Srinagar, May 5
The PDP president, Ms Mehbooba Mufti, called on Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh in New Delhi today to discuss with him the broader contours of the party’s self-rule proposal.

Elucidating on various aspects of the self-rule document, Ms Mufti told Dr Singh that it encompassed practical proposals for the resolution of the political, economic, internal and external dimensions of the issue of Jammu and Kashmir that could constitute the fundamentals of a comprehensive resolution package in tune with the global and ground realities. She said her party’s self-rule proposal offered an inclusive solution that not only adequately accommodated the just concerns of all the regions and sub-regions of the state, but that of India and Pakistan as well, a PDP spokesman stated here.

Urging for tangible action on his recent assertion of making Jammu and Kashmir a bridge of cooperation between India and Pakistan, Ms Mufti told the Prime Minister that the people of Jammu and Kashmir had huge stakes in the consolidation and success of the peace and reconciliation process and they should not feel let down. “There are various quarters who are trying tooth and nail to sabotage the confidence-building process in Jammu and Kashmir, but the country’s political leadership has the onerous responsibility of vetoing the designs of the vested interests and give the much-needed final push to the peace process,” she told the PM.

The PDP president also urged upon the PM for simultaneous movement forward on the internal and cross-LoC confidence-building measures to consolidate the gains of the peace process.

The Prime Minister assured Ms Mufti while the Union Government would work with renewed focus towards the implementation of the recommendations of the working groups, the issue of increased cross-LoC cooperation through exchange of people, ideas and goods in Jammu and Kashmir would remain central to the discussions with Pakistan during the upcoming foreign secretary-level talks between the two countries.

Jammu, May 5
With jihadis operating at will and striking wherever they want to, Pakistan today stands at crossroads and the coalition government will have to take tough decisions to bring the country out of the prevailing morass, said Lt-Gen R.K. Karwal, GOC, 16 Corps, here today.

Addressing a two-day seminar on 'Pakistan: Past, Present and Future' organised by the Centre for Strategic and Regional Studies and Army's 16 Corps at Jammu University, Lt-Gen Karwal said Pakistan was grappling with various conflicts - liberal or radical, orthodox or modern, religion or progress and provincial disputes to name a few. On Army's role in the neighbouring country, he said the Army stepped in due to weak democratic institutions there. "Nations have the armies, but in Pakistan, the army has the nation," is how he described the clout of the Army there. He said the Pakistani army today was facing difficult times due to its commitment to internal security duties, the North West Frontier Province and eastern borders. On Pak's future, he said it would continue to move forward as long as its army was cohesive.

Prof Uma Singh said: "Pakistan is precariously placed. It is collapsing within and spinning out of control." She said Pakistan had no expertise in any form of government. She felt that Pakistan would not change much in future. She, however, saw a more vibrant civil society in Pakistan, which was critical of the army, in the recent elections and also a larger degree of freedom to the media. She opined that Pakistan today was facing challenges of monumental magnitude. On Indo-Pak relations, she said people-to- people contact and academic exchange programmes had brought about a healthy change in the bilateral ties and there had also been a talk of visa-free Asia. She said there was a real desire in the civil society in both the countries to shed the baggage of the past and look towards future.

Sona Khan, a legal luminary from the Supreme Court, said only the constitution framed in 1956 in Pakistan had a good chapter on fundamental rights while post-1962 attempts to provide fundamental rights to the citizens were only half-hearted.

Speaking on Pak military, Lt-Gen Raghavan (retd) said whoseover wanted to be in power in Pakistan must have an understanding with the army. He said the army would continue to remain a kingmaker in Pakistan.

Srinagar, May 5
A day after Congress MP from Jammu Madan Lal Sharma accused Speaker Tara Chand and former state Congress chief Peerzada Sayeed of their involvement in the infamous sex scandal and hinted that he had approached Congress president Sonia Gandhi and CM Ghulam Nabi Azad on this issue, the government today denied the charges.

The allegations are “utterly baseless, false and without any foundation,” an official spokesperson said. He said there was no question of the MP having approached the Chief Minister or the UPA chairperson on this issue or the government trying to protect any accused in the scandal.

At a rally in Jammu, Sharma said he knew about the involvement of people like Tara Chand and Sayeed and how they were let off. If given tickets again to fight coming elections, people would reject them, Congress MP said in the rally.

The spokesman said the government wanted a fair probe into the scandal and handed it over to the CBI. If they intended to protect the accused, then the state government would have carried out the investigations on its own and not referred the case to the CBI, he said.

Jammu, May 5
The BJP today accused the Congress of shielding certain leaders of the Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC), who were allegedly involved in the Kashmir sex scandal which rocked the state in October, 2007.

Addressing mediapersons here today, state BJP chief Ashok Khajuria said the revelations of Congress MP Madan Lal Sharma against state legislative Assembly Speaker Tara Chand and former PCC president Peerzada Mohammed Sayeed exposed the real face of the Congress.

It may be mentioned that while addressing a rally in Khour yesterday, Sharma had reportedly said that Tara Chand and Peerzada, who were named in the infamous Kashmir sex scandal, got away with it.

“UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi owes a moral responsibility,” Khajuria said.

He said the Congress-led coalition government in the state had not only encouraged corruption but had also promoted immoral activities.

“What else Sonia Gandhi needs when her party MP Sharma had named them (Tara Chand and Peerzada) in a public rally yesterday,” he added.

Sharma had also said that if both (Tara Chand and Peerzada) were given the party tickets for the upcoming polls, then it would spell doom for the people.

However, Khajuria also accused Sharma for his suspicious role in the scam saying that several other politicians of the Peoples’ Democratic Party and the Peoples’ Democratic Front were also involved.

Demanding an immediate explanation from Sonia Gandhi, Khajuria said the state government should be immediately dismissed and criminal proceedings should also be initiated as per law against Peerzada and Tara Chand.

Names of senior ministers, top police officials and bureaucrats had purportedly surfaced in a CBI probe.

Udhampur, May 5
Tension gripped Udhampur town as some unidentified persons stabbed Aftab Ahmed Chandel, main accused in the infamous Meenakshi kidnapping case, in full pubic view today.

The incident took place in front of the TB Hospital on the Jammu-Srinagar national highway. The attackers allegedly brutally stabbed Aftab and tried to chop off his arms and legs.

The stabbing incident has flared up tension in the town.

“It is premature to say who were responsible for the attack. The police is investigating the case”, Alok Puri, DIG, Udhampur-Reasi zone said. He said the police had already questioned some persons in this regard.

Eyewitnesses said, “Aftab Ahmed was walking on the highway when some youths threw powder in his eyes and stabbed him with sharp-edged weapons.”

They severely attacked Aftab with the aim to chop off his arms, they added. Later, the attackers ran away from the site.

Some passersby informed the police about the incident. Aftab was immediately taken to the Udhampur hospital from where he was referred to the Government Medical College Hospital.

It is worthwhile to mention that a teenaged girl, Meenakshi, was allegedly kidnapped by Aftab Ahmed along with two other accused on February 9, 2001. Her kidnapping had set off a wave of violent protests not only in Udhampur but also in Jammu.

Aftab Ahmed is a government employee.

Jammu, May 5
With 33 per cent reservation in Parliament still a dream for the fair sex, psyche of the coalition government too gets reflected in the ‘headless’ Jammu and Kashmir State Commission for Women (JKSCW).

Five years on the JKSCW still remains on life support system in absence of a chairperson and members exposing tall claims of the coalition government about women empowerment.

Official sources said after first ever chairperson Girija Dhar was “forced” to resign in January 2003, the coalition government did not deem it fit to fill the vacant post, thereby, defeating JKSCW’s purpose.

“We desperately need a chairperson and two members, but the government so far has not paid any heed,” the sources said.

Promulgated under an Act in 1999, the JKSCW was formed by the erstwhile National Conference regime and Dhar was appointed as first ever chairperson in 2000.

However, after the PDP-Congress took over the reigns in 2002, Dhar was forced to resign in January 2003, as she had been constantly demanding requisite infrastructure and adequate staff for smooth functioning of the JKSCW.

A senior official of the General Administration Department (GAD) said stung by sharp criticism, the coalition government eventually appointed a civil servant Hafiza Muzzaffar as secretary of the JKSCW in January 2006.

“Though she has been doing a commendable job solving 210 cases in the last two years but the Act says that only chairperson and two members should take up cases related to women in distress,” he added.

The JKSCW as of today neither has a chairperson nor members. It continues to be on crutches having executive consultative committees of 20 members each for the state.

It may sound bizarre but the JKSCW has just two staff members, besides two peons and a personal assistant to secretary Hafiza Muzaffar.

In the militancy-affected state where the Domestic Violence Act still has not seen the light of the day and where crime against women goes on in remote areas, the JKSCW has been confined to two rented accommodations in the state.

The sources said considering miserable plight of women in the state, the government should have opened branches of the JKSCW in all 22 districts, adding that victims with a hope to get justice come to the JKSCW’s rented accommodation here from places as far as Poonch, Rajouri and Doda.

They said not only official apathy, but the special status of the state has also robbed the JKSCW of financial help from the National Commission for Women (NCW). Because of the special status under Article 370, we have a separate Act compared to the one implemented in other states of the country and, hence, the NCW expressed its inability to dole out funds to us, they added.

Srinagar, May 5
Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad has said the coming Assembly elections in the state would be “free and fair” and nobody would have any apprehension on this count.

He was talking to mediapersons today after opening of the civil secretariat, following the biennial move of offices. Azad took potshots at those alleging likelihood of rigging the elections and said they were apprehensive of poor results in the elections and were looking for excuses.

Azad said the byelection held during his regime was fair and did not invite any serious allegations. He warned officials not to be involved in any electoral malpractice or they would be dismissed.

He, however, declined to comment over the allegations made by party MP Madan Lal Sharma in Jammu yesterday, that Assembly speaker Tara Chand and former president of the state Congress, Peerzada Sayeed, were involved in the sex scandal. An official spokesperson later issued a denial.

Azad asked his opponents to fight elections on the strength of their policies and performance and said he was against personal attacks on opponents by political leaders to score a point.

He said during the past five-and-a-half years, the coalition government in the state had created an atmosphere of peace and progress and hoped that it would further be strengthened during the next six months before the elections were held. He said the situation in the past six years had vastly improved and there were fewer cases of human rights violations. He said incidents of custodial deaths had reduced to near zero-level, while there was no case of custodial disappearance for the past about two years. He said men and women moved freely now and carried on with their normal activities.

The state secretariat will not function from here for six months and will move to Jammu in November as is the annual practise.

Srinagar, May 5
Possibilities are being explored to start helicopter services from next month to Bungus area, which can be a tourist destination in Kupwara district of north Kashmir.

This was disclosed by the Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad, while inaugurating the 203-m Mughalpora bridge in the district today.

The bridge constructed at a cost of Rs 6.50 crore over the Kahmil nullah is the longest bridge in Kupwara district, having a width of 6 m, including wheel guards on either side. The bridge would connect Vilgam, Mughalpora, Gushi, Hutmullah, Nagri and Magam with Kupwara town and benefit about 30,000 persons. It would also serve as an additional road link to Handwara.

He said the government was making strenuous efforts to improve road connectivity in the state, particularly in remote and far-flung areas.

Azad said several bridges under construction in the district would soon be completed and work was apace on various road projects.

Azad also inaugurated a new block of the district hospital, Handwara, in Kupwara district which had been constructed by the JKPCC at a cost of Rs 3.50 crore.

The day started with a guard of honour on the opening day of the Civil Secretariat in the summer capital here today. He also inaugurated the renovated dispensary in the civil secretariat premises.

Hill Kaka-Surankote, May 5
They fear for their lives because they stood shoulder-to-shoulder with the Army to abolish the rein of terror that was being unleashed by various hardcore militants operative in the area.

Residents of this infamous area, known for Army’s operation Sarap Vinash launched to eliminate around 150 militants active in the area in 2003, are now a worried lot as they fear that their role in helping the Army to eliminate the ‘terrorists’ would have serious repercussion on them as the Army slowly phasing out its strength from the area.

The residents, who played a vital role in making this military expedition a success, were now accusing the Indian government of playing ‘use and throw policy’ with them by re-locating troops.

The residents here fear that as they moved shoulder-to-shoulder with the Army in operation Sarap Vanash to fight militants from the front and now that the Army is moving from the area, they will become sitting ducks on fire, as the militants will easily target them.

In January 2003, the Army launched the operation in this area after it came to know about the presence of around 350 terrorists. The inputs had suggested that there were around 350 terrorists present in the area, majority of who belonged to Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Toiba militant outfit.

The militants had been ruling the area and forcing the nomadic population here to follow their diktat out of fear or other considerations.

However, five years down the lane, the locals who helped the Army in achieving success in the operation, were now accusing the government for relocating troops from the area and leaving them to the mercy of the militants.

They further alleged that even as militant threat still looms large, the Indian government has moved out almost an entire company of troops from the area they fought hard to liberate from militant’s occupation.

“Even as we risked our lives during the operation Sarap Vanash, it gives us immense satisfaction that it was a success and the militants were flushed out from our land. But what pains us the most is that the Indian government indulged in the use and throw policy with us and have moved out most of the troops from here”, said a local VDC member asking not to be named for the fear that militants may kill him.

Reliable intelligence sources revealed that the Army has moved out almost a full company of the troops of the Surankote-based 16 RR from here.

The sources further said apprehensions of the locals were justified since less number of troops were present in the area.

Srinagar, May 5
About 1,000 government employees under the banner of the Joint Employees Action Committee, managed to break into the security corridor outside the civil secretariat, when they dashed towards it to pressurise the government to accede to their demands.

The police lathicharged them and threw water cannons to disperse the employees. About 40 persons were injured, while 20 of them were rounded up for breaking Section 144 of the CrPC, imposed by the police to prevent the gathering.

The committee leaders said increase in retirement age from 58 to 60 years, implementation of the sixth pay commission recommendations and regularisation of adhoc employees were their main demands.

The employees also demanded that the government should scrap the rule which stated that only those employees who had served for at least 33 years would be eligible for pension. “The maximum age for joining a government job is 37 years and the retirement age is 58 years, then how can one be eligible for pension,” they rued.

Meanwhile, work was affected in government offices as there was thin attendance in the offices.

Jammu, May 5
As a measure to create a stress free working environment among various ranks in the Army, the Army has initiated a process of interaction between top officers and the jawans.

The interaction being held at the unit helps the jawans to take up their “genuine grievances” with top officers who in turn help to redress their problems.

The General Officer in Command of the Jammu-based Tiger Division, Major General D.L. Chowdhary, today met the jawans during a special sainik sammelan at the Sunjuwan Military Station.

“The aim of the sammelan was to let the jawans who perform most of the ground duties to interact with their top officers. This would not only help boost up their morale but would also help de-stress them,” an Army spokesman said.

The General, while interacting with the officers and jawans, exhorted commanders at all levels to create a stress free working environment of relaxed efficiency.

He said Army officers at higher-levels had taken various measures to de-stress the jawans and officers working in hostile places like Jammu and Kashmir.

While stressing on achieving the highest degree of operational efficiency, he said constant brainstorming, refinement and war game plans should be undertaken for the purpose.

He stressed the officers, JCOs and Ors of the military station to improve their functional efficiency so that they were better trained to undertake any task and defend the honour, integrity and sovereignty of the nation.

“While on the one hand we have to ruthlessly crush terrorists, on the other hand, it’s our duty to safeguard the interests of our countrymen,” Gen Chowdhary said.

The Army has long been worried about the growing stress among various ranks of the Army. The Army in the recent past has lost many of its jawans and officers to incidents of suicide and fratricides.

“While stress amongst soldiers is related to domestic problems, there are various operational stresses that the Army authorities cannot ignore,” an Army officer said on the condition of anonymity.

Srinagar, May 5
The police and other security agencies were fully geared up to meet the challenges ahead, DGP Kuldeep Khoda said today.

The security forces and the police were ready to meet any challenge, Khoda said here after inspecting various moving police establishments, including police headquarters (PHQ) which re-opened following the biannual darbar move to the summer capital.

He said besides normal policing and counter insurgency operations, the police and security forces in the state would have to ensure smooth conduct of Assembly elections, annual Amarnath pilgrimage, Independence Day and other important celebrations.

However, he said due to concerted efforts and synergy, the Amarnath yatra had remained by and large peaceful during the past several years. — UNI

Jammu, May 5
Ghulam Hassan Mir, an MLA and former minister, will float the Jammu Kashmir Democratic Party (JKDP) in Srinagar on May 7. Mir had initially planned to float the JKDP and the Third Front simultaneously but when he found that it would take more time for the Third Front to assume shape, he decided to go ahead with laying the foundation for his party.

Mir, who had met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in Delhi on May 3, has dissociated with the PDP demand for introducing dual currency in Jammu and Kashmir. In reply to a question, Mir said: “I did not discuss dual currency with the Prime Minister because I have nothing to do with the issue.” He explained that the dual currency did not form part of the self-rule for which a document has been prepared.

However, PDP general secretary Nizam-ud-Din Bhatt said dual currency was part of the economic component of self-rule. Ghulam Hassan Mir said the constitution of the JKDP would lay emphasis on economic empowerment of people of the state. It also lays stress on self-reliance. “I want Jammu and Kashmir to be a producing instead of consumer state,” he said.

In reply to a question Mir said for the time being an executive committee would be set up and after some time the party would appoint other office bearers.

Jammu, May 5
Industrialists and owners of commercial units have expressed deep concern with the grim power scenario in the state. Frequent blackouts during peak working hours have been adversely affecting their business prospects as cost of production and running business units have increased manifolds. Besides the grim power scenario, fat power bills are also adding to their miseries.

“If the power situation worsens during the summer season further, we will suffer huge losses,” Satish Gupta, owner of a commercial unit in city market said.

“We are spending huge power bills to run our business establishments yet we are not receiving adequate and uninterrupted power supply during peak hours,” he added.

A large number of industrialists in Bari Brahmana Industrial estate in their fresh plea have asked the state government to improve the power situation and reduce irregular curtailments especially during peak hours.

Each day the industrial units and main city markets have to bear four to eight hours curtailment forcing them to rely on power back up and generator sets to run their business establishments. These units on an average consume 25 per cent of the total power supply as compared to 40 per cent by the domestic consumers. The state is facing acute power shortage due to widening gap between demand and supply.

Against a total requirement of 1,400 MW at peak load, the state normally receives 950-1,000 MW from all sources, including the Central power sector.

The PDD Department had introduced several measures to improve the power situation but increase in peak load and decline in power generation is causing lot of problems, said a senior PDD official. Poor revenue realisation is another factor, which is affecting power purchasing capacity of the state. Already the union power ministry has served stern warning to the state government to clear its power dues worth Rs 644 crore or face action.

“We appeal to the senior PDD officials to adopt corrective measures and enforce discipline in the PDD Department so that we get uninterrupted power supply,” industrialist Pawan Kumar said.

Ram Sahai, president of the Chambers of Commerce and Industry, has also urged the PDD Department to provide uninterrupted power to the industrialists so that they can run their business establishments and production units without suffering huge loses and losing their clientele.

Jammu, May 5
Tardy implementation of the Prime Minister’s economic package announced by Dr Manmohan Singh in November 2004, has not brought about a discernible change in the development scenario in the state.

Official sources admitted that from the Prime Minister's package of over Rs 24,000 crore, an amount of over Rs 3,200 crore had been spent so far, which indicated that not more than 10 per cent of the outlays had been fully utilised. Leader of the Panthers’ Party in the state Assembly, Harsh Dev Singh recently said the Centre had sanctioned Rs 2,622 crore for upgradation of sewage and drainage for greater Jammu and greater Srinagar and for augmenting water supply in Jammu. “But till the end of last year, not a single penny has been spent,” he added.

He said Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad had said in the Assembly that he managed to get Rs 5,000 crore from the Centre for various development projects, but till the end of last year, the state authorities spent only Rs 100 crore.

Meanwhile, a government report has indicated that under the Central package, electrification of all villages was to be completed by 2007 at a cost of Rs 700 crore but till the end of November 2007, not a single penny had been spent on the projects. For upgrading the two medical colleges, the Centre sanctioned Rs 240 crore and till the end of November 2007, only Rs 15 crore were spent on surveys and land acquisition. The state government had not been able to pool funds for the construction of health centre buildings through external assistance. Under the PM's reconstruction programme, Rs 31.5 crore had been earmarked for setting up 50 tourist villages, and so far not more than Rs 3 crore had been spent.

For conservation of the Dal Lake and the Mansar lake, over Rs 316 crore had been sanctioned. Out of this, Rs 85 crore had been spent on the development of the Dal Lake and not a single penny was spent on the conservation of the Mansar lake.