PM, Army chief review J&K situation; Ali Khan elected CEC, LAHDC, Kargil
  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Email
  • Whatsapp
  • Linkedin
  • Print

    • Army chief Gen. Deepak Kapoor briefed Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh in New Delhi on September 12 on the situation in J&K, in view of elections expected to take place in the coming months1.

    Independent Councillor Kachoo Ahmad Ali Khan was on September 9 elected as new Chief Executive Councillor (CEC) of Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC), Kargil. The LAHDC Kargil has the total strength of 30 Councillors, of whom 26 are elected and four are nominated. Six Councillors, who won the elections on NC tickets and, two others from the Ladakh Union Territory Front (LUTF) - who support granting Union Territory Status to Ladakh, supported the candidature of Ali Khan. Elections to LAHDC were announced on August 1 while polling was held on August 30. As many as 72 candidates were in the fray. 19 Independents made it to the Council along with six candidates of NC and one from the Congress. The elections recorded the highest ever voter turn out of 80 per cent2.

    After three days of complete normalcy, the Kashmir Valley witnessed a recurrence of violent clashes between protestors and security forces on September 12, as Hurriyat Coordination Committee (HCC) urged the Kashmiris to stage peaceful demonstrations after performing Friday afternoon prayers. As a result, two persons were killed and 50 others, including 20 security forces personnel, were wounded in four separate incidents of violence during the anti-India and pro-Azadi demonstrations. The demonstrators demanded the release of separatist leaders and condemned the police crackdown in the aftermath of the rallies by the Hurriyat Conference in August.

    Meanwhile, Hurriyat Chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq warned that all pro-India political leaders would be "thrown out of Kashmir’’ if they participated in the forthcoming Assembly elections3. Earlier on September 8, nearly 60 people were wounded in clashes between protesters and security forces across the Kashmir Valley. The clashes erupted following a bandh called by separatists to protest against the Election Commission's meetings with mainstream parties to decide the poll schedule4. While the NC and PDP were against the conduct of polls, the BJP and Left Parties wanted early election. The tenure of the Assembly was to expire on November 20 but the state was placed under Governor’s rule, which ends January 105.

    In other developments, security forces on September 12 gunned down three militants of the Harkat-ul-Jehad Islami (HUJI) in an encounter at Bonda, Chatru in Kishtwar district6.

    Top