J A M M U   &   K A S H M I R

Azad celebrates Id with quake-hit
Teethwal (LoC), November 4
Miles away from his family and friends, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad spent Id-ul-Fitr, his first after assuming the post, with quake survivors here today. Though the entire hamlet has been reduced to rubble and death has left its imprint on survivors, the spirit to fight the odds and the will to face the challenge has remained indomitable.

Women offer prayers on Id at the Hazratbal shrine on the outskirts of Srinagar on Friday. 
— Reuters photo

Azad under pressure to expand Cabinet
Jammu, November 4
The Chief Minister, Mr Ghulam Nabi Azad, is under pressure from his party leaders for expanding the 13-member Council of Ministers which was constituted in Srinagar on November 2.

• May allocate portfolios on November 7

Workers want Panthers Party to join government
Jammu, November 4
In a bid to put pressure on Panthers Party chief, Bhim Singh, supporters of former Education Minister, Harsh Dev Singh, today constituted a 13-member committee to decide on future course of action.

Bhim Singh for amnesty to PoK prisoners
New Delhi, November 4
The Panthers Party chief, Mr Bhim Singh, has requested Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to declare general amnesty for Pakistan-occupied Kashmir people lodged in various prisons under the Public Safety Act.

Azad celebrates Id with quake-hit

Teethwal (LoC), November 4
Miles away from his family and friends, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad spent Id-ul-Fitr, his first after assuming the post, with quake survivors here today.

Though the entire hamlet has been reduced to rubble and death has left its imprint on survivors, the spirit to fight the odds and the will to face the challenge has remained indomitable.

It was a subdued Id for the people here. Id prayers, in thanksgiving of being alive, were followed by a simple lunch in shelters and open lawns. This was all the celebrations entailed and soon after the victims got back to their routine — collecting relief.

The people of this quake-ravaged border village, on the banks of the Kishenganga, a stone’s throw from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, gave a warm welcome to the Chief Minister.

The Chief Minister was accompanied by his deputy Muzaffar Hussain Baig, former Public Works Department Minister Ghulam Hassan Mir and several senior security and civil officials.

Mr Azad and Mr Baig offered Id prayers at the damaged Jamia Masjid with the survivors as the faithful across the Line of Control (LoC) were heard preaching the same message of peace and love.

As Pakistani helicopters hovered in the skies dropping relief supplies in their side at Chillian village, Mr Azad went around to meet villagers, living in makeshift shelters and tents.

The Chief Minister interacted with the survivors and gave them a patient hearing. He assured the victims of all support and help from the administration.

Mr Azad, who took over as the 10th Chief Minister of the state on Wednesday, distributed relief supplies sent by Congress chief Sonia Gandhi on Id.

This was his first visit to any quake-hit area in the state after taking over the chief ministership from Mr Mufti Mohammad Sayeed. — UNI

Azad under pressure to expand Cabinet
M.L. Kak

Jammu, November 4
The Chief Minister, Mr Ghulam Nabi Azad, is under pressure from his party leaders for expanding the 13-member Council of Ministers which was constituted in Srinagar on November 2.

Party sources said here today that a number of members of the erstwhile Council of Ministers led by Mufti Mohammad Sayeed felt intrigued over the inclusion of those MLAs in the new ministry whose “tainted” image was no longer a secret. They said against it those whose performance as ministers had been appreciated by the people had been left out.

Not only Mr Azad but the Mufti too is under pressure from his PDP MLAs for persuading the Chief Minister to increase the size of the ministry so that more leaders from the PDP could be inducted into the Cabinet.

When Mr Azad was nominated by the AICC President to the post of Chief Minister, people in the Jammu region, including those belonging to Opposition parties, had expressed joy as for the first time a leader from the region had been sworn in as Chief Minister. However, this joy seemed to have remained shortlived after Jammuites realised that the region had been again given a raw deal because of the 13 ministers, only four belonged to Jammu.

A senior Congress leader told this correspondent: “It is strange that three important districts of the Jammu region — Poonch, Rajouri and Udhampur — have no representation in the new ministry.” People belonging to the Gandhi Nagar Assembly constituency have expressed anger over the dropping of their leader, Mr Raman Bhalla, from the ministry. Mr Bhalla was the Minister of State for Consumer Affairs in the Mufti-led Cabinet as he had polled the highest number of votes in the 2002 Assembly poll.

Reports said people were also upset over the dropping of Mr Ghulam Hassan Mir, Mr G.A. Mir, Mr Jugal Kishore, Mr Manjit Singh, Mr Abdul Rehman Veeri and Mr Aijaz Khan.

Congress supporters said the party had bagged 16 of the 37 seats in the Assembly poll in 2002 from the Jammu region, which warranted a major share to its leaders in the ministry.

Official sources said Mr Azad was planning to expand the ministry but would like to stick to his original plan of keeping the size of the ministry limited to 25 against 37 of the Mufti-led Cabinet.

May allocate portfolios on November 7
Tribune News Service

Jammu, November 4
The Chief Minister, Mr Ghulam Nabi Azad, is likely to allocate portfolios to his ministers on November 7 when the Secretariat reopens here for the winter months after the annual move from Srinagar.

Mr Azad, who celebrated Id with victims of the earthquake in the remote area of Tangdhar today, is likely to fly to Delhi tomorrow to discuss the issue of allocation of portfolios with the party high command.

Although allocation of portfolios was the prerogative of the Chief Minister, sources said that keeping in view the sensitivity of the coalition in which Mufti Sayeed has just stepped down from Chief Ministership to hand over the reins to Mr Azad, the latter might take the party high command into confidence in the matter.

Mr Azad would return from Delhi on November 6 and announce the portfolios either that evening or the next morning when the Secretariat reopens.

He has not yet assigned work to any of his 12 ministers.

Assigning portfolios is a ticklish issue as most of the ministers wanted to retain their old departments. However, Mr Azad might not be in a position to oblige most of them.

Keeping in view the small size of the ministry, Mr Azad would have in hand many portfolios to allocate to his ministerial colleagues. The two junior ministers might also get independent charge of certain departments. The strength of the previous ministry was 39.

During the Mufti regime, the Congress leaders grumbled as they were given charge of “insignificant” portfolios. Mr Mangat Ram Sharma, Deputy Chief Minister in the Mufti ministry, held the portfolios of transport and industry.

However, the PDP might pressurise Mr Azad to allow the Deputy Chief Minister, Mr Muzaffar Beig, to handle the finance portfolio that he was holding in the previous government.

Workers want Panthers Party to join government
Tribune News Service

Jammu, November 4
In a bid to put pressure on Panthers Party chief, Bhim Singh, supporters of former Education Minister, Harsh Dev Singh, today constituted a 13-member committee to decide on future course of action.

The action comes following announcement by Mr Bhim Singh that the party would support from outside the coalition government headed by Mr Ghulam Nabi Azad.

A number of supporters of Mr Harshdev Singh gathered outside his residence here and voiced their annoyance over the decision of Mr Bhim Singh to keep out of the ministry.

Mr Yashpal Kaundal, who was a minister in the previous Mufti-led government, was also present there.

Mr Harshdev Singh announced that the 13-member committee headed by Mr Mushtaq Khan, vice-chairman of the party, would decide on the future course of action. None of the four MLAs of the party would be on the committee.

In an indirect attack on Mr Bhim Singh, he said it was unwise to attach conditions for supporting the Azad-led government as it was for the first time that the Chief Minister was from Jammu.

He warned that the party would not be allowed to be driven by any individual and the collective decisions would prevail. A firm decision should have been taken whether to support or oppose the government.

Other participants, including Mr Kaundal, Mr Mool Raj, president of the Udhampur district unit of the party, and Mr Vinod Khajuria, president of the Municipal Committee, Ramnagar, criticised Mr Bhim Singh for having decided to support the Azad-government from outside.

They stressed that the party should join the ministry.

Bhim Singh for amnesty to PoK prisoners

New Delhi, November 4
The Panthers Party chief, Mr Bhim Singh, has requested Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to declare general amnesty for Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) people lodged in various prisons under the Public Safety Act.

In his letter, Mr Bhim Singh requested for general amnesty as an “Eid gift” for the people of PoK and some of the people of Pakistan lodged in Jodhpur, Naini, Agra, Hazibagh, Sangroor, Tihar, Varanasi and other jails in Jammu and Kashmir.

In his letter, Mr Singh contended that these prisoners had completed their term of 24 months in the prison and should be sent back.

The Panthers Party chief said these prisoners had understood the futility of the violent exercises done at the behest of “certain agencies”.

“They are in a highly tense situation because of the situation of their parents and families back in PoK. They do not know whether they have anyone left in their families to receive them,” he said and requested that “it will be a great humantarian step which history shall records as a great gesture of forgiveness by India.”