NC leader’s killing; 12 cops suspended
SRINAGAR, May 7 — Twelve policemen, including two special police officers, were suspended for dereliction of duty in the National conference leader Ghulam Hassan Bhat murder case even as the authorities today claimed breakthrough in the killing on Wednesday the police said.

No truck with Soz, Mufti: ANC
SRINAGAR, May 7 — With a view to coming out of a decade-long political hibernation, the Awami National Conference chief of the former Chief Minister Ghulam Mohammad Shah is considering to participate in the mid-term elections.

Jammu
Srinagar

Plan to build Haj house in Srinagar
JAMMU, May 7 — The Jammu and Kashmir Government proposes to build a Haj house in Srinagar at an estimated cost of Rs 5 crore.

NC leader’s killing; 12 cops suspended

SRINAGAR, May 7 (PTI) — Twelve policemen, including two special police officers, were suspended for dereliction of duty in the National conference leader Ghulam Hassan Bhat murder case even as the authorities today claimed breakthrough in the killing on Wednesday the police said.

All 12 police guards posted at the residence of slain N C leader were placed under suspension for the alleged dereliction of duty, DIG of South Kashmir, Anantnag and Pulwama districts, Raja Aijaz Ali told PTI today.

Bhat, Pulwama district president of the National Conference, was gunned down outside his house in Tral town of south Kashmir on Wednesday.

Mr Ali said the suspended cops who included two special police officers and a selection grade constable were being questioned and appropriate action would follow.

No truck with Soz, Mufti: ANC
Tribune News Service

SRINAGAR, May 7 — With a view to coming out of a decade-long political hibernation, the Awami National Conference chief of the former Chief Minister Ghulam Mohammad Shah is considering to participate in the mid-term elections.

The Awami National Conference (ANC) has also set at rest rumours that it is going to have truck with the Congress leader Mufti Mohammed Sayeed or the former MP, Prof Saifuddin Soz following his expulsion from the National Conference. Sources in the party held that there was no such plan with the ANC, but the party would deliberate on the question of its participation in the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections. The ANC has not participated in any of the Lok Sabha elections after 1989. It also stayed away from political activity after the 1987 elections to the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly. Earlier, Ghulam Mohammad Shah took reigns of the government in July 1984 after Farooq Abdullah stepped down as Chief Minister. Shah has been close associate of the National Conference founder leader Sheikh Abdullah.

A two-day meeting of the working committee of the Jammu and Kashmir Awami National Conference concluded here yesterday with the appointment of five-member committee each for Kashmir and Jammu provinces. The committees will submit their report to the working committee "which will then meet again next month to consider the matter further". The two-day meeting also resolved "that the on-going talks with various political parties will be continued in this regard", a spokesman for the Awami National Conference stated here today.

"The committees were constituted to go into the mechanics of the election process, including the financial aspects, the viability of free and fair elections in the given situation, and other related issues", a statement of the party after its two-day working committee here said.

According to the statement issued on behalf of the working committee of the ANC by its general secretary, Mohammad Shafi, the committee also considered a proposal submitted to the party by Amanullah Khan, president of the Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF). It added that members were of the opinion that the best solution to the problem was a tripartite meeting as already spelt out by the ANC. Earlier, Mr Shah favoured tripartite talks to resolve the Kashmir issue. He said unless the "people of the state are recognised as the principal party to the dispute, no solution ever will be practicable".

Forest fires spread to Jammu region
From Our Correspondent

JAMMU, May 7 — After Himachal Pradesh, forest fires have now reached the Jammu region too. The fires, which had broken out in Harwal village of Kathua district and Mahamaya forest area, have, however, been brought under control.

The Deputy Commissioner, Kathua, Mr Chaman Lal and SSP, Mr R.R. Swain, who supervised the fire fighting operations yesterday. However, remnants of fire which still continue in segregated forest areas were being extinguished.

The DC and the SSP also visited the village and later denied the media reports that hundreds of families has been evacuated from the village. As the fire had been controlled, there was no question of evacuation, they added.

They also issued instructions to the Forest Department to keep an eye on the remnants of fire in the far off forest areas and take all possible measures to extinguish it at the earliest.

Plan to build Haj house in Srinagar
From Our Correspondent

JAMMU, May 7 — The Jammu and Kashmir Government proposes to build a Haj house in Srinagar at an estimated cost of Rs 5 crore.

This was stated by the Minister of State for Haj and Auqaf, Mr Peerzada-Gulam Ahmed Shah, while participating in a Haj conference, convened by the Central Haj Committee (CHC) in New Delhi on Wednesday. The minister said 20 kanals had been earmarked for the purpose and the CHC had been requested to bear half of the estimated cost.

Mr Shah said though the state had been pleading for direct flights between Srinagar and Jeddah, yet the plea had not been conceded apparently due to lack of timely coordination between Air India, Indian Airlines and the Airport Authority of India. He said direct flights would help Haj pilgrims particularly from Ladakh and Jammu who had to face a lot of inconvenience.

The minister said, until the arrangements for direct flights were made, immigration and custom formalities for the Haj pilgrims from Jammu could be made at Jammu airport itself.