J A M M U   &   K A S H M I R

Muslim protests continue 
Knighthood for Rushdie

Srinagar, June 22 Normal life was affected across the valley in response to a general strike call given by a few separatist organisations against conferring of knighthood to Indian-born writer Salman Rushdie.

Protesters burn Salman Rushdie’s effigy in Jammu on Friday. — Tribune photo by Anand Sharma

Azad focuses on home district
Udhampur, June 22
While the PDP was strengthening its political base in the border districts of Poonch and Rajouri, Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad is concentrating on his home district Doda. As he is the first Chief Minister to be elected from Doda district, Azad has been trying to strengthen the Congress base as its inhabitants are emotionally attached with him.

Admn decides against screening ‘Miss Anara’
Udhampur, June 22
The district administration has as a precautionary step decided not to screen the controversial movie “Miss Anara” at the eleventh hour. The movie, which was released in the entire country today, was to be screened at Raj Theatre here.

Govt avoiding delimitation panel formation: Panthers
Srinagar, June 22
The Panthers Party, which recently withdrew its support from the Congress-PDP coalition government, today accused it of deliberately avoiding the formation of a delimitation committee under political pressure.

Muslim protests continue 
Knighthood for Rushdie
Tribune Reporters

Srinagar, June 22
Normal life was affected across the valley in response to a general strike call given by a few separatist organisations against conferring of knighthood to Indian-born writer Salman Rushdie. Demonstrations were held at several places here and in major towns of the valley against the conferment of knighthood to Rushdie, who was responsible for hurting the sentiments of the Muslims the world over.

All shops and business establishments remained closed here and passenger transport was off road on many city and inter-district routes. Private vehicles and auto-rickshaws, however, plied normally. There was thin attendance in government offices, banks and schools, while a few educational institutions remained closed. The general strike call was given by the Jamiat-ul-Mujahideen and supported by a few separatist organisations and religious bodies.

Protest demonstrations were held in the interior part of the city where at least 15 persons were injured in a clash between angry demonstrators and the police. Several vehicles were damaged in the downtown areas here. Complete shutdown was also reported from Handwara in North Kashmir.

JAMMU:Local Muslims today held protest demonstrations against the United Kingdom’s decision to confer knighthood on Salman Rushdie. They gathered at Khatika Tala in Old Jammu after the Friday prayers at Jama Masjid and burnt Rushdie’s effigy and raised anti-British slogans. The Muslims living in the old city also closed their shops and business establishments. The speakers at the rally denounced the British government for conferring knighthood on Rushdie, whose novel "The Satanic Verses" had led to uproar among the Muslims worldwide.

The protesters condemned the British Prime Minister for being anti- Muslim like US President George Bush.

Azad focuses on home district
Tribune News Service

Udhampur, June 22
While the PDP was strengthening its political base in the border districts of Poonch and Rajouri, Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad is concentrating on his home district Doda. As he is the first Chief Minister to be elected from Doda district, Azad has been trying to strengthen the Congress base as its inhabitants are emotionally attached with him.

During the past one week, Azad has addressed five public meetings in different areas of the district and interacted with lower level workers.

At the time when PDP has launched a massive campaign in favour of demilitarization and the National Conference projecting “greater autonomy” as the only solution to the Kashmir problem, Azad has been propagating development mantras to expand his party’s base in the district.

Being his home district, Azad want to strengthen the Congress in the district before the next Assembly elections. In 2002 elections Congress won only two seats from this district that too due to Azad’s personnel influence. After Azad took over as the CM, the Congress position improved in the district that was earlier considered a citadel of the National Conference.

Admn decides against screening ‘Miss Anara’
Dinesh Manhotra
Tribune News Service

Udhampur, June 22
The district administration has as a precautionary step decided not to screen the controversial movie “Miss Anara” at the eleventh hour. The movie, which was released in the entire country today, was to be screened at Raj Theatre here.

Deputy commissioner O.P.Kalandaria said the administration had decided to ban the screening of the movie due to the on-going protest in different parts of the state. After getting orders, the cinema hall’s management decided to cancel all shows today.

Official sources said no order had been issued for banning the movie’s screening. The DC only called the cinema hall’s owner and took an undertaking from him that he would not screen the controversial movie in his theatre.

As activists of different Shiv Sena factions were protesting against the screening of the movie, management of different cinema halls in Jammu had already decided not to screen it. Despite other cinema hall owners’ decision, the management of Raj Theatre had announced to screen the movie today.

Govt avoiding delimitation panel formation: Panthers
Tribune News Service

Srinagar, June 22
The Panthers Party, which recently withdrew its support from the Congress-PDP coalition government, today accused it of deliberately avoiding the formation of a delimitation committee under political pressure.

Party chairman Bhim Singh, accompanied by four MLAs, told reporters that the state government was testing its constitutional and official duties against political loss or gain before taking the final decision. Bhim Singh, after meeting Governor Lt Gen S.K. Sinha (retd), said the coalition had done nothing to rehabilitate refugees from the Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (POK), presently settled in and around Jammu.

“This, besides the return of displaced Kashmiri Pandits to their homeland, was the major issues in the common minimum programme, which we drafted before the formation of the government,” he added.

He also termed the election of two MLCs in the Upper House as illegal. The Constitution of the state states that they could be elected by an electoral college comprising members of municipal councils and notified area committees not corporators, who elected them. “I will go to court,” he added.

A few political analysts are of the view Bhim Singh’s latest move as a battle for political oneupmanship in Jammu, which is the main political base of this party. With Assembly elections not far away, the Panthers Party, which shared powers for over four years, has not much to show and is now hardening its political position to appeal to its constituency.