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Kashmir : Baig re-inducted as Deputy Chief Minister

	December 17, 2007

Senior People’s Democratic Party (PDP) leader Muzzaffar Hussein Baig has been re-inducted as Deputy Chief Minister in Jammu and Kashmir after remaining in the political wilderness for about 15 months. He fills the vacancy caused by his resignation from the Ministry in September last year.



When asked as to what has prompted the PDP to go in for this arrangement, especially after the differences the top party leadership had with Baig, PDP president Mehbooba Mufti said, “Those issues have been sorted out.”



“That was an unpleasant decision (recall of Baig from the Ministry and his removal from the position of the PDP legislature party in August last year). But we had wanted to reverse that at an appropriate time and I believe that the appropriate time has come,” Mufti said.



Afzal retains Forest portfolio



Gaps between ruling coalition partners narrowed a bit after Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad on Dec. 15 restored the Forest and Environment portfolio to PDP leader Qazi Mohammad Afzal. Afzal, a senior leader of the PDP, was stripped off the Forest and Environment portfolio in September following the alleged irregularities in the Forest Department.









Congress registers a major victory in Poonch



The Congress on Dec. 15 registerd a major victory in three decades in the Poonch-Haveli constituency when its candidate, Jehangir Mir was declared elected defeating his nearest rival, Independent candidate and one time party colleague Yashpal Sharma by a good margin of 4,398 votes.



Mir secured 20,697 votes of the 66,468 polled votes whereas Sharma could just manage 16,299. National Conference candidate Aejaz Ahmed Jan finished third by securing 16227 votes.



The election to this seat which was necessitated following the death of NC leader and sitting MLA Ghulam Mohammad Jan saw his son Aejaz Jan fighting hard to retain the seat once held by his late father.



“The Congress last won the seat in 1971 when Jehangir Sahab’s uncle Ghulam Muhammad Mir emerged victorious. After 30 years we have won the seat again and will retain it,” said a Congress leader.





Peace and development essential



Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad has said that his government has been doing its best to allay fear among the people. In an interview with a Chandigarh newspaper, he said the Government has succeeded in its objective to a large extent.



Azad said that the coalition government headed by the Congress has embarked upon a two-pronged strategy of peace and development. Listing his priorities, he said he wants to put the state on the path of development and at the same time rid it of emotive sloganeering. Azad said that people have now started coming out and there were practically no more demands and demonstrations for ‘azadi.’ But there are greater demands for employment, development and rehabilitation.





JKLF takes out protest march against human rights violations



The Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) workers took out a procession in Old Srinagar city on December 9 in protest against alleged human rights violations by the security forces in Kashmir. JKLF leader Mohd. Yasin Malik also observed a two-day hunger strike. The demonstration and the fast were organised in view of the World Human Rights Day on Dec. 10.



Displaced Kashmiri Pandits held a protest rally in New Delhi on Dec. 9 to highlight what they called “injustices perpetrated” on the community. They accused the National Human Rights Commission of failing to provide succor to members of the community forced to live outside the state for the past 18 years.





Infiltration continues, no troop cut : Army Chief



The Army Chief Gen. Deepak Kapoor has said that though the situation in the state has improved, more time is needed for taking up large scale troop pull out. In an interview with a TV channel, he said that infiltration in Jammu and Kashmir has been continuing. There is also the fear that jehadis facing crackdown in Pakistan may try to sneak into the state in the wake of the political turmoil in the neighbouring country.



Speaking on the sidelines of a seminar in New Delhi on Dec. 13, Gen. Kapoor said that security forces had mounted a strong vigil along the line of control to check any spurt in rebel activities.





Police clash with protesters, one dead



One person was killed and 25 others injured, when the police resorted to fire to disperse a group of agitators, demanding a degree college in Mugam in Budgam district on Dec. 15.



The police said a large number of people were protesting against the government’s failure in sanctioning a degree college for the area, when a section of the crowd turned unruly. The police claimed that some miscreants snatched the weapon of a constable and injured him. The police and the CRPF fired shots at the crowd to disperse them. One of the injured, Zahoor Ahmed Mir (26), succumbed to his injuries. Inspector general S.M. Sahai, who was in Jammu at the time of the incident, rushed back to take stock of the situation.