Vinod Khanna flays Cong ‘misrule’
KATHUA, Sept 8 — Film star turned-politician Vinod Khanna today visited the Udhampur-Kathua parliamentary constituency and addressed a series of election rallies during a day's hectic campaigning. He called upon the people to give a decisive mandate to Atal Behari Vajpayee-led alliance in the current Lok Sabha elections.

BJP for probe into Noorani’s killing
From Our Correspondent and PTI

JAMMU, Sept 8 — A senior BJP leader and former MP, Prof Chaman Lal Gupta, has demanded a CBI inquiry into the killing of the party candidate from Anantnag parliamentary constituency in a powerful IED blast yesterday.

Addressing a press conference here today, the BJP leader, while terming the killing as a "political murder" demanded a CBI inquiry to investigate the whole episode.

"Noorani’s killing throws light on the lapses in the security arrangements in the state during the elections", said Prof Gupta adding that his party had repeatedly requested the state government to make elaborate and proper arrangements for the security of its candidates. The party has fielded three candidates from Kashmir and Ladakh regions. He alleged that in spite of these requests, the state government had not taken any steps and as a result Noorani had to lose his life.

He sought the deployment of more security forces in the Jammu area during election.

He criticised the ruling National Conference government and alleged that the NC was misusing the government machinery. Ridiculing the NC leaders for seeking votes in the name of Mr Vajpayee, he said, "had NC been so sincere to the Vajpayee government", it would not have fielded its candidates against BJP candidates."

Prof Gupta expressed fear of large-scale rigging in the second phase of elections in the state and also alleged that the NC had indulged in mass rigging in Kashmir and Ladakh regions.

Mirwaiz to focus on action committee
Tribune News Service

JAMMU, Sept 8 — Mirwaiz Maulvi Umar Farooq has decided to work for strengthening the Awami Action Committee, which he has been heading since the assassination of his father, Maulvi Farooq in 1990.

As Chairman of the APHC, the post Maulvi Umar Farooq has held for more than two years, he will not organise meetings in the name of the Awami Action Committee (AAC) but as head of the APHC. However, during the past several months the Mirwaiz has started holding a series of public rallies, Friday congregations and other conference as Chairman of the AAC. This way he has begun making inroads into new areas.

The Kashmir Mirwaiz has had pockets of influence in the interior of Srinagar city and it was in these areas that for a number of years "shers and bakras" (lions and he-goats) fought pitched battles as the former represented the mighty Sheikh Abdullah and the latter Maulvi Farooq. But the two groups did sink their difference after an accord between Dr Farooq Abdullah and Maulvi Farooq.

However, the rise of militancy altered the political combination and after the death of Maulvi Farooq the youthful Maulvi Umar Farooq had no other alternative but to associate himself with the separatists. Gradually, he enlarged his political stature and his pockets of influence extended from the downtown to the uptown of the summer capital and in some areas in Sopore, Baramula and Shopian.

No doubt Maulvi Umar Farooq got introduced to bigger public circles in the Kashmir valley, in India and in the West. But as Chairman of the APHC he never allowed the AAC to face extinction as Mr Abdul Gani Lone allowed his Peoples' Conference to lose its anchor in Kashmir.

For the first time in the 30 year history of the AAC a large number of prominent advocates and intellectuals in Kashmir have associated themselves with the organisation headed by Maulvi Umar Farooq. According to sources the Mirwaiz has plans of emerging as an important representative of the people of Kashmir so that in the event of talks between India and Pakistan he could be invited for expressing his views.

These reports say that a section of "bakras", followers of Kashmir Mirwaiz, who had joined the National Conference or got actively associated with it after the accord had returned to the AAC as they became disillusioned with the policies and the style of functioning of the ruling National Conference.

According to these reports, Maulvi Umar Farooq had been cautioned by his loyal supporters that he and his AAC might lose their identity if he continued to use the Hurriyat platform for image building. In the Hurriyat Conference, which has over 22 constituents, Maulvi Farooq realised that he could be easily eclipsed by seasoned and senior politicians, including Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Mr Abdul Gani Lone, Prof Avdul Gani Bhat and others.

Hence he has decided to strengthen his AAC and in this connection a large group of former militants too have joined the AAC. Only time will tell how far he will succeed in posing a challenge to the mainstream political leaders.

Convert LoC into border: Farooq
Tribune News Service and agencies

JAMMU, Sept 8 — Conversion of the Line of Control (LoC) between India and Pakistan into international border was the only solution to the Kashmir issue, according to Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah.

Addressing a series of election meetings in the valley yesterday, Mr Abdullah stressed on the need for converting LoC into international border saying peace was essential as both India and Pakistan had suffered a lot in the three wars they fought.

"Kashmir is an integral part of India and no power on earth can snatch even an inch of it", he said, adding that the state’s accession to India was final and forever.

Mr Abdullah said his National Conference was committed to equal development of all three regions of the state and would leave no stone unturned to ameliorate the conditions of the people, especially those living in hilly and backward areas.

Addressing poll meetings at Koteranka, Dharhal, Rajouri, Mendhar and Surankote, he appealed to the people to exercise their franchise without any fear but warned them against ‘power hungry’ politicians.

He alleged that wrong policies of the Congress were responsible for militancy in Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir.

The Minister for School Education, Mr M.S. Tariq, Minister for Social Welfare, Mian Altaf and former minister Talab Hussain and Mr R.S. Chib, NC candidate from Jammu parliamentary constituency and Mr Umar Farooq, former MP, were also present.

The Chief Minister assured the people that his government has initiated effective steps to generate employment opportunities to educated youth of the state. At least one member of each family would be absorbed in government jobs, he added. He said that the government had accorded due representation to women in all spheres of development. He said in the coming panchayat election scheduled to be held by December this year 33 per cent reservations had been made for women.

Low police deployment in Jammu
From M.L. Kak
Tribune News Service

JAMMU, Sept 8 — The police and paramilitary forces in Jammu and Kashmir continue to be under severe strain following uninterrupted exercise of maintaining law and order and tackling insurgency.

They had hardly been free from the month-long strenuous task of maintaining vigil during the annual Amarnath Yatra when they had to be deployed for poll duty. Senior police officers have admitted that all ranks continue to be overburdened with an increase in the area of operations.

Since the Centre has failed to fulfil its commitment of sending additional battalions of the paramilitary forces, the state police authorities had no other alternative but to deploy minimum possible police paramilitary forces in the six Lok Sabha constituencies. The state had to complete the Lok Sabha polling in three phases and it has helped the police authorities to shift some of the forces from Srinagar to Jammu and Udhampur constituencies.

Though there are large belts of militancy-infested areas in Udhampur and Jammu constituencies, the state could manage to deploy only 108 companies of additional forces against 354 companies during the 1998 Lok Sabha elections. Doda district has remained a troubled area since 1992 and is the second largest district. Still 22 additional companies of paramilitary forces have been sent for maintaining law and order during polling when in 1998, there were more than 58 additional companies deployed for poll duty.

Police sources said this time the Centre sanctioned eight additional companies of paramilitary forces for the state against over 350 companies during the 1998 elections.

They said the additional forces would not be able to man all polling stations when there were over 2284 booths in Udhampur and Jammu constituencies. The sources said if anything went wrong, the police would be blamed for mismanagement.

Heavy deployment of security forces, according to the sources, can encourage voters to cast their votes. They said inadequate deployment of security forces could have been one of the factors for poor turnout of voters in the Srinagar Lok Sabha constituency.

Reports indicate that some belts in Doda, Kishtwar, upper reaches of Udhampur, Poonch and Rajouri may witness poor polling on September 11. In these areas, separatists and militants have already launched their anti-poll campaign and voters have been issued threats of elimination in case they participated in the polling.

It was in this context that the police authorities had demanded that additional battalions of paramilitary forces be deployed in the troubled areas to build confidence among the people. This could also reduce the chances of militant strikes during or before polling.

Vinod Khanna flays Cong ‘misrule’
From Our Correspondent

KATHUA, Sept 8 — Film star turned-politician Vinod Khanna today visited the Udhampur-Kathua parliamentary constituency and addressed a series of election rallies during a day's hectic campaigning. He called upon the people to give a decisive mandate to Atal Behari Vajpayee-led alliance in the current Lok Sabha elections.

Flanked by the BJP candidate for the constituency, Prof Chaman Lal Gupta and other senior party leaders from Punjab and J&K, Mr Khanna attracted a large crowd in this border town from where he began campaigning. He also visited Chenali, Reasi and Katra, all in Udhampur district.

A large number of people waited for more than two and half hour to listen to Mr Khanna who reached the rally venue here at 1.30 p.m. against the scheduled arrival of 11 a.m. In all places as well he was late by a couple of hours but people kept waiting for him.

Enroute to rally venues he was accorded a warm reception by the people.

Addressing election rallies at four places in the Udhampur-Kathua Constituency in chaste Punjabi Mr Khanna, launched a scathing attack on Congress (I) for its "utter misrule" during the past 46 years and highlighted tremendous achievements of Vajpayee government in just 18 months.

He called upon the electorate to give a decisive mandate to the Vajpayee-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA).

Blaming Congress President Sonia Gandhi for the downfall of the Vajpayee-led government without any issue or alternative, he observed, "The Vajpayee government was brought down only for the reason that the Congress was frustrated with rising popularity graph of the Prime Minister.

Regarding militancy in Jammu and Kashmir, the cine star recalled that it was due to persistent efforts made by Prof Chaman Lal Gupta that a series of anti-militancy measures were initiated by the Centre in Doda and other areas of the state.