 |
|
Lakhs turn up at Eidgah
Protesters torch truck, attack police station
The Army stages a flag march in Jammu on Friday following the upsurge in protests. Tribune photo: Anand Sharma |
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Land row: NC in catch-22 situation
Cong misleading nation on land row stir: BJP
Using
Tricolour to counter
anti-national voices
Poll preparation in full swing
Cong Remarks on Jammu Stir
Pahalgam Master Plan
Firing From Across LoC
People power: Standing up for ‘justice’
Bandh plays spoilsport to Janmashtami
10 hurt in tear gas shelling
Agitations hit PO accounts
‘Agitation is for justice’
Army honours war widows
Bhim Singh ends valley visit
Huge cache of arms seized
|
|
Lakhs turn up at Eidgah
Srinagar, August 22 To cap it call, Syed Ali Shah Geelani developed "health complications", forcing him to leave midway. Over half of the crowd running into a few lakhs had left before him. Mirwaiz Umar Farooq tried his best to discipline the raucous crowd and managed to speak briefly, but nobody except his ardent supporters seemed interested in listening to him. "We came to pay the collective namaz and to show our solidarity with the movement. The leaders have nothing new to say," Ashraf Rahi, a student , told The Tribune, very much summing up the mood. The azadi sentiment running across the valley is so strong these days that it ensured that all traffic in Kashmir moved to Eidgah today. The actual strength of the crowd would be difficult to estimate, but it was in lakhs. Many said it was bigger than the August 18 rally in the TRC ground here, partly because of the religious factor as separatists asked Muslims to offer a collective namaz in Eidgah. There was hardly any attendance in mosques of Srinagar as everybody appeared to be here. However, not many seemed interested in hearing the galaxy of separatist leaders who had converged today. Many said there was a war of sloganeering between supporters of Geelani and Mirwaiz. So much of chaos took over that many youths mounted the dais, forcing leaders to be taken to safety. In between, Geelani complained of breathing problems and was taken away to his residence. The slogans chanted by people were less aggressive today and there were fewer Pakistani flags. It was a result of the decision of the coordination Committee, which is spearheading the protests, to play down Pakistani and extremist rhetoric. The internal discord, which has always been a bane for separatists, has flared up among secessionists after Geelani made claims of being the "sole leader of the azadi movement" on August 18. His assertions that "Kashmir is Pakistan" also did not go down well with more inclusive leaders like Yaseen Malik and Mirwaiz. Geelani had quickly apologised, but the damage has evidently been done.
|
|
|
Protesters torch truck, attack police station
Jammu, August 22 Trouble broke out after the protesters’ demanded the release of two persons, who were arrested for allegedly pelting stones at trucks plying on the national highway. Angry protesters converged on the police station and raised slogans, while demanding the duo’s release. However, the police reportedly released one of them, while the other accused was not let off. Irked over this, protesters set a truck on fire, parked on the premises. The protesters also pelted stones at the police station. Sensing trouble, the police resorted to cane-charge and fired tear gas shells to disperse the mob. About 10 persons were injured in the incident. Later, the district administration imposed a curfew in the town. The Army, which was called out to control the situation, also staged a flag march in the town. It may be mentioned here that the state administration has been making efforts to ensure that traffic was not disrupted on the national highway from Lakhanpur to Srinagar. The Army was also pressed into service to ensure that traffic was not disrupted on the highway. Meanwhile, protest demonstrations continued unabated in the winter capital for the 54th consecutive day. The agitators took out huge protest rallies in Gangyal, Satwari, Bishnah, Bakhshi Nagar, R.S. Pura, Miran Sahib and Trikuta Nagar areas and burnt an effigy of the Central government. The curfew was relaxed from 5 am to 9 pm in the entire district. However, the night curfew continued in Jammu and Udhampur districts as a precautionary measure. Guv's panel to hold talks with Samiti today The four-member panel constituted by Governor N.N. Vohra to resolve the Amarnath land row will hold talks with the Amarnath Yatra Sangharsh Samiti at the Circuit House in Jammu. The Samiti has also named four members who will represent it in the dialogue process with the state government. The Governor’s panel comprises his adviser S.S. Bloeria, principal secretary B.B. Vyas, Jammu University vice-chancellor Prof Amitabh Matto and retired High Court Judge G.D. Sharma.
|
|
Land row: NC in catch-22 situation
Jammu, August 22 Going by the people’s mood, local Congress leaders joined the agitation before it proved to be disastrous for them. But the NC, so far, has not come to the fore for ‘obvious’ reasons. A Jammu-based NC leader said: “Since the BJP and the RSS are behind the agitation being spearheaded by the Amarnath Yatra Sangharsh Samiti, party leaders are not aloof”. However, sources in the NC admitted that Jammu-based party leaders were caught in a catch-22 situation because the party had major stakes in the Kashmir valley and could not afford to annoy its Kashmiri vote bank at the cost of Jammu. Sources said the party’s tilt towards the valley had forced Jammu-based leaders to maintain silence until the land row issue did not settle down. “We all know that the PDP had been party to the Cabinet decision wherein 39 hectares of land was diverted to the Shri Amarnath Shrine Board. Then the PDP withdrew its support to the Congress-led coalition government setting ablaze the state,” another party leader said on the condition of anonymity. He further said: “When the valley was witnessing protest demonstrations, former chief minister Ghulam Nabi Azad should have pondered over the issue, while rescinding the controversial order before resigning”. He said Azad could have resigned without rescinding the order on the ground that a government reduced into a minority had no constitutional authority to revoke the same order. By doing so he would have avoided the present impasse, he said. Sources said the NC topnotch with their acts had also tightened the noose around Jammu-based party leaders. In the first instance, the NC was nowhere in the picture, but we were unnecessarily dragged into it by the PDP, they said.
|
|
Cong misleading nation on land row stir: BJP
Jammu, August 22 Addressing a press conference here today, state BJP vice-president and spokesperson Hari Om said: "We have been stating this right from the beginning that the ongoing agitation is that of the people of Jammu and we are fully supporting it as a constituent of the samiti." He accused the Congress of misleading the entire nation on the nature of the ongoing movement in Jammu. "Congress leaders like Veerappa Moiley and Jayanti Natrajan are saying that the agitation is being run by the BJP and the RSS, which is not true," he said. Lashing out at the arch rival Congress, he said the Congress must not forget that it has played the "most dubious role" in the entire controversy. "It was the Congress-led government that gave its nod to the land diversion to Shri Amarnath Shrine Board and then again the Congress was the one to revoke the order," he added. Referring to the attack on senior Congress leader and former Deputy Chief Minister Mangat Ram Sharma yesterday, he said: "It shows what the people think about the Congress here." Prof Hari Om said the opening of the Uri-Muzaffarabad route for trade would have disastrous consequences not only for Jammu but also the entire country. With the opening of this route Jammu would lose inter-state business while New Delhi would lose its importance in Kashmir. "Demands like these reflect the anti-India mindset of the separatists," he said. He alleged that the Centre was not interested in resolving the Amarnath land row and was instead keen on holding a dialogue with separatists by sending a delegation comprising the likes of noted lawyer Ram Jethmalani and journalist Prem Shankar Jha. |
|
Using
Tricolour to counter
anti-national voices
Jammu, August 22 The extent of patriotic fervour in the entire region can be gauged from the fact that the stock of the Tricolour has completely exhausted. Now, people are thronging tailor shops for stitched flags. Though the Independence Day celebrations are just over, most of the shops and khadi bhandars are short of Tricolour. Even small polythene flags, which are popular with toddlers and schoolchildren, are also not available in the market. “The ongoing land row and anti-national remarks pouring in from a particular section of the chauvinist Kashmiri leadership has brought the entire Jammu region under the shade of the Tricolour," said a university teacher. “The Tricolour is the prime source of our strength, it inspires us to fight against secessionists who are hell bent upon balkanization of country by bringing a bad name to their community every where in India," said, a college goer, seeking anonymity. The Tricolour reminded us not to communalise the movement, he said and added that unfortunately some “agents of ISI” with malicious intentions are trying to communalise the agitation to project that Muslims were victims of discrimination in the state. However, shopkeepers dealing in Tricolour maintain that the current year marked a record sale of flags in the region. “Our stock nearly exhausted long before Independence Day. But owing to continuous shutdown and unprecedented increase in the sale of national flags, we were unprepared and therefore could not import substantial stocks,” said a shopkeeper in Pacca Danga. People from far-off areas like Rajouri and Poonch have also come to purchase flags. “For the past over 20 days, we have stitched dozens of tricolours of different size,” said tailor Satinder Singh at Kachi Chawni.
|
|
|
Poll preparation in full swing
Jammu, August 22 Official sources said though in the backdrop of protracted turmoil, possibilities of holding elections in October certainly look bleak yet Election Commission of India
(ECI) had asked the election authorities here to remain in a state of preparedness. Chief electoral officer (CEO) B.R. Sharma said, “Despite prevailing unrest, poll preparations are in full swing. Though the process of preparing elector’s photo identity cards
(EPICs) has slowed down a bit, we are hopeful of completing remaining
EPICs.” Out of 47 lakh EPIC forms distributed to the electors across the state we have already received 28 lakh and the process of preparing EPIC has already been started, said Sharma. The CEO further said the remaining EPICs would also be prepared by the time elections were held. Over 10,000 electronic voting machines
(EVMs) have also been test checked for the coming polls, he added. He informed that the state had 64,81,143 electors and the list was revised and published in February this year. Last week ECI had reviewed poll preparations with the CEO on the status of electoral rolls, EPICs and law and order situation in the state. However, it has been reliably learnt that going by the prevailing circumstances in the state, elections may be deferred till March. Sources in the Congress said the UPA government was least interested to hold elections in October, adding that first it wants to see the tempers cool down in both the regions, especially in Jammu region where party has major stakes. The BJP, however, altogether had a different take on the issue and sees no reason to delay elections. The political pundits felt that at this juncture when there has been a strong resentment among the people against mainstream political parties the UPA, which has a tacit understanding with the NC and the PDP, would not like to walk on razor’s edge and hold elections in October. “Further, the constitution has a provision wherein after six months of the Governor’s Rule, Centre could go for the President’s Rule for another six months,” they said. Going by the prevailing situation the UPA would not like to hold elections till complete normalcy is restored, they added. It may be recalled here that during early 90s the strife-torn state had remained under the President’s Rule for six long years. |
|
|
March held in Udhampur
Tribune News Service
Udhampur, August 22 Although local Congress leaders, including councillors and panchayat members have been actively participating in the stir launched by the Amarnath Yatra Sangharsh Samiti, processionists today targeted UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi for her failure to keep a check on the "utterances" of party spokespersons. Infuriated over the recent statements of Congress spokespersons, samiti activists today took out a procession here, shouting slogans against the party, with local Congress leaders accompanying them looking helpless. While Congress spokesperson Manish Tiwari had compared the Jammu agitation with that of the secessionistx stir of the Hurriyat Conference, another party spokesperson Jayanti Natrajan has termed the Jammu movement as a non-issue based on falsehood and lies. Amidst the shouting of anti-central government slogans, people asked local Congress leaders either to properly guide their high command or resign from the party. Leaders of the Sangharsh Samiti regretted that the Congress leadership in New Delhi was not aware of the on-going stir. Udhampur town witnessed a massive demonstration in support of the demands of the Amarnath Yatra Sangharsh Samiti. Tension flared up in the town when some miscreants, riding two wheelers, pelted stones on vehicles. To keep a check on the activities of these miscreants, the police has imposed a ban on pillion ridding in Udhampur.
|
|
Gujjars migrate to Sunjma fearing attacks
Jammu, August 22 The migrant Gujjar families have fled from three most disturbed districts of Jammu, Samba and Kathua. After receiving threats from miscreants, said one of migrants, we decided to migrate to a safer place until the situation back home returns to normal. They said despite assurances by the civil administration, miscreants regularly attacked huts of Gujjars and looted their property. “After the first incident when miscreants barged into our locality and set ablaze houses, the administration assured to provide proper security to us, however they failed to do so and we continued to be at the received end,” said Ali Khan, a migrant Gujjar from Samba. At
Sunjma, they have taken shelter in a private building. Another a community member said those who were targeting them want to sabotage the ongoing agitation over the Amarnath Land row. “While the Jammu-based Muslims have made it clear that they are supporting the ongoing agitation and even we people also came forward with our support, then the act of targeting the Gujjar community is aimed at spreading communal divide,” said Kareem Din. Meanwhile, the administration swung into action as they came to know about the migration. Various top civil and police officers rushed to the Sunjma to take stock of the situation. An official said, “We are preparing the list of these 105 families which comprise 750
Gujjars. After completing the formalities, the government would decide on giving them the status of migrant.” |
|
|
Ex-chief town planner in dock
Ehsan Fazili Tribune News Service
Srinagar, August 22 An official spokesman said in the course of investigation, various premises in Srinagar and Kupwara were raided during which, besides other incriminating evidence, documents relating to the acquisition of land at various places were recovered. These included documents about the purchase of hundreds of kanals of land at Barsoo, Awantipora, by Mir Naseem Ahmad in his name and in the names of his close relatives. A copy of the Pahalgam master plan describing the land use was also recovered from Wani’s house. A committee comprising the then chief town planner Mir Naseem Ahmad, the then town planner Hamid Ahmad Wani and the then assistant town planner Nazir Ahmad, was constituted in 2004 to prepare the master plan (2004-2025) of Pahalgam. The spokesman said members of the committee later resorted to misrepresentation, manipulations and distortions. He said: “This was aimed at achieving mischievous designs for personal gain of Mir Naseem Ahmad to induce a sharp increase in the cost of land.” Initial inquiries revealed that in 1999, former chief town planner had dishonestly and fraudulently acquired land through gift deeds shown to have been made by donors to his close subordinate employees, Ishtiyaq Ahmad, Showkat Ahmad from Kupwara district and an associate Abdul Rashid from Srinagar. It was later found that after fraudulently acquiring land in the name of proxy owners, a plan was conceived by Mir Naseem Ahmad to arbitrarily change the land use to induce sharp increase in the value of land for personal gains. The then town planner Hamid Ahmad Wani and the then assistant town planner Nazir Ahmad Magray, were also found to have purchased land for sale consideration of Rs 80,000 and 50,000, respectively, in their own names and that of close relatives. The accused were found to have conspired in omitting the proposal and thus the general public was deprived of the right to raise any objection and was mislead by the accused officials. The government approved the master plan in 2006 in the form proposed by the accused which recommended change in the land use.
|
|
|
Firing From Across LoC
Jammu, August 22 This is the the second ceasefire violation to the November 2003 Ceasefire Agreement in the past 12 hours, 10th in the past one month and 28th in the current year. Defence sources said the Army’s forward post in the Keri sector came under heavy fire from across the border between 9 to 10:30 PM yesterday. The Pakistani troops fired five mortar shells at the Jhangarh forward post in the Nowshera sector. “The fire from across the LoC originated from their Tamai Halka post which is situated opposite to our position on the other side of the LoC”, a defence source informed. The source further said Pakistani troops fired rockets, PIKA fires and small arms on the Indian post. Villagers living adjacent to the LoC also witnessed the incident. “We thought a war has ensued between the two countries. We were petrified but could do nothing”, a villager said. The villager further said: “This is not the first time that we heard so much fire on the LoC. But this time, the firing lasted for more than an hour”. However, the Army has denied any ceasefire violation from the Pakistani side. “This time there was no ceasefire violation from the Pakistani side. The fire that villagers heard could have been from an anti-insurgency operation going on in the area near the LoC”, Brigadier Murli, BGS information warfare of the Udhampur-based Northern Command, said. Meanwhile, defence sources said the Pakistani army was taking advantage of the ongoing ‘unrest’ in the Kashmir valley and wanted to ‘express their solidarity with the people of Kashmir.’ A top Army commander said: “Their aim is to disrupt the forthcoming Assembly elections in the state and to show the world that the situation was not fine in the valley”.
|
|
|
People power: Standing up for ‘justice’
Jammu, August 22 “Though the land row remains the core issue but this time around we want to ensure that Jammu gets equal treatment like the Kashmir valley,” said Farid Mohammed, a Janipur resident while participating in ‘Jail Bharo’ agitation here today. He said, we the people of the Jammu region had been quietly tolerating Kashmir's hegemony from the past over 60 years but now religious sentiments of Hindu brethren have been hurt and it would not be taken lightly. Holding a Tricolour in his hands, Arshad, another city resident said, this agitation has now become a mass movement involving people from all religions and claims of Kashmir-centric parties that it was being guided by saffron brigade stands no ground. Outside Gandhi Nagar police station a workingwoman Sarbjeet Kour said every right thinking individual has come to the support of the agitation. “See overwhelming number of women and children, who have inundated city roads to court arrest. Do you think that they have been guided by the politicians,” she added. Whenever, there would be such an attack on religious sentiments of any community right thinking people would come out in swarms, she said. Airing similar views, Nikhil Sharma, a government employee, said, “Initially when Kashmiri leaders forced to revoke the land transfer order, I had apprehensions that tolerant people of Jammu would again accept it as their fate going for symbolic protests for a day or two.”
|
|
|
Bandh plays spoilsport to Janmashtami
Jammu, August 22 The families of migrant Kashmiri Pandits are worried and doubt whether they will be able to celebrate Janmashtami according to their tradition. Traditionally, Kashmiri Pandit families send a basket of fruits, particularly apples and pears, to the in-laws of their newly wedded daughters. But the skyrocketing prices of fruits and closure of markets due to the bandh has added to their
woes. Kamlawati, a resident of Bernai, said: “As the markets are shutdown, I could not purchase fruits for sending the same to my daughter’s in-laws. The fruits available in the market are not of good quality and are being sold on exorbitant rates”. When contacted, president, Fruit Association, Praveen Kumar Gupta said: “This year we don’t have enough stock of fruits to sell. But on the eve of
Janmashtami, we will sell the available fruits. Usually we receive 100 to 150 truck loads of fruits from the Kashmir valley, but this time they refused to send fruits to Jammu, until normalcy returns in the entire state. This is the reason we have shortage of fruits”. Gupta further said: “On the eve of
Janmashtami, we will open the fruit mandi at Narwal on Sunday so that people can purchase fruits for
Janmashtami”.
|
|
|
10 hurt in tear gas shelling
Jammu, August 22 Reports said the police fired in the air to disperse members of a community, who surrounded Mandi police station and pelted stones on it after offering Friday prayers this afternoon. They were protesting against the registration of a case against some members of their community in connection with an attack on a chemist shop and assault on a person on August 19. Reports said after offering Friday prayers a strong mob of around 10,000 pelted stones on Mandi police station, forcing cops to fire in the air to disperse them. However, firing in the air and cane-charge failed to deter the protesters, forcing the police to resort to tear gas shelling in which around 10 persons were injured. |
|
|
Agitations hit PO accounts
Jammu, August 22 Chief post master-general D.K. Budki said, “When a person fails to deposit their premium on due date then the department has to charge 2 per cent extra amount from him as default. I am not having power to remit defaults. Such people should submit an application and we will send their case to the ministry of finance. If the ministry agrees to refund the money to the account holders, then our department will do it”. |
|
|
‘Agitation is for justice’
Jammu, August 22 Addressing mediapersons here today, she said, “Speaking in the valley, these parties call the Jammu agitation as communal but speak altogether a different language while in Jammu.” I feel that land in Jammu and Kashmir belongs to the people of the state irrespective of their sects and religions, she added. |
|
|
Army honours war widows
Jammu, August 22 Gita Karwal, president, AWWA, White Knight Corps and Sayona Philip, president, AWWA, Crossed Swords Division today interacted with over 40 women from villages neighbouring Akhnoor, Jauriyan and Pallanwala and highlighted various measures instituted for their welfare. “Many brave soldiers of Akhnoor region made supreme sacrifices to ensure the territorial integrity of the nation. The Army has taken up the cause for ensuring a better life for the war widows,” an Army spokesman
said. |
|
|
Bhim Singh ends valley visit
Jammu, August 22 He met academicians, intellectuals, jurists, social activists and religious leaders of the valley and appealed them to uphold the bonds of brotherhood and secularism. He reiterated that the matter must be resolved keeping in view the sentiments of inhabitants of valley and Jammu and hoped that the committee constituted by Governor to hold discussions with the Amarnath Sangharsh Samiti would resolve the issue. Bhim Singh said he expected that the Kashmir Action Committee, led by the Hurriyat Conference, might use its good offices to help resolve the issue.
|
|
|
Huge cache of arms seized
Srinagar, August 22 A powerful improvised explosive device (IED) was seized along a road at Mawar in Kupwara district, thus averting a major accident.
— TNS |
|
Charas seized
JAMMU: The police arrested two smugglers and recovered 2.6 kg charas from their possession in Doda district on Friday. Official sources said: “On a tip-off, a joint naka was laid down by the police and the Army on the Bhaderwah-Jai road, while the police intercepted a vehicle and recovered two packets of the contraband,” sources said. The two smugglers were identified as Rafiq Choudhary, a resident of Sultanpour, and Inayat Ullah, a resident of Chinta in Bhaderwah. A case has been registered.
— UNI
|
| HOME PAGE | |
Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir |
Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs |
Nation | Opinions | | Business | Sports | World | Letters | Chandigarh | Ludhiana | Delhi | | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | Suggestion | E-mail | |
If the size of crowd is any indication, the Eidgah chalo rally called by separatists was a huge success. But this was as good as it goes.
Tension gripped Hiranagar area in Kathua district today after angry protesters set a truck ablaze, parked near the Kathua police station, and indulged in stone-pelting.
