The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

	Pak violates ceasefire along LoC in Poonch Opens fire at four forward posts in Krishna Ghati sector Ravi Krishnan Khajuria & Darshan Bharti Tribune News Service Jammu/Poonch, August 9 With no let up in ceasefire violations, Pakistani troops opened small and medium arms fire on at least four Indian forward posts along the Line of Control (LoC) in the Krishna Ghati (KG) sector in Poonch district late last night. The Army was compelled to give Pakistan a calibrated response. Sources said in an attempt to push a group of six to eight militants into the Indian side, the Pakistani troops opened unprovoked fire. An Army spokesperson said no such group was sighted during the gun fight. The Pakistani troops fired at several Indian posts along the LoC in the Nangi Tekri area from 12.05 to 12.40 am, said the spokesperson. “Three of our posts came under fire, compelling us to give them a calibrated response,” he said. “There was no loss of life or injuries to our troops,” he added. This was the fourth ceasefire violation that took place recently, taking the total number of ceasefire violations this year on the LoC and international border to 22. On August 7, the Pakistani troops resorted to small and medium arms fire on the Indian posts in the Shahpur sector along the LoC in poonch district. The sources said the Pakistani troops violated the ceasefire with malafide intentions to push a group of six to eight militants to this side. “They not only violated the truce deal, but also provided a cover fire to the group,” said the sources. At least four posts, Kranti, Kirpan, Ghora and Nangi Tekri were targeted by them, they added. The area is being guarded by 3 Grenadiers. The Pakistani troops resorted to small arms fire from their Daku, Shiv and Battal posts. The Pakistani troops opened fire initially from 10.15 to 10.30 pm. After a brief lull, they again opened fire at 12.05 am, which lasted till 12.40 am, said sources. Pakistan had violated the truce deal on the night of August 6, targeting BSF’s Pansar border outpost along the international border in the Hiranagar sector of Kathua district, resulting in injuries to two soldiers. Pakistan Rangers had opened fire at the Kote Kubba post along the international border in the RS Pura sector in Jammu district on August 5. India lodged a strong protest with Pakistan on August 7 over ceasefire violations along the LoC and the international border in Jammu and Kashmir. There has been a sudden spurt in truce violations by Pakistan after the BSF detected a transborder tunnel at Chalyari in the Samba sector on July 28. The BSF had lodged a strong protest with the Pakistan Rangers on July 31. In June, Pakistan had violated the ceasefire five times along the LoC in the KG sector, which had compelled the Army to move an artillery battalion. BSF jawan PK Mishra and Lance Naik Harvinder Singh were killed in the heavy shelling by the Pakistani troops while four more soldiers were injured.
	Fear of Pak firing stalks Rathua villagers Demand 5-marla plots in safer zones Ravi Krishnan Khajuria Tribune News Service Jammu, August 9 Following Pakistani firing in the Hiranagar sector in Kathua district during the intervening night of August 6 and 7, the fear of getting displaced is again stalking villagers of Rathua, close to the Zero Line. The Pakistani Rangers had opened unprovoked firing on the Pansar post close to the village in which two BSF troopers were injured. “On the evening of August 6 when Pakistani guns started booming, fear gripped the entire village. Scared by the heavy firing, villagers sent their children to safer places,” said Hari Singh, a village elder. Singh said the entire village comprising 50-odd families soon wore a deserted look. “Pakistani firing reminded us of those gory days in 2001 when they used to open fire frequently,” said Singh. Another villager, Madan Lal, said villagers had witnessed such a fire a decade back. “Intermittent fire by Pakistan has been a routine affair but on August 6 the intensity of fire was heavy. They even used rocket-propelled grenades in which two BSF troopers were injured. We were scared by the volume of fire,” he said. Against the backdrop of this latest firing by Pakistan, villagers of Rathua have renewed their demand that they should be given a plot of five marlas (one marla is equal to 272 square feet) in safer zones. The Kathua Deputy Commissioner, Zahida Khan, said: “The very next day (after the firing) I had gone to Rathua village and held a meeting with BSF officials to instil confidence among the villagers.” They were a little paranoid because of the Pakistani firing but now normalcy has returned to the village, she said. The DC said the BSF had put up double defence along the border near Rathua village. “We will look into the demand raised by the villagers,” she added.
	Geelani calls for shutdown on Aug 15 Ishfaq Tantry/TNS Srinagar, August 9 Calling for a shutdown on Independence Day, hardline separatist leader Syed Ali Geelani has alleged that schoolstudents were being forced to participate in various government functions, including Independence Day functions by the authorities. He said such acts were adversely affecting the education of Kashmiri students and the government was “transgressing its authority.” “Forcing schoolstudents to participate in government sponsored functions amounts to state terrorism. This amounts to interfering with educational career of our students, which cannot be tolerated,” Geelani said in a statement. Warning the authorities of “dire consequences”, Geelani claimed that he had got reports from many parts of the Valley that children who participated in these functions were awarded bonus numbers and rewards. Section 144 imposed in Srinagar Srinagar, August 9 Ahead of Independence Day, the District Magistrate, Srinagar, has imposed restrictions in Srinagar under Section 144 of the CrPC, which restricts the assembly of more than four persons. “These restrictions would not be applicable to government functions, marriage ceremonies, funerals, cremations and examinations,” a government spokesman said in a statement, adding that these restrictions will not also be applicable at “Sehri” and “Iftaar” timings during Ramadan.
	My proposal on AFSPA accepted at national level, says JKPCC chief Arteev Sharma/TNS Jammu, August 9 Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) chief Saifuddin Soz today said he had “won the issue” (repeal of AFSPA), as his proposal of “consultations with all stakeholders” was accepted at the national level. He said this against the backdrop of Chief Minister Omar Abdullah’s demand for the revocation of the Armed Forces Special Power Act (AFSPA) from the state. “I won the issue (AFSPA) at the national level and the Act was not removed from the state because I had said it would be premature and consultations should take place. So, if you go through the designs of my utterances based on my philosophy of politics, I succeeded…..” Soz told reporters after flagging off a rally of Congress workers on ‘Quit India Movement’ here. He also made a veiled attack on ruling coalition partner National Conference for showing its reluctance on implementation of the 73rd and 74th amendment of the Indian Constitution in Jammu and Kashmir, saying, “It is a wrong interpretation that Article 370 doesn’t allow the extension of the 73rd amendment of the Indian constitution to J&K,” said Soz. On October 21, 2011, Omar had said “black law (AFSPA) would go from some areas of Jammu and Kashmir within days”. After stiff resistance from the Army and political parties, including the Congress, Omar had to take back his statement, saying “no deadline” had been fixed for revoking the Act. To a volley of questions on differences between the National Conference and the Congress on implementation of the 73rd amendment in the state, he said his party had not given up the “struggle” and the government couldn’t push the issue under the carpet for a long time. Soz said various Central laws had been extended to the state. “The 73rd amendment spirit must reflect in the Panchayati Raj system of the state and nobody can fault me on that,” he said.
	2,500 children may be used by militants for attacks: CRPF Majid Jahangir Tribune News Service Srinagar, August 9 Days after two children were arrested for their involvement in a grenade attack in Sopore, a senior CRPF officer in Srinagar said there were 2,000 to 2,500 children in Sopore who could be used by militants for carrying out violent attacks. “According to our inputs, there are 2,000 to 2,500 children in Sopore who can be used by militants for carrying out violent attacks,” IG, CRPF (Operations), Dr BN Ramesh told mediapersons on the sidelines of the launch of “Kashmir Tribune”. The two children, aged 12 and 13, were detained last week after CCTV footage found them hurling a grenade at the Sopore police station in Baramulla district. The IG, CRPF, said they had already contacted the parents of these “vulnerable” children and counselled them. The children were let off keeping in view their age. The parents of the kids were also counselled before their release. “We also contacted their teachers so that they are kept away from getting involved into militancy. There are two to three NGOs which are counselling the children and their parents,” the IG said. “We are taking various steps to ensure that these children do not become the victim of violence.” The CRPF assists the police in maintaining law and order in the state.
	Soldier killed in encounter near LoC Majid Jahangir/TNS Srinagar, August 9 A soldier was killed during an attempt to foil an infiltration bid near the Line of Control (LoC) in north Kashmir’s Bandipore district last night. The Army spokesman in Srinagar, Col Brijesh Pandey, said an Army jawan of 36 Rashtriya Rifles, Chander Singh, was killed in the encounter that erupted near the LoC in Gurez sector. “The encounter erupted during the intervening night of Wednesday and Thursday in the Hajibal ridge of Gurez sector, when troops noticed a movement of the infiltrators. When the troops challenged them, they started firing which was retaliated and it triggered an encounter. The soldier was killed in the encounter,” Col Pandey said. “The firing stopped after half an hour and during the search operation in the wee hours, war-like stores and a pistol was recovered from the encounter site,” he added. The spokesman said that the casualty among the infiltrators could not be established. Police sources in north Kashmir said the infiltrators were forced to withdraw after their movement was noticed near the LoC by the Army. After the latest infiltration bid in Gurez, the Army is keeping a close vigil on Nowgam and Chowkibal sectors of north Kashmir as militants have been using these sectors to sneak into the Valley. The General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Northern Command, Lt Gen KT Parnaik, had recently disclosed that 35 to 38 militants had managed to infiltrate into the state this year. “In 2012, militants have made 40-50 small and big infiltration attempts. But according to the Multi Agency Centre, there have been 14-15 infiltration attempts this year in which 35-38 infiltrators have succeeded,” Parnaik had said. The LoC is fenced with barbed wire and sophisticated equipments such as the UAVs, high-power cameras, thermal sensing cameras and long-range observation system have been installed near the LoC to notice all the movements. Militant hideout busted in Kishtwar Our Correspondent Batote, August 9 In a joint operation, the Rashtriya Rifles and police busted a militant hideout near Mughal Maidan in Kishtwar this afternoon. The search party also recovered a cache of arms and ammunition from the militant den. Sources said the cache included a country-made rifle, nine rounds of the AK-47, 10 rounds of .303, 3 kg of explosives, 400 meter Cordex wire, three detonators and a bottle of edible oil.
	Delhi High Court Blast Security forces launch operation to pin down Chota Hafiz, Junaid Akram Ravi Krishnan Khajuria Tribune News Service Jammu, August 9 After capturing prime accused in the Delhi High Court blast case Amir Ali Kamal’s close aide Sajad Ahmed Mir, aka Rizwan, alive, security forces launched the second phase of a key operation in the upper reaches of Kishtwar district to pin down local ultras Shakir Hussain, alias Chota Hafiz, and Junaid Akram. While Kamal was eliminated in a gun-battle on August 6 along with another ultra Mohammad Shafi Hajam, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) now wants Chota Hafiz and Junaid Akram to crack the case. The blast, on September 7, 2011, had left 15 dead and over 80 injured. “Following the arrest of Rizwan, we have now launched a second operation in the upper reaches of Dachhan-Kishtwar to pin down Chota Hafiz and Junaid Akram,” the DIG, Doda-Ramban-Kishtwar, Garib Dass, told The Tribune. “We have intensified our operation and the suspected hideouts of Chota Hafiz and Junaid Akram are being raided in the upper reaches of Dachhan. Our parties, which comprise the Doda police, Kishtwar police, Special Operations Group, 10 Rashtriya Rifles and 11 Rashtriya Rifles, have taken Rizwan along on the search as he knows about the hideouts. The NIA particularly wants Chota Hafiz” said the DIG. Divided into six to seven groups, the Army personnel and policemen are scanning the upper reaches of Dachhan with the help of Rizwan, who is well-versed with the topography and hideouts of the two ultras, he added. The officer also informed that the NIA team headed by SP Ajeet Singh has established the identity of the slain ultra as that of Amir Ali Kamal. “They are completing the legal formalities and thereafter, they would question Rizwan,” said Dass. After the NIA had traced the roots of the blast to a cyber café in Kishtwar town, it had declared a reward of Rs 10 lakh for information which could lead to the arrest of Amir Ali Kamal, Junaid Akram and Shakir Hussain alias Chota Hafiz. To pressurise New Delhi to repeal the death sentence of the Parliament attack mastermind, Afzal Guru, the ISI had planned the Delhi High Court blast in Bangladesh, the DIG said.
	LAUNCH OF KASHMIR TRIBUNE Not averse to critical coverage: Omar I congratulate the Tribune Trust and the Tribune family for filling a long-felt gap in the information sphere of the Kashmir valley. For long we have wanted to be able to read a national newspaper along with our local newspapers in the morning. For years we have had to wait for our afternoon cup of tea for the national newspapers, and that too if the weather allowed so. Often in winter when the road was closed or flights were cancelled, we were deprived of even that. I am talking about the era before one could access this information over the Internet when newspapers were by and large our main connection for detailed information about what was happening in the rest of the country and the world. Many efforts were made to bring national newspapers at the earliest hour and make them available to us. But those efforts proved to be unfortunately short-lived or unsuccessful at the outset. And, therefore, I believe The Tribune has this challenge of now having taken on the responsibility of filling the gap in our morning news, of continuing it and making sure that it goes from strength to strength. Nobody expects The Tribune to replace our staple diet of morning newspapers. Nobody expects that tomorrow our local press will disappear and suddenly The Tribune will be the only local newspaper that will reach the readers. But what it will do is complement and supplement the local press, the local news and perhaps inject the element of competition. Competition is always good. Competition is good in government. Competition is good in the private sector. Competition is good in the media as well. I hope that it will allow an honest reportage. I have never been one who has been critical of critical coverage. I have always believed that critical coverage is in fact far more beneficial than coverage that is based purely on praise -- misplaced as it may be. My aversion comes to not critical coverage but unnecessarily or unfairly critical coverage. If there is too much harmony between the media and the politicians then either we are not doing our job or you aren’t doing your job or perhaps both of us aren’t doing what is expected of us. Perhaps not a harmonious relationship but a relationship nonetheless is what events like these symbolise. We have the politicians and the media and then we have those of you who bring the two of us together. So my thoughts on today’s function are purely in the nature of a congratulatory message to the Tribune Trust, to The Tribune family. I hope that you will grow from strength to strength. I hope we will be able to give you enough news. I am sure we will. But we will work even harder to give you more to write about, more to report, more to analyse.
	Media must maintain visible impartiality, says NN Vohra I want to congratulate the trustees, the Editor-in-Chief and other staff members of The Tribune on this happy occasion of the launch of Kashmir Tribune. Some of you may recall that a few months ago, the Chief Minister had launched Jammu Tribune when I was also present. He had made certain observations about the role of media. I think the observations were relevant. The role of media has increased manifold over the years and the impact of media reports has acquired enhanced significance. It is a responsibility of media to maintain visible impartiality through unbiased reporting. The media impacts governance, society and the course of events. An objective and a balanced media coverage of varied important issues relating to socio-economic development, governance and democracy would make an important contribution in protecting and enlarging the public interest. An excessive zeal to praise or blame cannot be the basis of good reporting. Over the past years, there has been a significant improvement in the content and quality of local newspapers. Views and opinions on influencing the present and the future and recalling the past are equally important. I have been in the state for quite sometime. My association with the state goes back to about 30 years and I will say with full confidence that the quality of our local media has improved in terms of coverage and content. I appeal to the media, including The Tribune, that we need to cover various facets of governance, which include human problems and human development, more extensively. Political reporting and political analysis should be a part of the over-all reporting and reports on developmental issues, economic issues should also be given equal importance. The Tribune, which I had a very long association with, has remained apolitical despite constraints and has also remained close to its claim of being the voice of the people. I am sure Mr Chengappa and his team will cover and report peoples’ issues with full faith. The reporting must be fair and unbiased. I hope you will invite the Chief Minister to launch Ladakh Tribune soon. The Tribune will launch its Ladakh edition in the coming time. Ladakh is a vast region showcasing interesting geographical, cultural, heritage, developmental and other features and provides extensive material for reporting. The Ladakh region is witnessing significant development of infrastructure, economic growth and promotion of tourism, which requires to be highlighted. Till The Tribune launches its Ladakh edition, it needs to give due coverage to this region in its pages.
	Kashmir Tribune is our tribute to people of Valley, their ethos: Sodhi The launch of Kashmir Tribune today is our tribute to the people of Kashmir, their ethos and traditions. Over 130 years ago when India was firmly under British Raj, there arose a visionary — Sardar Dyal Singh Majithia — who founded this independent English newspaper — The Tribune — a newspaper that came to play such a significant role in India’s freedom struggle and is today the most widely read English newspaper in northern India. The Tribune is run by a Trust with its five Trustees having no financial interest in it. They function as such in a purely honorary capacity. The guiding principles of The Tribune were spelt out in its first issue published on February 2, 1881. To quote: “We shall not be identified with any particular race, class or creed, nor seek to give prominence to the views of any particular party…. In religious matters, we shall maintain a strictly neutral position.” On our masthead it is proclaimed that The Tribune is the “voice of the people”. It is in keeping with this that peoples’ issues and concerns are what our newspaper has tried to remain focused on. The long history of The Tribune will testify to its non-partisan tradition, which we are committed to adhering with Kashmir Tribune, too. We are conscious of the media in the modern age being such an important tool for the dissemination of information and thereby an impetus for change. In the context of the great advances in information technology — a technology that can be used for both good and evil — it is essential that true and unbiased great advances in information technology must always be put forth. This is what renders it so important for the media to play a responsible role. The Tribune is committed to discharging this role with due sense of responsibility. Amongst their other qualities, people of Kashmir are also known for their composite and liberal culture founded upon their learning and artistic skills. This is what our aim will be to capture and highlight. It had long been our desire to establish our presence in this beautiful land of Kashmir. Today marks the fulfilment of this wish. Now with your encouragement and support, we are confident that Kashmir Tribune will achieve our founder’s vision in this land so often described as “heaven on earth”.
	J-K all out to promote state handloom corp Arteev Sharma/TNS Jammu, August 9 The Jammu and Kashmir Finance Department has pulled up various government departments for violation and indiscipline in terms of purchase of textile items from suppliers other than the State Handloom Development Corporation (SHDC). The department has directed all financial advisers, chief accounts officers and treasury officers to personally ensure compliance of instructions on purchase of textile items from the SHDC. Besides, the concerned treasury officers have also been directed not to pass bills which show purchases from sources other than the SHDC. Official sources said the Principal Secretary, Finance Department, Mohammad Iqbal Khandey, had directed the government departments to purchase textile items only from the SHDC on fixed rates. “It has been brought to the notice of the Finance Department that some departments are violating the government orders by purchasing textile items from suppliers other than the SHDC. Apart from acting against the government policy of promoting handloom products within the state through the efforts of the SHDC, this amounts to indiscipline,” Khandey said while issuing a circular. The prices of textile products are fixed on yearly basis by a high powered committee, headed by the Finance Department Principal Secretary, after which orders for supply can be placed with the SHDC by the government departments without inviting tenders or quotations.
	Mirwaiz suggests five-point system to solve Kashmir issue Ishfaq Tantry/TNS Srinagar, August 9 A day after the Central government dumped the Kashmir interlocutors’ report, moderate Hurriyat Conference chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq has come up with five suggestions to solve the Kashmir issue. He said his stand on the interlocutors has been "vindicated". One of the Mirwaiz’s suggestions is revoking “black laws” such as the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (APSPA) and the Public Safety Act (PSA), which Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has been insisting on. Terming the interlocutors’ report and formation of committees by the Centre as a “waste of time”, the Mirwaiz, while addressing a gathering in downtown Srinagar today, said, “Hurriyat’s stand over the interlocutors’ recommendations has been vindicated as it has been dumped by the Government of India as well.” The Mirwaiz said, “The interlocutors’ activity in Kashmir was a futile exercise to mislead the international community.” “Without wasting any time on forming committees, the government should act on our suggestions to solve the Kashmir tangle,” he added. Other suggestions put forth by the Mirwaiz are complete withdrawal of troops and removal of bunkers from urban, rural and less populated areas and putting a halt to killing by the security forces. “The gross human rights violations should be stopped and international human rights organisations should be allowed to function,” he suggested. He said the ongoing Indo-Pak bilateral talks would only succeed if serious attempts were made, while taking into account emotions and aspirations of the people, to solve the Kashmir issue.
	Assembly panel for transparency in work, fund allotment Dinesh Manhotra/TNS Srinagar, August 9 The Committee on Estimates of Legislative Assembly directed the Roads and Building (R&B) department to avail e-tendering facility to ensure transparency and accountability. The instruction was given after the committee members expressed concern over disparity in the distribution of developmental funds. A committee meeting was held yesterday under the chairmanship of National Conference MLA Choudhary Mohammad Ramzan in which members accused the authorities concerned of allotting works without inviting tenders. Sources said one of the committee member presented a data to substantiate his allegation that in the last three financial years, a large number of works had been allotted without inviting tenders. The member alleged that liabilities worth crores of rupees had been created because the department had not followed the proper procedure. The sources added that members of the ruling coalition had also expressed concern over the matter and demanded that the set procedure to allot works should be followed properly to ensure transparency in the entire exercise. Members also expressed concern over injustice in the allocation of funds under the Central Road Funds scheme. They pointed out that the deserving constituencies were being discriminated against while allocating these funds. They demanded that the disparity should be stopped and all regions be treated equally.
	Implement grading system in letter and spirit, demand students Vikas Sharma/TNS Jammu, August 9 Concerned over the alleged failure of people at the helm of affairs in the Jammu and Kashmir State Board of School Education (JKBOSE), students are demanding proper implementation of the grading system to reduce unnecessary stress on their minds. Immediately after the JKBOSE declared the class 10th and 12th results, reports about students committing suicide started pouring in. “No one is serious to know why the students took such an extreme step,” a student named Bhavana told The Tribune. Another student named Kapil Sharma said, “We are always under pressure to secure maximum marks. No doubt, parents have a right to know the marks attained by their child but at the same time, the school education board authorities must ensure that the grading system, which was launched by it with much fanfare, is implemented in letter and spirit,” he claimed. Sources said the position and marks obtained in the board examination cause a lot of stress among the students. The JKBOSE had introduced the grading system to overcome this problem. “The JKBOSE authorities have failed to understand the very basics of the grading system. They are still declaring positions and marks scored by students,” a student claimed. “In the recently declared results, the complete merit list was declared by the JKBOSE causing inferiority complex among many students,” he added. An official of the University of Jammu said, “Before introducing the grading system, the JKBOSE officials should have been well-informed about the technicalities of the system.” However, a senior JKBOSE official has put the entire blame on the parents. “The students’ parents compel us to show the total marks along with the percentage that their wards have secured in the examination,” he said.