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Parliament was misinformed on on state’s AFSPA proposal: Omar
Rasheed floats party to end ‘dynastic rule’ in J&K
BSP announces candidates for 12 Assembly segments
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3-day Sindhu Darshan festival begins in Leh
Panchayats settle local disputes without police assistance
State SC/ST confederation dissolved
Suicide victim’s husband
arrested
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Parliament was misinformed on on state’s AFSPA proposal: Omar
“Parliament was misinformed to some extent on AFSPA. If you remember, a question was asked in Parliament whether the J&K Government had submitted any proposal for revocation of AFSPA. The government had said no, which was totally wrong,” the Chief Minister told reporters on the sidelines of a police function in Srinagar. On Wednesday, the Union Home Minister was quoted as saying that a final decision on the AFSPA revocation would be taken only after holding discussions with the state governments. Omar said it was good that the Home Minister had acknowledged their viewpoint and he was hopeful that the talks with the Union Government on the issue would be taken to a logical conclusion. “The talks are on with the Government of India on this issue and I am hopeful that we will take this to the logical conclusion,” the Chief Minister said. When mediapersons told Omar that the Army was against even a partial revocation of AFSPA, he said: “This is a problem (Army being against AFSPA) that the Government of India has to resolve,” he said. Omar also said that the Prime Minister’s proposed visit to the state had not been cancelled. “It is incorrect that the Prime Minister’s visit to the state has been cancelled. The Prime Minister’s visit stands as of now,” Omar said, adding that UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi was likely to accompany the Prime Minister during the visit. The Chief Minister said the trend of educated militants getting killed in encounters was a matter of concern for the state government. “It is a matter of concern that the militants killed in recent encounters were educated. We will have to look into the reasons why these youths joined militant ranks. We have taken note of this trend,” he said. The Tribune was the first to report that militants who were recently killed in
various encounters in south Kashmir were highly qualified. |
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Rasheed floats party to end ‘dynastic rule’ in J&K
Srinagar, June 12 Addressing a press conference here, Rasheed said he floated a new party so that the ruling National Conference (NC) and main opposition People’s Democratic Party
(PDP) were “not voted to power”. Stating that he would work towards ending the “dynastic rule” in the state, he alleged that both the NC and the PDP had failed to provide good governance whenever in power. Rasheed also flayed the “callous approach” of both parties for failing to prevent the execution of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru and to bring back his body. Asserting that he would not take orders from India or Pakistan if voted to power, Rasheed said his party would represent the true aspirations and sentiments of the people. He said the political parties should represent “Kashmir in New Delhi” and not “New Delhi in Kashmir”. He promised that he would go to all divisions of the Valley and also some parts of the Jammu region to seek support of voters. He was willing to tie up with like-minded people ahead of the scheduled 2014 Assembly polls, he said, adding that “tainted” people against whom serious charges had been levelled and FIRs lodged would not be welcome to the
party-fold. Rasheed demanded that people should have the right to reject a candidate while casting their votes. He released a booklet on the occasion, where he said his main priorities would be to work towards the resolution of the Kashmir issue, revoke Armed Forces Special Powers Act
(AFSPA) and Public Safety Act (PSA), end human rights violation and provide good and transparent
governance. Rasheed said he would also work towards resolving the day-to-day issues while pointing out that people were still getting ration as per the 2001
census. Nazir Malik and Moulvi Showkat Nadvi were nominated the general secretary and spokesperson of the party, respectively. Awami Ettihaad’s agenda
Independent MLA from the Langate constituency of Kupwara district Engineer Rasheed says the main priorities of Awami Ettihaad will be to work towards the resolution of the Kashmir issue, revoke AFSPA and Public Safety Act, end human rights violation and provide good and transparent governance |
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BSP announces candidates for 12 Assembly segments
Jammu, June 12 National BSP general secretary Narinder Kashyap today announced the names of party candidates for 12 segments and said the second list of party candidates for Assembly and Lok Sabha segments would be declared shortly. He claimed that the party would emerge as a
strong force in the 2014 Assembly elections. State BSP president Tulsi Dass Langeh told the party workers to spread the message of party chief Mayawati. He said both the Centre and the state government had failed to provide good governance to people and so, the BSP workers should shoulder the responsibility. Fire at BSP office
A major fire broke out in the office of the BSP in the Satwari area here today, gutting all the records and furniture. The party has alleged that it was not an accidental fire and that the office had been intentionally burnt. “We suspect that some anti-social elements were involved in setting our office on fire as we had announced that we would organise a function at our office today,” said state BSP president Tulsi Dass Langeh. He said all the records, furniture, fax machine etc had been gutted in the fire, he said. “It seems to be a deliberate attempt. Somebody knew that we were maintaining all the records in this office. We will lodge a formal complaint about the incident. We believe it is a conspiracy to destroy the records,” BSP general secretary Narinder Kashyap told reporters. |
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3-day Sindhu Darshan festival begins in Leh
Leh, June 12 “While filing stories about various happenings, the reporters should take care that these are not going out of the right perception and creating unnecessary speculation in the minds of tourists intending to visit the state,” Omar said after inaugurating Sindhu Darshan festival, the annual tourism promotion festival organised by the Tourism Department at Leh in Ladakh region. He sought the cooperation of the media in the efforts of the government aimed at showcasing the state’s normality and tourist-friendly atmosphere. He said the rich cultural diversity and scenic splendour of the state had always attracted tourists of wide-ranging interests. Omar stressed the need to preserve the heritage and cultural vastness of the Ladakh region. He said his government had initiated various measures to give a fillip to tourism and showcase the state’s diverse attractions to draw tourists from both within the country and outside. The protection and preservation of environment, forest wealth, water bodies, wildlife and natural beauty of the state was an intrinsic part of the tourism development programme, he said while asking people to contribute to the national mission. While issuing a veiled advisory to the media, the Chief Minister was obviously referring to the recent reports on the hike in the air tariff, overcharging by hoteliers and spurt of violence in some parts of the Kashmir valley. With the aim of attracting more tourists in Ladakh, the Sindhu Darshan festival is being organised by the state Tourism Department. The festival was started in 1997 by the Union Tourism and Culture Ministry, giving wide publicity to Ladakh as one the important tourist destinations in the country. The 3-day festival will include polo matches, a
cultural programme highlighting Ladakh’s heritage and other tourism-related specialties. The inaugural function was also addressed by Minister for Tourism Ghulam Ahmad Mir, who presented the measures put in place by the government to attract more tourists to the state. Minister for Urban Development Nawang Rigzin Jora, Chief Executive Councillor, Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC), Leh, Rigzin Spalbar, Chief Executive Councillor, LAHDC, Kargil, Kachu Ahmad Ali, Executive Councillor, district officers and a large number of tourists were also present on the occasion. Showcasing Ladakh
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Authorities fail to develop Aparna Ashram as tourist destination
Jammu, June 12 Once a centre of attraction where former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi’s yoga mentor Dhirendra Brahmachari lived, the ashram spanning over an area
of 1,008 kanals today reflects a grim picture of utter neglect. In 2008, the state government had handed over the ashram to the Patnitop Development Authority (PDA) to develop it as a tourist spot, but the project remained on papers. “We have already invited tenders for developing the Mantalai area, including the Aparna Ashram, under the private-public participation (PPP) mode so as to develop this area as tourist destination,” said Director, Tourism, Jammu, Sojanya Sharma. “We are hopeful of getting encouraging response from some private companies to develop this area,” the Director said. Sharma said since the PDA had taken over the ashram, efforts were on to develop this area. In the recently held Budget Session of the Assembly, the state government had stated that the development of Mantalai was being taken up in the clevel project management agency for projects to be sanctioned during the 12th Five Year Plan for the state,” the government had stated. Not only the government has failed to develop the ashram, the authorities even failed to properly utilise a building of the late yoga guru located in a posh locality. The building was handed over to the Directorate of Tourism, Jammu, to conduct training programmes for youth for employment in the tourism sector, but nothing has been done so far. “Actually,
the building was later handed over to the police and due to some legal problems, the building could not be utilised properly,” said the Director. |
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Nearly 10,000 students study in Army schools in Valley
Srinagar, June 12 Nearly 1,000 students —boys as well as girls — are enrolled in it and a majority of them are the local children. “Army Public Schools are primarily meant to provide education to the children of Army men and 90 per cent of the seats are reserved for them. The rest of the seats are for locals. But the Srinagar APS is the only institute in the country where 60 per cent of the students are locals and 40 per cent quota is for the children of defence personnel,” said a senior Army officer looking after the school affairs in Srinagar. The school which is affiliated to the Central Board of School Education (CBSE) has become popular, the school authorities say, as it remains open even during curfew or when there is a strike. “During the Afzal Guru’s episode, our school remained open. Many of our students come from the old city (a separatist bastion). This has made us popular and the standard of education in the institute is quite high,” said 37-year-old principal of the APS, Srinagar, Sandeep Marhatta. The school is housed in the high-security headquarters of the Army in Srinagar and students too have to undergo frisking every day before making their way to the school. “It (the frisking) does not trouble us as we have got used to it,” said Saba Gulzar, a class XII student who hails from Rajbagh locality of the city. “The school is one of the best here and that is what pulls us to it,” she added. Another student from the old part of Srinagar said that apart from providing education, the school was grooming them to face the world. “Even if I am from a locality that is very volatile, the fact remains that I have been studying here without any difficulty,” he added. A student, who recently passed class XII with 78 per cent marks, had been reprimanded by the school authorities after they found that he carried a mobile phone which had clippings of street protests and stone-throwing incidents. “We gave him advice and he took it seriously and when the results were out, he was among the best students of the school,” said a teacher at the school. The school has also admitted some students who have been sponsored by various Army units. The school provides hostel facilities to Sadbhavana (Army’s goodwill mission) students and to those coming from interior parts of the Valley. These students are provided free uniform, books and accommodation facility. Besides Srinagar, the Army is running goodwill schools in other districts of the Valley too. Around 9,000 students are studying in these schools. The Army said the response of locals has been overwhelming and the number of students applying for admission runs into thousands. The goodwill schools are managed by the local units of the Army in the area. The first goodwill school was set up by the Army in Uri in 1999 and since then more schools have came up across
the Valley. |
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Panchayats settle local disputes without police assistance
Khojipur (Kheri), June 12 “We have been able to sort out all local and social issues on our own in the last two years. There is not even a single incident which has been referred to the police by the village panchayat since the panchayat elections in June 2011,” Raghunandan Khajuria, sarpanch, Khojpur panchayat
halqa claimed. He said the village panchayat had also sorted out a marital dispute by dissolving the marriage. “The wife (19) in this case was not willing to live with her husband. Panchayat members settled the marital discord by asking the couple to live separately,” Khajuria said. Anil Sharma, general secretary, All Jammu Kashmir Panchayat Conference (AJKPC), said the panchayats had been playing a pivotal role in improving the social scenario and
communal harmony at the local level. “Leave aside petty issues, panchayats have been able to settle some of the most contentious issues at the village level. The panchayats have been lending a great helping hand to the police, which otherwise remains over-burdened in this state,” Sharma said, adding, “Earlier, people used to approach the police for petty issues and sometimes they had to pay the police for settling their issues. Now, 80-85 per cent people come to panchayat members to get their disputes, except criminal and land disputes, resolved and get satisfactory results.” Rajesh Kumar Sharma, Superintendent of Police (Rural), Jammu, said: “It is a good thing if panchayats are sorting out petty issues on their own. However, panchayat members don’t have a direct role in policing and I don’t think people prefer to go to them for criminal cases.” He said elected panchayat members were giving a helping hand to the police by sharing or providing information about people whenever they were approached. “Information about a particular person of the village can be easily sought from panchayat members,” the police officer said. There are over 33,000 elected panchayat members, comprising 4,128 sarpanches and around 29,000 panches, in
the state. |
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Artistes showcase Aryan valley’s culture in Kargil
Jammu, June 12 Two troupes of 80 artistes from Darchiks and Garkone villages of the Aryan valley and 15 artistes of the Purgi cultural troupe from the Wakha Mulbekh area participated in the event. The participants presented folk songs and dances on themes such as prayer for peace and prosperity, importance of environmental conservation, national integration, communal harmony, history of migration of Dards and colonisation of the Darchiks and Garkone villages. Col TK Mukherjee of the Tiger Hill brigade was the chief guest on the occasion. He lauded the organisers and said such activities would pave a way for stability and development of the Aryan folk traditions. Kargil Cultural Officer Muhammad Ali Tak said the objective of the festival was to give a chance to Dardi and Purgi folk artistes of the region to preserve and showcase their folk music and dance forms which have been waning away. |
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State SC/ST confederation dissolved
Jammu, June 12 He said the confederation had been fighting for the protection of the constitutional rights of the weaker sections in the state. “To provide an impetus, to reinvigorate and to decentralise the confederation to the lowest rung, the state unit has been dissolved in consultation with national chairman Udit Raj,” he stated. He said a fresh drive had been initiated to elect new office-bearers and representatives would be elected at the state, provincial, district, block, tehsil and village levels within the shortest possible time to accomplish the goal. |
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Army recovers arms from Bandipore dist
Srinagar, June 12 “During the searches, a hideout with arms and ammunition was busted in the area,” said an officer. “The operation was called off late on Tuesday,” he added. The recovery included four AK rifles, 70 magazines of assault rifles, two pistols, four UBGLs, nine radio sets, five-kg explosives and five anti-tank rifle grenades. The Army said the recovery was a major success achieved against militants in Bandipore district, which is close to the Line of Control. |
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Suicide victim’s husband
arrested
Rajouri, June 12 Station House Officer, Budhal, Shajjad Sheikh said they had arrested Shabnam’s husband
Sajjad Ahmed Lone, father-in-law Abdula Gani Lone and mother-in-law Sakeena Begum for their alleged involvement in her death under Section 306 of the Ranbir Penal
Code (RPC). He said Shabnam, who was 30 years old, was married to her close relative in Bhadhal in 2005. He said Shabnam had committed suicide by setting herself on fire at her residence in Budhal and her in-laws had claimed that she was mentally
disturbed. |
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Srinagar, June 12