J A M M U   &   K A S H M I R

Dar hails ceasefire extension
JAMMU, Dec 23 — APHC leaders are busy finalising the list of delegates who will visit Pakistan for talks with militants. Informed sources said this exercise had been started after the JKLF chief, Mohammad Yasin Malik and others, received a signal from Delhi that some of the Hurriyat leaders would be permitted to visit Pakistan. The names of Maulvi Umar Farooq, Prof Abdul Gani Bhat, APHC chairman, and Mohammad Yasin Malik had been cleared for the visit.

Free movement across LoC urged
JAMMU, Dec 23 — The Awami National Conference, headed by Mr G.M. Shah, a former Chief Minister, has demanded that restrictions on free movement of people, living on either side of the Line of Control (LoC) be lifted to facilitate civilians, politicians and intellectuals, to meet each other.

JD (U) holds peace rallies
JAMMU, Dec 23 — An Aman Yatra, organised by the state unit of the Janata Dal (United), held a series of peace rallies in the border belt of Rajouri and Sunderbani yesterday. The peace marchers led by Mohammad Maqbool Dar, former Union Minister of State for Home, were greeted by people in several villages who pledged support to the peace process initiated by the Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee.

Board honours five millionth pilgrim
JAMMU, Dec 23 — The famous Vaishno Devi shrine crossed a milestone when the annual pilgrimage figure crossed 50 lakh last evening.

Dar hails ceasefire extension
Tribune News Service

JAMMU, Dec 23 — APHC leaders are busy finalising the list of delegates who will visit Pakistan for talks with militants. Informed sources said this exercise had been started after the JKLF chief, Mohammad Yasin Malik and others, received a signal from Delhi that some of the Hurriyat leaders would be permitted to visit Pakistan. The names of Maulvi Umar Farooq, Prof Abdul Gani Bhat, APHC chairman, and Mohammad Yasin Malik had been cleared for the visit.

Reports said the government might give permission to all seven members of the APHC executive committee. However, the name of Syed Ali Shah Geelani is yet under consideration.

APHC sources said if the government did not permit Mr Geelani to visit Pakistan, the Hurriyat leaders might cancel their visit.

Experts did not see immediate headway in talks. They said many cobwebs had to be removed before initiating any move.

Meanwhile, a report from Srinagar said Pakistan-based militant outfits — Laskar-e-Toiba and Harkat-ul-Mujahideen — have rejected the ceasefire offer as a “political statement” by the Prime Minister.

A day after the Hurriyat Conference announced its decision to send a delegation to Pakistan, chief commander (operations) of the Hizbul Mujahideen, Abdul Majeed Dar, extended support to any “sincere initiative to resolve the Kashmir dispute”. He said no decision could be taken without the involvement of the Hizbul Mujahideen. The organisation has its cadres in Kashmir, while its supreme commander, Syed Salahuddin, is based in Pakistan.

“The decision to support or oppose the present ceasefire initiative should be based on reality and not on ego” he said in a statement circulated to the media here last evening. He said the present initiatives were not adequate to resolve the issue, saying that both India and Pakistan, wanted to resolve it. Welcoming the extension of the ceasefire, he said his outfit was monitoring the developments closely and would “react at an appropriate time”.

Free movement across LoC urged
Tribune News Service

JAMMU, Dec 23 — The Awami National Conference, headed by Mr G.M. Shah, a former Chief Minister, has demanded that restrictions on free movement of people, living on either side of the Line of Control (LoC) be lifted to facilitate civilians, politicians and intellectuals, to meet each other.

While welcoming the Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee’s announcement for extending the ceasefire period by one more month, Mr Shah told newsmen here yesterday that Pakistan, too, had taken a positive step by first ordering its troops to observe maximum restraint on the LoC and now declaring partial withdrawal of troops from the border.

Mr Shah suggested Mr Vajpayee to respond to this step with a bigger and bolder step as head of a bigger country. He said that some positive results were expected from the ceasefire offer and things could improve if both sides adopted, a sincere attitude while trying to defuse the turmoil.

He said that Kashmir had become a hotbed of international and national conspiracies for the past several decades with the result the people in the state were not able to taste the fruits of freedom. He said the events during the past 10 years had resulted in peoples’ alienation. The state had witnessed destruction in its basic infrastructure, more than 80,000 persons had been killed, and thousands humiliated.

He hoped that the peace initiative taken by the Prime Minister would usher in a new era in the troubled state. He said in the past the people of the state were given assurances which were not implemented. They were simply used and exploited by political leaders.

He urged people to rise above party affiliations and regional bias and help in resolving the Kashmir dispute. He said there were three solutions to the Kashmir problem — either state’s full accession to India or Pakistan or carve out an independent and sovereign state.

Mr Shah disclosed that in February his party would organise a conference in Jammu for discussing the problem. More than 300 delegates from India, Pakistan and several European countries besides those from the USA and the Islamic countries would be invited.

JD (U) holds peace rallies
Tribune News Service

JAMMU, Dec 23 — An Aman Yatra, organised by the state unit of the Janata Dal (United), held a series of peace rallies in the border belt of Rajouri and Sunderbani yesterday. The peace marchers led by Mohammad Maqbool Dar, former Union Minister of State for Home, were greeted by people in several villages who pledged support to the peace process initiated by the Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee.

Addressing these peace rallies Mr Dar welcomed the decision of Mr Vajpayee to extend the ceasefire period by another month. He suggested to the Centre to continue this process so that people and political leaders were encouraged to launch a campaign against corruption and other political and social evils that had affected the state during the last 10 years of militancy-related turmoil.

Dr A.K. Kharu, general secretary, JD (U), said the Aman Yatra would visit other areas so as to build confidence among people harassed by the militants.

Board honours five millionth pilgrim
From M.L. Kak
Tribune News Service

JAMMU, Dec 23 — The famous Vaishno Devi shrine crossed a milestone when the annual pilgrimage figure crossed 50 lakh last evening.

The shrine board authorities were so excited that they honoured the five millionth yatri, a 26-year-old Mrs Juli Hissaria from Kota. The board presented a memento to her and made her its guest.

The board has spent several crores on the development of the track from Katra, the base camp, to the shrine. Annually, Rs 15 crore are being spent on the maintenance and development of the shrine and its envirouns.

The board earns a revenue of about Rs 50 crore every year. Fourteen years ago, the annual pilgrim traffic did not cross 13 lakh. By the end of this month, the figure could touch 51 lakh.

Earlier, it was a six-month yatra. Now pilgrims can visit round the year. A new 5.5 km-long alternative track has been constructed from Adhkawari to the Bhavan.

The board will construct two yatri bhavans in Jammu. It also plans to construct one near the Delhi railway station.