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Land Row: Samiti Cold to Govt Moves
Land row may cast a shadow over I-Day, Rakhi
Mehbooba Mufti’s remarks flayed
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381 pilgrims leave for Amarnath
All-party meeting criticised
People find some news channels ‘biased’
Death in Army Firing at Kathua
Bandh cripples life in Kashmir valley
Yaseen Malik continues fast
Ready for separate Dogra
state, says Mirwaiz
LoC Firing
Migrant Muslims feel more ‘safe’ in Jammu
Some relief for residents
Curfew continues in Rajouri
Mufti condemns economic blockade
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Land Row: Samiti Cold to Govt Moves
Jammu, August 6 Governor N.N. Vohra recently invited the samiti leaders to visit the forestland at Baltal, but the latter did not evince any interest in his proposal. In a fresh move, the Governor has taken the resignation of all eight members of the shrine board to pave the way for its reconstitution by including eminent persons from Jammu. However, the samiti is sticking to its stand that first the land be restored and everything else would be discussed later. Talking to The Tribune, Samiti convener Leela Karan Sharma said, “We are simply not interested in the Governor's offer to visit the land at Baltal. We want to remind the Governor that we had put forth our demands before him during our meeting, but are yet to receive any reply from him.” He dubbed the exercise of reconstituting the shrine board as the “move aimed at diluting its authority.” “The shrine board is a statutory body and such moves are the agenda of PDP patron Mufti Mohammad Sayeed. It is not acceptable to us,” he added. On the Prime Minister not inviting the samiti in all-party talk over the issue, he said, “No decision can be reached without taking into confidence the people of Jammu, who have given an unprecedented support to the agitation.”
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Land row may cast a shadow over I-Day, Rakhi
Jammu, August 6 But this year round, as shops selling rakhis, kites and tricolours remain shut, these occasions may lose their colour due to the ongoing Amarnath land row. As schools remain closed, preparations for cultural and patriotic programmes on Independence Day have not taken place. According to a schoolteacher, “Generally, we start preparing students a month ahead of the Independence Day. But this time it was not possible as schools have been closed for the past many days.” Sweetshops and kite makers, who start preparing their products well ahead of the festivals, are also facing problems due to the current turmoil. The Postal Department is also closed, which gives tension to sisters, whose brothers are living outside Jammu. “I urge the government to wake up before Independence Day and Rakshabandan,” said Nisha Gupta, a university student, adding if the shutdown call and curfew were extended beyond August 8, she would not be able to send rakhi to his brother, who works with an MNC in Mumbai. Shopkeepers said production of rakhis in the state is negligible, the same was imported from outside. But with vehicular movement off the road, supply of rakhi has got affected, they added. Sweet makers also rued that they have been faced with scarcity of raw material while the kite makers, mostly from adjoining state Punjab who come to the city every year, have abundant material yet they do not have takers. “People over here are busy with the ongoing agitation and no one seems to celebrate festivals and if the government fails to solve the issue in time, we are likely to suffer heavy loses this year,” said a kite maker.
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Mehbooba Mufti’s remarks flayed
Jammu, August 6 During the August 1 all-party meeting convened by Governor N.N. Vohra here , the PDP president described the unrest across the state as an issue of “ just two-and-a-half ” districts. She said Kashmiris could wage protracted agitations, but people in Jammu being small time shopkeepers, could not withstand such campaigns for long. “By seeing such an uprising across the Jammu region, her utterances were nothing but a sheer frustration on her part,” former MLA Ashwani Sharma said. The PDP, whether in power or not, had always been representing a particular region and a particular community only, caring two hoots for other natives of the state, he added. For the first time since 1947, Jammu region had witnessed such a revolt and hitherto, Kashmir leaders had been blackmailing New Delhi but these tactics would not work anymore, he said. “She should not have forgotten that it was people of Jammu, who had elected her father Mufti Mohammed Sayeed to the Legislative Assembly from RS Pura,” veteran BJP leader Virender Gupta said. Bar Association Jammu president, Advocate BS Salathia said such remarks would further escalate protests across the region.
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381 pilgrims leave for Amarnath
Jammu, August 6 As per reports, 381 pilgrims, including 104 men, 25 women, three children and 249 sadhus, left for the shrine situated in south Kashmir in 12 vehicles, including 8 buses and 4 light motor vehicles. The yatra has witnessed an instant decline after protests rocked Jammu and Kashmir over the Amarnath land row. The yatra was flagged off from the winter capital on June 17 and will conclude on August 16 (on full moon night). —
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All-party meeting criticised
Jammu, August 6 State Morcha president Prof Virender Gupta said: “The Centre has invited the National Conference and the PDP, which are responsible for the current turmoil in the Jammu region, while turning a blind eye to the agitating outfits”. Gupta condemned PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti for “branding the agitation in Jammu as communal”.“The ongoing agitation is completely secular and is being supported by all the communities”, he added. |
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People find some news channels ‘biased’
Jammu, August 6 Talking to The Tribune, Sarwal resident Varinder Sharma said: “Certain news channels have been constantly airing news of trivial problems being faced by the people in the Kashmir valley but they didn’t bother to highlight immense hardships of the people in and across Jammu.” People here are dying and there has been acute shortage of essential commodities but these channels are more bothered about Kashmir giving little coverage to the developments in Jammu, he added. Priya, a resident in Gandhi Nagar, said: “These channels are more bothered about fate of marriages, economic blockade and shortage of essential commodities in Kashmir than killings of youths in police firing across Jammu. It’s not in the valley alone marriages have been put on hold in Jammu as well and that too for the last around 40 days.” So far over eight youths have died in the ongoing agitation but these channels either ran scrolls on their television screens or briefly mentioned about such incidents before moving on to Kashmir, she rued. Visibly annoyed by such TV channels, law student Abhinav Gupta said: “It appears that Jammu, which has nationalist people, has no takers in the media as well.” Gupta said we thought that the fourth estate would highlight things in right perspective but might be stakes of such channels were higher in the Kashmir valley. “People in Jammu have been braving the agitation from the last over a month and essential commodities have been depleting fast here as well while ATMs are empty and banks are closed but these channels did not deem it fit to report these things. For them Kashmir is more important,” he added. Shweta Malhotra of Purani Mandi said: “Like me people in Jammu know that New Delhi always tried to keep the valley in good humour but does it mean that certain news channels having big names should also become biased while covering developments in the state.” |
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Death in Army Firing at Kathua
Udhampur, August 6 News of the firing on some activists of the Shri Amarnath Yatra Sangharsh Samiti at Palli Morh in Kathua spread like wildfire in already tense Udhampur and Reasi districts. People came out in large numbers, defied curfew, and shouted slogans against the authorities for “adopting” suppressive measures to stifle voice of the nationalist forces. They shouted slogans against the authorities and demanded action against those who were involved in the killing. Similarly at Reasi, large number of people came on streets and shouted slogans against the authorities.
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Bandh cripples life in Kashmir valley
Srinagar, August 6 Gilani had called "civil curfew", claiming that he apprehended that the central government might modify its order, revoking the transfer of 800 kanals of land to the Amarnath Shrine Board during the all-party meeting in New Delhi to appease Hindu sentiments in Jammu. Protesters clashed with police and CRPF personnel at a few places. The police had to fire tear gas shells in downtown and in Baramulla, reports said, injuring 15 persons, including five cops. Kashmir-based political leaders, especially separatists, have tried to rally public sentiments by holding protests and bandh against giving any concession to the Amarnath Sangharsh Samiti, which is spearheading protests in Jammu, on the land transfer issue. Reports of attacks on Kashmiri drivers and their vehicles in Jammu division have come as a convenient issue to them, besides the random blockade of cargo vehicles plying to and from Kashmir due to the unrest in Jammu and areas in Punjab bordering it. UNI adds: A hotel, allegedly selling liquor, and a car were set on fire in south Kashmir where thousands of people today took to the streets. Official sources said thousands of people today took to the streets in Anantnag, raising anti-communal organisations and anti-government slogans. Marching through different streets peacefully, when the processionists reached near a hotel in the town, a group of people went inside and alleged that liquor was being sold. They showed liquor bottles to processionists and later set on fire the hotel, owned by a local. A car was also set on fire by the mob, they said. |
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Yaseen Malik continues fast
Srinagar, August 6 He claimed despite the tall claims by the government and the deployment of the Army in different parts of the Jammu region, particularly along the 300-km-long Srinagar-Jammu national highway, things had not improved. Malik lamented that even after the assurances from the authorities concerned, free movement of vehicles and truckloads of essential commodities was not being allowed. —
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Ready for separate Dogra
state, says Mirwaiz
Srinagar, August 6 Mirwaiz, who is called a moderate separatist in comparison to inflexible stand of Hurriyat (G) leader Syed Ali Shah Gilani, made the statement, something not even made by Gilani who says he stands for a united Jammu and Kashmir, when asked by the media to comment on the demand for a separate Jammu state. During a press conference he said his party would not object to a Dogra state in Jammu but added that the state should not include the Muslim majority districts like Doda, Kishtwar, Rajouri and Poonch, giving a communal tint to the issue. With his party being out of news in the past few weeks as he was out of the country, Mirwaiz, who returned to Kashmir midway as things heated up here, made another dramatic statement. He said his party would give a call to cross the LoC for which a date would be announced after August 15. He said Kashmir was suffering from paucity of commodities and essential items like drugs and appealed to the international community to help them. The government has, however, said there were adequate stocks of all required items and things had improved in the past few days as traffic on the Jammu-Kashmir national highway had been restored to a large extent. |
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LoC Firing
Jammu, August 6 People in various such villages, who have witnessed the hostilities between the two nations, fear that a revival of the pre-ceasefire era could again make them “sitting ducks on fire”. “The renewal in the hostilities between the two nations will be harmful for people living in these frontier areas”, Kuldeep Singh, a resident of Punjtoot village in the Akhnoor sector, said. “People in the sector have seen the worst time, when they were subjected to heavy cross-border fire, forcing them to leave their houses and lead a migrant life in Jammu”, Kuldeep said. “Before the declaration of cross-border ceasefire, the Pakistan army resorted to heavy fire. Many innocent people lost their lives and houses were destroyed”, Khushal Ram, a resident of Joria village in the Akhnoor sector, said. In the past one week, there has been a spurt in cross-border ceasefire violation and as per available reports, the Pakistan army has again attacked an Indian post in the Uri sector of Baramulla district. The Army recently termed the ceasefire violation from the Pakistani side as a “desperate attempt” of the Pakistani army to push in trained terrorists. The Army said when the Pakistani army failed to push in trained terrorists, it resorted to ceasefire violation and termed it an act of “desperation”. “We were happy that after so many years, our field was de-mined and our land was returned back to us for cultivation. But we fear that if the situation escalates, we would again be deprived of our land”, Harbans Singh, a resident of Chamb village, said.
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Migrant Muslims feel more ‘safe’ in Jammu
Jammu, August 6 The separatists in the Kashmir valley have been making hue and cry over the rumours that Muslims in Jammu were being targeted by the “Hindu extremists”. However, Muslims living in Jammu say no such incident has taken place. A large number of Kashmiri Muslims along with Kashmiri Pandits migrated to Jammu when armed insurgency erupted in the Kashmir valley 18 years ago. “There is no question of leaving Jammu. Nobody has attacked us. These are rumours being spread by some vested interests. Jammu has been a perfect example of communal harmony. We were offered refuge when our own people in Kashmir disowned us”, Abdul Hameed, a Kashmir migrant, said. Abdul said: “All Kashmiri Muslims who migrated to Jammu were against armed insurgency in the valley. We protested against the exodus of Kashmiri Pandits. However, the extremists started targeting us”. Meanwhile, migrant Muslims living in Jammu, blame politicians for the ongoing turmoil in the state. “These politicians divided the valley on communal lines and now they are trying to make a divide in Jammu on a similar lines”, Ghulam Qadir, a resident Gujjar Nagar in Jammu, said. Ghulam along with his family had migrated to Jammu from Bandipore 18 years ago. He said: “We won’t allow them Many migrant Muslims said they wanted to remain neutral on the issue of forest land as people’s religious sentiments were attached to it. “There is no harm in giving land to the shrine board when the annual yatra provides livelihood to a large section of the Kashmiri population. However, we want to maintain a neutral stand on the issue”, Abdul Rashid, another Kashmiri migrant, said. Other migrant Muslims also said there was no question of leaving Jammu in wake of the ongoing agitation. “Our people are supporting the ongoing agitation. It is not only against the revocation of forest land transfer, but has also turned into a mass uprising. Our region has faced discrimination since the past 60 years”, Majid Meraj, a postgraduate student of Jammu
University, said. |
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Some relief for residents
Jammu, August 6 There was relaxation in curfew for a few hours and people wanted to make most of this time period before their freedom was curbed and restriction reimposed. Inside mohallas of old city, people were glued to radios, television sets and newspapers. Apprehensions and rumours were on rife as they believed that dearth of essential commodities would intensify in the days to come and the administration would take more rigorous steps to “teach them a lesson.” Some pledge not to give in before the administration and exhort others to muster courage to ‘fight against injustice and discrimination’. Apart from children, the emergent situation was a unique experience for all other people who did not witness such a “mass revolt against Kashmir-based secessionist and separatist politics before.” Meanwhile, retail price shopkeepers of upper Panjtirthi alleged that in the face of scarcity of household goods, the police was not allowing them to buy stock from wholesalers during relaxation in curfew. “Today the administration had lifted curfew from 5 am to 8 am but while we were purchasing goods at Kanak Mandi, the police forcibly pulled down the shutters at 6 am and chased us away,” they alleged. They further alleged that they were even deprived of newspapers. “We are not getting national dailies for the past couple of days, while vendors have been denied by the security forces to deliver papers” they said. |
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Curfew continues in Rajouri
Rajouri, August 6 Sources in the district administration said the curfew might be relaxed after leaders of the two communities agreed to bring peace in the town. With the curfew in place for the fourth day without any relaxation, most households here are running short of essential commodities including food and medicines. The worst affected are women and children who have been forced to stay indoors even as men continue to assemble in the lanes and bylanes for discussions on various issues. "We are facing an acute shortage of eatables at home. Since the curfew has been in place for the past four days without relaxation we are not able to buy eatables ", said Ajaz Ahmed, a resident. The patients too are suffering due to the non-availability of medicine. "My son has been running viral fever for the past two days. I wished to shift him to hospital but since I didn't have a curfew pass, I couldn't do so. I tried to get medicines for him but even the medical shops are not open", said Kutub Din, a labourer from Bihar. I will request policemen to get the medicine for my son or he will die", he added. Repeated attempts to contact senior district officers proved futile. |
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Mufti condemns economic blockade
Srinagar, August 6 “Following the footsteps of vicious communal elements in Jammu, the reported enforcement of the anti-Kashmir economic blockade by the BJP functionaries, now even in some parts of Punjab, has started pushing Kashmir towards absolute physical and economic isolation, perhaps for the first time since Independence”, Mufti said here today. Mufti, who met Governor N.N. Vohra here yesterday, has offered his party’s support and cooperation in bringing back normalcy into the valley. The PDP patron said: “Non-availability of material has brought development works in the state to a grinding halt. Industries face shutdown, drugs and other essential items have become scarce and exportable goods from Kashmir, including fruit and vegetables are perishing, because of the continued economic blockade”. Mufti said the situation was no different in other parts of the Jammu province as people there had been subjected to a similar economic dispossession. Terming the situation due to the economic blockade as unprecedented, Mufti said even during the worst circumstances, including natural calamities and wars, the administration and the Army had never allowed destabilisation of supplies to any part of the state. “It is, perhaps, for the first time that a planned economic blockade was being enforced and facilitated against the people of Kashmir in such an organised manner”, he said. Seeking the Centre’s intervention, across the divide, in ending the economic blockade, Mufti said such actions by some elements could cause a great setback to the region. He expressed the hope that leaders like Atal Behari Vajpayee and L.K. Advani would break their silence over the issue and rein in the divisive forces before it was late for anybody to recoup the fast deteriorating situation”, he said. |
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