J A M M U   &   K A S H M I R

NC activist among 11 killed
Srinagar, April 5
At least 11 persons, including an activist of the ruling National Conference and four militants, were killed in separate incidents in the valley since yesterday. A police spokesman said that militants shot Ghulam Hassan, an NC activist, at Nowhatta here today. He was taken to hospital but he succumbed to his injuries.

Kashmiris Muslims offer the Nimaz-e-Jinazh (funeral prayers) near the coffin containing the body of Ghulam Hassan, a 65-year-old activist of the National Conference (NC), in Srinagar on Friday. The police said separatist guerrillas in Srinagar shot dead Hassan, a party worker of the NC. — Reuters photo

Farooq seeks aid for border migrants
Troops unlikely to be withdrawn for one year
Jammu, April 5
The Chief Minister, Dr Farooq Abdullah, has ruled out the possibility of troop withdrawal from the Indo-Pak border for another one year. Intervening during question hour in the state Legislative Assembly here today, the Chief Minister said, “I do not think the additional forces deployed on the border were to be withdrawn at least for a year more.”

An army official marks Kashmiri youths who turned up at the recruitment rally organised by the Kilo-force to give an opportunity to locals to join the armed forces, at Shariefabad in central Kashmir on Friday. — PTI

APHC not to contest poll
Srinagar, April 5
The separatist Hurriyat Conference has made it clear that it was not going to participate in any election to the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly.

Bandh against POTA hits life in Kashmir
Srinagar, April 5
Life was paralysed today in the Kashmir valley following a bandh called by the recently banned pro-Pakistan Jamiat-ul-Mujahideen against the Prevention of Terrorism Act (POTA).

Lawyers voice APHC viewpoint
Srinagar, April 5
Four senior Kashmiri lawyers in Pakistan are reported to have voiced the Hurriyat’s viewpoint on elections in Jammu and Kashmir, clarifying that there were “no plans to participate directly or indirectly” in the electoral process.

J&K makes studies up to Class VIII must
Jammu, April 5
The Jammu and Kashmir Assembly today passed the Jammu and Kashmir School Education Bill, 2002, in which education has been made free and compulsory till class VIII for children between the ages of six and 14 years.

VHP’s nationwide protest on Monday
Jammu, April 5
The VHP has decided to hold nationwide protest on April 8 to register its anguish and resentment against the terrorist strike on the Raghunath temple in which 10 persons were killed.

NC activist among 11 killed
Tribune News Service

Srinagar, April 5
At least 11 persons, including an activist of the ruling National Conference and four militants, were killed in separate incidents in the valley since yesterday.

A police spokesman said that militants shot Ghulam Hassan, an NC activist, at Nowhatta here today. He was taken to hospital but he succumbed to his injuries.

Three militants of the Lashkar-e-Toiba outfit were killed in an encounter with the security forces in Lolab forests of Kupwara district of North Kashmir last night.

A foreign militant was killed in an ambush laid by the SOG of the police and the Army in the Shopian area of Pulwama district last night. An AK rifle, two magazines, 27 rounds and two hand grenades were recovered from the site of the encounter.

The police found the body of Bashir Ahmad Ganai, a former militant, from Pulwama district today. He was kidnapped by the militants yesterday. The body of 70-year-old Munawar Ahmad was found in the Ganderbal area of Srinagar yesterday.

An Army convoy was attacked by the militants with grenades and automatic weapons at Puthshahi Sopore today. The security forces retaliated and in the exchange of fire an Army jawan, Subash Chander, and a civilian, Ghulam Ahmad Hajam, were injured.

The body of a Hizb-ul-Mujahideen militant was found at Mateen Bagh Shopian in South Kashmir last night while two more bodies were found in the forest area at Handwara this morning.

Farooq seeks aid for border migrants
Troops unlikely to be withdrawn for one year
Tribune News Service

Jammu, April 5
The Chief Minister, Dr Farooq Abdullah, has ruled out the possibility of troop withdrawal from the Indo-Pak border for another one year.

Intervening during question hour in the state Legislative Assembly here today, the Chief Minister said, “I do not think the additional forces deployed on the border were to be withdrawn at least for a year more.”

In this context, he recently urged the Prime Minister and the Union Home Minister, that a comprehensive package was needed for the border migrants, he said. He had told Mr Vajpayee, Mr Advani and Army commanders that since the troops were not being withdrawn from the border, the migrants required increased relief and ration besides adequate compensation for the crops which were destroyed as a result of laying of mines.

He said the farmers in the border areas had not been able to sow rabi crop and there was no chance for sowing khariff crops also and, as such, they needed government support and sympathy.

Dr Abdullah informed the members agitated over the plight of the people displaced from their villages following heavy Pakistani shelling and firing that the state government had sent a detailed report on the matter to the Central Government. He felt that farmers whose cattle died in Pakistani firing or mine explosions too needed to be given compensation. Since ditches on the border had been filled with water to check infiltration, farmers faced paucity of water for irrigation. He said the Centre should assist the programme of desilting these ditches.

He hoped that the Government of India would announce a package for the border migrants shortly.

In reply to another question, the Chief Minister announced in the House that over 400 Class IV employees who were sacked from the Department of Education would be reinstated within a day or two.

The House witnessed a furore soon before the start of question hour when Congress members were on their feet accusing the Union Minister for Food Processing, Prof Chaman Lal Gupta, of distributing blankets which were meant for victims of the Gujarat earthquake in the Billawar and Basholi areas of Kathua district. Mr Lal Singh, Mr Balbir Singh, Mr Dorjee and Mr Sagar Chand (all from Congress) shouted “Kambal chor, kambal chor”. Four BJP members, Mr Prithvi Chand, Mr Ashok Khajuria, Mr Bali Bhagat and Mr Prem Lal, objected to it. The two sides exchanged hot words and the BJP members explained that Professor Gupta had distributed siropas among panches and sarpanches who belonged to the BJP. The Speaker remained undisturbed. He watched the members belonging to the Congress and the BJP exchange hot words.

During question hour, the government informed the House that after scrutiny, the number of migrant families registered with the Relief Commissioner had reduced from over 52,000 to over 27,000.

The Revenue Minister, Mr Abdul Qayoom, informed Mr Ashok Kumar Sharma of the Congress that at present 33,948 Kashmiri migrant families were registered with the Relief Commissioner and out of them, 31,199 had migrated to other states. He said 118 families migrated from Doda too had been registered under the orders of the high court.

Mr Qayoom said there was no plan to bring Jammu border migrants on a par with the Kashmiri migrants as far as the quantum of cash assistance and other facilities were concerned.

The House also adopted several bills, including a Bill to amend the Jammu and Kashmir General Sales Tax Act, and amendments to the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council Act, State Electricity Regulatory Commission Act and Representation of the People Act.

APHC not to contest poll
Tribune News Service

Srinagar, April 5
The separatist Hurriyat Conference has made it clear that it was not going to participate in any election to the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly.

Addressing a press conference here yesterday, APHC chairman, Abdul Ghani Bhat said the Hurriyat had taken a clear stand in this direction in 1996. There was no change in its stand on the electoral process, he said, adding that such a process did not provide an answer to the question of the APHC. He reiterated the APHC stand on the Kashmir issue and sought to make the difference between “freedom struggle and terrorism”.

“We are subjected to injustice. We seek fulfilment of the promises on Kashmir made on the floor of Parliament and international fora”, Bhat said. He held that the Hurriyat Conference sought a “permanent settlement of the Kashmir dispute”.

In reply to a question on the anti-election campaign that was launched by the Hurriyat Conference ahead of the 1996 elections in Jammu and Kashmir, Bhat said any such decision would be “taken at a proper time”. The decision had not been reviewed as yet, since there were no elections at hand, he added.

Replying to another question on the report regarding the willingness of some second-rung Hurriyat leaders to participate in the coming elections, the chairman said disciplinary action would be taken against those found guilty. Some of the leaders, he pointed out, were currently on a visit to Pakistan to attend a lawyers’ conference.

Bhat alleged that hurdles were being created in the “democratic process” initiated by the APHC in this direction. He referred to the arrest of senior APHC executive member Mohammed Yasin Malik here and assault on another senior leader Abdul Ghani Lone in Jammu in this direction. Describing the two incidents as insulting, Bhat said such attempts were a part of state terrorism and thus “unacceptable”.

The Hurriyat chief claimed that such attempts were also directed towards sabotaging the “democratic process” initiated by it some time ago. The process, which announced here in February to determine the representative character of the Hurriyat Conference, was followed by the constitution of a six-member independent election commission. The process according to Bhat, was directed towards opening ways “that could narrow down differences between India and Pakistan”. “But the saboteurs never wanted it”, he pointed out as he referred to the arrest of Malik and assault on Lone.

Bandh against POTA hits life in Kashmir

Srinagar, April 5
Life was paralysed today in the Kashmir valley following a bandh called by the recently banned pro-Pakistan Jamiat-ul-Mujahideen against the Prevention of Terrorism Act (POTA).

Meanwhile, in a statement here, al-Umer has warned the people against participating in the September state Assembly polls and threatened of dire consequences against those defying the diktat. PTI, UNI

Lawyers voice APHC viewpoint
Tribune News Service

Srinagar, April 5
Four senior Kashmiri lawyers in Pakistan are reported to have voiced the Hurriyat’s viewpoint on elections in Jammu and Kashmir, clarifying that there were “no plans to participate directly or indirectly” in the electoral process.

Some of these lawyers, believed to be second-line Hurriyat Conference leaders, attended the Pakistan Day celebrations in the Pakistan Embassy in New Delhi on March 27.

Among those present in the Pakistan capital to attend an international seminar organised by Pakistan Supreme Court lawyers were Mr Ghulam Nabi Hagroo, human rights advocate, Mr Mohammad Amin Bhat, who is close to the Awami Action Committee of Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, Mr Ghulam Nabi Shaheen, member of the Hurriyat Conference, Prof Abdul Ghani Bhat’s Muslim Conference, and Mr Mohammad Ashraf Bhat.

Sources close to the lawyers here said they made it clear that the electoral process was no alternative to the Kashmir imbroglio. They, according to sources, reiterated the Hurriyat’s demand for right to self-determination for the people of Jammu and Kashmir and tripartite talks.

The Hurriyat Conference Chairman, Mr Abdul Ghani Bhat, here yesterday had categorically ruled out participation in any electoral process. In reply to questions, Mr Bhat had held that “disciplinary action” would be taken against “those within violating the APHC stand.” The Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister, Dr Farooq Abdullah, said in Jammu yesterday that elections to the State Legislative Assembly would be held by the end of the present term which expires on October 9.

“We have a mandate for a full term”, said Dr Farooq while talking to mediapersons. Elections to the State Legislative Assembly were last held in September, 1996, after a gap of over seven years, during which the state was brought under Governor’s rule.

J&K makes studies up to Class VIII must

Jammu, April 5
The Jammu and Kashmir Assembly today passed the Jammu and Kashmir School Education Bill, 2002, in which education has been made free and compulsory till class VIII for children between the ages of six and 14 years.

The Act, for which the Bill was presented by state Education Minister Mohammad Shafi, envisages that the government shall provide for free and compulsory education for children up to the level of class VIII throughout the state within a period of 10 years from the commencement of the Act.

The Act also provides for punishment to parents and guardians if they employ the time or services of a child in connection with any employment whether for remuneration or not. UNI 

VHP’s nationwide protest on Monday
Tribune News Service

Jammu, April 5
The VHP has decided to hold nationwide protest on April 8 to register its anguish and resentment against the terrorist strike on the Raghunath temple in which 10 persons were killed. The VHP Vice-President, Acharya Giriraj Kishore, at a press conference here yesterday said the terrorist strike on the historic temple was to scare away the pilgrims and thereby damage the economy of Jammu.

He alleged that the separatists and terrorists had been working under a plan to force minorities to leave Jammu and Kashmir. The VHP leader said the National Conference government was not capable enough to protect the lives and property of the minorities.