Jammu, March 5
The state Assembly today witnessed noisy scenes, as the entire Opposition created an uproar over the alleged misappropriation of funds and discrimination in the allocation of funds.

Shouting slogans against the ‘discriminatory policies’ of the state government, the Opposition staged a walkout and boycotted the post-lunch sitting of the Assembly in which the Chief Minister gave a reply on the Motion of Thanks to the Governor’s Address.

The PDP threatened to boycott the Budget session if a House Committee was not formed to probe into the allegations of discrimination in the allocation of funds. Earlier the House plunged into bedlam and chaos when PDP legislator Choudhary Zulfikar Ali termed the reply of Health Minister Sham Lal Sharma as “incorrect” and “misleading”. While Zulfikar was pressing the minister to come out with a correct reply, Panthers Party MLA Harsh Dev Singh charged Sharma with adopting a discriminatory policy in upgrading the existing health centres in the constituencies represented by the members of the Opposition.

Legislators MY Tarigami (CPM), AR Veeri and Iftikar Hussain Anasari (both from PDP), Ashwani Sharma (JSM), Baldev Sharma (BJP) and Engineer Rashid (Independent) supported Harsh Dev’s allegations. Within no time, some members trooped into the well of the House and started shouting slogans. While senior members of the PDP and the BJP remained seated, their colleagues walked into the well and shouted slogans. There was commotion in the House for more than 25 minutes. However, the government faced embarrassment when Hakim Mohammad Yasin, the lone PDF member, who is a part of the coalition, also joined the agitating Opposition members. Even NC legislator Mir Saifullah also alleged discrimination in the allocation of funds. Finance Minister Abdul Rahim Rather tried to intervene, but to no avail.

“Loot of public exchequer and bungling of government funds should be stopped,” the agitating members demanded.

Meanwhile, PDP legislator Ansari entered into a heated argument with the Finance Minister. He alleged that a large number of health centres had been set up in the constituency of the minister.

The Opposition demanded that a House committee be formed to look into the discrimination in the allocation of funds and probe the functioning of the Health, Planning and Education departments.

Later, all members of the Opposition staged a walkout from the House and announced to boycott the post-lunch proceedings also.

Deputy leader of the PDP AR Veeri told The Tribune that their party would boycott the entire session if a House committee was not formed.

Jammu, March 5
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said today that he was in favour of the constitution of a Truth and Reconciliation Commission in the state.

Winding up a debate on the Motion of Thanks on the Governor’s Address, Omar sought cooperation of members of all political parties for passing a resolution in the Assembly in this regard. “After passing the resolution for the constitution of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, we will urge the Union Government to appoint a neutral person as its chairman to provide justice to the affected people,” he said.

On the Armed Forces Special Power Act (AFSPA) and the Disturbed Area Act (DAA), Omar said these Acts might go from some parts of the state this year. “Militancy is constantly on the decline and if it continues in this fashion, I can assure you that the Disturbed Areas Act and the Armed Forces Special Powers Act may be removed from some parts of the state this year itself, what to talk of during the tenure of my government,” Omar said.

He said the government had already removed 40 bunkers from the summer capital of Srinagar and also reduced the strength of the Central Reserve Police Force by two battalions. He added that more forces would be reduced from Srinagar and other towns.

The Chief Minister also refuted the charge that thousands had been arrested in the Kashmir valley. “It's simply not true,” he said, adding that, “The truth is that 4,064 were arrested, of whom 3,900 are out on bail”.

Jammu, March 5
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah today took the PDP to task for adopting double standards to befool the people of state for petty political gains.

Omar, while replying to the Governor’s Address in the Legislative Council, this evening first accosted the legislators of the PDP and the Panthers Party as his “friends” and then said they should have come a little early so that he could tell them some realities.

The entire Opposition boycotted Omar’s reply to the Governor’s Address in the Legislative Assembly today.

Murtaza Ahmad Khan and Syed Asgar Ali of the PDP and Rafiq Ahmad Shah of the Panthers Party, who came around 5.35 pm, a few minutes after the Chief Minister started his reply, were immediately taken to task by Omar.

Omar said, “Our friends (the PDP legislators) should always stand on one issue. I am bewildered by the views of my friends. In Jammu and Kashmir they speak about some other issues and when they give interviews to the electronic channels in Delhi, they change their stand.”

He pointed towards Muzaffar Hussain Beigh, former Deputy Chief Minister and PDP member, saying, “The former Deputy Chief Minister of your party also accepted that your patron had unfurled the National Flag in the Kashmir valley for 30 long years to strengthen the nationalist forces”.

However, with this Murtaza Ahmad Khan of the PDP got aggressive and tried to give his viewpoint, but the acting chairman, Arvinder Singh Micky, did not allow him. Later, the Chief Minister again said, “Whether the map showing Aksai-Chin as part of China during a slide show by the PDP at a press conference was genuine or what the former Deputy Chief Minister of your party spoke in Delhi in an interview to an electronic channel was correct. Both could not be true,” he added.

The Chief Minister said the Opposition had always raised the issue that the present government had arrested a large number of youths, which was incorrect and misleading. He added that “Go and find out the details and see how many youths have been arrested. If your figure is proved wrong, you have to apologise for your allegation.”

Srinagar, March 5
Separatists have reacted sharply to the remarks of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh that the Kashmir issue will be resolved within the framework of the Indian Constitution. The separatists have said the Prime Minister’s proposal was unacceptable to them, as they wanted a settlement outside the framework of the Indian Constitution.

“The Kashmir people want nothing less than the right of self-determination, which was promised by the Indian leadership and the United Nations. The other alternative to the right of self-determination is a tripartite talks between India, Pakistan and a true representative of Kashmiris in a third country and then the resolution of the issue in its historical perspective,” chairman of the hardline faction of the Hurriyat Conference Syed Ali Shah Geelani said.

“The people of Kashmir have been making sacrifices not to find a solution within the framework of the Indian Constitution but for the right of self-determination,” Geelani said.

The acting chairman of the Hurriyat Conference, Prof Abdul Ghani Bhat, said there should be no condition attached to the dialogue for finding a solution to the vexed issue. While welcoming the Prime Minister’s offer of holding talks with Pakistan, he said no formula decided by India and Pakistan could work unless the Kashmir people were not involved.

“The Prime Minister’s reference to talks with Pakistan is a healthy development. We support talks between India and Pakistan, particularly with reference to the Kashmir issue. But there should be no mistake that unless the leaders, who represent the sentiments of people of Kashmir, are engaged in the dialogue process unconditionally, no arrangement between India and Kashmir or India and Pakistan can work. India and Pakistan are parties to the dispute, and the Kashmir people are the principal party,” Bhat said.

The Prime Minister during his visit to Jammu yesterday had said, “The Centre recognises the genuine political and emotional grievances of the people of Jammu and Kashmir and is willing to discuss all issues within the Indian Constitution’s framework.”

Srinagar, March 5
The police arrested three timber smugglers at two places and recovered a large quantity of timber from their possession today.

A police spokesman said Abdul Qayum Sofi, a resident of Yangoora, and Rouf Ahmad Sofi, a resident of Barsu, who were transporting timber cut illegally in a Tata 207 vehicle, were arrested on the Sumbal-Ganderbal bypass. In another incident, the police arrested a timber smuggler, Noor Mohammad Khan, a resident of Tararan in Tangmarg, with illegal timber at Tangmarg today. A case has been registered in this regard. — TNS

Jammu, March 5
Besides fighting Pakistan-sponsored proxy war in Jammu and Kashmir, the Army has spent nearly Rs 400 crore in the past 12 years as part of its strategy to improve the socio-economic condition of people living in remote and militancy infested areas.

Defence sources told The Tribune that since 1998, when the Army embarked upon the goodwill operation in the Valley, it had so far spent nearly Rs 400 crore on various projects.

The Army initially spent Rs 4 crore in 1998 and the amount of money differed between Rs 4 crore to Rs 14 crore till 2003, but in 2004-05 Rs 41 crore was spent, giving a much needed impetus to development in far-flung areas of the state, they said.

In 2005-06, the Defence Ministry increased the amount to Rs 55.92 crore and thereafter in subsequent fiscal years it allocated Rs 45 crore to Rs 55 crore every year, said the sources.

When the militancy was at its peak, the militants would not only kill innocent people, but also destroy infrastructure like government buildings, including schools, in remote areas of the state.

Furthermore, to terrorise people and strike at the symbols of the state authority, the terrorists would target and destroy bridges, transformers, government buildings and offices and factories. At that point of time the need was to conduct concerted counter-terrorist operations to tackle the menace in Jammu and Kashmir, said the sources. While the Army initiated people-friendly projects in militancy-infested areas, it simultaneously focused on the destruction of the infrastructure of terrorists.

“With a decline in militancy in the past few years because of the counter-insurgency operations, there is also an increasing realisation of the futility of resorting to gun.

However, the Army has also started focusing on breaking the nexus between the overground workers and terrorists,” they said.

Jammu, March 5
A newly-appointed permanent invitee to the Congress Working Committee (CWC), Gulchain Singh Charak, who has also been made the in charge of the Congress affairs in Punjab and Chandigarh, replacing veteran leader Mohsina Kidwai, said his priority was to strengthen the party for the forthcoming Assembly elections in Punjab.

Talking to The Tribune, Charak, who is also a former minister of Jammu and Kashmir, said the party high command had given him a very important assignment and he would work diligently to come up to the expectations of the leadership. “To work as the in charge of the party affairs in Punjab is a big challenge, as the state is scheduled to go to Assembly poll next year. My first priority is to devise an effective strategy to take on the Akali-BJP regime in the state,” Charak said and exuded confidence that the party would defeat the Akali-BJP combine in the coming elections.

In an obvious reference to the results of the last Lok Sabha elections in Punjab, he said the Akali-BJP government had already lost its credibility. “We will launch an effective and aggressive campaign to further expose the misdeeds of this regime,” he added.

“As a Congress man I had visited Punjab a number of times on organisational assignments given to me by the party high command,” he said. He expressed hope that he would get full cooperation from party leaders and workers of Punjab. He refused to speak about factionalism in the Congress, but made it clear that he would take all leaders into confidence while formulating strategies for the elections. He said he would try to bring unity among the Congress leaders which was necessary to take on the ruling alliance.

Charak, who was the Minister for Roads and Buildings in the previous Congress-PDP coalition government headed by Ghulam Nabi Azad, had handled important assignments given by the party leadership. During the Assembly elections in Maharashtra, he was given an important job of managing elections in different constituencies.

Jammu, March 5
Dr Kanchan Kaur, a breast cancer surgeon (oncologist), stressed the need to create awareness about the disease as it was key to fighting the disease.

She was speaking at an extension-cum-awareness lecture organised by the Department of Lifelong Learning, University of Jammu, in collaboration with the Rotary Club, Jammu-Tawi, here today.

She said according to figures, out of 22 cancer patients one was woman. She added that the disease was hitting the city women more.

“This is attributed largely to the change in our societal setup where women are getting married late,” she said.

“Various risk factors of the disease include fewer children, late age at the first childbirth and shorter duration of breast-feeding. The family history of breast cancer increases the risk too,” Dr Kaur said.

She added that early detection was the best way to prevent the disease from spreading. “If detected in time, the cure rate is 97 per cent,” she said and urged women to perform monthly breast self-examination.

According to Dr Kaur, women should get tested regularly, once they turn 35, after an interval of two years.

Jammu, March 5
Though the issue of some legislators taking the business of the Legislative Council lightly have been raised a number of times, it seems some members are not much concerned about attending the House proceedings. As during the House business today, when the deputy chairman/acting deputy chairman called the names of members, one by one, for discussion on the Motion of Thanks on the Governor’s Address, three of them were not present in the House.

Even though the deputy chairman had earlier asked the legislators, who wanted to participate in the discussion, to give their names, three of them, who had confirmed their participation, were not present. The proceedings of the Upper House, having a strength of 36 members, started on February 28 with Governor NN Vohra’s Address to a joint session of the Legislature. It was the third day today, and the less participation of the legislators had become a matter of concern.

Besides, having the quorum also proved to be a big challenge today when the Leader of the House, RS Chib, invited some members to complete the quorum in the House. There were only 10 legislators, including the acting deputy chairman, most of the times in the House today. Had one more member left the House, the presiding officer would have to adjourn it.

A legislator told The Tribune that the House was to function till April 9 and the less participation of the members was quite disturbing.

Meanwhile, Rafiq Ahmad Shah, the lone member of the Panthers Party in the Legislative Council, staged a walkout during Question Hour today.

Shah said some members of other parties were using unparliamentary language, which should not be used in the House to maintain its sanctity. So, I walked out of the House at 11.41 am. However, the acting chairman of the House said the issue was baseless. Later, Shah returned to the House during the discussion on the Governor’s Address.

Srinagar:The police arrested a ‘wanted’ stone-thrower, Nissar Ahmad Bhat, a resident of Singhpora near Pattan, on Saturday, a police spokesman said. He added that Nissar was involved in several incidents of stone throwing and had been evading arrest for quite some time.

Bhat’s arrest was part of a crackdown on those involved in stone-throwing on the police and the security forces last year. Over the last one year the police has arrested 4,064 persons in the Kashmir valley. — TNS

They added that while Rajiv was killed, injured Satish was rescued. The authorities had on Friday issued a high avalanche alert for many border areas of the Kashmir division, including Kargil, following fresh snowfall on the upper reaches. — TNS

Jammu, March 5
The All Jammu and Kashmir Ammunition Dealers Association has urged the state government to take stern action against unscrupulous elements involved in the preparation and distribution of fake arms licences in the state.

Addressing a press conference here today, ML Sharma, president of the association, said: “We request the government to issue arms licences liberally to defence personnel with an all-India validity. Licences should also be issued to civilians for self-defence since Jammu and Kashmir is a militancy-infested state.”

“We are thankful to the police for exposing the racket of fake arms licences involving unscrupulous elements in the administration. We extend full support to the police,” said Sharma.

He added that in 2010, the association had cautioned the licensing authorities of the state through the Additional Deputy Commissioner, Jammu. To reduce the chances of such malpractices and unnecessary delay in the issuance of licences, Sharma demanded the computerisation of data pertaining to arms manufacturing and an on line verification of documents.

He said 32 arms manufacturing units and 400 retail traders had been providing employment to 20,000 skilled, semi-skilled and unskilled workers.

“Although the sector has been contributing Rs 100 crore annually to the state exchequer by way of various taxes, there is no assistance from the government,” he added.

Jammu, March 5
After being duped of nearly Rs 80 lakh by a cheat, a group of people from Bhaderwah today demanded that the accused be booked under the Public Safety Act (PSA).

Shahid Ajaz Bhat, a resident of Mohalla Masjid of Bhaderwah, reportedly duped people on the pretext of providing jobs, contracts, vehicles and property. However, he was at present in police custody.

The Jammu police arrested Bhat last week on the charge of fraudulently selling a house owned by Dr Haji Mohammed Iqbal, a retired block medical officer.

Claiming Bhat duped them, Mohammed Ramzan, Kiran Kumar, Ghulam Rasool, Qamar Din Lone, Ghulam Hassan, Farooq Ahmed, Rattan Gupta, Mohammad Ashraf, Altaf Bhat, Abdullah, Abdul Qayoom, Shaquat Ali, Mohammad Rafiq, Mohammad Saleem and Habib Ullah alleged that despite repeated complaints to the Bhaderwah police, the cheat had not been arrested.

“He was arrested by the Jammu police only after Dr Iqbal complained to SSP, Jammu, Basant Raath,” they alleged.

They demanded stern action against local police officials at Bhaderwah for allegedly conniving with the cheat.

They said the bank accounts of the cheat be sealed. “The money swindled by the cheat be recovered from him and the same refunded to the victims,” they said.

“No one has approached us with a written complaint against the accused. It was only after the Jammu police arrested him on our information that they lodged a complaint,” said TR Katoch, SP, Bhaderwah.

He added, “We have registered an FIR against the accused and have sent a party to bring him back to Bahderwah so that legal action should be initiated against him”.

Jammu, March 5
The Kathua police arrested a man with 240 pouches of illicit liquor near Kathua town yesterday.

It said during a routine checking at a naka on the outskirts of the town, 240 pouches of illicit liquor were seized from a pedestrian. A case under the Excise Act has been registered at Kathau police station in this regard.

Jammu, March 5
The police foiled a bovine smuggling bid and rescued 10 bovines from a truck here today. It arrested Mohammad Azhar, driver of the truck, in which the bovines were being ferried to Kashmir. Earlier on February 28, the police seized seven vehicles and rescued 80 bovines.