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Er Rashid emerging as Gani Lone’s successor in mainstream politics PC founder’s legacy falls into the lap of a nondescript separatist columnist and Govt official 4/2/2010 11:41:36 PM AHMED ALI FAYYAZ SRINAGAR, Apr 2: “Tum char sau bees hau (You are a cheat)”, Chief Minister Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah grumbled on enfant terrible Abdul Gani Lone on the floor of Legislative Assembly in 1978. Lone quipped back: “Tum aath sau chalees hau (But, you are a cheat of the cheats)”. That was how the Lion of Kashmir and the Lion of Kupwara roared on each other and, in the process, a frail political activist from a penurious rural background emerged as a “threat” for the all-imposing ‘Twinkling Star of Asia’. Earlier, Lone had proved his mettle with his resignation as a Minister in Syed Mir Qasim’s Congress government. Later, he was among the two-odd candidates of then ruling Janata Party who could defeat NC in Kashmir valley in the Assembly elections of 1977. In 1979, Sheikh created a separate revenue district for Kupwara--- alongwith Budgam and Pulwama in Central and South Kashmir, respectively---but Lone forced the government to raise offices of most of the district officers at his hometown of Handwara. Days before his death in September 1982, Sheikh began the operation...   READ MORE

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Militants blow up Valley’s first railway track 4/2/2010 11:40:24 PM Early Times Report SRINAGAR, Apr 2: The rail network in Kashmir came under militant attack for the first time when nearly two feet of the track was blown up in the Pulwama district, disrupting train services between south and north Kashmir last night. The ultras detonated an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) near Galbug, 43.6 km from here, around 10 PM last night, damaging two feet of rail track on the Qazigund-Baramulla section, started in the Valley two years ago, police said today. However, there was no report of any casualty. The attack came ahead of a scheduled inspection by senior officers of some ongoing work in the railways in Kashmir.Train services resumed this morning after t...   READ MORE   Police assure full protection 4/2/2010 11:40:04 PM AGENCIES NEW DELHI, Apr 2: In the aftermath of militants targeting rail tracks in Jammu & Kashmir, the state police today assured railways of full protection to its properties and security forces were "taking all possible measures to prevent such incidents". "I spoke to the Director General of J&K police Kuldip Khoda and he assured me that all possible measures are being taken to prevent such incidents in the state," Northern Railway General Manager SK Budhalakoti told. He said the state government has a major role to play in protecting railway properties and officials of the PSU were in constant touch with the J&K police given the significance of the Kashmir rail link. ...   READ MORE   Dogri not inferior to Kashmiri, make announcements in Dogri at Jammu airport 4/2/2010 11:39:53 PM RUSTAM EARLY TIMES REPORT JAMMU, Apr 2: The Dogras are the most discriminated against lot in the entire country. They are willfully ignored at all levels and in all spheres - in political sphere; in the legislature; and in the service, tourism, agriculture, horticulture, floriculture, power, irrigation, revenue and educational sectors. They are far behind the people of Kashmir in terms of road connectivity and infra-structural development. In fact, they are at the receiving end, notwithstanding the fact that it was they who created Jammu and Kashmir State in 1846 and that it is they who have been contributing more than 70 per cent revenue annually to the state exchequer. It is not only...   READ MORE   Doctor among 12 chargesheeted by CB 4/2/2010 11:39:37 PM Early Times Report SRINAGAR, April 2: A block medical officer (BMO) was among the 12 accused chargesheeted by Kashmir wing of the crime branch (CB) of police in different cases Thursday. One challan was produced in the court of chief judicial magistrate (CJM), Srinagar, against businessman Sheikh Parvaiz Sultan of Bemina, Srinagar, for allegedly fabricating bank records. To set up a unit titled "Tibia Dispensary" at Bemina, Sultan secured Rs 2 lakh as loan from the Bemina branch of the State Co-operative Bank in 2001 against the mortgage of 10 marlas of land at Maharajpora, Batmaloo.The bank also gave him loans of Rs 4 lakh and Rs 5.2 lakh later because of his satisfactory performan...   READ MORE   Four more LeT ultras killed in Rajouri, week's tally is 16 lArmy jawan also loses life 4/2/2010 11:39:24 PM EARLY TIMES REPORT JAMMU, Apr 2: As of now, success is for sure on the side of security forces engaged in counter-insurgency (CI) operations in Rajouri's Kalakote area. Within hours of killing six Pak militants in Tali Draman-Sarsoti forests of Kalakote Thursday, army and police Friday shot dead four more Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) ultras of foreign origin in the nearby Sada Nangoli forests in about a seven-hour-long gunbattle. With this, the troops have eliminated 16 top LeT militants, including 15 Pakistanis, in separate encounters with them in the past one week. Giving details, police sources said four militants were spotted by some locals in Sada Nangoli forests at about 10 am. After...   READ MORE   More committees, more mess in forest dept 4/2/2010 11:39:04 PM Early Times Report Jammu, Apr 2: The Omar-led coalition government has stumbled upon the "redundant" exercise of forming new committees for the protection of forest wealth in the state when there already exist several such committees. The move is superficial in the sense that the already existing committees have failed to deliver the desired results, according to sources in forest department. Sources said by forming committees, those at the helm of affairs were confusing general masses about their purpose. Sources said the Territorial Department had been entrusted with the job of increasing forest cover by planting trees under the National Afforestation Scheme. For the purpose, V...   READ MORE   Information Dept indifferent to vital information 4/2/2010 11:38:51 PM Early Times Report Jammu, Apr 2: A researcher from Britain cracked a joke after visiting a vital wing of the state's Information department. "Surgeons need not worry about anesthesia in Jammu Kashmir. Just take the patient to the research and reference section of the information department at Srinagar. He will faint automatically", she said. The joke did win the researcher a scornful look from an official of the said department but vindicated the statement of a young Srinagar based cartoonist who had recently visited the building and almost fainted. Foul rather pungent smell emanating from soiled newspapers greet a visitor after he enters the all important building. "It is like enter...   READ MORE   Congress-NC fail in blunting separatists' campaign 4/2/2010 11:38:37 PM Early Times Report Jammu, April 2: Central intelligence agencies and senior functionaries of the security forces are said to have conveyed to the Union Home Ministry their worry over the failure of the mainstream political parties in blunting the anti-India campaign being launched by the separatists in Jammu and Kashmir.Informed sources said that the senior functionaries of intelligence and security agencies hold mainstream political parties responsible for the increasing political vacuum in the state, especially in the Kashmir valley. In this connection these agencies have referred to repeated attempts being made by the separatists in launching peoples' resistence movement while protesti...   READ MORE   Omar trivializing issues of governance: PDP ‘Govt should disclose CM's contribution to Assembly' 4/2/2010 11:38:19 PM Early Times Report SRINAGAR, April 2: Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) today shot back at the ruling National Conference alleging the government was trying to trivialize the issues of governance through its attempt to relate the party boycott in the assembly to personal security of a leader. The PDP has asked the coalition government to come out through one of its frequent and costly advertisement campaigns with the Chief Minister's contribution to the proceedings of the house as its leader. Yesterday, the Chief Minister Omar Abdullah had criticized the PDP legislators from the proceedings of the Houses for a "petty matter" of security vehicle to one of its Party worker and had said "it...   READ MORE   3 students of J&K killed in mishap 4/2/2010 11:38:01 PM FATEHGARH SAHIB: Three engineering students from Jammu and Kashmir were today killed in a road accident in Mandi Gobindgarh town of the district, police said. Zuhaib Ashraf (21), Waqr Ali (20) and Mohit Mall (21), all B.Tech students of Desh Bhagat Engineering College in Mandi Gobindgarh, were riding a motorcycle when a truck hit their bike, seriously injuring them, the police said. They were taken to Civil Hospital, Mandi Gobindgarh where doctors declared them dead, they said, adding Ashraf and Ali were residents of Sri Nagar while Mall was from Udhampur. The truck driver ran away from the scene. A case has been registered and further investigation is on, police said. Meanwhile, Dr ...   READ MORE   Mercury above normal in plains of J&K 4/2/2010 11:36:21 PM Srinagar: Mercury stayed above normal in the plains in Jammu and Kashmir today even as cloudy weather conditions brought down the night temperature in the valley with Pahalgam recording a low of 0.2 degree celsius. Jammu continued to witness rise in temperature with the winter capital recording a high of 34.9 -- five degrees above normal. The night temperature in the city was 21.9 degrees, the Met office said. Katra, the base camp for Vaishno Devi shrine, saw the mercury settle at 29.3 degrees during the day and 17.1 at night. However, the night temperature in Srinagar dipped to 5.0 degrees celsius -- six degrees below normal. The maximum temperature in the summer capital of the sta...   READ MORE

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Central govt proposes educational tribunals Bhalla inaugurates website launched by NITT Participate en-mass in census 2011: Niaz DB conforms suspension of employee in custody for more than 48 hrs BSNL broadband non-functional Chib inspects Indira Gandhi Govt Dental College DEO Kathua notifies dates for filing claims and objections BJP's anti price hike campaign enters in second phase Kashyap Jagriti Manch frames body KPs allege nexus between mafia-politicians-administration in encroachment 'Strengthen security in Kalakot', area demands Ashok Sharma Cash assistance for Kashmiri migrants increased Tata Mobile, two mobikes stolen Four hurt in road mishap Rs 2000 entry tax per bus, a conspiracy against Jammu, pilgrims: BJP Swarnkar Sangh polls stayed BMS deputation met addl. Commissioner PF BAJ to intensify agitation over PRD Bill Infamous land scam, HC issued contempt notice to IG, SSP Crime CJM awarded two year jail for Bangladesh national JBA plead for issuance of dogra certificate Engineer Rasheed hails Kupwara people Govt offers for talks; employees announce strike from Apr 3 LoC trade aimed at CBM actually funding ultras through Hawala: BJP Student shoots himself, survives   READ MORE THIS SECTION

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