Train No. 0001 in striking red colour, decked with flowers, an electronic sign board displaying Anantnag and with school children on board, stood parked at the spanking new rail line passing through the Srinagar (Nowgam) railway station, which denied any signs of it being one in India.

The shining and spotless tracks passing through the picturesque valley, with winter nip in the air, reminded one of being possibly in the Alps. There was no sign of dust or dirt and one felt elated seeing the station, which had been constructed by the Indian Railways.

However, the security arrangements, which marked the flagging off of the train through Srinagar by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in company of UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi, railway minister Lalu Prasad Yadav and other dignitaries from the state, defied all logic of the future of it.

It reflected the situation prevailing in the state. The security agencies, which included the SPG, the CRPF, local police and not to forget the RPF, took no chances and scanned and re-scanned even the smallest of the objects on the station platform.

Even the switchboards on the station had not been spared. While the local police and CRPF formed the outer ring of the security cover, the crack commandoes of the SPG armed with the latest Israeli assault rifles and the state-of-the-art sun glasses provided the immediate cover to the PM and other dignitaries from Delhi.

Contrary to the earlier reports, the Prime Minister did not board the DMU train from Nowgam station, which would have been a symbolic gesture. He just chose to flag off the train and headed back to Delhi.

The Prime Minister also refused to talk to the media and the task was left to railway minister Lalu Prasad Yadav.

The train service, which would begin for the public from tomorrow, would initially run from Rajwansher (Budgam) to Anantnag covering a distance of 66 kilometers. The fare for travel between Rajwansher to Anantnag will be Rs 15. The rail service will have stations at Budgam, Srinagar, Pampore, Kakapora, Awantipora, Panjgam, Bijbehara besides Rajwansher and Anantnag. 

Jammu, October 11
While the Union government may have announced the opening of LoC trade with Pakistan from October 21, the two countries are yet to decide upon the currency, in which trade will be carried out.

This was stated by president of the Jammu Chamber of Commerce and Industry (JCCI) Ram Sahai at a press conference on the eve of the arrival of the business delegation from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) to Jammu today.

Sahai said the government had left it to the trade bodies from both the sides to reach a decision on the issue of currency. He also stated that though the official date for the start of cross-LoC trade was October 21, it would take at least another two months for trade to start in the real sense of the term. Sahai said on the inaugural day of the cross-LoC trade, only gift items would be exchanged.

“We first need to identify the items for trade, apart from assessing their quality and rate. For that the delegations of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry from Jammu as well as Kashmir will visit PoK in the coming days. As of now, neither they know what do they would like to buy from us nor we know what we can sell to them,” Sahai averred.

However, he termed the cross-LoC trade as a confidence-building measure (CBM), which would go a long way in boosting the economy of the region. “What makes us happy is the fact that at least a beginning has been made,” he said.

Sahai said the list of items would be reviewed after every three months. “While the first review would be done at the government-level, later the exercise would be carried out by the trade bodies,” he said, adding, that the current list contained identical items for trade from both the sides.

Sahai said the issues to be discussed with the PoK delegation reaching here tomorrow would be the modalities of cross-LoC trade, including trucks being allowed to a designated point, opening of route for trade (between 9 am and 4 pm) for two days a week, permission to trucks having carrying capacity of 1-1.5 tonnes.

Sahai renewed his demand for opening of the Pallanwala-Chhamb, Suchetgarh-Sialkot and Nowshera-Mirpur routes for cross-border trade. While admitting that they were yet to assess the economic viability of trade through the Uri-Muzzafarabad and Poonch-Rawlakote routes, Sahai said it would take just three-and-a-half-hours for trucks to reach Pakistan through the Nowhera-Mirpur route.

On differences among the trading communities of the Jammu and Kashmir regions, Sahai said talks were on and hopefully everything would be sorted out in the next 8-10 days. “Jammu and Kashmir regions are inseparable and interdependent.” 

Srinagar, October 11
While Prime Minister Manmohan Singh held detailed meetings with the leaders of various political parties, UPA chairperson and Congress president Sonia Gandhi met the state party leaders here yesterday exhorting them to get ready for the Assembly elections.

The meeting is significant in view of the recent visit of the Election Commission, led by N Gopalaswami, holding talks with leaders of various political parties to assess the situation for the possibilities of the Assembly elections. These elections are due in Jammu and Kashmir by November 20, while any decision is still awaited in view of the trouble over the past three months on the Amarnath land row, which also led to the fall of the Azad-led coalition government and imposition of the Governor’s rule.

The senior leaders of the state Congress party are understood to have conveyed to the Congress president that the cadres were ready for the Assembly elections even if these are held before the onset of winter in Kashmir.

In case the elections are not completed by early December, these may not be held during the next three months due to winters. The Congress leaders in Jammu and Kashmir are getting ready for the polls banking upon the massive developmental activities taken up by the Ghulam Nabi Azad government.

“The readiness of the cadres was conveyed to the Congress president in clear terms,” sources in the party said.

The National Conference is also of the view that elections be held prior to the winter months, though it was “less than optimal” situation for the polls at present.

The party has conveyed to the Prime Minister that there was need to further Centre-State relations in view of the recommendations of the Working Group. This was the most important area, NC president, Omar Abdullah has opined.

The PDP is the only party against the holding of elections under present circumstances. It is up in its arms against the Congress though the two have been main coalition partners between 2002 and 2008.

The PDP believes that Congress during its coalition rule had undone what had been set into motion by the Mufti-led coalition government.

Jammu, October 11
Militants operating in the state are supplementing the efforts of separatists for disrupting the forthcoming state Assembly elections.

Senior police and intelligence officials revealed that large groups of militants had been brought on the launching pads across Poonch, Rajouri, Kupwara, Keran, Tangdhar and Machel sectors for the purpose of pushing them into the state.

An Army officer today said “professional guides had been engaged by agencies across the LoC and the international border (IB) for helping militants to sneak into the state”.

He said during the past one fortnight, more than 10 infiltration bids had been foiled. The officer said a sufficient number of sensors had been installed on the entire border with Pakistan and these gadgets had enabled the troops, guarding the LoC and the IB, in foiling infiltration bids.

Reports from intelligence agencies have revealed that the rate of infiltration had increased by over 20 per cent during the past three months as compared to the corresponding period last year.

According to reports, since May last, Pakistani agencies had been concentrating on the IB for pushing in militants into the Jammu sector from across Samba, R.S. Pura and Akhnoor sectors.

The idea behind this exercise was to inflate the number of militants so that they were able to escalate the level of violence which would create terror among the masses, forcing them to stay away during the pre-poll campaign and polling.

The reports revealed that militants planned to target the Kashmir valley which had 46 Assembly constituencies in order to ensure poor percentage of polling.

Official sources said the security grid had been further strengthened not only on the border, but also inside the valley, to foil the plan of militants to disrupt the polling process.

Since polling was to be completed in four phases, we would have sufficient security personnel to counter the moves of militants, sources said.

Srinagar, October 11
Normal life was paralysed across Kashmir in response to the call for “civil curfew” by the separatist coordination committee in protest against Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s visit to the state.

Shops and business establishments remained closed and traffic was off the roads. There was thin attendance in government offices, while private educational institutions, trying to cope up with the losses due to prolonged agitation over the Amarnath land row, could not be opened due to the complete general strike coupled with tight security arrangements in view of the Prime Minister’s visit.

Tension prevailed in the vulnerable old city areas where two persons died and more that 35 others were injured in the clashes between protesters and the police in Nowhatta area on Friday afternoon.

An undeclared curfew was imposed in these areas mostly falling under the police stations of Nowhatta, M R Gunj and Safakadal. These measures had been taken to prevent any untoward situation and maintenance of peace while the Prime Minister and other dignitaries were in the town, a senior official told The Tribune this afternoon.

Traffic on the inter-district routes also remained completely affected due to the separatists’ call. Life in other major towns of the valley including Anantnag, Pulwama, Shopian, Budgam, Baramulla, Kupwara and Sopore was also paralysed, though there were no reports of any untoward incidents.

Jammu, October 11
Foiling yet another infiltration bid by militants along the Line of Control (LoC), Army troops today shot dead a Pakistani militant in a gunbattle in Poonch district and forced others to flee back.

Giving details of the infiltration attempt, a senior Army officer said a group of five militants entered the Indian territory in forward post of Sabra Gali area along the LoC in Poonch district around 0150 hours.

The troops, who noticed the infiltration movement through thermal imagers, cordoned off the area and launched a search operation. Militants opened fired on the troops which was retaliated ensuing a gunbattle, he said, adding that one Pakistani militant was killed and others managed to escape back.

The slain militant, identified as Mohammad Sarwar, hailed from Rahd area in Pakistan. One AK rifle, three magazines and some explosive materials have been recovered, he said, adding searches are going on in the area.

This is the fifth infiltration bid in the last two weeks and seventh in the last over three weeks along the Indo-Pak border in the state.

On October 9, troops foiled an infiltration bid in Keri sector of Rajouri district and a jawan was killed in a gunbattle. BSF troops on October 3 had foiled an infiltration bid under the cover of fire from the Pakistani side and killed an infiltrator along the Indo-Pak border in Jammu's Kunara Tana Khurd area.

Troops also foiled an infiltration bid on October 1 along the international border in Jammu’s Kanachak sub-sector.

Over 128 infiltration bids were reported in nine months from Pakistan, in which over 71 militants have been killed. — PTI

Srinagar, October 11
Three militants of the Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) were killed by security forces and a soldier was injured in the Kashmir valley overnight, official sources said today.

They said security forces and special operation group of the police launched a joint operation in the woods at Zaren, Tangmarg, in this district following a tip-off about the presence of militants.

During the operation, militants fired at the search party. The fire was returned. The gunbattle was going on when the reports last came in.

Sources said rifleman Vinay Chatri was injured when militants attacked a security force search party at Yar Bugh Danghi Wacha in Baramulla last night. The injured soldier was airlifted to base hospital. However, militants managed to escape.

They said an encounter ensued during a similar operation at Bagbala, Lolab, in the frontier district of Kupwara last evening.

In the night-long operation, three LeT militants identified as Abu Hafiz, Saqib and Hafiz were killed.

Three AK rifles, six magzines, 232 rounds of ammunition and one UBGL were recovered from the slain militants. — UNI

Srinagar, October 11
The government offices, which would be shifted under the biannual durbar move, would be closed on October 31 and reopen in Jammu on November 10.

In its order, the General Administration Department here today said the offices observing five-day week would close in Srinagar on October 31 after the office hours while offices observing six-day week shall close on November 1.

All the offices shall, however, re-open at Jammu on Monday, November 10, the order stated.

All the departments will send their advance parties on October 25 consisting of one Gazetted Officer and four or five non-gazetted officials.

The advance parties shall start functioning in Jammu on November 3.

When the civil secretariat and other offices reopen in Jammu, it would be a testing time for the employees of both the regions and the state administration in the backdrop of the recent developments over the Amaranth land row that had created a wedge between the two regions.

The State Road transport corporation (SRTC) has been asked to make available sufficient number of buses in good condition for transportation of employees on November 1, 2, 8 and 9 and tickets shall be issued in advance from October 22 both from the civil secretariat and main booking counters of the SRTC.

The SRTC has also been asked to make available trucks for shifting of records from Srinagar to Jammu as per the requisition made by the departments.

Jammu, October 11
Heaps of garbage, rags and polythene bags accumulated on the main road at Nai Basti, has virtually made life hell for the residents of the area. The residents are annoyed with the callous attitude of the authorities concerned.

Although the authorities cleared the drain on the main road, which was filled up with heaps of garbage, they didn’t bother to remove the garbage from the road. The entire area is engulfed with a foul stench and has made it difficult for residents to breathe.

Amit Chauhan, a shopkeeper, said: “Due to foul stench emanating out of the garbage heap, customers are not coming to our shops”.

“The authorities have left the garbage on the road. Now, it has become a breeding ground for flies and mosquitoes”, rued Radha Krishan, a resident.

Jammu, October 11
Buoyed by the tremendous response at Srinagar where it put on display rare and ancient Quranic manuscripts recently, the Jammu and Kashmir Academy of Art, Culture and Languages has impressed upon all private collectors and religious bodies in the state to register their manuscripts with the academy so that they could be properly preserved and showcased.

“We have extended our request to the heads of shrines, “mathas”, “madrasas” and monasteries to come forward so that ancient and rare manuscripts could be preserved and showcased”, secretary of the academy, Zafar Iqbal Manhas, told The Tribune.

Zafar said the state had the largest repository of manuscripts in North India and they needed to be preserved and displayed.

“We have already taken up the ambitious project of preserving and cataloguing the glorious history of the state,” he said.

Zafar said about 20,000 rare texts books and 700 manuscripts in over 12 languages were housed with the academy. “Some writers and religious scholars have been involved to decipher these rare documents”,  he said.

Zafar said these manuscripts also pertained to history, music, medicines, religion and astronomy. “Some of them are over 1,000 years old and written on birch barck. We intend to display these manuscripts and rare paintings in Jammu as we did at Srinagar recently”, Zafar said.

He claimed that the oldest manuscripts India presently possessed were a set of 6th century Buddhist texts, which were found buried in the hills of Kashmir 60 years ago.

“Our researchers have also found rare ancient Sanskrit, Tibetan, Arabic and Persian treatises on a  number of subjects, including Ayurveda, Astrophysics, interpretation of dreams, surgical instruments, concepts of time and war techniques. We plan to catalogue and preserve all these for the coming generations”,  Zafar said.

Jammu, October 11
The Panthers Party took up the issue of ‘non-implementation’ of Rs 24,000-crore reconstruction plan announced by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for the state in 2004 with the latter during the all-party meeting in Srinagar last evening.

Interacting with mediapersons here today, former minister and party’s chief spokesperson Harsh Dev Singh said the PM’s package had remained “confined to papers only.”

He also made a special mention of certain departments, including health, housing and PHE, in which the “implementation of the package was zero per cent.”

He said the PM’s package included Rs 1,470 for sewerage and drainage of Jammu, Rs 359 crore for augmentation of water supply in Jammu, Rs 831 crore for construction of health centre buildings, Rs 31.5 crore for setting up of 50 tourist villages, and Rs 709 crore for electrification of all villages in the state.

According to him, the said sectors had registered nil implementation with not even a single penny utilised under the PM’s package.

“In other sectors, the implementation was not more than 10 per cent thus making a mockery of the PM’s Reconstruction Plan,” he added.

Harsh Dev said all these years the Congress leaders had been blowing the trumpet of the PM’s package, but the ground reality was different.

“The government should come clean as to whether it was a mere announcement. And if the money was released where it has gone,” he averred. He said he also handed over a copy of the reconstruction plan to the Prime Minister along with the details of utilisation of funds in various sectors and the PM took a very serious note of it.

Lashing out at the previous Azad regime, he said: “The Congress-led coalition had announced Rs 500 crore fast track development package and also fast track recruitment drive, but they too remained restricted to paper.”

Harsh Dev said he also raised the issue of the Prime Minister’s working group on Centre-State relations not submitting its recommendations. He said the group was supposed to recommend measures for removal of regional imbalances. “It would have also addressed the issues of refugees and STs,” he added.

Jammu, October 11
The BJP has termed the all-party meeting with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in Srinagar as “BJP versus all parties event.”

Addressing a press conference here, state BJP vice-president Prof Hari Om, who participated in the marathon meeting with the Prime Minister said, “It was an event where only the BJP stood for the national interest and all other participants were discussing the issues which were anti-national.”

He said, “The focus of the Kashmir-based leadership prior to the elections was on introducing more confidence-building measures in the valley, giving more concessions and other packages to them.”

He said the issues like autonomy, self-rule, demilitarisation, and relaxing anti-terror laws in the valley were taken up by the Kashmir based leadership.

He accused Panthers Party chief Bhim Singh of speaking the tone of PDP president Mehbooba Mufti.

He said that the BJP urged the Prime Minister to “radically alter the Centre’s policy towards the state.

Regarding the appointment of delimitation commission in the state, Hari Om said: “They said the Governor in the state has no powers to appoint the commission, but we told them that earlier also it was under the Governor's rule that the commission was formed and its recommendation were submitted to him.”

He said, “The BJP made it clear that the Governor must exercise his powers and appoint a delimitation commission at the earliest.”