J A M M U   &   K A S H M I R

3 children die, 19 hospitalised
Srinagar, January 13
Three children died of a mysterious disease in the Sangarwani area of Pulwama district and 19 were hospitalised here last evening after they developed measle-type rashes and mild fever, officials said today.

Kashmiris seek permission to visit Hindu temple in PoK
Jammu, January 13
A religious organisation of Kashmiri Pandits, Premnath Shastri Shodh Sansthan, has sought permission for performing yajna at the 800-year old shrine of Sharda Peeth in Muzaffarabad in Pakistan occupied Kashmir.

Kashmiri woman injured in Haj stampede
Srinagar, January 13
A Kashmiri woman was among those Haj pilgrims, who got injured in the stampede at Mena, near the holy city of Mecca, yesterday, where over 345 pilgrims are reported to have died.

Fidayeen attack foiled
Srinagar, January 13
The security forces foiled a fidayeen attack, killed a militant guide and arrested two Pakistani infiltrators in Jammu and Kashmir overnight, official sources said today.

15 corps celebrates raising day
Srinagar, January 13
The Srinagar-based 15 Corps of the Army celebrated its raising day with traditional enthusiasm at Badami Bagh cantonment here yesterday.

3 children die, 19 hospitalised

Srinagar, January 13
Three children died of a mysterious disease in the Sangarwani area of Pulwama district and 19 were hospitalised here last evening after they developed measle-type rashes and mild fever, officials said today.

The Medical Superintendent of Children’s Hospital Dr Mohammad Abdullah Banday, said that 19 children from the Sangarwani area in Kellar block of Pulwama district were admitted to the hospital here at around 6.30 p.m. yesterday with complaints of measle-type rashes and mild fever, besides respiratory infection.

He said while a majority of the children were stable, three of them were under strict observation. Dr Banday said the situation was under control and there was no cause for concern.

“There is no need to panic. Everything is under control. Such type of a disease is normal during winter months. The children will be discharged in the next three days. The main cause of the disease is unhygienic conditions, infection and poor nutrition,’’ he added.

Dr Banday said several tests were being conducted on the children and some samples would be sent to the infectious disease laboratory in Pune to ascertain the exact cause of the illness. — UNI

Kashmiris seek permission to visit Hindu temple in PoK
Our Correspondent

Jammu, January 13
A religious organisation of Kashmiri Pandits, Premnath Shastri Shodh Sansthan, has sought permission for performing yajna at the 800-year old shrine of Sharda Peeth in Muzaffarabad in Pakistan occupied Kashmir.

Mr Omkar Nath Shastri, head of the organisation, said here today, “Our organisation has decided to perform 108 yajnas in different places in India, which includes one at Sharda Peeth in Muzaffarabad”.

The yajnas were to be performed in various temples and shrines for seeking blessings for the restoration of peace in the Indian subcontinent.

He said, “We believe that our programme will remain incomplete if we are not allowed to perform a the rites at the Sharda Peeth temple”.

Mr Shastri said besides opening the Srinagar-Muzaffarabad road, five border points have been thrown open for promoting people to people to contact. Besides, there has been no tension on the India-Pakistan border since the enforcement of ceasefire on the LoC in 2003.

In the context of this development, he said, “We seek permission from New Delhi and Islamabad for visiting Sharda Peeth where we wish to perform a yajna”.

Mr Shastri said prior to the Partition, Kashmiri pandits would visit the shrine round the year and on occasions several rites were performed. For people living in the border areas of Baramulla and Kupwara visit to the temple was a regular exercise and many would travel on foot.

He said, “We have received reports that the historic shrine was in a bad shape after its steps and outer walls had collapsed because of prolonged neglect. We wish to visit the shrine also to assist the authorities there in carrying out renovation and conservation work”.

Kashmiri woman injured in Haj stampede
Tribune News Service

Srinagar, January 13
A Kashmiri woman was among those Haj pilgrims, who got injured in the stampede at Mena, near the holy city of Mecca, yesterday, where over 345 pilgrims are reported to have died. All other pilgrims, about 9,200 from Jammu and Kashmir were safe, according to state Haj officials here, who were in constant touch with senior officials presently camping in Saudia Arabia.

The woman, Taja Begum from Baramulla district of north Kashmir, received minor injuries in the stampede, Sheikh Nazir Ahmad, State Haj official told The Tribune here this afternoon. He said the woman had been discharged from the hospital. Most of the pilgrims from the state had already reached Mecca when the tragedy struck, he said, adding that the officials had been in constant touch with Mr Abdul Rashid Mir, Chief Executive Officer of the Central Haj Committee, presently stationed in Mecca.

All other pilgrims from the state, including APHC chairman and hardline leader, Syed Ali Shah Geelani and former chairman of the moderate faction of the APHC Moulvi Abbas Ansari, were safe. In all 9,199 and an infant joined the annual Haj pilgrimage from the state this year and flew directly from Srinagar to Saudi Arabia between December 3 and January 2.

At least four Haj pilgrims from the state have so far died during the annual pilgrimage. Two of them, Mohammad Rajab Rather from Budgam district and Ghulam Qadir Mir from Anantnag district died in a house collapse in the beginning of the pilgrimage at Mecca on January 5. Two others died natural deaths, the officials said.

The pilgrims would be returning by Indian and Air India flights between January 16 and February 13.

Fidayeen attack foiled

Srinagar, January 13
The security forces foiled a fidayeen attack, killed a militant guide and arrested two Pakistani infiltrators in Jammu and Kashmir overnight, official sources said today.

However, militants attacked police personnel, guarding members of the minority community and snatched their weapons in South Kashmir.

A Defence Ministry spokesman said at Jammu that a soldier noticed some suspicious movement near his post in the Khanetar gali last evening.

He spotted a fidayeen running towards the post with grenades. Before he could storm the post, he was shot dead, the spokesman added.

The slain militant was identified as Mohammad Javed. Two hand grenades and one radio set were seized from him.

An official spokesman said here that the security forces gunned down a militant guide at Mendhar in Poonch district of Jammu region last night. The slain guide was responsible for taking youths of the state across the border for receiving arms training.

He said a group of militants attacked police personnel, guarding members of the minority community at Reshnagri village in Pulwama district early this morning. The fire was retaliated. Later, militants snatched two self-loading rifles with two magazines from the police personnel.

The security forces arrested one Pakistani infiltrator each from the Bhawani and Ramgarh sectors last night. Some arms and ammunition were recovered from their possession, he said. — UNI

15 corps celebrates raising day

BJP alleges discrimination
Tribune News Service

Jammu, January 13
The BJP has accused the J&K Public Service Commission of indulging in nepotism and regionalism in the selection of Principals for government colleges and has demanded that the selections should be immediately scrapped.

Dr Nirmal Singh, president of the state BJP, told mediapersons here yesterday that qualified local candidates had been ignored by the commission which had selected 23 candidates from the Kashmir valley as against six from Jammu. Out of these three were from Doda district to which Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad belonged.

He alleged that discrimination in the selection process was evident also from the fact that of the 15 candidates put on the waiting list, eight belonged to the valley.