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Cabinet reshuffle brings Cong fissures to the fore
Rejig a two-pronged action
Khar adding fuel to fire to further Pak’s dual agenda, says Army
BSF ready to tackle any Pak misadventure
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Civil society appeals to PM for peace along LoC
Traders want resumption of Poonch-Rawalakote bus service
Hizb militant arrested in Srinagar
Only one panch officially resigned in Valley so far
Kargil
telecommunication scandal
JKLF to intensify protests for justice to prisoners
International photo exhibition to highlight Kashmir
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Cabinet reshuffle brings Cong fissures to the fore
Jammu, January 16 Two Congress legislators, who were “ignored” during Cabinet expansion, have maintained a ‘stoic silence’ but their loyalists are openly criticising party leadership for meting out step-motherly treatment to their leaders. Supporters of Ghulam Mohammad Saroori, Inderwal MLA, and Mohammad Sharief Niaz, Bhaderwah MLA, have been exerting pressure on both of them to quit the Congress because, according to them, party leadership has failed to do justice with them. A large number of panches and sarpanches having affiliations with the Congress today resigned from the primary membership of party to express their anger against exclusion of Niaz in Cabinet expansion. Niaz is cousin of Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad but his supporters also lambasted Azad for not including Bhaderwah legislator in the council of ministers. “We have resigned from the primary membership of the Congress to lodge our protest,” Hasham Din, a sarpanch from Manoo panchayat of Gandoh block of Bhaderwah told The Tribune over the phone and claimed that more than 50 sarpanches and over 400 panches have already resigned from the Congress today to express solidarity with Niaz. He said the Congress leadership has betrayed residents of Bhaderwah who have voted in favour of the party from time to time. “We have sent mass resignations to our MLA and also asked him to resign from the party,” Hasham Din said. Niaz admitted that he has received mass resignations of panches and sarpanches from Bhaderwah. “I have been facing tremendous pressure from my supporters to quit the Congress party,” he said. Saroori, another sulking MLA, also admitted that his loyalists were exerting pressure on him to leave the Congress. “I have asked my supporters to obey decision of the high command,” he said, while trying to down-play the controversy. Earlier on Tuesday, some loyal panchayat members of Saroori had resigned from the Congress. Annoyed Saroori, however, minced no words in attacking Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) chief Saifuddin Soz. “It is Soz who created hurdles in my inclusion into the cabinet. Soz had threatened to resign from the party if I was included into the cabinet,” Saroori alleged and charged the PCC chief with weakening the party. He demanded removal of Soz as the PCC president to strengthen the party. He said that Soz was an outsider in the party and he was hatching conspiracies to weaken the party. Meanwhile sources said that National Conference legislator from Nowshera, RS Sharma, who has been appointed as vice-chairman of the Kisan Advisory Board and given status of Minister of State (MoS), was also reluctant to accept new post. Sharma was expecting ministerial berth. Sources privy to Sharma said the MLA would meet Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Thursday to register his protest. Supporters of dropped Minister Surjeet Singh Slathia have also openly registered their protest against action of the party leaders. Despite strong wave against the NC due to Amarnath land agitation, Slathia had managed to win Vijaypur assembly segment,
which was epic centre of the agitation.
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Rejig a two-pronged action
Srinagar, January 16 While the two districts of north Kashmir have got due representation, there has been thinning effect in the central Kashmir. Of the 28 MLAs, the ruling National Conference has majority of its members from the north and central Kashmir areas against south Kashmir, where the PDP has a larger representation dotted by the National Conference and Congress representatives. The Congress has only three members in the Valley, all of whom are now in the cabinet with the induction of Ghulam Ahmad Mir. The two districts of Kupwara and Bandipore in north Kashmir were least represented in the council of ministers even as the National Conference represents more constituencies than the opponents. Out of five constituencies in Kupwara district, the National Conference has three members — Choudhary Mohammad Ramzan from Handwara, Mir Saifullah from Kupwara and Kafeel-ur-Rehman from Karnah. Two others include PDP’s Abdul Haq Khan from Lolab and
an Independent, Sheikh Abdul Rashid from Langate. Two of them — Choudhary Mohammad Ramzan and Mir Saifullah — have been inducted into the council of ministers, while Kafeel-ur-Rehman was nominated as vice-chairman of the advisory board for the development of Pahari speaking people. Of the three constituencies in Bandipore district, in which the NC has two seats and the opposition PDP one seat, the Chief Minister has inducted both the party members, former Speaker Mohammad Akbar Lone (Sonawari) and Nazir Ahmad Khan (Gurez), in the council of ministers. However, balancing effect has been given to Baramulla district comprising seven constituencies. Out of these, the ruling NC has two seats, while Uri is represented by Taj Mohiuddin of the Congress and Gulmarg by the DPN leader, Ghulam Hassan Mir, Agriculture Minister, both of whom have been retained. The former MoS from Rafiabad constituency, Javed Ahmad Dar (NC), has been dropped in the reshuffle. The only Minister dropped from central Kashmir was Aga Syed Ruhulla of the NC from Budgam, as the party has majority of the representatives in the council of ministers from the three districts of Srinagar-Ganderbal-Budgam. They include Chief minister Omar Abdullah from Ganderbal constituency. Of the five seats in Budgam district, the NC has representation on two, Budgam and Chrar-e-Sharief, which is represented by Abdul Rahim Rather. Other members having been untouched, the former Adviser to the Chief Minister, Mubarak Gul, representing Eidgah constituency of Srinagar has been nominated as the Speaker, replacing Mohammad Akbar Lone, who has been inducted into the cabinet. With the induction of Ghulam Ahmad Mir of the Congress as cabinet minister, the Chief Minister has given representation to the south Kashmir districts, as two other ministers, Peerzada Mohammad Sayeed (Congress) and Sakina Ittoo (National Conference) have retained their positions in the cabinet. |
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Khar adding fuel to fire to further Pak’s dual agenda, says Army
Jammu, January 16 Khar on Tuesday had accused India of “war-mongering” and embarking on a “narrative of hostility”. “It’s another ploy of Pakistan to divert attention of its own people from the internal strife and at the same time further its ulterior motives,” said a senior Army officer. “With political uncertainty looming large over their heads, who knows for how long the present dispensation will hold on but yes she (Khar) is presently the Foreign Minister of Pakistan and therefore she should have been careful in her words,” he added. The officer further said that it was time for the Pakistani government to get real. “But we also understand their dilemma because their Prime Minister is under threat from the Pakistani Supreme Court and they themselves are not on a firm ground,” he said. The officer felt that instead of issuing unwarranted statements they (Pak ministers) should first wake up and watch their own government. Another top source in the Northern Command expressed regrets over Khar’s “war-mongering” statement saying, “had it been so, our troops could have easily fired upon Pak soldiers in Uri sector on January 7 when they were carrying their colleague from Kalsi post, who had died in retaliatory fire of Indian troops.” He also recalled how Pakistan had refused to accept bodies of its dead soldiers in Kargil conflict in 1999. “We had buried them as per their religious rites and with full honours,” he said. The officer said that Khar’s statement in Washington on Tuesday was nothing more than another tactic to hush up their barbaric act in Mendhar sector on January 8 morning when Pak troops raided into Indian territory and brutally killed two Indian soldiers, mutilated their bodies and decapitated one of them. Another Army officer said, “At a time when Pakistan has troubles on its western borders and the country plunging into a serious political crisis, Khar should have exercised restraint in choosing her words. “She has added fuel to the fire with an ulterior motive to provoke us for an offensive and then internationalize the issue. But the Indian Army is a responsible and thoroughly professional force. If they think that they would fire from our shoulder then they are under a wrong impression,” he said. In Washington Khar had projected Pakistan as a dove of peace-a country that waged three open wars and Kargil conflict with India. |
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BSF ready to tackle any Pak misadventure
Jammu, January 16 “Though as of now there are no mischievous activities on the other side of the IB but they (Pak Rangers) can’t be trusted. Therefore, we are on a high alert,” said a top BSF officer. No doubt, the situation on Line of Control is tense but the IB so far is calm. They may try to indulge in some misadventure but we are ready to tackle them, he added. He also said that the BSF has beefed up its strength on the International Border deploying adequate men and sophisticated gadgets to check any misadventure by Pakistan. We are fully aware of the situation on the LoC and the question doesn’t arise to lower our guard at the border in the Jammu region, he said. In fact, vigil including foot patrol has been increased all along the border, he added. “In recent times we have seen movement of terrorists in the vehicles of Rangers during night on the other side of the border,” said the officer. It may be recalled here that Rangers had dug a trans-border tunnel from their Shakkergarh area, which had entered into Indian territory in Chalyari Village of Samba sector. |
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Civil society appeals to PM for peace along LoC
Srinagar, January 16 The petition was forwarded today to the Prime Minister and the Pakistan President via an email and fax. It had 200 signatures from India and Pakistan, endorsing the appeal to end the hostilities on the LoC. The signatories included Centre’s former interlocutor for Jammu and Kashmir Radha Kumar, PDP spokesperson Naeem Akhtar among others. Anuradha Bhasin Jamwal, a Jammu-based peace activist, who started the signature campaign along with journalist Murtaza Shibli said 120 signatures had been collected so far from the state. “The people of J& K and PoK suffer more than anybody else. More civilians die on both the sides when ceasefire violations occur. Hence it is in the larger interest of both the countries to maintain ceasefire on the LoC.,” said Jamwal.
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Traders want resumption of Poonch-Rawalakote bus service
Poonch, January 16 On the one hand, Pakistan has clearly conveyed to India that until and unless normalcy returns to the LoC, trade and bus service cannot go on. On the other hand, it has stepped up deployment near the LoC across the border, a source said. “If Pakistan is really keen to bring normalcy on the LoC and has suspended the cross-LoC bus service and trade in the wake of the tension on the border, then why has it not suspended Uri-Muzaffarabad trade which is also a part of the confidence-building measures between the two countries,” asked Sunil Gupta, president the Chamber of Commerce, Poonch. “The trade and bus service should have been suspended from the Indian side immediately when Pakistani troops had intruded into the Indian side and brutally killed two soldiers. Now, it is high time to give a tough message to Pakistan that the confidence-building measures cannot not be one-sided. India should also suspend the Uri-Muzaffarabad bus service and trade,” Gupta said. “We are in touch with Srinagar-based traders and have asked them to stop trade if Pakistan doesn’t resume trade from Poonch,” said Pawan Anand, president of the Cross-LoC Traders Association. “It is highly questionable why Pakistan has two yardsticks for the two routes which are also among the confidence-building measures between the two countries” Anand said. The Poonch-Rawalakote bus service and the cross-LoC trade is a part of the confidence-building measures between the two countries which was halted by Pakistan following the ongoing tension. “In the wake of the continuous tension on the LoC, trade and bus service will remain suspended as we have been informed by the Pakistani side. We have been trying to get information from the Pakistani trade authorities regarding resumption of the same,” said Abdhul Hamid sheikh, custodian of the Poonch-Rawalakote trade and bus service. |
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Hizb militant arrested in Srinagar
Srinagar, January 16 “A police party of police station RM Bagh held Feroz Bhat and recovered an AK 47 rifle, two AK magazines, 26 rounds of AK 47 and one wireless set from his possession,” the police said. — TNS
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Only one panch officially resigned in Valley so far
Srinagar, January 16 Javed Ahmad, a panch from Behrampora village of Baramulla, is the lone panchayat member who has officially tendered his resignation in the office of the Deputy Commissioner, Baramulla. “We have received one written resignation,” said Baramulla Deputy Commissioner Khawaja Ghulam Ahmad. The panch had given personal reasons for the move and his resignation has been forwarded to the district panchayat officer. The Baramulla Deputy Commissioner said 11 panchayat members, including one sarpanch, had visited his office today to file their resignations. “We told them the procedure to resign…we also assured them that they are secure, we are with you. Ten panches and one sarpanch from Zainageer block had come to the office today,” he said. It was not clear whether those who visited the office of the Baramulla Deputy Commissioner were from the group who had made public announcements about their resignations or a fresh group. More than 50 panchayat members, including some women, had announced their resignations after two of their colleagues were shot near Sopore. Two batches of panchayat members resigned before the media in the city here and in Sopore town this week. On Saturday evening, unidentified gunmen shot at Zoona, panch of Hardshiva village, near Sopore town in Baramulla. A day earlier on Friday, Habibullah Mir, sarpanch of nearby Gooripora village, was killed in a similar assault outside his house. Sopore, 50 km from Srinagar, where the recent attacks on panchayat members have taken place, is among Kashmir’s last militant bastions where militancy remains resilient and resurgent despite major offensives by security forces. The attacks on the panchayat members highlights the persistent threat faced by them in the region. The panchayat members in Kashmir were elected in a landmark election in 2011 when more than 80 per cent votes were cast across the state. These elected members have since faced militant threats on several occasion and a few were also killed triggering a spate of public resignations and apologies. Some panchayat members blame the government for its failure to empower them, saying they have been made irrelevant by the government before the people who elected them. “People don’t care now whether we live or die,” a village representative from central Kashmir had earlier said. Meanwhile, the husband of the injured panch said her condition was stabilising. “She is now able to make movements but has problem in speaking properly because she has got stitches in her tongue,” said Mohammad Ramzan, Zoona’s husband. |
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Kargil
telecommunication scandal
Srinagar, January 16 The doctor, identified as Shabir Ahmad Bhat, ironically had managed to get a fresh passport despite the fact that his earlier passport was impounded by the Passport Office, Srinagar, few years ago after the scam was unearthed. “The impounded passport was issued to Bhat on the residential address of Ziyarat road Kulgam in south Kashmir and the latest passport which was in his possession was having the address of Shah Anwar Colony, Srinagar. His latest credentials were checked by police agencies, including the Criminal Investigation Department,” said a top official of the Home department. “But he had managed to get the new passport and it shows serious lapses on part of the police investigators as well as the passport office.” Bhat was detained two days ago when he was about to board the plane when the immigration officials at Mumbai noticed that a look-out circular (LOC) has been issued against him. Though Bhat was not arrested by the officials in Mumbai he was, however, advised by the immigration officials to contact SVO which is probing the multi-crore racket. On the request of the SVO, the Ministry of External Affairs had issued a LOC against Shabir. The J-K’s Vigilance Organisation had unearthed a major telecommunication scam in Kargil in May 2007. In the multi-crore communication racket, the kingpin of the multi-crore scandal Ajaz Ahmad Bhat, along with the officials of Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited and his brother Shabir Ahmed Bhat had set up a network of call centres with illegal international conference facilities. Ajaz and the telecom officials would usurp the entire revenue generated by them. The racket not just duped the national telecom service provider of crores of rupees for two years, but come up as a serious security lapse where any person could make an international conference call anywhere in the world from a local number of a call centre at a paltry price without the fear of detection. Vigilance officials in Srinagar had said that the racket was operating from various countries, especially Saudi Arabia, Dubai, Qatar and Nepal and that racket was operational from past two years the kingpin was earning Rs 3-4 lakh every day. After the racket was busted, the SVO had registered a case against many persons, including Bhat and BSNL officials in 2007. |
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9 killed, 13 hurt in road mishap in Bhaderwah
Batote, January 16 The dead included Kiran Deep, his mother Pushpa Devi, residents of Dugli in Bhaderwah, Rinko Devi, Sajad Ali, a resident of Jharkhand, Asma Begum, a resident of Senai Khilani in Bhaderwah. The driver of the minibus, Shahid Hussain, Nissar Ahmed, Omraj and Jankinath succumbed to their injuries at District Hospital, Doda. The injured included Swarna Devi, Laxmi Devi, Abra Hamid, Aliya Begum, Asiya Hamid, Nissar Ahmed, Sansar Chand, Rohit Sharma, Krishen Lal Kotwal, Irshad Hussain, Mool Raj, Rutba Tabassum and Jigar. Eight injured passengers were referred to Government Medical College and Hospital, Jammu, from District Hospital, Doda. Meanwhile, Governor NN Vohra has expressed grief over the loss of lives in the road accident on the Doda-Bhaderwah road today. The Governor conveyed his sympathy to the bereaved families and prayed for the speedy recovery of the injured. |
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JKLF to intensify protests for justice to prisoners
Srinagar, January 16 “Over 30 Kashmiris have been given life as well as death sentences during the past year and a half. We will hold sit-in protests every two months at Pratap Park, candlelight vigils, besides 48-hour-long hunger strike at Jantar Mantar to seek justice for them,” said JKLF chairman Mohammad Yasin Malik while addressing a press conference here. Malik, a former militant commander, regretted that they had not been provided the promised political space by the government after their ceasefire in 1994. “There is no justification for holding trials of cases related to militancy till 1994,” he said, demanding the cases be closed. Malik announced the future course of action after the separatist group had recently held a series of ‘Jail Bharo’ programmes where the JKLF leaders and supporters courted arrest to express solidarity with the jailed Kashmiris. He said during the scheduled hunger strike at Jantar Mantar, the JKLF would seek the participation of the Indian civil society, besides hold public trial for the prisoners. On the ceasefire violations along the Line of Control, Malik said such incidents would continue till the root cause of the tension - the Kashmir issue - was resolved. When asked to comment on instances of Kashmiri youth taking to militancy as non-violent protests had failed, the JKLF chief warned that there was a ‘risk’ of revival of militancy if non-violent protests were not given space. “If the non-violent movement is not given space, there is enough risk that the new generation will bring in a revolution that would be more dangerous,” he said. Malik said he would sit on an indefinite strike if the present JKLF protest programmes failed to bear fruit. He urged other separatist groups and the civil society to extend their support to the JKLF protest
programmes. |
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Natural cave to Vaishno Devi shrine opened to pilgrims
Katra January 16 There has been a sharp decrease in the number of pilgrims visiting the shrine to pay obeisance since January 15. The number normally decreases around this time and is attributed to year-end holidays. As per the data, 10,000 pilgrims had darshan on January 14 while the number was 13,000 the next day. The number came down to about 5,800 till 5 pm today. The development was no less than a blessing for the pilgrims who visited the shrine today. “We came to know about it on reaching the Bhawan. Though I have been coming here for several years, this is the first time that I and my family members will be able to have darshan of the Mata through the natural cave,” said Raj Kumar from Delhi. The idea behind opening the natural cave when the number of pilgrims drops is that it is a narrow passage leading to the Bhawan. Three more caves were created later. These can facilitate the passage of up to 40,000 pilgrims daily. For another pilgrim, Bishambar Dhyal of Haryana, it was a life-long wish fulfilled. “I visited the shrine in January last year, but the cave was already closed when I reached there with my family,” he said. |
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Governor for conservation of historical sites in state
Jammu, January 16 The Governor was discussing activities of the Indian National Trust For Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) in the state with INTACH convener Saleem Beg at Raj Bhawan here this evening. They also discussed the present status of formulating and implementation of various projects related to the conservation of
heritage buildings and sites and INTACH’s future plan of action. Beg briefed the Governor about the initiatives being taken by INTACH for the preservation of the rich history and heritage of the state, the plans already formulated and those presently under implementation.
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International photo exhibition to highlight Kashmir
Srinagar, January 16 For decades, photographers of national and international fame have visited the Valley capturing its various moods in its shades of beauty, turbulence and serenity. Now, some of the finest contemporary photography works done on Kashmir by renowned international and local photographers over past over two decades will be showcased at the Annual Chiang Mai Documentary Arts Festival (CDAF) in February. The festival features the best of Asian and international photography work. Of the five photography exhibitions which will be held during the festival (February 8- 13), one exhibition will revolve around the theme of Kashmir portraying the ‘human face of Kashmir during transitional times from armymen patrolling streets of the Valley to the opening up of swanky shopping malls. Documentary Arts Asia, an international NGO, which is organising the festival, will host the ‘Kashmir exhibition’ in collaboration with Emaho, a national travel and photography media house. The exhibition will portray the uniqueness of Kashmir as envisioned by each of the participating photographers. Manik Katyal, the curator of the exhibition and the Editor-in-Chief of Emaho says, “The exhibitions and slideshows will provide a window into a region whose deep-rooted political and social problems have largely remained unseen by the international community.” Manik believes that only a few people outside Kashmir are truly aware of the ground reality of Kashmir even though the region has been extensively reported about. “We will showcase the works of reputed photojournalists from the United States, Belgium and Kashmir who have captured Kashmir torn in the 1990’s, the relatively peaceful last decade as well as the pre-turmoil era of 1980’s under one roof. The audience of the exhibition comprises some of the best names from the arts, photography and film sectors,” Manik said. He said the provision of an international platform was important to promote the art of photographers who had done spectacular eye-opening work. The international and Kashmir based photographers whose work would be showcased at the exhibition include Ami Vitalie (National Geographic, Ripple Effect Images), Danish Ismail (Reuters), Gary Knight (VII Photo Agency), John Vink (Magnum Photos), Robert Nickelsberg (Time Magazine), Sami Shiva (Redux Pictures), Showkat Nanda (Missouri School of Journalism) and Sumit Dayal (Time). “The primary focus of the exhibition will be to promote photographers from Kashmir and provide them with an international platform,” says Manik. He said slideshows would also be held to provide an unprecedented window of opportunity to the photographers of Kashmir. Besides, Manik Katyal, Yumi Goto, a Japan-based independent photo reporter and photo researcher will be the curators for the exhibition. |
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Jammu, January 16
