J A M M U   &   K A S H M I R

Contest poll, Cong asks Hurriyat
Srinagar, April 16
Asking separatist groups to attend the second roundtable conference here, the Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee has urged the Hurriyat Conference to participate in the next Assembly elections to determine their representative character.

BJP old-timers back Ghulam Nabi Azad
Jammu, April 16
With a large number of BJP activists having come out to support Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad in the Bhaderwah Assembly constituency, the sailing has become very smooth for him.

Four injured in grenade attacks
Srinagar, April 16
In escalated violence ahead of byelections in four Assembly constituencies in Jammu and Kashmir, militants today carried out three grenades attacks, injuring four persons, while the security forces recovered two grenades averting a possible tragedy, official sources said.

Contest poll, Cong asks Hurriyat
Tribune News Service

Srinagar, April 16
Asking separatist groups to attend the second roundtable conference here, the Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee has urged the Hurriyat Conference to participate in the next Assembly elections to determine their representative character.

“If they want to prove their representative character, they should participate in the 2008 Assembly elections. Only then will we accept them as real representatives of the people of Jammu and Kashmir,” said the Pradesh Congress chief, Peerzada Mohammad Sayeed, here yesterday.

Addressing a press conference, the PCC chief and Youth Services and Sport Minister condemned the serial blasts that took place here yesterday killing at least five persons and injuring 44. The attacks, he said, were an attempt to disturb the ongoing peace process ahead of the forthcoming byelections and the conduct of the second roundtable conference here next month.

The PCC chief made a fervent appeal to all separatist groups to participate in the dialogue process and urged militant organisations to shun the gun to join the dialogue process for finding an amicable and lasting solution to the Kashmir problem. “We have invited all for talks”, he said. Peerzada expressed the hope that despite attempts to disturb the situation, the peace process would go ahead.

He pointed out that the Hurriyat Conference had already had a meeting with the Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, and had participated in other meetings like the ones in Karachi and Pugwash in Pakistan in which several mainstream parties from the state also participated. Thus, he held that the “separatist parties should participate” in the second roundtable conference scheduled to be held here in May.

Peerzada also recalled the Indira-Abdullah accord of 1975 by dint of which the Congress government stepped down here, paving the way for Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah to take over by “getting them into the mainstream” adding that “rai shumari khatam ho gayee”. He added that such things would not get repeated and asked the Hurriyat Conference to participate in the next Assembly elections and also in the roundtable conference.

Referring to the byelections to four Assembly constituencies, Peerzada held that the coalition parties had fielded their candidates in three seats in Baramula district while the Congress had fielded its candidate, Mr Ghulam Nabi Azad, from Bhaderwah in Doda district.

BJP old-timers back Ghulam Nabi Azad
S.P. Sharma
Tribune News Service

Jammu, April 16
With a large number of BJP activists having come out to support Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad in the Bhaderwah Assembly constituency, the sailing has become very smooth for him.

Mr Azad is contesting the by-election for the seat that was vacated for him by his cousin Mohammad Sharief Niaz. The Chief Minister is in a direct contest with the BJP nominee, Mr Dhanantar Singh.

Interestingly, a good number of old timers in the BJP were backing Mr Azad instead of their own party candidate who is considered a lightweight in the field. No senior BJP functionary accepted the party's offer to contest against Mr Azad.

It is virtually a wave in favour of Mr Azad in the constituency where he forfeited his security deposit in the election of 1977.

The reason is simple: he is being considered as the pride of the area that was neglected by the successive governments in the state. Most of the electorate claims that it was an honour for the area that Mr Azad as Chief Minister has chosen to contests the election from there.

A BJP stalwart of the area said that it was the first opportunity not only for the Jammu region, but the remote area of Bhaderwah to have a local Chief Minister.

He said a number of BJP activists had advised the party leadership to let the seat go to Mr Azad unopposed, but unfortunately their suggestion was rejected.

The election rallies of the BJP candidate were thinly attended, while the response was overwhelming for Mr Azad.

The people of the area were not convinced with the claim of the BJP leaders that Mr Azad was an outsider and never came to the area to share their grief whenever human lives were lost in terrorist attacks.

Construction of several new roads in the area has been taken in hand ever since Mr Azad became Chief Minister. Several other development activities have been started in the district. A campus of the Jammu University is being constructed at Bhaderwah.

Mr Azad has announced that he would not campaign for himself in the constituency. The election campaign was being handled by Mr Niaz, who has addressed a series of rallies in the interior areas.

The National Conference (NC) has not fielded any candidate against Mr Azad.

Four injured in grenade attacks

Srinagar, April 16
In escalated violence ahead of byelections in four Assembly constituencies in Jammu and Kashmir, militants today carried out three grenades attacks, injuring four persons, while the security forces recovered two grenades averting a possible tragedy, official sources said.

The first grenade attack was carried out on a security picket at Rainawari Chowk in downtown Srinagar followed by a twin strike in Sopore township in Baramula district, where byelections were being held in three Assembly seats on April 24, the sources said.

Four persons were injured when a grenade, hurled by militants towards a CRPF picket, missed the intended target and exploded on the road at Rainawari Chowk around 11.15 a.m., the sources said.

Militants again struck in Sopore, 55 km from here, around 12.45 p.m. but none was hurt in the blast.

The militants tried to target a BSF picket, located on the second floor of a private building, but the grenade fell short and exploded on the roadside, the sources added.

Ten minutes later, the sources said militants lobbed grenades at a police vehicle in Sopore but the device failed to explode and was subsequently defused by the bomb disposal squad.

No militant outfit has so far claimed responsibility for the three grenade attacks, which took place despite stepped up security arrangements in the entire city in the wake of last week’s serial explosions. — PTI