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Wednesday,
February 26, 2003, Chandigarh, India  
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6 security
men die in snowstorm 13 refuse
poll duty, suspended Staff of
Radio, DD go on fast Mirwaiz
denies receiving foreign funds |
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Militants’
‘diktat’ on burqa fizzles out Pak UAV
intrudes twice in J&K
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6 security men die in snowstorm
Srinagar, February 25 The report said a patrolling party near the Line of Control was caught in the snowstorm in Nowgam sector last week. Six security personnel were buried alive under a huge avalanche, official sources said. The bodies of all victims were recovered last evening. More than 50 houses and other structures were damaged due to heavy snowfall in north Kashmir last week. Six members of a family reportedly died when their house collapsed in Kupwara district early last week due to the snowfall. Meanwhile, power supply to most areas in the summer capital was restored. However, reports of frequent power cuts were received from different areas of the city. The power supply in majority of rural and far-flung areas remained disrupted though the authorities are making all-out efforts to repair the damaged electric poles and lines. Most roads in the city, including Natipora to Nowgam residence of Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed remained blocked at several points disrupting traffic movement.
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13 refuse poll duty, suspended Srinagar, February 25 Meanwhile, the authorities have suspended 13 government employees after they refused to go on poll duty. “We have already beefed up security to thwart any militant attempt to cause disturbances during balloting,” official sources said. Because of the threat perception, all 58 polling stations in the constituency for 51,688 voters, including 20,926 women, have been declared “hyper-sensitive”, District Election Officer (DEO) Naseem Lankar said. She said no voter would have to walk more than 2 km to cast vote. As many as 690 migrant voters were also entitled to exercise franchise through the postal ballot and the authorities had set up polling booths at Delhi, Udhampur and Jammu for them. Three companies of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and 15 more companies of the State Armed Police and other forces had already taken positions. Though there are nine candidates in the fray, the main contest will be between ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP) nominee Zahoor Ahmad Mir and National Conference (NC) candidate Mushtaq Ahmad Kuchay. The pro-Pakistan Hizbul Mujahideen has given a poll boycott call in Pampore. A spokesman of the outfit said “election or selection” would not help resolve the Kashmir issue. The issue could be resolved only by allowing the people of Jammu and Kashmir to exercise their right to self-determination, he said. |
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Staff of Radio, DD go on fast
Srinagar, February 25 A spokesman for the joint coordination committee of the employees Talha Jahangir said, ‘’We took the decision to go on a fast after the Prasar Bharati authorities failed to fulfil their genuine demands’’. He said at a meeting between the representatives of the joint committee and Prasar Bharati officials at New Delhi on January 30 it was agreed that the demands which included special package for the employees working under great risk and compensation to employees being forced to work beyond their working hours would be met. Mr Jahangir said the fast would continue till the demands were met. He said employees who were being transferred from Srinagar to hyper-sensitive areas of Kashmir were not being given any special package. Similarly no compensation was being paid to the shift duty staff who were being forced to work for extra hours during their night shift duty, he added.
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Mirwaiz denies receiving foreign funds
Srinagar, February 25 Announcing the decision at a news conference here, the Mirwaiz said the Centre’s recent move to blacklist a non-governmental organisation - Anjuman Nusarut-ul-Islam - headed by him, was a planned conspiracy against the people of the state. The Anjuman was blacklisted on charges of receiving foreign funds in contravention of the Foreigner Contribution (Regulation) Act, 1976. He said the Anjuman is an educational organisation which has nothing to do with politics and had not received any foreign funds. "We have not even applied for any licence for receiving foreign funds so the question of getting any foreign contribution does not arise... the organisation is run with the fees collected from the students and donations from the locals," the former Hurriyat chairman said. "To effectively counter these conspiracies, we have decided to form a united front of all 60 religious organisations and institutions in the state to fight forces against Islam," he added. The Anjuman, formed in 1899 by Mirwaiz Rasool Shah, is a parallel organisation to the National Conference’s Muslim Aukaf Trust, he said. "One such school is the famous "Islamiah School" which has given the state several bureaucrats, doctors and engineers... even late Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah and Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed are the products of the schools run by the Anjuman." "It is the first school in Kashmir, which introduced English among Kashmiri Muslim students. Initially, several Kashmiri pandits taught in school."
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Militants’ ‘diktat’ on burqa fizzles out Jammu, February 25 Hundreds of girls who had started attending educational institutions with their faces covered with veils now move about without burqa. A month ago militants pasted posters outside educational institutions and public places, directing women to wear veils failing which they were threatened, the demand for burqas went up. Since Rajauri market did not have readymade veils women purchased black cloth and tailors had to work overtime to prepare veils. As the demand increased tailors charged Rs 150 to Rs 200 a piece against the normal charge of Rs 100. Cloth merchants visited Delhi and other places to buy readymade burqas. Almost 90 per cent of Muslim women, mostly by students, were seen in burqas. In one month the diktat lost force after rebels ignored women defying the diktat. Now a number of women are seen with heads covered with scarves. Initially even male students had students had supported the diktat that in coeducational institutions women should wear veils. A police officer posted in Rajauri, said “we did not intervene when militants started pro-burqa campaign because we knew that it will “die its own death as happened in the Kashmir valley”. In the valley efforts were made by militants and other separatist groups forcing women to wear burqa. These rebals were forced to stop enforcing the diktat when they received the feedback that such moves proved “counter productive.” Rebels in the Kashmir valley has also started a campaign against beauty parlours and video cable operators. The campaign worked for a couple of months. Police sources said that militants planned to enforce “burqa” in the Poonch district also but following the Rajauri experience they decided against it. The sources said that it was plan of rebels to divert peoples’ attention to promote Islamic culture. However, in Kashmir or in Rajauri women have been in the forefront in opposing such moves. Women in Kashmir, studying in educational institutions and working in government offices, have not liked wearing of burqas. No wonder latest cosmetics and beauty aids are available in Kashmir. |
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Pak UAV intrudes
twice in J&K Poonch, February 25 The UAV, which intruded twice, entered through the Balakote sector around 10.30 p.m. and after hovering over the Poonch town for half an hour returned to Pakistan via the Sawjian sector, they said. It again entered the area around 3 a.m. but returned after troops opened fire, the sources said. The UAV was not hit in the firing as it was flying at a very high altitude, they said. UAVs are often sent from across the border for spying, the sources said. On February 5 a Pakistani UAV had entered the Mendhar sector of Poonch district but it was shot down by troops.
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Senior
Hurriyat leader Mirwaiz Omar Farooq today said a united front would be
formed by religious organisations to fight the "veiled
conspiracies" against the people of Jammu and Kashmir.
