Jammuites vote Azad as 'most successful' CM

Jammu, July 26: His opposition to the demand of demilitarisation in Jammu and Kashmir and concern against the increased corruption have credited Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad as the most popular leader in this region, a study says.

A research carried out on over 10,000 people across all the ten districts in Jammu region have revealed that a majority of the people are against the withdrawal of troops from the state, the demand for which is being raised by some political parties.

Even in the case of reduction in terrorism, 60 per cent of the people opposed any move towards demilitarisation, the Kashmir images, a regional daily that conducted the research, reported today.

The demand withdrawal of troops was given some considration by the people in some pockets of Poonch, Rajouri and Doda districts, editor of the daily Aditya Malhotra told sources.

A total 337,000 army personnel are deployed in Jammu and Kashmir (having area of 101,387 sq kms and population over 11,000,000), of which only 25 per cent are into in depth counter-insurgency operations within the state, according to Lt Gen H S Panag, the Goc-in-C Northern Command.

Mr Azad, who opposed the demilitarisation being proposed by main coalition ally people's democratic party (PDP) and a few others, is labeled as the ''most successful'' Chief Minister of he state in recent times.

The opinion poll revealed 50 per cent of Jammuites were in favour of Mr Azad while former Chief Ministers Mufti Mohammad Sayeed and Farooq Abdullah got only 30 per cent and 20 per cent of the votes respectively.

Meanwhile, there was a major setback for the separatist leadership of Kashmir as it hardly found any taker in the Jammu region.

Over 85 per cent of the people rejected any separatist leader being Wazir-e-Alla (Chief Minister) or Wazir-e-Azam (Prime Minister) in the wake of a final solution to the Kashmir issue.

However, a majority of 57 per cent favoured a separate regional council for Jammu, Kashmir provinces and Ladakh regions but rejected splitting up of the state. Eighty per cent were against separate statehood to Jammu.

As a solution to the Kashmiri pandit migrants in this region, majority of 65 per cent advised ''they should go back'' to the valley while 25 per cent demanded ''homeland'' for these displaced hindus.

Meanwhile, a majority of 85 per cent favoured full rights to the refugees of 1947 over all pending demands.

UNI