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Tuesday,
August 27, 2002, Chandigarh, India  
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Shabir
meets Kashmir panel tomorrow Hurriyat
puppet of Pak: Farooq Ladakh
Front launched
NCP names
5 candidates Ten more file papers in
J&K |
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Pre-poll
scene in J&K still hazy
CBI
ex-chief to work for statehood to Jammu Muslims
‘distancing’ from mercenaries Massacres
being engineered: Panthers Transfer
orders of 50 employees quashed 4 of
cop’s family shot dead J&K
minister quits, joins LUTF 2 Army
men hurt in Pak firing
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Shabir meets Kashmir panel tomorrow
Srinagar, August 26 The executive council of the All-Party Hurriyat Conference will meet in a day or two to finalise its Delhi programme for holding talks with the KC. A press note issued by the DFP here said it had finalised its Delhi programme for holding talks with the committee on a peaceful resolution of the Kashmir issue. “We just demand an honourable, meaningful and lasting solution to the Kashmir issue,” it said. “We will extend all help to achieve this.” Mr Shah has expressed his willingness to meet Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee and Deputy Prime Minister L.K. Advani. Meanwhile, the seven-member executive council of the Hurriyat Conference will decide its agenda for the meeting with the committee at Delhi in a day or two. “Yes, we are holding an executive council meeting tomorrow or day after to discuss the offer from the committee for holding a second round of talks,” Chairman Prof Abdul Gani Bhat said. He said they had accepted the invitation as they too favoured a peaceful solution to the Kashmir issue once and for all. He said, if necessary, a meeting of the General Council would be held before going to Delhi. However, Professor Bhat clarified that they would first discuss the invitation extended by the Prime Minister and the Deputy Prime Minister for talks within the amalgam before taking any final decision. “We have agreed to continue our talks with the Kashmir Committee and we stand by our commitment,” Professor Bhat had said on Thursday. He said that during the wide-ranging talks with the committee at the Hurriyat headquarters recently, they “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”. He reiterated the Hurriyat’s decision to keep away from elections. “We have seen elections in the past have also not achieved anything,” he said. “However, I can add that there is a much bigger agenda than the Assembly elections... that is resolution of the Kashmir issue once and for all. “We consider the Assembly elections irrelevant as they will not serve any purpose,” he said. “We have to involve India, Pakistan and the people of Jammu and Kashmir as well if we have to achieve a permanent breakthrough on this issue,” Professor Bhat noted. Asked if he hoped to achieve something from the next round of talks, the Hurriyat Chairman said: “Nothing can stop us from achieving the goal if we all put our heads together with seriousness and sincerity.”
UNI |
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Hurriyat puppet of Pak: Farooq New Delhi, August 26 “Hurriyat leaders are only puppets of Pakistani leaders. Whatever diktat they will get, they will follow”, Dr Abdullah said. He said this was the tragedy with here. Kashmir that these Hurriyat leaders continued to “dance to the tune of Pakistani leader’s whims which led to the killing of so many innocents in the state.” Dr Abdullah said the Kashmir Committee was wasting its time in trying to bring the Hurriyat Conference to the poll arena as the best man for that would be “Musharraf uncle himself”. “They (Hurriyat) will continue to give half-hearted answers as long as they do not get a signal from their master from across the border,” Dr Abdullah said. The Chief Minister said it was an “irony” that the Hurriyat members knew the conspiracy to kill their leader Abdul Gani Lone was hatched in Pakistan and carried out by Pakistan-based militants but yet there was no word of “criticism”. “I wonder if they have the spine to face the truth”, he said. Referring to the peace initiative launched by the Kashmir Committee, Dr Abdullah said “had these efforts been launched two years ago, a considerable dent could have been made with regard to separatist leaders in the state.” “Out of the blue, suddenly, the Committee springs up from nowhere and comes with a motive to resolve the Kashmir issue. Solve it but why are you demanding my resignation. Whom do they want to please is still a mystery to me,” the Chief Minister said.
PTI |
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Ladakh Front launched
Jammu, August 26 The decision to float the Ladakh Union Territory Front was taken at the initiative of the Ladakh Buddhist Association (LBA) at a meeting of representatives of local units of all political parties, including the National Conference and the BJP, in Leh last evening, according to a statement issued here by the LBA president, Mr Tsering Samphel. The statement said, “The chiefs of the units have unanimously resolved to form the front which will work for getting the Union Territory status for Ladakh.” The statement has been endorsed by the president of the Leh unit of the NC Mr Tsering Narboo Lampa, the BJP unit chief, Mr Sonam Richen, the chairman of the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council, Mr Thupstan Chewang, and all councillors of the council. Muslim organisations of the region have been requested to join the front the statement added. JAMMU: The Jammu and Kashmir unit of the BJP has said the formation of the Ladakh Union Territory Front should serve as a warning to all national political parties that people of the region would no longer tolerate discrimination. The state BJP general secretary Dr Nirmal Singh, alleged here this morning that continuous discrimination against the Ladakh region by successive state governments had generated resentment among the Ladakhis who were now clamouring for development and parity with Jammu and Kashmir regions. Interestingly, the BJP leader’s observations come at a time when the Jammu State Morcha, an RSS-backed outfit is vehemently demanding for a statehood status for Jammu and has decided to field its own candidates to signify its stand. The BJP central leadership, led by President M. Venkaiah Naidu, however, had made it clear that the party did not favour a separate state of Jammu. The state BJP unit has finally decided to go for an electoral understanding with the morcha to avoid splitting of votes and solidify its electoral base in the Jammu region which is considered a traditional votebank of the BJP, party sources
said. PTI, UNI |
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NCP names 5 candidates Jammu, August 26 While Mr Karan Singh will be the party’s candidate from Kathua, Mr Hukam Chand Sharma will contest from Billawar. NCP state unit chief Shiv Dev Singh Jasrotia will contest from Basohli, General Secretary Chowdhary Hussain Ali from Gandhi Nagar constituency and Mr Tilak Raj Sharma from Suchetgarh. The NCP has decided to contest 15 seats in the entire state. It will contest all five seats in Kathua district.
UNI |
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Ten more file papers in J&K Srinagar, August 26 Those who filed their nomination papers included seven from the National Conference and three independents. The National Conference nominees included three sitting members, two of them ministers in the Farooq government. Two others, Mohammad Abbas, a sitting member of the ruling National Conference from the Zanskar constituency in Kargil district and an Independent, Ghulam Rasool Malik from the Baramula constituency had filed their nominations last weekend. The ministers who filed their nomination papers include the Agriculture Minister, Choudhary Mohammad Ramzan, from Handwara and the Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister, Mushtaq Ahmad Lone, from Lolab, both in Kupwara district. Among others who filed their nomination papers include the sitting NC member, Saifullah Mir from the Kupwara constituency. Others nominees are Mohammad Akbar Lone from Sonawari, Nazir Ahmad Gurezi from Gurez and Javed Ahmad Shah from Bandipore in Baramulla district. Mohammad Akbar Lone had lost from the Sonawari constituency in the 1996 by a margin of 726 votes against the militant-turned politician, and the chief of Awami League, Mohammad Yusuf Parray, alias Kukka Parray. The NC has brought in a new face, Nazir Ahmad Gurezi and Javed Ahmad Shah, MLC, a former militant has been nominated from the Bandipore constituency against the sitting MLA, Ghulam Rasool Mir. Mr Javed Rana of the NC who also filed his nomination papers from the Mendhar constituency in Poonch district of Jammu region. The constituency was represented by Mr Nissar Ahmad Khan (NC). The independent candidates who filed their nomination papers today included Ghulam Hassan Mir from the Gulmarg constituency in Baramula district, Mohammad Yusuf Beigh from Kupwara and Mohammad Yusuf Qureshi from Lolab in Kupwara district. |
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Pre-poll scene in J&K still hazy Jammu, August 26 First, except for the National Conference, no other major political party has finalised its list of candidates to be fielded when the last date for the filing of nomination papers is August 29 under the first phase. Second, except for the PDP, headed by Mufti Mohammed Sayeed, other main stream political organisations, especially the BJP, the Congress, the BSP and to some extent the National Conference, have been plagued by infighting over the allotment of ticket. For the National Conference, resentment in the party circles in Lolab, Bandipore, Kupwara and Langet may not be as alarming as the one in Poonch-Rajouri segment. At least in four out of the seven constituencies in Poonch and Rajouri, including Darhal and Rajouri, those denied party ticket plan to contest the election as independent candidates. Mr M.S. Tariq and Mr Mohammed Hussain can create problems for the National Conference if they oppose the party candidates from Rajouri and Darhal. Indications are that those who are aspiring for NC ticket from Lolab, Kupwara and Langet, will contest as independents. As far as the BJP is concerned, its boat has been rocked by the demand of the RSS-backed state Morcha for securing the lion’s share from the 37 seats in the Jammu region. Initially, the BJP had agreed to allot six seats to the Morcha but the talks between the two wings of Sangh Parivar ended in a deadlock when the Morcha announced its plan to contest at least 16 seats. The Morcha leaders had also demanded that the choice of constituencies for its candidates should be left to the RSS. Another meeting has been convened and the matter is expected to be resolved within a day or two. Experts are of the opinion that the BJP may have a tough time if some constituencies known to be BJP strongholds are allotted to the Morcha candidates. The plight of the Congress is no better than the BJP because there are more than three aspirants for the party ticket from each constituency. So far the Congress has been able to clear only the name of Mr Ashok Sharma, sitting MLA from Kalakot. The party has not been able to decide whether most of the constituencies in Poonch and Rajauri should have Muslim candidates. A senior Congress leader, who returned from Delhi where talks with AICC leaders were held, said the matter of deciding whether the policy pursued since 1951 poll, under which Muslim candidates were fielded in Muslim-dominated Poonch district, should be continued or not, had been left with AICC President, Ms Sonia Gandhi. The BSP is a divided house and not all top leaders in the state have liked its President Sheikh Abdul Rehman’s policy of adopting a soft stance towards the National Conference. Several senior party workers have in recent weeks resigned and joined either the BJP or the PDP. The pre-poll scene indicates that the BJP may be a victim of its tussle with the RSS and infighting within the
organisation. Already one sitting MLA, Mr Piara Singh, has joined the National Conference. Two more MLAs are sitting in the wings to follow Mr Piara Singh if they are denied party ticket. Since all major parties, except the National Conference, have not finalised the list of their candidates, these organisations have not started pre-poll campaign by organising public rallies. Only the BJP-RSS combine have organised three rallies, two in Jammu city and one in Bishna, where the party President and General Secretary had come from Delhi. The pre-poll campaign is expected to pick up after the parties announced their candidates and the last date of withdrawal is over by September 2 in the first phase. |
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CBI ex-chief to work for statehood to Jammu Jammu, August 26 Mr Joginder Singh, who was here to address the first public meeting of the Jammu State Morcha (JSM) yesterday, said the wrongdoings of the government should be highlighted by the Press. He told this correspondent that he had come to address the meeting because he believed that stepmotherly treatment was being given to the Jammu and Ladakh regions by successive governments in the state. He said he would contribute to the movement of statehood for Jammu by writing articles in newspapers to make the people aware of the discrimination being done against people of Jammu and Ladakh. Mr Joginder Singh was posted here as Inspector-General of the CRPF in 1990. Mr P.C. Dogra, former Punjab DGP, who has formally joined the JSM, belongs to Ranbir Singhpura, near here, bordering the Sialkot area of Pakistan. The former CBI Director, said “The number of seats in Jammu have intentionally been kept lesser despite that the population here is more than that in the Kashmir valley and the geographical area is also larger”. He said it was unfortunate that the budgetary allocation for the Jammu region was less although the area contributed most of the revenue to the state exchequer. Mr Joginder Singh said it would be easier to tackle terrorism if the state was split into smaller units by granting statehood to Jammu and union territory status to Ladakh. He said it was a disgrace that the Chief Vigilance Commissioner did not know anything about the corruption. |
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Muslims
‘distancing’ from mercenaries Jammu, August 26 According to Defence Ministry sources, more than 160 militants, 90 per cent from Pakistan and Afghanistan, had crossed into Jammu Kashmir last month. The sources said that over 60 infiltrators, 55 foreign mercenaries, were killed on the LoC in Uri, Kupwara, Bandipore, Poonch last month. Field reports say with large crowds scrambling for electoral identity cards, attending pre-poll rallies the Pakistani agencies have felt unnerved. Hence efforts afoot to push militants into the state. The reports say militants of the Hizbul Mujahideen have got launching pads across Kupwara. This indicates that foreign mercenaries would operate on their own during the ensuing poll. These foreign mercenaries have been kept in the dark about the poor response of the people to activities of foreign mercenaries. According to a spokesman for the Northern Command, couple of foreign mercenaries killed in recent months have made some interesting revelation in their diaries. One militant Abu Sariva of the Lashkar-e-Toiba, who was killed on August 11, had recorded in his diary the following observation. “Jammu and Kashmir ko azad dekhne kay Kashmiriyon ki aankhe taras rahi hein lekin phir be woh kafiron ka saath dena nahin chhodte. Asal mein yey Brahmin zaat sey taluk rakhtey thea, Isliye inki aankhey taras rahi hain lekin inka dil nahin maanta” (eyes of Kashmiris are thirsty for freedom but still they do not dissociate themselves from the infidels. In reality they belong to the Brahmin caste. Therefore their eyes are thirsty but their hearts do not agree). Another militant, Abu Mohd. Salfi, who too was killed in an operation launched by the Rashtriya Rifles, had recorded in his personal diary “Kashmir Hamara Rehbar Hain, Kashmiri Hamare Qatil Hain” (Kashmir is our leader and guide but Kashmiris are our killers). These two observations, according to the spokesman, indicate that foreign mercenaries are unwanted guests. He said that on various occasions local militants had crossed swords with foreign mercenaries but had to fall in line when moral the material aid from across the border was suspended. The spokesman said it was as a result of cooperation “our forces” received from people in Kashmir that the troops and other security agencies were able to
eliminate more than 850 militants, majority of them foreign mercenaries, in last six months. |
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Massacres being engineered: Panthers
Jammu, August 26 “These are being done at the behest of the ruling National Conference and the BJP to scare away the voters so that they are able to rig the elections through the official machinery,” the Chairman of the JKNPP, Mr Bhim Singh, told reporters here. Since the NC and the BJP were feeling apprehensive due to the popularity of opposition parties in these districts, they were demanding a judicial probe into these incidents, he said. He appealed to the Election Commission to ask the J and K Government as to why the Special Task Force and Special Operations Group of the Jammu and Kashmir police were working independently in these districts when the direction from the commission was that they should function under the control and supervision of the Army till the elections were over.
PTI |
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Transfer
orders of 50 employees quashed Srinagar, August 26 Mr Jain said instructions had already been given to all departments in the state for the strict implementation of the model code of conduct in view of the forthcoming Assembly elections. The notification for the first phase of elections to 26 Assembly constituencies in six districts of Baramula, Kpwara, Leh, Kargil, Rajouri and Poonch was issued on August 22, while the last date for the filing of nominations was August 29. The polling in these constituencies would be held on September 16, he added. Referring to the security arrangements for the first phase of elections, Mr Jain said para-military forces like the BSF, CRPF, Railway Police and SSB had already arrived and would be deployed accordingly. In reply to a question about the camping of security forces in some of the educational institutions here ahead of the polls, Mr Jain said arrangements for the camping of the security personnel would be adequately arranged so as to ensure that there was no disturbance in the functioning of the educational institutions. The Chief Electoral Officer added that the requisitioned poll staff from the neighbouring Punjab state would be arriving as the poll dates came nearer. He denied that the staff from Punjab and Uttar Pradesh scheduled to be deployed on duty in the state were unwilling to come for poll duties. Apart from media centres at the three major centres of Srinagar, Jammu and Leh, these would also be set up at all district headquarters in the state, Mr Jain said. Computers, telephones, faxes and other facilities would be provided for the facility of mediapersons at the centres, he added. |
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4 of cop’s family shot dead
Srinagar, August 26 An official spokesman said the militants entered the house of Aijaz Ahmad, selection grade constable of the Special Operation Group in Surankote in Poonch district last evening and opened fire on the inmates. He said four persons — Abdul Latief Khan, Mohammad Rashid Khan, Zaitoon Begum and Dawood Khan — were killed on the spot while Zaheer Abbas, Touseef and Ahmad were wounded. They have been hospitalised and their condition was stated to be serious. The security forces had launched a massive hunt to nab the militants. Ten persons, including three women, were killed by the militants last week. A spokesman said the militants shot dead a ruling National Conference leader, Haji Abdul Aziz Bhat outside his house today, while ASI (Wireless) Abdul Rehman, who was shot at and injured by the militants at Tral yesterday, died in hospital. Elsewhere, two militants were killed and the body of a civilian was found. In a separate incident, the militants last night barged into the house of a Gujjar family in the Bhaderwah area of Doda district last night and abducted a girl and her brother. The militants then tortured the brother-sister duo and brutally chopped parts of the girl’s body. They also attacked the boy with swords and left him in a pool of blood, presuming him to be dead.
UNI, PTI |
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J&K minister quits, joins LUTF
Jammu, August 26 Mr Tsering Samphal, president of the LBA, which was instrumental in forming the LUTF campaigning for UT status to Ladakh, said on telephone from Leh that Mr Namgyal faxed his resignation letter to Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah and thereafter met NC chief Omar Abdullah in Leh and conveyed to him his decision of joining the LUTF. “There is no question of Mr Namgyal resigning from the primary membership of the NC as we have disbanded all political outfits here,” Mr Samphal said. Mr Samphal said the Congress and other members of the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC) had also resigned en masse from their posts and joined the LUTF to unitedly fight for ensuring UT status to Ladakh. However, none of the NC leaders were available for comment in Jammu. However, the official word on his announcement was yet to be made.
UNI |
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2 Army men hurt in Pak firing Jammu, August 26 The two Army men were injured in the Sunderbani-Noushera area. The Roblidhar, Mahdev and Meenka areas in the Rajouri sector also witnessed intermittent firing and shelling since last night. Indian troops retaliated and the exchange of fire and shelling continued till this afternoon. Pakistani troops also fired at 23 border outposts and civilian areas along the IB in the R.S. Pura, Samba, Akhnoor, Hiranagar and Ramgarh areas of Jammu and Kathua districts.
PTI |
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In video: Work on for
providing electoral photo-identity cards for voters in Leh, which goes
to the polls next month. (
With
the filing of 10 more nominations for the first phase of elections to 26
Assembly constituencies in six districts of J&K, the total
number of nominees in the fray has gone up to 12.
