J A M M U   &   K A S H M I R

Yatris stranded at Ramban
Jammu, July 2
As many as 2356 Amarnath shrine-bound pilgrims were stranded at Ramban due to landslides after having been flagged off from here this morning.

Sufi music fest begins, Fareeda Khanum casts spell

Srinagar, July 2 Overwhelmed by the beauty and love of Kashmir, renowned Pakistani singer Fareeda Khanum and dance by Egyptian artistes enthralled the audience at the three-day Sufi music festival that started at the SKICC here this evening.

Former Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah talks with Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad, while his wife Shameema Azad and Governor S. K. Sinha look on at the inaugural function of a Sufi festival at SKICC, Srinagar, on Monday. — Tribune photo by Mohd Amin War

PM to be honoured
Jammu, July 2
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will be awarded an honorary doctorate of letters by the University of Jammu here on July 10.A special convocation for this purpose is being organised for awarding the degree to Manmohan Singh by chancellor S.K.Sinha. 

Ultra crosses LoC to surrender
Srinagar, July 2
A Hijbul Mujahiddin militant walked across the Line of Control (LoC) today morning in Uri and surrendered before the Army authorities, the Army said.

3 docs do a ‘Veeru’ for job
Srinagar, July 2
Agitation for jobs as doctors by eletro-pathy graduates in alternative medicine took a new turn today when three of them climbed up a BSNL tower and threatened to end their lives if not given jobs by the state government.

Man, son hack one to death
Udhampur, July 2
A man was hacked to death last night at Manwal village of Udhampur. The father and son allegedly involved in the murder have been identified.

Yatris stranded at Ramban
S.P.Sharma
Tribune News Service

Jammu, July 2
As many as 2356 Amarnath shrine-bound pilgrims were stranded at Ramban due to landslides after having been flagged off from here this morning.

Earlier they were stranded here for two days due to bad weather.

These pilgrims remained stranded at Ramban on the Jammu-Srinagar highway for more than five hours before men of the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) cleared the landslides to reopen the road for one- way traffic. The police said the convoy carrying the pilgrims was being allowed to proceed to Srinagar.

As many as 52 buses and 21 light motor vehicles carrying 1261 men, 427 women, 65 children and 603 'sadhus' were flagged off from the base camp here at 5.30 am by PWD minister Gulchain Singh Charak.

The first batch was scheduled to leave for Srinagar on June 30, but the pilgrims were held up here because of bad weather.

Reports said the Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB) had suspended the pilgrimage because of heavy rain that had made the bridle path slippery from both routes of Pahalgam and Baltal.

Army commandos and personnel of the BSF, the CRPF and state police were guarding the 300 km highway route to Pahalgam from here to prevent any terrorism- related incident. The convoy carrying the pilgrims was being escorted by troops.

Sufi music fest begins, Fareeda Khanum casts spell
Ehsan Fazili
Tribune News Service

Srinagar, July 2
Overwhelmed by the beauty and love of Kashmir, renowned Pakistani singer Fareeda Khanum and dance by Egyptian artistes enthralled the audience at the three-day Sufi music festival that started at the SKICC here this evening.

This has been for the third consecutive year the Sufi musical festival is organised, while a five-day mega event, Bazm-e- Sufiana as part of the cultural diplomacy was organanised here in June last year. In the last year’s event artistes from India and Pakistan enthralled the audience across the valley, at SKICC here, and at Baramula and Pahalgam. Today’s event, Sufi festival, was organised jointly by the Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB), the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) and the Jammu and Kashmir Academy of Art, Culture and Languages.

Governor as chairman of the Amarnath Shrine Board S. K. Sinha, inaugurated the event, while Dr Karan Singh, President of the ICCR presided over the function and Chief minister Ghulam Nabi Azad was the chief guest on the occasion. Others present on the occasion, included National Conference patron and former Chief minister Farooq Abdullah, Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Assembly Abdul Rahim amid over 700 strong audience.

In his inaugural address Governor Sinha exuded confidence the message of peace, love and tranquility embedded in the unique concept of Kashmiriat would bring about harmony in the world in general and Indo-Pak sub-continent in particular. He referred to the great pluralistic ethos of Kashmir and said the concept of Kashmiriat withstood the test of times. He said the land of Sufis and saints had a unique character of amity, tranquility and tolerance, aptly described by Shair-e-Kashmir Mehjoor in his famous couplet … "Huind Chu Shakker, Daud Chu Muslim Saaf Saaf, Daud te Bhai Shakker Raleio Panwani".

The highlight of the inaugural programme was scintillating presentation of Sufi qalam by Begum Farida Khanum from Pakistan and Tannoura Sufi (Darwish, a folk and dance performance by a group from Egypt. The festival took off with Sufi qalam by famous Kashmiri artist, Abdul Rashid Hafiz. The Chief Minister and Dr Karan Singh also spoke on the occasion. 

PM to be honoured

Ultra crosses LoC to surrender
Kumar Rakesh
Tribune News Service

Srinagar, July 2
A Hijbul Mujahiddin militant walked across the Line of Control (LoC) today morning in Uri and surrendered before the Army authorities, the Army said.

Producing Shauqat Ahmed Rather, who hails from Sopore and had sneaked into the PoK in 2001, before mediapersons, the Army said his arrest and subsequent statement showed growing frustration among the cadres of militant organisations, as they were being discriminated against in Pakistan and also realising the futility of armed struggle.

“I underwent training for a month in the PoK and remained there in camps till now. I missed my family and walked across the border after I was allowed to go out of the camp for four days,” Rather said. He added that his batch was of 17 youths who had crossed the border six years back. He was in the second year of graduation when he took to “jihad” and crossed the border. The Army said he told them that the Kashmiri youths living in camps were getting frustrated. 

3 docs do a ‘Veeru’ for job
Kumar Rakesh
Tribune News Service

Srinagar, July 2
Agitation for jobs as doctors by eletro-pathy graduates in alternative medicine took a new turn today when three of them climbed up a BSNL tower and threatened to end their lives if not given jobs by the state government.

Another protester tried to immolate himself. The three persons, Sajjad, Raashid, Mustafa, atop the tower, were still there till the filing of this report, but the government has expressed helplessness in meeting their demands. "Electro-pathy is not a recognised form of alternative medicine. The state government has asked the central government to review its status, and we can't do anything beyond it," said KB Jandial, commissioner-secretary, health.

The graduates said the state government was backing out of its earlier stand. "The state government had given an advertisement inviting applications from graduates of different forms of

alternative medicine and it specifically mentioned electro-pathy graduates also," Manjoor, an unemployed grad ate, told The Tribune.

The government has, however, said it was an "advertent" mistake. Many of these jobless youths, who have been on a sit-in since April 16, have resorted to dramatic methods of protest to invite the authorities' attention to their plight and also to gain people's sympathy.

Meanwhile, the police and the emergency services have been positioned around the tower, which is at a little distance from the sit-in, and they were trying to persuade the three protesters to climb down. 

Man, son hack one to death

Udhampur, July 2
A man was hacked to death last night at Manwal village of Udhampur. The father and son allegedly involved in the murder have been identified.

Reports reaching here last night said some persons entered the house of Thamu Ram (60), son of Labu Ram of Manwal village. They dragged him out and attacked him with sharp-edged weapons. After wounding the victim, the assailants escaped from the scene.

The victim succumbed to his injuries while he was being shifted to a hospital in Udhampur. — TNS