Omar Abdullah questions govt over non-conduct of J-K assembly polls together with LS elections
Srinagar (PTI): National Conference (NC) vice president Omar Abdullah on Tuesday asked if the Centre cannot hold assembly and Lok Sabha elections together in Jammu and Kashmir, how can it conduct simultaneous polls across the country.
Abdullah was reacting to Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Rajiv Kumar's remark that the officers of the Union Territory administration had expressed inability to conduct the elections simultaneously in view of the requirement of a large number of security forces.
"When the CEC addressed a press conference, he said the ECI and all political parties are ready for polls, but the current administration (in J-K) put hurdles, saying they need more security forces.
"In such a situation, I am forced to question that when no assembly polls are being conducted in other states like UP, and Bihar, and you cannot conduct simultaneous elections now, then when you talk about one nation, one election, and have to conduct the polls simultaneously in states like UP, MP and Bihar, then where from will you get the forces?" Abdullah told reporters here.
He said the ECI had an opportunity to conduct the assembly polls in J-K, but the Union territory administration did not want to have elections as they did not want to leave power.
"It was an opportunity to conduct the elections. But they (administration) do not want it...they have become uncrowned kings. They have all the power which they do not want to leave. But thank God for the Supreme Court order that the elections have to be conducted before September 30," he added.
The Supreme Court in December last year, while pronouncing its judgement after hearing a batch of petitions challenging the abrogation of Article 370, asked the government to conduct the assembly polls in JK by September 30 this year.
Asked when the party would announce its candidates for the Lok Sabha polls, the NC leader said they were in no hurry.
"Only three candidates have been announced yet, Congress and other parties have not announced (their candidates).... We are in no hurry," he said.
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J-K: Six held with drugs, assets worth Rs 73 lakh attached in Udhampur
Jammu (PTI): Six persons were taken into custody during an intensified anti-narcotics crackdown, with police recovering contraband substances and over Rs 23 lakh in Doda and Kathua districts of Jammu and Kashmir, police said on Monday.
In a parallel action, properties worth over Rs 73 lakh linked to drug peddlers were also attached in Udhampur district under relevant legal provisions, the police said.
Additional Superintendent of Police, Doda, Mohd Aslam said three persons, including a woman, were detained during a raid on a house at Dak Mohalla in the main town following recovery of 85 grams of suspected brown sugar and over Rs 23 lakh on Sunday evening.
He identified the woman as Zareena Begum, stating that she had been under police surveillance following inputs indicating her involvement in drug peddling.
Besides Zareena, officials said her daughter and son-in-law were also picked up by police during the raid.
“We have taken three individuals into custody. Their roles are being examined, and based on that, arrests will be made. We are continuing raids at other suspected locations,” Aslam said.
Three drug peddlers --Pardeep Singh of Hiranagar, Rahees Butt of Billawar and Ali Sen of Amritsar (Punjab) -- were arrested along with heroin at different places in Kathua district, a police spokesman said.
He said while 2.79 gm of heroin was seized from Singh, 2.66 gm were recovered Butt. Similarly, 303 gm of heroin was seized from Sen who was intercepted near Berrian-Pattan village while moving in a private car from Bhagthali to Maggar Khad on the Jammu-Pathankot highway.
All the three were booked under the NDPS Act and further investigations are on, the spokesman said.
In Udhampur, the spokesman said properties worth Rs 73 lakh were attached in two separate cases registered under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.
The attached properties included a newly constructed residential house, a car, a motorcycle and a mobile phone with a total value of Rs 65 Lakh, belonging to accused Saif Ali who was booked under the NDPS case in Majalta area early this year, he said.
In another action, movable property worth Rs 8 lakh comprising a car, belonging to accused Danish Butt of Doda has been attached under Section 68(F) NDPS Act in connection with an FIR registered at Rehambal police station, the spokesman said.
