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Top Hizb militant killed; ultras rob bank
Plan to shift Pandits to valley put off
PDP lauds Hizb stand on opening of road
Cong concerned about
Suchetgarh-Sialkot road issue
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‘Cut delays in selection process for jobs’
Violence losing support, says Mufti
Empower women, says VC
Rohit Kansal selected from J&K Cadres
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Top Hizb militant killed; ultras rob bank
Srinagar, April 16 This follows the killing of three top militants of the Al-Bader outfit near Chadoora in Budgam district yesterday in the stepped-up operations against militants ahead of the India visit of Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf. Two militants of the Hizbul Mujahideen, one of them a divisional commander for south Kashmir, were killed in an encounter with security forces at Murahama Sangam in the Beijbehara area of Anantnag district today. They were identified as Shabir Ahmad Sheikh, divisional commander, and Ghulam Mohiudin, company commander, both local militants. A defence spokesman said Sheikh, alias CV M7, was responsible for the blowing up of a BSF bus near Qazigund in May last year. Twentynine BSF personnel had been killed in the incident. Sheikh was also responsible for killing 70 persons in south Kashmir and burning school buses in Anantnag district, the spokesman added. He said the Victor Force of the Army had eliminated the top leadership of all militant outfits in south Kashmir during the past few months. One militant of the Harkat-ul-Mujahideen was killed in an encounter with the security forces at Kachwan, Kokernag, in Anantnag district yesterday. One AK rifle, three magazines, 60 rounds, a wireless set and a hand grenade were seized from the site of the encounter. Abdula Rehman Lone (65) was injured when he was fired upon by a gunman near a mosque at Chandoosa in Baramula district last evening. Three unidentified militants looted at gunpoint an amount of Rs 4.22 lakh from Ellaquai Dehati Bank, Kralpora branch in Budgam district today, the police here said. |
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Plan to shift Pandits to valley put off
Jammu, April 16 According to the Minister for Relief and Rehabilitation, Mr Hakim Mohammad Yasin, the delay in the implemention of “our plan” was the result of the damage caused to the clusters being constructed for the migrants in Sheikhpora in Badgam district due to heavy snow. He said the construction work had been resumed after the weather conditions improved and if all went well “we will be able to carry the first batch of 250 families within the next three months”. Mr Yasin said so far over 1,300 applications from migrants had been received by the government. The migrants had expressed willingness to return to Kashmir.He said by the time the first batch was taken to the Valley “we may have received more than 2,000 applications.” However, the general secretary of the All-State Kashmiri Pandit Conference, Mr Hira Lal Chatha, told The Tribune here today that “the majority of migrant families were opposed to a piecemeal return.” He said the government “plan about carrying back some of the displaced families was a drama.” Mr Chatha said, “The displaced community had not received any job package from the government.” He said recently several hundred educated youth of “our community” had applied for jobs in the government departments. They were told that in case they were ready to go back to Kashmir, the government would appoint them on contract basis on a fixed monthly emoluments of Rs 1,500. The Pandit leader said some Pandit youths had gone to the Civil Secretariat to fill the forms for the posts that had fallen vacant in Kashmir and officials “bluntly told them that these jobs were not for migrants.” Mr Chatha alleged that some “so-called leaders in the community had been won over by the government and they had submitted fake applications to the government showing their willingness to return.” In this connection, he said, several Pandits from Badgam district, now living in migrant camps in Jammu, had met Mr Yasin and informed him that they had not given in writing that they were prepared to return to Kashmir. These people from Badgam had informed the minister that they would return to their villages if their houses, destroyed by militants, were rebuilt by the government. |
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PDP lauds Hizb stand on opening of road
Srinagar, April 16 In a statement here today, the chief spokesperson of the PDP, Syed Basharat Bukhari said the PDP had always been favouring holding of a dialogue with all groups in the state, including the Hizbul Mujahideen. Commenting on Salahuddin’s statement that none of the member organisations of the UJC had fired a single bullet on the Srinagar-Muzaffarabad bus and the militants were ready to drop guns and come back to their homes provided New Delhi showed seriousness in resolving the Kashmir issue, Bukhari said that the opening of the Srinagar-Muzaffarabad road was a step towards the resolution of the Kashmir issue and not the end of the problem. “The opening of the road should lead to an ultimate solution of the vexed issue of Kashmir and help in fostering of a relationship between New Delhi and Islamabad. However, this should help in arriving at the final settlement of the issue,” Bukhari said. Bukhari also stressed that the PDP wanted peace to return to the state and added that the party was working with dedication for bringing back prosperity and normalcy in the region. “Syed Salahuddin’s latest statement in this regard is welcome and it should be taken seriously by New Delhi,” he said. Bukhari said that after UJC had shown a the flexible posture, it was time for New Delhi to act likewise to make a headway on the issue. |
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Cong concerned about
Suchetgarh-Sialkot road issue
Jammu, April 16 Official sources here told The Tribune today that the Prime Minister and other senior Congress leaders in Delhi were under pressure from the leaders of the state unit of the Congress for taking up with Pakistan the issue of the reopening of the Suchetgarh-Sialkot road. One senior Congress leader said, “We have apprised the party high command about the urgent need to resume the bus services on the Suchetgarh-Sialkot road as early as possible”. He said, “We have informed the party leaders in Delhi that the Congress in Jammu and Kashmir has been facing an awkward situation because the credit for opening of the Srinagar-Muzaffarabad road was being appropriated by the
PDP.” The Congress leader said the PDP functionaries were trying to derive mileage from the possible reopening of the Suchetgarh-Sialkot road by organising demonstrations. He referred to a recent demonstration staged by the PDP at
Suchetgarh, 27 km south of Jammu, on April 7 when the first bus from Srinagar to Muzaffarabad was flagged off by Dr Manmohan Singh. As a secular party, the Congress enjoys support of Muslims in the Jammu region and a majority of these Muslims have their relatives in Mirpur in Pakistan. Reaching Mirpur from Uri was time-consuming. The distance between Suchetgarh and Mirpur via Sialkot is one fourth of the distance between Uri and Mirpur via Muzaffarabad If India and Pakistan reach an agreement on the opening of the Suchetgarh-Sialkot road, it will help the Congress in Jammu and Kashmir. |
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‘Cut delays in selection process for jobs’
Jammu, April 16 In his address after inaugurating the new public service commission (PSC) complex at Rail Head this afternoon, the Governor stressed the need for cutting delays in the selection process and further improving the functioning of the commission. The Jammu and Kashmir Public Service Commission should endeavour to be a role model for other parts of the country, the Governor said, while expressing concern over the bad reputation attained by some of the commissions, without naming the states. Highlighting the importance of statutory bodies like the PSCs, General Sinha said the functioning of these autonomous agencies were reflective of checks and balances in a democratic set up. |
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Violence losing support, says Mufti
Jammu, April 16 Addressing the legislative Assembly on the concluding day of the current session, the Chief Minister said violence as an option to press one’s point of view had lost support all over the world. He said there was aversion to the use of violence particularly when the option of dialogue and discourse was available. He said the atmosphere emerging in the sub-continent was of peace and reconciliation. Winds of change are sweeping Jammu and Kashmir. They had overwhelmingly expressed their preference for peace and expect the gun-wielding youth to respond postively to the changed situation. |
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Lakshmi Hari Prasad releases CD of rhymes
Jammu, April 16 The CD titled, “Grandma Melodies,” was released at Udhampur today. Ms Prasad, wife of Lieut-Gen Hari Prasad, Army Commander of the Northern Command, is constantly taking up projects for the welfare of terrorism-hit women and children in the state. The CD contains melodious rhymes on various educative topics, especially for nursery and junior school students. The lyrics have been written by members of AWWA, including Ms Prasad herself, and have been sung by the Tshering family. Lively tunes and special effects make the experience more realistic and help the children to feel the mood of the rhymes. The CDs will be distributed free of cost to all nursery and junior schools in the Northern Command.
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Empower women, says VC
Jammu, April 16 Mr Mattoo was speaking at a function organised by the Chenab College of Education here. He appreciated the college for preparing the students in the task of women empowerment and expected the hope that, other colleges would follow suit. Mr Rajiv Gupta, Director, Colleges, said the university would assist those colleges which would set up women study centres. Mr R.S. Chib, Chairman of the College, suggested that a paper on women empowerment should be included in the B.Ed. syllabus. |
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Rohit Kansal selected from J&K Cadres
Jammu, April 16 He is currently posted as Additional Chief Executive Officer of the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board. He is among the 12 eminent professionals in the country who have been selected for the award.
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