Jammu, November 7
Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad today agreed that human rights violations were rampant in the Kashmir valley and custodial disappearances were also prevalent before the Congress took over the reins from the PDP two years ago.

Azad said after the Congress took over the government from the PDP in November 2005 there had been a remarkable decline in cases of the rights violation and custodial disappearances.

“I ensured that no custodial deaths should occur in the state and also issued stringent guidelines that no human rights violations would be tolerated,” Azad said while addressing a rally in Jammu.

He said there had been a remarkable decline in the incidents of human rights violation and custodial deaths during his tenure as Chief Minister.

“My efforts against human rights violations and custodial disappearances have yielded results as for the first time in the past 19 years, this year not a single case of custodial disappearance has been reported and there is a steep decline in human rights violation,” he said.

Azad said the security force officers who were involved in human rights violations and custodial disappearances would be strictly punished as per the law. “Fourteen police officers who were found guilty in custodial deaths and human rights violation cases are behind bars,” he said.

The Chief Minister said his government was committed to bringing normalcy in the Kashmir valley and that every possible effort would be made to curb violence.“We will fight tooth and nail to eradicate the menace of militancy from the state,” he said.

Azad said, “This year witnessed the least amount of militancy related violence and the day is not far when complete normalcy will return to the valley.”

He said the basic aim of his government was to bring political and economical stability in the state and his government was marching towards achieving the goal of economical stability.

Udhampur, November 7
As the National Conference (NC) stepped up its village-to-village campaign in Bhaderwah, the hometown of Ghulam Nabi Azad, Congress leaders ultimately came out to counter rivals' propaganda by highlighting achievements of the son of the soil who is the Chief Minister of the state.

While activists of party's wings like the Sewa Dal and the National Students Union of India (NSUI) have started door-to-door campaign to highlight the achievements of the coalition regime, Congress MLA Mohammed Sharief Naiz is convening meetings of party workers at different places.

Sewa Dal and NSUI activists have been touring far-flung areas of Bhaderwah and educating the masses about various development activities being taken in the hometown of Azad. Local MLC has been concentrating on involving Congressmen in the campaign.

Naiz today addressed two meetings of party workers in Gandoh and Chilli areas of the Bhaderwah constituency and exhorted them to counter vicious campaign launched by the Opposition against the Chief Minister. At these meetings Congress workers expressed anguish over the attitude of the authorities in solving their problems. To placate the enraged workers, Naiz assured them that he would bring all their problems to the notice of the Chief Minister for their earlier redressal.

Naiz, who had vacated this seat for Azad, endorsed problems highlighted by the Congress workers of the Chief Minister's constituency and demanded their redress.