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Friday,
November 1, 2002, Chandigarh, India  
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Militants
ponder post-poll strategy 3 ultras
shot, 4 Hizb men held in valley
Infighting
led to BJP rout in J&K |
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Jammu
people unforgiving Hectic
activity on for list of ministers Yet
another split, 3 leaders quit JKLF 2 women
hurt in border firing
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Militants
ponder post-poll strategy Jammu, October 31 These commanders are attending a three-day annual convention of the Lashkar-e-Toiba somewhere in Lahore from tomorrow for detailed discussion on the security and political scenario that has emerged in Kashmir after the elections. The Indian security and intelligence agencies have started monitoring the deliberations minutely so that the security grid in the state could be restructured accordingly. Reports from across the border said the Lashkar-e-Toiba activists would adopt belligerent postures following the success the fundamentalists achieved in the recent general election in Pakistan. The commanders of the outfit would naturally expect full political and material support from these fundamentalists in strengthening the anti-India struggle in Kashmir. Official sources in Jammu said as far as man and machine power was concerned the Lashkar-e-Toiba was on the top followed by the Jaish-e-Mohammad. These outfits had outclassed other groups, including Hizbul Mujahideen, Al Badr, Harkatul Jehadi Islami, because of moral and material support from the Pakistani agencies, especially the ISI. They said despite snowfall in the higher mountain belts in north-west Kashmir there was no let up in the rate of infiltration. The Pakistani agencies were trying to push into Jammu and Kashmir as many groups of militants as possible within next one month so that for another five to six months the pro-Pakistan groups had requisite force to kick up subversive violence in the state. According to the sources, militants, especially those belonging to the Lashkar-e-Toiba, would step up violence in the urban areas of Kashmir to prevent the coalition government from concentrating on development and people welfare programmes. |
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3 ultras shot, 4 Hizb men held in valley Srinagar, October 31 Two militants were killed in a 17-hour-long fierce gunfight with the security forces at Chakoora village in Pulwama district of south Kashmir today, the sources said. The encounter started last evening when the security forces laid a cordon around a house at the village following specific information about the presence of militants. The house caught fire during the exchange of fire which continued till today, resulting in the killing of two militants, they said. In another encounter, a militant was killed during search operations by the Rashtriya Rifles at a village in Danew-Kandimarg in Anantnag district, south Kashmir early today. Four Hizbul Mujahideen militants were arrested by a joint search party of the Rashtriya Rifles and police from a hideout at Galwanpora in Badgam district of central Kashmir last night, the sources said. The militants were identified as Muzaffar Ahmad Shah, Nissar Ahmad Magray (residents of Khansahib), Farooq Ahmad Bhat (Krimshore) and Hilal Ahmad (Watrad). They had recently sneaked into the valley from across the border after obtaining training in the handling of arms and explosives, the sources said. Three AK assault rifles, a wireless set and some ammunition were recovered from the captured militants who are being interrogated, the sources said.
PTI |
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Infighting
led to BJP rout in J&K Jammu, October 31 In the 1998 Lok Sabha election the BJP had won both the seats from the Jammu region. In the 1996 Assembly election it had bagged eight seats. Its down the hill journey has been so speedy. During the recent Assembly poll it won only one seat and that too because the Congress had fielded a light weight in the Nagrota constituency. The rout of the BJP is not because the RSS-led State Morcha fielded 12 candidates eight in the BJP stronghold. The three-year long infighting in the BJP caused by the RSS to influence the policies of the BJP. The rot in the BJP had set with the machinations at Vir Bhawan, RSS headquarters in Jammu. The state BJP general secretary, Mr Bhagwat Swaroop, was shifted from here to Chandigarh. Mr Swaroop had kept the BJP flock together and his efforts had been supplemented by Prof. Chaman Lal Gupta, who headed the state unit of the party four years ago. After Mr Swaroop’s exit from Jammu the RSS leadership and its lobby in the BJP worked hard to weaken the hold of Prof. Chaman Lal Gupta on the organisation after he was inducted into the union council of ministers. The result of this machination was that the BJP which won the Jammu Lok Sabha seat in 1999 by a margin of 1.50 lakh votes lost it in March 2002 by a margin of over 55,000 votes. The RSS-led State Morcha candidates lost their security in seven out of 12 seats. The one seat of Bishna that fell in its bag was a vote for the Congress rebel, Mr Ashwani Sharma, who resigned from the Congress, after he was denied the party ticket, and contest as an Independent candidate demonstrating his loyalty to the State Morcha. The RSS contributed to the defeat of the BJP candidates in Udhampur, Reasi and denied the BJP its chance to retain Jammu East, Jammu West and Gandhi Nagar constituencies. The tussle between the RSS and the BJP leaders has been so intense that the RSS has sabotaged the plan of holding the election for the post of the president of the state unit of the BJP for the last two years. Mr D.K. Kotwal has already completed his tenure. Inside reports said that the RSS leadership fears that its anti-lobby within the BJP would win in case the election for the president’s post was held. Normally Mr Kotwal should have resigned owing moral responsibility for the rout of the BJP but he was advised by his RSS friends to continue. Interestingly, the BJP president has not convened any meeting of the working committee to examine the reasons that led to its defeat in the Assembly poll. The plan to revamp and restructure the organisation has been shelved for the time being. Latest reports said that the BJP High Command is sending a high level team to Jammu to work out reconciliation between the RSS and the BJP. The State Morcha leaders have alleged that its candidates lost in several constituencies either due to lack of support from the BJP and party’s rebel candidates. However, a senior BJP leader said that the State Morcha had been responsible for the defeat of their candidates because it had violated the agreement Also, the RSS had no political experience and by jumping into the poll fray it had not harmed only the BJP but had damaged the RSS structure which had been built by its leaders who have been in the BJP now. Another BJP leader said that if the high command wanted the BJP to have an edge again it should free it from the domination of the RSS and the RSS should be clearly told to lend organisational support by way of making available the man power to the BJP. The RSS should be advised to keep off politics for the time being. |
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Jammu people unforgiving Jammu, October 31 The BJP and the Jammu State Morcha have got an opportunity to launch an attack on the Congress, accusing it of having misled the people of the region. With a lot of resentment prevailing among the people on the issue, Mufti Sayeed will have to make an extra effort to win their favour. Though the coalition ministry will be sworn in at Srinagar this week, the Mufti will actually start functioning from here when government offices, which closed in Srinagar for the winter, will reopen here on November 5. The people are taking the statement of PCC Chief Ghulam Nabi Azad that he was satisfied with the inclusion of 23 poll promises of the Congress in the common minimum programme (CMP) which the coalition government will pursue with a pinch of salt. However, the people from Jammu are not pleased as the state has never had a Chief Minister from there. The president of the Panthers Party, Mr Bhim Singh, has claimed that most of the points pertaining to the uplift of Jammu were included in the CMP following his insistence. Mr Bhim Singh is also drawing flak for not sticking to his stand of supporting a government which was headed by a person from Jammu. The Mufti’s connections with the Jammu region are old. He won the 1983 Assembly election from the Ranbirsingh Pura constituency in Jammu. Activists of the PDP say that he is conversant with the problems of the region and would try to alleviate them. The PDP had not even got a single seat here. The Mufti is facing an uphill task in connection with the composition of his ministry as the coalition partners and the Independents supporting him are demanding the maximum number of ministerial berths. He has however, stated that his ministry will be small. Several people have meanwhile started lobbying for nomination to the Upper House where eight seats have fallen vacant. |
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Hectic activity on for list of ministers Srinagar, October 31 Sources believe that senior Congress leader Mr Mangat Ram Sharma, is being unanimously considered for the post of Deputy Chief Minister. It would be for the second time since 1977 that the state will have a Deputy Chief Minister, after Mirza Mohammad Afzal Begh in the Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah’s government. No final decision has yet been made for the post of Speaker of the Legislative Assembly. Congress leader from Jammu Mulla Ram is being considered for the post. However, most Congress and PDP leaders are in favour of the Speaker from Kashmir division. A former minister and Congress leader, Peerzada Mohammad Sayeed, is being considered for this post, and the Congress high command has conveyed the same to him. A final nod from Congress president Sonia Gandhi is awaited in respect of different portfolios of ministers and those of the Deputy Chief Minister and the Speaker’s post. In this connection the LCP leader, Mr Ghulam Nabi Azad, who arrived here yesterday from Jammu today flew to New Delhi. Senior PDP functionaries, including its vice-presidents Ms Mehbooba Mufti and Muzaffar Hussain Begh and others like Ghulam Hassan Mir are among those being considered for the council of ministers. |
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Yet another split, 3 leaders quit JKLF Srinagar, October 31 The new group — “JKLF”— is in favour of holding talks with the Centre for the peaceful resolution of the Kashmir issue. Addressing a press conference here this afternoon, Mr Gandroo, Mr Qureshi and Mr Khurshed Ahmad said the JKLF had suffered under Mr Mir’s leadership. They said the JKLF was formed by Mohammad Maqbool Bhat to achieve independence for Jammu and Kashmir. However, after his death, the organisation suffered under the leadership of Amanullah Khan which resulted in the first split, they added. “Now after Mohammad Yaseen Malik’s detention, the present leadership lacks qualities to lead the organisation,’’ they said. Maintaining that Mr Malik’s leadership as the Chairman of the JKLF was not being challenged, they said since he was in jail, Mr Mir’s leadership was not acceptable. They claimed to be representing the “real’’ JKLF. Urging militants to accept the Centre’s invitation of talks to resolve the Kashmir issue peacefully, they said the negotiations should be meaningful and result-oriented. Asked if they would accept an invitation from Chief Minister designate Mufti Mohammad Sayeed for talks, they said, “there is no use of holding talks with us and other separatist groups... Militants who have not surrendered arms should be involved in negotiations on the Kashmir issue with the government,’’ they said.
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2 women hurt in border firing Jammu, October 31 The Pakistani Rangers resorted to firing in 32 border outposts and the civilian areas of R S Pura, Samba, Khour, Ramgarh and Hiranagar sub-sectors since last evening, they said. In the firing, which continued intermittently until this morning, two women were injured in the Gohra and Gadra areas and were hospitalised. The Pakistani troops resorted to moderate intensity shelling along the LoC in the Poonch, Rajouri, Kargil and Siachen
sectors. PTI |
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