Farooq warns dissidents
JAMMU, Feb 19 — For the first time in two years the Chief Minister, Dr Farooq Abdullah, has taken cognisance of the growing dissidence in the ruling National Conference and is said to have decided to win back several disgruntled legislators and those helping Mr G.M. Shah, a former Chief Minister, in toppling the government.

• Sets record straight

LAHDC awaits meeting outcome
SRINAGAR, Feb 19 — Demonstrations in support of the demands of the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council have continued in Leh for the past over four weeks.

Farooq warns dissidents
From M.L. Kak
Tribune News Service

JAMMU, Feb 19 — For the first time in two years the Chief Minister, Dr Farooq Abdullah, has taken cognisance of the growing dissidence in the ruling National Conference and is said to have decided to win back several disgruntled legislators and those helping Mr G.M. Shah, a former Chief Minister, in toppling the government.

During a meeting the Chief Minister held with party legislators in Jammu, recently, Dr Farooq is said to have talked tough with the dissidents, warning them that he would not be cowed by threats. Informed sources said he told the legislators while it was possible they nursed some grievances, which could be removed they should not be under the impression that they could do him any harm with their behind-the-scene activities.

The sources said the Chief Minister decided to sit with the party legislators after he received reports that over 20 National Conference MLAs had held a meeting in Jammu where the style of functioning of his government was criticised. The legislators were angry they had not been able to provide jobs for the educated youth in their constituencies. Some expressed dismay at their not being given a berth in the Cabinet when "less deserving and junior" legislators had been inducted in the Council of Ministers.

During the meeting with the Chief Minister some party legislators were critical of the functioning of certain ministers who they said, paid scant attention made by MLAs and MLCs. They were also unhappy that the Chief Minister had accommodated the Congress leader, Molvi Iftikhar Hussain Ansari, and other non-National Conference leaders in the Council of Ministers.

In this context, a reference was made to the rift between the Minister for Information, Mr Ajatshatru, and the Housing Minister Molvi Ansari, who is at present in a US hospital after a major heart surgery.

Dr Abdullah informed the disgruntled legislators that all grievances and issues would be discussed after the panchayat elections proposed to be held in May. He warned that the ensuing panchayat poll would be a litmus test for every National Conference legislator and minister. Those who failed to secure an absolute win for their candidate in their respective assembly constituencies would lose their ministerial posts. He hinted that after the Assembly session and the panchayat poll he planned a reshuffle of his 31-member Council of Ministers.

Farooq sets record straight
Tribune News Service

JAMMU, Feb 19 — A three-member advisory committee will be appointed to advise the Competent Authority, which selects candidates for admission to various professional colleges in the state, on matters connected with the entrance examination of MBBS, BDS and engineering courses.

This step has been taken in pursuance of the recommendations of the Singhal Committee which had been constituted to probe into the alleged irregularities committed by the Competent Authority in selection of candidates for MBBS and BDS courses in 1997. The Singhal Committee has exonerated the Competent Authority, but has made several recommendations.

This was announced by the Chief Minister, Dr Farooq Abdullah, during his meeting with several political leaders here today. The meeting had been convened to set the record straight after political leaders and student leaders had criticised the Competent Authority for having given a raw deal to the candidates belonging to the Jammu region in the selection list released for 1998 for the MBBS and BDS courses.

Dr Abdullah informed the leaders that the advisory committee would play a key role in helping the Competent Authority in streamlining the procedure for selection of candidates for various professional courses. He said the three-member committee will include eminent academicians. He said in order to ensure total transparency invigilators from Jammu will man the examination centres in the Kashmir valley and those from Kashmir would look after the centres in Jammu.

The Chief Minister in his attempt to convince the political leaders that Jammuites had not been given a raw deal said that out of 703 candidates selected for various professional courses 297 belonged to the Jammu region and 382 from the Kashmir valley and the remaining 12 candidates were from Ladakh. He said against 7068 candidates who appeared in the examination from the Kashmir valley as many as 382 were selected which was 54.3 per cent of the total seats. From the Jammu region 5924 candidates had taken the examination and 297 were selected which is 42.2 per cent of the total seats.

He said in 1987 the Jammu region got 53.5 per cent of the total seats against 46.5 per cent candidates from the Kashmir valley.

LAHDC awaits meeting outcome
Tribune News Service

SRINAGAR, Feb 19 — Demonstrations in support of the demands of the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC) have continued in Leh for the past over four weeks. Trouble started with the holding of a parallel Republic Day function by the council and the subsequent transfer of the Deputy Commissioner, who is also the Chief Executive Officer of the LAHDC.

Representatives of the council, the Ladakh Muslim Association, the Ladakh Buddhist Association and the Christian Association have been staging dharnas near the Polo Ground in Leh. The members believe that the state government has been "undermining" the interests of the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council. They have resolved to continue the agitation till the "genuine demands of the council" are fulfilled.

The Chief Executive Councillor, Mr Thupstan Chhewang, is in New Delhi trying to "put forth his demands before the central leaders" for a "better deal" to the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council.

According to reports received here from Leh, the 30-member Lahdc are awaiting for details of the meeting of the Jammu and Kashmir Governor, Mr G.C. Saxena, and the Chief Minister, Dr Farooq Abdullah, with the Union Home Minister, Lal Krishan Advani, held on Tuesday.

"The details of the meeting are not yet available and any decision regarding the ongoing agitation will be taken only after these are made available to the LAHDC", a senior member, Mr Rigzin Jora, Executive Councillor, told TNS on the telephone.

Mr Jora criticised the approach of the Jammu and Kashmir Government vis-a-vis Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council. He said the Chief Minister had promised to hold a Cabinet meeting in Leh in order to look into the demands of the LAHDC. "The Chief Minister during the past two years visited Leh at least 10 times, but he did not have the time to meet LAHDC officials", a senior Executive Councillor said.

The LAHDC members have threatened to continue the agitation till all pending issues and promises made are fulfilled. The demands include giving its members ministerial status. The agitation in Ladakh started in early 1989 in support of UT status for the cold desert which remains cut off from the rest of the state and the world for six months of winter every year. The Muslim-dominated Kargil district later dissociated itself from the agitation as it did not want to part ways with the people of Kashmir.

The district is the first to have access to Kashmir as soon as the snow is cleared in spring on the Zojila pass that divides the two-regions.

"In case the demands are not fulfilled, the agitation may be launched for UT status for Ladakh", a senior member of the council warned.

Differences between the LAHDC and the state government came to the surface on January 26 when Mr Thupstan Chhewang, Chief Executive Councillor, held a separate Republic Day function in Leh. It was followed by the shifting of the Deputy Commissioner, who is also the Chief Executive Officer of the Council. The agitation started with a demand for recall of the Deputy Commissioner, Mr Basharat Ahmad Dar to Leh.

The protest now is concentrated on the demand for a "better deal" for the council. The new Deputy Commissioner, Mr Naveen Kumar Choudhary, has already taken over as chief Executive Officer of the LAHDC.

11 killed in encounter
Tribune News Service

SRINAGAR, Feb 19 — At least 11 persons, including three foreign militants and eight security force personnel were killed and six residential houses were gutted in a night-long encounter at Kharbagh, 40 km north of here, in the Ganderbal area.

Those killed included four Armymen, two jawans of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and an inspector and a constable of the Special Task Force of the Jammu and Kashmir Police.

The debris of the houses gutted in the night-long encounter, which started at about 5.30 p.m. last evening, was being cleared. Fire tenders were pressed into service this morning to control the flames.

Police sources said the Special Task Force (STF) or Special Operations Group received an information about the presence of a group of militants in Kharbagh village, about 18 km from Ganderbal yesterday. The hamlet is close to Shadipora and part of the constituency of Dr Farooq Abdullah. The state police assisted by CRPF personnel cordoned off Kharbagh last evening and the hiding militants opened indiscriminate fire on the securitymen. Two CRPF jawans and two STF men were killed on the spot.

Later the Army was called to assist the police and the CRPF in clearing the village of the militants. Intermittent firing went on throughout the night. An eyewitness said that three foreign militants tried to escape from the cordon early this morning. Three Armymen were killed, while another succumbed to his injuries. Security forces intercepted the militants and killed three of them on the spot, sources revealed.

At least three militants were killed and several houses damaged in an encounter between the Army and militants at Gunde Rehman, about 5 km from Ganderbal, last month. Today's incident has been one of the major such incidents in the area in which at least eight security force personnel have been killed.

Elsewhere, three militants and a security force official were killed in another encounter at Waterhell near Hillar in Anantnag district, south of Srinagar late this afternoon.