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Shutdown hits life in Valley
Landscape changed much since Shinde’s visit last year
With lull on border, CM hopes ceasefire stays |
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Gool Killings
Gaiety marks Infantry Day celebrations
Ministry for transparency in MGNREGA funds
on the
frontline
Scanners to be installed at Lakhanpur toll post
Jaish militant held in Baramulla
CRPF ASI commits suicide in
Baramulla
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Shutdown hits life in Valley
Srinagar, October 27 Shops and business and commercial establishments in Srinagar and other major towns of the Kashmir valley remained closed for the day. Though public transport was off the roads in the city, private vehicles were being plied on various roads in the city. However, inter-district transport service between Srinagar and parts of the Valley remained suspended for the day. Government offices, educational institutions, banks and post offices were already closed because of a public holiday on Sunday. The call for the shutdown on Sunday was issued by both factions of the Hurriyat Conference. Terming October 27 as a black day in the history of Kashmir, the Hurriyat Conference headed by Mirwaiz Umar Farooq had appealed to the people to observe a strike on Sunday. Most separatist leaders, including hardliner Hurriyat leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani and JKLF chief Yasin Malik, were kept under house arrest by the authorities today. The police arrested senior Hurriyat leader and Democratic Freedom Party chief Shabbir Shah in front of his home in the Rawalpora area today when he was trying to lead a group of people to submit a memorandum to the United Nations Military Observers Group at Sonawar in Srinagar. |
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Landscape changed much since Shinde’s visit last year
Srinagar, October 27 That October evening, Lal Chowk got a surprise guest amid a blanket of security, who wanted to make a strong statement that peace had dawned on Kashmir. Sushil Kumar Shinde, Union Home Minister, walked and shopped in the city centre as the year marked a complete revival of region’s tourism industry and militancy fell to an all-time low. At Budshah Chowk, adjacent to Lal Chowk and one of the city’s busiest junctions, Shinde came out of his car and walked to a fruit vendor to enquire about apples. He was accompanied by a confident Omar Abdullah, Chief Minister, who was then making vociferous demands for partial revocation of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act to allow people “reap the benefits of peace”. In all measure, it was a historic walk and gave a semblance of reason, which was fast bouncing out from two decades of conflict in which thousands were killed and hundreds disappeared. It was a walk into a new era, or so it seemed then. A year later, in another October, the Union Home Minister was again on a visit to the region, this time amid a changed atmosphere and signs of a dangerous forecast. Much had changed in Jammu and Kashmir between the two Octobers. Signs of a belligerent militancy were visible again, India and Pakistan were no longer courteously looking at each other and a historic ceasefire was dying to almost a daily rattle of gunfire and mortar shelling. This October, the purpose of Shinde’s latest visit, a year and a week since he shopped for Kashmir’s famed apples, showed all that had gone awry in a year. The minister’s visit to region’s heavily militarised borders, where a historic ceasefire was quickly falling apart, was to take stock of the situation, which had deteriorated to its worst in a decade. Since November 2003, when a ceasefire between Indian and Pakistani armies came into effect, Kashmir’s porous Line of Control (LoC) had been fenced in a year’s time. Militant numbers had diminished as their rank and file was terminated in counter-insurgency operations and infiltration of fresh cadres had fallen drastically, reaching a record low in 2012, and the once-faltering tourism industry was back in business. In 2013, as each month went by, the U-turn in the situation continued to become clear until it reached a climax. The year had a riotous start when Parliament attack convict Mohammad Afzal Guru was hanged, leading to a wave of anger in the region, crippled by days of curfew. It also marked the return of fidayeen attacks, first in Kashmir and then in Jammu, in which 13 policemen, soldiers and paramilitary personnel were killed. The most dangerous turn was two cross-border raids by suspected militants who attacked Army posts and killed seven soldiers, beheading one, in the Poonch sector. It led to a series of skirmishes along the international border and the LoC, which was threatening to tear apart the ceasefire. “From the time a soldier’s body was mutilated, you do not have a normal situation here,” said Professor Noor Mohammad Baba, heading the Department of Political Science at the University of Kashmir. At least two audacious attacks this year, first in Hyderpora in which eight soldiers were killed and the second in Jammu’s Samba and Kathua districts in which three soldiers and five policemen were killed, were precisely timed to coincide with-high profile events showing the belligerence of militancy in the region. In exactly a year’s time, the renewed rattle of guns on the border and in the hinterland had brought Kashmir back into a focus with no certain assessment of what exactly lied in the months ahead. Baba said it was very difficult to forecast where the situation was heading now. “It is not easy to make a categorical statement on that. In fact, Indo-Pak relations have worsened,” he said. The fluidity of the situation in the state, which changed with dangerous undertones within a year, had also made Omar Abdullah call on New Delhi to “explore other options” if ceasefire violations continued, a bleak note of more tumultuous days ahead. |
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With lull on border, CM hopes ceasefire stays
Srinagar, October 27 Omar, who in the past week, visited several villages in RS Pura and Ramgarh sectors of the Jammu region which were being pounded by mortars and machine gunfire from across the border, made these comments in a brief message on the micro-blogging site, Twitter. “After 12 days, the border has finally fallen silent and people have been able to sleep at home without fear. Let us hope that it stays
this way now,” the Chief Minister said. The ceasefire violations had forced many residents living in the villages close to the Zero Line to migrate to safer locations. The ceasefire between India and Pakistan along the Line of Control and International Border in Jammu and Kashmir came into effect on November 26, 2003. The historic ceasefire, a major outcome of the Indo-Pak dialogue process and one of the biggest confidence building measures between the two nuclear-armed neighbours, would complete a decade next month. In the recent months, however, a series of skirmishes along the borders has threatened to leave the ceasefire in tatters. The skirmishes which included mortar shelling duels between the two sides have not taken place since October 25, after the ceasefire violations continued for more than 12 days along the 198-km international border in Jammu region. The first major ceasefire violation took place on October 11 when Pakistan fired mortars rounds and opened small arms fire in the forward areas of Poonch district and continued almost daily since then. Ceasefire violations along the Line of Control and International Border have continued intermittently throughout this year, but increased drastically this month. On October 22, Union Home Minister SK Shinde along with Chief Minister Omar Abdullah had visited the border areas in Jammu region to review the worsening situation amid heightened tension along the borders, caused by the series of violations which are highest in number in the decade. Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Sunday said the forthcoming elections should be a battle of ideas and ideologies where violence has no place. “The forthcoming elections should be a battle of ideas and ideologies, where violence, like the Patna incident, has no place,” Omar wrote on the micro-blogging site, Twitter. Omar termed the series of low-intensity blasts close to Narendra Modi’s rally venue in Patna as an attack on democracy. |
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Gool Killings
Jammu, October 27 People of the area said that those who were responsible for the killing of four people on July 18 were still roaming free and innocent people were being targeted. They demanded that the people responsible for the killings should be brought to book and the Imam and his brother should be released without any further delay. "We are being victimised by the police as well as the administration. BSF personnel opened fire and killed civilians, but no action was taken against them," said Muhammad Afzal, sarpanch of Dharam village in Gool where the incident took place on July 18. "Instead of taking action against the culprits, the police is targeting local residents. Imam brought up the matter before the people and now he and his brother have been arrested, which is not acceptable to us," the sarpanch said. On July 18, four people were killed at Dharam village in the Gool area of Ramban district when BSF personnel allegedly opened fire on people who were protesting against the desecration of a holy book and killed four people. After the incident, the SIT was formed to investigate the events leading to the killing of four people. To ascertain the truth, the government appointed Jammu Divisional Commissioner Shantamanu the inquiry officer. On October 22, the police arrested Imam and his brother after SIT indicted them for instigating people against the BSF on false charges of desecration of a holy book. After the arrests, people of Gool organised a protest on Friday and were continuously pitching for the release of the two men. Speaking about the arrest, the Divisional Commissioner said SIT had filed its report and action was being taken. "Those who instigated the people were to be arrested. Those who opened fire, even in self-defence should be arrested," he said. |
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Gaiety marks Infantry Day celebrations
Jammu, October 27 October 27 is celebrated as the Infantry Day by the Indian Army as it was on this day that a company of Infantry of the first battalion of the Sikh regiment was airlifted from Delhi to Srinagar, to liberate Kashmir from the invading tribals supported by the Pakistan army. This action was ordered by the then Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, after Maharaja Hari Singh of Jammu and Kashmir signed the instrument of accession. Another significance of the day is that it was on this day in 1947 that India as an independent nation was engaged in operations against an aggressor for the first time. The celebrations in the northern command were marked by laying of wreath at the war memorials, Sainik sammelans and Sainik bhojs. In his message to the infantry, the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Northern Command, Lt Gen Sanjiv Chachra, and senior-most infantry officer in the region, complimented all infantrymen for their devotion to duty and indomitable spirit. Chachra acknowledged their tremendous contribution in maintaining the sanctity of the nation’s borders and fighting terrorism in J&K, besides earning many gallantry awards. A similar function was held at the 16 Corps headquarters at Nagrota where the GOC White Knight Corps, Lt Gen DS Hooda, and other infantry officers paid homage to martyrs. The highlight of the function was the inauguration of the war memorial at Nagrota, aptly named as 'Ashwamedh Shaurya Sthal'. Veterans, serving officers and men, paid homage to the brave soldiers who made the supreme sacrifice in the line of duty. A solemn ceremony was held at the Palma garrison to commemorate the 66th Infantry Day. The General Officer Commanding, Romeo Force, and other officers paid floral tributes to the martyrs and brave soldiers at the Force War Memorial. The GOC Romeo Force conveyed his best wishes on the occasion and exhorted all ranks to rededicate themselves to the service of the nation. Srinagar: The Army in Srinagar today observed the Infantry Day and held a wreath-laying ceremony at the Badami Bagh Cantonment. “LT Gen Gurmit Singh, GOC, Chinar Corps, paid tributes to the martyrs by laying wreath at the War Memorial,” the Army said. A large number of officers, junior commissioner officers and jawans paid homage to the infantrymen who laid down their lives for their motherland. The General Officer Commanding extorted them to keep themselves abreast with the existing environment prevailing and be prepared to meet any future challenges. |
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Ministry for transparency in MGNREGA funds
Jammu, October 27 Sources said the ministry also expressed concern over the alleged inordinate delay by the state to set up an independent social audit directorate to institutionalise regular social audits for timely and effective grievances redressal under the MGNREGA. “The state should ensure a vibrant quality monitoring system for assets created under the MGNREGA. Adequate numbers of state quality monitors should be appointed to inspect assets of the MGNREGA. Their reports on the quality of assets and their utility should be uploaded onto the website regularly. Further, assets created under the MGNREGA could be mapped and photographs be uploaded onto the website for the future use,” a statement from the ministry said. “All processes relating to the appointment of Ombudsmen in all districts should be completed at an early date. Out of 22 districts, two districts (Ganderbal and Rajouri) have sufficient funds to meet the requirement of six months. Moreover, funds have been released to 18 districts,” the statement added. As per the data available, during the financial year 2011-12, Rs 78,130.96 lakh was released as the Central share under the MGNREGA. As per the information furnished by the state, the total state share released during 2011-12 was Rs 69.05 crore. The ministry has once again asked the state to constitute a state employment guarantee fund (SEGF) for effective fund management at the state level. Sources said besides timely tracking of programme funds, the SEGF would bring in a system of flexibility supervising quality of programme processes, documents and expenditure. “Considering limited working seasons under the MGNREGA in J&K, especially in difficult areas like Leh, creation of a state fund will not only support in streamlining the fund flow to the districts, but also will ensure a reasonable float of funds towards meeting the inter-district contingencies. This would also reduce the processing time taken by the ministry for the release of the Central share of funds under the MGNREGA to each of the individual districts separately,” a statement claimed. |
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on the
frontline
There are some internal flaws which the security forces, the Army, the Border Security Force and the Central Reserve Police Force, have not been able to undo. The flaws were in shaping a strategy that would have defeated Pakistan’s designs by now and the people would have shown their back to the militants and troublemakers. The political class of the mainstream parties, separatists in any case, were spreading hatred against the Army and other wings of the security forces, contributing in destabilising the situation by their anti-Army agenda in the hope that it would get them more votes during elections. There has been too much political interference that has caused immense damage to security forces and their morale. The lethal combination of inertia and political interference has kept the cauldron of secessionism and border tensions alive in the state. Consequently, the advantage of this has been taken by Pakistan and its Inter-Services Intelligence, which have contributed to the kitty of the separatists and militants. There are vested interests in all sections of society which have often pulled back Kashmir from the finish line of peace. Security forces moved one step forward, but the vested interests pulled them two steps back. In all fairness, it can be said the Army and paramilitary forces played a wonderful role in the early 1990s in fighting militancy and bringing about a semblance of peace that made possible the 1996 Lok Sabha and Assembly polls; the state could hold neither the Lok Sabha polls in 1991, nor the Assembly polls. Then Governor Jagmohan had promised Assembly polls within six months in 1990 after dissolving the Assembly in February that year. Finally, it was after more than six-and-a-half years that the polls were held in Jammu and Kashmir. An all-important question is why the security forces have not been able to create in the last 25 years a grid that would have defeated the designs of the enemy from within and outside the state. It is because the Army started meddling in other affairs than purely looking at its own agenda. Here, it will be worthwhile to mention that in the 1996 Lok Sabha and Assembly polls, the Army had fielded candidates and sponsored them. Some of them were killed by militants later. That meddling in the electoral battle diverted the Army’s attention from real issues. At the same time, the political governments that came to power since 1996 always tried to undermine the Army. In 2002, then Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah had told the local Corps Commander in the presence of then Defence Minister George Fernandes that he could withdraw the Army from counter-insurgency operations and the police would take the frontline role in fighting terrorists. This was despite the fact he knew that there were some elements in the police which had direct link with militants. Those who may doubt this should recall the April 1993 police mutiny, when policemen brandishing their service weapons marched to the United Nations Military Observation Group in Srinagar. The Army quelled the rebellion without firing a single bullet or causing injury to any of the policemen. The Army is still grappling with the challenge of how to check infiltration from across the border. When the border fence was completed in 2005, it was said it would serve as a force multiplier. But after the October 2005 earthquake, when many portions of the fence collapsed, a predecessor syndrome took over. The Army‘s top Generals did not bother as much about the repair of damaged portions of the barbed wire fence. The damage kept widening with each winter as heavy snowfall would damage more and more portions of the fence along the Line of Control. As the infiltrators continued to sneak in, troubles on the internal and external security went up. During the Kargil conflict, many counter-insurgency wings of the Army, the Rashtriya Rifles, were diverted to the Line of Control to fight Pakistani soldiers who had intruded into the Indian side of the Line of Control, dividing Jammu and Kashmir between India and Pakistan. Thereafter, the Army could not gain the original advantage. Alongside the “Ramzan ceasefire”, known as non-initiation of combat operations in 2000, it facilitated the entry of more militants and regrouping of their groups, which was a nightmare for security forces. The regrouping of militant groups led to “fidayeen” attacks, the number of which is already more than 100. Again, the security grid got disturbed when the Army was deployed in eyeball-to-eyeball position along the international border and the Line of Control in 2002, immediately after the attack on Parliament on December 13, 2001. On the other front, it is a fact of sorts that the political leadership has contributed a lot to this crisis in the security grid. All Chief Ministers decried the Army and a cool analysis would trace the whole trouble in the Valley to high-pitched rhetoric against the Army. The removal of the bunker at Bomaii in Sopore in February 2009 started an era of dismantling of the security grid, that allowed militants to have a free run in Srinagar and other places of the Valley, according to an analysis done by one of the intelligence agencies. Today, borders are unsafe and the hinterland is apprehensive.
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Area under saffron cultivation reduces by 70% in Pampore
Srinagar, October 27 Moreover, a study by the Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology (SKUAST), Kashmir, titled, “Kashmir saffron in crisis”, which was brought out last year, stated that the Valley's golden spice, saffron, witnessed a considerable decrease in production in 12 years (1997-2009). It stated that 15.97 tonnes of saffron was produced in 1997 while only 5.61 tonnes was cultivated in 2009. Even as scientists at SKAUST (K) attribute the consistent decline in the production to weather vagaries, unavailability of good quality corms (seeds), poor irrigation facilities and imports from Iran, saffron growers in this South Kashmir town have expressed concerns about upcoming and existing cement plants here. In the past four years, as per the state Industries and Commerce Department, the permission for setting up another cement factory, HK Cement Industries Pvt Ltd, at Zaintragh, Khrew, in Pampore was granted. Cement factories are already functioning at the Khunmoh, Wuyan and Khew areas of Pampore falling under the Red Category of Uniform Consent Mechanism notified by the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests. Although annual inspection by the State Pollution Control Board at these factories is mandatory, saffron growers say these inspections have not proved to be very fruitful. Farooq Butt, a saffron grower from Pampore, said cement dust emanating from these factories was hazardous for saffron as it settled on its leaves, blocking the plant’s respiratory and transpiratory systems leading to decrease in the production. Scientists say cement dust can even deteriorate the quality of soil by forming a crust over it. The state government will organise a three-day Kashmir Saffron Festival from October 29. The festival will focus on raising awareness of people on conservation of the saffron crop. “Under the National Saffron Mission, which started some years ago, 1,865 hectares of saffron-cultivated land has been rejuvenated out of 3,715 hectares till date to benefit 12,000 people. Besides, 22,500 metric tonnes of vermin compost/fertilisers/pesticides was distributed among farmers,” states the report of the state Agriculture Department. |
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Scanners to be installed at Lakhanpur toll post
Jammu, October 27 The state government has constituted a five-member committee to be headed by the Chief Engineer, Mechanical, Kashmir division, which would explore the feasibility of installing the equipment at the toll post. Official sources said the panel would have the Deputy Excise Commissioner of the toll post as the member-secretary and the Additional Commissioner, Commercial Taxes (Administration), Jammu, a representative from the police headquarters and a senior law officer of the Finance Department as its members. They said the panel would submit its report within a month and it would be checked by the office of Excise Commissioner. The state government's decision follows the Jammu and Kashmir High Court's directive on September 26, in which the state was asked to review the system of monitoring at the Lakhanpur toll post to make the state “polythene-free”. A division bench of the high court comprising Chief Justice MM Kumar and Justice Muzaffar Hussain Attar while passing the direction on a public interest litigation (PIL) titled "Syed Tahir Iqbal Geelani versus state of J&K and others" had observed that besides putting an end to the entry of polythene into the state, the measure would bolster payment of various taxes to the government. Official sources said nearly 95 per cent of trade in the state took place through the toll post at Lakhanpur with an average of 2,500 vehicles crossing it every day. The Excise Department had on September 7 this year seized 90 quintals of banned polythene bags from Lakhanpur when it was being illegally transported to the Kashmir valley from Jalandhar. The department had also seized 88 quintals of banned polythene at Lakhanpur in May 2012. The state government had banned the manufacturing and sale of polythene bags under the Jammu and Kashmir Non Bio-Degradable Material (Management, Handling and Disposal) Act, 2007. When the ban was imposed, the state had Rs 30-crore worth polythene industry and there were about 100 units manufacturing polythene bags, which subsequently had to shut down. HC ORDER
The state government's decision to install these scanners follows the Jammu and Kashmir High Court's directive on September 26, in which the state was asked to review the system of monitoring at the Lakhanpur toll post to make the state “polythene-free”. The high court had observed that besides putting an end to the entry of polythene into the state, the measure would bolster payment of various taxes to the government |
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Don't hear 'azaan' from across border: Villagers
Lalyal Camp, October 27 Four members of a family, including two women and two minor children, were injured in the attack. Lalyal Camp is in the Kanachak sector of Jammu district. “Before the flare-up, we could see them working in the fields on the other side of the border. We could guess the time by hearing their 'azaan' from the mosques. Neither do we see them in the fields, nor do we hear their 'azaan' now,” says Toshi Devi. “It seems that they are planning something more dangerous. We are planning to move to safe places with our children”, she adds. This village, which has 120 households with a population of 500, has its roots in Chamb, now in Pakistan. “We were uprooted from Chamb in 1947, 1965 and 1971. In 1947 and 1965, we returned to Chamb and started afresh, but settled down here after the 1971 war. That is why this place is called Lalyal Camp. Now, we fear another displacement”, she says. “Pakistan has evicted villagers from at least 20 villages on their side opposite Garkhal to Chinore Farm, a stretch of approximately 15 km on the international border,” says 60-year-old Sewa Ram, an ex-serviceman. “Now, we do not see their tractors in the fields,” he says. He names some villages opposite Lalyal Camp like Kundal, Looni, Chang, Boor and Tamana that have been vacated by the Pakistan Rangers. Another woman Shankuntla Devi says, “We cannot see more bloodbath and death of our children. It will be kind on the part of the governments on both sides to shift us to safer places and then settle scores once and for all.” Septuagenarian Rakkhi Devi is a distraught woman as her daughters-in-law Kamlesh Devi (35) and Anju Sharma (30) and grandchildren Happy (5) and Isha (7) were injured in a recent mortar explosion. She recalls how trigger-happy Pakistan Rangers heaped misery on her family 14 years back. “In 1999, during the Kargil war, a bullet fired from across the border hit my husband Jalla Ram on the head while he was working in the fields. Though he survived, he lost his mental balance,” she says. |
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Jaish militant held in Baramulla
Srinagar, October 27 The spokesman termed the arrest as a breakthrough in anti-militant operations, saying a further investigation was still going on. The arrest was conducted by the police along with the Army’s 46 Rashtriya Rifles. The police spokesman said Dar was working to revive the operations of the Jaish-e-Mohammad in Baramulla. The spokesman said Dar had been recently assigned a key role by local militant commanders to revive militancy in and around Baramulla town, 50 kilometres from here. One pistol, a magazine and 10 rounds were recovered from his possession, the police said. A case was registered under the Arms Act, the spokesman said. |
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CRPF ASI commits suicide in
Baramulla
Srinagar, October 27 Panday had joined his duty at the DIG's office yesterday and shot himself hours later during the night, said a police spokesman. He died immediately after he shot himself, said the
official. — TNS |
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After two-and-a-half decades, security forces in Jammu and Kashmir have not been able to achieve what was expected of them -- bringing about complete peace in the state and bringing the infiltration level to zero. They were to win the hearts and minds of the people as well.