Udhampur, November 13
The National Conference (NC) and the ruling Congress have launched a campaign in Doda district. The Peoples' Democratic Party (PDP) has also deputed its leaders in the home district of Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad in the hilly belt of the Jammu region.

PDP's Rajya Sabha member Trilok Singh Bajwa with some senior leaders have been addressing public meetings in the Padder-Gulabgarh area of Kishtwar district. For two days, Bajwa has addressed more than 12 meetings in this belt and "educated" people about policies and programmes of the party.

Instead of holding meetings in entire hilly areas, the PDP has been concentrating on some seats of newly carved Kishtwar and Ramban districts which were part of the erstwhile Doda district. The PDP has selected Banihal and Kishtwar seats where the party has to utilise full force in the next Assembly elections.

While PDP patron Mufti Mohammed Sayed addressed a public meeting in Banihal, other senior leaders ,including party chief Mehbooba Mufti, has taken charge of the Kishtwar seat where the party has been projecting a former bureaucrat as a candidate to take on the NC.

"Instead of eyeing whole hilly areas, we are concentrating on some selected seats where the party will fight elections seriously", discloses a senior party leader, adding, "being the home district of the Chief Minister, the party is taking every step with caution to avoid confrontation with the coalition Congress".

Congress leaders, in their campaign in this hilly belt, have been highlighting “revolutionary” steps being initiated by the government headed by Azad. The Opposition NC is pinpointing failures of the regime. The campaign of the PDP, on the other, is confined only to educating the masses about policies being propagated by the party. "Some vested interests have launched a vicious campaign against the party. Our job is the counter this propaganda by educating the masses", said T. S. Bajwa. 

Jammu, November 13
The People's Democratic Party (PDP), coalition partner of the Congress, has decided not to contest the byelection to the Poonch Assembly segment scheduled to be held on December 12. The seat had fallen vacant with the death of National Conference MLA G.M. Jaan.

Yesterday PDP patron and former Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed conveyed to leaders and workers that the party would not contest the byelection and support the Congress only.

The Congress has already decided to field a candidate from here. Although the Congress did not take the PDP into confidence before announcing to contest from here, yet the party has decided to follow the coalition dharma.

The change of heart within the PDP is learnt to be due to the hard reality that it does not have a sound standing in the Poonch Assembly segment. The PDP might not have caused any major damage to the Congress even if it had decided to contest, but the relationship between the two would have been strained.

Besides, it is learnt, there is a feeling in the PDP and Congress camps that if they want to win the next elections they will have to fight it together. A senior Congress leader remarked, "If there is no pre-poll alliance between the PDP and the Congress, it will mean handing over the government to the NC on a platter". In case the PDP and the

Congress do not align together, it will divide anti-NC vote,facilitating its win. Moreover, in case there is no alliance between the two in the post- election scenario, if the NC emerges the single largest party, it can have better claim to form government.

These factors are learnt to have contributed to the PDP's decision of not contesting the Poonch bypoll. Moreover, this is considered to be a goodwill gesture towards the Congress when the countdown for elections to the Assembly has already started. The state is scheduled to go to the polls in October next.

Meanwhile, a meeting of the J&K NC was held today under the chairmanship of the party president Omar Abdullah to discuss the forthcoming Poonch bye-election. Omar sought the views of the participants representing various cross-sections and decided the strategy. Omar laid out the agenda for the future course.The meeting decided that the Parliamentary Board would be convened soon to take a final decision on the candidate for the Poonch bye-election.

The meeting was attended by Sheikh Nazir Ahmed, general secretary, Abdul Rahim Rather, Ajay Sadhotra, Mian Altaf Ahmed, Mushtaq Ahmed Bukhari, Javed Rana and M.R. Qureshi. 

Udhampur, November 13
Officers of the Relief Department today started distribution of relief and ration among displaced families camping in the Talwara migrant camp situated on the bank of the Chenab. Distribution of relief started after Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad announced to release Rs 45 crore for displaced people camping at Talwara .

After yesterday's incident when displaced persons locked some officers of the Relief Department, a relief team reached the camp this afternoon and called the displaced families to the main ground. The officers started distributing cheques among the displaced families without asking questions. The officers informed the migrants that the government had approved two months’ cash relief and ration for them.

Things went on smoothly as the authorities decided to distribute relief on the basis of the list prepared by leaders of the migrants. Leaders of the Panthers Party were also present in the camp.

Displaced families were told the relief included Rs 400 per person per month, subject to maximum of Rs 1,600 per family. Nine kg of flour, 2 kg of rice and 10 litres of kerosene per family per month will be distributed to them. The free ration will be made available at the depots of the CAPD.

After a struggle of nine years by migrants, the authorities decided to release relief for these families migrated from Reasi and Rajouri districts of Jammu province. After the Prankote massacre of April 1998, in which 38 persons of the minority community were killed by militants, migration started. Many families from Prankote, Dhakikot, Narkote, Budhal, Arnas and other areas left home and took shelter in the Talwara camp. For three years many families of the majority community have also migrated as militants have been targeting their families also.

Since 1998, these families have been struggling for relief on a par with other migrants. The Panthers Party headed by Bhim Singh has fought for these displaced people.

Srinagar, November 13
Amidst reports of a nexus between timber smugglers and forest officials behind large-scale cutting and fire in forests in the valley, the police today has seized timber worth several lakhs being carried by two smugglers, a police spokesperson said.

He said the police received specific information regarding the smuggling of illicit timber being brought by two persons, Ghulam Mohi-ud-Din Bhat and Abdul Rashid Dar, for selling in the black market.

The police laid a naka and seized over 100 cubic feet wood of high-valued deodar trees. However, the two accused managed to flee from the spot.