Jammu, August 4
The Jammu State Morcha (JSM) expressed its concern over the prevailing situation in the Kashmir Valley where the administration has failed miserably in preventing the violent demonstrations, resulting in continuous causalities.

Addressing a joint press conference here today, JSM leaders blamed Chief Minister Omar Abdullah for the present turmoil. According to JSM leaders, he always tried to compromise with the separatists and anti-India forces and acceded to their unjustified demands to buy peace.

“He has always tried to reward those who indulge in violence and terrorist activities, and work against the nation and its integrity. He has pursued a policy that demoralises the police force and the security forces, which are fighting against the militancy,” alleged the JSM, adding the Union government and the Congress were equally responsible for the present state of affairs which ignored the ground realities and blindly supported the omissions and commissions of the present state government and did not intervene when required.

JSM leaders opined that the Kashmir problem was not only the creation of Pakistan and the separatist elements in the Valley but also as a result of the wrong policies persued by the Centre.

The JMS demanded that the present government headed by Omar Abdullah be asked to relinquish the office and the Governor rule be imposed. It added the Union government should show its firm resolve by not acceding to any demand that led to disintegration of the state with India. 

Jammu, August 4
To devise a strategy to counter the propaganda of the separatists and ponder over the prevailing situation in the Kashmir valley, the BJP high command has summoned all 11 MLAs of the party to the Union Capital.

State BJP president Shamsher Singh Manhas, Chaman Lal Gupta, Nirmal Singh and Ashok Khajuria are already camping in New Delhi, as they were called by the Sangh Parivar to educate its various constituents properly about the situation in the Valley.

A delegation of BJP leaders from the state, along with former Deputy Prime Minister LK Advani, Sushma Swaraj and Arun Jaitley, would meet Prime Minister Manmohan Singh tomorrow to apprise him of the prevailing situation in the Valley.

Sources in the party said it was all under the pressure of the RSS and other constituents of the Sangh Parivar that the BJP had adopted an aggressive posture on the turmoil in Kashmir. A meeting of different constituents of the Sangh was held two days ago in which the state BJP leaders were taken to task for not effectively projecting the prevailing situation in the Valley.

The sources further disclosed that senior RSS functionary and Sangh Parivar ideologue H Dattatriya, who was in Jammu last week, had sounded the leadership about the deteriorating law and order condition in the state and emphasised on the need for taking some emergent steps to save the situation from worsening. “It was only after the visit of Dattatriya that the Sangh Parivar took the matter seriously and summoned all senior leaders to New Delhi to get a proper feedback,” they added.

They said during the past three days meetings had been held in New Delhi and Jammu simultaneously to devise a strategy to launch an agitation if any attempt was made to repeal the Armed Forces Special Power Act (AFSPA). In the meeting it was unanimously decided that any move to give any special concession to Kashmir would be opposed tooth and nail. Furthermore, it was also decided that if the government made any announcement to repeal the AFSPA, the BJP along with other constituents of the Sangh Parivar would come out on the streets to oppose the move.

The sources said the Sangh had asked the BJP to take up the issue and the state leaders to give a feedback to the central leadership about the situation. “All party MLAs have been called to New Delhi to get a feedback from them,” they added.

All MLAs would also be part of the delegation that would meet the Prime Minister tomorrow.

After meeting the Prime Minister, the BJP leaders would address a press conference in New Delhi in which some central leaders of the party would be present. 

Srinagar, August 4
Former Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed has said a bleeding Kashmir has become a black spot on the country’s name and called for urgent steps to redeem the worsening situation.

In a statement issued here today, Mufti said the present situation was the result of a long drift and a contemptuous neglect of people with a distinct cultural and intellectual identity.

The PDP patron said, “I feel this is the direct result of a callous attitude of apathy towards the basic political urges and aspirations of the people, unabated human rights violations and a heartless response to them apart from inept administrative handling.”

The Kashmir cauldron had been simmering for long and during the past three years the people here gave enough indications of their anger and discontent, be it in the summer of 2008, 2009 or earlier this year, he said.aHe added even while they gave a chance for democracy to play itself out, but unfortunately signals were either ignored or responded to with an insulting behaviour by the state and the Centre which unfortunately was guided by the more hawkish elements in the establishment.

Jammu, August 4
The prevailing turmoil in the Kashmir valley has no affect on the pilgrims of the Shri Amarnath holy cave shrine as the devotees continue to proceed towards the holy cave.

Hardly a day goes by in the Valley when there are no clashes, or the markets are not closed, or the curfew is not imposed, still the devotees of Lord Shiva are coming in huge number to be a part of this annual pilgrimage and have darshan of the ice-lingam at the holy cave.

The Yatri Niwas, base camp at Bhagwati Nagar here, is regularly witnessing a huge number of pilgrims. A fresh batch of 1,527 pilgrims comprising 735 men, 328 women, 18 children and 446 sadhus left for the darshans of the holy cave shrine from the Yatri Niwas.

Taking no risk on the security of pilgrims, security forces have made adequate arrangements for the movement of the yatra and security vehicles are accompanying the batches of pilgrims from Jammu to Pahalgam or Baltal.

Raghu Ram, a devotee of Lord Shiva from Patna said, “We reached the city last afternoon and are ready to start our pilgrimage from Jammu today. We have full faith on Lord Shiva that the he will save us from any kind of injury en route the pilgrimage.”He added, “Though we have some fear in our mind, yet the security forces are accompanying us and there is nothing to worry about.”

A senior official of the State Tourism Department said when the yatris were coming from far-flung areas, then it also became our responsibility to provide them all kind of security arrangements. At least 4.2 lakh pilgrims had paid obeisance at the holy cave till today, he added. 

Jammu, August 4
Demands raised by a group of Congress leaders to suspend the Assembly and impose the Governor’s rule in the state has triggered a fresh controversy in the party. The official faction headed by Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) chief Saifuddin Soz has distanced itsself from such a demand.

This faction has also refused to comment on the demand of some party leaders that the Armed Forces Special Power Act (AFSPA) be continued in the state.

PCC spokesman and general secretary of the party Ravinder Sharma said only the party high command has authority to take a final decision on the prevailing situation in the state.

“Being leaders of the state unit we can only give suggestions and same should not be made public”, Sharma said while distancing the party from the demand raised by a faction.

A group of Congress leaders, who have been camping in New Delhi, have demanded that Assembly should be suspended and the Governor rule be imposed in the state to control the prevailing situation in the state. This faction has also strongly opposed any move to repeal the AFSPA in the state and demanded that security forces should be given a free hand to deal the situation.

Member of Parliament from the Udhampur-Doda segment Choudhary Lal Singh is one of the prominent leaders who have been opposing the revocation of the AFSPA.

Meanwhile, the BJP termed such demands of the group of Congress leaders just as an eyewash to befool people.

“It is irony that on the one hand the Congress leadership has repeatedly assured full support to the Omar Abdullah government, while on the other a group of party leaders has been demanding suspension of the Assembly,” BJP president Shamsher Singh Manhas told The Tribune over phone from Delhi.

“Congress leaders have been trying to hoodwink the people”, he observed, and dared those leaders, especially Choudhary Lal Singh, to resign from the party if they were concerned with the nationalist people of the state. “Congress leaders have to come forward instead of giving statements”, he said.

Srinagar, August 4
For the past about one week, train services on the 119-km stretch between Qazigund and Baramulla in the Kashmir valley have remained suspended due to the continued curfew.

The restrictions coupled with attacks on railways installations at Budgam, near here, and in parts of Baramulla district, have led to the suspension of the train services since Saturday. Damage was also caused to the shed and a part of the railway station building at Budgam, the main junction in the Valley, on Monday.

Due to the attacks, about 125 employees from outside the Valley have gone on leave and moved to Jammu along with their families. All other employees, mostly officers, are stationed at their places in Kashmir, sources said. Many of the employees have been facing shortage of essential commodities due to the shutdown. Senior railway officers are camping here and monitoring the situation. The officers, including General Manager SK Budhlakoti and Divisional Regional Manager, Ferozepur, Vishwas Chaubey, had a meeting with senior state government officers, including Chief Secretary SS Kapur, here yesterday. They discussed the situation arising out of the disruption of the train services and ways and means to restore them and protect railway installations in the valley.

The Additional Director-General of Railway Protection Force (RPF) also had a meeting with the Director-General of Jammu and Kashmir Police, Kuldeep Khoda, and discussed ways to restore the train services so that people did not suffer.

The services, awaiting connection with the rest of the railway network in the country across Banihal Pass, were launched by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on October 11, 2008, between Anantnag in South Kashmir and Mazhom in Central Kashmir. These were extended from Mazhom to Baramulla in the second phase on February 14, 2009, while the last stretch of 19 km was inaugurated by the Prime Minister on October 28 last year. 

Srinagar, August 4
The turmoil in the Kashmir valley has badly affected the livelihood of people associated with trade and industry in the Valley.

The business of Parvez Ahmed,who owns a garment shop in the Lal Chowk area here and has five salesmen, has been hit hard. “For the past two months, I haven’t been able to earn a single penny. So, how am I going to pay salary to my staff?” Parvez said. He said he used to pay his salesmen a monthly salary of Rs 2,000 each, but for the past two months, they haven’t been paid any money.

“Government employees get their salaries, but those who are directly or indirectly associated with trade and industry are the worst hit,” Abdul Hameed Punjabi, Senior Vice- President of the Kashmir Chambers of Commerce and Industry told The Tribune.

He said the business sector was incurring a loss of more than Rs 100 crore everyday.

“Half of the population is associated with the handicraft industry and a large number of people are associated with tourism.Then, there is trade and general trade. Our state being a consumer state,one person is associated with more than one sector,” Punjabi said.

Adil Hussain owns a paint factory in Bandipora and has employed 20 people, but for the past two months, the unit has been closed. “I am worried about repaying loan instalments and my biggest worry is about my employees as they have no other source of income,” Adil said.

Jammu, August 4
The Kathua police has registered a case under Section 420 of the RPC against the owners and officials of Met Trade India Limited, Kathua, which landed in a controversy after the Punjab police seized 70 kg of gold from four persons at Shambhu, Punjab-Haryana inter-state barrier, on July 27.

The company’s Kathua unit head, Anil Jain, is evading arrest.

Inayat Ali, in charge of the Hatli police post at Kathua, said, “A case of fraud has been registered against the company and we are investigating the matter. The company’s unit head is on the run.” He added, “The gold was seized in Punjab and the Punjab police is also investigating the matter. Some violations were found in the industrial unit and hence the Taxation Department was also investigating the case.”

On the first day of the investigation, Jain had claimed before the Kathua police that the consignment of gold belonged to the company and it was to be delivered in Kathua. But he failed to show the bills of 50 kg of gold and could produce the bills of only 20 kg, which was coming from Ghana in Africa.

The police had claimed that it found gross violations in the industrial unit and the company was violating some norms.

SSP, Kathua, Gareeb Dass said, “There are some violations in the unit, but we can’t say whether it is a case of selling gold without paying taxes or not. We are investigating the matter. It will take some time.”

The incident came to light when the Punjab police arrested four persons transporting a huge quantity of gold in a bulletproof car claiming to be the employees of a private security provider company at Rajpura in Punjab. 

Jammu, August 4
The National School of Drama (NSD), New Delhi, has awarded 22 Natrang artists with certificates for participating in the “Theatre-In-Education” workshop at Natrang Studio Theatre, Jammu.

The certificates were presented by Natrang Director Balwant Thakur at a function held today at the theatre.

Thakur complimented the winners and hoped that they would continue to bring glory for Jammu.

Recently, Natrang in collaboration with NSD, New Delhi, had organised a 10-day exclusive workshop with a motive to introduce the concept of theatre in education in the state.

Three experts of the NSD, which included Dr Aasha Singh of “Galli Gali Sim Sim” of Pogo channel fame, Suwarn Rawat and Dipender Rawat of TIE Company, New Delhi, conducted the training in which the latest techniques of human development were imparted to the participants.

Thakur said Natrang was planning to start a full-fledged “Theatre-in-Education” cell with an aim to introduce theatre in schools of the state. In the second phase of the ongoing training programme, a children play would be produced in collaboration with the NSD and same will be staged in various schools.

Those who were awarded certificates included Naveen Chopra, Neeraj Kant, Sumeet Sharma, Bodh Raj, Sumit Sharma, Renu Sharma, Mohit Sharma, Rohit Verma, Pankush Verma, Rahul Singh, Mohd. Yaseen, Gaurav Jamwal, Tajasvi Sharma, Bela Thappa, Richa Sharma, Romilla Besnet, Sona Mehar, Rajni Bhatti, Suraj Prakash, Aman Thappa, Amarpreet Kandhari and Gauri Thakur.

Jammu, August 4
Activists of the Mahila Morcha led by its state president Sakina Bano today called on Divisional Commissioner, Jammu, Pawan Kotwal to register their protest against the delay in action against police officers allegedly responsible for the “disappearance” of two girls from the Gulabgarh area of Kishtwar district.

Two girls had disappeared from the Gulabgarh area after they were detained by the police. Locals alleged that they were drowned in the Chenab.

The morcha activists said it was a matter of shame that even after one month no legal action had been taken against the “guilty” SHO and other policemen of Gulabgarh for committing “such a heinous crime”. They said both girls were minor and belonged to poor families.

The activists alleged that the girls were kidnapped, illegally detained, tortured, given inhumane treatment and later killed by the police in the police station.

They expressed surprise that the government had maintained a criminal silence over the incident. “Had a similar incident took place in the Kashmir valley, the entire administration would have been camping there,” Sakina said.

Charging the administration of working on the communal lines, she said the matter was not taken seriously because the girls belonged to a minority community. “More unfortunate is the silence on the part of the ministers from Jammu who did not utter a single word of condemnation,” she added.

The morcha members warned of an agitation if the guilty were not arrested under Sections 376 and 302 of the RPC immediately. They also appealed to the Human Rights Commission, the Women Commission and the Scheduled Caste Commission to take cognisance of the incident.

Jammu, August 4
One person was killed and a father-son duo sustained injuries when a car they were travelling in plunged into a 200-feet deep gorge near Bhirma Bridge in Udhampur district in the wee hours yesterday.

The police said the car (JK-01-N-3189) was on its way from Srinagar to Jammu when the driver lost control and the vehicle fell into a gorge.

A police party was rushed to the spot, which shifted the injured to the district hospital, Udhampur. The deceased was identified as Ali Mohammed Wani of the Palar area in Budgam district. The body was shifted to the government hospital for post-mortem and other legal formalities.

The injured have been identified as Syeed Mohammed Hussain and his son, Syed Zahid, both residents of Budgam.

Meanwhile, in another road mishap, three teenagers suffered serious injuries when a Tata Sumo (JK-14-A-8486) coming from the opposite direction hit their motorcycle (JK-02-G-4398) at Zero Morh in Reasi district.

The injured were rushed to the district hospital, Reasi. They have been identified as Balbir Singh and Balvir Singh, both residents of Panasa, and Rahul Bali of Talwara.

The condition of two was stated to be critical, while Rahul was discharged from the hospital after being administered first-aid. The motorcycle has been seized.