuing encounter, no loss of life was reported.