The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

Gaiety, fervour mark Eid celebrations
Tribune News Service & PTI

Srinagar/Jammu, August 31
Eid-ul-Fitr, marking the culmination of the holy fasting month of Ramzan, was celebrated with traditional gaiety and fervour in the state with thousands offering prayers at mosques and shrines. However, the celebrations were briefly disrupted as a group of youth started throwing stone at the security forces in some parts of the old city here after the Eid prayers.

The police resorted to tear gas shelling and a baton charge to restore order in the Eidgah, Safakadal and the adjoining areas,officials said. The youth were protesting against the arrest of over 70 men on August 27 following similar protests that day, they said.

Dressed in their best, men, women and children visited the Eidgah and other mosques to offer prayers.The fasting month of Ramzan came to an end last evening after the sighting of the moon.

The largest congregation was held at the Eidgah in the downtown city where moderate Hurriyat Conference leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq delivered a sermon in his capacity as the head priest of Kashmir. Nearly one lakh people offered prayers there. The second largest congregation was at Hazratbal, where officials said more than 60,000 people offered prayers followed by the TRC Ground and the shrine of Syed Yaqoob Shah at Sonwar. Chief Minister Omar Abdullah offered prayers at the Sonwar shrine.

Prayers were also offered at all the major mosques and the Eidgah in other districts of the Kashmir valley and the Ladakh region, reports said. Thousands of people offered prayers at Baramulla, Anantnag, Shopian, Kulgam, Ganderbal, Budgam, Pulwama and Kupwara districts, the reports said.

Children in fancy dresses visited gardens and parks in the city soon after the prayers. Youth burst crackers to celebrate the occasion.

In the Jammu region, scenes of communal harmony and brotherhood were witnessed during the Eid-ul-Fitr celebrations .

At the Eidgah ground, where prayers were offered, a large number of people gathered to greet their Muslim brethren on the auspicious occasion.

People were seen standing in queues outside the ground to exchange greetings.

Minister of Revenue, Relief and Rehabilitation Raman Bhalla visited the Narwal, Karayani Talab and Digiana Eidgahs and exchanged greetings with people.

In his address, Bhalla said peace was a prerequisite for making the state a model state.

He said people’s cooperation was must for the government to make the state prosperous. He urged the people to give their whole-hearted support to the government for maintaining peace and prosperity in the state.

India, Pak troops exchange sweets, greetings
Tribune News Service

Jammu, August 31
On the occasion of Eid-ul-Fitr, the armies of India and Pakistan exchanged sweets and greetings at Chakkan-Da-Bagh along the Line of Control in Poonch district today.

Official sources said the Pakistan army was led by the Commandant of the 11th Baloch Regiment, Col Umar Gul, and Major Matloob, while Col VP Christopher represented the Indian side.

The meeting, which lasted for an hour, was held in a cordial atmosphere where officers of both the armies were seen exchanging pleasantries, they added.

Meanwhile, officers of the BSF and the Pakistan Rangers also held a similar meeting at an Octroi border outpost along the international border in the RS Pura sector last evening and exchanged greetings on the eve of Eid.

The sources said the BSF was represented by the Commandant of the 135 Battalion, SK Singh, while the Wing Commander of the 12 Chenab Rangers, Qaiser, represented the Pakistan side.

kashmir special
‘Army using thermal imaging, airborne surveillance devices to check infiltration’

Lt-Gen SA Hasnain A Tribune photograph

Lt-Gen SA Hasnain, an alumnus of Sherwood College and St Stephen’s College, New Delhi, passed out of the Indian Military Academy (IMA), Dehradun, and was commissioned into the Garhwal Rifles in June, 1974. He had several tenures in Kashmir before taking over as the General-Officer-Commanding of the Srinagar-based 15 Corps in December last year. He is also the Security Adviser to Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah. Lt-Gen Hasnain spoke to Ehsan Fazili in Srinagar. (Excerpts from the interview)

How would you describe the security situation in the Valley this year?

Since 1989, the situation has been dynamic. It has shown an improvement at times, followed by setbacks. In 2003-04, the construction of the Line of Control (LoC) fence was a landmark event. Infiltration was checked considerably.

Nearly 12 top militants have been killed in operations this year. This has led to further disorganisation of the militant groups. Hence, we should expect renewed and intense infiltration attempts, especially by their leadership. The overground network of the militants and the terrorist infrastructure for training and infiltration remain intact. The intent and capability, in terms of the number of militants waiting to infiltrate, also remain. Policemen and civilians, suspected to be informers, are being targeted to retain fear among the people. Thus, the situation can at best be described as one of a deceptive calm.

You have been claiming that there are now fewer local militants left in the Valley; to whom do you attribute the success?

The Army is the largest body among the security forces and to it goes much of the credit. Yet, the success is equally attributable to intelligence agencies, the police, the CRPF, the BSF, the civil administration and most importantly, the people.

I think the Jammu and Kashmir police needs a special mention. Its officers and men have been performing marvellously in the most challenging circumstances. Militancy thrives on popular support. When popular support wanes, militants are like fish out of water. People are getting tired of violence. Efforts of the civil administration to reach out to the people have reduced support to the militants.

Would the Army be able to achieve the target of ‘zero infiltration’ this year ?

Let me clarify that the number of attempts at infiltration has not reduced. All the infiltration attempts do not end in a firefight as they are thwarted at different stages. There have been a large number of attempts this year as well. We use the term “zero infiltration” as the stated aim of our strategy. But it is very difficult to achieve the target as long as the forces on the other side of the border are effectively aiding infiltration attempts.

Some areas on the LoC have very difficult terrain. Our deployment on the LoC is not uniform. Hence, the militants can always exploit such areas during night or in bad weather when the visibility is extremely low. But you will find that we have managed to check this to a large extent. With more militants being eliminated than those infiltrating, the “mathematics of terror” is in our favour.

What has contributed to the reduction in infiltration?

The first is that we must acknowledge the stamina and resilience of our officers and men. The second is the Anti-Infiltration Obstacle System (AIOS), which has given us a line to focus upon, that delays the movement of infiltrators and in the process, many of them get killed. The third is the introduction of modern technology like thermal-imaging devices, which are very useful at night. We have unattended ground sensors, which are left at different places. There are also long-range surveillance devices and even airborne surveillance devices.

What about the training camps across the border and the number of trained militants waiting to sneak into India?

All around Jammu and Kashmir, there are approximately 42 training camps and there has been no effort in the last few years to reduce the number of such camps. There are different sets of figures on the number of terrorists maintained by different agencies. These camps are noticeable, particularly in the areas opposite Kupwara in the Neelam valley and opposite the Uri and Machal-Gurez sectors.

Which are the active militant groups and what about foreign militants?

The main militant group is the Lashkar-e-Toiba. We have also been countering the Jaish-e-Mohammad since 2000. A large number of Al-Badr militants are in camps in occupied Kashmir (PoK). But the local militant group, Hizbul Mujahideen, has been marginalised. In north Kashmir, the dominant group is the Lashkar-e-Toiba and the south Kashmir areas have largely been the traditional stronghold of the Hizbul Mujahideen.

There are more local militants in south Kashmir and more foreign militants in north Kashmir in the areas like Sopore and Rajwar. The Hizbul Mujahideen, though having a reduced strength, is still capable of effective operations and gearing up for a possible resurgence. We do not rule out anything.

Are they still receiving public support ?

The participation of a large number of locals in funeral prayers for militants killed during operations shows there is latent support for them. At the same time, there is no reduction in the overground sympathisers’ network, even as there is a reduction in militancy. The overground network of militants assists in finances, hideouts, the transportation of weapons etc. It provides the organisational strength to the militants. The militants cannot do without their (public) support. This network is very much there, sustained through sympathy or fear.

Do you find your “heart is my weapon” doctrine producing any result on the ground ?

That is for the people to say. I think it is working because soft power works more than hard power in situations where the people are yearning for peace and development. Moreover, the people feel that the Army and all other security forces are making serious efforts to reach out to them.

You being a Muslim and your ability to communicate in fluent Urdu must have helped you connect with the people ?

I carry the best values of the nation and I am a secular individual with a multi-cultural and multi-religious education. It is for the people to see whether I am genuine or not. My frequent tenures in Kashmir have helped me in developing Urdu skills. I do think this is appreciated and I am happy about it.

The Kashmir Premier League (KPL) was your idea ... do you intend to make the KPL a regular feature ?

I love cricket, which is also a national passion. We were told that Kashmir once had a very good cricket team at the national level and that there is still tremendous talent in the Valley. Due to 22 years of the turmoil, the youth perhaps did not get enough opportunities. The KPL, therefore, was meant to showcase talent. Happily, it has given rise to a number of small tournaments. You declared the current year as the “Year of Awam” and the “Zero Human Rights Violation Year”.

How successful have you been so far?

I did declare this as a goal. If I achieve anything near that aim, I will consider it a major achievement. I have a large force here and we are deployed in all kinds of areas, villages, towns and on the roads. There can be an odd aberration. I promise, if an aberration occurs and it is proved, I will be the first person to take the maximum action against the guilty. I do not want fingers being pointed at the Army and accusations being made against soldiers. We have educated our men a lot. They are fully conscious of their responsibilities. However, I am also conscious that the presence of the Army in a large number in the outlying areas makes it vulnerable.

BJP slams Omar tweet
Dinesh Manhotra
Tribune News Service

Jammu, August 31
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah’s comment on the unanimous resolution passed by the Tamil Nadu Assembly on three convicts in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case has evoked a strong reaction from the BJP.

The Chief Minister today questioned whether a resolution by the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly seeking mercy for Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru on the lines of the Tamil Nadu Assembly resolution would also generate a “muted” reaction.

“If the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly had passed a resolution similar to the Tamil Nadu Assembly seeking mercy for Afzal Guru, would the reaction have been as muted? I think not,” Omar posted on social networking site Twitter.

Omar’s comment came a day after the Tamil Nadu Assembly passed a unanimous resolution urging President Pratibha Patil to reconsider the mercy plea of the three convicts, namely Murugan, Santhan and Perarivalan, lodged in the Vellore Jail, who are facing a death sentence.

While the Congress has decided to maintain a guarded silence on Omar’s comment, the BJP termed his tweet as “unfortunate” and “pro-separatists”.

Reacting to the tweet, chief spokesman for the BJP Jatinder Singh said, “The Chief Minister’s comment amounts to questioning the wisdom of a Supreme Court judgement and that too by a person who is himself a state office-bearer sworn in under the oath of the very Constitution that he is questioning.” He added, “It is contrary to popular opinion across India and is motivated by sheer urgency to appease the separatist and semi-separatist constituency in the Kashmir valley.”

“If the person making this statement was genuinely sympathetic to Afzal Guru or his cause, he should have quit as a minister in the BJP-led NDA government when the Parliament attack took place. Political opportunists cannot be allowed to have the cake and eat it too, sharing loaves and fishes of power alternatively with the BJP/NDA and the Congress/UPA depending on the expediency of the moment,” Jitendra said.

“It is for the President to decide in her wisdom what to do with the Afzal Guru case. As the Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, and having seen the situation over the last three years, I do have an apprehension what could happen if Afzal Guru was hanged,” Omar had said on August 19.

Sangh Parivar flays govt for granting amnesty to stone throwers
Dinesh Manhotra
Tribune News Service

Jammu, August 31
The Sangh Parivar, including the BJP, has criticised the decision of the state government to give amnesty to the youth for their involvement in cases of stone throwing in the Kashmir Valley last year.

The Sangh Parivar has expressed reservation about the decision.

During a function to observe the third anniversary of the Amarnath land row agitation here today, leaders of various organisations of the Sangh Parivar took the government to task for adopting a pro-separatist policy to appease “anti-national” elements active in the state.

RSS leader and convener of the Shri Amarnath Yatra Sangharsh Samiti Brig Suchait Singh (retd) said amnesty announced for the stone throwers would have dangerous ramifications in the state as it would encourage anti-national forces.

He said those who had participated in the Amarnath agitation in 2008 were still being harassed by the police, but those involved in anti-national activities were given various benefits.

RSS leader Leela Karan Sharma cautioned the people against the “dangerous policies” being pursued by the coalition regime headed by the National Conference.

He warned that granting amnesty to stone throwers and rehabilitation of surrendered terrorists would demoralise the nationalist forces.

Sharma, who headed the samiti during the 2008 agitation, recalled that while signing the agreement, the authorities had promised to withdraw all the cases, but the promises remained only on paper.

He expressed surprise that amnesty had been given to stone throwers but those involved in the nationalist movement in 2008 were still facing trial.

BJP spokesman Jatinder Singh echoed the concern shown by the Sangh Parivar leader and flayed the state government for applying different yardsticks to Kashmir and Jammu.

He questioned the coalition government’s intention to give general amnesty to stone throwers, but remain indifferent and virtually back out on its commitment to withdraw cases against the Jammu youth, who had participated in the Amarnath land row agitation in 2008.

He called for an immediate withdrawal of all the pending cases, the release of ex gratia to the affected families and compensation to business establishments as promised in the agreement of August 31, 2008, which was duly signed on behalf of the government by the Governor’s Adviser.

The state unit of the Shiv Sena has already launched an agitation against the decision of the government to give amnesty to the stone throwers.

Inadequate Infrastructure
Affiliation of 14 teachers training institutes cancelled
Archit Watts
Tribune News Service

Jammu, August 31
After inviting criticism, the state Board of School Education (BoSE) has started conducting surprise visits to keep a check on improper infrastructure in private Elementary Teachers Training (ETT) institutes across the Jammu region.

The board cancelled the affiliation of 14 ETT institutes in Kathua, Samba and Jammu districts for inadequate infrastructure last evening. “During inspection, these ETT institutes were found to have inadequate infrastructure. The institutes had been warned earlier, but did not comply with the orders and failed to fulfil the criteria. Hence, we finally cancelled their affiliation,” said RP Gandotra, joint secretary, BoSE.

He added 10 institutes in Kathua and two each in Samba and Jammu districts were disaffiliated with immediate effect. “Now, these institutes will have to upgrade their infrastructure, if they want fresh affiliation from the board,” Gandotra said.

He said they had received complaints against some ETT institutes for flouting norms. He added, “Any institute running without adequate infrastructure will not be spared. The new chairman of the education board has shown keen interest in plugging the loopholes in the existing system.”

BoSE sources said the action was taken on the direction of Minister for School Education Peerzada Mohammad Sayeed.

The state has become a hub of private ETT and B.Ed colleges and a large number of students from neighbouring states of Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan and Himachal Pradesh and New Delhi take admission here. These institutes reportedly offer admission to students on an assurance that they need not attend classes. This has made the institutes popular among the students.

The courses offered by these institutes are valid in other states and after clearing the examination, one can apply for the post of government teacher in his/her state. At present, about 40,000 students are enrolled in such institutes.Of them, 90 per cent are from other states.

Seminar on land resource conservation
Tribune News Service

Jammu, August 31
A seminar on “Land Resources Conservation” for self-help groups and farmers was organised by the Umang Nehru Youth Club, an NGO, at Gran Morh village in Reasi district today.

The seminar was sponsored by the State Land Use Board (SLUB) of the Department of Agriculture to spread awareness among the people about the importance of the conservation of land resources.

Joint Director, SLUB, CS Bhagat inaugurated the seminar while Chief Agriculture Officer, Reasi, RK Safaya presided over it. More than 100 farmers from Gran Morh and adjoining villages attended the seminar. Bhagat asked the farmers to make a judicious use of the land resources to save these for the future generations.

He warned the farmers against the fragmentation of the landholdings, which could lead to decrease in production. He presented the whole scenario of land resources and suggested various methods and techniques of conserving them.

Safaya also advised the farmers to go for the diversification of agriculture to get more out of the available small landholdings. He stressed upon the need to plant more trees and grass to control soil erosion, especially on sloppy lands and hill areas.

Sham Lal, president of the NGO, in his welcome address, appreciated the SLUB’s role in highlighting the issue of the prohibition of the conversion of agricultural land for non-agricultural purposes and spreading awareness, thereof, in far off Reasi district. He also highlighted the problems of Gran Morh village in respect of soil erosion and water conservation.

Rajesh Verma, Technical Officer, SLUB, presented a detailed report of the present status of land resources, especially soil and water in the country and in the world as a whole, quoting the related data. He also suggested various soil conservation measures such as organic farming, non-fragmentation of landholdings, construction of buildings on uncultivable land, avoiding the indiscriminate use of fertilisers, more plantation, inter-cropping etc. He stressed upon vertical development and the need for a more stringent law to save the shrinking of agricultural land.

Dr Vikas Tondon, Dr Vikas Abrol and Dr Banarsi Lal from the Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Dera Baba Bahadur village, Reasi, of the Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology gave detailed lectures about the present scenario of agriculture land available for cultivation and various techniques and methods of soil and water conservation such as gully plugging, construction of water harvesting tanks, roof water harvesting, construction of bunds etc.

71 policemen promoted

Jammu, August 31
Seventyone policemen have been promoted to various mid-level positions in Jammu division by Dilbag Singh, IGP, Jammu Zone, officials said today.

The IGP, while extending Eid greetings to the force, promoted the personnel to the rank of sub-inspector, assistant sub-inspector, head constable and special grade constable.

Besides, he also announced in-situ promotion for 17 policemen to higher pay scale with effect from the due date. — PTI

Unmarked Graves in Valley
Start campaign to unravel truth, Mirwaiz urges Anna Hazare

Srinagar, August 31
Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, chairman of the moderate faction of the Hurriyat Conference, today appealed to Anna Hazare and his team to launch a campaign for seeking answers from the government regarding the unmarked graves in Kashmir.

“We appeal to Anna Hazare, his team and the civil society of India to start a campaign for unravelling the truth behind the unmarked graves in Kashmir,” the Mirwaiz said in his sermon at the Eidgah prayer ground here.

“We have apprehensions that the persons, who are buried in the unmarked graves, are those who went missing from various places in Kashmir,” he said.

The Mirwaiz alleged that the security agencies, including the Army and the police, had found “an easy way of dubbing innocent people as militants from across the LoC”. “They add a prefix “Abu” and pass the dead as militants from Pakistan or Muzaffarabad,” he said.

The Hurriyat leader said the people of Kashmir had lost faith in government agencies. He demanded a probe into the issue by an independent, impartial and international agency. “DNA tests should be carried out on all those buried in the unmarked graves across the state so that their identity could be established,” he added.

The Mirwaiz said India and Pakistan needed to focus on the resolution of the Kashmir issue during the talks. — PTI

New law to check sale of adulterated food
Archit Watts /TNS

Jammu, August 31
With the coming into force of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, the state government has started the process to check the sale of adulterated food.

The government has appointed district food safety officers and gave powers to other officials to check the violations and impose heavy fines. Earlier, the Prevention of Food Adulteration Act, dealt with such violations.

Talking to The Tribune over the phone, Satish Gupta, Food Safety Commissioner and Drug Controller, said, “The rules and regulations of the Food Safety and Standards Act have been enforced in the state from August 5 and now we have appointed district food safety officers to ensure the implementation of the Act.”

He added, “The officials are being trained to implement the new Act.”

He said the new Act had provisions for penalties up to Rs 10 lakh for the sale of substandard and unbranded material and fines up to Rs 5 lakh, with six years’ imprisonment, for non-grievous injury due to the consumption of unsafe food.

“It also imposes a penalty of not less than Rs 10 lakh with an imprisonment of not less than seven years, which may extend to life imprisonment in case of death occurring due to the consumption of unsafe food,” he added.

Sources said the new Act was implemented after receiving a number of complaints about substandard food being sold in the state and the earlier Act not proving beneficial.

Gupta hoped that the new Act would start showing results in the coming days when designated officers of the Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution Department (CAPD),the Food Safety and Health Department and the municipalities would start dealing with violators.

He said the district food safety officers had been appointed in all the 22 districts of the state.