Jammu, April 24
With separatist leaders in the Kashmir valley not showing any flexibility to involve themselves in the dialogue process, the three interlocutors appointed by the Centre today asserted that a majority of the population in the state could not be held hostage due to the adamant attitude of the Hurriyat Conference and other groups.

“Since our first visit, we have been repeatedly approaching the separatists and asking them to come on board. We even wrote a formal letter to them, but there has been no response from them,” said Dileep Padgaonkar, while addressing a joint press conference with Prof Radha Kumar and MM Ansari after winding up the second and last leg of their seventh visit to the state today.

“As a majority of the population in the state is yearning for peace and empowerment of regions and sub-regions, this huge chunk of people cannot be held hostage due to the rigidity of some separatist leaders,” he said, and added that they (interlocutors) would go forward and submit their report shortly.

Padgaonkar, however, appreciated separatist leader Moulvi Abbas Ansari, who met the interlocutors, but was expelled from the moderate faction of the Hurriyat for this reason.

Padgaonkar said 520 delegations had so far met them and more and more people were expressing their desire to meet the interlocutors.

Asked whether they had suggested greater autonomy for the state, Padgaonkar termed media reports in this regard as based on fiction and totally false. “Please do not go by the media reports. We have, so far, recommended nothing,” he said.

Giving details of their first visit to the erstwhile Doda district, he said, “We interacted with more than 50 delegations drawn from all parts of that hilly area. Most of the delegations stressed the need for effective, constitutionally guaranteed devolution of political, financial and administrative powers to all three regions of the state and a further devolution of power at the district, block and panchayat/municipal levels.” The delegations demanded that panchayati raj institutions should be based on the 73rd and 74th amendment to the Constitution. “A bulk of the delegations held the view that a political settlement in Jammu and Kashmir must ensure the unity and territorial integrity of the state in the Indian Union”, he said, and added that of the 50 delegations, only three spoke the language of the separatists.

“All delegations, moreover, wanted a fresh delimitation of constituencies based on the criteria of the size of the area and the size of the population. They reiterated their faith in democracy, inclusive development and the strictest respect of religious, ethnic and cultural pluralism,” Padgaonkar said.

Terming their meeting with lawyers of Jammu as immensely productive, Padgaonkar said the interlocutors explained to the lawyers the nature of the mandate and called on them not the go by speculative stories about the contents of the interim report and a political settlement. 

Udhampur, April 24
Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee president Saiffudin Soz today said the panchayat elections in the state had shown that people did not believe in the politics of the gun.

Addressing a party rally organised to felicitate Udhampur-based former minister Yashpal Khajuria, who has been elected to the Legislative Council, at the mini-stadium here, Soz pointed out that the massive participation in the panchayat elections in the state, especially in the Valley, which registered an all-time high 85 per cent polling, was ample proof of the public faith in democracy at the grassroots level. The turnout in the Jammu region was also high, he said.

Speaking to mediapersons after the rally, Soz said the expansion of the state Cabinet could take place after the ongoing panchayat elections. On the induction of new faces in the Cabinet, he said it was the prerogative of the Chief Minister and he could not comment on it. To a question regarding the controversy over cross-voting in the recently held Legislative Council elections, he said it would have been better if the BJP MLAs had voted in favour of their party candidate.

Notably, most local Congress leaders, including former district unit president Brij Mohan Sharma, owing allegiance to the faction led by Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad, abstained from the rally, estimated to be attended by about 2,000 people. Soz thanked the people for their participation in the panchayat elections on the occasion.

The J&KPCC chief exhorted party workers to be prepared for the Municipal Committee elections, expected to be held after the panchayat elections. He praised Yashpal Khajuria, terming him an honest political personality of the area and loyal party leader. Soz claimed to have recommended his name to party president Sonia Gandhi for the Legislative Council elections. Prominent among those present included Cabinet Ministers Sham Lal, RS Chib and Raman Bhalla.

Jammu, April 24
Governor NN Vohra laid foundation stone of a multi-purpose sports stadium at Katra here today.

The stadium will be constructed by Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board at an estimated cost of Rs 11 crore within a period of two years. The stadium with a capacity of 4,000 spectators will have provisions, including cricket, football and hockey grounds, volleyball court, squash court, changing rooms and parking space for 225 cars.

The Governor, who is also the chairman of the board, performed the “Bhoomi Poojan” and discussed the plan for the construction of the stadium. He issued instructions to the executing agency to complete it within the target period.

The Governor said with the completion of the stadium, the local youth would get the requisite facilities for participating in various sports activities.

The Governor took a review meeting of the ongoing development projects of the shrine board to improve augmentation of water and power supply, sanitation, new accommodation, locker and food catering facilities.

He asked for speedy completion of two multi-storied buildings, Ashirwad Complex at Katra with 480 beds capacity and Parvati Bhawan at the shrine with a capacity of around 150 beds, besides a 172-bedded dormitory complex at Adhkuwari. The Governor also reviewed the progress on the Katra-Banganga road.

Other schemes which came under review included the installation of four solar water-heating systems and two solar power plants and establishment of a mule dung-based
biogas plant.

The Principal Secretary to the Governor and CEO of the shrine board, RK Goyal; Additional CEO, Dr MK Bhandari; Prof SV Thakur and other senior officials of the board participated in the meeting.

Later, the Governor visited the upcoming Spiritual Growth Centre at Katra. The growth centre, built at a cost of Rs 12 crore, being constructed by Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board, would give a boost to pilgrim tourism. The centre comprises an auditorium with a seating capacity of 460 persons, a library, an amphitheatre, exhibition halls, audio-visual room, conference halls, meditation hall, prayer hall, art and craft exhibition areas, prayer rooms, food station, guest rooms and dormitories.

The Governor also visited the ongoing Art of Living workshop at the centre and interacted with the participants.

Udhampur, April 24
Governor NN Vohra today emphasised the need for effective application of scientific knowledge and technological innovations for securing the welfare and economic prosperity of the people at large.

The Governor was addressing the inaugural session of the two-day national seminar on ‘Aviation and Outer Space: Science, Economics and Law for Sustainable Development’, organised
by the newly established School of Innovation and Community Development at the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi University (SMVDU) at Kakriyal near here.

Referring to the theme of the seminar, the Governor said innovations must be used and applied for securing developmental goals. On economic aspects of space, the Governor said there had been a tremendous growth in the communication and civil aviation sector during the past half a century, which had brought distant lands closer and given a significant boost to the tourism and trade.

The Governor presented the Chancellor’s Rolling Trophy for Resurgence-2011 to the SMVDU on the occasion.

On the occasion, vice chancellor, SMVDU, Prof RNK Bamzai, gave details of the achievements of the university in varied fields and its future action plans. He presented a memento to the Governor on the occasion.

The Director of the school of Innovation and Community Development, Dr SK Wanchoo, in his welcome address, threw light on the aims and objectives of organising the seminar, which is spread over four working sessions. During the seminar, 13 presentations would be made on varied subjects.

Jammu, April 24
The Army today foiled an infiltration bid by a group of militants along the Line of Control in Poonch district.

An Army spokesperson said a group of militants that had sneaked into the Indian territory was spotted by a routine patrol party in the early hours. The group was spotted at a forward post in the Durga belt while it was moving using the light of torches. Subsequently, troops took positions and challenged the group. Consequently, the militants switched off their torches and hid themselves. It was ensued by a heated exchange of fire that pushed the militants back into the Pakistani side. Meanwhile, Pakistani troops violated the ceasefire and opened fire on Indian posts in the Banbat forward area in Poonch sector. “We exercised restraint and have lodged a protest with the Pakistani authorities,” the spokesperson added. 

Jammu, April 24
To revive the virtually wiped out party in the state, the BSP has started a campaign to woo the OBCs, which constitutes over 38 per cent of the total population of the state, to strengthen its base, especially in the Jammu province.

Addressing an OBCs convention of the party here today, BSP national general secretary and Rajya Sabha member Narinder Kashyap assured full support to the people for getting the Mandal Commission’s report implemented in the state.

However, the BSP has reasons to concentrate on the OBCs, as this large chunk of population in the state has been agitating to get 27 per cent reservations as per the recommendations of the Mandal Commission’s report.

“The BSP is committed to get the Mandal Commission’s report implemented in this part of the country,” Kashyap said and regretted the fact that the OBCs in the state had been denied their constitutional right.

He said the party had already announced full support to the OBCs in their ongoing struggle.

During the past few years, the BSP’s vote bank has been gradually shifting towards the Congress and BJP in the state and the party has now diverted its attention towards the OBCs vote bank to strengthen its base. In the 1996 Assembly elections, the party had won four seats and emerged as a big political force. However, in the 2002 elections, the party had won only a single seat, whereas it was completely wiped out in the 2008 Assembly elections.

Not only its vote bank has been dwindling, a few stalwarts have also left the party due to the internal bickering.

“I don’t want to discuss what happened in the past. We have decided to strengthen the party in the state,” Kashyap said and announced that a strategy had been devised to revive the party in the north India.

He said the party had decided to organise a big rally at Chandigarh on May 29 in which workers from Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Chandigarh would participate.

He said Mayawati, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and national president of the party, would address the rally.

While interacting with mediapersons, Kashyap said both the UPA and NDA had failed to come up to the expectations of the people, so the common masses were looking towards the BSP as an alternative. 

Sidhra (Jammu), April 24
Union Ministers from Jammu and Kashmir Ghulam Nabi Azad and Farooq Abdullah have mourned the death of Sathya Sai Baba and have termed it as a huge loss to the nation.

Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad and Minister for New and Renewable Energy Farooq Abdullah were here to inaugurate the second golf course in the state at Sidhra village.

After inaugurating the golf course, the ministers, accompanied by local ministers and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah recalled Sathya Sai Baba’s contribution to the cause of humanity.

“His death is an irreparable loss to the nation. The Sathya Sai Trust had done a lot in the health sector. It had opened an ultramodern hospital at Puttaparthi to provide treatment to the needy patients,” said Azad.

He added, “Sai Baba had his followers not only in India, but in almost 150 countries. His death is an irreparable loss to all of them.”

Abdullah said, “Sai Baba had done a lot of work for the welfare of people belonging to all communities and I pray to God, may his soul rest in peace.”

The Union Ministers expressed grief with the followers of Baba and said may God give them the strength to bear this loss.

Jammu, April 24
Seeking immediate help from the higher authorities in the state to identify a big racket behind the issuance of fraudulent Scheduled Tribe (ST) certificates to non-tribesmen, Gujjars today demanded re-verification of all the certificates issued under the tribal category during the past 20-year turmoil in the state.

The community through the Tribal Research and Cultural Foundation issued an appeal to all heads of the government departments, urging them to conduct secret re-verification of all the Scheduled Tribe certificates submitted by their employees at the time of securing jobs or promotions since 1990.

Dr Javaid Rahi, secretary of the Tribal Research Foundation, in a statement said this was really a serious matter for all the 12 tribes of the state that non-tribals were getting the ST certificates by using money as a tool.

He asked the community members to keep the foundation informed about the issuance of fraudulent Gujjar, Bakerwal and ST certificates, so that they could take up the issue with the Crime Branch, Vigilance, CBI and other investigating agencies of the state or Centre.

He appreciated the efforts of the state Gujjar Board, which with the help of the community had identified 98 fraudulent certificates of the Schedule Tribe in the Valley, issued by the tehsil offices, including 15 such certificates in Baramulla district, 48 in Anantnag, 15 in Pulwama, 16 in Budgam and five in Kulgam.

Jammu, April 24
Sadat Hasan Manto’s Urdu play ‘Khudkushi’ was staged at the Natrang Sunday Theatre here today. Directed by Neeraj Kant, the play is a satire on people who succumb to the challenges of life and commit suicide.

At the outset, the play depicts a girl mourning the death of her lover. She thinks it as the end of her world and decides to commit suicide.

But before taking the extreme step, she thinks of taking permission from her uncle, whom she holds responsible for the death of her lover. However, her uncle, who is more concerned about his reputation than his niece, permits her to commit suicide on the condition that he will write the suicide note for her, as he thinks her incapable of even writing a proper note.

Meanwhile, “Heer” of the legendary epic “Heer-Ranjha” appears on the scene and explains to the girl about the pain of Sohni-Mahiwal, Laila-Majnu and Sasi-Punoo. Heer finally convinces her that love is not worth dying for and even repents her decision to die. Finally, the girl changes her mind and realises the importance of life.

The cast of the play included Niharika Sharma, Kritika Sharma, Balwinder Singh, Sakshi Prakash and Dheeraj Singh. The music and lights were by Aatish Gupta and Mohit Sharma, respectively. Mohammad Yaseen coordinated the show. 

Jammu, April 24
An Iraqi woman tourist, who has been stranded here, has been lodged at the women cell of the state police for the past 12 days. Sabiya Amar Ali (50) from Baghdad in Iraq, had reportedly come to Mumbai on a tourist visa. However, she landed in Jammu on April 13 and got stranded in the Bishnah area of RS Pura subdivision. Thereafter, she was shifted to the women cell by the Bishnah police.

Due to a language barrier Sabiya has not been able to give any information to the police beyond her name and the country she belongs to.

No one from her family or officials of her country have contacted the police, to help the woman in distress. “We are verifying various facts related to the case and have contacted the embassy in New Delhi,” said a senior police officer. 

Leh, April 24
For the second time a team of ice hockey players from the Ladakh region is going to represent the country in the forthcoming International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) Asian Challenge Cup to be played in Kuwait from April 25 to 30. It will also be the second time in terms of India’s participation in the international event of ice hockey. It is pertinent to mention here that players from Ladakh represented India in the country’s first participation in an international event of ice hockey, IIHF Asian Challenge Cup, in Abu Dhabi, UAE, in 2009.

Mohammad Bashir, general secretary of the Ladakh Winter Sport Club, the players of which are also in the team, said, “The team consisting of players of various civilian clubs based in Leh, Ladakh Scout Regiment, an unit of the Army, and the ITBP, under the captaincy of Tundup Namgial, would play in the inaugural match against Thailand on April 25”.