Srinagar, November 21
While APHC chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq has been vigorously engaged in involving all sections in the dialogue process ahead, the conglomerate is faced with a “controversial political situation” in view of the varying statements of some of its senior leaders.

Senior APHC leaders, including Shabir Ahmad Shah and Nayeem Khan, have differed with the views of the Mirwaiz after a fresh impetus was given to the Centre’s move on a ‘quiet dialogue’ with the separatist leaders in Kashmir. Sources opined that it was because of the divided approach of different leaders within the Hurriyat that the executive meeting remained inconclusive here on Thursday. The decision making body comprising eight executive members would again be meeting to take up the issues on Monday.

“A crucial meeting of some prominent constituent parties of the Hurriyat Conference is going on to take stock of the controversial political situation within the APHC,” a spokesman said here today. However, the sources revealed here that the meeting of the general council, which began today, would be going on for the next two or three days discussing the situation.

The prime concern of the top leaders was the restructuring of the Hurriyat Conference in view of the dialogue process ahead in response to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s offer for talks with leaders of all shades of opinion. The Hurriyat leaders, according to the sources, admit that damage had been caused within the Hurriyat Conference, which started discussing issues related to the possible ways and means to open a fresh dialogue with the Centre.

The general council of the APHC, which started its meeting today, would be assessing the ‘controversial political situation’, the sources said. The efforts were on to make the APHC an institution and a political force, and frustrate any designs to weaken it, a separatist leader added.

The controversy had arisen in view of the varying statements by separatist leaders, whose parties were main constituent groups of the Hurriyat Conference. These included Democratic Freedom party (DFP) leader Shabir Ahmad Shah and Nayeem Ahmad Khan, provincial president of the APHC. Nayeem had yesterday rejected the ‘quiet dialogue’ process with the Centre, while the Mirwaiz had been stressing on unity on one platform over the dialogue process. He had also been trying to rope in other leaders outside the Hurriyat’s fold, including Syed Ali Geelani and JKLF chairman Yasin Malik, who continued to have their divergent views on the dialogue process.

Jammu, November 21
Anchal, a student of Government Middle School, Jammu, was spellbound to see the rich cultural heritage of the state kept on display during the ongoing week to mark World Heritage Week.

The Dogra Art Gallery in the Mubarkh Mandi Complex, which houses the rare items of the historical importance, today opened its doors for schoolchildren to make them aware about the rich cultural heritage of the state. “I am elated to see these artifacts. This is my first visit here and I don’t have words to express my feelings. I really enjoyed my visit,” Anchal said.

The Department of Archives, Archaeology and Museums is observing World Heritage Week from November 18 to 24. The department will showcase the rich cultural heritage that has been preserved by the department.

Deputy director of the department Peerzada Mohammed Ashraf said: “The week is observed for general public, college and school students to spread awareness among them about the rich cultural heritage and antiquities that we possess.”

Throwing light on some of the prized possession that the gallery has, Ashraf said, “We have a bow of the Mughal emperor, Shah Jahan, which he presented to the rulers of Jammu. The rulers of Jammu shared a good relation with the Mughal emperor as during the latter’s Jammu visit, mosques were built for him to offer prayers.”

The gallery has some coins of the Kushan Period that flourished during first and second century AD. The gallery also had four terracotta heads - two of female and two of male - belonging to the fourth century AD. “These terracotta heads were found during the excavation work at Akhnoor, which is known as the gateway to the Harrapa culture,” he said.

The Dogra Art Gallery also possesses some of the rare guns used during the two world wars.

He said during the recent excavation work at Kathua some inscriptions made on stone were found. “These inscriptions are in Takri language, which is known as the mother of Dorgi language. These inscriptions are yet to be deciphered,” Ashraf said.

Udhampur, November 21
Governor NN Vohra has emphasised the need for a strong, competitive and highly trained police force for ensuring effective internal security management in the country and tackling the menace of terrorism.

The Governor said this while delivering a lecture at the concluding session of the six-day Vertical Interaction Course for IPS and other senior police officers on the theme of “Tactical Preparedness for Counter Terrorism” at the Sher-e Kashmir Police Academy, Udhampur, today. The topic of the lecture was ‘Internal Security Management - Role of Police Forces’.

Referring to the state police, the Governor said this force had grown considerably in strength and competence over the past years and was doing a commendable job in dealing with terrorism, along with other security forces. He added that whatever was required to further modernise the police was to be done regularly and in a time-bound manner to enable it to meet the emerging challenges.

He advised for an early implementation of the National Police Commission’s recommendations (1978-81) and the directions on police reforms issued by the Supreme Court.

This would require, inter alia, the setting up of state security commissions for undertaking an objective annual assessment of the law and order situation in the states. He also reiterated the importance of greater synergy and cooperation among the states and between the states and the Union for achieving better results in dealing with terrorism and other day-to-day law and order problems.

Jammu, November 21
Two militants were killed while an Army soldier lost his life in an encounter when militants unsuccessfully tried to infiltrate in the Balakote sector in Poonch district today.

The encounter that started late last night was stopped when the militants retreated from the area. However, the encounter started again when the Army started a combing operation in the area this morning.

Brig Gurdeep Singh, BGS 16 Corps, told The Tribune that “Soldiers patrolling the forward area along the LoC spotted a group of terrorists in the Balakote area last night and an encounter started.”

He said after a brief exchange of fire the gunfight stopped, as the militants had retreated.

But this morning when the security forces were combing the area, they came in contact with the militants and the encounter started again. “In the encounter, two terrorists were killed and we lost one of our brave soldiers.”

Brig Gurdeep Singh said the militants had sneaked into the Indian territory and were spotted between the LoC and the border fence.

The Army did not rule out the possibility of the presence of more terrorists, but said following the encounter they might have returned to Pakistan. “After last night’s encounter, the area was under cordon and when the forces were zeroing in on the militants the encounter started again around 11:30 am and lasted for around four hours,” Brig Gurdeep Singh said.

He said the identity of the slain terrorists was not known yet, but the modus operandi showed that they belonged to the Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT). “So far, we think that the killed terrorists were from the LeT. But we cannot say for sure until we get the bodies and do the identification,” Brig Gurdeep Singh said.

The combing operation of the area was still on and the Army has so far seized an AK 47 assault rifle, a PIKA gun, a binocular and a grenade.

The infiltration bids come days after the militants planted an IED at the international border in the Ramgarh sector in Samba district following a failed infiltration bid in which a DIG of the BSF, OP Tanwar, was killed.

The Army expects a surge in infiltration attempts in the coming days, as snow will close most of the routes of infiltration along the LoC in the next few weeks.

Jammu, November 21
Two persons were killed and 16 others injured in road accidents in the Jammu region here today. In a major accident, a tanker on way from Srinagar to Jammu rolled down about 50-60 feet at Chenani Domail, which resulted into the death of driver, Ajay Kumar, a resident of Kot Udhampur. Raj Kumar, conductor of the vehicle, was injured.

Jammu, November 21
Though the police has picked up at least six suspects for questioning, it has failed to make any headway in the grenade attack incident in Kishtwar late last night. Special police officer (SPO) Mohinder Singh, who was severely injured in the attack, was shifted to the Government Medical College Hospital (GMCH), Jammu, following deterioration in his condition.

The SPO was injured when an unidentified person threw a grenade in the busy Gundhali Chowk of Kishtwar town yesterday. The grenade was targeted at the bunkers of the CRPF situated in front of Amar Hotel, but it missed the target and exploded in the market. Mohinder Singh was injured when he was standing near the CRPF bunkers.

Deepak Kumar, DIG, Doda-Ramban range, told The Tribune that senior police officers, including the SSP, Kishtwar, rushed to the spot and a team of experts collected splinters. “It is too early to say which explosive was used in the blast,” the DIG said and pointed out that the CRPF bunkers were the target of the grenade.

Reports said around 7.25 pm an unidentified person emerged from a lane and managed to escape after throwing the grenade in the market. The grenade exploded near the SPO, injuring him seriously.

The blast could not cause much damage as due to the prevailing severe cold in the town the market was almost closed.

Tension flared up in the town after the blast, as a large number of people reached the blast site. Keeping in view the sensitivity of the area, additional forces were rushed to the blast site immediately. Security forces cordoned off the entire area.

Jammu, November 21
DGP Kuldeep Khoda said today that all terrorist organisations were interlinked and trained and funded by professional people from across the border.

Talking to reporters while announcing the schedule of the All India Police Lawn Tennis Championship to be held from November 23 to 27 at various venues in the city, Khoda said all terror units were just different names of one organisation, the only aim of which is to disturb India.

He said this in response to a query on the Lashkar-e-Toiba’s claims that David Headley, arrested by the USA, was not a member of its force. The DGP said so far there was no evidence whether Headley visited Jammu and Kashmir or not. “But we are looking into it.”

The DGP said about 700 militants were active in the state. “Some of them are surrendered militants, but there are number is very few,” he added. The DGP said the militancy-related incidents were far less now. “This year, we have the lowest figure ever since militancy started in the state. By the end of the year, we would be able to give the exact figure. But so far it is about 23 per cent less than the previous year.”

The DGP said an inquiry was on into the claims of a terror group, Al Madina, that has claimed the responsibility for the IED blast that killed BSF DIG OP Tanwar. “The group is lesser known. It could be a fake name.”

Jammu, November 21
The Principal Sessions Judge, Jammu, sent the Nagar Singh and his brothers accused of swapping the weapon of offence in the Amandeep murder case to seven-day police remand today.

The judge held that normally investigation terminates with the filing of chargesheet as the Investigating Officer places reliance on the evidence collected by him. But where fresh facts come to light, further investigation can be sought with the permission of the court as carrying out further investigation after filing the chargesheet is the statutory right of the police.

The court held that since the investigation with regard to role of accused brothers is still inconclusive, as emanating from the chargesheet submitted under Section 173 of the CrPC and the accused has never been arrested during investigation, the police is allowed to further investigate the case as the custodial interrogation is imperative to bring the investigation to logical conclusion.

Anticipatory bail pleas of absconding Nagar Singh and his brothers were rejected by IInd Additional Sessions Judge, Jammu, on November 10. The accused then filed anticipatory bail in the J&K High Court that was also declined.

Kupwara, November 21
Though the world observed Child Rights Convention Week, children of the valley don’t have much reason to celebrate, as they are hit by vices like child labour and rise in the number of school dropouts.

The Child Rights Convention Week is celebrated from November 14 to 21 across the globe.

A large number of children in Kupwara don’t pursue studies due to poor facilities in Government Middle School at Rawathpora in the area that has led to an increase in dropout cases.

Listing out the problems, Irfan Ahmad, a school dropout, said, “Students from different classes are herded in small rooms due to which we are not able to concentrate. Classes of different grades are conducted in the same room simultaneously and we can hardly listen to our teachers. The school didn’t even have a playground.” He added that the condition of the school building was also deteriorating.

A teacher admitted that the absence of a playground had increased the number of dropouts.

A few miles away, a group of girls at Lolab said they had never attended school. “Our family didn’t send us to school. They wanted us to do household chores and look after younger siblings. We too wished to join school, but it is too late now,” they said in a chorus.

Fareeda Akther, a social activist, said most of the children could be seen working in hotels in Kupwara district. “Terrorism in the valley too has played its role. In case of single parents, children are forced to drop out of schools,” added Fareeda.

Parveena Akther, a resident of Kupwara, said, “I am an orphan. Many people claim to work for the welfare of orphans, but I have never seen anyone coming. Life has been very tough for us.”

Haleema Begum, a member of the Association of Parents of Disappeared Persons (APDP) led by Parveena Ahangar, said, “Such families live in abject poverty. Mostly, these families are women-headed and they almost beg to send their children to school. Those who belong to landless families do petty jobs that leads to increase in rate of dropouts and child labour.”

According to a study - “Child Labour Research in Kashmir Valley” - by Save the Children, an international organisation, parental compulsion, ignorance, outdated teaching methods, large family size and easily available debts from middlemen play a significant role in promoting child labour in the valley.

Another study - “Women and Children under Armed Conflict in Kashmir” - by renowned educationist Prof AG Madhosh found that after the death of father, children mostly faced economic hardships, psychological setbacks, denial of love and affection and apathy from relatives and friends. The research observed that children, who stayed with their father’s relatives, were usually harassed. They stop going to school and 51 per cent of them got engaged in domestic work.

Srinagar, November 21
Workers of the Kishenganga Hydroelectric Project held a protest at Bandipore today, demanding local recruitment in the project, implementation of labour laws and enhancement of minimum daily wages of workers.

The rally was organised by the state unit of the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU). Later in a statement, state president of the CITU MY Tarigami urged the government to take immediate steps for resolving the issues of project workers.

Tarigami said the scenario in the state had witnessed united struggles by workers and employees for better living conditions.

Jammu, November 21
On the instructions of Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, the government has sanctioned setting up of the Jammu and Kashmir State Overseas Employment Corporation. The government has also sanctioned an authorised share capital of Rs 1 crore for facilitating educated and skilled youth to seek employment within and outside the country.

The Board of Directors of the Overseas Employment Corporation would comprise the Chief Minister as chairman and the Minister for Labour and Employment as vice-chairman.

The administrative secretaries of industries and commerce, planning and development, health and medical education, finance and labour and employment, technical education departments and the Director Employment (ex-officio MD) would be the directors of the board.

Four eminent professionals in the field of employment and other areas of specialisation would be nominated separately by the government and they would also act as directors in the board.

The government has also sanctioned the creation of posts of one general manager (marketing) in the pay band-III with the grade pay of Rs 7,600, an assistant marketing manager in the pay band-II with grade pay of Rs 4,800 and a computer assistant in the pay band-II with grade pay of Rs 4,200 for the corporation.

Jammu, November 21
The Calamity Relief Fund (CRF) Committee in its meeting held under the chairmanship of Chief Secretary SS Kapur has approved Rs 71 crore and its placement with two Divisional Commissioners for onward payment to the CAPD Department.

The funds have been approved for providing 35 kg of ration free of cost per month in December, January and February (2010) to every family in the drought-affected areas.

According to an official note, the decision will benefit the affected families in Jammu, Samba, Kathua, Rajouri, Poonch, Udhampur, Reasi, Ramban, Doda and Kishtwar districts in the Jammu province and Anantnag, Bandipora, Kulgam, Kargil, Kupwara, Pulwama, Baramulla and Badgam districts in the Kashmir province.

It was decided that the Deputy Commissioners should constitute monitoring committees in their respective districts in order to ensure and oversee a proper distribution of free rations to the drought-affected families.

It was further decided that the memorandum for seeking assistance from the National Calamity Contingency Fund should be prepared by the Revenue Department in consultation with the Agriculture Production Department and the Finance Department.

Jammu, November 21
The authorities has finally realised the need to preserve rare books and historical manuscripts rotting in the Udhampur library. During a visit to the district yesterday, Bashir Ahmed Bhat, Director Libraries, expressed concern over the condition of the library where such rare books had been ‘kept’.

Taking a serious note of the deplorable condition of the building where such rare books had been placed, Bhat directed the authorities concerned to locate another building immediately to shift these books there. During the inspection of the library, Bhat expressed surprise that such important books had been rotting due to the deplorable condition of the building and no plan had been formulated to protect them.

Bhat took up the matter with Ajay Khajuria, District Development Commissioner (DDC), Udhampur, and discussed issues relating to the library to give it a face-lift till it was not shifted to a suitable locality. The DDC asked the Superintending Engineering, PWD, Udhampur, to renovate the existing library.

While inspecting the library, the director was told that the library had a membership of over 1,500 readers and had about 20,000 books, including 3,352 gifted ones and 1,291 children books. Bhat also inspected various record registers there.