|
|
|
|
|
Infiltration attempt foiled in Kupwara, jawan killed
Encroachments on banks of Sindh demolished: Govt
Sajjad Lone discusses economic development with Governor
|
|
|
West Pakistan refugees finding it difficult to marry off their children
UNCERTAIN FUTURE: Most West Pakistan refugees are living in poverty in the state. Here, a refugee family is residing in a mud hut in the Marh area of Jammu.
38 officers inducted into KAS
Omar now promises one tweet a month
Number of unmarried people in Valley reaches record high: Survey
UPA regime plagued by corruption, says Anurag
BJYM national president Anurag Thakur being welcomed by party workers outside the airport
in Jammu. Tribune photo: Anand Sharma
NC blames PDP, ex-governor for 1990 killings
Hurriyat hopes forthcoming Indo-Pak talks will be fruitful for K-issue
Land acquisition a hurdle in setting up new degree colleges
Cop slaps student for not removing veil during security check
NC blames PDP for 1990 killings
|
|
Infiltration attempt foiled in Kupwara, jawan killed
Srinagar, September 5 This is the second infiltration bid since Monday night. The latest infiltration bids come at a time when New Delhi and Islamabad are trying to improve their relations. The Army spokesman in Srinagar, Col Birjesh Pandey, said the infiltration bid was foiled in Kupwara district when the movement of militants was noticed in the Keran sector around 2 am. “The group was challenged by the Army, triggering a fierce encounter. In the initial gunfight, a solider and an infiltrator were killed,” Colonel Pandey said. “The infiltrators managed to flee back to Pakistan-occupied Kashmir under the cover of darkness.” The slain soldier was identified as Naik Rajeshwar Singh of 16 Punjab Regiment. The identity of the slain militant could not be established immediately. The spokesman said though the gun battle had stopped in the morning, troops were still conducting searches in the forest to ascertain if more militants were hiding in the area. On Monday night, the Army had foiled another infiltration bid in the Kamalkote area of Uri sector. The Army said the militants had been forced to flee back to PoK. Army sources said before the onset of winter when the passes get closed due to heavy snowfall, militants try to infiltrate into the Valley. “With two infiltration bids since Monday night, we have put our troops all along the LoC on alert,” said an Army officer in north Kashmir.
|
||
|
Encroachments on banks of Sindh demolished: Govt
Srinagar, September 5 This has been stated by the Ganderbal Deputy Commissioner in his compliance report submitted to the Jammu and Kashmir High Court. The High Court is hearing a PIL seeking judicial intervention in checking pollution and illegal constructions along the banks of the Sindh in the area. The Sindh, which is a rivulet, originates from Gumri Glacier ahead of Baltal, Sonamarg, in north-east Kashmir. Before merging with the Jhelum in Ganderbal, several fresh water streams join it downstream, including the Amarnath nullah, Sonamarg nullah and Shutkuri nullah, giving it a shape of a big river. In June 2011, the High Court had directed the authorities to remove all illegal encroachments and structures along the Sindh which had come up in violation of the Kashmir Valley Embankment Act, 1992. “A team of officers of the Revenue, Pollution Control Board, Irrigation and Flood Control, Geology and Mining, Fisheries Departments along with field staff under the supervision of the Assistant Commissioner (ACR), Revenue, Ganderbal, visited various spots (along the sindh) on August 11. A detailed inspection report was submitted by the ACR along with recommendations,” DC, Ganderbal, Showkat Ahmad Mir said in his compliance report submitted to the High Court on August 31. The court had asked Mir in July this year to file his compliance report explaining the steps and measures taken to remove the illegal constructions. “The team of officers also demolished illegal constructions which were raised on embankments of the Sindh,” said the Ganderbal DC in his report. The High Court Division Bench, before which the PIL came up for hearing today, has put up the matter for consideration next week.
|
||
|
Sajjad Lone discusses economic development with Governor
Srinagar, September 5 The meeting is regarded as significant, as it is Sajjad’s first meeting with the Governor. He had contested the last Lok Sabha elections from the Baramulla constituency of north Kashmir. He lost to Sharifuddin Shariq of the ruling National Sajjad (45), the youngest son of slain separatist leader Abdul Gani Lone, is the only leader from the state to have met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh early in 2006 with a view to “broaden the dialogue process” with separatist leaders. Sajjad parted ways with his elder brother, Bilal Lone, on February 17, 2004, nearly two years after heading the J&K Peoples Conference founded by their father, Abdul Gani Lone. Sajjad became the Chairman of the party following the assassination of his father Abdul Gani Lone on May 21, 2002. The party’s faction led by Bilal Lone continues to be the constituent of the moderate APHC led by Mirwaiz Umar Farooq. Following his meeting with the Prime Minister in 2006, Sajjad worked on a vision document -‘Achievable Nationhood’ with his views on the resolution of the Kashmir issue. He distanced himself from the traditional mainstream and separatist politics and indulged in the politics of “conviction” than “compulsion”. Since contesting the 2009 Lok Sabha elections, Sajjad has been engaged in mobilising youth, particularly students. A number of leaders from the mainstream parties like the Congress, National Conference and the PDP have joined him over the past few years. He has been campaigning in his native Kupwara district in north Kashmir and meeting people in remote areas to put forth his political views with an eye on the future elections.
|
||
|
West Pakistan refugees finding it difficult to marry off their children
Chak Bhutay (Marh), Sept 5 As the “refugee” stigma is still attached to them despite the fact that they have been living in Jammu for the last 64 years, locals do not prefer to marry their sons into these “stateless” families. It is also because of the abject poverty prevailing among these refugees that locals are not interested in having a
matrimonial alliance with them. Since the unemployment rate is also high among the young West Pakistani refugees, they find it difficult to get a suitable match. The majority of the West Pakistani refugee families living in the Marh belt belong to a Dalit sub-caste. As they are unable to marry into their sub-caste, their chances of finding a match get further reduced. “Locals have genuine reasons for rejecting marriage proposals of our children because our future is still hanging in balance,” Ram Singh, one of the leaders of West Pakistani refugees, told The Tribune. “The future of our boys is bleak as long as citizenship rights are not granted to us,” he said, adding that due to denial of citizenship rights, refugees’ boys could not even pursue higher studies what to talk of getting employment. “Earlier our boys could be recruited in the Army and other forces but the authorities are now demanding a domicile certificate so their hopes of getting job in Central forces have also been dashed”, said Labha Ram Gandhi, chairman of the West Pakistani Refugees Action Committee. He said due to denial of citizenship rights, children of these refugees were not able continue their studies because PRCs are required to get admission. No resident certificate for refugees |
||
|
38 officers inducted into KAS
Srinagar, September 5 The state government had appointed Masoodi as the Medical Superintendent of GB Pant hospital on May 19 after the removal of Javeed Chowdhary for his “casual administrative response” to the infant deaths in the Valley’s only children hospital. The Cabinet also approved the use of forest land for non-forestry purposes. Sources said the state Forest Department had received requisitions from various agencies and departments for diversion of forest land for non-forestry purposes. “After the cases were cleared under the J&K Forest Conservation Act, the Cabinet approved the forest land for non-forestry purposes,” a source said. The cabinet also approved the creation of staff for the Katra Development Authority. |
||
|
Omar now promises one tweet a month
Jammu, September 5 “From ‘a tweet a minute Chief Minister’, I’ve now become ‘a tweet a month CM’,” Omar wrote on Twitter while breaking his silence after two weeks. Omar, however, denied that tough questions posed by his followers were the reason for his stopping
to write on the micro-blogging site. Omar has over 1.73 lakh followers on Twitter. Earlier, he used to give his followers a crisp insight into his daily routine by making 12 to 15 tweets daily. |
||
|
Number of unmarried people in Valley reaches record high: Survey
Srinagar, September 5 A study conducted by the Sociology Department of the University of Kashmir in 2010 revealed that 55 per cent of the total population of the Kashmir valley never actually married even after attaining the standard marriageable age. This is even higher than the national average of unmarried people which stands at 49 per cent. The total number of unmarried persons in the age group of 20 to 35 years is 8,97,289, says the survey. The survey says the trend of staying single or late marriage picked up during the two decades of turmoil in the Valley. The number is expected to increase in the coming years as the concerns of this segment have not been addressed. The study conducted under the aegis of Prof Bashir Ahmad Dabla, an eminent sociologist of the Valley, singles out men when it comes to preferring the single status. The percentage of unmarried men is 54.7 per cent and the number of unmarried women is 45.12 per cent in the Valley. The number of unmarried people in Kashmir is increasing due to unfavourable socio-economic conditions that prevailed during the last two decades of turmoil. The study says, “The perpetual armed conflict plays a negative role vis-à-vis marriages i.e. it generally lowers the marriage
rate and increases the number of “never married” persons”. Another reason for the increase in the “never married” populace in the state is the migration of
Kashmiri Pandits and even Muslims to other parts of India and abroad over Another disturbing trend is that people choose not to marry at all because of late marriages in the Valley. The Valley youth are getting married in their 30s as compared to 20s. The study reveals that men on an average are getting married at the age of 31.53 years against the desirable age of 23.6 years. For women, the actual marriageable age has climbed to 27.8 years, as compared to desirable age of 20.7 years. The study says poverty and unemployment are the major causes for anti-marriage trends which worsened during the two decades of turmoil and hit the state economy. “It is a common observation here in the Valley that people are giving up the idea of getting married early or even marrying at all. The financial and societal constraints have only increased over the past years leading to more problems. Youth,who grew up in the turbulent times, have experienced persistent violence and psychological stress. A happy marriage seems to be a distant dream,” said Dr Maroofa, an educationist. WHAT THE STUDY SAYS * The state has higher percentage of unmarried people than the national average which stands at 49 per cent *
The total number of unmarried persons in the age group of 20 to 35 years is 8,97,289 *
The trend of no marriages or late marriages picked up during the two decades of turmoil in the Valley. The number is expected to increase in the coming years *
The percentage of unmarried men is 54.7 per cent and the number of unmarried women is 45.12 per cent *
The number of unmarried people in Kashmir is increasing due to unfavourable socio-economic conditions that prevailed during the last two decades of turmoil |
||
|
UPA regime plagued by corruption, says Anurag
Jammu, September 5 Addressing a public meeting in Kathua in connection with the campaign launched by the party to “expose” the UPA government’s role in the coal scam, Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) national president Anurag Thakur today claimed that the Congress had lost its credibility by being allegedly embroiled in one scam after another. He said the latest coal scam had exposed that the UPA regime headed by the Congress was plagued by corruption. Thakur, who is a Lok Sabha member from Himachal Pradesh, said the party would retain power in Himachal because the BJP government had taken many revolutionary steps for the betterment and development of the people. Thakur criticised the National Conference-Congress coalition in the state for demoralising the security forces deployed in the state. He regretted that instead of boosting the morale of the forces fighting terrorism, the state government had been repeatedly raking up the issue of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) to demoralise the forces. The BJYM national president strongly opposed the rehabilitation policy for militants. He cautioned that this policy would prove disastrous for the country. “Instead of rehabilitating militants who have crossed the border for arms training, the state government should take some effective steps for the rehabilitation of Special Police Officers (SPOs) who have played an important role in fighting militancy.” Thakur also highlighted the discrimination against the Jammu region and regretted that successive state governments in the state had failed to remove the bias against the region. State president of the BJP Shamsher Singh Manhas in his address announced that the BJP would take the campaign to expose the misdeeds of the UPA government to the grass roots. |
||
|
NC blames PDP, ex-governor for 1990 killings
Srinagar, September 5 “They (PDP) are the same people who shower praises on communal people like Narender Modi or partner with Jagmohan to kill innocent people at Gawkadal, Handwara and Hawal,” said NC spokesman Tanvir Sadiq. Jagmohan was the governor of Jammu and Kashmir in 1990 when militancy erupted in the Valley. Nearly hundred people were killed at Gawkadal, Handwara and Hawal localities, which are largely believed to have given impetus to the armed conflict. Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, who founded the PDP in 1999, was the Union Home Minister in 1990, when the infamous massacres were committed in the state. “Their (PDP’s) achievement has only been killings, corruption and loot and that will be written in golden letters in the annals of history,” said Tanvir. The ruling party spokesman alleged that the PDP was based on a “stolen agenda” and their slogans were “utter lies”. “Even their leaders are all professional turncoats,” the spokesman said. |
||
|
Hurriyat hopes forthcoming Indo-Pak talks will be fruitful for K-issue
Srinagar, September 5 The Hurriyat Conference led by Mirwaiz Umar Farooq has also demanded inclusion of Kashmiris in talks aimed at solving the Kashmir issue. This was stated by Hurriyat in its executive meeting here today, in which various issues, including the forthcoming foreign ministers meeting, was discussed. “Welcoming the proposed meeting of the Indo-Pak foreign ministers, participants hoped that the meeting would prove fruitful for the resolution of all pending issues between the two countries, including the Kashmir dispute,” said Hurriyat spokesman Shahid-ul-Islam. He said the meeting also stressed that India should “shun” its traditional political stand on Kashmir and hoped that “Indian foreign minister would visit Pakistan with an open mind”. He said during the meeting it was stressed that for a lasting solution to the Kashmir issue, it was important that genuine Kashmiri leadership be involved in any negotiation process between the two countries. “They said instead of holding peace talks only, the two countries should solve the issues and include Kashmiris in talks to bring permanent peace and stability in South Asia,” said the Hurriyat spokesman. The Hurriyat leaders who attended the meeting today included Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, Prof Abdul Gani Bhat, Agha Syed Hassan Al Moosvi, Bilal Gani Lone, Masroor Abbas Ansari, Mukhtar Ahmad Waza and Musadiq Adil. |
||
|
Land acquisition a hurdle in setting up new degree colleges
Jammu, September 5 Due to non-availability of state land, private landholders have been either demanding higher rates for the land or government jobs for their children in these institutions, thereby making the task of the Education Department tougher. Official sources said landowners, who had earlier agreed to sell or even “donate” their land for the setting up of new campuses in their respective areas, were refusing the government offer now. They either wanted high rates for the land or government jobs for their children in lieu of their land. “We are actively pursuing the land acquisition process and the revenue authorities have been asked to help the Education Department in the process,” Director, Colleges, J&K, Prof Nalni Kohli said, adding that they would ensure speedy disposal of all land acquisition issues, which were impeding the construction of these colleges. Kohli said the people had even objected to establishment of pre-fabricated structures for running classes in the Kilothran area of Kishtwar district where the government had to set up a degree college. The Director said the department had allocated Rs 37 lakh for the establishment of the college, but the locals were objecting to the setting up of the pre-fabricated structures in the area. They were also refusing to sell their landholdings. “The Higher Education Department with the assistance of the revenue authorities has constituted various site selection committees to vigorously deal with the land acquisition process so that the construction work on new campuses is started at the earliest. Members of these committees are visiting various places. The establishment of campuses will definitely take some time,” said Prof Kohli. On August 23, The Tribune had highlighted the state government’s “failure” to identify land for establishment of campuses for new degree colleges. It was reported that even after the lapse of more than a year since the announcement of 22 new degree colleges, the institutions either remained on paper or had been made functional in temporary accommodations. The announcement of new colleges had created a controversy in the state with the opposition and the coalition partner, Congress, accusing the government of opening colleges on “political considerations”. |
||
|
Cop slaps student for not removing veil during security check
Srinagar, September 5 The incident happened on Tuesday when the university was hosting the inaugural function of a three-day National Technical Festival - ‘Vastoorvan 2012’. The student was wearing a ‘hijab’, a veil worn by many Muslim women as part of their faith. Incidentally, the day when the incident took place was also being observed as World Hijab Day. Kausar Tasleem (22), a student of Islamic Studies at the university, said she was slapped by a policewoman during a security check when the two had a verbal spat over removing the veil. “A policewoman asked me to get frisked, which I did. When I was leaving, she pulled the veil off my face. I hid my face with my hands and took the veil from her and covered my face again,” said Tasleem. Tasleem said she then asked the policewoman why she had pulled off the veil from her face, which infuriated the policewoman. “She became furious and slapped me very hard,” the student said. Tasleem said it was on the interference of other students that she was allowed to go by the policewoman. “I went to the In charge of my department, he said he will look into the matter. He didn’t take it seriously, but it is a serious issue for me. Today it has happened to me, tomorrow it can happen to someone else,” she said. Prof Afroz Ahmad Bisati, In charge, Islamic Studies Department of the IUST, said the slap issue has been “solved” but refused to delve into details. “The situation was tackled very well. It is not important to tell you what solution we came up with. The student is satisfied with our solution. What else do you want to hear. We have solved the issue,” said Bisati. A police spokesman said the incident happened when the girl refused to go through a security check, which was mandatory, in view of the VIP movement at the campus. Information Technology and Sheep Husbandry Minister Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi was to inaugurate the festival yesterday at the IUST and security had been beefed up at the university. “She (Tasleem) was told that frisking is necessary. The girl had refused to undergo a check and this led to some altercation,” the spokesman said. He, however, said the issue was later solved “amicably”. |
||
|
NC blames PDP for 1990 killings
Srinagar, September 5 “They (PDP) are the same people who shower praises on communal people like Narender Modi or partner with Jagmohan to kill innocent people at Gawkadal, Handwara and Hawal,” said NC spokesman Tanvir Sadiq. — TNS
|
||
|
Hurriyat welcomes Indo-Pak talks
Srinagar, September 5
|
|
| HOME PAGE | |
Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir |
Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs |
Nation | Opinions | | Business | Sports | World | Letters | Chandigarh | Ludhiana | Delhi | | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | E-mail | |
The state government has revealed that all illegal encroachments and constructions along the banks of the Sindh in the Sonamarg and Kangan areas of Ganderbal district have been demolished.
This has been stated by the Ganderbal Deputy Commissioner in his compliance report submitted to the Jammu and Kashmir High Court.
Chak Bhutay (Marh), Sept 5
The BJP today claimed that the Congress would be wiped out in the coming Assembly elections in Himachal Pradesh and the BJP was going to make history in the state.
Addressing a public meeting in Kathua in connection with the campaign launched by the party to “expose” the UPA government’s role in the coal
scam
