Jammu, October 23
The BJP today suggested a joint Indo-Pak action against terrorist groups operating from Pakistan. This, according to the party, will be mutually beneficial for the two countries as both were facing the same problem.

A public rally was organised here today to mark the birth anniversary of Pandit Prem Nath Dogra, a great nationalist from Jammu who launched a movement for a total integration of the state with the Indian union in early fifties. Addressing the rally, BJP president Rajnath Singh said a joint action would be a step towards greater cooperation between the two countries towards fighting terrorism, besides building up greater confidence between the two. He pointed out it was Pakistan which had suggested a joint mechanism to fight terror in the subcontinent.

He asserted Pakistan continued to be the fountainhead of terror and now it was facing the brunt itself as well. It was high time India reminded Pakistan of its commitment made by Pakistan President Pervez Musharaf that it would ensure that all terrorist training camps in that country were closed down.

The BJP president observed that there was too much of uncertainty both at the Centre as well as in the state. “Both the J-K and Central governments were on ventilators and nobody knows how long these would survive”, he remarked.

Referring to Left stand on the Indo-Pak nuclear deal, Rajnath Singh alleged that the Communists were not sincere in their stand and opposition to the nuclear deal. “Otherwise, why should they not support our demand for a joint parliamentary committee on the issue and debating the outcome in Parliament?” he said. About the stand-off between the Congress and the People’s Democratic Party in the state, he said, both parties must clarify their stand to the people whom they were accountable for.

The BJP president reiterated his party’s opposition to “self-rule, greater autonomy and demilitarisation”, saying that none of them was in the national interest. Rather, he asked, “What is self-rule or pre-1952 status?” This would have great financial implications for the state as it got 90 per cent aid as grant and only 10 per cent as loan, while most other states got only 30 per cent grant and 70 per cent as loan.

Prominent among those present at the rally included former Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Shanta Kumar, former union minister of state for defence Chaman Lal Gupta and the state party president Ashok Khajuria.

Jammu, October 23
The Jammu and Kashmir Pharma Association has accused the state health ministry and the state pharmacy council of involvement in a scam in the allotment of drugs licences. The minister concerned has, however, denied all allegations.

“The scam is being run with the consent of the health ministry of the state and the involvement of the health minister cannot be ruled out,” said general secretary of the association Rakesh Gupta.

“A total of 10,350 illegal licences have been issued by the department violating all norms,” he said, adding, “money has been taken from each applicant before allotting him the licence”.

“By allotting licences to non-professionals, the health department has given them a legal licence to kill people, which is a clear violation of human rights.”

The association alleged that the last date for the submission of application for the allotment of drugs licence expired in 2001, but till date the department was receiving applications for the same and issuing new licences.

“The licences were given to people who did not fulfil the qualification criteria laid down by the Drugs Council of India,” Gupta said.

“Despite a gazette notification, the J&K Pharmacy Council issued a notice in 2001 inviting applications for registration as a pharmacist and the criterion laid was matriculate and an experience of five years in selling drugs,” Gupta alleged. “The experience certificate submitted by the applicants were fake as according to guidelines nobody could produce the attendance and salary records from the firms they got their certificates from.”

“We have a letter in which present health minister Mangat Ram Sharma have asked the controller of drugs of the state to issue a drugs licence to a person who is only matriculate.”

When contacted, Sharma told The Tribune: “All allegations are baseless.” “Actually they want their monopoly in the drug business that we tried to break by issuing licences to the people who came and applied for it. We have tried to open a chemist shop everywhere, which they don’t want as it affects their business badly,” the minister added.

Secretary to health and medical education K.D. Jandial said: “I assure you that no norms have been violated while issuing the licences.”

Jammu, October 23
The defence authorities here do not see anything alarming in the suicides committed by the soldiers off and on. In fact, the rate of suicides in India is believed to be lowest in the world and much lower than in countries like the United States, Great Britain and France. Moreover, the defence authorities claim that only 0.3 per cent suicides have been committed because of the operational stress so far.

According to the figures available from the defence sources, as many as 131 suicides were reported from across the country in 2006. The figure was almost double than the previous year when only 77 suicides had been reported. The figures for 2007 were not available so far. But again in 2004 there were 100 suicides and in 2003 there were 93 suicides.

While in India the rate of suicide per million is about 10, in the United States, it is 17 per million and in France 19 per million. In Britain it is 14 suicides per million. This, despite the fact that the operational stress in those countries is far too less than in India as most of the times, most of the forces are involved in one or other type of operation.

Defence sources maintained that the level of motivation among the Indian soldiers was quite high as compared to their counterparts in other countries. India had a low suicide rate despite the fact that two-third of the defence personnel here were deployed for field operations, including the deadly fight against the militancy in Kashmir and North-East.

Moreover, the sources said, it had been found that only 0.3 per cent suicides were committed because of operational stress and the rest were due to domestic or other problems not related to the nature of their job.

The authorities said this did not mean the Army was not responsible for the welfare of its soldiers. Besides, there were other stressbusters and techniques used to provide relief to the soldiers. The recent suicides being committed by the soldiers in Army and paramilitary forces has caused an alarm among the defence forces. However, they maintain that suicides were committed earlier also, but these seldom received so much of media attention as these get now.