J A M M U   &   K A S H M I R

NC adamant on discussing Bill, House adjourned
Srinagar, August 24
For the fourth consecutive day today both Houses of the state legislature were adjourned without any business due to the furore raised by the opposition National Conference over the controversial Permanent Residents (Disqualification) Bill 2004.

Gupta blames Congress for daughters’ Bill
Jammu, August 24
Mr Chaman Lal Gupta, a former minister and senior BJP leader, has accused the Congress of supporting such parties that were playing a dangerous game of dividing the people on the basis of the daughters’ Bill which aims at denying citizenship rights to those women who marry outside J&K.

Top Jaish militant killed in J & K
Srinagar, August 24
Security forces gunned down ‘Divisional Commander’ of Pakistan based Jaish-e-Mohammad Mohammad Sami Usman while eight persons were injured in other militancy - related incidents in Jammu and Kashmir overnight, an official spokesman said today. He said an encounter took place at Tongwali Dhok village last night.

Suspension of leaders: report sent to Delhi
Jammu, August 24
The matter regarding expelling six senior state BJP leaders from the party on the charge of anti-party activities has been referred to the high command in Delhi.

NC adamant on discussing Bill, House adjourned
Tribune News Service

Srinagar, August 24
For the fourth consecutive day today both Houses of the state legislature were adjourned without any business due to the furore raised by the opposition National Conference over the controversial Permanent Residents (Disqualification) Bill 2004.

The Bill on the rights of women belonging to Jammu and Kashmir marrying outside the state has earlier been passed by the Assembly and awaits consent of the Upper House, even as it has lapsed for having been not taken up for more than three months since March.

Today there was only 10 minutes of working amid noisy scenes in the Assembly, while the Upper House was adjourned for the rest of the day after only five minutes.

Amid the wordy duel between National Conference and ruling PDP members, the Chief Minister, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, told the Assembly that the Bill would be brought to the House and put to vote during the current session only. He asked the Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister, Mr Muzaffar Hussain Beigh, to fix a date for the purpose. But that did not quell the National Conference members led by Mr Abdul Rahim Rather, pursuing their demand of discussion on the Bill. Mufti Mohammad Sayeed had remarked yesterday that there was no point in holding a discussion as the Bill had been discussed threadbare during the budget session in Jammu in March this year.

The Speaker, Mr Tara Chand, in his remarks told Opposition leader Abdul Rahim Rather that the adjournment motion, which had come at a later stage, was not applicable in the case of the Bill. He added that he had disallowed the adjournment motion proposed by the Opposition. When the Chief Minister’s and Law Minister’s intervention did not help in restoring normal procedures, Mr Tara Chand adjourned the House for the rest of the day.

Mr Beigh, while trying in vain to give his opinion on the issue, remarked that the NC members did not want a smooth conduct of the proceedings. He gave up when NC members reacted sharply to Mufti Sayeed’s remarks made yesterday against the former Chief Minister and NC patron, Dr Farooq Abdullah.

When the proceedings of the House began, NC members rose from their seats saying their “demand is not unreasonable”. Mr Rather held that the government was trying to put the blame on the Opposition.

Accompanied by other party members, including Mr Ali Mohammad Sagar and Dr Mehboob Beigh, provincial president of the party, Mr Rather alleged that the Chief Minister had taken the issue to a personal level when the session was in progress, as remarks were made against Dr Abdullah. Members from both the Opposition and the ruling PDP came down to the well of the House, raising slogans against each other.

In the Legislative Council, only one question could be taken up as NC members continued their protests.

Gupta blames Congress for daughters’ Bill
Tribune News Service

Jammu, August 24
Mr Chaman Lal Gupta, a former minister and senior BJP leader, has accused the Congress of supporting such parties that were playing a dangerous game of dividing the people on the basis of the daughters’ Bill which aims at denying citizenship rights to those women who marry outside J&K.

Reacting sharply to the move of the Mufti led coalition government, Mr Gupta said nothing could be more obnoxious than such issues.

He said the Congress always supported such parties which were against the integration of J&K with the rest of the country.

He said the Congress earlier brought to power the National Conference (NC) that raised the autonomy issue and now the Mufti led government has brought the controversial daughters’ Bill.

Mr Gupta said the Congress and its allies who ruled the state for 56 years, owe an explanation as to who was responsible for the said plight of minorities in Kashmir.

He added that neither the Congress nor its former allies ever worried about the terrorism and other problems of power, drinking water and other basic facilities.

Top Jaish militant killed in J & K

Srinagar, August 24
Security forces gunned down ‘Divisional Commander’ of Pakistan based Jaish-e-Mohammad Mohammad Sami Usman while eight persons were injured in other militancy - related incidents in Jammu and Kashmir overnight, an official spokesman said today.

He said an encounter took place at Tongwali Dhok village last night during which Usman, alias Hamza Ansari, was killed. One AK rifle, four magazines, 120 rounds of ammunition, three hand-grenades, one detonator and 18 pencil cells were recovered from the slain militant.

A woman, Fazi, was injured in a shootout between militants and security forces at Wachi in the south Kashmir district of Pulwama early today.

Militants hurled a hand-grenade towards security forces near Jammu and Kashmir Bank at Pulwama. However, it missed the target and exploded on the roadside, causing injuries to six persons and damaging a Tata Sumo vehicle.

He said militants beat a National Conference worker, Mr Ghulam Hassan Thokar, at Beerwah in the central Kashmir district of Badgam. He was later hospitalised.

A report from Baramulla said people at Sopore took to streets and blocked traffic on the Sopore-Bandipora road in protest against the arrest of two brothers by the security forces last night.

Raising slogans against the security forces, the demonstrators demanded their immediate release.

However, normalcy returned in the area after a senior officer assured them that he would look into the matter. — UNI

Suspension of leaders: report sent to Delhi
Our Correspondent

Jammu, August 24
The matter regarding expelling six senior state BJP leaders from the party on the charge of anti-party activities has been referred to the high command in Delhi.

The state BJP chief, Dr Nirmal Singh, forwarded the recommendations of the disciplinary committee to the party high command. The disciplinary committee had endorsed Dr Singh’s decision to suspend the six BJP leaders.

Dr Nirmal Singh told this correspondent here today that “I have sent the report of the disciplinary committee to the party president. I have left it to the party high command to decide the course of action against the dissidents.”

Meanwhile, the six suspended leaders for supporting the Congress candidates in Jammu and Udhampur constituencies in the recent Lok Sabha poll, have decided to meet Mr Venkaiah Naidu, and Mr Arun Jaitley in Delhi. First of all a senior leader would be sent to Delhi to meet the party leaders and if required others would follow.

The BJP leadership, while describing the controversial Permanent Resident (Disqualification) Bill, a “part of the communal agenda of the valley-centric PDP led coalition government, has decided to stage a day-long dharna in front of the office of the Divisional Commissioner, Jammu, on Wednesday”.