Jammu, March 6
The select committee of the Legislative Assembly met here yesterday to discuss amendment of the Constitution of Jammu and Kashmir by incorporating important expressions "socialist", "secular" and "integrity" in the Preamble.

These expressions have so far not been included in the Preamble to the Constitution that was applied to J&K in 1957. J&K has its own Constitution and the Indian Constitution is not applicable here.

The select committee has been set up to discuss the private member Bill moved by Harshdev Singh (Panthers Party) seeking the incorporation of these expressions in the Constitution of the state.

Prem Sagar, minister of state for finance and planning, chaired the meeting.

Harshdev Singh explained the background and reason for seeking the amendment. He said the Preamble to the Constitution of Jammu and Kashmir, 1957, is an adaptation of the Preamble to the Constitution of India. However, the words "socialist" and "secular", which are the hallmark of the Indian Constitution, have been omitted from the Preamble to the Jammu and Kashmir Constitution.

“Jammu and Kashmir is a secular state and our Constitution must categorically express this fact through its Preamble, as is the case with Indian Constitution. As such these words should be incorporated in the Preamble of Jammu and Kashmir Constitution”, he added.

He further added that the words "unity and integrity" of the nation have been used in the Preamble to Indian Constitution but in the Preamble to Jammu and Kashmir Constitution, the word "integrity" is missing, hence it should be incorporated in the Preamble.

Jammu, March 6
Shiv Sena activists here today burnt the effigy of People’s Democratic Party patron Mufti Mohammad Syed, condemning him for his demand of demilitarisation in the Kashmir valley.

The activists, led by Shiv Sena (Jammu and Kashmir) chief Ashok Gupta, assembled at Rani Bagh, raised anti-PDP slogans and burnt the PDP leader’s effigy.

“This demand of withdrawal of the armed forces from the valley is an anti-national act of the PDP, which brings down the moral of the armed forces deployed in Kashmir,” Gupta said.

He said the Army personnel had always been helpful to the people during calamities like landslides and earthquakes in the recent past.

“The Army has recently helped the commuters of the valley to reach their destination during blockades of the Jammu-Srinagar national highway following landslides.”

Srinagar, March 6
A Pakistani militant was killed while seven others, including a Pakistani militant and his six “local associates”, were held in separate incidents in Kashmir valley since 
yesterday.

One militant of Lashka-e-Toiba, Badshah Khan, alias Abdul Rahman, from Patko in Kasur district of Pakistan was killed in an encounter with security forces at Gund Jehangir, Sumba in Baramulla district yesterday. One AK rifle, six magazines, two pistols and one hand grenade were recovered from the site of encounter, the police here said.

A defence spokesman here said that an injured militant had escaped from the area, who was later apprehended along with six other local associates near Sopore. Acting on specific information, security forces established mobile vehicle check posts immediately in the area. The injured militant was held from a Tata Sumo at Krankshivan, Sopore, defence and police spokesman said.

The apprehended militant has been identified as Mohammad Mudassir Ahmad of Lashkar-e-Toiba outfit, a resident from Gujaranwala, Pakistan. One magazine, seven rounds of pistol ammunition, one AK-47 rifle, one magazine and 20 rounds of AK ammunition have been recovered from his possession.

Six locals including a couple, Khursheed Ahmad Lone and his wife, Musarat, have also been arrested in this connection, police here said.