Rajouri, November 8
Security forces gunned down seven militants in two encounters in Poonch and Doda today.

Troops of the Bihar regiment of the Army and the BSF foiled an infiltration bid near CRP Dhok just close to the Line of Control (LoC) in the Sawjian sector in Poonch today and killed three militants.

Security forces spotted a group of 3-4 militants near CRP Dhok at around 8.30 am. Troops asked them to surrender but the militants fired at them. The troops fired back and in the ensuing gunbattle, which continued till evening, three militants were killed. Naib Subedar Thappa of the Army was also injured in the encounter and was shifted to nearby hospital, the sources said.

The identity of the slain infiltrators is yet to be ascertained; they are believed to be from the Lashkar-e-Toiba outfit, said the sources.

Defence spokesperson D.K. Kachari confirmed the killing of three militants in the Sawjian sector.

Jammu: The security forces eliminated four militants, including a self-styled district commander of the Hizbul Mujahideen outfit, identified as Mohammad Shafi, during an encounter in the Bagwa area of Doda district. According to police sources, the police and the troops of Rashtriya Rifles launched a joint operation after getting information about the presence of militants.

As the search was on, militants fired at the security forces. “We fired back in which the Hizbul commander was killed,” a police officer said.

“The identity of other slain militants was being ascertained, three AK rifles and one pistol was recovered from the spot,” Jammu based PRO of the Ministry of Defence S.N. Acharya said. The encounter was on when reports last came in.

Meanwhile, in another combing operation, the police seized 98 ‘live’ grenades, which can be lobbed with AK launcher, in Samba district.

The grenades were concealed in a large bag and were found beside an under-construction bridge in the Supwal area of Samba district.

PTI adds from Srinagar: Security forces today seized an improvised explosive device (IED), concealed in a tiffin box, from a goods truck in the Batamaloo area of the city, official sources said here.

Jammu, November 8
Having won four of the 30 seats from Jammu, Kathua, Udhampur and Doda districts in 2002, the National Conference has this time given the ticket to over 12 new faces in these districts to improve its performance. They are T.S.Wazir from Gandhi Nagar, Pradeep Bali from Jammu East, Romi Khajuria from Billawar, D.S.Bindu from Basholi, Ravinder Singh Slathia from Kathua, Yashpal Bhagat from Bishnah, Romesh Motton from R.S.Pora, Ghulam Qadir from Gool-Arnas, Naresh Chowdhary from Suchetgarh, Mohan Lal from Chhamb, Ram Swaroop from Akhnoor, Abdul Karim Wani from Inderwal and Sunl Verma from Udhampur.

The party has repeated Ajay Sadhotra from Marh, Ajat Singh Shatru from Nagrota, Surjit Singh Slathia from Vijaypur, Chander Mohan Sharma from Jammu West, Chaman Lal from Ramban, Khalid Najib Sohrawardhy from Doda, Sajjad Kichloo from Kishtwar, Abdul Gani Malik from Gulabgarh, Jagjivan Lal from Reasi, Satpaul Lakhotra from Raipur-Domana and Mohd. Aslam Goni from Bhaderwah.

Jammu, November 8
The BJP has accused the Congress of creating vote bank by dividing people on communal lines and projecting itself as a secular party.

Addressing an election rally, BJP candidate from Jammu West Chaman Lal Gupta alleged that the role played by the Congress and its allies had not only been detrimental to the national interests but also inhuman in many respects.

He said the Centre had formed a custodian department to take care of the properties of the families who migrated to Pakistan during Partition whereas on the other side of the border the properties of the families who migrated to India had been occupied by locals there.

Claiming that 24 seats had been reserved for the Pakistan-occupied area of Kashmir, Gupta blamed the Congress and the National Conference for not keeping a single seat for the migrants from PoK. The refugees were being denied the rights as citizens of the state even after 60 years.

Srinagar, November 8
The CPM’s state committee today released the first list of five party nominees for the Assembly elections.

They include Ghulam Nabi Malik for Dooru Shahabad, Mohammad Yaqoob Ganai for Devsar, Mohammad Amin Dar for Homshalibugh and Mohammad Khalil Naik for the Wachi constituency in Pulwama district and Mahinder Singh for Kathua in the Jammu region.

The CPM would issue the second list of candidates soon, a party spokesman said.

The first list does not include CPM state secretary Mohammad Yusuf Tarigami, who has represented the Kulgam constituency for the last two consecutive terms. As the lone member of CPM, Tarigami was first elected in 1996, while in the 2002 elections, Mohammad Khalil Naik was also elected from the Wachi constituency. Naik will again contest the elections from his home constituency.

Jammu, November 8
Displaced from their homeland for around two decades, the Kashmiri Pandit community seems divided over the issue of participation in the state Assembly elections.

While some of the outfits say the democratic exercise has failed to deliver the desired results for the community, others feel that they must participate in the elections and exercise their voting right in the best interest of the community.

The Panun Kashmir Movement (PKM), a frontal KP organisation, has dubbed the elections in the valley as “meaningless and irrelevant” for the community. The outfit not only disassociated itself from the elections but also appealed the entire community to follow suit.

Though the PKM reaffirmed its faith in the democracy, it found the current poll process “deceptive”, which “could not facilitate election of the community’s representatives” from any of the Assembly segments in the Kashmir valley.

The outfit, however, said if any political party supported its demand of homeland and its approach on elections, it would “respond appropriately” in such an event.

Similarly, the Jammu and Kashmir Democratic Forum (JKDF), a prominent body of the displaced Kashmiri Pandit community, has termed the Assembly polls a “futile attempt” of New Delhi.

The forum blamed the successive state governments for the plight of the displaced community and urged the Pandits to boycott the poll.

On the other hand, All Displaced Kashmiri Pandit (non-camp) Welfare Organisation has urged the Pandits to vote and support a political party, which assures their honourable return with a rehabilitation package acceptable to all and addresses all their genuine demands.

“The poll process is the only tool, which can reject the forces, who have played a deceptive role for their vested interests and have failed to protect the rights of the people of the J&K in general and KPs in particular. The encroachment on civil rights is the root cause of turmoil in the state by certain vested interests and boycott of elections will encourage the forces that don’t want to see the state prosperous,” it said.

However, going a step further, the J&K National United Front (JKNUF), which claims to be the only political outfit promoted by Kashmiri Pandits, has jumped into the electoral fray.

The front is not only contesting 15 Assembly constituencies in the state but has also forged a pre-poll alliance with the Socialist Democratic Party (SDP).

The front believes in political empowerment of the minorities in the state. It advocates setting up of satellite townships for KPs in the valley as also carving out of special economic zones for facilitating gainful employment for KP youth.

Srinagar, November 8
The three constituencies of Bandipore, Gurez and Sonawari in the newly created Bandipore district will decide the fate of 47 candidates in the first phase of elections on November 17.

Four other constituencies in the Leh and Kargil districts of Ladakh region, and three constituencies of Rajouri district in Jammu region will also go to the polls in the first phase.

There are 1,86,069 voters in Bandipore district, including 96,848 men and 89,221 women. The total number of polling stations in these three constituencies is 237 was compared to 184 in 2002.

The Bandipore constituency has 19 candidates, including two former MLAs - Ghulam asool Naaz of the NC and Usman Majeed of the Peoples National Front (PNF) - who represented the constituency in the last Assembly elections.

Naaz was elected from the constituency twice in 1987 and 1996. PDP’s Nizamuddin Bhat, who unsuccessfully contested the last Lok Sabha elections from the Baramulla constituency, is also in the fray. Others include Peerzada Iftikhar Ahmad (SWP), Bashir Ahmed Khan (IND) Habibullah Bhat (IND), Haji Habibullah Phaloo (JKLP), Reyaz Ahmed Wani (BSP), Shamas-ud-Din Khan (BJP), Abdul Rehman Thekaria (RJD), Gowsia Bashir (IND), Ghulam Mohi-ud-din Bhat (ANC), Mohammad Iqbal Jan (JKNPP), Mohammad Ismail Bhat (IND), Mohammad Anwar Wani (LJSP), Manzoor Ahmed Khan(AIFB), Mohammad Abdullah Wani (PDF), Mohammad Qasim Mir (RSP) and Noor Mohammad Sheer Gojri (JKPP).

It has 86,013 voters, including 45,120 men and 40,893 women voters, against 70,963 registered voters in 2002. The total number of polling stations in the constituency is 111 as compared to 91 in 2002. Candidates from the Gurez constituency include Riyaz Ahmed Wani (BSP), Abdul Aziz Wani (DNP), Faqeer Mohammad Khan (INC), Mohammad Iqbal Lone (INFB), Nazir Ahmed Bhat (PDP) and Nazir Ahmed Khan (NC).

Srinagar, November 8
Hurriyat Conference chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq has welcomed the election of Barak Obama as the next US President and hoped that he would help in resolving the Kashmir issue along with several others issues.

In his letter to Obama, the APHC chairman said while there were several other issues seeking resolution across the globe, we would hope that that you help resolve the Kashmir issue in accordance with the wishes and aspirations of the people of Jammu and Kashmir.

This, he said, would help in restoration of peace in South Asia adding that the US has a distinguished role to play in the world.

All US presidents since Harry Truman time “have accepted the right of self-determination for the people of Jammu and Kashmir,” Mirwaiz said.

He said: “We applaud the bold initiative you have discussed in considering sending former President Bill Clinton as special envoy to settle the conflict over Kashmir. In doing so, you are demonstrating great leadership in bringing peace to the millions of people who have suffered needlessly at the hands of alien Army, and for that, we thank you.”

“Self-determination is a basic human right that has international sanctity and legal foundation, one that could easily be suffocated by the larger commercial and strategic interests of India and Pakistan. We trust in your wisdom, vision and leadership and hope that India and Pakistan will not be given veto power to resolve the rights of 15 million people of Kashmir,” he wrote.

Meanwhile, Peoples Conference chairman Sajad Gani Lone also expressed optimism over the recent statement of UN Secretary General Ban ki Moon and US President-elect Barak Obama saying these were positive indications for Kashmiris.

Jammu, November 8
The Department of Centre for Adult, Continuing Education and Extension (CACE&E), University of Jammu, held a meeting yesterday with various NGOs to decide the priority areas for collaborative activities in view of the UGC’s 11th Plan guidelines and focal areas of concern.

The meeting, chaired by Prof Poonam Dhawan, Director, CACE&E, was attended by the representatives of over 30 NGOs from the Jammu region. Prof Dhawan said by collaborating with NGOs, the Centre wanted to understand the need of communities and functionaries at the grassroot level. Besides, she said there was need for prioritising community-level interventions, create and sustain linkages with them and and pool resources.

Jammu, November 8
The Progressive Students Association has protested against Government Degree College, Kathua, for reportedly “imposing extra examination fee” on its students.

In a statement issued here, association president Rahul said: “The new directive of the college administration asks students to submit an amounta of Rs 100 as extra fee, besides the already submitted admission fee.” Rahul said the new fee structure had a bearing on all college students, while the motive behind the fee hike was not revealed by the college administration. The association has urged the college administration and Jammu University (JU) to come clear on the issue. Meanwhile, controller examination and registrar, JU, refused to comment.