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J&K a nuclear flash point: EU
Governor accepts resignations of two J&K ministers 2 militants among 4 killed in J&K |
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Amarnath yatra row deepens Handloom
corporation staff allege nepotism Book of Kashmiri poems released Pandita goes on voluntary retirement
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J&K a nuclear flash point: EU Srinagar, June 22 Talking to mediapersons
Mr John Cushnahan, head of the six-member delegation, said the people of Kashmir suffered a lot since trouble broke out in the state over 14 years ago. The delegation, which has already visited Pakistan in December last year, arrived here today on a three-day visit to Jammu and Kashmir to assess the situation. “We are concerned about Kashmir issue because it has been a nuclear flash point”, Mr John Cushnahan commented. The delegation is scheduled to meet Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed and separatist leaders, including those of the Hurriyat Conference, JKLF leader, Mohammad Yaseen Malik and Syed Ali Shah Geelani during its three-day tour of the state. It would also visit the LoC to have an assessment of the situation in view of the ongoing ceasefire along the border. Prior to their arrival here, the European Union Parliamentarians had meetings with the Centre’s representative on Jammu and Kashmir, Mr N.N. Vohra, and the Parliamentary Affairs Minister, Mr Ghulam Nabi Azad, who apprised them of the prevalent situation in the state. Mr Vohra, had returned to New Delhi a day earlier from here after attending a four-day conference of the Indo-EU Round Table aimed at finding ways to boost tourism and trade between India and European countries. The separatist leaders here have welcomed the views expressed by Mr John Cushnahan, that Kashmiris were the main party to the dispute. The separatists were unhappy over the comments made by the Ambassador of the European union, Mr Francisco Da Camara Gomes, who had stated that Kashmir was like any other part of India. This he said in reply to questions at a press conference on Friday last on the second day of the Indo-European Round Table meet. He had, however, commented that these were his personal views. |
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Governor
accepts resignations of two J&K ministers Srinagar, June 22 They include Mr Madan Lal Sharma, Minister for Roads and Buildings and Choudhary Lal Singh, Minister for Health and Medical Education. Mr Sharma and Choudhary Lal Singh had submitted their resignations following their election to the Lok Sabha from the Jammu and Udhampur constituencies in the recent elections. Earlier, the Chief Minister, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, forwarded their resignation letters to the Governor. An official spokesman said here this evening that the Chief Minister also effected a minor reshuffle in the portfolios of four ministers. Ms Suman Lata Bhagat would now be the Minister for Health and Medical Education and would hold the additional charge of the Department of Fisheries, Floriculture, Administrative Reforms and Inspections. The Minister of State for Tourism, Mr Ghulam Ahmad Mir, will now hold the independent charge of Roads and Buildings as Minister of State. Minister of State for Roads and Buildings Syed Bashir Ahmad will now be the Minister of State for PHE, Irrigation and Flood Control. The Minister of State for PHE, Irrigation and Flood Control Mr Jugal Kishore, will now be the Minister of State for Tourism, the official spokesman said. |
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2 militants among 4 killed in J&K Jammu, June 22 On specific information, the delta force troops launched a search operation in the Hamirpur-Shiva forest belt of Bhaderwah tehsil in Doda district last evening. During the operation, an encounter took place, in which one militant, identified as Ijaz, alias Abu Mahidi, an area commander of LeT for Bhaderwah, was killed, while two other ultras escaped. The recoveries from the encounter site yielded one AK rifle with two magazines and 10 rounds, 10 rounds of pistol, one pika with 60 rounds, four pika empty belts, eight hand grenades, six UBGL grenades, seven pensile cells, Rs 230 in Indian currency and some Pakistani currency. Militants barged into the house of Sayeed Gafoor in Proti-Mangnar village in Poonch district and kidnapped him last night, sources said, adding the militants later slaughtered him and his body was recovered today from the outskirts of the village. In another incident, militants entered the house of Bashir Ahmed at Mandrana village in Doda district and fired on him last night, they said, adding that he died on the spot. Security forces destroyed four militant hideouts in Poonch, Rajouri and Udhampur district, from where huge cache of arms and explosives, including a Pakistani service weapon and its ammunition, were recovered. During a search operation in the Hayatpur forest in Rajouri district last night, security forces busted a militant hideout, from where they recovered a Pakistani service weapon, its two magazines and ammunition, 160 AK rounds, two grenades, two magazines, 10 electric detonators and two cylinder-fitted improvised explosive devices. “This was the first time Pak service ammunition and weapon used by the militants were recovered from a hideout in Jammu and Kashmir”, they said. Another hideout was busted in the Manjakot area of the district, from where three AK magazines, two rifle magazines, 159 rounds of AK ammunition, three hand grenades, two plastic mines, one RPG rocket, two remote control devices and one kg of explosive material were recovered. In another incident, a BSF team busted a hideout in the Dayda forest in Udhampur district early today and recovered three AK rifles, five magazines, seven rounds and nine grenades from the site. Another hideout was busted in the Sangla forest in Poonch district early today, which led to the recovery of 130 rounds, two grenades and one radio set. SRINAGAR: An unidentified militant was killed in an encounter while two Hizbul Mujahideen militants were arrested in separate operations, official sources said on Tuesday. The militant, hiding in the house of Laldin Khatana, was killed in an encounter with troops at Gagal village in Kupwara district early today. The house was damaged during the encounter, which took place when the militant refused to surrender and instead opened fire on the Army search party. A Hizbul Mujahideen militant, Tariq Ahmad Laway, alias Junaid, was arrested by the Army from Hyperpora Shopian in Pulwama district. A pistol, its one magazine, seven rounds and a Chinese hand grenade were seized. Another Hizbul militant was nabbed by security forces from the Karannagar area of Srinagar yesterday. A pistol, its three magazines, 70 rounds and six hand grenades were recovered from the captured militant, identified as Farooq Ahmad
Zargar. |
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Amarnath yatra row deepens
Jammu, June 22 To discuss the “irritating constraints” that are being imposed on the pilgrimage, the Governor convened an extraordinary meeting of the SASB here last evening. On the other hand, the Amarnath Yatra Nyas headed by Dr Ramakant Shastri, launched a dharna here this morning to protest against the curtailment of the “yatra” by the state government. Various organizations have accused the government of interfering in the religious affairs of Hindus. Mahant Deependera Giri, Justice G.D. Sharma and Dr Bimla Dhar, who are members of the SASB, briefed mediapersons about the deliberations of the meeting of the board. They said it was unfortunate that not only the government, but also the bureaucracy has imposed “irritating constraints” on the yatra. The mahant announced that the pilgrimage led by the holy mace would set off for Pahalgam from the Dashnami Akhara on August 25 and reach the cave shrine on August 30 when rakhi would be celebrated. The board members said the SASB observed that the action of the government violated the provisions of the Shri Amarnath Ji Shrine Board Act of 2000 whereunder the board was given a statutory status. The SASB expressed concern over the state government not allowing it to install the pre-fabricated insulated shelters for 5,000 pilgrims and delaying clearance to carry 600 environment-friendly prefabricated toilets and 250 baths for convenience of the pilgrims. These members said that while the government was on the one hand expressing security concerns as the reason for curtailment of the pilgrimage to one month, on the other hand, about 500 persons were being allowed to perform the yatra privately every day without any security. This is for the first time that the SASB has come out openly against the “interference” of the state government in its affairs. The SASB noted with regret that the various proposals formulated by it which were duly communicated by the chairman (Governor) to the Chief Minister and the Deputy Chief Minister in October, 2003, and the detailed project report sent in March this year, were summarily rejected by the state government on May 21, without any discussion. The board observed that the prefabricated insulated shelters with wooden floor, two-tier bunks and rexene mattresses at the camping sites for 5,000 pilgrims would not only have provided greater comfort to the pilgrims than sleeping on the ground in tattered tents, but also ensured greater survivability in bad weather. After the snowstorm in 1996 in which 243 persons perished and several hundred were injured, the Nitish Sengupta Committee had recommended permanent shelters at the camping site. In the wake of the large-scale massacre of pilgrims in 2000, the Mukherjee Committee had also recommended permanent shelters. The SASB said its proposal for extending the yatra to two months from July 2 was to respect the religious sentiments. By delaying the yatra as late as August, it was likely that the ice lingam would have completely melted by that time, denying the pilgrims the satisfaction of the holy darshan. The SASB urged the state government to reconsider its decision on the duration of the yatra as the security plea being put up by the government was “totally unconvincing”. The board expressed surprise that the state government had now chosen to impose a ceiling of 3,500 pilgrims per day as recommended by the Nitish Sengupta Committee when all these years it had not implemented the recommendation. As many as 15,000 persons performed the pilgrimage in a single day last year when the average figure of yatris was 8,000 per day. There was no logic behind rejecting the board’s modest recommendation of allowing 5,000 pilgrims per day as the path on the Baltal route had been widened from 7 ft. to 11 ft. The SASB pointed out that the state government was insisting on all pilgrims getting themselves registered through the J&K Bank after paying a levy of Rs 20 per person. The board had suggested free registration on the Internet as at Tirupati and as was being introduced for the Vaishnodevi shrine. PTI adds: Six youths today tonsured their heads and broke water-filled earthen pots during a demonstration against Mufti-led coalition government for its alleged anti-Amarnath yatra policy. The heads were tonsured and earthen pots broken at J.P. Chowk in the city where leaders and representatives of various organisations, including Baba Amarnath Yatra Nyas (BAYN), Jammu Paryatan Vikas Mandal, all hotel and lodges associations, Jammu Province, Tourist and Taxi federation, Sanatan Dharam Sabha, Jammu Mukhti Morcha, staged dharna.  |
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Handloom
corporation staff allege nepotism Srinagar, June 22 In a representation to the Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, the employees of the corporation have alleged that two employees were promoted recently for the second time after they had first been promoted three years ago. This, the representation said, was in gross violation of the rules leading to stagnation for a number of other employees working in the corporation for more than two decades. Another official had been promoted to the post of Assistant Project Manager ignoring the 20-year service of another official. The representation expresses concern over “nepotism” and “favouritism” adopted by the management of the corporation that “continued its efforts to accommodate some more junior people with political connections”. The aggrieved officials have urged the Chief Minister to intervene and save the corporation, known for the production of the tweed cloth and garments, from further degradation and pave the way for improvement in its production. |
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Book of Kashmiri poems released Srinagar, June 22 The book “Harnis Tapas Andar” (Amid the heat of Haar’s sun), of collection Kashmiri poems by Fayaz Dilber, a Delhi-based media person was released on the occasion. A three-day exhibition of paintings and graphic prints by Nasreen Mohsin at the College of Education, Maulana Azad Road, here was also inaugurated. The 34 paintings depicted different aspects of the trouble-torn valley. Broadcaster and theatre personality of ‘Gul Gulshan Gulfam’ and ‘Noor Jehan’ fame Pran Kishore lamented that the elite class of the Kashmiri language had left the valley, leading to a void. He said this was not a good sign, though sustained efforts were being made to maintain cultural and literary traditions. He was here on a brief visit. Referring to the collection of poems, Pran Kishore said it was a welcome sign. Referring to the painting exhibition, Pran Kishore said, “There is always a woman behind a great man”. He admitted that the language was being patronised by lakhs through literary works. He commented that phonetically, the Kashmiri language was perfect, with a wide range of vowels, not found in any other language. He said one who had expertise in learning the Kashmiri speech would have no difficulty in learning any other language. He stressed the need for encouraging the Kashmiri speech amongst the younger lot, that was presently being substituted by Urdu at the nursery and pre-primary levels. He sought to discourage the trend of teaching children to speak in incorrect Urdu at the cost of their mother tongue. Dwelling on the contribution of Fayaz Dilber, Mohammad Zaman Azurdah from the Urdu Department of the University of Kashmir, felt the need to “encourage the younger lot of creative writers in the Kashmiri language. He said young Kashmiri writers and poets did not get proper encouragement as compared to those in other languages, particularly Urdu. Referring to some verses from the book, he held that it was a true reflection of the present circumstances, thereby contributing to the genre. Referring to other verses from the collection, Ashraf Sahil, poet and Director, Commercial Service, Radio Kashmir, said these reflected the sufferings and pain of the Kashmiris in a unique poetic manner. He held that it showed maturity of the poet, who came out with his first collection of Kashmiri poems. |
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Pandita goes on voluntary retirement Srinagar, June 22 This has been done on the request of Mr Pandita under Art. 230 (i) Jammu and Kashmir CSR Vol-1. He has put in 33 years of distinguished service in the state. The government ordered Mr N.A. Reshi, SE, Srinagar Development Authority, to take over as the Managing Director of the Housing Board.
— UNI |
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