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Langate MLA rakes up Afzal’s clemency issue
Rigged ’87 poll led to militancy: Mufti
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AFSPA ROW
Table interlocutors’ report before security panel, says Farooq
Nod to set up eight new consumer courts in state
Farooq exhorts state youth to explore country
Violation of RTI Act
New Jammu varsity V-C takes charge
Workshop on national rural drinking water mission held
Days get sunny in Valley
3 get life-term for murder
Two Lashkar men held
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Langate MLA rakes up Afzal’s clemency issue
Srinagar, January 29 Addressing a gathering at Langate in Kupwara district, Rasheed said the NC and PDP should bring in a joint resolution in the forthcoming session of the Legislative Assembly seeking amnesty for Guru, a convict on death row in the Parliament attack case. “The two parties are expected to represent the general public aspirations regarding the Guru’s issue. This is the time both regional parties, which claim to represent the Kashmiri sentiment, prove their sincerity and seriousness. I have been saying that Guru’s issue should be seen through the prism of humanity and not politics, and I expect all lovers of humanity to support amnesty for him,” he added. The MLA also claimed that he was in touch with several leaders of both the parties, and hoped that both the NC and the PDP “will not let their narrow political differences prevail over the larger interests of people”. The next Assembly session is scheduled to be held next month in Jammu. During the last Assembly session in September last year, MLA Langate had tabled a resolution seeking clemency for Afzal Guru. However, the Congress legislators had created a ruckus over the cross-voting row by entering into a debate with the BJP MLAs on the day the Bill was tabled. The Congress MLAs were demanding expulsion of the BJP MLAs who were suspended from the party for cross-voting in the Legislative Council elections last year. As a result, the resolution had lapsed while Rasheed alleged that protests by the Congress and the BJP were “stage-managed to sabotage” his resolution. Even though the BJP and the Panthers Party MLAs were demanding that the resolution be dropped from the listed business, the PDP had said it would support the clemency resolution. However, the Congress and NC, coalition partners, had remained tightlipped over the issue. |
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Rigged ’87 poll led to militancy: Mufti
Langer (Jammu), January 29 Addressing a public meeting at Langer, on the outskirts of Jammu city, Mufti said the NC never allowed democracy to flourish in Jammu and Kashmir. He added it was all due to the deceit tactics of the NC that the people of the state had lost faith in the democratic institutions of the country. He claimed that the PDP, which was formed in 1999 had restored the faith of the people in the democratic institutions and pointed out that the 2002 Assembly elections were fair elections. “The 2002 Assembly elections were the turning point in the history of Jammu and Kashmir,” he said, adding that the NC was again trying to undermine the democratic institutions. To authenticate his allegations, he referred towards an inordinate delay in empowering the panchayats and conducting civic bodies’ elections. He said the PDP-Congress regime in its tenure had delivered better governance to the people by addressing the aspirations and wishes of all the regions and sub-regions of the state. He said the PDP-led regime had also
scripted a new chapter of peace and development in the state. “Through our visionary policies and programmes, the PDP-led regime has changed the political discourse of the state,” he said. He added that it was all due to the result of the policies of the party
that peace was established in the state during that period. “There was a sense of fear and insecurity among the people when the PDP-led regime was formed,” he recalled, adding that through its pro-peace agenda the PDP had not only created a sense of security among the people, but also restored dignity of the common masses by pioneering and implementing peace and reconciliation policies. “In 2002 we had just 16 members in the Assembly, but our party had convinced the successive governments at Delhi to initiate some Confidence Building Measures (CBMs) to restore
lasting peace in the region,” he said. He also pointed towards the opening of the Srinagar-Muzaffarbad and Poonch-Rawalakot roads during that period. “After 1947, all the traditional routes connecting Jammu and Kashmir with the rest of the world were plugged and there was a sense of siege among the people. By opening the cross LoC routes, the PDP tried to open these plugged traditional routes,” he said and added that the opening of the Sialkot-Suchetgarh road was also on the agenda of the PDP. Mufti said it was all due to the efforts of the PDP that Kashmir, which was earlier a bone of contention between India and Pakistan, had become a bridge between the two countries. |
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AFSPA ROW
Maintaining that discussions on the partial withdrawal of AFSPA were going on, Omar said the Army never had a counter-insurgency role in Srinagar district, as the state police and the CRPF had always been playing the role. “Unfortunately, there is more resistance than I would have liked from the Army for reasons I don’t understand. “It’s a considered decision that the areas that we are looking at for the removal of AFSPA are the areas where we don’t require the Army to operate. “They are not operating on counter-insurgency grid.... Unfortunately, the Army never had counter-insurgency as its task for Srinagar district. Right from the beginning, it was first the job of the BSF and the BSF was replaced by the CRPF. Why can’t that continue,” Omar said here. He said the state government was ready to take into consideration rightful concerns of the Army. “We understand the Army has certain concerns regarding their establishments at Badami Bagh (Cantonment area), Sharifabad and Tattu ground (army camps). We say we will keep these areas out of the ambit.” Asked whether the state government was pursing sanction for prosecution of Army officers allegedly involved in the fake encounter at Machil in north Kashmir, Omar referred to the recent hearing in the Supreme Court where the judges had asked about a clear-cut policy from the Army to either prosecute the officers under the Army act or allow the civil courts to take the action. “What happened in the Supreme Court is a pointer. Of course, if you take recourse to AFSPA to say that this matter can’t be transferred to civil court then you have to try it yourselves. “You either transfer it or try the case and deliver justice yourself. These are the only two options. The option of doing nothing is not available. Not doing anything is not an option,” he said.
— PTI |
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Table interlocutors’ report before security panel, says Farooq
“The report on Jammu and Kashmir prepared by the three-member team of interlocutors must be first tabled before the Cabinet Committee on Security so that it can be reviewed,” Farooq told reporters on the sidelines of a function in which a large number of PDP workers joined the NC here this evening. He said the report should be made public so as to hold a debate on it. The Union Minister said after a review, the report could be discussed in Parliament, adding: “I will speak to the Union Minister for Home P Chidambram, to whom the report has to be submitted by the interlocutors, also on the issue.” On the devolution of powers to panchayat members, Farooq said: “The elected panches and sarpanches will soon be empowered. The Speaker has to decide on the distribution of powers to the panchayat members and legislators.” He said they both must play a constructive role in an overall development of the state. On renewable energy projects, the Union Minister said: “The Centre is ready to provide 90 per cent funds but unfortunately so far no project has been sent by the state government to my ministry.” On a survey conducted by the New Delhi-based Institute of Research on India and International Studies (IRIIS) in Kashmir, in which it was referred that corruption was the main issue before the youth, Farooq said: “I have not read the report. You better ask this question to the state government.” Earlier, over 35 panches and sarpanches from Mendhar tehsil in Poonch district joined the National Conference at the party headquarters. |
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Nod to set up eight new consumer courts in state
Jammu, January 29 So far, there are only two consumer forums (commonly known as consumer courts) - one each in capital cities of Jammu and Srinagar - for taking up complaints from 22 districts in the state. “The government has given its nod to set up eight new consumer courts in the state. These courts are being made functional and it will expedite the process of redressing common man’s grievances,” Minister for Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution (CA&PD) Department, Qamar Ali Akhoon told The Tribune. The minister said the people had been facing hardships in their day-to-day life as there were only two consumer forums in the state. “People had to travel either to Jammu or Srinagar for registering their complaints and their complaints generally remained pending for months together. With the setting up of eight new courts in the first phase, the process of redressing common man’s grievances will definitely get expedited,” Akhoon said. He disclosed that each district would get one consumer court in a phased manner and the government’s first priority was to make the newly sanctioned consumer forums functional at the earliest. Sources said the government had also decided to take the help of the state judiciary to streamline the delivery system in these consumer courts. “The CA&PD Department will take up the matter with the Law Department, requesting it to write to the state judiciary for providing all necessary help, including sparing some judges, in streamlining the delivery system through consumer courts,” the sources added. The sources further disclosed that a high-level panel, comprising officials of various departments and members from the state judiciary would also be constituted. The panel will be entrusted with the task of getting feedback from the public about the delivery system and to suggest the government “corrective measures” to further improve the process. |
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War of words between Cong minister, Vakil hots up
Jammu, January 29 Former minister and senior Congress leader Abdul Gani Vakil has accused Taj Mohiuddin, a senior minister from his own party of being corrupt. Reacting on the allegation of his party colleague, the minister has warned to take party leader to the court of law for levelling wrong charges against him. “Two senior Congress leaders are exchanging heated words publicly and these are not pleasant to me,” PCC chief Soz said when his attention was drawn towards war of words between two senior functionaries of the party on the charges of corruption. “I personally feel that the party high command should take notice of this situation,” Soz said and added that two senior leaders were commenting on the system and had been indulged into allegations and counter allegations. “From the day I took over as PCC chief, I don’t like bickering and expression of bickering in public. This situation is not acceptable to me. Differences can be expressed and there are forums for that and it should be done that way,” he said. When asked why he was not intervening as the PCC chief, Soz said, “Both the parties are expressing their viewpoint publicly and either of them have not referred the matter to me so I have no responsibility.” Abdul Gani Vakil in a letter to Taj had alleged that there were cases of corruption in the latter's department. He alleged that corruption cases were pending against the minister in the State Accountability Commission (SAC) and a land-grabbing case was also pending against him in the high court. Vakil, a loyalist of Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad, also alleged that “various scams were surfacing from time to time in the Public Health Engineering and Irrigation Departments”. A copy of the letter was also sent to Congress president Sonia Gandhi. Taj, however, called it a conspiracy against him and demanded an apology from Vakil. He alleged that Vakil wanted the transfer of some engineers and other staff in the Public Health Engineering and Irrigation Departments after having taken bribe from them and I did not oblige him. |
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Farooq exhorts state youth to explore country
Jammu, January 29 Addressing a gathering at the Zorawar Singh auditorium on the occasion of the 17th Annual Function of the All Kargil Students’ Association, Jammu, Farooq urged the youth of Kargil to prefer going out of their districts and province for attaining higher education. “You have been demanding the establishment of a university in your region, but I say you still need to explore other parts of India and going out for studies is the best way out. I myself had gone to Rajasthan for my higher studies,” he added. He said, “Still your regions are far away from development and if you go out it will help you in developing relations, it will help you in widening your horizons. You cannot grow in a society, until you understand others.” The minister said studying in different parts of the country will help the students of the state in developing a better understanding of the diversity of India. “Most of the areas of Ladakh remain disconnected from the rest of the world during winters. Although plans and proposals are underway to develop alternate routes, which would be open throughout the year, but I appeal to you to use higher education as a tool to connect with other developed states,” he added. He also appreciated the Kargil Muslims for not becoming instrumental in the origin and spread of militancy in the past two decades. Farooq said, “The people of Kargil and Leh never participated in any act of militancy. When people of Kashmir were entrapped by nefarious designs of Pakistan, you people never accepted any offer from the ISI or Pakistan. I appreciate that you never brought humiliation for your community and the whole country admires you for that.” “You people always remained faithful to the Government of India and maintained the integrity of the nation,” he added. |
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Violation of RTI Act
Jammu, January 29 Sources said the Chief Information Commissioner, GR Sufi, while disposing of a judgment in Vilakshana Singh v/s 1st Appellate Authority and the PIO of the JKPSC, has imposed a penalty of Rs 5,000 on the defaulting PIO, Gulzar Ahmad, Additional Secretary, JKPSC, for an unexplainable delay for a period of 20 days. The appellant, Vilakshana Singh, had filed an RTI application under Section 6 of the Act before the PIO of the JKPSC on January 1, 2010, seeking information concerning KCS (Judicial). However, ignoring the mandate of the Act that the order on the application of the information seeker was to be passed within a maximum period of 30 days, the PIO realised only on May 25, 2010, i.e. after 135 days, and that also not with the purpose of passing an order but demanding an amount of Rs 820 for 82 pages @ Rs 10 per page. By doing so, the PIO had not only violated time limit for passing the order but also time limit for charging the copying charges as was provided under Section 7 (6) which provided for not demanding any charges, if the said demand was not made within 30 days of making the application for providing the information, read the judgment. The applicant, after filing a complaint with the first appellant authority, had again filed a complaint before the SIC on June 20, 2011, on the issue of incorrect statement of facts by the PIO in the sense that he (PIO) initially had asked for a payment of Rs 820 as copying charges of 82 pages but later on provided only four pages. Before initiating any action, the Commission had also given an opportunity to the PIO to show that he had a reasonable cause in not providing information within the time stipulated under the Act. The PIO had given his clarifications on December 29, 2011, mentioning that he was busy in KAS main examinations. However, the SIC had not found the explanation convincing as the due date of passing an order has been violated in the case. The SIC has also directed the Drawing and Disbursing Officer (DDO) of the office of the J&K Public Service Commission to ensure the deduction of Rs 5,000 from the salary of Gulzar Ahmad, Additional Secretary/PIO, J&K PSC, in three equal instalments as provided in Rule 36 (3) of the J&K State RTI Rules, 2010. |
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Beating Retreat caps R-Day celebrations
Jammu, January 29 The items presented in brass band display included Space Flight, Scipio, Sitare Hind, Get Away Lullaby and Belphegor. Similarly, in pipes and drums show, the well-dressed contingents presented India Gate, Hundred Pipers, Skye Boat Song, Valley of The Green, Deshon Ka Sartaj and Drummers’ Call. The function concluded with a joint item of “Sare Jahan Se Achha Hindustan Hamara”. The Governor gave prizes to various brass band, and pipes and drum contingents for their display. Fireworks added colour to the ceremony. Among others, the function was attended by political and social activists, prominent citizens and a large number of people. “Beating Retreat” is a centuries-old military tradition dating back to the days when troops disengaged from battle at sunset. As soon as the bugles sounded “retreat”, the troops ceased fighting, sheathed their arms and withdrew from the battlefield. |
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Peaceful Republic Day celebrations
On the occasion of every Republic Day or Independence Day, people with mainstream and separatist leanings virtually enter into a war of words. On the one hand, governments, along with those at the helm of affairs, take credit for peaceful celebrations, on the other, the separatist forces express their gratitude to the masses for extending an overwhelming response to the bandh call on such occasions. Both the sides on the occasion of the Republic Day stayed put to their respective stand, with the help of instances in favour of each of them. Chief Minister Omar Abdullah did not waste any time in sharing his idea on the occasion and tweeted “I am glad that another Republic Day passed off peacefully”. He has, in a way, tried to keep a balance between the two sides by not making any claims. Winter’s bitter experiences
Finally, the weather gods have given a fresh lease of life to the administration which had been “feeling uneasy” following the scarcity of essential supplies in the Valley, though the authorities minced no words on “hollow assurances” to the people. At the fag end of Chillai Kalan, the peak winter season in Kashmir, mercury started rising again giving relief to the shivering intensity and also to the frozen essential supplies. Over the past couple of days, the supplies are being maintained along the Srinagar-Jammu National Highway, the only surface link to the Valley. This is not for the first time that essential supplies during the harsh winter months get affected. But the authorities do not seem to have learnt any lessons and they only make tall promises and assurances. It is time to devise short-term and long-term measures to avoid repetition of such instances in the future. Reporters turn ‘weathermen’
After the shifting of Darbar to Jammu, the winter capital of J&K, Kashmir- based mediapersons, especially those working for the national newspapers and television channels, usually had to hunt hard for stories in the winter months. Since most of the ministers and bureaucrats stay in Jammu in the winter season, finding stories of interest in the Valley becomes difficult. However, frequent snow this winter paved the way for many stories. Calling the MeT office and the traffic police everyday has become a norm for them. And the situation that resulted due to inclement weather conditions too paved the way for many other stories such as shortage of essential items due to highway blockade, increase in sale of woollens or power shortage. And once the weather improves after many days, it becomes yet another story. Revoke ban on SMS
The SMS service was banned during the summer unrest of 2010 in Kashmir Valley as the government felt its misuse was inciting violence on the streets. Even though the ban was later revoked for the post-paid connections, the pre-paid users that comprise the bulk of mobile phone users are still waiting for the ban to be lifted. The ban has not only inconvenienced the public but also the telecom operators as it has resulted in loss of revenue for them. Despite claims that the situation in the Valley last year had improved significantly, the government seems to be in no mood to revoke the ban. The ban makes little sense at a time when the people in the Valley have an easy access to the Internet. And given that 3G and Blackberry services have already been launched, people can easily exchange messages on their mobile phones through various social networking sites and messenger services.
— Contributed by Ehsan Fazili and M. Aamir Khan |
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Natrang stages ‘Jhoomta Hua Pull’
Jammu, January 29 The play contained many metaphorical and symbolic meanings into it, which added to the overall theatrical experience of intimate theatre presentation. Balwinder Singh and Sajra Qadir played their roles well, justifying the insight required for their characters. Uplaksh Singh and Syed Fardeen equally supported them. Mohammad Yaseen operated the music. Sushil Raina looked after the hall management and Sumeet Sharma coordinated the show and did the presentations. |
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New Jammu varsity V-C takes charge
Jammu, January 29 Later, talking to mediapersons, he said he would focus on various aspects of providing quality education so that the JU students could meet the requirements of international standards in academics. “My priority will be to ensure quality education with overall development. All necessary measures in this regard would surely be taken,” he added. Dr Isher said character building would also be an indispensable part of the higher education and the onus was on teaching faculty.
— TNS |
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Workshop on national rural drinking water mission held
Katra, January 29 The workshop was organised by the State Water and Resources Mission, in association with WEMTEP (Will Extraordinary and Make the Earth Prosperous) programme at the DC Complex in Reasi. The Director of the WEMTEP gave a resume of the activities of the national-level water and sanitation mission programme and informed the meeting that the scheme had been started in Reasi and the programme stood closed in five districts of the state after achieving desired results on the ground level. A massive awareness campaign is being launched in all the blocks of the district about the aims and objectives of better and safe water needs, its preservation, sanitation and maintaining eco-friendly environment in the surrounding of habitations.
— OC |
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Days get sunny in Valley
Srinagar, January 29 The minimum temperatures at the ski resort of Gulmarg in north Kashmir and Qazigund, the gateway town to Kashmir, were -11.2 and -9.9 °C, respectively. However, most parts of the Valley recorded above-zero day temperatures and have been witnessing sunny days over the past few days. Srinagar recorded a maximum temperature of 9.4 °C, an increase of one degree from yesterday. Qazigund and Pahalgam recorded maximum temperatures of 9.3 and 4.8 °C, respectively. The meteorological department has forecast dry weather conditions for the next 24 hours in the Valley. Kashmir is currently going through ‘chillai kalaan’, harshest 40-day period of the winter season that began on December 21. Meanwhile, Kargil town in the Ladakh region remained the coldest place of the state, recording a minimum temperature of -20.2 °C. |
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3 get life-term for murder
Jammu, January 29 On February 27, 2011, the victim’s brother, Harnaik Singh, in a complaint had alleged that the accused, Shiv Kumar, Raj Kumar and Bhagwan
Dass, had assaulted Devinder Singh. Baghwan Dass and Shiv Kumar had restrained the victim, whereas Raj Kumar stabbed him with a sharp-edged weapon before fleeing the scene, it was alleged. The injured was shifted to the RS Pura Hospital from where he was referred to the Government Medical College, Jammu, where he succumbed to his injuries. The police then registered a case under Sections 302 and 34 of the Ranbir Panel Code and started its investigation. After the completion of the investigation, a charge-sheet was presented in the court on June 25, 2011. |
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Srinagar, January 29 Two people were injured in the attack. The spokesman said a pistol, a magazine and two grenades were recovered from their possession. The two were acting as over ground workers for Nisar Ahmed Magray, alais Shakti, a Lashkar-e-Toiba militant, he added. — PTI
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New Delhi, January 29
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