The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

	Conflicting signals from MLAs worry Soz LC polls: NC-Cong to devise fresh strategy to counter new developments Dinesh Manhotra Tribune News Service Jammu, February 23 Although Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) chief Saifuddin Soz waxes eloquent about winning all the three seats of the Legislative Council from the quota of Kashmir Valley, decision of Independent candidate Shuban Krishan Dodha to continue in the fray has forced the NC-Congress coalition to re-devise its strategy. Worried over reports that some MLAs, who were part of the coalition, were giving conflicting signals about their support to the Congress and the National Conference candidates, PCC chief arrived in Jammu today to “manage” things. On his arrival from Delhi this morning, Soz met Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, who is working president of the National Conference, to devise a fresh strategy to win the elections. “I will be instrumental in the victory of the coalition candidates,” Soz said. On the one hand Soz claimed that the coalition had sufficient number to win three out of the four seats from the Kashmir Valley quota but on the other hand he said he had come to Jammu to sort out problems regarding elections. About conflicting signals being given by some MLAs especially Peoples Democratic Forum (PDF) chairman Hakim Yasin regarding support to the coalition candidates, Soz said, “I am here to put all the things in right direction.” Despite being a part of the coalition government, Yasin had hinted to support Dodha, who is a member of his party but is contesting election as an Independent candidate to get the support of other political groups also. Yasin has close proximity with CPI(M) MLA Mohammad Yosuf Tarigami and another Independent MLA Engineer Rashid. Keeping in view the strength in the Legislative Assembly, 18 votes are required to win one seat of the Legislative Council from the Kashmir quota. The PDP, which has fielded one candidate, enjoys strength of 21 votes. The National Conference and the Congress, which have fielded three candidates each, have the strength of 47 votes but both the parties required at least 54 votes for smooth sailing of their nominees. But some MLAs supporting the coalition are yet to open their cards. Soz has reason to be worried over new developments because he, amidst opposition by his rival group, has managed one seat for his loyalist Muzaffar Parray from Kashmir quota and it has become a prestige issue for the PCC chief. Sources in the Congress said Soz would interact with Hakim Yasin to convince him not to support Dodha. Meanwhile, Congress spokesman Ravinder Sharma said during his meeting with Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, Soz held detailed discussions about devising a common strategy for the success of the coalition in the ensuing elections to the Legislative Council. “The leaders feel that the position for the coalition was comfortable and the coalition will achieve success in the elections,” he said. It was also decided that a joint meeting of the legislators belonging to the coalition partners would be held on March 6, 2013, on the eve of the elections to the Legislative Council scheduled for March 7, 2013, he said.
	Snow in Kashmir, highway shut for second day Tribune News Service Srinagar, February 23 Fresh snowfall in Kashmir valley led to the closure of the Srinagar-Jammu highway for the second consecutive day on Saturday. An official of the state meteorological department said reports of snowfall were received from all places across Kashmir valley, including in the summer capital Srinagar and at the tourist resorts of Gulmarg and Pahalgam. Snowfall was heavy in parts of south Kashmir where the critical Jawahar tunnel, which connects the Valley with the rest of the country, is located. The fresh snowfall closed down the 300 km-long Srinagar-Jammu highway, the only road link which connects Kashmir with the rest of the country. The highway remained shut for traffic for the second consecutive day as snowfall along sections of the mountainous highway made it dangerous for travel. An official at the Traffic Control Room said the highway was closed due to heavy snowfall at several places along the road. The official said if the snowfall stopped by tomorrow and road was cleared for passage of traffic, stranded vehicle from Jammu to Srinagar would be allowed to travel. The highway is the only surface route for travel into Kashmir valley and also an important supply route for essential commodities, including medicines and food items. Hundreds of passenger vehicles and supply trucks made their way into and out of Kashmir valley through this highway. Meanwhile, the intermittent snow and rainfall since yesterday has brought the winter chill back to the region as the day temperature across Kashmir fell to few degrees above the freezing point and the overnight temperature dipped to freezing point. Srinagar city, which was covered in a white blanket in the morning after an overnight snowfall, received 31.8 mm of snow and rainfall since last night, the weather department official said. The day temperature in the city rose to a maximum of 3.6 degree Celsius while the minimum temperature fell to zero degree Celsius overnight. Qazigund, the southern gateway town to the Valley, remained covered with snow as 55.2 mm of snow and rainfall was received in the area. Kokernag town in south Kashmir where the night temperature dropped to a minus 0.9 degree Celsius received 57.2 mm of snow and rain while in Pahalgam resort of south Kashmir the minimum temperature dropped to minus one degree Celsius. Pahalgam has received 55.2 mm snow and rainfall since last night, the official said. In north Kashmir’s Gulmarg resort, which is famous for skiing, the overnight temperature fell to minus 5.6 degree Celsius and 35 mm snow and rainfall was recorded at the resort.
	Army Chief reviews security situation Tribune News Service Jammu, February 23 Army Chief General Bikram Singh visited the Northern Command headquarters in Udhampur today. Due to bad weather, General Bikram Singh had to land at Jammu and travel to Udhampur by road. “During his short visit, the Army Chief had an interaction with Lt Gen KT Parnaik, GOC-in-C of the Northern Command, and other senior officers in the command theatre. He was apprised of the current security situation and the operational preparedness in the Northern Command as well as the complex dynamics of the proxy war in the state,” said Defence PRO Lt Col Rajesh Kalia. General Bikram Singh has an immense experience of the operational dynamics in the state as he had commanded a battalion, brigade, division and a corps in the state. General Singh exhorted senior commanders in the Northern Command to further consolidate on their gains in counter-insurgency operations achieved during the past two years, said Kalia. He left the station in the evening. Talking tough, he said the killing of two Indian soldiers on the Line of Control (LoC) in the Mendhar area on January 6 was a pre-planned and pre-meditated action by Pakistani troops and India reserved the right to retaliate at “time and place of its choice”. On January 8, Pakistani troops after entering 500 metres inside the Indian territory, had brutally killed two Indian soldiers, Lance Naiks Hemraj Singh and Sudhakar Singh, of 13 Rajputana Rifles in the Balnoi area of Poonch district. Though the bodies of the two soldiers were mutilated, Hemraj’s body was found beheaded by Pakistani troops. The Indian Army shot dead an “unidentified militant” in the Nowshera sub-sector on February 14, who later turned out to be a Pakistan army regular, Mohammed Iklaqh, of 60 Punjab Regiment. “The Army Chief took a detailed feedback on the situation along the 776-km-long LoC and arrangements initiated in the wake of the killing of two soldiers on January 8,” said a top Army source. He was also briefed about arrangements put in place to check Pakistani landmines inside the Indian Territory along the LoC, he said. The Pakistan army in connivance with terrorists had been planting mines and had also raised border action teams comprising SSG commandos and terrorists for sniper fire and sneak attacks on Indian soldiers.
	Separatists issue ‘calendars’ to demand return of Afzal’s body Ehsan Fazili Tribune News Service Srinagar, February 23 As the demand for the return of the body of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru is growing from both mainstream and separatist quarters in Kashmir, the practice of issuing “protest calendars” by separatist leaders has resurfaced after nearly three years. The Valley was faced with a series of curfew restrictions and strikes called by separatist organisations following Afzal Guru’s execution in New Delhi’s Tihar Jail on February 9. Soon after Afzal’s secretive execution, the authorities imposed strict restrictions in all 10 districts of the Valley in view of the possible fallout of the hanging. Apprehending trouble, the authorities imposed curfew in Srinagar and other major towns, even as the separatist organisations simultaneously came out with bandh calls. Top leaders of various separatist organisations, particularly chairman of the hardline Hurriyat Conference Syed Ali Geelani, chairman of the moderate Hurriyat Conference Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front chairman Mohammad Yasin Malik were out of Kashmir, two of them in New Delhi and the latter in Pakistan, when Afzal was hanged. While Mirwaiz Umar has returned to Srinagar and is under house arrest, Geelani continues to be in Delhi and Malik is yet to return. But, that has not kept away the separatist organisations from issuing the protest calendars. “The government will have to take every step with utmost caution to prevent any recurrence of the situation which was observed for three consecutive years from 2008 to 2010,” said a keen observer of the Kashmir situation. The three summer unrests invariably resulted from various incidents which had taken place during the early summer months. At least 120 persons were killed in clashes between protesters and security forces in 2010. Though the separatists have been issuing strike calls ever since the eruption of militancy in Kashmir 22 years ago, the term “protest calendar” cam to the fore only some years ago. It started with the Amarnath land agitation in 2008, which resulted in the premature culm-nation of the three-year-term of the Congress-PDP coalition government, led by Ghulam Nabi Azad. Both the hardline and moderate factions of the Hurriyat Conference used to issue joint protest calendars during the summer unrests. During 2009, similar protests were scheduled following the alleged rape and death of two young women in Shopian. However, the protests that initially engulfed entire Kashmir, were later restricted to the Shopian area of south Kashmir. However, the 2010 summer unrest was a testing time for Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, when a “vicious cycle of killings” at the hands of the police and the CRPF raised questions over the coalition government’s handling of the issue. During the past two weeks, there have been only two normal working days earlier this week on Monday and Tuesday. A fresh spell of three days of normal functioning, according to the “calendar”, began in the Valley today, which is “waiting” for the next “programme” and those associated with trade, tourism and other stakeholders have their fingers crossed. “There is no other alternative to strikes,” said a spokesman for the hardline separatist leader, Syed Ali Geelani. The common man has his fingers crossed as the spring is yet to set in, paving way for a fruitful summer.
	Shortage of fodder kills 9,000 pashmina goats in Changthang Yangchan Dolma Leh, February 23 At least 9,000 sheep and goats have died in the Changthang region of Ladakh due to severe shortage of fodder and extreme cold weather conditions following the recent heavy snowfall. The death toll of the livestock in the region may go up as there are reports that many other villages have not yet received fodder due to the blockage of link roads. The region is reeling under severe shortage of fodder as pastures are covered with thick blankets of snowfall. General secretary of the All Changthang Pashmina Growers’ Cooperative Society Sonam Tsering said, “The pasture lands on which people are fully dependent for fodder are still covered under three and a half feet of snow and the snow will take a month to melt.” Executive Councillor for Sheep and Animal Husbandry, Ladakh Autonomnous Hill Development Council (LAHDC), Leh, Gyurmat Dorjey said, “Nomads of Changthang have suffered heavy losses of livestock by the recent unprecedented snowfall. At least 9,000 livestock have died and the death toll may increase.” Livestock, which consists mainly of goats, are the only source of livelihood for people of Changthang where agriculture and other allied activities are not possible due to the harsh climatic conditions. The wool of goats of Changthang is used for manufacturing the world famous pashmina cashmere shawl. Gyurmat said, “The LAHDC, Leh, has started snow clearance on roads in collaboration with the Indo-Tibetan Border Police, Army and the Border Roads Organisation. With the financial assistance of the Union Textile Ministry, the district sheep and animal husbandry department has distributed 3,000 quintals of alfa alfa, 9,650 quintals of cattle feed and 2,500 quintals of barley, which has helped to save from a disaster.” The fodder and feed for the dying livestock was purchased immediately after the snowfall for Rs 4 crore earmarked for nutrition supplement for pregnant pashmina goats by the Union Textile Ministry. The LAHDC, Leh, has approached the state Revenue Ministry for relief to the nomads for their loss due to the natural calamities and special assistance to purchase fodder and feed for the dying livestock.
	Kashmir a pressure cooker without safety valve: Mehbooba Tribune News Service Srinagar, February 23 Strongly condemning the “mass” arrest of youths and political leaders, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) today said the government has converted Kashmir into a pressure cooker without a safety valve. Addressing a party workers’ meeting of Srinagar district today, PDP president Mehbooba Mufti said the anger management exercise by the government had reached a new and more atrocious level, with people being denied even the basic liberties of expression. “Every means of expression is virtually sealed by an insecure government that has fully collaborated in the secret execution of Mohammad Afzal Guru and is now trying to raise its stock further in Delhi for being the champions of enforcing a silence through undemocratic and illegitimate methods,” she said in a statement. The meeting, called to discuss the situation created by Afzal Guru’s hanging, was attended by Moulvi Iftikhar Hussain Ansari, Naeem Akhtar, district president Mohammad Ashraf Mir, Abdul Hamid Kohsheen and other senior workers. Mehbooba alleged that hundreds of youths had been arrested throughout the division which included teenagers as well. “There are many instances in which a father has been arrested and kept as a hostage for good behaviour of his son,” she said and added the government by resorting to such draconian methods was destroying whatever was left of our democratic claims. Mehbooba said a large number of youths affiliated with the PDP had been detained only to cater to the NC’s growing sense of insecurity in the wake of continued exposure through press reports of Omar Abdullah’s role in facilitating Afzal’s execution. “The ruling party, which has exploited Kashmiri sentiment for decades to play the double game for retaining power, has brought the state almost to the same situation that pushed Afzal Guru to gallows in 2001 at the hands of dreaded SOG, a creation of Farooq Abdullah,” she said.
	Train services between Qazigund, Banihal soon Ehsan Fazili Tribune News Service Srinagar, February 23 The move to connect train services in Kashmir with the railway network in the rest of the country may take shape within the next couple of months, with the operation of the train services between Qazigund, the gateway town to Kashmir, and Banihal, across the Jawahar Tunnel. Though the prevailing situation has not affected work on the railway line, sources said in case of any further trouble, the work may get delayed. The excavation work of the country’s longest and Asia’s second longest tunnel, 11.17 km, was completed on October 14, 2011, and other works were expected to complete by December last year. Once operational, the railway line would shorten the road length of 35 km to only 11 km by train and could be covered in six minutes. The total length from Qazigund to Banihal is 17.5 km which includes the 11.17 km-long-tunnel. However, the connectivity to the countrywide network would take some more time as the Katra-Banihal link in the Jammu region, which has a complex geographical strata, is expected to take about five more years. The train services over a distance of 119 km between Qazigund in south Kashmir and Baramulla in the north have been providing “cheap and most comfortable” transportation facilities to over 7,000 people every day since its introduction in 2008. The train services within the Valley remained suspended since February 11 due to curfew restrictions and general strike. The services were partially resumed between Budgam, the central Kashmir station, and Qazigund in south Kashmir.
	Panthers Party seeks separate secretariats for Jammu, Srinagar Tribune News Service Jammu, February 23 The Panthers Party has decided to take up the demand for establishment of two civil secretariats one each at Jammu and Srinagar, respectively. The secretariats will function throughout the year, to put to an end to the process of Darbar Move. The step will solve everyday problems of the people at their doorstep. The party has decided to take up the issue in the coming Budget Session of the Assembly. Panthers Party president and Udhampur MLA Balwant Singh Mankotia, taking a cue from the recent tweet of Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, said it was high time to stop this process. “We are of the opinion that the two secretariats will solve most of the problems because people face hardship during shifting of Darbar from Jammu to Srinagar,” he said. He said similar problems being faced by people of Kashmir during shifting of Darbar from Srinagar to Jammu. Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, on January 19 this year, had called for discarding the tradition of shifting the state capital to Jammu in winter, saying it smacks of escapism-running away from the harsh Srinagar cold while the Valley freezes. He had posted on the twitter about the suggestion while acknowledging that the shifting process, known as Darbar move’, cannot be done away with. “Stop this escapism of running away at most problematic times-stay in Srinagar during winter and Jammu in the summer to address problems,” Omar had said in his post. The practice of Darbar move was started during the rule of Maharaja Ranbir Singh in 1872. According to an estimate the Darbar move costs Rs 100 crore to the state exchequer-Rs 50 crore every time in summer and winter.
	Cong leaders allege irregularities in reserving JMC wards for SCs Tribune News Service Jammu, February 23 Former corporators of the Jammu Municipal Corporation (JMC), belonging to the Congress, today alleged that there was a conspiracy in reserving some wards of the JMC. During their meeting with Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) chief Saifuddin Soz, ex-corporators smelt a deep-rooted conspiracy in reserving some wards for the Scheduled Castes (SCs) and women, as according to them, the step was taken in an irregular and irrational manner. The JKPCC chief, while addressing a meeting of the District Congress Committee (DCC) of Jammu urban, assured party workers that he would take up the issue with the authorities concerned. He told party workers to gear up their activities to strengthen the organisation and prepare for the elections to the urban bodies, which are due to be held in the state. He further told the party workers to activate the cadres at the grass-roots level and strengthen the party in the wake of preparations for the elections to the municipal corporation and other urban local bodies, which would be held shortly, as and when decided by the coalition government. He said the selection of right persons would be made on the basis of inputs from the field and the organisation set up, including the DCC.
	GN Khayal presents his latest book to Governor Jammu, February 23 Ghulam Nabi Khayal, a noted writer and journalist of the state, presented to Governor NN Vohra a copy of his latest book in Urdu titled, “Khayal Qalam”, at Raj Bhawan here today. Briefing the Governor, Khayal said “Khayal Qalam” contains research articles on Kashmir’s culture, literature, history and folklore. Khayal has authored 28 books in Kashmiri, Urdu and English on varied themes. Vohra wished him good health and continuing success in his literary pursuits. — TNS