Jammu, May 16
To lodge a protest against the decision of the state government to revoke the order regarding the issuance of Dogra certificate, activists of the Panthers Party under the leadership of its state president Balwant Singh Mankota staged a day-long dharna here today.

The Panthers Party activists demanded that the Dogra certificate should be issued to all residents of the Jammu province irrespective of caste, creed, colour or religion.

The Panthers Party leaders condemned the state government for revoking the Dogra certificate order, which was issued by Revenue Minister Raman Bhalla during the last Assembly session. Unfortunately, the state and Central governments had come under the pressure of the Hurriyat leaders and revoked the order.

They said the certificate was not only about relaxation in height and chest measurements for recruitment to the Army, but was also about the identity of Dogras residing in the Jammu province.

On the occasion, Mankotia warned the state government not to play with the sentiments of brave and nationalist Dogras, who had sacrificed lives for maintaining the integrity of the country. He urged the Central government not to succumb to pressure from anti-national and separatists elements in the Kashmir valley, who were bent upon disintegrating the nation. He said the anti-Jammu National Conference (NC) had also joined hands with the separatists to undermine the identity of Dogras.

Mankotia said the Panthers Party, which had been in the forefront of the fight against the evil designs of the anti-national forces, would not allow the secessionist forces to succeed. He added the party would take its agitation to districts, tehsils, block and Panchayat levels in the days to come. 

Jammu, May 16
The ninth phase of the panchayat elections registered 82.13 per cent polling in nine blocks of both Jammu and Kashmir divisions today. Barring some incidents of violence in Ramban district, the polling by and large was peaceful.

Braving scorching heat, villagers turned out in a large number to vote in the Marh and Kathua blocks, which registered 86.50 per cent 85.59 per cent polling, respectively, despite high temperature that hovered around 42°C. In Ramban district, a clash broke out between the supporters of two candidates in the Darmon area, resulting in injuries to three persons, including a woman. The polling remained suspended for some time but was resumed after senior officers intervened.

In Kathua, some voters alleged bogus voting in the Jakhbad and Lagate areas. However, the matter was resolved with the intervention of the officers concerned. The elections were held in the Tangdhar block in Kupwara, Singhpora in Baramulla, Sumbal in Bandipora, Khoveripora in Anantnag and Srinagar block of the Kashmir valley, while in the Jammu province the people voted in Kishtwar, Ramban, Kathua and Marh blocks.

Srinagar, May 16
The areas of Srinagar that witnessed widespread protests during
 the five months of unrest last summer saw a remarkable shift for good, as people in a large number came out to vote in the ninth phase of the ongoing panchayat elections today.

The rural areas of Srinagar district, which went to the polls today, had seen widespread protests during the five months of unrest last summer. “We gained nothing from strikes and protests last year and instead we lost our livelihood and more than 100 people lost their lives,” said Basheer Ahmed, a resident of Dara village.

He said though the area fell in Srinagar district and was only a few kilometres from the summer capital of the state, the people here still faced various hardships. “On papers, we live in Srinagar, but in terms of development our area is as backward as any other village of the Valley. We don’t have electricity, our roads are in a shambles, we don’t have health care facilities and for even a small ailment we have to rush to hospitals in Srinagar city,” said Basheer.

“Today, we came out to vote to elect our representatives who could become our voice and take up our concerns at the appropriate platform. Though the government releases huge amounts of money for the development of our area, it is misappropriated by bureaucrats,” said Tariq Ahmed, a voter in the Chak Dara area of Srinagar.

He said, “After we elect our representatives, we will be sure that the money released for the development of our area will be used in the area. The local MLA and MP are out of our reach and even bureaucrats in the area don’t meet common people. But when we elect our panchayat representatives, we can approach them anytime and ask them to do developmental work in the area,” Tariq said.

Jammu, May 16
BJP workers staged a protest against the recent hike in petrol prices at Janipur today. The protest was organised under the leadership of Praduman Singh and district BJP president of Jammu city Rajesh Gupta was present. Former Mayor of the Jammu Municipal Corporation, Kavinder Gupta, also addressed the party workers and exhorted them to oppose the anti-people polices of the UPA government.

Addressing the protesters, Rajesh Gupta said the policies of the Centre had made the lives of the people miserable due to unprecedented inflation and corruption and these had been followed by this shocking petrol price hike.

Parduman Singh appealed to the public to come out on the streets to register their disapproval and protest against the hike in petrol prices. He added that people should cooperate with the BJP to address this burning issue and the price rise.

Surinder Sharma, Ravinder Gupta, Dinesh Gupta, Sureshta Jamwal, Balwan Singh, Vijay Sharma, Balvir Singh, Sangeeta Gupta, Sunita Gupta, Arun Chhibber, Parshotam Dogra, Shushil Pandey, Ashok Gandhi, Munish Khajuria and others also addressed the workers.

Srinagar, May 16
Lt-Gen KT Parnaik, GOC of the Northern Command, has emphasised the importance of human rights both for the Army and society as well. Parnaik was delivering the keynote address at a two-day human rights seminar organised by the Chinar Corps, titled ‘Evolution of Human Rights in Kashmir and its relevance today’, here today. The seminar is being attended by luminaries and intellectuals from across the country, a defence spokesman said. 

The Army Commander explained to the audience the philosophy of human rights and its historical perspective, while commending the track record of the Indian Army, despite overwhelming challenges. He spoke about the Army’s philosophy of ‘minimum force and acting in good faith’ while reiterating that the Army had ‘zero tolerance’ for human rights violations. He also brought out the important role played by the media in low-intensity conflict zones.

Earlier, while welcoming the participants, Lt-Gen SA Hasnain, GOC, Chinar Corps, stated that, “Power does not come from the muzzle of the gun, but by upholding the dignity of the people and respecting their sentiments”. He elaborated the aspect of ‘heart’ being the central concept to the thinking of the Army today.

The first session on ‘Kashmiriyat, Sufism and the aspirations of the Kashmiri Awam’ was chaired by a noted journalist, Manoj Joshi. The speakers included Sadia Dehlvi, an authority on Sufism, Prof Riyaz Punjabi, Vice-Chancellor of Kashmir University, Farooque Andrabi, founder of Indian Times and convener of the Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress, and Col Shukla (retd).

The second session, ‘Human Right Concerns of a Society in Prolonged Externally Driven Conflict’, was chaired by Gen VG Patankar (retd), a former Chinar Corps Commander, while other speakers included Justice BC Patel, a former Chief Justice of the Jammu and Kashmir High Court, Justice Syed Bashiruddin, a retired judge of the J&K High Court, Dr Siddiq Wahid and Col NK Nijhawan. 

Udhampur, May 16
To reach out to the people in the militancy affected areas of Reasi district, the Rashtriya Rifles Battalion at Sarh organised a free veterinary camp at Jamlan village of Mahore tehsil in the district today.

The aim of the camp was to extend medical aid to the livestock of the needy population of the village and adjoining rural areas as well as the migratory Gujjar and Bakarwal tribes. The tribals pass through the Joint Check Post Jamlan during their seasonal migration to the upper reaches during this period.

The civil administration of Mahore tehsil assisted the Army in its endeavour. The government veterinary doctor at Mahore, Kamal Singh, and the Medical Officer of the Army, Captain Anu, examined and prescribed treatment to 50 cattle, 70 horses, 20 dogs and about 500 sheep and goats. The local residents appreciated the Army’s gesture of organising the first veterinary camp of the season in their area. The tribals were especially thankful as after reaching the pastures on the upper reaches, they had no means to obtain veterinary support for their livestock.

The Commanding Officer of the Rashtriya Rifles at Sarh also interacted with the owners of the livestock as well as the local population and assured them that the Army would conduct more mobile veterinary camps on the higher reaches of the Pir Panjal in the coming months. 

Srinagar, May 16
Governor NN Vohra has called upon intellectuals, academicians, social and political activists, different sections of society and the people at large to work towards engendering an environment for the restoration of lasting peace, communal harmony, amity and brotherhood in the state.

The Governor, as the chief guest, was addressing the gathering after inaugurating a two-day peace conference organised by the Jammu and Kashmir Peace Foundation at the Sher-e-Kashmir International Conference Centre (SKICC) here today.

He said this would revive and promote the state’s past glory of an abode of peace and tranquillity. He said the people of the state had high stakes in peace and normalcy. “We have a vast responsibility for coming up to the challenge to secure the desired outcome”.

Prominent among those present on the occasion included CAPD Minister Qamar Ali Akhoon, Minister for Animal and Sheep Husbandry and Science and Technology, Aga Syed Ruhulla, Interlocutors, Dileep Padgaonkar, Prof Radha Kumar and MM Ansari, Swami Agnivesh, and a galaxy of dpeace activists.

Referring to the situation during the last three summers in Kashmir, the Governor observed that not only tourism and other important sectors which are the mainstay of the state’s economy suffered a setback, but also the process of development and the implementation of welfare schemes was hit badly. He said above all the disruption in educational schedules adversely affected the career of students, many of whom were at the competitive stage and lost a full year.

The Governor said the massive turnout of voters in the Assembly elections of 2008, parliamentary polls of 2009 and the ongoing panchayat elections was a pointer towards the fact that people were committed to the democratic process and establishing peace.

Dr Ahmad Saleem Al-Wahishi, Ambassador of the Arab League, in his presidential address, thanked the Jammu and Kashmir Peace Foundation for inviting him to the conference. He added that Kashmir was one of the most beautiful places and among the choicest tourist destinations in the world. He observed that in this age of globalisation, peace, tranquillity and brotherhood had acquired an added significance.

Kolkandoli, May 16
Devotees coming from across the country to pay obeisance at Shri Mata Vaishno Devi shrine will soon get accommodation facilities at the historic Kolkandoli temple, as the temple administration is constructing an inn to facilitate them.

The Kolkandoli temple, said to be built by the Pandavas, is about 15 km from Jammu having much religious importance. Paying obeisance at the temple is considered the first darshan of Mata Vaishno Devi. Pilgrims of Mata Vaishno Devi first pay obeisance here and then head for Katra to start the 12-km pilgrimage to reach the holy cave shrine.

So far this small village situated near Nagrota town neither have a hotel nor any inn, thus forcing the pilgrims to have a night halt at Jammu or Katra. “The temple administration is constructing an inn at the temple complex, which will accommodate nearly 1,000 devotees. Two halls will be built in the inn,” said Jai Pujari of the Kolkandoli temple.

He said the work on the temple had started and the devotees were giving huge donations for the construction of the inn. Jai Pujari added that, “Being the first place to pay obeisance to Mata Vaishno Devi, the Kolkandoli temple attracts a large number of devotees. Keeping this in mind the state government has also promised to make a beautiful sprawling lawn and install swings for children here.”

The temple administration said Tourism Minister Nawang Ringzin Jora and Minister for Revenue, Relief and Rehabilitation Raman Bhalla visited the temple recently and assured it that the beautification work on the temple would be started soon.

With this much-awaited decision of the temple administration and the state government, the devotees were also seen overjoyed, as within a short time they would have the accommodation for night stay at the temple.

“This temple is famous throughout the country and a large number of people come here to pay obeisance to the Goddess. So the construction of an inn will surely provide benefit to the devotees, who, otherwise, have no option for stay here,” said Dheeraj Kumar, a resident of Ambala in Haryana, who had come to pay obeisance at the temple along with his family.

He added that, “We come every year to have darshan of Mata Vaishno Devi and always pay obeisance here too, before heading for the cave shrine. When the project is complete, the temple will also attract more pilgrims”.

Udhampur, May 16
Irked over the slow pace of redress of public grievances in Kishtwar, a local NGO, Kishtwar People’s Progressive Forum (KPPF), on behalf of the residents, has complained to the Chief Minister’s Grievances Redress Cell for necessary action.

The copies of the complaint have also been sent to the Divisional Commissioner, Jammu, District Development Commissioner, Kishtwar, as well as the SSP, Kishtwar.

The president of the KPPF, Noor Hussain Malik, said the residents were dissatisfied by the grievance redress system in Kishtwar.

While the residents were told that their problems were being addressed, practically nothing was being done on the ground.

The major problems according to Malik included inadequate transport facilities for students, unhygienic drinking water, streamlining of vegetables, fruits, and meat, deteriorating condition of the famous Chowgan ground, also known as the pride of Kishtwar, encroachments on the government land and inadequate staff at the District Hospital, Kishtwar.

Importantly, the KPPF had also urged Chief Minister Omar Abdullah to address unemployment among local skilled and unskilled youth by issuing directions for the immediate start of work on the four newly sanctioned power projects in Drabshall and Padder areas of the district.

“The way public grievances are being neglected, it seems that the authorities concerned are least bothered about resolving them. None of the commitments made so far regarding common problems have been fulfilled.

So we decided at a meeting to bring the matter to the notice of the Chief Minister,” said Malik.

Jammu, May 16
Taking a serious note of the recent decision of the state Cabinet to rehabilitate misguided youth (militants) and their families, who had crossed over to occupied Pakistan, chairman of the Panthers Party Bhim Singh said this decision of the government was in violation of the order of the Supreme Court.

Addressing a press conference here yesterday, Bhim Singh observed that the Cabinet decision for the ‘return and rehabilitation’ of the terrorists from Pakistan amounted to the infringement of the Supreme Court’s order staying the Resettlement Act. He described this decision of the Chief Minister as dangerous for the security of India, particularly when terrorists were forced to leave Pakistan under pressure.

On the issue of Dogra certificate, Bhim Singh said sarpanches were competent to issue Dogra certificates to fulfil the aspirations of the Dogras in this regard. “Panchayats are competent in this regard and the Army recruitment boards shall be obliged to honour such certificates,” he said.

He said in democracy, the identity of the people was the basic fundamental right which could not be denied to the people.