/ 0 B. " C >4 ) 00 .<. > 3 " & +%,- . &'() * $!% !"#$ %#& @%,, 43%3 23# 32 *,%*;3 ,%34.<4 %#*4 , ;3 %%&"'$&( (&" A 2@,%*4**3 *,2;32?-* 43@ ,43** ,23 (& ( &" )&( (&" ! " # $%& " '() * 7 * * R / 2* 2 2* 2 espite the decision of the top-ranking commander DNational Conference (NC) Aof banned Hizbul and Peoples Democratic Party Mujahideen (HM) and five (PDP), two main pro-election Lashkar-e-Tayyeba (LeT) ter- Q " political parties in Jammu & rorists were killed in a post- # Q $ Kashmir, to stay away from the midnight assault on a hideout & poll process, the State Election in Chowgam village of south ' ( Commission on Saturday Kashmir’s Kulgam district on announced a four-phased Saturday. schedule for the crucial munic- A civilian protester was " ipal elections, starting also shot dead by security "# October 8. forces during clashes in the )*+,- . The announcement for the aftermath of fierce gun-battle conduct of the urban bodies’ '- . + that lent a serious blow to ter- . polls comes also against the " &, rorists in south Kashmir region. " backdrop of separatists’ call for The authorities suspended train 0 boycott and terrorists’ direct The Governor administration Former Chief Minister and services in the region and "# $ %% L 2 threat to the prospective can- on August 31 sought post- PDP president Mehbooba snapped internet to prevent & "' ( ' L didates and campaigners. ponement of the hearing of the Mufti recently said the party escalation in the situation. * + &, . The first notification for litigations in the apex court in will not participate in the elec- Official sources said Gulzar 0 the urban local body polls the wake of proposed local tions as the prevailing situation Padder of HM and his four Police said Gulzar was a close “During the search opera- would be issued on September body and panchayat elections. in Kashmir was not favourable. associates were trapped in a res- associate of slain terrorist com- tion, terrorists fired on the 2 0 18 and the voting in the first The court later deferred the She said the party will not con- idential house, which was encir- mander Altaf Kachroo and was search party. Initially the civil- " phase would be held on hearing till January next year. test the election till the cled during the dead of night involved in a series of attacks, ians were moved away from & October 8 from 7 am to 2 pm. The NC was the first Government takes positive following specific input. During including killing of five police the site of encounter to safer # Addressing a Press confer- regional party that announced steps to safeguard the special the heavy exchange of fire, two personnel at Pambay village in locations. 00. 3 " ence, Chief Electoral Officer to stay away from the elections status of Jammu & Kashmir. Army personnel were injured. Kulgam, last year. Turn to Page 4 # Shaleen Kabra said the polls though the party avoided call- Turn to Page 4 4 "# would be held in four phases on ing for a boycott or launching October 8, 10, 13 and 16 this any campaign for it. "" " & & L # # Q & $ # 5 year. The PDP followed suit and &$&05 ! & L "# “The notifications for announced its inability to take " & ,&5 Q phase 2, 3 and 4 will be issued part in the elections. Several "$6 $.$ . "# on September 20, 22 and 24 other political groups with # 6 0 6 & " respectively,” Kabra said, influence in specific pockets ,&5'0/'07 08 278 adding that 17 lakh voters including the CPI(M) and the )*+9 were registered for the polls. Peoples’ Democratic Front also )" “The counting of votes chose to stay away from the "$ $ 3 ( )*+9 would take place on October polls. The Congress remained " 334%* terror groups in the Valley. 20,” he said. indecisive on its stance to con- " $) The Jammu & Kashmir police has . The National Conference test the elections while the "-:; o check terror funding and track set up 30 media cells for catering to the "# and PDP have decided to stay BJP and several Jammu-based "7< Tsuspected businessmen involved in local traditional media like the news- away from the municipal and parties have not resisted the $"%& hawala operations, the Jammu & papers. " & panchayat polls citing the link- poll schedule. # Kashmir police has set up a Financial In addition, Facebook pages and age of the electoral exercise Despite the NC and the & Investigation Unit and is also aggres- Twitter accounts have been opera- # $ with a series of litigations in the PDP’s decision to stay away, the sively using the social media to trans- tionalised by all the 26 districts, five " Supreme Court challenging Governor administration firm- mit counter narratives to the radical ranges and two police zones to reach out % & 0 Q the special status of J&K under ly adhered to its plan to hold thoughts being put forth by the sepa- to the public on a real-time basis. the provisions of Article 35A. the elections. ratist groups and Pakistan-sponsored Turn to Page 4 ' " 2 $& . ) $ ( * O$ O New Delhi: The Government exceeding the record 1 lakh after the over three-hour long " $ : is determined to keep fiscal crore target of revenue mobil- meeting. ; deficit at 3.3 per cent of GDP isation from Government stake With 44 per cent of the on the back of buoyant tax rev- sale in PSUs. budgeted capital expenditure $O 5 enues and expectations of sur- He, however, did not say if estimate for the current fiscal " 4 passing the disinvestment tar- the meeting discussed the year ending March 31, 2019 ) ' get, Finance Minister Arun recent spike in fuel prices that already spent by August 31, the " Jaitley said on Saturday but has led petrol touching a record Government “will end the year ,&" . remained non-committal on high of 81.63 per litre and without any cut”, he said, -&./01 cutting tax on petrol and diesel. diesel to 73.54 a litre. adding that it was extremely $ A day after steps to contain There were expectations necessary to maintain 100 per P Q the widening current account that the Government may cut cent capital expenditure for 2 deficit (CAD) and check fall of excise duty on the two fuels to high growth rate. P ( Q the rupee were announced, ease burden on the consumers “The Government is con- . ( : Prime Minister Narendra Modi but it seems it didn’t want to fident that we will have a = 2 on Saturday continued his two- take chance as it stands to lose growth rate higher than what 2 day review of the economy as 14,000 crore in revenue from we had projected earlier this . he took stock of tax collections a 1 per litre cut in excise. year in the Budget,” he said. 0 = and macro-economic indica- It feels that the country “The inflation is broadly 4 Q tors in analysing performance cannot afford to have a twin under control”. ( : Q of different wings of the deficit problem — a depreciat- On revenue collections, he 0 Finance Ministry. ing rupee and high crude said the impact of anti-black . 2 After the meeting, Jaitley import bill putting pressure on money measures, demonetisa- $ "# 0 exuded confidence of surpass- the country’s current account tion and GST are now visible ing the 7-7.5 per cent GDP deficit (CAD), and a fiscal with “phenomenal” increase ' 2 growth target projected in the slippage. in tax base. “The CBDT is very 0Q last Budget presented on “The Government is con- clear that this year they will be February 1, meeting capital fident and will strictly maintain able to collect in excess of '" 0 " ' " 0 ' expenditure targets, surpassing the 3.3 per cent fiscal deficit budgeted target,” he said. " $ " #1# O P . ( : tax collections projections and target,” Jaitley told reporters Turn to Page 4 4 & 0 1 " . # !" #$ % ! % : . " +,>* 2)%* and deport) action” against state, acting as communication the infiltrators. He asserted link between people holding 0 ? tate BJP has urged the gov- said after detection of refuges their views and also helping Sernment to initiate mea- their facilities including names anti-state forces. ( sures for holding the National in the voter’s list must be delet- He said the members crit- @ "# Register of Citizenship (NRC) ed adding that they should be icized the opposition parties L 3#0 L exercise in Jharkhand while then sent back to the neigh- including the congress and the . = stating that three districts of bouring country. left parties of supporting the