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14 injured in grenade blast; 4 militants killed
Pakistan must accept offer, says Mufti |
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Influence of separatists limited, says BJP Muslim board opposes legislation on Ram temple Boom of crackers replaces gunshots Mahabharat-era yajna begins
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14 injured in grenade blast; 4 militants killed Srinagar, October 26 A police spokesman said four militants were killed in an encounter with the security forces at Surigam in Lolab valley of Kupwara district last night. Four AK Rifles, 18 magazines, eight radio sets and 584 rounds of ammunition were recovered from the site of the encounter. Another militant was killed in an operation in the Adjoining Handwara area of the district. The police said 14 persons, including an ITBP jawan and a police constable, were injured when the militants hurled a grenade at Beijbehara, about 45 km from here, on the Srinagar-Jammu national highway this morning. The grenade was targeted at a convoy of the security forces but exploded on the road near Arwani crossing, Gauriwan, injuring 14. A major tragedy was averted by the detection of an explosive device at Amargarh, Sopore in Baramula district today, the police said. The militants shot at Zahoor Ahmad Magray at Chilbras, Beerwah in Budgam district yesterday.
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Pakistan must accept offer, says Mufti Jammu, October 26 Talking to The Tribune here today, the Mufti hoped that the turbulent period in the valley was over and pointed out that “Kashmiriat” had been revived with the people getting engaged in cultural and sports activities. He was hopeful that the “great initiative” taken by the Centre in offering friendship to Pakistan would help in further improving the relations between the countries. This was the need of the hour and it would be difficult for Pakistan to spurn the offer. In case, there was no thaw on the issue because of the adamant attitude of Pakistan or the separatists, the situation could again take a turn for the worst. The Chief Minister said it was for the first time that the policies of the government had received countrywide support and there were visible signs of change in the situation in the Valley. Hope and confidence had been restored among the people. The restrictions on the movement of the people had been withdrawn and life was returning to normalcy after years of militancy. Incidents of terrorism, which were earlier considered as a routine affair, were now being viewed as a road block to the peace process. He said his attempt at restoration of democracy was evident from the fact that all shades of opinion were humming with even separatists like Ali Shah Geelani, Yaseen Malik and opposition leaders like Omar Abdullah expressing their point of view. This was for the first time in 14 years that Dr Farooq Abdullah travelled in an open jeep from the airport to his residence at Srinagar last week in a procession. He denied that he was trying to break the National Conference and said he did not believe in confrontation with Opposition parties. Appreciating the steps taken by the Centre and others for improving the situation in the state, the Mufti said the country had realised that Jammu and Kashmir was the core issue. They have also realised that the problem here would not improve through the gun and there was need to remain considerate. He said the BJP , which had initially accused us of being soft towards terrorists by releasing them, had also realised that our strategy was effective for improving the situation. The Mufti said the Centre fully backed him in the normalisation of the situation in the Valley where the President, Dr A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, camped for three days, Mr Vajpayee visited twice and the Congress President, Mrs Sonia Gandhi, organised a meeting of Chief Ministers of the Congress ruled states. About 400 MPs visited the state and meetings of all standing committees of Parliament were held in Kashmir. More than 150 other conferences and sports tournaments were organised and the Amarnath yatra went off incident-free. More than 1.75 lakh tourists visited the valley this summer and returned satisfied. He said the Centre initiated a dialogue to address both internal and external dimensions of the situation, first the Centre appointed Mr N.N. Vohra to initiate a dialogue with the people of the state and now the Deputy Prime Minister, Mr.L.K.Advani, had been nominated to hold talks with the separatists who were demanding a dialogue at the highest level. He said the incidents of human rights violation had decreased and the people had started coming out on streets in protest against any such happening. The Mufti said he would soon meet his commitment of appointing a statutory body for checking corruption at high places. The delay was caused because of some technical flaws in the Bill that was passed by the Assembly. Referring to the allegations of discrimination with the Jammu region, the Mufti said all three regions were being equally looked upon and the employment package of the Prime Minister would be implemented uniformly in the state. |
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Influence of separatists limited, says BJP Jammu, October 26 He said the area of influence of such elements was confined to a few pockets in Kashmir and they had no standing among the people of Jammu and Ladakh, displaced Kashmiri, Hindus, Sikhs, Shias, Gujjars and Bakkarwals who constitute more than 78 per cent population of the state. |
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Muslim board opposes legislation on Ram temple Srinagar, October 26 “A legislation on Ram temple will be unconstitutional as it will amount to depriving a particular community of their religious rights,” a spokesperson of the board S.Q.R. Illyas, who was here as part of the National Commission for Minorities Committee for Rehabilitation of Kashmiri migrants, said. He said by raising such a demand, the Sangh Parivar and its allies virtually accepted defeat even before the high court had delivered a verdict on the issue. “They know that their case is weak and will be defeated in the court, leading them to call for legislation. If they claim that the findings of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) support their claim, they should wait for the verdict,” he said. He said all political parties of the country, including the BJP have opposed the demand for legislation on the Ram temple. Illyas claimed that a majority of Hindus were not in favour of construction of a Ram temple at the site where Babri mosque once stood. Asked if a Bill for legislation was brought in the Parliament, Illyas expressed confidence that it would be defeated on the floor of the House. “We will persuade all secular parties, including those who are part of the NDA government at the Centre to oppose such a Bill,” he said. In the hypothetical situation of the Bill being passed by Parliament, Illyas said “we will then challenge the legislation in the Supreme Court”. Claiming that the title suit for the disputed site was moving in the positive direction, the board spokesperson said he expected a decision from the Lucknow Bench of Allahabad High Court within two years. The opposition might file objection in the Supreme Court which will take at the most a year for disposition, he added.
— PTI |
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Boom of crackers
replaces gunshots Srinagar, October 26 For the miniscule population of Hindus living in clusters in different parts of the city, it was an occasion to celebrate the occasion like with their majority Muslim neighbours. For those living in the central Lal Chowk area here and its periphery the deafening sound of the bursting of crackers resembled the intermittent firing of gunshots that boom in the valley. There were many instances when the residents suspected the sounds to be those of an encounter between militants and security forces. Ishan, a class VI student, was taken aback on hearing resonant sounds of these bursting of crackers at equal intervals around his bedtime. A number of neighbours and friends from different communities converged on the cluster of houses celebrating the occasion in a remote corner of Lal Chowk area well before the dusk. Traditional fervour and communal amity marked the lighting of candles and bursting of crackers and Pooja. An elederly businessman living in the locality, Jagdish Lal, who has been here since Partition recalled his youthful days in the valley. His young son, daughter and grandchildren exchanged pleasantries and happiness with their Muslim neighbours and friends. Like their father, his children have always been saying no to migrating from the valley unlike other Pandits. |
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Jammu, October 26 The yajna which began under the guidance of Sant Balak Yogeshwar Dassji Maharaj of Badrinath, is believed to have been performed only once in the past during the Mahabharat era by Yudhishtra. Balak Yogeshwar Dassji told reporters that the aim was to restore peace in Jammu and Kashmir and to bring about universal peace. He said it would not only help in the purification of environment but also spiritual uplift of individuals. The yajna to be concluded on November 5, will witness over 10,000 sadhus and scholars from all over India participating in the havan commencing on October 28. Over 50,000 persons are expected to visit the yajna site everyday, a spokesman for the yajna committee said. — PTI
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