Panthers Party blames Centre
JAMMU, Aug 16 — Accusing the Central Government of having a biased attitude towards Jammu and Kashmir, a Panthers Party leader said due to the step-motherly treatment by the Centre, the state was on the brink of "financial disaster".

Cong candidate files papers for Srinagar seat
SRINAGAR, Aug 16 — Congress candidate Aga Syed Mehdi today filed his nomination papers from the Srinagar parliamentary constituency putting at rest speculation that he might not contest in view of "differences" with the party high command.

Pilgrim dies of heart attack
JAMMU, Aug 16 — A pilgrim on the way to the Amarnath cave shrine died of a heart attack yesterday, taking the number of pilgrims who died in the ongoing yatra to 11, official sources said here.

Financial crisis in J&K
Panthers Party blames Centre
From Our Correspondent

JAMMU, Aug 16 — Accusing the Central Government of having a biased attitude towards Jammu and Kashmir, a Panthers Party leader said due to the step-motherly treatment by the Centre, the state was on the brink of "financial disaster".

Addressing a press conference, Mr Harsh Dev Singh, Panther Party leader, alleged that due to lack of funds, the developmental activities had completely stopped and salaries of government servants had also remained unpaid for the past few months.

Holding the Centre responsible for the financial crisis in the state, he said while the debt liability of Punjab to the tune of Rs 8000 crore had been waived off by the Central Government, the J&K had been discriminated against despite repeated assurances to waive off loan and provide more assistance to the state which was already passing through a tough time.

He also alleged the state was being given a hostile treatment and was also not put in special category states so as to receive aid on the basis of 90 per cent grant and 10 per cent loan respectively.

Citing another example the Panthers Party leader said the Centre owed the state a heavy amount on account of the Indus Water Treaty which prevented the state from the bonafide use of waters of three major rivers. "If the losses from this count are calculated from the time when this treaty was signed, the entire debt liability of the state could be wiped off," he said, adding the Centre should compensate the state for the previous losses also.

Regarding the Centre’s denial of additional funds to the state for the wage revision, he said the commitment for the funding was made by the Centre but it backed out.

He also regretted that the agricultural loans taken by farmers which were also assured to be waived off, had met the same fate due to which there was a great resentment among the farmers of the state as the then Prime Minister, Mr H.D. Deve Gowda, had repeatedly assured the J&K farmers regarding this.

He also urged the government to enforce strict discipline so as to bring the state out of current financial imbroglio. He regretted that sales tax arrears amounting to Rs 343 crore had not been recovered and power and forest dues amounting to Rs 600 crore were still outstanding against some persons who were very close to the corridors of power.

"The ministerial luxuries of the ruling National Conference ministers, non-recovery of sales tax and forest arrears, lavish expenditures on aircraft and helicopters, exorbitant expenditure on the renovation of palatial houses and bunglows of the Chief Minister, ministers and bureaucrats, diversion of plan funds for non-plan schemes are some of the reasons for prevailing financial crunch in the state," he said.

Criticising the government’s move to enhance the number of MLCs (member, Legislative Council) in the state, the leader said induction of additional eight MLCs would impose a burden of crores of rupees on the state exchequer which would be borne directly or indirectly by the masses only.

Cong candidate files papers for
Srinagar seat

SRINAGAR, Aug 16 (PTI) — Congress candidate Aga Syed Mehdi today filed his nomination papers from the Srinagar parliamentary constituency putting at rest speculation that he might not contest in view of "differences" with the party high command.

Aga, a prominent Shia leader, was accompanied by party workers when he filed his nomination with the returning officer at Badgam, 20 km from here.

With the filing of nomination papers by the Congress candidate, the high-profile Srinagar constituency is set to witness a multi-cornered contest.

The National Conference has fielded Omar Abdullah, president of Youth National Conference, while the J and K People's Democratic Party has announced the candidature of Mehbooba Mufti.

Minister for Irrigation A.M. Sagar has also filed nomination for the seat as a cover candidate of the NC.

Hafiza Begum, wife of a militant-turned politician, Ghulam Qadir Lone, is also in the fray.

Tarigami throws hat in the ring
Tribune News Service

SRINAGAR, Aug 16 — In an unexpected development, Mr M Y Tarigami, MLA and state Secretary of the CPM, today announced his decision to contest the Lok Sabha elections from the Anantnag constituency in South Kashmir.

The ruling National Conference, the Congress and the recently constituted Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) of Mufti Mohammad Sayeed have already announced their candidates for the seat.

Mr Tarigami said on being persuaded from a number of people from different walks of life, he had accepted their “suggestion to contest”.

I hesitated initially, pleading lack of resources. A large number of friends and well-wishers rejected my plea and stressed that in the present scenario in Kashmir, my participation in the contest was essential, he stated in his three-paged statement.

Mr Tarigami represents the Kulgam constituency in the Assembly to which he was elected in 1996. He will be contesting as a candidate of the CPM from Anantnag.

Expressing concern over the “suffering of the people of Kashmir”, Mr Tarigami held that the process “for reconciliation and peace” initiated in 1996 had floundered midway as a result of the NC government’s failure to fulfill its promises.

“The attractive slogans of autonomy, security, peace, reconstruction, healing of wounds proved mere illusions. Curiously, the ruling party landed in the lap of the BJP, in pursuance of its narrow partisan interests”, the CPM legislator stated.

Announcing a 17-point programme, Mr Tarigami resolved to put an end to violation of human rights and killing of innocent persons and vandalism that had created an acute sense of insecurity among the people of the state.

He also resolved to strive for maximum autonomy, jobs for all, education for all, accountable administration, end to corruption and restoration of democratic and trade union rights.

He advocated tripartite talks among India, Pakistan and the people of the state for lasting peace. He promised to work for an end to nuclearisation of the region and for de-escalation of military tension between Indian and Pakistan. The CPM leader resolved to urge the Centre to formulate and implement an economic package for grant of special funds to the state for reconstruction, industralisation and revival of indigenous industry.

With the decision of Mr Tarigami to join the fray, four candidates are in the fray from the Anantnag constituency. The ruling National Conference has already announced the name of Mr Ali Mohammad Naik, Revenue Minister, while the Congress is fielding Peerzada Mohammad Sayeed, a former minister from the constituency.

The former Union Home Minister and the chief of the newly constituted PDP will also be in the fray. He represented the constituency (his home constituency) in the 12th Lok Sabha for the first time in his over three-decade-long political career.

Anantnag and Baramula will go to the polls in the third phase on September 18.

Meanwhile, Mr Agha Syed Mehdi today filed his nomination papers as the Congress candidate from Srinagar.

Even though the election process will begin tomorrow in two parliamentary constituencies of the Jammu region with the notification by the President, no other party except the BJP has so far announced its candidates.

Out of six parliamentary seats in Jammu and Kashmir, two seats — Jammu and Udhampur — are in the Jammu region. The Kashmir region has three seats and Ladakh one.

In both parliamentary constituencies of the Jammu region, the polling will be held on September 11, for which the election notification will be issued tomorrow.

The political atmosphere in the region has not yet warmed up so far as only the BJP has announced the names of its candidates. The ruling National Conference, the Congress and other parties are yet to finalise the names of the candidates.

Former Congress leader and Member of Parliament from Anantnag in the dissolved Lok Sabha Mufti Mohammad Sayeed has floated a new party namely the People’s Democratic Party (PDP). The PDP recently announced the candidature of Mrs Mehbooba Mufti, a party MLA and daughter of the Mufti from Srinagar. She will be pitted against Omar Abdullah, MP in the dissolved Lok Sabha and son of Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah of the National Conference.

Pilgrim dies of heart attack

JAMMU, Aug 16 (PTI) — A pilgrim on the way to the Amarnath cave shrine died of a heart attack yesterday, taking the number of pilgrims who died in the ongoing yatra to 11, official sources said here.

They said the 35-year-old pilgrim, identified as Bejnath from Gorakhpur (Uttar Pradesh), died near the cave shrine.

Meanwhile, 1,998 pilgrims have arrived to Pahalgam and Baltal from Jammu, taking the total number of pilgrims to nearly 75,000 so far.