Farooq holds boat rally
SRINAGAR, Sept 3 — Campaigning in Srinagar and Ladakh parliamentary constituencies, two of the six seats in Jammu and Kashmir, which go to the polls on Sunday came to an end this evening.

Jammu Srinagar

Cong, NC blamed for militancy
JAMMU, Sept 3 — BJP leader and party nominee for the Udhampur parliamentary constituency Chaman Lal Gupta has expressed satisfaction over a large number of Muslims and others joining the BJP in spite of the propaganda by the Congress, the National Conference and others that the party was communal.

Police seizes copies of 3 Urdu dailies
SRINAGAR, Sept 3 — The police has seized copies of three leading Urdu dailies — Nadai-e-Mashriq, Srinagar News and Uqab — in Kashmir early this morning.

9 killed in valley

SRINAGAR, Sept 3 (PTI) — Nine persons, including five security personnel and two militants, were killed in J&K where militants fired rockets at a security camp and attacked the house of Chief Prosecuting Officer (CPO) since last evening, an official spokesman said here today.

Militants gunned down ruling National Conference (NC) leader Sardar Khan in Kupwara in North Kashmir last night.

Mr Khan, popularly known as "engine" in the area, was shot dead inside his Chowgal residence in the Handwara areas of Kupwara by a group of militants, the sources said.

"His killing is considered a major loss to the party", the sources said, adding the killing of Mr Khan had sent shock waves among NC circles in the border district.

No militant outfit has owned the killing. A hunt has been launched by security forces to capture the militants.

Two Army personnel, an SPO and a militant were killed in an encounter at Dardpora in frontier district of Kupwara last evening, an official spokesman said here today.

He said the body of a person, identified as Ghulam Mthiuddin Bhat, was picked up from Pulwama in South Kashmir last evening.

Three landmines, planted by militants between Larsun and Barsto in Ganderbal, 21 km from here, were detected and defused by the bomb disposal squad, the spokesman said.

Meanwhile, a report from Jammu said militants threw a grenade on the house of a Chief Prosecuting Officer (CPO) in Rajouri town of this division, injuring a constable on duty.

The police said the grenade exploded near the tent of the guard of CPO Mirza Zulfikar last night. The constable received minor injuries and was hospitalised.

The house of the CPO, who is posted in Udhampur, was also damaged.

Farooq holds boat rally
Tribune News Service

SRINAGAR, Sept 3 — Campaigning in Srinagar and Ladakh parliamentary constituencies, two of the six seats in Jammu and Kashmir, which go to the polls on Sunday came to an end this evening.

Over 9.97 lakh voters will decide the fate of 17 candidates in these two constituencies. Polling will be held from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday in the first phase of elections in Jammu and Kashmir.

Polling in Jammu and Udhampur will be held in the second phase on September 11, while Anantnag and Baramula will go to the polls in the third and final phase of elections in the state on September 18.

The National Conference president and Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah held a unique boat rally in the world-famous Dal Lake.

He was campaigning for his son, Umar Abdullah, contesting the prestigious Srinagar constituency for the second consecutive term. Umar represented the constituency in the 12th Lok Sabha.

Ms Mehbooba Mufti, a daughter of former Union Home Minister, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, who is the PDP candidate held public meetings at Chadoora and Beerwah in Budgam district on the last day of campaigning today.

A number of vehicles fitted with loudspeakers which had been making the rounds of the capital city and other areas during the past couple of weeks, wooing voters.

Candidates in the fray for the Srinagar parliamentary constituency are: Agha Syed Mehdi, Indian National Congress, Mr Umar Abdullah, NC, Fayaz Ahmad Bhat, BJP, Abul Hasan, Rashtriya Janata Dal, Moulvi Habib-ul-Rehman, Samajwadi Rashtriya Janata Party, Nazir Ahmad, J&K National Panthers Party, Mr Mohammad Yousuf Shah, J&K Awami League and Hafeeza Begum, Ms Mehbooba Mufti and Miss Waheeda Shah, all Independents.

The candidates left in fray for the Ladakh Parliamentary constituency are: Thupstan Chhewang, INC, Hassan Khan, NC, Sonam Paljor, BJP, Nasrullah Advocate, Janata Dal (Secular) and Ahamadullah Azad, Kamal Kishore, Mohammad Hassan Commander and Mohammad Murtaza, all Independents.

In Kargil district of Ladakh constituency, seven shelling prone polling stations have been shifted to safer places.

Cong, NC blamed for militancy
Tribune News Service

JAMMU, Sept 3 — BJP leader and party nominee for the Udhampur parliamentary constituency Chaman Lal Gupta has expressed satisfaction over a large number of Muslims and others joining the BJP in spite of the propaganda by the Congress, the National Conference and others that the party was communal.

Addressing election rallies and a workers’ meeting in Doda, Prof. Gupta said the minorities in various BJP-ruled states never felt so safe as under the BJP government and there had been no communal riots after the Congress was routed at the Centre.

Prof Gupta criticised the Congress and the National Conference for growth of militancy and said the slogan of a plebiscite was first raised by the two parties.

He said that Jammu and Kashmir was an integral part of India and no party or power could change the basic provisions of the Constitution. Those who were talking of secession or raising slogans for greater autonomy were trying to befool people.

JKPCC to strive for regional autonomy
From Our Correspondent

JAMMU, Sept 3 — The Congress will strive for the implementation of the recommendations of the Gajendragadkar Commission, envisaging rotation of the chief ministership between Jammu and Kashmir regions and having a deputy chief minister from the region other than the one to which the Chief Minister will belong.

Stating this here today, Mr Amrit Malhotra, spokesperson for the JKPCC, said such an arrangement would be the first step towards a decision on regional autonomy and genuine decentralisation of power through Panchayati Raj. He said an equitable share in political power and financial allocation was the pre-requisite for ensuring the unity of the state and to meet the challenge of internal and external forces which were trying to divide the state on communal lines.

He accused the APHC of indirectly helping the National Conference by "preaching" boycott of the elections. Unemployment would be on the top of the agenda, he added.

Police seizes copies of 3 Urdu dailies

SRINAGAR, Sept 3 (UNI) — The police has seized copies of three leading Urdu dailies — Nadai-e-Mashriq, Srinagar News and Uqab — in Kashmir early this morning.

The management of these papers said the police conducted raids and seized all copies of the news papers.

It said police told them that the copies were being seized for carrying a militant's statement about the Lok Sabha elections.

However, the Editor of Nadai-e-Mashriq denied having issued any militant's statement.

He said no reason was given by the police who seized all copies from the printing press.