Srinagar, March 30
The National Conference (NC) has blamed India and Pakistan for the “complex Kashmir situation” and two-decade-long trouble, which could be solved only by involving its people in the Indo-Pakistan dialogue.

It also criticised leaders of coalition partners, the Congress and the PDP for the sufferings of people and statements of Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad.

Senior NC leader Mustafa Kamaal expressed concern over the Chief Minister’s statement wherein he had “disfavoured dualism of some people and parties shedding crocodile tears during the day and hobnobbing with militants in the night.” Mustafa Kamaal said this in reference to the Chief Minister’s public address at Kulgam in south Kashmir on Wednesday.

Addressing a meeting in the Gulmarg area of his Tangmarg constituency yesterday, Mustafa Kamaal said the NC had already endorsed the view, but Congress leaders had remained silent that time. He held that one of the ministers in the coalition government had been identified for being involved in the Akshardham temple attack in Gujarat and another in providing shelter to gunmen in his official residence.

The National Conference leader, who is also a brother of the party’s patron and former chief minister Farooq Abdullah, said the present situation in the state was the result of New Delhi’s rejection of autonomy. He alleged that the centre had resorted to subverting the Constitution of Jammu and Kashmir and destabilising duly elected governments repeatedly since 1953. 

Jammu, March 30
A treasurehouse showcasing the Sufi tradition of the Kashmir valley, the Duggar ethos of the Jammu region and Ladakh’s Lama culture has been set up in the Jammu University here.

Built at a cost of Rs 30 crore, provided under the Prime Minister’s special package, the five-storeyed cultural centre, named Zorawar Singh Auditorium after the legendary general of the Dogra army, provides an insight into the diverse heritage and culture of Jammu and Kashmir.

The fully air-conditioned state-of-the-art facility which has an art gallery, museum, cafeteria, a 1,250-capacity hall, a television production centre and an FM radio station was opened to the public yesterday.

“It is a gift of Jammu University to the brave Dogras for showcasing the treasures that represent the culture, ethos, paintings, history, heritage and art besides old manuscripts of Jammu, Ladakh and Kashmir,” Vice-Chancellor of the university Amitabh Matto told PTI.

An “unparallelled” museum, Matto said it would give a glimpse of history through pictures and artifacts.

“You can see a number of rare photographs of great leaders like Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi and other world dignitaries who visited Kashmir,” he said, adding that the treasurehouse would delight the researchers, students and tourists.

The complex also offers a panoramic view of Jammu, a town dotted with Hindu temples, Bahu fort and the flat-roofed homes on both the banks of the river Tawi. From its rooftop, one can see the Trikuta hills, where the shrine of Mata Vaishno Devi is located.

The art gallery is named after scholar and translator Lotsava Richen Bzangoo (958-1055 AD) -- the great Buddhist saint of ladakh --, houses classical pieces of art and artefacts of Ladakh, including oil paintings and wooden and stone sculptures by renowned artists.

Richen, a renowned architect was responsible for foundation of 108 monasteries throughout Ladakh, Lahul Sipti (Himachal Pradesh)and western Tibet and is also called as father of Buddhist culture in Ladakh.

Among the exhibits are a painting by Yogan Choudhary worth Rs 18 million in the international market.

The Nund Reshi museum, named after Kashmiri Sufi saint Sheikh Noor-ud-din Noorani, depicts not only traditions but inter-cultural aspects that have been the hallmark of the Sufi tradition. — PTI