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Saturday,
March 22, 2003, Chandigarh, India  
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J&K Govt to face dilemma Army jawan, 2 ultras
killed in Doda Mufti disapproves of US
action J&K MLAs decry attack on
Iraq Anti-US protest
in Srinagar |
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Gen Kanwar is
Assam Rifles DG Skiing meet
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J&K Govt to face dilemma Jammu, March 21 The two resolutions which were to be tabled by Mr Balwant Singh of the BSP yesterday could not be introduced when the Assembly was adjourned for a day by the Speaker in the wake of pandemonium following protest demonstrations by the entire Opposition and ruling coalition members against the American strike on Iraq. Mr Balwant Singh has sought an amendment to Section 6 of the state Constitution so that a person who migrated from Pakistan during Partition and was lawfully settled by the government by allotting him agricultural land along the international border or other government land or evacuee land in Jammu and Kashmir “shall also be a permanent resident of the state”. He has also favoured that descendants of those allottees who were born in Jammu and Kashmir were also given the status of permanent residents of the state. The existing state subject laws debar any person from outside the state from purchasing land or house and from enjoying all those rights which are conferred on the state subjects. Mr Balwant Singh has argued that these refugees from Pakistan, despite having lived in Jammu and Kashmir for the past over 55 years, were deprived of their social, political and basic human rights. He has cited the instances of England, the USA, Germany, Canada and India where a person living for a period ranging from four years to 10 years is entitled to citizenship rights. His another resolution pertains to the reservation of four Assembly seats for occupied Kashmir refugees who have lived in Jammu and Kashmir for the past over 55 years. The Law Minister, Mr Muzaffar Hussain Beig told this correspondent that the issue pertaining to the Pakistani refugees living in Jammu and Kashmir “is a human problem”. He, however, stated that various constitutional hurdles had to be surmounted before Mr Balwant Singh’s resolution could be adopted. Mr Beig said that first of all, Section eight and 35 of the state Constitution had to be amended before the amendment to Section six was considered. In addition to this, the Supreme Court had stayed the implementation of the Resettlement Act which provided for the restoration of citizenship rights to those who had crossed over to Pakistan during the past 47 years and were willing to return to Jammu and Kashmir. As such nothing could be done which could amount to contempt of court. Under the state constitution 24 seats in the Assembly have been reserved for the people in Pakistan occupied Kashmir on the plea that the territory is part of Jammu and Kashmir. Experts are of the opinion that reservation is a symbolic protest against illegal occupation of “azad” Kashmir by Pakistan. It is in this context that Mr Balwant Singh has sought that four seats be reserved for PoK refugees who have lived in Jammu and Kashmir since 1947.
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Army jawan, 2 ultras killed in Doda Jammu, March 21 The troops of the RR spotted the movement of militants at Shiryan village of Doda district yesterday and asked them to surrender. The militants defied the order and instead fired upon the security personnel which was retaliated by the security forces, they said. In the ensuing gunbattle, two militants, identified as Naz Ahmed Wani alias Fardan Ali and Zaveer, a foreign mercenary, were killed. RR jawan Shipappa Harawal also lost his life and two others were injured. The injured jawans were admitted to the hospital. An AK-47 rifle, along with two magazines and some ammunitions, and a wireless set were seized from the slain militants. In another incident, militants fired on a security force picket near Shahdra Sharief in Rajouri district last night, which was retaliated by the security forces. However, the militants escaped unhurt. SRINAGAR: Two militants were killed in an encounter with troops in the Rajpora area of Jammu and Kashmir’s Pulwama district, official sources said. Troops of 43 Rashtriya Rifles raided Katuhala village in Rajpora in the south Kashmir district, following a tip-off. The search party came under fire during house-to-house searches and in the ensuing gunfight two militants were killed, the sources said adding that one of them was identified as Aijaz Ahmad of Arihama village. A huge cache of arms and ammunition were seized from the slain ultras, they said. Meanwhile, a civilian, seriously injured in retaliatory fire by the police after militants attacked their vehicle with a grenade in Khanyar locality of Srinagar yesterday, succumbed to injuries last night, the sources added.
PTI |
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Mufti disapproves of US
action Jammu, March 21 In a statement the Chief Minister said the people of Jammu and Kashmir join rest of the country in disapproving the unilateral action against a sovereign nation and efforts should have been made to resolve the issue peacefully instead of going to war. This, he said, would only bring misery to the innocent Iraqis who already had undergone immense sufferings due to the sanctions imposed upon that country. The Mufti said the use of force for settling issues that could be resolved through negotiations was against the spirit of our times. Such action do not angur well the new world order which essentially revolves around dismantling barriers and building bridges between nations, communities and cultures.
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J&K MLAs decry attack on
Iraq Jammu, March 21 Legislators demanded that a resolution be adopted against the US action. All members of the ruling coalition and the Opposition joined in condemning the attack and accused Bush of trying to throttle humanity. The Finance Minister, Mr Muzaffar Beig, said, if Iraq could be a target now, every other country could face similar action. The issue was raised in the House by Mr M.Y. Tarigami, of the CPM. Mr Abdul Rahim Rather and Mr Dillawar Mir of the National Conference said Bush was behaving like a global policeman. Mr Tara Chand, Speaker, succeeded in maintaining order during question hour, but, soon, Mr Tarigami raised the issue and there was pandemonium in the House. The Chairman of the Legislative Council, Mr A.R. Dar, adjourned the House and the members expressed solidarity with Iraq. Later, the Power Minister, Mr Mohammad Sharief Niaz, led a procession through the town against the attack on Iraq. Mr Niaz said America should destroy its own chemical weapons before forcing Iraq to do so.
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Anti-US protest
in Srinagar Srinagar, March 21 A number of youth were taken into preventive custody in the Lal Chowk area. Some of the shops and business establishments in the Lal Chowk area, the nerve centre of the city, also remained closed in a spontaneous reaction against the US attack on Iraq. The police lobbed teargas shells in the Budshah Chowk here to quell the demonstrators attempting to take out a procession on the main road. The shops in the area remained closed as a mark of protest against the US action. A number of protest demonstrations were also held in the interior parts of the city, reports reaching here said. The reports of protest demonstrations have also come in from some other areas of the Kashmir valley. Meanwhile, the Hurriyat Conference, without directly referring to the situation in Iraq, has expressed concern over the prevailing situation on the international level as well as on the local level. Its top leaders, including the Shia leader, Moulvi Abbas Ansari, while addressing Friday congregations here today appealed to the international human rights organisations to look into the gross violation of human rights in the valley. They also expressed concern over the excesses being committed by the security forces against the people in Kashmir. |
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Gen Kanwar is
Assam Rifles DG Jammu, March 21 Commissioned into 3 Dogra on February 9, 1964, General Kanwar has a long and illustrious career spanning over 38 years in the Indian Army. A veteran of the 1965 and 1971 Indo-Pak wars. He has taken active part in counter-insurgency operations in Jammu and Kashmir as a Company Commander and later as a Brigade Commander. He has a vast experience in counter-insurgency operations. As a Brigade Commander, he was awarded the AVSM for outstanding work in Jammu and Kashmir. |
Skiing meet Srinagar, March 21 In his inaugural address, the Jammu and Kashmir Tourism Minister, Mr Ghulam Hassan Mir, expressed hope that such sports activities would go a long way in promoting tourism in the valley. The three-day skiing competition will conclude with the prize distribution function. |
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