The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

Separatists resent Antony’s statement
Entire J&K state is “disputed”, says Mirwaiz Umar Farooq
Tribune News Service

Srinagar, August 14
Resenting Defence Minister AK Antony’s statement that the entire state of J&K is an integral part of India, Kashmiri separatists have claimed that the entire J&K is “disputed”.

Antony made this statement in Parliament on Monday saying that government’s principled and consistent position is that the entire state of JK is an integral part of the Indian Union.

Rejecting his statement, moderate separatist leader and chairman of his faction of the Hurriyat Conference Mirwaiz Umar Farooq in his statement has said that the entire J&K state, which existed prior to August 1947, is “disputed”.

“All the areas under J&K, which existed prior to August 14, 1947, are disputed and the issue is yet to be resolved,” Mirwaiz said, adding that without solving this “vexed issue” on justifiable grounds, no peace could be achieved in the region.

“Without resolving the Kashmir issue, peaceful relations between India and Pakistan cannot be achieved,” he said while reacting over Antony’s statement.

In his reaction, hard-line Hurriyat chairman Syed Ali Geelani while rejecting Defence Minister Antony’s statement, has said that J&K is “disputed” on both the sides of the LoC.

“The whole J&K state is disputed and calling it an integral part is a blatant lie,” Geelani said in his statement, adding that the Kashmir issue was a humanitarian issue concerning 1.5 crore people living on the both sides of the LoC.

Geelani also took on the local media for addressing Hurriyat leaders as “separatist” in their writings.

“Calling freedom leaders as separatists in their writings and columns is against the principle of fair journalism,” he said urging the media to address them as “freedom leaders”.

Minister for intensifying anti-polythene drive
Tribune News Service

Srinagar, August 14
Minister for Forest and Environment Mian Altaf Ahmad today urged the State Pollution Control Board (SPCB) authorities to intensify its anti-polythene drive.

While reviewing the functioning of the pollution control board at a high-level meeting here, the minister stressed for intensifying campaign against the violators to ensure complete ban on polythene carry bags.

He also directed the pollution control board to coordinate with the municipal authorities and the district administration to ensure complete ban on polythene bags.

On the occasion, Altaf released a study entitled “Hydrological Characteristics of Mansar and Surinsar Lakes”, which has been conducted by the regional office, SPCB, Jammu.

SPCB chairman Lal Chand said the board had so far had seized 587 quintals of polythene.

126 police personnel get promotions
Tribune News Service

Srinagar, August 14
The J&K Police Headquarters (PHQ) today issued promotion orders of 126 officials in the Ministerial Executive Cadre. Those promoted include 10 sub-inspectors to the rank of inspectors, 16 assistant sub-inspectors to the rank of sub-inspectors and 100 selection grade constables as head constables with immediate effect.

The promotions were cleared by the Departmental Promotion Committee (DPC) held earlier at PHQ under the chairmanship of Director General of Police (DGP) Ashok Prasad.

The DGP has congratulated the promoted cops and asked them to serve with more zeal and zest.

He has stressed upon them to rededicate themselves for public service and ensure quick disposal of day-to-day official work at all levels.

DGP Prasad said the department would make efforts to create promotion avenues for all ranks of the force. He asked the officers to update the service records of all officials so that the promotions were made in time.

The promoted inspectors are Lateef Ahmad, Kanya Lal, Abdul Gani Peer, Ghulam Mohammad, Ahmad Ullah Shah, Attaullah Shah, Avtar Krishan, Balbir Singh, Fayaz Ahmad and Nazir Ahmad.

Similarly, the promoted sub-inspectors are Sanjay Peshin, Mohammad Mumtaz, Mushtaq Ahmad, Nazir Ahmad Mistry, Abdul Majeed Mir, Romesh Kumar, Abdul Rashid, Mohammad Ashraf, Shabir Ahmad, Javaid Ahmad, Kulwant Singh, Ghulam Jeelani, Tariq Ahmad, Manzoor Ahmad, Jagdish Singh and Joginder Paul.

The promoted head constables are Morifat Dar, Ganesh Kumar, Suresh Kumar, Rajinder Kumar Bhan, Mumin Ahmad Rather, Bilal Ahmad Wani, Jankar Singh, Susheel Kumar, Farooq Ahmad, Gulzar Ahmad,Gowhar Ahmad, Sardar Singh, Javid Iqbal, Raj Kumar, Shiv Kumar, Darshan Lal, Mohammad Ashraf, Narain Dass, Abdul Rashid Rather, Ghulam Nabi Lone, Ashok Kumar, Chaman Lal, Mushtaq Ahmad, Peer Ashiq Irfan, Tariq Ahmad, Rayees Ahmad, Bashir Ahmad Dar, Ashwani Kumar Pandit, Mohammad Shafi Laloo, Gulzar Ahmad Dar, Abdul Hamid Mir, Mushtaq Ahmad Sofi, Sanjay Kumar, Mushtaq Ahmad Bhat, Govind Ahmad, Ajay Kumar, Kuldeep Kumar, Aijaz Ahmed Dar, Jatinder Kumar, Raj Kumar, Kuldeep Raj, Jai Krishen, Parveen Kumar, Ghulam Mohammad, Manzoor Ahmed, Ranjit Khajuria, Muzamil Jan, Zahoor Ahmed Mir, Ishtiyaq Ahmed, Yog Raj, Satesh Kumar, Lakhvinder Singh, Bilal Ahmed, Renku Kumar, Rajinder Kumar, Anil Kumar, Mohammad Amin, Bashir Ahmed, Vinod Kumar, Anil Kumar Koul, Mohammad Maqsood, Shafiq Ahmed, Ashraf Ali, Mohammad Yousuf, Rauf Ahmed, Kuldeep Singh, Bushan Lal, Kuljeet Singh, Bashir Ahmed, Pawan Kumar, Farooq Ahmed Wani, Sundeer Singh, Showkat Aijaz, Syed Altaf Ahmed, Bilal Ahmed Bhat, Nisar Ahmad, Shabir, Dileep Kumar, Nazir Ahmed Nengroo, Munawar Hussain, Shabir Ahmed, Riyaz Ahmed Dar, Shahid Bashir, Mubarak Ahmed Bhat, Tanveer Ahmed, Soom Raj, Mushtaq Ahmed, Naaresh Kumar, Narinder Kohli, Ishfaq Hussain, Vikas Sharma, Bir Singh, Zubair Maqbool, Ravi Kumar and Amit Pandita.

12 police officers to get Sher-i-Kashmir medals
Tribune News Service

Srinagar, August 14
The state government will confer Sher-i-Kashmir medals for meritorious services on four police officers in recognition of their unblemished, extra-ordinary and meritorious service on the occasion of the Independence Day.

These officers are Deputy Inspector-General of Police (Udhampur-Reasi Range) Jagjit Singh, Senior Superintendent of Police, Vigilance, Ali Mohammad Bhat, SP, CID headquarters Bashir Ahmad Tameel, and ASI Abdul Rashid.

The state government will also confer Sher-i-Kashmir police medal for gallantry on eight police personnel for exemplary acts of bravery and courage beyond the call of normal duty while dealing with the grave law and order situation prevailing in the state.

Man injured in bear attack in Bandipora

Srinagar, August 14
In yet another incident of man-animal conflict, a wild bear attacked and injured a 22-year-old man in North Kashmir’s Bandipora district. The man, identified as Mohammad Younis Bhat, was attacked by a wild bear at Chandergear village in Bandipora, a police spokesperson said.

Bhat, who was seriously injured in the attack, has been shifted to a hospital in the city here, the spokesperson said.

There have been regular wild animal attacks in the region, which experts blame on the shrinking forest space for these animals and growing intrusion of human beings into their habitats.

In Kashmir’s mountainous and forested areas, residents venture into forests to collect firewood and sometimes trespass into the space of wild animals leading to a bloody and violent confrontation. Many of the attacks have led to fatalities and severe injuries.

Himalayan black bear and leopards, who are found across the mountainous region, are involved in most of these incidents of man-animal conflicts.

In at least one recent man-animal conflict, a wild porcupine injured three people at a market in South Kashmir’s Anantnag district. — TNS

Woman found dead in Kargil
Tribune News Service

Srinagar, August 14
The police has recovered the body of a woman in Kargil district of Jammu and Kashmir today. The woman was identified as 37-year-old Marzia Banoo of the Trespone area of Kargil district, a police spokesperson said here today.

The spokesperson said the body was recovered from the Suru river near Iqbal bridge in the area.

He added that the local police had registered a case in this regard and was investigating the circumstances of her death.

3 held for burglary
Tribune News Service

Jammu, August 14
The Jammu police claims to have worked out a burglary case by arresting three persons. It has recovered three gold ornaments, a television set and two domestic gas cylinders.

On August 5, Dilaber Singh of Hari Bihar Kunjwani had lodged a report at the Greater Kalash police post that some miscreants had burgled a temple. A case had been registered at the Gangyal police station in this connection.

During the course of investigation, the police rounded up some suspected persons. One of the suspects confessed that he was involved in the burglary, along with his two accomplices, who were also arrested by the police. They confessed that they had committed some previous burglaries too.