J A M M U   &   K A S H M I R

Byelections: papers of two rejected
Srinagar, April 9
With a day left for the withdrawal of nomination papers, the nominations of 15 candidates contesting the forthcoming byelections to three Assembly constituencies of Baramula district on April 24, have been found valid.

UK not to lift advisory warning
Jammu, April 9
While Jammu and Kashmir has rolled out the red carpet to receive a record number of tourists this summer, Britain has refused to oblige the state government by lifting the advisory to its nationals against travel to Kashmir.

Mirwaiz-led APHC yet to decide
Round-table conference
Srinagar, April 9
Moderate faction of the Hurriyat Conference, led by Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, which stayed away from the February meet in Delhi, is yet to decide on its participation in the second roundtable conference scheduled to be held here next month.

Special article: Cooperative common future

Three members of family killed
Srinagar, April 9
Three members of a family were killed, while two police personnel wounded in a mine blast across Jammu and Kashmir since last evening, an official spokesman said today.

Byelections: papers of two rejected
Tribune News Service

Srinagar, April 9
With a day left for the withdrawal of nomination papers, the nominations of 15 candidates contesting the forthcoming byelections to three Assembly constituencies of Baramula district on April 24, have been found valid.

Out of 17 candidates who filed their papers for Sangrama, Rafiabad and Pattan, the papers of two candidates were rejected yesterday.

According to the returning officer for Sangrama and Rafiabad Assembly constituencies, the papers of Sheikh Mushtaq Ahmad and Javed Ahmad Dar, both from the PDP, have been rejected while nominations of 15 candidates have been found valid.

With a view to conducting the by-elections in a transparent manner, the randomisation of polling staff has been done. The schedule for EVM training for the electorate and the polling staff has also been notified.

This information was conveyed to election observers during a meeting of returning officers, assistant returning officers, Magistrates and zonal and sectoral officers yesterday.

EPICS have been distributed among 65 per cent of the electorate and for the rest of the voters, the Election Commission has allowed 14 documents for identification purposes. As many as 130 Magistrates have been appointed and the transport plan prepared.

The security arrangement was reviewed by the DGP, Mr Gopal Sharma, during his visit to Sopore and Baramula yesterday.

He said candidates should campaign freely in their constituencies without any hindrance.

The IGP, Mr K. Rajendra Kumar, said the security of the candidates was the top priority of the police and paramilitary forces. Adequate security arrangements would be taken so that the voters could exercise their franchise without fear.

UK not to lift advisory warning
S.P. Sharma
Tribune News Service

Jammu, April 9
While Jammu and Kashmir has rolled out the red carpet to receive a record number of tourists this summer, Britain has refused to oblige the state government by lifting the advisory to its nationals against travel to Kashmir.

Looking at a large chunk of four lakh British tourists visiting India every year, the state government, for the past three years, was trying to get its share restored by persuading Britain to lift the negative advisory that has badly hit the tourism industry in the state.

In its fresh advisory, Britain has somewhat relaxed its advice to the extent that if travel to Srinagar was essential, it should be by air.

It warns against all travel to or through rural parts of Jammu and Kashmir (except Ladakh). It says that the UK government advises against all but essential travel to Srinagar.

There continues to be a high-level of conflict and terrorist violence in Kashmir, including car bombs, grenade attacks, bombs on roads and shootings. There have been a number of car bombings in Srinagar. Jammu city and its immediate environs are somewhat safer but attacks still occur, including in public places, the advisory points out.

It says that there is also a risk of kidnapping. Militants took five foreign nationals hostage, including two Britons, in July 1995. One is known to have been murdered and others are believed dead.

The advisory has also warned that trekking in Himachal Pradesh was also not that safe.

Mirwaiz-led APHC yet to decide
Round-table conference
Tribune News Service

Srinagar, April 9
Moderate faction of the Hurriyat Conference, led by Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, which stayed away from the February meet in Delhi, is yet to decide on its participation in the second roundtable conference scheduled to be held here next month.

The Mirwaiz told reporters, here the conglomerate, so far, had not decided regarding participation in the next roundtable. He, however, said there was, yet, no invitation from the central government to participate and conduct of such a meeting was the initiative of the government. He said a final decision would be taken only after deliberations with all constituent leaders of the Hurriyat Conference. He held the Hurriyat had been for the talks and initiative should come from the central government.

Mirwaiz Umar, who returned here on Thursday last after attending a recent meeting in Karachi on Kashmir, said that there was need to develop further “people to people contact” between India and Pakistan. He has visited Pakistan several times since last year after the people to people contact was established between the two neighbouring countries. This began with his first visit to Pakistan along with four other top APHC leaders and JKLF chairman, Mohammad Yaseen Malik in June last year, when they boarded the Srinagar-Muzaffarabad bus. However, the hardline faction of the APHC led by Syed Ali Shah Geelani had rejected the offer to visit by the bus, for it was a “futile exercise and ran over our sacrifices”. Mirwaiz and Malik also attended the Pugwash meet in Islamabad last month, while Geelani, having accepted the invitation blamed the government for disallowing him by not providing travel documents for the Pugwash meet on March 10 last.

Mirwaiz held that there were many proposal, both by India and Pakistan, to resolve Kashmir, like the joint control or self rule. He added that “every proposal needs to be discussed” and the focus should be on how to move forward on the process of dialogue. “We are ready for discussions”, while referring to the recent meetings with Pakistan leadership. “We want to talk to Indian leaders and that is to be reciprocated”, Mirwaiz Umar said adding that the APHC believed in dialogue.

Having visited Pakistan and met a cross section of leaders during his latest visit, Mirwaiz Umar pointed out that the APHC would launch its mass contact programme in the Jammu region. “We will be visiting all regions with our programme” so that the dialogue process is taken further, Umar Farooq said.

Three members of family killed

Landslides block Jammu highway
Tribune News Service

Srinagar, April 9
The 300-km-long Srinagar-Jammu National Highway was blocked to traffic this evening following landslides in the Ramban area after the area witnessed heavy rain since last night.

A number of passenger vehicles and truck loaded with essential items were stranded on the road, the police here said. The upper reaches and mountains around the Kashmir valley witnessed snowfall and heavy rain in the planes as the downpour started last evening.

A report said the Srinagar-Jammu National Highway was blocked at Panthal in the Ramban area at about 5.30 p.m. this evening when heavy stones rolled down over the road forcing the authorities to stop the movement of traffic to avoid any damage. Landslides were also reported from the area as it had been heavily raining along the route since last night.