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PM’s visit has raised hope for peace: Mufti
Humble but firm, PM threw ball in
Ex-militant, daughter among 3 killed in J&K
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Some movement on Srinagar-Muzaffarabad road
Jammu, November 19 The issue pertaining to the reopening of the Srinagar-Muzaffarabad road has been reopened, with both Delhi and Islamabad keen to clear the decks.
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PM’s visit has raised hope for peace: Mufti
Jammu, November 19 Lifting of ban on recruitment in government departments announced by him was a major decision that his government had been vigorously pursuing with the Centre, he said. Talking to mediapersons, the Mufti said Dr Manmohan Singh’s visit was seen here as a sincere and serious effort by him to reach out to the people of the state. He said winning the hearts and minds of the people was the motivation for him to undertake the two-day visit during which he met a cross section of people and a vide political spectrum, both in Srinagar and Jammu. The visit, he said, had been welcomed by the people of Jammu and Kashmir as it had highlighted the socio-economic problems and the keenness of the government to address these. The Chief Minister said the blueprint of reconstruction unveiled by Dr Manmohan Singh would take care of all vital sectors of economy, including agriculture, power, roads and tourism. He said the people had been looking forward to lifting of the ban on recruitment and the announcement made by the Prime Minister was good news. The Mufti termed apprehensions voiced by some people that the interests of one region might be overlooked in preference to the other as totally misplaced, saying that each area would have its share in development and there was no question of ignoring any region. He said the working of the coalition government during the past two years was simple evidence that equal care of all areas was taken in matters of development. He said one of the significant achievements of his government was taking along people of all three regions. |
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PM urged to end ‘discrimination’ against Jammu
Jammu, November 19 While the BJP demanded that the state polity be reorganised on regional basis and Jammu region be invested with adequate legislative, administrative and financial powers, the Jammu Mukti Morcha (JMM) wanted that Jammu be given the status of a separate state. The National Conference (NC), in its memorandum submitted to the Prime Minister, said a sense of neglect had housed the mind of the common man in Jammu ever since the Mufti-led government came to power. The people of Jammu were also facing lot of difficulties due to turmoil in the state. The Panthers Party, a partner in the coalition government, the CPI and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) also submitted memorandums to the Prime Minister for ending ‘discrimination’ against the Jammu region. The BJP delegation was led by Dr Nirmal Singh. It included former Union Minister Chaman Lal Gupta. The delegation pointed out that the plight of the people of Jammu was pitiable as they had suffered gross discrimination and political neglect at the hands of Kashmiri rulers. They have virtually no share in the state’s political and economic process, it said. The delegation demanded that the people of Jammu and Ladakh should also be included in the dialogue for restoration of peace in the state. They described withdrawal of troops as a dangerous move. JMM leader Prof Virender Gupta, in a memorandum to the Prime Minister, demanded that the state should be split into three separate states, Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh, as these regions had distinct culture and political identity. Division of the state would allow all regions to grow independently without interference of each other, he added. He said it would be a blunder to grant further autonomy to the state as this would strengthen the hegemony of Kashmir on Jammu and Ladakh regions and might pave the way for separation of Kashmir from India. The JMM demanded fresh census and delimitation of constituencies by an independent agency besides implementation of the Wazir Commission report. The NC delegation, led by Mr Ajay Sadhotra, provincial president, appraised the Prime Minister that the party had always rejected the divisive and separatist politics and was of the view that erosion of autonomy had created an atmosphere of mistrust and alienation. They complained that the Mufti government was trying to demolish the NC that was the leading mainstream political party. The party workers were being demoralised in a systematic manner as the government had miserably failed to provide security to the top leadership, they added. Panthers Party leader Bhim Singh also submitted a memorandum to the Prime Minister. He said the Jammu region had most complicated problems and was being discriminated against since 1947. While the population of Jammu area was more than that of the Kashmir valley, it has lesser number of Assembly seats (37) against the valley (46). Thakur Randhir Singh, president of the NCP, demanded an effective mechanism for ensuring equal distribution of funds for the three regions according to their respective area and population. He demanded that the people of Jammu and Ladakh should be associated in political decision making so as to address their aspirations and development needs. |
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PM urged to constitute 6th pay commission
Jammu, November 19 In a memorandum submitted to Dr Manmohan Singh, here yesterday, Mr Shastri said this was a matter of interest to four crore employees of the country and delay in the constitution of this commission was creating unrest amongst the working class. He said implementation of the proceedings of the proposed pay commission should be completed before 31st December 2005 and the recommendations should take effect from Ist January 2006. He urged the Prime Minister to take an early decision in this regard. While pleading the cause of state government employees, he urged the Prime Minister to release Rs 350 crore to the state, as already decided in a meeting between the Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission and the Chief Minister, on July 30 to meet the expenditure towards payment of 50 per cent merged dearness allowance. |
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Humble but firm, PM threw ball in Hurriyat court
Jammu, November 19 He was firm in rejecting the “Kashmir Formula” of Gen Pervez Musharraf, which aimed at dividing the state into seven regions. He made it clear that redrawing borders of the state was not acceptable. Through his humility in his speeches at Srinagar and Jammu, he made the people feel as if he was one of them, but did not show any weakness towards the separatists, wh had attached preconditions for further talks with the Centre. He clearly said when he had extended an unconditional invitation to the Hurriyat leader, they were unfair by insisting that they should first be allowed to visit Pakistan. He reiterated the government’s commitment to an unconditional dialogue with anyone and everyone in the state who abjured violence. However, he said Kashmir could not wait until these dialogues arrived at a satisfactory solution. The challenge was to begin peace building in Kashmir now, he said. His stand has provided food for thought to the men on the street, who has started debating as to who is the real culprit for blocking return of peace to the terrorism-torn state. However, a section in Kashmir has not relished the manner in which Dr Manmohan Singh reacted to the questions pertaining to General Musharraf’s proposals and the Hurriyat. This would politically not be very fruitful, a ruling coalition leader remarked. A Kashmiri leader, who did not want to be identified, said the stand of the Prime Minister on further talks with the Hurriyat was likely to put brakes on the next round of dialogue. This provided yet another opportunity to the hawks to damage the moderates in the Hurriyat Conference, who favoured a negotiated solution on the Kashmir issue. The Prime Minister, in a bid to put the shattered economy of the state back on the rails, announced the Centre’s support for a four-year plan amounting to Rs 24,000 crore for development and reconstruction of the state. However, it was being pointed out here that Rs 18,000 crore out of the amount had been earmarked for the power projects that were being executed by Centre and as such, this money would not come into the state’s kitty. The Prime Minister had brought cheer among the unemployed youth, for whom he lifted the ban on recruitment to government jobs. Thus, Jammu and Kashmir has become the only state in the country where the ban will no more be applicable. He touched the hearts of the Kashmiri Pandit migrants when he visited their shabby tenements here and expressed concern over their pathetic condition and said he could understand their misery as he had laced a similar situation during Partition. He announced that an inter-ministerial committee would come here shortly to solve their problems. His call for a new beginning in Kashmir has come a real healing touch for the people of the valley, facing an upheaval caused by terrorism during the past 15 years. Dr Manmohan Singh struck a chord with the people of Jammu when he touched the issue of alleged discrimination with the region by saying proper attention had not be paid towards its aspirations. He had the mountainous Ladakh region in his mind when he announced a number of projects for the region. He also tried to provide a healing touch to the refugees of 1947 and those who had migrated here from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. He recalled that he had been a refugee and had faced a difficult situation in his childhood when he had to continue his schooling with scholarships. During his meeting with the state council of ministers, in which Chief Minister Mufti Mohd Sayeed was present, Dr Manmohan Singh expressed concern over the corruption and nepotism and stressed that there should be transparency in the functioning of the government . There should be fiscal responsibility and economic pricing of public utilities, he said. The plan unfolded by the Prime Minister indicates that he has accepted almost every demand that the Mufiti had made before him. The foremost demand of the Mufti was to remove the ban on recruitment and he had made it clear beforehand that he was not interested in cash doles for the state, but an economic package for development and reconstruction. |
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Ex-militant, daughter among 3 killed in J&K
Srinagar, November 19 A group of militants entered the house of former Hizbul Mujahideen battalion commander Abdul Rashid Masala at Kulangam in Kupwara district late last night and opened fire, killing him and his 16-year-old daughter, sources said. Masala was a member of the JKLF before joining the Hizbul Mujahideen in early 90's. After serving a jail term, he had distanced himself from militants, they said. A civilian, Sharief Khan, was killed when the security forces, suspecting him to be a militant, opened fire at Braman in the Nadihal area of Baramula district, sources said. Rashtriya Rifles personnel, who had laid an ambush following information about movement of militants, fired when Khan, riding a horse, ignored warnings to stop, they said. He was seriously injured and succumbed to injuries in hospital here, they added. Militants set ablaze a husking machine of a migrant pandit at Irkim village in Anantnag district and house of Hizbul militant Mohammad Yousuf Sheikh at Ratsun in the Beerwah area of Badgam district last night, they said. No one was injured in the arson, they added. — PTI |
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Some movement on Srinagar-Muzaffarabad road
Jammu, November 19 In this connection, a high-level official team from Delhi, led by Mr Alok
Rawat, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Surface Transport, is scheduled to visit Srinagar and later Uri on November 29 for giving a final shape to the infrastructure required to be built in the border sector of Uri. After the formulation of its report and recommendations, a high-level official delegation from Pakistan is expected to be in Delhi somewhere in the first week of December. The two sides will discuss the report and the Indian team will be briefed about the arrangements being finalised across the border. According to official circles, the team from Delhi will select the site where offices of Customs, Immigration, and the security grid are to built. Under the plan, a spacious cafetaria is going to be built for the comfort of
travellers. These circles said private entrepreneurs would be encouraged to set up eating shops on modern lines and lodges once the green light for the reopening of the road is given. The state government has decided to reserve a fleet of buses belonging to the Jammu and Kashmir State Roadways Transport Corporation for plying on the Srinagar-Muzaffarabad road. The official circles said during his recent visit to Jammu and Kashmir, the Prime Minister, Mr Manmohan Singh, was told by Chief Minister, Mufti Mohammed
Sayeed, about the peoples’ aspirations for seeing the road reopened. In fact, it was Mr Sayeed who, after coming to power in November, 2002, had raked up the issue of reopening of the Srinagar-Muzaffarabad road. During the time the
BJP-led NDA was in power at the Centre, the issue had been broached with
Pakistan. The matter was left under the carpet after differences between Delhi and Islamabad emanated on the mode of travel documents to be issued to visitors. Delhi insisted on maintaining the same modalities as were in vogue at present and Islamabad wanted simplification by authorising Deputy Commissioners to clear the travel documents. Official sources said during the meeting between senior officers of the two sides in Delhi in the first week of December, the issue pertaining to the travel documents required by visitors on either side of the border was expected to be
finalised. A major section of people, especially divided families, have been in favour of speedy restoration of travel facilities from Uri. They argue that if one has to visit
Muzaffarabad, Mirpur or other places in occupied Kashmir from the valley they have to travel for five days. Mir Ghulam Nabi of Srinagar said, “If the
Uri-Muzaffarabad road is reopened, it may take a traveller five hours
only.” PDP and Congress circles say the reopening of the road will boost the political image of the ruling coalition since the National Conference failed to get its demand for reopening of the Srinagar-Rawalpindi road fulfilled during its 27-year struggle while “we can boast of fulfilling our promise of restoration of bus traffic on the
Uri-Muzaffarabad road within two years.” |
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