J A M M U   &   K A S H M I R

Geelani is Jamaat panel head
Srinagar, August 1
The Jammu and Kashmir Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI) today appointed Hurriyat Conference (breakaway) chairman Syed Ali Shah Geelani as the head of its Political Affairs Committee. A JeI spokesman said a Majlis Shoura meeting decided to restore the post of head of the Political Affairs Committee and appoint Mr Geelani to the post.

Australian singer Tim Husman (left) performs along with his wife Nina Grant on the concluding day of the World Music Festival in Leh on Saturday. A total of 60 participants from different countries took part in the two-day festival. — Reuters

Good governance key to peace in valley: Governor
Srinagar, August 1
Good governance and economic development were imperative for lasting peace in Jammu and Kashmir, Governor S K Sinha said yesterday. Though a marked difference in the situation was discernible, greater efforts were required to overcome the challenge posed by terrorism from across the border, he said addressing Indian Police Service probationers here.

Farmers give up maize for security
Jammu, August 1
Under a different pattern of anti-infiltration and antiinsurgency operations, the security forces have persuaded farmers to remove tall maize plants from land close to the LoC and vital roads in Poonch and Rajouri sectors.

Jamaat-e-Islami meeting put off to August 8
Srinagar, August 1
A meeting of the Jamaat-e-Islami, scheduled for August 5 will now be held on August 8 to prevent split between hardliners and moderates of this religio-political organisation in Jammu and Kashmir.

Jammu-Udhampur rail line to be inaugurated soon
Jammu, August 1
A high-level team of the Railway Ministry and IRCON will visit Srinagar shortly to assess the situation for resuming work on the Qazigund-Baramulla rail line in the Kashmir valley that was stopped following the killing of an engineer a month ago.

8 top militants shot in encounters

Srinagar, August 1
Eight top militants, including a self-styled deputy chief of the Al-Burq, were killed in separate encounters in Jammu and Kashmir, where militants shot a hostage and critically wounded a special police officer, a police spokesman said today.

A militant of the Pir Panjal range unit of the Hizb-ul-Mujahideen, Javed Akhtar of Faisalabad- Pakistan, was killed in a gunbattle with the security forces at Hayatpora-Manjakote in Rajouri district last night, the spokesman said. — PTI

Geelani is Jamaat panel head

Srinagar, August 1
The Jammu and Kashmir Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI) today appointed Hurriyat Conference (breakaway) chairman Syed Ali Shah Geelani as the head of its Political Affairs Committee. A JeI spokesman said a Majlis Shoura meeting decided to restore the post of head of the Political Affairs Committee and appoint Mr Geelani to the post.

The Jamaat’s decision is being seen as a key move to prevent Mr Geelani from floating a party.

Mr Geelani, who was representing the JeI in the executive council of the Hurriyat Conference, did not attend any meeting of the conglomerate, demanding action against the People’s Conference for fielding proxy candidates in the Assembly elections.

Later, the Jamaat replaced Mr Geelani as the Political Affairs Committee head. However, after the split in the amalgam, the JeI decided to maintain equidistance from both the Abbas and Geelani factions.

Mr Geelani was to float a political party, but was persuaded by senior Jamaat leaders to remain part of the JeI.

The Majlis Shoura said a peaceful and honorable resolution of the Kashmir issue would help restore peace in the sub-continent. — UNI

Good governance key to peace in valley: Governor

Srinagar, August 1
Good governance and economic development were imperative for lasting peace in Jammu and Kashmir, Governor S K Sinha said yesterday. Though a marked difference in the situation was discernible, greater efforts were required to overcome the challenge posed by terrorism from across the border, he said addressing Indian Police Service probationers here.

He cited various measures taken to ensure the region’s overall development, remove alienation of the people and combat militancy without causing inconvenience to civilians.

Mr Sinha shared his experiences in handling militancy in Indonesia, north east and now in Kashmir and said attitudinal change in people was a strong weapon to overcome terrorism. — PTI

Farmers give up maize for security
Our Correspondent

Jammu, August 1
Under a different pattern of anti-infiltration and antiinsurgency operations, the security forces have persuaded farmers to remove tall maize plants from land close to the LoC and vital roads in Poonch and Rajouri sectors.

Official sources confirmed here today that police and Army teams were sent to farmers with instructions to reap unripe tall maize plants for security reasons.

Harbhajan, a farmer, said, “We have been promised compensation for the loss we have suffered by reaping unripe maize crop, but we do not know whether the compensation amount will come from the Ministry of Defence or the state government.”

He said last year also maize crop fields were cleared under instructions from the Army but “while some of us received inadequate compensation, others were not given a penny.”

Police officials said prior to the sowing season, farmers had been instructed not to bring those stretches of land under maize crop which ran parallel to vital roads and those that touched the LoC.

The officials said farmers ignored the instructions and “we had to take this step to prevent militants from making out hideouts in tall maize fields.”

Soldiers guarding the border had found that militants, soon after sneaking into the Indian territory from across Poonch and Rajouri, took shelter behind tall maize plants, preventing the security forces from identifying the areas where the infiltrators had taken shelter.

The district authorities said revenue officials had been asked to assess the loss to farmers owing to reaping of unripe maize crop and a report would be submitted to the state government.

Farmers have also been asked to remove maize crop from fields close to camps and pickets of the security forces.

Jamaat-e-Islami meeting put off to August 8
Tribune News Service

Srinagar, August 1
A meeting of the Jamaat-e-Islami, scheduled for August 5 will now be held on August 8 to prevent split between hardliners and moderates of this religio-political organisation in Jammu and Kashmir.

This follows the constitution of “Save Jamaat” committee headed by Mohammad Ashraf Sahrai, a supporter of Syed Ali Shah Geelani. Differences between hardliners led by Geelani and moderates led by Ameer-e-Jamaat (chief of the Jamaat), Syed Nazir Ahmad Kashani started growing over one year, when Geelani opted out of Abbas led separatist Hurriyat Conference.

Jammu-Udhampur rail line to be inaugurated soon
Tribune News Service

Jammu, August 1
A high-level team of the Railway Ministry and IRCON will visit Srinagar shortly to assess the situation for resuming work on the Qazigund-Baramulla rail line in the Kashmir valley that was stopped following the killing of an engineer a month ago.

Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav, has asked the senior officers to visit Srinagar and take steps to resume work on the rail line. During his visit to Delhi, Chief Minister Mufti Sayeed had urged him to get the work expedited.

The Chief Minister assured that security would be strengthened at work places of the rail project.

The Railway authorities have said that the 53-km-long Jammu-Udhampur rail line had been tested and trial runs were successful. It might be inaugurated next month.