J A M M U   &   K A S H M I R

Lone’s passport restored
New Delhi, April 12
Softening its stand months before election to the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly, the Centre has restored the passport of senior Hurriyat leader Abdul Gani Lone to enable him to visit the United States of America for treatment.

Hurriyat for talks under UN supervision
Srinagar, April 12
The Hurriyat Conference today said it could reconsider its boycott of the coming assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir only if the move led to holding talks under UN supervision to settle Kashmir issue.

NC candidate’s election challenged
Jammu, April 12
The president of the Panthers Party, Prof Bhim Singh, who had unsuccessfully contested the byelection for the Jammu Lok Sabha constituency filed a petition today in the high court challenging the election of the National Conference candidate, Mr Talib Hussain.

Lone’s passport restored

New Delhi, April 12
Softening its stand months before election to the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly, the Centre has restored the passport of senior Hurriyat leader Abdul Gani Lone to enable him to visit the United States of America for treatment.

Mr Lone will leave for the USA tomorrow for the treatment of heart ailment.

Mr Lone will be accompanied by his daughter-in-law — Asma Khan — up to Dubai from where she will proceed to Pakistan.

“I will be going to Tempa in the Florida State for the treatment of my heart ailment and stay there for 15 days,’’ Mr Lone told UNI here.

The Centre is trying to ensure the participation of the Hurriyat Conference in the elections even at the cost of antagonising one of its allies, the National Conference. Though the Hurriyat had, time and again, rejected the Centre’s offer to take part in the poll process, the second rung Hurriyat leadership has shown willingness to participate in the elections, sources said.

In this connection, some of the junior Hurriyat leaders had visited Pakistan to get a nod from the authorities there for fielding proxy candidates in the elections, who, if elected, will endorse the Hurriyat stand on the Kashmir issue in the state Assembly, they said.

Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee announced recently in Parliament that he would visit Jammu and Kashmir along with External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh to have first hand assessment of the situation there. UNI

Hurriyat for talks under UN supervision

Srinagar, April 12
The Hurriyat Conference today said it could reconsider its boycott of the coming assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir only if the move led to holding talks under UN supervision to settle Kashmir issue.

The Hurriyat Conference could reconsider its decision of not taking part in the Assembly poll “if the elections are for a particular cause such as to elect the real representatives of Kashmiri people who will later take part in the dialogue under the UN supervision to settle Kashmir, we will definitely come forward,” its chairman Abdul Ghani Bhat said here. PTI

NC candidate’s election challenged
Tribune News Service

Jammu, April 12
The president of the Panthers Party, Prof Bhim Singh, who had unsuccessfully contested the byelection for the Jammu Lok Sabha constituency filed a petition today in the high court challenging the election of the National Conference candidate, Mr Talib Hussain.

In the petition, Prof Bhim Singh alleged that the Chief Minister had resorted to various unfair practices which had resulted in the defeat of the president of the Panthers Party.

Prof Bhim Singh, who had even forfeited his security, said in the petition that names of nearly 40 per cent voters had been deleted from the electoral rolls by the state administration and prayed to the court to declare the election of the National Conference candidate void.

In the petition, he also stated that the Chief Minister had “nullified” the declaration of the Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee, that elections in Jammu and Kashmir would be free and fair.