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Omar for N Ireland model, not for power-sharing
Pak army targets posts in Rajouri
Sweets may help remove bitterness on border
Western Army Commander reviews security scenario
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State set to implement child health screening programme
70 bore wells in offing for saffron fields
Leaders working on forming third front
NC to launch campaign against female foeticide
BJP asks Home Ministry to review Modi’s security
Around 60 mortars defused along border
Cops accused of framing Baramulla youth
Cops file action taken report on complaint against Geelani
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Omar for N Ireland model, not for power-sharing
Jammu, October 29 The three-way Northern Ireland pact, also known as the Good Friday Agreement, signed in 1998, lays down the status and system of government of Northern Ireland within the UK, the relationship between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland and the ties between the Republic of Ireland and the UK. Omar said it was one of the “possibilities in the peace process”. But he ruled out a power-sharing arrangement between the mainstream and separatist groups in the state. “No, power sharing is not on my mind at the moment. I am just looking at a number of possibilities. This (Northern Ireland) could be one of them,” he said. Talking to The Tribune on Tuesday, the Chief Minister said, “I am talking in the context of different possibilities to resolve the Kashmir issue and not power-sharing,” he said it emphatically. He made it clear that his “thrust was on the peace process and dialogue and not on power-sharing on the pattern of Northern Ireland”, where Protestants and Catholics were ruling jointly as an outcome of the Good Friday agreement of April 10, 1998. “My point is simple: no amount of violence can bring about any solution, it is only the dialogue that can bring peace and solution and the Northern Ireland way of peace process can be one of the possibilities,” he said. He was answering questions in the backdrop of his interview with The Telegraph, London, in which he had said Kashmir could never be independent. In that interview, he had said the peace process in Northern Ireland and the devolution in Scotland could “inspire” a future settlement in which “sovereignty is not threatened, but you recognise the nationalist sentiment that exists and you evolve that”. During the 2008 Assembly elections, he had sought votes with the promise of “sadak, bijli and paani”, but after becoming the Chief Minister, he had been talking of a political solution of the Kashmir crisis and even stated that the state had acceded to India on certain conditions and the merger of the state with India never took place. Hurriyat Conference chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, who had first talked about this formula in 2007 and had visited Belfast and other places of Northern Ireland to study the peace process, said there was a need to build trust between the communities and the regions. “Right now, there is a trust deficit between communities and the regions. Jammu and the Valley do not connect, Valley and Ladakh do not connect. We have to overcome all this,” he said. “Once a peaceful atmosphere is built, we can move forward,” he said and added categorically, “First, we have to make up our mind,” said the Mirwaiz, who is also the head priest of Kashmir. He led a delegation for talks with NDA and UPA governments. He agreed that this (Northern Ireland peace model) was one of the possibilities. “There are similarities and dissimilarities between the two situations. In Northern Ireland, there were two parties, but we have more than two, India, Pakistan, and the people of Kashmir,” he said. “In this process we will have to involve all parts of Jammu and Kashmir, including Northern Areas, (which Pakistan has named as a state, Gilgit and Baltistan),” he added. |
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Pak army targets posts in Rajouri
Rajouri, October 29 The Pakistani army violated the ceasefire early this morning by firing on forward areas along the LoC in the Gambhir area of the Bhimbher Gali sub-sector in Rajouri district, prompting Indian troops to retaliate. According to defence spokesman Col RK Palta, Pakistani troops opened fire with automatic weapons and small arms on forward areas along the LoC from 5:10 am to 7 am today. “Our troops guarding the border retaliated with equal calibre weapons, triggering exchanges which ended without any damage to our side,” he added. “There was no loss of life or injury to anyone in the firing and shelling by Pakistan,” the spokesman said. In the ceasefire violation on Monday, a JCO was killed in firing along the LoC in the Uri sector of Kashmir, Army sources said. The Pakistani side opened fire at the Bhim Post near Kaman Bridge on the road connecting Srinagar and Muzaffarabad, resulting in critical injuries to JCO Prakash Chand, a defence spokesman said
in Srinagar. In the last 12 days, Pakistani troops had shelled civilians living along the border indiscriminately with mortar bombs and rockets, resulting in injuries to 17 persons, mostly women and children, in the Jammu and Samba sectors, officials said. The firing and shelling had triggered the migration of scores of people from border hamlets to safer areas in the region. The fresh incident of ceasefire violation took place just hours after the Pakistani troops displayed white flags on Monday night along the international border in the Samba sector, possibly as a mark to have peace. According to reports, there had been nearly 150 ceasefire violations by the Pakistani troops along the Indo-Pak border in Jammu and Kashmir this year, the highest in the last eight years. |
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Sweets may help remove bitterness on border
Octroi border outpost (Indo-Pak border), October 29 “Under confidence-building measures, we decided to hold an immediate flag meeting in case of firing on the border and exchange sweets on major festivals,” said a BSF spokesperson. It may be stated here that during the festive season and when the ties are normal, Pakistan Rangers demand hygienically prepared sweets of Jammu-based “Pahalwan di Hatti” and bring Lahore-based “Nirala Sweets” for their BSF counterparts. The Pakistan Rangers have a big sweet tooth in particular for Pahalwan’s preparations and eagerly look forward to the festive season to savour those. The BSF usually hands over sweets to the Pakiatan Rangers via this post in Jammu district while the Army prefers Chakan-da-Bagh along the Line of Control in Poonch district. Fully aware of the fact that his sweets are an instant hit among the Pakistani army and the Pakistan Rangers, owner of “Pahalwan di Hatti” Navneet Abrol said, “Army and BSF officers come to us for placing orders of sweets for their Pakistani counterparts. They order 'doda barfi', 'nutties', chocolate 'barfi' and 'laddoos' mostly.” “Pahalwan di Hatti” was set up in a narrow bylane of Pir Mitha in the temple city in 1934 by Anant
Ram Abrol. |
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Western Army Commander reviews security scenario
Jammu, October 29 The GOC-in-C interacted with the Commanders and senior officers of the Rising Star Corps zone area at Jammu Garrison and was briefed about the present security scenario in the region by Major General Ashwani Kumar, General Officer Commanding, Tiger Division. Major General Kumar and other senior officers present on the occasion assured the Army Commander about the defence preparedness in their respective areas of responsibility. The GOC, Tiger Division, assured Lt General Compose that the focus of his division has been to continuously enhance the operational efficiency without compromising on the improvement in standards of living of the troops and their families. The Lt General also interacted with Air Commodore PE Patange, Air Officer Commanding, Air Force Station Jammu. He hailed the AOC for maintaining high standard defence preparedness at the station and advised him to look into every aspect related to security in the cantonment zone. Earlier, the Army Commander on his arrival was welcomed by Lt Gen Praveen Bakshi of the Rising Star Corps and Air Commodore PE Patange at the Technical Airport, Jammu. Lt General Compose later in the afternoon left for
Chandimandir. |
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State set to implement child health screening programme
Jammu, October 29 The implementation process of the scheme was reviewed today by the Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, Shabir Ahmed Khan. Addressing the meeting, the Minister said the programme is a new initiative undertaken by the Union Health Ministry and is aimed at screening children from 0 to 18 years for ‘4Ds’ --- defects at birth, diseases, deficiencies and development delays, including disabilities. Children diagnosed with illnesses will receive free medical care, including surgeries, at tertiary-level under the NRHM, Shabir said. “We must ensure that the implementation process is completed as per the deadline set by the department, so that the programme is launched as per the schedule,” the Minister directed the officers concerned. He added that the government has requested Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad to formally launch the scheme formally in Jammu and Kashmir. Expressing gratitude to the Union Health Minister, Shabir said the health sector in Jammu and Kashmir has entered into a new phase of revolution and it was the endeavour of the coalition government in the state to ensure health care facilities at the doorstep of not only the urban population, but even to the people living in the rural and inaccessible areas. The meeting was, meanwhile, informed that the District Health Societies across the state have already taken up the process to implement the scheme in their respective areas. In this regard, almost all the district societies have set the recruitment process in motion and same is expected to be completed by mid of this month. It was further told that under the new initiative, a total of 773 posts, including pediatricians, MBBS and AYUSH doctors, have been sanctioned and the state government has already received the funds from the Centre in this regard. |
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70 bore wells in offing for saffron fields
Srinagar, October 29 After the three-day Saffron Festival-2013 was thrown open at Dusoo in Pampore of south Kashmir today, Tourism Minister GA Mir said tourists, especially foreigners, took a lot of interest in knowing about the Kashmiri saffron. He said the festival would be added to the Kashmir’s "tourism calendar" and held with a wider range of activities from the next year to attract more visitors. He said the government had already announced sops for tourists wishing to tour Kashmir during the Saffron Festival or Diwali holidays. The Jammu and Kashmir Tourism Development Corporation (JKTDC) has announced 50 per cent rebate on lodging at its huts and hotels and transport charges to tourists during the festival and Diwali. Mir said the festival was aimed at attracting more tourists to the state besides providing market to farmers on a global level. He appealed to farmers to preserve the popularity of saffron by showcasing the crop before tourists. The Tourism Minister said on the concluding day of the festival, best growers will be awarded for their efforts in multiplying the production of saffron. Agriculture Minister Ghulam Hassan Mir said 70 bore wells would be made operational to irrigate saffron fields of south Kashmir. He said 30 would be made operational by the end of November this year itself. Regarding reports that the saffron production had decreased in the Valley, he said there was still a week left to pluck flowers and it will be known only after that whether the production had decreased or not. The minister said the Saffron Festival was also being organised to celebrate the harvesting of this "precious" crop. He said marketing facilities had been provided to farmers so that their socio-economic conditions could be improved. The Zaffron Centre set up by the Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology was also inaugurated on the
occasion.
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Leaders working on forming third front
Srinagar, October 29 While the leaders of these parties, some of which have their representation in the Assembly, held a series of consultations over the
last few months, the group of leaders representing these parties are holding a
day-long convention here tomorrow. This is the first time that the leaders of these parties are holding a convention to make some important announcements. “An important convention on the socio-economic and political situation is being held here tomorrow, wherein some important announcements with regard to future course of action will be made," said a spokesman of the CPI(M), leading the group of leaders. The leaders declined to comment on the future course of action. Those who will address the rally tomorrow include Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami, state secretary, CPI(M); Hakim Mohammad Yasin, president, People's Democratic Front; Abdul Rashid Kabuli, president, JKNDF; Sheikh Abdul
Rehman, state president, Samajwadi Party; ID Khajuria, president, IDP; Abdul Rehman Tukru, state secretary, CPI; and Sanjay Saraf, leader, Lok Janshakti Party. Of these leaders, MY Tarigami, CPI(M) MLA representing the Kulgam constituency, has won three consecutive elections since 1996. Hakeem Mohammad Yasin of the People's Democratic Front has represented the Khansahib constituency for the last two terms. He was a minister during the Congress-PDP coalition government. Earlier, he represented this constituency in 1977 and 1983 as NC legislator and was a minister. Both legislators were initially Congress allies in the present NC-Congress coalition government, but of late, they had distanced themselves, sources in the Congress said. Another
ally of the Congress, Ghulam Hassan Mir, took over as the Agriculture Minister in the present coalition government. The development is taking place at a time when the coalition partners, the
Congress and the NC, are not clear about any possible pre-poll alliance ahead of the Lok Sabha and
state Assembly elections next year. All three major players, the Congress, the PDP and the NC, had coalition arrangements following the last two elections as none of the three parties could get a clear majority in the elections. |
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NC to launch campaign against female foeticide
Jammu, October 29 The campaign responsibility has been assigned to the women wing of the party, which is likely to hold discussions with the women folk of Jammu in the coming weeks and make them aware about the declining sex ratio and the need to save the girl child. The child sex ratio in Jammu and Kashmir has come down drastically from 941 in 2001 Census to 859 in 2011. Assigning the campaign responsibility to Bimla Lutra-led wing, NC provincial president Devender Singh Rana sought larger role for women in decision making and insisted that their contribution in shaping the destiny of nation was immense. “At all block levels, NC women activists will keep a check on people who act as mediators for the sex determination units and will gather information about them, so that proper action is initiated against the culprits,” Rana said. The campaign will be led by Luthra, while Anju Grower, who recently joined the NC, has been made the campaign in-charge. “I am going to call a meeting of all the NC district presidents of the women wing to prepare a strategy as to how to go about this campaign. I have also asked my workers to get the information about doctors and nursing homes involved in illegal sex determination tests,” Luthra said, adding that they have decided to lodge a protest against all the illegal sex determination centres. The main focus of the campaign, however, will be to educate women about the female foeticide and make them raise their voice against any such act, said Grower. “With the civil secretariat opening in Jammu on November 4, we will start our process of meeting people in all districts. We will be talking to women and will try and educate them that having a girl child is more important than craving for a boy,” she said.
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BJP asks Home Ministry to review Modi’s security
Jammu, October 29 BJP Member of Parliament and J&K in charge Avinash Rai Khanna expressed sympathy with the families of those killed in the blasts and said the incident was a result of the Bihar Government’s lack of will to take timely and effective steps to ensure adequate security. This despite the fact that a specific alert had been sent to the Bihar police by the Intelligence Bureau (IB) on October 23 and a proper announcement had been made that party’s Prime Ministerial candidate Narendra Modi would participate in the “Hunkaar Rally”, he said. Khanna said this while addressing a press conference here today. He said while the blasts were highly condemnable, the patience displayed by party activists at Gandhi Maiden in maintaining peace and controlling the situation to check any stampede was praiseworthy. He urged the Union Home Ministry to immediately review Modi's security. He also reiterated the party’s demand for a high level inquiry to ascertain "lapses" which had led to the blasts. — TNS
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Around 60 mortars defused along border
Jammu, October 29 Bomb disposal squads of the Army and the police defused nearly 60 mortars fired by the Pakistan Rangers in Jammu, Samba and Kathua districts during the last fortnight, security officials said. They said Samba and Jammu districts bore the maximum brunt of Pakistani shelling in the last 10 days.
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Cops accused of framing Baramulla youth
Srinagar, October 29 “My brother is being framed on false charges,” alleged Javaid’s brother Farooq Ahmed. “Javaid had nothing to do with any militant group as has been claimed by the police,” he added. On October 27, the J&K police said it had arrested
Javaid, a "JeM operative" thereby "thwarting the designs of the outfit" to revive its operations in
Baramulla. A police spokesman had on Sunday said, “On receiving specific information, the Baramulla police along with 46 RR launched a joint operation and arrested Javaid Ahmad Dar, resident of
Khanpora, Baramulla. One pistol, a magazine and 10 rounds were recovered from him. Javaid was recently assigned a key role by local Jaish commanders for reviving militancy in and around Baramulla town.”
Farooq, a driver by profession, said his brother had told a magistrate in Baramulla that false charges were being levelled against him by the police. “We appeal to the government to look into the case so that we get justice,” he said, adding that there were cases registered against Javaid in the police station,
Baramulla, for being involved in stone-throwing incidents. A police spokesman in
Srinagar, however, maintained that Javaid was a Jaish operative. “He was arrested with arms and ammunition,” he said. |
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Cops file action taken report on complaint against Geelani
New Delhi, October 29 The police submitted the sealed report to the court of Metropolitan Magistrate Prashant Sharma, who kept it for November 19. The Magistrate did not open the envelope as the judge, who had earlier asked the station house officer of the Mandir Marg police station here to file the report on the complaint filed by two Delhi residents, was on leave. The court had ordered reinvestigation into the case after the complainants said they had approached the police earlier in the matter but no action had been taken. — PTI
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