Suhail Khan

Srinagar, March 22 : Police on Friday claimed the minor who lost his life during gunfight in north Kashmir’s Hajin Town of Bandipora district was killed by a top Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) militant Ali.

Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Bandipora Rahul Malik told reporters at a press conference that since a week, they were receiving information about the presence of militants in Hajin area. “In the process, we launched lot many CASOs and yesterday we have had three cordon-and-search-operation during which an encounter raged.

“In the encounter initially we rescued the six civilians in the first two hours and after that, we came to know that two more civilians were inside who were taken hostage by these two militants,” the SSP claimed.

The officer said they tried several methods to rescue the civilians. “The most important one was that we made asked their relatives to make announcements from mikes and loudspeakers. We also involved the Auqaf committee members to announce from mosque loudspeakers. Apart from that we also involved our team which is specialized in-room intervention and they went into the third floor but by the time again the militants fired at them,” the SSP said.

He said that they tried to send the mother of one of the civilians inside the house. “The mother went inside and she appealed but the militants again opened fire. In that process, we were able to rescue one hostage, the uncle of the minor boy, and we again appealed militants in presence of the magistrate who was called to the site to release the boy but the efforts couldn’t be matured and finally, the fire from militant side intensified and we also retaliated. (GNS)

JAMMU MARCH 22 : National Conference President Dr Farooq Abdullah on Friday said the seat sharing arrangement with the Congress for upcoming Lok Sabha elections in Jammu and Kashmir has been worked out to strengthen secular fabric of India by marginalizing and isolating the divisive forces.

“The tie up with the Congress is purely to keep the divisive forces at bay and in the larger interest of the nation, which is facing numerous challenges posed by elements inimical to the idea of India”. Dr Farooq Abdullah said while addressing the party functionaries, district and block presidents and secretaries of the Jammu province besides heads of various wings at Sher-e-Kashmir Bhavan here.

“Politics of divide and hate is detrimental to our unity and secular ethos and if not contained there is every apprehension of the country getting divided”, the National Conference President said adding that the parties believing in inclusiveness should come together to meet this challenge. He said his party took a conscious decision of not fielding Mr B. R. Kundal as its candidates from Jammu-Poonch seat, despite his track record of public service as a dedicated, devoted and honest top bureaucrat. He hoped the Congress to appreciate the need of strengthening the Mahaghatbandhan at the national level and in various states.

Dr Farooq Abdullah cautioned people against BJP’s reactionary politics, saying the agenda of Ram Mandir has been strategically put into back-burner in order to project Prime Minister Mr Narendra Modi as the sole savior of the country. “Now nobody in the BJP camp is raking up Mandir politics and what they are harping on is that Modi alone can save this country”, he said and added that this is negating the great contribution of the successive Prime Ministers of India. He said ahead of Balakote, there was buzz in the national capital about something like this happening.

“In the backdrop of Balakote, the BJP is trying to divert the attention of people from failures of its five-year misrule”, National Conference chief said and asked the NDA government to explain as to where the promise about creation of two crore jobs annually evaporated. He said the prices have been witnessing alarming upward swing while the suicides of farmers had unfortunately increased manifold during the past five years. He said the country is suffering on all fronts.

He also questioned role of the BJP in Jammu and Kashmir during the past few years and referred to the overt and covert attempts of weakening Article 35A and Article 370. He said Article 35A was manifestation of the state subject laws enacted by the Maharaja to protect the interests of the people of Jammu and Kashmir. He said the people of the state will foil all attempts of tinkering with Article 35A, which stands guarantee to their rights, honour and dignity. He referred to the decision taken by Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mr Kamal Nath with regard to provision of jobs to the residents of the state and said Jammu and Kashmir cannot allow its special identity getting weakened in any way.

Dr Farooq Abdullah reminded the cadre of the sacrifices made by National Conference for maintaining peace and tranquility in the State and strengthening democracy. He said many of its leaders and workers gave their lives for honour and dignity of the people.

National Conference Provincial President Mr Devender Singh Rana also spoke on the occasion.

The Congress nominees for Udhampur parliamentary constituency Mr Vikramdittya Singh and Jammu seat Mr Mr Raman Bhalla also joined the meeting, expressed their gratitude to Dr Farooq Abdullah for lending support to them and hoped the arrangement between National Conference and Congress top leaders will yield desired results in foiling the machinations of the BJP to divide Indian polity on religious lines.

Prominent among those present on the occasion included senior NC leaders, former ministers, former legislators, state level functionaries, provincial heads of various wings of the party, district and block presidents and secretaries.

Srinagar, Mar 22, : Hurriyat (G) Conference chairman, Syed Ali Geelani in a statement to the press strongly condemned the killing of Hajin youth on Friday.

The spokesman paying tributes to the slain militants of Sopore, Hajan and Shopian encounters Hurriyat chairman said that New Delhi through its forces has crossed all the limits of ruthlessness and unabated killings, arrests, psychological and physical torture, jails and interrogations centers, is their new hoby.

Condemning the use of brute force against the civilians protestors in Shopian, Hurriyat chairman said that on the pretext of search and cordon operations common people are deliberately targeted and victimized by the men in uniform. In this grim situation the life of common people has became miserable and vulnerable at the hands of armed forces in every nook and corner of the state, the spokesman said.

Condemning the closure of Jamia Masjid Srinagar yet again, Hurriyat chairman said that preventing people from offering prayers is an ample proof that they cannot tolerate any other faith under their rule.

Hurriyat chairman appealed international community, global peers, freedom loving nations and rights champions to peep into these deadly suffocating and desperate inhabitants of this unfortunate valley and help them out of this unending nightmare

Srinagar, Mar 22 : As the Baramulla parliamentary constituency is going for polls on April 11, the three candidates belonging to three regional parties including National Conference (NC), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Peoples Conference (PC) have filed their nominations papers today in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district.

National Conference (NC) candidate from Baramulla Lok Sabha Constituency, Muhammad Akbar Lone on Friday filed his nomination papers for the upcoming parliamentary elections. The elections for the seat will be held on April 11.

Akbar Lone was supported by scores of his supporters while filing the nomination papers today in Baramulla district.

Lone while talking to reporters after filing nomination papers said, “The support of the political parties will be cleared once the election will be over. We hope the NC will emerge victorious in the elections.”

He said the party will raise the Kashmir issue in parliament as any confrontation between India and Pakistan since 1947 is the outcome of Kashmir issue.

“There can be no peace in India and Pakistan till the Kashmir issue is not resolved,” he said, adding that Kashmir issue an important issue and must be raised in parliament.

PDP candidate from Baramulla Lok Sabha Constituency, Abdul Qayoom Wani also filed his nomination papers for the upcoming parliamentary elections.

Wani who was accompanied by many of his supports filed his nomination papers today at north Kashmir’s Baramulla district, during which his supporters raised slogans in support of Wani.

After filing his nomination paper, Wani while talking to reporters said that PDP has an agenda vis-avis Kashmir issue and want both the countries including India and Pakistan to live with peace.

According to news agency, he said PDP want that all the stakeholders including Hurriyat must sit together to resolve the issue once for all so that the bloodshed in Kashmir will come to an end.

Wani also said that they will work for removal of POTA and TADA laws and also on equal development for all the three divisions including Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh.

Asked why he joined PDP, the former top unionist said that PDP has pro-people agenda as it always advocate the aspirations of people. “In the previous tenure, PDP raised voice for the people on several times including the case of Rassana girl and many more,” he added.

Peoples Conference (PC) candidate from Baramulla Lok Sabha Constituency, Raja Aijaz Ali also filed his nomination papers for the upcoming parliamentary elections.

Ali was accompanied by party’s chairman and former minister, Sajad Gani Lone and many of the party’s supporters who raised slogans in favour of the party and the Bla candidate.

Talking to reporters after filing nomination papers, Ali appealed people to cast their vote in the favour of the party to give them a chance. “Give us a chance, we will show a visible change on the ground,” he said. (KNS) 

Srinagar, March 22: Veteran political leader, social activist and former General Secretary of the state congress committee Abdul Ahad Yatoo joined People’s Democratic Party (PDP) along with hundreds of his supporters in presence of the Party President and former chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti in Srinagar today.

Mr. Yatoo hails from the Pattan area of Baramulla and has been actively involved in the state politics and contested many elections during last 3 decades.

Miss Mufti, while welcoming Yattoo into the party fold said that his joining will further strengthen the party at the grass roots in general and in Pattan area in particular.

Srinagar, Mar 22 : Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate from Baramulla Lok Sabha Constituency, Abdul Qayoom Wani on Friday filed his nomination papers for the upcoming parliamentary elections. The elections for the seat will be held on April 11.

Wani who was accompanied by many of his supports filed his nomination papers today in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district, during which his supporters raised slogans in support of former top unionist leader.

After filing his nomination paper, Wani while talking to reporters said that PDP has an agenda vis-a-vis Kashmir issue and want both the countries including India and Pakistan to live with peace.

He said PDP want that all the stakeholders including Hurriyat must sit together to resolve the issue once for all so that the bloodshed in Kashmir will come to an end.

Wani also said they will work for removal of POTA and TADA laws and also on equal development for all the three divisions including Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh.

Asked why he joined PDP, the former top unionist said that PDP has pro-people agenda as it always advocate the aspirations of people. “In the previous tenure, PDP raised voice for the people on several times including the case of Rassana girl and many more,” he added. (KNS)

SRINAGAR, March 22: Terming the upcoming parliament and assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir as one of the crucial elections, former Finance Minister Syed Mohammad Altaf Bukhari on Friday said these elections would likely pose a serious challenge for the special status of the State and to its inclusive political culture.

Addressing a workers’ convention at his private office here, Bukhari emphasized on the state’s electorate to compare and elect their candidates on promises made versus performance basis.

The former minister observed that people of the state particularly that of the Kashmir valley, have not forgotten that they were asked for votes in lieu of a ‘mandate for a mission’.

“People have not even forgotten being promised to ‘make the parliament a forum for representing the Kashmir issue at the national level’. But what they did in the Parliament later?” Bukhari asked, adding, “Analyze their attendance and performance on internet and you will witness their dismal track record of attending and intervening in the House. They have simply been mute spectators in the Parliament and wasted the mandate of people.”

The former finance minister remarked that people need to elect their representatives after proper application of mind and wisdom. “While we need to show a united face and defeat the nefarious designs of some divisive political forces, at the same time we need to strengthen the hands of the leadership that has the courage to call a spade a spade.”

Bukhari opined that the electorate of Jammu and Kashmir especially in the valley must decide whether they want to go with the forces who berated and bartered their mandate for their petty political gains or the forces who can safeguard their interests and the special identity of the State.

He said a drastic electoral division or fragmented vote will not be in the interests of people as the same can give a hegemonic control over all state institutions, as well as the public discourse in the hands of forces who are inimical to the identity of this state.

The former minister also stressed on a need for creating a conducive and peaceful atmosphere for holding elections saying that political activities cannot fetch a desired change in an atmosphere of mass arrests, raids, civilian harassment and custodial killings.

“Although almost all the mainstream political parties have condemned the recent custodial killing of the school teacher but mere words cannot heal the wounds of that family. The probe in this incident needs to be conducted in a transparent and time bound manner so that the culprits are booked as per law,” Bukhari reiterated his demand.

He said it is unfortunate the entire Kashmir especially its Southern area had to bear the brunt of colossal betrayal of the public mandate. “Today the south Kashmir presents a deserted look. Almost every family has suffered a brunt of the conflict.  And the responsibility of this situation solely lies on those who promised them moon and in return offered them pellets,” he remarked.

The convention that was attended by prominent workers of Amirakadal assembly constituency demanded a door-to-door to visit by Bukhari to assess and evaluate their future developmental needs and remedial plans to address them accordingly.