J A M M U   &   K A S H M I R

Farooq’s offer to power thieves
SRINAGAR, Aug 23 — The Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister, Dr Farooq Abdullah, today announced a vigorous drive to book illegal power connection holders and offered to provide incentives for their regularisation in the next two months.

J&K steps to provide speedy justice
SRINAGAR, Aug 23  — The Jammu and Kashmir Government has set up 18 new courts in the past three years to provide easy accessibility to the people for speedy justice in the state.

Plan to set up Pandit enclaves condemned
SRINAGAR, Aug 23 — Various groups and organisations here have criticised the government move on the rehabilitation of migrant Kashmiri Pandits in three separate enclaves in Kashmir valley. The Jammu and Kashmir Government had recently come out with a Rs 2600 crore action plan for the rehabilitation of migrants in Kashmir valley in two phases.

Tubewell project inaugurated
JAMMU, Aug 23 — Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation, Prof. Chaman Lal Gupta inaugurated a tubewell drilling project at Barwal village in Kathua district this morning. Drilling is being done by the Central Ground Water Board, Jammu and the tubewell will cost of Rs 8 lakh and be paid for from MP area fund.

Farooq’s offer to power thieves

SRINAGAR, Aug 23 (PTI) — The Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister, Dr Farooq Abdullah, today announced a vigorous drive to book illegal power connection holders and offered to provide incentives for their regularisation in the next two months.

Under this package, illegal connection holders wishing to regularise these within two months, would be exempted from security deposit equivalent to two months tariff based on the load, he said.

The Chief Minister who was reviewing the revenue recovery of sales tax, excise, forest and power departments at a meeting said flying squads would be placed at the disposal of Power Development Department to check irregular and illegal connections.

Sales tax revenue receipts has increased by 57 per cent in the first quarter of the current fiscal over the corresponding period last year, he said.

Over Rs 82 crore had been realised during this period against Rs 52.33 crore last year registering an increase of Rs 29.70 crore.

Similarly, the Excise Department had generated a revenue of Rs 94.68 crore during the first four months of the current fiscal as against Rs 85.76 crore during the corresponding period last year showing an increase of 13.22 per cent, he said.

Meanwhile the government has sanctioned a Rs 200 crore scheme for constructing 2,500 primary school buildings in the state with NABARD funding.

Another class room would be added to about 7,000 existing primary school buildings in the state under the scheme, an official spokesman told PTI.

To be implemented in three years, the scheme would meet the requirement of buildings for government primary schools in the state.

NABARD would advance Rs 65 crore every year for three years. Of these, over Rs 5 crore would be spent in each district every year, the spokesman said.

Hizb a pawn in Indo-Pak power game
From M.L. Kak
Tribune News Service

JAMMU, Aug 23 — In the battle of wits between the Indian and Pakistani authorities leaders of the Hizbul Mujahideen and Hurriyat Conference have converted to “trump” cards to be manoeuvred for advantage.

When Hizb Chief, Abdul Majid Dar, announced on July 24 a unilateral ceasefire and willingness to hold talks with the Government of India (GOI), Indian agencies started flashing this ‘‘trump’’. But it proved shortlived as the Hizbul Mujahideen soon called off the ceasefire after its leaders here and across the border tried to get Pakistan in on the parleys.

Hizbul Mujahideen supremo, Syed Salahuddin, when first endorsing Abdul Majid Dar’s unilateral ceasefire had not set any condition for starting talks. However, within days of his endorsement, Salahuddin modified his stand insisting that Pakistan be included a clear indication that he was under pressure from Pakistani agencies. And he had to respect the wishes of Islamabad as he was staying in Pakistan.

Once Salahuddin hit newspaper headlines he relegated Abdul Majid Dar to second place and Pakistani agencies began to flash Salahuddin as their ‘‘trump’’ card against Delhi.

Insiders says Syed Salahuddin is in favour of starting talks between the Government of India and the Hizbul Mujahideen so that the two sides can understand each others viewpoint and perception. Left to himself he would prefer not involving Pakistan in talks at the initial stages. But he is said to be helpless before mounting pressure from Pakistan. In order to rid himself of this pressure he has plans of crossing into Kashmir. This will also get him first hand information about the situation and the aspirations of the people.

Sources close to the separatists admit that Salahuddin is keen to return to Kashmir and add that had he been totally opposed to bilateral talks Abdul Majid Dar would not have hinted at resumption of talks and announcement of a ceasefire against within two months. Possibly the Hizb leadership expects Syed Salahuddin to reenter Kashmir over the next two months, unless the Pakistan authorities prevent him from doing so.

In fact Islamabad seems set on sabotaging bilateral talks whether between the GOI and the Hizbul Mujahideen or the GOI with the leaders of the Hurriyat Conference. And Islamabad has, so far, succeeded in persuading both the Hizb leadership and Hurriyat Conference leaders on insisting on its inclusion as a precondition for dialogue.

As the GOI has made clear that direct talks would not be held with Pakistan until Islamabad stopped aiding cross border terrorism, Pakistani agencies have mounted pressure on the Hizb and Hurriyat Conference to lobby for tripartite talks on their behalf. This explains Islamabad’s welcome to and support for the formula suggested by Hurriyat Chief Prof Abdul Gani Bhat. Mr Bhat had stated that he would favour sending three members of the Hurriyat executive committee to Islamabad for discussion and four members to Delhi to interact with the Indian ruling leadership for simultaneous talks if tripartite talks were not possible.

New Delhi did not react favourably to this suggestion as a visit by Hurriyat leaders to Pakistan would amount to tacit recognition to Pakistan as party to the Kashmir dispute.

In the battle of wits between the two sides the GOI is keen to cultivate the Hizb leadership as talks with leaders of this dominant militant group could help defuse the crisis. On the other hand Islamabad will continue to discourage Hizb leaders from entering into a bilateral dialogue as this would deny them a role. Hizbul Mujahideen leaders and field commanders have already been threatened with dire consequence it they deny Pakistan a role in talks.

Reports also indicate that should a major section of the Hizb were to agree to hold negotiation with the GOI, Islamabad would go all out to split the organisation.

Experts are of the opinion that in the end individuals don’t count for much in the bitter Indo-Pak conflict in Kashmir. They cite the example of Master Ahsan Dar, Hizb supremo, who was thrown out of the organisation on charges of misappropriation of funds. Dar later floated the Muslim Mujahideen, which has been defunct ever since he crossed over to Pakistan.

When he was supreme commander he was a household name. Now he is a forgotten commodity. The same fate awaited Mast Gul, whose seizure of the holy shrine at Chrar-i-Sharief turned him into a hero overnight. But nobody talks about Mast Gul in Kashmir today.

Similarly Mushtaq Lattram, who was a terror in Srinagar and was addressed by security personnel as Lattram Sahib, is now forgotten. He briefly shot into prominence when he was released in exchange for 150 Indian Airlines passengers held hostage at Kandahar, but has been trying to revive his Al Umar in Pakistan, without much success since.

So if today all eyes are set on Syed Salahuddin and Abdul Majid Dar they too will be forgotten unless their moves to resolve the Kashmir imbroglio succeeds. There is also a realisation that talks must be held with other groups of militants as well if Islamabad is to be isolated.

J&K steps to provide speedy justice

SRINAGAR, Aug 23 (PTI) — The Jammu and Kashmir Government has set up 18 new courts in the past three years to provide easy accessibility to the people for speedy justice in the state.

These include six courts of District and Sessions Judges, two courts of Sub-Judges and 10 munsiffs courts, an official spokesman said here today.

He said besides, 31 munsiffs were appointed last year to fill various vacancies of judicial officers to ensure the quick disposal of cases.

Another important step taken for providing justice to people through subordinate courts was to empower the district judges to take cognizance of any suit on original jurisdiction without limit of value of the case, the spokesman said.

This had helped litigants to institute such cases in district courts and they need not go to the high court for justice, he said adding this had been done by amending the Jammu and Kashmir State Civil Courts Act, Samvat 1977.

This amendment had also raised the jurisdiction to hear civil cases by the munsiff courts from Rs 1000 to Rs 15000, which could be further amended by the high court to Rs 25,000, he said.

The Farooq government had also formulated a comprehensive Bill for amending the procedural laws, the spokesman said, adding the State Legislative Assembly had referred the Bill to the select committee.

He said the recently enacted Jammu and Kashmir Arbitration and Conciliation Act, had provided a comprehensive procedure for conduct of arbitration proceedings and conciliation of disputes arising out of legal relationship.

The state commission for women, constituted last year, had been empowered to investigate and examine all matters relating to safeguards for women available under the Constitution and other laws, he said.

The authorities had also set up tehsil committees in each tehsil. The government and national legal services authority were providing funds to provide competent legal service to the weaker section, he said.

The spokesman said the Lok Adalats were also being organised regularly and compensations had been paid through these fora.

The government had also enacted the Jammu and Kashmir Protection of Human Rights Act, he said adding the five-member commission set up under it had already received more than 800 complaints and applications and disposed off over 300 cases.

He said another Act was enacted to provide equal opportunities care, protection, maintenance, welfare, training and rehabilitation to those with disabilities.

Plan to set up Pandit enclaves condemned
Tribune News Service

SRINAGAR, Aug 23 — Various groups and organisations here have criticised the government move on the rehabilitation of migrant Kashmiri Pandits in three separate enclaves in Kashmir valley. The Jammu and Kashmir Government had recently come out with a Rs 2600 crore action plan for the rehabilitation of migrants in Kashmir valley in two phases.

According to senior APHC leader, Maulana Ansari, the move would split the valley on religious lines. In a statement issued here Maulana Ansari alleged that vested interests were involved in the mass exodus of Pandits from the valley a decade ago. He said the exodus was intended to “mislead” the international community on the situation in Kashmir.

The APHC leader claimed that a large number of Kashmiris from different communities had left the state over the past five decades. He also referred to the Resettlement Bill presented by the former Chief Minister and Farooq’s father Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah, which was still lying in cold storage in Delhi”. He said the Hurriyat was for the return of all migrants who left the state over the past five decades.

Endorsing the stand of the Hurriyat Conference and Hizbul Mujaideen on the issue, (both have opposed the move) the Jammu and Kashmir Realistic Front (JKRF) had flayed the government decision.

In his statement, Hilal Ahmad War, chairman of the JKRF asked the Chief Minister to abstain from steps that could divide the state on religious lines. He urged the Chief Minister to take setups “for calling back lakhs of Muslim citizens of J&K state who were forced to migrate to Pakistan and Azad Kashmir”.

He criticised migrant Pandit leaders and asked Pandits to beware of the “designs of their leaders”.

Tubewell project inaugurated
From Our Correspondent

JAMMU, Aug 23 — Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation, Prof. Chaman Lal Gupta inaugurated a tubewell drilling project at Barwal village in Kathua district this morning. Drilling is being done by the Central Ground Water Board, Jammu and the tubewell will cost of Rs 8 lakh and be paid for from MP area fund.

With commissioning of the tubewell, a population of 5000 of the Kandi village will get additional drinking water. At present water is supplied from two bore wells.

The minister also laid the foundation stone of a rain water harvesting project at Government Higher Secondary School, Barwal. An area of 600 metre of roof and the pavement of the building is being covered under the scheme through which students will get drinking water for 200 days in a year.

A big pond near the school which dries in summer will be recharged by the run off.

The project will be completed at a cost of Rs 6.30 lakh. He said that during the past years, two districts of the state, one each in Kashmir and Jammu division, have been adopted by the union government for providing safe drinking water.