Jammu, November 19
The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) has urged the Sikh community to vote for the Peoples Democratic party (PDP) in the upcoming Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir.

The SAD has made a fervent appeal to the community that masses should ensure that only those candidates should get votes who would work for the development of the minority community in the state.

Meanwhile, the United Sikh Council (USC) has urged the members of the minority community to come together and cast their votes in favour of candidates who would work for the uplift of downtrodden communities.

Srinagar, November 19
Amid allegations that the BJP was fighting elections at the behest of the RSS, state vice-president and in charge Kashmir Affairs Ramesh Arora said today that it could not stop the right wing organisation from campaigning for it.

“We cannot stop the RSS from campaigning…even if a Muslim party wants to campaign for us, we cannot stop them,” Arora told reporters here.

Several political parties, especially the Congress, during the ongoing poll campaign, have been warning the people of the BJP-RSS links and its “agenda” to divide the state on communal lines.

J&K Pradesh Congress Committee chief Saifuddin Soz had even claimed that 1,000 RSS workers were currently campaigning for the BJP in the Valley only.

On charges that the BJP was also creating sectarian divides by wooing Shia voters, Arora said: “Those who are saying this have gone mad…. Unnecessary fear psychosis and misconceptions are being created about the BJP…. Kashmir is the land of Sufi saints. Islam will grow better in our regime…. Hence the propaganda is false, frivolous and baseless.”

The BJP reiterated that it had a ‘clear’ stand on Article 370 and it would go for a debate in this regard and act as per the wishes of the people.

BJP’s chief whip in the Rajya Sabha and in charge, J&K affairs, Avinash Rai Khanna on Sunday last too had said people’s wishes would be taken into consideration on Article 370 even as the BJP would earlier vehemently press for its abrogation.

Arora also claimed that BJP’s Kashmir candidates were facing a serious security threat and the same had been brought to the notice of the Election Commission.

Asserting that the BJP, if voted to power, would take stern action against all those involved in corruption and other scandals irrespective of their status, he said the party also wanted to end dynastic rule in the state.

Jammu, November 19
Claiming that the BJP is going to form government in the state, Union Minister for Health & Family Welfare Jagat Prakash Nadda said the party was going to sweep the ensuing Assembly elections and write a new chapter in the state’s politics.

Nadda, after inaugurating an election office for the Gandhi Nagar constituency along with MP Jugal Kishore Sharma, leader of Legislative Party Ashok Khajuria, former Union Minister and MLA Prof Chaman Lal Gupta, state general secretary and party candidate Kavinder Gupta, claimed that the ensuing elections would culminate into a splendid victory of the BJP and defeat of Congress, NC and the PDP.

After the Lok Sabha elections and then state elections in Maharashtra and Haryana, the morale of the party activists was high and they were reaching the masses with enthusiasm. Similarly, the response from the public in all the three regions of the state was overwhelming, Nadda said.

He said while the state unit of the BJP was utilising all available means of campaigning, the party high command at New Delhi was extending every kind of help to ensure that the party achieved its Mission 44 plus and formed its government in the state.

Srinagar, November 19
The District Election Officer, Anantnag, today submitted the video compact disc of the controversial speech of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leader and sitting legislator Peer Mansoor Hussain to the J&K Chief Electoral Officer to examine if he had violated the model code of conduct by making alleged communal remark.

“We have dispatched the CD of the speech to the J&K Chief Electoral officer,” said District Election Officer (DEO) Tasaduq Jeelani.

“The CEO will examine whether the model code of conduct has been violated by the legislator,” he DEO said.

Mansoor, PDP candidate from the Shangus constituency of Anantnag district, was in the middle of controversy last week over his alleged remark on installing a Hindu CM in J&K during a public address in south Kashmir.

“There are some parties which are trying to forge an alliance with communal elements and want to impose a Hindu CM here. But let me make it clear that J&K is a Muslim-majority state and can be ruled by a Muslim CM only,” Mansoor had said at the rally.

Soon after Mansoor’s remark, the Panthers Party lodged a complaint with the Election Commission, saying the speech violated the model code of conduct.

After the formal complaint, the CEO sought the footage of the alleged controversial remarks of Peer. 

Srinagar, November 19
National Conference working president and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah will file his nomination papers from the Beerwah constituency of Budgam district tomorrow.

After opting out of the family’s traditional bastion, Ganderbal, where both his father Farooq Abdullah and grandfather Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah have successfully contested the elections in the past, Omar Abdullah decided to contest the Assembly elections from the Sonawar and Beerwah constituencies.

Beerwah in central Kashmir’s Budgam district will go to the polls in the third phase on December 9.

After filing his nomination before the Returning Officer at Magam, Omar is scheduled to address a rally in Beerwah tomorrow.

“The CM will leave his residence early morning and proceed to Magam in Budgam in a cavalcade to file his nomination papers,” said National Conference (NC) spokesman Junaid Azam Mattu.

Apart from filing his nomination papers, Omar, as part of the road show, is expected to address people at several hamlets along the Srinagar-Gulmarg highway.

During the road show and filing of nomination papers, Omar is likely to be accompanied by senior party leaders.

Close contest in Beerwah

The Beerwah seat is at present retained by Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leader and MLA Shafi Ahmad Wani who is seeking re-election to the seat.

The contest in the Beerwah constituency is mainly between the National Conference and the PDP, which had won the seat in the 2008 Assembly elections by 164 votes. The PDP candidate had got 11,720 votes and NC candidate Abdul Majid Mattoo had got 11,556 votes.

Anantnag, Novermber 19
Senior PDP leader and MP Tariq Hameed Karra has accused the Congress of being equally responsible for the misdeeds of the present coalition regime.

During a rally in Dooru, Karra claimed that the Congress was an equal partner with the NC in promoting misgovernance, anarchy, corruption and repression during the past six years. 

Bhaderwah, November 19
Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh Wednesday said separatists were coming on board and taking part in the electoral process. He said these were the first positive and welcome signs in the last over two decades of militancy. He attributed this development to the BJP.

He claimed that major regional parties could not ensure development in the state, but intentionally raked up the issue of Article 370 during the Assembly polls to take political mileage and create fear of the BJP.

In a veiled attack on the NC and the PDP, Rajnath said, “Regional parties that ruled Jammu and Kashmir over the years are responsible for its neglect and under-development.”

Kicking off the BJP’s election campaign by addressing a rally, he said, “Development is nowhere in sight in Jammu and Kashmir.”

He said the people had started realising that the BJP was a well-intentioned political party and this was being realised in the separatist camp. “They have realised that the BJP alone can fulfil the aspirations of the people. That is why they have come forward to take part in the electoral process,” he said.

Sajjad Lone had set a precedent, he added. Attacking regional parties, Rajnath said they projected Article 370 time and again to divert attention of the people from the real issues of development. “The issue of Article 370 is a national issue and we want a discussion involving people of the state and other stakeholders to know how it has benefited them,” he said.

“A fear has unfortunately been created in the minds of the people that the BJP is against the people of Jammu and Kashmir. There is no harm having a debate over this issue,” he said.

Rajnath seized the opportunity to highlight Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Jammu and Kashmir after the September floods.

“The Prime Minister was so moved by the floods that he had visited flood-affected areas and released Rs 1,000 crore,” he said.

“We have special space in our hearts for Jammu and Kashmir. We want a government in the state which has pain and concern for the people. We do not want to rule, but serve them,” he said.

Referring to Pakistan shelling after the floods, he said India had always extended the hand of friendship to Pakistan, but it had nefarious designs. “We extended help to flood victims in PoJK, but Pakistan killed innocent children and women on the border to internationalise the issue,” he said.

“Unlike the Congress, which had a soft policy towards such incidents, we made Pakistan pay heavily for its mischievous activities,” he added.

Jammu, November 19
Lambasting the Sangh Parivar for launching a vicious campaign in the state for petty political gains, the Congress Wednesday alleged that the PDP and the NC were covertly or overtly hobnobbing with the BJP.

“Neither the PDP nor the NC has the guts to counter the divisive agenda of the BJP and the Sangh Parivar,” said Ghulam Nabi Azad, Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha.

He was addressing a press conference with AICC general secretary and state affairs in charge Ambika Soni and Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee chief Saifuddin Soz.

“These two regional parties are confined to the Kashmir valley and they have no base this side of the Banihal Tunnel,” he said. He alleged, “Both parties have covertly or overtly allied with the BJP.” Azad asserted that only the Congress had the potential to frustrate the evil designs of the BJP, which was bent to divide people on religious lines to reap political benefits. “The BJP is our arch-rival in politics due to our political differences and only the Congress will never align with the BJP,” he said.

Replying to a query, Soni claimed that the BJP was playing with fire in sensitive areas. “The dangerous game of saffronising sensitive areas had started in the last couple of months and would be disastrous,” she said.

Coming down heavily on the BJP for clandestinely hobnobbing with separatist groups for political gains, she regretted that the saffron party was politicising sensitive issues related to sovereignty of the country.

Tangmarg (Baramulla), Nov 19
Democratic Party (Nationalist) president and Agriculture Minister Ghulam Hassan Mir Wednesday took a dig on the NC and the PDP on the issue of uplift of farmers and poor sections of society.

The minister was addressing a public rally after filing his nomination papers from Gulmarg constituency of Baramulla district in north Kashmir. He was accompanied by MY Tarigami of the CPI(M) and Hakeem Mohammad Yaseen of the Peoples Democratic Front.

The three parties are part of the Jammu and Kashmir Peoples United Front. Mir is seeking re-election from this constituency for the third consecutive term.

He hoped that the front would form the government in the state. He said efforts were being made to get a respectable number of seats compared to other major players to form the next government. He did not answer queries on the BJP’s efforts to form the government in the state, he asserted, “Nobody can scrap Article 370.”

A rally was organised, in which Mir spoke about the developments that had taken place during his tenures. He sought votes for “prosperity, development and youth empowerment”. He highlighted his stand on progress, self-reliance, development and employment. He criticised the PDP, the NC and other parties for not working to uplift farmers and the poor.

“His is a long-term process. He had worked a lot during the last two terms for the development of the area,” said Mohammad Yousuf, a youth working at a local hotel. “Facilities like water, power and roads have been taken care of. Government employees work with dedication. That is why there are so many supporters,” said Ghulam Mohammad Shah, an elderly man from Mulgam village near Tangmarg.

“The MLA has contributed to every sector for basic facilities and new administrative units. He has been helpful and listens to everyone from the constituency,” said Tariq Ahmad Lone of Wayloo Pattan village.

Anantnag, November 19
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) patron Mufti Mohammad Sayeed today filed his nomination papers for the Anantnag Assembly segment. He filed his nomination before the Returning Officer (RO) around 1 pm at the Anantnag Deputy Commissioner's (DC) office today.

Mufti was accompanied by some of his close confidants. PDP candidates for several constituencies in Anantnag district were also present.

Outside the DC office in Anantnag, about a hundred party workers welcomed Mufti with loud cheers and waited till he completed his paper work. None of the workers was, however, allowed to enter the premises. Clad in a dark suit and a tie, Mufti waited in the vehicle to let his supporters gather around the car and lead him to the RO’s office. He disembarked amid slogans and cheering from senior party members who were allowed to enter the DC office compound.

Mufti, however, asked his supporters to refrain from sloganeering. He came out of the office wearing garlands and flanked by party members. Mufti drove to a sports stadium where he addressed around 1,200 people.

He spoke in Kashmiri, promising those at the gathering of taking Anantnag out of the ‘mess’ it presently is in. The crowd chanted ‘zaroor’ at every promise Mufti made to them. Some of the workers, seemingly enthusiastic about Mufti’s presence, occasionally interrupted his speech calling him ‘Qaid-e-Inquilab’.

Mufti, however, shouted the enthusiastic supporters down, urging them to hear what he had to say to them.

Mufti is seeking re-election to the Anantnag constituency. After senior National Conference (NC) leader Mehboob Beg’s departure from his party, election observers are predicting an easy win for the PDP patron.

In the 2008 Assembly elections, Mufti had defeated Beg by about 5,000 votes.

Mufti was not in the fray in the 2002 Assembly elections, following which the PDP formed the government in coalition with the Congress and he was made the Chief Minister. In 2004, he contested and won the Pahalgam Assembly segment after his daughter, Mehbooba Mufti, vacated the seat post her election to the Lok Sabha.

Leh, November 19
In Leh, there seems to be little politicking this Assembly polls as the BJP and the Congress are facing off in a straight contest.

Only two mainstream national political parties, the Congress and the BJP, have fielded their candidates in the constituency, which will go to the polls in the first phase of the J&K Assembly elections on November 25.

The Congress has given the ticket to its two-time winning MLA and a Cabinet minister in the Omar Abdullah government Nawang Rigzin Jora for the seat, while the BJP has posed faith in Chering Dorjey, a prominent Buddhist face and one-time MLA in Leh. The BJP claims it would register win over the seat due to its growing popularity in the region as it had won the lone parliamentary seat of Ladakh for the first time with a narrow margin of 36 votes almost six months ago.

It managed to take a lead of 4,657 voters over the Congress in the Parliamentary polls, notwithstanding the latter had been representing the Assembly constituency for the last 12 years.

The BJP has not been able to win the Leh Assembly seat so far. The Congress remained a dominant force in Leh, winning the seat seven times, while the NC had the taste of victory on the seat in 1962 Assembly elections. Two independents, S Angdoo and Jora, too had won the seat in 1980 and 2002 elections, respectively.

Jora had won the 2008 Assembly elections by a margin of 1,523 votes. He defeated his rival Thupstan Chhewang, an Independent candidate. Jora bagged 19,008 votes as against Chhewang’s 17,485 votes. Chhewang is currently the Member of Parliament from Ladakh. Furthermore, the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC) Leh, which politically governs the district, is being ruled by the Congress.

Famous for its rich cultural heritage, Leh is popularly known as the “land of monks and monasteries” and it comprises two Assembly seats, Leh and Nubra. Leh district is the second largest district (in terms of area) in the country after Kutch (Gujarat) with an area of 45,652 sq km.

The entire district is mountainous with three parallel ranges of the Himalayas, Zanskar, Ladakh and Karakoram. Between these ranges, the Shayok, Indus and the Zanskar rivers flow and most of the population lives in valleys of these rivers.

Buddhist is the dominant religion in the district followed by Muslim. It has thin population of Christian and Hindus. Nearly 75 per cent population lives in rural.

The population of the district is highly scattered as the population density of Leh is 3 inhabitants per sq km. As many as 56 polling stations in Leh will have less than 100 voters. 

Srinagar, November 19
The Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP), in a bid to make the party more visible, will install about 150 hoardings in the coming days with pictures of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Kashmir as part of the party’s campaign to cash in votes based on Modi’s development agenda.

The hoardings will be installed at prominent places in Srinagar and other parts of the Valley, where party would seek support from people to attain a majority in the 87-member J&K Assembly.

These hoardings will be displayed from south to north Kashmir and in hyper-sensitive areas of the Valley, including the old city.

“The hoardings will be in Urdu and the main message in these hoardings will revolve around the ideas of Modiji’s development and good governance,” said BJP spokesman Khalid Jehangir. “Through these hoardings, we will try to reach out to the people in the Valley,” he added.The BJP has launched a massive media campaign in Kashmir-based newspapers on a daily basis to reach out to people.

The party failed to win any seat in the Valley in the previous Assembly elections but is going all out this time to woo voters in Kashmir. Top leaders of the party are regularly camping in Kashmir. The party, which had won 11 seats in 2008 Assembly polls, is contesting from over 30 seats in the Valley. 

Srinagar, November 19
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, who is also the working president of the National Conference, today questioned the silence of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on self-rule and dual currency, the favourite slogans of the party in the 2008 Assembly elections.

During a door-to-door campaign in the Sonawar constituency, wherefrom the Chief Minister is contesting after opting out of the family’s traditional bastion, Ganderbal, Omar asked the PDP to “explain its sudden and complete abandonment” of the self-rule document and dual currency.

“There was a time — as early as two years ago — when there wasn’t a single public speech or a single press statement from the PDP where self-rule didn’t find a mention…. The party leaders even went on tours around the state holding seminars on its self-rule document and talking about vague, impractical and half-baked concepts that had absolutely no logical ground,” Omar said while addressing people during his door-to-door campaign in his home turf Sonawar.

Drawing cues from former military ruler of Pakistan Pervez Musharraf’s four-point Kashmir formula, the PDP, in its rule, harped on the self-rule formula.

Later, PDP leader Tariq Hameed Karra went a step ahead by proposing dual currency for the divided parts of erstwhile J&K state, which included Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and the northern parts as well.

The pitch for dual currency in J&K had evoked strong resentment at the national level.

Terming self-rule and dual currency as a drama enacted by the PDP “at the behest of covert political forces”, Omar said now this whole drama has been abandoned with “equal enthusiasm” on the orders of “agencies”.

“The biggest tragedy is that in the PDP these covert agencies have always found an ever-willing Trojan Horse that has infiltrated into the fortress of our state to weaken us internally,” Omar said while interacting with people in the Nishat and Khanmoh areas of the Sonawar constituency.

He appealed to the people to repose their faith in the National Conference at this “crucial juncture of history” and told them that “serious efforts” were underway to alter the ethos of J&K and to erode its special status by abrogating Article 370.

Jammu, November 19
Appealing to the electorate to defeat the communal forces in the upcoming state Assembly elections, Congress candidate from Jammu (East) Vikram Malhotra said today that the Congress was the only party which wanted to keep the unity and brotherhood in the state as well as in the country intact.

He added that only the Congress could give a stable government in the state, whether independently or otherwise. Malhotra was addressing election meetings in the localities of Ward 15, Peer Mitha, Jullaka Mohalla and Kalli Janni here. —TNS

Srinagar, November 19
The Pakistan army on Tuesday handed over a 13-year-old boy from Rajouri to the Indian authorities after he had inadvertently crossed the Line of Control last week.

The police said Manzar Hussain, 13, a resident of Jhanagar, Nowshera village, Rajouri, had inadvertently crossed the Line of Control on November 14.

“He was handed over to the Indian officials by the Pakistani army at the Kaman post in Uri yesterday,” the police said.

The police have informed the family of the boy. 

Srinagar, November 19
District Election Officer (DEO), Srinagar, Farooq Ahmad Shah today said no arrests were made to date from Srinagar district in the wake of the Assembly elections. He said the usual suspects involved in stone throwing incidents from downtown Srinagar have also not been picked up by the police.

Srinagar will go to polls on December 14 in the fourth phase of Assembly elections.

However, in view of the security situation, Shah said all 804 polling stations across 412 locations in eight Assembly constituencies of Srinagar district are super-sensitive.

The DEO, Srinagar, said the number of voters in Srinagar is 6,23,717, including 3,24,725 males and 2,98,988 females, besides four third gender electorates.

Shah said the last date of filing the nomination papers for candidates is November 26 and eligible voters from the eight constituencies could get themselves registered in the voters’ list by November 26.

He said for migrant voters from various constituencies of Srinagar district, polling booths have been set up in Jammu and Delhi.

“We have set up 20 polling stations in Jammu, one in Udhampaur and four in Delhi for the migrant voters from Srinagar,” he said.

Shah said the maximum number of migrant voters is from the Haba Kadal constituency followed by Amira Kadal.

“As many as 16,710 migrant voters are from Haba Kadal and 4,976 migrant voters are from the Amira Kadal constituency,” he added.

Shah said the authorities had tried to raise awareness among voters to participate in the forthcoming elections and not give any heed to the separatist boycott call.

Poll booths set up for migrants

District Election Officer, Srinagar, Farooq Ahmad Shah said for migrant voters from various constituencies of Srinagar district, polling booths have been set up in Jammu and Delhi

Srinagar, November 19
Secretary to Housing and Urban Development Department Satish Nehru held a meeting with senior officials of the Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC) here today.

During the meeting, SMC Commissioner GN Qasba said to date, the corporation had lifted and disposed of around 75,484 metric tonnes from Srinagar city, which involved 9,906 truck trips from different places to the Achan landfill site.

He said about 55,165 litres of disinfectant were sprayed in the city and 1,686 animal carcasses were removed after the floods.

Stating that Rs 7 crore had been incurred on the utilisation of these services, Qasba said out of these services, nearly Rs 2 crore had been spent on hiring tippers and JCBs.

An SMC official said Nehru was informed that an amount of Rs 320 crore was required to provide incentives to the “safai karamcharis” and transportation staff of the SMC, who worked day and night for the “garbage clean-up mission”.

Srinagar, November 19
Stakeholders in the tourism industry today sought speedy permissions for repairing hotels and restaurants damaged in the recent floods. They said the tourist flow was yet to pick up pace.

In view of the damage to the hotel and restaurant industry, a three-member delegation of Kashmir Hotels and Restaurant Association (KHARA) led by its president Showkat Chowdhary met Commissioner, Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC), GN Qasba.

Chowdhary said the hotel industry needed immediate attention from the SMC so that hotels are renovated and those damaged fully are reconstructed before the next year’s tourism season begins.

“If we are not given permission on time, there will be no place for tourists to stay in Srinagar. It will send a wrong signal to prospective visitors. Some hotels need reconstruction and some need renovation immediately. The winter is also approaching, which will also affect our works. Granting permissions at this time will help the tourism industry. We have to keep our properties ready before March so that we can save our next year’s tourism season,” Chowdhary said.

Stating that the Srinagar Municipal Corporation Commissioner had agreed to expedite the process of permissions, Chowdhary said the Commissioner had also asked the association to submit the documents of the affected properties for permission itself.

“Now, the Kashmir Hotels and Restaurant Association will submit applications on behalf of all the affected parties to the SMC for permissions to allow us to begin repair works.”

“We are hoping that the permissions will be granted without much delay. We want to welcome tourists next season in fully refurbished properties,” said Chowdhary.

The Kashmir Hotels and Restaurant Association also demanded the waiver of user charges by the SMC for hotels and restaurants for the next six months.

“There is almost negligible tourist inflow this season and tourism is likely to pick up only after March. The hotels are empty and so, the SMC should not ask for user charges for the next six months,” said Chowdhary.

Jammu, November 19
Army Public School (APS) BD Bari celebrated its annual day with enthusiasm. The programme commenced with the lighting of ceremonial lamp by Anita Yashpal, chairperson of the school, who was the chief guest, along with Principal Neeta Rawal.

The annual report was read out by Principal Neeta Rawal enumerating the achievements made by the school in various curricular and co-curricular activities during the academic session 2013-14.

The entire programme revolved around the theme of “Udaan — the flight of happiness”. An invocation to Goddess Durga with a dance performance was presented by students of the school.

It was followed by the presentation of cultural items. The students displayed their fitness through various stunts of martial arts. A skit was also performed by students on the “Swachch Bharat Abhiyaan”.

In order to felicitate the meritorious students, a prize distribution function was organised wherein the dignitaries gave away prizes to the rank holders in various curricular and co-curricular activities. Finally, the progamme ended with the vote of thanks.

Jammu, November 19
Education is of vital importance and good school education lays a strong foundation for the establishment of a wholesome and productive society.

This was stated by Governor NN Vohra while speaking on the occasion of the annual day function of Heritage School at the General Zorawar Singh Auditorium here.

The Governor said since Independence the Government of India had devoted high priority to school education and there were a number of Central schemes which sought to achieve full literacy and the highest possible enrolments.

“While these schemes have led to significant progress, yet a great deal still remains to be done to enlarge and upgrade the standards of teaching at the school level,” he said.

The Governor complimented trustees of the school, teachers and students for the school being adjudged the best co-educational school for the second consecutive year. He congratulated parents of students who received awards and honours in recognition of their outstanding academic and co-curricular achievements.

The Governor appreciated the high standard of cultural programmes.

Jagdish Singh Dhami, Principal of the school, presented a formal vote 
of thanks.

Kuldeep Khoda, Chief Vigilance Commissioner, and Indu Khoda were 
the guests of honour on the occasion.

Nirmala Gupta, founder trustee; Sunil Gupta, trustee; and Sunita Gupta, chairperson of the school were among those present on the occasion.