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Saturday,
March 1, 2003, Chandigarh, India  
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APHC fails
to finalise strategy J&K ASSEMBLY Screening
panel’s meeting on March 5 Tremors
rock Srinagar JSM gets
new central body Army corps
celebrates anniversary Wular lake
has shrunk by 214 sq km |
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3-day Shivratri mela starts
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APHC fails to finalise strategy Jammu, February 28 Despite two sittings, one by members of the executive committee and the other by the general council of the 25-party conglomerate, the APHC has been a divided house. It has decided to finalise its stand after another meeting of the members of the general council, which had an inconclusive session in Srinagar yesterday. “We are not in a hurry and have not set any definite date for the next meeting of the general council,” said Prof Abdul Gani Bhat, chairman. Reports said when the members of the APHC executive committee failed to take any unanimous decision on whether the conglomerate would accept an offer of talks from Mr Vohra or not, the matter had to be referred to the general council. The executive committee members did not want to risk any displeasure from the council members when the Muslim Conference and the JKLF were opposed to any bilateral talks. The reports said the Peoples’ Conference, the Jamait-e-Islami and the Awami Action Committee, three important constituents of the APHC, were opposed to the outright rejection of talks. According to these reports, Mr Mohd Yasin Mailk, JKLF chief, who is aspiring to replace Prof Bhat as the APHC chairman, has adopted the role of a hardliner. He has received support from Prof Bhat, a votary of trilateral talks, on the plea that all bilateral accords and agreements, signed between the Kashmir Government and Delhi in the past, had failed to settle the dispute. The Awami Action Committee, headed by Molvi Umar Farooq, the Peoples’ Conference, represented by Mr Sajjad Lone, and the Jamait-e-Islami, represented by Sheikh Ali Mohd, were said to have opposed those favouring the outright rejection of talks. These leaders had favoured discussions which did not mean acceptance of any settlement against the wishes of people of Kashmir. It is learnt that the APHC may ultimately prefer to adopt a wait and watch policy till Mr Vohra was able to settle down. The National Conference has shown no interest in holding talks with Mr Vohra. The general secretary of the party said by appointing Mr Vohra as its interlocutor, the Centre had treated Kashmir as “an administrative and not as a national issue.” He said the party did not doubt Mr Vohra’s integrity, but Delhi should have, after treating Kashmir as a national issue, set up a committee of senior leaders of different political parties across the country. Mr Shabir Ahmed Shah, chief of the Democratic Freedom Party, had a different reason to reject Mr Vohra as an interlocutor. He said “bruises, which I suffered when I volunteered to talk to Mr K.C. Pant and members of the Kashmir Committee, are too fresh to be forgotten.” Political organisations and separatists have started treating the appointment of Mr Vohra as “an eyewash,” and for this they blame both Delhi and the Chief Minister Mufti Mohd. Sayeed. However, the PDP and the Congress accuse these separatists, besides the National Conference, of trying to sabotage the dialogue process so that Mr Mufti Mohd Sayeed would not gain the stature of a peace broker when people were for the settlement of the turmoil through the dialogue. Leaders belonging to the ruling coalition, including Mr Raman Bhalla, said the dialogue process should be given a chance. |
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J&K ASSEMBLY Jammu, February 28 Mr Saroori was speaking on the Motion of Thanks on the Governor’s Address in the Assembly here. He accused the NC of making unnecessary noise against the appointment of Mr Vohra and said that the Centre had responded to the suggestion of the Chief Minister, Mufti Sayeed, to initiate a dialogue with the elected representatives in the state. Mr Saroori lashed out on the NC and said that during its 27-year rule in the state, the party had itself trampled upon Article 370 providing special status to J&K, but now when it was out of power its leaders were seeking autonomy. All this was being done to mislead innocent people, he alleged. Mr Sharifuddin Shark (NC) emphasised that greater autonomy by reverting to the pre-1953 position was the only solution to the current problem in Kashmir. He said the special status of the state had gradually eroded
during the Congress regime. During question hour in the Assembly, heat was generated when some Congress members accused the previous NC government of discriminating against Jammu region in the allocation of funds for development. Many Congress MLAs stood up when Mr Dillawar Mir (NC) pointed out that an impression was being sought to be created that the NC did nothing for the Jammu region. Replying to supplementaries on the question, Mr Madan Lal Sharma, Minister for Roads and Buildings, said the government would inquire into the circumstances leading to the creation of a liability of Rs 58 crore in the works section in the Kashmir division. The question was tabled by Mr Yogesh Sawhney (Cong). Giving details of the allocation for the two regions along with the loan component of NABARD, the minister said that Rs 75 crore was earmarked for Jammu against Rs 80 crore for Kashmir during 2001-02, Rs7.55 crore for Jammu and Rs 82. 55 crore for the Kashmir valley during 2000-01 and Rs 65-67 crore for Jammu and Rs 71.05 for Kashmir in 1999-2000. In reply to a question of Mr Shariefuddin, Shariq (NC), the Planning Minister informed the House that the outlay for the current financial year for various development works was Rs 410 crore against Rs 444 crore in Kashmir. |
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Screening
panel’s meeting on March 5 Jammu, February 28 It is learnt that the representative of the Central Government, Mr R. Ahooja, Joint Secretary in the Home Ministry, will participate in the meeting. Meetings of the committee were postponed twice because their earlier release of a few alleged militants by the Mufti government had led to countrywide controversy. The Centre’s representative was included in the committee following the serious note taken by the Deputy Prime Minister, Mr L.K. Advani. Sources said that the earlier meetings of the committee were postponed because of the Assembly elections in Himachal Pradesh and three other states where the BJP in its campaign was to criticise the action of releasing of the militants by the PDP-Congress coalition in J&K. Now that the elections were over, there seemed to be no hurdle in holding the meeting now. The Chief Minister has repeatedly said that it was the policy of his government to release those who had been jailed without any serious charges against them. |
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Tremors
rock Srinagar Srinagar, February 28 The tremors which were felt around 7.51 am lasted for seven seconds, a weather office spokesman said. He said there was no report of any loss of life or damage to property. However, the epicentre and other details were not immediately known, he added. People ran out of their houses in panic despite severe cold condition. At several places in the old city, security forces and people were seen sitting together in the open.
UNI |
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JSM gets new central body Jammu, February 28 The decision of reconstitution was taken at a meeting of the JSM executive here today, the spokesman said. Shri Kumar was unanimously elected as chairman, while another RSS leader, Tilak Raj Sharma, was elected as co-chairman at the meeting, he said. The 24-member new central body includes eight vice-presidents, three general secretaries, nine secretaries, one office secretary and one organising secretary, the spokesman added.
PTI |
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Army corps
celebrates anniversary Jammu, February 28 Lieut-Gen R.K. Nanavatty; the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief (Northern Command), in his corps day message, complimented all ranks of the corps for discharging their duties in the most efficient manner throughout the northern sector. Col. G. Bhuyan, Director, APS, at the headquarters of the Northern Command, said in the Northern Command the APS personnel were striving to provide the entire range of postal services to the troops engaged in the counter insurgency operations. The APS adequately catered to the postal, banking and insurance needs of the troops deployed in the far-flung areas. The corps was also providing postal service to the Air Force, paramilitary forces, central police organisations like the BSF, CRPF, ITBP, Assam Rifles and also to the Border Roads Organisation deployed in Jammu and Kashmir. |
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Wular lake has shrunk by 214 sq km Jammu, February 28 This was stated by the Forests Minister in reply to Mr Usman Abdul Majid (Ind) in the Assembly today. The minister said Rs. 179 crore had been sought from the Central Environment Ministry for launching a 10-year project to restore the pristine glory of the lake. However, a short-term project of Rs 61.13 lakh had been approved by the Centre and Rs 50 lakh had been released for minor works in the critical catchments on an experimental basis. He said the depletion of the Wular lake would not have any effect on the Uri and Lower Jhelum power projects because both were run-of-the-river schemes. However, in the winter problems might arise due to the low discharge of water in the Jhelum. |
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