Srinagar, November 12
The hardline Hurriyat Conference chairman, Syed Ali Geelani, has questioned the views of Chief Minister Omar Abdullah that the Centre had agreed upon the programme put forth by him for resolving the Kashmir issue.

Geelani had on August 31 proposed a five-point programme as a pre-condition for any dialogue for the resolution of the Kashmir problem.

The Chief Minister, in an interview to a local news agency in Jammu yesterday, said while the people of Kashmir had disassociated themselves from protest calendars of the Hurriyat Conference, the Centre had accepted all pre-conditions for talks with the separatists.

The interlocutors, Omar said, had termed Kashmir as a dispute and that was one of the points in Geelani’s programme.

Reacting to the Chief Minister’s statement, Geelani pointed out that if the Central government had got a feel of the ground situation in Kashmir prevailing over the past five months and “accepted the five-point programme, it should say it openly”. What was the problem in accepting the truth by acknowledging it in Parliament, he said.

“If the government has accepted the programme, it is a good gesture. But there is no change at the ground level as excesses on the people of Kashmir by the police and the security forces are continuing,” he added.

Geelani said the five-point programme was the basis for resolving the Kashmir issue.

He said the interlocutors were non-political and had been directed to only listen to the people and not to speak on their own.

If they had said something on Kashmir being a dispute, they were warned against talking in such terms, Geelani asserted.

“We want a reply on our five-point programme directly from New Delhi as the role of the state authorities (Chief Minister) is restricted only to the law and order situation,” he said. 

Jammu, November 12
Although the state government has started an exercise for holding the panchayat elections next year, the PDP has termed the whole process as a farce meant to deceive people.

Addressing a public meeting in the Nagrota Assembly segment, PDP leaders doubted the intention of the coalition regime to hold the panchayat elections as, according to it, whenever in power, the NC had sabotaged democratic institutions.

They said the state government was not serious in conducting the panchayat elections because the leaders of the coalition were not interested in decentralising decision- making power at the village-level.

The party leaders claimed that it was only during the regime of Mufti Mohammad Sayeed that the elections to the civic bodies were conducted and democratic institutions were revived at the local level. They said credit for strengthening democratic institutions in the state at the local level should be given to the Mufti. They, however, regretted that the present government headed by Omar Abdullah was not serious in decentralising power.

Terming the government exercise for the panchayat elections as an attempt to befool the people, the PDP leaders said a similar exercise was started for the civic bodies’ elections, which were postponed at the eleventh hour without any valid reason. PDP vice-president TS Bajwa, general secretary Balbir Singh, Ved Mahajan, Falail Singh, Shanti Devi, Hussain Ali Bafa, Suram Singh and others addressed the meeting.

Jammu, November 12
Even as the Congress leadership has decided not to give any importance to the controversial remarks of former RSS chief KS Sudershan against UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi, party activists held demonstrations in the city today demanding action against the RSS leader.

The Congress activists held protests against the former RSS chief throughout the day and torched his effigies at different places.

The Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) held a protest at Shaheedi Chowk here. Senior PCC leaders accompanied by a large number of Congress workers protested the ‘vulgarity’ and ‘indecency’ of the RSS leader’s remarks against the Congress chief. They raised slogans against the RSS and Sudershan.

Carrying the Congress flags, the protesters also raised slogans in favour of Sonia Gandhi and the party. The leaders of the PCC, the DCC and party’s frontal organisations like the Mahila Congress, the Youth Congress, INTUC, the NSUI and the Legal Cell participated in a large number. The activists of the frontal organisations also carried an effigy of Sudershan.

The senior party leaders denounced “communalism” being spread by the RSS, saying such policies and programmes were a threat to communal harmony.

The Congress leaders said such outbursts of the RSS leader reflected their intolerance of the legal system and the Constitution of the country. The law should take its own course in every matter, which was fundamental to our democratic system. Whosoever was found involved in any kind of criminal or terrorist activity should be dealt with according to the law of the land.

The senior leaders who participated in the demonstration included Minister for Revenue Raman Bhalla, Dharam Pal Sharma, Amrit Malhotra, Hari Singh, Yash Pal Khajuria, Gurmukh Singh, Ravinder Sharma, Indu Pawar, Amolak Singh, Kanta Bhan, Shah Mohammad Choudhary, Indu Pawar, Mohammad Sharief Niaz and others.

Activists of the Youth Congress, under the leadership of its senior vice-president RS Pathania, also staged a protest against Sudarshan. 

Srinagar, November 12
For the first time in the past five months, life in the Kashmir valley will be normal for eight days from today in view of the Eid-ul-Azha celebrations.

The Hurriyat Conference has called off the strike scheduled for tomorrow in view of the Urs of Mir Syed Ali Hamdani and on November 15 in view of the Eid celebrations.

Instead, it has called for a shutdown after the Eid celebrations on November 20 after amending the protest calendar. There has been a lukewarm response to bandh calls given by separatists during the past few days. Today also,a heavy rush was witnessed in markets across the capital city and in other major towns of the Valley.

All shops and business establishments were open and there was a heavy rush in markets as shoppers made purchases for the Eid-ul-Azha celebrations.

There was a heavy rush for the purchase of essential commodities, vegetables and other food items. Footpath vendors set up stalls all along the main roads,leading to traffic blockades.

The main markets gave a festive look and long queues were witnessed outside ATMs in different areas.

Meanwhile, there were some protests after Friday prayers, but there were no reports of any untoward incidents, the police said.

Demonstrations were held at Gojwara Chowk here after the Friday prayers when some youths resorted to stone throwing on the police. The security forces chased away the protesters.

Demonstrations were also held at Cement Bridge in Baramull town of north Kashmir early today when groups of youth resorted to stone throwing on the police by putting up barricades on the road leading to the town. The protesters were chased away and there were no reports of any injuries.

Dharamsal (Kalakote), November 12
The family of Chander Posh Sharma, a Sub- Inspector of the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB), who died in the Naxal-infested Kutru area in Bijapur district of Chhattisgarh on November 1, suspects foul play and has demanded a high-level inquiry into his death.

At their house in Badanoo,members of the family refused to accept the official version that the Sub-Inspector committed suicide under stress by shooting himself with an AK- 47 on November 1. They appealed to the Union Home Ministry to order an inquiry.

The deceased was on leave and on October 11 left for duty. “While he was here, Chander remained occupied with domestic affairs. He wanted to construct two additional rooms during his next leave,” his brothers,Pawan Kumar and Ram Parkash, said.

Sharma had been in service for 28 years and was due to be promoted in December. The family members said on October 31, the deceased had a telephonic conversation with his wife. There was no sign of any stress,” they added.

“He would always encourage villagers to engage in sports activity. On reading about cases of fratricide in the security forces, he used to describe these as acts of cowardice,” neighbours said and ruled out the possibility of a suicide.

“Even if we assume that it was a case of suicide, is it possible for a person to fire bullets on his back,” they asked and alleged that “he was killed by someone from the force.”

“We have retired from the Army and can say from experience that the bullets were fired from a distance,” some of the neighbours claimed while showing gunshot injuries on the body in a photograph.

Chander’s body was sent home four days after his death, thereby raising the doubts of the family. “There were ink marks on each thumb, suggesting that his thumb impression was taken,” they said.

“The ceremonial guard dispatched from the SSB headquarters did not allow us to get an autopsy done. They started pressing his widow to sign blank papers after the cremation”,the family members alleged, and added, “We will not sign any papers till an inquiry is ordered.”

“We are not being told the reasons behind the purported suicide. The commandant told us over the phone that the deceased was under stress.If it was so, why he was not given any treatment ”, they wondered.

When contacted, DIG, Operations, BK Mauria said: “It is claimed that he committed suicide. The claims may be right or wrong. The police station concerned in Chhattisgarh has been investigating the matter and we have also constituted a court of inquiry with the Commandant of the 4th battalion heading it to know the circumstances that led to the death”.

“I have also taken note through you.So, I will personally look into the matter. The family can also convey its apprehensions to the headquarters in Delhi ”, the officer added. 

Jammu, November 12
Playway school Sai Gurukul organised a progamme to celebrate Children’s Day here today.

The function was held on the school premises. Children presented dance items and song performances.

Speaking on the occasion, school chairperson Anu Bala Gupta directed the kids to follow the footsteps of first Prime Minister of the nation Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru.

Patron of the school Krishan Gupta was also present on the occasion and school principal Bindu Gupta addressed the students.

Jammu, November 12
With an objective to revive Punjabi in the state, a delegation of 40 writers is here to evaluate the literary work , besides assessing the status of the language.

In this regard, a two-day national seminar being held by the Punjabi Adbi Sangat, Jammu, in association with the Punjabi Sahitya Akademi, Ludhiana, started at KL Sehgal Hall here today.

The function started with the lighting of ceremonial lamp by littérateurs from Punjab, Dr Jagveer Singh and Prof Seva Singh.

The speakers in two sessions said due to Partition of Jammu and Kashmir and later the insurgency, the maximum damage was caused to the language. They also rued that Doordarshan and radio were not giving due importance to the language which was accorded in the seventies.

“Punjabi is maternal home of many languages and its spread across the country,” Prof Gurbhajan Gill said.

Secretary of the Punjabi Sahitya Akademi, Ludhiana, Dr Sukhdev Singh, in his speech appreciated the work of local writers and stressed that after evaluation of the entire work, the possibilities for an improvement in certain areas would be discovered and accordingly initiatives would be taken.

Others who spoke on the occasion included Dr Jasbir Singh, Dr Rajnish Bahadur, Balbir Parwana, Kahalid Hussain and Prof Seva Singh. On the occasion, a book based on Punjabi short stories by Gur Iqbal Singh was also released.

Prominent among those who attended the seminar included eminent Dogri writer Jatinder Udhampuri, and secretary, Jammu and Kashmir Academy of Art, Culture and Languages, Zafar Iqbal Manhas. 

Udhampur, November 12
In a joint operation, the security forces foiled a possible attempt of a militant attack by arresting an overground worker (OGW) of the Hijbul Mujahideen (HM) from the main bazaar, Mahore, in Reasi district last evening.

On a secret information, a team of the Reasi district police and the 126 Bn. of the CRPF swooped on the OGW, who has been identified as Shah Wali of Badar, Mahore.

Officials said the accused had been providing logistic support, including food material and shelter to HM terrorist Basharat, whom he was going to meet before being apprehended. Meanwhile, the Counter Insurgency Force (Uniform) personnel along with the police today busted an underground hideout in the general area of Chham Nikkan near the Pir Panjal Range.

A huge haul of administrative stores, including a 500-litre water tank, nine blankets, ropes, polythene sheets, batteries, clothing, utensils and rations, was recovered.