Srinagar, October 8
Senior leaders of 10 recognised regional and national political parties met the visiting Election Commission team led by Chief Election Commissioner N. Gopalaswami during its two-day visit. The EC team also met Governor N.N.Vohra and other senior officers of to make an assessment about the arrangements for the Assembly elections.

Leaders of various political parties like the Congress, National Conference, PDP, Panthers Party, BJP, TJD, Janta Dal, BSP and others met the EC team.

These leaders, according to sources, have urged the Election Commission not to take any hasty decision in view of the recent situation over land transfer to the Amarnath Shrine Board, creating a wedge between Kashmir and Jammu.

The parties urged the EC to give preference to the restoration of people’s confidence before the elections. The EC, however, has urged the state’s chief electoral officer to be ready for poll.

Chief Election Commissioner N. Gopalaswami and election commissioners N.B. Chawla and S.Y. Quraishi today met the representatives of seven national and three state political parties, an official spokesman said. The EC held detailed interaction with the leaders with respect to the forthcoming elections.

The commission reviewed at length with chief electoral officer B.R. Sharma the measures being taken for ensuring free and fair elections. The Commission also had separate meeting with chief secretary S.S. Kapur and DGP Kuldeep Khoda.

Meanwhile, district election officer (DEO), Srinagar, has asked all voters of the Habba Kadal, Amira Kadal, Sonawar and Batmaloo constituencies to deposit their elector's photo identity card forms in the office of the election naib tehsildar, Municipal Corporation, at Karan Nagar here within three days.

Voters of Hazratbal, Zadibal, Eidgah and Khanyar constituencies will deposit these forms in the office of assistant commissioner (revenue), Tankipora, Srinagar, within three days.

Jammu, October 8
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s package for the return of displaced Kashmiri Pandits (KP) to the valley announced in April here seems grounded on the eve of his forthcoming visit.

The Prime Minister’s scheme initially received a lukewarm response while later the Amarnath land row took a heavy toll on it. Relief commissioner Vinod Kaul said they had received around 750 forms from KPs but due to the turmoil in both regions after the land row the process got delayed. However, he said they were proceeding as per the schedule.

“We have even nominated officer for providing them assistance for their return to Kashmir,” he said while expressing his inability to give any timeframe for the completion of the process.

Ashwani Chrungoo, president of the Panun Kashmir Movement, said they had rejected the package immediately after its announcement. “Though the package was aimed at mitigating the sufferings of the displaced community, it was incomplete and the real issues like rehabilitation and unemployment were not addressed.” He said during the forthcoming visit of the Prime Minister they would like him to throw light on the talks that he had with Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari recently. “We are stakeholders in Kashmir and we would not like anything to be done at the cost of our interests,” he added.

A.K. Diwani, working president of the J&K National United Front, a political outfit of the displaced community, said: “We had told the PM that it would not be possible for the migrants to return to the valley and buy land to raise their houses. Our fears came true with the furore over the Amarnath land row,” he said. “When the government could not buy a piece of land in Kashmir how does it expect us to do the same,” he wondered.

Diwani said: “We had suggested that if you want meaningful resettlement of Kashmiri Pandits in the valley, then create three satellite townships in north, south and central Kashmir to start with. We had also sought creation of SEZs to facilitate employment avenues for our youth.”

The trial train scheduled to be inaugurated by the Prime Minister arrives at Nowgam station in Srinagar on Wednesday. — PTI photo

Srinagar, October 8
Come Saturday and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will bring to life the decades-old dream of the Kashmiris.

He will flag off the first-ever train in the Kashmir valley on the Anantnag -Rajwansher section of the Qazigund-Baramulla route.

On a two-day visit to the state, this would be PM’s second significant event after he flagged off the cross-LoC bus to Muzaffarabad on April 7 2005.

Prior to his arrival here, the Prime Minister would visit Udhampur in the Jammu province to inaugurate the 450-MW hydroelectric power project that would be Jammu and Kashmir’s first mega hydel power project aimed at overcoming the power shortage in the state.

Railway minister Lalu Prasad Yadav and Union water resources minister Saifuddin Soz, who is also the chief of the Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee, and other top functionaries would be accompanying the Prime Minister during his visit.

The train would begin it journey from Magam in central Kashmir to Anantnag in the south Kashmir over a distance of 56 km.

It will pass through the magnificent Srinagar railway station at Nowgam through which the DMU (diesel multiple unit) train would pass.

The total length of the railway line within the Kashmir valley is 120 km, which is near completion and awaits connectivity with the rest of the country.

Jammu, October 8
The BJP today received a shot in the arm when over 100 members of the Muslim community from militancy-infested Gul-Arnas assembly segment of Reasi district joined the party here.

Welcome them into the party fold, state BJP president Ashok Khajuria said the way Muslims were joining the party was a befitting reply to those who were running a misinformation campaign again the party and dubbing it as a representative of a particular community. “Our policy is - 'Justice to all and appeasement of none', and our doors are always open for all communities,” he added.

Accusing the other political parties of exploiting the state’s people, he said not only Hindus but also Muslims of the Jammu region were treated as “second class citizens” by the successive state governments.

Senior BJP leader Nirmal Singh said the "patriotic Muslims in the state were feeling insecure due to the soft approach" of the Congress-led UPA government towards separatists and militants. He said these people were now openly appreciating the rule of BJP-led NDA at the Centre, saying that the policy of the NDA to crush militancy with an iron hand had induced a sense of security among the masses. He alleged that the Congress has been identifying militants with the Muslim community whereas militants had no religion.

Jammu, October 8
Pilgrims visiting the cave shrine of Mata Vaishno Devi on Trikuta hills have decried the rude behaviour of the shrine board employees, particularly at the site of worship.

“Whosoever comes here (the temple) after trekking 13 km is a devotee of Mata and these people (employees of the board) should at least not consider them as offenders in the shrine,” Garry Singh, a pilgrim accompanying a group from Punjab, said.

Mahesh Iyengar, a pilgrim from Maharashtra, after visiting the cave shrine, said, “I’m sorry to say but it was unexpectedly rude behaviour of the employees towards the devotees at the durbar.”

“After several security checks and frisking, right from the beginning of 13-km-long yatra from Katra town, it hurts when you see people being pushed and indecently treated by the board employees inside the cave shrine,” another devotee Shraddha Singh, a journalist from Ahmedabad (Gujarat), added.

Several verbal as well as written complaints of visitors were lying with the police at the holy shrine but neither there has been any change in the attitude of the employees towards the pilgrims nor any exemplary action taken in this regard to check such behaviour towards the visitors.

A senior defence officer, requesting anonymity, informed that family member of armed force personnel was not allowed to accompany him through Gate No. three (meant for services personnel).

“I was told that I would have to go through the Gate No three alone, so to keep my group together I had to take the longest general passage,” the officer said. — UNI

Srinagar, October 8
Governor N.N. Vohra has greeted the people of Jammu and Kashmir on the festivals of Mahanavmi and Dussehra.

In his message, the Governor said Mahanavmi symbolises the annihilation of the evil in the form of Mahishasur, while Dussehra reminds of the universal truth of virtue triumphing over the darkness. “The festival of Vijaydashmi strengths our belief in the inevitability of the victory of righteousness over evil”, the Governor added.

Vohra said the festivals are a glorious heritage of the pluralistic ethos of Jammu and Kashmir, which further strengthens the spirit of harmony and tranquility among various segments of the people. He prayed for peace and tranquility in the state and wished the people prosperity and happiness.

Srinagar, October 8
The government will urge the 13th Finance Commission (2010-15) to consider compensatory grants for Jammu and Kashmir as the state is unable to harness its rich hydel and forest potential due to the Indus Water Treaty and the environmental guidelines of the Supreme Court.

Chairing a high-level meeting here to discuss the memorandum for presentation to the 13th Finance Commission, Governor N.N.Vohra said as the state had certain peculiar problems it merited a special dispensation.

An official spokesman said the Governor observed that fiscal devolution to civic bodies and other measures for strengthening local self-government in urban and semi-urban areas could go a long way in achieving the much-needed decentralisation of the decision-making process, leading to a qualitative improvement in governance.

The Governor also called for focusing on the upgradation grants for improving infrastructure in the remote areas, as also in the newly created districts.

The social sectors like health and education formed the main plank of the state's developmental strategy and these needed to be accorded priority in the recommendations of the commission.

Vohra also directed that a mid-term appraisal of the planning and finance sectors should be fixed for October 16.

Udhampur, October 8
The majority community in Doda and Kishtwar has clearly indicated that they have no inclination towards the separatists or any fundamentalist group.

This came to light when the community members chose to ignore the bandh call given by the separatists, who wanted to lodge a protest against the arrest of their leaders in the Kashmir valley.

Although the authorities had made elaborate arrangements to foil any attempt to take out processions in Kishtwar as well as in Doda, members of the majority community themselves preferred not to come on streets.

They rejected the call and preferred to open their shops and business establishments. After the Kashmir valley, the separatists have been concentrating on Doda and Kishtwar districts to expand their base in this belt.

After August 12 riots in Kishtwar, members of the majority community have ultimately realised that the Hurriyat Conference and other separatist groups, active in the mountainous belt of Doda and Kishtwar districts, have been exploiting their sentiments just to further their political agenda.

A majority of Kishtwar residents were of the opinion that the Hurriyat leaders have done more harm than good to them. “It was those leaders who instigated the people on August 12 but members of the majority community suffered huge losses when riots broke out,” rued a resident of Kishtwar, adding: “After the riots, relations between both the communities reached all time low.”

Known for its communal harmony and brotherhood, Kishtwar witnessed communal riots on August 12 when some people took out a procession in the town.

“It is the not the question who suffered how much loss. What is more worrying than this division in the communities,” a local leader of the Congress said and expressed satisfaction that members of both the communities have started reconciliation process to bridge the divide.

Tragic road accident at Kishtwar on September 4 in which members of both the communities were killed, also gave a healing touch as irrespective of their religion, hundreds of people came together to retrieve bodies of the deceased from the Chenab.

The authorities have also taken a tough stand against those who were exploiting sentiments of the people.

Three Hurriyat leaders from Kishtwar have been already arrested under the Public Safety Act (PSA) while some more were picked up from Doda district on the charges of instigating people.

Following dwindling of public support, Hurriyat leaders, who were active in this belt, have already gone underground to evade arrest.

Srinagar, October 8
Stressing the need for a meaningful dialogue process, the separatist Hurriyat Conference chairman, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq here today said talks with India and Pakistan leadership were the only alternative to the resolution of the Kashmir problem. He said elections were no solution to the Kashmir problem and these had not helped in resolving the issue in the past.

Mirwaiz was addressing a meeting of the executive council of the APHC at his residence here today, the first after the Lal Chowk march was stalled by the government with the arrest of many leaders and house arrest of others, including him and imposition of curfew across Kashmir valley. Those who attended the meeting included Abdul Ghani Bhat, Moulana Abbas Ansari, Bilal Ghani Lone, Agha Syed Hassan and Fazal-e-Haq Qureshi. The Coordination Committee, comprising both factions of the Hurriyat Conference, and other separatist, religious and other organisations, spearheading the recent agitation, would be meeting here tomorrow. This meeting would discuss the future course of action after the Lal Chowk march was prevented by the authorities.

Mirwaiz stressed the need for a result oriented and serious dialogue with both neighbouring countries of India and Pakistan to resolve the Kashmir issue.

Chandigarh, October 8
The Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) today issued notices to the Jammu and Kashmir government and Centre over the removal of Arun Kumar from the post of principal secretary to the Governor of J&K and CEO of the Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB).

Arun Kumar, an IAS officer, has challenged his removal in the CAT.

The CAT sent notices to the state of J&K through chief secretary, secretary GAD J&K government and Union of India through secretary, Ministry of Personnel and Public Grievances.