J A M M U   &   K A S H M I R

‘Satyagraha’ no antidote to terrorism: Jaitley
Jammu, November 11
The Union Minister for Law, Mr Arun Jaitley, today flayed Opposition parties, especially the Congress, for criticising the Prevention of Terrorism Ordinance saying terrorism cannot be fought with ‘satyagraha’ (non-violence) and that India desperately needed a strong law for that.

Separatists reject PM’s call to join poll fray
Srinagar, November 11
Separatists organisations in Jammu and Kashmir have reiterated that they will not join the election fray and termed the exercise as futile.

Swami’s remarks ‘expose’ Centre’s dual policy
Srinagar, November 11
The ruling National Conference today termed the statement of Union Minister of State for Home I. D. Swami rejecting autonomy to the state as “provocative and unconstitutional” which exposed the Centre’s dual policy.

The entire Tral Market was gutted when men of the Special Operations Group of the local police went berserk after they were attacked by militants at Tral general bus stand, 39 km from Srinagar, on Saturday evening. Two policemen and a civilian were killed and three others injured. Up to 50 shops were gutted in the blaze. — PTI

‘Satyagraha’ no antidote to terrorism: Jaitley
Tribune News Service and PTI

Jammu, November 11
The Union Minister for Law, Mr Arun Jaitley, today flayed Opposition parties, especially the Congress, for criticising the Prevention of Terrorism Ordinance (POTO) saying terrorism cannot be fought with ‘satyagraha’ (non-violence) and that India desperately needed a strong law for that.

“You cannot fight the growing monster of terrorism in the country with ‘satyagraha’ (non-violence) at a time when India was high on agenda of terrorist outfits like Al-Qaida network”, Mr Jaitley told a lawyers’ conference here.

India desperately needed POTO or even stronger law to deal with the growing menace of terrorism across the country, he said, adding that the “Opposition, particularly the Congress, was opposing it with an eye on the coming UP Assembly elections”.

“On one side we are putting pressure on different foreign countries to ban and freeze accounts of terrorist outfits like Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) and Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) and here in our country we oppose this ordinance against terrorism”, he said.

“What can we tell those countries, who have banned JeM and LeT and freezed their accounts about our action against terrorism? Can we tell them that we have UP elections and cannot act on POTO,” Mr Jaitley asked.

While defending the promulgation of POTO, the Union Minister for Rural Development, Mr Venkaiah Naidu said the ongoing anti-terrorist operations in Jammu and Kashmir and other parts of the country needed to have a legal back-up to discourage militants.

Mr Naidu laid the foundation stone of a link road in Bishna here today. He told mediapersons that the Opposition, especially the Congress, had been adopting a ‘double standard’, adding that it was the Congress which promulgated draconian laws and now it was opposing POTO along with the left parties. He said POTO had become a necessary measure to curb militancy.

“The Congress is opposing POTO for the sake of opposition only as the same law is already in force in Karnataka where the party is in power,” he said.

Mr Naidu said Opposition of the Congress and other parties to POTO was surprising as this was discussed in the Chief Ministers’ conference two months back." We had taken the states into confidence before the issuance of the ordinance”, the minister added.

Separatists reject PM’s call to join poll fray

Srinagar, November 11
Separatists organisations in Jammu and Kashmir have reiterated that they will not join the election fray and termed the exercise as futile.

Reacting to the Prime Minister's recent call to the separatists asking them to contest elections in the state, chairman of the All-Party Hurriyat Conference (APHC) Abdul Gani Bhat said people of the state had not launched the freedom struggle just to achieve power.

“Our struggle is not just to achieve power for six years, but for total resolution of the vexed issue of Jammu and Kashmir once and for all,” Prof Bhat said.

Jammu and Kashmir Democratic Freedom Party (JKDFP) chief and senior separatist leader Shabir Ahmad Shah, reacting to the Prime Minister’s call, said elections would take us nowhere.

“It will be yet another futile exercise,” Mr Shah said. UNI

Swami’s remarks ‘expose’ Centre’s dual policy

Srinagar, November 11
The ruling National Conference today termed the statement of Union Minister of State for Home I. D. Swami rejecting autonomy to the state as “provocative and unconstitutional” which exposed the Centre’s dual policy.

Reacting to Mr Swami’s interview to local Doordarshan in which he outrightly rejected the NC’s demand for restoration of 1952 position to the state, party’s Kashmir provincial president Ghulam Nabi Shaheen said the minister’s statement exposed New Delhi’s dual policy.

He alleged the Centre had always backtracked from its promises made to the Kashmiri people regarding autonomy. Mr Shaheen said New Delhi should concede the demand of the state government and restore autonomy. Sheikh Nazir Ahmed, general secretary of the ruling party, asked the Centre to restore greater autonomy to the state. PTI