Srinagar, March 29
The UPA chairperson, Ms Sonia Gandhi, here today claimed that situation in Kashmir now was more peaceful with “much less tension in air” and expressed the hope that it would continue with more youth joining the developmental activities. She said the economy, mainly depending upon tourism industry, which suffered setbacks due to the two-decades long militancy would continue to look up by dint of various specific initiatives and other developmental activities.

The Congress president, accompanied by Defence Minister, A K Antony and Union Water Resources Minister, Saifuddin Soz, was addressing a select gathering of those associated with tourism trade industry and senior state government functionaries at the inauguration of Asia’s largest tulip garden.

The garden at Siraj Bagh with 12 lakh tulip flowers to attract domestic and foreign tourists for about next one month has been named Indira Gandhi tulip garden overlooking the Dal Lake would be open to public tomorrow. It is located in the foothills of Zabarwan across yet another garden of almond

blossoms, “Badam Wa’er” in the foothills of Hari Parbat that was opened a few days earlier. Chief minister Ghulam Nabi Azad and former chief minister, Mufti

Mohammad Sayeed, apart from senior Congress and PDP functionaries were also present on the occasion. After walking down through the specially designed paths in the sprawling colourful stretches of tulips with Chief minister Ghulam Nabi Azad, his wife Mrs Shameem Azad and the union ministers, Ms Gandhi formally inaugurated the Indira Gandhi Tulip Garden spread over an area double than the nearby Mughal Gardens of Nishat and Shalimar. “Indira loved nature, trees, especially flowers of Kashmir… this would have filled her desire”, Sonia commented. She added that the former Prime Ministers, Indira Gandhi and her father, Jawaharlal Nehru’s love for flowers and Kashmir was reflected in their letters. The letters reflected their joy for cherry and almond blossoming, mighty chinars and graceful willows, Ms Sonia said, adding that the father and daughter, as also Rajiv and anjay Gandhi loved Kashmir for its beauty and flowers. Days before her assassination, Indira Gandhi had made it to visit Kashmir only to observe its beauty in falling golden chinar leaves during autumn, Sonia added. “It is a fantastic idea… it will attract domestic and international tourists to Kashmir”, Ms Sonia Gandhi said in her address and added that

Kashmir remained the natural habitat of tulips. “Nowhere in the world there is a great potential in cultivating this variety”, she said and hoped that it would bring “abundant joy and beauty to the people of Kashmir”. She also appreciated the Chief Minister’s contribution in developing this unique and outstanding tulip garden not only to Jammu and Kashmir but to the entire country. Chief minister Ghulam Nabi Azad, speaking on the occasion said that the inauguration had been rescheduled earlier due to the warmer weather conditions helped in advancing tourist season by about one and a half months.

Srinagar, March 29
The Congress President, Ms Sonia Gandhi’s Kashmir visit to inaugurate the first tulip garden is regarded as significantly aimed at showcasing the developmental scenario in Jammu and Kashmir ahead of the Assembly elections in the state later this year. The Congress-PDP coalition government headed by Ghulam Nabi Azad, who succeeded PDP patron Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, is completing its three-year term in November this year.

The inauguration of tulip garden has come only days after re-opening of the Badam Wa’er or almond alcove in the foot of Hari Parbat here on Tuesday last when the Chief Minister presentedthe main springtime leisure spot to the people of Kashmir after two decades. Not only this the Chief Minister has also inaugurated several other projects during the recent days, which have either been completed or being opened with the efforts of his government over the past two and a half years. These events are being looked at as showcasing the working of the Congress-led coalition government in the election year. Azad took over the reigns of the coalition government from Mufti Mohammad Sayeed on

November 2, 2005, on the completion of three year term of the PDP.

In her address at the inauguration of tulip garden here today, Ms Sonia Gandhi touching the election chords said that tourism was the mainstay of Kashmir’s economy. She said during the past 20 years this industry suffered badly but hoped that the initiatives like the tulip garden and the massive development activities going on here would help improve the economic profile of Kashmir.

She said her heart went out for those innocent people and men who served the country and lost their lives during the past two decades. She called for redoubling the efforts to ensure complete peace and development in Jammu and Kashmir.

She was accompanied by the State PCC president and union minister Saifuddin Soz and the defence minister, A K Antony. The audience comprising ministers, legislators, representatives of travel trade, members of the civil society and

MPS of the Congress party from Jammu and Kashmir, Lal Singh and Madan Lal. senior state Congress leaders were also present on the occasion.

The timing of Sonia’s visit had been chosen well at the onset of spring season

in the valley when the people look forward for the prosperous summer months ahead. Only last month Ms Sonia Gandhi visited Jammu and Kashmir to assess the extent of damage and possible help from the central government in the wake of heavy snowfall in most parts of the state early in February last. During her visit she had visited parts of the snow-affected areas of Jammu region and Kashmir Division.

Her frequent visits to the state during the past two and half years began following the devastating earthquake that led to death and damage to property on October 8, 2005. She had also spent her birthday with the earthquake-affected people in Uri sector of Baramulla district near the LoC in December, 2005.

Jammu, March 29
While political parties in the state are gearing up for the upcoming Assembly elections and have started wooing people to vote in their favour, people are of the opinion that no political party was addressing their “genuine grievances”.

The present state Assembly would complete its six year tenure in November and the new Assembly has to be elected before November 20, 2008. Hence, all major political parties have kicked off their election campaign in the region to attract voters. While main political parties are using their old slogans like self-rule, autonomy and good governance, people say they stand a “cheated lot.”

“People of my age need employment, a source of income to earn a livelihood for our family. I have nothing to do with self-rule or autonomy. What I need is a job,” said Raman Gandotra, an engineer degree-holder in Jammu.

Adding he said, “Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad is trying to claim credit for good governance. I challenge him for saying that his governance was good when thousands of educated youth in the state are unemployed.”

“It was the PDP’s slogan during the last Assembly elections that it would provide one government job in every household. The party ruled the state for three years and for the next three it was partner in the government, but it failed to fulfil its promises,” said Imtiyaz Ahmed, a resident of central Kashmir’s Budgam district.

Residents say major issues for the local population in the upcoming Assembly elections would be the problem of unemployment, developmental issues and return of normalcy in the state.

“The National Conference says that autonomy would bring peace in the state, whereas the PDP says that only self-rule would bring peace in the state. Nobody is serious about bringing peace. These parties need to work at the ground-level to achieve peace,” said Ajay Kumar, a postgraduate student of Jammu University.

Jammu, March 29
With snow in the upper reaches starting to melt, security forces deployed on the line of control (LoC) fear that there could be a sudden rise in infiltrations from across the border.

According to official sources, the number of infiltrations from across the border could increase due to the melting of the snow as militants would try to cross over to the Indian side. Every winter due to heavy snowfall in the region there is a decline in the number of attempts by militants to cross into the Indian side. However, with the elections this year, security forces have inputs that Pakistani’s ISI would send more militants into the valley to disrupt the peaceful conduct of elections.

“Pakistani ISI would try pushing more infiltrates into the Indian side of the valley to disrupt the normal election process, as it would like to show to the international community that everything is not good in the valley,” an official source said. Adding he said, “In view of the upcoming Assembly elections, we also have inputs that there could be an escalation in militancy-related violence in the state.”

“They first identify the areas were the cross-border fence has suffered damaged due to snowfall and then they try pushing in their men from that point,” a source informed.

Sources also informed that thousands of militants who were being imparted training in the 52 active training camps across the border were ready to sneak into the Indian side.

Speaking to The Tribune, Jammu-based PRO of the ministry of defence Lt-Col. S.D. Goswami said, “The repair work of the damaged fence has already started and there is no decrease in round the clock vigil at the LoC by our men.”

Jammu, March 29
The police claims that the number of militants operating in Jammu and Kashmir had declined during the past three years. This is indicated by the fall in the number of killing of militants in operations launched by security forces.

Confirming it, director general of police (DGP) Kuldeep Khoda, said during 2007, 472 militants were killed in various parts of the state as against 581 in 2006, and 917 in 2005. He said during the past three months, about 60 militants had been killed.

Khoda said since 2002, when the coalition government took over, the number of militant killings kept on dwindling from 11,707 to 472. Senior police functionaries engaged in counter-insurgency operations said two factors had resulted in a drop in the number of militants active in the state.

First, many among them felt disillusioned with the ongoing Jehad and were scared of being eliminated by the security forces. While some of them crossed back to Pakistan, others bid farewell to the gun and yet some others surrendered. During the past five years, more than 470 militants had surrendered before the security forces.

Secondly, the fall in the level of infiltration from across the LoC also contributed to the decline in the numerical strength of militants in the state.

Police sources said during the past five years, security forces had been on the offensive with the result that there had been a marginal drop in the killing of security personnel. Last year, 122 security personnel were killed in gun, grenade and IED attacks launched by militants, while during the past three months, there had been nine casualties against over 900 between 2004 and 2005.

Srinagar, March 29
JKLF chairman Yaseen Malik today launched a photo exhibition of "Safar-e-Azadi", a 114-day long journey by his party across the valley to garner public support for its pro-freedom ideology, and said India and Pakistan should take people of Kashmir in confidence before they reach a solution over it.

Malik, who was joined by moderate Hurriyat leaders Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Shabir Ahmed Shah at the exhibition, said Kashmir was not a mere border dispute between India and Pakistan and aspirations of Kashmiris should be taken into account.

He said union and state governments had been projecting electorates' participation in elections as people's acceptance of the present political set-up which was not true. "I started Safar-e-Azadi to let the world know what are Kashmiris' aspirations," he said while showing a film showing different parts of the journey.

Malik had held the exhibition recently in New Delhi.

Srinagar, March 29
Welcoming the central government’s decision to establish one of the five newly proposed Indian Institutes of Management (IIM) in Jammu and Kashmir,the PDP today reiterated its demand for declaring the state a special educational zone (SEZ).

In a statement issued here today, a PDP spokesman said given its serene environs and pleasant weather conditions Kashmir had the immense potential of becoming a hub of modern educational facilities if premiere educational and technical institutions like IITs and IIMs were established here. “The setting up of an IIM could be the significant beginning in that direction”, he said and expressed the hope that a central university would also be established in the state soon as has already been announced by Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh. Extension and expansion of latest educational and technological facilities to the State, the spokesman said, would not only boost the skill and job prospects of the local youth, but would also contribute towards the economic prosperity of the state.

Srinagar, March 29
The PDP president and MP, Ms Mehbooba Mufti, has said the stabilisation of the political situation in Pakistan had rejuvenated the hope for peaceful and amicable settlement of the Kashmir issue with greater impetus on the Jammu and Kashmir-specific confidence building measures.

“I am confident that the new government in Pakistan would carry forward the peace process with fresh resolve to permanently end the decades-old hostilities, violence and economic deprivation in the region,” Ms Mufti said at a joint press conference with PPP co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari in Islamabad yesterday, a PDP spokesman here said.

He added that Ms Mufti had an hour-long meeting with Zardari at his house in the Pakistan capital, where she had gone to offer condolences over the tragic death of PPP chairperson Benazir Bhutto.

Earlier, at her meeting with Asif Zardari, Ms Mufti discussed in detail the confidence-building measures taken by the two governments and the need for carrying these forward in the interest of region's peace and stability. Zardari assured the PDP president that the new government in Pakistan would carry ahead the peace process with fresh resolve and determination, the PDP spokesman said.

She said the peace process started in 2002 could become a model for the rest of the world provided a fair deal was ensured to the primary stake-holders - the people of Jammu and Kashmir who have suffered the worst tragedies because of the hostilities between the two countries. She added that Jammu and Kashmir, with its unrivalled legacy of creative talent had for ages been the storehouse of knowledge and intellect for this region.

“Having been at the receiving end for centuries now, it is important that the whole region responds to our requirements and does not treat us as just another state,” she said. Ms Mufti added that Jammu and Kashmir deserved a special place in the hearts and minds of the entire region.

Udhampur, March 29
Residents of Thatri tehsil of Doda district have demanded opening of a degree college at Thatri and appointment of a gynecologist in the sub-district hospital as patients have been facing lot of hardship due to non- availability of specialist doctors.

These demands were raised at a public meeting which was organised by People’s Democratic Party (PDP) at Doda under the leadership of Sheikh Mujib Ali, district president of the party.

Speakers while addressing residents highlighted hardship being faced by them due inadequate staff in the sub-district hospital. They regretted that matter was repeatedly brought to the notice of the authorities concerned but nothing has been done so far. Seeking help of PDP leaders to solve their woes, residents pointed out that pregnant women mostly faced hardships due to non-availability of gynecologist in the local hospital. They narrated some incidents how women lost their lives during delivery due to non-availability of specialist doctors.

Youth leader Sheikh Abdul Rehman Kashmiri while highlighting problems of the residents, demanded opening of a degree college at Thatri as students of this tehsil have to cover a long distance every day to pursue higher education.

Jammu, March 29
Justice Virender Singh of the Jammu and Kashmir High Court today dismissed the revision petition directed against the judgement of Session’s Judge, Poonch, dated August 2, 2005, filed primarily with regard to acquittal earned by accused of main charge of Section 302 of the RPC, who were sentenced for lesser offences.

Advocate A.V. Gupta submitted that impugned judgement for acquittal of accused was not sustainable for the simple reason that once the trial court had returned a finding that unlawful assembly was formed by all accused and they had trespassed into the land of complainant, then each one was liable for the act of other, as such, recording the conviction of accused Inzar Ahmad only for main charge may be under Section 304-II RPC was bad on face of it.

According to counsel, even if it was said to be a case of fastening an individual’s liability, accused Inzar Ahmad had no escape from Section 302 of the RPC as he was the one who was armed with a knife and had caused a fatal blow.

Per contra, the counsel for accused supported impugned judgement and stated that there was no infirmity apparent on record. Even otherwise, the complainant had very limited right of being heard in case of acquittal earned by the accused in the state case, as the same cannot be converted into conviction.

The court while dismissing the revision petition observed that the learned trial court had rightly segregated the case of accused Inzar Ahmad with regard to the main offence so far as applicability of Section 149 of the RPC was concerned by holding that the common object of unlawful assembly in facts of present case, was not to cause death of deceased or such bodily injury, which was sufficient to cause death in ordinary course of nature, the common object was to cause hurt.

This is reason that other offences viz under Sections 326 and 324 of the RPC, the trial court had applied Section 149 of the RPC. This cannot be said to be an illegal approach apparent on record.

Srinagar, March 29
The Border Roads Organisation (BRO) in Jammu and Kashmir is working against odds in tough terrain to throw open the snow-blocked Srinagar-Leh highway linking Ladakh region to rest of the country.

The BRO personnel are assigned with the task of clearing the snow-bound stretch across Zojila along the 434-km-long Srinagar-Kargil-Leh Highway.

The highway passes through the 11,578-foot high pass Zojila, which lies on the lower depression of the Himalayan range, about 100-kilometres from Srinagar.

The southern face of the Zojila through which the road passes receives huge quantities of snow during winter, cutting off from Ladakh from rest of the country for almost six months. The area received once 60 feet of snow during this winter.

Initiating the snow-clearing task with 36 kms of road stretch from Gangangir village on February 21, the Border Roads personnel reached Zojila pass on March 21 in a record time as last year it was cleared almost up to May.

“Leh Ladakh is an important part of our country. So, we fight all odds to connect this lifeline and transport the essential commodities to that part. Casualties also take place but still we consistently try that it gets connected to us,” said B. S. Gangwar, a BRO official.

According to the border roads officials, when the work on the 434-km-long Srinagar-Kargil Highway gets started, the snow-covered stretch of the road is cleared by experienced labourers who are working in the area for over two decades. — ANI