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Thursday,
November 14, 2002, Chandigarh, India  
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Mufti firm on release
of political prisoners NC ex-MLA alleges betrayal Army man among 7 hurt in IED blasts Pak bunkers destroyed Pollution: notices to hospitals Cop held for raping
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Mufti firm on release
of political prisoners Srinagar, November 13 “It is a matter of our policy and common minimum programme to release all political prisoners in the state, which we are bound to implement. We have initiated the proces and it will go on,” Mr Sayeed told reporters here when asked if he would continue with the release of the prisoners following Malik's comments daring Sayeed to contest an election against him to test his popularity in the valley. Defending the release of political prisoners, Mr Sayeed said “democracy is a battle of ideas. Let them (political prisoners) come out and put forth their point of view and we will put ours.” “We want to create an atmosphere conducive for a dialogue. We live in a democratic country and we have just had free and fair elections in the state,” Mr Sayeed said. He, however, parried a direct question on the date for the release of firebrand Jammat-e-Islami leader, Syed Ali Shah Geelani, saying all cases were being reviewed and releases would be effected only after the the process was completed. The BJP yesterday attacked Mr Sayeed’s move to release political prisoners saying that their release “would send a negative signal and undermine the entire effort to fight insurgency and terror.” Mr Sayeed, who addressed a seminar in Kashmir university here, said the release of political prisoners was not new and several Hurriyat Conference leaders were released in the past. “It was right then and I say it is right now also. Our stand has been consistent that the Kashmir issue cannot be resolved by the gun. It has to be resolved through a peaceful dialogue,” he said. The Chief Minister said his government’s efforts were aimed at providing a healing touch to the situation. Several steps have been taken. The Army has relaxed night curfew in view of the holy month of Ramzan. It has also called off the searching of vehicles which was a time-consuming process, he said.
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Oppn will be treated as partner: Beig Srinagar, November 13 The new government has a “vision of governance” that upholds the respect for the Opposition, Mr Beig said addressing a meeting of the Srinagar District Development Board here yesterday. The new government, the Finance Minister said, was keen to have urgent developmental project in the state and would co-opt the Opposition in this process. Emphasising the need for harmonious relations between the political leadership and the bureaucracy, Mr Beig said the government would be “polite” with the bureaucracy but it would not tolerate dishonesty and inefficiency. Minister for Rural Development Pirzada Mohammad Sayeed said the government would give thrust to rural development as it considered an important instrument of development. Minister for Social Welfare Mularam said all 45,000 pending cases of old age pension had been sanctioned by the government. He said the disabled persons would now receive their assistance at their homes through money orders and would not have to go to any offices to get the same.
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J&K wants grants on NE pattern Srinagar, November 13 A resolution in this regard will be introduced in the state Assembly, according to the Minister for Finance, Planning and Law and Parliamentary Affairs Muzzafar Hussain Beigh. "This will help in improving the economy of the state as a major share of central funding is spent in meeting the interest on accumulated central debt," he said yesterday, adding that his government would seek the help of opposition parties in this endeavour. Urging the Centre to look at the problems of the state in The national perspective and not merely as of “any other State,” Mr Beigh demanded central compensation for losses Incurred by the state on account of the Indus Water Treaty With Pakistan. “The state and its people were bleeding and the Union Government must complement the state government in its efforts to provide a healing touch to the situation,” Mr Beigh said While addressing the joint meeting of the state Cabinet and the Budgam District Development Board here yesterday. The idea had been conveyed to Opposition leader Farooq Abdullah in the state and to Mr Manmohan Singh, leader of the Congress, which is a coalition partner in the state Government. Mr Beigh said the Prime Minister had assured all Support to the PDP in this regard.
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NC ex-MLA alleges betrayal Jammu, November 13 Mr Bawan told The Tribune today that Dr Abdullah had not given the party mandate to him for contesting the Sonawar Assembly seat which he had won in the 1996 or the plea that he needed “me in the Rajya Sabha.” He said the former Chief Minister had met him and informed “me that since the Kashmir issue had assumed international dimensions, I needed an experienced and knowledgeable person in the Rajya Sabha where I could play a significant role in explaining the genesis of the problem.” Mr Bawan stated angrily that instead of “giving me the party mandate for contesting a Rajya Sabha seat, Dr Abdullah filed his nomination papers and got elected to the Upper House without a contest.” The aggrieved former legislator said he was betrayed and was planning to avenge his betrayal. He said he headed and was associated with 40 organisations and unions, including the Peoples’ Welfare Front, claiming that the workers of these unions would no longer support the National Conference. Asked whether other former MLAs and workers would follow suit, Mr Bawan said, “Wait and watch for a week or so and see the result of my revolt against the NC.” For the time being, Mr Bawan has decided not to join any political party. However, indications are that both the Congress and the PDP have started wooing him and his supporters. Since he was associated with the Congress, he would be welcomed in the organisation. At the same time, he has worked for several years with Mufti Mohammad Sayeed when he was the PCC chief and he, too, could easily rope in Mr Bawan. After the defeat of the National Conference in the Assembly poll, a number of NC leaders have already been in touch with the PDP and the Congress to get a chance to join either of the two ruling organisations. Since the 1996 poll, the National Conference had succeeded in winning into its fold several leaders and legislators belonging to the Congress, the Janata Dal and the PDP. Two Congress stalwarts, Mr Talib Hussain and Mirza Abdul Rashid, were rewarded by getting them elected to the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha. Two Janata Dal MLAs in the erstwhile Assembly, Mr Jagjivan Lal and Mr Dilawar Mir, and one Congress MLA, Mr R.S. Sharma, were given the NC ticket for contesting from Reasi, Rafiabad and Nowshehra. Only Mr Mir had retained the Refiabad seat. Reports said the NC leadership had deferred reorganisation of the party units right from the tehsil level because of growing dissidence in the organisation. It has decided to adopt a wait and watch policy and see whether the PDP-Congress coalition will be able to secure a vote of confidence on the floor of the Assembly. A senior NC leader said, “Let the political scenario in the state get clear and then we will be able to revamp our organisation. We have to adapt ourselves to the changed situation because for the past 27 years we have been occupying the treasury benches except for a two years when Mr G.M. Shah had toppled our government through defections. He said, “We need some time to work out a schedule for acting as a responsible opposition party.” The leader did not attach much significance to Mr Bawan’s resignation saying that “he may prove insignificant for our party.” At the same time, party sources said the success of the NC leadership in keeping its flock together rested on the shoulders of Dr Farooq Abdullah and his son, Mr Omar Abdullah. If the two join hands and avoid confronting each other, they could stem the rot that had started emaciating the party. |
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Army man among 7 hurt in IED blasts Jammu, November 13 Senior Superintendent of Police, Poonch, Dr Kamal Saini, said here this afternoon that unidentified militants triggered an improvised explosive device (IED), planted in a damaged bus at Lassana village on the Jammu-Poonch highway, when a passenger bus and an Army vehicle drove past the spot at around 9.55 am today. Four civilians and a soldier were injured in the blast for which a spokesman of the Lashkar-e-Toiba claimed responsibility. The injured were identified as Khalid Ahmed, Parvez Ahmad, Mir Mohammad and Mohammd Mushtaq. They were shifted to a nearby hospital and the Army jawan was airlfited to the Army hospital at Udhampur. Senior police officials rushed to the spot and a search operation was on to nab the ultras. During the search operation, the police seized and defused a live IED planted on the roadside, 50 m away from the explosion site. Two hours later ultras triggered another IED planted in garbage near the explosion site when a police party was searching the area. It resulted in injuries to two police personnel, including a sub-inspector and assistant sub-inspector, Mr Saini said. Meanwhile, two hardcore ultras were killed and two others, including an Army jawan, injured in a fierce encounter at Bandare village in Mahore area of Udhampur district this afternoon. Official sources said security forces launched a search operation this afternoon to flush out militants after a tip-off that a large group of ultras were hiding in the Mahore area. When the jawans challenged the militants, they opened fire and in the ensuing gunbattle, two hardcore militants were shot dead, the sources added. A soldier and a civilian were also injured in the gunbattle with ultras. The encounter was going on when reports last came in. Srinagar: Four persons, including three militants, were killed in the Kashmir valley since Tuesday night. Official sources said an encounter took place in the forest area of Handwara in north Kashmir on Tuesday evening, during which two foreign militants were killed. The encounter began after a patrol party was fired upon by militants. Two AK rifles and other arms and ammunition were seized from the slain militants. The sources said another encounter took place at Kulgam in south Kashmir late on Tuesday during a search operation. One militant and a civilian, Ali Mohammad, were killed in the shootout. Security forces also seized over one-and-a-half quintal of RDX, detonators and grenades in south Kashmir late on Tuesday. On a tip-off, the security forces conducted searches at Badshahnar village in Pulwama district and seized huge cache of arms and ammunition. Meanwhile, the bodies of seven Central Reserve Police Force personnel, killed in a mine blast at Ramsoo on the Srinagar-Jammu national highway recently, were taken to Delhi on Wednesday. The bodies were brought here and kept at the indoor stadium, where a large number of senior CRPF and police officials paid their last respects. Wreaths were also laid on the coffin of the CRPF personnel. UNI |
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Pak bunkers destroyed Jammu, November 13 Defence Ministry sources said the Indian forces inflicted heavy losses on Pakistan soldiers after several Indian border villages in Kargil, Dras, Nowshehra and Arnia sectors were rocked by unprovoked mortar, machine-gun and artillery fire by the Pakistan troops. An Indian soldier, Adi Mulam, was killed and another wounded in the Jhangarh area of Nowshehra sector last night. The sources said the Pakistani troops fired about 80 mortar shells and one of them hit the buffer wall in front of a bunker in the Jhangarh area of Nowshehra in Rajouri district. Two soldiers were injured in the shell explosion and one succumbed to his wounds. The sources said the Indian troops retaliated suitably and smashed several Pakistani bunkers. The Pakistan troops resorted to heavy calibre and mortar firing on the 19000 ft high Siachen glacier in eastern Ladakh, from across Kargil, Dras. In the Mushkov area of Dras, several families fled to safer places when their hamlets were rattled by the artillery and mortar fire from across the LoC. In the Kupwara and Mandhar areas, besides Arnia sector in Jammu the Pakistani troops resorted to small arms fire. The step-up in Pak firing and shelling started at about 4 p.m. yesterday and continued, though intermittently, till the early hours of today. The sources said, besides keeping the Kashmir issue alive, the main aim of the step-up in Pak shelling and firing on Indian border villages was to provide fire cover to groups of militants who had been brought to the launching pads across Kupwara, Poonch and Rajouri sectors to be infiltrated into Jammu and Kashmir. The Indian troops have been directed to foil any intrusion bid by Pak-trained militants. The troops, official sources said, were given instructions to shoot anyone found crossing the LoC. |
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Pollution: notices to hospitals Jammu, November 13 These health institutions have been dumping hospital waste in public places and water bodies. Notices have also been issued to the municipal committees of Jammu and Srinagar to stop dumping waste in the open. The two municipalities have also been ordered to install incinerators to destroy the garbage. Besides these hospitals and nursing homes, hundreds of clinics are functioning in the state because there is no ban on private practice by government doctors. The waste of these clinics is also thrown in public places. What is most shocking is that blood samples taken for examination in laboratories and used syringes are also being dumped unscientifically in public places. The Member Secretary of the board, Mr Inayatullah Khan, while talking to this correspondent here today, admitted that hospitals and nursing homes had become a big nuisance here and in Srinagar. None of these was taking preventive measures. He said more hospitals and nursing homes were being allowed to come up in Srinagar despite a decision that prior approval of the Health Department will be necessary for the purpose. Government Medical College here has installed an incinerator which remained out of order for a few months and has now been re-commissioned. |
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Cop held for raping girl Srinagar, November 13 The girl, a resident of Awantipora, was reportedly abducted by constable Fayaz Ahmad Wani while she was on her way to visit her relatives in Tral yesterday. The policeman, along with an accomplice, Ashiq Hussain Shah, raped the girl and fled, the sources said, adding he was later arrested. A case has been registered.
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