J A M M U   &   K A S H M I R

‘Sonrise’ in NC after Assembly poll: Farooq
New Delhi, February 10
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah yesterday said he would step down as National Conference President after the state Assembly session and hand over charge to his son Omar Abdullah who is the Minister of State for External Affairs in the Vajpayee government. He, however, made it clear that he would continue as Chief Minister.

Voter turnout may fall in Jammu areas
Jammu, February 10
With war clouds still looming large along the Indo-Pak border and a large number of border villagers migrating to safer places, the voter turnout for the byelection to the Jammu-Poonch parliamentary constituency is likely to decline.

JeM district commander killed
Jammu, February 10
Two Jaish-e-Mohammad ultras, including the outfit’s ‘district commander’, were shot dead by soldiers during a fierce encounter at Hatar forest in Kishtwar of Doda district this afternoon while elsewhere troops busted six militants’ hideout and seized huge cache of arms.

Army jawans keep a strict vigil in snow-bound areas of Kupwara district in north of Kashmir as part of their stepped-up massive operations against foreign militants.  — Photo Amin War

Pak rockets pound Siachen areas
Jammu, February 10
Pakistani troops fired mortar bombs and rockets on several high altitude posts in Siachen-Kargil belt and along the international border and Line of Control, injuring a BSF personnel and a civilian since last night, official sources said today.

Kashmir sapphire to hit markets soon
Jammu, February 10
The world famous Kashmir sapphire will hit the jewellery markets around the globe soon, as the state has decided to commence sapphire mining in the Neelam valley in Doda district, official sources said today.

Srinagar highway reopens
Jammu, February 10
Traffic on the Jammu-Srinagar national highway resumed today and all stranded vehicles moved for their onward journey after the roads were cleared of the snow and landslides accumulated since the season’s heaviest snowfall on Thursday, official sources said.
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Sagar: conspiracy to weaken NC
Jammu, February 10
Jammu and Kashmir Minister for Works Ali Mohammad Sagar said here yesterday that conspiracies were being hatched both within and outside the state to weaken the National Conference (NC), which “is representing the aspirations of the people of the state”.

• Pilgrims throng Vaishno Devi

‘Sonrise’ in NC after Assembly poll: Farooq
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, February 10
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah yesterday said he would step down as National Conference President after the state Assembly session and hand over charge to his son Omar Abdullah who is the Minister of State for External Affairs in the Vajpayee government. He, however, made it clear that he would continue as Chief Minister.

Dr Abdullah, who visited the Kashmir Expo 2002 here, said he was not finding enough time for the party. “It is time now to hand over the charge to a young and an energetic person,” he said.

The Chief Minister predicted that state would soon return to normalcy and his party needed to do a lot of work among people.

Asked if Mr Omar Abdullah would continue to be in the Vajpayee government after he becomes the party chief, the Chief Minister said, “Wait and see.”

Making light of a question about his being a candidate in the vice-presidential elections, Dr Abdullah said, “Please tell me where I have to apply.”

About his stand for converting LoC into international border, he said that the two countries had fought three wars and were near a fourth one. He said that effort should be made to remove barriers between the people of two countries.

Voter turnout may fall in Jammu areas

Jammu, February 10
With war clouds still looming large along the Indo-Pak border and a large number of border villagers migrating to safer places, the voter turnout for the byelection to the Jammu-Poonch parliamentary constituency is likely to decline.

Official figures at the divisional-level authorities reveal that nearly two lakh persons, mostly from border villages along the LoC and international border, have already moved to safer places in Rajouri, Poonch and Jammu.

In view of the migration, the polling percentage is likely to decline, particularly in Samba, Akhnoor, Noushera and Jallas-Poonch belts falling in the constituency.

There are over 30 camps spread across these three districts, where they have taken temporary shelters. Some of the migrants, are staying with their relatives and friends.

“We won’t taken part in polling at all. Why should we vote and for what?”, a 45-year-old resident of Budhwar village located near zeroline in the Pallanwala sector, Subash Chander said.

Chander, who had migrated from Budhwar village in 1998 to Devipur camp along with 4,000 odd villagers said: “Shall we vote for these torn tents, we have been living in for the past over two years”.

If the state and Central governments failed to provide us with simple living, why should their representatives come here to beg for votes. PTI

JeM district commander killed

Jammu, February 10
Two Jaish-e-Mohammad ultras, including the outfit’s ‘district commander’, were shot dead by soldiers during a fierce encounter at Hatar forest in Kishtwar of Doda district this afternoon while elsewhere troops busted six militants’ hideout and seized huge cache of arms.

SRINAGAR: Security forces shot dead four militants, including two Pakistani mercenaries involved in the killing of a ruling National Conference (NC) activist, and arrested another militant in separate operations in Jammu and Kashmir since last night, a police spokesman said today.

The Pakistani militants, identified as Mohammad Yousuf Kaleemullah and Hafiz Abu Anees, were killed in an encounter with security forces at Malapora-Hanjan in Badgam district of central Kashmir last night, the spokesman said.

The killed militants were associated with the Al-Badr outfit and were responsible for the recent killing of an NC activist, Mohammad Abbas Dar, on February 6. Another militant was killed in an encounter with security forces at Kuchmullah-Tral in Pulwama district of south Kashmir today. He said security forces killed another militant in a gunfight at Gagarmal-Chatroo in Doda district of Jammu last night. One AK rifle and a wireless set were seized from him

Militants torched a private truck hired by the Power Development Department for carrying electric polls in Rajouri district last night.

Security forces apprehended a Hizbul Mujahideen militant during a raid on his hideout in Badgam district of central Kashmir last night. UNI, PTI

Pak rockets pound Siachen areas

Jammu, February 10
Pakistani troops fired mortar bombs and rockets on several high altitude posts in Siachen-Kargil belt and along the international border and Line of Control, injuring a BSF personnel and a civilian since last night, official sources said today.

The BSF personnel retaliated and an intermittent exchange of fire continued till this morning, the sources said.

Heavy firing and mortar bomb and rocket attacks from across the border were reported from central Siachen, northern Siachen, Turtuk, Thang, Batalik and Dras since last night, the sources said.

Low mortar shelling and small arms firing was reported from along the Line of Control (LoC) in Uri, Tangdhar, Machaiel and Gulmargh in Baramula-Kupwara sector and Krishnagati, Gambhir, Jallas, Noushera, Balakote, Pallanwala and Jangard in Jammu-Poonch sector, they said.

Pakistani troops also targeted 34 civilian and border outpost in Samba, R.S. Pura, Hiranagar and Akhnoor areas along the international border.

A BSF personnel Ganes Kumar was injured in Bakerpur and a civilian Shiv Kumar at Ban in Samba areas, the sources said, adding that they have been admitted to hospital. PTI

Kashmir sapphire to hit markets soon

Jammu, February 10
The world famous Kashmir sapphire will hit the jewellery markets around the globe soon, as the state has decided to commence sapphire mining in the Neelam valley in Doda district, official sources said today.

“We have started mechanisation of sapphire mines at Paddar (Doda district) and portable drilling machines have been already procured,” sources in Jammu and Kashmir Minerals Limited (JKML) said.

Tests conducted on the spot of neelam mines in the Doda mountains by these portable machines proved successful in drilling holes there, they said.

Sources said a joint expedition team of JKML and the department of Geology and Mining had visited Paddar in 1998 and 2001 for undertaking a full-survey of the area.

The team had also collected a sample of sapphire corundum, which is at present lying in the state treasury at Srinagar, the sources said.

The mining activity had came to a halt following emergence of militancy in Jammu and Kashmir in 1990. PTI

Srinagar highway reopens

Jammu, February 10
Traffic on the Jammu-Srinagar national highway resumed today and all stranded vehicles moved for their onward journey after the roads were cleared of the snow and landslides accumulated since the season’s heaviest snowfall on Thursday, official sources said.

“The highway is through for two-way traffic as snow and blockades have been cleared completely and journey is totally safe”, Border Roads Organisation Commander, Col. C Padnabhan told PTI from Ramban.

The 300-km highway, the only surface link between the Kashmir valley and the rest of the country, remained closed for two days after the snowfall and was reopened to one-way traffic from Jammu to Srinagar yesterday. PTI

Sagar: conspiracy to weaken NC

Jammu, February 10
Jammu and Kashmir Minister for Works Ali Mohammad Sagar said here yesterday that conspiracies were being hatched both within and outside the state to weaken the National Conference (NC), which “is representing the aspirations of the people of the state”.

Addressing election rallies in far-flung areas of the border district of Rajouri, Mr Sagar said a number of agencies working against peace had started working against the NC and efforts were being made to weaken the party and erode its mass support in the state.

The minister said some political parties which had lately emerged on the scene were misleading people through vicious propaganda against the party leadership. PTI

Pilgrims throng Vaishno Devi

Jammu, February 10
About two lakh pilgrims have visited the holy shrine of Vaishno Devi since the beginning of this year, despite inclement climatic conditions, an official spokesman said today.

Some 3,000 to 4,000 pilgrims were daily reaching the base camp at Katra to visit the temple, braving extreme cold conditions and snowfall, he said. PTI