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Congress creates history as it climbs down
Mufti to be new CM of J&K

Excelsior Team

NEW DELHI, Oct 26: Mufti Mohammed Sayeed, supremo of People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and former Union Home Minister, will be the new Chief Minister of the beleaguered State of Jammu and Kashmir.

Formal announcement of Mufti Sayeed heading a coalition Government came exactly 16 days after the intense tug-of-war between the PDP and the Congress(I) over Chief Ministership.

The announcement came from the Congress supremo, Ms Sonia Gandhi, in the capital on Saturday night, at the end of her crucial parleys with Mufti Sayeed.

Ms Sonia Gandhi threw a surprise,as by virtue of authority vested in her as the esprit de corps of the Congress she conceded Chief Ministership to the PDP chief. She left none in doubt that the Mufti will now lead a multi-party coalition Government with her party as a major partner.

The day of hectic activities finally resulted in the epoch-making, if not earth-shaking, decision on Chief Ministership, which, in fact, was wrapped up at Ms Sonia Gandhi’s meeting with Mufti Sayeed. The meeting was also attended by the CPI(M) leader, Mr Yusuf Tarigami. The Panthers Party chief, Prof. Bhim Singh, also joined them towards the end.

The discussions at 10, Janpath, the abode of Ms Sonia, followed the submission of a draft CMP (common minimum programme) by senior Congress leaders, Mr Arjun Singh and Dr Manmohan Singh, who has finalised it with Mufti Sayeed on Friday night.

The Congress president, it was emphasized by Mr Arjun Singh, had accepted the draft "without any change".

That the PDP and Congress would come together for Government formation was clear on Wednesday itself, when after taking hard positions, Mufti Sayeed’s daughter, Ms Mehbooba Mufti, called Ms Sonia on telephone and sought a meeting in the wake of the Congress party’s decision the previous night to bypass the PDP to stake claim to power.

Ms Sonia’s announcement came after an agreement between the Congress and the PDP on a common minimum programme. Congress president was forthright when she admitted that several of her Chief Ministers had favoured her party to lead the Government in J&K.

This notwithstanding, she decided to give "Mufti sahib a chance in the interest of the people of Jammu and Kashmir and the people of the Valley". Meeting mediapersons in the company of Ms Sonia Gandhi, the Mufti said that the decision to have a coalition under his leadership would "fulfil aspirations of the people and meet the challenges ahead".

Defending her decision, Ms Sonia stressed: "It was right to give Mufti sahib a chance". She also emphasized: "We are determined to see the aspirations and hope of the people are fulfilled".

And Mufti Sayeed’s emphasis on the theme: "We have decided to unite". He continued his brief statement by saying: "There is common concern among all of us. Together this is the golden opportunity provided to the State of Jammu and Kashmir".

Ms Sonia Gandhi did field pointed questions on rotational Chief Minister for the State. It was, eventually, the J&K PCC chief, Mr Ghulam Nabi Azad, who provided a clearer picture. He made it plain that J&K will have a rotational Chief Minister with Mufti Sayeed remaining in the post for first three years.

Mr Azad said: "Jo bhee faisla hua hai, woh teen saal kay liye hua hai (Whatever decision has been taken is for three years each)". Mr Azad told mediapersons that there would be Deputy Chief Minister from the Congress. And his loaded suggesgtion: Post of Deputy Chief Minister would go to someone other than him. His valid argument in this connection: "CLP (Congress Legislature Party) leader becomes the Chief Minister".

The coalition Government is likely to have the four-member Panthers Party and the seven-member People’s Democratic Forum (PDF) comprising two MLAs of CPI(M) and independents. While the Congress has 20 MLAs, PDP has 16 in the 87-member Legislative Assembly.

"We will be discussing how to coordinate and consolidate secular forces to give a healing touch", Mufti Sayeed said, while addressing mediapersons in presence of Prof. Bhim Singh, Mr Yusuf Tarigami and Mr Ghulam Nabi Azad.

Ms Sonia Gandhi was asked about the status of Mr Azad, who was elected as leader of Congress Legislature Party. Her reply: "All these matters will be taken up tomorrow". When asked why more than two weeks were taken to take a decision, she said that the Congress "is a large organisation and has a system of functioning".

While admitting that many were of the view that the Congress should lead the Government, Ms Sonia Gandhi said: "Congress Working Committee was consulted besides Chief Ministers and senior party leaders. A lot of discussions were held. Finally, myself and my colleagues decided in larger interest of people of Jammu and Kashmir that it was the right thing to give Mufti sahib the Chief Ministership".

When asked when the coalition would stake claim to form the Government, Ms Sonia said that it was for the Mufti to decide. To a question as to how the national interest would be served if the Congress did not lead the Government, Ms Sonia said: "It is not that Congress could not deliver or address aspirations of the people. But we took this decision after extensive discussions.

Ms Sonia Gandhi, in fact dismissed a suggestion that Chief Minister’s post was conceded to the PDP since the party felt that it could not deliver the goods. She made it plain that the common minimum programme for the coalition Government had been approved by the Mufti and would be discussed with other smaller parties and independents before being formally released tomorrow.

Mufti Sayeed, who addressed the joint press conference along with Ms Sonia, described the reaching of the agreement on the Congress-PDP coalition Government as "a great opportunity for the people of Kashmir and a turning point in its history".

He said that the people of Kashmir voted courageously in spite of the fear psychosis created by the militants. "They now need a healing touch". He added that his Government would endeavour to fulfil the aspirations of the people and to meet the challenges.

Vajpayee alerts forces against terrorists' unexpected tactics

NEW DELHI, Oct 26: Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee today alerted the security forces against "unexpected targets and tactics" of terrorists, noting that chemical and biological weapons could "fall into the hands of non-state actors".

Calling for sharpening of intelligence capabilities to ward off such threats, he told top commanders of the three services that "technology has now created chemical and biological weapons of great diversity, which are difficult to detect. Many of the techniques and weapons can fall into hands of non-state actors".

Making it clear that India would not hold talks with Pakistan while "terrorist guns are held to our heads," Vajpayee said most countries have accepted the validity of India’s position that "we can have a meaningful dialogue only if cross-border terrorism ends".

Referring to the decision to pull back troops from the International Border with Pakistan, Vajpayee said "our military mobilisation sharply focussed international attention on the ravages of terrorism".

He told the meeting, also attended by Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani, Defence Minister George Fernandes and External Affairs Minister Yashwant Sinha, that the international community has now acknowledged that the brutal killings of men, women and children in Jammu and Kashmir "is not a freedom struggle but naked terrorism driven by Pakistan."

Lauding the armed forces for their role during the troop mobilisation after the December 13 attack on Parliament, Vajpayee said India’s engagement with the international community over the past year had made it absolutely clear that the world should come together either to persuade or coerce Pakistan to stop cross-border terrorism.

At the same time, he said it was for India and Pakistan to sit together bilaterally to resolve all issues between them, including Jammu and Kashmir.

Declaring that cross-border terrorism was continuing, Vajpayee said the physical threat to voters and candidates in J and K during the just-concluded Assembly polls had now been transformed into death threats against elected representatives.

Stating that threats to security from terrorism were not only restricted to J and K but also elsewhere in the country, the Prime Minister said "we have also seen virtually every democratic society is vulnerable to threat. Its targets are varied; From a temple in Gujarat to night clubs in Bali and theatre in Moscow."

Vajpayee said after the J and K polls, even foreign observers have admitted that the residual insurgency in the State "is foreign in conception, participation and execution".

"But we do not see any hint of a genuine desire on the part of Pakistan to substitute terrorism with dialogue," he said.

Stressing on the need for strongly countering the increasing activities of insurgent groups in the North-East, the Prime Minister said some of these groups were "receiving sanctuary, finance, training and assistance from some of our neighbours".

"It is time for us to take firm action on this", he said, contending that "as on the western front, India could not condone foreign insurgency, whose domestic support is dwindling".

For the first time, Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani also spoke at the conference charging Pakistan with becoming the epicentre of global terrorism.

He said India has to fight cross-border terrorism on its own even if the international community was not forthcoming with any help.

He also patted the armed forces for their excellent role in not only defending the borders but also in situations wherever called upon to help the civilian authorities.

In his address, Defence Minister George Fernandes stressed on the need for the armed forces to operate with a high degree of jointness and synergy.

Emphasising the need for speedier armament acquisition, production and development of capital equipment, Fernandes said structural changes made in the ministry in the past year especially setting up of Defence Procurement Board had started showing results.

Referring to military cooperation with friendly countries, Fernandes said joint exercises with advanced countries like the US have provided valuable first-hand experience of observing and interacting with a group of experienced professionals, trained on modern systems and designs to achieve similar goals, and also better understanding of security concerns of each other.

Pointing out that allocation for defence in the budget estimate had been increased to Rs 65,000 crore in the current financial year, he said "this presents both a challenge and an opportunity." He hoped the budget allocation would be utilised to the full extent.

On various welfare measures for ex-servicemen, Fernandes said Government has approved a new contributory health scheme, which would cover 90 per cent of the ex-servicemen in the country. Nearly two lakh dwelling units are being built for the serving defence personnel, he added. (PTI)