Srinagar, December 6
Two days after the PDP unveiled its youth policy, the opposition National Conference has also come out with its promise, on the condition of its victory in the next Assembly elections, of a special employment policy for the youth in Jammu and Kashmir.

Envisaging an era of peace and development, National Conference president Omar Abdullah gave this assurance at a public meeting held at Mandi in Poonch on the occasion of the birth anniversary of his grandfather, Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah, yesterday.

“If our party comes to power in the next Assembly elections, it will bring out a special employment policy for the youth of the trouble-torn state,” he said at the public meeting. While Omar chose to camp in Poonch on the occasion, his father and National Conference patron, led his party on the occasion of the 102nd birth anniversary of Sheikh mohammad Abdullah here yesterday. Addressing the meeting at Naseem Bagh near here at the mausoleum of the Sheikh, the former Chief Minister expressed concern over the “false promises” made by the PDP on jobs to the youth. Farooq had also criticised the “youth policy” unveiled by the former Chief Minister and PDP patron, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, in Jammu on Monday last.

Omar Abdullah has been camping in Poonch in view of the election campaign for the by-elections to Poonch Assembly constituency going to the polls on December 12. The seat had fallen vacant following the death of the former sitting MLA, G. M. Jan earlier this year. The National Conference candidate is pitted against the Congress candidate in the constituency in a multi-cornered contest. The PDP has not fielded its candidate in Poonch overtly for its alliance with the major coalition partner, the Congress.

In his address at Mandi in Poonch on Wednesday, the NC president and MP, Omar Abdullah, came down heavily upon the state government for its failure to address basic problems confronting the common masses of the state. “What happened to the promises made by the coalition alliance in the last Assembly elections?” he asked. "Unemployment continues to hunt the youth, who are already facing bloodshed and violence", he added.

The coalition alliance in the last Assembly elections, he said, had pledged to provide one job to every household in the state but the promise turned out to be hollow. “The failure of the government can be gauged from the fact that over 60,000 educated unemployed youths are currently registered in the 17 employment exchanges across the state,” he said.

Asserting that the unemployment had reached at an alarming stage, Omar promised special employment policy if his party assumed power in the next Assembly elections.

“The employment packages would not only be for the educated class but it will also cover the youth having qualification of middle and secondary school, belonging to the far-flung areas of the state,” he said. 

Srinagar, December 6
After a few days of normal operation of Haj and other flights from and to Srinagar, bad weather conditions disrupted air connectivity to the valley today again. Two Haj flights bound for Jeddah and several other passenger flights connecting the Kashmir valley with the rest of the country could not be operated due to poor visibility at the airport today.

Dense fog had disrupted the operation of flights for over a week, leading to a disruption in the operation of normal flights.

According to executive officer, State Haj Committee, today’s Haj flights were cancelled due to poor visibility. Accordingly, the pilgrims scheduled to leave for Jeddah today, would now proceed for the Haj pilgrimage tomorrow and tomorrow’s pilgrims would proceed on Saturday.

Similarly, the pilgrims scheduled to leave for Jeddah on Saturday would now proceed on December 12. The pilgrims proceeding to Jeddah in additional flight on December 12 have been put on the last Haj flight, he said.