Jammu, January 10
Amid slogan shouting not only by Opposition members, but also by some partners of the ruling coalition on the issue of the failure of the government to regularise the teachers working under the Rehbar-e-Taleem scheme, the Speaker, Mr Tara Chand, today adjourned the Assembly for about 40 minutes.

Violent scenes were also witnessed on the issue outside the House where the police burst teargas shells and resorted to lathi charge at three places on the teachers who tried to proceed towards the Assembly complex in the afternoon.

More than 30 teachers were hurt as they fought a ding-dong battle by throwing stones and brickbats at the police near the Shalimar Chowk. About 130 protesting teachers were taken into custody by the police.

The protesting teachers dispersed for sometime when the police resorted to cane charge, but re-assembled at the Indira Chowk near the Legislature complex and Secretariat and vainly tried to proceed there. However, the police again dispersed them by bursting a number of teargas shells.

Teachers from many parts of the state had assembled here to demand their regularisation as they have been working under the scheme at a paltry monthly wage of Rs 1,500 for the past several years.

Inside the Assembly, the members belonging to the National Conference (NC), Panthers Party, CPM, BJP and JSM blocked the proceedings of the House after the question hour and chanted slogans against the government for the regularisation of the services of teachers employed under the Rehbar-e-Taleem scheme.

The Speaker made futile efforts to restore order in the House.

Mr Harshdev Singh (Panthers Party), who was Education Minister in the previous government of Mufti Sayeed, accused the government of having failed to fulfil its commitment that it had made on the floor of the House to regularise the services of these teachers.

Mr Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami (CPM) also joined in.

Mr Ali Mohammad Sagar and Dr Mehboob Beg (both NC) criticised the government for delaying the issue and giving meager wages to these teachers.

Earlier, Mr Sagar and Mr Abdul Gani Malik (NC) staged a walkout as they were not satisfied with the reply of the Education Minister regarding the appointment of Urdu teachers.

During question hour, the government was put on the mat by the Opposition members on the issue of a large number of posts of teacher lying vacant in schools.

Replying to the main question tabled by Mr Harshdev Singh (Panthers Party), the Education Minister informed the House that as many as 8,603 posts of teacher and non-teaching staff were lying vacant in the schools. He said 2,167 posts of lecturer, 1,012 of master, 5,424 of teacher and 297 of laboratory assistant were among those lying vacant.

The minister said 3,242 posts had been referred to the services selection board for being filled. He informed the House that among the number of posts of lecturer lying vacant were in Anantnag (287), Pulwama (233), Baramulla (310), Jammu (120), Udhampur (244) and Doda (272). The Kathua district with 610 vacant posts of teacher leads the state followed by 607 in Jammu, 508 in Budgam, 500 in Srinagar and 571 in Anantnag.

Jammu, January 10
Usman Majeed, a militant-turned MLA, today said the Hurriyat Conference leaders should stop behaving like representatives of Pakistan and have courage to tell the people the reality of Kashmir being an integral part of India.

Majeed, who was earlier vice-chairman of the Pakistan-based United Jehad Council (UJC) that is the umbrella organisation of all terrorist outfits operating in J&K, told this correspondent here that the Hurriyat leadership should accept the reality and stop "befooling" the people of Kashmir by raising misleading slogans.

He said it was unfortunate that instead of trying to rescue the people from the 17-year-long turmoil due to Pakistan-sponsored terrorism, the Hurriyat leaders were visiting Pakistan frequently to take "orders" from there before meeting the Indian leadership that was keen to find a solution to the problem.

He said there should be no doubt that Kashmiris have their ultimate interest with India. The Hurriyat and other political parties in Kashmir should stop justifying violence. Majeed said when Pakistan has backed out of its demand for a plebiscite in Kashmir and implementation of the UN resolutions, there was no reason for the Hurriyat leadership and the mainstream parties to continue raising misleading slogans of self-rule, joint management and demilitarisation.

Jammu, January 10
Following the release of a plan on Kashmir by Peoples’ Conference chief, Sajjad Lone, recently both the PDP and the All-Party Hurriyat Conference (APHC) have started preparing documents on the issue.

Highly placed sources said Mr Lone was motivated by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for preparing a roadmap on Kashmir when the former had met him in Delhi a year ago. Sources said today, Mr Lone had assured the Prime Minister, that he would prepare the document shortly.

Sources said Dr Manmohan Singh suggested to APHC leaders, during his meeting with them on May 3, 2006, they too should submit, in writing, what they felt could be a solution to the Kashmir issue. This connection both the PDP and the APHC leadership have started completing roadmaps on Kashmir.

Though the PDP has laid emphasis on self-rule and joint management, in water resources, tourism, trade, it is yet to release the document on it despite a committee, headed by former Deputy Chief Minister, Muzaffar Hussain Beig, having been constituted four months ago. Till date only the National Conference has not only drafted its document on the restoration of greater autonomy but had got it adopted by the state legislature, and the Peoples’ Conference, led by Mr Lone, have drafted their roadmaps on Kashmir.

Meanwhile, political circles have been taken by surprise by the way APHC chairman, Maulvi Umar Farooq, has supported the roadmap on Kashmir released by Mr Lone. Mirwaiz has lauded Mr Lone for having touched all aspects of the Kashmir issue in the roadmap.

Amazement on Maulvi Umar Farooq’s support to Lone’s document is the result of prolonged confrontation between the two. In fact Mr Lone had quit the APHC, which resulted in the split of the Peoples’ Conference with his brother Mr Bilal Ghani Lone, heading a rival faction to support the APHC, when he objected to the Kashmir Mirwaiz heading a funeral procession of a slain militant whom Mr Lone had believed to be a killer of his father, Mr Abdul Gani Lone.