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Monday,
August 26, 2002, Chandigarh, India  
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ABVP’s
support gives boost to JSM Jammu has
more voters than Kashmir Demand for
raising Gujjar battalion
NGO to
provide medical aid to poor |
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VDCs to
get better weapons
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ABVP’s support gives boost to JSM Jammu, August 25 These developments came in the first public meeting of the JSM which was organised here today. A large number of people from different areas of the region participated in the meeting and were responsive to the demand for separation of Jammu and Kashmir. Prominent among those who addressed the public meeting were Mr Joginder Singh, a former Director of the CBI, Mr P.C. Dogra, former Director-General of the Punjab police, Padamshri Muzaffar Hussain, a Mumbai-based journalist, Ms Laxmi Kanta Chawla, BJP leader from Amritsar, and Mr Shri Kumar Sharma, Chairman of the JSM. They said the countdown of the dynastic rule of the Abdullah family had started as 19 outfits have merged into the JSM to struggle for statehood for Jammu which was being discriminated against by successive Kashmiri-dominated governments during the past 54 years. They warned that the people of Jammu would no more tolerate the “stepmotherly” treatment and would even launch a non-cooperation movement in case their demand for separation of Jammu was not accepted. The people of Jammu did not endorse the demand for autonomy and would settle for nothing short of statehood. They accused the National Conference government of not only discriminating against the Jammu region, but also diverting Central grants to the Kashmir valley. They claimed that of the over one lakh recruitments made by the government in the past few years, only 15,000 persons from the Jammu and Ladakh regions were given jobs. Some speakers alleged that the Abdullah dynasty was responsible for all these problems as they had been demanding plebiscite and things like autonomy which smacked of separatist tendencies. They argued that separation of Jammu would not result in giving Kashmir to Pakistan on a platter. Mr Joginder Singh suggested that managing smaller states was easier and would satisfy the regional aspirations. He said there were complaints that only a handful of families had benefited from the Central grants worth crores of rupees. He lamented that the media had failed to expose the “misdeeds” of the Abdullah family. The demand for autonomy was dangerous for the unity of the country. Mr P.C. Dogra said an “indecisive” political leadership was responsible for the Kashmir problem. Mr Muzaffar Hussain asked why the BJP leadership at the Centre was shy of implementing its election manifesto of smaller states in Jammu to free the region from the shackles of the Kashmir rulers. He said strange discriminatory laws were prevailing in Jammu and Kashmir. Under one of these rules, a girl from here marrying in some other part of the country loses her state subject status, whereas it was not so in case she married someone in Pakistan. He demanded that Article 370 providing special status to Jammu and Kashmir should be scrapped to bring it on a par with the other states of the country. Some other speakers called for a social boycott of such persons and leaders who were hobnobbing with Dr Abdullah and harming the interests of the Jammu region. Mr Ramesh Pappa, general secretary of the ABVP at the national level, said that they will support all candidates of the JSM in the coming Assembly elections who pledged to fight for the interests of Jammu. |
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Jammu has more voters than Kashmir Srinagar, August 25 Of the total electorate of 56,12,149 in the state, the Jammu region accounts for 28,92,290 while the valley has 25,46,913 voters. The remaining 1,72,946 voters belong to the cold desert of the Ladakh region, official statistics provided by the Election Commission show. Jammu district has the highest number of voters (10,93,203) followed by Srinagar (5,88,317) while Kargil has the least (86,231) among the 14 districts of the state. Constituency-wise, Jammu West has the most number of voters (1,51,477) while Nobra in Leh district has the least (12,244). The number of eligible voters in other districts are 5,47,850 in Baramula, 2,60,454 in Kupwara, 2,88,309 in Budgam, 3,01,333 in Pulwama, 5,60,650 in Anantnag, 86,715 in Leh, 3,50,080 in Rajouri, 2,53,583 in Poonch, 3,88,519 in Doda, 3,63,928 in Kathua and 4,42,977 in Udhampur. Sources in the EC say that applications for enrolment in the electoral rolls are still pouring in. Four-phased elections will be held in Jammu and Kashmir over the next two months. In the first phase on September 16, notification for which was issued on August 22, as many as 15,84,913 voters are eligible to exercise their franchise. The six districts, comprising 26 constituencies, going to polls on that day are Poonch, Rajouri, Leh, Kargil, Baramula and Kupwara. In the second round on September 24, 28 constituencies of Jammu, Srinagar and Badgam district would go to polls. The number of people who can cast their votes on that day is 19,69,829. An electorate of 16,68,888 from four districts — Udhampur, Kathua, Pulwama and Anantnag — will choose 27 legislators to the 83-member Assembly in the third round on October 1. The 3,88,519 eligible voters of the militancy-infested Doda district will have a date with the democratic process on October 8 to elect five representatives in the fourth and concluding round of the poll. Male voters, numbering 30 lakh, exceed those of the fairer sex by 3.65 lakh.
PTI |
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Demand for raising Gujjar battalion Jammu, August 25 In a statement issued today the general secretary of the conference, Mr Ghulam Rasool Asgar, said during the past 13 years Gujjars and Bakerwals had been the main target of Pakistan-trained militants. He said it was unfortunate that neither the state government nor the Central Government did anything to protect the lives of people of an ethnic group who “have been at the receiving end of the militancy because of their patriotic fervour.” Mr Asgar said a stage had reached where the Gujjars be assisted in protecting their lives themselves. He said for this “our community youth be either recruited in the Army, paramilitary forces or in the police. He said the solution to the problem was to raise a Gujjar regiment and a Gujjar battalion in the Army and the police department, respectively. The conference leader expressed concern over the raw deal meted out to Gujjar youths in recruitment in the police department. He said despite suggestions by the Chief Minister that the Gujjar youths, who were physically tougher, be given preference over others in recruitment, the Gujjars appointed did not exceed 10 per cent of the total recruits in the police. Mr Asgar said the main plea given by the state authorities for poor representation of the Gujjars in the police was lack of requisite qualification for the job. He said recruitment rules be relaxed to adjust the Gujjar youths. He said if the government and the security agencies wanted to sustain the level of cooperation given by the Gujjars, they should be assisted in self-defence. |
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NGO to provide medical aid to poor Srinagar, August 25 “We have decided to adopt poor patients admitted to the hospital who have little sources to fulfil their medical needs,” the founding chairman of the NGO, Friends of Humanity, Mr Farooq Ahmad Bhatt, told reporters at a blood donation camp conducted by the NGO on the hospital premises yesterday. Thirtyfour volunteers, mostly doctors, donated blood at the camp which was inaugurated by Director of the institute Mehraj-ud-Din. Medicines worth Rs 50 lakh collected from medical companies in the form of free samples were distributed among the patients at medical camps, he said. In addition, crutches, clothing, study material, rice, utensils and other items were given to orphans, widows and physically handicapped persons.
PTI |
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VDCs to get
better weapons Jammu, August 25 He told people from Doda, Basholi and Billawar, who called on him here today, that the Government was keen on increasing the number of VDCs and arm them with sophisticated weapons. The demand for strengthening the VDCs was made by these people who apprised the Union Minister of the problems they faced in their areas. The minister urged the people to remain united and cooperate with the members of the VDCs and security agencies to eliminate terrorism. |
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