Akhnoor, November 11
Threat to national security prevails under the nose of law-enforcing agencies in this border sector of Akhnoor situated on the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu district.

Despite a ban by the government on the sale and purchase of the military and police uniforms in the state, shopkeepers in this sector are selling uniforms. The state government had banned the sale and purchase of the military and police uniforms by civil shopkeepers after militants attacked various Army establishments camouflaged in military uniform.

But despite the ban shopkeepers in this sector have been selling uniforms and anyone can purchase these .

Militants, who carry out “fidayeen” (suicide) attacks on the Army and police establishments are always dressed in uniform.In one such incident militants were almost successful in annihilating the entire top brass of the Army in Kashmir.

On July 22, 2003, three militants camouflaged in Army fatigue entered the Tanda camp of the Army in Akhnoor sector. While two were killed on the spot, one hid in the bushes. Army lost seven jawans in the attack.

After the encounter was over, top brass of the Army, including then General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of Northern Command of the Army Lieut-Gen Hari Prasad, along with Lieut- Gen T.P.S. Brar who, at that time, was commanding 16 Corps, the then GOC of the Akhnoor-based 10 Division Major-Gen T.K. Sapru (now GOC-in-C of Western Command in Chandimandir) and Brig V.K. Govil in charge of the 16 Corps headquarters electrical and mechanical battalion, arrived on the spot.

The then minister of state for defence Chaman Lal Gupta was also on his way to reach the spot of the attack.

The third militant, who was holding in the tall grass spotted top officials of the Army, attacked them with a hand grenade.

Brigadier Govil died on the spot and Lieut-General Prasad and Major-General Sapru were injured in the attack. The attack almost claimed the life of Lieut-General Brar.

General Prasad became the highest-ranking officer to have been injured during the more than a decade-long insurgency in the state.

Brigadier Govil also became the first officer of the rank of a Brigadier to have died in the insurgency.

Later investigations found a serious lapse in security of the camp, and it became clear that militants secured entry into the Army camp camouflaged as Armymen and uniforms were purchased from a local shop.

In another such incident on May 21, 2006, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad had a miraculous escape when two fidayeen camouflaged in police uniform attacked a Congress rally in Srinagar minutes before his arrival.

Udhampur, November 11
While Paharis of Jammu and Kashmir have already stepped up campaign for getting Scheduled Tribe (ST) status, Other Backward Classes (OBCs) in the state are also up in arms against, what they called, discrimination meted out to them by successive state governments.

The anger of OBCs was very much visible at various functions held at Udhampur and adjoining places on the occasion of celebrations of Vishwakarma day. OBCs leaders dropped hints to form a new political platform in the coming Assembly elections to ‘teach a lesson’ to the political groups for betraying them.

At almost all functions, people demanded the implementation of the Mandal Commission report in the state like other parts of the country. Speakers regretted that the depressed and neglected part of society had been denied fundamental rights despite the same rights being granted to OBCs in other parts of the country.

Although some political parties like the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) have repeatedly taken up the issue of OBCs, leaders of these sections were of the opinion that OBCs had to exhibit their strength in the next Assembly elections. During the Vishwakarma Day celebrations, leaders stressed on the need of uniting all OBCs under one umbrella to fight discriminatory polices of the state government.

"It is high time for OBCs in Jammu and Kashmir to show their strength as ruling elites have been denying them their legal rights," observed Krishan Dass, a leader of the OBCs,who advocated the formation of a political party to contest the next Assembly elections.

Quoting some reports, H. R. Verma, another leader, pointed out that the total strength of was more than 20 per cent, but there was not even a single OBC member in the Assembly. "Political parties usually divide us on communal lines to accomplish their task. This time we will work as OBCs in the next elections to muster support", asserted Mushtak Ahmed.

Jammu and Kashmir is the only state in the country where the Mandal Commission report has yet not been implemented. According to the census, the total strengthen of OBCs is more than 20 per cent comprising Hindus and Muslims. This community alleged that ruling elites in the state had taken away their rights by creating a new category of backward classes to grant reservation benefits to social and educationally developed upper castes.

Jammu, November 11
Jammu and Kashmir has become the only state in the country to have an Assembly session for six days a week, as compared to five days in other assemblies; Parliament too has only five days’ session.

“This is a clear example of the work culture launched by our government,” said Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad.

Azad said this was possible with the cooperation of all political parties of the state. “We convened a meeting of all parties and with the consent of the speaker of the Legislative Assembly decided to have a six-day sitting of the House instead of five,” Azad said.

He added, “Six days of session would help members raise more issues concerning the people of the state and more work could be done to redress the grievances of the people.”

The Chief Minister has another reason to boast of as it is during his tenure that an official hailing from the Ladakh region has been appointed chief secretary. Another first is the promotion of B.R. Kundal to the position of Chief Secretary of the state; Kundal is the first Dalit to hold the prestigious position after C. Phunsung retired last month.

The state accountability commission was given more teeth to curb the menace of corruption in the state, and J&K has become the first state where the property earned due to disproportionate assets by the officials was sealed and confiscated by the government.

Kalakote (Rajouri), November 11
Pervez Akhter has failed to get divorce even after more than three years of separation fom husband Shabir Ahmed of Dalyote here. Her soldier husband has been declared a deserter by the regiment he was posted with and has been missing for more than three years leaving Akhter in the lurch.

Akhter wants to remarry but can’t, as she is waiting for Shabir to come and solemnise the divorce (talaaq). Since no one knows the whereabouts of Shabir, she can’t get talaaq, since Islamic law requires her husband to divorce her. (In special conditions there is provision of talaaq for half widows, but local mullahs have failed to come up with a solution).

Shabir was declared deserter by the Army when he failed to join duty at 318 Field Regiment posted at Chandigarh on May 19, 2004. He proceeded on leave in March 2004 and had to return by May.

Pervez alleges that her husband and in-laws used to harass her for dowry. She says Shabir came on two-month leave in March 2004 and asked her to accompany him in seven days of reaching home and they then headed towards Chandigarh. “After we reached a secluded place, he inflicted serious wounds on me and deserted me leaving me for dead,” Pervez says. “However, I regained consciousness and found myself in a ditch on the roadside. I crawled towards the road. Luckily an auto-rickshaw driver spotted me and finding me bleeding profusely, he informed the police”.

“The police shifted me to the PGI, Chandigarh. Fortunately, a doctor from Rajouri was working there and he informed my parents here”, she narrates. “After the incident, when I returned home we enquired about Shabir from his unit, but they told us that Shabir hadn’t reported there. Till now he is absconding,” she said.

Facing trying times, Pervez applied to the Army authorities for the settlement of her husband’s account and also got a case registered against him and in-laws for torturing her for dowry.

“After my husband went missing and did not turn up even after a year, I approached the local mullahs for allowing me to remarry,” she says. “But they told me I could not remarry till my husband divorced me”.

“I am from a poor family. How can I survive if they don’t allow me to remarry?” she asks. “If he doesn’t return, I will die due to poverty as there is no other earning hand in my family”.