Srinagar, February 14
After the recent expose of fake encounters in Kashmir, the police has initiated compiling data of the missing persons across the valley in the past 17 years.

They include those killed in encounters jailed in different detention centres, or those who had crossed to the other side of LoC for training in arms but did not return to the valley.

Official sources here confirmed the process has started and district superintendents of police concerned asked to supervise it. “All SHOs have been directed to submit the report” about circumstances of missing persons in their areas, sources here said. However, the compiling of data in this regard may take some time more.

Another phenomenon has come to fore after the unearthing of fake encounters. The police for the first time here today published photograph of an “unidentified person” buried at Kellar in Pulwama district of south Kashmir. Circumstances he had been killed in, have not been given, the police has sought people’s help to identify him and inform the police concerned at Pulwama. Many other cases of missing persons allegedly after they were picked up by security forces in the past 17 years, has also come to fore recently.

Emboldened by events after fake encounters expose, demonstrations took place in the recent days in different parts of Srinagar seeking whereabouts of several missing persons.

The demonstrators alleged the missing persons were picked up by police or security forces and the authorities had not come out with satisfactory answers. The “search for our missing ones” has been continuing here for several days now. Demonstrations were held in the central Lal Chowk area on Saturday last seeking whereabouts of local youth Mohammad Sayeed, picked up allegedly by the CRPF in 1990. Relatives of 28 missing persons held demonstration in support of their demand here on Monday as they marched through civil lines area holding photographs of “missing ones”.

Demonstrations for many other such persons were held in Hazratbal and Lal Bazar area here on Monday. This followed an assurance by Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad in the legislative Assembly probing all human rights violations in Kashmir since 1990 putting number of disappeared persons at 1097.

The Association of Parents of Disappeared Persons (APDP) has put the number of missing persons in Kashmir since the eruption of militancy at over 10,000.

The police has already investigating five cases of missing civilians allegedly killed in fake encounters in the past one year in Ganderbal area of Srinagar district. The investigations are going on under the supervision of DIG Police, Central Kashmir Range, Farooq Ahmad. All five bodies including that of Abdula Rahman Paddar, a carpenter from south Kashmir, were exhumed in Ganderbal area near here early this month with the assistance of experts from Central Forensic Laboratory, Chandigarh for DNA tests. Investigation into these cases may be completed in next two weeks, according to the sources. The police has already arrested 20 persons including SSP Ganderbal, Hans Raj Parihar and Dy SP(Op) Bahadur Ram in this connection.

Jammu, February 14
The Power Minister, Mr Nawang Rigzin Zora, today said the award of the neutral expert of the World Bank, Prof Raymond Lafitte, on the Baglihar hydroelectric project dispute would influence all future interpretations of the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) that has been a hurdle in harnessing the river waters for power generation.

Mr Zora, in a statement on the issue in the legislative council, said the neutral expert has recognised India's right to utilise the waters of the Western rivers more effectively within the ambit of the IWT for power generation.

This is for the first time since signing of the IWT in 1960 that a neutral expert has been appointed by the World Bank.

He said the overall design of the Baglihar dam built by India on the Chenab as a run-of-river has been upheld by Professor Lafitte. He has emphasised that the IWT does not prevent incorporating state of the art technology for projects for reasons of safety and optimum utilisation of the waters.

During the 18 months’ period after his appointment, the expert held five meetings in Paris, Geneva, London and Washington and also visited the Baglihar site and its hydraulic model at Roorkee.

After a detailed analysis of a data base of about 1300 dams from the International Commission of Large dams, he rejected the objection of Pakistan against the construction of the gated spillway and also held that in view of he high flood discharge and heavy silt load, India's design complies with the design criteria set out in the annexure D of the IWT.

The minister observed this important element in the neutral expert's determination will deeply influence all future interpretations of the IWT. The expert has observed that the present day state of scientific and technical knowledge with advances in technology in dam design, not known or developed in 1960, can and should be utilised in dealing with problems such as those posed by heavy sediment which shorten the effective life of a plant.

Srinagar, February 14
About 1,000 passengers have been stranded as flights between Srinagar and Kargil remained cancelled since February 5.

The Srinagar-Drass-Kargil highway also remained closed since November 15 last year for six winter months due to a heavy snowfall.

Despite orders from Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad that helicopter service would operate twice a week between Srinagar and Kargil, no flight operated after February 5, a passenger said.

“We have been visiting the airport daily with the tickets, but return disappointed,” Ghulam Nabi Zia said, who, along with five others, was off-loaded to accommodate some women passengers on February 5.

He said there were 180 passengers who had confirmed tickets and were scheduled to travel Kargil last week. However, the flights were cancelled.

He said there were also more than 400 residents of Kargil and other areas who had been stranded here for the past two weeks.

Official sources said that 130 teachers, who had come here to spend winter holiday with their families, were also stranded.

A report from Kargil said about 400 Srinagar-bound passengers were stranded there for the past two weeks. — UNI

Jammu, February 14
An army jawan allegedly committed suicide by shooting himself here, official sources said today.

The jawan, Kamlander Singh of Madhya Pradesh, who was working in the ordnance unit at 26 Infantry Division headquarters in Jammu cantonment, took out his service rifle and allegedly shot himself dead in the unit last night, the sources said.

Senior officials and colleagues rushed to the spot after hearing the gunshot and found the jawan lying dead, they said.

An inquiry has been ordered into the case, they said, adding the jawan was granted leave for one month a few days back. — PTI