 |
| Saturday,
July 14, 2001, Chandigarh, India   
|
APHC leaders will have tea, get money: Farooq
Mixed feelings on summit eve Visa checkpost revives
hopes |
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Suchetgadh octroi post may be visa
point Sikhs to offer prayers for summit’s
success CPI cautions PM against conspiracies Omar Abdullah’s
clarification
|
|
APHC leaders will have tea, get money:
Farooq
Srinagar, July 13 Talking to newspersons at martyrs graveyard at Khawaja Bazar in the down town today, “Dr Abdullah said Jammu and Kashmir was, is and will remain a part of India and this fact is not going to be changed.’’ He said people of the state besides in the subcontinent were praying for the success of the Agra summit. “Only friendly relations between the two neighbours will help people live in peace and march ahead,’’ Dr Abdullah said. When asked why he was not part of the Indian delegation holding talks with General Musharraf, the Chief Minister said:” I have no role in the summit meeting. “When the entire nation, including people of Jammu and Kashmir are being represented by Mr Vajpayee at the summit meeting where is the role for others, including me,’’ he asked. In reply to another question, Dr Abdullah said the All Party Hurriyat Conference had also no role. About invitation to APHC leaders to high tea, Dr Abdullah said they would sip the tea and also get money. He hoped that the summit meeting would be a success as everybody was praying for it. When asked what according to him would be the agenda of the meeting, Dr Abdullah said: “our Prime Minister will definitely ask General Musharraf about the cross-border terrorism which has made the life of people of Jammu and Kashmir a hell for the past 12 years.” Earlier, the Chief Minister paid floral tribute to 21 martyrs of 1931. On July 13, 1931, 21 persons were killed when the police opened fire on hundreds of people outside the central jail, Srinagar, who had gone there to witness the hearing against Abdul Kadeer who was arrested by the then Maharaja ruler for inciting people against them (rulers) through his speeches in different parts of Srinagar. In a separate message Dr Abdullah called upon people to launch a crusade for the restoration of peace in Jammu and Kashmir and fulfil their commitment towards the martyrs of 1931 about building a prosperous and peaceful state devoid of inequality, hatred, violence and intolerance. “We owe our martyrs a naya Kashmir which they had envisioned while successfully fighting tyranny and autocracy,” the Chief Minister said. Governor Girish Chandra Sexana in his message has called upon the people of the state to emulate the spirit of sacrifice and work for strengthening the values and ideals of the founding fathers of the freedom struggle to fulfil their dream of “naya Kashmir’’. Paying tributes to the martyrs of 1931, the Governor said the day commemorates the struggle of the people of the state for upholding the values of democracy, secularism and social justice which ultimately fructified and helped people find their due place of dignity and honour in the country.
UNI |
|
Mixed feelings on summit eve Jammu, July 13 Eyes of people in
Nowhatta, once a stronghold of militants and secessionists in the interior of Srinagar, are focussed on Delhi. Those in Anantnag look towards Agra. Refugees from the Pallanwalla sector of Akhnoor, camping for the past two years at
Devipur, want Delhi to persuade Pakistan President, General Musharraf to stop aiding militants and direct Pak troops to stop firing on the border villages, which is the reason for their migration from their ancestral villages. Apart from the townsmen those living in the rural areas of the state have evinced keen interest in the summit, beginning from tomorrow, because their destiny is being “re-written” at the conference. But during the past three days the euphoria in various parts of the state, especially in the Kashmir valley, has undergone rapid dilution. The main reason being hardened stand taken by both the sides in the past three days. Explaining the reason for this despondency Khazir Mohammad, a trader, who does not miss listening to news bulletins from various TV channels and in reading newspapers, said: “Mr Vajpayee has initiated several confidence-building measures but Pakistan has not reciprocated them.” He said: “Pakistan is yet to respond to India’s plan to ease visa rules. It is yet to reciprocate India’s decision to release Pak prisoners languishing in jails.” He and others stated that the way Islamabad insisted on a meeting between Hurriyat Conference leaders and General Musharraf indicated that Pakistan was not prepared to soften its stand on Kashmir. They cited the latest statement of the External Affairs Minister, Mr Jaswant Singh, in which he said Kashmir could be discussed along with the liberation of the occupied Kashmir, cross
border terrorism, the Indus Water Treary and Siachen which indicted that New Delhi too had hardened its stand despite the confidence-building measures. The migrants, whether from the Akhnoor sector or from the Kashmir valley, wish for a settlement which could ensure their return to their ancestral villages. “We want freedom from the gun culture and from the activities of fundamentalists, said Mr
A.N. Vaishnavi, president, All State Kashmiri Pandit Conference. Those who are pessimistic about the outcome of the summit say that the only purpose General Musharraf’s visit to India could be in the event of failure of the dialogue process in the shape of Pakistan’s open support to the Hurriyat Conference which it required when it had found itself totally marginalised. And not a single Hurriyat leader except the JKLF constituent, bothered to head Delhi’s opposition to a meeting between the conglomerate leaders and Pakistan President. The Chairman of the APHC, Prof Abdul Gani Bhat, has been camping in Delhi for the past four days and yesterday be was joined by three other leaders, Molvi Umar Farooq, Molvi Abbas Ansari and Syed Ali Shah Geelani, in making
preparations for meeting with the Pakistan President. The Hurriyat leaders accepted the invitation to tea despite stiff opposition from the JKLF chief, Mr Mohammad Yasin Malik, who had suggested to Prof Bhat not to accept the invitation. The Hurriyat leaders reached Delhi despite Chief Minister, Dr Farooq Abdullah’s severe dig at them when he told a big congregation in Hazratbal the other day that the Hurriyat leaders, who were shouting loud for eitherazadi or Kashmir’s merger with Pakistan, were now fighting for invitation to a cup of tea. In Kashmir, existence of political groups and their survival depends on either they should align themselves with India or adopt pro-Pak stance. The Hurriyat leaders had been spurned by Delhi and hence they had no other alternative but to go nearer the Pak camp. Whatever the permutation combination intellectuals in Jammu and Kashmir are making over the summit, common people in the state yearn for peace and revival of
Kashmiriyat. Will this desire fructify? Its depends on General Musharraf who may not be coming with the Home Minister and the Energy Minister to India which also indicates that he and his Foreign Minister are simply interested in discussing Kashmir. |
|
|
Visa checkpost revives
hopes Uri, July 13 The External Affairs Ministry on Monday announced the decision of the Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee, to simply the visa procedures for Pakistani citizens. It also decided to revive the Srinagar-Muzaffarabad-Rawalpindi road by opening the working border in Jammu and Kashmir at designated places. While the cessation of combat operations in Jammu and Kashmir from November 28 to May-end this year bought relief in terms of an end to the cross-border firing and shelling in the area, the recent decisions, as part of the confidence-building measures, have rekindled hopes of the residents here. “There is not a single family in the area which does not have relations on the other side of the border”, says a local shopkeeper, Mr Mohammad Sayeen, adding that these families were divided at the time of partition. He hopes that there will be an easy procedure to travel across, and a chance to relive the childhood friendships. “We would like to see who among our relations and friends are living and who have passed away”, said the local shopkeeper. For him, the gap of five decades is not much, if reunion of old relations and friendships takes place. Mr Ghulam Mohammad Ganai, 60, who established a small shop in the township after his son got the job of a school teacher here five years ago, said it would be delightful to meet his relatives after a gap of 53 years. He still remembers the pangs of partition, which divided his small family comprising his parents and two sisters. “For the past 50 years, I have not seen my sister, who lived in Karachi.... only letters have been received by post”, reveals Mr Ganai. He adds that with the relaxation in the rules, he may be able to see his sister’s grown-up son, who is known to him only through letters and family photographs. Mr Ganai hopes for the restoration of peace between the two neighbouring countries who have been at logger heads especially for the past 12 years of militancy. This area witnessed increase in the prices of farm and commercial lands over the past decade with the starting of work on the Uri Civil Hydel Project, which generates 480 MW of hydel power. “Since then the rates of the commercial land have started going up”, said Mr Ali Mohammad, a local official. The revival of the Baramula-Muzaffarabad road would see more activity, particularly at the commercial level, he added. |
|
Suchetgadh octroi post may be visa point Jammu, July 13 Repair work on the Jammu-Sialkot road is in full swing and security along the road as well as at the Suchetgadh octroi post has been beefed up. On July 9, Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee had announced the opening of checkposts along the international border and the line of control in Jammu and Kashmir for the grant of visas to Pakistani nationals desirous of visiting India. Pakistan responded a day later by saying such measures should follow the Indo-Pak summit, starting tomorrow. Though BSF sources denied any announcement had been made to establish a visa post at Suchetgadh saying; “We have not received any official communication in this regard so far”, they confirmed the ongoing road repair work. External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh had yesterday hinted that the Jammu-Sialkot road might be opened in persuance of announcement by the Centre regarding the establishment of posts where people coming from across the border may be granted instant visa to visit India. A senior BSF officer told UNI that since the 40-km-long Jammu-Sialkot road was used by United Nations’ observers to visit Indian and Pakistani territories, it had to be keep in good condition. “As far as the proposed visa post is concerned, we have not received any official communication so far from the Central Government,” said the officer. The post is situated almost mid-way between Pakistani town Sialkot and Jammu. However, observers here are of the view that in view of the stepped up activities alongside the road and the Suchetgadh octroi post, the latter might be opened as an entry point for people coming from across the border. People living in the area are happy over the prospects of opening of the Suchetgadh post as a visa post. They said the step would make meetings between families having kin on both sides of the border more easier. “If the border is opened here, it will certainly mark the return of old days,” the unanimously opined.
UNI |
|
|
Sikhs to offer prayers for summit’s
success Jammu, July 13 This was disclosed by leaders of these organisations at a news conference here today. Mr Narinder Singh Khalsa of the Sikh Students Federation, Mr Gurdev Singh of the Shiromani Akali Dal, and Mr Manjit Singh said that both India and Pakistan should utilise the Agra summit for the peaceful settlement of bilateral disputes so that “we have a region free of nuclear threat”. The Sikh leaders said India had initiated confidence building measures and there was need for using the summit to end human rights violations and the suffering of PoK refugees who had lost all their fundamental and constitutional rights in Jammu and Kashmir. They suggested to Mr Vajpayee to release all political prisoners and initiated measures for allowing those Sikh who had fled to Pakistan in the wake of the 1984 riots to return to their ancestral places in India. The Sikh leaders opposed the trifurcation of Jammu and Kashmir and said unity among people living in the three regions was important to the country’s unity and integrity. They favoured tripartite talks saying since the future of the people of Jammu and Kashmir was to be discussed and settled genuine representatives of people be involved in the dialogue process. They said the idea behind this demand was that any solution evolved should be acceptable to the people of the state and for this trilateral talks were needed. |
|
CPI cautions PM against conspiracies Jammu, July 13 The meeting was presided over by Mr Naresh
Munshi, senior CPI leader and the resolution said though the CPI wished success for the talks, it was, however, dismayed over the way the Prime Minister did not take the nation into confidence during the initial stages of his invitation to General Musharraf for the summit. The CPI favours dialogue so that the bilateral problems, including the Kashmir issue, are settled amicably in the interest of peace in the subcontinent,” the resolution said. |
|
|
Omar Abdullah’s clarification Apropos of a news story titled “Political leaders estranged from kin”, Mr Omar Abdullah , Union Minister of State for Commerce and Industry, says the part of the story referring to Dr Farooq Abdullah’s family having strained relations and conflicts is far from correct. He has issued the following clarification: “Contrary to your report, no locks were broken but for me and that too of my own bedroom, because we had left the keys in Delhi. To claim that my sister had locked the two rooms and that my wife broke the locks to remove her valuables is a gross distortion of the facts. My sister maintains one cupboard in the house for the purpose of keeping things she uses when visiting my father.” |
 |
| Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir | Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs | Nation | Editorial | | Business | Sport | World | Mailbag | In Spotlight | Chandigarh Tribune | Ludhiana Tribune 50 years of Independence | Tercentenary Celebrations | | 121 Years of Trust | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | Suggestion | E-mail | |
