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Pak firing brings farm activities to a halt in border villages
Villagers again promised plots in safer zones
Army Chief visits Ladakh to assess security in region
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Cong steps up attack on NC for ignoring Jammu farmers
Woman, grandson escape death by a whisker
Forget inbox, check postbox for Eid greetings
Resolution of K-issue
Jumat-ul-Vida observed with fervour across Valley
NC launches campaign to expose PDP-BJP ‘nexus’
Thangka artist adjudged
master craftsman
SGPC to take up J-K Sikhs’ issues with Punjab CM
Geelani arrested, barred from offering Friday prayers
Kisan Morcha to hold stir against hike in fertiliser prices
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Pak firing brings farm activities to a halt in border villages
Abdulian (Indo-Pak border), August 17 “Till 11 pm last night, they (Pakistan Rangers) opened heavy fire, including mortar barrage. On Friday around 6.30 am, the heavy firing resumed. Some of the bullets fell near our houses triggering panic among the villagers,” said Ashwani Kumar of Abdulian. The firing continued till 11.30 am. “The intermittent firing is still on. We had never witnessed such a heavy firing in the past 10 years,” said Kumar. “The villagers have remained inside their houses despite the fact that the BSF retaliated adequately. Nobody is going to the fields near the border,” he said. There had been a time in 2002 when Pakistanis used to open such a heavy fire. Their latest firing has again instilled a feeling of insecurity among the villagers,” he said. Keemti Lal, a cop of this village, who also echoed similar views, said the intensity of Pakistani fire had not only brought agricultural activities to a halt in Abdulian but also compelled several villagers to consider the option of fleeing their homes. “Though none of the villagers have so far fled the village but if they (Rangers) continue firing at us, like they did this morning, we will be compelled to migrate to safer areas,” he said. The villagers also complained of rampant power cuts, which they say, have aggravated their problems.
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Villagers again promised plots in safer zones
Abdulian/Chandu Chack (Indo-Pak border), August 17 In the wake of the Indo-Pak stand-off in 2001 and the heavy shelling in 2002, the state government had proposed providing plots to villagers of the forward areas in safer zones. “Plots in safer zones are very much a need for the villagers along the border but they have not been provided till date. Everyone, including politicians, the administration and MLAs, need to play their role to fulfil this promise,” Chib told villagers at Abdulian. He, however, advised the villagers not to flee their homes in case of a fresh spell of Pakistani firing till the time the state administration asked them to vacate. “In case things become difficult, the state administration will tell you to migrate but I hope there will be no more firing by Pakistan and things will turn normal soon,” said Chib. “Till the situation turns normal, I would advise you to stay indoors,” he added. The Minister also convened a similar meeting with villagers at Chandu Chack to allay their fears and instil confidence among them. Jammu Deputy Commissioner Sanjeev Verma and other senior officials of the district administration accompanied the minister. |
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Army Chief visits Ladakh to assess security in region
Jammu/New Delhi, August 17 General Singh was received by the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Northern Command, Lt Gen KT Parnaik, and the General Officer Commanding of 14 Corps, Lt Gen Rajan Bakhshi. “The Army Chief was briefed by the Corps Commander on the prevailing security environment, infrastructure development projects and various initiatives undertaken by the Army in the Ladakh region,” Army spokesman of the Northern Command Lt Col Rajesh Kalia, said. General Singh would visit forward deployment areas along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) and the Siachen Glacier during the next two days of his stay, added the spokesman. Sources said the Army Chief will visit the 114 Brigade headquarters, Tyangse, and will also visit Chushul in south eastern Ladakh. Chushul is close to Rezang-La, where one of the fiercest battles was fought in 1962, and is considered to be a sensitive location. General Singh’s imminent visit to the Siachen Glacier assumes significance in the backdrop of the his Pakistani counterpart General Ashraf Parvez Kayani’s call for demilitarisation of the glacier. Kayani had called for the move after 124 Pakistani soldiers were buried under an avalanche there in April this year. India has not responded to the call and wants Pakistan to accept the existing ground positions of troops on a map. |
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Cong steps up attack on NC for ignoring Jammu farmers
Jammu, August 17 The Congress, which is a coalition partner in the government headed by the National Conference, has been availing all opportunities to expose the failures of the present dispensation. Interestingly, to highlight the failure of the government, Congress leaders have been deliberately choosing constituencies represented by National Conference leaders. During the last more than two years, the Vijaypur Assembly segment has turned into a battleground for Congress leaders to corner the government, especially a National Conference minister. The Vijaypur Assembly segment is represented by National Conference stalwart Surjeet Singh Slathia who is holding the portfolio of Industries and Commerce in the coalition government. Two Congress leaders, Manjit Singh and Hari Singh, have launched an aggressive campaign in the Vijaypur Assembly segment. Their only aim is to take on Slathia. The Congress leaders while addressing public meetings in the segment mince no words in attacking the coalition government for its total failure in solving the problems of people. While addressing a public meeting at Dag village of the Vijaypur Assembly segment today, senior Congress leader Hari Singh highlighted the problems of farmers of the Jammu region. He said the farmers were facing hardships due to the wrong policies of the coalition government. During the public meeting, Congress workers alleged that there was large-scale bungling in the subsidies being provided to the farmers. They pointed out that seeds and instruments being provided to the farmers on subsidised rates were costlier than the market price. Some Congress workers said spray pumps being provided to the farmers on subsidy were costlier than the market price. Meanwhile, a deputation of farmers of Vijaypur and Purmandal blocks led by Hari Singh called on Samba Deputy Commissioner and made him aware about the problems of farmers. The deputation said there was an acute shortage of fertilisers, particularly urea and DAP, commonly used by the farmers. The deputation mentioned that the spray pumps sold to the farmers by the government on subsidy was costly than the market price. They said the power supply was also in a bad condition. “Electric poles and wires are in a bad condition and it directly affects the power supply. The voltage is low and scheduled and unscheduled cuts are more. The people of the area are facing a lot of hardships,” Hari Singh said. |
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Woman, grandson escape death by a whisker
Chandu Chack, August 17 Bachno Devi and her grandson were sitting in the verandah when two MMG (medium machine gun) bullets hit a parapet and wall of her house. “There is a Pakistani post facing our house and we are in the line of their fire. As soon as two bullets hit the parapet and a wall in the verandah, there was smoke all around. I screamed in panic and picked up my grandson before rushing inside to take cover,” said Bachno Devi. The old woman recollected that Pak Rangers used to open such heavy fire in 2002. After some time, we came out of our house and handed over the bullets to the village sarpanch. Now officials from the civil administration, BSF and police are visiting our house, she said. Like other villagers, the entire family of Bachno Devi fled their homes in 2002 in the wake of the firing by the Rangers. “We had then taken refuge on the premises of the Agriculture Department office in Rangpur for nearly six months. With a truce deal in place, we had heaved a sigh of relief but the unprovoked fire by Pakistan since last evening has again caused panic among villagers,” she said. “We are not safe even in our houses. The fear of getting killed by enemy bullets lurks all the time but we cannot go anywhere else because we don’t have any other place to live in,” rued the old woman. “Umpteen times, politicians, including ministers, have promised us plots in safer zones but that still remains a distant dream,” she added. |
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Forget inbox, check postbox for Eid greetings
Srinagar, August 17 This Eid season, people in the Valley are back to the traditional way of sending greetings by cards and it seems the receivers are happy with those colourful envelopes peeking through their mailboxes. Though texting through mobile phones is one of the most convenient methods of sending Eid greetings, around 84 per cent of phone subscribers are unable to do so due to the SMS ban on pre-paid services in the state since 2010. With that option gone, purchasing paper cards from the market or making one on your own is back in practice here. “I feel sending an SMS, which was the norm here for exchanging greetings on Eid sometime back, was a little insensitive. When you make an effort to select a card and then pen down your feelings on it, it adds value to the greeting,” believes Asifa, a young bank executive. While it is a loss for the mobile service providers, it has turned into a boon for greeting card retailers. “I used to keep a minimal collection of greeting cards because people preferred sending SMSes and making phone calls over buying greeting cards. Now, that has changed due to the SMS ban and youths, especially, are interested in paper cards for sending Eid wishes,” says Ghulam Muhammad, who owns Beeco Gallery, a popular gift shop in Jawahar Nagar Locality of Srinagar. Ghulam Muhammad is running out of his current stock of Eid cards and has asked retailers to get him fancier cards from Delhi, Mumbai and other metro cities. “Earlier, people did not focus much on paper cards but since it is back in vogue now, we have also made an extra effort to ensure that they get the best lot of greeting cards on Eid,” Ghulam said. |
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Resolution of K-issue
Srinagar, August 17 Speaking at the Friday prayers at the historic Jamia Masjid in the city, the Mirwaiz said the world had understood that the relation between India and Pakistan would not improve unless the Kashmir issue was resolved as per the wishes of the people of Kashmir. “So this large gathering at the Jamia Masjid appeals to the two countries to look for the resolution of the Kashmir issue sincerely and honestly,” said the separatist leader while passing a resolution on ‘Jumat-ul-Vida’, the last Friday of Ramadan. The Mirwaiz said for the resolution of the Kashmir issue, killings, detentions and arrests should immediately be stopped. “For the resolution of the Kashmir issue, a peaceful environment should be created by India. The killings and arrests should immediately stop,” he said, adding that New Delhi should also release Kashmiris who are languishing in various jails. The chairman of the moderate Hurriyat Conference said facts about unmarked graves and missing persons should be brought out. “The people want to know about these issues,” he said. He also condemned the killing of Muslims in Myanmar and Assam. Referring to the annual Amarnath pilgrimage, he said Kashmiris have always welcomed the devotees. “They are now talking of making a road to the holy cave. Kashmiris are not against providing services to the yatris, but by taking a macadamised route up to the cave would result in the felling of trees which would cause ecological imbalance in the environmentally-sensitive area. The Supreme Court should take such factors into consideration,” the Mirwaiz said. “Kashmiris struggle is not against any religion or people, but it is a struggle based on truth.” |
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Jumat-ul-Vida observed with fervour across Valley
Srinagar, August 17 Devotees in large numbers thronged mosques and shrines for the Friday prayers across the Valley. The largest congregational gathering was held at the historic Jamia Masjid in the old city where chairman of the moderate Hurriyat faction Mirwaiz Umar Farooq delivered a sermon. The second largest gathering was held at the Hazratbal shrine which houses the holy relic of Prophet Muhammad. While additional tents were placed at Hazratbal to accommodate devotees, all the roads around the Jamia Masjid were occupied by the people who had come to offer prayers. There was no let up in religious fervour among the devotees as many spent more than an hour on the roads amid hot and sunny conditions. The Traffic Police had devised a route plan for vehicles across the Valley so that the devotees could reach the Jamia Masjid and Hazratbal. The people had also been urged to go for car pooling to ensure a smooth flow of traffic. During Jumat-ul-Vida sermons, religious heads bid farewell to Ramadan and urge the people to carry on doing good deeds. It is usually noticed that the rush for prayers decreases considerably at mosques after the fasting month. Keeping this in view, the devotees are urged to follow Islamic teachings with the same spirit as they did during Ramadan. A state holiday at government offices and educational institutions marks Jumat-ul-Vida here. |
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NC launches campaign to expose PDP-BJP ‘nexus’
Jammu, August 17 The NC has started an aggressive campaign all over the state, especially to target its archrival PDP, for entering into an undeclared alliance with the BJP. Today, while addressing a public meeting at Samba, additional general secretary of the NC Sheikh Mustafa Kamal said the PDP was the creation of the then National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government headed by the BJP. “Criticising the NC and praising itself will yield the PDP nothing as people have seen through the evil designs of the party, which was founded and funded by the then NDA government to wreck the unity, integrity, communal harmony and social amity of the state,” said Kamal, brother of Union Minister Farooq Abdullah. He said both the parties (the PDP and BJP) had entered into an undeclared alliance and were brazenly exploiting the sentiments of the people for petty political gains. He impressed upon the Central government not to delay the settlement of the Kashmir problem, as delay had only given rise to divisive and communal forces. He said further delay would only strengthen these forces and harm the unity and integrity of the state and the country. Earlier, Devender Singh Rana, political adviser to Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, had alleged that the BJP was brokering a deal between the PDP and separatists to form an alliance between the BJP, PDP and separatists. Taking a cue from the meetings of Jethmalani with separatists, Rana said the BJP was working overtime to convince the separatists to openly support the PDP and forge an alliance with the PDP to fight the next Assembly elections together. He alleged that senior BJP leader Jethmalani was in Srinagar recently at the behest of the BJP high command to work out modalities for the said alliance. Meanwhile, the BJP today hit back at the NC for launching a vicious campaign against the party. “The matter of fact is that it was the NC not the PDP which was a part of the NDA alliance when the Congress supported Mufti government was in power in Jammu and Kashmir. Chief Minister Omar Abdullah was then a minister in the Council of Ministers of Atal Behari Vajpayee,” said chief spokesman of the state BJP Jatinder Singh. |
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Thangka artist adjudged
master craftsman
Leh, August 17 Tsering Wangdus, a resident of Nimoo village in Leh district, has bagged several awards for his expertise in Thangka, a traditional Buddhist art form which has been practiced since the 7th century. These include the Padma Shri in 1999, Canlin award of the Jammu and Kashmir Academy of Art, Culture and Language in 1994 and the National Award of Master Craftsman in 1977. The award, which comprises a gold coin, shawl, citation and a financial assistance of Rs 6 lakh, is conferred by the Union Textile Ministry. The financial assistance given to the master craftsman is to help him produce five new products of excellent aesthetic value and high quality in different styles and designs. The Central Training Officer of the Handicraft Marketing Centre, Leh, Tsewang Phunstog, said Tsering Wangdus was the second Ladakhi to receive the Shilp Guru Award. Earlier, renowned sculptor Nawang Tsering had received the award. |
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SGPC to take up J-K Sikhs’ issues with Punjab CM
Srinagar, August 17 Addressing a national-level Sikh seminar here, secretary of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee Dilmeg Singh said the issues faced by local Sikhs would be brought to Badal’s notice. The comment was made after All Parties Sikh Coordination Committee (APSCC) chairman Jagmohan Singh Raina, who had organised the seminar, dwelt upon the problems faced by them. The demands of the APSCC included issuance of state subject certificates, minority status to Sikhs, compensation for losses incurred in rural areas over the last two decades in agriculture and horticulture, employment package for educated Sikh youth, scholarships and admission to Sikh youth in technical and non-technical colleges on par with Kashmiri Pandit migrants, fresh probe into Chattisinghpora massacre and extension of the Anand Marriage Act to the state. |
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Geelani arrested, barred from offering Friday prayers
Srinagar, August 17 The separatist leader was detained outside his Hyderpora residence on the outskirts of Srinagar city when he was leaving for Baramulla district, Hurriyat spokesman Ayaz Akbar said. Akbar said Geelani was taken in a police vehicle and shifted to the Humhama police station. The police officer in charge of the station confirmed Geelani’s arrest. Earlier this week, Geelani had announced that he would offer ‘Jumat-ul-Vida’ congregational prayers at the Bait-ul-Mukaram mosque in Baramulla. The Hurriyat leader was arrested last week and barred from attending the Friday prayers at a local mosque. Hours after Geelani’s arrest, protests erupted in the Nowhatta area of Srinagar where protesters threw stones at police and CRPF personnel. An eyewitness said several protesters suffered minor injuries when police fired “a dozen tear gas canisters” towards the protesters who were attempting to march on the streets. “They were shouting slogans in favour of Geelani and trying to take out a march when the police fired the tear gas shells,” he said. An officer at the Nowhatta police station said stone-throwing was on in the area. He said the exact reason for the protests was not known. Geelani had earlier this week called for protests against Israel and the US to express solidarity with Palestinians. The hardline separatist leader has remained under house arrest for most of the time in the last two years. Geelani was involved in a verbal spat with the police recently. The separatist group headed by Geelani claimed that their ageing leader was barred by the police from attending an iftar party. The police had rebutted the Hurriyat’s claim, saying, Geelani was “free to go anywhere”. The Hurriyat spokesman said Geelani was prevented by the police from offering the Friday congregational prayers since April 6. |
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Kisan Morcha to hold stir against hike in fertiliser prices
Jammu, August 17 National president of the Kisan Morcha Om Prakash Dhankar while addressing mediapersons here today said on August 20 farmers from all over the country will gather at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi. He said BJP national president Nitin Gadkari and former national president Rajnath Singh would also sit on a dharna in support of farmers. While farmers will take to street, BJP parliamentarians will fight the battle in Parliament, said Dhankar. Dhankar said the changed fertiliser policy had taken away the commodity from the hands of farmers. “Fertiliser is the main input for farmers after water and seeds, but farmers find it difficult to purchase fertilisers after spiralling prices,” he said. “The nutrition-based subsidy has become nutritious for importers and producers as well as the Central government, instead of bringing relief to farmers. Since 2010, the nutrition-based subsidy has been imposed on mixed fertilisers and the right to fix the prices of fertilisers lies in the hands of fertiliser manufacturers and exporters,” he observed. He said 93 types of fertilisers were available in the market and subsidy was available only on 23 types. “Only urea is under the old control policy while other 22 are fertilisers mixed with urea under the de-controlling nutrition-based subsidy,” he said. Dhankar said farmers should be given direct subsidy, instead of giving it to manufacturers, exporters and retailers. “Accounts of all farmers should be opened and subsidy be directly deposited into their accounts,” he said. Dhankar said the Centre should immediately release the interim instalment of relief to all the states without any prejudice. He said in drought-hit areas, interest on agriculture loan should be abolished and loan repayment be stopped until the next crop. He also demanded free seeds for farmers in areas where sowing has failed or been delayed due to weak monsoon. He said adequate arrangements be made for animal fodder. Kisan Morcha national secretary Sukhminderpal Singh Grewal, Kisan Morcha state president Karan Singh and Kisan Morcha national executive member Charanjit Singh Khalsa were present on the occasion. |
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Srinagar, August 17
