Srinagar, August 11
Conceding that situation in Jammu and Kashmir was not “completely peaceful”, the ruling PDP president, Ms Mehbooba Mufti, here today sought ceasefire by both the militants and security forces and stressed upon the distinguished role of her party.

Amid speculations over the shifting of power after three years’ term to its coalition partner, the Congress, about after three months, Ms Mufti said that the PDP’s role was different from other mainstream and separatist political parties for finding a political solution to the Kashmir issue. She, however, indicated that there would be smooth shifting of power to the coalition partner, Congress, in accordance with the agreement reached between the two main coalition partners.

Ms Mehbooba Mufti, MP, was addressing senior party leaders at Emporium Garden here this afternoon, after being-elected as the PDP president for a term of three years. This is the first election of the party president under the norms of the Election Commission of India, six years after it was constituted in July 1999. Ms Mufti had been heading the party for the past over two years, after it came to power an head of the coalition government in 2002 Assembly elections.

Her father, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, the founder president of the party, had then taken over as the party patron after becoming Chief Minister in November 2002. Senior PDP leader and Finance Minister, Muzaffar Hussain Beigh, also held the post of the party president for some time.

Ms Mufti’s nomination was proposed by general secretary, Mr Tariq Hameed Qarra. Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, Agriculture Minister, Abdul Aziz Zargar, Finance Minister, Muzaffar Hussain Beigh and senior Shia leader, Moulvi Iftikhar Hussain Ansari, who recently joined the party after resigning from the opposition National Conference, were among those present.

Ms Mehbooba Mufti asked Pakistan President, General Pervez Musharraf, to influence the Kashmiri militants in his country to observe a ceasefire in Jammu and Kashmir. She said that the ceasefire by Hizbul Mujahideen in 2002 had come as a relief to the people of Kashmir, though it continued only for two weeks. She said that over 3000 Kashmiri youth on the other side of the borders were eager to return to their homeland and lead a normal life.

“We also want that they return to their homes”, she said. Ms Mufti asked the Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh, to impress upon Pakistan President for a ceasefire in Jammu and Kashmir.

Referring to the role of security forces in this trouble-torn state, she sought the withdrawal of troops and recruitment of Kashmiri youth in the state police to take over the reigns. “Have trust in Kashmiris… more than 50,000 youth can be adjusted”, in the police adding that it would ease the situation in the valley to a great extent.

She also lauded the role of her party in an accelerated rate of development over the past about three years. Ms Mufti pointed out that a number of development projects were taken up and accomplished. A number of educational institutions the from primary schools to colleges and universities were set up, besides reconstruction of roads, bridges and buildings.

Jammu, August 11
More Army troops have been deployed at Katra and around the holy cave shrine of Mata Vaishno Devi in view of the high degree of threat perception and the chance recovery of a pen bomb from outside the ‘Bhavan.’

The pen, which can also write, vibrates and can be used to cause a minor explosion by fitting it with a detonator, Deputy Inspector-General of Police (Udhampur-Doda) Satvir Gupta said.

Though the pen was recovered from the luggage room outside the cave shrine on August 9, the police kept it a secret to avoid fear psychosis among Vaishno Devi pilgrims.

Mr Gupta said as no one was allowed to enter the cave shrine with one’s belongings, the suspected militant, who had come there in the guise of a pilgrim, dropped the pen bomb inside the luggage room to avoid arrest.

He said as there were intelligence inputs that militants could cause explosions on the cave shrine, all possible security arrangements had been made to avoid any such incident.

Mr Gupta said in addition to two companies of the Army deployed at Katra last year, nearly two more companies of the army had been deployed in and around the town for the protection of the pilgrims.

He said though the cave shrine had been fortified, pilgrims were also being requested to remain alert and contact the police in case they found a suspicious person around them.

The officer said field officers and beat cops had been given special instructions to keep an eye on Vaishno Devi ‘pithus’ (labourers who carry children and luggage pick-a-back on the Katra-Bhavan track) after a ‘pithu’ joined the Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) ranks a week ago. The ‘pithu,’ who joined the LeT, was identified as Tariq of Ind in Gool.

As Tariq worked as ‘pithu’ only for a month or so, Superintendent of Police (Ramban-Gool-Banihal) Gareeb Dass said he suspected that the former worked in Katra only to recce the area.

Mr Dass said a special operation had been launched in the Ind forests in search for Tariq.

Mr Gupta said as the majority of the ‘pithus’ belonged to the militancy- infested areas of Doda and Udhampur districts, it had become important to keep them under constant vigil. Militants could force these ‘pithus’ to cause blasts at Katra and en route to the holy cave shrine of Mata Vaishno Devi by threatening to kill their families at homes, he added. — UNI