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Make
the most of peace: Sinha Baig
clarifies remark on PM Militants
kill three women BJP
plans to contest 4 seats in J&K |
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PDP-Cong
clash at Cabinet meeting State
award for 11 in J&K 
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Make the most of peace: Sinha Jammu, January 27 “The commencement of the dialogue process to address the Kashmir issue is a welcome development and the people must dedicate themselves to make Jammu and Kashmir a heaven on earth,” the Governor said while addressing the Republic Day function at Maulana Azad Stadium here after unfurling the National Flag. Pointing to the Prime Minister’s efforts to promote peace, General Sinha also hailed Pakistani leadership for emphatically abjuring terrorism as an instrument of policy and the commitment to stop cross-border terrorism. “People of Jammu and Kashmir have suffered immensely due to violence and now when a firm hope for peace in the region has been kindled with the bold initiatives of both
India and Pakistan, everyone should work for ensuring lasting peace and normalcy in the region,” the Governor said. The Governor said people, particularly those near the border, had heaved a sigh of relief with the ceasefire and infiltration had declined considerably. “We should soon be able to bring infiltration down to a small trickle with the completion of fencing on the border in the next few months,” he added. The tourism industry had witnessed an upward trend during the past two years, the Governor said more than 54 lakh pilgrims had visited Vaishno Devi and about two lakh tourists had visited the valley during the past year. The government had made special arrangements for tourists at
Patnitop, Gulmarg, Sonamarg and Pahalgam, he added. For the promotion of horticulture, the centre had sanctioned over Rs 100 crore for the state, General Sinha said. He said in the education sector, technical education was the first priority of the government and two new universities — Mata Vaishno Devi University and Baba Ghulam Shah Badshah University — would be set up in the state.
— UNI |
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Baig clarifies remark on PM Srinagar, January 27 In a statement here, the senior PDP leader asserted Congress President Sonia Gandhi or senior party leader Manmohan Singh could also emerge victorious if they contested elections from anywhere in the state because of their “immense goodwill” among the people here. Mr Baig said during his Republic Day speech in Srinagar yesterday he had stated that “according to many people, Vajpayee’s peace initiatives have been appreciated not only in Kashmir but even in Pakistan.” “It has generated so much goodwill that if he chose to contest an election from Kashmir, he could win,” he quoted himself, adding that the remark about Mr Vajpayee contesting the election was “an expression of opinion and not an invitation”. Mr Baig said: “There is a national consensus so far as the Prime Minister’s policy of peace and reconciliation” is concerned and “this consensus could not have been possible without the support of the Congress.” He said he had already spoken to a Congress minister in the state to explore the possibility of Mr Manmohan Singh or any other national leader of that party to contesting in the elections from the state.
— PTI |
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Militants kill three women Srinagar, January 27 The police here said that two persons were shot dead when unidentified militants intruded into their house in Kupwara district this morning. One of them, Bashir Ahmad Bhat died on the spot, while another injured later succumbed to injuries in the hospital. A woman was killed and a security force jawan injured in an encounter with militants at Malghan in Surankote sector of Poonch district last night. The encounter ensued when militants opened fire on a patrol party of police and security forces. Unidentified militants intruded into the house of Abdul Rahman Mir in Killer area of Pulwama district last night and shot dead his daughter, Hafiza Akhtar. A woman, Nazira Bi wife of Faqir Mohammad was shot dead when unidentified militants intruded into their house at Majra Bambal, Dharamsal sector of Rajauri district last night, the police here said. Security forces in a search operation busted a hideout and recovered two .303 rifles, two magazines, one AK Bayonet, 42 AK rounds, two rifle grenades, two hand grenades and a binocular in Kishtwar area of Doda district yesterday. UNI ADDS: Normalcy was restored in the valley today after a day-long general strike called by a number of separatist organisations on the 55th Republic Day yesterday. An encounter took place between militants and security forces at Malhan village in Poonch district of Jammu region late last night during which one woman Atra Bi, wife of Ghulam Hassan, died and a jawan was injured. However, militants escaped under the cover of darkness. JAMMU: Militants today killed a woman belonging to Gujjar community in Rajauri district of Jammu and Kashmir, official sources said here. A group of militants belonging to the Lashker-e-Toiba (LET) struck the remote Naillah village in Rajauri district early today, the sources told PTI. They entered into the house of one Faqir Mohmmad Gujjar and beat him and his wife Nazira Begum severely, they said adding, the militants also inflicted sharp-edged weapon wounds on Nazira. Before fleeing from the spot, they killed Nazira, the sources said adding that the reason behind the killing is not known. The Gujjar community of Kotranka belt of Rajauri took out a rally to protest against the killing and closed down their business establishments, they said. |
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BJP plans to contest 4 seats in J&K Jammu,
January 27 Party sources said the state unit had sent its proposal to the party high
command. Under the plan the BJP will field candidates in Jammu, Udhampur, Srinagar and Ladakh . The party sources said the Union Minister of State for Defence, Prof. Chaman Lal
Gupta, was being fielded from the Udhampur constituency from where he was elected to the Lok Sabha in the previous elections. As far as the Jammu-Poonch seat was concerned the opinion favoured the party
president, Dr Nirmal Singh, who had succeeded in reviving the BJP in Jammu after he took over as its chief. The party had decided to field a Muslim candidate from the Srinagar constituency and in this context the party’s
provincial president was the choice because he had polled nearly 80,000 votes in the previous poll. The BJP will field a Buddhist from the Ladakh constituency. The other major mainstream political
party, the National Conference, has decided to contest all six seats.
The issue of seat sharing by the Congress and the PDP, the main partners in the ruling
coalition, has not been decided yet because the Panthers Party, which is also a part of the ruling
alliance, has announced that it will field its candidate from at least one seat in the Jammu region. Indications are that while the Congress will contest the Jammu, Udhampur and Ladakh seats the PDP may field its candidates from the three seats in the Kashmir valley. At present the two partners differ on the seat sharing because each side wants to contest
at least one seat from the three regions. Inside reports say the Congress, being a major partner in the coalition with 20 members in the Assembly against 16 by the
PDP, the former may be given one seat in the Kashmir valley and the latter one constituency in the Jammu region. |
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PDP-Cong clash at Cabinet meeting Jammu, January 27 There were unconfirmed reports that Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed even threatened to seek a fresh mandate in the face of “non-cooperation” of ministers, but sources in both the parties refused to comment on the reports. Congress leader and Deputy Chief Minister Mangat Ram is said to have walked out of the meeting after the PDP members opposed his proposal for the appointment of a retired IAS official, Mr K.B. Pillai, who belongs to Kerala, as Chairman of the service commission. Minister for Housing, Urban Development and Tourism Ghulam Hassan Mir, who belongs to the PDP, had argued that instead of posting a person from outside the state, someone from this state should be appointed. The Deputy Chief Minister left the meeting complaining that the Congress was not being consulted on major issues. Reacting to the reported developments, the Chief Minister today ruled out any threat to the coalition government in the state due to the differences at yesterday’s Cabinet meeting. “I never threatened to resign nor seek a fresh vote from people,” he told reporters here.
— PTI |
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State award for 11 in J&K Jammu, January 27 The award included a cash prize of Rs 51,000, a citation medal and a shawl for each awardee. The awardees are Mustafa Muazam (bravery), Fazil Kashmiri and Ved Rahi in the field of literature, Kavi Rattan (performing arts), Rita Jitendra (social work), Farooq Ahmad Shah, Ijaz Kakroo, Master Karam Chand (J K Government officials), Sonia Sharma (sports) and Ahmad Ali Fayaz (media). The government also sanctioned scholarship in favour of Master Arnav Kamal, a student of Class-II, Army School, Kalu Chack, Jammu at Rs 500 per month up to class-X.
— PTI |
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Strike hits life Srinagar, January 27 Geelani had called for a strike to protest what he termed as “usurping of right to self determination of people of Jammu and Kashmir by India”. Tight security arrangements were in place for the celebrations at Bakshi Stadium, the main venue of the celebrations in the Valley, and other district headquarters.
— PTI |
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