Jammu, May 24
The Mufti-led coalition government received a jolt today when the Governor, Lieut-Gen S.K. Sinha (retd), refused to grant assent to the controversial Bill seeking to dissolve the elected panchayats in the state.

Sources said the Governor had returned the Bill to the state government for reconsideration.

The Governor pointed out that the Bill was contrary to the 73rd and 74th amendments of the Constitution that decentralised powers at grass-roots level.

The Bill was sent to the Governor for his assent about a month ago after the two Houses of the legislature passed it.

The sources said the Bill was returned after consulting legal and other experts.

The Governor is understood to have pointed out that instead of empowering the panchayats, the Bill aimed at axing their powers. He is also learnt to have expressed apprehensions that it would not be wise to hold fresh elections of the panchayats as several elected representatives of the civic bodies were killed by the ultras particularly in the valley.

The Bill, among other things, sought to midway dissolve the elected panchayats and hold fresh elections. Elections were held for 1,691 panchayats in 2001, but 401 other panchayats were left out because of terrorism. The Mufti government instead of holding elections for the left out panchayats was seeking to dissolve even the panchayats that had elected representatives.

There were allegations that the Chief Minister, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, was keen to hold fresh elections in a bid to grab the seats where the PDP had no representation. Most of the panchayats in the valley were in the hands of the opposition National Conference.

The state finance commission had in its recent report recommended that steps should be taken by the government to hold elections for the panchayats where the elections were not held in 2001.

Significantly, the Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, had recently asked the state government to incorporate the 73rd and the 74th amendments in the Constitution of Jammu and Kashmir so that the state could benefit by decentralising powers to the panchayats.

Srinagar, May 24
A bridge was blown up in an IED explosion caused by suspected militants on the Pahalgam-Chandanwari road, en route the holy cave shrine of Amarnath in South Kashmir early this morning.

The police here said that an IED planted by suspected militants under the iron bridge near Sadhu Padav, Chandanwari in the Pahalgam area, of Anantnag district, went off at about 3 a.m. today. The explosion has taken place less than a month before the beginning of the annual Amarnath Yatra in South Kashmir, which is scheduled to begin on June 21 this year.

Union Home Secretary, V.K. Duggal here last weekend had detailed discussions with senior state officials, including the Director-General of Police, Mr Gopal Sharma, and the Chief Secretary, Dr S.S. Bloeria, on the security situation. He had told a press conference here that all measures were being taken for the smooth conduct of the Amarnath yatra. He said that there were differences of opinion between the Governor, who is also the Chairman of the Amarnath Shrine Board, and the state government, but no differences. He held that both the board and the government were taking measures for a peaceful conduct of the yatra.

The first jatha of the members visited cave shrine recently and reported over 20 foot snow near the cave as the valley and its upper reaches witnessed a heavy snowfall this winter.

Jammu, May 24
Terrorists slit throats of three persons, including a mother and her son and a police personnel, in the Jammu division today.

According to reports reaching here, terrorists barged into the house of Fatima in the Gool area of Udhampur district and slit her throat and also of her son, Irshad.

It is being said that Irshad had escaped from the captivity of terrorists who lured him to get trained in militant activities. He, however, managed to escape and reached his house. But the terrorists in a bid to create panic among those undergoing training in their camps slit the throats of the two.

In another incident, a special police officer, Munawar Hussain, was killed by terrorists in the Mendhar area of Poonch district.

Two militants were shot by Army personnel in the Bafliaz area of Surankot.

Meanwhile, reports of the ISI of Pakistan having reactivated its terrorist training camps across the Chhamb sector have been received. Reports indicated that trained terrorists were waiting at the launching pads for infiltrating into the Indian territory.

Srinagar : At least 11 persons, including five militants and three security personnel, were killed across Jammu and Kashmir overnight.

An official spokesman said an encounter erupted between the militants and a joint party of the security forces and the police at Dhara Morha in Poonch district of the Jammu region last night.

In the ensuing gunfight, two Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) militants — identified as Abu Farkhan and Abu Hyder — were killed. Two security personnel also lost their lives.

Two AK rifles, five magazines, 55 rounds, one wireless set and three diaries were seized from their possession. — UNI

Srinagar, May 24
The moderate faction of the Hurriyat Conference, which has accepted Pakistan’s invitation to visit PoK, will meet here tomorrow to work out modalities of the visit aimed at finding “an everlasting solution to the Kashmir issue” through dialogue. The radical faction, led by Syed Ali Shah Geelani, which also has received the invitation, is yet to take any decision and respond, even as it has been averse to the CBMs like the opening of the Srinagar-Muzaffarabad road.

“It has been our long-standing demand”, the Chairman of the moderate Hurriyat Conference, Mirwaiz Moulvi Umar Farooq, said here today adding that a joint policy of political and militant organisations was necessary for talks on the Kashmir issue. He said in the first phase it was necessary that both political and militant organisations get together, while in the second phase talks were held.

The APHC has called a meeting of its executive committee members and the working committee to work out the modalities before boarding the Muzaffarabad bus on June 2, the date of their proposed visit by the Pakistan government. The meeting will decide on the strength of the Hurriyat delegation, which is not expected to be more than four. It will be up to the government to facilitate the visit of the Hurriyat delegation on the proposed day, the Mirwaiz indicated.

When asked about the inclusion of other leaders outside the Hurriyat Conference fold like Shabir Ahmad Shah and Mohammad Yaseen Malik, the Mirwaiz said consultations would also be held with such leaders. The APHC is already in touch with such leaders, though the radical leader, Syed Ali Shah Geelani, has been against the move of the reopening of the Srinagar-Muzaffarabad road. He is of the opinion that the re-opening of the road was misleading and no solution to the Kashmir problem.

Senior separatist leader and chief of J and K Democratic Freedom Party (DFP), Shabir Ahmad Shah, who has also been invited by the Pakistan government, though outside the Hurriyat fold, has welcomed and accepted the Pak invitation. “Accepting the invitation from Pakistan, it was decided that we will be visiting Pakistan in the form of a state delegation”, a spokesman of the party said here this evening. “We will move ahead with a unanimous stand after discussions with the leaders of the United Jehad Council (UJC) and political leaders (of PoK)”, the spokesman stated quoting the chairman, Shabir Ahmad Shah.

A spokesman of the Geelani’s Hurriyat Conference told the Tribune that the invitation to visit Pakistan had been received by fax. “The invitation has been extended to all constituent members of the Hurriyat Conference”, the spokesman said. A high-powered meeting of the decision-making bodies of Tehreek-e-Kashmir of Syed Ali Shah Geelani and the APHC led by him, would be taken in due course of time, the spokesman said. He added that the date of the meeting depended upon the health condition of Syed Ali Geelani, who had been bed-ridden for some time.

Jammu, May 24
While the APHC, headed by Maulvi Umar Farooq, will decide on its response to Pakistan Government’s invitation to visit that country at the meeting of its executive committee shortly, other separatist leaders are still indecisive on the issue.

A senior APHC leader, Prof Abdul Gani Bhat, welcomed the invitation from Islamabad for visiting Pakistan and “Azad” Kashmir and said the matter would be discussed in the executive committee of the conglomerate.

On the other hand the President of the Democratic Freedom Party, Mr Shabir Ahmed Shah, has said invitation to Kashmiri separatists to visit Pakistan and Azad Kashmir was a positive gesture. He, however, wanted the date of the visit to be postponed because he would be busy with his one-month long mass contact programme beginning from May 28. The Pakistani Government has favoured that Kashmiri separatists visit Pakistan on June 2.

Chairman Tehrik Hurriyat Conference Syed Ali Shah Geelani, has said he would be able to decide on accepting the invitation after his health conditions improved. He said he was ill and could decide only after his recovery.

Mr Geelani had not supported the reopening of Srinagar-Muzaffarabad road on the plea that the road opening programme alongwith restoration air and rail links had sidelined the Kashmir issue. Even during his meeting with Pakistan President, Gen Pervez Musharraf, in Delhi recently Mr Geelani had aired his apprehensions.

However, the APHC leaders had supported the opening of the Srinagar-Muzaffarabad road and the confidence-building measures initiated by Delhi and Islamabad. The leaders wanted an audience with the Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, before travelling to Muzaffarabad.

It was in this context that the APHC leaders had not applied for permit for travelling to Muzaffarabad when the Uri road was thrown open for bus services because they wanted to see the fruitful resumption of the dialogue with Delhi.

So far no formal invitation has come from Dr Manmohan Singh.

APHC leaders would not like to miss the opportunity and will accept the invitation from Pakistan depending on the issuance of the permit for the travel.

There are indications that the APHC leaders may also seek extension in the date of the travel.