The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

	Traders demand opening of Sialkot-Suchetgarh route Dinesh Manhotra Tribune News Service Jammu, November 3 The demand for opening traditional trade points on the international border, which were closed after Partition, revived after Pakistan granted the Most Favoured Nation (MFN) status to India yesterday. Traders and industrialists in the Jammu region have decided to intensify their struggle for the opening of the historical Sialkot-Suchetgarh route for business with Pakistan to boost the economy of the region. “Though the grant of the MFN status to India by Pakistan is a welcome step, traders and industrialists of the region will be benefited only if the Sialkot-Suchetgarh route is opened for trade,” said Anil Suri, president of the Bari Brahamana Industrialists Association. As a member of the Pugwash delegation in 2006, Suri had taken up the issue with the Pakistan government. Before 1947, the Sialkot-Suchetgarh road was one of the busiest trade route in the region and there was a train service between Jammu to Sialkot for carrying goods and passengers. From Suchetgarh village, which is about 30 km from Jammu city, Sialkot town of Pakistan is barely 11 km away. Similarly, Lahore is 142 km from Suchetgarh. “Many products from Jammu are exported to Pakistan, but via Dubai. With the opening of this route, traders of India and Pakistan will be benefited,” Suri said. He added India had granted the MFN status to Pakistan in 1996 but the latter took 15 years to reciprocate the goodwill gesture. After the MFN status, the traders would not have to pay custom duty on 1,500 items and such a relief would boost business in the region, provided the traditional trade routes were reopened. “There is already no custom duty on the cross-LoC trade, but the list of such items is small,” Suri said. “If the Sialkot-Suchetgarh route is reopened, the traders from Jammu can do a direct business with their counterparts in Pakistan,” he said. Terming the Pakistan move as historic, president of the Chamber of Commerce and Industries (CCI), Jammu, YV Sharma reiterated the demand for opening more trading points on the international border and the Line of Control (LoC). “There is no logic in keeping the Sialkot-Suchetgarh route closed when Pakistan has granted the MFN status to India,” Sharma argued. He added another traditional trade route of Jhangar-Mirpur-Kotli in Rajouri district should also be revived. Sharma said the products of Jammu were in great demand in Pakistan and hence the Central government should revive traditional trade routes to boost the economy of the region. Though the grant of the MFN status to India by Pakistan is a welcome step, traders and industrialists of the region will be benefited only if the Sialkot-Suchetgarh route is opened for trade. — Anil Suri, president of Bari Brahamana Industrialists Association Products of Jammu are in great demand in Pakistan and hence the Central government should also revive the traditional Jhangar-Mirpur-Kotli trade route to boost the economy of the Jammu region. — YV Sharma, president of the Chamber of Commerce and Industries
	New Recruitment Policy Congress to hold emergency meeting Dinesh Manhotra Tribune News Service Jammu, November 3 Even as the opposition parties are supporting the ongoing students’ agitation against the new recruitment policy of the state government, the Congress has decided to convene an emergency meeting to discuss the issue. “Keeping in view the brewing resentment among the youth, particularly the students, against the new recruitment policy, we have decided to convene a meeting to discuss its pros and cons,” Ravinder Sharma, spokesman for the Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC), told The Tribune. Sharma said the party would make its stand clear after discussing all the aspects of the policy. Sources in the party said the Congress leadership had directed its ministers in the coalition government to force the government to rethink the policy, which had caused anger and resentment among the youth. The Congress has decided to effectively take up the issue and party activists have conveyed their opinions against the policy to the leadership. Meanwhile, the opposition parties have stepped up their attack on the coalition government for its anti-youth recruitment policy. The unemployed youth of the twin border districts of Poonch and Rajouri have given a bandh call on November 11 against the recruitment policy and have vowed to intensity the agitation. Senior PDP leader and MLA, Darhal, Choudhary Zulfikar said his party would take the issue to the streets to force the government to scrap it, which was a cruel joke with the youth. Former Education Minister and working chairman of the Panthers Party Harsh Dev Singh termed the recruitment policy as discriminatory, illogical, irrational and unconstitutional. He said the state government could not differentiate between the same categories of employees on the basis of an arbitrary cut off date. Senior BSP leader Surinder Choudhary, while opposing the policy, announced that the party would launch an agitation against the state government. He said instead of targeting the poor unemployed youth, the government should keep a check on wasteful expenditure by ministers and senior bureaucrats.
	Death of Youth Two policemen suspended, magisterial probe ordered Tribune News Service Jammu, November 3 Two policemen have been suspended and 15 others shunted out to the police lines in connection with the death of a youth allegedly in custody. The District Magistrate has also ordered a magiste rial probe after locals alleged foul play behind the youth’s death. “Besides ordering a magisterial inquiry, we have suspended two policemen, including police post in-charge Omar Prakash, and sent 15 others to the district police lines,” SSP, Jammu, Anand Jain said. Twenty-six-year-old Vijay Kumar, alias Lilli, a resident of Galbadechak in Gajansoo, was detained by the police on November 1 in connection with the smuggling of narcotics. He allegedly escaped from the police custody yesterday and later his body was found in a field at Galbadechak in the Gajansoo area. Meanwhile, the relatives and members of Vijay’s family held a protest at the Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) here today and later blocked traffic by placing the body on the nearby Jammu-Poonch highway. They were demanding action against the police and lifted the blockade after senior police officials assured them of action against the guilty. The protesters alleged that the police framed Vijay in a false case and he died due to torture in custody. “We want a magisterial probe into Vijay’s death,” they said. The police, however, claimed that Vijay escaped from its custody and his body was later recovered from fields at Galbadechak in the Gajansoo area last evening. A board of doctors conducted a post-mortem on the body at the GMCH today and later the police handed it over to the relatives.
	MLA demands IMPA campus at Doda Tribune News Service Katra, November 3 Abdul Majid Wani, MLA, Doda, today demanded the opening of a campus of the Institute of Management and Public Administration (IMPA) at Doda district headquarters for providing in-service training to the state government employees, besides undertaking other research and consultancy activities. Wani said the role of the IMPA was restricted to imparting training to a few select categories of state government employees that too from the regions of Jammu and Srinagar. Its purpose should have been to train and sharpen the skills of all categories of employees near their working places, keeping in view the local demands and issues. Therefore, Wani demanded that another IMPA campus be established at Doda so that all government employees working in this remote and backward region could be equipped with requisite knowledge and skills to compete with their peers in the Jammu and Srinagar areas. Special training programmes for capacity building and upgrading technical skills of all categories of employees working at different levels of the administration in the tough terrain of Doda district were required on a regular basis. Wani added in the present scenario the role of the IMPA assumed greater significance in view of the rapid advances in technology, economy and managerial practices all over the country. Hence, Doda district could not be deprived of the benefits of such changes.
	PowerGrid holds debate Tribune News Service Jammu, November 3 As part of its Vigilance Awareness Week celebrations, PowerGrid Corporation, Northern Region-II, Jammu, organised a debate, “Is Vigilance Department a Check to Bureaucracy” at JP World School here today. SD Joshi, Additional General Manager (C&M) of PowerGrid, was the chief guest on the occasion. Joshi highlighted various achievements of the company. He also congratulated the organisers of the debate for selecting the issue, as it would inculcate good values among the youth of the country. A number of students participated in the debate. Besides taking part in the debate, the students danced to the tune of “Bharat Hum Ko Jaan Se Pyara Hai” and presented a Dogri dance item during the grand finale.
	Biggest ever seizure of 29 kg charas in Udhampur Raju William Tribune News Service Katra, November 3 In the biggest ever seizure of drugs in Udhampur district in over two decades, the police arrested four Mumbai-based smugglers and recovered 29 kg of charas worth lakhs of rupees from them today. The contraband was being taken to Mumbai. Preliminary investigation revealed that the charas was being brought from the Khanawal area of the Kashmir valley. SSP, Udhampur, Shakeel Ahmed Beig told The Tribune over the phone that this was the highest quantity of charas ever seized by the police in Udhampur district. The search of the vehicle the accused were travelling in yielded 29 kg of charas sealed in plastic bags, which were concealed in a specially-designed container. The four arrested Mumbai-based smugglers have been identified as Abdul Rashid, Parkash Krishna Watkar, Masood Sardar Hussain and Qayoom Yaqoob Sheikh. The police impounded the vehicle and registered a case against the accused at Udhampur police station under the NDPS Act. This is considered to be a big achievement because the average seizure of charas in Udhampur district is about 12.5 kg since 1990. The SSP gave all the credit to SHO Sharma for the success. “Sharma is a dedicated, upright and public-spirited police officer, who enjoys a good reputation,” said Beig. The SSP had asked the police authorities for a vehicle scanner at the Jakhani police naka on the national highway.
	Students boycott classes against recruitment policy Tribune News Service Jammu, November 3 A large number of students from various colleges of the city and the University of Jammu boycotted classes for the third consecutive day today and held a protest march against the new recruitment policy of the state government. Shouting anti-government slogans, the protesting students marched towards Bikram Chowk, where a police party stopped them from moving further. Before dispersing, Raghav Sharma, a student leader, said, “We reject this anti-youth recruitment policy of the state government. Chief Minister Omar Abdullah should reverse this decision immediately, otherwise, we will intensify the agitation.” Terming it a ‘dictatorial policy’, Raghav added, “The youth across the state have lost faith in the present government.”
	Jammu school wins city finals of Limca Book quiz Jammu, November 3 KC International School, Jammu, won the Jammu City finals of the Limca Book of Records Quiz, 2011, held at Jodhamal Public School here today. The young geniuses from KC International School would now participate in the national semifinals, where they would compete with the students of 80 schools. Army Public School, Jangalote, and Army Public School, Akhnoor, were the runners-up. Around 216 students from 38 schools from the city participated while six schools competed in the city finals. — TNS
	Jammu all set for opening of darbar move offices Jammu, November 3 Preparations are in full swing for the opening of the darbar offices here on November 7. While various departments have been working overtime to renovate the offices and residential quarters of the officials and the employees, security has been tightened in Jammu. The government offices closed in Srinagar on October 28. The advance parties of the darbar move cavalcade had reached Jammu and had started work at the Civil Secretariat. The employees, who were part of the advance parties, had unloaded all official documents. According to the sources, considering the recent grenade attacks in the Kashmir valley, elaborate security arrangements had been made here before the opening of the darbar offices. The Civil Secretariat would start functioning properly next week because the majority of the employees would be away for the Eid celebrations this week. — TNS
	Transfer of Amandeep murder case sought Legal Correspondent Jammu, November 3 In the Amandeep Singh murder case, Dupinder Kour, mother of the deceased youth, has sought the transfer of the case from the court of the Second Additional Sessions Judge, Jammu, to any other court having a parallel jurisdiction in Jammu. Meanwhile, Justice Mohammad Yaqoob Mir of the Jammu and Kashmir High Court yesterday issued notices to the respondents for filling objections. He ordered that the trial court would not insist upon the examination of the prosecution eyewitness, Tej Pal Singh, on the next date of hearing.
	Army rebuilds war memorial Katra, November 3 The Army dedicated a rebuilt war memorial to martyrs at Tithwal village in Karnah tehsil of Kupwara today. According to an official note, Lt Gen KT Parnaik, GOC-in-C, Northern Command, paid tributes to the brave sons of the soil, who sacrificed their lives for the liberation of Tithwal during the 1947-48 war with Pakistan, by laying a wreath at the war memorial. A large number of prominent people of the border area attended the solemn ceremony. The Shakti Vijay Brigade built this war memorial after the earlier one was severely damaged in an earthquake in 2005. — TNS
	Army will be handicapped without AFSPA, says Lt-Gen Parnaik Teetwal, November 3 Amid a raging debate over the proposal of the state government to revoke the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) from some parts of the state, the Army said today any such move would handicap the capability of the force to conduct counter-insurgency operations. “We have a situation which has now carried on for more than 20 years and the Army requires the provisions to enable it to act... Without the provisions the Army will be handicapped,” General Officer Commanding-in-Chief (GOC-in-C), Northern Command, Lt-Gen KT Parnaik told reporters at Teetwal village, 200 km from Srinagar. Lt-Gen Parnaik, who visited the village located on the Line of Control (LoC) in Kupwara district, said the withdrawal of the AFSPA from some areas of the state would make it difficult for the Army to operate effectively. “It is a question of confidence and trust you repose in your army. If you are removing the Act from some areas, it will become difficult for the Army to operate in the manner it operates now,” he said. A debate over the revocation of the AFSPA and the Disturbed Areas Act (DAA), introduced in 1990 to give the Army and the paramilitary forces powers to detain suspects and use deadly force, began last month when Chief Minister Omar Abdullah announced that the Acts would be revoked from parts of the state “within a few days”. Lt-Gen Parnaik, who was accompanied by General Officer Commanding (GOC) of 15 Corps Lt-Gen SA Hasnain, termed the AFSPA as an “enabling” Act and said it was not a draconian law. “The fact is that its revocation from some areas may be seen as a genuine thing because there seems to be peace here. But peace is very fragile,” he said. “After all we have seen one of the most peaceful summers in 2011 and that has happened with the AFSPA in place,” he said. Lt-Gen Parnaik said if the AFSPA was revoked from some areas “terrorists and inimical elements” would exploit the situation. “We don’t want that to happen,” he said. — PTI
	Fate of Jan Aushadhi Stores remains uncertain Archit Watts Tribune News Service Jammu, November 3 The fair price drug stores, Jan Aushadhi Stores, to be opened by the Indian Red Cross Society in association with the Department of AYUSH, are being delayed due to some technical reasons. With an aim to provide medicines to the people at rates cheaper than the market, the Jan Aushadhi Stores were to be opened at four places initially and later at all district headquarters. Last year, the Indian Red Cross Society was given approval for the establishment of four stores, one each in Srinagar, Anantnag, Jammu and Leh. But a drug store had been opened in Srinagar so far. The fate of the other three stores is in the balance, as the powerful drug mafia is said to be opposing the project. However, the neighbouring states of Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and Haryana already have 21, five and four such stores, respectively. “To provide generic medicines to the patients at cheaper rates, these stores were decided to be opened, but due to some technical problems the project was getting delayed,” said Feroz Ahmad, general secretary of the Indian Red Cross Society, Jammu and Kashmir chapter. Asked about the reasons for the delay in setting up these stores, Feroz said, “Land has been allotted for the other three stores. But the state government is yet to waive the rent of these stores, which is delaying the project.” He said once the Civil Secretariat started functioning in Jammu, the demand for rent waiver would be taken up with the government. The Drugs Department authorities said they were concerned over the delay in the opening of the stores. “Once these drug stores start functioning at main government hospitals, the people will be able to get quality medicines at affordable prices,” said a senior official of the Drugs Department.