Jammu, June 9
Chairman of the Panthers Party Bhim Singh has urged Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to order a probe into the telecast of a CD of the Al-Qaida threatening to launch jihad in India. The CD was telecast by a TV channel in Srinagar and published in newspapers.

In a letter to the Prime Minister, the Panthers Party leader has said the propaganda was being done to sabotage the forthcoming Amarnath pilgrimage and also affect tourist season in the Kashmir valley. Action should be taken to curb such propaganda.

He has sought an inquiry into the conduct of TV and print media that publicised contents of the CD. Both electronic and print media have brought terrorising stories projecting the threat of the so-called Al-Qaida reportedly through a CD telecast through a Srinagar channel. What substance the CD carried is not that important as was the conduct of the electronic and the print media to publicise a threat to people by un-named persons or ghost organisations, he said.

He has said in the letter that he was surprised on the reaction of the government that they were trying to investigate the matter. This story has created terror in the minds of the people of Jammu and Kashmir in particular and whole of the country in general.

The way this story was projected in the video channels and in the print media is highly alarming, besides being absolute violation of the Freedom of Press.

The Centre should have taken due care to ensure implementation of the scope and extent the freedom of the press should be allowed. No newspaper or video channel is permitted to create terror in the minds of the people to support anarchy or abet terrorists to promote their designs to disturb peace in society.

Srinagar, June 9
Week-long Kargil Awami Utsav, being celebrated by the citizens of Kargil and hosted by the Kargil Brigade, began at the district headquarter town on Friday.

For one week the youth and older generation of Kargil town will witness spirit of festivity. GOC 14 Corps Lt-Gen P.C. Bhardwaj inaugurated the function which was graced by GOC 8 Mountain Division, chief executive councillor of the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council, Kargil and deputy commissioner, Kargil. A cultural show and a football exhibition match between Kargil and Army teams were the highlights of the inaugural function, where Hajis and Buddhist pilgrims were felicitated by the GOC 14 Corps, a Defence spokesman here said.

GOC, 14 Corps, Lt- gen P C Bhardwaj told reporters the ceasefire between both Armies for past four years had facilitated development undertaken by the civil administration as well as Operation Sadbhavana in remote villages near Line of Control.

Painting competition for all age groups of children and inter -village archery competition were attractions . Their paintings were exhibited displaying talent of local children.A weapon display was also carried out to make locals learn about Army and motivate youth to join it.

Srinagar, June 9
Jammu and Kashmir Governor S. K. Sinha reviewed arrangements at Pahalgam yesterday for the two-month-long Amarnath yatra, which begins on June 30 .

He called for maximum synergy between various agencies to ensure smooth pilgrimage. The Governor, also chairman of the Amarnath shrine Board, reviewing the arrangements said adequate environment- friendly infrastructure was being raised on the twin tracks of Pahalgam and Baltal to meet pilgrims’ rush. He directed the agencies to take necessary measures to ensure health and hygiene in camp sites, preserve ecology and make available facilities to the pilgrims.

He said the Shrine Board had replaced deep trench lavatories by pre-fab environment-friendly toilets and these would be supplemented at various transit camps also.