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| Renewed border hostilities put frontier farmers in quagmire | | Border residents feeling the heat as situation almost returns to pre-2003-ceasefire era | | | Early Times Report
Jammu, Jan 23: Following regular incidents of firing and infiltration attempts from the across the fencing and sometimes retaliation from this side of International Border and Line of Control (LoC), the hapless border residents have virtually stopped farming.
It is pertinent to mention here that most of families residing near border hamlets are dependent upon the agriculture which is the only source of their livelihood. For some, there are apprehensions of reemergence pre-November 2003 situation when the borders were tense as forces of both the countries were eyeball to eyeball contact amid exchange of heavy fire.
At least 10 incidents of ceasefire violations have been reported, so far, in the first month of the year that has literally thrown normal life of thousands of border residents out of gear. Following the incidents, the farming community has stopped farming in their fields, which are close to fence.
Be it blazing fire near the LoC in Poonch district or heavy firing near International Border in Samba, the inhabitants are feeling the heat and recalling t... | |
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FRONT PAGE STORIES |
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| LeT ultras escape after brief gunbattle in Poonch | | | | Early Times Report
JAMMU, Jan 23: Four militants escaped unhurt after a brief gunbattle with security forces in Beri Rakh forests of Mendhar in Poonch today.
Official sources said jawans of police and 152 Bn of CRPF launched an operation in Beri Rakh forests at about 7 am following reports about the presence of four militants there.
While the cops were making searches, the militants fired at them at about 8.30 am. Fire was returned. The militants, however, managed to flee after a brief exchange of fire.
Sources said joined by army, cops later fanned out in the Beri Rakh forests, but they could not find any clue to the whereabouts of the militants.
The operation was called off at about ... | |
| | | | Tehsildar gheroed, locked in office in Poonch | | | | Early Times Report
JAMMU, Jan 23:
The Poonch district Tehsildar today faced the public ire when
driven by a strong feeling of displeasure and hostility against him, over a hundred people gheroed him and then locked him in his office
for his alleged non-availability to them for the past over a
month.
Tehsildar Abdul Razak's office was allegedly found locked
whenever people from different Poonch areas visited him to get
their works done.
As it was found locked today also, people staged a
demonstration outside his office in Poonch town amidst raising
of slogans.
Official sources said when Razak came to know about the protest
against him, he immediately reached his office. The mome... | |
| | | | Caught in catch22, CS aspirants want change in exam schedule | | “Aspirants want exams even preponed as dates as clashing with UPSC schedule” | | | EARLY TIMES REPORT
JAMMU, Jan 24: The aspirants of Civil Services exams have requested the Chairman of Public Service Commission (PSC), S L Bhat to change the date of holding Combined Competitive Mains Examination scheduled to commence from March 15, 2010.
In a letter forwarded to Chairman PSC, the aspirants said that they have already made a request to prepone or postpone the Combined Competitive Mains Exam as its dates would clash with the dates of Viva Voce test of Civil Services examination conducted by UPSC.
The aspirants said, “We are not able to understand the fact that when Preliminary stage of this exam was conducted on May 24, 2009, one week after the Civil Services Preliminary... | |
| | | | Coalition equations: Time for Congress to take stand on Saghir report | | | | RUSTAM
Jammu, Jan 22: Justice Saghir Ahmed, chairman of the Working Group on Centre-State Relations (Working Group was constituted by Prime Minister in 2006) submitted his report to Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on December 23, 2009. Ever since, the people of Jammu and Ladakh, exiled Kashmiri Hindus, the Bar Association Jammu and Gujjar and Bakerwal Muslims have been protesting against Justice Saghir Ahmed and saying time and again that his report is anti-India and anti-Jammu and anti-Ladakh. They have been accusing Justice Saghir Ahmed of endorsing the National Conference’s stand on autonomy for the state and rejecting their demands.
Almost all the political parties, barring the Congress... | |
| | | | PDP may make excitement in Congress camp short-lived | | Post-Poaching | | | Early Times Report
Jammu, Jan 23: The excitement in the congress camp over the joining of a former Minister and a senior PDP leader, Manjit Singh, in the Congress may prove a shortlived affair as the PDP leadership has agreed to allow a large number of Congressmen and some former legislators to join the party led by Mehbooba Mufti.
Well the induction of Manjit Singh is definitely a loss for the PDP and the National Conference. Manjit has been an influential leader in Vijaypur constituency. He had won the 2002 Assembly election from Vijaypur by polling 25406 votes against Surjit Singh Slathia of the National Conference who had secured 20329 votes. Slathia had won the election from the sam... | |
| | | | Antony fears more infiltration in J&K | | | |
Agencies
New Delhi, Jan 23: Defence Minister AK Antony on Saturday warned of more terrorist attacks and infiltration bids along the Line of Control that divides Kashmir between India and Pakistan, but said the armed forces were prepared to counter these threats.
"In the last two months, the attempts to infiltrate into Kashmir have increased. The trend will continue as those inimical to our country see that the situation in Kashmir is improving and they cannot tolerate it," Antony told reporters in New Delhi.
"India has to be ready for more attempts at infiltration and terrorist attacks, and we assure that the armed forces will take every step to counter them," he said, speaking on the ... | |
| | | | Mrinal Pande heads Prasar Bharti | | | | Agencies
New Delhi, Jan 23: Government on Saturday announced the selection of veteran journalist and writer Mrinal Pande as chairperson of Prasar Bharati.
"I am glad to announce the selection of well known writer and journalist Mrinal Pande as chairperson of Prasar Bharati by the appointment committee headed by Vice President Hamid Ansari," said Information and Broadcasting Minister Ambika Soni.
"I have just signed the relevant papers and I am extremely happy on her appointment. Also, veteran film makers Shyam Benegal and Muzaffar Ali too have consented to join Prasar Bharati's board as part-time members along with Suman Dubey, a known media personality," she added.
The minister said "t... | |
| | | | Kashmir issue no breeding ground for terrorism: Gates | | | | Agencies
Islamabad, Jan 23: US Defence Secretary Robert Gates has rubbished Pakistan's long standing stance that the unresolved issues like the Kashmir dispute were breeding terrorism and providing food for thought for banned extremist organisations like Al-Qaeda.
Interacting with reporters at the residence of US Ambassador, Anne Patterson, here, Gates said groups like Al-Qaeda are hardly concerned over the long pending Kashmir issue.
"Al Qaeda doesn't care about Kashmir, what it cares is creating problems and provoking conflict," Gates said.
Gates's latest remarks are in addition to his statements, which he gave in New Delhi earlier this week, that Al-Qaeda through its off-shoots such ... | |
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