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4 militant outfits threaten to sabotage conference
Security beefed up for PM’s visit
BJP may boycott roundtable conference
An act of cowardice, says Azad
No resident will be harassed, 11 CMs tell Azad
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Sikhs enraged over ignoring refugees
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4 militant outfits threaten to sabotage conference
Srinagar, May 21 The Al Nasireen, the Farzandan-e-Millat, the Save Kashmir Movement and the Al Arifeen outfits, in a faxed statement to the media here, asked the separatist leadership to stay away from the conference. Four militant outfits last year opposed the Srinagar-Muzaffarabad bus service and threatened to turn it into a “coffin”. A joint spokesman of the outfits Abdul Sameeh, said “all preparations to sabotage the round-table conference have been completed.” He claimed that “Jammu and Kashmir is a disputed territory and India’s control over it is illegal”. “Indian Prime Minister and other leaders cannot convene round-table conferences here. They are holding the conference to mislead the international opinion,” the spokesman alleged. He said such conferences were aimed at putting Kashmir on the backburner. “Conspiracies are being hatched to throw the Kashmir issue into a cold storage by bilateral or tripartite talks,” the spokesman said. He claimed that the earlier conference in New Delhi did nothing substantial except to consolidate the “Indian control over Jammu and Kashmir”. “Earlier also, a round-table conference drama was staged in New Delhi which only considered the moves to strengthen the Indian interests and nothing was said about the Kashmir issue. It clearly indicates the motive behind holding such conferences,” he added. According to the spokesman, the permanent and real solution of the Kashmir issue “lies in the implementation of the UN resolutions”. “All those leaders who have separatist leanings are warned not to participate in the round-table conference,” he warned. The outfits also reprimanded newspaper owners for not publishing their press notes. The Muzaffarabad-based United Jehad Council (UJC), an umbrella organisation of several militant groups operating in Jammu and Kashmir, also termed the round-table conference a “futile exercise”. In a telephonic statement to the media here UJC spokesman Sadakat Hussain alleged, “India is consolidating its control over Jammu and Kashmir by holding such conferences”. He also supported the strike call given by breakaway Hurriyat Chairman Syed Ali Shah Geelani for two days from May 24.
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Security beefed up for PM’s visit
Srinagar, May 21 The meeting will be held at the Sher-e-Kashmir International Convention Centre (SKICC) overlooking the Dal lake. Restrictions for the forthcoming event of the roundtable conference have already been announced by the authorities here. In view of conference, which will be held on May 24 and 25 at the SKICC, the Traffic Department has made some changes in traffic routes, an official spokesman stated here today. On May 24, 25 and 26 buses plying on Nishat, Shalimar and Harwan roads have been asked to ply on the SRTC crossing, Rainawari, Dargah Hazartbal and Nishat Foreshore road. No bus will be allowed to ply on Boulvard and Gupkar roads. Restrictions have already been imposed on the movement of civilian traffic on the Gupkar road in high security zone. However, traffic will be normal on the Boulevard road along the Dal lake that leads to Nishat, Shalimar and Harwan areas and Mughal Gardens. “Traffic restrictions (on Boulevard) will come into force from the evening of May 23,” said a police official on duty. In certain localities the police and security forces have geared up routine security exercises. While formal invitations have been extended to all mainstream and separatist political parties to attend the conference to hammer out a solution to the Kashmir problem, separatists have rejected it, though the moderate APHC will decide on its participation tomorrow. Meanwhile, one of the constituents of the APHC, Ittehad-ul-Muslimeen led by Maulvi Abbas Ansari, today rejected the Centre’s invitation describing the conference as a “futile exercise”. He favoured a conference with the involvement of leaders from the other side of the LoC. |
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BJP may boycott roundtable conference
Jammu, May 21 The vice-president of the state BJP, Prof Hari Om, said today that the final decision on the issue would be taken on May 23, a day before the conference. He said the BJP would not participate in the conference in case Dr Manmohan Singh reopened the already settled issue of accession of J&K with India and touched the Pakistan’s idea of introducing “self-rule” in the state. He said the accession of J&K with India was finally decided in 1947 and the BJP would oppose reopening of the issue. He said the time was not opportune for holding the roundtable conference as innocent Hindus were massacred at two places and incidents of terrorist violence were continuing in the state. Hari Om said the Prime Minister should first concentrate on restoring normalcy in the state rather than holding such conferences which had failed to yield positive results. The state BJP chief, Dr Nirmal Singh, and Hari Om have received the invitation for the roundtable conference. However, there were indications that they might not participate in the conference as the Central leadership of the party was not in favour of sharing the platform with the separatists who had challenged the sovereignty of India. It is learnt that the local unit of the party was divided on the issue of certain leaders participating in the first roundtable conference in Delhi. The BJP president, Mr Raj Nath Singh, during his recent visit to the Doda and Udhampur districts following massacre of 34 Hindus, had indicated that there was no justification of the roundtable conference when the minorities were continued to be targeted. Meanwhile, senior BJP leader Chaman Lal Gupta, in a statement, here today feared more problems than little good out of the peace process in Kashmir. He said the manner in which the roundtable conferences were being organised by reopening the already settled issues was bound to prove detrimental to the national interests and encourage communal thinking. He said paying little attention to the immediate problems arising out of the massacre of Hindus and holding such conference would be a fruitless exercise. |
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An act of cowardice, says Azad
Srinagar, May 21 Describing it as an act of “cowardice in which innocent civilians and public at large were directly fired upon”, Mr Azad said that it fully exposed the cult of violence operating in the valley. He visited the site immediately after the incident to enquire about the welfare of the workers of the Youth Congress. Mr Azad was scheduled to address the rally at 1.30 p.m. while the visit was rescheduled in view of another function organised by children at Cheshmashahi to pay homage to late Rajiv Gandhi. When the Chief Minister was about to leave for the function at Sher-e-Kashmir Park, he heard about the incident. PDP patron and former Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed and party president and MP Mehbooba Mufti expressed grief over the incident. |
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No resident will be harassed, 11 CMs tell Azad
Srinagar, May 21 An official spokesman here said the Chief Ministers informed Mr Azad that directions had been passed to the administration and police in this regard. Chief Minister of Maharashtra Vilasrao Deshmukh said, “I am instructing Additional Chief Secretary (Home) to be vigilant while dealing with students from Jammu and Kashmir and to issue appropriate instructions to the investigating officers concerned in this regard.” |
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Sikhs enraged over ignoring refugees
Jammu, May 21 At an emergency meeting here today presided over by Mohinder Singh, chief organiser, Bhai Kanhaiya Nishkam Seva Society, Sikh leaders felt enraged over sidelining of these refugees at the meeting. Others who attended meeting included Narbir Singh, president, Shiromani Youth Akali Dal, Paramjit Singh, president, AISSF, Gajan
Singh, Chairman, Sikh Sangat and Kulwant Singh, chief adviser, Sikh Naujawan Sabha. They said since 1947, refugees from PoK had been neglected and given a raw deal. |
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