Seventy Shiv Sena and Bharatiya Janata Party activists were arrested as they clashed with police during a bandh called by them in protest against Jammu and Kashmir government's decision not to hand over forest land to the Amarnath Shrine Board. Nine persons were injured in baton charge and stone-pelting during the clash, sources said.
The People's Democratic Party has withdrawn its support from the Jammu and Kashmir government. All ministers from the party submitted their resignations to Governor N N Vohra on Saturday evening, party president Mehbooba Mufti told mediapersons.The PDP decided to withdraw its support after the Congress-led state government refused to revoke its decision to allot forest land to the Sri Amarnath Shrine Board.
Abdullah, who turned 50 on March 10, had spent 232 days in custody since the government announced abrogation of the special status of the erstwhile state on August 5 last year.
Situated 55 kilometres north of Srinagar, Bandipore assembly constituency goes to polls in the first phase. The main contest here is going to be between the independent candidate Usman Majid, Nizamuddin Bhat of the People's Democratic Party and Ghulam Rasool Mir of the National Conference. Interestingly, a Tihar jail inmate, Mohammad Iqbal Jan is also fighting elections from Bandipora on the Jammu and Kashmir National Panthers' Party ticket.
Claiming that the People's Democratic Party has no links with extremist elements, its chairman Abdul Nasser Madani on Saturday charged the Muslim League (ML) and BJP with carrying out a 'misinformation campaign' against his party to gain political mileage.
Taking a dig at the Peoples' Democratic Party in Jammu and Kashmir, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said on Monday that opposition in the state is nervous and worried as they were finding it difficult to cope up with the fact that they were out of power.
The matter was deliberately hyped, Gupta added. The case is in court, which will decide on it, he said.
Releasing the party manifesto, which talks of resolution of Kashmir issue on the lines of its "self-rule" formula, PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti made it clear that her party was jumping into the poll bandwagon, but wished that the Centre should have initiated a "serious dialogue" with all sections in the Kashmir Valley before holding elections.
It had been reported in a section of the media Madani and his wife had links with some extremist elements, who were shot dead by the army in Kashmir .It may be recalled that four youths from Kerala were killed I an encounter while they were trying to cross the border into Pakistan.
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah resumed office on Friday, a day after Governor N N Vohra rejected his resignation which he had tendered over allegations by a senior Peoples Democratic Party leader of his being involved in the 2006 sex scandal case.
The Central Bureau of Investigation on Tuesday said the name of Jammu & Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah never figured in the 2006 sex scandal case in which two ministers of the then Peoples Democratic Party regime were arrested.
Maintaining that it would put up candidates in all six Lok Sabha seats in Jammu and Kashmir, the opposition Peoples Democratic Party on Thursday ruled out alliance with any party during the upcoming parliamentary polls.
Reiterating his party's commitment to provide equal development opportunities to all in Jammu and Ksahmir, the Peoples' Democratic Party has said 'self rule' was the only viable solution for removing regional disparities in the state.
"I will put the suggestion before the prime minister for free flow and use of Indian and Pakistani currencies in J&K and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir in line with the proposal of South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation and in the pattern of European model," Sayeed said in Jammu.
Besides Azad, two PDP and one BJP candidate won.
The appointment has raised eye-brows. People's Democratic Party chief Mehbooba Mufti called it a 'shocking violation' of the spirit of justice and alleged that it will encourage 'rape culture'.
Pakistan will move forward to resolve the Kashmir issue with India through a peaceful dialogue and the nation's new government will continue confidence-building measures initiated by the previous regime, Pakistan People's Party co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari said on Friday.
Mufti, who reached New Delhi on Monday for talks with the Bharatiya Janata Party leadership, has called for a legislature party meeting on March 24.
The PDP chief visited New Delhi on Monday and has reportedly called a meeting of party legislators to brief them about her talks with BJP leaders.
The Central team, which is in Jammu to take stock of the situation in the state over the Amarnath land row, will meet delegates of the Shri Amarnath Sangarsh Samiti at 4.30 pm on Saturday evening. Leaders from the Kashmir Valley, including National Conference leader Farooq Abdullah, People's Democratic Party chief Mehbooba Mufti and Saifuddin Soz, will be kept out of the meet as demanded by the Samiti.
Interview with former JK chief minister Ghulam Nabi Azad. Azad feels all his good work as the chief minister was wiped clean by the emotional and divisive politics unleashed by the father-daughter duo of Mufti Mohd Sayeed and Mehbooba Mufti.
Omar, who began his political journey in the state from this assembly seat in 2002 elections, had been advised by some of his party men to choose another constituency in the backdrop of his previous poll debacle. National Conference had emerged as the largest party in the last polls with 28 seats in the 87-member House but chose to sit in opposition.
'The PDP has all the time stressed that the semblance of peace and normalcy it has brought in the valley must not be taken for granted. There is no substitute for the resolution of the Kashmir dispute. The problem is still there,' says the PDP vice president
Former chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir and People's Democratic Party leader Mufti Mohammad Sayeed has demanded that the Centre investigate the role of Lieutenant General (Retired) S K Sinha in the Malegaon blast as during the latter's tenure as the state's governor, religious leader Dayanand Pandey used to visit Kashmir regularly and was treated like a state guest.Sources close to Lt Gen Sinha rejected Mufti's charges as outrageous.
Succumbing to pressure from Lone's son and legislator Shoaib, who was supported by opposition National Conference, Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad finally announced in the house that the CBI had been asked to probe the killing.
The prestigious Poonch Assembly by-election scheduled for December 12 is going to witness a tough contest between the candidates of ruling Congress and the Opposition National Conference (NC), with the coalition partner, People's Democratic Party (PDP) providing vital support to its Congress ally.
"Grassroots democracy must get precedence than any other considerations, including security," the functionary said.
Qadri said the Governor should have satisfied himself by seeking additional documentation in support of the claims made in letter for government formation.
'We had to respect the sentiments of the people of Jammu as our party was elected from Jammu.'
Addressing a public meeting in Mahore town of Reasi district on Sunday, the ruling Peoples Democratic Party patron said: "Jammu and Kashmir should become a model among the SAARC countries by allowing both Indian and Pakistani currency to operate in the state." Mufti defended his proposal by quoting the example of European Union, where he said "free travel was possible among 40 countries without any visa restrictions."
Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz chief Nawaz Sharif is keen to visit Jammu and Kashmir to trace his ancestral roots, the former Pakistani premier told visiting People's Democratic Party president Mehbooba Mufti. Mufti, who travelled to Islamabad last week to participate in a conference, had met Sharif in Lahore on Thursday.
Bhutan, sandwitched between its giant neighbours India and China, on Monday became the world's 124th democracy as its people voted overwhelmingly in a historic general election, bringing the curtains down on a century of absolute monarchy. The election is a closely fought contest between two parties -- the People's Democratic Party and the Druk Phuensum Tshogpa.
"There have been no talks about supporting or not supporting....We have left the decision to the Congress since we do not make the numbers together (to form a government)," party chief Mehbooba Mufti said. Replying to questions, she said, "we are ready to sit in the opposition...We have a party, we have an agenda, we have our programmes to follow.
"It is now for the Congress to decide on the alliance. It has to see with which party it could consolidate the gains made in the state over the past five and half years since the 2002 elections," party chief Mehbooba Mufti told PTI.
The People's Democratic Party on Sunday said the high voter turnout should not be considered as end of the road as Jammu and Kashmir is different from other states of the country. "Jammu and Kashmir is not like any other state just because over 60 per cent of people voted. It is not the end of the road. The people here have different aspirations and ambitions," party president Mehbooba Mufti said.
The ruling National Conference as well as the opposition Peoples Democratic Party on Saturday welcomed the decision by Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharief to attend Narendra Modi's swearing-in ceremony Monday as prime minister of India.
Senior Peoples Democratic Party leader Qazi Mohammad Afzal, who was stripped of the Forest portfolio after rumours of corruption, submitted his resignation on Tuesday.
This is chief minister Ghulam Nabi Azad's first stern action against a ministerial colleague, since he declared a war against corruption in public life in the state.
Mehbooba has also met with Congress president Sonia Gandhi.
The Bharatiya Janata Party on Monday put the onus on the People's Democratic Party over the formation of a new government in Jammu and Kashmir, and said that they do not have any objection to PDP president Mehbooba Mufti becoming the chief mkinister.
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