Hurriyat leaders’ detention contested
SRINAGAR, Oct 21 — The Hurriyat Conference has challenged the validity of the detention orders against its senior leaders and charged the Jammu and Kashmir Government with resorting to political vendetta and curbing fundamental rights of the leaders.

Kashmiri Pandits’ role landed
JAMMU, Oct 21 — Former union minister and Congress leader Karan Singh has said the example of Kashmiri Pandits having become refugees in their own country was unparalleled anywhere in the world.

Ban on stone crushers
JAMMU, Oct 21 — The state Pollution Control Board has banned the installation and functioning of stone crushers within 5 km of the municipal limits of Srinagar and Jammu and 3 km of major district headquarters. The step has been taken to control pollution.

J & K minister vacates Tral Assembly seat
SRINAGAR, Oct 21 — Jammu and Kashmir Revenue Minister Ali Mohammad Naik has resigned from the Tral Assembly seat after he was elected to the Lok Sabha from Anantnag.

6 militants among 9 killed in valley

SRINAGAR, Oct 21 (UNI) — Six militants, including four foreigners and a woman, were among nine persons killed while security forces captured four militants and recovered a huge cache of arms and ammunition in the Kashmir valley.

The security forces, in two different successful operations in the frontier district of Kupwara last evening, seized four AK-rifles, 13 magazines, eight disposable rocket launchers, two remote control devices, 67 detonators, 11 RPG rockets, three improvised explosive devices, 11 grenade launchers, three boosters and five kg of explosives.

An official spokesman said militants shot dead Hakim-ud-Din in Kalaroos village while ultras entered the house of Mohammad Hanief at Sarooti and shot dead his mother Shiba Bi last night.

Panic gripped the Malaratta area of the downtown city when militants fired and critically injured a released militant, Firdous Ahmad Ronga, this afternoon.

He said militants hurled a hand grenade towards the picket of the security forces at Noorbagh last evening. However, the grenade missed its target and exploded on the roadside without causing any damage.

A live grenade was detected and later defused near Hanuman mandir, Hari Singh High Street, last evening.

A patrol party was fired upon by militants at Rebbon Nowpora in Baramulla district last evening. However, militants escaped after forces retaliated.

The spokesman said security forces, during a fierce clash, killed five militants, including four foreigners, at Loran Chapar while another foreign militant was gunned down at Bani Wali last night.

He said one person was killed during an encounter between militants and security forces at Kashtigrah forest last night.

Security forces captured four militants and recovered some arms and ammunition in the Kashmir valley in an overnight operation.

Hurriyat leaders’ detention contested

SRINAGAR, Oct 21 (PTI) — The Hurriyat Conference has challenged the validity of the detention orders against its senior leaders and charged the Jammu and Kashmir Government with resorting to political vendetta and curbing fundamental rights of the leaders.

Writ petitions on individual basis were filed before the Srinagar Bench of the state high court yesterday on behalf of the detained leaders, including the Chairman of the umbrella organisation, Syed Ali Shah Geelani, party spokesman Prof Abdul Gani and senior leaders Mohammad Yaseen Malik, Muhammad Ashraf Saharayee, Javid Ahmad Mir and nine others who have been lodged in solitary confinement in Jodhpur jail.

Similar petitions were filed on behalf of Qazi Ahadullah of the Jamaat-e-Islami, Ghulam Nabi Sumji of the Muslim Conference and Dr G.N. Hubbi of the People’s Conference, constituents of the Hurriyat Conference, at present under detention in Udhampur jail.

Stating that the detentions had been made without any reason and were part of political victimisation, the petitioners produced a copy of former Election Commissioner G.V.G. Krishnamurthy’s statement in which he had said that the poll boycott call given by the conference was part of the democratic process in which people had the right either to vote or not.

A recent statement of Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah, saying that the Hurriyat leaders had been detained for three years and would "rot in jails" was also annexed to the writ petitions.

Kashmiri Pandits’ role landed

JAMMU, Oct 21 (PTI) — Former union minister and Congress leader Karan Singh has said the example of Kashmiri Pandits having become refugees in their own country was unparalleled anywhere in the world.

Terming the migration of Kashmiri Pandits from their native places as "most unfortunate", Dr Karan Singh told a religious gathering here yesterday that the community had provided exemplary service to education, dharma and culture of the country.

Releasing "Ranbishwar Panchang" edited by noted Kashmiri Pandit astrologer Omkar Nath Shastri, he said an astrologer might be wrong in his/her calculations, but astrology was in itself the most appropriate scientific approach.

The Congress leader recalled the services of various Pandit scholars and said he was indebted to the community for having obtained education from Pandit scholars of Sanskrit, English, political science and religious philosophies during his upbringing in the state as "yuvraj".

The heir apparent to Dogra rule in Jammu and Kashmir also expressed his concern over eroding moral values and said there was a need for selfless service to solve problems confronting the nation.

Mr Shastri said "Ranbishwar Panchang" was dedicated to the erstwhile ruler of Jammu and Kashmir state, Maharaja Ranbir Singh, who had a keen interest in astrology and religious activities.

Ban on stone crushers
From Our Correspondent

JAMMU, Oct 21 — The state Pollution Control Board has banned the installation and functioning of stone crushers within 5 km of the municipal limits of Srinagar and Jammu and 3 km of major district headquarters. The step has been taken to control pollution.

The board has said those violating the guidelines will be dealt in accordance with the law.

The guidelines also prohibit the installation of stone crushers within 1.5 km area of the nearest residential colonies, tourist resorts and health centres.

Stone crushers would not be allowed to come up within 500 metres of any forest land and 750 metres from the national highway.

The Member-Secretary of the board, Mr Inayat Ullah, said besides these guidelines, a criteria had also been laid down under which stone crushers would be set up in clusters with green belts around and having only one approach road. He said the approach road leading to a cluster of five or more stone crushers would not pass through any village.

J & K minister vacates Tral
Assembly seat

SRINAGAR, Oct 21 (PTI) — Jammu and Kashmir Revenue Minister Ali Mohammad Naik has resigned from the Tral Assembly seat after he was elected to the Lok Sabha from Anantnag.

However, Mr Naik would continue to be a minister for six months, the Assembly secretariat said.

Speaker Abdul Ahad Vakil announced in the Assembly today that he had accepted Mr Naik's resignation.

Mr Naik was elected to the Lok Sabha on the ruling National Conference ticket.

The House also observed a two-minute silence in memory of Ghulam Qadir Bhat, a veteran freedom fighter, who died at his native place Nunar-Ganderbal in Srinagar, yesterday.