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Grand reception awaits visitors in Muzaffarabad
BJP to protest against permit system on
2 BSF men killed in ambush by terrorists
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Grand reception awaits visitors in Muzaffarabad
Srinagar, March 28 A cultural programme would be organised on the occasion, according to sources, at the SKICC here in honour of the visitors. The cultural programme to be organised by the State Academy of Art, Culture and Languages would include programmes depicting the culture of the three regions of the state, Kashmir, Jammu and Ladakh. “There will be a get together at the SKICC” on April 7 evening, the state Tourism Minister, Mr Ghulam Hassan Mir said. The Chief Minister and several of his ministerial colleagues are camping here to oversee the preparations. Following a change in the schedule of Congress President Sonia Gandhi’s visit it would be a busy day for her. She was earlier scheduled to visit the state a week ahead of the historic event of the beginning of the bus service. While preparations for the historic event are in the final stages, the list of the passengers who will board the first bus from here is still awaited. The authorities on both the sides had exchanged the lists of passengers from either side at the LoC earlier this month. Sources here said that a list of the passengers travelling to Srinagar from Muzaffarabad has already been cleared, while that of the passengers from Pakistan is still awaited. The Tourism Minister said those travelling from Srinagar would be mainly members of divided families. Meanwhile, Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed has said he would take at the appropriate level the demand of sending a delegation of Kashmiri Pandits to Muzaffarabad via the Jhelum Valley Road. He conveyed this to a deputation of the Hindu Welfare Society, Kashmir, which met him here yesterday. The society members, among other things, asked for jobs for and rehabilitation of the displaced Pandits and also demanded that a special bus carrying a delegation of the community be sent to Muzaffarabad to visit the Sharda Devi Mandir. Responding to the demand, the Chief Minister said he would take it up. He spelt out various measures taken by the government for the
honourable return of Kashmiri migrants including construction of cluster accommodation at Sheikhpora and Mattan and said ‘‘the day is not far when Kashmiri Pandits would return to the Valley and would live with their Muslim brethren like in the past’’. Even as final decision about fixing the rate of bus ticket is yet to be taken, the State Road Transport Corporation (SRTC) is ready with its fleet of buses specially made to ply between Srinagar and the LoC. The rate of the ticket could be anything between Rs 750 and Rs 1250 according to the officials of the SRTC. However, a final decision will be taken by the senior state officials. The ticket price would include price of lunch to be served at the newly set up TRC at Salambada, between Uri and the LoC. Meanwhile, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed today reviewed arrangements for the flagging off of the Srinagar- Muzaffarabad bus. An official spokesman said here the first batch of 30 passengers leaving for Muzaffarabad in the inaugural ride would be carried in two 15-seater SRTC buses to be flagged off at 11 a.m by the Prime Minister at Sher-i-Kashmir Cricket Stadium here. On the same day, an equal number of passengers from Muzaffarbad would be received here. Meanwhile, the People’s Democratic Party today chalked out an elaborate programme to celebrate the flagging off of the first bus from Srinagar to Muzaffarabad. The party workers would mobilise people to make the event a grand show in accordance with its significance for the people of Jammu and Kashmir. In her address Ms Mehbooba Mufti said April 7 will be the happiest moment for the people of Jammu and Kashmir. |
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Sinha lauds Army’s role in re-opening Muzaffarabad road
Srinagar, March 28 Inaugurating a three-day Command exhibition here yesterday, the Governor said the Army was in a firm position to reach Muzaffarabad while clearing tribals from the Valley in 1947 but the exigency of attending to much-needed relief operations in Poonch had forced it to suspend forward movement in Uri sector. “If we had continued our advance to
Muzaffarabad, the course of Kashmir history would have been very different”, the Governor said. The Governor appreciated the role of Army in re-opening of the road for beginning of the bus service, which starts from April 7. |
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BJP to protest against permit system on April 7
Jammu, March 28 This was announced here today by BJP leader and a former chief minister, Mr Madan Lal Khurana, while talking to mediapersons after a meeting with the state party leaders. Mr Khurana said the BJP was not against the introduction of the bus service, for which initiative had been taken during the NDA regime, but was opposed to the decision of the Congress-led UPA government to allow Pakistanis to enter India on the basis of a permit issued by Pak authorities. He said this decision would endanger the security of the country as there was every possibility of the Pakistani authorities letting terrorists enter India on the basis of permits. Mr Khurana said he would take part in the protest. He said if the permit system could be introduced in J&K then why should it not be extended to other states like Punjab which has many divided families. He said by dispensing with the passport system, the Centre had indirectly accepted Pakistan’s claim that Kashmir was a disputed territory. Mr Khurana said the permit system might invite several families that had migrated to Pakistan during the Partition to claim their properties in the state under the Resettlement Act that was passed during the National Conference regime. This would result in uprooting of the families to whom such evacuee properties had been allotted. He was critical of the delay being caused in the inauguration of the Jammu-Udhampur rail line that had been completed about a year ago. Dr Nirmal Singh, state BJP chief, Mr Chaman Lal Gupta, a former union minister and Babu Parmanand, a former Haryana Governor, were also present at the press conference.
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2 BSF men killed in ambush by terrorists
Jammu, March 28 According to the police, those killed were identified as Head Constable Saroop Chand and Lance Naik Hoshiar Singh. The personnel of the 26 Battalion of BSF were returning to their camp after patrolling the area when they were attacked by terrorists at about 10 pm. BSF and security forces cordoned off the area and were searching for the ultras involved in the incident. Meanwhile, according to a UNI report from Srinagar a woman and three militants were killed and 13 persons injured while security forces arrested a militant, busted three hideouts and recovered a large cache of arms and ammunition including deadly RDX, in Jammu and Kashmir. Official sources said three militants were killed by security forces in an encounter at Lakadpora Bijbehara in south Kashmir district of Anantnag this afternoon. The encounter ensued after a search party was attacked by militants, the sources said. Three AK rifles and other arms and ammunition were recovered from the slain militants. Sources said militants hurled a hand grenade near Bijbehara crossing in south Kashmir district of Anantnag this afternoon when an army convoy was passing through the area. However, the grenade missed the intended target and exploded on the roadside, causing injuries to ten persons. The injured were hospitalised. Three persons, including two police personnel were injured in a grenade blast near a shop at Kheora last evening. The injured were admitted to hospital. Meanwhile, a woman, Rehti, who was injured in a grenade blast at Batmaloo yesterday, died in the hospital early this morning. Security forces arrested a militant alongwith one pistol, two magazines, 16 rounds, two hand grenades and one satellite phone at Sopore last night. Forces also busted three hideouts and recovered arms and ammunition, including four kg RDX, five UBGL grenades, six hand grenades, two AK magazines and 310 rounds of ammunition in the state in overnight operations.
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