J A M M U   &   K A S H M I R

Mufti govt mum on autonomy
Jammu, March 11
The PDP-Congress coalition government has remained non-committal on the issue of restoration of greater autonomy to Jammu and Kashmir. This became evident during question hour in the state Assembly here today.

APHC leader’s election: Bhat in no hurry
Jammu, March 11
The All-Party Hurriyat Conference (APHC) has failed to set a deadline for holding the election to the post of its chairman, ever since the poll was due in July last year.

Walkout over retrenchment of labourers
Jammu, March 11
The Mufti government faced an embarrassing situation in the Assembly today when one of its senior coalition partners, Mr Mohammad Yousaf Tarigami, (CPM), walked out of the House along with some Independents against the “illegal” retrenchment of about 1500 labourers of the Baglihar hydel project near Ramban in Doda district.

Five nominated as MLCs
Jammu, March 11
Mr Bhim Singh, Chairman of the Panthers Party is among the five persons who were nominated yesterday as members of the Legislative Council by the Governor, Mr G.C. Saxena.

Bomb detected in Matador
Jammu, March 11
A major tragedy was today averted with the timely detection of a powerful pipe bomb in a Matador carrying around 30 persons in Rajouri district of Jammu and Kashmir, official sources said here today.

Services of 25 former SOG men terminated
Jammu, March 11
The government has terminated the services of 25 personnel of the then Special Operations Group (SOG) and initiated legal action against whom complaints of indiscipline were received.

3 held in Anantnag robbery case
Srinagar, March 11
The police has arrested three persons who were involved in looting Rs 7 lakh from a bank manager last month in Anantnag. Official sources said acting on a tip-off, the police raided many places in Dialgam, Anantnag, during which three persons, Khurshid Ahmed, Khurshid Ahmed Mir and Farooq Ahmed, were arrested.

Ban on construction around Dal Lake
Jammu, March 11
To save the Dal from further degradation, the state government has issued a notification banning all construction activity within 200 sq ft of the lake. The ban had been imposed by the Jammu and Kashmir High Court to prevent encroachments, the Minister for Housing, Urban Development and Tourism, Mr Ghulam Hassan Mir, said in the state Assembly today.

• Govt has failed people of Jammu: morcha

• Sikh bodies’ plea to Badal, Tohra

Mufti govt mum on autonomy
M.L. Kak

Jammu, March 11
The PDP-Congress coalition government has remained non-committal on the issue of restoration of greater autonomy to Jammu and Kashmir. This became evident during question hour in the state Assembly here today.

A National Conference member, Mir Saifullah, tabled a question demanding the government to explain its stand on restoration of greater autonomy, for which the state legislature had adopted a resolution at a special session in 2000, and the course of action it intended to initiate in this respect.

The government, in its written reply, remained non-committal and instead informed Mir Saifullah that the House had accepted the recommendations of the Autonomy Committee. It said the government’s belief that “wide-ranging consultations and dialogue by the Government of India with members of the legislature and other segments of public opinion in all three regions of the state will evolve a broad-based consensus for the restoration of peace with dignity in the state.”

In its reply, the government also informed the NC member that the Government of India “has already appointed Mr N.N. Vohra, as interlocutor for initiating talks with elected members and others for the restoration of peace in the state.”

Several NC members, whom this correspondent met, expressed surprise over the written reply. Mir Saifullah said the government had not made any commitment regarding the steps it planned to take to meet the demand.

Former Finance Minister Abdul Rahim Rather said the National Conference government had forwarded the resolution on autonomy, adopted by the state legislature, to the Centre, but it was unfortunate that the Union Cabinet had rejected it within days of the receipt of the resolution.

He said “the resolution has not been withdrawn. It is still a property of the Assembly and a sacred government document. The new government has to make its stand on the issue clear.”

He and others blamed the Congress and the PDP for adopting a dual policy on the issue.

However, PDP and Congress leaders, including Mr Raman Bhalla, said autonomy was not the issue. Restoration of peace and an end to the 13-year-long turmoil was the key issue. Mr Bhalla alleged that the demand for restoration of greater autonomy was a ploy being used by the NC for wooing people.

APHC leader’s election: Bhat in no hurry
Our Correspondent

Jammu, March 11
The All-Party Hurriyat Conference (APHC) has failed to set a deadline for holding the election to the post of its chairman, ever since the poll was due in July last year. When, in July 2002, the 23-member conglomerate could not decide whether or not to hold the election on schedule, the members of the executive committee favoured that Prof Abdul Gani Bhat should continue till the poll was held.

Insiders said, in July, the election had been deferred because of differences among the leaders of seven main constituents. Then, senior APHC leader and former chairman Syed Ali Shah Geelani was at loggerheads with other members of the executive committee.

The members did not want a split because of the election. They had not forgotten the bitterness caused when Mr Abdul Gani Lone, founder of the Peoples’ Conference, had lost to Prof Bhat by one vote.

Prof Bhat is keen on holding the election. He even says that he has the power to order election at any time. “I have been asked to continue for a year and I can order the poll before the end of the year,” he said.

However, Prof Bhat seems in no hurry. Though he did not agree that the election was being delayed because of an internal feud in the APHC, reports said the APHC leaders wanted a consensus candidate.

At present, Mr Mohammad Yasin Malik and Molvi Abbas Ansari are the only senior leaders who look likely to be considered for the post. They have never led the APHC, while Molvi Umar Farooq, Syed Ali Shah Geelani and Prof Abdul Gani Bhat have. There may not be a consensus on Sheikh Aziz Ahmed and Mr Sajjad Lone because, while the former heads a small unit, the latter is a new entrant.

Prof Bhat said the poll had to be deferred because more than two members of the committee had been in and out of jails in the past one year.

With the Centre not keen on motivating the party for accepting its invitation for talks with its interlocutor, Mr N.N. Vohra, the APHC has decided to wait for the outcome of the dialogue initiated by Mr Vohra before setting any date for the election of the party chairman.

Walkout over retrenchment of labourers
Tribune News Service

Jammu, March 11
The Mufti government faced an embarrassing situation in the Assembly today when one of its senior coalition partners, Mr Mohammad Yousaf Tarigami, (CPM), walked out of the House along with some Independents against the “illegal” retrenchment of about 1500 labourers of the Baglihar hydel project near Ramban in Doda district.

Mr Tarigami said the management of the project had retrenched the staff arbitrarily without taking into consideration the agreement reached between the labourers and the management in the presence.

He alleged that the management was not paying the minimum wages to the labourers. He said the issue had been raised in the House during the previous National Conference regime, but the then Chief Minister, Dr Farooq Abdullah, did not take any action.

He said Ms Mahbooba Mufti (PDP), daughter of the Mufti, had also raised the issue several times during the NC regime.

Mr Tarigami alleged that the authorities were favouring the management. The issue was also raised yesterday in the Assembly by Moulvi Abdul Rashid (Ind).

Mr Tarigami walked out of the House today when the Deputy Chief Minister, Mr Mangat Ram Sharma, said the workforce of the hydel project was retained as per the work-load.

The Minister for Power, Mr Mohammad Sharief Niaz, said the issue was being politicised.

Five nominated as MLCs
Tribune News Service

Jammu, March 11
Mr Bhim Singh, Chairman of the Panthers Party is among the five persons who were nominated yesterday as members of the Legislative Council by the Governor, Mr G.C. Saxena.

The others nominated as MLCs are Mr Parduman Singh, Mr Gulchain Singh Charak, Mr Tariq Hamid Kara and Mr Ghulam Nabi Lone. Mr Parduman Singh and Mr Charak belong to the Congress, while Mr Kara and Mr Lone are PDP members.

The nomination of Mr Bhim Singh, whose party has four MLAs and is a coalition partner in J&K, has come as a surprise as he has been taking the Mufti government to task on various issues for the past few days.

The vacancies in the Upper House were caused due to retirement of National Conference members.

Two MLCs, Mr G.M. Sofi, a Srinagar-based journalist and Ms Farida Munir, were nominated earlier by the Governor.

Bomb detected in Matador

Jammu, March 11
A major tragedy was today averted with the timely detection of a powerful pipe bomb in a Matador carrying around 30 persons in Rajouri district of Jammu and Kashmir, official sources said here today.

The bomb was later defused. Meanwhile, three unidentified militants were killed in an encounter with Army personnel in Doda district of Jammu and Kashmir, defence sources said here.

The encounter took place when militants fired at the troops, who, on a tip-off, had launched a search operation in the Kishtwar area of the district.

Three AK-47 rifles, two improvised explosive device and four hand-grenades were seized from the encounter site.

SRINAGAR: A militant was shot dead and two others were arrested by the security forces in the Kashmir valley overnight.

Official sources said an encounter took place between militants and security forces at Wanigam near Pattan in Baramula district today in which one unidentified ultra was killed.

Security forces arrested a Hizbul Mujahideen militant and seized a pistol, a magazine and four rounds from him at Chatergul Mattan while another was arrested, along with two pistols, two magazines and two grenades, at Bemina. PTI, UNI

Services of 25 former SOG men terminated
Tribune News Service

Jammu, March 11
The government has terminated the services of 25 personnel of the then Special Operations Group (SOG) and initiated legal action against whom complaints of indiscipline were received.

This was stated in the Assembly today by the Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs, Mr Abdul Rehman Veeri, in reply to a question of Mir Saifullah.

The minister said that complaints had been received against 53 officials of the SOG.

Earlier, the Chief Minister, Mufti Sayeed, said that the SOG had become notorious during the previous regime and had, therefore, been disbanded. The PDP and other coalition partners had pledged to check the unbridled authority of the SOG and assimilate it with the regular police force.

In reply to another question, the Mufti warned that the state government would explore other possibilities in case the NHPC failed to start work on the four hydroelectric projects which were transferred to it a few years ago under an agreement.

Intervening in a question of Mr Usman Abdul Majid (Ind) on the delay in the execution of the 330 MW Kishenganga hydroelectric project by the NHPC, the Chief Minister said the Central Electricity Authority was examining the commercial viability of the project. A sum of Rs 14.32 crore was spent on the project prior to its transfer to the NHPC.

He said the other projects handed over to the NHPC were Barsar (1020 MW), Uri II (280 MW) and Sewa (220 MW). None of these projects had yet been taken up for execution. The matter would be taken up with the Centre and funds sought in case the NHPC was not interested in these projects.

3 held in Anantnag robbery case

Srinagar, March 11
The police has arrested three persons who were involved in looting Rs 7 lakh from a bank manager last month in Anantnag. Official sources said acting on a tip-off, the police raided many places in Dialgam, Anantnag, during which three persons, Khurshid Ahmed, Khurshid Ahmed Mir and Farooq Ahmed, were arrested.

However, there was no clue of bank robbers who looted gold ornaments and other valuables from 21 bank lockers of a Jammu and Kashmir bank branch in the downtown early last month. UNI

Ban on construction around Dal Lake

Jammu, March 11
To save the Dal from further degradation, the state government has issued a notification banning all construction activity within 200 sq ft of the lake. The ban had been imposed by the Jammu and Kashmir High Court to prevent encroachments, the Minister for Housing, Urban Development and Tourism, Mr Ghulam Hassan Mir, said in the state Assembly today.

The notified area is spread over hundreds of acres along the road from Gupthganga to the Shalimar Bagh stand.

The minister said, however, agriculture and horticulture activities could be carried out on the land. PTI 

Govt has failed people of Jammu: morcha

Jammu, March 11
The Jammu State Morcha, which is spearheading a movement for a separate Jammu state has accused the Mufti government of failure to end discrimination Addressing a press conference here this afternoon, the morcha vice-president, Mr Abdul Aziz Katoch, said the Congress and the Panthers Party had surrendered their claims of chief ministership to the PDP.

He alleged that the assurance on delimitation and recommendations of the Wazir Commission had not been implemented till date. UNI

Sikh bodies’ plea to Badal, Tohra
Tribune News Service

Jammu, March 11
Various Sikh organisations urged Mr Parkash Singh Badal and Mr Gurcharan Singh Tohra, here today to work unitedly for the welfare of the community. The appeal was made at a meeting of these organisations called by Mr Sudershan Singh Wazir, president of the Jammu and Kashmir State Gurdwara Parbandhak Board.

The participants appreciated the move for a compromise initiated by Mr Badal. A team of Sikh leaders has left for Punjab to meet Mr Tohra in this regard.