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Tuesday, February 12, 2002,
Chandigarh, India  
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No plan to
participate in Assembly poll: Hurriyat 2 Pak
mercenaries among 5 ultras shot J&K
seeks more forces for Jammu poll |
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Prepare
list of fugitives, EC to J&K J&K
Sikh leaders campaign for Morcha Joshi
defends rewriting of history 4 killed
in road accident
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No plan to participate in Assembly poll: Hurriyat Srinagar, February 11 Reacting to the reports in a section of the Press, an APHC spokesman said the approach towards a "democratic process" had been made amply clear by the Hurriyat Conference recently. He said both executive and general councils of the conglomeration of 23 parties, had unanimously decided to work on its recent decision on an election exercise to determine its representative character in all three regions of Jammu and Kashmir and the PoK. The spokesman also denied media reports related to statements of a former Hurriyat Chairman, Mirwaiz Moulvi Umar Farooq, about participation in elections. Mr Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Mr Abdul Ghani Lone were presently in New Delhi on "personal visits". However, the APHC spokesman stated that the two leaders were engaged in meeting ambassadors of different countries in New Delhi to apprise them of the prevailing situation in Jammu and Kashmir. They were scheduled to meet the envoys from the US Embassy in New Delhi after they had detailed meetings with the officials from Britain, France, Germany, Iran and Pakistan, he added. The Hurriyat Conference had also hailed the statement of a former Prime Minister, Mr V.P. Singh, who had reportedly favoured solution of the Kashmir issue through "tripartite talks" with the participation of the Hurriyat leadership. "It is hoped that the government takes into consideration the suggestions made by the leaders like the former Prime Minister and paves way for a peaceful solution of the Kashmir issue", the spokesman said. In a significant move, the Hurriyat Conference on January 28 announced its decision to determine its "representative character" through a three-phased election exercise in all three regions of the state and in the PoK. In order to undertake this exercise the constitution an independent election commission was awaited. No decision to this effect had been taken so far even as the top leaders had been holding series of meetings in this direction. The decision on determining its representative character and the modalities of the exercise have given rise to a hot debate. While it is believed in some circles that the Hurriyat leaders planned to take part in the forthcoming elections, the leadership has been vehemently denying the
charges. |
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2 Pak mercenaries among 5 ultras shot
Srinagar, February 11 All shops and business establishments were closed and traffic was off the roads. Skeletal transport, however, plied in some areas of the city. There was thin attendance in government offices due to the lack of passenger transport on the roads. A complete shutdown was also observed in other major towns of the valley. The pro-independence JKLF held a number of meetings to remember its founder leader. Meanwhile, the security forces shot dead five militants, including two Pakistani mercenaries, busted six hide-outs and arrested five ultras in separate operations, while a militant of Jaish-e-Mohammad outfit surrendered in Jammu and Kashmir since yesterday, a police spokesman said today. Two Pakistani militants were killed in a fierce encounter with the security forces at Bunnpora-Arampora village near Mirmaidan in the Dooru area of Anantnag district last night. The spokesman said an armed Hiz-bul Mujahideen militant, Mohammad Jamal Bhat was killed by the security forces during search operations at Chingumullahh near Handwara in frontier district of Kupwara last night. Two heavily armed militants were killed by the security forces in another encounter at Hathri-Gandoh in Doda district of the Jammu region last night. One of the slain ultra has been identified as Akhtar Hussain Bhat, alias Abu Maz, the district commander of the Jaish-e-Mohammad, while the identity of the second one was being ascertained. A Hiz-bul Mujahideen militant, Mushtaq Ahmad Thokur was arrested by the Army after a brief encounter at Yarikhah forest in Badgam district today. The spokesman said three militants were arrested by the security forces during search operations at Bujthalan-Baniyar and Tanghar in Baramula district yesterday. The security forces apprehended a harbourer of Hiz-bul Mujahideen, Mohammad Maqbool Dar from the Kralgund area of Kupwara last night. A militant of
Jaish-e-Mohammad outfit surrendered before the Army at Vilgam in
Kupwara.  |
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J&K seeks more forces for Jammu poll Jammu, February 11 The need for additional companies of the security forces, according to the election office authorities, has risen after 353 polling stations were declared hypersensitive and 614 sensitive on the basis of the reports of militants planning to disrupt the poll process. A majority of these hypersensitive and sensitive polling stations have been identified in certain areas of Poonch and Rajouri districts. Out of the 20 Assembly segments in the constituency seven fall in Poonch and Rajouri districts. As a result of continued inclement weather and threat perception, polling in these seven Assembly segments is likely to be poor than in other 18 segments in the constituency. Although voters do not seem to be showing any interest in the pre-poll rallies and campaign, still campaigner of several candidates is keeping the temperature in the constituency warm. The electorate is enjoying the mudslinging game of opponents. The ruling National Conference has been the target of attack by the Congress, the BJP, the PDP and the Panthers Party. Leaders of these parties have been openly blaming the National Conference of providing direct and indirect patronage to militancy. The Peoples’ Democratic Party leader, Ms Mahbooba Mufti, has gone to the extent of telling the voters that Dr Farooq Abdullah was the founder president of the JKLF. However, a Cabinet Minister is accusing the BJP of funding the PDP. He says the PDP candidate Tasaduq Hussain is in
fact a BJP candidate. Several central ministers, including Prof Chaman Lal Gupta, Mr Shanta Kumar, Mr I.D. Swami have already campaigned for the party candidate, Dr Nirmal Singh. Dr Murli Manohar Joshi is expected to give a boost to the BJP campaign. No doubt the dissidents have assured their support to the party candidate there is lack of coordination between the two groups. A number of senior AICC leaders, including Ms Mohsina Kidwai, Mr Satyajit Gaekwad and Mr Sat Mahajan are campaigning for the party candidate and Mr Ghulam Nabi Azad will be joining them soon. However, there is no word about Dr Karan Singh who has a say in Jammu as the former ruler. The opponents of the National Conference try to woo voters by arguing that vote against the NC would be vote against militancy, corruption and regional discrimination. The NC counters it by telling the electorate that vote for the party will mean vote for political stability and progress. Though regional discrimination and the demand for statehood for Jammu continue to be vital issues for the majority of the electorate in the constituency there is no wave in favour of any party discernible. The result is the three main contenders belonging to the BJP, the Congress and the National Conference sound confident for their victory. |
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Prepare
list of fugitives, EC to J&K Jammu, February 11 According to a release here by state Chief Electoral Officer Prabodh Jain, the commission was aware of the increasingly
vitiating role of criminality and muscle power in elections. To counter this the commission had initiated a number of measures to prevent pre-poll and post-poll violence and inspire confidence in the impartiality of the election machinery among the common electorates. The commission also asked the state to update the list of history-sheeters, declared absconders and fugitive criminals.
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J&K Sikh leaders
campaign for Morcha Jammu, February 11 In a statement issued here today a Sikh delegation, that toured Punjab, led by Mr Paramjit Singh, president, state unit of the AISSF said voters’ mood was against Mr Parkash Singh Badal and his SAD. The leaders appealed to the Punjab voters to defeat the SAD-BJP combine in the interest of the Sikh community. The leaders campaigned in Patti Assembly constituency where Mr Parminder Singh, president of the AISSF, was in the poll fray. The Sikh leaders said voters in Punjab wanted a change and the opponents of Mr Badal were ready to accept a Congress government in the state to keep Mr Badal and his supporters out of power. In reply to a question they said a majority of the voters they interacted with were opposed to the Badal government because it had not fulfilled the promises it had made in the last election. The leaders who toured Punjab are — Mr Narinder Singh, vice-president of the AISSF (Kashmir wing), Mr Janak Singh, president, Kashmir branch of the Panthic Morcha, Mr Mohinder Singh, chief organiser of the Bhai Kanahiya Nishkam Seva Society, Mr Kulwant Singh, chief adviser, Sikh Naujawan Sabha, and Mr Balbir Singh, general secretary, state unit of the Akali
Dal. |
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Joshi defends rewriting of history Jammu, February 11 Addressing a series of pre-poll rallies in support of the party candidate in Jammu Lok Sabha constituency here today Dr Joshi defended rewriting of history textbooks on the plea that those historical facts that had been distorted by the British and Muslim rulers needed to be rectified. |
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4 killed in road accident Srinagar, February 11 The truck on way to Baramula from border area of Boniyar skidded off the road near Nowshehra and fell into a deep gorge killing four persons on the spot, sources said. The four injured were admitted to hospital in critical condition.
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Srinagar,
February 11
People
in the Suran- kote region of Jammu and Kashmir left vulnerable
to terrorist attacks following the deployment of
counter-insurgency forces on the India-Pakistan border.
(
