J A M M U   &   K A S H M I R

Indian soldiers walk along a road on the way to Dooru village, 70 km south of Srinagar, on Tuesday. The Indian security forces have launched a manhunt for suspected militants who detonated a powerful landmine in this village on Monday, killing Kashmir's Power Minister Ghulam Hasan and four others. —  AFP photo

Centre’s directive on wards of refugees
JAMMU, May 16 — Following the refusal by the Jammu and Kashmir Government to grant citizenship rights to refugees from Pakistan settled in the Jammu region the Central Government has directed public sector undertakings, Ministry of Human Resources and the Union Home Ministry to initiate steps to recruit the wards of these refugees.

Militancy ruined J & K economy, says Khusro
SRINAGAR, May 16 — The Chairman of 11th Finance Commission, Prof A.M. Khusro has said the decade-long militancy has ruined the state’s economy. The tourism industry has been badly hit bringing untold hardships to the people.

Blasts to discourage Hurriyat
JAMMU, May 16 — While the senior leaders of the Hurriyat Conference started their deliberation whether to accept a formal offer for talks from the Centre or not, militants struck in a big way killing eight persons, including Minister of State for Power Ghulam Hassan Bhat, in three separate IED blasts yesterday.

CM lays stone of gurdwara
JAMMU, May 16 — The Chief Minister, Dr Farooq Abdullah, laid the foundation stone of Gurdwara Guru ka Bagh, at Channi Himmat Colony on the outskirts of Jammu yesterday .

Military attaches meet Governor
SRINAGAR, May 16 — A group of military attaches of various foreign embassies called on the Governor, Mr Girish Chandra Saxena, here today. The military attaches of 24 countries including the USA, UK, Russia, France and Iran are on a visit of the valley these days.

Bhat’s killing "Pak reply to offer of talks"
Tribune News Service

SRINAGAR, May 16 — Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah has said that the killing of Minister of State for Power Ghulam Hassan Bhat was “Pakistan’s reply to the offer of talks” to separatists in Kashmir.

Addressing Kashmir artisans at a function here this afternoon, the Chief Minister said he was not averse to talks with any group in Kashmir which would restore peace and normalcy in the state. 

He said his government was keen to restore peace and normalcy in the state and ensure that there was no more bloodshed in the valley. He expressed concern over the continued incidents of militancy-related violence in the valley. Mr Abdullah blamed Pakistan for unleashing “cross border terrorism” in the valley to disturb the peace process in the state.

He also referred to the security cover provided to the senior separatist leaders of the All-Parties Hurriyat Conference. These leaders had been provided with security at their residences after their release from jail since last month. They included the APHC chairman, Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Prof Abdul Ghani Bhat, Mr Abdul Ghani Lone and Moulana Abbas Ansari. The Chief Minister held that there was no alternative other than to provide security to these leaders. Miswaiz Umar Farooq, former chairman of the APHC and the leader of the Awami Action Committee (AAC), had already been provided with security at his Nageen residence. This was in view of the killing of his father a decade ago.

The Chief Minister informed that a number of Union Ministers conveyed their condolences to him on the said demise of Bhat near his residence at Mundipora, Dooru, in Anantnag district on Monday morning.

Meanwhile, the Union Special Secretary, Home, Mr R.K. Kakar also visited the house of Bhat today and offered his condolences to the members of the bereaved family.

Earlier, Mr Kakar arrived here today to discuss the security scenario in Jammu and Kashmir with senior state government functionaries.

A large number of people, including several Cabinet ministers and senior political leaders continue to visit the house of the late Bhat to offer their condolences.

Centre’s directive on wards of refugees
Tribune News Service

JAMMU, May 16 — Following the refusal by the Jammu and Kashmir Government to grant citizenship rights to refugees from Pakistan settled in the Jammu region the Central Government has directed public sector undertakings, Ministry of Human Resources and the Union Home Ministry to initiate steps to recruit the wards of these refugees.

These instructions had been issued on the intervention by senior BJP leaders and MP, Vaid Vishnu Dutt. Mr Dutt told newsmen here yesterday that the Ministry of Human Resources had been asked to reserve seats in universities and professional colleges for the children of the refugees because they were not entitled to seats in the colleges of Jammu and Kashmir on the basis of their being non-state subjects.

The Centre had asked the state government to furnish a report on the problems of these refugees who had been temporarily settled in the Jammu region for the past 52 years. The state government had explained that since they were not entitled to get state subject certificates they could not be given jobs in the state government offices and their children were not eligible for admission in professional colleges.

Under the central directive the Union Home Ministry would, according to Vaid Vishnu Dutt, recruit the boys of these refugees in the paramilitary forces.

These refugees had been allotted land and houses but they had no proprietary rights. They could vote for the Lok Sabha elections but not for the assembly poll. The Central Government had so far not honoured its commitment made two decades ago, that each family would be given Rs 25,000 for improving its domestic facilities.

Militancy ruined J & K economy, says Khusro
Tribune News Service

SRINAGAR, May 16 — The Chairman of 11th Finance Commission, Prof A.M. Khusro has said the decade-long militancy has ruined the state’s economy. The tourism industry has been badly hit bringing untold hardships to the people. However, he expressed the hope that with the resilience and indomitable spirit of the people, the state will overcome the challenges it is currently facing and resume its pursuit of peace and prosperity.

Addressing a meeting of the commission here yesterday, Mr Khusro said the primary sector of agriculture continued to be pre-dominant source of sustenance for the majority of people. Its share in the state’s total income stood at 39.9 per cent in 1995-96. In view of this, he said, the present level of industrial activity needed to be raised significantly so that state’s economic growth was accelerated and well-being of the people enhanced.

Appreciating the progress made by the state in curbing poverty especially in the urban areas, he said the percentage of population living below the poverty line in the state was 25.17 in 1993-94 as against the all India level of 36 per cent. Since 76 per cent of the population reside in the rural areas, much needed to be done in the rural areas.

He called for bringing improvement in the human development index in the state. He said in comparison to the all India literacy rate of 36.2 per cent, Jammu and Kashmir had a literacy rate of 26.7 per cent. The female literacy rate in the state was 15.9 per cent as against 24.8 per cent at the all India level. The gap in the literacy rate needed to narrowed down as it was intrinsic to the development and economic well being, he added.

The finance panel chairman said the working of the corporations, government companies and departmental undertakings also required improvement to overcome losses. He said the government had to ensure that companies engaged in commercial and semi-commercial operations did not become a burden on the state’s finances. Their accounts needed to be finalised regularly. The commission would consider the demand for the allocation of Rs 100 crore for science laboratories in the state.

The Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister, Dr Farooq Abdullah while addressing the meeting advocated multi-pronged approach for overcoming the difficult situation caused mainly due to proxy war unleashed from across the border. He expressed the hope that the commission would appreciate the problems of the state and make recommendations accordingly.

The Chief Minister said the Indus Water treaty between India and Pakistan proved detrimental to the interests of Jammu and Kashmir which could not utilise its hydel resource to optimum. The treaty had a direct bearing on Tulubal Navigational Lock Project which deprived the state of creating reservoir. As a result, the power generation got affected during winter, he said while referring to dwindling of generation to just 35 MWs in the Uri hydel project against the capacity of 450 MWs. He said the Chenab too had tremendous potential which needed to be tapped fully. “We want Kishanganga, Sawlakote, Uri II and other projects to be taken up”, he said.

Dr Farooq Abdullah said the state suffered a lot on all fronts, including, education, drinking water and electricity. He said more attention needed to be given to the streamlining of the development process, which needed more funds from the Centre.

The Finance Minister, Abdul Rahim Rather pleaded for the creation of a reconstruction fund for the state to reconstruct the infrastructure damaged during the decade-long turmoil. He said the state could not be treated at par with other developed states in view of its local and topographical disadvantages and asked for a special dispensation to solve its problems.

Referring to the baneful effects of the Indus Water Treaty, the Finance Minister said the restrictions imposed by the treaty had deprived the state of a generation capacity of 15,000 MWs of power annually. No compensatory steps had so far been taken by the Central Government. The restrictive clauses of the treaty had not only resulted in non-generation of revenue whose opportunity cost had been estimated at Rs 6000 crore per annum but its adverse effect on the economic development of the state was worse. The commission should provide suitable package for the loss of revenue to Jammu and Kashmir on this account, he said.

The Finance Minister called for the review of agreements with the NPHC.

Blasts to discourage Hurriyat
From M L Kak
Tribune News Service

JAMMU, May 16 — While the senior leaders of the Hurriyat Conference started their deliberation whether to accept a formal offer for talks from the Centre or not, militants struck in a big way killing eight persons, including Minister of State for Power Ghulam Hassan Bhat, in three separate IED blasts yesterday.

Political observers are of the opinion that carrying out these IED explosions on a day when Hurriyat Conference leaders were busy to chalking out their future strategy is meaningful.

In fact during the last one week, when the prospects of Hurriyat-government talks had brightened slightly , militancy-related violence in different parts of the state registered a marked escalation. As many as 30 persons including 10 security personnel were killed in shootouts and IED blasts. At the same time, security forces eliminated more than 35 militants, most of them foreign mercenaries, during the same period. Besides this 10 infiltrators were killed on the border in Jammu sector.

These incidents do clearly indicate that militants were trying to escalate violence to discourage Hurriyat Conference leaders in their plan of holding talks with the Government of India. Secondly, by attacking the minister’s motorcade the militants wanted to convey to the National Conference leadership that the installation of an elected government was not an alternative to the right of self-determination for the people of Kashmir as provided in the UN resolution on Kashmir.

The death of Ghulam Hassan Bhat is yet another blow to the ruling party. He is 206th party leader to have been killed in the state by the militants during the last 10 years. The National Conference has lost several legislators and more than 36 block presidents in militancy-related violence.

Observers believe that the softening of Pak stand on the proposed Hurriyat Conference-government talks is a diplomatic move to appease the US Government.<\p>Reports reaching here from across the border clearly indicate that Pak agencies have finalised a programme under which material and moral assistance to militants, operating in Jammu and Kashmir, would be enhanced to give a fillip to the ongoing insurgency in the state.

The Chief Minister, Dr Farooq Abdullah, is right when he said in Jammu yesterday that it is not the Hurriyat Conference but the Pakistani generals who control the guns that roar in Kashmir and had the militant outfits been under the control of the Hurriyat Conference or any other separatist group the rebels would not have threatened chief of Mahazi Azadi, Azam Inquilabi, of dire consequences for suggesting a ceasefire for a period of six months. He had stated so because he wanted to give a chance to peace talks to bear fruits.

Step up in violence is considered to be a part of the plan of Islamabad to sabotage bilateral talks and the rebels are, therefore, under strict instructions to strike with a heavy hand so that New Delhi was forced to resume negotiations with Islamabad. At the root of this lies Pakistan’s fear that if activities of ultras were reduced it would encourage separatist organisations, including the Hurriyat Conference, to accept New Delhi’s offer for talks. Moreover, Hurriyat Conference leaders would also not hesitate to strike a deal with the Centre in a violence-free Kashmir.

Hurriyat Conference Chairman Syad Ali Shah Geelani has announced that the Centre would not allow any Sheikh Abdullah within “our organisation”, in an obvious reference to the 1975 Accord between Sheikh Abdullah and Indira Gandhi which helped the former to regain power after 22 years. Mr Geelani may not have any other alternative if the rebel activities met an early end.

CM lays stone of gurdwara
From Our Correspondent

JAMMU, May 16 — The Chief Minister, Dr Farooq Abdullah, laid the foundation stone of Gurdwara Guru ka Bagh, at Channi Himmat Colony on the outskirts of Jammu yesterday. Addressing a gathering, the Chief Minister extended his compliments to the sangat and suggested that the architectural design of the gurdwara should be captivating and aesthetically rich.

Eulogising the contribution of the Sikh community in different fields of development, Dr Abdullah said the ultimate aim of all religions was to inculcate the spirit of brotherhood, morality, peaceful co-existence, mutual understanding and emotional integration.

Referring to the establishment of Mahant Bachitter Singh College of Engineering and Technology and MC Khalsa College of Education, the Chief Minister stressed the need for improving the quality of education in these institutions.

The Chief Minister underlined the need of unity in all sections of society and the strength of a community depended on its solidarity and peaceful co-existence.

He complimented Mahant Manjeet Singh of Dera Nangali Sahib, Poonch for his active co-operation and efforts towards national integration. On the occasion Mr Piara Singh, MLA, announced a grant of Rs 5 lakh from his constituency fund for the construction of a hostel for students of Khalsa College, Channi. Mr Harbans Singh, Deputy Chairman, Legislative Council, was also present. Earlier, the Chief Minister was presented a “siropa” by the gurdwara management.