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Slain militants yet to be identified as search ends
2 cops injured in militant attack in Sopore
Cong’s aggressive stance against NC a put-on, says Mufti
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on the
frontline
12,000 schools in state to be mapped
Severe staff shortage hits performance of govt schools
Zahid Farooq Killing
Kichloo booked in slapping case
Centre for introducing water schemes in rural areas
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Slain militants yet to be identified as search ends
Srinagar, September 1 After recovering the bodies of the five militants yesterday morning, troops were searching for one more militant, suspected to be a part of the group which had tried to sneak into the Valley. “The search operation in the Tangdhar sector near the Line of Control (LoC) ended on Sunday afternoon,” defence spokesman Naresh Vij told The Tribune. The spokesperson said the identity of the slain militants and the group to which they belonged had not yet been established. The Army had yesterday said a group of six militants had infiltrated into the Tangdhar sector, out of which five were killed and the search was on to trace the only missing militant. The search operation near the Eagle post in the Tangdhar sector, 180 km from Srinagar, was launched on the August 29 evening. The first contact with the militants was established almost 20 hours later. The Army seized six AK-47 rifles and warlike stores from the encounter site. The latest infiltration bid was the second attempt by militants to infiltrate through the Tangdhar sector this year. In August, two militants were killed in the area when they were trying to sneak into
the Valley. The infiltration attempts in the Tangdhar sector this year are taking place almost after a gap of five years. The last time infiltration attempt took place in Tangdhar in September 2008, in which three militants were killed. |
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2 cops injured in militant attack in Sopore
Srinagar, September 1 Their condition is stated to be stable, he said. The injured have been identified as Talib and Manzoor Ahmed. Immediately after the attack, senior police and security officials reached the spot. Meanwhile, no militant outfit has claimed the responsibility for the attack. 2 jawans among 4 injured in blasts Four person, including two soldiers, were injured in two blasts on Saturday night. The police said a mysterious explosion occurred in the residential house of Manzoor Ahmad Khan at Ali Masjid, Eidgah in Srinagar, in which a woman and her daughter were injured. “Two persons, Ashia and her daughter, Arfa, received injuries in the explosion. Both were shifted to the Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences, Soura,” a police spokesman said. A case has been registered. In another blast, two soldiers were reportedly injured in the frontier Kupwara district. Sources said two soldiers, Deepak Kumar and Ajay Kumar, were injured in an accidental blast near the Line of Control in the Keran sector of Kupwara. The blast occurred late Saturday night and the two jawans were shifted to Army Hospital, Badami Bagh in Srinagar. “The condition of the two (soldiers) is stated to be stable,” a source said.
— TNS |
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Cong’s aggressive stance against NC a put-on, says Mufti
Jammu, September 1 Former Chief Minister and PDP patron Mufti Mohammad Sayeed reacted to AICC general secretary Ambika Soni and Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad’s “tough posture” against the NC on the issue of delay in extending the 73rd Amendment of the Indian Constitution to J&K. “It is nothing but shadowboxing between two coalition partners to befool the people,” Mufti said. He added that both parties were responsible for the prevailing mess, chaos and uncertainty in the state. During the party convention yesterday, Congress leaders warned the NC leadership against the delay in empowering the panchayats and solving the problems of refugees from Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. As Mufti was launching an election campaign for his party nominee, Yash Pal Sharma, for the Jammu-Poonch Lok Sabha seat, he hit at the Congress as on this seat, the PDP has to fight with both Congress and the BJP. He gave a clear indication that his party was not going to spare its erstwhile coalition partner (Congress) during electioneering. Seeking to undermine “hard-hitting” statements by Congress leaders yesterday against the NC for not empowering the panchayats as per the 73rd Amendment of the Indian Constitution, Mufti said even Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had suggested on April 13, 2005, to extend the Amendment to J&K but nothing had been done so far. Referring to statements by Congress leaders on the 73rd and 74th Amendments, Mufti said the failure of the government to strengthen the Panchayati Raj Institutions in the state was a clear indication that Congress leaders were giving statements only for public consumption but internally they also were not serious in strengthening democracy at the grass-roots level. “Had Congress leaders been serious about holding the civic bodies’ elections or strengthening the panchayats, the government would have taken some concrete steps in this regard,” he said. Interestingly, Mufti today minced no words in attacking the Congress. He lavished all praise on former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee for taking bold confidence-building measures for restoring peace in the subcontinent. During his speech, Mufti repeatedly recalled the “historic” initiatives taken during Vajpayee’s regime for restoring the peoples’ faith in democracy in the state. |
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Cong confident of staking claim to Kargil Council
Srinagar, September 1 NC's Minister of State from Kargil district Feroz Ahmed Khan said the party had the support of 12 elected candidates, including four Independents. The party would take the decision at the appropriate time, he added. Tomorrow is the last day for completing the process to form the Executive Council of the LAHDC, Kargil, comprising 26 members. The party which stakes claim to the new Council must have the support of 14 elected members. The Congress emerged as the single largest party with 10 elected members. The NC won eight seats and the rest of the eight seats were bagged by Independents “I am confident and so is the Congress in Kargil that it will lead the Council... it will be clear tomorrow”, Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) president Saifuddin Soz said here today. Earlier addressing the party rally in north Kashmir, Soz congratulated the people of Kargil “for appreciating the policies and programmes of the Congress and on the basis of which they achieved success in Kargil for the first time.” If Congress forms the Council tomorrow, it will be the first time that the party would be heading the LAHDC (Kargil) since the Council came into existence in 2003. The NC led the previous Councils elected for a period of five years in 2003 and 2008. The elections to the 24 constituencies across the district were held in one phase on August 22 and the counting of votes took place on August 28. Two Independents had been elected uncontested. |
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on the
frontline
When communal riots broke out on Eid-ul-Fitr on August 9 in Kishtwar, the Army was called out to defuse the situation; when Jammu city felt the impact of the riots, the Army was called out; when the Gool killings on July 18 triggered protests, the Army was called out; and when sectarian clashes took place in Budgam on July 23, the Army was called out to deal with the situation that was threatening to go out of control. The Army was burdened with this task even as it was guarding frontiers and dealing with infiltration attempts from across the Line of Control (LoC) and fighting terrorists in the hinterland. It clearly showed that the Army was fighting on three fronts: defending borders and dealing with ceasefire violations all along the LoC, tracing and neutralising terrorists in the hinterland, and at the same time dealing with explosive law and order situation which the civilian government and its forces were unable to control. An instant question arose — that a government which was unable to maintain law and order during clashes and was heavily dependent on the Army for almost everything, how could it offer any justification for the recall of AFSPA, which grants immunity to the armed forces engaged in counter-insurgency operations. Had the civil administration not called out the Army in these places, there would have been killings of unimaginable magnitude. The flag march by the Army in these communally sensitive areas saved the day for the government. At the same time, the voices of those demanding the removal of the AFSPA — which includes that of the ruling National Conference and in particular Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, People’s Democratic Party and separatists — have been silenced by the Army not by matching their rhetoric but by pure action, and that too on the call of the civilian government. Incidentally, besides other places, clashes took place in Budgam and Jammu, which are among the seven districts that the state government had listed for the lifting of AFSPA in the first phase. Omar Abdullah had begun the debate on the removal of AFSPA on October 21, 2011, when he declared “black laws (AFSPA) imposed in the state on the start of militancy will go from certain areas within the next few days.” This rhetorical speech became a chorus for the National Conference. The Army had apprised the Chief Minister and others in the government of how recalling AFSPA before watching the situation that would arise with the pullout of NATO forces from Afghanistan would prove suicidal in anti-insurgency operations in the state. The Army had all its facts in place and there was no counter to that except the rhetoric and political sloganeering that was also aimed at the 2014 elections. If a state doesn’t have the capacity to deal with the normal law and order problem then how can its police fight militancy? This question posed by strategic thinkers has an underlined meaning that at least till the beginning of 2015, any step to recall AFSPA would prove counterproductive. There is, however, no justification for extending the immunity under AFSPA to those who violate the spirit of their duty. And those who go unpunished for criminal acts bring a bad name to the Army and the nation. The Army has to ensure that it does not take the help of AFSPA for defending the black sheep. Then its role would be better appreciated. |
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Dogra history being revived
Jammu, September 1 Although, several palaces associated with the dynasty like the Hari Singh palace, have been converted into hotels or commercial centres by Dr Karan Singh, the Dogra heir who has maintained little link with his ancestral land, young generation here is trying to dig into the history to revive the glory of the past rulers. In recent years, there has been a renewed interest among the youngsters to study the history of Dogra rulers, who gave present shape to the Jammu and Kashmir by extending its boundaries up to Russia in the north and Tibet in the east. The state also remained the largest princely state in British India up to 1947, when India attained independence. “Democratic rulers may have forgotten the erstwhile rulers, but every year on June 17, the day when Gulab Singh was coroneted by Maharaja Ranjit Singh in 1822 AD, students and professionals celebrate the day,” chairman of Raj Tilak Committee K P Singh said. He said that it was about a decade ago when the committee, which arranges several events at the site, started to organise an annual function on June 17 to commemorate the day. On weekends, several families visit Jia Pota, about 25 km from here, and efforts are being made to build a library-cum-museum at the site, Singh added. “Official history of J&K projects erstwhile rulers as autocrats. But in Jammu, several market places have been named after them and statues of Maharaja Hari Singh, General Zorawar Singh, Gulab Singh and Ranbir Singh grace various parts of the city along with other national heroes. It conveys a message about separate political aspirations of Jammu youth,” said historian Prof. Hari Om. In Jammu, the Dogra rulers are seen with pride. “We need to be proud of our forefathers, who founded the present Jammu and Kashmir state. Their days should also be declared as state days, like being done with other political personalities of J&K,” said Pratap Singh, a member of the National Panthers Students Union (NPSU). “We need to remember our ancestors, who fought with bravery and made the Dogras proud,” he said. Meanwhile, demands are being made to rename Kunjwani chowk on the Jammu-Pathankot national highway after Gulab Singh. Some sections of the society are asking for installation of former ruler’s statue at the chowk, which is the entry point to the city. A statue of Gulab Singh is also being erected in Samba, which has a large Rajput population to which the erstwhile ruler belonged. remembering the past
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12,000 schools in state to be mapped
Jammu, September 1 The painstaking exercise is being carried out by the Department of Environment and Remote Sensing, J&K, and is likely to be completed within a year from now, an official source said. He said the School Education Department, headed by Deputy Chief Minister Tara Chand, entrusted the assignment to the Department of Environment and Remote Sensing, following strong criticism from the Central government. The Centre was critical of the J&K government for its failure to achieve the effective implementation and objective of various centrally-sponsored schemes, including the project of identifying out of school children, he said. Sources said there were still around 60,000 out of school children across Jammu and Kashmir, as thousands of habitations still remained without schools. “The school mapping, which is being done at the district level, will help the government to find out the distances between the two existing schools and formulate a comprehensive plan to ensure schooling facility in un-served habitations,” a source said. Suresh Chugh, Director, Environment & Remote Sensing told The Tribune, that they have undertaken an exhaustive exercise to identify and explore the schooling facility in uncovered and un-served habitations of the state. “The project will be completed within a year. In the wake of shortage of manpower, we have engaged school teachers, who will help the department in the exercise. They (teachers) will be equipped with Global Positioning System (GPS) and performa to prepare the detailed reports in this regard,” the director said. He added that the teachers would be trained to handle the GPS and prepare the reports. A senior official from the School Education Department said that nearly 50 per cent out of a total 60,000 out of school children never attended school in their life. “Though, the literacy rate of Jammu and Kashmir has jumped by 13 per cent to 68 per cent in the 2011 Census, nearly 50 per cent children comprising about 16,000 girls and 14,000 boys within the age group of 6 to14 years have never attended school in their life,” the official said on the pretext of anonymity. He added that the department was able to bring back only 6,483 children to schools in 2011. |
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Severe staff shortage hits performance of govt schools
Srinagar, September 1 Official sources at the Directorate of School Education said around 19,000 posts of teacher at various government schools of the state were lying vacant. Of the 199 education zones in the state, 50 zones are without in charge zonal education officers, the source said. Around 140 higher secondary schools do not have principals while 200 high schools are without headmasters. The posts are vacant despite the Service Selection Board’s recent notifications of selection of teachers through the state government’s fast-track employment scheme. The filling up of posts of zonal education officers is possible with the promotion of School Education Department officials, which as per the Jammu and Kashmir Teachers' Forum (J&KTF) is awaiting approval for the last six months. “The issue of the understaffed School Education Department was raised time and again with the Chief Minister, Deputy Chief Minister and Secretary, School Education. We had constituted a School Education Employees’ Coordination Committee, headed by Qayum Wani, apprising them of the issue. Unfortunately, the government seems non-serious about the issue,” J&KTF spokesperson Nissar Ahmad told The Tribune. The spokesperson said 200 posts of lecturer in
various higher secondary schools were lying vacant. “On the one hand, there are above 6 lakh unemployed, educated youth registered with various employment district exchanges in the state and on the other hand, the state government is unwilling to employ these youth in government schools and thus raise the standard of school education in the state,” said Qurat-ul-Ain, an educationist. |
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Zahid Farooq Killing
Srinagar, September 1 In its objections to the Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM), Srinagar, the family has said that BSF authorities have “failed” to consider the “observations” of the Supreme Court, as the application for the trial of the accused in the GSF Court was moved after the expiry of the eight weeks time period set by the apex court for approaching the court of CJM. Zahid, a teenage boy from Brein, Nishat, was killed in firing by BSF men on February 5, 2010, in Nishat area of Srinagar. The police, after registering an FIR in the incident, had arrested BSF commander R K Birdi and his subordinate and charged them with murder under section 302 of the Ranbir Penal Code (RPC). On April 25, the Supreme Court while allowing appeals by the J&K Government and the family of the slain teenager against the court martial trial of the accused BSF men, had directed the DG, BSF to “revisit the entire issue” within eight weeks from the date of the issuance of the order. The BSF authorities approached the court of CJM with an application, seeking to try the accused in a GSF Court appointed by it, on August 1. The present application by the DG, BSF, seeking to try the accused in a court appointed by it, was moved before the CJM, Srinagar on August 1, when the eight weeks time period set by the Supreme Court had already expired on June 25, the family submitted in the objections to the CJM. “As the application of the BSF is not in conformity with the orders of the Supreme Court it deserves to be dismissed,” the family stated in its submission. The apex court in its April 25 verdict had observed that if he (DG, BSF) comes to the conclusion that the trial deserves to be conducted by the General Security Forces Court, nothing will prevent him from making an appropriate application afresh before the Chief Judicial Magistrate. Stating that the offenders had committed the alleged offence while on active duty, the DG, BSF in his application, had pleaded that the CJM stay the proceedings initiated against the accused BSF men in his court and also return all the connected documents and exhibits of the case. However, in the objections by the family it has been stated that the accused were not on active duty when the offence was committed by them. “In the light of the section 47 of the BSF Act, it is the criminal court, which has the jurisdiction to adjudicate and try the case, not the BSF appointed court,” the objections read. Stating that the investigation agency has categorically stated that accused were not on active duty when the offence was committed, the family in its objections said, “The DG, BSF cannot draw his own conclusion contrary to the view and conclusion drawn by the investigating agency.” |
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Kichloo booked in slapping case
Jammu, September 1 The case was registered against the National Conference leader on Saturday after a lower court rejected the review petition filed by the police in the case. Kichloo, who is also a Member of Legislative Assembly from Kishtwar, has been booked under sections 186, 341, 323 and 506 of the RPC. Chief Executive Officer of the Kishtwar Development Authority Riyaz Choudhary on April 18 had alleged that Kichloo had slapped him as he could not reach on time for a government function in Kishtwar. Kichloo, who had to resign from his post last month in wake of the Kishtwar riots, might come out clean, but the pressure on him is certainly growing by the day. “These sections are not so grave and Kichloo will not have to worry. He will get anticipatory bail and it will be up to the police how they deal with the case,”? said a senior advocate, who wished anonymity. “Police is in support of Kichloo. Being a former minister he enjoys strong support from police and government,” he said. Kichloo took oath as the Minister of State in Omar Abdullah’s council of ministers on January 15. However, he had to step down from his post after questions were raised over his role in the Kishtwar riots. The former minister was camping at Kishtwar when the riots broke out in the town on August 9 and fingers were pointed at him for not taking immediate action against the rioters and bringing the situation under control. |
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Centre for introducing water schemes in rural areas
Jammu, September 1 The observations were made during a meeting at the Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi to review the progress of the National Rural Drinking Water Programme (NRDWP) and rural drinking water supply. As per the data, about 1.4 lakh people in Jammu and Kashmir use unsafe water sources for drinking purpose. The meeting was, meanwhile, informed that out of the total allocation under the NRDWP five per cent has been earmarked for tackling water quality issues in habitations affected by chemical contamination. It was further informed that the opening balances under the programme were increasing every year, but the absorption capacity of the states was proving to be low. The states were instructed to adopt a war-room approach for timely completion of the projects and were warned that if they were not able to utilise the allocated funds, the Finance Ministry might cut the allocations sanctioned to them. Sources said the Ministry also expressed concern over the preparation of reports by the states on the projects that are being funded by the World Bank. It also issued operational and executive guidelines on setting up of the district water quality testing laboratories. |
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Opponents of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) in J&K have gone into a silent mode after discovering that they have no force that could match up to the Army in bringing peace to the trouble-torn and communally sensitive state. They have discovered to their discomfiture that they need the Army not only for counter-insurgency operations but also for enforcing the routine law and order.