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Saturday,
August 24, 2002, Chandigarh, India  
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Farooq projects Omar as
CM Four defectors on NC poll list CEC reads out poll
code
Pandits call for poll
boycott Steal, destroy EVMs; militants
told |
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Abdul Khaliq
Hanief (right), convener of the newly formed Kashmir Resolution Front, addresses a
Press conference in Srinagar
on Friday. — photo Amin war Two jawans killed in
encounter
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Farooq projects Omar as
CM Jammu, August 23 Dr Abdullah made the announcement at a function which was organised here in connection with the entry of a BJP MLA, Mr Piara Singh, in the National Conference. He said his son was a man of the 21st century and could carry the state forward. However, he made it clear that he would not resign from politics. However, talking to mediapersons later, Mr Omar Abdullah said it was for the party to name the Chief Minister. He had no such indication from the party whether he was being asked to become the Chief Minister. He ruled out the trifurcation of Jammu and Kashmir and accused Mr Ram Jethmalani of trying to mislead people by initiating a dialogue with the Hurriyat and other separatists. He said it was unfortunate that the Kashmir Committee was misleading the people by saying that Governor’s rule would imposed here and the Assembly elections would be postponed. Once the election process had begun and the candidates had started filling their nomination papers, there was no question of the elections being postponed, he said. He asked whether Mr Jethmalani was in a position to accept the demand of the Hurriyat for a plebiscite. He said the Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee and the Deputy Prime Minister, Mr
L.K. Advani, had ruled out the trifurcation of the state during talks with him. Referring to the autonomy demand raised by his party, Dr Abdullah said the issue would be settled through a dialogue with the Centre. “We don’t want to disintegrate the state but were trying to emotionally bind all three regions. Mr Omar Abdullah said the National Conference had representative character in all three regions and people had accepted the party.
A setback to
BJP Jammu, August 23 With this, the strength of the BJP in the Assembly has been reduced to seven. The development is being seen as a setback to the BJP, shortly before the Assembly elections. The party is suffering because of internal feuds which have now come out in the open. The state BJP Chief, Mr D.K. Kotwal, expelled Mr Piara Singh from the party on charges of anti-party activities. The National Conference has gained as a Congress MLA, Mr R.S. Sharma, had also joined the party recently. Mr Piara Singh is the second MLA to join the ruling party. BJP activists were demoralised due to the desertion by Mr Piara Singh, who was representing the prestigious Gandhi Nagar constituency in the town. The National Conference is poaching on influential BJP and Congress leaders to make an impact in the elections. The BJP president, Mr Venkaiah Naidu, was annoyed over the happenings in the state unit of the party and publicly snubbed leaders here recently when he came to launch the election campaign. Certain BJP legislators had recently dislodged the leader of the party in the Assembly, Mr Shiv Charan Gupta, without bringing the issue to the notice of the party leadership.
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Four defectors on NC poll list Jammu, August 23 The party has announced the names of its candidates for 25 of the 26 constituencies, 15 in Kupwara-Baramula, seven in Poonch-Rajouri and three out of four in the
Leh-Kargil belt where polling will be held in the first phase. Four defectors, three from the Congress and one from the Janata Dal, Molvi Iftikhar Hussain
Ansari, Mr Dilawar Mir, Mr R.S. Sharma and Mr Liyaqat Ali, have found place in the NC
list. Molvi Ansari and Mr R.S. Sharma had won the 1996 Assembly poll from Pattan and
Nowshehra, respectively, and Mr Dilawar Mir had won from the Rafiabad constituency on the Janata Dal ticket. Mr Liyaqat Ali from
Darhal, who was with the Congress for several years, joined the National Conference not long ago. He has got the NC ticket from
Darhal. He replaced Mr Mohd Hussain, Minister of State for Revenue, who has won from Darhal five times in a row. Mr
R.S. Sharma had recently joined the National Conference after he quit the Congress. Molvi Ansari remained on the right side of the Chief Minister, Dr Farooq Abdullah. He was inducted into the Cabinet in 1996, even when there was no poll alliance between the National Conference and the Congress in the 1996 elections. His inclusion in the Cabinet, against the support of several senior NC leaders, was the result of his friendship with Dr Abdullah. Mr Dilawar Mir had, too, remained close to the National Conference. He formally joined the ruling party three years ago. When party leaders, especially Dr Abdullah, Mr Omar Abdullah and the NC General Secretary, Sheikh Nazir Ahmed, started discussing the panel lists from district bodies, there were many in the top echelons who were opposed to giving fielding defectors. But Dr Abdullah is said to have cleared their names not only due to his commitment to them from time to time, but on account of their strength in their constituencies. Since Mr Omar Abdullah was keen to allot the party ticket to new faces, a compromise was worked out under which seven sitting MLAs were dropped, four from Baramula-Kupwara and three from the Poonch-Rajouri belt. Among those dropped are Mr M.S. Tariq, former Minister of State for Education (Rajouri), Mr Nisar Ahmed Khan, Minister of State for Agriculture
(Mendhar), Mr Mohammad Hussain, Minister of State for Revenue (Darhal), Mr Faqir Mohammad Kha
(Gurez), Mr Mohammad Maqbool Lone (Sangrama), Mr Mohammad Abdullah Mujahid (Baramula) and Mr Ghulam Rasool Naaz
(Bandipore). The party has retained three stalwarts, Mr Mohammad
Shafi, Education Minister from Uri, Mr Mohammad Ramzan, Agriculture Minister from
Handwara, and Mr Abdul Ahad Vakil, Speaker of the Legislative Assembly from
Sopore. These leaders have been winning from these constituencies since 1977 poll. |
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CEC reads out poll
code Srinagar, August 23 Explaining the model code of conduct in force in the state with the announcement of the poll schedule on August 2, Chief Electoral Officer, Pramod Jain said here today that efforts were on for arrangements to ensure free and fair elections. He said the code of conduct covered three areas — government servants, political parties and the ruling party. To a question Mr Jain said that the reports of clash between supporters of Kukka Parray’s Awami League and the ruling National Conference near Naidkhai in north Kashmir yesterday were being looked into. Kukka Parray MLA from Sonawari alleged at a public meeting in the area yesterday that more than 12 of his supporters were injured when attacked by the activists of the ruling National Conference. He also alleged that the police resorted to harass his supporters. Mr Jain pointed out that security forces were not supposed “to create a situation in which the process of level playing field is disturbed”. Mr Jain said that under the model code of conduct certain restrictions stood imposed on the ruling party leaders and particularly the ministers so that official work was not combined with electioneering. For going on official work out of the State capital, a minister has to seek the permission from Election Commission. In such cases, the minister’s cavalcade is also to be restricted to only three vehicles only to facilitate a proper security cover to the minister. While making use of government accommodation tour outside the capital, the party concerned has to make payments for using the government accommodation, Mr Jain said. Restrictions also stood imposed on the use of the state or national flag on the minister’s vehicles on tour outside the capital. There are restrictions also on the inaugural and foundation-laying function as also on the grant of discretionary funds. Payments from MPs’ or MLAs’ Local area Development Fund can be made only against the works already completed, he said. In the case of the visit of a Union Minister, the state government will have to seek clearance of the Election Commission for making arrangements for his visit and stay. Referring to the model code of conduct, applicable to various political parties, their leaders and candidates, the Chief Electoral Officer said that the parties were not supposed to stir religious sentiments. No allegations against another’s individual or personal life can be made, but allegations of a general nature can only be made during electioneering, Mr Jain said. He clarified that government servants, particularly those likely to work during the election process, were not supposed to be associated with any political meeting or related activity of the political parties. UNI adds: When a reporter referred to the allegations by the Awami League that the police was working for the ruling National Conference and that the CRPF had fired on League workers during the clash, Mr Jain said, I have asked for a report from the officials concerned. About the electors photo identity card (EPIC), he said about six lakh such cards were issued so far and another five lakh are under process. About the Punjab employees refusing to do election duty here, Mr Jain said that he was in touch with his Punjab counterpart and hopefully we will not have any difficulty in this matter. Mr Jain said as the model code of conduct is already in force in the state, no minister can use his official machinery for election campaigning. |
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Pandits call for poll
boycott Jammu, August 23 The call was given after leaders of the conference met here today to review the political and security scenario in the state. The leaders said the security situation had assumed alarming dimensions with escalation in the militant strikes in the state. Since their participation in the poll process was not going to solve their problem of being displaced for all these years, better option for the community was to register its protest against the Chief Election Commission and the National Minorities’ Commission, the leaders added. The leaders said on the one hand the National Minorities’ Commission had wriggled itself out of the “genocide of Kashmiri Hindus” on the plea that it had no jurisdiction over the state while on the other it was planning to take 100 displaced families to the valley soon after the election as part of a programme. They said the Chief Election Commission had postponed the Assembly elections in Gujarat on the plea that 10,000 to 20,000 Muslims were still in refugee camps but had refused to defer the elections in Jammu and Kashmir where more than five lakh Hindus and Muslim families had migrated from the state and were living in camps. The Panun Kashmir headed by Dr Ajay Chrungoo, too has given a call to boycott the elections saying that the participation in the poll process by Kashmiri Hindus is a farce when they can not canvass in their constituencies. Dr Chrungoo has demanded settlement of the Kashmiri Hindus in separate homeland within the valley before the elections. |
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Steal, destroy EVMs; militants
told Jammu, August 23 With this message sent to rebel outfits, especially the Lashkar-i-Toiba and the Jash-e-Mohammad, Pakistani agencies, the ISI being on the top, have given specific instructions to militants in Kashmir to “steal, destroy or damage electronic voting machines at any cost.” Another message for the rebels is to “cultivate tehsildars and other officials put on poll duty and identify places and booths where the electronic voting machines are to be installed.” “Attack these polling booths before polling and wherever this is not possible, destroy or steal these even after the polling is over,” is another direction to the militants, according to Defence Ministry sources. The sources, basing their information on messages intercepted, said militants had been asked to adopt do or die strategy if they wanted to “reap the fruit of the 12-year-long jehad”. According to the sources, militants have been directed to create a scare among the voters. “Persuade them and wherever persuasion fails, eliminate political leaders and candidates so that not many dare to take part in the poll process.” They have been asked to act on these instructions as “it is time when India is forced to leave Kashmir and that is possible if Delhi fails to organise incident-free poll and secure participation in the poll process by a majority of voters.” The Pakistani agencies, according to the sources, have conveyed to the militants that “if our plan materialises, the international community is likely to intervene and persuade India to keep its hands off Kashmir.” |
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Kashmir Front’s poll
agenda
Srinagar, August 23 Announcing the decision, a former Jamaat-e-Islami leader and close associate of Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Abdul Khaliq Haneef, chief of the Front told reporters that as the elections were not deferred as conveyed to Mr Jethmalani they had decided to enter the poll fray. “The elections are no answer to the problem, but the participation can be a beginning”, he said. He said that the September 11 attacks in the USA had changed ideas. There was need to change attitudes as well he said. Mr Haneef maintained that there was no “terrorism” in Kashmir and described it as “freedom struggle” for the rights of the people of the state. Khaliq Haneef said that the Front would work in three directions — attempt to bring India and Pakistan closer, release of detainees, and check violations of human rights. The Front leader was disappointed over the announcement of elections against the wishes of the like minded parties. The Kashmir Committee also demanded postponement of the elections as suggested by these parties. Haneef added that the Front would contest maximum possible seats. He would contest from the Sonawari constituency of Baramula district in north Kashmir against Kukka Parray, he said. Parray, a former militant leader, after joining the mainstream contested Assembly elections in 1996 and was elected. He would contest Sonawari seat again. On the decision of participation in elections, the Front leader said that it was taken after discussions with several foreign dignitaries mostly the European leaders, in recent months. “They told us that participation was close to referendum” and those elected would be the real representatives of the people of Jammu and Kashmir with whom further negotiations could be held, he added.  |
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Hourly poll update on Internet Srinagar, August 23 “We have a website of the Election Commission where one can find the details of the latest happenings in the state. We will be updating the results on an hour-by-hour basis,” Chief Electoral Officer Pramod Jain told mediapersons here.Mr Jain said his office was working out details for disseminating information about the poll to the media on a daily basis other than through the Internet.
PTI Srinagar, August 23 An official spokesman said: “We did not receive any nomination papers today also.”
UNI
Poor response to strike call Srinagar, August 23 Movement along the roads of Srinagar city and inter-district routes was normal while shops and business establishments functioned with half the shutters rolled down. Attendance in government and semi-government offices was also normal while the strike call did affect the number of students attending schools and educational institutions.
PTI |
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Two jawans killed in encounter Jammu, August 23 The sources said the security forces, on specific information about the presence of militants between Khour and Sunderbani forests in Rajouri district, launched an operation last evening. Two bodies of militants, along with some weapons, had been recovered from the site so far, they said. Two jawans were killed and two others injured during an encounter in the Bothiwalli Lasana area of Poonch district early yesterday. The injured were later shifted to a hospital, the sources said. An unidentified foreign militant belonging to the Harkat-ul-Mujahideen was killed in the Guntrian-Shahpur area of Poonch district in a joint operation by the security forces yesterday. The security forces, during a search operation in the Arnas and Gool areas of Udhampur district, seized a one Pika gun with one belt containing 99 rounds, 295 Pika rounds, 60-mm mortar launcher, four rockets, two AK magazines, seven plastic sheets and two grease boxes, they said. Meanwhile a boy was critically injured when militants detonated a powerful IED in the border district of Poonch in Jammu and Kashmir today, the sources said. The device was planted by the ultras in the Bagyal-Dara area where an Army patrol was to pass. It exploded as the boy was walking near the place, they said.
PTI |
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