Jammu, December 8
With tension mounting between India and Pakistan in the aftermath of the Mumbai terror attack, the militant training camps across the border are being vacated and relocated to other places.

As India has constantly been building diplomatic pressure on Pakistan and America has also been backing India in its claim over Pakistan to hand over the people responsible for the terrorist attack in Mumbai, the militant leadership fearing a ‘surgical strike’ by India on their camps in PoK, are slowly vacating the camps.

“For the past few days we have been witnessing increase in activities across the line of control and we have intelligence inputs that the militant training camps across the border are being vacated and the inmates shifted to other locations.” a senior intelligence officer told The Tribune on condition of anonymity.

The intelligence inputs backed by surveillance and radio intercepts reveal that the activity in the training camps and the launching pads have increased in the past few days and the inmates are being shifted to other locations.

“Most of these camps are mobile or makeshift in nature and can be shifted to other places when such a need arises.” the source said.

The intelligence inputs have suggested that Pakistan is also relocating the launching pads that were being used as a platform to push in trained militants into Indian side of the border.

“These launching pads at one time can accommodate three to 10 militants who are pushed into Indian side whenever they get a chance, as these pads are mobile in nature they are being shifted from the place where they existed prior to the Mumbai attack.” The senior officer said.

The source said the “heightened activity” in the militant training camps came ahead of the reported ‘quiet crackdown’ by the Pakistan army on the activities of the Lashkar-e-Taiba in different parts of the country and the PoK.

“This will be crucial since intelligence reports, already show increase in activity in many of around 40-training camps and launching pads in Pakistan and PoK” the source said.

In PoK ,the main clusters of these training camps are in the Kotli-Muzaffarabad, Muridke, Karachi and the Manshera areas.

Srinagar, December 8
A heavy rush of shoppers was witnessed here and in other major towns and market places across the Kashmir valley today on the eve of Id-ul-Azha that is being celebrated across the state and elsewhere tomorrow.

The market places here wore festive looks as heavy rush of shoppers purchasing eatables, vegetable and mutton, bakery, other essential commodities and dress material from the market places.

The unprecedented rush led to traffic jams in most parts of the city and the traffic police had a tough time to ensure smooth flow of traffic.

The police and paramilitary troops were also keeping a close vigil to maintain law and order and avoid any untoward incidents amid the busy market places. The heavy rush was witnessed for mutton and sacrificial goats and sheep that continued to be sold in the market places over the past about 10 days.

The hustle and bustle was witnessed in the market places till late this evening, after two days of complete shutdown during the past one week.

While shops and business establishments had remained open throughout in some areas, these were opened and restrictions lifted by the police and security forces only in the afternoon yesterday.

The schedule for the special Id prayers has already been issued by the management of all the mosques and shrines across the state for tomorrow morning.

Jammu, December 8
Professor Varun Sahni today took over as the new vice-chancellor of the University of Jammu, replacing Prof Amitabh Mattoo.

Prior to this assignment, Sahni was a professor in international politics at Jawahar Lal Nehru University in New Delhi.

Mattoo and Sahni arrived at the administrative block of the university campus this morning where the entire university fraternity gave a rousing reception to both of them.

Registrar Prof G.S. Sambyal introduced the directors, deans, HoDs, members of JUTA, JURSEA, the non-teaching union, the non-gazetted union and faculty members to the new vice-chancellor.

Soon after handing over the responsibilities of the VC to Sahni, Mattoo thanked the entire university fraternity for their support in making the University of Jammu as “one of the premier institutions of the world”.

Mattoo asked the university fraternity to extend their full support and cooperation to Sahni.

Jammu, December 8
In utter defiance of the UGC norms, the Jammu University (JU) campus virtually got converted into a “banquet hall” yesterday.

The occasion was the marriage ceremony of a former minister’s daughter. The university’s gymnasium hall and its premises were occupied with the catering material, littered garbage and leftover till this evening.

University students as well as candidates appearing for the counselling of BEd at the Zorawar Singh Auditorium were taken aback today morning as they saw ceremonial tents on the premises while hostel inmates had a nightmare on Sunday night as they were denied entry from the nearby gate. They had to negotiate with study schedule in the wake of loudly played DJs.

Reports said the gymnasium hall and its premises were provided for the marriage of the daughter of former minister for Social Welfare Gharu Ram without charging anything. The hall as well as space was provided for “social cause” as per the application forwarded by D.L. Choudhary, administrator, Zorawar Singh Auditorium, said director (physical education) Lokesh Verma.

Verma said he came to know about it after he received the marriage invitation card two days ahead of marriage.

“They only used premises while the hall, though allotted, was not used,” Verma said, while admitting that there is no such provision in the university rules which allows such functions on the premises. However, he maintained that such functions were held on campus in the past also. When asked about money charged against the space and hall, Verma said: “I don't have any idea.”

Meanwhile, student organisations and teaching faculty have condemned the administration for converting institute of learning into a “marriage hall”.

The Jammu University Research Scholars Executive Association (JURSEA) and the Akhil Bhartiya Vidhartiya Parishad (ABVP) staged protest demonstration on the campus today and flayed the JU administration for flouting the norms to favour of an “influential party”.

State secretary of the ABVP Suresh Mangotra alleged that as many as 40 trucks were pressed into service for carrying catering goods from outside the state. President of the Jammu University Teachers Association (JUTA) N.K. Tripathi said, “The authorities concerned should think before giving out premises for such functions which vitiate the atmosphere of the campus.”

Srinagar, December 8
The Election Commission today revised the polling figures for the fourth-phase polls, upping it to 59 per cent.

An official spokesperson of the state government said the turnout in these 18 constituencies was much higher than the 2002 elections, “which is normally considered the landmark election in the history of the state.”

In the 2002 elections, the polling percentage in these constituencies was 48.36.

Among the districts, Reasi recorded maximum of 75 per cent polling, followed by Udhampur and Budgam districts with 62.67 per cent and 62.44 per cent, respectively. The Baramulla district recorded the lowest turnout at 47.48 per cent, which is itself impressive by the standards of Kashmir. Among all constituencies, Uri constituency that falls in Baramulla district recorded a massive voter turnout of 82 per cent, while Sopore, a formidable separatist base, recorded lowest at 18.89 per cent. If seen incontext, even Sopore more than doubled its turnout with its figure for 2002 being mere 8 per cent.

It may be recalled that in the first phase of the elections, the poll percentage recorded was 69 while the voter turnout in the second phase was 68.29 per cent and in the third it was 68.22 per cent.

The spokesperson said the heavy polling in the four phases was a “clear triumph of democracy despite the campaign for boycott of election by some elements.”

Jammu, December 8
With the results of five Assembly states out and the scoreboard reading 3-2 in the favour of the Congress, the mood in the Congress camp here is upbeat. However, the results have certainly come as a big jolt to the BJP, which is hoping to play a key role in the formation of the government in the strife-torn state.

Following the Mumbai terror attack, the BJP had targeted the Congress, accusing it of being soft on terror, in all the poll-bound states, including Jammu and Kashmir. However, with the voters not buying the BJP allegation in New Delhi and Rajasthan, which went to polls after the tragedy, the party here has reverted to the Amarnath land row issue.

Reacting to the poll results, former Himachal CM and BJP’s J&K affairs in charge Shanta Kumar said the party “accepts the people’s mandate with sportsman spirit”, though there is a need of self-introspection as to what went wrong in the states where they lost. He admitted that the results were not what they had expected. He, however, denied that the outcome of other states would have any impact on the remaining three phases of elections in the state. “Different states have different issues and I don’t think it will affect our prospects here,” he added.

When asked whether these results indicated that the people had rejected the BJP’s charge of the Congress being soft on terror, Shanta said terrorism was still a major issue and the UPA government had miserably failed in tackling terror.

However, in view of the developments, the BJP, which had been utilising every opportunity to attack the Congress on terrorism since the Mumbai terror attack, today returned to the issues of Amarnath land row and “discrimination” with Jammu. Shanta Kumar blamed the Congress, the National Conference and the PDP for the Amarnath land row while exhorting the people not to allow any division of vote and support the BJP in the Assembly polls. “There is a need to convert the people’s power of the land agitation into the political power to do away with the bias meted out to Jammu region over the past 60 years”, he added.

On the other hand, there was jubilation in the Congress camp. However, the party did not celebrate the victory in wake of the Mumbai terror attack following the directives of AICC chairperson Sonia Gandhi. State Congress spokesperson Ravinder Sharma said, “The poll results have certainly boosted the morale of our party workers and we hope that it will prove as a trendsetter for the last three phases of the Assembly elections here.” He said the people’s message for the BJP is loud and clear - “Don’t indulge in politics over terrorism”. He said terrorism was a world phenomenon and terror attacks also took place during the previous NDA regime, adding that the BJP should rise above party politics to fight against terrorism.

Hiranagar, December 8
Former Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad today promised to strengthen the movement for women empowerment in all spheres of life, including representation in Pachayati Raj institutions, cooperatives and the legislature.

Addressing election rallies at Basohli, Billawar and Hiranagar seats, Azad said a special scheme for financial grant for the education of girl child belonging to BPL families would be launched.

He said the Congress would also consider the launch of a special scheme for these girls by providing a fixed deposit at the time of birth. He said a corpus fund of Rs 20 crore would also be set up to extend aid for BPL category girls’ marriage.

He boasted of creating 15,028 Anganwadi centres employing 30,000 Anganwadi workers, besides hundreds of Angandwadi supervisors.

He also took credit of increasing the pension of widows, destitutes, disabled and elderly persons.

The former CM reiterated that the development of infrastructure was prerequisite to the promotion of tourism and uplift of economy of any place.

He said the road network not only made the lives of the people, particularly those in villages, more convenient but also helped the farmers and orchardists to market their produce in an economical way to the nearest markets in time.

Blowing his previous regime’s trumpet, he claimed that 628 road projects with a 3,460- km road length at a cost of Rs 1,843 crore was sanctioned during 2006-08 as compared to merely 169 projects with 614-km road length during the previous 60 years.

Azad lamented that with the fall of his government all development works either came to a grinding halt or became sluggish. He said had his government not fallen prematurely a government degree college at Billawar and a bridge over Tarnha Nullah would have come up by now. 

Jammu, December 8
National Conference patron and former Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah, while addressing several rallies here today, promised overall development in far-flung areas of Bani, Basohli and Billawar Assembly constituencies.

He also accused the Congress-PDP combine of turning a blind eye to remote areas of the state. “Several road projects which were started by the previous NC government in Bani were stopped by the erstwhile Congress-PDP government, but I promise that after coming to power my party will re-start these projects,” he said.

Farooq said, the NC stood for simultaneous development in all areas to remove the sense of alienation from the minds of people and added that the prosperity of the state lied only in uniform development of all regions.

He promised that the NC, if voted to power, would bring special package for the people living below poverty line in the far-flung areas would also enhance the amount of old age and handicapped pension.

Farooq also assured that the NC would also open fair price shops in remote areas and 16 items consisting of basic essential items should be included in the list of public distribution system so as to ensure that the poor people could get the basic essentials at reasonable rates.

Jammu, December 8
To woo women voters in the Nagrota assembly constituency, National Conference provincial president of the women wing, Bimla Luthra, today summed up six years rule of the erstwhile coalition government as the “darkest chapter” in the history of the state

Addressing election rallies in support of party candidate Ajatshatru Singh in Nagrota today, Luthra said the coalition government did nothing for ameliorating socio-economic condition of the people and hence time had come to weed out the coalition partners from the political spectrum.

“Political parties like the Congress, BJP and the PDP have no agenda for the development of the state and it is high time that we should teach them a lesson via ballot”, she said. She said these political parties ignored the people for their personal gains, adding that after forming the government in 2002 they forgot all promises, which they had made to the people.

She claimed that the NC, after coming to power, would usher a new era of development.

“We would also empower womenfolk and shall take all necessary measures to provide reservation to the fair gender in the Legislative Assembly, she said. She added that party patron and chief ministerial candidate Farooq Abdullah had also decided to strengthen the Women’s Commission and other similar bodies for empowering women in the state.

Jammu, December 8
Governor N.N. Vohra has lauded the role played by the Army in combating terrorism and providing support to the people living in the far off and remote areas of the state.

While speaking after launching the Armed Forces Flag Day fund by making his contribution, he emphasised on the role of the society towards the welfare of ex-servicemen and their families.

“It is our moral and social duty to look after the welfare of the ex-servicemen, particularly the widows and children of the brave officers and men, who have laid down their lives in the service of the nation”, Vohra said

Vohra made a fervent appeal to the people to donate liberally towards the Armed Forces Flag Day Fund, as a mark of their gratitude to the nation’s soldiers and heroes. Recalling the role of the armed forces during war and peace, the Governor stressed the need for spreading awareness of the role played by them through screening of short films and documentaries, particularly in schools and colleges.

He also stressed the need for fostering interest and enabling the youth to take up challenging careers in the armed forces. On the occasion, the Governor was informed by the financial commissioner, home, Khursheed Ahmed Ganai that about Rs 14.50 lakh had been collected in the state during the last year under the Armed Forces Flag Day Fund. While the Zilla Sainik Welfare Centre, Jammu topped in the fund-raising drive by collecting Rs 2.43 lakh against the target of Rs 50,000, the Udhampur district followed next by raising Rs 2.07 lakh.

The Governor gave away trophies to the Zilla Sainik Welfare Officer, Jammu, and DDC, Udhampur, for their achievements. In his message, the Governor said the Armed Forces Flag Day was a special occasion for the people of India to express their gratitude and solidarity with valiant soldiers for dedicated services to the nation, particularly in maintaining eternal vigil to protect the country's territorial integrity.

“Be it war or peace,” Vohra said, “our armed forces have always remained in the forefront, to serve the nation”. Adding “While the Air Force and the Navy play their distinct and invaluable roles, the Army has contributed immensely, in different parts of the country, in the maintenance of law and order and in post-disaster management after natural calamities,” he maintained.

Jammu, December 8
Justice J.P. Singh of Jammu and Kashmir High Court of Judicature today allowed Heabus Corpus Petition of Mohd. Sadiq, while quashing the Doda District Magistrate’s order dated March 7 (2007) and directed the state and its functionaries to set the petitioner to liberty forthwith, if not, required in any other case.

N.P. Kotwal, advocate for the detenu, submitted that the District Magistrate had not supplied detenu all the material that had been relied upon by him while contemplating issuance of detention order and this omission disabled him to make effective representation to the government.

Even otherwise, there was no material on record on the basis whereof it may be said that there was either any likelihood of the detenu’s release on bail or indulging in activities prejudicial to security of the state when so released.

The Add. Advocate General submitted that non-supply of material relied upon by the District Magistrate has not prejudiced the detenu in any manner whatsoever.

Justice J. P. Singh while allowing the petition observed: “Petitioner was in the police custody as FIR under Sections 307/121-A of the RPC and 7/27 of the Arms Act when District Magistrate directed his detention under the J&K Public Safety Act with a view to restrain him from influencing and terrorising prosecution witnesses in the event of his release on bail. Reason projected in detaining him in preventive custody is wholly unwarranted because law may not permit curtailment of one’s liberty by the authorities under the Public Safety Act on grounds other than those that the legislature in its supreme wisdom has prescribed under the Section 8 of the J&K Public Safety Act. That apart, petitioner does not appear to have been supplied Police Dossier and copies of FIRs which had been relied upon by the District Magistrate while contemplating his detention. This omission deprives him of his right to make an effective representation against his detention and, thus, violates his statutory right of making representation under the Section 13 of the J&K Public Safety Act. The detention order impugned is, therefore, liable to be quashed being in violation of Article 22(5) of Constitution of India read with Section 13 of J&L Public Safety Act.”

Srinagar, December 8
In view of the large scale protests by people, separatist leaders and main stream political parties, the authorities in the Kashmir valley have ordered a magisterial probe into the alleged rape of a girl in south Kashmir.

However, a defence ministry spokesman denied the allegations.

An official spokesman said District Magistrate (DM), Anantnag, has ordered a magisterial inquiry into the alleged rape of a minor girl by troops of the Rashtriya Rifles (RR) at Dandipora village, Kokernag, in south Kashmir district of Anantnag last week.

He said an FIR had already been registered at a police station at Kokernag.

The DM has appointed tehsildar, Kokernag, as inquiry officer and directed him to complete the investigation and submit the report within 10 days.

Cutting across the party lines, the separatists and mainstream political parties demanded a judicial probe into the incident and punishment to the guilty.

Residents of Dandipora, who were also joined by others from adjoining areas, took to the streets and protested against the incident.

However, a defence ministry spokesman quoting station house officer of police station, Kokernag, said no rape or molestation had taken place.

He said it was just to defame the troops.— UNI

Srinagar, December 8
Cloudy and chilly weather conditions prevailing in the valley since yesterday has inconvenienced the life here at a time when its population is readying for Eid-ul-Azha.

There sun has not been shining for the past two days and some places like Kupwara received snow.

People in different localities of the summer capital have also complained of long-power cuts in the past 48 hours, which has added to their woes. The Met Department said the minimum temperature in Srinagar was 2.2°C, which may be better than the sub-zero mercury level it has seen in the last week, but the low day temperature and the drizzle yesterday evening have been more problematic. “It is difficult to shop. Roads are dirty and temperature freezing,” Abdullah, a resident, said.

The department has predicted rains and snow in the next 24 hours. Another trouble for the residents has been the truant power supply. People in several localities, like Jawahar Nagar, Lal Mandi and the downtown areas, said power had been erratic and there was no electricity for hours in the morning.

The Electricity Department had recently announced longer cuts due to widening gulf between the demand and the supply.When the winter has almost peaked up, the officials said there was no way they could meet demand as the state depended upon purchase from the central authorities to feed the local demand.