The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

	After Soz, PHE Minister opposes AFSPA rollback Ehsan Fazili Tribune News Services Srinagar, October 29 After Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) president Saifuddin Soz, another party leader has questioned Chief Minister Omar Abdullah’s attempt to revoke the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) from some parts of Jammu and Kashmir saying the time was not ripe for such a move. “The time is not yet ripe for revoking the AFSPA. Maybe next year...Maybe when we have another peaceful summer,” Congress leader and Public Health Engineering (PHE) Minister Taj Mohiuddin told reporters here today. He said, “There is no guarantee that the areas from where the AFSPA will be revoked will not again become a safe haven for militants. Can anyone guarantee that? Kashmir is not a place where politics can be played. While the Congress supports the revocation of the Act, all the stakeholders need to be taken on board before a decision is taken on the issue,” he said. “All the stakeholders need to be taken into confidence on the matter and it should be placed before the Cabinet before sending it to the Governor (for approval),” Mohiuddin said. This view was shared by all ministers belonging to the Congress in the state, he added. Asked if Omar had jumped the gun by announcing that the AFSPA would be revoked from some areas before taking the state Cabinet into confidence, Mohiuddin said the Chief Minister was privy to information which he would not have commented on. “(Moreover), the Chief Minister has said he is holding consultations with the Army and the Union Home Ministry on the issue ...We are sure we will be able to reach a consensus,” he said. Asked if the AFSPA was discussed at the Cabinet meeting yesterday, Mohiuddin said he could not divulge what transpired there. Commenting on Soz’s statement that Omar had not consulted the Congress before making the announcement, Mohiuddin said he could not talk for others. The minister, however, maintained that he was consulted on the issue. Meanwhile, PDP president Mehbooba Mufti claimed that the state government had lost credibility on all fronts and it was now “impossible for anybody to take it seriously, especially after its U-turn on the AFSPA”. Reiterating the stand of the party on the revocation of laws like the AFSPA, Mehbooba said these laws had lost their relevance and utility with the improvement in the situation in the state. She asked the Centre to reach out to the people of the state to give them a sense of belonging by making the system more accountable. Independent MLA Sheikh Abdul Rashid described the Chief Minister’s move on the AFSPA as a “drama”. He said the state and Central governments worked out a “plan to give a feeling as if the Kashmir problem hinges only on the removal of the AFSPA”. “Both governments worked out this absurd plan to raise the expectations of the people and make them feel that it was a very significant step to give Kashmiris some relief,” Rashid said. He claimed that the “controversy” between Omar, the Army, the Union Home Ministry and the Congress was only a gimmick aimed at diverting the attention of the people away from the core issues. Rashid, who represents the Langate constituency, also questioned the alliance between the NC and the Congress. “Though the removal of draconian laws like the AFSPA will be a welcome step, the Central government should focus on resolving the Kashmir issue for durable peace in the region,” he said.
	Congress-NC war of words on Army withdrawal a drama: BJP Dinesh Manhotra/TNS Jammu, October 29 Even as the Congress has taken a tough stand against the revocation of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA), the BJP and the Panthers Party have termed the stand of the Congress on the issue as a mere “drama” to befool the people. They also dared the Congress to withdraw support from the Omar government if it was serious about protecting national interests. While Panthers Party chief Bhim Singh lambasted the Congress for indulging in dubious and mischievous acts, the BJP termed the war of words between the two coalition partners as an attempt to hoodwink the gullible people of the state. Ridiculing the Congress stand on the AFSPA, Bhim Singh said, “On the one hand the Congress is opposing the Chief Minister, on the other its ministers in the state government are dancing to the tune of Omar to seek desired berths and favours.” “The Chief Minister is following his own agenda to appease the separatists and other anti-national forces, but the Congress has failed to take a stand against him,” he said. BJP chief spokesman Jatinder Singh said the Union Home Minister P Chidambaram had repeatedly assured the Chief Minister of the revocation of the AFSPA. He lambasted the Congress-led UPA government for creating the mess and confusion over the issue in the state. He added Chidambaram owed an explanation to the nation for his irresponsible statements from time to time on the issue.
	‘No AFSPA withdrawal for now vindicates Army’s stand’ Ravi Krishnan Khajuria Tribune News Service Jammu, October 29 The decision of the Centre not to withdraw the Disturbed Areas Act (DAA) and the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) at least for the time being from some areas of Jammu and Kashmir has vindicated the stand of the armed and paramilitary forces in the state. “After Chief Minister Omar Abdullah recently said the time had come to withdraw the DAA and the AFSPA from some areas in the state, the Union Ministry of Defence did a balancing act by giving a feedback to the Union government on the ground situation, vis-à-vis militancy,” said a senior Army officer. “It was a sort of balancing act by the Centre because those at the helm of affairs in New Delhi also knew that if any force had to operate in Jammu and Kashmir, it got to have a legal cover to fight the Pakistan-sponsored militancy,” he said. By putting the issue on the back burner, the decision-makers had vindicated the stand of the armed and paramilitary forces, which continued to combat militancy in the state, he added. Had the Centre gone ahead with Omar’s scheme of things, we would have lost the ground gained over the years in the state, the Army officer said. Another officer, who echoed similar views, said even the Army Chief had said the revocation of the DAA and the AFSPA was in the realm of the Home Ministry and that the Army had given its inputs to the Ministry of Defence on the issue. The Ministry of Defence had to assess the ground situation in the state, he said, adding the state government should avoid making amateur statements. “I personally feel that the time has not come to withdraw the DAA and the AFSPA from the state. If the Central government goes ahead with Omar’s plans, our counter-insurgency operations will be adversely affected,” he said. Lt-Gen SA Hasnain, GOC of 15 Corps, had also said the issue (revocation of the AFSPA) was never discussed at the Unified Headquarters. The Chief Minister had been vouching for either diluting or lifting the Act, but the final decision rested with the Cabinet Committee on security. The state government had suggested to the Union government to assess the situation in Ganderbal, Jammu, Kathua, Samba, Srinagar and Budgam districts for the removal of the AFSPA.
	Cabinet approves amendments to Public Safety Act Srinagar, October 29 Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said today that the state Cabinet had approved amendments to the Public Safety Act to correct the aspects related to juveniles, which had been evoking harsh criticism. “An attempt is being made to correct some of the aspects of the (Public Safety) Act that have come in for harsh criticism, especially linked to juveniles,” Omar said on micro-blogging site Twitter. Expressed displeasure, the Chief Minister said the important issue got lost in the din over the revocation of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA). “The Cabinet meeting took an important decision to amend the Public Safety Act Yesterday but it seemed to have gotten lost in the AFSPA din,” he said. According to the new amendments, the detention period of the suspects has been reduced from one year to three months in the cases of disturbing public order. Those arrested for security reasons can be detained up to a maximum period of six months against the present provision of two years without trial. Under the new changes, a minor cannot be detained under the PSA. These amendments will be sent to the Governor for the promulgation of the Jammu and Kashmir Public Safety Act (Amendment) Ordinance 2011. The changes in the PSA come a year after international human rights watchdog Amnesty International released a report on detentions in Jammu and Kashmir under the Act, terming it as a “lawless law”. The Amnesty had called for the repeal of the Public Safety Act , including the abolition of the system of administrative detentions in the state. — PTI
	NC Worker’s custodial death CM asks Khurshid to suggest former SC Judge for probe Ehsan Fazili Tribune News Service Srinagar, October 29 About a month after the alleged custodial death of an NC worker, Syed Mohammad Yousuf, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has asked Union Law Minister Salman Khurshid to suggest the name of a retired Judge of the Supreme Court to conduct an inquiry into the case. Yousuf, who was handed over to the Crime Branch of the police on September 29, died in custody on September 30. The incident led to pandemonium in the state Assembly with the PDP and the BJP up in arms. According to an official spokesman, the Chief Minister wrote to Khurshid today requesting him to suggest the name of a retired Judge of the Supreme Court for appointment as a commission of inquiry in the Yousuf’s death case. The Chief Minister wrote the letter after the Jammu and Kashmir High Court today conveyed its inability to spare the services of a sitting Judge for the inquiry, he said. “Considering the urgency and the sensitivities involved in the matter, the Chief Minister has solicited an early response from Salman Khurshid to the letter so that the state government can constitute a commission of inquiry at the earliest,” the spokesman said. The government had on September 30 formally requested the Chief Justice of the High Court to spare a sitting Judge for an inquiry into the circumstance leading to Yousuf’s death.
	Congress rakes up Yousuf’s death case to corner NC Dinesh Manhotra Tribune News Service Jammu, October 29 After taking a tough stand against the government move to revoke the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA), the Congress has now raked up the issue of the alleged custodial death of NC worker Syed Mohammad Yousuf to corner the coalition partner NC. Yousuf’s death had already generated much political heat in the state and led to the disruption of the Assembly session recently. The PDP has already trained its guns at Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and Union Minister for New and Renewable Energy Farooq Abdullah for “legalising” corruption in the government as well as in the NC. The PDP has been demanding a CBI probe into the Yousuf’s death case and the resignation of the Chief Minister to ensure an impartial inquiry. The BJP has also demanded Omar’s sacking on the issue. Interestingly, the Congress earlier supported Omar on the Yousuf’s death issue but now it had changed its stand. It was now questioning the reasons for the delay in starting a judicial probe into the case. Breaking his “studied silence”, PCC chief Saifuddin Soz on Friday demanded that the promise made to the people regarding a judicial probe into the case should be fulfilled as the credibility of the coalition government was at stake. Sources in the Congress said Soz had deliberately raked up the issue to corner the NC. “The Congress earlier supported the Chief Minister on the Yousuf’s death case but the recent war of words with the NC on the revocation of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) forced the party to rethink its stand on the issue,” they said. The sources added there was a feeling among the Congress leaders that the Chief Minister had been trying to score political points by raking up the issue of the AFSPA withdrawal without consulting the party. “As the Chief Minister has directly entered into a war of words with the PCC chief, the Congress has decided to take on the NC on the Yousuf’s death issue,” a senior Congress leader told The Tribune. PCC spokesman Ravinder Singh, however, told The Tribune that Soz raised the issue after mediapersons sought his reaction to the delay in instituting a judicial probe into the case.
	Intrusion bid foiled in Nowshera Tribune News Service Jammu, October 29 The Army foiled an intrusion bid along the Line of Control (LoC) in the Lam area of the Nowshera sector in Rajouri district early this morning. An Army spokesperson said around 2 am troops on patrol duty observed some suspicious movement along the LoC in the Lam area of the Nowshera sector. “Our ambush was already in place and as a precautionary measure the troops opened fire,” he said. At least three suspected militants, who were trying to enter the Indian territory, fled back to Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir (PoK) soon after our troops opened fire, the spokesman said. “We are construing this misadventure along the LoC as an unsuccessful intrusion bid,” he added. The spokesperson said it was the second such intrusion bid in the area in the past one week. On October 24, the Army had gunned down a suspected militant in the same area. The body of the suspected ultra was recovered about 300 metres from the LoC on the Indian side.
	To counter BJP campaign, Mahila Cong to reach out to villagers Tribune News Service Jammu, October 29 To counter the campaign launched by the BJP and some other parties against the Congress, the Mahila Congress has decided to hold village-level meetings to educate the people about various schemes launched by the Centre for their development and betterment. Addressing a meeting of district presidents and other senior party activists, the state president of the Mahila Congress, Indu Pawar, exhorted the party workers to educate the people about the pro-people policies of the UPA government. Pawar ridiculed the campaign launched by the BJP against corruption saying its leaders were themselves involved in corruption. She asked the district presidents of the party to work actively at the block, village and booth levels by involving party workers. Pawar hoped that this would strengthen the base of the party at the grass-roots level. She said the Congress was the only party that had been working for the overall development of all sections of society and it had taken the lead in assuring 33 per cent reservation for women in the legislative process of the country. Prabha Salathia, Champa Devi, Veena Devi, Manju Sharma, Taro Devi, Satya Parmar, Sumitra Manhas, Narinder Kour, Parvati Devi, Vijay Chib, Bimla Devi, Kanta Devi, Komal Devi and Sita Devi also addressed the meeting.
	Raghunath Bazaar association organises Diwali Milan Tribune News Service Jammu, October 29 In connection with the celebrations of 155 years of the historic Raghunath Bazaar, the Raghunath Bazaar Businessmen Association organised a Diwali Milan here last evening. About 100 members of the association participated in the milan where the District Development Commissioner, Jammu, Sanjiv Verma was the chief guest. The general secretary of the association, Sanjay Gupta, welcomed the guests and the members of the association. Addressing the gathering, Sachin Khurana, vice-president of the association, said on the demand of the association the state government had approved a project for the beautification and modernisation of Raghunath Bazaar. Khurana said the bazaar had been the nerve centre of business activity in the city and a tourist hub for over a century. He added it made a major contribution to the economy of the city in particular. The state government sanctioned the beautification project in 2009 at an estimated cost of Rs 5.78 lakh. Khurana said Governor NN Vohra had granted Rs 1 crore for the project while Chief Minister Omar Abdullah had granted Rs 2 crore for the same. He requested the District Development Commissioner to restart the project in January, 2012, and also focus on the beautification of Raghunath Ji Chowk. He also emphasised the need for the installation of CCTV cameras in the Raghunath Bazaar area and a security tower at City Chowk, besides the installation of a public address system and the proper regulation of traffic in the market. Verma assured the association that its genuine demands would be met soon. He asked the members of the association to maintain a strict vigil to foil the evil designs of the anti-national elements and maintain communal harmony. He assured the association that the administration would undertake the beautification project of Raghunath Bazaar on priority to make it a state-of-art market place in the city of temples. Verma said a multi-faceted project for the beautification and modernisation of the entire old Jammu city and its periphery had been prepared by the government.
	Congress for preservation of Qila Darhal Tribune News Service Jammu, October 29 While paying tributes to the civilians and the Army personnel who laid down their lives at Qila Darhal in Nowshera tehsil of Rajouri district, spokesperson for the Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) Ravinder Sharma yesterday demanded that the fort be preserved. Addressing a huge gathering, including the family members of the civilians and the Army personnel who were killed while fighting the Pakistan army during 1947-48, Sharma announced the construction of a hall in the memory of the martyrs. Senior officers of the Army and the civil administration also paid tributes at the function. Sharma recalled that the residents of Qila Darhal created history by resisting and repulsing attacks by the Pakistan raiders. The civilian population, including women, fought against the Pakistan army in the area for months till the Indian Army reached the area. The civilians had taken shelter at Qila Darhal and they didn’t leave their native place. Sharma lauded the role of the Army in the area in extending various kinds of facilities and their support to the local population, especially in the remote areas of the twin border districts. He stressed on maintaining the relations and rapport with the Army in the larger interest of the people. Speaking on the demands for better basic facilities in the area, Sharma regretted that such a place of historic importance had not witnessed proper development. He asked the authorities concerned to prepare a project for the development of the area and the fort constructed during the regime of Maharaja Ranjit Singh. He said he had already taken up the issue of the preservation of the fort with the Central government.
	Rs 53.55 crore for setting up panchayat ghars Tribune News Service Srinagar, October 29 In an effort to bolster local governance in Jammu and Kashmir, the state government has sanctioned funds to the tune of Rs 53.55 crore under the 13th Finance Commission for the construction of panchayat ghars. The funds for the construction of these panchayat offices were sanctioned at a meeting chaired by Rural Development Minister Ali Mohammad Sagar here last evening, an official spokesman said. At the meeting, the minister directed the officials concerned to ensure that these ghars were constructed within 18 months and called for a monitoring mechanism to oversee the same. Asserting that the strengthening of the Panchayati Raj system was the “top priority” of the Omar Abdullah-led government, Sagar said funds under various rural development schemes like the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MNREGA), the Indira Awas Yojana and the National Rural Livelihoods Mission had already been provided to the local bodies in several districts. Besides, the government had also passed the Act for the State Finance Commission, which would help identify the sources of income for the panchayat institutions and serve as a framework for an equal distribution of funds, he said.
	3 arrested with 10.5 kg charas Tribune News Service Jammu, October 29 The police arrested three persons and seized 10.5 kg of charas from their possession in the Bantalab area today. The police said the trio had concealed the charas in small packets in a private taxi and were arrested while they were on the way from Srinagar to Jammu. They have been identified as Mohammad Ameen, a resident of Kulgam, and Ashok Kumar and Deepak Kumar, both residents of Akhnoor. A case has been registered against them at Nagrota police station.