J A M M U   &   K A S H M I R

J-K parties begin pre-poll campaigns
Jammu, November 7
Even though there are no firm indications that the Assembly poll due for October next year would be held earlier than the schedule, mainstream political organisations have started their warming-up exercise by campaigning against one another.

Huge seizure of arms from militants
Jammu, November 7
The quantum of arms and ammunition seized from the militants during encounters and search operations in various parts of the state during the past 20 months is sufficient to equip three divisions of the Army. This disclosure was made by a spokesman of the police here today.

CRPF sets up quick-reaction teams
Jammu, November 7
The CRPF has constituted quick reaction teams to meet any challenge from suicide squads. This was stated by the Inspector- General CRPF, Mr S.C. Kuckreja, to newspersons here today.

J-K parties begin pre-poll campaigns
M. L. Kak
Tribune News Service

Jammu, November 7
Even though there are no firm indications that the Assembly poll due for October next year would be held earlier than the schedule, mainstream political organisations have started their warming-up exercise by campaigning against one another.

The four main contesting political parties in the state are the ruling National Conference, BJP, Congress and PDP. The other parties include the BSP, Panthers Party, Janata Dal and Akali Dal.

The National Conference is keen to retain power. The Congress is as much keen to prevent the ruling party from securing a two-third majority in the Assembly as is the BJP. And the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), headed by Mufti Mohammed Sayeed, has been nourishing only one ambition — that of securing the Chief Minister’s “gaddi”.

Be it continued militancy related violence or growing people’s difficulties and problems, all major political organisations have witnessed some erosion for different reasons.

The National Conference has suffered an erosion because it could not fulfil the aspirations and needs of the people on account of the acute cash crunch.

The BJP and Congress have shed their political weight because of internal dissensions and their failure to work as an effective and responsible opposition parties.

The PDP is in search of its moorings because its head, Mufti Sayeed, failed to carry all senior Congressmen to his new party when he quit the Congress two years ago.

In the wake of these developments, neither the BJP nor the Congress and nor the PDP are in a position to sweep the polls. They are simply keen to win more Assembly seats than they won in 1996. In 1996, while the National Conference won a two-third majority in the 87-member Assembly, the BJP wrested eight seats and the Congress with seven seats. The Janata Dal too won three seats and the BSP two. In the byelections, the Mufti’s PDP won two seats.

In the absence of a good track record, the Congress and BJP have started targeting Dr Farooq Abdullah and his National Conference by blaming him for the ills inflicting Jammu and Kashmir. Both these parties have gone to the extent of accusing Dr Abdullah and his partymen of having provided encouragement to militancy, a charge which many in the state would never accept. While the Congress leaders have targeted the National Conference and the BJP, the BJP has been ridiculing the Congress and National Conference. The leaders of these two parties believe that the Congress and the BJP could regain their lost ground by Farooq bashing.

But Dr Abdullah seems to have countered the verbal attack from the Congress and BJP. The exchange of vituperatives between the two parties has warmed the pre-poll atmosphere in the Jammu region. But like the cold weather, which has gripped the valley, the pre-poll warmth is absent in Kashmir.

On the party and individual levels, the Congress, PDP and National Conference leaders have been making some feeble efforts to win over the support of the people in Kashmir. But in Jammu, their campaign is louder and recourse is taken to bandhs, protest rallies and party conventions. However, usually the noise of these campaigns is lost in the roar of the gunfire, explosions and mortar shelling on the border villages.

Since the escalation in militancy related violence, Dr Farooq Abdullah has not made up his mind about the exact date for the next poll. He has also received disturbing reports from Delhi indicating that efforts were afoot to forge a united front against the National Conference. He is reportedly not sure of the mood of the voters though he does not seem to have any doubt about his capacity to win atleast an absolute majority in the Assembly. Recently, he had announced that his party would again win a two-third majority in the Assembly.

His partymen know it well that as long as the Congress and BJP remain locked in inter-party conflict, they would not be in a position to do any harm to his party in the next Assembly poll. However, the ongoing campaign launched by these four parties against one another has provided to people a chance to divert their attention from killings, and border tension.

Except for Mufti Sayeed, who has a reputation to have people’s support but not their votes, there is no other political stalwart who could provide a suitable alternative to Dr Abdullah. In fact, his son Omar Abdullah is said to have gained more credibility than very senior politicians in the Opposition.

When shall terrorism end in Jammu and Kashmir seems to be of greater interest to the people than which party will form the government after the next Assembly poll because they know that the elections may not be held before the middle of next year in case they were advanced.

The Chief Minister, Dr Abdullah, has already expressed his wish to become first the Vice-President and then the President of India. If this wish fructifies, he may first try to install his son as the Chief Minister.

Huge seizure of arms from militants
Tribune News Service

Jammu, November 7
The quantum of arms and ammunition seized from the militants during encounters and search operations in various parts of the state during the past 20 months is sufficient to equip three divisions of the Army. This disclosure was made by a spokesman of the police here today. He said Pakistan had been equipping infiltrators with heavy weapons and ammunition for giving teeth to the 12-year-old terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir.

The spokesman said that during the past 10 months, 22,897 rifles of AK series with 46661 AK magazines and 30 lakh rounds of ammunition had been seized from the militants. In addition, the security forces had seized 9018 pistols and revolvers with 8622 magazines and 1.86 lakh rounds of ammunition. They included 985 UMGs with 1299 magazines, 1.20 lakh rounds, 25 LMGs and SLRs with 31 magazines, 323 sniper rifles with 43,000 rounds, 57 carbines with 16 magazines, 142 .303 rifles with 6029 rounds, 998 RPGs, 63 GPMGs, 32 magazines and 24 rounds of telescope rifles. Besides this, huge quantities of IED mines, anti-tank mines and RDX were seized from the militants. More than 3313 wireless sets, 510 binoculars and 15,750 metres of cordex wire were among the haul of arms and ammunition, indicating that the militants had also been provided with an adequate communication system.

During the past 10 months, the incidents of militancy-related violence registered an increase of 55 per cent as compared to the corresponding period last year. Out of the 3882 armed strikes, 933 were directed against the security forces. He said 939 civilians were killed and 1763 sustained injuries this year against 752 deaths last year.

According to the spokesman, the multidimensional anti-insurgency operations carried out by the police and security forces resulted in the killing of 1606 militants during the past 10 months against 1306 during the corresponding period last year.

CRPF sets up quick-reaction teams
Tribune News Service

Jammu, November 7
The CRPF has constituted quick reaction teams (QRTs) to meet any challenge from suicide squads.

This was stated by the Inspector- General CRPF, Mr S.C. Kuckreja, to newspersons here today. He said CRPF companies deployed in the state were geared up and alert to meet any threat from militants.

The CRPF companies, deployed at and around the Mata Vaishno Devi shrine, had performed a commendable role in sanitising the entire mountain route to ward off any eventuality, he said.