Srinagar, September 26
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed has demanded the restoration of telephone link between Jammu and Kashmir and different cities of Pakistan.

Seeking to restore the telephone link between Jammu and Kashmir and Pakistan, the Chief Minister said he would recommend this to the Union Telecommunication Ministry. He gave this assurance to a 98-member joint Indo-Pak delegation of Young Presidents’ Organisation. The delegation includes 43 members from Pakistan. They are on a visit to the state and arrived here on Friday. The Mufti was accompanied by his wife, the Deputy Chief Minister Mangat Ram Sharma, Member of Parliament Mehbooba Mufti, film actress Ms Shabana Azmi, Chief Secretary Vijay Bakaya and Vice-Chancellors of Kashmir University and Islamic University, Kashmir, were also present.

The Chief Minister said the course of peace and friendship adopted by the two countries had improved atmosphere in the subcontinent, including Jammu and Kashmir. He said dialogue was the only course to resolve even the most complicated issues and the two sides had realised this after exhausting all other options, including war.

The Mufti held that there was no readymade solution to the Kashmir problem and one could be reached only through an evolutionary process. He said talking about a solution ahead of the dialogue process was to put the cart before the horse.

Answering a question, the Chief Minister said incidents of human rights violations had drastically come down and the security forces had been given clear instructions to avoid collateral damage and to ensure that innocent people were not put to any harm while dealing with militancy. When a member wanted him to differentiate between a militant and a freedom fighter, he said no-body could call someone who kills an innocent person a freedom fighter. He said Pakistan, too, was facing a similar situation where innocent people were being killed in mosques.

Referring to Kashmiri Pandits, the Mufti said their migration from the valley was a blot on the age-old local tradition of co-existence. He said his government was taking several steps, including the construction of a cluster accommodation for their return. He asked members of the group to move around and see for themselves the change in the situation. He said the media in Jammu and Kashmir was free and an atmosphere of democracy was all pervasive.

Srinagar, September 26
The brief autumn session of the state Legislature, which began here under tight security today, is going to be stormy with the National Conference up in arms against policies of the coalition government. Proceedings of the Legislative Assembly and the Legislative Council were adjourned till tomorrow, after obituary references to two former members, Master Beli Ram and Mohammad Din Banday. With two days for Private members’ bills and resolutions, the session is scheduled to conclude on October 4.

Among other things of public interest there would be speculations over the change of power from the PDP to the Congress as scheduled early in November. Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, whose three-year term as Chief Minister completes on November 2 , as per agreement with the main coalition partner, the Congress that would have its Chief Minister for the next three years. When asked about the National Conference’s plans to raise issues of public interest in the session, Mufti welcomed the move saying it had the right to raise issues. He said the opposition had the right to do so and the government would also present its view-point.

Earlier state president of the National Conference and MLA, Dr Mehboob Beigh said that there were many issues that would be taken up during the coming days. He described as “unfortunate” that only three days to present opposition viewpoint. “It is only a constitutional obligation that the government is trying to fulfil, to hold the sitting of the House within six months”, Dr Mehboob Beigh said. Referring to the issues, the NC leader said that failure of the government in fulfilling promises to the people of the state made by the coalition partners since the government took over about three years ago would also be highlighted. Dr Beigh pointed slogans like “healing touch policy” and “peace with dignity” would be taken up in the session. “The government has brought disrepute to the State, which has been termed as the second most corrupt state of the country”, Dr Beigh said this would also be taken up by his party. “There has not been any relief on the human rights front”, he alleged and added that the State Human Rights Commission (SHRC) recommendations were not being implemented.

The government may focus on the opening of dialogue between India and Pakistan and the Centre-APHC talks, accountability of security forces on human rights front, works and achievements in fields like jobs to the unemployed youth and other matters.

The Chief Minister, Speaker, Mr Tara Chand, Chairman Legislative Council, Abdul Rashid Dar, and other members of different parties paid rich tributes to the departed leaders, while both Houses observed a two-minute silence as a mark of respect to them Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed described Master Beli Ram, a former Deputy Speaker and a minister, as a role model for legislators, saying he was closely connected with the people.

Paying tributes to Mohammad Din Bandey, the Chief Minister described him as a very good person, who was closely associated with him. He said Bandey ably represented his constituency and as a minister worked for the welfare of the people of the state.

Rich tributes were also paid in the Legislative Council, where the Chairman, Abdul Rashid Dar, National Conference and Congress leaders remembered the departed leaders and observed two minutes silence in their memory.

Jammu, September 26
Of about 300 political leaders, bureaucrats and police officials, who have been provided with the security cover, nearly 100 have been placed under “Z” category cover.

About 116 political leaders and government officials have been given “Y” category security cover and over 100 people enjoy “X” category security status.

In view of added threat perception in militancy-affected areas of Doda, Poonch, Rajouri and parts of Udhampur, government officials, political leaders and legislators belonging to these areas have been placed under “X” and “Y” security cover.

In the past three years, the government had spent crores of rupees on purchase of bullet proof cars for the use of not only ministers and senior government officers but legislators and former ministers and MLAs also. Still a large number of ministers and legislators continue to clamour over rickety vehicles provided to them.

One senior police officer told this correspondent that a number of former legislators and ministers had not returned cars and jeeps which had been provided to them, when in office, for security reasons even after when they had been brought out of “Z” category and placed in “X” category.

In addition to this, the government has to spend crores of rupees annually on the security cover, which includes a couple of vehicles to retired senior police officers. Besides security guards, PSOs senior retired police officers are entitled to free petrol for running the vehicles provided to them by the government.

He said the state exchequer comes under strain when senior political leaders and government functionaries, including ministers, senior bureaucrats from Delhi and other states, visit Jammu and Kashmir because these VIPs have to be provided with “Z” category security cover.

Srinagar, September 26
An Army Major was hurt and two hold-up militants were killed in the Kashmir valley overnight.

Security forces busted several hideouts and recovered arms and ammunition, including RDX and mortars in the state during the period, an official spokesman said.

A report from Baramula said militants attacked a security force patrol party at Rajwara Handwara in the frontier district of Kupwara late last night.

Security forces also retaliated and in the encounter Major Sandeep was injured. However, militants escaped in darkness.

An official spokesman said the operation at Harwan ended after both holed-up militants of the Al-Badr outfit were killed. Security forces resumed search operation this morning and recovered two AK rifles from the house of one Mohammad Sadiq Mir which was gutted in the encounter.

Police sources said top Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) militant Farooq Bhat came to the house of HM Divisional Commander Javed Varqui at Suigarh in Jammu yesterday.

Police and Army personnel reached the village as on getting the information.

When troops were laying a cordon around Virqui’s house, Farooq opened fire, which was returned and in the exchange, Farooq was injured, sources said. Farooq was arrested by troops after he attempted to flee. — UNI