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Tuesday,
January 14, 2003, Chandigarh, India  
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J&K
Cabinet expansion today
Centre
okays reversion of IAS officers |
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Srinagar, January 13 A civilian was killed and a Lashkar-e-Toiba militant arrested following an operation conducted by the BSF at Erin in Bandipora area of north Kashmir, a BSF spokesman said here today. Mufti
hands over appointment letters to 194
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J&K Cabinet
expansion today Jammu, January 13 The PCC president, Mr Ghulam Nabi Azad, this afternoon got the list of the Congress nominees cleared from the party president, Mrs Sonia Gandhi, and was on his way here from Delhi in an aircraft of the state government. Raj Bhavan sources said that the swearing in ceremony of the new ministers would be held in the morning. Nominees of the PDP and some independents are also expected to find a berth in the ministry. The Panthers Party of Mr Bhim Singh, which has one berth in the ministry, was pressing for more representation. All 15 independent MLAs were vying for berth. Earlier the ministry was scheduled to be expanded last month, but candidates could not be finalised because Mrs Sonia Gandhi was busy with Assembly elections in Gujarat. A section of the Congress has not yet reconciled with the Mufti becoming the Chief Minister as the party had projected Mr Azad for the post during the election campaign. The Communist Party of India Marxist (CPM) a constituent of the ruling coalition in Jammu and Kashmir, has not accepted the offer of Cabinet berth for the MLA, Mr M.Y. Tarigami. However, the CPM has announced to continue support to the coalition government from outside. In a letter to Chief Minister, Mufti Mohammed Sayeed, Mr Tarigami conveyed his “gratitude” to him for inviting “me to join your ministry”. “I am overwhelmed by the trust you are reposing in me in considering me suitable for the job”. He has said in the communication. The Chief Minister had invited Mr Tarigami to join the Council of Ministers a week ago after Mufti Sayeed had decided to expand the Cabinet on January 14. Mufti Sayeed had met the CPM Politburo leaders in Delhi who had informed him that they would consider the offer. However, Mr Tarigami was not given go-ahead to join the ministry headed by the Mufti. The Congress high command has finalised its list and Mr Azad reached Jammu by air from Delhi along with Governor, G.C. Saxena today. According to the sources 20 new faces were being added to the nine-member ministry and the Congress would have a major share as it is the largest single party in the coalition having 20 MLAs besides the support of four Independent legislators. Among the probables include Mr Abdul Aziz Zargar, Mr Javid Mir, Qazi Afzal, who defeated NC President Omar Abdullah, Abdul Rehman Veeri, Mr Abdul Gaffar (all from the PDP), Mr Taj Mohiuddin, Mr Madanlal Sharma, Mr Lal Singh, Mr Raman Bhalla, Ms Suman Bhagat, Mohd Sharief Naaz, Mr Mohd Shafi Bhat (all from the Congress). Hakim Yaseen and Mr G.M. Sofi besides Mr Ram Mattoo are likely to get the ministerial berth and they are Independent MLAs. |
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5 ultras
shot in Jammu region Jammu/Srinagar, January 13 According to Defence Ministry officials, three Pakistan-trained infiltrators were shot dead on the LoC in the Bhimber Gali area of Poonch sector this morning. The officials said the moment troops, guarding the border, spotted movement on the LoC, they opened fire, killing the three militants. In another encounter in the Marwah area of Kishtwar subdivision, two militants were killed by the security forces. Reports said on receipt of information, the security forces cordoned off the rebel hideout. The militants opened fire, which was retaliated by the security forces, killing both militants. A militant was among two persons killed while militants attacked the house of Inspector-General of Police (Traffic) in the Kashmir valley overnight. Official sources said militants shot dead Farooq Ahmad Mir at Dodipora Handwara in the frontier district of Kupwara early this morning. The sources said an encounter took place between militants and the security forces at Ladhu Baramula in north Kashmir last evening during a search operation. An unidentified militant was killed in the clash, he said. Militants attacked the house of Inspector-General of Police (Traffic) at Maisuma, near here, with automatic weapons last evening. The guards posted there also returned the fire. However, no one was injured. A Pakistani intruder was caught by BSF personnel while trying to enter India through the Pansar border outpost along the international border in Hiaranagar sector of Kathua district last night. A BSF official was killed and another injured when militants attacked the general bus stand, Batmaloo, near here, this afternoon. Official sources said militants fired upon a BSF patrol party near the bus stand this afternoon. A BSF head constable Balram Singh, was killed on the spot while a jawan, Bashir Ahmad, was critically wounded. |
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Centre okays reversion of IAS officers Jammu, January 13 The coalition government had recalled these officers soon after coming to power in November. Top sources told TNS that the Cabinet Secretariat has now given its nod to the reversion of these officers. The PDP-Congress coalition government here has been in a fix on the question of appointing senior officers to sensitive and important posts as it found that most of the officers were loyal to the previous Chief Minister, Dr Farooq Abdullah, and could not be trusted for confidential jobs. The Mufti government has inherited an officialdom which is dominated by loyalists of the National Conference which ruled the state during the past 27 years after the Congress stepped down and installed Sheikh Abdullah as Chief Minister in 1975. Although the government reshuffled the bureaucracy after a thorough review last month, but the choice was almost lacking and the exercise turned out to be just a game of musical chairs. Thereafter, the Chief Minister, Mufti Sayeed, personally approached the Centre for the reversion of the nine IAS officers who were reportedly reluctant to return here. However, his efforts at persuading these officers by inviting them over a cup of tea during his recent visit to Delhi yielded the desired results. Another reshuffle of officers is expected as soon as these officers report back here. The earlier reshuffle got delayed as the Mufti had to wait for over a month for the retirement of the then Chief Secretary, who was considered a confidant of Dr Abdullah, and the installation of Mr S.S. Beloria on the post. Among the officers expected to return from the Central deputation are Mr S.S. Kapoor, Mr Sidhanshu Pandey, Mr B.B. Vyas, Mr P.K Tripathi, Mr Sandeep Mehta, Mr Najam Saqib, Mr B.R. Sharma and Mr Jha. The state government has also recalled three IPS officers, including Mr R.V. Raju and Mr V.K. Singh. Mr Raju, who is currently Additional Director of the CBI, is being tipped for being posted as Vigilance Commissioner after his return. No transfer of senior-level police officers has been ordered ever since the coalition government came to power and only a couple of SPs were shifted. The talk of shifting of the DGP, Mr A.K. Suri, has also subsided at the moment. The government is in a fix even over the choice of middle and lower rung officials as the previous National Conference government allegedly made recruitments on a pick-and-choose basis and such officials have not yet reconciled with the change of the rulers. The Mufti government, soon after coming to power, imposed a ban on the transfer of employees, but later relaxed it. However, it is now facing the problem of indiscriminate transfer of employees by ministers. The expansion of the ministry expected tomorrow might put further pressure of transfers on the Mufti. |
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Residents protest shopkeeper’s death
Srinagar, January 13 Residents of the area took to the streets alleging that the civilian, identified as Shabbir Ahmad Wani, a shopkeeper, was not killed in an encounter but done to death after being taken into custody by the BSF. Reports reaching here said the residents were claiming that Wani was arrested much before the encounter had started and the body was lying at a BSF camp. Shops remained closed in protest. The BSF spokesman said its personnel laid siege on a house belonging to Hilal Ahmad Rather at Erin after a tip-off that some foreign militants of LeT were to meet there. While the troops were laying a cordon the militants holed up inside the house resorted to heavy firing, he said. Wani suffered serious injury during the firing and succumbed to his injuries later on, he added. He said a local LeT militant, Hakim Shaukat Ahmad, was arrested during the encounter. One AK rifle, a magazine, 29 rounds, two hand grenades and two rifle grenades were recovered from him, the spokesman said.
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Mufti hands over appointment letters to 194 Srinagar, January 13 The cases pertained to the period between 1990 and 1997. The Chief Minister also distributed Rs 1.14 crore as ex gratia relief on the occasion. The local degree college grounds here wore a festive look, with thousands of people attending the function and colourful bunting decorating the scene. The police and security personnel could not control enthusiastic people from breaking the security cordon and surging towards the Chief Minister to apprise him of their problems. The Chief Minister, however, did not mind the violation. Ms Mehbooba Mufti and the Divisional Commissioner collected applications from people wishing to air their grievances. The meeting was addressed by Minister of the State for Rural Development Pirzada Mohammad Sayeed and MLAs Abdul Aziz Zargar, Mohammad Yusuf Tarigami, Pir Mohammad Hussain, Abdur Rehman Veeri, Abdul Gaffar Sofi and Sartaj Madni.
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