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Pak ‘fires’ twice in a day An army jawan stands guard on the Jammu-Poonch national highway near Mandi on the route to Budha Amarnath shrine in Poonch district. The security has been tightened in the area ahead of the pilgrimage next month. Photo by writer
Mufti hails cross-LoC moves at Indo-Pak talks
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Parties in no mood to forge pre-poll alliance
Cong launches campaign to gain sympathy for Azad
‘Power for Jammu’, BJP’s main poll plank
Vohra committed to hold free, fair elections
Son: Lone’s killing political conspiracy
PDP hits out at BJP
State remains peaceful overall
CET exam on Aug 2-3
Water Shortage
Militants’ hideout busted
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Pak ‘fires’ twice in a day
Rajouri, July 22 According to intelligence sources, firing took place on Monday morning and evening and both the times, the Pakistani troops tried to give cover to militants, who made attempts to infiltrate into India through the Doba post manned by the 192 Battalion of the BSF. In the morning firing, though BSF soldier Ganga Dhar suffered injuries, the intelligence sources claimed that the BSF foiled the infiltration bid. In the evening incident, Bhanwar Singh, belonging to Rajasthan, suffered serious injuries. “The head constable was immediately shifted to the Army hospital in Poonch in critical condition where he died in the wee hours. His body is being flown to his village in Rajasthan,” intelligence sources said. Even as the security officials claimed that the troops had foiled the infiltration attempt at Doba post in the evening, intelligence sources claimed that two militants managed to infiltrate into the Indian side. Immediately after the firing, security forces launched a search operation in the area to nab the militants, who managed to sneak, the sources added. The Army sources claimed that the Army troops posted in the area during a search operation today apprehended Pakistani-trained militant Shamas-ud-Din of Nowgam from near a forward post of Jabri, about a kilometer from the Doba post from where two militants had allegedly infiltrated into the Indian territory. Troops had shifted the militant to respective unit headquarters for further questioning.
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Mufti hails cross-LoC moves at Indo-Pak talks
Srinagar, July 22 In a statement from the union capital, the PDP patron also hailed the decision of relaxing the existing norms for cross-LoC travel by introducing triple entry permits and the steps to be taken to reduce the processing time for the applications. He said, “I hope that many more measures would follow to consolidate the cross-LoC confidence building initiatives and enable wider social, economic and academic exchanges between the two parts of Kashmir.” Mufti further said the next step, essentially, should be operationalisation of cross-LoC trade and truck services through the
Srinagar-Muzafarabad, Poonch-Rawalakote, Suchetgarh-Sialkote and Kargil-Skardu roads. Asserting that there was no alternative to the agenda of peace and reconciliation, Mufti Sayeed pointed out that while the people of the region wanted it, the changing threat perceptions demanded it. “The silver-lining is that the political leadership and the people in the region have started sharing a constructive vision rather than getting bogged down by obstructive mindset,” he said. He held that in the emerging scenario the prospects of the conflict-resolution efforts in the sub-continent could become a model for the rest of the world provided a fair deal was ensured to the people of Jammu and Kashmir. Expressing concern over the recent spate of violent incidents in the state, Mufti said the situation necessitated inclusive re-engagement of the people in the peace efforts by expanding and consolidating the confidence building process, both on bilateral and internal fronts. He said the political initiative launched by the state government after 2002 elections for the peaceful resolution of the Kashmir issue started waning after 2005, brewing disillusionment and disquiet among the people. “The significant political and economic initiatives taken by the coalition government after 2002 had raised the hope of the people that a meaningful breakthrough towards the peaceful resolution of the Kashmir issue was imminent,” he said. The PDP patron said the peace efforts have to be rejuvenated now, with a sense of urgency, and the political leadership of the state and the country must, once again, embark together with fresh resolve, on the common journey and quest for peace, dignity and prosperity for the people of Jammu and Kashmir. |
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Parties in no mood to forge pre-poll alliance
Jammu, July 22 While the Congress, after having a bitter experience of running a coalition government with the PDP, has rejected any possibility of a pre-poll alliance, the BJP too has made it clear that it would not align with its know political opponents such as the PDP, the NC and the Congress. State Congress vice-president Abdul Gani Vakil said the party would go it alone in the coming Assembly elections and they were making poll preparations on those lines only. He said there was a chance of an alliance with the PDP, but the way it had acted on the Amarnath land row that possibility has also faded away. He said former chief minister Ghulam Nabi Azad was also of the view that the party should not align with anyone and fight the elections on its own. When asked whether the stand of the NC and the PDP on trust vote was any indication of the shape of things to come, he said, “This is the way regional parties function. They are watching their interest at the national level.” He added that nothing more should be read into the support extended by these parties to the Congress-led UPA government. On the other hand, PDP leader Molvi Iftikhar Hussain Ansari said they would also prefer to contest the elections on their own. Like the Congress, he too clarified that the party's support to the Congress at the Centre was a separate issue. Similarly, the National Conference too didn’t seem keen on entering into any pre-poll alliance. NC leader Ali Mohammad Sagar said he didn't see any such possibility at this juncture. Political pundits rule out the possibility of any Congress-PDP or NC-BJP alliance. However, they feel that the National Conference may join hands with the Congress in future. They said the picture would only become clear once the poll bugle was sounded in the state. |
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Cong launches campaign to gain sympathy for Azad
Udhampur, July 22 It was for the first time that a politician from the Bhaderwah area had become chief minister of the state. The locals have expressed their anguish over the way the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) had betrayed Azad. Gauging the mood of people in Doda district, the Congress has launched an aggressive campaign to gain the sympathy of inhabitants of this mountainous region for the forthcoming Assembly elections. While as former minister and sitting MLC Mohammad Sharief Niaz addressed a series of public meetings at Bhalessa, the Jammu and Kashmir Trade Union Congress (JKTUC) - labour wing of the party organised a rally at Khelani to highlight achievements of the Azad-led regime. To gain sympathy of the people, Congress leaders talked how the PDP had “betrayal” Azad and the vicious campaign launched by the BJP against the Congress on the Amarnath land row. Niaz said Azad as chief minister of the state had initiated many revolutionary steps to improve the lot of the people but some parties were finding it hard to digest Azad’s increasing popularity. In a veiled attack on the PDP for hatching a conspiracy to dislodge the Congress-led regime, he said, “Those who used to befool the people by raking up emotive issues were not happy with Azad’s increasing popularity.” Niaz charged some political parties for unnecessarily exploiting the Amarnath land row for their vote bank and added that the board was constituted by the State Assembly during the National Conference’s regime and according to a Supreme Court direction, no forestland could be transferred to any person or any organisation, as such the piece of land was provided for the construction of temporary sheds. He said acres of land in the state was under the possession of the Army, BSNL, railways, airport authority etc. for which no hue and cry was made by any political party but in this case, the issue was exploited by some political parties in Kashmir as well in Jammu for their vested interest. |
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‘Power for Jammu’, BJP’s main poll plank
Jammu, July 22 A political resolution in this regard has been adopted at the party’s recent state working committee meeting. Addressing mediapersons here, state BJP chief Ashok Khajuria, former union minister Chaman Lal Gupta and senior party leader Nirmal Singh said political power for Jammu was the only condition precedent for the economic development and regeneration of the area and for bringing to an end the political and economic discrimination. Khajuria said they would wage a fight against Kashmiri dominance in the state politics. He said if the future governments in the state didn’t heed to the demand of political power for Jammu, the people of Jammu and Ladakh regions would be forced to “build their dream house on their own.” “Jammu will no longer tolerate the status of an inferior region of the state. The people of the Jammu province are now not willing to accept the status of second class citizens,” he added. The BJP also came down heavily on the National Conference (NC) and the People’s Democratic Party (PDP). “The Congress, the NC and the PDP are working in unison. Whatever they did in the state during the past few days was a part of their ulterior strategy aimed at misleading the people and consolidate their votebank in Kashmir. The opposition of the PDP to the Congress and the vice-versa or the opposition of the NC to the Congress and the PDP and vice-versa was part of the strategy these parties had worked out to communalise the state’s polity for votebank politics. “That these outfits are one can be seen from the fact that the PDP and the NC are siding with the Congress-led UPA on the issue of the Indo-US nuclear deal. That means the BJP is the only opposition party in Jammu and Kashmir,” they added. Gupta condemned the spurt in militant activities in the state and blamed the UPA government for the same. “The Congress-led UPA government is the facilitator of terrorism and communalism in the state,” he alleged. The BJP also adopted a resolution on the Amarnath land row, seeking restoration of the autonomy of the Amarnath shrine board, reversal of the order revoking land diversion to the shrine board, permanent yatri houses at Baltal-Domail and Pahalgam, and recall of Governor N.N. Vohra.
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Vohra committed to hold free, fair elections
Srinagar, July 22 Chairing the Combined Unified Headquarters meeting here today, the Governor observed that the people of the state were yearning for peace and hoped that the security forces would take every possible step to instill confidence among them. He also called for extra vigil along the borders to foil all attempts of infiltration. The Governor called for close synergy between various security agencies engaged in the counter-militancy operations in Jammu and Kashmir and observed that the security grid had to be further strengthened in view of ensuing elections to the state Assembly. Vohra also stressed the need for enhancing vigil, particularly in the wake of recent incidents of violence. He said while the militants should be tackled sternly, all precautions should be taken to ensure against collateral damages. He complimented the security forces for continuing to bear the stress of tackling challenges of security meeting the situation with courage and fortitude and paid a rich tribute to the personnel who had laid down their lives in the anti-militancy operations. Earlier, GOC-in-C, Northern Command, Lt-Gen P C Bhardwaj, General Officer Commanding, 15 Corps, Lt-Gen, Mukesh Sabharwal, General Officer Commanding, 16 Corps, Lt- Gen R K Karwal, Director General of Police, Kuldeep Khuda, and heads of various security forces and intelligence agencies gave their assessment of the situation arising in the state. Chief Secretary, S S Kapur, gave an overview of some of the steps taken in the past two weeks to strengthen the security arrangements. Principal Secretary, Home, Anil Goswami also spoke on the occasion. Divisional Commissioners of Kashmir and Jammu, Inspectors General of Police, Kashmir and Jammu Zones, IGP, CID, IG (OPS) CRPF, IGs, BSF, Jammu and Srinagar and the state level heads of various intelligence agencies were present at the meeting.
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Son: Lone’s killing political conspiracy
Jammu, July 22 “Its over six months now since the then coalition government had ordered a CBI inquiry but none from the investigating agency has come to record our statements,” Shoaib said while talking to The Tribune. Though the coalition government had ordered a CBI probe into Lone’s murder, yet it was an exercise by the PDP to save its face, he claimed. “If the CBI had been asked in the right earnest to probe the case then Mufti Mohammed Sayeed, his daughter Mehbooba and Basharat Bukhari would have surely landed in a big trouble,” he added. It may be recalled here that during the penultimate Assembly session of the then coalition government in January this year, the then deputy chief minister and PDP leader Muzaffar Hussain Beig had ordered a CBI probe. Shoaib said, “Being a little outspoken, my father had no inhibitions in objecting to the Muftis, who had made the PDP their personal fiefdom.” Fearing that the PDP may lose power if six of its legislators quit, a conspiracy was hatched against my father and he was allegedly eliminated, Shoaib said. “My father was not killed by militants but it was a political conspiracy,” he said. |
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PDP hits out at BJP
Srinagar, July 22 “Through such biased statements the BJP is only giving practical shape to its clandestine intentions of sabotaging Kashmir’s economy as the party has all along been averse to its development,” he said. He cautioned the BJP leaders against trying to polarise the state on religious and regional lines. The incidents of violence, the PDP spokesman said, were not unique to Kashmir and several parts of the country and some parts of the world have been witnessing more horrible acts of violence for quite some time now. “Going by the ridiculous BJP ‘advisory’, the whole tourist traffic to all the affected areas within the country and the world must be shut down,” he said and added that even some violent attacks have taken place in Jammu as well in the past. The spokesman said the people of Jammu and Kashmir have exhibited highest standards of amity and harmony, despite severest provocations by the elements inimical to peace, and isolated reprehensible acts of violence by such elements would not deter them from pursuing the path of peace and progress. Earlier, condemning the recent terror attack on tourists in Gulmarg, the BJP has suggested tourists to avoid visiting the valley in such an atmosphere. "I challenge all those pseudo-secularists to come out and stage protests against such dastardly acts," former state BJP president Nirmal Singh said. |
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State remains peaceful overall
Srinagar, July 22 Security forces busted a hideout and recovered six IEDs, weighing 3 kg each, five electronic detonators and a pipe detonator at Kalaban, Manjakote in Rajouri district of Jammu region, the police here said. A militant, identified as Hashim from Balochistan, Pakistan, was held by the security forces near LoC in Karnah area of Kupwara district on Sunday with a fake Indian currency of Rs 1,25000. The recoveries made from his possession included one AK rifle, four magazines, 120 rounds, two hand grenades and 24 pencil cells. One militant of Hizbul Mujahideen, identified as Abdul Rashid, was held by the security forces at Zainpora in Shopian. |
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CET exam on Aug 2-3
Jammu, July 22 According to authorities of the J&K Board for Professional Entrance Examination (BPEE), roll numbers for the examination would be issued on July 25 to 29 July and the results would be declared by August 10. To curb cheating and impersonation, the BPEE, for the very first time, has introduced answersheets with photograph and roll number of the candidates. “With the innovative optical mark reader (OMR) sheets, the chances of impersonation have reduced to zero level,” claimed the board’s chairman, Santokh Singh. Talking about security measures, the chairman said, “Apart from procedural norms, we have sought help from the police and the crime branch.” It is worthwhile to mention here that the Jammu University (JU) has withheld the counselling for BCA and BBA ahead of exams and results of the CET. According to university authorities, counselling for BCA and BBA would be held only after BPEE declared the results. |
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Scholars threaten to resign
Tribune News Service
Jammu, July 22 The research scholars from the Botany, Zoology and Chemistry departments, doing research work in fish and fisheries, limnology, botany ecology etc, said they had been complaining of sporadic water supply to their departments for the past two years, but to no avail. The aggrieved scholars said, “Going by the nature of our subjects, our research is directly affected by water supply, but the authorities concerned are not bothered. So there is no logic in staying here.” “Last year too we held protest demonstrations but the water supply was made available for only a couple of weeks,” Rajinder, a representative of the Zoology Department said. Meanwhile, B.P. Sehgal, dean, academic affairs, said, “We have arranged tankers from the department of Public Health Engineering (PHE) and whichever department needs water can contact the executive engineer concerned.”
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Militants’ hideout busted
Rajouri, July 22 The troops recovered a huge cache of explosives comprising 15 kg of “ready to use” IED from the hideout. Defence sources said based on specific information, troops of the 38 RR launched a search operation in Bhimber Gali area yesterday evening and busted a militant hideout. The recoveries included five packets of IEDs weighing about 15 kg and an equal number of detonators. Meanwhile, sources asserted that militants were to use the IED packets for blasts during the upcoming Buddha Amarnath Yatra. |
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Rajouri, July 22
