The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

	Kashmiris’ patience cannot be taken for granted: Omar Calls for addressing K-issue through process of dialogue Tribune News Service Srinagar, July 7 Chief Minister Omar Abdullah today cautioned against taking the people of Kashmir “for granted”. Without naming anybody, Omar went on to say that “some friends in New Delhi” had “developed a misconception” in this regard assuming that peace in Kashmir was permanent. According to an official statement, the Chief Minister said this while addressing a gathering after inaugurating a power receiving station at Kanir in Charar-i-Sharief in central Kashmir’s Budgam district. Omar also cautioned against the “belief” that the anger of the people in the Valley “would not boil beyond a certain limit”. “I want to tell them that this is not the case and the anger of Kashmiris and peace in Kashmir cannot be taken for granted. Though, the people of Jammu and Kashmir, particularly those living in the Valley, have always chosen peace against disturbance yet you cannot take them for granted forever,” he added. He also asserted that permanent peace and tranquillity in J&K was directly proportionate to the resolution of basic political issues confronting the state. Omar said: “The people in Kashmir may exhibit restrain and patience over various provocations like hanging of Afzal Guru without informing his family, killing of two innocent youth in Markundal recently and many other such aggravations, for which I salute them, but that does mean that their patience will always be taken for granted.” The Chief Minister said the Kashmir issue was not any “issue of money or gun but of political genesis needing political solution”. Omar said he had time and again emphasised the need of addressing the Kashmir issue through the process of dialogue. “We have created a congenial atmosphere of dialogue and there are positive signals of peace and good relations from Pakistan… we want relations between the two neighbours to be friendly so that issues are settled peacefully across the table,” he added. Calling for restoration of purposeful dialogue in this regard, Omar said the status of relations between India and Pakistan had always affected the situation in the state. Omar said the mindset of “those sitting in Delhi” was “unfortunate and untrue”. They considered that the participation of people in the panchayat elections, qualifying of IAS by Kashmiris or selection of a local youth in the Indian cricket team had solved the basic political issues. Underscoring the need for implementing the Interlocutors’ report, Omar said the political and financial autonomy of the state was the “cherished ideology and goal” of the ruling National Conference. What the CM Says The people in Kashmir may exhibit restraint and patience over various provocations like hanging of Afzal Guru without informing his family, killing of two innocent youth in Markundal recently and many other such aggravations, for which I salute them, but that does mean that their patience will always be taken for granted The mindset of those sitting in Delhi is unfortunate and untrue. They consider that the participation of people in the panchayat elections, qualifying IAS by Kashmiris or selection of a local youth in the Indian cricket team has solved basic political issues
	on the frontline Fight over Art. 370: More to it than meets the eye arun joshi The Article 370 of the Indian Constitution is facing no threat, nor is it going to be abrogated. But it has entered into a volatile political discourse in the state, with the National Conference vociferously arguing for the retention of this constitutional provision, and the BJP has taken its protests against the “special status to J-K” to the streets. Regardless of what the consequences would be, the two parties are protesting over the issue to draw political mileage ahead of the 2014 Assembly and parliamentary elections. There is no other plausible explanation as to why the two parties, which have worked together during the NDA rule, should bring out their swords against each other at this juncture. They are hoping for political dividends with a clear motive of weakening the Congress in the state. The Congress does not support the extreme views of the National Conference i.e. to reverse the clock to the pre-1953 position when the state could not be visited without a permit from the authorities. But fact of the matter is that the Article 370, which grants special status to Jammu and Kashmir under the Indian Constitution, is no longer an issue with the electorate. It was a slogan of the 1950s. It has been revived with a hope against hope that this political slogan would substitute for what has been done or not done by the National Conference-led coalition government. In a similar manner, it is opposed by the BJP to stir emotions in some parts of the state where the ghost of the Article 370 is painted as a larger than life danger to the minorities, Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. Broadly speaking, greater autonomy is interlinked to the restoration of greater autonomy. The only time the National Conference appeared serious about the issue was when it got a resolution on autonomy passed in July 2000 by more than the two-thirds majority of both Houses of the state legislature. The intensity with which it took up the issue was quite high in the 1996 Assembly poll; the demand was subdued in 2002 and 2008. Rather, it was rarely heard in the 2008 Assembly poll. That time the NC was fighting for providing “sadak, bijli, pani” to the people. Autonomy means that Jammu and Kashmir would have its own elected “Sadar-e-Riyasat” (head of the state) and Prime Minister and control over all matters barring defence, communication and foreign affairs. This autonomy was eroded over the years. It was agreed in the Sheikh Abdullah-Indira Gandhi pact, also known as Beg-Parthasarathy accord of 1975, that all Central laws extended to the state would be reviewed and the Centre and the state would find a common ground to move forward. That milestone has got rusted and there has been no movement forward. In a way, the Article 370 and greater autonomy are synonymous. The BJP, the reincarnation of Jana Sangh, with the “ek nishan, ek vidhan and ek pardhan” (one flag, one constitution and one head of the state), has provoked the NC. Its senior most leader L K Advani said something about the abrogation of the Article 370, thus giving a new life to the almost forgotten issue. Chief Minister Omar Abdullah retorted: “The abrogation of Article 370 over our dead bodies.” Other leaders of his party took cue and responded in a similar manner at public meetings while the BJP responded with demonstrations in streets. The Chief Minister did raise a thought-provoking question on his favourite medium Twitter: “Why Advani was silent on the issue in 1998-2004.”. There are several questions as to why this issue has been revived by both parties at this time. That’s all what can be said at the moment. The BJP was silent during its rule and the NC was silent for years together. Surely, there is something more than meets the eye.
	J&K steps up security at religious places Raghunath temple in Jammu was targeted twice by terrorists in 2002 Amir Karim Tantray/TNS Jammu, July 7 In the wake of serial blasts in the Mahabodhi temple in Bodh Gaya, Bihar, the Jammu and Kashmir police has increased the security cover around all religious places, including temples, mosques and monasteries. All district senior superintendents of police and other police officials have been directed to increase the security cover around religious places and important places. In Jammu, the security cover around the famous Raghunath temple has been increased and security personnel have been asked to keep a tight vigil. “After getting the news of serial blasts in Bodh Gaya, we immediately swung into action and alerted the police force to increase the security cover around all religious places in the region,” said Rajesh Kumar, Inspector General of Police, Jammu. The J&K police is also focusing on providing security to monasteries. In the Jammu region, Buddhist monasteries are located in the Padder area of Kishtwar district, around 300 km from Jammu. The Kishtwar district police has been given special orders to increase the security around the monasteries. For past 24 years, J&K has been witnessing the worst kind of arms insurgency and during this period various religious places in the state have been attacked by terrorists. The Raghunath temple in Jammu has been the target for terrorists and was attacked twice in 2002 in March and November. Besides increasing the security cover around religious places, police deployment in Jammu city has also been increased.
	CJM orders judicial probe into rape charges against 3 cops Complaint in the case lodged by ‘fake’ dervish’s woman supporter in June Ishfaq Tantry Tribune News Service Srinagar, July 7 In a new twist to the sexual exploitation case in which “fake” dervish Gulzar has been charged with raping minors studying in his bogus religious seminary, a court in Srinagar has ordered a judicial inquiry into the allegations of rape against three police officials levelled by one of the woman supporters of the self-styled godman. The judicial inquiry has been ordered by the Chief Judicial Magistrate, Srinagar, who has directed the Forest Magistrate, Srinagar, to conduct an inquiry into the complaint and submit a report. The sexual exploitation case involves the alleged rape of minors by Gulzar, who were undergoing a religious course at his seminary in Shamsabad in central Budgam district of Kashmir. “Ordering a judicial probe into the matter, CJM, Srinagar, Rajeev Gupta on Saturday directed Forest Magistrate, Srinagar, RS Jaslotia to conduct an inquiry into the matter and submit his report”, said senior counsel Mushtaq A Dar, who is representing the complainant in the court. In her complaint filed before the CJM in the first week of June, the complainant from Nambla village in Uri, north Kashmir, had alleged that she was part of the group of Gulzar’s supporters who had demonstrated against his arrest in the Press Enclave area of Srinagar on May 23 and was subsequently arrested by the police from Kothibagh police station in Srinagar on that day. She has alleged that from Kothibagh police station she was taken to Khansahab police station in Budgam, tortured and forced to record a false statement against Gulzar. In her complaint, she has alleged that she was later raped at some unknown place in Srinagar by three police officials. The three police officers accused of rape by the girl include Sub-Divisional Police Officer, Khansahab, Budgam; SHO, Khansahab Police Station; and another police officer posted in the same area. The CJM after acting on the complaint had “forwarded” the complaint “in original” to the SSP, Srinagar, with a further direction to get the matter investigated by some senior police official. Subsequently, the police conducted a preliminary inquiry into the matter which was entrusted by the SSP, Srinagar, to the SP (East), Srinagar. However, the preliminary inquiry conducted by the police has refuted the rape allegations levelled by the woman against three police officials saying that she was “lying”. THE CASE FILE Gulzar Reshi, alias Syed Gulzar Ahmad Bhat, was arrested on May 21 after four minors charged him with rape In the chargesheet presented to a court in Budgam on July 6, Gulzar has been charged with rape under Section 376 of the RPC, whereas his 12 accomplices, including four women, have been charged with abetment of the crime under Section 109 The chargesheet states that the medical examination of the victims has “corroborated” the commission of offence by Gulzar, who is currently under judicial custody along with his six accomplices, including four women Earlier in June, a woman supporter of the “fake” dervish, in her complaint before a court in Srinagar, had alleged rape by three police officers, one of whom was investigating the sexual exploitation case
	Army ambush video goes viral; YouTube removes it Azhar Qadri/TNS Srinagar, July 7 A video of an ambush, in which eight soldiers were killed and 16 injured, on the eve of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s visit to Srinagar last month, has surfaced on social networking sites and video-sharing websites. YouTube, a video-sharing website, where the video was first shared, removed it hours after it was uploaded on it. The blurry video, shot from a mobile camera, shows militants firing at an Army truck on the highway near the Hyderpora locality on the outskirts of Srinagar. It is not clear whether the 4.15-minute video was shot by a civilian passersby or by the militants. The video shows at least two militants, one in police uniform, shooting at the Army vehicle and later escaping from the scene. Eight soldiers were killed and 16 injured when militants ambushed an Army convoy near Hyderpora on June 24, on the eve of the visit of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi. In the video, one of the militants is seen firing at the vehicle from its rear, which confirms the version of the attack provided by the security forces. The militant is seen moving to the front of the vehicle and climbing onto it to check the driver’s compartment. Hours after the video was uploaded on YouTube, it was removed, saying the video was a “violation of YouTube’s policy on violence”. However, the video had already gone viral by the time YouTube removed it and was being shared on social networking sites. This is the second video in recent days which shows attacks carried out by militants in the region. Last month, a brief video clip shot by militants had surfaced on social networking sites. It showed parts of the May 24 ambush in which four soldiers were killed in a village near south Kashmir’s Tral town.
	14-km stretch of NH turns terror trap for troops Majid Jahangir/TNS Srinagar, July 7 The 14-km stretch of the Jammu-Srinagar national highway which passes through the city’s western outskirts has turned into a death trap for security forces as 50 per cent of their fatalities in various militant attacks this year have taken place on the strip. The stretch of the national highway from Bemina to Pantha Chowk, which borders three districts — Srinagar, Budgam and Pulwama — has become a hotspot for militants to carry out ambushes, including a fidayeen attack, in March. The fidayeen attack was carried out after a gap of three years. In the three attacks carried out by militants at different spots on the 14-km stretch of the highway, 14 security forces personnel, including eight Army soldiers, five CRPF and one BSF personnel, have been killed. The number of fatalities in militant attacks this year account for 50 per cent of the total losses suffered by the security forces. “The stretch is vulnerable to militant attacks because it borders three districts. The militants after carrying out the attacks on the stretch escape, making it difficult for investigators to zero in on them,” said a police source. There has also been a lot of confusion among the security forces as to who among them is responsible for sanitising the road stretch. While the Army said as per the standard operating procedure, the 14-km stretch had to be secured by the CRPF before allowing the Army convoys to pass through the area, the CRPF said till recently it had no role in it. “Before the Hyderpora attack, we had no role in the security of the stretch. Before 2010, we were deputed for sanitising the road stretch, but after the agitation in 2010, our men were withdrawn and deployed on the law and order duty,” said a senior CRPF officer in Srinagar. “Recently, after the Hyderpora attack, we have been given the responsibility for securing this stretch and we are only waiting for a formal order,” the officer said. The CRPF officer said the Army had been securing its own convoys and they used to deploy its own men in Srinagar district. Vulnerable track March 13: Five CRPF personnel and two militants were killed in a fidayeen attack in Bemina March 21: A BSF soldier was killed and two others were injured in a militant ambush near Nowgam on the Jammu-Srinagar national highway June 24: Eight Army men were killed in a militant ambush at Hyderpora
	Kashmir valley gets ready for Ramadan in scorching heat Azhar Qadri/TNS Srinagar, July 7 Kashmiri Muslims are preparing for Ramadan which will begin this week. This year, the fasting month will have the longest days in the last three decades. During this month, Muslims will abstain from eating and drinking for nearly 16 hours daily. Based on the appearance of the new moon, Ramadan will begin either on Wednesday or Thursday. On the first day, the fast will begin at 3:46 am and people will break their fast before the evening prayers at 7:48 pm, making it the longest fasting day in the last three decades. The last time Ramadan began in mid-July in 1980. “It is sheer faith which can make a person withstand hunger and thirst,” said city resident Mohammad Waseem (29). Fasting in Ramadhan is one of the five fundamentals of Islam. Another Srinagar resident, who has come home on a holiday, said, “Indeed it is difficult, it needs perseverance”. “But so is the immense reward attached to it,” said Yaqeen-ul-Haq Ahmad Sikandar (22), who delivers lectures on Islam and living. The preparations for Ramadan in the city have already begun as shopkeepers have readied stocks of dates, which are used to break the day-long fast. Ramadan will be a daunting experience this year as the sweltering heat has so far shown little signs of receding. On Saturday, the day temperature in Srinagar, which is the summer capital of the region and is know for its moderate summer, was slightly higher than the day temperature in Jammu, the region’s winter capital. Sonam Lotus, Director, state Meteorological Department, said some respite in the heat is expected in the next few days up to July 10, when the fasting month begins. “Then we have to wait and watch. But we are expecting a respite,” he said. Monthlong fasting Based on the appearance of the new moon, Ramadan will begin this week either on Wednesday or Thursday This year, the fasting month will have the longest days in the last three decades Muslims will abstain from eating and drinking for nearly 16 hours daily Ramadan will be a daunting experience this year as the sweltering heat has so far shown little signs of receding.
	Govt employees to go on lockout strike today Tribune News Service Srinagar, July 7 The Joint Consultative Committee (JCC), an amalgam of various government employees’ bodies, have decided to gherao the Civil Secretariat here tomorrow amid the call for a ‘lockout strike’. The employee group has also called for protests in Jammu and Ladakh. JCC leader Abdul Qayoom Wani, had earlier given the call for a “lockout” and “complete” strike to be observed in government offices across the state on July 8. He said the protesting employees will also try to gherao the Civil Secretariat after staging protests outside the Exhibition Ground here tomorrow. He said the employees will also protest outside the Divisional Commissioner’s office in Jammu while demonstrations will also be held outside the Deputy Commissioner offices at Kargil and Leh in Ladakh. The JCC had earlier protested on June 21 and 22 to highlight their demands and also held several rounds of demonstrations in the past. Wani said the JCC would soon announce its next “decisive” and state-wide agitation programme in case the government failed to address their demands. The employees’ demands include the release of arrears recommended by the Sixth Pay Commission, enhancement of the retirement age from 58 to 60 years, removal of pay anomalies and regularisation of daily wagers and casual workers in various government departments. The other JCC demands are inclusion of five years of contractual service of Rehbar-e-Taleem (ReT) teachers in the service book and the 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. This year too, the government had urged the employee leaders to resolve their issues through talks but the same had been rejected by the JCC.
	Congress, NC at loggerheads over appointment of corporation heads Dinesh Manhotra Tribune News Service Jammu, July 7 As the coalition partners - the National Conference (NC) and the Congress - failed to reach a consensus, the state government could not appoint chairpersons to various corporations or boards to “rehabilitate” annoyed politicians. Differences cropped between leadership of both the parties on the number of chairpersons to be appointed. Sources said Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) chief Saifuddin Soz met Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Thursday to reach a consensus on appointment of vice-chairpersons. Both the leaders discussed the issue and decided to take up the matter in the next meeting of the Coalition Coordination Committee (CCC), the sources said and added that the JKPCC chief, who is the chairman of the CCC, was asked to convene the meeting at the earliest. Sources said the Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee chief had promised some of his loyalists to rehabilitate them as chairpersons of some corporations and boards but due to cold-shoulder response of the National Conference, Soz finding it difficult to fulfil his promise. A number of Soz loyalists were upset after they were denied seats in the Upper House and now, the JKPCC chief wanted to accommodate them as vice-chairpersons of some corporations or boards in order to placate them before the Lok Sabha elections. Further, some senior leaders of both the parties, who were denied ministerial berths, were also annoyed with the leadership so their adjustment was also important before the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections. Sources said sulking leaders would be appointed as chairpersons or vice-chairpersons of some corporations and boards with the status of a cabinet minister and minister of state (MoS) so as to “utilise” their services in the coming Lok Sabha elections. Sources said despite vacant post of chairpersons of 16 corporations, the coalition partners failed to reach a consensus because some ministers wanted to be appointed chairpersons of profitable corporations only. “As of now, the government has decided to appoint chairpersons of only eight corporations,” sources said. They added that both the parties were under pressure to accommodate maximum number of their leaders. Sources said during his meeting with the Chief Minister, the JKPCC chief also discussed appointment of members of the Public Service Commission. The government had already appointed politicians as vice-chairpersons of various boards. A number of times, Opposition parties had lambasted the coalition government for putting an additional burden on the state exchequer by granting MoS status to the vice-chairpersons of these boards.
	NC only concerned with personal power: PDP Tribune News Service Srinagar, July 7 People’s Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti has said the situation in Jammu and Kashmir is poised for a positive change as the people of the state have clear alternative available on the political scenario. Addressing a workers’ convention at Kokernag in south Kashmir today, Mehbooba said the next Assembly elections would provide an opportunity to the people to assert their voice, empower themselves and enforce accountability on political parties. “The single-track democracy traditionally practised in Jammu and Kashmir was reduced to holding elections as a ritual to renew the licence to a single political party, which would rule the roost without any checks and balances or oppositions of any kind. It used to be a kind of dictatorship foisted on the people,” said a PDP spokesperson, while quoting Mehbooba. She expressed the hope that people would take advantage of this situation and vote wisely in the next elections to hand down a decisive mandate on the basis of performance of various political parties, their agenda and the credibility of their leadership. “The Chief Minister has lost the moral and political authority to ask questions about anybody’s integrity as both he and his father face serious charges which could have led anybody else to jail. A fair investigation in the Haji Yousuf case and the Rs 50-crore cricket scam was thwarted and officials who helped the ruling family were rewarded. The feeling of impunity among ministers and their agents in the administration is therefore understandable as they know there is nobody to call them to account,” she said. Mehbooba said the basic problem with the National Conference (NC) leadership was that it never felt accountable to the people for their rise to power. She said it (NC) was concerned only with its personal power and for that it had evolved a survival mechanism based on unprincipled tie-ups, sell outs and compromises without promoting the interests of the state in anyway. Chief spokesperson for the PDP Naeem Akhtar, district president Peer Mohammad Hussain, ex-MLC Choudhry Nizamudin, Abdul Rahim Rather, Ghulam Hassan Rather, Choudhry Zaffar and Abdul Salam Reshi were present on the occasion.
	Clamour grows to stem the ‘rot’ in examination board Arteev Sharma Tribune News Service Jammu, July 7 Clamour is growing over the “highly unprofessional” approach of the Board of Professional Entrance Examination (BOPEE) towards conduct of “sensitive and arduous” examinations with stakeholders urging the ruling National Conference-led coalition to stem the rot. It is not for the first time that the functioning of board has come under the scanner. From the appointment of the persons with strong political connections on top positions to the “sale” of question papers of professional courses, particularly MBBS and engineering degrees for hefty amount running in several lakhs, the board remained in news for all wrong reasons. This has been the case since its constitution under the Jammu and Kashmir Board of Professional Entrance Examinations Act in 2002. This time, the “unprofessional” approach of the board came to fore when it had to cancel all the papers in the prestigious Common Entrance Test (CET)-2013 after the mess up at some examination centres in Srinagar where the invigilators had distributed biology papers instead of chemistry on June 22. Though the board conducted the examination in physics and mathematics subjects on June 22 and 23 but these examinations were also cancelled without any reason. The test would now be conducted afresh on July 27 and 28. Mehbooba Mufti, People’s Democratic Party (PDP) president said, “The costly error in the entrance test conducted by the government is only the latest in a series of brazen frauds attributed to the process over the past few years.” “What sort of message is being given to the youth, who put in hard work to appear in this prestigious examination? This is not happening for the first time. In the past too, papers have been leaked,” she alleged. Professor Hari Om, noted academician, said things had been deteriorating in the board and it had gone from bad to worse after an agitation for MBBS and BDS seats in 1998. “The board functions at the whims and fancies of its political bosses. It has always followed a discriminatory approach to benefit Kashmir region at the cost of deserving students from Jammu region. Not even one official of the board has been indicted for fraud till date and I am sure that the government will also not initiate any action against the board officials this time either,” Prof Om alleged. The High Court recently took suo motu cognisance of the cancellation of papers in entrance test and had issued notices to the state government through the Chief Secretary and Secretary, BOPEE, asking them to explain within two weeks the reasons how the papers were leaked. Manoj Kumar, an angry father whose daughter had appeared in the cancelled CET said, “The board has lost its credibility as the instance of paper leakage and its sale for hefty amount has become a routine. The deserving candidates are ignored while wards of influential people are accommodated through illegal means. Who knows the entrance test, which will be conducted afresh, will be conducted in a transparent manner.” RD Sharma, chairman, BOPEE, sought to downplay the CET controversy by describing it as “human error” and said “such errors had occurred in various examinations.” “We will take all possible measures to ensure transparent conduct of the entrance test,” he said.
	Only education can uplift backward classes, says PHE Minister Tribune News Service Jammu, July 7 Minister for PHE, Irrigation and Flood Control Sham Lal Sharma has said the government was committed to providing succour to the weaker sections of all three regions of the state, adding that it has accorded priority to welfare plans meant for socially and economically backward classes. The PHE Minister was interacting with a cross-section of people, including representatives of various political, social and religious organisations, at a congregation organised to mark Kabir Jayanti at Mera Mandarian in Akhnoor today. The congregation was organised by the Kabir Jayanti Celebration Committee. Sham Lal said India was an abode of saints and rishis, where people belonging to different religions had been living in peace and tranquillity since centuries. He said Saint Kabir was an apostle of peace and his message of ahimsa and brotherhood had greater relevance today when the world was faced with growing intolerance, violence and terrorism. He said the need of the hour was to spread literacy among the backward sections of society, adding that only education can transform their socio-economic condition. Underscoring the importance of various welfare programmes, aimed at bringing a healthy change in the living condition of the poor and needy, the minister highlighted the role of various departments in the implementation and monitoring of the welfare schemes. He asked the department functionaries to make every effort to ensure that the benefits reach the target population.
	3 expeditions to Karakoram range in Ladakh cancelled Our Correspondent Leh, July 7 All three mountaineering expeditions to the Rimo peak of the Karakoram range in Ladakh have been cancelled after the Union Defence Ministry refused to grant permission to climb the peak. Leh-based travel agent Rimo Expedition director Tsewang Mutup said, “Due to the recent Chinese incursion at a border in Ladakh, the Union Defence Ministry has refused to grant any permit for expedition in the Karakoram range.” The Rimo Expedition, organiser of the said expeditions, provides logical and expertise support to both government and private organisers of any mountaineering expeditions in Ladakh. For any mountaineering expedition in the peaks of Ladakh which fall under the restricted category, the team has to obtain a permit from three Union Ministries-External, Home and Defence-through the Indian Mountaineering Foundation. Mutup said, “To get a timely permit from these ministries, the expedition team has to apply at least six months prior of the actual expedition.” He said, “The permit procedure is already a time-consuming affair and it implements stringent rules such as combination of Indian members in the foreign expedition with a compulsory team leader who should be an Indian and cancellation of the permit at such a later stage gives wrong signals. It also creates a lot of inconvenience for both organisers and the team. We are thinking not to organise any such expedition in such areas in future.” The permit for mountaineering in Ladakh has been divided into restricted and open categories. The Indian Mountaineering Foundation directly issues permit for expedition to open category peaks. However, the Government of India has fixed the limit of expedition up to three number each at the Saser, Siachen and Rimo massif of the Karakoram range . “Ever since the expedition was allowed in the Karakoram range in 1984, the government has not given permission for any expedition at the Siachen peak,” Mutup said.