J A M M U   &   K A S H M I R

Eight militants shot in valley
Srinagar, October 29
Militants struck at three places in the city killing four security personnel overnight while elsewhere in the state eight militants were among 13 persons killed and 10 others were wounded during the past 24 hours.
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Security personnel stand near the dead body of their colleague Varinder Singh in a hospital in Srinagar on Tuesday.
— Reuters photo

We haven’t betrayed Jammu people: Azad
Jammu, October 29
The PCC president, Mr Ghulam Nabi Azad, said today that the Congress had not betrayed people of Jammu by allowing the President of the People’s Democratic Party Mufti Mohammed Sayeed, to head the coalition government as all election promises had been included in the common minimum programme, which would be pursued by the government.

Cong-PDP alliance unholy: BJP
Jammu, October 29
Following its rout in the recent Assembly poll, the beleaguered Sangh Parivar has launched a vigorous campaign against the Congress for what it calls ‘betrayal’ of the people of the Jammu region by robbing the province of the chance of having a Chief Minister from the area for the first time in 55 years.

Chances of Mattoo’s induction bleak
Jammu, October 29
Mr Raman Mattoo’s, the only Kashmiri Pandit MLA, induction in the Council of Ministers has become slightly dim after Mr R.K. Vaishnavi, a close associate of Mufti Mohammed Sayeed, Chief Minister-designate, and Mr Ashok Bhan, a member of the Kashmir Committee and a confidant of PCC chief, Ghulam Nabi Azad, have become strong aspirants for a ministerial post.

Bhim Singh’s ultimatum
Jammu, October 29
Though the PDP-led coalition government has not been installed in Jammu and Kashmir, but signals of its instability were given here today by Mr Bhim Singh, president of the Panthers Party, who said many Chief Ministers would come and go during the six-year Assembly term.

BJP favours civic bodies poll
Jammu, October 29
The state unit of the BJP has decided to demand the holding of election to the local bodies in Jammu and Kashmir. Addressing party workers here today Minister of State for Defence Professor Chaman Lal Gupta, advised them to protest against the delay in holding of local bodies’ elections.

Eight militants shot in valley

Srinagar, October 29
Militants struck at three places in the city killing four security personnel overnight while elsewhere in the state eight militants were among 13 persons killed and 10 others were wounded during the past 24 hours.

Security forces defused a powerful improvised explosive device (IED) planted by militants at Nowpora woods in Baramula district last night.

An official spokesman said militants shot dead two Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel — Head Constable Varinder Singh and constable Ashok Patel — at Karan Nagar in the city this afternoon and managed to escape.

A Jammu and Kashmir police constable Abdul Rashid was shot at and critically wounded by militants at Soura in the downtown city this afternoon. He died later in hospital.

The spokesman said two Pakistani infiltrators were killed immediately after they sneaked into this side at the Batal Keri sector last night. Two security personnel also laid down their lives during the encounter.

He said security forces gunned down four militants at Sildhar while another was killed at Badhoon last night. A large cache of arms and ammunition was seized from their possession, he said.

One security jawan lost his life when militants attacked a patrol party at Ban Loran last night.

Official sources told UNI that militants shot at and critically wounded a BSF jawan at Rajouri Kadal in the downtown city last night. The injured was shifted to hospital where he was declared brought dead.

In another incident, militants hurled a hand grenade at security forces at Neehama last evening. However, the grenade missed the intended target and exploded on the roadside injuring 10 persons. The injured were admitted to hospital where the condition of one of them was stated to be critical.

A security force vehicle was damaged when militants detonated a powerful IED at Sangam Shanglipora last evening. However, no one was injured.

The spokesman said security forces killed two foreign militants Ali Haider and Nasarullah, residents of Pakistan, in an encounter at Kantpora in the frontier district of Kupwara this morning. Two AK rifles, 26 magazines and 60 rounds were found from the site, he said.

Militants shot dead Abdul Majid Lone and Mohammad Ismail Badana at Kupwara and Bandipora, respectively, late last night. UNI

We haven’t betrayed Jammu people: Azad
Tribune News Service

Jammu, October 29
The PCC president, Mr Ghulam Nabi Azad, said today that the Congress had not betrayed people of Jammu by allowing the President of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) Mufti Mohammed Sayeed, to head the coalition government as all election promises had been included in the common minimum programme (CMP), which would be pursued by the government. He said out of the 33 promises made by the Congress in its election manifesto, at least 23 had been included in the CMP.

Talking to mediapersons he said Congress President Sonia Gandhi had made it clear that the coalition government should be an example for the country and the term of ministers would solely depend on their performance and integrity.

Mr Mufti was also of the same view as both parties had promised to tackle corruption and nepotism which allegedly flourished in the National Conference regime.

Mr Azad said there would be no jumbo-size ministry and the Deputy Chief Minister would be from the Congress. The Speaker of the Assembly would also be chosen in consultation with the party high command, he said.

The bureaucracy would also be made accountable, he said.

There was a lot of difference in the election manifesto of the PDP and the CMP and it was wrong to say that certain objectionable promises of the PDP had been included in the programme, he said, adding that the Congress could have formed a government with the support of Independents and smaller groups, but the alliance with the PDP would lead stability to the government.

Mr Azad said the aim of the coalition was to heal the physical, psychological and emotional wounds inflicted by the 14 years of militancy, restore the rule of law, complete the revival of the political process and request the Centre to initiate wide-ranging consultations with members of the legislature and the public to evolve a broad-based consensus on the restoration of peace.

He said as per the CMP, the ex-gratia grant of Rs 1 lakh for the kin of terrorist victims would be raised to Rs 2 lakh.

Cong-PDP alliance unholy: BJP
Tribune News Service

Jammu, October 29
Following its rout in the recent Assembly poll, the beleaguered Sangh Parivar has launched a vigorous campaign against the Congress for what it calls ‘betrayal’ of the people of the Jammu region by robbing the province of the chance of having a Chief Minister from the area for the first time in 55 years.

The president of the state unit of the BJP, Mr D.K. Kotwal, alleged here today that the Congress had stabbed the people of the Jammu region in the back by forging an ‘unholy alliance’ with the PDP.

Mr Kotwal, while showering praises on the Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee, and the Chief Election Commission for holding a free and fair poll in the state, said the very purpose of the poll would be defeated by the Congress-PDP policy programme.

He said the common minimum programme, of the coalition government would strengthen the hands of subversives and terrorists in the state.

He said there was no mention of the implementation of the Wazir Committee report and the formation of regional development councils or boards as had been promised by the Congress. There was no mention of the programme for ending discrimination against Jammu people and on the top of it the pledge to install a Jammuite as the Chief Minister.

Chances of Mattoo’s induction bleak
Tribune News Service

Jammu, October 29
Mr Raman Mattoo’s, the only Kashmiri Pandit MLA, induction in the Council of Ministers has become slightly dim after Mr R.K. Vaishnavi, a close associate of Mufti Mohammed Sayeed, Chief Minister-designate, and Mr Ashok Bhan, a member of the Kashmir Committee and a confidant of PCC chief, Ghulam Nabi Azad, have become strong aspirants for a ministerial post.

While Mr Bhan has been with the Congress for the past several years, Mr Vaishnavi has been an office-bearer of the PDP and contested from the Habba Kadal seat on the PDP ticket, but lost.

Me Raman Mattoo joined the National Conference hoping to be inducted in the Farooq-led Council of Ministers in place of his father-in-law, Mr P.L. Handoo, who died last year. Getting neither the ministerial post nor mandate, he left the National Conference and contested the Habba Kadal seat.

The Congress and the PDP could have taken Mr Raman Mattoo in the Council of Ministers but Mr Vaishnavi and Mr Bhan are said to have mounted pressure on the coalition leaders for a ministerial post.

Latest reports said that Mufti Mohammed was planning to induct Justice (retired) M.L. Bhat in the Cabinet. According to these reports Mr Bhat was in Jammu to attend a wedding and he received an invitation from Mufti Mohammed Sayeed, through the police, to reach Srinagar in a day or two. Mr Bhat has reached Srinagar.

Sources close to Mufti said that the Chief Minister-designate is keen on ensuring that a senior and seasoned Kashmiri Pandit represented the community in his Cabinet. He had played key role in the release of Rubiya Sayeed, daughter of Mufti who was abducted in Srinagar in December 1989 and released after a settlement with the militants.

Bhim Singh’s ultimatum
Tribune News Service

Jammu, October 29
Though the PDP-led coalition government has not been installed in Jammu and Kashmir, but signals of its instability were given here today by Mr Bhim Singh, president of the Panthers Party, who said many Chief Ministers would come and go during the six-year Assembly term.

The four legislators of the Panthers Party are supporting the coalition government. Mr Bhim Singh gave a six-month ultimatum for fulfilling the promises made to the people of Jammu region. He was talking to mediapersons here.

Mr Bhim Singh claimed that the agenda of the PDP had not found place in the common minimum programme. He denied that he had made a volte-face in his stand on ministerial berths for his men.

BJP favours civic bodies poll
Tribune News Service

Jammu, October 29
The state unit of the BJP has decided to demand the holding of election to the local bodies in Jammu and Kashmir.

Addressing party workers here today Minister of State for Defence Professor Chaman Lal Gupta, advised them to protest against the delay in holding of local bodies’ elections. He said elections to these bodies had not been held for the past 23 years and the BJP workers should force the Congress-PDP coalition government to order the elections.

Prof Gupta also favoured a stir against the meagre supply of drinking water and electricity. He said the state was reeling under power crisis and people, especially the students, faced hardship with eight to nine-hour shut down.

He blamed the previous National Conference Government for misusing funds meant for power generation. He said that the state authorities went in for major hydel projects without realising that the projects would not be utilised to capacity due to poor river discharge.