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Monday,
November 25, 2002, Chandigarh, India  
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Appointment
orders for militancy victims’ kin Kashmir
panel members meet Saxena
Deputy CM
assures displaced persons |
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Appointment orders for militancy victims’ kin Srinagar, november 24 Addressing a function for the distribution of appointment orders on compassionate grounds among 125 next of kin of militancy victims of Srinagar district at Tagore Hall here this morning, the Mufti said talks were necessary for the restoration of peace. He said his government would also take necessary steps to provide good governance to the people of the state. He pointed out that Governor Girish Chandra Saxena, in his address to the joint session of the state legislature on Thursday, had made it clear that the government would have unconditional talks with the people concerned in the state. He said there was a need to keep the people away from the guns of the militants and the security forces. The Chief Minister said a national consensus was reached upon regarding a dialogue process to solve the problems in Kashmir. He referred to the Congress, an ally of his government in Jammu and Kashmir, saying that the party also stood for resolving the issues through talks and not through bullets. “The NDA government at the Centre also knows the ground realities in Jammu and Kashmir and it also favours the idea to win the hearts of people of this state,” he said. This is for the second time that the Chief Minister, since he took over early this month, distributed orders of appointments on compassionate grounds among the next of kin of the victims of militancy over the past 13 years. It was on November 14 that such orders were issued to 234 such persons in Baramula district. The Mufti said it was difficult to give a healing touch but added that his government would do whatever possible with the available resources in the state. He said the appointment orders were only a beginning to give a healing touch to the victims, particularly the educated youth, who had suffered a lot during the past 13 years of militancy. The Mufti also stressed the need for a change in the system so that more and more people benefited from the overall development of the state. He also referred to the recent board meetings held here, in which he exhorted officers to work for the overall development, beautification of Srinagar, development of Dal and Nageen lakes and restoration of the pristine glory of Kashmir. Those present on the occasion were the Minister for Rural Development, Peerzada Mohammad Sayeed, and senior government functionaries. Speaking on the occasion, the Divisional Commissioner, Kashmir, Mr Parvez Dewan, said the administration had been trying to carve out posts for the victims of militancy over the past six years. He said it was an “immense problem” for the administration to provide succour to the kith and kin of the victims of militancy. He assured that over 90 per cent such cases would be cleared within the next six months. Of a total of 774 cases, only 125 cases have been cleared so far in Srinagar district due to the non-availability of vacancies in the Class III and Class IV categories. He said the appointment orders issued today pertained to vacancies in education and rural development departments. With this, the cases of militancy victims from January, 1990 to April, 1993, were cleared. |
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Kashmir
panel members meet Saxena Jammu, November 24 In this context, he appreciated the efforts of the Kashmir Committee, headed by Mr Ram Jethmalani, in interacting with different groups and those affected by militancy. This was conveyed by the Governor to the committee members who spent nearly 70 minutes with him at Raj Bhavan today. Informed sources said the Governor exchanged views on the situation in the state with the members of the committee, who gave an assessment of the change in the attitude of people in the valley. Earlier, Mr Jethmalani told a group of newspersons that he and his colleagues found a perceptible change in the outlook of people who had started treating the Mufti-led government of as their own. He said during detailed discussions with leaders of the All-Party Hurriyat Conference and the Democratic Freedom Party, emphasis was laid on ending secessionist stance and violence. Mr Jethmalani stated that people had suffered a lot in the state because of violence and for ensuring a multi-directional dialogue, a conducive atmosphere was to be built. He asked BJP and other wings of the Sangh Parivar to give up their demand for the abrogation of Article 370. Referring to the JKLF chief, Mr Mohammed Yasin Malik’s charge that the committee adopted double standards Mr Jethmalani said Mr Malik was an ailing person and hence his attitude was not helpful. He said if he did not change his outlook, he “will get isolated.” In reply to a question he said it was for the members of Pakistan’s Kashmir Committee to “either invite us or visit Delhi for a dialogue. We are prepared for an interaction.” Meanwhile, the members of the committee today visited one of the Kashmiri migrants’ camp at Purkhoo in Jammu. The visit was part of the exercise to create a situation in which the displaced families could return to the valley. The moment the committee members reached the Purkhoo camp, the migrants raised slogans like “Kashmir Committee hai hai”. They registered their protest against the committee members’ meetings with separatists only when “Pandits are a party to the dispute.” The president of the All-State Kashmiri Pandit Conference, Mr A.N. Vaishnavi, intervened to enable Mr Jethmalani to address the migrants. Mr Jethmalani told them that the committee members had been meeting different sections of people, including Pandits in Delhi. He told them to unite and fight for their cause and if they did so, “I will plead your case.” Mr Jethmalani also told them that he himself was a migrant from Sindh and hence could understand “your problems and miseries.” He said he had made it clear to Hurriyat leaders and others that the return of Pandits to the valley with dignity was necessary for the restoration of normalcy. The migrants held successive state and central governments responsible for their plight as no step was taken prior to their migration for ensuring jobs on the basis of merit. They demanded that in future talks, their representatives too be included as “we are party to the dispute.” |
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Deputy CM assures displaced persons Jammu, November 24 Addressing a function organised by the SOS, a non-governmental organisation of PoK refugees, to pay homage to the martyrs who laid down their lives during the 1947 holocaust, Mr Sharma said that it was irony that despite a lapse of 55 years the problems of the PoK refugees had not been settled. He said that he had already taken up this matter with the Centre during his parliamentary tenure. He emphasised that the coalition government would do everything possible to redress the grievances of the displaced persons saying that this is a human problem and has to be tackled both politically and constitutionally. Referring to the recent spurt in militant activities, the Deputy Chief Minister said that Pakistan was hell bent to sabotage the peace process invited by the government in the state. He said killing of innocent people would in no way help Pakistan to destroy the age-old traditions of secularism and mutual brotherhood. People are fed up with the Pak-sponsored militancy and wanted normalcy that would usher in all round development of the state, he said and added that the massive turnout in the recently concluded Assembly elections should be an eyeopener for those who are out to create problems in Jammu and Kashmir. Mr Sharma said that the government was also seized of the problems of 1971 displaced persons of Chhamb and assured that their genuine demands would be examined afresh. The Minister for Housing and Revenue, Mr Ghulam Hassan Mir, said that the best tribute to the persons who sacrificed their lives for the integrity of the country was to maintain communal harmony. He assured the displaced persons that the coalition government would endeavour to meet the genuine demands so that justice and equal opportunities of development were provided to them. Earlier, Mr Rajiv Chuni, Chairman, SOS, and President Chhamb Displaced Persons Association, S.R. Nagial presented memoranda to the Deputy Chief Minister and the Revenue Minister listing their demands. |
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