Samba, August 28
Facing criticism from the Opposition for not clearing its stand on proposals being forwarded by different groups for solving the Kashmir problem, Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) chief Saifuddin Soz today made it clear that his party was not in favour of imposing any tailor-made formula for the solution of the vexed issue.

He, however, said the Congress would rather felicitate a dialogue among all stakeholders to evolve a consensus.

During the all-party meeting, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had not mentioned that the autonomy was the only proposal for the solution of the problem. He had rather stated that all proposals should be discussed to fulfil the aspirations and wishes of all sections of society, Soz told The Tribune on the sidelines of a conference of the party delegates from Samba.

Without naming the National Conference or the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Soz said some groups had forwarded autonomy and self-rule as proposals for the lasting solution of the problem. “We are ready to discuss all proposals but no solution would be imposed on the people of the state,” he said. Instead of imposing any ready made solution, there was a need to debate all proposals to accommodate wishes and aspirations of all sections of society, he added.

Asked about the stand of the Congress on the solution to the Kashmir problem, Soz reiterated that his party was committed to fulfilling the wishes and aspirations of all regions and sub-regions. “The aspirations of people of Jammu, Ladakh and Kashmir should be fulfilled while evolving a solution,” he suggested, assuring that the Congress would play the role of a facilitator to encourage a dialogue and debate.

On the issue of the dismissal of Congress minister GM Saroori from the Cabinet after his daughter was booked in the CET impersonation case, Soz said the leaders of other political parties had been involved in such incidents in the past. “I don’t believe that the image of the Congress has been tarnished after the incident,” he observed.

When his attention was drawn towards the allegations levelled by the supporters of Saroori that their leader became a victim of the conspiracy hatched by Congress leaders, Soz termed such allegations as baseless. “I don’t think there is any groupism in the party. Being the state president of the party, I am taking everyone into confidence,” he said, stressing that the Congress leaders of the state had no role in Saroori’s dismissal.

“I myself got the information from the media that Saroori had been asked to put in his papers,” he said. Soz, however, expressed concern over the impersonation case and admitted that such scams demoralised meritorious candidates.

Samba, August 28
Buoyed over dismissal of GM Saroori from the Cabinet after his daughter was booked in the CET impersonation case, loyalists of Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) chief Saifuddin Soz exhibited their strength in a function at Samba today. A battery of ministers, who owe allegiance to the pro-Soz faction, have made it a point to participate in the function, that was presided over by the PCC chief, at any cost.

As today’s function was the first public gathering after Saroori’s sacking, all senior leaders of the pro-Soz camp were present there to put the rivals on notice about their strength.

Saroori, who was expelled from the Cabinet, belongs to the anti-Soz faction and his removal is being considered morale boosting for the Soz loyalists.

Although Soz did not mention even a single word about the Saroori episode in his address, he asserted that persons with a clean image would be projected in the party. He said there was a need to encourage honest and dedicated persons in the party.

During the function, Soz also hinted that the Congress would not compromise with its policies to remain in the coalition. “We are part of the coalition in the state but I want to make one thing clear that for us the party is the priority and the government is the secondary option,” he said, adding that strengthening the party should be the first priority of the party cadre “Strengthening the Congress is our primary responsibility, as a strong Congress is a guarantee for a strong and stable coalition in the state. It is the duty and responsibility of every Congressman to work for strengthening the party,” he said.

He, however, expressed satisfaction that there was prefect harmony and understanding among the coalition partners and the coalition was running smoothly. “This spirit of the coalition must percolate down to the grass-roots level also and the senior leaders, especially ministers in the coalition, have to be careful in their day today working so that the interests of the coalition are promoted by serving the people to their expectations,” he said. He added that the ministers should respect the sentiments of workers of their respective parties as well of the coalition partner. A coalition works on the principles of mutual faith and respect.

MP Madan Lal Sharma, ministers Raman Bhalla, Sham Lal Sharma, RS Chib, Choudahry Aijaz Khan, general secretary and spokesperson Ravinder Sharma, and MLA and president of the Mahila Congress Indu Pawar also addressed the function.

Srinagar, August 28
After a normal day, life across Kashmir came to a standstill in response to the separatist bandh call while the authorities concerned imposed curfew restrictions in Srinagar to prevent a proposed march to the Tourist Reception Centre (TRC) here today.

The curfew restrictions were also imposed in Sopore, Kunzar township near Tangmarg in Baramulla district and Kupwara district.

Protest demonstrations against the alleged excesses by the security forces were also reported from Kupwara in which at least 10 persons were injured, reports said. Protests were also held in the Kunzar area of Tangmarg in Baramulla.

While Dukhtaran-e-Millat chief Aasiya Andrabi was arrested, leaders of both factions of the APHC Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Syed Ali Geelani were kept under house arrest to prevent them from leading the marches. Geelani was scheduled to lead a march to the TRC here as part of his 10-day calendar of protests.

The Mirwaiz, who was scheduled to address a congregation at Aali Masjid near Eidgah, was also kept under house arrest.

All shops and business establishments remained closed and traffic was off the roads. Educational institutions and banks were closed and there was a thin attendance in government offices. The authorities had asked the security forces manning the roads and streets to allow employees to go to their offices.

Srinagar, August 28
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has sent a legal notice to PDP legislator Nizamuddin Bhat and spokesman Nayeem Akhtar Andrabi for levelling baseless, fabricated, concocted, frivolous and defamatory allegations against his person in a bid to defame him and damage his reputation.

The notice served by Dr Abhishek Manu Singhvi, a senior advocate and former Additional Solicitor General of India, calls upon the PDP members to publicly apologise and withdraw the allegations made against the Chief Minister within seven days, failing which he would be constrained to commence appropriate legal proceedings against them, an official spokesman said here today.

The PDP general secretary and MLA, Nizamuddin Bhat, had on Wednesday last blamed the government for disregarding the human tragedy due to the ongoing trouble and alleged corruption and and payment of kickbacks of Rs 500 crore in the allotment of the Rettle power project and misuse of office by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah. It was also alleged that Rs 20 crore were being spent on the construction of the house of the Chief Minister, who had also withdrawn Rs 26 crore from the Secret Fund.

The government had within hours denied all allegations levelled by the PDP terming them as baseless and concocted

Refuting the allegation of the PDP regarding the alleged kickbacks received by the Chief Minister in the allotment of the Rettle power project, the Finance Minister said the bidding had been the most transparent.

Jammu, August 28
BJP national executive committee member and former state president Nimal Singh said today that the non-implementation of the 73rd and 74th amendments to the Indian Constitution in Jammu and Kashmir had not allowed democracy to flourish in this part of the country.

Nirmal Singh, while addressing party workers in Ramban district, said the real India lived in villages and the callousness on the part of the successive state

governments to implement the 73rd and 74th amendments clearly indicated that the ruling elites in the state did not favour the development of the rural areas.

He said the demand of autonomy was like a daydream since it was not India of 1947 when there was no party to oppose the Congress.

“Today, the BJP is a strong opposition party and it will never allow the Congress to commit one more mistake to appease a handful of Kashmiris of two-and-a-half districts,” he asserted.

Reiterating the party’s demand to abrogate Article 370, Nirmal Singh said this special status had done more harm than gain to the state and its citizens.

“We are ready to debate on the issue. This Article has induced a sense of separatism and the successive Kashmiri leaders have used it as a tool to exploit the people of the state.”

Bali Bhagat said despite the tall claims of development, maximum areas of Ramban and its neighbouring districts lack proper infrastructure.

Jammu, August 28
Expressing concern over the deteriorating law and order situation in the Kashmir valley, the Shri Amarnath Yatra Sangarsh Samiti (SAYSS) said the ongoing secessionist campaign had affected the masses in the Valley and the minorities living there felt were feeling isolated

Addressing a joint press conference, leaders of the SAYSS alleged the functioning of the government and its presence on the ground was not visible and the minorities felt insecure in the Valley, adding, “the Kashmiri Pandit community has already been extirpated by the pan-Islamic terrorism in 1990 and now the remaining Kashmiri Pandits and the Sikh community is becoming the target of the wrath of fundamentalist forces.”

Samiti leaders observed that the changed phase of the gun militancy into stone- throwing terrorism had made the normal life in the Valley miserable.

They made it clear that any sort of concession which diluted the writ of India in the state would be fought strongly and the nationalist people throughout the country were ready to make a supreme sacrifice for the total integration of state with India.

Jammu, August 28
The Ace of Spades Artillery Brigade handed over furniture worth Rs 2 lakh to a school at Sawani in Rajouri today.

In an ongoing effort by the Army to provide basic infrastructure and amenities to people of Rajouri, the Ace of Spades Division presented classroom furniture and accessories to Government High School at Sawani.

Furniture worth Rs 2 lakh was handed over to the headmaster of the school, Abdul Rashid, in presence of locals, schoolchildren, parents and teachers in a small function organised by the Army today.

The furniture included double-seater desks and benches for all students, lecture stands, blackboards, almirahs, tables and chairs.

The availability of furniture with the school will not only facilitate in providing a conducive learning environment to the children but will also motivate and encourage other children of the area to join the school.

Abdul Rashid said his school had 250 students from nearby villages and the classrooms did not have furniture for a very long time due to the non-availability of adequate funds.

He appreciated the promptness with which the project was undertaken by the Army after a formal request was made to them.

He said such initiatives by the Army strengthened the relationship between the Army and people.

Jammu, August 28
The Army today arrested five members of a family along with arms and ammunition after they crossed the Line of Control and entered the Gantarian sector of Poonch district.

Sources said Liaqat Hussan Shan, his wife Khalida Begum and their three children were taken in Army custody after they crossed the LoC in Gantarian sector this afternoon.

Sources further said the Army seized one AK-47 rifle with two magazines and 30 rounds, one Chinese pistol with six rounds and one mobile phone from Shah possession. Shah had been working for militant outfits on the other side of the LoC, they added. The family hails from Mohra Bachai village of Surankote tehsil in Poonch district and had crossed over to PoK in 2001, sources said.

Though a senior police officer confirmed the incident, he said the family was in the Army’s custody.

Jammu, August 28
The Youth All-India Kashmiri Samaj (YAIKS) yesterday expressed resentment against the ‘callous and irresponsible’ attitude of the Central and state governments for ignoring Kashmiri Pandits in all policies directed towards resolving the Kashmir issue.

While addressing a press conference, samaj president RK Bhat said, “The Kashmiri Pandits are the citizens of the state as envisaged under Article 6 of the Constitution, but its only for the namesake. They are having no share in development schemes, constitutional guarantee and political empowerment.” He alleged that they were never consulted while framing any government policy, both at state nor national levels.

“Even the Chief Minister did not mention a word about the community while addressing people on Independence Day,” Bhat said. He said the Prime Minister should have first talked about the rehabilitation of exiled Kashmiri Pandits and later about the autonomy issue in his address.

Meanwhile, the samaj warned to launch a massive agitation from September 11 if the appointment letters were not issued to the selected candidates by September 10. “We have been waiting for long for orders in favour of the selected candidates under the Prime Minister’s Special Employment Package for the Kashmiri Pandits,” Bhat said. He alleged that the government had kept mum in this regard while it focused on the stone throwers.

“The government should utilise our services in the remaining parts of the state till normalcy is restored in the Valley,” Bhat added. The samaj further demanded that the remaining 3,000 jobs should be provided with seven-year age relaxation, enhancement of relief and Rs 25-lakh aid for youth.

Jammu, August 28
Even as the civil administration and the Army continue to battle the outbreak of diarrhoea in Doda district, the number of patients rose to 1,038 today.

“As many as 1,038 with diarrhoea symptoms have reported at the Doda district hospital in the last four days,” an official said.

Though Deputy Commissioner Farooq Ahmed Khan had yesterday claimed Renuka Devi died of diarrhoea, sources in the hospital said today that four patients had died.

“The Army has been working round-the-clock with the civil administration but in vain,” a local told this correspondent over phone. He said as against the sanctioned posts of 22 assistant surgeons, the Doda hospital had only three doctors, and of which one was a sonographer.

He claimed that the water reservoir in Doda was cleaned way back in 1998, and thereafter the authorities concerned never bothered to clean it again. “Moreover, water samples lifted from the Koti Nullah showed human excreta in it,” he added.

Meanwhile, Jammu Divisional Commissioner Pawan Kotwal and Director, Health Services, Jasvir Singh visited Doda today to take stock of the situation. Farooq told The Tribune that two water sources - Koti Nullah and Ghat Nullah - were contaminated due to incessant rain. However, Kotwal confirmed that 1,038 persons with diarrhoea symptoms had reported at hospitals so far.

He said adequate measures on a war footing had been initiated to tackle the situation. He also admitted that the district hospital was short of doctors.

Jammu, August 28
The first case of dengue was detected in the state when a 12-year-old girl reported at the SMGS Hospital on August 24. Sources of the SGMS Hospital said the girl from Udhampur admitted to the hospital tested positive for dengue.

A resident of Rithi village in Udhampur district, the girl was brought to the hospital with high fever.

“She has been kept in ward number 12 and is being given a specialised treatment,” said sources. Her blood samples were taken on August 25 and the report confirming dengue reached us last evening, they added.

The Deputy Superintendent of SMGS Hospital, Dr Dara Singh, also confirmed the detection of the dengue case. She is being admistered treatment, he said.

Jammu, August 28
Twenty-five students of a private school in Nowshera were injured, two of them seriously, when their school bus (JK-02-D-3095) skidded off the road and fell into a gorge in the Chingus area of Rajouri district this morning.

The police said the bus, on its way to Nowshera from Thalka Narian, met with the accident while negotiating a curve at Narian around 7:30 am today. All students belonged to New Public School, Nowshera.

It further said 52 students were travelling in the bus when the accident occurred. Two of the 25 injured were referred to the Government Medical College and Hospital, Jammu, as they received head injuries, while the other 23 were relieved after first-aid.

The police said the driver of the bus had been arrested and the vehicle impounded. “The driver has said the accident occurred due to brake failure, but the truth will come out after the mechanical check up of the vehicle,” said Arshad Khan, in charge of Chingus police post. He said immediately after the accident, locals helped the students to come out of the bus.

Those critically injured had been identified as Jaswinder Kaur and Harish Singh.

Jammu, August 28
Due to the suspension of rail traffic on one of the railway tracks for the past two days over the partially damaged Balole Naullah Bridge at Bari Brahmana in Samba district, all trains coming to Jammu and leaving for other stations from there are running behind the schedule.

As a result, many passengers coming from across the country and pilgrims of Mata Vaishno Devi are facing a lot of hardships at the Jammu Tawi Railway Station. The railway station is overcrowded with passengers jostling for space as benches and other arrangements, including urinals and toilets, made by the railway authorities are proving inadequate.

This all is happening when the authorities knew that the closure of one track over the bridge will lead to overcrowding at the railway station here. Shambhu Lal, a resident of Bihar, said, “The poor condition of the railway platform speaks for itself about the working of the railway department. Officers are sitting in their offices and we are standing here for hours, as we have no option but to wait for the trains, which are running three hours late.”

Divisional Traffic Manager (DTM), Jammu Tawi Railway Station, GS Singh said, “The rain has damaged the foundations of the 11-pillar Balole Bridge. Only one track has been made functional and that’s why the trains are coming and leaving late.”

On the problems being faced by the passengers, he replied, “There is a shortage of platforms. As we have only three platforms and we can’t allow more trains to come at a given time so it is obvious that passengers would be facing problems, but we are trying our best.”

He said the closed track would also be made functional within a short time, if the rain did not lash the region. He added that “the repair work is continuously going on, but earlier the rain and the flash floods hampered the work on the bridge.