Excelsior Correspondent

KATHUA, July 7: Ridiculing loud speak of PDP and BJP,  Provincial President Devender Singh Rana on Monday asserted that National Conference will emerge as single largest party in upcoming Assembly elections by maintaining edge in all the three regions of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh.
“If some people want to take pleasure by day dreaming they are free to do so but ground situation is not going to change”, Provincial President Devender Singh Rana and State Vice President Surjeet Singh Slathia said while addressing a day long party convention here.
They, however, cautioned the people against vicious propaganda being spread by parties like PDP and BJP with eye on votes and said their entire edifice stands on falsehood and populism. They took dig at these parties, especially for making tall claims on  the numbers in the ensuing elections, saying their political relevance is a big question mark. They said that several misgivings are being spread about the state subject laws, ignoring the historic reality that it was Maharaja Hari Singh who enacted this revolutionary legislation in 1927 to save the people of Jammu and Kashmir from dominance of elite and affluent sections of non-state subjects.
They asked the people to remain vigilant against these elements who are hand in glove and working complimentary and supplementary to each other with the only objective of weakening National Conference. “Despite lacking minimum required political base in the Jammu province, the PDP is running paper tigers with loud speak”, they added.
“Given the committed cadre base, upright leadership and presence across the state, National Conference will provide a stable government”, Mr Rana said.
The Provincial President said the party has faired well in most of the constituencies in the Jammu in 2008 Assembly elections which gives us confidence to have a good number of seats from here alongside majorityin the Valley and Ladakh. He urged the party cadre to put up their best for meeting the challenge and steer National Conference to massive victory.
Describing workers and the grass roots level functionaries as the real strength of National Conference, Mr Rana said their commitment to the policies and programmes and whole hearted support of the people has all along made Sher-e-Kashmir great legacy to wither away all obstacles and challenges.
He also dwelt on various issues particularly with regard to the rehabilitation of refugees and said the Chief Minister Omar Abdullah is seized of the problems of displaced population of Pakistan occupied Kashmir of 1947, 1965 and 1971 and efforts are on to have their problems redressed.
Speaking on the occasion, Sr State Vice President Mr Slathia impressed upon the need for a massive mandate to National Conference, saying this is imperative for taking bold decisions with regard to development and implementation of various welfare programmes, He said Omar led government has laid a strong edifice of development which is needed to be taken forward for deriving optimum results at the grass roots level.
Referring to the revolutionary measures like Public Services Guarantee and Right to Information Acts, Mr Slathia said these are essentially aimed at making the Government accountable, administration responsive and people empowered to ask questions. He said the Chief Minister believes in transparency, as a result of which these historic measures have been initiated. Prominent among those present on the occasion included Vice Presidents Rattan Lal Gupta, Th Kashmira Singh and Babu Ram Pal besides Provincial Secretary Sheikh Bashir Ahmed.
Later Mr. Rana along with other senior  National Conference leaders visited Lakhanpur where the local population urged him to impress upon the Government that the toll tax as well as the passenger tax of the passenger busses should be collected at the old toll building so that the business of Lakhanpur does not get affected. Mr Rana assured the deputation  that he will take up the matter with the concerned authorities.

Excelsior Correspondent

SRINAGAR, July 7: To condole the sad demise of Justice Mufti Baha-ud-Din Farooqui, former Chief Justice of Jammu and Kashmir, a Full Court Reference was held at High Court here today.
Speaking on the occasion, Justice Virender Singh said, “the sad demise of Mufti Baha-ud-Din Farooqui has once again reminded us that the life is transitory and death is the ultimate truth. However, good deeds and actions of a good person are cherished and remembered for all times to come”, adding “Farooqui was by all reckoning an outstanding and illustrious personality”.
“The sad demise of Farooqui has created a great vacuum in legal field, which is difficult to be filled up. It is an irreparable loss to the legal fraternity in particular and society as a whole in general”, Justice Singh said, adding “his memories will linger on in our minds for all times to come”.
Justice Singh on behalf of the Chief Justice and other Judges expressed heartfelt sympathies and condolence with the members of bereaved family and prayed for eternal peace to the departed soul and endurance to the bereaved family to bear the loss.
Among others, the Judges on the Bench of High Court, former Judges, Advocate General, Law Officers, Assistant Solicitor General, Judicial Officers of Subordinate Courts Srinagar, besides Court Officers attended the condolence meeting.
Meanwhile, work in Jammu wing of the High Court as well as Subordinate Courts remained affected as Bar suspended the work to mourn the demise of ex-Chief Justice.
A meeting of the J&K High Court Bar Association, Jammu was held under the chairmanship of its President Senior Advocate M.K Bhardwaj wherein demise of former Chief Justice was mourned.
The Bar members remembered him as not only a thorough gentleman of exception calibre, conviction, compassion but also as a  professional who was an institution unto himself and a lawyers friendly Justice.
The meeting was attended by the office bearers of the J&K High Court Bar Association Sindhu Sharma (Vice-President), Ranjit S Jamwal (Gen Secretary) Prem N Sadotra (Joint Secretary), Gurveer Singh (Treasurer) and YLA members Diljit Singh Manhas (President), Pardeep Majotra (Vice President), Sahil Sharma (Joint Secy) and Shehzia Azad (Cashier).