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Kishtwar violence
Shopian under curfew for 10th consecutive day
HC: Political interests can’t be advanced under garb of PIL
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Govt keen on developing panchayats: Minister
Pak again targets posts in Poonch
Canadian envoy meets Governor, CM
Temples Bill embroiled in controversy
Karbalai is chief executive councillor of Kargil council
Jaitley singled out Kishtwar, but why hasn’t he gone to UP: Omar
Strong wave in favour of BJP: Khanna
2014 Assembly Elections
Cong leader tells Jammu people to strengthen party
PDP accuses government of hushing up Shopian killings
NC will foil all attempts at ‘divide and rule’, says Rana
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Kishtwar violence
New Delhi, September 16 Pointing out that “your state is enjoying special status,” a bench comprising Chief Justice P Sathasivam and Justice Ranjana Desai asked Senior Additional Advocate General Gaurav Pachnanda: “Can you manage the state without the assistance of others?” As Pachnanda acknowledged the state’s need for taking the help of Central forces, the bench said “then you can’t treat them differently” in the matter of compensation in the event of their getting killed or injured in militant attacks or in other forms of violence. The bench made the remarks after having a quick look at an affidavit filed by the state Additional Secretary in the General Administrative Department, seeking to justify the higher compensation it was paying to security personnel who were permanent residents of Jammu and Kashmir, known as “state subjects.” The Senior Additional Advocate General did not get time to explain the policy as the bench rejected the affidavit by entertaining the objection raised by senior advocate Bhim Singh, who appeared for the PIL petitioner Sudesh Dogra. Singh contended that the affidavit should have been filed by the Chief Secretary who had earlier told the bench about the compensation policy. The bench had directed the state on August 23 to explain its discriminatory policy of 1990. The Chief Secretary would now have to file a fresh affidavit before September 20. Ironically, the state government is seeking to justify its policy on the basis of its “special status,” cited by the SC while asking the state to have a fair policy. The state said it had framed the policy deriving its power from the special status it enjoyed. “One of the most prominent features of the Constitution of Jammu and Kashmir are the provisions for special treatment of the permanent residents as provided for under Part III… The state government is permitted to confer special privileges upon the permanent residents of the state in certain matters like grant of aid and the like; and such measures cannot be void” even though it “takes away or abridges any rights conferred on the other citizens of India.” Giving its second reason, the state maintained that since ex gratia payments were made by way of discretionary relief, no legally enforceable right was vested in any beneficiary to claim identical treatment with another beneficiary of ex gratia relief under the same policy. Third, despite a higher compensation of Rs 7 lakh each the state was paying to the next of kin of the “state subject” personnel killed in violence, the overall compensation was less as compared to personnel from the Central Armed Police Force (CAPF). The next of kin of a state policeman would get a total of Rs 10 lakh (Rs 7 lakh from the state and Rs 3 lakh from the Centre). On the other hand, the next of kin of a CAPF employee would get Rs 17 lakh (Rs 2 lakh from J&K and Rs 15 lakh from the Centre) plus the amount paid by the respective state where the victim hailed from. The next of kin of a CAPF employee would get Rs 20 lakh if the victim happened to be a state subject of Jammu and Kashmir. The PIL had sought a series of steps for the relief and rehabilitation of the victims of violence at Kishtwar on the occasion of Eid on August 9. The state had talked about the compensation policy in response to the SC notice on the PIL. Since then, the focus has shifted from Kishtwar violence to the controversial policy. The State’s Policy
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Shopian under curfew for 10th consecutive day
Anantnag, September 16 Sources said police and CRPF personnel were deployed in strength in Shopian town. The police had erected barricades and laid concertina wires on the main entry and exit points to prevent any kind of movement. Curfew was imposed in Shopian town and its adjoining areas on September 7 after CRPF personnel from 14th Battalion allegedly shot dead four persons in the Gagran area of Shopian district. While the CRPF maintained that the slain persons were militants, who had attacked their camp, the police said three of them were civilians with no militant links. The police had claimed that the fourth slain person, still unidentified, might be a Pakistani national and a Lashkar-e-Toiba operative. However, the police has come under severe criticism from civil society groups and mainstream politicians, who claim that the alleged Lashkar operative was a non-local labourer. Director General of Police (DGP) Ashok Prasad visited the CRPF camp in Gagran yesterday and recorded the statements of CRPF personnel and the Commandant of the camp. “He heard their version of the shootout and recorded their statements,” a police source said. Following the killings, another civilian was killed allegedly by CRPF personnel of the same battalion on September 11. Amid public pressure, the state Cabinet, on September 12, ordered a probe into the killings. Divisional Commissioner, Kashmir, Shailendra Kumar appointed Deputy Commissioner, Shopian, Bashir Ahmad Bhat as the inquiry officer of the probe. “I have issued a public notice and asked the people, with any information about the killings, to depose in my office from September 16 to 21,” the Shopian Deputy Commissioner said on Saturday. The DGP, on his visit to the Gagran camp, also discussed the modalities of the shifting the camp. “He visited two probable sites, one in Pulwama and another in Shopian,” a senior police officer from the area said. “These two sites are being considered for the new sites for the camp in Gagran.” Meanwhile, locals in the curfew-bound Shopian said they were running short of essentials such as medicine and baby food. “The district administration is taking no care to address the shortage of essentials,” a local said. The Shopian Deputy Commissioner, however, maintained that due care was being taken to ensure the supply of essential items. |
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HC: Political interests can’t be advanced under garb of PIL
Srinagar, September 16 These observations were made by a division bench of the High Court headed by Chief Justice MM Kumar in a public interest litigation filed by Independent MLA and Awami Ittihaad Party (AIP) leader Engineer Abdul Rashid. While recording these observations in its brief orders passed today, the high court also directed for deleting the name of Rashid from memo of parties in the PIL. It however refused to admit another PIL by a human rights activist on the same subject on the “jurisdictional” ground and transferred it to the Jammu wing of the high court. In the PIL filed by MLA Rashid and advocate Nazir Ahmad Malik, it had been prayed that the high court should issue directions for disbanding village defence committees (VDCs) and declaring them as unconstitutional bodies. Stating that the sanction for creation of village defence groups was accorded in various districts of the state by virtue of a government order in 1995, the PIL had further sought directions to recall all firearms issued to the VDCs and an inquiry into the allegations of human right abuses by them. However, as the matter came up before a division bench comprising Chief Justice MM Kumar and Justice Dhiraj Singh Thakur today, the bench questioned the motive behind the filing of the PIL and ordered that the name of one of the petitioners (MLA Engineer Rashid) be deleted from memo of the parties. “Political interests cannot be advanced as personal interests under the grab of a PIL,” the bench observed in its orders while questioning the credentials of politician Rashid for filing the PIL. “Accordingly, we delete petitioner No. 1. However, petitioner No. 2 (advocate Nazir Malik) cannot take on the issue (PIL) in the absence of a proper affidavit and particulars given regarding the maintenance of the PIL,” the bench further observed in its orders. It, however, deferred further hearing in the matter on the request of the petitioner counsel while directing the registry to list the PIL as and when the second petitioner filed his affidavit. The bench directed for transferring another PIL on the same subject by human rights activist Khurram Parvez to the Jammu wing of the high court while refusing to admit it at the Srinagar wing, citing jurisdictional issues. Accordingly, the PIL has been listed before a bench at Jammu on September 7 for further consideration. Khurram has also demanded disbanding of the VDCs in the state. |
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Govt keen on developing panchayats: Minister
Jammu, September 16 He was addressing a gathering after laying the foundation stone of the panchayat ghars in Kishanpur and Kandharno in Billawar tehsil of Kathua district. The two panchayat ghars would be constructed at a cost of Rs 40 lakh by the Rural Development Department. Sharma exhorted upon sarpanches and field functionaries of the Rural Development Department to work with zeal and coordination to achieve the desired development. He also impressed upon them to ensure quality of construction work and time-bound completion of the panchayat ghars. The minister gave a patient hearing to the problems and demands of the people present at the meetings convened at the Kishanpur and Kandharno
panchayats.
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Pak again targets posts in Poonch
Jammu/Poonch, September 16 The firing started at around 11:30 pm on Sunday and continued for over three hours, prompting the Indian Army to respond in equal measure. “The Pakistani troops fired at our forward posts in the Mandi and Garhi areas along the LoC in the Poonch sector. Around 11.30 pm last night, they started firing small arms, automatics and mortars and the exchange of fire between the two sides continued till 3.45 am today,” Jammu-based officiating defence spokesperson SN Acharya told The Tribune. “Our troops retaliated with equal calibre weapons,” Acharya said. He added that there was no report of any loss of life or injury on the Indian side in the firing. Interestingly, on September 13 Union External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid and Pakistan Prime Minister’s adviser on foreign affairs and national security Sartaj Aziz, who met on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Summit in Bishkek in Kyrgyzstan, had agreed to respect the LoC ceasefire agreement. “Pakistan opened fire from five of their posts targeting six Indian posts,” an intelligence source said. In the latest violation the Pakistani troops also targeted the Indian forward villages in the Digwar sector, which created panic among the inhabitants, he said. “Last night at 11 pm the Pakistani troops opened fire at our villages. We immediately shifted our cattle to safer places and took refuge in a safe household,” said Hem Raj, a resident of Digwar village. Another resident, Bansi Lal said that the firing by the Pakistani troops has become a regular phenomenon. “Firing by the Pakistani troops has been causing damage to our property. At least three residents from our village have been injured in their firing since August 6,” Bansi Lal said. The Pakistani troops had earlier on Sunday violated the ceasefire by firing on the Indian forward posts along the LoC in the Balakote sector in Mendhar. There have been over 90 ceasefire violations by the Pakistani troops since January 1. |
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Canadian envoy meets Governor, CM
Srinagar, September 16 During an hour long meeting, the Governor and the High Commissioner, as per an official statement, discussed the close ties between India and Canada and the high potential of further enhancing and strengthening the cooperation between the two countries. Emphasising the progress achieved by the state in different arenas in the past few years, the Governor hoped to see joint J&K-Canadian ventures materialising in the near future, the statement added. Beck was accompanied by Johanne Forest, Head of Political and Economic Programme, High Commission of Canada, New Delhi. Meanwhile, the High Commissioner also called on Chief Minister Omar Abdullah here and discussed various matters of mutual interest with him. Matters pertaining to revival of tourism, peace and economic development, besides initiatives taken by the state and the central governments for inclusive development in Jammu and Kashmir also came up in the meeting, an official statement said. — TNS |
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Temples Bill embroiled in controversy
Jammu, September 16 While various Hindu organisations are in support of the Bill, the Dharmarth Trust has maintained that it will not accept the single management mechanism for the shrines in the Valley. The trust, which was established by the erstwhile rulers of Jammu and Kashmir, has suggested that separate bodies should be constituted at the village and tehsil level, so that they are able to sustain and generate funds to safeguard the religious shrines. The trust is lobbying hard to keep the temples that are under its management out of the Bill. However, Kashmiri Pandit representative have clearly told the government that they will oppose any such move. Sources said differences between the two could cast a shadow on the passage of the Bill during the upcoming autumn session of the state legislature in Srinagar. Referred as the Kashmiri Hindus Shrines and Religious Places Management Bill, it is presently being examined by a select committee constituted by the legislature on April 5. “Its passage will be great injustice as the trust ran several temples even at the peak of militancy, when the entire minority community got displaced due to threat of insurgents. All the shrines under our management are in good shape and effective control,” said RS Jamwal, president Dharmarth Trust. “A single management body will not be able to effectively manage the shrines spread across hundreds of villages of Kashmir, when most of the Pandits have left and moved out of the Valley,” Jamwal said. The displaced Kashmiri Pandits, on the other hand, have been opposing any such move and believe that a single management body established on the pattern of the Auqaf Trust or the Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee is the only solution for the safeguard and upkeep of the temples and shrines in the Valley. “We are not dividing the samaj (society), a Hindu in Kashmir or Jammu belongs to Sanatan Dharma. But we want that a single body should take over the shrines and safeguard their property. It is a collective heritage of the minority community in J&K,” said Dr. Arjun Nath Pandita, president Prem Nath Bhat Memorial Trust (PNBMT). The Bhat Memorial Trust is being supported by different representative organisations of the displaced people. What The Bill proposes
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Karbalai is chief executive councillor of Kargil council
Jammu, September 16 After taking the oath yesterday evening, 15 councillors of the LAHDC, Kargil, voted in favour of Karbalai. “The first meeting of the council started around 11.30 am and Asgar Ali Karbalai was elected the CEC of the LAHDC, Kargil. Fifteen councillors voted in his favour during the meet which was skipped by all opposition councillors,” said Fida Hussain, Deputy Commissioner, Kargil. It was after hectic efforts by the Congress with its coalition partner, National Conference (NC), that a middle path was found and two of the four nominated members by the government supported the Congress, taking its tally to 15. Earlier, the NC had staked the claim to the Kargil council after Chief Minister Omar Abdullah nominated four councillors without consulting Congress ministers in his Cabinet. This created a rift between the coalition partners. It was only after NC president Farooq Abdullah intervened and said the Congress would form the council, as they had won it, the NC pulled out. The LAHDC elections were held on August 22 and the counting took place on August 28. The Congress won 10 seats, NC eight and Independents five. Three of the five Independent councillors supported the Congress and after getting the support of two nominated councillors, the Congress formed the Kargil council. The NC has been a major player in politics in Kargil and the LAHDC would go to the NC almost every time.
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Jaitley singled out Kishtwar, but why hasn’t he gone to UP: Omar
Jammu, September 16 Flaying Jaitley for his selective approach, Omar asked: “Why did Arun Jaitley single out Kishtwar in Jammu and Kashmir and not go to Muzaffarnagar in Uttar Pradesh?” “I had no objection in allowing him to go to Kishtwar, if he treated all riot-hit areas of country equally. He cannot single out us (J&K) for special treatment,” the CM said. Jaitley, who was scheduled to visit Kishtwar on August 11, was detained at Jammu airport on arrival and sent back to Delhi by the Jammu and Kashmir government. Three people died in the communal clashes that broke out in Kishtwar on August 9 and several others were injured. “The need of the hour was to restore calm in the area. I stopped my Deputy Chief Minister, my partymen from the National Conference to go there and I also requested Pradesh Congress Committee chief Saifuddin Soz not to go there,” Omar said. The CM was replying to a volley of questions from the students during a function at the Government College for Women, Gandhinagar, Jammu. Emphasising people’s motive behind joining politics, Omar said, “Some people join politics to earn money and some for becoming powerful. But there are lots of people who start their political career to serve people.” “Like other fields where people have some vested interests, there are some bad politicians also. But a majority of the politicians are good people, who are committed to serve people and the nation,” he said. Omar asked the students not to shun the desire of entering into politics after completing their studies. The CM told the students to nurture themselves into the best possible human resource to lead the state and the country as capable, qualified and astute leaders. “All of us have to leave the field for younger generation. Politics is no different. Politicians have also to make way for young people to come in and hold the stage,” he said. Talking about the reservations, Omar maintained that there should be a level playing field for the children having equal opportunities. “In my personal view, not as CM or NC man, if I get the benefit of reservation, my children shouldn’t get the same,” Omar reiterated. He, however, said there are many loopholes in the educational system and equal opportunities didn’t reach people at every place and that is why reservation was in place. On what should be the ideal way of living, Omar said: “We may not resemble each other in colour, creed and caste. Our religion, ideology, region, language, culture may be different, but we can live together in an atmosphere of amity and brotherhood and prosper jointly.” He said India is an abode of different cultures, religions, languages, regions and an ideal citizen would respect his fellow citizens and extend help without having consideration. ‘I don’t dream of becoming PM’ The Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Monday said he did not dream of becoming the Prime Minister of the country. “Many people are waiting in the line for the post and I am not interested in it,” Omar said when asked by a student whether he harboured the ambition of becoming the Prime Minister of the country. “Some people are dreaming of becoming the Prime Minister, but I only dream to get J&K out of trouble,” Omar said in an apparent dig at the Gujarat Chief Minister and BJP’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi. “People of J&K have given me the chance to serve them and I will seek support from people to serve them again. I haven’t dreamt of sitting on the bigger chair. If I am able to do something good for J&K, it will be a big thing for me,” he said. |
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Strong wave in favour of BJP: Khanna
Jammu, September 16 Addressing a function on Sunday before winding up his week-long tour of the Jammu province, Khanna said there was enthusiasm and jubilation in the entire country as Modi’s nomination had provided a ray of hope to the masses. “The despondency in the youth has been replaced by hope and expectations. Today every Indian wants to get rid of the corrupt Congress and see Modi as the next Prime Minister. The Congress leadership has realised that its days are numbered and is having sleepless nights,” he said. Khanna along with state president of the BJP Jugal Kishore Sharma visited Samba, Kathua, Jammu, Udhampur, Batote, Ramban, Doda, Kishtwar and Rajouri districts of the Jammu province. Khanna, after taking stock of the party’s activities in the Jammu region, appreciated the efforts being put in by the party leadership to reach out to the masses with the motive of enlightening them about the “anti-people and anti-poor” policies of the Centre as well as the state government. The despondency in the youth has been replaced by hope and expectations. Today every Indian wants to get rid of the corrupt Congress and see Modi as the next Prime Minister |
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2014 Assembly Elections
Jammu, September 16 Congress workers have conveyed their feeling to the high command through All India Congress Committee (AICC) secretary Maimul Haque. The AICC secretary, who has been attached with AICC general secretary Ambika Soni to look after the Congress affairs in Jammu and Kashmir, convened a meeting yesterday to review the functioning of the party. Haque is on a four-day visit to Jammu and Kashmir to discuss the prevailing political situation in the state with party leaders and grass-roots level workers. Sources said a majority of the Congress leaders and workers, who were present at the meeting, warned against the pre-poll alliance and cautioned that the step would prove disastrous for the party in the future. “To substantiate their arguments, some senior Congress leaders pointed towards the LAHDC, Kargil, elections and said the party had become the biggest political force in the state,” a source said and added that a majority of the party leaders were of the view that the Congress would emerge as the single largest party in the next elections. The Congress and the National Conference (NC) fought the LAHDC elections separately, in which former got more seats than latter. Interestingly, before the LAHDC elections, Kargil was considered a citadel of the NC. A senior Congress leader, who is a former MP, said almost all leaders and workers, who were present at the meeting, were against the pre-poll alliance with the NC. “Some party ministers maintained a guarded silence on the issue but some ministers openly opposed the alliance,” he said. He said the AICC secretary had assured the workers that he would convey their feeling to the high command. To oppose the pre-poll alliance with the NC, Congress workers claimed that the party was in a comfortable position to win a majority of Assembly seats in the Jammu and Ladakh regions. The Congress workers argued that in the Kashmir valley, the party had successfully made inroads into new areas. “We are in a position to win nearly 35 seats on our own so there is no need to enter into a pre-poll alliance with any other party,” a senior Congress leader told Haque. On August 31, senior Congress leaders had hinted at not to continue the alliance with the NC in the coming Assembly elections. The party leaders had also predicted that the Assembly elections would be held simultaneously with the Lok Sabha elections. We are in a position to win nearly 35 seats on our own so there is no need to enter into a pre-poll alliance with any other party |
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Cong leader tells Jammu people to strengthen party
Jammu, September 16 He said the Congress was the real voice of the people of the Jammu region so it was in the interest of the people to strengthen the party. Addressing a function at the Talab Tillo area, Sharma maintained that the Congress was the only party which could move the nation forward with its secular image and credentials. “The Congress will be a part of the successive governments in the state,” Sharma said. He appealed to the people not to fall prey to any false propaganda and support the interest of Jammu and the nation. He called upon the people to strengthen the bond of amity and brotherhood for the overall development of the state. He said peace, amity and brotherhood were the pre-requisites for the progress and prosperity of the state or society. He cautioned the people against the communal forces, which try to divide people for their vested interests. He encouraged the peace-loving communities and discouraged trouble-mongers and peace-disturbing elements. |
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PDP accuses government of hushing up Shopian killings
Srinagar, September 16 In a statement issued here, PDP president Mehbooba Mufti termed the Medical Education Minister’s statement about the Shopian killings a part of the “standard response” of the state government to “every atrocity”. “Mehbooba Mufti said while the government is doing everything to hush up the killing of five innocents in Shopian by imposing curfew and restriction, the police has not even entertained the FIR lodged by the father of Tawseef Ahmad, one of the victims of the CRPF firing,” the statement said. She said Taj Mohiuddin’s statement was not the first of its kind to subvert the probe into an atrocity, Omar Abdullah had done it a number of times, the statement quoted her as saying. “The Chief Minister, she said, had proclaimed that Aasiya and Neelofar, the two girls from the same town, had drowned, even before the probe was ordered,” the statement said. Similarly, in case of the Gool killings, he (Omar Abdullah) accused a ‘moulvi’ (mosque Imam) of creating trouble, even before any investigation was taken up into the cold-blooded murder of four innocent persons killed in unprovoked firing by the BSF, she further added. “Life has become impossible in the Shopian, Kulgam and Pulwama areas, especially in Shopian, where people are raising their voice for justice. And, the government, instead of taking any action, is punishing the people by uninterrupted curfew and restrictions,” she said. She said essential commodities were running out of stock in these areas and access to medical facilities was impossible. She said the fruit trade had been severely hit because of curfew and restrictions imposed by the government, the statement added. In her statement, Mehbooba also accused that the ruling coalition was trying to ensure the minimum participation of the people in the forthcoming elections. “It is to ensure that they (ruling coalition) could benefit in the rural areas also, as they are doing in
Srinagar.” Life has become impossible in the Shopian, Kulgam and Pulwama areas, especially in Shopian, where people are raising their voice for justice. And, the government, instead of taking any action, is punishing the people by uninterrupted curfew and restrictions |
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NC will foil all attempts at ‘divide and rule’, says Rana
Jammu, September 16 “Unity in diversity has been the real strength of this unique state, which has braved turbulent tides, but still kept the flag of pluralistic ethos aloft,” he said and hoped the people would maintain their glorious traditions at all costs by isolating elements inimical to peace and harmony. The National Conference (NC) provincial president was addressing a workers’ rally at Narayan Khoo village in the Nagrota Assembly constituency. Rana referred to the attempts being made by the self-centered and disruptive forces such as the Bharatiya Janata Party and the People’s Democratic Party in creating an atmosphere of mistrust and hatred by dividing the people on communal lines. “While taking opposite lines publicly over issues confronting the state, the two parties are actually working in tandem to further their nefarious agenda,” he said, adding that the bonhomie of the two got exposed in Kishtwar, where these parties worked overtime to sabotage peace efforts. He said Jammu and Kashmir cannot afford politics of opportunism and deceit, especially at a time when peace is prevailing after a long period of turmoil. The NC provincial president asserted that his party would foil the attempts of those believing in divide and rule and bringing people face to face in the name of religion and region. However, he cautioned them to guard against the machinations of the frustrated elements, who he said, could go to any extent in view of the forthcoming elections. — TNS |
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Srinagar, September 16
Jammu, September 16
