Jammu, June 8
After claiming to have foiled a major attempt to revive militancy in Punjab with the arrest of three militants allegedly of the Khalistan Zindabad Force, the counter-insurgency wing of the Punjab and the Jammu and Kashmir Police is searching for a person nicknamed ‘Rana’, who arranged the arms and ammunition for the arrested militants.

The J&K Police and the Army last week arrested three militants of the Khalistan Zindabad Force from Malpur Dumi at Kanachak on the Jammu-Akhnoor road while they were on their way back to Punjab after receiving the consignment of weapons from a border smuggler.

According to exclusive information available with The Tribune, Malkeet Singh, one of the arrested militants, was constantly in-touch with a Pakistani counterpart and was repeatedly calling on three mobile numbers in Pakistan.

Initially the delivery of the consignment was supposed to be made at Ferozepur, as the weapons were to be smuggled from the border there. However, due to increased security in Ferozepur, following the violation of ceasefire in Samba sector in Jammu, the consignment could not be delivered.

“Initially the consignment was to be delivered in Ferozepur, but due to the increased security there, they (the arrested militants) were told to wait for sometime,” a senior officer of the counter-insurgency wing of the investigating team of the Punjab Police told The Tribune.

He said, “As Malkeet was constantly calling on three mobile numbers in Pakistan, he was told to come to Jammu and contact one Rana on his prepaid mobile phone. Rana called them up in Jammu and asked them to reach the place in Akhnoor where the consignment was delivered.”

During their interrogation the trio said they did not meet Rana. “They revealed that they never met Rana, but they were constantly in touch with him on his prepaid mobile phone,” a police officer amongst the investigating team said.

The trio had further revealed that some radical groups in Punjab that are in constant touch with the ISI-backed militants in Pakistan were planning to revive militancy in Punjab.

“The aim of killing Gurmeet Ram Rahim and Baba Bhaniarawala was to create communal tension in Punjab which could have led to riots and would have provided a perfect ground to these outfits to revive militancy in the state,” the source said.

The source informed that with the change of strategy the militant groups in Punjab were operating in small groups of 10 to 15 people and the group assigned the task of killing Gurmeet Ram Rahim and Baba Bhaniarawala consisted of seven people.

Meanwhile, the police in Jammu and Kashmir has launched a manhunt to identify and catch ‘Rana’, the man who had arranged the weapons.

“After verification of the prepaid mobile number it was found that Rana obtained the SIM after submitting forged documents, however we are trying to trace him out from his call records,” sources said.

Udhampur, June 8
The Congress and the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) though are running a coalition government in the state, both the parties are unlikely to contest the forthcoming Assembly elections jointly as the latter has already shortlisted candidates for majority of the seats.

Out of total 87 seats of the Legislative Assembly, the PDP has already prepared panels of potential candidates for 80 seats and the newly constituted six-member election committee has assigned the job to single out the most deserving and popular candidates from these panels.

“It is almost clear that the PDP is going to contest coming elections on its own. These is remote chances of pre-poll alliance with the Congress,” a senior leader of the party told The Tribune and added that the PDP leadership has directed the party cadre to prepare themselves for fighting on almost seats.

Instead of entering into alliance with the Congress, the PDP leadership is seriously thinking over tactical understanding to face challenges of the opposition.

Although officially, senior PDP leaders are tightlipped over breaking alliance with the Congress, the party leadership has already dropped many hints about entering electoral battle alone.

Addressing party workers at Jammu three days back, former chief minister and patron of the PDP Mufti Mohammed Sayeed had almost made it clear that the PDP would seek mandate on its own performance rather than six-year term of the coalition.

Mufti repeatedly exhorted party workers to make comparison of his three-year regime with the 28-year rule of the National Conference.

Sources in the PDP disclosed that the party would leave some seats for the Congress but there were no chances of pre-poll alliance. Even in the home district of Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad, the PDP has finalised names of the party candidates. “Except Bhaderwah where Azad would contest election, the PDP would contest on all seats of erstwhile Doda district,” sources said and added that the party high command has already given green signal to some candidates to go to the battlefield.

“We have to test our own popularity in the whole state,” a senior party leader said on the condition of anonymity and sounded confidence that the party would emerge as single largest group after the elections.

“The PDP would not be benefited from pre-poll alliance so why we take this risk,” he argued and did not rule out the possibility of direct fight between the PDP and the Congress on some seats.

Jammu, June 8
The construction of a protective bund close to the barbed fencing by the Border Security Force along the international border (IB) in Jammu region should remind the state and the Central government to pay the affected farmers compensation in lieu of occupying their land.

The decision to raise the protective bund inside an Indian territory was taken by the BSF, following the recent infiltration bids, in the Samba sector.

The BSF authorities are already engaged in levelling a protective bund raised in front of the barbed fencing and are constructing another bund behind the fence to improve the line of sight required for maintaining vigil on the other side of the border.

But the local farmers in the border villages are crying foul. “We have been hearing reports that the government had decided to shift the barbed fencing on the zero line to allow farmers to cultivate their land but the reverse is happening in our case,” Rattan Chand a farmer said urging the local administration to expedite the paper work so that they could claim due compensation.

Another farmer, Thoru Ram said the BSF authorities had started raising protective bund inside the Indian territory and were taking over more control of agricultural land without paying them compensation. “We are still waiting for the compensation promised to us by the government,” he added.

“No one is worried about our plight. We are living in misery yet no government authority has forwarded our demand to the higher authorities for quick action”, an ageing farmer, Gul Dev Raj, said.

Meanwhile, another group of farmers whose land has fallen in the no man's land have demanded relaxation and urged the BSF authorities to throw open the gates early in the morning to enable them to cultivate their fields.

Jammu, June 8
In a span of just six months, 280 more cases of people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) have been detected in Jammu and Kashmir taking the total tally to 1,410.

Till December 2007, the state had 1,130 PLWHA.

Official sources admitted that despite constant endeavours of the State AIDS Prevention and Control Society, HIV infection continues to spread its tentacles in the state.

“If 150 cases of HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) positive people were detected in 2007 taking the figures to 1130 from 980 in 2006 then 280 more cases have been detected in the first half of 2008,” they said.

However, no new death has been reported in the state due to the fatal infection, claims project director of the State AIDS Prevention and Control Society Dr M.A. Wani.

Hitherto 40 people died of AIDS and no new death has occurred, he said.

Dr Wani said, “The state as of today has 1,410 PLHWA and concerted efforts of the society helped us detect new cases.”

Last year, the state topped the charts in creating awareness about the fatal infection among the people. We had been able to achieve 88 per cent success, 17 per cent above the national percentage of 61, he added.

He said Jammu and Kashmir has the lowest prevalence rate in the country.

One would be surprised to know that among high-risk group (truckers, sex workers, drug addicts and STD patients) the state since 2006 has kept the prevalence rate at 0.3 per cent as against NACO’s parameter of 5 pc, he added. He said, in anti-natal category (pregnant women) the prevalence rate has dropped to zero from 0.06 per cent in 2006.

He attributed detection of new cases and decline in prevalence rate to the rising awareness among people saying, “Our efforts have started showing results as people now voluntarily visit counseling and testing centers set up in major hospitals.”

The state has eight voluntary counselling and testing centers, four each in Jammu and Srinagar while 22 blood banks across the state have been modernised to ensure safe blood transfusion. However, various studies say the state today has nearly 30,000 HIV positive carriers and disorganised commercial sex besides ever-increasing number of intravenous drug users continue to aggravate the problem.

Jammu, June 8
Quashing the order of sub-judge passed on May 25, 2006, the Jammu and Kashmir High Court allowed the petition of Girish Chander Raina and held that dowry demanded by the petitioner was not stridhan.

The petition was filed under Section 561-A of the CrPC. The high court observed, “The complainant in the earlier case has nowhere stated that the property has been gifted to her as stridhan. All that has been stated in the complaint is that the dowry was demanded by the petitioner and his family, as a result of which the said property was transferred in their names.”

“The cognizance taken by the magistrate on the basis of this complaint was not justified. It is a positive case of the complainant that the dowry was demanded by the petitioner which was given to him. So in essence it implies that the property given in dowry stands transferred in the name of the person to whom it was given.Since the essential features of the criminal breach of trust that the ownership of the property remains with the person who entrusts the same to any person, as such, I do not find that the ingredients of Section 406 of the RPC are attracted in the present case,” the HC added.

Jammu, June 8
Demanding a hike in fare prices, the Jammu and Kashmir Transport Welfare Association has announced an agitation against the state government and they would go off road from tomorrow.

“The decision was taken at a meeting by the members of the Transport Welfare Association at Srinagar and they decided to launch an indefinite strike from June 9,” T.S. Wazir, chairman, All Jammu and Kashmir Transport Welfare Association told UNI here today.

Wazir said no commercial vehicle would ply from Lakhapur to Uri till demands are met, he said, adding, “The transporters are not interested in following the path of agitation and confrontation to avoid inconvenience caused to the masses but the government’s rigid attitude has forced us to go for an indefinite strike.”

“The fares have not been revised since 2005 while the petroleum products and spare parts prices have increased many fold during this period,” the chairman said.

“The transporters are already under heavy burden due to implementation of VAT, hike in insurance by 180 per cent and increase in service tax by 10.20 per cent,” Wazir said and added if the demands were accepted by today evening, the association would withdraw tomorrow’s indefinite agitation.

However, Wazir also demanded that the state government should frame a transport policy for the welfare of the transporters. Over 72,000 commercial vehicles would go off the roads from tomorrow in view of the strike call demanding immediate hike in the fare prices. — UNI

Jammu, June 8
The Railways' move to throw open its gate to the recruitment of coolies as gangmen has hit the commuters hard at the Jammu railway station, as they are forced to carry their luggage in the absence of adequate number of coolies.

Baldev Raj (68), a coolie said, “Out of 175 coolies at the railway station, the Railways selected 135 for the recruitment to the post of gangmen. However, eight of them missed the bus in later stages due to weak eyesight.” Those who were not considered for recruitment were overage, he added.

The shortage of coolies has left the passengers high and dry. Their shortfall has become all the more evident in the summer season when lakhs of people arrive here from various parts of the country to pay obeisance at Mata Vaishno Devi shrine.

While one can still find a coolie or two during the daytime the passengers travelling at night bear the brunt of the move, as not a single coolie is available in those hours.

Says Fakir Chand, another coolie in his 60s, “Most of the coolies left are above the age of 50. We can’t work much in twilight years of our lives. My eyesight is weak and my body doesn’t allow me to work beyond a limit in this sweltering heat.”

There was not a single coolie on Platform No 1 in the afternoon today. “Me and my wife lifted two suitcases each while my two kids also carried small bags, as we could not find a coolie right from the taxi stand to the platform,” lamented Mukesh Vyas, a resident of Jamshedpur.

The elderly too were a harried lot. “We could not carry our luggage all the way to the platform. We have been looking for a coolie for the past 15 minutes, but to no avail. I don't know how we will manage to catch our train with so much luggage,” said R.S. Pahwa, a retired bank official who was here along with his wife.

“Though we appreciate the Railways' decision to appoint porters as gangmen, the authorities should also think about thousands of passengers who disembark at the station daily and recruit more coolies at the earliest,” said Manjeet Singh, another passenger.

On the other hand, “apathetic” to the passengers’ plight, the railway authorities are not showing any urgency in recruiting a fresh batch of coolies.

“We have not heard anything about fresh recruitment of coolies,” said Baldev Raj and Fakir Chand. None of the railway officials were available in their offices for comment on the issue.

Srinagar, June 8
Union minister for water resources and president of the state Congress, Saif-ud-Din soz, has said peace process was necessary for the socio-economic development and strengthening of democratic institutions so that common people could be involved in the development process.

Addressing public rallies in Kupwara district yesterday, Soz said during the past two decades, people in the state had suffered due to the turmoil which had hampered development in the state.

Giving credit to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Soz said it was due to them that the peace process had achieved success in bringing back normalcy to the state.

“The state is progressing in every field due to the liberal funding of the Central government and major developmental projects have been launched for socio-economic development,” he added.

Referring to the peace talks between India and Pakistan, Soz said these were heading in the right direction and all outstanding issues would be resolved in the near future. He said the process would continue and both countries were looking forward to opening of more routes which would cement trade and cultural ties.

He said many socio-economic development schemes had been launched in the state for improvement in communication, health, education, PHE and power sectors.

Jammu, June 8
Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad has said the pristine glory of the historical remnant of Duggar history, the Mubarak Mandi complex, would be restored soon.

Talking to mediapersons after laying the foundation stone of the Rs 12 crore divisional commissioner’s office complex at Rail Head here recently, Azad said the divisional commissioner's office, presently located at Mubarak Mandi, would be shifted to this new building as the historical monument had already been declared a heritage site.

"Work of restoring the pristine glory of the historical remnant of Duggar history has been started with the constitution of Mubarak Mandi restoration committee," he said.

He added that the documentation and face-lifting of the complex was in full swing.

Experts from the Archaeological Survey of India had been roped in to restore the ancient monument's architecture without tarnishing the beauty of the original building, he said.

Earlier, Azad inspected the upcoming hospital building at Gandhi Nagar being constructed at a cost of Rs 9 crore.

The project has been put on fast track and is likely to be completed by June 15.

Minister for health and medical education Mangat Ram Sharma, minister for higher education Gulchain Singh Charak, minister of state for power Babu Singh and adviser to the Chief Minister Janak Raj Gupta besides, other officials accompanied Azad.

Udhampur, June 8
Daily-wage employees of the Public Health Engineering (PHE) department yesterday started a fast-unto-death in front of the office of the tehsildar, Bhalessa in Doda district. The employees alleged that the authorities had not released their wages for the past six months.

The employees said they were on the verge of starvation and had repeatedly brought the matter to the notice of the authorities concerned, but to no avail. They said the authorities had promised to release their dues at par with their counterparts in the Kashmir valley but nothing had been done so far.

Meanwhile, former minister and Congress MLC Mohammad Sharief Niaz has urged the government to immediately release the salary of 450 consolidated employees of the PHE department. A memorandum was also submitted by the employees to Niaz. The employees said they had provided their land to the PHE department for execution of different schemes, but neither compensation was given nor were they adjusted in the department.

Jammu, June 8
Established in the early 18th century in a remote village in Poonch, the Dera Nangali Sahib has contributed significantly to the socio-economic uplift of the underprivileged in Jammu and Kashmir.

According to historians, Sant Baba Feru Singh after being blessed by the 10th Sikh Guru, Guru Gobind Singh, was sent on a mission to preach Sikhism in the region, which he did and so did his successors.

In 1960, the then incumbent of the Dera, Mahant Bachitter Singh, established a technical ashram (orphanage) where he stated providing orphans and underprivileged children with technical education, besides providing free accommodation and meals.

Forty-eight years have passed since its establishment and the Dera Nangali Sahib (Digiana Jammu) has trained more than 20,000 children.

“Guru Gobind Singh Ji had sent Sant Baba Feru Singh to embark on a mission to preach Sikhism in the north. In 1804, Sant Baba Mela Singh established the Dera Nangali Sahib in Poonch and in 1960 my predecessor Mahant Bachitter Singh established a technical ashram,” Mahant Manjeet Singh, the incumbent of the Dera told The Tribune.

The ashram besides providing mainstream education to the children, provides them the religious knowledge, so that they could start earning their livelihood after they leave the ashram.

Many children after leaving the ashram have attained a big name in the community as they have emerged as top “ragis” and preachers in the community.

“We provide the poor and underprivileged children who come here with basic education and preach them about Sikhism besides we teach them shabad kirtan and we feel happy when we find many of our children emerged as top ragis. They have brightened the name of the ashram not only in India but also in abroad, said Mahant Manjeet Singh.

He further said, “Not only children from Sikh families, but from various other religions come here, children from various religious backgrounds live happily and are treated equally here.”

Besides taking care of orphans, the Dera runs various colleges where again poor and underprivileged children are provided with economical but quality education. The Sikh students seeking admission in various professional courses in the Dera run colleges have to strictly follow the rules and regulations of their religion.

“The Sikhs students seeking admission or undergoing education in our colleges have to be Sabat Surat and Gursikh,” said Mahant Manjeet Singh.

Besides contributing in the socio-economic uplift of the state, the Dera has done a lot for the community, as since the incumbent of the Dera took charge in 1991 more than one lakh people have been baptised by the Dera.“Every month we conduct an Amrit Sanchar camp and every month more than 300 people partake amrit,” said Mahant Manjeet Singh.

The president of SGPC recently applauded the contributions of the Dera for the community.

Srinagar, June 8
The movie “Khuda Ke Liye” which took Pakistan by storm has failed to elicit a favourable response from people in the valley. Many believed that the movie would generate curiosity among the people due to its relevant theme in the valley's predominantly Muslim society, but the movie has drawn a cold response here.

Currently being screened at Neelam theatre, the movie tackles the dilemma of moderate Muslims caught between extremists from their religion and scepticism of non-Muslims. “Only 20-25 persons come for a show. This is not enough,” said a theatre employee.

Once a medium of popular entertainment among the locals, cinemas became a taboo after the outbreak of armed militancy in the state. Militants threatened owners to shut down their theatres. Some who did not pay heed to their demands were forced to do so or their theatres were burnt or bombed.

Zalaludin, who watched the movie said he liked it as it reflected the agony of those Muslims who wanted to get on with their lives. When asked why the movie was not drawing crowds, he said people had long stopped thinking of going to theatres to watch a movie. “People are not fond of going to theatres here. They are used to a life without it. It does not matter to them,” he said. However, employees at the theatre said the movie would surely attract audiences in the coming days. “There is little publicity here about the movie. As people come to know of it, they will surely come,” an employee said.