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Sonia party’s prime ministerial choice: Azad
5 hurt in Udhampur blast Foreign observer to watch poll in Doda BSF orders probe into tourists’ visit |
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Army, IAF drop food for trapped Gujjars Traffic blocked for release of youths Around 500 residents of Rawalpora locality of uptown city yesterday blocked traffic for five hours, demanding whereabouts of two youths allegedly picked up by security forces from the area two days back, official sources said. 
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Sonia party’s prime ministerial choice: Azad Jammu, May 9 Mr Azad, was talking to mediapersons here. He said allies of the Congress would not choose the Prime Minister with eyes shut. They would have to think over the matter 10 times as no government could be stable without being led by the largest partner. The Congress was fighting the election under the leadership of Mrs Sonia Gandhi and as such she was the natural candidate for prime ministership for us, he said. He claimed that the Congress would sweep the election’s in J&K, Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Uttaranchal. The party was also in a position to get majority of the Lok Sabha seats in Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Jharkhand and West Bengal. The Congress and its allies would form the government at the Centre, he said. He accused prime minister, Atal Behari Vajpayee, of trying to mislead the people by blaming the Congress for pulling down the governments of Mr Charan Singh and Mr I.K. Gujaral. These governments collapsed as the smaller partners of the coalition led them. The Vajpayee headed NDA government was surviving only because it was being led by the BJP that was the largest party among its partners. Mr Azad said the NDA’s “India shining” and “feel good” slogan were a mockery. Does suicide by 4000 farmers in Andhara Pradesh make the BJP feel good, he asked He said that the ruling coalition in J&K would review its relations with the Panthers Party after the Lok Sabha elections as Mr.Bhim Singh, chairman of the party, had “betrayed” the partners by fielding himself as a candidate for the Udhampur seat and also putting up his candidates for other seats. Mr Azad said that the Mufti led coalition government would remain stable even without the support of the Panthers Party. He said that decision of Mr Bhim Singh to contest as a rebel of the coalition was an act of indiscipline. He said that although the Panthers Party with strength of four MLAs was given two berths in the ministry, but Mr.Bhim Singh was adjusted as a MLC to satisfy him. The Congress would win both Jammu and the Udhampur seats. |
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Journalist killed in blast on poll eve Jammu, May 9 While six seriously injured persons were airlifted here for treatment in the medical college hospital, 16 others have been admitted in the district hospital at Doda. The grenade was thrown in the crowded bazar, just near the main entrance of the district hospital at about 11.30 a.m. Bhat, who was on election duty in the media centre, died on the spot. He had come out of the office when the grenade was lobbed in the presence of police personnel. Four policemen were among the injured. The terrorists escaped in the melee that followed the explosion in the high security area of the town. This has created panic among the people and has also put a question mark whether the turnout of the electorate would be normal during tomorrow’s voting. Various terrorist outfits and separatists had given a call for the boycott of the Lok Sabha elections and were indulging in violence to scare the people away from polling booths. Reports said all shops in Doda closed soon after the explosion and streets were deserted. Terrorists have been throwing grenades and exploding IEDs at various places in Doda district for the past few days, but the explosion in the main town, that was supposed to have been fortified by the police and the security forces, has sent a wave of terror in the area. The death toll in the yesterday’s explosion of IEDs has increased to three, with another policeman succumbing to injuries. Two police vehicles were blown by IEDs near Doda. Scare was created in Kisthwar town last night as a grenade of the BSF burst in a school where jawans were camping. No one was injured. Meanwhile, the security forces killed four terrorists, three in Surankot and one in Rajouri, in separate encounters last evening. Four policemen were injured badly as terrorists threw a grenade at them in the Ahl village near Doda this evening. The policemen were guarding a building where a polling booth would be set up tomorrow. An encounter was going on between the security forces and the terrorists at the time of filing this report. SRINAGAR: Nine persons, including seven militants, were killed in the Kashmir valley during the past 24 hours. An official spokesman said the security forces gunned down three Pakistani militants, Khalid Akber, Amin Qasim and Abdul Kasif, in an encounter at Kachhama in the frontier district of Kupwara last night. Three AK rifles, six magazines, 30 AK rounds, one UBGL and two wireless sets were seized. Three more militants, belonging to Hizbul Mujahideen, were killed by the security forces in a fierce encounter at Pamrote Charalla last night. Two AK rifles, five magazines, 87 rounds, one sniper rifle and one wireless set were seized from them. One militant was killed by the security forces at Bharat Galla last night. One security jawan was also injured in the exchange of fire, he said. Militants beheaded a woman, Akber Bi, at Chadag last night while a person, Fayaz Ahmad Ganai, was abducted by ultras and later killed by slitting his throat at Nassu
Bandipora. — UNI |
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Batote, May 9 Known as the ‘operational hub’ of foreign militants, the Udhampur Lok Sabha constituency goes to polls tomorrow under the shadow of the gun and a boycott call as nearly 20,000 security personnel have been deployed to ensure incident-free elections in Jammu and Kashmir. “Nearly 20,000 securitymen have been deployed in three mountain districts of sensitive Udhampur Parliamentary constituency for violence-free fourth phase polls tomorrow,” Deputy Inspector General, Doda-Udhampur range, Himant Lohia told PTI here. Mr Lohia, took over as DIG on the directions of Election Commission yesterday, said Udhampur Lok Sabha constituency, which comprises most difficult rocky terrain and lethal valleys from Pir Panjal ranges to Mahore woods and the plains bordering Pakistan, has been operational area of militants.
— PTI |
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Foreign observer to watch poll in Doda
Jammu, May 9 “Ambassador of Luxemburg Paul Steinmetz will be the first foreign observer to watch J&K polls for the Lok Sabha this time, the sources told PTI here. Mr Paul will visit several places in Doda and Udhampur districts in the constituency, they said. “No foreign observer has so far visited and watched LS polls in the last three phases of elections in
Anantnag, Baramula, Srinagar and Jammu constituencies in J&K”, they said. In 2002 Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir, observers of 47 countries had stayed in the state and watched the elections.
— PTI |
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BSF orders probe into tourists’ visit
Jammu, May 9 “We have ordered a probe into circumstances which led to the visit of a group of 100 Mumbai tourists to BOP suchetgarh on the International Border (IB) in the RS Pura area of the Jammu frontier on May 6”, a BSF spokesman told PTI. A tourist group of 100 persons from Mumbai had visited forward IB, besides entering BOP octeri right on the Zeroline and had photographed and video-recorded the sensitive area without taking permission from the higher authorities of the BSF. The spokesman said the authorities had taken cognizance and the enquiry had been initiated. He added that even journalists were not allowed to visit the post withourt prior permission from the BSF authorities. “It is ironical that a group of 100 odd tourists of Mumbai were seen moving freely on the BOP main gate and some of them were shooting films with their video cameras”, he said. A photo of the tourists and news of the visit was published in a local daily and it had created a ‘piquant situation’ for the authorities, the spokesman said. “The officials were baffled to see the picture and have initiated an enquiry to know as to who granted them permission,” he added.
— PTI |
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Army, IAF drop food for trapped Gujjars
Jammu, May 9 “The Army today air-dropped essential commodities in the most critical areas”, Colonel General Staff (CGS) 16-corps, Col Manjit Singh said. A MI-17 helicopter was pressed into service to drop food packages of rations, Col Singh said, adding the rations were dropped at Halangali (Banihal) Richh Bagla, Tangawali, Andrachi and Panch Gabbar (Rajouri). “A total of 3300 kgs of rations, blankets and assorted medicines along with other essential commodities were air-dropped”, he said. Over 20000 Gujjars and Bakkarwals are still trapped in the hills, particularly the Pir Panjal ranges since last week. Twelve persons, including three children have perished along with 11000 cattleheads in the un-seasonal rains and heavy snow between April 29 to May 2 in the state.
— PTI |
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Traffic blocked for release of youths
Srinagar, May 9 The residents, including women, came out of their houses and sat on the main road to protest against the arrest of the youth, whom they described as “innocent”, the sources said. However, they dispersed after the Deputy Commissioner Badgam visited the scene and assured them that the whereabouts of the arrested youth would be ascertained. The Deputy Commissioner also assured the protesters that he would personally seek the release of the youth if they were not found involved in militancy, the sources said.
— PTI |
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