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Interlocutors’ Visit
Interlocutors’ views at variance with national mood: Panun
Separatists not to meet interlocutors
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City-based groups unite to oppose Omar’s speech
Omar for comprehensive policy on agriculture
Shops open in Srinagar
Core group reviews security
DPS teacher suspended for slapping student
Students demand nomination of their school as examination centre
BJP slams Padgaonkar over Pak remark
Army holds free medical camp at Nagrota Gujroo
Play reading function held
KP women urged to observe ‘Prayaan Divas’
‘Kashmir has never been integral part of India’
Kin block national highway after woman found dead
Couple commit suicide
Kidnapped girl rescued from Ludhiana
Army jawan hurt in Pak firing
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Interlocutors’ Visit
Jammu, October 24 Although there had been interlocutors on Jammu and Kashmir in the past as well, it appears at this juncture that the role of their has now changed and they are trying to approach students, youth, women and of course separatists, says former DGP MM Khajooria. This time, the interlocutors want to cover larger segments of society and don’t want to remain confined to the Valley, adds the ex-DGP. Khajooria describes the visit as a positive development and hopes that the stakeholders arrive at some kind of consensus. The separatist camp has already refused to meet the visiting delegates and hence unanimity is not possible here, he says. At the same time, the visiting delegates should also know the pulse of all three regions, not neglecting the fact that those who preach secession are in minority, while a major chunk wants to live with India, he says. Regarding the aspirations of Jammu region vis-à-vis the visit of the interlocutors, he says, “Nobody can afford to miss such an opportunity. They (representatives of Jammu region) have to grab it and exploit it to their advantage, but first, they should know what exactly they want and then firmly stand up for their rights”. He says they have to learn the skill of negotiations and then taking them to a logical conclusion. President of Poorva Sainik Seva Parishad, Brig (retd) SS Saini expresses regret over the “raw deal” to Jammu and Ladakh by the successive regimes. “Depending upon their convenience, separatists either hijack such visits of the high-profile delegates or outrightly reject them but still the Centre accords them the priority,” he says. |
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Interlocutors’ views at variance with national mood: Panun
Jammu, October 24 “The Panun Kashmir believes that just holding talks is a self-defeating process, as we have seen in the past. Further, the choice of interlocutors, without prejudice to their individual capacities, leaves much to be desired. The interlocutors have made their opinions clear from time-to-time and they seem to be at variance with the national mood on the Kashmir issue,” said party president Ashwani Kumar Chrungoo yesterday. He said interlocutor Dilip Padgoanker’s terming of the Kashmir issue as a “dispute” was unacceptable. He added that the nation had recently witnessed a “sickening drama” of anti-national forces in New Delhi, where they had assembled for a so-called seminar on “azadi”. “It is unfortunate that some people are arranging forums and giving platforms to these elements in the National Capital to preach their seditious and anti-national programmes. We condemn police action on nationalist forces led by the Panun Kashmir and other Kashmiri Pandit organisations in the seminar,” said members of Panun Kashmir. However, they expressed satisfaction over the scheduled observance of the Accession Day throughout the country this year. On Tuesday, the Panun Kashmir will participate in a programme being organised by the Joint Forum of Kashmiri Pandit Organisations at Purkhoo migrant camp. |
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Separatists not to meet interlocutors
Srinagar, October 24 The decision was announced by Umar Farooq after a meeting of the executive and general councils of the party here today. The Mirwaiz said they had nothing against the interlocutors,but felt that the team had been constituted only to delay the issue which had been highlighted during the past three months. The moderate faction chief held that there was no need to send them as the issue had already been taken up at the highest level.The hardline faction led by Syed Ali Geelani and the pro-independence JKLF have already decided not to meet the team. The team which arrived here yesterday and met PDP leaders and other groups would visit the state every month and submit its report to the Centre after a year. Meanwhile, the team also visited Central Jail in Srinagar today and met those arrested during the stone- throwing incidents in the Valley in the past
four months. At a separate meeting with interlocutors, the Gujjars and Bakarwals demanded a separate Pir Panchal region or area for the community. The members demanded social, cultural, economic and political empowerment of the community residing in the far-flung and difficult areas of the state. |
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Resolution of Kashmir Issue
Srinagar, October 24 The Mirwaiz was talking to mediapersons after a meeting of the executive and general councils at the party headquarters here this afternoon. He said the petition would be signed by the people of the entire state and would be sent to the US President by fax and e-mails on November 6. The Mirwaiz pointed out that in view of the present situation in the state, it was necessary that the world community should play a role and impress upon India to start a meaningful dialogue for the resolution of the issue. The Mirwaiz stressed the need for tripartite talks involving the Centre, people of the state and Pakistan for an amicable solution in accordance with the wishes and aspirations of the people. He said bilateral talks between India and Pakistan and agreements between the two neighbouring countries had been signed in the past, but these could not solve the problem even after 63 years.The resolution of the issue was important for peace in South Asia. The moderate faction has been a staunch supporter of the dialogue process to resolve the issue. Its leaders had a series of meetings with the NDA government and the UPA government, but the dialogue process has remained suspended for the past few years. A five-member delegation of the Hurriyat Conference, led by Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, had also visited Pakistan in 2005 and met various leaders. |
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City-based groups unite to oppose Omar’s speech
Jammu, October 24 The rally was organised by the Jammu and Kashmir Peoples’ Forum
(JKPF), in which representatives of the BJP, the Panthers Party, the Jammu State
Morcha, the Bar Association and leaders of Kashmir Pandits organisations participated. Omar Abdullah’s statement on accession came under severe criticism as all speakers minced no words in attacking the Chief Minister, for preaching “secessionism and pro-Pakistan
line”. BJP deputy leader in the Rajya Sabha, SS Ahluwalia was the chief guest in the function. Ahluwalia said Omar Abdullah had no right to continue as Chief Minister because he had violated the oath of the Constitution which had taken while assuming charge as the Chief Minister of
the state. He accused Omar of addressing the interests of Pakistan. The BJP leader of took some Central Ministers to task for endorsing the stand of Omar Abdullah. He made it clear the party would also seek the resignation of Union Ministers for Home, External Affairs and Law for their alleged “anti-constitutional” support to the Omar Abdullah’s remarks on accession. “We will not allow the Parliament to function in the coming winter session commencing from November 9 if the Union Ministers for Home, External Affairs and Law do not seek public apology,” he warned. |
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Omar for comprehensive policy on agriculture
Srinagar, October 24 Omar Abdullah was addressing a largely attended gathering at Baramulla in north Kashmir on the occasion of the largest-ever Kissan mela in the state. “The vast potential of economic activities in agriculture and allied sectors has to be scientifically harnessed and the youth persuaded to take up profitable ventures in this field,” he said. He added there was an urgent need to adopt a new strategy of cultivating crops of higher economic values and utilising the available agriculture land to its optimum. “Popularising double and triple cropping pattern using modern technology and high yielding varieties of seeds, besides the application of balanced doses of fertilisers, is the need of the hour”, he said, asking the Agriculture Department to concentrate on this aspect and encourage growing of cash crops as a regular farming practice. The Chief Minister said the honour and dignity of the people of Jammu and Kashmir depended on their economic independence, which could be only achieved if the population was self-reliant. He said the government was working tirelessly to strengthen the economy of the state and empower the people by making them self-sufficient. He said the mainstay of Kashmir’s economy were agriculture, horticulture, handicrafts and tourism and all four sectors had received special focus of his government and efforts would be made in the future as well to strengthen these sectors. |
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Shops open in Srinagar
Srinagar, October 24 All shops and business establishments were open and public transport was back on the roads. Educational institutions and some banks, which had remained open on Sundays earlier to overcome the loss due to continued strike calls, were, however, closed in many areas. For the second consecutive week, the Sunday market along the Residency Road and the Lal Chowk area was open today and there was a heavy rush of shoppers. The rush also led to traffic jams in many parts of the city and elsewhere in the Valley. The hardline faction of the Hurriyat Conference led by Syed Ali Geelani, has been spearheading the agitation by issuing 10-day-long calendars over the past few months, which has adversely affected life since June 11. |
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Core group reviews security
Srinagar, October 24 According to a defence spokesman, the meeting was attended by the Director-General of Police, Kuldeep Khoda, and other senior officers of the Army, CRPF, BSF, and civil administration. Discussions focused on refining the strategy formulated at the last meeting in the light of the ground situation and take the level of synergy between all agencies to the next level to thwart any attempts by inimical elements to destabilise the Valley, the spokesman stated. |
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28 rescued kids to reach Leh today
Jammu, October 24 The administration yesterday sent the children to Ladakh House, near here, and took action against the NGO. PT Kunzang, general secretary of the Ladakh Buddhist Association (LBA), who has come here to take custody of the children, said: “All 28 children would leave for Ladakh by an early morning flight tomorrow.” “The arrangements have been jointly made by the local administrations of Jammu and Ladakh, besides the LBA,” he said, adding that the batch of children would be accompanied by officials of the administration, the police and the health and other departments here.” The NGO, Youth Movement for Peace, had declared the adoption of the children at a press conference here a fortnight ago. Activists of the NGO also claimed to have made provisions for their education and upbringing. All children aged less than 14 were reportedly brought here by the NGO without complying with legal formalities. A party as well as the LBA had accused the NGO of converting the religion of the children. The parents of some of them had also reportedly complained that the children were brought here without their consent. Subsequently, the three-member committee, formed by Jammu District Magistrate Manoj Dwivedi conducted an inquiry into the allegations. Sources said 27 children were brought by the NGO from Leh, whereas one child who is also a Ladakhi, was brought from Dehradun. On the recommendation of the committee, the administration took custody of the children and shifted them to the Ladakh House. Besides registering a case of kidnapping against the NGO, the police arrested five activists of the NGO, including the chairman and the vice-chairperson. Those who have been arrested included Vikas Sharma, Ranjana Sharma, Bua David and Sukhdev Masih and Gagandeep Singh. The fact-finding committee also recommended the cancellation of the registration of the NGO. Meanwhile, all five office-bearers of the NGO were today remanded in seven-day police custody by a local court. |
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DPS teacher suspended for slapping student
Jammu, October 24 Though the school Principal, SM Shukla, while talking to The Tribune over the phone, denied the allegation of perforation of eardrum, yet he accepted that he had suspended the teacher, Haidar Ali, a resident of Mendhar in Poonch district, for slapping the student. Shukla said, “We have ordered an inquiry into the incident and I have also visited the house of the student to meet his parents.” Narrating the incident, the Principal said on October 20, when Haidar Ali was taking his class, a student, Naman Kumar, was found creating nuisance in the class. The teacher slapped him, as a result of which the student got hurt and wrote a complaint to him against the teacher. The Principal said the school management had taken the issue seriously, as such kind of incidents gave bad name to the school. “It is not the question whether the student’s eardrum has been perforated or not. He was injured in the incident, so the teacher has been suspended till the report of inquiry panel,” Shukla added. Till the filing of this report, no FIR was lodged by the parents of aggrieved student. Jaan Mohammad, Sub-Inspector, holding the charge of SHO Rajouri police station said, “It was a minor issue and the aggrieved family has not contacted us as yet.” |
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Students demand nomination of their school as examination centre
Jammu, October 24 The reason being that the currently alloted examination centre, Government Higher Secondary School, Atholi, is about 30 km far from Thumb village. Moreover, there is no motor connectivity between the two villages. Nearly 31 students of the Thumb school will be appearing for the Boards that starts from November 2 this year. Residents of Thumb village alleged that the Board of School Education (BOSE) had allotted examination centres in Ligri and Massu villages, where the condition was similar to that of Thumb village. According to a source, the school administration has already sent an application to the BOSE chairman, Prof. Deshbandhu Gupta, for approval of an examination centre in Government High School, Thumb. Pyara Singh, numberdar of Thumb village, said in the absence of a proper road and transport facility, the students have to cover the distance on foot. He alleged that similar problem occurred every year. Last year, some students failed to reach to their examination centre on time, while many simply did not appear for the examination at all, due to the same reason. Desh Raj, chowkidar of the village said the early snowfall this year had intensified the worries of the students as it made even the kuchha road of no use. “As the present examination centre is far away from the village, so it will not be possible for the students to daily go to Atholi for the examination. Hence, they will have to shift to that village till their examinations end,” he added. However, he wondered whether students belonging to economically weaker families would be able afford rented accomodation in Atholi. The BOSE chairman, Prof. Deshbandhu Gupta, affirmed to have received the application from the Government High School, Thumb, for nomination of the school as an examination centre for this academic year. Admitting that sometimes students had to face difficulty in appearing for their examinations due to heavy snowfall, he said under such ircumstances the board conducted special examinations for them on some other convenient date. He said the board was formulating a policy wherein the government shall provide free accommodation to the students of far-flung areas during the period of their examinations. |
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BJP slams Padgaonkar over Pak remark
New Delhi/Srinagar, October 24 “These comments sound as if they (interlocutors) are rationalising Pakistan’s stand on its ‘unfinished agenda’ on Kashmir.Moreover, it seems as if the panel is arguing for the Hurriyat angle in this matter,” BJP spokesperson Nirmala Sitharaman told mediapersons here. She demanded that the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) should immediately clarify if this was part of the brief given to the interlocutors. Underlining that the interlocutors were expected to engage with various citizen groups to understand the ground realities, she said: “There is no doubt that they are expected to actively engage with the citizens from various quarters to elicit their views. But the comments made even as they are about to start their assignment, amounts to unnecessarily internationalising the issue,” she added. However, Padgaonkar, who is in Srinagar, said the panel had not been given any brief by the government and pointed to Home Minister P Chidambaram’s statement that there are no red lines. “What I have said with regard to Pakistan is the obvious. I have not said anything that has not been said before. I have not extended my brief as we did not get any brief. We know what we are doing,” he said. |
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Army holds free medical camp at Nagrota Gujroo
Udhampur, October 24 Nine Army doctors, including three eye specialists and one ENT specialist, attended to a large number of patients and provided them medical treatment and free medicines. A few cases, requiring advanced eye treatment, were referred to the Army Command Hospital at Udhampur for specialist treatment. During the camp, the locals were also imparted awareness about health, hygiene and immunisation schemes through a medical exhibition. Brigadier Davis PP, commander, North Star AD Brigade, visited the camp and acknowledged the assistance provided by ex-servicemen living in the area, led by Brigadier (Retd) AS Randwal, NGO J&K Sainik Star Society and Hari Prabhu Ashray, in conducting the camp. An ex-servicemen helpline, set up with assistance from Northern Command Headquarters, was also inaugurated at Nagrota Gujroo. The ad hoc helpline is expected to provide succour to a large population of ex-servicemen settled in the area, particularly the old aged, in resolving issues faced by them related to pension and other retirement benefits. An Ex-servicemen Contributory Health Scheme (ECHS) Clinic, sanctioned by the Ministry of Defence is expected to be established in the area in the near future. |
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Play reading function held
Jammu, October 24 Titled as “Aakhri Hall” in Dogri, it deals with the issue of communalism. The play presents different shades of the communal attitude generally prevalent among Hindus and Muslims and attempts to underline the stereotypes that influence the collective outlook of one community against the another. The storyline starts from the time of the partition and finishes at the present day scenario. It probes into the religious bigotry by examining the attitudes of three generations of a middle-class business family. ND Jamwal, Mohan Singh, Prof Shiv Dev Singh Manhas, Randhir Singh Rajpuria, Janak Khajuria, Inderjeet Kesar, Daya Ram Daya, Ravinder Sharma and Inderjeet Singh Sambyal were prominent among those who were present. Various artists of the theatre and television were also present. Earlier, Dr Sudhir Mahajan welcomed the guests whereas vote of thanks was presented by Ravinder Sharma.
— TNS |
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KP women urged to observe ‘Prayaan Divas’
Jammu, October 24 According to a statement issued here, it was on October 26, 1675, that Kripa Ram Dutt led a delegation of 500 Kashmiri Pandits to Anandpur Sahib to seek the
help of the ninth Sikh Guru, Guru Teg Bahadur, to rescue their community from the genocide and persecution of the infamous Mughal ruler, Aurangzeb. The Kashmira Vahini today also held a meeting that was presided over by its patron Kirti Kalla. They took stock of the preparations for the “All-India Women’s Conference of Kashmiri Pandit women”, slated to be held in December. Sunita Santoshi, general secretary of Kashmira Vahini, said, “The conference will be the first of its kind in which Kashmiri Pandit women across the globe from different fields will participate.” The Kashmira Vahini also hailed the way the Panun Kashmir delegation headed by Agnishekhar made a forceful presentation of the geo-political aspirations of over seven lakh Kashmiri Pandits for the establishment of a separate homeland
in the form of a Union Territory for the “exiled” community. |
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‘Kashmir has never been integral part of India’
Roy was speaking at a seminar on the theme “Wither Kashmir: Freedom or enslavement” organised by Coalition of Civil Societies here. “Kashmir has never been an integral part of India. It is an historical fact. Even the Indian Government has accepted this,” the Booker Prize winner said. Roy alleged that India became “colonising power” soon after its independence from the British rule. — PTI
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Kin block national highway after woman found dead
Jammu, October 24 The body of the deceased, Aruna Sharma, was
found in the fields at Mele Morh village. Her parents and area residents alleged that some locals had seen the body in the fields and suspected that her in-laws had killed her. Demanding their arrest, they blocked the highway
after placing her body on the road. A police officer said strangulation marks were seen on the neck of the deceased. All senior police officers and officials of the civil administration reached the spot to pacify the protesters and ordered an inquiry into this incident. Sources said Aruna got married last year and had a son. Her parents
belong to Narian village in Kathua district. Later in the evening, the body was handed over to them after a post-mortem. Subhash, SHO, Hiranagar police station, said: “We are trying to ascertain the reason behind the death and the body has been handed over to the parents of the deceased.” Till the filing of the report, no case
had been registered against the accused. However, the police has detained the deceased’s husband, Satish Sharma, who works at a private factory in Samba, her father-in-law and mother-in-law. |
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Couple commit suicide
Jammu, October 24 The police said both were missing since yesterday and today their bodies were seen hanging from a tree in a deep forest by some local resident, who informed the police. Both boy and girl, Bunty Kumar and Goldy Devi of Nadiyan village, were indulged in a love affair for the past seven years and when their parents reportedly rejected their demand to get married, they decided to run away from their houses yesterday, sources said. The police said the bodies of two were found hanging with a tree this evening. Jaan Mohammad, sub-inspector, Rajouri police station, said: “We have received the information regarding recovery of two bodies, but so far our team has not reached there as the forest is very thick and deep.” It could not be established whether the couple left any suicide note or not, before taking such an extreme step. The police informed about the recovery of bodies of the couple to their parents and called them to the police station. Sources said both boy and girl belonged to similar community, as both were Rajput, but the parents of the girl had an objection of marrying their daughter with Bunty, as he was unemployed. Meanwhile, the family of the boy had an objection over the character of the girl, the sources added. |
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Kidnapped girl rescued from Ludhiana
Jammu, October 24 The police said the boy, Guljar, alias Guggu Gujjar, a milkman, had been arrested and the minor girl was also rescued from his possession. The family of the girl was informed and the girl has been handed over to them after the legal formalities, the police said. Gurmeet Singh, SHO, RS Pura police station, said: “Acting on a tip off, a team was sent to the Narangwal area in Ludhiana (Punjab), where the boy was working as a servant. Later, the
girl was rescued from his possession.” A case has been registered. |
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Jammu, October 24 Armed with heavy machine guns, the troops fired rockets on the Indian forward posts in Krishnaghati sub-sector along the Line of Control, Brigadier Gen Staff of 16 Corps S Dua said. The Pakistani troops fired on the Indian posts for an hour wounding a jawan, he said. Indian troops maintained restraint and did not retaliate, he said, adding that a protest would be lodged tomorrow. Pakistani troops had fired on Indian posts in Kerni at Jallas sub-sector along the LoC in Poonch on October 1 and 2. In the past one month, the ceasefire was violated by Pakistani troops on September 28 and 29 in the Krishnaghati sub-sector. — PTI
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Srinagar, October 24