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Back from Pak, Mirwaiz talks of building consensus
J&K Governor sees decline in killings
Khajuria dares govt to arrest him
Hurriyat leader under house arrest
PDP to submit self-rule proposal to working group
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Three women attempt suicide
Three foreign tourists traced
Kidnapped Kashmiri girl found in Punjab
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Back from Pak, Mirwaiz talks of building consensus
New Delhi, January 28 “We have a goal and we will set on it at the earliest. The goal is to build consensus among the pro-movement (separatist) groups,” Mirwaiz Umer Farooq, chairman of the moderate faction of the Hurriyat, told PTI on his return from Pakistan late last night. Claiming that the nine-day visit to Pakistan by a Hurriyat delegation that also comprised Mr Abdul Gani Bhat and Mr Bilal Lone was a “great success”, the Mirwaiz said he had found a good number of takers in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) for his suggestion for forming two working groups. “These groups could be called contact groups, and they would give vital suggestions to all those involved in track one as well as track two diplomacy,” said the Mirwaiz, who returned with Mr Lone from Lahore. “The only thing is that one needs to institutionalise the efforts made by the Hurriyat and other like-minded parties”. Referring to his talks with militant groups that are part of the PoK-based the United Jehad Council, an amalgam of terrorist outfits, he said, “Well, when we talk of finding a consensus, we need to take every one on board. The people with guns also have a stake in Kashmir”. The Mirwaiz, however, chose to clarify that he had only met representatives of Kashmiri militant groups that were part of the jehad council and other militant commanders who had been camping in the PoK. “The aim of the talks with militant groups by the Hurriyat delegation was to convince them about giving some chance to the process initiated by the group,” he said. Asked whether he had met commanders of the Lashker-e-Toiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed, he said, “I will not like to elaborate on that but I met all Kashmiri militants who have a stake in Kashmir’s peace”. The Mirwaiz said his All Party Conference was a “success story” as barring the hardline Jamaat-e-Islami, almost all other political parties from the PoK participated in it. “One has to understand that results cannot come overnight. Such meetings should take place more often,” he said. Talking about Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf’s four-point proposals to resolve the
Kashmir issue, he said, “These can provide the base for discussions. We also agree that they cannot be accepted in totality but at least discussions can begin with them”. The Hurriyat Conference was willing to hold talks with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to apprise him of the discussions in Pakistan and the PoK. “We need to move forward from every side,” he said. His recent visit to Pakistan was different as the Hurriyat delegation had an opportunity to meet Opposition parties to hear their views and “put our views across”, he said.
— PTI |
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J&K Governor sees decline in killings
Srinagar, January 28 In his Republic Day message, Governor S.K. Sinha said the number of killings of civilians, security forces and militants has been the lowest in the last year, which has been the lowest figure of the past 17 years of violence in the state. “In the last few years, there has been a steady decline, every year, in the total number of people killed - civilians, security forces and militants”, the Governor said. He said 41,333 persons were killed in the state since the eruption of militancy since 1989. He said 16284 civilians were killed by militants while 21,126 civilians including men, women and children were also injured in the violence. Besides, 5,006 security personnel and 20,043 militants were also got killed in this period. “There has also been considerable decline in charges of human rights violations, which again have been the lowest in 2006”, the Governor said. He added most of these allegations were either highly exaggerated or false. “Where anyone has been found guilty, exemplary punishment of dismissal and rigorous imprisonment up to 14 years had been meted out”, he said. Despite grave provocation, the Army has never used air power or artillery against militants inside the state. This restraint has been exercised to ensure minimum collateral damage, he said. Referring to the Indo-Pak confidence building measures the Governor said the two sides had been making steady progress. Ceasefire on LoC has been holding for over three years, while the Srinagar-Muzaffarabad and the Poonch-Rawalkot roads have been opened besides four meeting points on the LoC, Mr Sinha said. This, he said, was a good for divided families but regretted that despite persistent efforts for over two years, Kargil-Skardu road was not yet opened nor any meeting point provided in that region. The divided families of that area were the worst sufferers, he said adding the journey from Kargil to Skardu can be traversed in a few hours. |
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Khajuria dares govt to arrest him
Jammu, January 28 “Our (BJP’s) demand for one nation, one constitution and one flag is justified and let the government arrest me if this statement of mine is anti-national,” Mr Khajuria said at a press conference here, in response to the demand of the Opposition National Conference (NC) for action against him for his utterances. The NC members had stalled the Legislative Assembly proceedings, raising hue and cry against the state BJP chief’s utterances on Thursday. Mr Khajuria said the BJP had planned to hold a rally at Lal Chowk in Srinagar, probably in March, to raise the party’s voice for “ek vidhan ek nishaan” (one constitution, one symbol) in the valley itself. He said the time had come to review the BJP’s outstanding demand of scrapping Article 370 “which not only gave a special status to Jammu and Kashmir on the score of religion but also emboldened separatists to seek separation of the state from India”. “It was 10 years after the country’s Independence that Jammu and Kashmir got a separate flag of its own in 1957 in spite of the fact that this state is an integral part of India,” he said. Criticising the Congress-led coalition government in the state, Mr Khajuria alleged that the government was soft toward Kashmir militants. “The BJP warns the government of dire consequences in case it continues to pursue the pro-militant and anti-national agenda,” he said. |
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Hurriyat leader under house arrest
Srinagar, January 28 Former chairman of the moderate faction of the Hurriyat Conference and prominent Shia leader Mohammad Abass Ansari was placed under house arrest at his Nawakadal residence in Srinagar, official sources said. A police party was deployed at the residence of Ansari, who heads Itehad-ul-Muslimeen (IUM), last evening following reports that he was planning to hold a Muharram procession in violation of the prohibitory orders. The authorities have banned Muharram processions, usually taken out from Guru Bazar to Dalgate and Abi Guzar to Zadibal in the city, after the eruption of militancy in 1989. With Ansari under house arrest, his son Masroor Abbass, along with nearly 300 mourners, assembled at Lal Chowk and began marching towards Dalgate, the sources said. The police tried to persuade them to disperse, they said, adding the processionists, however, ignored the pleas and continued with the march. The police swung batons and fired tear gas shells to break the procession. Masroor and scores of his supporters were detained. Seven persons were injured in the police action, the sources said, adding the condition of two of them was critical. |
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PDP to submit self-rule proposal to working group
Jammu, January 28 According to Mr Muzaffar Hussain Beig, former Deputy Chief Minister and head of the committee constituted by the PDP for preparing the draft on self-rule, the “draft has been completed. It will be put up before the working group for discussion and consideration.” PDP general secretary,
Nizam-ud-Din Bhat said here today" the draft on self-rule is based on a number of papers which several party leaders and former ministers had prepared and were discussed by the committee members.” He said main features of the self-rule draft include regional federalism to ensure empowerment of the three regions and restoration of the constitutional status to the state which existed in 1947 at the time of state’s accession with India. Though the PDP’s self-rule plan provides for strengthening the state’s constitutional and political mechanism by way of a provision for an elected Governor, it is clear on one thing that those central laws which continue to in the interests of people of Jammu and Kashmir need not be repealed. Explaining it Mr Bhat said that “the draft on self-rule favours an electoral college for electing the Governor and the person to occupy the Governor’s chair be a state subject and loyal to the constitution of Jammu and Kashmir.” “We are not for removing the jurisdiction of the Election Commission of India in Jammu and Kashmir. We also want other central laws to remain intact so that peoples’ civil liberties and other rights were not jeopardised,” he said The draft also provides for
financial autonomy far devolution of financial powers to each region. It calls for a
mechanism to be evolved which could ensure freedom to the state’s political and constitutional bodies. Asked why the draft was not being tabled in the state
legislature as was done by the National Conference which got its resolutions on greater and regional autonomy adopted by the Assembly, Mr Bhat said “we have discussed the document which could lay solid foundation for the centre-state relations and as such we want it to be submitted in the Working Group on Centre-state relations.”
He said “we do not want to cause any embarrassment to Delhi and Islamabad by either tabling the draft on self-rule in the state legislature or at public functions.” The PDP leadership feels once its document on self-rule could be debated in the Working Group and later by the Union Cabinet it could become an ideal solution for settling the Kashmir issue. Mr Bhat made it clear that “we have not borrowed self-rule idea from the one propounded by Pakistan
President, Gen. Parvez Musharraf.” "Those who have any doubts could remove their misunderstanding after they go through the
document," he added. However, sources said the PDP did not want to suffer loss of face if its resolution on self-rule failed to get adopted by the state Assembly as it needed a support from a two-thirds majority. At present the
Congress, with which the PDP shares power, is not ready to support the self-rule idea of the
PDP. Hence the PDP may not be in a position to muster a two-thirds majority when the opposition National
Conference, which has 26 members in the Assembly, is opposed to the idea and instead continues to harp on restoration of greater autonomy. |
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Three women attempt suicide
Srinagar, January 28 They said Hasina Begum, wife of Bashir Ahmad Malik, their daughter Rehana Bashir and sister-in-law Zarifa Begum attempted to end their lives by consuming some poisonous substance at their residence at Parraypora Hatmulla in Kupwara district. They were rushed to hospital in critical condition where Hasina Begum later died. The other two women were battling for life in a Srinagar hospital. A case has been registered at Kupwara police station in this regard and the reason behind the extreme step was being ascertained.
— UNI |
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Three foreign tourists traced
Srinagar, January 28
Kidnapped Kashmiri girl found in Punjab
Srinagar, January 28 Nilofer, a resident of Balpora Wathoora in Badgam district, was kidnapped by Ghulam Mohammed Doom of Kupwara from her residence on November 1 last year. A case under Sections 363 and 376 of the Ranbir Penal Code
(RPC), was registered at Sader police station. During the investigations, a police team was deputed to Punjab which rescued the girl from the clutches of the abductor at
Shahpora, Hajipur, in Hoshiarpur district. Doom had been arrested, the police said, adding that the girl was brought to Srinagar and handed over to her parents after completing all the legal formalities.
— UNI
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