Mysterious death

* Around 8.30 am on Sunday, gun shots were heard near his residential quarter
* Police said he had received two bullets of AK-47 in his neck and died instantly
* A resident of Zaloora village in Handwara, GN Pir was a father of five children
* Police sources said he had mistakenly kept his loaded rifle near his bed at night
* Pir had got an AK-47 rifle issued on Feb 9 for self-protection, sources said.

Srinagar, February 17
The Joint Consultative Committee (JCC), an amalgam of various government employees' bodies, today decided to postpone its five-day-long strike and other protest programmes that were scheduled to commence from Tuesday.

JCC press secretary Pir Nisar Ahmad said a meeting of the amalgam that was attended by government employees’ leaders Khurshid Alam and Abdul Qayoom Wani, among others, at Jammu decided to defer the stir.

He said the JCC would convene another meeting on February 28 to decide its future course of action.

JCC leader Farooq Trali said the amalgam had decided to defer its protest programme in view of the situation that had arisen in the Valley after the execution of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru. “The people are already facing many problems and we don’t want to compound the same due to our strike,” he said.

Normal life in Kashmir has remained disrupted due to restrictions and shutdowns since February 9, the day Afzal Guru was hanged.

Earlier, the JCC had called for a five-day strike from February 19 besides a series of protest programmes while threatening that it might go for an indefinite strike if its demands continued to remain unmet.

The employees’ demands include release of arrears recommended by the Sixth Pay Commission, enhancement of retirement age from 58 years to 60, removal of pay anomalies and regularisation of daily wagers and casual workers working in various government departments.

The other demands are inclusion of five years of contractual service of Rehbar-e-Taleem (ReT) teachers in the service book and regularisation of education volunteers after seven years of service.

After a series of protests and strikes by the employees last year, the government had reached an agreement with the JCC wherein the employees were assured that a decision on their demands would be announced by September 30. However, the JCC then resumed protests, saying the government had failed to fulfil the promises made to them.

The demands

* Release of arrears recommended by 6th pay panel

* Enhancement of retirement age from 58 years to 60

* Removal of pay anomalies

* Regularisation of daily wagers and casual workers working in various departments

* Inclusion of 5 years of contractual service of ReT teachers in the service book

* Regularisation of education volunteers after seven years of servicex 

Srinagar, February 17
A delegation of the moderate faction of Hurriyat Conference today visited Afzal Guru’s family in a Sopore village.

“Following the instructions of All Parties Hurriyat Conference chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, a high-level delegation of Hurriyat leaders today met the family members of Afzal Guru after they were successful in breaking the cordon thrown by the government around his house,” a Hurriyat spokesman said in a statement issued here.

The delegation, he said, expressed “sympathies” with Afzal’s family and his relatives. “The delegation also met Ghalib, the son of Afzal, and offered condolences to him,” he said adding Hurriyat leaders Musadiq Adil, GN Zaki and Farooq Ahmad Tawhedi were part of the delegation that visited Jageer village in north Kashmir.

He said the delegation later visited WaterGam in Sopore, where 12-year-old child Ubair Ahmad was killed during protests a few days ago.

“They met his father Mushtaq Ahmad Rather and condoled Ubair’s death. They assured the family that the APHC and Kashmiris were with them,” he said.

Kupwara, February 17
Taking full advantage of the recent unrest in the Valley, the timber smugglers have unleashed a loot in the forests across Kupwara district. Demanding stern action against the smugglers, locals have expressed concern over the alleged inaction of the forest officials against the smugglers.

Reports said smuggling of timber was going on unabated in the forest compartment No. 53 of Doolipora forests near Trehgam. Sarpanch of Doolipora village, 4 km from Trehgam, Ghulam Hassan said in nexus with some local forests officials, the smugglers were felling trees and transporting logs to other areas.

“Taking full advantage of the situation, the smugglers, in nexus with some officials of the department, are smuggling the timber on a large scale in our forests. I tried to convince some suspects involved in smuggling but they are enjoying full backing of the department officials and warned me to mind my business,” said Hassan.

The timber smugglers had been felling trees in villages, including Chowkibal, Marsari, Tumina, Ramhal, Rajwar, Kenial, Gulgam, Wayun, Wayoosa, Didikoot, Magam, Vilgam, Tarathpora, Leelum Langate, Mawar, Nowgam Manigah, Bumhama, Muqam, Drugmulla, Kandi, Kalaroos, Surigam, Maidanpora, Gagal, Indernard, Kuligam, Nard, Changri, Batnard, Doben, Sogam, Gundmanchar and Dorusa in Kupwara district, sources said.

Expressing concern over the smuggling, locals said the smugglers had taken full advantage of the forest officials who, under the garb of curfew and strike, failed to attend to their duties. After chopping the deodar and keil trees, the smugglers poured coal and sulphuric acid on stumps to make them look old, the sources said.

Locals of Rajwar, Kenial, Gulgam, Wayun, Wayoosa, Didikoot and Magam in Handwara tehsil accused the officials of acting as mute spectators towards the vandalisation of forests.

“We informed the officials regarding the felling of trees, but they did not check smuggling of this natural resource,” said Shamim Ahmad, a citizen of Magam.

A senior forest official said field men had been asked to remain vigilant and the smugglers would be dealt sternly under the law. “Nobody will be allowed to smuggle timber. Field staff will remain vigilant round-the-clock to check smuggling,” he added.

Srinagar, February 17
The All Parties Sikh Coordination Committee (APSCC) and Kashmiri Pandit Sangharsh Samiti (KPSS) today urged the Government of India (GoI) to hand over the mortal remains of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru to his legal heirs.

In separate statements issued here, the APSCC and KPSS have urged the government to hand over the body of Guru, who was recently executed at Tihar Jail in Delhi.

APSCC chairman Jagmohan Singh Raina also expressed concern over the hanging of Guru, saying it had derailed the peace process. “For the past two years, there was substantial peace in Jammu and Kashmir, but it has been suddenly derailed by the hanging of Guru. Despite reservations by some senior political leaders, the government went ahead with the hanging, without looking at the possible repercussions in the trouble-torn state,” Raina said.

He added that the peace process had also been affected due to the arrests of separatist leaders like Nayeem Khan and crackdown on the protesting youth.

He stated that several political parties and leaders, including Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and Union Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad had ‘recommended’ to the central government not to execute Guru. Raina said, “Majority population of the Kashmir valley, including the minority Sikh populace, was not happy with Guru’s execution and the denial to hand over his mortal remains to the family.”

KPSS president Sanjay Tickoo said, “It is the constitutional right of the family to ask for Guru’s remains. So the government should accept the collective conscience of the people of Kashmir and more particularly the genuine and legitimate request of the family by returning the body of Afzal Guru”.

Srinagar, February 17
Five persons were injured in different road accidents across the Kashmir valley today. A car hit and injured a 70-year-old man at Umerabad, on the outskirts of the city here. The injured man was shifted to SKIMS Hospital for treatment and the driver was arrested. A case was registered.

In south Kashmir’s Kulgam district, a light vehicle and a truck collided at Levidoora, near Qazigund town, resulting in injuries to three persons. The injured were shifted to a hospital for treatment and the truck driver fled the scene, along with his vehicle.

A car, on its way from Srinagar to Baramulla, hit and injured a woman at Khwaja Bagh in Baramulla dirtict. The injured woman was shifted to the hospital for treatment.

Srinagar, February 17
While the Indian Institute of Skiing and Mountaineering (IISM) is currently imparting skiing training at Gulmarg resort in north Kashmir, the institute is mulling over to start mountaineering and paragliding courses too.

Stating that hot air ballooning and parasailing activities, started recently at Gulmarg, had garnered good response, IISM principal JS Dhillon said the institute also had plans to start regular mountaineering and paragliding courses in the near future.

He said this during a function organised to award around 80 students with medals and certificates today, after they took skiing courses at the IISM, Gulmarg.

Riyaz Ahmad Malik, manager of the Cable Car Corporation (CCC), was the chief guest on the occasion. He praised the efforts of the IISM to revive adventure sports activities.

He said the CCC had always worked in close association with the IISM to promote Gulmarg as an ideal skiing destination. “The institute and CCC have a common aim to train skiers and develop Gulmarg”.

Dhillon said the IISM had tried not only to develop skiing skill in youth but ‘transform their personality’.

Stating that the demand for IISM courses had increased and it was difficult to get admission, he said the institute would conduct two more skiing courses this winter season.

The institute had also sponsored several local students and produced ski champions in junior ski category. Five local students had also been sponsored in a skiing course by a media group from Bhopal, Dhillon added.