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Wednesday,
October
15, 2003,
Chandigarh, India
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Mast Gul’s accomplice given Dialogue process not result-oriented,
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Ex-Chief Secretary booked for 4 ultras killed, man shot dead
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Now online offerings to Vaishno Devi
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Mast Gul’s accomplice given 16-year RI Jammu, October 14 Delivering the judgement yesterday, presiding officer of the POTA/TADA court P.N. Razdan ordered Shahid Latif, resident of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and member of the banned JUM, to be sentenced to a rigorous imprisonment of 16 years and a fine of Rs 40,000. Shahid was arrested along with Giasu Din of Baramula district, who died during trial by the Gandhi Nagar police on November 12, 1994. In the 13-page judgement, the judge said
according to a statement by Giasu Din, he and Latif had been deputed by JUM commanders to carry out terrorist activities in the Jammu area and had already identified the area where they would strike. However, they were apprehended by the police before they could execute their plan, he said. The court further observed that from the perusal of the evidence of prosecution and the confessional statement of the accused, it was clear that both the accused were active members of the banned terrorist organisation. It was also clear from the statement of the witnesses and the accused under Section 15 of TADA that both the accused were deputed to carry out terrorist activities in the Jammu area by raising communal sentiments of the people so that they may also rise against the legally constituted Government of India and Jammu and Kashmir, he said. The exhibition of video cassettes with regard to the happenings of Hazratbal would have raised passions of the persons and hurt the religious sentiments of the people, he observed. The court, after hearing counsel for the accused and Deputy Director (Prosecution), observed that the prosecution had proved the charges framed against the accused persons beyond any shadow of doubt and convicted Shahid Latif to RI for 16 years and a fine of Rs 40,000 with the directions that after suffering the sentence he be deported to his country Pakistan. Latif was earlier sentenced to imprisonment by a competent court after completion of which he was deported to Pakistan. But he again along with Major Mast Gul reached Srinagar, where he involved himself in the Hazratbal episode. —
PTI |
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Dialogue process not result-oriented, claims NC Srinagar, October 14 Mohammad Dillawar Mir, who had raised his voice against “inaction by the party leadership amid the coalition government’s failure to address basic issues”, was absent. Two other members from the valley, Mr Agha Rohullah and Mr Nazir Gurezi were also absent. Dr Abdullah asked party workers to be patient and extend support “to take adequate steps for the welfare of masses”. He criticised the coalition government for taking over institutions like the Muslim Auqaf Trust, raising power tariff and its healing touch policy. Mr Omar Abdullah said those who had deserted the party at the time of the elections last year would be accommodated in the party. Referring to the dialogue process initiated with the appointment of Mr N.N. Vohra, Dr Abdullah said it was a good beginning but said it was not result oriented. Mr Omar criticised the Mufti government for approaching the Centre to appoint a new interlocutor to hold talks with Kashmiris. “It is my earnest appeal to India and Pakistan to hold a dialogue and resolve the Kashmir issue”, he said, adding that it would “relieve us from the gun and destruction. The only solution is greater autonomy”, which the Centre must concede. He admitted that the party lost the previous Assembly elections due to its misdeeds but there was a vast change in the situation now. Referring to the conduct of elections of the Noorabad constituency of Anantnag district and Ganderbal in Srinagar, he said eight militant attacks had taken place in four weeks on NC candidate, Sakina Ittoo. In the Ganderbal constituency where he was defeated, Mr Omar alleged that the PDP candidate, Mr Qazi Afzal, had admitted using surrendered militants to ensure victory. |
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Ex-Chief Secretary booked for favouring firm Jammu, October 14 An FIR has been registered against Mr Jaitly for entering into a criminal conspiracy with Ravish Trehan, managing director of the company, Ashok Kumar and five others in awarding the contract for the renovation and operation of the canal power house project in Jammu at a much higher cost of production, a spokesperson for the bureau said. The FIR was registered yesterday and multiple raids were conducted by the bureau on four premises of Trehan and some others in Jammu and New Delhi and some documents were seized. No raid had been conducted on the house of Mr Jaitly so far, he said. It was alleged that on the verge of his retirement, Mr Jaitly abused his official position by misrepresenting and concealing facts. The project was ordered to be handed over to the party even without entering into a formal contract, agreement or MoU, he said, adding that the decision was taken in such haste that neither the board of directors of the Jammu and Kashmir State Power Development Corporation nor the state Cabinet were taken into confidence. Subsequently, the Central Electricity Authority (CEA) of the Union Ministry of Power was requested to look into the matter. —
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4 ultras killed, man shot dead Srinagar, October 14 Three foreign militants of the Lashkar-e-Toiba outfit were killed in an encounter with security forces in the Qazinag area of Kupwara district yesterday. Two AK rifles, seven magazines with 520 rounds, one pistol, 10 UBGL grenades, three hand grenades, eight detonators, three IED sets and a wireless set were seized from the site of the encounter, the police here said. A militant, Hassan Hurra, alias Col Zubair, was killed in an encounter with security forces at Panzla in Baramula district yesterday. Militants shot dead 75-year-old Mohammad Shah in the house of Jabri Khan in Kupwara district last night. Shah’s wife was also injured in the shootout, the police here said. JAMMU (PTI): Militants chopped off the limbs of a person and hanged his body from a tree in Udhampur in Jammu region where security forces smashed two militant hideouts and seized 25 kg of RDX besides a large quantity of arms and ammunition since Monday evening. |
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‘People’s court’ amid boom of guns PATTAN (BARAMULA): “Ameen Bano, Shaukat Mian hazir ho” — this is no routine summons of an attendant in a courtroom here, but a call by a volunteer in an “adalat of people, for people and by people” in a remote corner of the town. It is the brainchild of a group of social workers which claims that residents want to solve their disputes among the community rather than taking legal course or the help of the police. The “court” is the result of a sudden rise in social problems. Even as the state machinery and other institutions of democracy are busy combating militancy, problems like dowry and breaking up of families are rising their head. About 1000 dowry cases have been reported in this “court” during this year. Without any affiliation or recognition from the government or the judiciary, it is running on people’s faith. Besides dowry, cases pertaining to property dispute and other marital discords figure prominently on this “people’s court”. It is held every Sunday in either a small room or under a tree here. Sometimes it is held in a particular village or town which has listed the highest number of cases.The local Jammu and Kashmir Samaj Kalyan is the moving force behind the “court”. The organisation has thousands of volunteers all over the valley. About 100 to 150 cases are taken up every Sunday. Most of these are solved after mutual understanding between the parties. “Those who continue to disagree after three or four sessions are referred to the police or the judiciary. But this is rare. People don’t want to go there as it takes a long time for the cases to be decided”, said Mr Ahmed Shah Vani, the main organiser. Sources say people prefer not going to the police station for fear of being implicated in militancy-related cases. Dowry has emerged as a major social problem in Kashmir. Parents used to give gifts to their daughters on their marriages in the traditional Kashmiri culture also. But of late, a disturbing trend has started. People have actually started demanding dowry. And due to militancy, no one is able to give attention to this problem. Volunteers of the social organisation do not rest after “pronouncing the orders”. They visit the houses of the parties periodically and contact their sources in the village or the locality to ascertain if everything is right. A large number of women are among the volunteers. They take part in the preparation of the cases and gathering information. Even unmarried girls go from door to door to spread the message. However, the panel of five judges does not include any woman. |
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Three injured in Pak shelling Srinagar, October 14 The sources said Tangdar was the worst hit as three persons were injured and 20 houses were damaged. Several animals perished. Troops from across the LoC used heavy machine guns and field guns to target border fencing, civilian and forward defence locations in the Romlidhara, Kalsian, Kalal, Makri, Laam, Balnoi, Dabraj, Balakote, Bhawani, Jangard and Krishnagati areas of the Rajouri-Poonch sector. —
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Now online offerings to Vaishno Devi Jammu, October 14 The Mata Vaishnodevi Shrine Board had introduced the facility of making offerings online for the devotees who are unable to undertake the hill trek to the cave shrine. According to Mr Rohit Kansal, administrator of the board, a devotee can now walk into any ATM of the ICICI bank and use his debit card for offerings in the denominations of Rs 51 to Rs 11,001. He said some other banks were also expected to provide the service shortly. The board has already started online booking of rooms for devotees at the shrine and Katra which is the base station for the 13 km uphill trek. |
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