Srinagar, November 30
Out of 22,000 samples tested for AIDS by the Sher-e-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS), Soura here, 105 cases of HIV positive, including 74 paramilitary force men and 30 locals have been confirmed most of them in past 12 years. A trend with a few cases adding every year is being observed among locals, mainly those staying outside state in connection with business across the country.

These are the observations of the Immunology Department concerned at the SKIMS here, which recently was upgraded as Anti-Retrovial Therapy Centre (ARTC) ahead of World AIDS Day tomorrow. The centre will provide medicines free of cost to HIV positive patients who were being provided with such medicines by the State AIDS Control Society also. The needy will also get medical assistance with the help of National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO). The Centre also functions as Voluntary Counselling and Testing Centre (VCTC) undertaking testing for the disease for the past seven years. This 25-year-old Department of Immunology was upgraded as the Regional HIV Centre last year and equipped to get samples for confirmation of HIV cases from the State. This apart the government SMHS hospital here is also equipped with voluntary counselling and testing centre.

“There is no discrimination between the AIDS patients and others suffering from other deadly diseases”, said Dr Zaffar Amin Shah at the SKIMS. He said the “admission load” of AIDS patients at the Institute varied from two to three at any point of time in a year, all of whom might not be locals. The increasing trend among the locals has mostly been among migratory businessmen, who remain outside homes for longer periods and get infected through hetero-sexual contacts. This becomes manifest among women here only when such young businessmen marry here, Dr Shah said. The cases are also among the truck drivers who get infected through such contacts during longer periods outside homes.

The upgraded centre with the help of some NGOs has been taking samples from vulnerable areas like those around the Dal lake and surrounding areas which see greater movement of tourist. Samples are also taken from maternity centres and STD (sexually transmitted diseases) clinics, doctors at the SKIMS, Soura said. These tests are also carried in cases of migratory population, truckers with the help of these NGOs, according to doctors at the Institute.

Jammu, November 30
Finance Minister Hameed Qarra has initiated pre-budget discussions with the political parties, trade and commerce bodies and government departments in Jammu and Kashmir with a view to prepare a pro-poor and people-friendly budget for the next financial year. He held a meeting with leaders of different political parties here today to elicit their suggestions for the budget.

The budget session in the state has been advanced by about two months with a view to providing a stretched working season, particularly to the works department for completing development projects in time. The budget session has been convened on December 8 and with this Jammu and Kashmir has become the first state in the country to hold sitting of the legislature early.

Mr Qarra invited representatives of trade and commerce yesterday to discuss the broad outlines for the budget. He held such meetings in the Kashmir valley last week.

The emphasis was on mobilization of resources and setting up effective tax collection mechanism to achieve the goal of making the state self-reliant.

He said effort would be made to see that the budget was not only pro-poor, but entrepreneur friendly also so that the industrial activity got a boost. This would also help tackle the problem of unemployment.

Finance secretary B. B. Vyas was also present in the meeting.

Srinagar, November 30
The Muzaffarabad-based United Jehad Council (UJC), an umbrella organisation of several militant groups operating in Jammu and Kashmir, has refuted its offer of ceasefire, saying the statement was presented in a ‘’wrong manner’’.

In a statement to the local media, a spokesman of the militant conglomerate, Syed Saddaqat Hussain, said the contents of the recent interview of UJC chief Syed Salahuddin were presented wrongly and these had created a lot of confusion.

‘’Syed Salahuddin never offered truce. The UJC does not believe in ceasefire for the sake of it,’’ he added.

According to the spokesman, Salahuddin, when asked about his response if India offered ceasefire, said in such a case New Delhi would have to agree to certain conditions.

The conditions included accepting Jammu and Kashmir as a disputed territory and its trilateral dimension; reducing armed forces to the pre-1989 position and withdrawing extra troops; releasing all prisoners unconditionally and stopping all military operations and the human rights violations, he added.

About Salahuddin’s unity formula for the two warring factions of the Hurriyat Conference, Hussain said the UJC chief had asked ‘’pro-freedom’’ leaders to accept basic principles such as right to self determination; no solution under the Indian Constitution and complete withdrawal of Indian troops from Jammu and Kashmir.

Salahuddin also stressed that any mechanism of dialogue adopted should not negate the trilateral dimension of the Kashmir issue, the spokesman added. — UNI