J A M M U   &   K A S H M I R

A 70-year-old migrant listens to news on radio of Supreme Court directing the Central and state governments to give relief to over one lakh migrants dislocated from hundreds of villages following tension on the Indo-Pak border. — PTI

Hizbul on verge of split?
Jammu, May 7
Is the most dreaded militant outfit, Hizbul Mujahideen, on the verge of a split? This question has assumed significance after two of the three commanders, expelled by the Hizb Command Council supremo, Syed Salahuddin, questioned the supremo’s action.

NC rakes up autonomy issue
Srinagar, May 7
With elections due in the state later this year, the ruling National Conference has demanded the restoration of autonomy in Jammu and Kashmir as per the autonomy report passed by the Legislative Assembly and the Council last year and said it would seek to achieve this through dialogue with the Centre.

Air chief summoned for contempt of court
Srinagar, May 7
Jammu and Kashmir High Court has summoned former Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal A. Y. Tipnis among others to appear before it on May 29 in a contempt of court case in connection with the alleged non-payment of compensation for the land acquired by the Indian Air Force to construct the airport here.

J&K seeks grant for consumer forums
Jammu, May 7
The state government has demanded Rs 1.40 crore for each district in Jammu and Kashmir for strengthening the infrastructure redressal forums.

• Freedom fighter dead

Hizbul on verge of split?
Tribune News Service

Jammu, May 7
Is the most dreaded militant outfit, Hizbul Mujahideen, on the verge of a split? This question has assumed significance after two of the three commanders, expelled by the Hizb Command Council supremo, Syed Salahuddin, questioned the supremo’s action.

Abdul Majid Dar, a former chief commander operations, and the two divisional commanders, Zaffar Abdul and Assad Yezdani, were recently expelled from the outfit by the council on the charge of indiscipline. The expulsion announcement did not elaborate on the nature of activities which the council treated as indiscipline or violation of the party code.

However, inside reports said the decision to expel these commanders, operating in Kashmir, was the result of fear in the mind of Syed Salahuddin and in some Pak agencies that these commanders and their supporters were trying to adopt moderate postures. The misunderstanding between Syed Salahuddin and Abdul Majid Dar surfaced when Dar announced a unilateral ceasefire in July, 2000. Within days of the announcement, Salahuddin openly criticised Dar and wanted the declaration to be withdrawn and it remain in force for eight days.

According to these reports, the decision of declaring a unilateral ceasefire had been taken by the members of the council in Pakistan in which Dar, too, had been involved. On his return to Kashmir, Dar made the announcement as per the decision of the council.

The reports said Syed Salahuddin had forced Dar to withdraw the declaration. It is in this context that the three expelled commanders have conveyed to their supporters in Kashmir that Syed Salahuddin and his supporters were cut off from the Kashmiris and ignorant of the ground realities because they had been now in Pakistan for the past four to five years.

The expelled commanders, according to sources, have realised that since Syed Salahuddin was under constant pressure from the Pak official agencies, he was not in a position to adopt an independent line.

The three expelled commanders, reports said, have been engaged in detailed discussion with their supporters in the valley to work out the future course of action.

Reports also revealed that council members had become apprehensive of the role the three commanders might play in near future and the recent visit of Mr A.S. Dulat, OSD in the PMO, to Srinagar had reportedly hastened the expulsion of the three. The Pak agencies and the council had fears that the moderates in Hizbul Mujahideen may lend direct or indirect support to those separatists who were planning to take part in the ensuing Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir.

Indications are that in case Syed Salahuddin did not amend his decision, the expelled commanders might form a parallel outfit and enrol Kashmiri youths in it to give it purely indigenous character. However, no final decision had been taken because once the expelled commanders form a parallel unit they would not be able to receive moral and material support from across the border which they would need for the armed campaign.

The 13-year militancy in Kashmir has revealed that no outfit or any separatist organisation can survive or sustain its campaign without moral and material assistance from Pakistan. The JKLF tried to pursue its goal of independent Kashmir with vigour and its activists lost nerve when the material aid to them was suspended by Pakistan. Hence Majid Dar and his associates have to think twice before they can react against Syed Salahuddin’s decision.

NC rakes up autonomy issue

Srinagar, May 7
With elections due in the state later this year, the ruling National Conference (NC) has demanded the restoration of autonomy in Jammu and Kashmir as per the autonomy report passed by the Legislative Assembly and the Council last year and said it would seek to achieve this through dialogue with the Centre.

Meanwhile, Works Minister Ali Mohammad Sagar, addressing a public meeting in the Central Kashmir district of Badgam, said violence had only brought miseries to people during the past years. UNI

Air chief summoned for contempt of court

Srinagar, May 7
Jammu and Kashmir High Court has summoned former Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal A. Y. Tipnis among others to appear before it on May 29 in a contempt of court case in connection with the alleged non-payment of compensation for the land acquired by the Indian Air Force to construct the airport here.

On a petition filed by owners of the land, Mr Justice Muzaffar Jan on April 17 asked the Air Chief Marshal Tipnis and others to show cause why they should not be punished for contempt and warned law would take its own course if they failed to appear.

The court had on January 21, 1998, directed the respondents to assess the rent and compensation within three months and disburse it expeditiously.

The Judge said “it appears that the respondents were continuing to disobey its directions... It appears that the disobedience is deliberate, willful and intentional to cause obstruction to the execution of course of justice and to deprive the petitioners of their lawful right”.

The petitioners, owners of the land falling under Kharva Damodar village in Badgam district, have alleged they have received no compensation for the land since 1964 till date. PTI

J&K seeks grant for consumer forums
Tribune News Service

Jammu, May 7
The state government has demanded Rs 1.40 crore for each district in Jammu and Kashmir for strengthening the infrastructure redressal forums.

The demand was made by a state team led by the Minister for Food and Supplies, Mr Bashir Ahmed Nengroo, at a high-level meeting presided over by the Union Minister for Food and Consumer Affairs, Mr Shanta Kumar, here today.

Mr Nengroo also sought sanction for opening additional principal distribution centres of the FCI in the state, a six-month credit facility in respect of foodgrains and levy sugar. The state team also called for subsidy on grinding and transportation of wheat which could strengthen the PDS and release of additional funds for the construction of godowns under the district sector.

Mr Shanta Kumar suggested to the state team to lift foodgrains free of cost under the Food-for-Work Programme of the Prime Minister’s Sadak Yojna and agreed to increase the allocation under the BPL scheme.

The minister disclosed that a railway godown with an initial capacity of 2,500 m tonnes would be set up at Udhampur. At present there was only one FCI railway godown in Jammu, he said, adding that three more godowns of the capacity of 2,500 tonnes were being set up at Leh, Kishtwar and Kargil. Land had been acquired for the construction of godowns at Kupwara, Budgam and Pulwama. The state at present had a storage capacity of 5,300 tonnes in Jammu division and 6,700 tonnes in the Kashmir valley.

Mr Shanta Kumar said 20,000 tonnes of wheat and rice and 13,000 tonnes of sugar had been provided to meet the requirement of people and the defence forces through the PDS in the Ladakh region.

Freedom fighter dead 

Jammu, May 7
Mr Braham Dutt Gujral, a veteran freedom fighter and first cousin of former Prime Minister I. K. Gujral, died here yesterday after a brief illness. He was 86.

He is survived by two sons and three daughters, his family said today. PTI