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| Monday, September 23, 2002,
Chandigarh, India
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Campaigning for 2nd phase
ends
CHRAR-E-SHARIEF NC worker killed in
Budgam |
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Challan against Yaseen Malik Oppn harps on neglect of Jammu
region BJP for change over to
peace
3 die in Jammu road mishap
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Campaigning for 2nd phase
ends Srinagar, September 22 An electorate of 8,76,626 voters, including 4,66,695 men will decide the fate of 70 candidates in 15 Assembly segments of Srinagar and Budgam districts, where 702 polling stations have been set up for the purpose. Of the booths set up in the two districts, some have been categorised as hypersensitive and others as sensitive. The National Conference President and the Union Minister of State for External Affiars, Mr Omar Abdullah, is contesting for the first time from the traditionally important seat of Ganderbal. The constituency has elected Chief Ministers of the National Conference for the past four terms. Seven ministers are seeking re-election from their constituencies, while another minister, Mr Agha Syed Mehmood, is contesting as an Independent candidate from Budgam, following the denial of mandate from his home constituency of Beerwah in Budgam district. The ministers include Mr Ghulam Mohiuddin Shah from Batamaloo, Mr Mian Altaf Ahmad from Kangan and Mr Ali Mohammad Sagar from Khanyar constituencies in Srinagar district. Finance Ministeer Abdul Rahim Rather is seeking re-election from his home constituency of Chrar-e-Sharief in Budgam district. Two others, Mr Mubarak Gul, chief whip of the NC with a ministerial status, is seeking re-election from Idgah, while Mohammad Yaseen Shah, political adviser to Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah, is contesting from the Sonawar constituency in Srinagar. Of the 13 seats in Jammu district, three ministers and a former minister are seeking re-election from their home constituencies. They are Power Minister Surjit Singh Salathia, Information and Transport Minister Ajatshatru Singh and Sports Minister Harbans Singh. The National Conference is poised for a tough fight against Qazi Mohammad Afzal of the PDP in Ganderbal. Mr Omar Abdullah’s father, Dr Farooq Abdullah, was elected from this constituency in 1983, 1987 and 1996. This time Dr Farooq Abdullah is not contesting the Assembly elections. Mr Omar Abdullah has been denying that he is the chief ministerial candidate, stating that it would be decided by the party after the elections are over. A tough fight is also in the offing for the ruling National Conference at Budgam, where party nominee Aga Sayed Rohulla Mehdi is pitted in a contest with six others, including his own uncle, Mr Agha Syed Mehmood, a minister in the farooq Abdullah government till the announcement of the elections. Mr Mehmood was denied mandate from his home constituency of Beerwah, following which he filed his nomination papers as an Independent candidate. A tough fight for the ruling NC, according to observers, is also likely in Beerwah, Khan Saheb and Chadoora constituencies of Budgam district. |
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CHRAR-E-SHARIEF Chrar-e-Sharief (Budgam), September 22 A bastion of the ruling National Conference, which has bagged this seat for six terms out of eight since the 1957 elections, it seems to have a tough fight in store for the party’s candidate this time for being “ignored” over the past six years. The holy township, 32 km south-west of Srinagar, witnessed the burning of the shrine of Sufi saint Sheikh Nooruddin Wali, popularly known as Alamdar-e-Kashmir (flag-bearer of Kashmir), in an encounter between militants and security forces on May 11, 1995. “Nothing can be guessed about the participation of people in the poll exercise,” said a resident, speaking in the condition of anonymity, adding that “in case securitymen use force the people would vote for the PDP”. The town looked deserted when campaigning for the second phase of the elections in 15 Assembly segments in Srinagar and Budgam districts of central Kashmir came to an end today. An Independent candidate, Mohammad Jammal Yatto, made it to the main township and addressed over 50 persons in his attempt to woo voters. The Congress, whose candidate Zahid Hussain is the only contestant out of four belonging to the main township, however, has not been able to hold any of its public meetings here. A party meeting scheduled to be held here today was later cancelled. Other two candidates are the Finance Minister and NC member representing the constituency, Mr Abdul Rahim Rather, and Mr Ghulam Nabi Lone of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP). An electorate of 61,970, including 32,990 men, would decide the fate of the four candidates in the fray for this prestigious constituency for which 66 polling stations have been set up. It has been represented in the Assembly by Mr Rather consecutively for the past four terms. The seat was represented by the Revenue Minister, Mr Abdul Qayoom (NC MLC) in 1967 and 1972 as a Congress candidate. This holy township witnessed the largest attended public meeting during the past two weeks yesterday when former Union Home Minister and PDP chief Mufti Mohammad Sayeed was here to campaign for his candidate. Only the flags of the Congress and the PDP were displayed prominently in the area. The National Conference “has been popularly known here but it has ignored us all,” say the residents in one voice. “It is not that Mr Rather has ignored us but his coterie has overlooked our interests for its own,” said Mohammad Amin, a resident of the town. “The minister coterie has got jobs for its kith and kin”, he says, adding that such an apathetic approach has distanced old supporters from the ruling party. In spite of the promises made by the government for the completion of the new structure of the shrine of Sheikh Nooruddin Wali, the work is yet incomplete, said a resident. Most of the residents of this township have come out openly against the government for ignoring it and instead giving benefits to the Badipora area to which Mr Rather belongs. All facilities have been given to other areas, instead of this holy township, residents claim as they enumerate the lapses. “We have no business, no employment”, they lament. Of the 18 doctors posted at the local government hospital, there are only two, claim the residents, while 16 others have been sent to other blocks. The 50-bedded hospital is left with only four beds, while an amount of 3 crore sanctioned for the upgradation of the hospital has been diverted to the Badipora medical centre, as the minister belongs to that area, said another resident. |
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NC worker killed in
Budgam Srinagar, September 22 The police here said militants shot dead Haji Ghulam Mohammad Parray, an activist of the National Conference at Bandgam, Beerwah in Budgam district yesterday. Militants hurled a grenade towards the house of Mohammad Shafi Banday, Congress candidate at Shopian in Pulwama district of south Kashmir, this afternoon. The grenade exploded within the premises of the house, but no one was hurt. Windowpanes of the house were damaged, the police here said. Unidentified militants hurled a grenade towards a police patrol near the bus stand, Shopian, today, causing injuries to at least 11 pedestrians. A security force jawan was killed and four others injured when unidentified militants hurled a grenade followed by firing towards a convoy of the security forces at Hanjipora, Beijbehara, on the Srinagar-Jammu national highway today. One foreign militant, Farhad Hussain of Pakistan, was killed in an encounter at Dachu village in Pulwama district. Two youths — Nissar Ahmad and Tariq Ahmad Malik — were killed and another seriously injured when they were fiddling with an explosive material at Lashtival in Kupwara district. Meanwhile, the 12-hour gunbattle between suspected Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) suicide squad militants and security forces ended this morning after sharpshooters killed one of the holed-up militants inside the state Police Housing Colony at Bemina, Sringar. A policeman also lost his life and four others, including the Deputy Inspector-General (DIG) of Police, were wounded in the shoot-out which followed after the suspected LeT militants stormed the colony housing about 275 families of police personnel last evening. In other instances of stepped-up violence a day before elections in the 28 Assembly constituencies in the second phase of Jammu and Kashmir elections, 17 persons, including two security personnel and 11 militants, were killed and 23 others injured overnight. |
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Challan against Yaseen Malik Jammu, September 22 According to a police statement, the challan was produced against Malik, Mushtaq Ahmed Dar, Shamima alias Shazia and Altaf Hussain Qadri in a case registered six months ago. The police had seized $ 70,000 from Shamima, besides $ 30,000 and Rs 19,000 from her companion Dar, during a routine checking at Kud in Udhampur district in March. During interrogation, they disclosed that the money was received from a Pakistan-based APHC member in Kathmandu at Malik’s instance.
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Oppn harps on neglect of Jammu
region Jammu, September 22 Jammu district is among the areas of Jammu and Kashmir which will go to poll during the second phase of elections on September 24. The opposition parties, including the Congress, BJP, RSS-backed Jammu State Morcha (JSM), Panthers Party, Nationalist Congress party (NCP), Lok Jan Shakti Party and other outfits, have been accusing the NC of discriminating against Jammu on the issues of employment, development and financial backup. However, the Chief Minister, Dr Farooq Abdullah, and his son and chief of the NC, Mr Omar Abdullah, have denied these allegations and have claimed that no injustice has been done with any region. Allegations of discrimination are also being made by these parties in their electioneering in Kathua and Udhampur districts which will go to poll in the third phase on October 1. The Congress is projecting the PCC chief, Mr Ghulam Nabi Azad, who belongs to Doda district of Jammu, as the Chief Minister in case the party was voted to power. The state has never had a Chief Minister from Jammu even when the Congress had a majority of legislators from here. The Chief Minister was always chosen from the Kashmir valley. The voters are puzzled because all opposition parties have started harping on the issue of discrimination only when the elections have come. Interestingly, the BJP, which is leading the NDA government at the Centre with the NC as a member of the alliance and its President, Mr Omar Abdullah, a minister at the centre, has started finding faults with the government of Dr Farooq Abdullah here. The Jammu State Morcha (JSM) backed by the RSS has sprung up to raise the issue of statehood for Jammu as it feels that this is the only solution for removing discrimination. The JSM has alleged that out of the one lakh people employed by the state government in the past six years, only about 15,000 were from Jammu. The Congress President, Mrs Sonia Gandhi, promised here that a regional development board and a finance commission with statutory powers would be set up to ensure balanced development of all regions of the state. Most of the parties allege that the Jammu region is contributing larger revenue to the state’s kitty, but the expenditure of the government is more in Kashmir while Jammu is neglected in the allocation of funds. However, one thing common with all parties is that most of them, to placate the people here, have promised to pressurise the centre to include Dogri language in the Eighth Schedule. The BJP and BSP leader and UP Chief Minister, Ms Mayawati, have predicted a hung Assembly and each has claimed that the balance of power will be in their hands. |
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BJP for change over to
peace Jammu, September 22 Talking to newsmen here today, the Union Minister of State for Defence, Prof Chaman Lal Gupta, and the Minister for Surface Transport, Mr B.C. Khandoori, said that people in the state yearned for peace which could be possible with the change of the government. Mr Khandoori while holding the NC and the Congress responsible for prolonged discrimination against the people of the Jammu region referred to the unfair distribution of Central funds and meagre share of Assembly seats to the Jammu region. He said that despite the fact that the Jammu region had more area and voters than the Kashmir valley it had only 37 Assembly seats against 46 for the valley. He said that the BJP-led NDA government had been liberal in releasing funds to Jammu and Kashmir, but the NC government allocated meagre share to the Jammu region and misappropriated the rest of it. Prof Chaman Lal Gupta, who spent two days in the valley in connection with the pre-poll campaign, said that people in Kashmir were keen on peace, but the vested interests and the National Conference leaders were trying to destabilise peace. He accused the NC leaders of organising a secret poster war in which threats were being held out to voters in case they cast their votes. He said in case of very poor polling the National Conference could win. For this its leaders were scaring away voters from the polling booths. Prof Gupta said a third force can emerge over the ruins of the NC and Congress. Prof Gupta, who heads the election management committee of the BJP, said that the state government had not provided adequate security cover to the Opposition leaders and candidates whereas the NC candidates had been given all facilities and sufficient security cover. He said that seat adjustment with the State Morcha had been finalised to avoid split in the pro-Sangh Parivar votes. |
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Attack on police colony: panic in
city Srinagar, September 22 After nightlong operation, which concluded at 8 a.m. today security forces killed one of the two militants who had sneaked into the colony. The militant was killed at 6 a.m. after a search operation unit traced him sitting on the branch of a tree in the rear compound of the colony. The militant was in JKAP uniform and carrying three identity cards of Beerwah, Budgam and Chhanpora. The Tribune team was present on the spot at 6 a.m. when the security forces launched operation to eliminate the said militant who was after shifted to the Police Hospital for examination. After the end of the operation at 8 a.m. today, IG, Kashmir range, K. Rajendra Kumar confirmed the killing of one militant. He said, “We have searched the area extensively. The second militant must have escaped under the cover of night.” The IG added that the police lost one constable and six others were still in hospital. Among the injured are head constable Sher Singh, Abdul Majid, Mohammad Maqbool, Fayyaz Ahmad, Manzoor Ahmad and Shah Wali. Officials
informed that the two militants had come to the Police Colony in an
autorickshaw. They were not suspected as they were in police uniform. They first launched grenade attack to raise
confusion. It was this attack which killed constable G.H. Mohammad on duty at the gate. Sher Singh was seriously injured. However, intensive operation by security agencies prevented the militants from entering the house. |
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3 die in Jammu road mishap Jammu, September 22 Official sources the Matador was heading towards Kanachak from Jammu and as it reached Misriwala on the Jammu-Akhnoor road, the driver lost control of the vehicle and it skidded off the road, killing three persons on the spot. The wounded have been rushed to Government Medical College here. Two of the dead have been identified as Ranu Devi and Tulsi Devi,
while the identity of the third person is yet to be ascertained, the sources said.
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