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NC reiterates demand for return of Afzal’s remains
Cong wants BJP to declare Modi as PM candidate: Farooq
Ladakh councillors allotted blocks for better supervision
2014 Assembly elections: NC, Cong leaders oppose pre-poll alliance
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LeT threat looms large over J&K, but politicians looking the other way
Present atmosphere can endanger stability in region: Mufti
Dutch national admits to murder of British woman, says police
The houseboat on the Dal Lake in Srinagar where British tourist Sarah Elizabeth was murdered on Saturday. Tribune photo: Amin War Govt mulls setting up mobile labs to check adulteration
Camp held for elderly people
3 IITians embark on ‘Teach for Kashmir’ mission
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NC reiterates demand for return of Afzal’s remains
Jammu, April 7 On the conclusion of the two-day Central Working Committee meeting today, the party adopted a resolution in which the Committee noted that the potentially explosive situation that emerged in Kashmir after Afzal’s hanging was handled effectively by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah by taking necessary measures to curb violence and disruption of peace. The Working Committee expressed its gratitude to the people of the state for maintaining peace and communal harmony during the most difficult days post Afzal’s hanging. The Committee said the restoration of autonomy continued to be the bedrock of the NC’s policy and agenda and the party would continue to strive for honour, dignity and self-respect of the people of the state. It resolved that the NC which was committed to equitable development of all regions of the state in consonance with the aspirations of the people, shall always remain committed to the integrity of the state and continue to strive for protecting and preserving the secular democratic pluralistic fabric of the state. The party further resolved that it would continue its fight against communal and divisive forces. The Working Committee reiterated the resolve of the party to lift the Armed Forces Special Powers Act in a phased manner from various parts of the state, beginning from areas where militancy had reduced and the security apparatus was being handled by the state police and the paramilitary forces. The Committee resolved that in the interest of sustainable peace in the region, a sustained and meaningful Indo-Pak dialogue must proceed without any impediments and that the confidence-building measures should be further consolidated and strengthened. It also resolved that the internal dimensions of the Kashmir issue should be addressed through a process of dialogue with all shades of opinion which stands stalled at the moment. After discussing various aspects of the poll alliance with the Congress in the forthcoming parliamentary and Assembly elections, the Committee resolved to take a decision on the issue at an appropriate time. It expressed the party’s commitment to ensure the return and rehabilitation of the displaced Kashmiri Pandits with honour and dignity to the Valley and necessary measures to create a conducive environment for their return. The Committee resolved that the issues pertaining to the PoK Refugees of 1947 and refugees of 1965 and 1971 should be addressed as per the law and the constitution of the state. The meeting was attended by NC working president Omar Abdullah and all members of the Committee, including Union Minister Farooq Abdullah. |
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Cong wants BJP to declare Modi as PM candidate: Farooq
Jammu, April 7 “Don’t underestimate the 125-year-old Congress because this party has a strong following,” the Union Minister told reporters on the sidelines of a function when his reaction was sought about the fear psychosis that has gripped the Congress over Modi’s name. “It (Congress) wants the BJP to declare Modi as the prime ministerial candidate,” Farooq said, adding, “The Congress is a strong political force in the country.” Although he did not mention how the Congress would be benefited by declaring Modi as the prime ministerial candidate, he indirectly said it would help the Congress to bring all secular forces under a single platform to counter Modi. When he was asked to make a comparison between prime ministerial candidates, Narinder Modi and Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi, Farooq avoided a direct reply and said in a lighter vein, “Farooq Abdullah is the most suitable prime ministerial candidate. I am the leader of the whole nation and people irrespective of caste, creed, colour and religion have affection for me.” Farooq, who was here to attend a book release function, said he endorsed Chief Minister Omar Abdullah’s stand on the revocation of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA). “The Act should be revoked from some peaceful areas. There are some areas where the AFSPA is not required such as Jammu, Samba, Kathua and some places in Kashmir,” he said and added that there were many people in the Centre who, too, believed that the Act should go, but only the Army was the stumbling block. When his reaction was sought over some remarks by the Supreme Court against the government on the execution of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru, he said, “Let us not further scratch the wounds. It is time to apply a balm. Stop talking about it. Whatever has happened, has happened. We should ensure that no mistake is committed in the future.” He reiterated his party’s demand for the return of Afzal’s mortal remains to his family. On the claims of Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee chief Saifuddin Soz that the Congress would emerge as the single largest party in the next Assembly elections, Farooq was evasive. “It is his (Soz’s) viewpoint,” he said and added that running a coalition was a difficult task. |
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Ladakh councillors allotted blocks for better supervision
Leh, April 7 In an official order issued recently, the CEC directed the executive councillors to visit at least three times from April to November and once from December to March the rural areas under the respective blocks. To ensure effective implementation of the governmental welfare schemes, the CEC has directed the executive councillors to convene meetings at their allotted blocks in the presence of NGOs, stakeholders and public representatives. The Diskit and Panamik blocks of Nubra sub-division have been allotted to Sonam Dorjey, executive councillor for agriculture, while the Nyoma and Durbuk blocks of the Changthang region have been allotted to Dr Sonam Wangchuk, executive councillor for health. The Khaltsi and Saspol blocks have been allotted to Gurmat Dorje, executive councillor for Tourism, while the Leh, Chushot and Kharu blocks have been alloted to the executive councillor for CAPD. |
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2014 Assembly elections: NC, Cong leaders oppose pre-poll alliance
Jammu, April 7 Uncertainty over the pre-poll alliance in the next Assembly elections has forced the leaderships of both parties to work on all Assembly constituencies. While Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) chief Saifuddin Soz yesterday hinted at the party going alone in the next Assembly elections, NC leaders are also not in a mood to contest the next elections in a coalition. Sources in the NC said during the Central Working Committee (CWC) meeting, a majority of members opposed the pre-poll alliance with the Congress in the Assembly elections. The NC members tried to convince the leadership that the party was in a position to win a sufficient number of seats in the coming Assembly elections so there was no reason to enter into a pre-poll alliance with the Congress. “Some members argued that in the Kashmir Valley, the presence of the Congress was confined only to half a dozen seats while as in the Jammu region, the NC was in a comfortable position to win a good number of seats so only the Congress would be beneficial in case of a pre-poll alliance,” a source said, adding, “Virtually endorsing the viewpoint of the members, a senior NC leader told them that the interests of the party would be protected at any cost.” Local Congress leaders are also opposing the pre-poll alliance with the NC because there is a feeling among them that the party (Congress) would sweep the entire Jammu region in the coming Assembly elections so there is no need to leave some seats for the NC in the region. “It is a fact that in Kashmir the fight is among the PDP, NC and the Congress and every party is getting its due share, but in the Jammu region, the Congress has no competitor because the BJP has lost its credibility due to the infamous cross-voting episode,” a senior Congress leader said on the condition of anonymity and added that in the Jammu region, the NC would prove a burden for the party. Sources in the Congress said the party had almost decided not to enter into a pre-poll alliance with the NC. “During a meeting with the JKPCC chief, all senior Congress leaders opposed the pre-poll alliance with the NC and cautioned that this step would prove disastrous for the party,” a source said. Both NC and Congress are targeting the Jammu region because the region would play a deciding role in the formation of the next government. As the Congress is a strong force in the region, party leaders are opposing the pre-poll alliance with the NC. Jammu holds key to 2014: Soz JKPCC chief Saifuddin Soz on Sunday said the Congress was emerging as a strong force in the Kashmir and Ladakh regions also, but the Jammu region was its main stay and it held the key to the 2014 Assembly elections. Soz said the BJP had become irrelevant in the Jammu region because of its wrong policies and failure to respect the mandate of people. “It is the Congress which is emerging as the only choice of people of the region,” he said. |
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on the frontline
The Fighters of Lashkar-e-Toiba: Recruitment, Training, Deployment and Death”, the report by the US Military Academy, is a must read for all those who are in a denial mode about the dangerous situations that are feared to unfold in the state.
It is a wake-up call: 94 per cent of the Lashkar-e-Toiba recruits view J&K as a “fighting front”. The report unveils newer kinds of threats that the Himalayan state faces from this dreaded group, which scripted and executed 26/11 apart from other terror attacks in Jammu and Kashmir and other parts of the country in the past two decades. In the messy world of Kashmir politics, there is a complete denial about what Indian strategic experts and the military say in their reports about Jammu and Kashmir and the nature of threats that it is likely to confront in the future. And, the essential and underlined truth is that the US think tanks and experts have no love lost for India. So, this report should be seen through the prism of independent observers. It is a truthful account in all its forms and manifestations. Even more than that it tears into pieces the theories of those who were blaming the execution of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru for all the violence that followed, without recalling their own words which amounted to inciting people to protest and boosted the morale of terrorists. Lashkar-e-Toiba was and is planning for bigger strikes in Jammu and Kashmir. The designs for terror strikes were there much before this particular execution. An undeniable truth that emerges is that neither the violence has ended in Jammu and Kashmir nor is it going to end in the near future. The euphoria of the relative peace in 2011 and 2012 went up in smoke because of the misplaced priorities and the wish list. Some of them who have counted their success in restoring peace on the basis of tourist footfalls in the past two years should know that there is something happening across the border — call it Pakistan or Pakistan-occupied Kashmir — that is about to destabilise the whole security apparatus in the state. They are doing it deliberately for their narrow-minded political objectives, looking for short-term gains in the electoral territory. It cannot be believed that they are unaware of the dangerous plans being scripted for Jammu and Kashmir and if they are playing politics at the cost of the safety and security of the citizens of this state, they are only helping the cause of the enemy. Now, they need to look at what the report says: “While LeT's recruitment is diversified across the north, central and southern parts of the Punjab, the highest concentration of militants has come (in order of frequency) from the districts of Gujranwala, Faisalabad, Lahore, Sheikhupura, Kasur, Sialkot, Bahawalnagar, Bahawalpur, Khanewal and Multan. LeT training has historically occurred in Pakistan-administered Kashmir (PaK's) capital Muzaffarabad and in Afghanistan. Together these two locations have accounted for 75 per cent of the LeT militant training over time.” It further said, “94 per cent of the fighters list Indian Kashmir as a fighting front. Afghanistan, Chechnya, Tajikistan and Bosnia are also identified in the biographies as other fronts”. Another disconcerting fact is that the Pakistan army and LeT were competing for guys with the same skill set, says the report, which has analysed and drawn on 917 biographies of Lashkar fighters. And the unfortunate part is that the political leadership of the state is unable to see the reality as it exists, leave alone their devising any institutional response to the threats that are looming large. |
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Present atmosphere can endanger stability in region: Mufti
Jammu, April 7 Addressing a public meeting at Vijaypur town, Mufti said the present atmosphere of despair and despondency in J&K could again endanger the stability of the entire region. “It is the unstable conditions in the state that makes it prone to negative influences. We have to guard against the fallout of strategic changes in the region that can come in the wake of the upcoming pullout of American forces from Afghanistan,” he said, adding, “But, we have to be clear that such apprehensions can only be met by creating an atmosphere of hope in J&K and not through strong-arm tactics that have been the hallmark of governance for the past four years.” Mufti said military means could never achieve peace while dealing with people and ideas. “The people of the state have repeatedly placed their faith in democratic methods and constitutional processes but all their initiatives have failed to evoke a matching response from the country’s leadership,” he said. Mufti said though people participate in elections in record numbers in the hope of writing their destiny, the system had failed them even in changing the discourse which continued to revolve round, arrests, chilli bombs, pellet guns, draconian laws, detentions and curfews. Referring to the reopening of the Srinagar-Muzaffarabad route after a gap of 60 years on April 7, 2005, Mufti said it was a lone instance when the two governments had conceded something to the people of the state after independence and Partition. |
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Dutch national admits to murder of British woman, says police
Srinagar, April 7 The 43-year-old Dutch national Richard De Wit has confessed to killing the British woman, said Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Police for central Kashmir Afadul Mujtaba. “He has confessed (to killing the British woman), but the confession before a police officer is irrelevant. So, we are looking for more evidence,” Mujtaba said. Sarah Elizabeth, the 24-year-old British national from Manchester, was found dead with multiple stab wounds in her room in a houseboat early Saturday morning. Richard, who had fled the houseboat where he was staying in a separate room, was arrested later in the day near Qazigund town in south Kashmir, around 90 km from Srinagar city, when he was escaping the Valley in a taxi. The Dutch national and the British woman were holidaying separately in Kashmir and were also staying in separate rooms of the same houseboat. Mujtaba said it seemed the Dutch national had a “history of violence” in his home country Netherlands. “His first marriage ended in divorce and the second marriage also ran into trouble. He also has some issues with the Dutch government,” the officer said. The officer said any plea for insanity would not be relevant because the Dutch national had been able to travel to another country and had taken care of himself. The preliminary investigation suggested the attack was carried out under the influence of drugs, the DIG said. Richard is in police custody at the city’s Ram Munshi Bagh police station and the case of murder under Section 302 of the RPC has been registered. The police officer said “apparently” there was no sexual assault on the British tourist but they were awaiting the post-mortem and forensic lab reports to reach a conclusion. |
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Govt mulls setting up mobile labs to check adulteration
Srinagar, April 7 The authorities in the state have acquired a project report on mobile food testing laboratories from the Gujarat Government and are now actively considering setting up the same in the state. This was revealed by the J&K health authorities in their compliance report to the Jammu and Kashmir High Court, which has now told the state government to file an affidavit within three weeks indicating the status of the project about setting up of mobile food testing laboratories in the state. The high court is hearing a PIL seeking implementation of the food safety standards to check adulteration in the state. Concerned over the increased adulteration in food items, the high court had ordered continuous testing of milk being sold in the market and directed the authorities concerned to take samples of eatables from markets and factories in all districts of the state on a weekly basis for testing and initiate action against adulterers. “In response to the directions, the compliance report as filed would suggest that the problem of adulteration in milk was considered, project report has been procured from the Commissioner of Food Safety, Gujarat, where mobile food testing laboratories have been put in place successfully,” a Division Bench of the high court comprising Justice Mohammad Yaqoob Mir and Justice Janak Raj Kotwal revealed in its orders passed yesterday in the PIL. As further revealed by the Bench in its orders, a communication dated March 28, 2013, addressed by the Controller Drug and Food Organisation, J&K, to the Commissioner Secretary, Health and Medical Education Department, suggests that the proposal for setting up of the mobile food testing laboratories was under active consideration of the state government. The high court has now directed the Commissioner Secretary, Health and Medical Education Department, J&K, to file an affidavit within three weeks, where he has been asked to indicate the status of the project about setting up of mobile food testing laboratories in the state. What the PIL says The PIL had sought court directions commanding the respondents to implement the Food Safety Standards Act 2006 and the Food Safety and Standards Rules 2011. It had been submitted that the non-implementation of the Act and rules by the state government was a grave issue and the matter required to be dealt with seriously to check adulteration of food items and eatables. The government has often come under criticism for lack of seriousness on the implementation of the Food Safety and Standards Act in the state. |
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Camp held for elderly people
Leh, April 7 The people underwent blood pressure and sugar tests at the camp. Addressing the gathering, Leh district health officer Dr Mutup Dorjey said it was found in a survey conducted by the district health department that more than two per cent of population of the district had been suffering from hypertension-related diseases. According to the survey, overweight was another major health concern in Leh and Nubra blocks of the district. Chief Executive Councillor of the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC), Rigzin Spalbar, who was the chief guest at the event, has stressed on prevention of diseases and mass awareness about the health issues in the remote and rural areas of the district. He urged the councillors of the LAHDC to divert more funds to the health sector from their councillor constituency development fund. — OC
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3 IITians embark on ‘Teach for Kashmir’ mission
Srinagar, April 7 “Teach for Kashmir” is the brainchild of Saood Nazir, Imbesat Ahmad and Saif Khan, who will provide training free of cost to 90 IIT aspirants from the Valley this summer. Saood, who is from south Kashmir’s Shopian district and is pursuing MSc physics (integrated) course at IIT, Kharagpur, has been able to rope in Imbesat and Saif, who are from Patna and have taken up MSc physics (integrated) and MSc chemistry (integrated) at the same institution. These three IITians hope to provide intensive two-month coaching to Class XI, Class XII and those appearing in IIT-JEE examinations from May 20 onwards. Each batch will comprise 30 students. The project is being sponsored by Jammu and Kashmir Bank and the support team of the IITians in Kashmir comprising two engineering students Raja Ishfaq (studying engineering in Punjab) and Shahid Bashir (mechanical engineering student at National Institute of Technology, Srinagar) has booked space in Sri Pratap College, Srinagar, for the training workshop. At present, just 22 students from the Valley are studying at various IITs in the country. Last year out of the 9,600 candidates who got through various undergraduate courses at 15 IITs of the country, only four students from Kashmir could make it to these prestigious institutions. “Although it will not be possible to cover the entire curriculum in two months, we are aiming at setting a platform for IIT aspirants of the Valley from where they can learn new things and take the course forward. Cracking the IIT examination is not impossible, it needs perseverance and a lot of hard work,” Saood said. He said students confided in him their fears about cracking the IIT exam during his brief interaction with them in the Valley last year. Imbesat and Saif have also agreed to help students get rid of the IIT phobia and would be giving their paid internships a miss to teach students in the Valley. The trio will arrive in Kashmir on April 24. “Our guidance programme will be free of cost except for the minimal printing charges that we will be charging from the students for the study material and the tests,” said Raja Ishfaq, the project coordinator. Intensive training *
“Teach for Kashmir” is the brainchild of Saood Nazir, Imbesat Ahmad and Saif Khan, who will provide training free of cost to 90 IIT aspirants from the Valley this summer *
The three IITians hope to provide intensive two-month coaching from May 20 onwards. Each batch will comprise 30 students *
The trio wants to help aspirants get rid of the “IIT phobia” which, they say, could be the reason behind the minimal presence of Kashmiris in IITs
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Union Minister for New and Renewal Energy Farooq Abdullah today disclosed that the Congress wanted its archrival, BJP, to declare Gujarat Chief Minister Narinder Modi as the prime ministerial candidate because the decision would benefit the Congress.
A Dutch national arrested yesterday on suspicion of brutally murdering a British tourist in a houseboat on Dal Lake here has confessed to killing the woman, a top police official today said.
The 43-year-old Dutch national Richard De Wit has confessed to killing the British woman, said Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Police for central Kashmir Afadul
Mujtaba.
