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| Sunday,
March 25, 2001, Chandigarh, India   
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Farooq decries
desecration Trifurcate J&K,
says Panthers Party Troops to check cattle intrusion from
Pak J&K to have 43 new courts by April 15 |
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Farooq decries
desecration Jammu, March 24 Making a suo motu statement on the floor of the State Assembly here today, the Chief Minister said that the sacrilege committed by some miscreants in Delhi, Amritsar and Patiala cast its impact on the already fragile security situation in Jammu and Kashmir. Referring to yesterday’s protest demonstration at several places in Jammu and Kashmir against the desecration of the Koran, Dr Abdullah said that he had given strict instructions to the police and the security agencies not to open fire, but instead, resort to lathi charge and teargas shells to quell any violence. He said that in several parts, the police managed to check disturbances with use of teargas shells and lathi charge, but in Baramula, some miscreants had sneaked into the ranks of protesters who indulged in violence and the police was forced to open fire in which one person was killed. He said that some among the protesters torched a small temple. The Chief Minister questioned the wisdom of the protesters. He said on one hand they were demonstrating against the sacrilege of the Koran and on the other hand, committed another sacrilege by destroying a temple. “Does the holy Koran permit such an act?” He asked. He appealed to the countrymen not to indulge in any act which could create law and order problem in Jammu and Kashmir. As the Assembly session started members from all parties were on their feet protesting against the desecration of the Koran. The Speaker, Mr Abdul Ahad Vakil, persuaded the members to maintain their cool as the Chief Minister had agreed to make a statement on the issue. During question hour, the BJP members staged a walkout in protest against the alleged patronage given by the government to those officers who had amassed wealth through unfair means. The question was raised by Mr Ashok Khajuria who wanted to know whether some of the officers, against whom cases had been filed by the vigilance organisations, had been promoted to the IAS and KAS cadres. The Chief Minister said that he had no information and would make a statement in the House on Tuesday while rejecting Mr Khajuria’s demand for the deferment of the question. The Chief Minister said that 82 cases had been registered by the Vigilance Commission during the past three years and investigations were in progress and those found guilty for having amassed wealth disproportionate to their known sources of income would be punished. The Panthers Party member, Mr Harsh Dev Singh, and Mr M.Y. Tarigami of the CPM caused an embarrassment to the government on the issues of enhancement of salaries of the governor and the judges and on the delay in tabling the reports of the commissions which had been set up to probe into police firing and other excesses. Mr Harsh Dev Singh said that the Judges of the high court had started drawing their enhanced salaries before the Bills were enacted by the Assembly and wanted to know why the government had not fulfilled its promise of holding an inquiry into this. The Speaker, Mr Vakil, came to the rescue of the government by ruling that since the Bills had been passed with retrospective effect, there was no question of any member challenging “my ruling.” Mr Tarigami was informed by the Chief Minister that a copy of the reports of four commissions would tabled in the House. He expressed ignorance about the need for setting up a commission of inquiry into the police firing in Bijebehara and Sopore in 1993. |
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Trifurcate J&K,
says Panthers Party Jammu, March 24 The party convention here today, the JAKNPP adopted a resolution urging the Government of India to take
immediate steps for the reorganisation of the state for the setting up of Jammu Himalayan State, Kashmir state and granting the union territory status to Ladakh region. The resolution stated that the people of Jammu had suffered the “wrath of the Kashmiri dictators imposed by Delhi from time to time and the people of Ladakh were ignored and denied fundamental rights.” This called for the trifurcation of the state, Prof Bhim Singh said, adding that this
would lead to the end of discrimination of the people of the two provinces. By another resolution, the party demanded the inclusion of the Dogri language in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution and rehabilitation of all Kashmiri migrants in the valley by providing them security and financial requirements. The resolution said that return of the migrants to Kashmir would restore peace in the valley. Through another resolution, the party urged the Government of India to take immediate measures for proper rehabilitation of over one lakh people who had migrated from their ancestral villages in Doda, Udhampur, Rajouri and Poonch districts following threats from militants. The resolution demanded that the government should set up hamlets in select places for these migrants where they would get all basic amenities. It also demanded government measures for rehabilitation of people who had fled from the border villages following heavy firing from the across the LoC. Moving the resolution, the party MLA, Mr Harsh Dev Singh, said there was need to restore social justice and fundamental rights to the people of the state. |
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Troops to check cattle intrusion from
Pak Jammu, March 24 These instructions have been issued after reports reached the state government that foot and mouth disease had taken a heavy toll of cattle in Europe and Pakistan. According to the BSF authorities, the border guards have been instructed to prevent any cattle straying from across the border. They said recently, two buffaloes had strayed into the Indian territory from across the Samba sector. “We will push them back after getting examined by the local veterinary surgeons.” The authorities confirmed that occasionally some buffaloes and cows stray into the Pak territory and invariably they are “returned to us.” This time, “we have instructions not to accept the Indian cattle without screening them for foot and mouth disease.” And any buffalo or cow found to be suffering from the disease has to be segregated from the rest of the flock. The state Animal Husbandry Department, too, has requested, through newspaper advertisements and other means of communication, the Indian border guards to take adequate measures for checking cattle intrusion from across the border. |
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J&K to have 43 new courts by April 15 Jammu, March 24 According to the Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah, the decision to set up 18 courts of munsif in Kashmir, 19 in Jammu, three in Leh and one in Kargil was taken on the recommendations of the Chief Justice of the state High Court. He said that these courts would be functional by April 15. Dr Abdullah said that despite frequent strikes and hartals and other security constraints, the pendency cases in the high court had shown a decline of 50 per cent. He said that only nine judges were available in the court against the sanctioned strength of 14, but by proper management the pendency had come down to 50 per cent. He disclosed that the Chief Justice has formulated a programme under which there would be no case pending which was more than two years old in the High Court by the end of the current year. |
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