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Byelection in three constituencies today
Election boycott call may be ignored
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Communalism hampering
development: CM
Unfit for travel, mother
prays for CM’s success
Meeting under WB expert on Baglihar
on May 24
Telephone services disrupted
Hizb militant killed
Grenade attack on former Advocate-Gen’s house
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Byelection in three constituencies today
Srinagar, April 23 The National Conference is contesting only two seats of Pattan and Rafiabad, and is supporting Independent candidate Shoaib Lone, son of former slain minister Dr Ghulam Nabi Lone in the Sangrama constituency. Separatist organisations, including both factions of the Hurriyat Conference, the JKLF led by Mohammad Yaseen Malik and the High Court Bar Association, have called for a boycott of the elections, for these were “no solution to the Kashmir problem”. Malik and other leaders had a series of election boycott meetings in the constituencies, where byelections are being held. Senior separatist leaders — Syed Ali Shah Geelani and Shabir Ahmad Shah — have been kept under house arrest since yesterday to prevent them from leading the anti-election rallies. Talking to mediapersons here, hardline APHC chairman Syed Ali Shah Geelani at his Hyderpora residence here yesterday said that the elections were no solution to the Kashmir issue and it was only a ploy to mislead the world community. Urging the people to boycott the elections, he said these were no substitute to the right of self-determination. Two seats of Rafiabad and Pattan had fallen vacant following the resignation of the respective members from the Opposition National Conference and the Assembly last year. They included Dilawar Mir from Rafiabad and Shia leader, Moulvi Iftikhar Hussain Ansari, who joined the PDP and are contesting as the joint candidates of the ruling Congress-PDP coalition. The Sangrama seat fell vacant following the killing of former PDP leader and minister, Dr Ghulam Nabi Lone, here on October 18 last year. The PDP, having denied mandate to his son, Shoaib Lone, fielded Javed Hussain Beigh, nephew of the Deputy Chief Minister, Muzaffar Hussain Beigh, from Sangrama. In the Pattan constituency, Moulvi Iftikhar Ansari is pitted against the National Conference bigwig and former minister Dr Mustafa Kamaal, with two other candidates, including Abdul Ahad Najar of the Panthers Party and Nazir Ahmad Mir, Independent. The PDP candidate, Dilawar Mir, is pitted against Mohammad Maqbool Mir of the NC in his home constituency of Rafiabad in another four- cornered contest. Two other candidates include Abdul Khaliq Sheikh of the Panthers Party and an Independent, Mohammad Maqbool War. There are seven candidates in the fray from the Sangrama constituency where the Opposition National Conference is supporting the Independent candidate, Shoaib Lone, son of the slain minister, who is also getting the support of former minister and now suspended PDP leader, Ghulam Hassan Mir Shoaib is pitted against the PDP candidate, Javed Hussain Beigh, Javed Qureshi of the RLD, Sonaullah Beigh of the Panthers Party and three other independents, Zafrullah Beigh, Abdul Rahman Lone and Ghulam Mohiuddin Bhat. |
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Election boycott call may be ignored
Jammu, April 23 There is tremendous enthusiasm among voters in these constituencies where election rallies of almost all parties were overflowing with supporters. The people have so far completely ignored the “fatwa” for boycotting the elections. However, how many turn up at polling booths tomorrow is to However, attempts were being made by pro-separatist elements to ‘spoil’ the atmosphere in the Bhaderwah constituency where Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad is contesting the by-election. Slogans of “azadi” were raised by a group of people in the town this morning when reports of a terrorist, Zuber Ahmed, by security forces at
Thanala, 12 kms away came in. Another incident of killing of class X student Madan Lal by terrorists in the neighbouring Inderwal constituency has also become a talk of the town. But reports indicated such incidents were unlikely to keep the voters indoor. Several activists of the outfit of hardliner Syed Ali Shah Geelani have been taken in custody as a preventive measure. The four constituencies, Bhaderwah, Pattan, Sangrama and Rafiabad, have been converted into military and police cantonments on the eve of the polling to prevent any unpleasant ward incident that might scare voters. A group of separatist forcing the people not to cast votes was arrested in Pattan. Almost all polling booths have been declared hyper-sensitive or sensitive. Syed Ali Shah Geelani and JKLF leader Yaseen Malik toured the three constituencies in the valley to persuade the people to keep away from polling booths. The slogan of “azadi” raised by separatists at the moment does not appear to be making any impact on the people keen to exercise their franchise. To scare people, a terrorist attack was made recently in the heart of the Bhaderwah town where a policemen was killed. However, the incident has failed to dampen spirit of the people who were campaigning for their parties. Another attack was made on independent candidate Shoaib Lone in the Sangrama constituency of the valley where the separatists have influence in certain pockets. But the constituency witnessed tremendous response to the election rallies. Former Chief Minister and patron of the National Conference (NC), Dr Farooq Abdullah, his son and NC chief Omar Abdullah, PDP leader and former Chief Minister Mufti Sayeed and his daughter Ms Mehbooba Mufti, have addressed series of meetings in these constituencies. PCC chief Peerzada Sayeed also campaigned for the PDP. The response to the boycott call is expected to have a bearing on the representative character of the
separatists. Pakistan also recently said that the separatists do not represent the entire Jammu and Kashmir. The BJP and other mainstream parties have already been saying that the Centre should not give undue weightage to the separatists whose influence was confined to certain pockets in the Kashmir valley and they have no following in the Jammu and Ladakh regions. |
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Communalism hampering
development: CM
Jammu, April 23 Mr Azad, who was addressing a massive public meeting here, said that those states where religious and communal considerations overshadowed everything else lagged behind in development. He said to become a role model in the country, our policies should be aimed at people’s welfare and development. He said that the elements which did not want peace to be restored in the state would try to sabotage the roundtable conference next month at Srinagar. Mr Azad said while scanning the functioning of various departments , he had came across various schemes that existed on papers alone and funds had been shown as spent on schemes that did not exist. |
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Unfit for travel, mother
prays for CM’s success
Jammu, April 23 “Yes I wish I could travel to my ancestral village of Soti in Bhalessa tehsil of Bhaderwah constituency and casting my vote for my son. But my health does not permit me to do so. I will pray for the success of my son,” she said at her residence in Jammu on Saturday. The polling is slated for April 24. Ms Basa Begum recalled: “When I went to cast my vote in 2002 Assembly election, Mr Mohd Niaz Sharief lifted me in his arms from the village to the polling booth. This time I am not in even that position.” “I wish my son’s political rivals remain miles away from Mr Azad as he had been installed as Chief Minister for restoring peace and for ensuring all round development,” she said. It is not yet certain whether Mr Ghulam Nabi Azad will travel to Bhaderwah for casting his vote because at the time of filing his nomination papers he had announced that he would neither campaign for his victory nor enter the constituency before the poll results. However, according to family sources, his son, Mr Saddam Nabi Azad, is expected to visit the constituency for casting his vote along with his mother, Ms Shameen Dev Azad.
— OC |
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Meeting under WB expert on Baglihar
on May 24
Jammu , April 23 Work on the project was getting delayed due to certain objections raised by Pakistan on the basis of the Indus Water Treaty between the two countries. The World Bank is the arbitrator for any dispute on the treaty. The meeting will continue for five days during which Mr Lafittee will listen to objections and arguments of both sides. Mr Lafittee had some time ago visited the Baglihar project in Doda district along with the Indian and Pakistani representatives to make an on-the-spot assessment of the objections made by
Pakistan. India is sticking to its stand that it has not violated the treaty in any way. Pakistan wants that the height of the dam should be reduced and the sluice gates and spill way be removed. However, India has already rejected the demand as it would not only shorten the life of the project because of accumulation of silt, but also create other problems. Pakistan has claimed that the project would cause a shortfall of 7000 cusecs of water to it , resulting in fallout on agriculture. The nearly Rs 4000 crore project was slated to be commissioned last year, but paucity of funds and the dispute with Pakistan has further delayed it. The UPA government at the Centre is keen that the project should start generation soon. |
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Telephone services disrupted
Jammu, April 23 The Internet, STD and ISD services were disconnected since the morning. The ATMs of the banks became non-functional and customers faced hardship as the credit cards and debit cards remained unoperational during the day. The mobile phone services were badly hit and the subscribers were unable to send SMS. This is not for the first time that the telephone services have been hit here. This has been happening frequently during the past few months when the work on four-laning of the highway started. The General Manager of the BSNL, Mr R.K. Koul, said it would take a couple of hours to rectify the fault. |
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Hizb militant killed
Srinagar, April 23 Hizbul commander Zabir Ahmad, alias Billa Paswan was killed in an encounter with the security forces at Sharkhi in the Bhaderwah constituency of Doda district from where Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad is seeking entry to the state legislature in tomorrow’s
bypoll. On a tip-off that Hizbul militants planned to disrupt poll in the constituency tomorrow, Army troops launched a cordon and search operation in the village and confronted the top militant, also codenamed Abu Safiya, defence sources said. During the ensuing encounter, the militant was killed while some of his accomplices managed to escape. An AK assault rifle, two magazines and 35 rounds were recovered from the encounter scene. Hailing from Qila Mohalla area of Bhaderwah, the spokesman said Billa Paswan was involved in a series of militancy-related incidents in the district. The police found the bullet-riddled body of Mushtaq Ahmad from Zanipora-Rajpora area of Pulwama district this morning. Ahmad, a resident of Drabgam village, had reportedly close links with the Hizbul Mujahideen, the spokesman said. Official sources said the deceased was abducted by unidentified militants from his house last night and later shot dead on the suspicion of being an informer. The spokesman a militant was injured in an encounter with the security forces at Mamender-Shopian village in Pulwama district last night. Slight damage was caused to an armoured vehicle of the police during the encounter. The injured militant managed to escape, leaving behind a rifle and ammunition. In another operation, the spokesman said the security forces recovered a rifle, two magazines and 31 rounds of ammunition from a militant hideout at Nalian Kali Masta in Gool area of Udhampur district today. However, no one was arrested during the operation. — PTI |
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Grenade attack on former Advocate-Gen’s house
Jammu, April 23 No one was injured in the attack, the police said. Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad is contesting the byelection for the Bhaderwah Assembly seat for which polling will be held tomorrow. The separatists have given a call for the boycott of the election in all four constituencies that go to the polls tomorrow. Meanwhile, anti-India slogans were reportedly raised in the town when the body of Zubair Ahmed, a tehsil commander of the Hizbul Mujahideen, was buried this afternoon. The militant was killed in an encounter with security forces near the Bhaderwah town last evening. |
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