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Assembly witnesses noisy scenes Indo-Pak talks will reach logical Bilal asks sister to take over party reins |
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| CPM decries govt for withdrawing appeal Jammu, February 19 Jammu and Kashmir CPM Secretary, M.Y. Tarigami criticised the state government today for withdrawing the appeal against a High Court decision on the state subject law. Priyanka, Rahul walk to Vaishno Devi shrine
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Assembly witnesses noisy scenes Jammu, February 19 Just before the start of question hour, the NC members were seen on their feet demanding adjournment of the House to facilitate full discussion on the police lathicharge on teachers and on sacking of 22,000 employees who had been appointed on ad hoc basis. When the Speaker, Mr Tara Chand, rejected the adjournment motion the NC members, including Mr Ali Mohammad Sagar, Mr Sharief Din Shariq, Mr Ajay Sadhotra and Mr Dilawar Mir, were on their feet demanding a separate discussion on the issues. They were not satisfied when Mr Tara Chand suggested to them that they could raise the matter during discussion on the motion of thanks on the Governor’s Address. The agitated members resumed their seats when the Finance Minister, Mr Muzaffar Hussain Beig, announced that an hour’s discussion would be allowed in the House. He, at the same time, supported the decision of the Speaker who had disallowed the adjournment motion. During question hour the working of the corporation for Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe generated heated discussion in which opposition NC members and members belonging to the Congress and the PDP had wordy duels. One NC member, Mr Ali Mohammad Sagar, exchanged hot words with Social Welfare Minister, Mr Mulla Ram, while protesting against the use of “nonsense” word by the latter in his reply to his supplementary. He demanded an apology saying “in case the minister did not know the meaning of nonsense we will forgive him.” The minister yielded but turned down the demand of the NC members for constituting a House committee for inquiring into the
malfunctioning of the corporation. Dr Mehboob Beg (NC) alleged that members of the Advisory Board for SC and ST had benefited their relatives by advancing loans from the corporation. Mr Mulla Ram suggested to the opposition members that he was ready to inquire into specific cases provided the names of those beneficiaries of corporation loans were given to him who did not belong to the SC or ST category. Dissatisfied with the minister’s reply, the entire NC group staged a walkout from the House. During zero hour the (CPI) M member, Mr M.Y. Tarigami, caused a stir in the House when he criticised the government for having moved an application in the Supreme Court for withdrawing an appeal it had filed against the Kashmir High Court order validating the state subject certificates in case of those women who married men belonging to outside the state. The Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister, Mr Muzaffar Hussain Beig, informed the House that the application filed by the government for withdrawal of the appeal against the high court order had been done with a purpose. He explained that the government could not file any appeal in case the Supreme Court upheld the high court verdict. He said in its order the high court had established that the state Legislature had the powers to either amend the existing state subject laws or enact a new one. He said the members of the House would have a separate discussion on the matter and adopt a law that would not alter the constitutional provisions providing cancellation of state subject status to women once they marry non-state subjects. At this juncture he resented the way Mr Tarigami had blamed the government for filing the application for withdrawal of the appeal secretly. “There is no secrecy, “he shouted. However, Mr Tarigami retorted “Why the government did not table the constitutional amendment Bill soon after the high court verdict but filed an appeal for withdrawal in the Supreme Court.” |
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Indo-Pak talks will reach logical conclusion: Mufti Jammu, February 19 Speaking at a discussion on the motion of thanks on the Governor’s address in the state Assembly here, the Chief Minister said Pakistan and its people responded positively to the peace process initiated by the Prime Minister, Mr Atal Bihari Vajpayee, because they had no other alternative. He said Islamabad and people in Pakistan had realised that 56-year-long animosity and conflict with India had proved harmful. Mufti Sayeed said the dialogue between India and Pakistan and between the Deputy Prime Minister, Mr L.K. Advani, and the APHC leaders would reach their logical conclusion. He said people in Jammu and Kashmir had demonstrated their urge for peace and for resolving the problems through dialogue when they participated in the previous Assembly poll even under the shadow of gunfire. He said people in Jammu and Kashmir would be the main beneficiary of the peace process and in this connection he referred to the ceasefire on the border announced by Pakistan and said after the guns fell silent right from Kathua to Kargil border people enjoyed its benefit. The Chief Minister said India’s peace initiative and Pakistan’s positive response were not just a fluke but the result of careful thought and “we will not allow the process to get derailed.” He said it was the result of bilateral dialogue and internal negotiations that a new chapter had been opened in Jammu and Kashmir. He claimed that there had been a conspicuous change in the security environment and no longer the shops were closed before the sunset in Kashmir and the Banihal tunnel remained open till late in the evenings. Referring to the criticism launched by the opposition members regarding human rights violations, the Chief Minister said “I have asked the security forces that there should be no abuse of human rights.” The Chief Minister announced a magisterial inquiry into the killing of five civilian porters in the Bandipore area of Kashmir. Replying to the criticism from members as far as non-implementation of various poll promises and pledges in the common minimum programme, are concerned, Mufti Sayeed said that series of measures had been initiated in the field of development, in tackling unemployment problem. He said more than 10,000 youths had been given jobs in different government departments and avenues were being expanded for them with the assistance of public sector corporations. He said among the three major promises made to the people — setting up of the finance commission, implementation of the recommendations of the Wazir Committee and setting up of a delimitation commission — one had been implemented. As far as the Wazir Committee report and delimitation commission were concerned action would be taken on them at appropriate time. The opposition NC members earlier pressed for more time to its members for participating in the discussion. They resented curtailing the second sitting from mandatory three hours to two hours. Four NC members walked out when the Speaker did not extend the sitting period. Later the motion was adopted by a voice vote after rejecting amendment moved by NC member Mir Saifullah. |
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Bilal asks sister to take over party reins
Srinagar, February 19 Bilal, along with some executive members and block presidents of the People’s Conference, called upon Shabnum at her residence requesting her to join politics and take over the chairmanship of the party, the sources said. Bilal expelled his younger brother Sajjad last Saturday for issuing statements against senior Hurriyat leaders Mirwaiz Umer Farooq and Abdul Gani Bhat while the latter, in a tit-for-tat action, called a meeting of the working committee, throwing out the elder brother and snapping ties with the Hurriyat. Sajjad had sought explanation from Hurriyat Chairman Maulana Mohammad Abbas Ansari on the Mirwaiz leading funeral prayers of Rafique Lidari, who was allegedly involved in the killing of their father and PC founder Abdul Gani Lone. Lone senior’s wife supported Sajjid in the PC split. While confirming that he had requested Shabnum to join politics, Bilal said it was a “popular demand” of Kupwara district people that she should join and carry forward the mission of Lone. He said though she was yet to accept the proposal put before her by the executive members and several block presidents of the party, she had promised to give a careful thought to it. Shabnum has, so far, maintained distance from politics as well as her brothers in the post-split scenario.
— PTI |
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4 militants killed in valley Srinagar, February 19 An official spokesman said today that three militants were killed in an encounter with security forces at Kokernag in south Kashmir district of Anantnag yesterday. Two AK rifles, one pistol, one UBGL and a UBGL grenade were recovered from the slain militants. In another encounter at Arwani Bijbehara in the same district security forces gunned down a Hizbul Mujahideen militant Bashir Sani last night. One AK rifle, three magazines and five rounds were recovered from the slain militant. Militants attacked a security force patrol party at Awathoo Kulgam village in Anantnag district today around 10 am. Security forces retaliated and the exchange of fire continued for some time. The militants escaped. Security forces recovered one plastic bag containing one pistol, one magazine, eight rounds, 10 grenades and six detonators at Trehgam in north Kashmir last night.
— UNI |
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CPM decries govt for withdrawing appeal Jammu, February 19 The state High Court, through a wafer-thin majority, in a recent judgment, has held that a woman from J and K will not lose her status as permanent resident of the state, even after marrying a non-state subject. “This undoubtedly opened the way for the outsiders to impinge on the constitutional rights vested in the state subject of Jammu and Kashmir,” Mr Tarigami said in a statement.
— UNI |
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Priyanka, Rahul walk to Vaishno Devi shrine Jammu, February 19 Besides Robert Vadra husband of Priyanka Gandhi, two other members of family were with them. They refused to fly to the shrine in a helicopter and chose to trek the 13 km journey. They started the trek in the afternoon and were expected to return here tomorrow after paying obeisance to the deity. |
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