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Sunday,
August 25, 2002, Chandigarh, India  
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KRF paper
tiger: Hurriyat Terrorist
groups’ rebuff to Pak
BJP-JSM
alliance has NC worried |
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Baramula
declared sensitive 11 polling
booths set up for migrant voters PDP
kicks off poll campaign Z-plus
security for Azad 2 file
nominations Gurdwara
panel fields nominee Indian,
Pak troops trade mortar fire CEO
takes notice of robbery by surrendered ultras Govt
asked to report on security forces’ ‘excesses’
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KRF paper tiger: Hurriyat Jammu, August 24 Prof Bhat told TNS “For a political party to register its presence in the poll battle it must have a network of workers, resources and voters’ support.” He said the recently floated KRF had “none,” and “I do not find any reason to believe that the voters will ignore our call for poll boycott.” The Hurriyat chairman said: We have given the boycott call and the spirit of the call has reached every household, he said, adding that “we do not have leaders to see the call is enforced.” He said 40 Hurriyat activists had been arrested and three members of the executive committee— Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Mohd. Yasin Malik and Sheikh Aziz Ahmed had been detained. He said: “Even if some percentage of voters participated in the poll process, the elections cannot change the history of the troubled state. It cannot change the mood and attitude of the people and it cannot bring India and Pakistan closer. “What I say is based on facts. Many Assembly elections were held in Jammu and Kashmir since 1951 and none of them resolved the Kashmir issue, silenced or satisfied the urges and aspirations of people in Kashmir nor did they stop India and Pakistan from fighting three wars. Commenting on Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah’s recent statement that if the dispute had to be resolved through negotiations, Delhi should resume a dialogue with Islamabad instead of the Hurriyat Conference, Prof Bhat said: We are a party to the dispute and have the right to be involved in parleys.” He said: “A solution hammered out between India and Pakistan in consultation with the representatives of the people of Kashmir can lead to permanent settlement of the dispute,” The Hurriyat chief said: “We had demanded the release of all detainees, end to human rights violation and sending the Indian security forces back to the barracks. The demand was ignored and the deadlock continues.” Asked why did the Hurriyat Conference not accept the challenge of Dr Abdullah that he would quit and recommend the imposition of Governor’s rule if the separatist conglomerate agreed to contest the elections, Prof Bhat said: “We have decided not to participate in the poll process because we are convinced that the Assembly poll will not result in the settlement of the Kashmir dispute. Should we contest the poll, simply to win power, over the bodies of 50,000 Kashmiris who have been killed during the past 13 years of jehad?” he asked. |
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Terrorist
groups’ rebuff to Pak Jammu, August 24 Although the Hurriyat, which is spearheading the separatist movement, has decided not to participate in the elections, the announcement of 13 former separatist outfits to take part in the poll is a booster for the Central Government. The Pakistan-based United Jihad Council chief, Syed Salahuddin, who is said to be close to the ISI, had called for a boycott of the elections. President Pervez Musharraf had given a clear indication of Pakistan’s intention to disrupt the elections by describing these as a “farce”. There are reports that Pakistan-sponsored terrorists have been ordered to disrupt the election process by any means. The security forces have reportedly intercepted wireless message to this effect transmitted from Pakistan to terrorist outfits. A number of political persons have been shot dead in Kashmir and Doda district of Jammu. By keeping the Kashmir issue alive, President Musharraf is perhaps trying to survive as political parties in Pakistan have started growing stronger. Why Pakistan is bent on disturbing the elections is that a successful poll would mean that the people have rejected the path of violence and were willing to settle for peace. Secondly, the Pakistan rulers are apparently worried that the elections could witness a dramatic realignment of forces that were once close to Islamabad. In a bid to scare people in the areas where the elections are being held in the first phase, terrorists have reportedly started burning houses of Gujjars in the upper reaches. The indiscriminate killing of 29 men, women and children in Qasim Nagar here last month by terrorists was an indication that Pakistan would not allow the elections to be conducted smoothly. Infiltration of terrorists from Pakistan has reportedly increased. The security forces are on high alert and have succeeded in killing many infiltrators on the Line of Control. |
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BJP-JSM alliance has NC worried Jammu, August 24 Observers are keenly watching the response that the first public meeting of the JSM will receive here tomorrow. Among others, a former Director of the CBI, Mr Joginder Singh, and a former Punjab
DGP, Mr P.C. Dogra, will participate at the meeting. Leaders of the JSM came back from Delhi today after holding the first round of talks with the BJP leadership regarding the sharing of seats. It is learnt that there were some differences in the allocation of certain seats to the JSM in the Jammu division. However, the JSM leaders are hopeful that the difference will be settled. The JSM had announced its candidates for six of the 37 Assembly seats of Jammu, including the prestigious constituencies of Jammu (East) and Jammu (West), even before the decision regarding the adjustment of seats was taken at a meeting of the BJP and JSM leaders at the residence of Prime Minister, Atal Behari Vajpayee on Wednesday. The BJP President Mr Venkaiah
Naidu, is also taking an interest in the seat adjustment. Although the BJP was not supporting the demand of the JSM for the trifurcation of the state, during his recent visit here, Mr Naidu realised that the demand for statehood had the potential to pull voters in Jammu and
Ladakh. Mr T. Samphol, president of the Ladakh Buddhist Association (LBA), which is demanding union territory status for
Ladakh, will also come here to participate in the rally tomorrow, a JSM leader said. The JSM would concentrate only on the Jammu region, while the BJP could contest all 49 seats in Kashmir and
Ladakh. The JSM was willing to share half of the 37 Jammu seats with the BJP, he said. However, there appears to be a difference over the fielding of Mr Tilak Raj Sharma from Jammu (East) and Dr Virender Gupta from Jammu (West) seats. Both of them are senior leaders of the JSM and the BJP is unlikely to leave these seats for them. Mr Naidu had given a clear indication that the BJP would have a tie-up with like-minded people to prevent a split of votes which would benefit the separatist elements. The trifurcation demand and the separatists have become a headache for Dr Abdullah and Mr Omar Abdullah, who is heading the National Conference. Mr Omar Abdullah says the politics of vote has made the BJP join hands with those demanding statehood for Jammu. The BJP was panicky because of its bad performance in the recent elections to the Jammu Lok Sabha seat. |
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Baramula declared sensitive
Baramula, August 24 “We are taking no chances in view of the militants’ threat to disrupt the poll in the state. We have declared all constituencies as sensitive or hypersensitive,” Mr Naveen Choudhry, District Election Officer for Baramula, told visiting reporters today. Asked how elections could be held if the security situation was so bad, he replied “a normal constituency classification would mean deployment of no security forces for the election duty and we cannot take that chance.” Detailing on poll preparations in the district, the Elections official said 752 polling stations have been set up for a total electorate of 5,51,753. “Eight additional polling stations have been put up in the district besides declubbing of polling stations for the convenience of voters. The polling stations are now situated at 701 places against 393 in the 1999 parliamentary elections,” he said. Polling stations had been clubbed in the 1996 assembly elections in view of the security situation at that time. According to the District Election Officer, the size of the electorate in the district has swelled by 14,000 as against 57,000 applications received for inclusion in the voters, list. He said voter slips after finalising the electoral rolls would be distributed to every household with the aim of educating the people about the status of eligible voters in the family. The election officials have also been imparted training in the use of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs), which will be used in the state for the first time, he said. “From today, we have started a campaign in which we would take the EVMs to the villages and other far-flung areas to familiarise the public with them”, he added. “Mr Choudhry admitted that issuance of electoral photo-identity cards had been temporarily stopped due to the paucity of paper. “For the last few days we have not been able to issue any cards as the paper which was to be acquired from Nasik, has exhausted. But from tomorrow, we will start issuing the cards again”, he added.
PTI |
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11 polling booths set up for migrant voters Srinagar, August 24 The migrants from 45 Assembly segments from all six districts of the valley, except from the Gurez segment of Baramulla district, can also exercise their franchise through postal ballots, Mr Pramod Jain, Chief Electoral Officer of Jammu and Kashmir said here today. Giving details of the arrangement being made for polling for migrants outside the valley, Mr Jain said eight polling stations had been set up in Jammu, two in Delhi and one in Udhampur. In Jammu the polling stations have been set up at Gandhinagar, Janipur, Muthi, Canal Road, Talab Tillo, Nagrota and an additional polling station in Udhampur. Out of the 46 Assembly segments in six districts of the valley — Baramulla, Kupwara, Srinagar, Budgam, Anantnag and Pulwama, there are over 34,000 families, comprising over 1.8 lakh adult members, registered as migrants with the Relief Commissioner, Jammu, Mr Jain said. Of these over 31,000 families are registered in Jammu district, 3,000 families in Udhampur, 250 families in Kathua district over 2,000 families are spread over in different states, including Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Chandigarh. Electoral rolls have also been displayed in these areas for the facility of the migrants, and a pro- forma for inclusion of any more voters not listed so far can be submitted within the stipulated time, Mr Jain said. He added that polling at these stations would be held in accordance with the respective segments of the valley. Mr Jain explained that segment-wise polling would be held at these special polling stations and voters from only those segments can exercise their franchise for which polling would be going on in the Kashmir valley. |
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PDP kicks off poll campaign Srinagar, August 24 “The youth of poor families are being given Rs 1,500 monthly by appointing them as Special Police Officers (SPOs) and handing over guns to them escalating the already grave situation in the state,” senior PDP leaders, vice-president Mehbooba Mufti and general secretary Tariq Hamid Karra, said. They accused Dr Abdullah of neglecting his constituency and said “the man who failed to mitigate the problems of those who elected him cannot steer the state out of difficult and troublesome times.” Recalling the party’s promise to provide “appropriate livelihood” to the state youth, the leaders urged the Centre to reserve 3 per cent seats in the Central government jobs for them.
PTI |
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Z-plus security for Azad Srinagar, August 24 This has been clarified by the police here following allegations by various leaders of the Congress that its leaders had not been provided with adequate security in Jammu and Kashmir. Mrs Ambika Soni had recently alleged that more than 400 protected leaders of the ruling National Conference, only about 50 Congress leaders had been provided with security cover. A police spokesman said all contesting candidates of the Congress would be provided with security. |
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2 file nominations
Srinagar, August 24 An official spokesman said Mr Haji Mohammad Abbas, who has been retained by the NC, has filed his nomination papers from the Zanaskar Assembly constituency in the Ladakh region. He said an independent candidate, Mr Ghulam Rasool Malik, has filed his papers from the Baramula constituency. However, no nominations were filed in Kupwara and Leh districts, he said. Earlier, state Chief Electoral Officer Pramod Jain said no nomination papers were filed in the first two days after the electoral process was set in motion for the first phase of elections. The NC has fielded a new face in Baramula, Mr Ghulam Nabi Kachroo. Filing of nominations for the September 16 elections to 26 constituencies in the first phase closes on August 29 and scrutiny of papers would be taken up on August 31. Withdrawal of nominations would be done on September 2 and counting of ballots would be taken up on October 10.
UNI, PTI |
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Gurdwara
panel fields nominee Jammu, August 24 Mr Manmohan Singh told newspersons here today that besides the state Akali Dal and the Sikh Students Federation, several other Sikh organisations had assured him of their support. He said his main poll issue would be end to corruption and unemployment. He said he would oppose the demand for the trifurcation of the
state, saying that regional indiscrimination should be removed. |
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Indian, Pak troops trade mortar fire
Jammu, August 24 Pakistani rangers targeted forward positions in the Drass sector with artillery shells forcing the Indian troops to retaliate, the sources said. Exchange of mortar and small-arms fire between the two sides was reported in Rajouri district’s Bhawani sector overnight. Intermittent exchange of small- arms fire between Pakistani rangers and the BSF also took place at 18 other places.
PTI |
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CEO takes notice
of robbery by surrendered ultras Srinagar, August 24 When a reporter draw his attention to the incident which took place despite instructions that renegades and surrendered militants working with security agencies would not be allowed to operate, he said he would ensure that these incidents did not recur. Two surrendered militants, using a vehicle attached to the Kupwara police, took away the cash from a house at gunpoint at Shalteang, 9 km from here, on the Srinagar-Baramula road. Asked if the directions of the Election Commission about the transfer of police and revenue officials who had not been transferred from their place of posting for the past four years, had been implemented, Mr Jain said the Action Taken Report would be made available to his office by the government within the next few days.
UNI |
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Govt asked to report on security forces’ ‘excesses’ Srinagar, August 24 Taking suo motu cognisance of a
newspaper report yesterday that the security forces had allegedly set on fire 150 houses in Doda district and had also subjected women to
atrocities, the SHRC observed that the contents of the report “make out prima facie a human rights violation case of grave nature’’. A Division Bench of the SHRC comprising its Chairman Mr Justice
A.Q. Parray and member Mr Qazi Muzaffar-ud-din has take a serious view of the incident and has directed the DC and the SSP Doda to give full details about the incident. The SHRC has listed the case for next hearing on September 30.
UNI |
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