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Geelani leads march for Afzal’s release
Self-rule favours empowerment of all: Mufti
BJP threatens mock hanging of Afzal Guru
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4 militants, jawan killed in encounter
5 Army men killed in mishap
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Geelani leads march for Afzal’s release
Srinagar, October 19 The protesters gathered at Koker Bazar this afternoon and marched towards Press Colony here raising slogans and carrying posters and banners in support of Afzal Guru. Mr Geelani, who heads a rival faction of the Hurriyat Conference, led the peaceful march. “Dr Mohammad Afzal Guru...We are proud of you....” read the banners and posters in English and Urdu. Later addressing the protesters at Press Colony, Mr Geelani demanded immediate release of Afzal Guru. “Afzal’s hanging will be a murder of justice. We have been demanding that Afzal be given a chance to defend himself,” he added. Mr Geelani threatened of dire consequences if Afzal was hanged tomorrow as per a Delhi court order. He appealed to the people to observe complete shutdown and hold protests for three consecutive days if Afzal Guru was hanged to mourn and express solidarity with his family members. The hardline separatist leader asked the people to offer “Jinazah (last prayers)” in absentia throughout the state if Afzal Guru was hanged.
— UNI |
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Self-rule favours empowerment of all: Mufti
Ganderbal, October 19 Addressing a public meeting in this once stronghold of the National Conference (NC), he said unlike autonomy that had eroded over a period of time, ‘self-rule’ would be safeguarded by adequate guarantees with empowerment. “Let me assure you this is not day-dreaming, but destined to happen sooner than later,” he added. Mr Sayeed, who is the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) patron, said Jammu and Kashmir was at the threshold of far-reaching consequences and the occasion was appropriate for a meaningful breakthrough to usher in a peaceful and prosperous future. He said the PDP had to play a critical role and discharge great responsibility in the common quest for peace in the region. Right form its birth in 1999, the PDP has played a historical role with sincerity and conscientiousness that helped create an environment for the peaceful resolution of the Kashmir issue, the former Chief Minister added. Mr Sayeed said he would take this message from the people of Jammu and Kashmir to the world leaders during his forthcoming visit to the United Nations. “Enough blood has been shed in the state in the past more than one decade of turmoil. The time has come to put an end, once for all, to human tragedies in Jammu and Kashmir,” he added. The PDP leader said all parties concerned must come out of shells and embark on the quest for honour, peace and prosperity of and its people. Mr Sayeed said the PDP’s alliance with the Congress was a part of a larger objective and not an instrument of power sharing. In her address, PDP president Mehbooba Mufti said of the ‘self-rule’ formula, envisaged empowerment of the people of all regions and sub-regions on every front be it political, constitutional, social and economic. The formula accommodated regional aspirations of the state, including geographically disadvantageous areas, she added. Ms Mufti sought compensation in lieu of the Indus Water Treaty, saying the state had suffered huge financial loss due to it. Natural water resources needed to be utilised for overall economic development of the state, she added. Former Deputy Chief Minister Muzaffar Hussain Beigh lauded the people who extended massive support to the peace initiative of the PDP in 2002. The party was fully seized of problems of the unemployed youth, Mr Beigh said, adding it was formulating a plan for generating jobs for unemployed youth and would plead for absorbing nearly 1.50 lakh of them in the next two years. — UNI
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BJP threatens mock hanging of Afzal Guru
Jammu, October 19 The president of the state unit of the BJP, Dr Nirmal Singh, told media persons here today: “We will hang the effigies of Guru tomorrow if the government failed to honour the court verdict.” He said the party’s district units had already sent memoranda to the President of India demanding that Guru should not be granted any clemency. In the memoranda, the BJP had conveyed to the President of India that clemency to Afzal Guru could “boost the morale of militants operating in Jammu and Kashmir on the one hand and, on the other, result in demoralisation of the security forces.” Dr Singh said supporters of Guru, including some leaders of the mainstream political parties, were misleading the country by saying that execution of Afzal Guru would push up militancy. He said the BJP general secretary, Mr Arun Jaitley, would visit Jammu on Friday for streamlining the organisational activities of the party in the state. |
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4 militants, jawan killed in encounter
Srinagar, October 19 The Army also lost one of its personnel in the gun-battle with the intruders, he added. Elsewhere in the state in the past 24 hours, a boy was killed while militants chopped ears of a person. Col Mathur said troops noticed movement of heavily-armed militants near the LoC on the Indian side yesterday morning. The intruders had crossed the LoC from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) and sneaked into the Indian side on the night of October 17, he added. As they reached a particular place in the Machil sector, Col Mathur said militants were confronted by troops. On being asked to surrender, the spokesman said the infiltrators opened fire on them resulting in an encounter. In the gun-battle, four infiltrators were killed, he added. Col Mathur said four AK rifles and some ammunition were also seized from the encounter site. A police spokesman said Mohammad Arif was killed while fiddling with some explosive material at Lakhi Karee village in Rajauri district of the Jammu region last evening. Suspected militants chopped the right ear of a person at Sopore in north Kashmir’s Baramula district last evening, the spokesman said. He said militants kidnapped Abdul Majid Bhat, of Taki Lolab in the frontier district of Kupwara, from the apple town of Sopore, last evening. He said militants believed that Bhat was an informer of the security forces. The militants later released him after chopping his ear, he added.
— UNI |
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5 Army men killed in mishap
Srinagar, October 19 The vehicle on its way to Panthachowk collided at Pohru near Nowgam, about 15 km from here, this morning when the incident occurred causing spot death to two jawans, the sources said. They said the driver of the vehicle, Jeetendra Singh, and six other soldiers were injured in the accident and were rushed to hospital where three jawans and the driver succumbed to their injuries. — PTI |
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