Govt to hold talks with J&K's new representatives : Advani

NEW DELHI, Oct 13: Fine-tuning Centre’s Kashmir policy, Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani today said that Government will enter into a dialogue with the elected representatives of Jammu and Kashmir on devolution of powers in consultation with the new Government in the state but rejected immediate resumption of talks with Pakistan or terrorists backed by it.

"Now the dialogue process will be mainly with the elected representatives of the Jammu and Kashmir who will be participating. It will be on devolution of powers and issues like relations between Srinagar and New Delhi, even Leh and Jammu", he said addressing a press conference to mark the completion of three years of NDA rule.

At the more than hour-long press conference, Advani answered questions on a variety of subjects including recent elections in J and K and in Pakistan, dialogue with Islamabad, next Lok Sabha elections in 2004, the NDA Government’s performance and the controversy over disinvestment.

He said the BJP would fight the next Lok Sabha polls under the leadership of Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee, who would soon become the longest serving Prime Minister after Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi and announced that even if his party secured a majority in the next elections the NDA coalition would continue.

Replying to questions, the Deputy Prime Minister said that even before the elections, the Government had initiated a process of dialogue with the people of Jammu and Kashmir.

Elections came and it was decided that the Government would resume the dialogue after the elections, he said.

So far as Pakistan is concerned, Advani made it clear that India was willing to have a dialogue with that country on all issues including Kashmir on which we have a different view.

"But dialogue and cross border terrorism cannot go together. It has to stop and Pakistan has to abandon cross border terror before any purposeful dialogue can take place. This is our approach". "India’s decision in respect of a dialogue will not be with respect to the Government (in Pakistan), Advani said recalling that New Delhi had invited the head of a military Government to Agra for a dialogue.

"... But the dialogue at Agra crumbled because General Pervez Musharraf called terrorism in Kashmir a freedom struggle. That stand made the Agra summit futile," he said.

"We will take up all issues if Pakistan stops cross-border terrorism. At present point of time there’s no question of dialogue," he said.

Asked whether the Government would talk to Hurriyat and militants and continue with mediation by Ram Jethmalani-headed Kashmir Committee, Advani said Government had earlier stated that let the people of Jammu and Kashmir elect their representatives as they would be the authentic voice of the people.

"We will consult the new Government as to who we should talk to and who else not to", he said.

To a question whether the Government would talk to terrorists, the Deputy Prime Minister said for a moment he was not able to understand what the question was but added that as far as terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir was concerned there could be no talks with those sent from Afghanistan or Pakistan.

He said when he talked of dialogue with militants, it was in reference to those disaffected like Bodos and Nagas and similarly placed youths in Jammu and Kashmir provided they shed arms.

Advani said the results of the just-held Pakistani parliamentary polls had "deepened" India’s concerns over cross-border terrorism as it has not "strengthened democracy but military rule." After the elections in Pakistan, the extremist forces there had become stronger.

Pakistan has anyway not fulfilled the promises it made to the world on ending cross-border terrorism, Advani said.

He said Pakistan and the militant organisations sponsored by it had "spared no effort" to see that elections in Jammu and Kashmir do not take place but had "failed".

To a question on Government’s achievement in curbing terrorism which had spread to various parts of the country, advani said under the NDA Government the battle against the terrorists had "become a two way affair" with the terrorists being decimated as against the "one-sided" violence that happened in eighties and nineties as it happened in Punjab.

"The year 2001 saw the highest number of terrorists killed and one of the biggest sustainable sources of terrorism were ISI modules. The Government had located and destroyed 161 such modules in the country," he said.

"Fight against terrorism will continue and it will be brought to its end," he said adding that occurrence of an attack was not a reflection of intelligence failure.

"It would be unfair to call all terrorist incidents as intelligence failure," he said adding he was in the know of several cases where intelligence inputs had helped avert terrorist attacks.

"Earlier there used to be no discussion on terrorism. No one (previous Governments) used to raise the issue of ISI modules, leave aside destroying them," he said expressing happiness that the West Bengal Government had also raised the issue of ISI activities in the border state.

Advani said it could be claimed that no other non-Congress Prime Minister has ruled for so long and Vajpayee "will soon be the longest serving Prime Minister of India after Pandit Nehru and Indira Gandhi".

Noting that this showed the direction in which the winds of politics in India were blowing, he said there was a time when Indian parliamentary democracy was being referred to as a single dominant party polity which lacked a two-party system.

He said the progress of BJP in the last two decades especially the last decade of 20th century saw evolution of a bi-polar polity where the two parties acted as stable poles to which other parties were attracted as per their programmes and policies.

Claiming that the BJP-led NDA had been able to offer "a stable polity and a performing Government", the DPM said this was remarkable in view of the fact that the country had witnessed five Prime Ministers between 1990 and 1998.

Hailing the leadership provided by Vajpayee, Advani said that it had played a major role in strengthening the NDA. "The experiment of coalition has enabled regional parties to share power at the Centre and think in national terms. This has also given strength to cooperative federalism".

Advani said that the NDA rule has witnessed the best possible relations between the Centre and the states as the Government "honestly tried to strengthen these relations by following the policy of neither favouring nor disfavouring any state of which party rules where".

This was despite the fact that a large number of states are governed by parties that are in opposition at the centre, he said.

Asserting that the NDA Government strengthened national security, he said that a decision was taken to conduct the Pokhran nuclear tests, brushing aside concerns that such a move would attract sanctions from major world powers.

Referring to the "historic" significance of the just-concluded J and K polls, he said "if there is one development which simultaneously showcases our commitment to national security, national unity and integrity and democracy, it is the successful completion of elections in J and K".

"The real winner in this election has been India and its democracy and the actual loser has been the ISI and the terrorist Tanzeems (groups) it has nurtured", he said.

Advani said that elections also took place in Pakistan and if one saw the comments made by the international community, "the contrast between these polls and those in J and K becomes obvious".

As the world watched the Pakistan elections, so did they watch the J and K polls closely with Foreign Embassy officials and the media visiting the northern state to see for themselves the conduct of the elections, he said. (PTI)

Farooq made chief patron
NC says it has not closed doors to form Govt

Excelsior Correspondent

SRINAGAR, Oct 13 : In a significant development, National Conference today said it has not closed its options to stake claim to form the Government in Jammu and Kashmir and asserted the Governor was constitutionally bound to invite the Party as it has emerged as the single largest group.

"Constitutionally, it is the duty of the Governor to ask the single largest party to form the Government," senior NC leader Ghulam Mohi-ud-din Shah told reporters after a 90-minute meeting of the Working Committee of the Party here to take stock of the situation after its debacle in the Assembly elections.

The stand of the party, which won 28 seats in the 87-member house, is in stark contrast with the statements made by outgoing Chief Minister Dr Farooq Abdullah and NC President Omar Abdullah who had conceded defeat and had said they would not stake claim to form Government.

Asked whether the Party was in touch with some independents and smaller groups to gain the number required to form a Government, Shah said "political wings talk to political wings. We have not closed the doors and in politics there are always surprises."

Replying to a question, Shah said "if Panthers’ Party with four MLAs can express willingness (to form Government), then why not our party. Our position is far better than their’s."

"Our Party President Omar Abdullah will be calling on Governor G C Saxena tomorrow to discuss the post-poll scenario," he said, adding the party would decide the future course of action after the outcome of their deliberations.

Besides being the single largest party, some rebel candidates of the National Conference have emerged victorious in the elections, Shah said.

He, however, did not elaborate whether the Party was holding any discussions with them.

Shah, who was the senior-most Minister in the outgoing Farooq Abdullah Cabinet, said owning moral responsibility for the debacle "our president offered to resign which was unanimously rejected by the Central Executive of the National Conference".

In fact, the entire executive appreciated the work done by Omar, despite the fact that he had joined as President only three months back, he said.

Shah said "although the Party suffered some setbacks numerically, its vote percentage has increased in the polls".

The Working Committee also decided to appoint Farooq Abdullah as Chief Patron of the party keeping in view his services after the death of Sheikh Abdullah, Shah said. Dr Abdullah, who was present in the meeting agreed to be Chief Patron.

Abdullah is the second person to become the Patron of the NC after his mother Begum Abdullah.

Shah said the Working Committee also examined the reasons behind the poor performance of the party in the elections.

Omar has also invited the views of party workers in various constituencies on the reasons for the NC’s poor performance, he said, adding there were cracks in the party.

The meeting which was attended by all senior leaders as well as new members also passed resolution condemning killing of its former Minister Mushtaq Ahmad Lone and other party workers during the election period.

The meeting also placed on record its deep gratitude to the electorate, despite all odds and hostile environment, that they polled highest percentage of votes in favour of the Party and returned it as the single largest group in the Legislature. The Party pledged to continue its relentless struggle to achieve its goal as enunciated in the party manifesto.

Nightclub bombing kills 187 in Indonesia

BALI, Oct 13: A massive explosion from a car bomb destroyed a nightclub on the tourist island of Bali, sparking a devastating inferno that killed at least 187 people and wounded more than 300 - many of them Australians and other foreigners.

There was no claim of responsibility, but the blasts came three days after the US Government issued a worldwide terror alert. The attack heightened fears that Indonesia is becoming a haven for terrorists and that Al-Qaida operatives are active.

National Police chief Gen Da’I Bachtiar said that the explosion came from a Kijang, a jeep-like vehicle, and called it "the worst act of terror in Indonesia’s history."

A second bomb exploded almost simultaneously near the island’s US Consular Office, authorities said. There were no casualties. The US Embassy’s recreation club in the Indonesian capital, Jakarta, was evacuated after a bomb threat.

President Megawati Sukarnoputri, whose Government has been accused by the United States and its neighbors of being slow to respond to the terror threat, flew to Bali and promised to cooperate with the international community in fighting terrorism.

"The bombings, once again, should be a warning for all of us that terrorism constitutes a real danger and potential threat to the national security," Megawati said.

Asked about the suspected origins of the bombers or a possible link to Al-Qaida: "That will be continuously investigated so that this can be uncovered as soon as possible."

A tearful Megawati later visited the site together with security ministers and top generals.

A security alert was declared across this sprawling country, comprised of 13,000 islands. Security Minister Susilo Bambang Yudhyono said strategic targets, like liquefied natural gas plants, "will be protected."

Australian Prime Minister John Howard vowed to launch an urgent review of national security. Australia, a staunch Washington ally, has been on a heightened state of alert since the Sept. 11 attacks.

"People should get out of their minds that it can’t happen here; it can, and it has happened to our own on our doorstep," Howard said.

The bomb last night at the Sari Club, a popular nightspot frequented by foreigners, killed Australians, Germans, Canadians, Britons, Swedes and Indonesians.

The Government’s crisis center in Bali said 187 people had died and that 309 were hurt, about 90 of them critically. Many of the survivors had suffered gruesome burns.

The blast left a large crater at the entrance to the nightclub, located in the center of Kuta, Bali’s biggest tourist area and a maze of clubs, restaurants, shops, hotels and bungalows. It caters to a younger crowd of tourists and surfers.

The blast ignited a huge blaze apparently caused by exploding gas cylinders - which collapsed the flimsy roof structure, trapping hundreds inside.

Bali Police chief Brig Gen. Budi Setyawan said most of the victims were Australians. Australia’s Deputy Ambassador in Jakarta, Neil Mules, said seven Australians were confirmed dead out of 24 bodies that had been identified by today. (AP)

West adopting double standards : PM

LONDON, Oct 13 : Taking a tough stand against terror, Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee has accused Western nations of adopting "double standards" in measuring terrorism.

"The problem is that the Western countries see terrorism on them as more serious than that inflicted on us. There is a double standard of measuring terrorism," the Prime Minister said while addressing the Indian community at a reception held in his honour here last night at the end of his 3-nation tour of Cyprus, Denmark and Britain.

Vajpayee went on to say that while on the one hand the international community condemned terrorism in all its forms, on the other they were turning a blind eye to Pakistan sponsoring terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir.

"Terrorists did not want the people of J and K to decide their fate. They are armed by our neighbour (Pakistan) and they kill innocent men, women and children. But Pakistan say they are only aiding the freedom struggle, what kind of freedom struggle is this?"

Vajpayee noted that at least 800 people have been killed in the state since the election process was announced.

He regretted the habitual negative approach of opposition parties and said they should support "good work" done by his Government and help develop the nation faster.

Vajpayee described his tour as "successful" and said the international community had acknowledged India as an emerging global power.

Vajpayee asked Non-Resident Indians to play a greater role in the speedy development of India. "In China’s progress, Non-Resident Chinese have played a major role," he pointed out.

The Prime Minister said the Government was committed to remove discrimination based on caste or creed. "Everyone has the right to follow their faith. Nobody has a right to stop others from worshipping in the way they want," he said.

Vajpayee, who regaled the audience with his poetry "Kadam Milake Chalna Hoga", said while India had made giant strides in a number of spheres, it was unfortunate the number of poor in the country had also gone up. (PTI)

All eyes focussed on J&K
New Govt will have to tread on eggs

By B L Kak

JAMMU, Oct. 13: The tallest among the Jammu and Kashmir politicians, Dr Farooq Abdullah, is down, but not out. After the people’s mandate brought about mind-boggling change, his National Conference (NC) has begun to effect a change in its format and functioning.

If the drastic change in the State’s political character, as clearly produced by the just-concluded elections, were not adequately and properly taken advantage of by the new formation—that is, the Congress and the People’s Democratic Party—the unpredictable esprit de corps of the NC (Dr Farooq) may not take long to rise from the ashes with renewed youth to live though another cycle on the political scene.

At present, focus is on the Congress High Command and Kashmir-based People’s Democratic Party, the two principal parties to the crucial issue of Government formation in the State. The Congress and the PDP haven’t, at the same time, escaped the attention of the rest of the political class in the country, particularly of Delhi’s. "I-don’t-know-you-don’t-know" syndrome became a reality past few days in the absence of a firm answer to million-dollar question: Who will be the new Chief Minister?

No wonder, a plethora of rumours, speculations of sorts, a measure of confusion, some amount of tension had to become part of atmosphere that developed with the birth of a hung Assembly. Amid the keenly-witnessed guesswork by the people across the State vis-a-vis the man for the Chief Minister’s chair, emotive issues, such as "alienation" of Kashmiris, "hurt" psyche of the Valley’s masses, "legitimate" demand for Chief Minister from the "battered" Valley, befriending the local militants, opening doors for "unconditional" dialogue with the Hurriyat Conference and other secessionists, were raked up.

The People’s Democratic Party led by Mufti Mohammed Sayeed couldn’t be faulted for highlighting these and other Valley-specific issues, simply because the party’s poll manifesto, as emphasized by Ms Mehbooba Mufti, contained the PDP’s commitment to adequately and effectively tackle these issues if voted to power. If the people’s mandate in the Valley went mostly in favour of the PDP, the people’s mandate in the Jammu region was equally epoch-making, if not earth-shaking.

In plain language, the fractured verdict can be said to have served notice, if not warning, on the political class that Jammu region can’t continue to remain subservient to Srinagar, politically, for an indefinite period of time. Political power has, after the State’s accession to the Indian Union in 1947, remained with Kashmiris. History is replete with instances to substantiate that the "Kashmiri domination"—the term used more often than not in Jammu—over the non-Kashmiri speaking population in the rest of the State did, over the years, enhance the level of discontent and dissatisfaction as well as doubts and misgivings among sections of the Jammu people.

History is also replete with a plethora of instances to illustrate that from the take-off phase (1948-49) the common leader of the State did not consider himself to be the leader of Jammu. He spoke only on behalf of Kashmiris. All Kashmiri rulers from Sheikh Mohammed Abdullah down to his son, Dr Farooq Abdullah, spoke vociferously, more often than not, on behalf of Kashmiris and, in the process, necessitated Jammu region to remain subservient, politically, to Srinagar.

Hence, the political gulf between Kashmir and Jammu became as wide as geographical gulf between them. Undisputed fact of history: Difference in the treatment of Dogra Hindus and Kashmir Muslims could not nourish the roots of secularism in the State and nor did it strengthen the unity of Kashmiris with the Indians.

How many political leaders and activists in the State’s three regions—Valley, Jammu and Ladakh—have learnt and fully understood the basic lesson, namely, the problem of the organisation of a region is that of the relationship between its subjects and the administrative apparatus? While the political and administrative set-up in Jammu and Kashmir, after the link between the State and the Indian Union became a constitutional reality, proved conducive to regional tensions, the Governmental changeovers between 1953 and 1996 did not much help to remove these tensions.

Secessionist sentiment in Kashmir valley has been fed by the communal trend in Jammu which in turn is provoked by the fears aroused by the secessionists—now, by the Islamist terrorists.Not one but hundreds of examples do illustrate the fact that Kashmir valley has profusely bled since 1990 as a result of insurgency, militancy and terrorism of the worst kind.

Hasn’t Jammu also bled during the past over a decade? Haven’t Muslim majority districts in Jammu region suffered heavily all these years on account of the ‘enemy’ within and ‘enemy’ across the border? "Yes", is the answer, if the official statistics were to be believed. Then why should one be encouraged, or instigated,to prioritise only Kashmir valley, even as Jammu and Ladakh are equally important and form constituents of the State ?

Of 11 JSM candidates, 6 forfeit deposits

By Sanjeev Pargal

JAMMU, Oct 13: RSS-backed Jammu State Morcha (JSM), which was floated barely a month before Assembly elections in the State, failed to enthuse the voters even in the RSS stronghold of Jammu City, mainly due to wrong selection of the candidates. The Morcha, which fought the election on single plank of a separate State for Jammu, won a seat in Bishnah and gave a tough fight to Congress veteran Pt Mangat Ram Sharma in Jammu West. However, in all other seats it had to suffer a humiliating defeat with its candidates failing to save their deposits in six constituencies.

The Morcha, floated on July 14—a day after the massacre of 28 civilians in Rajiv Nagar—had created a sensation in Jammu by holding the biggest ever rally at Zanana Park. The rally, which was attended among others by former CBI Director Joginder Singh and former Punjab DGP P C Dogra, was held within few days after the Morcha was floated.

However, the failure between BJP and JSM to reach an agreement on the seats, wrong selection of candidates (barring Prof Varinder Gupta from Jammu West and Rajinder Singh from Kishtwar), internal dissensions and lack of effective campaigning led to the defeat of Morcha candidates on all but one seats it contested.

The JSM contested a total of 11 seats in Jammu region. Of them, its candidates lost their deposits in six seats. Even in five Assembly seats, where there was no BJP candidate against the Morcha, the JSM candidates fared badly and couldn’t save their deposits.

The lone success for the Morcha came in Bishnah where a former Congress man Ashwani Sharma emerged victorious. Ashwani had joined the Morcha only after he was denied party mandate by the Congress. He had no background with BJP or RSS. Even, there was no guarantee that he would stay in the Morcha for a longer period.

Besides Ashwani Sharma, Prof Varinder Gupta was only other Morcha candidate, who made his presence felt in Jammu West constituency. He polled 17,704 votes (27.96 per cent of the total votes polled) and lost to veteran Congress (I) leader Mangat Ram Sharma by about 7800 votes.

In prestigious Jammu East seat, a stronghold of the RSS since 1950, the JSM candidate Tilak Raj Sharma could muster only 4653 votes (13 per cent) and finished third. Even Shiv Sena candidate Sanjay Mahay polled 4635 votes, just 18 votes short of the JSM nominee. The JSM, however, had the solace of seeing BJP’s Ashok Khajuria defeated. Khajuria lost to Congress candidate Yogesh Sawhney with 3300 votes while Tilak Raj Sharma polled 4635 votes, clearly indicating that BJP-JSM infighting cost the Jammu East seat to BJP.

Most shocking was defeat of the Morcha candidates in Gandhi Nagar, Chhamb, Udhampur, RS Pura and Nowshera Assembly constituencies. In Chhamb, the Morcha candidate Tej Ram polled just 995 votes and finished third. Not only Tej Ram forfeited his deposit, he finished behind a Panthers Party candidate, who got 1914 votes.

Surprisingly, Tej Ram had polled 12001 votes out of a total of 36,469 valid votes in 1996 Assembly election which he had contested as a BJP candidate and lost to Congress candidate Tara Chand with just 600 votes. In 1996, Tej Ram’s vote share was 33 per cent while in this poll, he got just two per cent votes. A BJP rebel Chaman Lal Kanaithia, who jumped into the fray as an independent candidate after the seat was allotted to the Morcha, secured 9286 votes.

In Nowshera Assembly segment in Rajouri district, the late BJP leader Vaid Vishnu Dutt, a two time MP from Jammu-Poonch seat, had polled about 31,000 votes in 1999 Lok Sabha election. And, in 2002 Assembly poll, the Morcha candidate Sushil Sudan (state president of Bajrang Dal) got a mere 3288 votes and failed to even save his deposit. Such a sharp decline in the votes was despite the fact that there was no BJP candidate—either official or rebel—in fray in Nowshera.

Even when Dr Nirmal Singh of BJP lost Jammu-Poonch seat in the by-election held in February this year, he had a lead of 6,000 votes in Nowshera. Such a poor performance by a joint BJP-JSM candidate was a clear indication that the Morcha leadership faulted in selection of the candidates.

Worst was the performance of JSM candidate in Udhampur, another bastion of the RSS. A prominent BJP leader with RSS background Som Nath Khajuria, who had joined the JSM to contest the Assembly election, could muster only 904 votes and lost his deposit. Senior JSM leaders had camped in Udhampur for several days to ensure Khajuria’s success but they failed in their efforts.

Another JSM candidate Jatinder Bhagat forfeited his deposit in RS Pura (reserve) seat. He got 2145 votes and finished fifth. RS Pura was the seat, where JSM didn’t face opposition from the BJP. In Banihal, JSM candidate Abdul Aziz Katoch could get only 767 votes and finished fifth. Katoch had polled 2084 votes in 1996 election when he was a BJP candidate.

Like Katoch, another JSM candidate Rajinder Singh secured only 6551 votes out of a total of 40,473 votes polls in Kishtwar Assembly segment this time. Rajinder Singh was a BJP candidate in Kishtwar in 1996 and had polled 10,900 votes out of a total of 36,131 votes polled. Similarly, another BJP leader Kashmira Singh, who fought the election as a JSM nominee in Billawar got 7355 votes out of a total of 57,766 votes polled in this election. Kashmira Singh had contested 1996 Assembly election on the BJP mandate and polled 12,722 votes out of a total of 37,273 votes. Kashmira had lost 1996 poll with 600-odd votes while in 2002 he was nowhere in the race when he jumped into the fray as a JSM candidate.

JSM candidate Onkar Seth was no exception in Gandhi Nagar seat, where he polled 2436 votes (just three per cent) and failed to save his deposit. Gandhi Nagar seat was represented by the BJP in the outgoing Assembly.

Jammu Statehood Front, another organisation which contested the election on the plank of statehood for Jammu, too couldn’t do much at the hustings. Statehood Front leader Udhay Chand could muster only 333 votes (.5 per cent) and finished 13th in Jammu West. Another Front leader Hemant Rao Sathe got 155 votes (.4 per cent) in Jammu East and finished 12th in Jammu East. All other Front candidates met same fate in the elections.

All Party Jammu Statehood Movement (APJSM), another organisation headed by Yash Bhasin, which contested the election on statehood plank, couldn’t do much. Its candidate Rameshwar Singh polled 315 votes in Jammu East.

Omar should return to Centre: Nitish

RANCHI, Oct 13: Railway Minister Nitish Kumar today said National Conference leader Omar Abdullah should return to the Centre as he was a highly capable minister.

"Omar Abdullah’s return is a matter between him and the Prime Minister but my personal opinion is that he should return to the Union Ministry as he is very talented and capable of discharging his duties," Kumar told reporters after flagging off the Ranchi-Kurla train.

He said the impressive turn-out in the recent free and fair Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir was a proof that people had rejected Pakistani designs.

Kumar refused to reply to recent allegations made by CPI (M) politburo member Sitaram Yechuri here that there was a stock scam behind the disinvestment controversy.

The Samata leader expressed ignorance about Jharkhand Government’s reservation policy saying he had not yet spoken to the State Samata chief and Excise Minister Ramesh Singh Munda and so he could not comment on that.

He also lauded the Marandi Government for taking the state ahead on the path of development. (PTI)

Advani asks J&K Governor to ensure Govt formation soon

NEW DELHI, Oct 13: Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani today said he has asked Jammu and Kashmir Governor G C Saxena to ensure that the new Government is formed in the State at the earliest with opportunity given to whosoever is able to do it as per Constitution.

At a press conference here, he said this morning PDP president Mufti Mohammad Sayeed had met him and was happy over the impartial conduct of elections in J and K.

Advani quoted Mufti as saying that the people of the state were extremely happy over the free and fair conduct of the elections.

The DPM said that he has talked to the Governor and told him to give opportunity to whosoever is able to form the Government as per the constitution to ensure that the new Government was in place at the earliest. (PTI)

New J&K Assembly constituted

SRINAGAR, Oct 13: The new Jammu and Kashmir Assembly has been constituted with the Election Commission today formally notifying the names of all the members elected to the 87-member Assembly.

According to the notification, a general election was held for the purpose of constituting a new Legislative Assembly for the state of Jammu and Kashmir in pursuance of notifications issued by the Governor under the various sections of Representation of People Act, 1957.

Returning officers of all the 87 constituencies of the State Assembly have declared the results in their respective segments, an official spokesman said.

National Conference emerged as the single largest party bagging 28 seats followed by Congress with 20, People’s Democratic Party - 16 and independents - 13. (PTI)

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