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Wednesday,
August 21, 2002, Chandigarh, India  
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APHC ready
for second round of talks Has credibility of Kashmir panel been eroded? Naidu rules out Governor’s rule Shift revenue, police
officials in J&K: EC Third front launched in Kashmir |
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Panun Kashmir
questions CEC on holding poll Don’t deface Jammu, candidates urged Move to rig J&K poll: Paswan Pilot halts plane during take-off
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APHC ready for second round of talks
Srinagar, August 20 “We have agreed to continue our talks with the Kashmir Committee and we stand by our commitment,” Hurriyat Conference Chairman Mr Abdul Gani Bhat told UNI here. He said during the wide-ranging talks with the KC at the Hurriyat headquarters on Saturday, “We have agreed to work in partnership towards a peaceful, sincere and durable solution of the Jammu and Kashmir problem which could lead to the end of violence and tension in the region.” “We have accepted the KC’s invitation to hold the next round of discussions in Delhi,” he said. Mr Bhat, however, said no date had been fixed for the second round. “As and when we get the invitation, we will definitely go and meet the leaders of KC as we, too, want a peaceful and lasting solution to the Kashmir problem,” he said. When asked about the visit of some Hurriyat leaders to Delhi, he said: “Yes, two or three Hurriyat leaders had gone to Delhi but on private trip. for their private work...when there is no invitation from the KC yet there is no question of their going to Delhi as Hurriyat Conference representatives for any meeting.” When his attention was drawn towards the recent statement of Deputy Prime Minister L.K. Advani that they would not talk to the Hurriyat Conference, Mr Bhat said: “We have not expressed our desire to meet Prime Minister or Deputy Prime Minister or any minister.” In fact, “We were told by the KC that the Prime Minister has extended invitation to all separatists, including the Hurriyat Conference for holding talks on Kashmir,” he said, adding, “We have neither accepted nor rejected the invitation...we have told in clear cut terms that we will discuss the invitation from Prime Minister within the Hurriyat Conference before taking a final decision on it.” Therefore, the question of refusal by Mr Advani to talk to us does not arise when “we have not yet accepted or rejected the invitation,” he said. When asked if the Hurriyat Conference will reconsider its decision on keeping away from the Assembly elections, he said this chapter is closed for us. We have seen elections in the past also without achieving anything. Mr Bhat said: “We have to involve India, Pakistan and the people of Jammu and Kashmir as well if we have to achieve a permanent breakthrough to this issue.” About the first round of talks with the KC, he said miracles did not happen in the first meeting. When asked about the agenda for the next meeting, Mr Bhat said, “there can be many issues. The KC can take any issue they choose and we can take up any issue we choose during the meeting. But it is ultimately the agreement, if we can arrive at, which will matter,” he said. UNI
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Has credibility of Kashmir panel been eroded? Jammu, August 20 Besides those supporting poll postponement even a section of the separatists in Kashmir has started treating the Kashmir Committee as “a toothless body”. An impression has gone around in the state that the committee “has no clout in Delhi” on the plea that its recommendations for the deferment of the poll to allow reasonable time for the separatists to decide on the issue of their participation in the elections have been rejected. While the Chief Election Commissioner has explained that since the security situation is conducive for holding the poll there should be no ground for its postponement, the Deputy Prime Minister has stated that the Hurriyat’s participation was always in doubt. And this factor should have prompted Mr Advani to declare that there was no scope for postponing the poll. He also ruled out the possibility of holding the poll under Governor’s rule, saying that it was for the state government to decide. In fact, after his three-day visit to Srinagar Mr Jethmalani had called on Mr Advani in Delhi to apprise him of his talks with the Kashmiri separatist leaders. During the course of the discussion Mr Jethmalani had suggested that the elections should be postponed and whenever these were held, these should be conducted under Governor’s rule. This way Mr Jethmalani had formally submitted his recommendation on poll postponement to the Deputy Prime Minister. The same views he had voiced during his three-day stay in Srinagar. Three factors are stated to have prompted Mr Advani to say “no” to the demand for poll postponement and for holding the elections under Governor’s rule hours before Mr Lyngdoh made his announcement in Srinagar and Jammu that the commission would stick to its schedule. First, Mr Advani did not want to adopt a dual policy, one on Gujarat and another on Kashmir. He and his colleagues have opposed poll postponement in Gujarat and, consequently, he had no alternative but to toe the same line as far as the Kashmir poll was concerned. Second, he had been convinced that major separatist groups in Kashmir were not going to take part in the poll process. Even those who had shown an inclination to participate and developed cold feet after the Pakistan President almost issued an “order” to them to keep off the elections when he addressed the nation on August 14. Third, Mr Advani and Dr Farooq Abdullah have become ”dear friends” and the Deputy Prime Minister, according to informed sources, did not want to lose this friendship by supporting those demanding poll postponement. And those at the Centre who have preferred to place all eggs in the basket of Dr Farooq are receiving patronage from Mr Advani who is said to have come to believe that since there is no immediate alternative to Dr Abdullah and his National Conference, it will be futile to bank on forces which have yet to find roots in Kashmir. Mr Advani has been impressed by Dr Abdullah’s argument that if the Kashmir issue was to be settled through talks, the parleys should be held direct with Islamabad because the
Hurriyat Conference had no standing of its own. The 23-party conglomerate, Dr Abdullah has conveyed to Delhi, has become a “prisoner” of Pakistan. Though Hurriyat Conference leaders feel no need to comment on the decision not to defer the assembly poll, they do admit that the Kashmir issue “can be resolved only through dialogue and not by holding the assembly poll.” The APHC Chairman, Prof Abdul Gani Bhat, said, “We are not bothered if the poll is postponed or held as per the schedule because we know elections are not an answer to the problem.” Without making it public, separatists in Kashmir do accept that the Kashmir Committee’s credibility has been eroded because the government preferred the poll process to negotiations. “We shall have take a fresh look at the developments before we rush to Delhi for talks with central leaders,” a senior Hurriyat leader said. He explained that “we have been and are in favour of resolving the Kashmir issue through negotiations, and if those who mediate and facilitate this dialogue lose their clout it may be difficult for us to carry the talks to their logical conclusion.” Except for the National Conference all other major mainstream political parties, including the Congress, the BJP, the Panthers Party and the Janata Dal, felt dismayed over the way their consistent demand for poll postponement has been turned down by the EC and the Deputy Prime Minister. They suspect a “secret understanding” between the NC and the NDA fearing that in this way the poll results have “been predetermined”.
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Naidu rules out Governor’s rule Jammu, August 20 Mr Naidu, who was talking to mediapersons after launching the election campaign of the BJP here, said there was no reason for looking back once the election process had begun. Filing of nominations would begin within a couple of days, he added. He said there was no truth in the allegations made by Ms Madhu Sharma, wife of absconding IGP Ravi Kant Sharma. She was making the allegations against the Union Minister, Mr Pramod Mahajan, in desperation. Launching the campaign at a massive public meeting, he accused the successive Kashmir governments, including the Congress and the National Conference governments, of discriminating against people of Jammu and Ladakh. The BJP would strive for developing these regions. Mr Rajnath Singh, BJP General Secretary and former Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Mr Om Prakash Kohli, General Secretary and in charge of Jammu and Kashmir Affairs, Mr Chaman Lal Gupta, Minister of State for Defence Production, and Mr Daya Kishen Kotwal, state BJP chief, were among others present at the meeting. Mr Naidu said ending discrimination against Jammu and Ladakh and bringing peace to the state would be the main election planks of the party. Mr Naidu said there was no question of the Centre accepting the demand for greater autonomy which aimed at restoring pre-1953 status to the state. He, however, said the issue of granting more powers to the state could be discussed. Mr Chaman Lal Gupta also spoke. |
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Shift revenue, police officials in J&K: EC
Srinagar, August 20 Meanwhile, the date of obtaining Election Photo Identity Cards (EPIC) has been extended till September 15. The notification for the first phase of polling on September 16 in six districts will be issued on Thursday, state Deputy Chief Electoral Officer Dheeraj Gupta told a news conference here today. He said electoral rolls were on display throughout the state at different places and additions, deletions and corrections were going on, particularly in the six districts, which would be going to the polls in the first phase. He said the EC had accepted that new voters would be allowed to get enrolled in the voters list till tomorrow in case of the districts going to the polls on September 16 while in case of other districts the last date would be two days prior to the date of the issuing of the notification. Mr Gupta said the EC in its latest directive to the state government had directed that all revenue officials up to Tehsildar and police officers up to Station House Officers who had been posted at one place for more than four years be shifted immediately. He said since the model code of conduct is in operation in the state, the state election office was keeping a close watch on the developments. Different orders and actions were under the watch of the Election Commission. UNI
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Third front launched in Kashmir
Srinagar, August 20 The Kashmir Resolution Movement was formed after ten-month-long discussions and deliberations among some prominent political activists, a spokesman of the front said. Expelled Jamaat-e-Islami leader Abdul Khaliq Hanief has been made convener of the front, spokesman Basheer Assad said. However, he did not identify the groups and individuals, who have finally decided to work under one banner, saying that the programmes and future plans of the front would be announced in a couple of days. The front has announced that it would contest the coming Assembly elections. PTI
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Panun Kashmir
questions CEC on holding poll Jammu, August 20 In a three-paged memorandum submitted to the Chief Election Commissioner, Mr J.M. Lyngdoh, here today Panun Kashmir and the Kashmiri Pandits Solidarity Conference said that the decision to defer the poll in Gujarat had been taken because 10,000 to 20,000 Muslims were in camps but poll had not been deferred in Jammu and Kashmir where the situation was worse. In the memorandum the attention of the CEC was drawn towards 10 lakh Hindu and Sikh refugees from Pakistan who continued to live in tents in subhuman conditions. |
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Don’t deface Jammu, candidates urged Jammu, August 20 Administrator of the Jammu Municipality K B Jandial in a statement today said pasting posters, fixing banners, painting slogans in the city was a cognizable offence. Under the Prevention of Defacement of Property Act punishment up to three months or fine of Rs 1,000 or both could be awarded for such offences, he said. The property listed under the Act includes buildings hut, structure, monument, statue, wall, tree, fence. The administrator has also sought full support of the Chief Electoral Officer and the Deputy Commissioner, Jammu, to prevent the defacement of property in the city.
PTI
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Move to rig J&K poll: Paswan
Bishnah (Jammu), August 20 Launching his party’s election campaign in this border town, he said the two NDA constituents were working in close coordination to manipulate election results. The ruling National Conference (NC) has tampered with the voters’ list and denied voting rights to thousands of migrants, who were displaced by the Indo-Pakistan border tension, the LJP leader claimed. Mr Paswan, who was given a warm welcome by party workers on his arrival from New Delhi, said the LJP would fight on the selected number of seats in the coming poll. The party was ready to join hands with other secular-minded forces to defeat communal and parochial elements, he added. UNI
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Pilot halts plane during take-off Jammu, August 20 He said the snag which developed in the plane at the local airport this afternoon was rectified and the aircraft took off later. The plane landed safely at Srinagar airport, he added. He denied a report that the plane crash-landed. He said its brakes did not function while it was on its run for the take off.
PTI
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Chhari
Mubarak reaches Sheshnag Srinagar, August 20 Mahant Dipender Giri and a large number of pilgrims, mostly sadhus, accompanied the Chhari Mubarak from Chandanwari to Sheshnag this morning. Meanwhile, the last batch of 238 pilgrims, who arrived at Pahalgam base camp from Jammu last evening, will join the Chhari at Sheshnag tomorrow evening.
UNI
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Heroin
seized, three held Jammu, August 20 On specific information, the police laid a checkpost at Kalakote in Rajouri district yesterday and intercepted a truck. A search of the vehicle yielded 500 gram of heroin, concealed in a bag under iron scrap. The three confessed to have smuggled the contraband from Rajouri to Jammu, the police said adding that a case has been registered against them.
PTI
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