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Top LeT ultra involved in UP attacks killed
State misses delimitation bus
‘Change mindset towards girls’
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Depleting Green Cover
Jammu varsity starts Poonch campus
Fruit growers demand opening of trade route
Protest over hike in fuel prices
Officials visit snow-bound areas
Conversion issue rakes up ruckus
Human rights panel sends fresh notice to
Azad, DGP
More autonomy paper kept
under wraps: Farooq
Fraud couple denied bail
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Top LeT ultra involved in UP attacks killed
Srinagar, February 15 Disclosing this here today, director general of Jammu and Kashmir Police, Kuldeep Khoda said the militant, identified as Abdul Rehman from Pakistan, a district commander of Lashkar-e-Toiba outfit, was closely associated with its cadres not only in the valley but outside the state also. A local militant, who was also killed in the encounter at Nikloora, Aglar in Pulwama district last night, has been identified as Moin Ahmad Mir alias Abul Muslim alias Atif. The DGP said that the Pakistani militant, along with his associate, Abu Atif, a divisional commander, who is still at large, were instrumental in supplying arms and ammunition to militants in Uttar Pradesh. The militants had also been instrumental in the recent attack on a CRPF camp at Rampur in Uttar Pradesh. Acting on specific information regarding the presence of militants, a search operation was launched by the police, CRPF and 55 RR at Nikloora, Aglar in Pulwama district last night, the DGP said. During the house-to-house search, militants fired from the house of Haji Mohammad Ismail Mantoo. The forces retaliated the attack and killed two LeT militants, he added. The slain Pak militant, Abdul Rehman, had been involved in number of attacks including one on ROP of CRPF resulting in the death of two jawans at Sangam last week. One PSO, Bishan Dass of IRP Battalion 6 was killed in an attack by the militants on a party of IRCON officials at Naina Batapora last year. Giving details of other recent operations, the Director General of Police, Kuldeep Khoda said the police had a number of successes to its credit in last few days not only in the Kashmir valley but also in Jammu region. He said that the successful operations were conducted in Kulgam, Tral, Rafiabad, Pattan and Kishtwar areas during the past week resulting in many militant commanders. |
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State misses delimitation bus
Jammu, February 15 Even if the recommendations were applied in Jammu and Kashmir, it would not have led to any increase in the number of the constituencies but only to the redrawing of their geographical boundaries.
Much against the widespread perception prevailing here that the delimitation would lead to the increase in the number of the seats, it actually involves redrawing the boundaries of the
assembly or parliamentary segments without any change in the overall number.
Besides, during the delimitation status of the constituencies, like from general to reserve or vice versa, can also be changed. The number of seats is increased only after the reorganisation of the constituencies. As of now, there is a bar against increasing the number of assembly or parliamentary seats across the country till 2025. However, the geographical contours of the constituencies can always be changed without affecting any change in the overall number of the seats. Since Jammu and Kashmir has its own constitution, every ammendment in any law in Parliament has to be ratified by the state assembly. After Pa liament decided to put a bar on increasing the number of assembly or parliamentary seats across the country, Jammu and Kashmir also brought in a legislation. Although the parliamentary legislation did not bar the delimitation, the state legisalture in 2001 brought in a legislation where, it put a bar on both delimitaiton as well as reorganisation of the assembly or parliamentary segments in the state. While setting up of the reorganisation commission is out of question till 2005, the state cannot even set up a delimitation commission as for that it will have to ammend the state constitution, which will require two thirds majority. Most of the Jammu-based political parties, which have been raising so much hue and cry over the se ting up of the delimitation commission, actually want reorganisation commission. Because delimitation is not going to lead to raising the number of assembly segments. The delimitation of the assembly and parliamentary segments is an important process, since it helps in uniform demarcation of assembly segments from time to time. Otherwise, some segments are scatterred in such a haphazard way that it becomes too difficult to define the geographical outline of an assembly segment. The Udhampur parliamentary constituency is an ideal example which starts from Lakhanpur, bordering Punjab and ends in Padar and Wadhwan. It will take at least three days to cover the length of the constituency. |
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‘Change mindset towards girls’
Jammu, February 15 According to official figures, the state has a ratio of 923 females per 1000 males. Addressing a candle-lit rally against female foeticide organised by the Jammu and Kashmir Children’s Welfare Society today, Rather said. “Female foeticide is the extreme manifestation of violence against women.” “Female foetus is selectively aborted after prenatal check ups of expecting women,” he said, adding “As a consequence today, 30 to 40 million girls are missing from India’s population.”
The NC leader also quoted a UN study which had pointed out that some parts of the country had an alarming ratio of 800:1000. “The trend has to be reversed, for which people themselves have to undertake a sustained campaign against dowry and putting an end to the female foeticide,” he added. Another NC leader and brother of ex-CM Dr Farooq Abdullah, Dr Mustafa Kamal, in his address impressed upon the importance of the girl child. “It is always a woman, who first bears a child, brings him up and makes a him or her a responsible citizen,” he said, adding “Father of the Nation Mahatma Gandhi had said that by educating a man you educate an individual but by educating a woman you educate a whole family.” Dr Kamal urged the society to change its mindset towards the girl child. Earlier, students from Lawerence Public School, St Mary’s Presentation Convent, Madr-e-Meharban Institute, Kawa Institute, New Era Environmental School, Shanti Swaroop Memorial School, JK Public School and BN College of Education took out a candle-lit rally to create awareness. |
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Depleting Green Cover
Jammu, February 15 The report states that as a result of mismanagement of afforestation funds and manpower, the forest area in the state had got squeezed. It also revealed that against over 2,200 hectares of forest land having been diverted for non-forest purposes between 2002 and 2006, only 719 hectares of forest area was raised. The government also did not undertake any measures needed for promoting natural regeneration and vegetative growth for restoration of forest cover as there were no steps initiated to check grazing in the forest area. The report further revealed that due to unrestricted grazing, out of 7.84 lakh hectares of forest area in nine divisions in the state, 3.08 lakh hectares continued to remain degraded. |
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Jammu varsity starts Poonch campus
Jammu, February 15 This is the sixth regional campus set up by the university, which aims to provide higher education to students from far-flung areas at their doorsteps. Speaking on the occasion, Azad said the path of reconciliation adopted by India and Pakistan was in the best interests of people of the two countries, adding but for recent developments in the neighbouring country much headway would have been made by now in bringing about complete amity and peace. He hoped that the situation in Pakistan would soon improve enabling the two countries to take the process of dialogue forward. He said the developments in Pakistan during the past about a year had slowed down the peace process before which the relations between the two countries had improved significantly. He said if the process had moved forward as was envisaged by the leaders on both sides, the situation by now would have seen several exchanges of traders, businessmen and media persons across the LoC. He said students from PoK would also have been coming here to pursue studies. Jammu University vice-chancellor Amitabh Mattoo said more courses especially with demand in job market would be introduced in the Poonch campus of the varsity. |
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Fruit growers demand opening of trade route
Jammu, February 15 “We want the government to show seriousness in opening the trade links between the two parts of the divided region,” said Ghulam Rasool Bhat, president of the All-Jammu and Kashmir Fruit Growers Association. Fruit growers in the valley said once the trade link between the two parts of the divided state was opened, their produce would reach various central Asian countries. The state has an annual production of 15 lakh metric tonnes of fruit exports and out of it, only seven lakh metric tonnes is exported to other parts of the country. “While Chinese fruit is available in every nook and corner of our state, only 40 per cent of our crop gets exported to other parts of the country. We want an international market for our fruits,” Bhat said. He said once the trade link between two parts of the divided state was restored, the famous Kashmiri apple would find its way to various other countries. “If trade link between two parts of the divided state gets restored, our fruit would not only reach the Pakistani side of the Kashmir, but our fruit will easily find way to other central Asian countries,” Bhat said. In absence of any other surface link with the rest of the country, fruit growers in the valley are dependent on the 302-km Jammu-Srinagar National Highway for transporting their fruit out of the valley. Many fruit growers said opening of the trade link would put an end to the miseries faced by them. Putting an end to the 50-year-long hostile period, on April 7, 2005, both India and Pakistan opened the Srinagar-Muzaffarabad route for members of the divided families. The opening of this route was termed as the biggest confidence building measures between both the nations. The opening of the route also raised the hopes of fruit growers that they would get new markets for their fruits. Earlier in May 2006, both the countries reached an agreement and had finalised a list of 100 items, to be traded between the two parts. Speaking to The Tribune, Ram Sahai, president of the Chambers of Commerce and Industries, expressed hope that the trade link between the two parts would be restored by the end of March this year. “A delegation from the Azad Kashmir Chambers of Commerce is expected to visit us in March and we expect that the trade link would be restored after their visit,” Sahai added. |
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Protest over hike in fuel prices
Udhampur, February 15 Led by Pawan Khajuria, state president, activists of BJYM took out a procession which started from Salian Talab and passed through different localities of the town. The activists shouted slogans against the central government for hike prices of the fuel. Speaking on the occasion, the BJYM state president said the Congress-led UPA Government has been furthering the interest of richer class while as poor and middle class have been bearing brunt of the anti-people economic policies of this government. He pointed out that on the one hand the UPA regime has been claiming to formulate various programmes for poor people while on the other hand this government has been hike prices of the essential commodities. He pointed out that it was due to pro-rich policies being propagated by the UPA regime that prices of essential commodities has been increasing with every passing. He specially equated prices of flour and rice during the NDA government with the present UPA regime. Later BJYM activists burnt effigy of the Central government. |
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Officials visit snow-bound areas
Poonch, February 15 During his tour to the snowbound areas, the commissioner visited Mandi, Loran, Sabjain where the people projected their demands, which included adequate supply of ration, uninterrupted supply of power, water and other basic amenities. He assured the people that their problems would be taken care of. He issued on spot directions to the officers concerned to make all necessary arrangements for early redressal of
problems. |
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Conversion issue rakes up ruckus
Jammu, February 15 They were seeking action against the police officials, who had “wrongfully” arrested the social activists. The protestors representing the National Conference, Congress, Bharatiya Janata Party, Panun Kashmir and some other social organisations alleged that the police had acted in a partial manner. They claimed that the social activists, who had been arrested, had just tried to intervene into the dispute between two brothers one of whom had converted to another religion. The protestors demanded that the incident be probed independently as they alleged that the Janipur police was not conducting a fair investigation. They alleged that the police was trying to shield one of
the parties involved in the dispute. Instead of taking an impartial view of the situation, the police, they alleged, took a partial stand and registered case against one group only. Prominent among those, who participated in the protest demonstration, included former MLC Bhushan Lal Bhat, Panun Kashmir chairman Agnishekhar, BJP leaders Omi Khajuria, Ashok Manhas and Ravinder Gupta and the All State Kashmiri
Pandit Conference leader HL Chatha. Meanwhile, leaders of various political and social organisations have appealed to the people not to get provoked and maintain peace and harmony at all costs. They said the administration should conduct independent probe into the incident lest it lead to some major law and order problem. |
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Human rights panel sends fresh notice to
Azad, DGP
Srinagar, February 15 The ANC, headed by former Chief Minister Ghulam Mohammad Shah, has filed a petition before the commission demanding fixing of responsibilities for custodial disappearance, rape, murder and bombing of houses allegedly by security forces in the state during the last 19 years. The petition has named Azad, director general of police Kuldip Khoda and others as respondents. It said the Chief Minister, who was head of the Unified Command, was morally and legally responsible for the ''wrong doings'' of security forces. Meanwhile, the ANC also filed another petition in which it has demanded that minimum compensation of Rs 50 lakhs be paid in custodial disappearance and killings by security forces. Muzafar Shah, who represented the petitioner before the SHRC, said Rs seven lakhs are being paid for just one human kidney while government was paying just Rs one lakh for killing a civilian. Shah said though no compensation was enough for human life, but going by the cost of living, the hike in the compensation was necessary. He also pleaded that adequate compensation, as per market rate should be paid to those whose houses are being damaged during the encounters. —
UNI |
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More autonomy paper kept
under wraps: Farooq
Jammu, February 15 In an interview to a local news television channel Dr Abdullah said the National Conference government, led by him, had got the autonomy resolution adopted by the state legislature and had forwarded it to the Centre but all these years the Government of India avoided taking any cognisance of the resolution. He held the successive central governments responsible for refusing to compensate the state for the losses it had suffered on account of the 1960 Indus Water Treaty. He said several other promises made by the Centre were not honoured and in certain cases the pace of development projects remained tardy as
adequate funds had not been released. In this connection he referred to the railway project and the construction of six-lane
Srinagar-Pathankot express highway. Presumably, with an eye on the next Assemby elections, Dr Farooq Abdullah gave vent to his anger against his main political foe, Mufti Mohd Sayeed. In reply to a question the NC patron held the Mufti responsible for di lodging 'my government in 1984 and added that he was instrumental in the fall of the G.M.Shah-led government in 1986. While posing questions he wanted to know who was responsible for the communal trouble in South Kashmir in 1986 and in the appointment of Jagmohan as Governor of Jammu and Kashmir in 1990. Dr Abdullah said even while being in the Congress and in the Union Cabinet the Mufti used to mislead people when the National
Conference and the Congress had forged an alliance in 1987. He appreciated the steps Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad was taking for ending the menace of corruption but he
expressed doubts saying "since Azad has to look for guidance from Delhi he may not succeed in his mission." Dr Abdullah lauded the role his party legislators played in the state legislature while emerging as the main opposition party. He said the National Conference had prepared itself fully to expose the state government but the plan was sabotaged by the ruling coalition by cutting short the budget session by 10 days. |
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Fraud couple denied bail
Srinagar, February 15 Rejecting the bail application of Abdul Hamid Khan and his wife Zahia Khan. The prosecution said on December 29, 2007, one Javaid Ahmad Khan, a resident of Batamaloo lodged a complaint that Khan and his wife had demanded money from him and other unemployed youth for providing them jobs in government departments and plots in government colonies. — UNI |
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