The Tribune

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Monday , July 13, 1998

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Govt not to stifle media: PM
From Jangveer Singh
Tribune News Service
MANDI GOBINDGARH, (Fatehgarh Sahib), July 12 — Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee today said that the government would introduce a legislation on freedom of information in Parliament.
Addressing the 11 conference of the National Union of Journalists in the steel town here, Mr Vajpayee said every citizen had the right to freedom of information, except in matters which related to the security of the country or affected its relations with foreign countries. He, however, did not specify when the legislation would be introduced in Parliament.
Speaking on the nuclear front, the Prime Minister said the nuclear technology developed by India would be used for power generation to remove the shortage being faced in this area.
He, however, made the value of nuclear technology as a deterrent clear by saying: "We have to save ourselves. That is clear. Pokhran was the result of the need of the scientists to test their capability".
He highlighted the country's commitment towards eradication of weapons of mass destruction. He said the nation would make efforts towards this goal at the international level. Admitting that the country was under severe pressure to abandon its nuclear programme, he said India would not succumb to the pressure.
The Prime Minister said he hoped that the government would complete its term in the office. He said the Akali Dal and the BJP were running governments at both Centre and the state and took decisions together on all issues. He said the press, however, concentrated on differences between the two partners and regularly gave news that the parties were moving away from each other. "The Akali-BJP alliance is not between two parties but is "bhaichara", he added.
Mr Vajpayee stressed the need of newspapers to cater to mofussil towns and villages, adding that development activities at these places should find space in the newspapers.
The Prime Minister said newspapers sometimes adopted a negative attitude which was not right as truth got suppressed in the process. He said it was also important that the selection of news be in national interest, adding that the government would create such an atmosphere that no one tried to browbeat the media as had happened during the emergency.
Talking about his life as a journalist before Independence, Mr Vajpayee said then everyone wanted to give his contribution to the cause. "Sadly journalism has changed now and become a business". He said the aim of the newspapers should not be to earn revenue only.
Maintaining that newspapers sometimes carry wrong reports, he regretted that their denials do not get the same prominence.
He said media in India had a great role to play in giving the right direction to the educated youth, scientists and engineers.

Gowda also for OBC quota
From K V Prasad
Tribune News Service
NEW DELHI, July 12 - The issue of inclusion of a quota for Other Backward Classes (OBCs) and minorities in the Bill providing for 33 per cent reservation for women in Parliament and state Assemblies today gained ground with a former Prime Minister, Mr H.D. Deve Gowda also pleading for it.
Even as some parties like the Samajwadi Party and the Rashtriya Janata Dal were planning steps to stall the Bill’s introduction and passage in its current form, the government said it will introduce the Constitution (84th) Amendment Bill (providing for women’s reservation) in the Lok Sabha tomorrow.
The Parliamentary Affairs Minister, Mr Madan Lal Khurana, said that support from the Congress, the Left parties and small groups was enough to give the Bill the requisite two-third backing.
The Samajwadi Party is opposed to the percentage of reservation and also wants a quota for OBCs while the RJD wants the entire quota to be reserved for OBCs, SC/ST and others.
Adding to it is the demand by some MPs belonging to minorities, that Muslim women be given proportional reservation within the proposed 33 per cent. The Bahujan Samaj Party, the National Conference and Muslim League MPs also attended a meeting last week convened by a RJD MP, Mr M.A.A. Fatmi where the demand was formalised.
These MPs are planning to hold discussions with Muslim MPs in other parties tomorrow to finalise their strategy.
There is yet another dimension. Though the Congress has officially announced its support to the Bill and is prepared to issue a whip to carry it forward, some former MPs are busy lobbying for inclusion of OBCs at this stage.
Former Rajya Sabha MP from Andhra Pradesh, Mr V. Hanumantha Rao, has been contacting MPs and former MPs to rally support for a quota for the OBCs. They plan to submit a memorandum to the Congress President, Mrs Sonia Gandhi, on the issue.
Another section in the Congress is against such blanket support since the move could end by giving the BJP political advantage.
The Congress President, Mrs Sonia Gandhi had announced in Jaipur yesterday support for the Bill and her resolve to fulfil late Rajiv Gandhi’s dream to provide for reservation to women.
While the government had stated that the issue could be taken up at a later stage, as decided by the joint select committee of the last Lok Sabha, Mr Deve Gowda, today made an earlier plea for inclusion of a quota for OBCs.
In a letter to the Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee, the former Premier underlined that appropriate time for the inclusion of OBCs was now.
The former Prime Minister said his party was in favour of bringing the weaker sections to the forefront of governance of the nation.
The Janata Dal had agreed for reservation at the all party meeting convened by the government last Friday. Mr Gowda while reiterating his and the party's support to the Bill appealed for setting aside quota for OBCs and minorities.
Even among the BJP allies, the Samata Party and the AIADMK and its allies are for inclusion of quota for the OBCs in the reservation Bill.

Pak troops shell 16 posts
JAMMU, July 12 (PTI) — Pakistani troops shelled 16 Indian positions and civilian areas along the international border and the Line of Control (LoC) "intermittently" since yesterday, official sources said here today.
Pakistani Rangers resorted to unprovoked and heavy firing on 12 border outposts (BOPs) along the border in the R.S. Pura, Samba and Chicken Neck subsectors at 11.30 p.m. yesterday, a Border Security Force (BSF) spokesman told PTI.
The Indian posts and civilian areas, which came under heavy firing from across the border include Budhwar, S.H. Way, Jabwal, and Chinar in the R.S. Pura subsector, Gular, Regal, Chilliyari and Nithal in the Samba subsector, and Daily Ajmath, Alfa Machail, Gola Patta and Goralla in the Chicken Neck subsector, the spokesman said.
Pakistani Rangers fired nearly 13,000 rounds of ammunition, mostly with high-calibre weapons, in these areas to create a fear psychosis among the people who have been active in foiling all attempts of Pakistani agencies to infiltrate militants into Jammu and Kashmir.
BSF troops guarding the border returned the fire and the exchange continued till noon today, the spokesman said, adding no loss of life or damage to property had been reported on the Indian side.
Pakistani troops also shelled four Indian positions and civilian area along the LoC in the Kour area of Jammu since yesterday, official sources said, adding no one had been injured in the firing.
It was for the first time that Pakistani army targeted a civilian colony at Nai Basti of Gagansoo, only 8 km from Jammu city, causing panic among the residents, the sources said.
Meanwhile, six persons including four army jawans, were killed and 13 injured in a fierce encounter in the Surankote area of Poonch district, police sources said today.
Giving details of the encounter, sources said during an operation at Hari village, a Rashtriya Rifles operation group came under heavy firing and grenade attacks from militants, who were hiding in nearby woods, last night.
Four army jawans received the volley of bullets and died on the spot while 13 others were injured, the sources said, adding all of them had been admitted to the Rajouri army hospital.
The troops later returned the fire in which two foreign mercenaries were killed and one was injured.
However, a defence spokesman from Northern Command headquarters at Udhampur said on the telephone that two militants had been killed and one injured in the encounter, which was still continuing.
SRINAGAR: twelve persons, including six militants and two brothers working as security personnel, were killed while village defence committees repulsed militant attacks on seven villages in Jammu and Kashmir since yesterday.
A militant associated with the Muslim Jaanbaaz Force surrendered before the security forces who also captured a militant and seized some arms and ammunition during anti-militant operations in the state during the period, an official spokesman said here today.
Three militants and two civilians were killed in an army operation at Hedi-Batergam in Kupwara district last evening, he said.
However, a Defence Ministry spokesman said all those killed were militants and were shot dead in an encounter which took place when the troops from 24 Rashtriya Rifles raided the village in search of ultras.
The militants opened indiscriminate fire on the troops during the operation, but the latter returned the fire killing five militants, the spokesman said, adding two of those killed were identified as foreign nationals.
Five AK assault rifles, seven hand grenades, a wireless set and 188 rounds of ammunition were seized.
The residents of Batergam, however, identified the two killed civilians as Khaliq Mir and Gulla Mir, and held protest demonstration, official reports reaching here said.
In another incident, militants yesterday kidnapped two persons from the Surankote and Peeru areas of Poonch district and later killed them, reports said.
The official spokesman said militants kidnapped two brothers, Zaman and Mohammad Ismail, from their houses at Dhari and Hari in Poonch and took them to Dhok Danna behind Hill Kaka forest, where Zaman was killed while Ismail was seriously injured yesterday.
An unidentified militant was killed in a clash with the security forces at Chhand-Dhoke in Anantnag district of south Kashmir last night. A rifle and a wireless set were seized.
The body of an unidentified person was recovered by police from Trikolinar in Kupwara district today, the police said.
Militants opened fire on village defence committee (VDC) members at Kanthi, Balwana, Ghuryal, Dhalmala, Dashla, Mandrana and Judi in Doda district late last night.
The VDC members also retaliated at all places, but no one was hurt on either side. The militants escaped immediately after the shootout, he said.
The Security Forces apprehended a Pakistan-trained militant of the Hizbul Mujahideen during searches at Chontipura village in Baramula district last evening, the spokesman said.
He said a pistol, two grenades and some ammunition had been recovered from the captured militant.
Another militant associated with the Muslim Jaanbaaz Force surrendered before the security forces in Anantnag district last night, the spokesman said.
He said security forces recovered three AK assault rifles, nine magazines, 230 rounds and four hand grenades during search operations at Rashanpura forest and Guthamori in Kupwara district last night.
However, no one was arrested in connection with the recovery of arms and ammunition, the spokesman said.

Postal strike: govt takes tough stand
NEW DELHI, July 12 (PTI) — The government today threatened to take disciplinary action if postal employees did not call off their indefinite strike which crippled postal services across the country for the fourth day even as agitators resolved to continue their stir till their demands were met.
Terming the strike "politically motivated," Communications Minister Sushma Swaraj said the government would not consider any demands till the stir was called off.
Asked whether the government would go ahead with taking disciplinary action against the strikers, she said, "If they do not call off their strike, it is a logical conclusion".
Talks between representatives of postal workers' unions, demanding higher wages and bonus, and the government failed for the third time with employees rejecting the government’s demand for withdrawal of strike as a condition for negotiations.
"We have resolved to continue the strike till they meet our demands," Mr G.K. Padmanabhan, secretary-general of the Federation of National Postal Organisation, said.
Meanwhile, the Secretary (Postal) R.U.S. Prasad said the government had a contingency plan to respond to the situation arising out of the strike.
"We are fully prepared to meet the situation if the strike continues and the public will not be allowed to suffer, he said.
The Postal Joint Council of Action (PJCA), which is spearheading the strike, has threatened to intensify the agitation from tomorrow unless the government takes any decision on their 10-point charter of demands, including higher pay scales and improved bonus.
Mr Padmanabhan said leaders of National Federation of Postal Employees (NFPE) and the Federation of National Postal Organisations (FNPO) held discussions with senior department officials regarding "certain proposals" offered by the government during yesterday’s talks.
He claimed the government, in its "proposals" had "agreed" to consider the demand for revised pay scales, leave facilities, status and payment of gratuity and provident fund for about 3.07 lakh extra departmental agents (EDAs).
But, the government refused to accept the demand for pension for EDAs at this stage, he said.
However, Ms Swaraj said the government was "very sympathetic" to their demands and was working on a direction to reach an amicable settlement when the strike came as a "blockade".