Jammu, December 5
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah today said he favoured a political solution to political issues in a cordial and peaceful atmosphere.

“We have always highlighted the importance of settling all issues pertaining to the state through a sustained internal and external dialogue process. Our endeavour in this direction will continue,” he said and added that the National Conference symbolised unity, integrity, communal amity, equitable development and brotherhood in the state.

“We have inherited this from Sher-e-Kashmir Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah and we would uphold this trait under all circumstances,” he asserted.

Addressing public gatherings in connection with the birth anniversary of the late NC leader, the Chief Minister criticised those who created problems in the day-to-day life of people by promoting negative thinking.

Omar said his government from the first day of its formation had underlined the need for addressing political issues of the state in a political way.

“We stressed its importance at every forum - within and outside the state,” he said, and referred to the Union Home Minister’s statement regarding a unique strategy to solve the unique political issues of the state.

He said his government was making every effort to maintain peace and accelerate the pace of development that received a setback during the past five months, especially in the education sector.

“I am advocating and working for the removal of the AFSPA from the areas where it is not required.

We have also released more than 1,200 youth arrested for stone throwing, besides removing several bunkers,” he said, and made it clear that every possible measure would be taken to make the situation palatable and peaceful for economic and political activities.

The Chief Minister later inaugurated a 66-metre-long two-lane bridge at Jagti Nagrota in Jammu constructed at a cost of Rs 2.75 crore.

The bridge is an important part of a Rs 7-crore road project. About 45,000 persons, residing in the five villages of Jagdambay, Jagti, Lower Karli, Dhammi and Nagrota will benefit from this bridge.

Jammu, December 5
Charging the NC-led coalition government with thriving on instability and turmoil in the state, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chief Mehbooba Mufti today said the situation was not conducive for holding panchayat elections because people’ faith in democratic institutions had been shattered due to misgoverance of the present dispensation headed by Omar Abdullah.

Interacting with mediapersons after addressing a meeting of party members here this afternoon, the leader of the PDP said the ruling party wanted to take benefit of the prevailing unrest in the Valley.So, the government was in a hurry to conduct the panchayat elections.

“It is a historical fact that the NC always thrived on instability”, she said, and added that the government had not taken into consideration the ground realities and was going ahead with the poll.She also referred to the killing of 110 youth in the past five months in the Valley.

When asked whether her party would boycott the panchayat elections, she said these would be held on a non-party basis, so individuals, and not parties, had to take a decision in this regard.

Mehbooba said successive NC regimes had always proved disastrous for the state because the party brazenly indulged in nepotism and corruption.The state had been passing through the worst phase with uncertainty and suffering gripping people.

“Political issues apart, the unfortunate situation has been thrust on the state by the present dispensation which is involved in corruption and nepotism”, she alleged, and asked party workers to draw a comparison between the present regime and the previous PDP-Congress coalition.

“The previous PDP-Congress regime had not only revived people’s faith in democracy, but also set an example of good governance in which all regions were treated equally”, she said.

While the security scenario had deteriorated in the last two years, the development component had also suffered tremendously.The generous financial support from the Centre had gone down the drain.

Citing instances, she said that despite huge water resources, the state was facing power crises on account of bad structure and weak networking. Similarly, due to lack of transparent policies in other sectors like health, education and horticulture, Central funds and state resources mostly went waste.

Jammu, December 5
The process of giving jobs to displaced Kashmiri youth and initiating their return to the Kashmir Valley started today with the first batch receiving appointment letters.

Sixty displaced youth were handed over the letters for appointment in different government departments like Medical and Health, Education, Social Welfare and Mechanical Engineering by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah here today after a long wait of nearly three years under the Prime Minister’s Employment Package for Kashmir Migrants. Another 1,646 will be issued such letters tomorrow.

The package is a component of a comprehensive programme to encourage the return of Kashmiri migrants to their native land.

According to an official statement issued here, the Chief Minister said much progress had been achieved in creating a sense of security in them for returning to their native places.

He said his government would work jointly with the Union Government for job security and economic welfare of the migrants along with enhancing their sense of security.

He said the government would take every measure for the welfare and uplift of the community.

Omar said suitable accommodation at various places in Kashmir had been created while many such housing complexes were in the pipeline.

He said a 4,000-unit Jagti Housing Colony near Nagrota, Jammu, was likely to be completed by January next year, and added Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi would be invited to inaugurate the complex.

“The 1,706 unemployed youth, who were selected under this package, would be issued appointment orders on Monday,” said Vinod Koul, Commissioner for Relief and Rehabilitation.

He said the appointees would be given one month for joining their respective departments.

It is important to mention here that mamy Kashmiri Pandit organisations had expressed resentment against the package and had said it was “unacceptable to their community”.

Sensing the mood of youths to return to their homeland, some leaders have demanded the dissociation of this package from the overall return and rehabilitation package.

“The appointment of over 1,700 youths in government services will mark the beginning of the return of displaced Kashmiri Pandits to the Valley,” said Kudeep Pandita, Convener of JK Thinkers’ Forum.

Jammu, December 5
A senior Congress leader and minister in the Omar Abdullah government Sham Lal Sharma today cautioned the government against increasing alienation among people of the Jammu region, and warned that if policies of discrimination continued, the people of this region would be left with no other option but to support the demand for a division of the state.

Addressing a public meeting at Basholi in Kathua district, Sharma regretted that successive governments had failed to address aspirations of the people of the region.

He mentioned that while some parties advocated greater autonomy for the state, others propagated the idea of self-rule.

“The people of the Jammu region have been taken for granted by the political parties,” he said and emphasised on the need of addressing aspirations of the people of Jammu also.

Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) chief Saif-ud-Din Soz, in his address, said the unity and integrity of the state was of paramount importance and the Congress was committed to maintain this unity and further strengthen it.

Cautioning the people against the dangers to unity and integrity of the country from communal and divisive forces, the PCC chief appealed to the people to be on the forefront to defeat the designs of such forces. He said Panchayat Raj institutions in the state should be empowered on the pattern of 73rd and 74th Amendments of the Constitution of India in order to fully democratise them and make them effective institutions of local-self government.

Reiterating the commitment of the Congress for equitable development of all parts of the state, the PCC chief said the coalition government in the state had the financial support of the Congress-led UPA government to bring all-round development in all parts of the state, especially in remote and backward areas like Bani.

Srinagar, December 5
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah today warned government doctors in the state that stern action would be taken against them if they do not abstain from private practice.

“Some doctors have turned a blind eye to the government ban on private practice. They should either stop taking non-practising allowance or else stop practising in private clinics,” Omar said addressing doctors and medical students at the 28th Foundation Day of the Sher-e-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS) Hospital here.

He warned the doctors that they would be punished if they continued to flay the government ban on private practice.

“I know your names and I have the addresses of your private clinics where you practise,” he said.

Omar said several doctors were involved in private practice with “blatant impunity” and asked them to follow the rules or face action. — PTI 

Srinagar, December 5
Asserting that Kashmir was a political issue and needed a political solution, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said here today that till larger issues were resolved, problems of development and progress had to be addressed.

He was addressing a public gathering after offering special prayers at the grave of Sher-i-Kashmir, Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah, on the late leader’s 105th birth anniversary here.Omar criticised those who created problems by propagating negative thinking and asked separatist leaders to come forward for a dialogue.

The Chief Minister said Union Home Minister P Chidambaram had said in Parliament that the accession of Jammu and Kashmir had taken place under “unique circumstances” and needed a unique solution. Omar also referred to his speech on the inauguration of the Anantnag-Qazigund rail link last year that Kashmir was “not an economic issue, but a political problem”. The Chief Minister said: “We are ready to make any sacrifice for a peaceful resolution of the problem and mitigate the difficulties of people. My government is working on a two- pronged strategy to deal with economic issues administratively and address issues of political nature in a political manner”.

Paying rich tributes to Sheikh Abdullah, the Chief Minister said the NC founder always preached and propagated Hindu, Muslim and Sikh unity and nurtured an atmosphere of communal amity and unity among all sections of society. Speaking on the occasion, Union Minister for New and Renewable Energy Farooq Abdullah paid rich tributes to Sheikh Abdullah.

Meanwhile, speaking at founders’ day function of the Sher-i-Kashmir International Convention Centre (SKICC) to commemorate its founder, Sheikh Abdullah, the Chief Minister said the importance of the SKICC in holding conferences, seminars and meetings was coming to the fore in the national and international scenario of knowledgeexchange, he said.

Jammu, December 5
‘Heer ka Dukhant’, the legendary love saga of Heer and Ranjha, was presented here at Natrang Studio Theatre in a new light. The play has been written by Harsaran Singh and directed by Neeraj Kant.

Depicting the plight of unrewarded love, the play presented the complexities of human relationships and unbridled sea of emotions.

The play deals with the post-marriage life of Heer who was wedded to Saidah.

In the house of her in-laws, Heer is not happy as she cannot forget her real love Ranjha.

She shares her ideas about pure love with her sister-in-law Saheeti, who tells her to forget the past.

Apprehensive about the gloomy nature of his bride, Saidah asks her whether she has some amorous relationship with someone, which she declines.

However, when he asks his sister about his doubts, she tells him that in some conversations Heer had confided about her “close” friendship with Ranjha.

At this time, Ranjha visits the house in the garb of a fakir and discourses on real love that is not approved by Heer and Saheeti.

Frustrated, jealous & lost, Saidah tells her to go with the fakir if that made her happy. However, she says, “Now I cannot live with anyone happily,” and runs away all alone.

The main actors in the play were Renu Sharma (Heer), Mohit Sharma (Ranjha), Neeraj Kant (Saidah) and Niharika Sharma (Saheeti). Arrangements for lightening were done by Rohit Verma. The show was coordinated by Sumeet Sharma.

Srinagar, December 5
A delegation of parliamentarians and civil society members, led by Lokjanshakti Party MP Ramvilas Paswan, has said problems of people of Kashmir, who are “facing a huge human tragedy”, should be known to the people of the country, and added a parliamentary committee on Kashmir will be constituted to end their sufferings.

The 11-member delegation concluded its three-day visit to the valley today after meeting people from different sections of society.

Talking to reporters here, Paswan said:“We feel that a dialogue has to be there”. He also favoured demilitarisation, revocation of AFSPA, release of all those detained and setting up of an enquiry commission to look into the killing of more than 110 persons, mainly youth, in the valley during the recent turmoil. Despite the Centre’s eight-point package, the problem continued to be there. The aim of the delegation, he said, was to find the facts on the ground and put these before people and parties in the country.

CPI MP D Raja favoured a comprehensive dialogue with representatives of all three regions of the state and a composite and meaningful dialogue between India and Pakistan. Commenting on the situation, Raja said serious and long-term measures needed to be taken immediately. “What we witnessed is a sense of insecurity of life and livelihood and there is a huge mistrust of what the Government of India is doing”, he said.

Pointing out that promises made by the Central Government were being doubted, the CPI leader demanded the withdrawal of the Public Safety Act (PSA), the review of AFSPA with gradual withdrawal from different areas and the release of all those not facing serious charges.

Others who spoke included Nama Nageswara Rao, TDP MP, Maheshwar Hazari, JD (U) MP, Bansa Gopal Chowdhary,CPM MP, Shahid Siddiqui of the Rashtriya Lok Dal, Kunwar Danish Ali of the JD (S), Shoain Iqbal,MLA, Lokjanshakti Party,Mahesh Bhat, filmmaker, Kamal Mitra Chenoy, Professor, JNU, and Seema Mustafa, senior journalist.

Jammu, December 5
Jammu and Kashmir police officers who are using social networking sites like Facebook and Orkut have been directed by the DGP not to write anything official on the websites.

Official sources told The Tribune the state police chief, Kuldeep Khoda, issued a circular in this regard on December 3.

No specific case was mentioned in the circular, the sources said.

“The circular has been issued due to security reasons after finding out that most of the officers have been spending a lot of time on such sites”, said a senior police officer.

The officer further said earlier some of his colleagues were either updating their status or pasting their pictures with backgrounds showing the location, wherever they moved, which not only provided information to their friends, but also to the common man.

“The DGP has not banned the use of such sites,but has imposed some restrictions”, the officer stated.

It is pertinent to mention here that most of the senior police officers are Internet savvy and keep updating or writing comments on their own or others’ status on the websites. Some of them paste their poetry or creative writings also. 

Jammu, December 5
Four persons were injured in two road accidents in the city today, the police said. In one accident, a tractor hit a motorcycle near a petrol pump in the Janipur area, in which two residents of the boys’ hostel of Government Medical College and Hospital were injured.

The police said the injured were identified as Hayum, son of Iqbal, and Tarsem, son of Jangbaaz, both in their early twenties. They were admitted to the hospital for treatment.

In another mishap, two persons sustained injuries after a scooter hit a car at a flyover near the bus stand here.

The injured, identified as Jatinder Kumar and Dalip, were taken to the GMCH. Meanwhile, the police has started an investigation.

Khoo Talab, December 5
Local residents , who had been demanding a school in the village for a long time, were ecstatic when the government announced the setting up of a Central university,instead, on land of this and the adjoining Suchani village two years ago.

However,the university is yet to be established.

With one academic session already lost, the next will start only if the process of setting up the university starts now.But as the Centre is yet to appoint a Vice-Chancellor, the project has made no headway.

The Tribune had earlier highlighted the sorry state of affairs at the temporary office of the Central university,which is functioning from a makeshift rented building in Gandhi Nagar here.However, a visit to this village in Samba district revealed a pathetic state of affairs.

A narrow and dusty road winding through the hills in the Kandi area leads to the proposed site where there is no construction activity.There is neither any board nor land earmarked for the university.” Some VIPs came a long ago to see the place. Then, we heard the land has been chosen for the university”, said Qadir Iqbal, a resident, who is working in a factory in the district while doing graduation as a private student. “ Earlier,I, along with others, had to travel several km to study as there was no school in the village and many dropped out”, he said.

He revealed only one student belonging to the village had graduated and was now working with the police.” I was excited to know that a Central university would be set up here.However, I wonder if it will be established in time to enable me to pursue higher education. Even the clearing of the hill and the widening of the road will take several months. Then, there is water scarcity in the area”, Iqbal said.

Raman Bhalla, Minister for Revenue and Relief, who has been taking up the issue, says the land has been earmarked in Khoo Talab and Suchani villages for the setting up of the university, but the work is yet to start.

“The Union Government is yet to appoint a Vice-Chancellor. The process for establishing the university starts after that”, the minister said, and added the Centre had told him recently that the search for the appointment was on.

Jammu, December 5
Surakh Singh was a constable of the 47th BSF Battalion. While he joined the services in 1966, he had to retire in April 1975 on medical grounds.

However, his family lives in penury as he was not found eligible to claim pension. Due to financial constraints, he could not get proper medical treatment. Moreover, none of his children have been able to study even till matriculation.

The family lives in Manwa village of the Kathar area in Akhnoor tehsil. Surakh Singh died in 1998 and is survived by two sons and a daughter.

His discharge certificate carries remarks of the medical board which claimed that he was fit for civil employment.

However, his youngest son Sukhreev Singh, who repairs watches at a roadside counter in Sunder Bani, said, “My father could never overcome his psychological problem and, therefore, could not do anything to earn livelihood for us.”

“We grew up watching our father struggle with life. In the absence of money, he literally died everyday, as we could not get him proper medical treatment. Our childhood passed in acute poverty,” he added.

“None of us, including my brother and sister, could complete our matriculation due to financial constraints,” he said, adding that since his father’s death, things took a turn for the worse.

Surakh used to get financial assistance of Rs 50 per month regularly for some years. But, that too was discontinued in 1985.

After his death, the family took the matter to the high court and claimed pension from the BSF.

In its reply, the 47th Battalion maintained that when the deceased constable was discharged from the service, he had rendered less than 10 years of service.

“In terms of Rule 49 of the Central Civil Services (Pension) Rules 1972, he was not eligible for grant of pension,” the force said in a statement to the court.

The statement said the monthly assistance of Rs 50 per month was granted to the family from the Benevolent Fund for a period of 10 years.

“On being asked by the Battalion, we submitted all requisite documents like pension, marriage certificate of my parents, non-withdrawal certificate from bank, besides Form 14, duly completed in all respects,” said Sukhreev Singh.

In its decision in 2008, the court stated, “The deceased performed duties for the cause of nation…so it would be appropriate if the respondents accord consideration to his case for grant of financial assistance out of the BSF Benevolent Fund”.

Last year in February, the family received a bank draft for Rs 20,000 and the assistance was described to be forwarded on “extreme compassionate grounds”.

However, Sukhreev said, “The succour came too late and hardly compensates for our struggle. We had to spend at least Rs 16,000 on the legal battle that stretched for six years”.