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Thursday,
November 21, 2002, Chandigarh, India  
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KASHMIR PANEL Delimitation panel
for J&K soon Militants form Jammu Kashmir Sujat Alliance Brief and specific — the Mufti formula Legislative Council nominations |
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Tara Chand likely to be Speaker Cops beat up press photographer 100 police recruits hospitalised
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KASHMIR PANEL
Srinagar, November 20 Malik, who is a member of Hurriyat’s Executive council, walked out of its meeting in a huff after his disagreement with other members of the separatist conglomerate, amalgam sources said. The meeting, which lasted for more than three hours, was called to discuss the future strategy of talks with the Kashmir Committee in the wake of Malik’s recent outburst against Jethmalani after his release on November 11, they said. The sources said the seven-member Hurriyat executive council held extensive deliberations on whether to continue dialogue with the Kashmir Committee in the wake of Malik’s charges that Jethmalani was adopting double standards. The Hurriyat executive council, barring Malik, favoured continuing talks with the Kashmir Committee leading to a walk out by the JKLF chairman, the sources said. They said JKLF chairman tried in vain to impress upon his colleagues to realise the “ulterior motives” of the Kashmir Committee. However, the executive committee members remained silent on the agenda of today’s meeting which also discussed the changing political scenario in the state following the change of government.
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Delimitation
panel for J&K soon Jammu, November 20 The time frame for the setting up of the commission would find mention in the Governor’s address to the joint session of the state assembly tomorrow, he said while addressing a function to commemorate the birth anniversary of late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi here yesterday. He said the state government would ensure an equitable development of all three regions of the state as promised in its common minimum programme. Efforts would be made to ensure the growth of all regions and to end the “hegemony” of one particular region over the other to restore peace in the state, he added. Mr Sharma, who is also the senior vice-president of the state Congress Committee, highlighted the contributions made by Indira Gandhi to maintain the integrity of the country. Several dignitaries, including a Congress leader, Ms Mehmooda Alisha and the Chairperson of the State Commission for Women, Ms Girja
Dhar, addressed the function organised by the Viraj Kala Kendra here.
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Militants
form Jammu Kashmir Sujat Alliance Jammu, November 20 Its chairman, Mr Nissar Ali, claimed at a news conference that activists of 20 militant groups had joined the JKSA. He added that the activists belonging to the JKLF, the Al Umar Mujahideen, the Jash-e-Mohammad, the Al Jehad, the Hibz Islami and others had joined the Alliance. Mr Nissar Ali claimed the support of 21 district commanders of different rebel outfits. To a question he said that the Alliance would work to resolve the turmoil through dialogue. To another question the chairman said that the activists of the JKSA had not given up the gun but were prepared for talks with the state and the Central Governments. Mr Ali said that the new government had initiated some good steps and demanded that all detained persons be released and talks started with “us”. He also called for the rehabilitation of the activists of the JKSA and urged the Chief Minister to direct the security forces to stop the use of bullet for bullet policy. Mr Ali decried harassment of innocent people and demanded that those who committed excesses be dealt with firmly . Security experts said that the formation of the JKSA would change the security scenario in the state provided the government took initiatives to rehabilitate them and use them for counter insurgency operations. The experts said that it was possible if the claim of Mr Nissar Ali was substantiated by the ground realities in the sense that those who wielded the gun and latter joined the Alliance. |
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Brief and specific — the Mufti formula Jammu, November 20 The Mufti while laying emphasis on this formula during the recent District Development Board meetings held in Baramula, Srinagar, Jammu and Doda gave new dimension to such conclaves when he sent a clear and loud message to his ministerial colleagues and bureaucrats that they should not waste time on “unnecessary platitudes and long speeches. Instead they should speed up the pace of development, attend to people’s problems and ensure benefit of every penny to the people.” Despite observing fast during the current month of Ramzan, the Chief Minister spent the days in presiding over these meetings convened to finalise the annual plans for 11 out of 14 districts. Within a couple of days, the bureaucracy came to realise that the Chief Minister was not fond of finalising multi-crore schemes which were never completed. He set a target for the completion of the old schemes and directed the experts and the officers to launch new schemes which could be completed within a year or two. He showed his talent when he readily made available funds for these projects. Whenever any MLA or officer tried to dwell at length on the history and the background of one project or the other, Mufti Sayeed would cut him short telling him to “be brief and come to the point.” The officers were on tenterhooks as the Chief Minister would invariably ask a series of questions. On several occasions some officers had to face embarrassment when the Mufti would remarks, “You do not appear to have visited the area; you do not know anything about the scheme; call for the Executive Engineer.” Another departure from old routines was visible when the Chief Minister preferred the legislators and other representatives to identify the problems of the areas to permitting the District Development Commissioners to make long introductory remarks. In one of the meetings a legislator wanted to leave for his house as it was getting late. The Mufti, however, prevailed upon him to stay back in Srinagar so that the agenda fixed for the meeting was completed. A number of ministers and bureaucrats told The Tribune that they had to do a lot of home work, before facing the Chief Minister. “We prepare ourselves with all aspects of one or the other scheme and then meet the Chief Minister so that we may not have to face any embarrassing position when asked questions on that project,” said one senior bureaucrat. Another senior officer said, “I maintain a detailed note on the date when the project was started, its financial implications and the reasons for the delay in its completion as Mufti Sahib asks such questions.” He said, “No doubt the Chief Minister is soft-spoken and liberal, but we cannot take him for a ride because he seems to have complete knowledge and information about the places, projects and the problems of the people.” One of his ministerial colleagues said, “The Mufti seems to be keen to improve the pace of development. He wants instant results so that people feel the difference between new and the old dispensation.” The Chief Minister has also impressed those around him about his knowledge of places and people. In one meeting at R.S. Pora someone had introduced the Vice-Chancellor of the Sher-i-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology as Prof Hashmat Ullah Khan. Mufti Sayeed immediately reacted saying, “He has never been a Professor.” He was correct because Mr Khan has been a bureaucrat and after retirement as Commissioner, Agriculture, he was appointed as the Vice-Chancellor. These traits have helped the Mufti in building his image. |
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Legislative
Council nominations Jammu, November 20 These nominations have been made in terms of Sub-Section 6 of Section 50 of the state constitution. The Governor has also nominated Ms Khemlata Wakhloo, and Ms Shanti Devi as members of the council. Ms Wakhloo had unsuccessfully contested the Sonawar Assembly seat last month. She had been earlier nominated to the Assembly in 1983 and had been installed as Minister for Tourism when Mr G.M. Shah toppled the Farooq regime. She had remained associated with the Awami National Conference headed by Mr Shah for several years and it was four months ago that she joined the Congress to get the party mandate from the Sonawar constituency. Another woman nominated by the Governor to the Assembly is Ms Shanti Devi. Ms Shanti Devi had contested unsuccessfully from the Nagrota constituency on the PDP ticket. Hence, the two nominated seats in the Assembly have been shared by the Congress and the PDP. These nominations have been made in exercise of powers vested in the Governor under Section 47(1) of the state constitution to give adequate representation to women in the Assembly. In the recently concluded election only two women, Ms Mehbooba Mufti and Ms Suman Bhagat had been elected.
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Tara Chand likely to be Speaker Jammu, November 20 Since today was the last day for the filing of nomination papers, his election as the Speaker has become a mere formality. His name will be proposed in the Assembly tomorrow and the motion will be adopted. When the PDP and the Congress agreed to form a coalition government, it had been decided that the post of Deputy Chief Minister and that of Speaker should go to the Congress MLAs. Accordingly, Mr Mangat Ram Sharma was installed as the Deputy Chief Minister. The 39-year-old Congress MLA was re-elected to the Assembly from the Chhamb constituency. He remained associated for several years with programmes connceted with the uplift of the Dalits. |
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Cops beat up press photographer Srinagar, November 20 However, no senior police official was available for comment. In the first incident, Indian Express’ Srinagar Bureau Chief Muzammil Jaleel was allegedly beaten up by the police. He said that his efforts to get an FIR registered at the Kothibagh police station went in vain despite assurances from top police officials to probe the incident.
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100 police recruits hospitalised Srinagar, November 20 The recruits, undergoing training at the Police Training School in Sheeri, were rushed to the Baramula sub-district hospital after they
vomited and complained of nausea following their dinner last night, the sources said. All of them were later discharged from the hospital.
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