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British envoy, US Gen visit valley Bhim Singh to contest from Udhampur Top Jaish commander among 10 killed Jammu-Udhampur rail line to be operational soon |
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BJP to file plea against barring orders Election process for Jammu, Baramula begins Kidnapped villager returns from Pak R.K. Talib award for G.H. Zia
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British envoy, US Gen visit valley Jammu, March 24 On his maiden three-day visit to the state, the British envoy is accompanied by the Defence Adviser, Brig Ian Rees, first secretary Sarah Lampert, political analyst Sushil Aaron and press and public affairs adviser Ravi Datta. The team will leave for Srinagar tomorrow. During the 45-minute meeting the Governor gave an overview of the changing scenario in the state. Mufti in his 35-minute meeting appraised Sir Arthur of the measures taken by the government to restore peace. Terming the current phase of Indo-Pak relations as a movement forward, the Mufti said on either side there was realisation that peace and friendship had no alternative for resolving mutual problems. Srinagar: In a sign of increased military-to-military cooperation US General Kevin P. Byrnes and a team of senior US army officers visited Badami Bagh Cantt on Wednesday. The General held discussions with Lieut-Gen Nirbhay Sharma, GOC, 15 Corps. He was also briefed on the current situation. Later, General Byrnes and his team visited the Corps battle school at
Khrew. |
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Bhim Singh to contest from Udhampur Jammu, March 24 Mr Bhim Singh, who was talking to mediapersons here, said the coalition had almost collapsed as the ruling PDP and the Congress had pitted their candidates against each other, particularly in Baramula. As such, there was no harm in the Panthers Party also fielding its minister against a minister of the Congress here. Mr Bhim Singh has announced the decision of field himself against Mr Lal Singh from the Udhampur constituency. He said Mr Faqir Nath, MLA, would be the covering candidate for Mr Kaundal. Mr Bhim Singh said the Mufti-led coalition government was surviving with difficulty and the rousing reception that Mr Ghulam Rasool Kar, Congress nominee for Baramula, received at Srinagar yesterday indicated the extent of hatred against the PDP among the Congress activists. He said in case the Congress wanted to save itself from extinction, it should immediately withdraw from the coalition. |
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Top Jaish commander among 10 killed
Srinagar, March 24 A senior police officer said a blast took place in a house at Sogam in the frontier district of Kupwara late last night when some militants were making an improvised explosive device (IED). A JeM district commander, Abu Usman, a resident of Pakistan, and an ex-serviceman, Ghulam Ahmad Lone, were killed in the blast, he said. Later one AK rifle, two magazines, one wireless set and two grenades were seized from the house which was also damaged in the blast. Security forces killed two militants in an encounter at Sogam in the frontier district of Kupwara last night. The encounter ensued after a search party was attacked by the militants. Two AK rifles and other arms and ammunition were seized from the slain militants. Official sources said security forces, acting on a tip-off, conducted a search operation in a village at Bandipora last evening. When the troops were cordoning off the village, militants fired upon them and later took shelter in a house. The security forces surrounded the house and repeatedly asked the militants to surrender, who continued to fire from inside. The forces retaliated and in the night-long encounter, the militants were killed. Two bodies were recovered from the house. Two jawans were also injured and admitted to hospital. An official spokesman said security forces gunned down one militant each at Chak Rajwali and Langnal Dhok Pahalgam in south Kashmir district of Anantnag today. Three AK rifles and other arms and ammunition were seized from the slain militants. He said the body of a 70-year-old man, Noor Mohammad, was recovered at Masan Budhan in Doda district of Jammu region today. Jammu: A 15-year-old girl was killed and her mother injured seriously in an improvised explosive device (IED) explosion in Rajouri district of Jammu and Kashmir, official sources said on Wednesday. The mishap took place on Tuesday evening when Arifa and her mother, Lala Begum, were grazing cattle in the Maradotote area, the sources said here. The woman has been hospitalised in Rajouri and doctors attending on her termed her condition as critical.
— UNI, PTI |
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Jammu-Udhampur rail line to be operational soon Jammu, March 24 Mr Gupta, who was talking to mediapersons here, said the Congress and the PDP had locked horns over the Baramula seat. He said the daughters’ Bill passed by the Congress, the PDP, the NC and the Panthers Party in the Assembly had proved detrimental to the coalition partners which would meet their waterloo in the elections. He said the BJP would repeat its performance of 1999 when the party polled highest vote percentage of 31.54. He said the performance of the BJP-led NDA government in the past five years had been far better than that of the Congress during its 47-year rule. The Vajpayee government had managed to remove the tension on the borders and the work of fencing on the international border and the Line of Control was progressing speedily. Of the 650 km-long LoC, about 550 km had been fenced. He said work on development schemes had been accelerated and the Jammu-Udhampur rail line would be made operational within a few days. Work on the rail link was being done at a snail’s pace during the Congress regime and only Rs 38 crore was spent till 1996. Thereafter, the NDA government pumped in Rs 600 crore to complete the project within seven years. Mr Gupta said the BJP respected the sentiments of the people of Jammu and the Centre included the Dogri language in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution. The medical college hospital here was being upgraded to the level of the AIIMS. |
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BJP to file plea against barring orders Jammu, March 24 The order has come at a time when he was campaigning in the remote areas of the border districts of Poonch and Rajouri. The BJP has decided to file an appeal before a division Bench of the high court against the order. The court has also barred Mr Hari Om, vice-president and spokesman of the BJP, and Dr Verinder Gupta, a teacher in Jammu University and president of the Jammu Mukti Morcha, from taking part in the election process. Mr Chaman Lal Gupta, Minister of State for Defence, said the BJP would face the problem legally. But Mr Nirmal Singh would contest the election, he added. Mr Hari Om described it as a conspiracy. |
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Election process for Jammu, Baramula begins Jammu, March 24 The nomination papers for the two constituencies can be filed till March 31 and the scrutiny would take place on April 1. The last date for withdrawal is April 3. In the first phase, an electorate of 27,93,165 in 35 Assembly segments, falling in these two constituencies, would exercise franchise. These constituencies include the districts of Jammu, Rajouri, Poonch, Baramula and Kupwara. |
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Kidnapped villager returns from Pak Jammu, March 24 Devi Singh, who was arrested in the Paharpur border area, 80 km from here last night, was kidnapped by unidentified gunmen on March 8 last year, and reportedly taken to Pakistan, the sources said adding that a manhunt was launched to trace him, but in vain. The sources said Devi Singh, a resident of Mini Pansar village situated on International Border in the Hiranagar belt of Kathua district, was blindfolded and pushed to the Indian side of the border from the Pakistan’s Sialkote area last night. The BSF troops detected him while he was entering the Indian territory and arrested him, the sources said adding that he had been taken to the interrogation centre to get details.
— PTI |
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R.K. Talib award for G.H. Zia Jammu, March 24 The award was instituted in 1991 for the best commercial broadcasting service centre of the country to encourage the spirit of competition and boost revenue. The award was given at a function organised by the Prasar Bharti at Mumbai. Cine star Amitabh Bachchan was the chief guest. |
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