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Monday,
January 21, 2002, Chandigarh, India  
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Situation
serious, says Omar
Firing on
Indian posts Madan Lal
gets Jammu Cong ticket |
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Situation serious, says Omar Srinagar, January 20 “We have always believed in resolving all disagreements diplomatically”, he said in reply to questions at a Press conference at the airport this afternoon. He was accompanied by Minister for Civil Aviation, Shahnawaz Hussain on the occasion of the inauguration of the first-ever direct Haj flights to Jeddah from here. Mr Omar Abdullah, who represents the
Srinagar-Budgam Parliamentary constituency here, made it clear that the Union Government had launched diplomatic efforts at the international level to ease tension between the two countries. He added that similar efforts were adopted during the Kargil war, adding that the government was confident that “diplomatic efforts are always strong”. In reply to another question, he said: “We convey to Pakistan that our patience is not endless”. He said there was a heavy build-up on either side of the borders. “The situation is serious inasmuch as the build-up on our side of the borders is concerned”, he said, adding that it was more than what it had been during the Indo-Pak war of 1971. The Union Minister ruled out the involvement of any third party in resolving the bilateral issues like Kashmir. “The USA is involved as much as we are concerned with the situation… it would not like to see conflict to break out”, Mr Omar Abdullah said. Meanwhile, the Civil Aviation Minister, Mr Shahnawaz
Hussain, said here today that the government was considering the expansion of the terminal at the Srinagar airport. “We will discuss the issue of the expansion of the terminal at the Srinagar airport on the pattern of that in Jammu”, Mr Hussain told a press conference here today. He said this in reply to the demand put forth by the Minister of State for External Affairs, Mr Omar Abdullah, on the occasion of the inauguration of the first-ever direct Haj flight from the Srinagar airport to Jeddah here today. Mr Omar Abdullah said the expansion of the terminal here was a long-pending demand put forth before the Central Government. Inaugurating the direct Haj flight to Jeddah, Mr Hussain said such flights were being operated this year from Lucknow also. This would enable to overcome the problems faced by Haj pilgrims from Jammu and Kashmir while going via Delhi. A total of 30 flights carrying over 6,500 Haj pilgrims from Jammu and Kashmir would be operated by Indian Airlines this year. He said arrangements had been made for foreign exchange at the airport for the convenience of the Haj pilgrims. Mr Omar Abdullah, in charge of Haj affairs, said arrangements for better accommodation in Saudi Arabia for the Haj pilgrims had also been made. |
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Firing on Indian posts
Jammu, January 20 A BSF spokesman said here this afternoon that the Rangers opened fire from medium-calibre weapons at around 8.30 a.m. on Kote Kuba, Jabowal, Pindi Post, Mehta border outposts in Ranbir Singh Pora sector, and on Pallanwala and Pargwal outposts in the Akhnoor sector. Garkhal and Bengalar outposts in the Samba sector also reported firing around 10.30 a.m. The BSF jawans, manning the frontier positions, retaliated effectively following which the firing simmered. Intermittent firing was still on, the spokesman said. Meanwhile, a villager lost his right leg when he stepped on a landmine while cultivating his farm near a border outpost at Treva village of the RS Pora sector last evening. Kartar Singh, while farming near Kote Kuba border outpost, inadvertently stepped on a landmine which blew off, tearing his right leg and also causing him sharpnel injuries. He was rushed to a nearby hospital where his condition was stated to be critical, the spokesman said, adding that residents of the bordering villages had been advised not to venture out to their fields without informing the authorities. Thousands of mines had been laid on both sides of the border by armies of India and Pakistan.
UNI |
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Madan Lal gets Jammu Cong ticket New Delhi, January 20 Sources said the decision to field Mr Madan Lal was taken this evening by the Congress high-command after a panel headed by PCC chief Mohammad Shafi Qureshi submitted a panel of three names for the choice of party candidate. Mr Mangat Ram Sharma, Mr Balwan Singh and Mr Janak Raj Gupta were the other main contenders for the ticket. |
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