Srinagar, December 6
The ongoing elections in Jammu and Kashmir are crossing the middle mark when 18 constituencies in four districts, two each in Kashmir and Jammu divisions, go to the polls in the fourth phase tomorrow.

The stage is set for the polls to seven constituencies in Baramulla and five in Budgam districts in Kashmir, and three each in Udhampur and Reasi districts of Jammu division. Elections to 21 constituencies, for the 87-member legislative assembly, in all the three regions of the state have been completed in the first three phases, which began on November 17.

An electorate of about 14 lakh voters would decide the fate of 257 candidates, including 10 women contestants, in the fourth phase of elections.

In Baramulla district of north Kashmir, out of 105 contestants, the Sopore constituency has the distinction of having the highest number of 24 candidates in the electoral fray. Other constituencies going to the polls include Uri, Rafiabad, Sangrama, Baramulla, Gulmarg and Pattan Assembly constituencies. The total electors in Baramulla district are 5,18,963.

Those in the fray include eight former ministers, one of them a Deputy Chief Minister, Muzaffar Hussain Beigh from the Baramulla constituency, while the National Conference MP representing the Baramulla constituency, Abdul Rashid Shaheen, is contesting from the Pattan constituency. Prominent among them are former ministers, Ghulam Hassan Mir, independent, Moulvi Iftikhar Hussain Ansari of the PDP and Mustafa Kamal of the NC.

The fate of 71 candidates in central Kashmir district of Budgam would be decided tomorrow in the five constituencies of Chadoora, Budgam, Beerwah, Khansahib and Charar-i-Sharief constituencies.

An electorate of 2,83,400 would decide the fate of 42 candidates in Udhampur district of Jammu division, which include the Udhampur, Chenani and Ramnagar constituencies. There are 18 candidates in Udhampur and 12 each in Chenani and Ramnagar constituencies.

In Reasi district, an electorate of 2,12,821 voters would decide the fate of 39 contestants, which include 14 from Gulabgarh, 16 from Reasi and nine from the Gool-Arnas Assembly constituencies.

Jammu, December 6
Two veterans, Ghulam Rasool Kar and Abdul Aziz Zargar, who have been signatories to the Constitution of Jammu and Kashmir adopted in 1957.are in the poll fray.

The former has .While Ghulam Rasool Kar is in the fray from the Sopore constituency in north Kashmir as an independent candidate after the Congress denied mandate to him. Zargar is the PDP candidate from the Noorabad constituency in south Kashmir.

Zargar has been a member of the Assembly right from 1964.He represented the Devsar seat in the House between 1954 and 1966.Then he shifted to the Noorabad constituency from where he was elected in 1967, 1972 and 1987 as a Congress candidate. He regained the seat in 2002 as a PDP candidate.

Zargar has had a long stint as a parliamentary secretary, junior minister and cabinet minister. He has remained closely associated with Mufti Mohammad Sayeed. When he formed the PDP, Zargar was one of its founding members.

Ghulam Rasool Kar has contested successfully Assembly election from the Rafiabad constituency in 1957,1962 and 1967.Then he tried his luck from his home constituency in Sopore but failed to humble down Syed Ali Shah Geelani, who now heads the Tehrik Hurriyat Conference. Kar, however, won the Lok Sabha election from Baramulla constituency in 1996 with a thumping majority of votes.

Out of the 75-member constituent Assembly, Kar and Zargar are the only surviving political leaders.

Srinagar, December 6
Elaborate security arrangements are in place for the smooth conduct of the polling in 12 constituencies of Baramulla and Budgam districts in Kashmir valley, which are going to the polls in the fourth phase of elections tomorrow.

The security forces have been put in a state of high alert to thwart any designs of the militants to disrupt polling or any attempts by the separatist organisations, which have called for a march to the district headquarters on the days of polling in the valley.

Senior police officers here said that adequate arrangements had been made for tomorrow’s polling. All arrangements have been made to ensure smooth conduct of polling. “There is much enthusiasm in Budgam district and we expect good participation here”, a senior police officer said.

The Army is on high alert in view of the elections, Defence PRO, Col D.K. Kachari told The Tribune this evening. He said that security forces were assigned with the job of providing security along the borders and counter-terrorism operations within so as to provide a conducive atmosphere for the elections.

The para-military forces have been deployed in the valley, particularly in Baramulla and Budgam districts to provide safety and security to the polling booths, candidates and the electorate in general.

There are 743 polling stations in Baramulla district, out of which 300 are hyper-sensitive and 443 sensitive polling stations. Similarly in Budgam district, there are 498 polling stations out of which 295 are hypersensitive and 203 are sensitive polling stations.

To ensure smooth conduct of the polls, 168 companies of Border Security Force (BSF) and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), have been deployed in the two districts, official sources here said. These include an additional deployment of 40 companies of the BSF for the fourth phase of elections tomorrow.

The separatist Hurriyat Conference has expressed concern over the restrictions on the movement of people here on Friday and continued house arrest of a number of senior separatist leaders, including Mirwaiz Umar Farooq.

Meanwhile, heavy security arrangements have been made in Udhampur and Reasi districts of the Jammu region. Giving information about the security arrangements, DIG Alok Puri, Udhampur-Reasi region said: “We have deployed 104 battalions of the CISF, JKP, BSF CRPF and the Army in the hypersensitive areas which are Gulabgarh, Gul-Arnas, Basantgarh, Latti, Duna. We are ready to meet any eventuality.”

Srinagar, December 6
CPM state secretary Mohammad Yusuf Tarigami has expressed concern over the sufferings of common man despite the promises made by the coalition government during the past six years.

Addressing election rallies in Shopian and Kulgam districts, Tarigami termed disbanding of the special operation group (SOG) “farcical” and said this group continued to be intact with a few apparent and ostensible adjustments.

He held that the CPM and other like-minded parties brought disbanding of SOG incorporated into the common minimum programme (CMP) of the coalition government. But unfortunately barring a few adjustments, nothing concrete was done, he added.

In an obvious reference to the PDP, Tarigami held that the party was now claiming the disbanding of this group “but the fact remains that the structures of SOG are still intact and the banditry in uniform continues without any accountability”.

The CPM state secretary said the PDP leadership should take the moral responsibility of the wrong doings as well. He added that there were unabated human rights violations, lack of basic amenities, surge in unemployment, corruption, nepotism and above all, sense of insecurity prevailing among the masses.

He added that one should ask such political parties, which had promised a “healing touch” to the people and vowed to rein in the SOG as to why they failed to investigate killings of the people in police custody and making SOG accountable. 

Srinagar, December 6
Demanding implementation of the Working Group (WG) recommendations on scrapping of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA), the CPM said withdrawal of such laws and other draconian measures would have positive impact on the ground in the valley.

However, without naming PDP patron Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, state secretary of the CPM Mohammad Yousuf Targami said the patron of a regional party, who was in fact responsible for implementing these laws in the state, was now trying to shed tears.

Addressing a series of meetings in south Kashmir, going to the polls in the fifth of the seven-phase elections in the state on December 13, Targami demanded immediate implementation of the MA Ansari WG recommendations, which called for scrapping of the AFSPA and the Disturbed Areas Act in the state, without any further delay.

He said the patron of the same party played a key role in 1990 in enacting and ratifying the same law in Parliament. Targami said his demand for withdrawal of the AFSPA was vital to level the ground for the real and substantial forward movement in addressing the deep-rooted alienation among the masses.

He said certain laws, including the AFSPA and the Disturbed Areas Act, made operational during the peak of militancy, curbed the fundamental rights and adversely affected the masses. The CPM leader said scrapping of these Acts should not be viewed with a narrow vision, as unless practical initiatives were taken, the confidence building measures (CBMs) would have no meaning for the people, who are the worst victims of the violence. — UNI

Jammu, December 6
NC president Omar Abdullah today appealed to the people of the state to be wary of political parties playing religious or regional card for vote bank politics.

Addressing election rallies in the Bani constituency today, Omar said it was unfortunate that some national and regional political parties were trying to create a religious wedge between the people of the state, which in turn could adversely affect the secular fabric of the state.

He said such divisive politics had communal overtones and could cast dangerous ramifications.

He appealed to the people to defeat such communal forces saying that the state has always been an example of secular values and should remain so.

Omar said there were traditional bonds of brotherhood between the people of different religions and regions in the state and those bonds need to be strengthened and the forces that were trying to weaken them should be identified and isolated.

Taking a dig at the PDP and the Congress, Omar said his party did not believe in hollow slogans and false promises and he and his colleagues would never make promises that the party could not live up to.

Jammu, December 6
The BJP state unit today said political parties having Kashmir centric ideology, including the Congress, the PDP and the NC had discriminated against the Jammu region in all aspects.

Not only politically and economically, but also in case of infrastructure, development, employment, electricity and other facilities, Jammu had always been discriminated as compared to the valley, Ashok Khajuria, state president of the BJP said at a press conference here.

Khajuria, who is also a party candidate from Jammu East, said these political parties always tried to benefit the people of Kashmir without taking care of sentiments of the people in Jammu and they should be taught lesson in the ongoing elections.

Meanwhile, the BJP president also demanded abolishment of Custodian Department and said ownership rights should be given to the tenants.

“Apart from our other demands, we also want the state government to immediately recommend implementation of the Sixth Pay Commission so that employees can be benefited,” Khajuria said.

He however, criticised the state government for not providing adequate security arrangements to the BJP candidates during campaigning and alleged misuse of official machinery by some of the political parties in electioneering process. — UNI

Reasi, December 6
On the eve of polling, workers of various political parties clashed with each other at different places and levelled allegations and counter allegations to impress the voters.

At least 6 persons were injured in a clash between the Congress and the NC workers in the Dharmari area. In another incident on late Friday night, BJP and Congress workers clashed after the BJP workers attacked Congress candidate Jugal Kishore Sharma and torched a vehicle near Katra.

Reports said a group of Congress workers canvassing for party candidate Aijaz Ahmed Khan was allegedly attacked by some workers of the NC. The Congress workers retaliated which led to a clash between both the groups. At least 6 persons were injured in the clash.

Before the situation could take an ugly turn, senior police officers rushed to the spot and arrested at least 20 persons. Those arrested included workers of both the parties.

Meanwhile, tension continued in Reasi and Katra town following clashes between the BJP and Congress workers on late Friday night. Police picked some accused involved in torching the vehicle of a Congress worker. Senior police officers convened a meeting of all political parties to ease out tension in the town on the eve of polling.

On late Friday night, a group of BJP workers attacked cavalcade of Congress workers at village Bhagga, about 3km west of Katra town. BJP workers allegedly torched vehicle of a Congress worker and smashed windowpanes of other vehicles. As the news reached Katra, which is the hometown of Congress candidate Jugal Kishore Sharma, a group of party workers led by Sharma rushed to the spot to rescue the activists.

As soon as Sharma reached there, the mob resorted to pelting stones and attacked them with lathis. The Congress workers also retaliated which led to a clash between both the groups. Vehicle in which Sharma was travelling was also attached by the mob.

The BJP workers have alleged that the Congress activities have been luring the voters through illegal means but Sharma denied the allegation.

Reasi SSP Varinder Kumar told the Tribune that four BJP workers had been arrested in connection with torching the vehicle of Congress supporters and for attacking the Congress candidate.

Srinagar, December 6
As the Valley goes to polls for the fourth phase of elections on Sunday, markets here today buzzed with shoppers making advance preparations for Eid-ul-Azha, which is being celebrated on Tuesday.

The people were shopping for the festival, as they were apprehensive about a shutdown on Sunday. They were busy buying bakery items, gifts, greeting cards, dress materials, footwear, etc. A rush of customers could be seen at the banks and outside the Automated Teller Machines (ATMs).

“Since there can be a complete shutdown or undeclared curfew on Sunday in wake of the elections, so we thought it was better to shop in advance,” Irfan Ahmad and Danish Parvez said while waiting for their turn at one of the ATM’s at Lal Chowk,

Imparting a vibrant touch to the shopping frenzy, the children who accompanied their elders were seen engrossed in selecting their favourite toys, footwear and dresses. “I had to pre-pone my Eid shopping,” Ruksana Bhat said as she helped her children choose the right dresses and shoes.

Farooq Ahmad who runs a garment shop at Goni Khan said, “Usually people throng the market couple of days before Eid but this time they came out earlier due to the elections.”

Due to a heavy rush on the roads there were frequent traffic jams at various places especially across the Dalgate-Batamaloo stretch. “Travelling in a local or private vehicle through this route is a tiring process as it means spending hours on the road when otherwise it takes just a few minutes,” Sarah Malik, a local resident said.

Vendors have occupied footpaths along the Hari Singh High Street, Amira Kadal, Lal Chowk and Residency Road selling their items, virtually leaving no space for the pedestrians to move.

The Gujjars and the Bakwerwals were seen stationed at many places in the city as they sold sacrificial sheep and goats for the festival.

Jammu, December 6
H.H. Tyabji, adviser to the Governor, has said earnest efforts will be made to revive the sick industrial units so as to bring JK Industries Limited back on rails.

Reviewing the functioning of JK Industries Limited in its 142nd Board of Directors meeting here today, Tyabji exhorted upon the authorities concerned for making the earnest efforts for revival of sick units.

“None of the units run by the JK Industries Ltd should remain sick for want of support and technical know-how,” he said.

He said keeping in view the modern trend of markets, the goods like furniture, furnishing, cloth, shawls and other handicraft items should be manufactured with latest designs to attract the attention of customers.

He also asked for proper availability of raw material for the manufacturing of these items and also to improve marketing capacity.

Tyabji asked for further boost of industrial units in the state and said both micro and macro entrepreneurship under JK Industries Limited would not only provide employment opportunities to skilled and unskilled youth but people would also get manufactured items of their choice at reasonable rates.

Earlier, the meeting reviewed the overall functioning of JK Industries Limited. It was decided that out of the total 15 running industrial units, six different sick units would be made viable by way of providing necessary support to them.

Jammu, December 6
The student community from the state studying in various institutions across the country alleges that the local police was unnecessarily creating problems for them.

After the Mumbai terror attacks in which more than 170 persons lost their lives, a large number of students, who are studying outside the state, allege that post attacks they are being subjected to various hardships.

“The police every now and then raid our rooms, conduct searches and if we are not in the room, they leave a message to visit them in the police station” a Kashmiri student from Lovely Professional University in Jalandhar told The Tribune on phone while requesting anonymity.

The condition is reported to be similar with most of the students studying outside the state.

Earlier also, the student community from across the state had to face problems after any terror strike in any part of the country.

“In the name of verification, the police demands for various documents and when we fail to provide these documents they use abusive language and threaten to take us into custody,” a student of a private university in Mumbai said.

Though on many occasions the state leadership had spoken to the counterparts of other states to treat students from Jammu & Kashmir as par with students from other states, after repeated assurances from the state governments concerned, the attitude of the police seems unchanged.

“We are caught in a fix, we don’t know what to do. We cannot return to our hometown as if we go at this moment, it would not only have a negative impact on our studies, but also make us suspicious in the eyes of the local police,” another student of a private institute of Jalandhar said.

Students from the state have stood witness to the police torture after they were picked up by the police in suspicious links with the terror outfits.

A student from north Kashmir’s Sopore had to leave his studies midway when he was picked up by the police for his alleged links with the terrorist who stormed in the Parliament in December 2001.

Jammu, December 6
Sangarsh, an organisation of Jammu University students, has alleged that the Directorate of Colleges Development, Jammu University (JU), has been turned into a “money-minting unit” as most of the private BEd colleges in the region are virtually selling degrees to aspirants.

Addressing mediapersons, Sangharsh president Vikrant Sharma said inspection committees hardly bother to visit private BEd colleges.

He demanded that the Directorate of Colleges Development should come out clean on criterion set for the opening of such BEd colleges.

It may be stated here that the Jammu region in the recent past had witnessed mushroom growth of such private BEd colleges.

“We have ample evidence to prove that the degrees are being sold by these colleges, he said adding that the students who don’t attend their classes for the entire academic year have been getting the degrees after their final year exams,” he said.

Smelling the foul play in “disproportionate increase” in the number of seats allotted to such colleges, he urged JU chancellor N.N. Vohra to constitute a review committee for looking into the functioning of the Directorate of Colleges Development, besides banning the colleges which san basic infrastructure for the students.

Jammu, December 6
Prof Varun Sahni, Professor of International Politics at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), New Delhi, has been appointed as the new Vice-Chancellor of Jammu University (JU) for a period of three years.

A press note issued here from the Raj Bhawan said, Governor N.N. Vohra, in his capacity as Chancellor of Jammu University, had made the appointment of Prof Sahni based on the recommendations made by a three-member search committee constituted on August 18.

Professor Sahni, who is also the editor of South Asian Survey, has been lecturing regularly at National Defence College, New Delhi; Foreign Service Institute, New Delhi; College of Naval Warfare, Mumbai; and Army War College, Mhow.

Before joining the JNU faculty in 1995, Varun Sahni was a junior research fellow in Politics and junior dean at Lincoln College, Oxford; resident fellow of the Rajiv Gandhi Institute for Contemporary Studies, New Delhi and reader in Latin American Politics at Goa University.

Jammu, December 6
Rich tributes were paid to Dr Bhim Rao Ambedkar on his 52nd death anniversary at a function organised by the Ambedkar Studies Centre of Jammu University here today.

Dean Student Welfare Dhian Singh Bhau, secretary of the JUTA Rajiv Rattan and director of the Ambedkar Studies Centre Ashish Saxena paid floral tributes to the father of the Indian Constitution.