 |
|
HARDWAR, June 22: The BJP today came under heavy attack at the VHP’s Marg Darshak Mandal meeting here with prominent religious leaders accusing it of minority appeasement and demanding a change in its character and leadership so that it can openly espouse the Ram Temple cause. In a resolution passed on the Ram Janmabhoomi issue, the Mandal expressed its anger at the BJP-led NDA Government for "its unpardonable suppression of March 15 `Shila Daan’ programme and for not taking a just position on the issue." "We condemn the inhuman manner in which the Government enforced strict restriction on movement of transport, created terror by deploying 20,000 security personnel and instilled fear psychosis across the country through the media," it said. The only penance for it, the meeting said, was the return of the 43-acre land acquired by the Government to the Ram Janmabhoomi Nyas paving the way for the contruction of the temple. Despite the Government’s "oppression", the Ram Janmabhoomi Movement was intact and resolute to build the temple in Ayodhya, it said. In a hard-hitting speech, Madhawacharya Vishwesh Theerth of Udupi called for ending reliance on the BJP-led Government on the temple issue and said neither Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee nor Home Minsiter L K Advani commanded the trust of the majority community anymore. Madhawacharya, considered a moderate and close to Vajpayee, said the BJP should either change its character or leadership. "Otherwise, we will have to float a new party which will support the cause of Ram Temple," he said. He called for launching a campaign to polarise the country ahead of the next Lok Sabha polls into those wanting the temple and those opposed to it. Another senior leader, Acharya Dharmendra, charged the Government with going out of its way to appease the minorities by means such as hiking the Haj subsidy. "They have even left Samajwadi Party leader Mulayam Singh Yadav far behind in their appeasement policy," he said. BJP MP Swami Chinmayanand and former party MP Mahanat Avaidianath were present during the proceedings. Accusing the Government of going back on its word, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) said it would no longer abide by its commitment to wait for the court verdict on Ram Janambhoomi issue. The VHP urged Kanchi Kamakoti Shankaracharya Jayendera Saraswati to take back from the centre the written commitment of the Ramjanmabhoomi Nyas to maintain status quo at the disputed site in Ayodhya till the announcement of the court verdict as the Government has failed to fulfill any of its three promises. "The issue was beyond the ambit of courts," the Parishad said while charging the Government with failure to implement any of its promises - lifting of all restrictions on pilgrims in Ayodhya, allowing of the March 15 Shila Daan programme and the handing over of the undisputed land to the Nyas to begin construction of the Ram Janmabhoomi temple. The Kendriya Margdarshak Mandal (central advisory board) of the VHP also charged the centre with "unpardonable suppression" of the Ayodhya movement but gave it a chance for atonement by enacting a law for the construction of the Ram Temple. Relying on Government assurances harmed the Ayodhya movement and March 15 Shiladan programme failed because it was running on political crutches and mass mobilisation for it could not be done, the VHP said. Apart from the accusations of not keeping its promises, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance Government was also charged with "pseudo secularism" by Ram Janmabhoomi Nyas chairman Mahant Ramchandra Paramhans. He asked the Government to work towards awakening of the Hindu society rather than "Muslim appeasement". "Vajpayee Government is worse than Mulayam Singh Yadav’s Government in appeasement." Paramhans also said the temple at Ayodhya would be built at "any cost". Acharaya Dharmandera said apart from Ayodhya, the VHP also had construction of temples in Kashi and Mathura on its agenda. Some speakers also said if the Ram Temple was not built by next elections, the Vajpayee Government would be removed. On the first day of the two-day meeting, the Kendriya Margdarshak Mandal also passed resolutions on Jehad, conversions and sex-determination tests. The Parishad demanded ban on Madrasas "promoting Islamic terrorism" and other educational centres spreading Taliban ideology in the country. About 100,000 Madrasas being run in the country were preparing millions of "Taliban — fundamentalist students" who would work for another partition of the country, the resolution said. The resolution, moved by Swami Vigyananand said "Pakistan’s President Pervez Musharraf’s assertion that the next war would be fought on Indian soil indicated that he considered these Taliban students as part of his army." It also lashed out at "secular fundamentalists - particularly communists - who had been supporting Islamic terrorists". Taking strong note of conversions by Christian missionaries and Islamic preachers, the VHP called for Hindu revivalism to counter influence of other religions on Hinduism. It stressed the need for construction of Hindu temples and holding of religious functions in remote and tribal areas to keep people in these areas in "touch with their religion". The VHP condemned sex determination tests saying it led to killing of female foetus. It called upon society not to go for these tests. VHP working president Ashok Singhal, senior vice-president Giriraj Kishore, general secretary Praveen Bhai Togadiya and other VHP office bearers are also attending the meet spread over four sessions. More than 50 religious leaders from Ayodhya, Assam, Kerala, Maharashtra and other states are participating in the event that will conclude tomorrow evening. Tight security arrangements have been made at the venue of the meeting with large police presence at several points. (Agencies) |
|
Srinagar decorated
for Omar’s coronation From Ahmed Ali Fayyaz SRINAGAR, June 22: For all practical purposes, it is going to be the modern day coronation of the heir apparent. None in Dr Farooq Farooq Abdullah’s party, National Conference, (NC) has so far taken exception to the phrase. For Valley’s separatist circles, election of Omar Abdullah as the NC president is a non-event. The Hurriyat chairman Prof Abdul Gani’s quotable quote in recent past has been: ‘Sparrows, two or four, won’t bring spring to Kashmir’. Nonetheless, tomorrow’s event is going to be historical for a many reasons.It is being organised at a time when the militancy is at its lowest ebb and the whole Azadi camp is in disarray—courtesy September 11 and the subsequent world pressure on Pakistan. It is first time since 1987-88, that as many as 13,000 people (12,000 delegates and 1000 special invitees) are going to assemble in a mainstream political party’s rally. Not only the venue, Sher-e-Kashmir Cricket Stadium, has been given an unprecedented facelift, the whole of Srinagar city has been decorated with colourful banners and flags. And the celebrations are the asset of a pro-India party that lost over 1000 activists—300 of them during the last six years—in the last 13 years of secessionist militancy. More significant is the fact that none in the capital city has, so far, been militant enough to pull down NC’s red-colour flags carrying an emblazoned party symbol— the plough. The plough hardly appeals most of the Srinagar people who were not beneficiaries of Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah’s historical land reforms. However, they seem to have decided to be mute spectators. There will be no reminiscences of the enthusiasm they showed on August 21, 1981 when Farooq Abdullah became the political successor of his father, Sheikh Abdullah, at Iqbal Park. ‘We have promised the father, we will make the brother (Farooq) our king’ was the slogan that shook Srinagar for years, until the day Hollywood movie, Omar Mukhtar, turned the tables and Muslim United Front was born out of a saga of disillusionment. For New Delhi’s media gliteratti, the event will be ‘too newsy’ when a troupe of the Jammu & Kashmir Academy of Art, Culture & Languages will sing the state’s own "national anthem", Lahra Aey Kashmir Ke Jhande. Television reports have little knowledge of the fact that Jammu & Kashmir’s "National Anthem" was the subject of a debate for several hours before it was passed by the state’s Constituent Assembly in early 1950s. The state’s flag has been fluttering atop Government buildings and the Ministers’ cars alongwith the National Flag but the "National Anthem" has never been heard after Farooq’s coronation at Iqbal Park. A many here believe that it was actually NC’s "Party Tarana". Even the NC stalwarts have confusion whether it had been penned by Maulana Masoodi or someone else. In order to balance the sentiments, Iqbal’s famous "Sare Jehan Se Achha Hindustan Hamara" will follow the state’s "National Anthem". For obvious reasons, there will be no Jana Gana Mana. Elaborate security arrangements have been made for the event the like of which has not been witnessed here in the last two decades. Officials confirmed that all the 8,000 delegates expected from Jammu had reached here by this evening. They have been lodged in the nearby Tourist Reception Centre, Banquet Hall and at the residential bungalows of all the Jammu ministers. Most of the 4,000 delegates and 1,000 special invitees, drawn from different areas of Kashmir valley and Ladakh are also said to have arrived in the capital city. Still, about a hundred vehicles will be carrying delegates from five rural districts tomorrow morning. All District presidents have been assigned with the task to providing transport and lunch to their respective invitees. Vehicular traffic on all routes passing around the venue has been restricted since yesterday. Anybody, not in possession of a special security permission, is being returned from drop-gates installed at Radio Kashmir Crossing and Sonwar Crossing. Police officials on duty told EXCELSIOR that even the routine passes of Security Headquarters are not being honoured. The nearby, Burnhall public school, of which Omar Abdullah has himself been a student, has been closed for two days. Nobody is being allowed to the Church, situated inside the protected premises, for worship on Sunday. Same is the fate of Amar Singh Club which has come to life after years. For residents of uptown, relief came when the Power Development Department decided to maintain uninterrupted electric supply on Saturday evening which otherwise was the scheduled off timing. According to well-placed party sources, NC’s working committee will have a token sitting at the venue at 9.00 a.m to finalise the nomination of Mr Omar Abdullah. Later, his candidature will be announced and he is all set to be elected unanimously as the party president. The decision shall have to be ratified by 4,000 members of the General Council sitting in front rows. Special enclosures have been erected for former ministers, legislators, freedom fighters and mediapersons. However, there will be no VIP guest from outside the State. While as Dr Abdullah will deliver his address as the outgoing president and will also tie the badge on Omar, the junior Abdullah will express his gratitude to the delegates and others in the party. He will also pay tributes to hundreds of the party workers killed by gunmen in Jammu & Kashmir during the last 13 years. Organisers say that it would be just half-a-days session, unlike that of the 3-day session of 1981. Security is being projected as the only reason. "We would have received 40,000 participants but, due to security reasons, we have invited only 12,000 delegates and 1000 special guests", said a senior event manager. |
|
7,000 sq km of J&K forest cover denuded in 50 years From Ahmed Ali Fayyaz SRINAGAR, June 22: Even as the state Forest Minister, Peerzada Ghulam Ahmed Shah, lamented that India’s perspective planners were blindly unfair to the much ignored forest and environment sector, ‘Kashmir Vision -2020’ today concluded with a horrible revelation: Dr M A Kawoosa, an authority on the subject, said that as much as 7,000 sq km of Jammu & Kashmir forest cover had denuded in the last 50 years of independence. Dr Kawoosa, presently chief of the World Bank aided Integrated Watershed Development Project, made a startling revelation that the state’s sylvan cover had drastically reduced, due to fair and unfair means of felling and encroachment, during the last 50 years. He said that after Partition and disintegration of the Jammu & Kashmir, area of 1,01,387 sq km was under India’s control out of which forests covered an area of 20,182 sq km. That was just 19.90% of the total area. But the most disturbing factor was that one-third of the forest cover had been encroached upon or cleared of vegetation during the last five decades. Author of several books on Jammu & Kashmir forests, Dr Kawoosa referred to the new Draft Forest Policy and explained how entire forest cover in the State would disappear in the next 50 years if strong preventive measures were not taken at this stage. He said, while addressing a workshop on Forest and Environment, that Jammu and Kashmir had lost 90,000 hectares of the forest area in 1952-76 period and, since 1988, it was getting poorer by 500 hectares of the forest cover every year. Vast chunks of the forest land had been lost to Government departments and security forces. Explaining the impact of the growing burden of human being on ecology and forest, Dr Kawoosa said that the yearly requirement and consumption of conifer timber for construction purposes was 2.30 Crore cubic foot. Under the existing system, it was all procured by legitimate and illegitimate means from the forests and a single cubic foot of the timber was being imported from anywhere outside the State. Besides, 3.57 Crore quintals of timber were annually consumed on account of the state’s demand of firewood. Kawoosa said that, in the whole temperate world, Jammu & Kashmir had the best of forests and biodiversity upto 1950. The state’s forests were still rich in herbs and medicinal plants. However, neither the adequate protective measures were underway nor had the country’s and the state’s economic planners attached due importance to the fast dwindling forest sector. He said that presently just 2% of the annual plan outlay was allocated to the forest and environment sector. Kawoosa, however, ignored reference to the Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah’s repeated promises during the last six years that 8% of the plan outlay would be reserved for the forest sector. Dr Kawoosa dwelt at length on the salient features, priority sectors and targets of the new Forest Policy and said that a whopping Rs 10,000 Crore was required for the purpose of the best conservation of forests and ecology in Jammu & Kashmir in the next 20 years. He warned that even the perennial water resources would deplete completely in the State should our perspective planners not arrest the rot of ecological degradation at this stage. He said that Kashmir valley, which experienced 4 to 6 ft of snowfall in the plains just 40 years ago, was now heading for disastrous indications like black snow and red rains. Sprawling forest area in Rajouri-Poonch areas had disappeared due to excessive extraction of resin and the Shivaliks had already perished due to biotic interference. He regretted that adequate environmental awareness was not being created in the common masses. Earlier, Forest Minister Peerzada Ghulam Ahmed Shah, lamented that India’s economic planners had given too little importance to the forest sector which was most important for sustenance of human life. He regretted that there had been no perspective planning in the conservation field. While demanding that Forest service be converted into Essential Service, Peerzada warned that the whole of India was already reeling under the massive burden of industrial pollution. He urged the Planning Commission to take note of the possible impacts of ecological degradation on the whole socio-economic development in the country. Peerzada referred to the proceedings of a high level meeting and explained how he had forced the Prime Minister to take particular note of the menace of forest degradation, which was menacingly disturbing the country’s ecological balance. |
|
‘Horse trading on in Kashmir’ From Aijaz Hussain SRINAGAR, June 22: Asserting that the role of India and Pakistan in resolving Kashmir issue is "the role of co-operation only", Jammu and Kashmir Realistic Front (JKRF) supremo, Engineer Hilal Ahmed War today said that political and economic packages announced by the Government of India (GoI) are destined to meet "disgraceful failure". He termed the Hurriyat leadership as "rotten eggs" and maintained that "horse trading" won’t be allowed in the State. "The role of India and Pakistan is the role of co-operation only, but the role of adjudication is the prerogative and inherent right of the people of both sides of Control Line," Hilal War said while addressing a news conference here this morning. He viewed that the Kashmir problem was the question of life and death for the people of the State. "They (people of J&K) can alone directly solve this problem through fair and impartial referendum," he added. Launching a scathing attack on political and economic packages of GoI, War emphasised that the packages were doomed to fail. "All the packages or nefarious plans implemented thorugh K C Pant, Dullat, Jethmalani and others by the GoI, by purchasing and using traitors and pseudo-freedom fighters for elections or dialogue, are surely and certainly fated to meet very disgraceful failure," he elaborated. JKRF chairman pointed out that people of J&K were neither interested in Indian secularism nor were they supporters of Two-Nation Theory. "People of the State were interested in their own political struggle waged since 1931, which was the beginning of the struggle for right of self-determination. The question of accession to either dominion was imposed upon the people of J&K against their wishes by the military might of India and Pakistan," he said. War revealed that some elements were doing secret parleys with GoI, "Horse trading is going on in Kashmir at the mercy of people. If this was to be done, why the same was not done in early nineties? Why then through sentimental slogan, thousands of youth were directed to graveyards?" he asked. He termed the Hurriyat leadership as "rotten eggs" and said that Kashmiris had "no hopes linked with them". "People of J&K shall never allow any person, political party or conglomerate to act as their political attorney in connection with the settlement of Kashmir dispute," he clarified. He accused APHC of having divergent ideologies but in the same breath stated that he could join the conglomerate only if it agrees to work according to JKRF’s three-point programme for the solution of the Kashmir problem. "Armed struggle waged by the people of both sides of control of line is the war for liberation of J&K. India may thousand times dub it as terrorism, but the glaring fact is that it is a political cum armed war for liberation of J&K, indigenously sponsored and waged by people of both sides of control line," he argued. He added that the purpose of this struggle was to force India and Pakistan to concede the inherent right of self-determination to the people of the State including Gilgit, Baltistan, Hunza. Answering a query about the "change in the policies of Pakistan vis-à-vis Kashmir", he argued that the ‘Kashmir movement’ was not always dependent on Pakistan. "It began way back in 1931 when Pakistan was not even conceived. Kashmiris will have to decide their future themselves even if nobody supports them." Referring to the United States intervention in de-escalating tension between India and Pakistan, War cautioned that the move was temporary in nature. "The American injunction to both India and Pakistan against Indo-Pak war is bound to prove temporary measure. Ultimately America shall have to behave like a spectator in her national interest," he remarked. Going to the history, he mentioned that late Prime Minister of India, Pandit JL Nehru had realised during Holy Relic agitation that Kashmiris could no more be suppressed. "Nehru released Sheikh Abudllah and Mirza Afzal Beigh from prison in 1964 and sent them to Pakistan to discuss some proposals with General Ayub for solving Kashmir issue. When the signals of success came from Pakistan, news of Nehru’s death came," he said. He stated that the sudden death of Mr Nehru appears to be doubtful and secretly engineered by vested interests and Hindutuva propounders. |
|
Two fake terrorists nabbed in Poonch, ultra killed Excelsior Correspondent POONCH, June 22: Security forces today gunned down a terrorist at Issa Wali Dhok in Loran area while police arrested two fake terrorists, who had recently raped a woman in Kalaai and had committed a number of other offences in the guise of subversives. An unidentified terrorist was gunned down in a joint operation by army and police at Issa Wali Dhok in Noorpur area of Loran near Mandi this afternoon, police sources said. The terrorist, suspected to be a Pakistani affiliated with Lashkar-e-Toiba, had come out of his hideout and was reportedly heading to purchase some goods from a market. However, he was intercepted by the security personnel and was shot dead. Two empty bags, two empty food containers, one binocular and one AK rifle magazine were recovered from his possession, the sources said and added that body of the terrorist has been kept in a police camp for identification. Meanwhile, Poonch police today arrested two fake terrorists from village Kalaai and were hunting for their third associate, all of whom were involved in the rape of a housewife Shamim Akhter wife of Abdul Hamid in her house at Kalaai, about 11 kms from here the other day. Posing themselves as terrorists, the three youths wearing face masks had intruded into the house of Abdul Hamid and describing him and his wife Shamim Akhter as ‘police informers’, raped the woman in front of her husband. During the rape, the woman had managed to remove face mask of one of the impersonators and identified him as he was a local inhabitant of Kalaai, police said. The fake terrorists had fled away from the house after raping the woman. Police said the clues given by the victim resulted into identification of all three accused. They were Mohd Fareed son of Sher Mohd, Sher Mohd son of Lal Din and Mohd Hanief son of Mohd Din, all residents of Kalaai. All of them had gone underground after the incident. After two days of search operations, a Poonch police station party headed by SHO Surjit Dutta managed to apprehend two of them—Mohd Fareed and Mohd Sher while Mohd Hanief remained untraced. A case against the accused has been registered at Poonch police station while police continued a search operation to apprehend the absconder Mohd Hanief, who was still at large. Police said the fake terrorists have confessed some more offences during their interrogation by police. They told police that they had been operating in Kalaai and surrounding villages for last more than six months and committing offences by posing themselves as terrorists. |
|
Civilian killed in
captivity Excelsior Correspondent JAMMU, June 22: Terrorists kidnapped and killed a civilian at village Charote under Doda police station’s jurisdiction last night while army eliminated a hardcore terrorist in Kishtwar tehsil of Doda district today. Police said Nazir Ahmed son of Ghulam Qadir R/o Zallah Charote in Doda district was kidnapped by two terrorists from near his house on June 20 night when he was returning to his house after day’s work. The terrorists over-powered Nazir and whisked him away to a forest area. He was reported to have been tortured by the terrorists in captivity and later shot dead. His bullet-riddled body was recovered from Bandar Dewel forest area last night. Local people spotted the dead body, which was shifted to hospital by police for post-mortem. The terrorists involved in the killing remained untraced. Police said the terrorists killed the civilian describing him as ‘police informer’. He was buried this evening in his native village. Meanwhile, army today gunned down a hardcore foreign mercenary of Afghanistan after a fierce hour long encounter in Kishtwar tehsil of Doda district. Slain terrorist has been identified as Uzefa, a ‘district commander’ of Harkat-ul-Mujahideen outfit, who hailed from Afghanistan. Official sources said army engaged a group of three terrorists in an encounter in Kishtwar this evening after developing a specific information about movement of the terrorists. In the heavy exchange of gun-fighting, Uzefa Afghani was killed while his two associates managed to give a slip to the security personnel. From the scene of encounter, police recovered one AK-56 rifle, one magazine, three rounds and three hand grenades. Army didn’t suffer any casualties in the operation, the sources said. |
|
TUM ‘district commander’ eliminated in Kashmir SRINAGAR, June 22: Three top militants including a self-styled district commander of Tehreek-ul-Mujahideen outfit were killed in separate incidents in Kashmir valley where two ultras were arrested while another gave himself up since last evening. Militants also kidnapped a cobler and looted Rs 70,000 from a house in the State while security forces, an official spokesman said today. He said the self-styled district commander of TUM outfit, Bashir Ahmad Mir codenamed Mubashir was killed today in an encounter with security forces at Kakroosa forests in frontier district of Kupwara. Two foreign mercenaries identified as Usama Jangi, resident of Hazara and Abu Rehman of Rawalpindi were killed in another encounter at Devar-Lolab area of the same district, the spokesman said, adding three AK rifles, a wireless set, six hand grenades and some rounds were recovered from the slain militants. Police picked up body of a person identified as Mian Khan from Paner-Bandipora in Baramulla district today. Khan, a resident of same area, had been kidnapped by militants and later killed, the spokesman said. He said militants also kidnapped a cobler, Mohammad Ashraf Sheikh, from Pinglish-Tral of Pulwama district yesterday. A militant of Al-Fateh outfit, Rashid Ganai codenamed Billa, gave himself up in Kupwara district today, the spokesman said, adding he handed over one AK rifle, two magazines, 60 rounds and two hand grenades to the army and police authorities. Security forces arrested two militants, one each from Anantnag and Pulwama districts. While Mushtaq Ahmad alias Shabnam is an activist of Hizbul Mujahideen outfit, the other militant, yet to be identified, owes allegience to Al-Bader outfit, the spokesman said, adding one rifle with two grenades, two kgs of RDX and three grenades were recovered from their possession. Militants forced their entry into the house of an employee of Food and Supplies Departement, Abdul Wahab Dar, at Lojripora-Ashmuqam in Anantnag last night and decamped with Rs 70,000, the spokesman said. (PTI) |
|
Muslim Board seeks Govt intervention HYDERABAD, June 22: As the VHP hardened its stand on Ram Temple issue today saying it was non-negotiable, the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB), holding its session here, sought Government’s intervention to see that ‘those who are threatening to violate the Constitution are contained’. Reacting to VHP’s announcement in Hardwar of an agitational programme leading to construction of temple at the disputed site in Ayodhya, the secretary of the Board Mohammed Abdul Quraishi said it was the ‘duty of the courts and the Government to stop such violations’. ‘Our stand has been very clear that we will abide by the court verdict. Our doors are also open for talks with the Government provided it takes the initiative,’ he told reporters here. Quraishi, however, ruled out talks with ‘those elements responsible for the demolition of Babri mosque’. Asked about the declaration by VHP’s Kendriya Margadarshak Mandal (Central Advisory Body) that temple issue was non-negotiable, he said ‘if they (VHP) are law-abiding citizens, then they will abide by it. We want justice through courts’. The three-day 16th session of the Muslim Personal Law Board, which commenced last night, would further discuss Ayodhya issue and formulate a stand, he said. (PTI) |
|
|
DUBAI, Jun 22: More than 500 people were killed and nearly 1000 injured as a powerful earthquake of magnitude 6.3 rocked northwestern Iran this morning, local television networks said quoting initial reports. The trembler flattened villages in a mountainous region some 225 kms west of Teheran in Qazvin province with most of the casualties and devastation reported from there. According to a report, more than 50 per cent of the houses had been destroyed in some 50 villages of the Qazvin province. The morning trembler (0830 IST) measuring 6.3 on richter scale was felt in seven provinces and one of the areas where severe damages were reported was Avaj district and Razan town. The epicentre of the quake was between the provinces of Hamadan and Qazvin, the official news agency Irna reported quoting the head of the provincial Red Crescent Society, Majid Shalviri. He said a large number of the injured had been admitted to local hospitals, and rescue operations were on to save people buried under rubble and to reach relief and first aid. President Mohammed Khatami issued a message of condolences to the nation and instructed the interior ministry to co-operate with other agencies to rush assistance to the devastated sites, state run TV reported. Iran lies on a major seismic line and is prone to quakes. The last major earthquake in 1990 killed over 35,000 people in the Gilan province, while a thousand were reported killed in another quake seven years later. (PTI) |
|
|
NEW DELHI, June 22: BJP today sought to distance itself from the stand taken by VHP on the temple issue at its two-day meeting in Haridwar saying the issue could be settled only through consensus or court verdict. As far as BJP was concerned, "the party favours resolving the issue through court vedict or consensus among parties involved in the dispute," BJP spokesman V K Malhotra told reporters here. In a major shift from its earlier commitment to abide by the court verdict, the VHP at a meeting of its central advisory body in Haridwar today declared the Ram temple issue was "non-negotiable" and matters of faith cannot be decided by judiciary. Asked about the u-turn by VHP, Malhotra merely said "this is their known stand." (PTI) |
|
Shell kills 25 in wedding ceremony PESHAWAR, June 22: A mortar shell meant to be fired in celebration of a wedding in a Pakistani tribal area exploded prematurely today, killing at least 25 people, including the Bridegroom and many of his relatives, officials said. The blast occurred in the village of Korez, 250 kms southwest of the northeast Pakistan frontier city of Peshawar, in the tribal area of Orakzai. During the wedding festivities, one of the groom’s relatives tried to fire the mortar shell as a form of noisy celebration, but it went off prematurely. Several people, including some children, were killed outright, and others died of their injuries at the local hospital, authorities said. Members of Pakistan’s tribes often fire small and heavy weapons in the air to celebrate weddings and other festive occasions. The Orakzai area is largely governed by tribal elders, and Pakistan’s Central Government holds little sway there. It is also home to a thriving black market in military-style weapons. (AP) |
|
Omar’s statement exposed NC: Mehbooba SRINAGAR, June 22: The Jammu and Kashmir People’s Democratic Party (PDP) today accused the National Conference of betraying the cause of the people of Kashmir. Reacting to yesterday’s statement of Union Minister of State for External Affairs Omar Abdullah that his father was treated shabbily by the Centre even when he defended at several international fora the Indian position on Kashmir, PDP vice president Mehbooba Mufti said this leaves nobody in doubt that this family can go to any extent for power. The ruling National Conference was the first to implement the POTA, defended human rights violations by security forces and created the state police task force to supress the people’s voice only to make New Delhi believe that it was loyal to the Centre, she said. She said it was unfortunate that the NC just asked for employment for Chief Minister Dr Farooq Abdullah as Vice-President. The father and son compromised with the sentiments of the people just for chair, she alleged. The NC could have asked more forcefully for employment to lakhs of unemployed youths, better economic package and a stop to all human rights violations by the security forces, she added. The PDP leader said the National Conference which had promised the people of the State that it would restore the autonomy once it came to power in 1996 has done nothing during all these years except passing the Autonomy Committee report and sending it to Delhi which has rejected it outrightly. Now they are again raising this issue to mislead the people. The National Conference did not demand removal of Gujarat Chief Minister Narinder Modi because they had an eye on the Vice-President’s post, she alleged.(UNI) |
|
Newspaper offices searched, NC MLA paraded in Srinagar SRINAGAR, June 22: Offices of three Urdu dailies and a weekly were raided today in Srinagar and their staff, including a ruling National Conference MLA, Abdul Gani Naseem, paraded before the informers. Mr Naseem is printer, publisher and editor of daily Morning Times. Before the raid, carried out by the Border Security Force (BSF), building housing the offices of daily Morning Times, Daily Wattan, Daily Vaath and Weekly Ahtesab were sealed. The staff were directed to sit on the road for identification by "Cats" (security force informers). A daily Wattan employee, who was picked up during the identification, was later let off after an hour. The newspaper is owned by former militant leader turned NC legislator Javid Ahmad Shah. However, Mr Shah was not in office at the time of searches, a newspaper employee said. The publications later resumed normal functioning. Security forces also raided another office in the same building and took some people into custody. (UNI) |
|
Naidu disagrees with Omar’sstatement CHENNAI, June 22: Senior BJP leader and Union Minister Venkaiah Naidu today said it was a "wrong perception" on the part of Minister of State for External Affairs Omar Abdullah to say his father and Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah was being "shabbily treated" by the Centre. "I do not agree with his perception, which is wrong. Farooq Abdullah was always treated with utmost respect and various issues confronting his State were attended to by the Centre to the best of its ability," he said replying to questions on Omar Abdullah’s remarks yesterday. Stressing that it was unfair on the part of a Union Minister to express such views in open, Naidu said while he did not want to join issue with Omar, he would only say that it was "wrong perception" that Farooq was not given due respect by the Centre. Asked whether Omar Abdullah’s outburst was on account of denial of Vice-Presidentship to Farooq, the BJP leader declined to comment. "I have no information nor any confirmation," Naidu said when asked whether Farooq was being accommodated in the Union Cabinet. "It is the prerogative of the Prime Minister," he added.(UNI) |
|
|
| home | state | national | business| editorial | advertisement | sports | |