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Tension
mounts, curfew clamped Excelsior Special Correspondent SRINAGAR, Feb 3: Militants struck at Mehjoor Nagar near here this evening killing six Sikhs and critically wounding eight others creating panic in the town. As tension mounted, authorities late tonight clamped an indefinite curfew in the areas falling under jurisdiction of nine police stations. Official sources told EXCELSIOR that militants came in a three-wheeler and opened indiscriminate firing on a group of Sikhs waiting outside a Gurdwara in Mehjoor Nagar at 1830 hours today. Two Sikhs died on the spot while four others succumbed to their injuries in hospitals. Eight other were injured. The injured, whose condition was stated to be critical, have been admitted in Bone and Joint hospital, Barzulla, Soura Institute of Medical Sciences and SMHS hospital Srinagar. Deceased have been identified as Balwant Singh S/o Mool Chand R/o Mayur Nagar, Gurmeet Singh S/o Prem Singh, Suraj Singh S/o Nirmal Singh, Satnam Singh S/o Jeet Singh, Charanjeet Singh S/o Sujan Singh and Sumit Pal Singh. The injured include Mohinder Singh, Chand Kour, Vikram Singh, Kanwal Nayan Singh and his wife Satinder Kour. Authorities late tonight clamped curfew in the areas of nine police stations in view of tension following killings of Sikhs by the militants. Police stations under whose jurisdiction an indefinite curfew has been imposed included Parimpora, Rainawari, Ram Munshi Bagh, Sadar, Kothi Bagh, Maisuma, Shaheed Gunj, Batmaloo and Shergarhi. A hitherto unknown militant outfit Al Qasim has reportedly owned responsibility for the killings. A caller claiming himself as spokesman of the outfit said that killings of Sikhs were executed in vengeance to the killing of an auto driver Billal Ahmed Khan R/o Gonikhand by two Sikh cops of Special Operations Group (SOG) in Hyderpora the other day. In New Delhi, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah today condemned the gruesome shoot-out of six Sikhs in Srinagar and said "certain groups were still operating in the State opposing the peace process" initiated by Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. "This killing has made it clear that certain groups were still operating in the Valley, who opposed the peace process and the occasion was right for them as Prime Minister and Pakistani military ruler had a telephonic conversation," Abdullah said. He said police will take all steps to bring the culprits involved in the gruesome incident to book. "Such groups in the past also have done the same thing and they will continue. But let us make it clear that India is not going to budge from the peace initiatives as we have been taught only the lesson of non-violence," he added. In Jammu, Works Minister Ali Mohd Sagar also denounced the massacre of innocent Sikhs by Pakistan-backed militants and described it as ‘an act to sabotage the peace initiative of Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee. Asking the police and security forces to trce out the killers who, he said, deserve no mercy, Dr Abdullah conveyed his heart-felt condolences to the bereaved families. He called upon the people of the State to maintin peace at every cost and ensure that we do not fall prey to militants' machinations of fomenting communal divide. He said entire State is grieved over this carnage. The City, meanwhile, observed a bandh for third successive day against the killing of auto driver, alleged by the SOG men. Youths pelted stones on people and fought pitched battles with cops in the City during the day. Militants gunned down a civilian Bashir Ahmed Bhat son of Mohd Hussain of Kawpora Sumbal in Trehgam area. Two militants were gunned down by Rashtriya Rifles troops at Panjigam village in Bandipora area of Kulgam district this morning. Two AK rifles were recovered from the possession of militants. One of them was identified as Mohd Shaban Bhat S/o Khizar Mohd Bhat R/o Ward No. 2, Pallan, Bandipora. Other militants, while fleeing, set ablaze six houses of civilians. Militants fired a rifle grenade on police and security forces camp at Pattan. However, no one was injured. An ASI, a constable and eight civilians were injured in another grenade attack at Soura. An IED exploded harmlessly near Hassan Motors in Sopore. Baramulla police nabbed two militants Jehangir Ahmed Shah R/o Naharpora, Sopore and Amir Rashid Zargar R/o Noorbagh, Sopore. Two grenades and two AK magazines were recovered from their possession. One of them had thrown a grenade at Iqbal Market, Sopore in December last year for Rs 300. Two civilians were killed and 20 injured in the explosion. Official sources said militants fired upon a security force patrol party at Bandipora late last night with automatic weapons and grenades. The security forces also fired back and in the night-long encounter two militants were killed and some houses damaged. Two AK rifles, four grenades and 100 rounds were recovered from the slain militants. The sources said a powerful improvised explosive device went off at Sopore this morning. There was no immediate report of any casualty or damage to property. In the down town, two securitymen and eight civilians were injured when militants hurled a hand grenade towards security forces last evening. Shops and business establishments in Srinagar and other adjoining areas were closed and traffic was off the roads today in view of the strike called by transporters in protest against the alleged increase in custodial deaths in the Kashmir valley. Work in Government offices, banks and post offices was affected. However, a report from Baramulla said that only three wheelers were off the roads today. The three wheelers association had also called for a general strike to protest against the death of one driver Bilal Ahmad allegedly in custody. |
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Bhuj collected sacked AHMEDABAD, Feb 3: Faced with widespread criticism of mismanagement of relief operations, an embattled Gujarat Government today removed the Collector of Bhuj, the worst affected town ravaged by last week’s earthquake, as a fresh round of tremors brought no solace to thousands of survivors in the quake-hit areas. Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who put off his planned foreign visit, convened in New Delhi an all party meeting that decided to constitute a National Disaster Management Committee of experts as a long term measure and another comprising political parties to help in the relief operations. There was consensus that there should be better coordination on reaching relief. More than a week after the quake devastated the State, the rescue operations receded to the background with fading hopes about survivors while relief operations picked up momentum in the affected areas. More international aid poured into the State with the arrival of the first of the six US Air Force plane landing here with relief materials like blankets, tents, medicines, food and personnel. Though the Gujarat Government did not assign any reason for shifting the Bhuj Collector Kamal Dayani to the State Secretariat, it comes in the wake of large scale complaints of poor relief to thousands of survivors in this Kutch district headquarters and a controversy over his alleged complaint that armed forces were pilfering and diverting relief materials to cantonment. Dayani was replaced by Baroda Collector Anil Mukim. The Government also strengthened the relief machinery by recalling a senior IAS official S Jagadeesan from New Delhi and placed him along with Principal Secretary L Mansingh to oversee the relief operations. Tremors as strong as measuring five on the richter scale rocked Bachau, not far from Bhuj, and aftershocks in Ahmedabad sent the already scared people scurrying into the open for safety. Eight aftershocks ranging between 3.1 and 5 magnitude jolted Bachau between 0037 hours to 1237 hours today. There have been dozens of aftershocks in the region following last week’s killer quake that recorded 5.9 on the richter scale claiming thousands of lives and rendering lakhs of people homeless after flattening their shelters. Though the State Government has stepped up relief operations, reports from various far-flung areas spoke of inadequate supplies of tents, medicines, food and water for the quake victims. There have been complaints of relief being cornered away by the influential among the victims. Amidst the allegation of inadequate relief reaching in remote areas, the State Chief Minister Keshubhai Patel held a high-level meeting to review the relief operation. Planes carrying relief materials from several countries including Tunisia, Russia and Belgium also arrived. While authorities here continued to demolish unsafe buildings, two persons under treatment for their injuries received in January 26 earthquake died today in a Government hospital. Four thousand complaints of faulty construction have been received by the local authorities who would begin inspecting these buildings from tomorrow to ascertain if these were safe dwellings or not, city’s Deputy Municipal Commissioner J G Hingrajka said. Rumours of a powerful quake today had scared to death people of the city, a majority of whom have left for various presumed safe destinations. All through the night, people in many parts of the city were awake and immersed in Pujas and organised Bhajans and Kirtans. People of other faiths also held special prayer meetings. As efforts to remove the debris and dig out decomposed bodies continued the State Government dispatched 800 bags of bleaching powder and 41 lakh chlorine tablets besides 170 inspectors to the worst-affected Kutch district to prevent outbreak of epidemic. UNICEF has airlifted 500 tonnes of bleaching powder and 500 crore chlorine tablets. Expert medical teams of National Institute of Communicable Diseases, Delhi have been camping in various affected areas. Over 8,000 doctors and para-medics have fanned out to the remote areas, officials said. (PTI) |
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Delhi for Islamabad’s
firm assurance From B L Kak NEW DELHI, Feb 3: The Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister, Dr Farooq Abdullah, has set Kashmir ‘experts’ in the power corridors of New Delhi thinking anew-this time with his argument that the Hurriyat Conference can’t set the agenda for Kashmir. The argument, which was first endorsed by the Union Home Minister, Mr LK Advani, reportedly found takers in the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) as well after a bit of discussion on it. The J&K Chief Minister has let it be known to both Prime Minister and Mr Advani that the Hurriyat ‘chaps’ require to be told, in unmistakable terms, that in the first place they cannot be mandated to set the agenda for Kashmir and, secondly, they cannot be expected to announce from Islamabad, if and when permitted to visit that place, a set of steps New Delhi should take to resume a dialogue with Islamabad. A source close to Mr Advani told EXCELSIOR that he (Mr Advani) himself had also been set thinking anew by a set of questions from the J&K Chief Minister. And higher-ups in the Home Ministry attached much significance to one of the questions: What have the Hurriyat men done if the main purpose of the decision to extend the case-fire till January 26 had been to give them a chance to mediate a reduction, if not complete suspension, of violence by the jehadis ? Equally significant was another question: Why did the Hurriyat chairman, Prof Abdul Ghani Bhat, include Syed Ali Shah Geelani in the team for initiating dialogue process in Pakistan? Dr Farooq, like several others in the Indian capital, believed that the Hurriyat chairman, by picking a team that included the ‘passionate lover of Pakistan’ (Mr Geelani), jeopardised the entire mission. If Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee’s second purpose behind the extension of the cease-fire period was to give Pakistan some more time to curb jehadis, desired dividends did not become available. In fact, it can be safely said that Islamabad let the month slip by without taking a single step that could reassure New Delhi that it really intended, or even had the capacity, to control the jehadis. Why has Islamabad chosen to remain inactive? Is it because it has preferred to leave the negotiation of a cease-fire with the jehadis to Kashmir’s All-Party Hurriyat Conference (APHC) rather than tackle them on its own? Is Pakistan more interested in manipulating Hurriyat into supporting the jehadis than in finding a negotiated solution to the Kashmir problem? According to the J&K Chief Minister, appropriate replies to these and other questions are not far to seek. His emphasis, however, is on the need for the Union Government to keep in mind the aspirations and agenda of ‘nationalist’ forces in Jammu and Kashmir. Dr Farooq has also cautioned the Centre against attaching more-than-necessary importance to the Hurriyat’s ‘controversial chaps’. The Prime Minister may have succeeded in throwing the ball back once more into Pakistan and Hurriyat’s court by extending the cease-fire by another month. But Gen Parvez Musharraf has so far responded to the Indian demand with the observation that jehadi attacks would die down on their own once talks start. Will New Delhi initiate the move to resume the stalled dialogue with Islamabad? "No, not at this stage", a top Government source told EXCELSIOR. Why not? Pat came the reply: "So far Pakistan has sent absolutely no signals on its intentions, or the strategy it is pursuing". Interestingly, at a time when the Hurriyat Conference stated that hardliners in the Government wanted to exploit the passport issue to scuttle the peace process, the Ministry of External Affairs introduced a new wrinkle into the passport issue by objecting to the Hurriyat’s proposed visit to Pakistan. According to one report, the External Affairs Ministry wrote to the Prime Minister’s Office saying Pakistan had never been a factor in Delhi’s sovereign dealings with Kashmir and that the Hurriyat’s trip would legitimise its role as the sole representative of Kashmiris. The belated objection led some quarters to talk of a kind of ad hocism in the way the Vajpayee Government had been grappling with the peace process, with its various wings working at cross-purposes. Significance is, naturally, attached to the External Affairs Minister, Mr Jaswant Singh’s statement that the issuance of passports is strictly the Home Ministry’s prerogative. |
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Infiltration attempt
foiled Excelsior Correspondent RAJOURI, Feb 3: Dah Division of Budhal Brigade and Special Operations Group (SOG) gunned down two top militants at village Ban Kas in Koteranka area under the jurisdiction of Kandi police station this morning and thwarted an infiltration attempt in Nowshera sector killing one ultra in two separate incidents across the district. One of the slain ultra turned out to be a hitman of Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) identified as Karamat Hussain alias Badshah. He was operating as Hizbul Mujahideen’s ‘area commander’ for Koteranka. Official sources said troops had an information about the movement of a group of Hizbul Mujahideen militants in Koteranka area and were maintaining a strict vigil in the area. One of the army patrol, camping in Ban Kas village, was fired upon by the militants at about 1100 hours today. DIG Rajouri-Poonch range Ram Lubaya said army personnel of Dah division and SOG sleuths, who were prepared for militants’ attack, retaliated effectively. A fierce gun-battle started and continued for more than three hours till this afternoon. Two militants were killed in the encounter while security forces didn’t suffer any casualty in the operation. Three to four ultras reportedly managed to escape during the exchange of gun-fight, the sources said. One of the slain ultra was identified as Karamat Hussain alias Badshah son of Abdul Rashid, a resident of village Kandi Gatore while identity of his associate couldn’t be established immediately. The unidentified ultra was believed to be a foreign mercenary and body-guard of Badshah. Recovery made from the scene of encounter included two AK-47 rifles, two wireless sets, one pistol with two magazines, 11 magazines of assault rifles, two grenade throwers and some other ammunition. Army and SOG personnel continued searches in the adjoining area of Koteranka to track down the absconding militants. However, they remained untraced. Meanwhile, troops thwarted an infiltration attempt by a group of six militants in forward area of Kalaal on the Line of Control (LoC) in Nowshera sector in the wee hours of this morning. Troops retaliated only after the militants refused to surrender after sneaking into Indian territory and started firing on jawans. In an hour long encounter, one militant was killed while others fled back to Pakistan taking advantage of darkness. Slain ultra was identified as Shakeel Ahmed of Peshawar, an activist of Al Badr. While fleeing, the militants left behind a consignment of arms and ammunition which was recovered by troops. Seizure included one AK-47 rifle, one Pika gun, four hand grenades, three IEDs, three pistols with 76 rounds and magazines, three magazines and 86 rounds of AK rifle. |
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Punjab smuggler nabbed Excelsior Correspondent KATHUA, Feb 3: Police today effected biggest haul of gold worth over Rs 40 lakh from a Punjab based gold smuggler, who has been arrested. Involvement of some jewellers of Jain Bazaar and Lakhdatta Bazaar was also suspected in the gold smuggling. SSP Kathua Manohar Singh told EXCELSIOR that district police had a specific information about the smuggling of gold from Punjab to Jammu by evading tax worth several lakhs. The smuggled gold was sold to jewellers in Jammu City at cheap rates. A police party led by probationary DySPs J S Johar and R K Bhat intercepted a gold smuggler this morning in Kathua town and arrested him. He has been identified as Munish Kapoor son of Vijay Kapoor, a resident of Amritsar Bazaar. From his possession, police recovered 9.8 kg gold having a price of about Rs 40 lakh. The gold jewellery had been concealed by the accused in clothes and a large bag. Police said the accused was immediately shifted to Kathua police station and subjected to sustained questioning during which he made some important disclosures. Names of a number of jewellers of Lakhdatta Bazaar and Jain Bazaar, who used to purchase the smuggled gold at cheap rates from Munish Kapoor, figured during his interrogation, the SSP Kathua said but declined to disclose the identity of jewellers on the ground that a raid was being planned in the jewellers’ markets tomorrow to apprehend the accused. Besides, he said, Kapoor has also named his some other associates in Amritsar, who were also involved in the smuggling of gold. Investigations were on to identify them and convey their identity to Amritsar police, he added. "Had the accused succeeded in smuggling the gold it would have benefited him by about Rs 8 lakh", the sources said. Deputy Commissioner (Sales Tax) K H Rizvi said the case of gold smuggling needs to be investigated thoroughly as the gold was being smuggled without any documents. He said police authorities have been asked to investigate all possible angles in the gold smuggling so that other accused could also be identified and arrested. Meanwhile, people of Dayalachak in Hiranagar tehsil of this district marched to Jammu-Pathankote national highway this afternoon and disrupted vehicular movement in protest against acute scarcity of drinking water. Shouting slogans against PHE authorities, the villagers didn’t allow any vehicle to cross the highway for more than three hours. They dispersed only after PHE and civil authorities assured restoration of water supply at the earliest. |
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Billoo Gujjar strikes in Ramban; attacks VDC Excelsior Correspondent UDHAMPUR, Feb 3: Billoo Gujjar group of Hizbul Mujahideen militants last night struck at Dumki nullah in Sumbar village of Ramban tehsil in Doda district and snatched official weapon and ammunition from a Village Defence Committee (VDC) member. Official sources here said the group was himself led by Billoo Gujjar and his deputy Abdur Razak besides four other militants. They intercepted a VDC member Nissar Ahmed son of Abdul Razak, a resident of Sumbar at Dumki nullah last night. Militants thrashed Nissar Ahmed and snatched his official 303 rifle and 45 rounds and escaped from the village. Militants warned Nissar that he will be eliminated if he didn’t quit the VDC. An injured Nissar reported the matter to local police. Security forces and police launched searches in the surrounding forests of Dumki nullah this morning but couldn’t trace the militants. Sources said Nissar Ahmed was bringing official weapon of another VDC member Mohd Shabir son of Mohd Sultan of Sumbar, who wanted to contest the election of Panch from Sumbar. Shabir was asked by the authorities in Ramban to deposit his gun if he wanted to join the electoral fray for Panchayat elections. Shabir had deputed Nissar Ahmed to bring his gun. Sources said Billoo Gujjar was a dreaded militant wanted in a series of killings, kidnappings and extortions in Gool, Gulabgarh, Basantgarh, Ramban and Banihal areas of Udhampur and Doda district. He was commanding a full fledged unit of Hizbul Mujahideen and was operating in his belt for last more than eight years making him one of the few longest surviving militants. He carried a handsome reward on his head. |
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CM donates Rs 10 cr for
Gujarat victims Excelsior Correspondent NEW DELHI, Feb 3: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Dr Farooq Abdullah today said the telephonic talk between Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Pakistani military ruler Pervez Musharraf was a step in "breaking the ice" and hoped that it would lead to a better understanding between the two countries. The Chief Minister, who presented a cheque of Rs 10 crore to the Prime Minister Mr Atal Bihari Vajpayee for quake-ravaged Gujarat, said the talks between Vajpayee and Musharraf should be translated into new dawn of peace so that "people in Kashmir could breathe in peace." "This is definitely a good beginning and I hope this will continue to build a sense of better understanding and goodwill between the two countries," Abdullah told reporters here. Dr Abdullah said peace is must for both the countries and and we should work for it. He said Pakistan should stop supporting terrorist organisations and prevent killings of innocent people in Jammu and Kashmir. He added that these terrorist organisations have killed a number of persons which include many workers of his party. Referring to Hurriyat leaders’ visit to Pakistan, Dr Abdullah suggested that they should prevail upon Pak leaders for restoration of peace and help in stopping trans-border terrorism. The militant outfits like Hizbul Mujahideen and Lashkar-e-Toiba should be reined in for restoration of peace in the State, he said. Replying to a question on autonomy, the Chief Minister said the matter is between the Centre and the State. Earlier, Dr Farooq Abdullah presented a cheque of Rs 10 crore to Prime Minister Mr Atal Bihari Vajpayee as a relief for the Gujarat earthquake victims. Among others present on the occasion were Union Minister for Civil Aviation Mr Sharad Yadav and Resident Commissioner of Jammu and Kashmir in New Delhi Mr Pankaj Jain. The State Government has also given 30,000 blankets and three truck loads of woolen coats and jackets to the affected people of Gujarat. |
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Govt to set up panels on relief, disaster management NEW DELHI, Feb 3: Government today decided to set up a national committee of political parties to help relief and rehabilitation in quake-hit Gujarat and a permanent national disaster management committee consisting of experts for managing natural calamities. The decisions were taken at an all-party meeting convened by Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee, which saw unanimity among all leaders in the national resolve to face the situation caused by the devastating quake. The meeting witnessed a consensus on toning up the administration in Gujarat and coordination between different relief agencies, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pramod Mahajan told reporters after nearly three-hour long meeting. The leaders whole-heartedly supported the efforts of the centre and the Gujarat Government in meeting the situation in the wake of the devastating quake, he said. Mahajan said the suggestion for setting up the national committee of political party leaders was made by CPI-M leader Sitaram Yechury, while that of a permanent national disaster management committee was made by leader of the opposition Sonia Gandhi. The Prime Minister agreed to both the suggestions, he said. The Prime Minister hoped that the national committee of leaders of political parties would be able to evolve some guidelines and decide the criteria for declaring a natural calamity as a "national calamity" so that appropriate help from the Government could automatically follow, Mahajan said. Vajpayee said the absence of such guidelines and criteria created difficulties for the Government in providing help, as there was no provision under the current laws or rules for declaring any particular calamity as "national" disaster. Leaders of various political parties gave a number of suggestions on rescue, relief and rehabilitation and the Prime Minister promised the meeting that the Government would take serious note of each and every suggestion, Mahajan said. The committee on political parties, Mahajan said, would be set up in three to four days while the time limit for setting up the permanent disaster management committee was not indicated at the meeting. He said that the committee of political parties would be a high-level committee but an informal one. Prime Minister has postponed his forthcoming visit to Malaysia and Japan from Feb 7 so that he could be in the country to monitor and supervise rescue and relief operations, Mahajan said. Sonia Gandhi said her party and the party-ruled State Governments were gearing up to meet the challenge posed by the grave calamity which was a national task of supreme importance. CPI-M leader Sitaram Yechury, who had led a party team to the affected areas in Gujarat, said there was no shortage of relief material but due to lack of coordination, the aid could not reach the real needy. He suggested that the Centre and the neighbouring states should be involved so as to ensure expeditious relief. TDP leader K Yerrannaidu urged the Centre to consult State Governments apart from parties and agencies so as to prepare natural disaster management manuals and action plans, as has been done in Andhra Pradesh which is frequently affected by cyclones. He said this was essential as the nation has been facing increasing number of natural calamities in the recent past. Earlier, Cabinet Secretary T R Prasad made a brief presentation before the meeting on the sequence of events since 0846 hours on January 26 when the devastating quake occured and the relief measures undertaken. Among the ministers present were L K Advani, George Fernandes, Nitish Kumar, Suresh Prabhu, Kashiram Rana, Shanta Kumar, C P Thakur and Pramod Mahajan. Leaders of political parties included Sharad Pawar (NCP), S R Bommai (Janata Dal), Hannan Mollah and Nilotpal Basu (both CPI-M), J Chittaranjan (CPI), K Yerrannaidu (TDP), Anant P Geete (Shiv Sena), P H Pandian (AIADMK), T R Baalu (DMK), Elangovan (PMK), Raghuvansh Prasad Singh (RJD), S K Indora (INLD), Sudip Bandopadhyay (Trinamool Congress), P K Patasani (BJD), Abani Roy (RSP) and Ali Mohd Naik (NC). (PTI) |
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NEW DELHI, Feb 3: Hurriyat leaders Abdul Ghani Lone and Mirwaiz Omar Farooq visited Kumbh and met Swami Adhyokshanand of Puri and discussed with him the Kashmir problem. Sources close to Swamy Adyokshanand told UNI that the Hurriyat leaders, who have been camping in the capital for the past few days, met the seer yesterday after one of his advisors called on them three days back and invited them to discuss the problem "in the interest of communal harmony." They were accompanied by Pandit N K Sharma, advisor to former Prime Minister P V Narasimha Rao, who was deputed by Swami Adhyoks-hanand to talk to the Hurriyat leaders. Pandit Sharma has been in constant touch with the Hurriyat leaders for the past about one year. The seer had visited Kashmir last year and met the Hurriyat leaders in Srinagar. He was given a warm welcome by the Hurriyat leaders. "Maharajji (Swamy Adhyoksh-anand) decided that Kumbh is a good and an auspicious occasion for renewing efforts for establishing communal harmony and peace in the Valley. A meeting with the Hurriyat leaders would go a long way in establishing peace. With this in mind it was decided to invite the Hurriyat leaders," the sources added. They said it had been initially decided to invite the Hurriyat leaders to participate in a seminar. However, it could not materialise and a decision was taken to invite them for direct discussions to which they agreed in principle. The seminar was attended by representatives from Jammu, Srinagar, Poonch, Rajouri, Arunachal Pradesh and Mizoram (all terrorism-affected areas). A seminar ‘Dharam and Rajniti’ (religion and politics) vis-a-vis the Dharam Sansad of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, was organised at Kumbh on January 24. Another seminar, ‘Atankvad—Kaaran Aur Nivaran’ (terrorism—causes and remedies) was also organised at Kumbh which was attended by several prominent religious heads. (UNI) |
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Excelsior Correspondent JAMMU, Feb 3: Twentytwo tents of Chhamb migrants were burnt in a major fire at Paluan migrants’ camp, about eight kms from Akhnoor last night. A civilian was also injured in the fire. Ruling out any sabotage, police said the fire spread due to a short circuit and engulfed more than 20 tents in its fold. While most of the tent inmates managed to come out, a civilian sustained burns while jumping out of the tent. He has been hospitalised. Goods of the migrant were burnt in the fire. A Fire Brigade controlled the flames and prevented them from spreading to other tents. Akhnoor police have registered a case in the fire and started investigations. Exact loss caused in the fire was being investigated. |
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Hizbul welcomes Musharraf-Vajpayee telephonic talks SRINAGAR, Feb 3: Pro-Pakistan Hizbul Mujahideen today welcomed the telephonic talks between Pakistani military ruler Gen Pervez Musharraf and Prime Minister A B Vajpayee and said it was ready to cooperate with every positive step taken by the two countries to resolve the Kashmir issue. Though Kashmir did not figure in yesterday’s talks between the two leaders, it was an important development in the backdrop of "extreme strained relations" between the two countries particularly in the past two years, top Hizbul Mujahideen leader Abdul Majid Dar said in a statement here. The new development had generated fresh expectations that rulers of the two countries had capacity and wisdom to address the Kashmir issue, he said. "Hizbul Mujahideen is ready to discharge its responsiblities towards every concrete and positive step taken by India and Pakistan towards resolving the issue," Dar, "chief commander" of the outfit, said. "We will not lag behind and will certainly contribute positively to each and every step at resolving the issue." Dar hoped the Gujarat tragedy which "has brought the two countries closer will prove to be a milestone in strengthening friendly relations between India and Pakistan in near future". He said "Kashmir is the bone of contention between India and Pakistan" and advantage should be taken of the new development in resolving the issue. (PTI) |
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Hindujas challenge trial court order NEW DELHI, Feb 3: The Hinduja brothers, facing charges in the Rs 64 crore Bofors payoffs case, today moved Delhi High Court challenging the trial court order that they will not leave the country without its permission. The three brothers — S P Hinduja, P P Hinduja and G P Hinduja — who filed their revision petitions in the High Court registry also pleaded that the CBI withdraw its "look out order" against them. The matter is listed before Justice S K Agarwal for hearing on Monday. According to CBI sources, the "look out order" against them had only been amended not withdrawn. Designated court of Ajit Bharihoke while granting them bail on January 19 had imposed the condition that they would not leave the country without the court’s prior permission and cooperate with the CBI in the investigation of the case. Bharihoke had on Thursday rejected Europe-based Hindujas’ applications seeking permission to leave India taking note of CBI’s apprehension that they might not come back if the trial went against them. The trial court had dismissed their applications after CBI told it that they were "evasive" during interrogation. The agency had accused them of receiving 81 million Swedish kroners as kickbacks from Swedish arms manufacturer A B Bofors after it had bagged the contract to supply of 155 mm howitzer guns to India in 1986. (PTI) |
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Change system, not Constitution: Gill MUMBAI, Feb 3: In a significant statement, Chief Election Commissioner M S Gill today urged the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) Government at the Centre not to change the Constitution. ‘Please do not go on changing the Constitution. It is a sacred document. All we need is to change the system’, Gill, a constitutional functionary, said at a public function. He said ‘we, as a country have a remarkable Constitution and it has served India well’. ‘All parties need to sit together and work to change the system rather than the Constitution and enhance the spirit of democracy’, Gill told Rotarians. Regarding the number of women in Parliament, he said it was time for all political parties to come together to pass the reservation bill for women in Parliament without any prejudice and it was the fault of the political parties for not having enough number of women in both Houses. (PTI) |
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