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Strike hits life in Kashmir
Guru families in shock
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Hurriyat hopeful of meeting with PM
CBI probe demanded into Chittisinghpora massacre
Eight killed in violence
Seven injured in blast
5 more battalions to be raised
Army help for orphanage
BSF orders court martial of jawan
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Strike hits life in Kashmir
Srinagar, August 8 All shops and business establishments were closed and transport was off the roads. Skeletal transport, however, plied in some areas and official vehicles were moving on the roads. There was thin attendance in government offices also due to the lack of transport on the roads. Except for a few schools, most of the educational institutions including colleges remained closed. The apple rich town of Sopore, about 50 km from here in north Kashmir, observed a complete shutdown in response to the call. All shops and business establishments remained closed and roads deserted in the otherwise busy township for apple trade. Groups of demonstrators took to the main roads in some areas including Doabgah, about 5 km from the town. The houses of Afzal Guru and Shoukat Guru allegedly involved and sentenced in the Parliament attack case, are located at Seer Jagir and Doabgah villages near Sopore. Angry demonstrators raising slogans in the area burnt tyres and restricted the movement of traffic on the roads. They raised slogans like “Afzal, Shoukat Guru ko reha karo”, and “Supreme Court ka faisla manzoor nahin”. A spokesman for the High Court Bar Association here criticised the verdict of confirming death penalty, on Afzal Guru and 10 years rigorous imprisonment to Shoukat Guru. He said that the Bar members were unanimous “that a mock trial was conducted against these people and they were awarded the gravest kind of punishment on political considerations. He said the members contended that when two of the accused persons were acquitted by the court, conviction of the other two on the basis of same evidence was contrary to law and against the well established authoritative pronouncements of the Supreme Court itself. The APHC chairman, Syed Ali Shah Geelani, here yesterday expressing concern over the judgment demanded the release of all the detainees including Afzal Guru and Shoukat Guru allegedly involved in the Parliament attack case. He said that all others held in Jammu and Kashmir over the past 16 years were not criminals as treated but “political prisoners”. |
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Guru families in shock
Doabgah (Sopore), August 8 “Us kay saath insaaf hona chahiyay”, said his mother sitting in the dingy room on the second
storey of their house in Seer Jagir hamlet on the banks the Jhelum. That is all what she can spell out as she is consoled by mere presence of family members, neighbours, friends and relatives around her. Aisha has met her son under detention only twice in the past four years, and now words fail her to express. What attracts one’s eye is the recent photograph of her son sporting long beards sent from the jail. While Afzal’s 5-year old son, Ghalib named so for his literary taste, is unmindful of the happenings, his wife, Tabassum, only rears hopes. Afzal’s elder brother Aijaz Ahmad Guru, the lone male member of the family, laments at the lack of proper legal assistance due to various reasons over the past four years since the attack. “We will make a mercy appeal to the President…. Whether we get it or not but we have to appeal”, he said. Aijaz added that the sentence was pronounced only on circumstantial evidence and Afzal’s confession came in the absence of a legal assistance. “So far none has come forward to help any way”, Aijaz commented as he referred to his brother’s detention of the past about years. There has not been any word from the separatist leaders though senior separatist leader, Shabir Ahmad Shah had made some initiatives to get a legal help. Other senior separatist leaders had expressed their helplessness, the family members held. Afzal and their cousin, Shoukat Guru were held in Srinagar within a few days after the Parliament attack, while two others, Prof Syed Abdul Rahman Geelani and Shoukat Guru’s wife, Afshan were held in Delhi. The Supreme Court on Thursday upheld the death sentence in favour of Afzal Guru, and sentenced his cousin, Shoukat Guru to 10 years’ imprisonment, while Shoukat’s wife, Afshan and Prof S.A.R. Geelani have been acquitted. Though Afzal, 35, had joined the Jhelum Valley Medical College (JVMC) as an MBBS student in early 1990’s, he joined militancy after about three years. He later had his studies in Delhi for some years before being held by the Police, to which he later surrendered. With a surrender certificate, Afzal had started his meager business of a medical agency and had been frequently visiting Delhi to get stocks for the medical agency, his brother said. When the Parliament attack took place, he was picked up from Srinagar, his family members said. A few kilometres away from the house of Afzal Guru in Seer Jagir, near the apple rich town of Sopore in north Kashmir, falls Doabgah, the home village of his first cousin, Shoukat Guru, who has been sentenced to 10 years imprisonment in the case. Shoukat’s father, Abdul Sattar Guru, 69, questions the claims of the Government of India and state government led by Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed on restoring peace in Jammu and Kashmir. He had not been able to provide legal assistance to his son, Shoukat and nephew, Mohammad Afzal Guru. “I believe in God… life and death uppar walay kay haath mein”, he said in an emotional outburst. “Hindus in Delhi fought our case”, he added with gratitude. Abdul Sattar Guru claimed that his son’s fault, as projected, was that he knew about the incident. “When Mufti promises rehabilitation to militants after they lay down arms, then why they blame the two cousins”, he questioned. Shaheen, three-and-a-half year old son of Shoukat and Afshan Guru, is unmindful of the rows of people, men and women, relatives and friends converging at their house in a congested locality of Doabgah village. Shaheen was only six month old when was brought here leaving his mother back in Punjab, and his father undergoing detention. His grandfather, Abdul Sattar calls him Shaheen Shoukat, even as the little baby is Arsalan Shoukat for his father. And for the maternal grandfather in Punjab, he is only Aftab
Shoukat. |
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Hurriyat hopeful of meeting with PM
Jammu, August 8 A senior APHC leader, Prof Abdul Gani Bhat, told this correspondent today, “Yes, we expect the Prime Minister’s secretariat to inform us about the date of the meeting with Mr Manmohan Singh.” In reply to a question he said, “Normally an interlocuter would meet the Union Home Minister for a discussion on the latest political and security scenario in Jammu and Kashmir. Since Mr Vohra has had a 30-minute meeting with the Prime Minister we do hope that the date for our meeting with Mr Manmohan Singh is finalised shortly.” Professor Bhat,in reply to a question, said, “Yes, we boycotted Mr Vohra when he had visited Jammu and
Kashmir a couple of times in the past.” He explained “We respect Mr Vohra for his calibre and administrative skills and integrity but we cannot discuss the Kashmir issue with a senior bureaucrat.” He said, “Kashmir is a political and not an administrative issue. Hence, the dialgue on the settlement of the issue has to be initiated with the ruling political leadership. We prefer talks with a leader like Mr Manmohan Singh because of the importance and complexities tied with the issue.” The APHC leader refused to comment on Syed Ali Shah Geelani’s charge that the moderates had been purchased for derailing the freedom struggle and on the recent threat issued by four militant groups to Kashmiri Pandits telling them that they could return only if
they participated in the freedom struggle. He, however, said, “There are some vested interests in India and Pakistan which have their surrogates in Jammu and Kashmir trying to create hurdles in the peace process and the dialogue.” |
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CBI probe demanded into Chittisinghpora massacre
Jammu, August 8 At an emergency meeting here today Sikh leaders criticised the recent statement of the former Chief Minister, Dr Farooq Abdullah in which he had said that the BJP-led NDA Government had not allowed him to hold an inquiry into the killing of 35 Sikhs at Chittisinghpora village in South Kashmir. Dr Farooq Abdullah had told newsmen in Jammu on August 6 that he wanted to institute an inquiry for exposing the “real culprits of Chittisinghpora massacre but the NDA Government scuttled my plan.” Mr Mohan Singh, president, Shiromani Akali Dal, who presided over the meeting told mediamen that “we have taken a serious note of the allegations levelled against the NDA Government by Dr Abdullah and we want the BJP, NC and the Akali Dal (Badal) to clear their position vis-a-vis the scuttling of the inquiry plan.” He said when the massacre took place Dr Farooq Abdullah, who was then the Chief Minister, had “never disclosed anything about the NDA gameplan when a deputation of Sikh leaders had called on him.” Mr Mohan Singh said that as Chief Minister, Dr Abdullah had never announced his intention of holding a judicial or CBI inquiry. The Akali leader said by accusing the BJP-led NDA Government of scuttling his plan of instituting an inquiry, Dr Farooq Abdullah was blaming the Akali Dal (Badal) also because the Badal faction was a constituent of the NDA. The Shiromani Akali Dal leaders appealed to Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh, and Chief Minister, Mufti Mohammed Sayeed, to order a CBI inquiry into the killing of Sikhs during the National Conference rule to unravel the truth. |
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Eight killed in violence
Srinagar, August 8 Sub-inspector of traffic police Mohammad Yousuf Khanday was shot dead by militants near his house at Sangdan in Qazigund area of Anantnag district last night, a police spokesman said here today. Six-year-old Adnan Ahmad of the same village was also hit by a bullet and was injured, he said adding he was brought here for specialised treatment. Khanday’s younger son Showkat Ahmad, who was serving in BSF, had also been killed by militants a few years back. Two LeT militants identified as Bilal Ahmad Ganai of Pampore and Mohammad Amin Khanday of Tral were killed in an encounter with security forces at Dogripora in Pulwama district last evening, the spokesman said. A 55-year-old person, Mohammad Dar, was also killed in the crossfire. While his body was being taken for burial today, the truck met with an accident at Pampore resulting in the killing of his brother Javed Ahmad. One person, identified as Shyam Sunder of Pathankot, was killed and a security jawan injured when an improvised explosive device, planted by militants at the base of a Chinar tree at Chursoo on Srinagar-Jammu national highway, exploded in the wee hours today, the spokesman said adding six shops also got damaged in the powerful blast.
— PTI |
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Seven injured in blast
Srinagar, August 8 The blast took place at Bramri village in Drugmula area of the district, 100 km from here, around 10.45 am when the scrap dealers were going through the collected articles, Superintendent of Police Kupwara Supil Dutt told PTI. The blast was believed to have been caused by an explosive device which the scrap dealer had collected alongwith other articles, he said. Five of the injured have been rushed to Srinagar for specialised treatment, Mr Dutt said adding the condition of one of them was stated to be critical.
— PTI |
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5 more battalions to be raised
Srinagar, August 8 This he said while addressing the inaugural function of two-days annual Commandants Conference of Jammu and Kashmir Armed Police here today. The meeting deliberates on various issues pertaining to police forces, and would adopt concerted approach to deal with law and order and other problems confronting the Jammu and Kashmir Armed Police force. Mr Sharma said that better management of the manpower and training, meticulous planning and commitment to the cause on the part of officers and jawans was key to meet the future challenges of the society. Lauding the role of the armed police for launching various civic actions programme, like sports events, medical camps and blood donation camps etc. The DG police stressed the need for enlarging scope of this event so that more people could be benefited by this programming. |
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Army help for orphanage
Jammu, August 8 A team of Army officials from the 213 Transit Camp, led by Col R.D. Singh and Bhanwar Singh, visited the Digiana Ashram, housing 70 orphans, and presented the packets of material to the ashram manager Sardar Singh. The ashram, which was set up for homeless children in 1947, has rendered in valuable service to several thousand orphans during the past five decades. The ashram authorities, including its Chairman, Mahant Manjit Singh, appreciated the role of the Army authorities and thanked Brig A.C. Sonaja, Commander, 71 Sub Area and 213 Transit Camp, for the assistance. Mr Sardar Singh said the children in the ashram were not only imparted education but also vocational training.
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BSF orders court martial of jawan
Jammu, August 8 “I have ordered court martial of a jawan and later he would be handed over the police,” Inspector General of Police, BSF, Jammu Frontier, B D Sharma said adding the court martial proceedings would begin
soon. Kapildev was found guilty of killing three members of Harkat-ul-Jahadi-Islami
(HUJI) ultra in firing in Sangaldan area (Gool) of Udhampur on June 5 and has also accepted of his involvement in the crime, according to Mr Sharma. “Anybody in the BSF, who would be found guilty of committing excesses, would not go scot-free,” the IG said.
— PTI |
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