The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

	kashmir special ‘Kashmiris have realised that a long turmoil doesn’t yield any results’ Muzzafar Hussain Baig, former Deputy Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir and a prominent leader of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has always been a trenchant critic of the National Conference-Congress alliance government headed by Omar Abdullah. A Harvard Law School graduate, Baig spoke to Raj Chengappa, Editor-in-Chief, The Tribune Group of Newspapers, at his residence in Srinagar recently. Excerpts from the interview. What are the factors that have contributed to the apparent normalcy in the Valley? There are several factors which have contributed to the present state of quote unquote normalcy in the Kashmir valley. Firstly, last year, the secessionist leadership exhausted the people of Kashmir. For about five months, everything was shut down. It was a great economic crisis for certain sections of our population who depend on our day-to-day working to provide needs for their families. The people have realised that a long turmoil, which leads to a long shutdown of economic life, doesn’t pay or yield any results. What about the Pakistan factor? The people have realised that Pakistan is in great difficulty because of militancy and it doesn’t have that kind of depth and resilience that the Indian state has. From a psychological point of view, the struggle in Kashmir was sustained by a belief that Pakistan will be able to confront India. And also provide economic and financial support to the people, who lead these strikes. It is my view that the people who came out on the streets, perhaps 5 to 10 per cent of them were funded and that kind of faith in Pakistan has faded. What about steps taken by the Central government? Most Kashmiris believe that the majority of the political players in India, not just national parties, but also regional parties, took a great amount of interest in our affairs last year. Not only at the conference held by the Prime Minister, but also the Parliamentary delegation, which had representatives from national and regional parties. As they came from everywhere, Kashmiris believe that the political leadership of India is sharing the pain, if not the perception, of the people of Kashmir. Now, it is the turn of the secessionist leadership to avail of this opportunity. It is their responsibility to respond to this political journey, which took place. Did the state government not have a role to play? The state government has very little to do. There is peace despite Omar Abdullah, not because of him. One of the reasons is that the intelligence network and also the dirty tricks department of the establishment are doing their job very well. Those people, who were leading the agitation last year, were on the payroll of the security forces, the state government and the state police. The people, who really matter in the police, take their directions from Delhi; they do not take any directions or instructions from the state Chief Minister. Will the economic package released by the Prime Minister’s expert group headed by Dr Rangarajan help? There is not much in the package. Everybody knows that if the economy expands and grows, there will be employment opportunities. He is advocating the expansion of the economy here and training the human resources for jobs in the rest of the country. You cannot create jobs here in Kashmir. It’s the entrepreneur who really expands the economy. Engineers and IT people only provide certain services but in the present circumstances the entrepreneurship in Kashmir is zero. So, whatever suggestions they made are only theoretical suggestions. Unless the people of Kashmir feel safe in the rest of the country, they are not going to go out and set up an industry. Within the state, unless you have railway connections or four-lane roads, you will not find industrialists from the rest of the country coming and investing in Kashmir. Then, how can you generate employment? You think the current peace in the Valley will last? I want the Government of India, particularly the Union Home Minister, to realise that this peace is superficial. The first thing they must do is change their mindset. They should not take interest in Kashmir only when Kashmir is burning. The response of the Prime Minister was to set up a group of interlocutors. Unfortunately, they failed to generate a momentum as they didn’t seem to be credible right from the beginning. Your party, the PDP, has been espousing the hardline stand of asking for the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) to be withdrawn and Kashmir demilitarised? Actually the PDP was endorsing the recommendation made by the present Vice-President when he headed a working group on Kashmir. The group had recommended demilitarisation from the civil areas because if you have a confrontation with the Army, you have a confrontation with the state. They also wanted the abrogation of the Disturbed Areas Act. Our stand is don’t have the Army in the civil areas. The local government should act as a buffer. There are certain decisions which the local government takes, for which the responsibility should be of the local government. The anger of the people should be contained against their own representatives or against their own leaders or the state government. It should not be allowed to spill over and become anti-India as it creates space for terrorists and Pakistan. We have already said that militants come from across the LoC. So, the Army can be deployed much more effectively on the borders. Secondly, the Army does not have that kind of the network of intelligence as the local police has. So, why not involve the local police in flushing out militants? Demilitarisation does not mean the Army should go back and leave Jammu and Kashmir alone. Demilitarisation in today’s context means their relocation and to remove it, as much as possible, from the civilian population areas and put it where it can effectively check the border intrusions. What was the impact of having panchayat elections? The panchayat elections had a very high percentage of people voting and it is a good sign. You know the people hardly experience democracy in Kashmir as it is usually Delhi that makes the state government. Now, after democracy, they want good governance, which means reaching out to the people, delivering services on their doorsteps and trying to minimise corruption as much as you can. What is your assessment of Omar Abdullah as Chief Minister? The good point is he can speak good English. I think that it would be good for him and for the state of Jammu and Kashmir if he could become a minister in the Central government. He has not been able to connect with the people at all. His father was known to be a non-serious Chief Minister, but even the devil must get his due. He can still communicate with the people, he can go to the people, mobilise them, make them laugh, make them cry and even dance. Omar Abdullah is not cut out for that kind of job. He cannot connect with the people or even the bureaucracy.
	Omar ‘curious’ to know BJP’s stance on Davinder Bhullar Srinagar, September 1 Chief Minister Omar Abdullah today criticised the BJP, saying he was “curious” to know the reaction of the party to the Punjab government's appeal seeking clemency for death row convict Davinder Singh Bhullar. "I'm curious to know what Shahnawaz Hussian and the other BJP leaders are going to say now.It is their government in Punjab," Omar wrote on Twitter. Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal had, in a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, sought his intervention in securing clemency for Bhullar, convicted in the 1993 bomb blast case in Delhi. His mercy plea was rejected by the President in May. Omar and the BJP have been involved in a spat after the former questioned the “muted” response to the Tamil Nadu Assembly resolution on clemency for Rajiv Gandhi’s killers and asked if the response would have been the same if the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly had passed a similar resolution for Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru. The BJP yesterday lashed out at the Chief Minister, saying his remarks on the Tamil Nadu Assembly resolution were unfortunate. The party today demanded that Omar explain his position on the issue of Afzal Guru. “Omar should explain his position as Chief Minister with regard to his statement in support of Guru,” state BJP chief Shamsher Singh Manhas told a meeting of senior functionaries and party activists in Reasi town today. Meanwhile, the Chief Minister, whose outspoken views on the Twitter have been much-talked about, said today that he would continue to use the micro-blogging site despite some hostile posts, which included personal attacks on him. “Just in case anyone is under the mistaken impression that I’ve been bullied off twitter - sorry, here I am and I'm not going anywhere,” Omar said in a tweet. The Chief Minister, who has come under severe criticism from PDP leaders for the “excessive” use of twitter, was earlier forced to abandon blogging on his party’s official website due to abusive language and personal attacks on him by some persons. He had significantly reduced posting comments on twitter in July, citing writers’ block and then in August due to the overwhelming coverage of the fast against corruption by Anna Hazare. Omar announced his return to the blogosphere last night by tweeting, “Talk about being back with a bang”. He was apparently referring to his tweets about Afzal Guru and the National Sports Development Bill. Omar’s blogging has often generated controversies, including the latest over his comments on the Tamil Nadu Assembly passing a resolution seeking mercy for three death row convicts in the Rajiv Gandhi murder case. In his controversial tweet, Omar had questioned the “muted” response to the Tamil Nadu Assembly’s resolution, asking if the reaction would have been the same, if the Jammu and Kashmir legislature had passed a similar resolution for Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru. The Chief Minister’s remarks about the sports Bill, which failed to get the nod of the Union Cabinet, also generated a controversy, as his father and Union minister Farooq Abdullah heads at least two sports bodies in the state. The Bill sought to bring transparency in the functioning of sports bodies through measures that included setting an upper age limit of 70 years for sports administrators. Omar’s 73-year-old father had maintained that he could do things which many people younger than him could not do. In a tweet that was removed within hours, the Chief Minister had suggested that Union ministers heading sports bodies should have “excused” themselves from the Cabinet meeting. — PTI
	Celebrating festivals with Pak helps reduce trust deficit: Army Ravi Krishnan Khajuria Tribune News Service Jammu, September 1 Despite the fact that Pakistan wants to foment trouble in the state, the Army and the BSF here feel that exchanging gifts and sweets with the Pakistan army on national festivals along the Line of Control (LoC) and the international border (IB) do help in reducing trust deficit between the two countries. To ensure calm on the border, both India and Pakistan had brokered a mutually-agreed ceasefire in 2003. Since then, there has been calm in the border areas, but Pakistan often violates the truce and tries to push armed ultras into the state “When it comes to us, we never indulge in acts of unprovoked and unwarranted firing. We do exchange sweets and pleasantries on national festivals of both countries, as such gestures certainly help reduce mistrust and miscommunications,” JS Cheema, Brigadier General Staff of the 16 Corps told The Tribune. Such initiatives, part of the confidence-building measures between the two countries, did help to an extent in bringing down the trust deficit, he added. “But sitting on the LoC, we cannot afford to lower the guard. We absolutely remain alert to the situation,” said Cheema. Echoing similar views, JS Oberoi, DIG (G) of the BSF, said celebrating national festivals with the Pak Rangers definitely helped in bonding both forces (Pak Rangers and BSF) on the IB. “Since the IB is different from the other borders, we don’t have weekly or fortnightly meetings. So, such festivals give us an opportunity to interact with each other,” Oberoi said. When asked if such festivals brought the border forces of both countries closer,why Pakistan indulged in truce violations, the DIG said, “Putting direct blame on the Pak Rangers will not be wise on our part”. “We also respond appropriately in the direction of fire.Usually, hostile elements on their side start it and consequently, both forces get involved ,” he said. “It is a fact and that is why it has usually been the text of our protests which we lodge with them,” Oberoi added. “We always tell them that it is their duty to check hostile elements in their territory,” he said. Lt-Gen JP Nehra of the 16 Corps on July 16 this year had said as per intelligence inputs, 42 terror camps still existed in the PoK.
	Army gives stationery items to students Tribune News Service Jammu, September 1 The Army today provided stationery items to students of Government Primary School, Niorajal, a small remote village in Rajouri district. The school has 340 students. The Army provided school bags, notebooks, pens, refills, sharpeners, pencils, erasers and geometry boxes to the students. The project was undertaken at the behest of the Romeo Force by the Rashtriya Rifles Battalion. The Commanding Officer of the Rashtriya Rifles Battalion encouraged the students and emphasised the importance of education. Iqbal Saha, sarpanch, Niorajal village, thanked the Army for catering to the needs of the students by presenting the much-needed stationery items to them.
	Magistrate calls for public evidence Jammu, September 1 The Magistrate probing the custodial death of an undertrial at the Joint Interrogation Centre (JIC) here today called upon the people to appear before the inquiry panel to share any information or proof connected with the incident. “ The public in general and all the concerned in particular are hereby informed through this notice that in case anyone knows anything about the case or has any information and material relevant to the case, he or she can visit our office with the relevant details,” Executive Magistrate Charandeep Singh, who constitutes the one-man magisterial probe panel, said today. The notice stated that undertrial Sarfu Ram, a resident of the Khour Camp in Akhnoor tehsil, was arrested and sent to the JIC of the CID wing of the police here for custodial interrogation in connection with a case. It said the SP, Counter-Intelligence, CID, reported that around 6 am on August 18 it was found that Sarfu Ram had committed suicide by hanging himself in the lockup at the JIC. The family alleged that he was murdered as he had named some police officials linked to trans-border smuggling in which he was also involved. However, the police said he committed suicide. In Sarfu Ram’s case, the District Magistrate had ordered an independent magisterial inquiry. However, the post-mortem report of the deceased was still awaited. — PTI
	Complete flood-protection works in 10 days: Minister Tribune News Service Jammu, September 1 Minister for Revenue, Relief and Rehabilitation Raman Bhalla today directed officers of his department to prepare lists of all those who were affected in the recent floods and heavy rain. The minister said the government had sanctioned Rs 10 crore for damages caused due to flash floods in nullahs and incessant rain in Jammu division. He said this while interacting with the people of Dharp village after launching flood-protection works in the Balol nullah here today. Bhalla asked the Flood Control Department to complete the project in 10 days for the safety of crop and property of the villagers of Dharp town. He directed the revenue officers to prepare the lists of the affected families and submit them for relief under the Natural Calamity Relief Fund. He said the state government had already sanctioned Rs 3 crore each for both regions for immediate distribution of relief among the flood-affected families. The minister said the government had prepared a comprehensive plan under Asian Development Bank (ADB) funding for the construction and upgradation of nullahs on the outskirts of Jammu city.
	OEM spares stocking point inaugurated Tribune News Service Kishtwar, September 1 The MGEME, Northern Command, Maj-Gen Shyam Shrivastava, inaugurated the first of its kind OEM spares stocking points at the 14 EME Battalion at the Northern Command yesterday. Maj-Gen Shrivastava has the distinction of conceptualising the idea of OEM spares stocking points in EME units to ensure a timely availability of genuine spares at the workshop level. A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between the Northern Command EME and TATA Motors to formalise the procedures associated with the supply and replenishment of spare parts to the EME units in this system. Speaking on the occasion, Maj-Gen Shrivastava brought out the relevance of the stocking points in enhancing the availability of genuine spare parts, which in turn provided an assured mission reliability and user satisfaction. He appreciated the 14 EME Battalion for its initiative and perseverance in ensuring the timely implementation of the project.
	Most land encroachments in Rajouri Dinesh Manhotra Tribune News Service Jammu, September 1 Over two lakh acres of government land is under encroachment in the Jammu region and 52,866 acres in the Kashmir region. Rajouri tops all the 22 districts of the state with 49,502 acres under encroachment. According to the records of the Revenue department, Doda district comes second with 22,193 acres of government land under illegal occupation, followed by 20,940 acres in Ramban district. Jammu district has 20,044 acres under encroachment. It is followed by Udhampur district with 19,052 acres , Reasi district (17,690 acres), Poonch district (16,214 acres), Baramulla district (14,266 acres), Kathua district (13,093 acres), Samba district (12,141 acres), Kishtwar district (9,394 acres), Kupwara district (6,754 acres), Bandipora district (5,863 acres), Srinagar district (5,536 acres), Budgam district (4,684 acres), Ananatnag district (4,213 acres), Kulgam district (3,639 acres), Pulwama district (3,192 acres), Ganderbal district (3,066 acres) and Shopian has 1,647 acres under encroachment. However, there is no encroachment on government land in Leh and Kargil districts of the Ladakh region. According to the records, 14,359 hectares of forestland have also been encroached upon in the state. This is an alarming situation and encroachments are increasing contrary to the claims of the Forest Department authorities as the people living near forests continue to encroach upon forestlands. Recently, 1,122 kanals of government land was retrieved in Samba district, but a large chunk of land is still under illegal occupation. After constituting special squads of the Revenue Department to frustrate the designs of those indulging in land grabbing, the government has now decided to form coordination committees of different departments to retrieve the land under encroachment. Although officials of all the departments will be included in the coordination committees, special emphasis will be on the Revenue, Forest, Irrigation and Urban Development departments. The Jammu Development Authority (JDA) and the Srinagar Development Authority (SDA) will also be involved in the committee. Sources say the drive to retrieve government land could not be started effectively due to lack of coordination between different departments. Persons indulging in land grabbing in connivance with government officials are taking the benefit of the situation. The Revenue, Forest and Irrigation departments have been directed to conduct a joint survey and identify the land encroached upon all over the state. The JDA and SDA authorities have also been directed to prepare a detailed record of the land under their jurisdiction. “Even graveyards have been encroached upon,” Minister for Haj and Auquaf Aijaz Ahmed Khan had admitted in the last Budget session of the Assembly. He had said the land mafia had encroached upon graveyards to develop colonies across the state. This was creating a lot of problems for the people, he had added.
	Eid festivities continue in Kashmir Ehsan Fazili Tribun News Service Srinagar, September 1 Festivities continued in the Kashmir valley on the second day of Eid-ul-Fitr today, with the people visiting their friends and relatives and children engaged in merrymaking in parks and elsewhere. The children were seen playing cricket and football and bursting firecrackers. Last year, violence had erupted after the Eid prayers as people marched from Eidgah to Lal Chowk in the aftermath of the three-month unrest, prompting the authorities to impose the curfew in some areas of the city. There was a thin attendance in government offices while most of the private schools were closed for the second day today. Most of the shops also remained closed. Private vehicles were plying. Meanwhile, a large number of people from all walks of life called on Chief Minister Omar Abdullah at his residence here on the second day of Eid to extend their greetings to him. Omar reciprocated their greetings. The visitors included ministers, MPs, MLAs, political workers, prominent citizens, lawyers, men, women and children.
	Ladakh festival to help promote tourism, says Jora Tribune News Service Srinagar, September 1 Calling upon the people to maintain cultural hospitality with tourists, Minister for Tourism Nawang Rigzin Jora has said tourists have contributed a lot to the economic growth of the Ladakh region. Inaugurating a fortnight-long Ladakh festival at the Leh Polo ground today, the minister said the main purpose of holding such festival in September was to lengthen the tourist season in Ladakh. He added that it would support further promotion of tourism in the region. He expressed pleasure that Ladakhis had so far managed the visiting tourists amicably. Culture shows like mask dances, thangka display, archery competition, river rafting, double-humped camel riding and horse polo will be displayed in Leh city and also at the block levels to boost tourism and to educate the future generation about the culture and tradition of the region. Rigzin Spalbar, Chief Executive Councillor, LAHDC, also extended gratitude to foreign and domestic tourists for attending the festival. He said Ladakh was first open to foreigners in 1970 and since then tourists played a good role in boosting the economy of the region. Highlighting the record arrival of tourists this year in Leh, Spalbar said by August 15, 1,41,000 tourists had already arrived and the main challenges were to regulate the eco-system and create adequate tourist infrastructure. He said the hill council had initiated measures for opening new trekking routes and preservation of important tourist spots in Ladakh.
	Martial arts players regale audience Tribune News Service Srinagar, September 1 Martial arts players performed in presence of Bollywood singer Kailash Kher and other dignitaries here today on the occasion of a farewell function organised in honour of players who will represent the country in the Turkey games next month. The performances by Chinese martial arts and wushu art players enthralled the audience. DGP Kuldeep Khoda was also present on the occasion. The speakers complimented the organisers and felicitated the Bollywood singer. Keeping in view the Eid festivities, Kher entertained the audience with Sufi songs. They said martial arts were gaining popularity not only in the state but also in the country. They added that the time had come to patronise all kinds of martial arts so that the youth participating in such games were encouraged. Earlier, a three-week National Wushu Coaching camp - 2011 was inaugurated on August 12 at Gulmarg. The event was organised by the Wushu Association of Jammu and Kashmir under the aegis of the Wushu Association of India with the active cooperation of the J&K State Sports Council. The camp was inaugurated by Minister for Youth Services and Sports RS Chib and Minister for Agriculture Ghulam Hassan Mir. As many as 60 players from across the country participated in the coaching camp. Kuldeep Handoo and Rajesh Kumar Tailor were the coaches in the camp and both would escort the Indian contingent to Istanbul, Turkey. As many as 20 players were shortlisted for the forthcoming 11th World Wushu Championship, which would be held at Istanbul, Turkey, from October 5 to 15. Kiran Wattal, secretary, J&K State Sports Council, said for the first time in the history of the state sports council, two teams, one of table tennis, which would represent the country in the London Olympics, 2012, and the other, wushu arts, which would represent the country in the 11th World Championship, got selected by their respective federations in the state.