The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

	Kashmir Ulema to discuss ramifications of high court judgment on ‘talaq’ Mirwaiz, Grand Mufti of Kashmir among those invited at meeting slated for today Ishfaq Tantry Tribune News Service Srinagar, November 3 To discuss and debate the ‘ramifications’ of the Jammu & Kashmir High Court’s verdict on the “validity and absoluteness” of ‘talaq’ (divorce), the religious heads and scholars of Kashmir are slated to meet here tomorrow. The high court while interpreting the Islamic Sharia law had ruled on April 30 that a husband’s power to pronounce ‘talaq’ was “not absolute”. It had held that divorce was the last resort and could be administered only after the husband had exhausted other options. The meeting is being organised by a ‘hardline and influential’ religious organisation Jamiat Alhadees on November 4 at its Srinagar headquarters. Jamiat has termed the verdict as “interference in Islam.” Those invited to the meeting include chairman of moderate faction of Hurriyat Conference and religious leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, Jamaat-e-Islami (Kashmir) chief Muhammad Abdullah Wani, Grand Mufti (chief cleric) of the Valley Mufti Bashir-ud-Din, Shia leader and religious head Aga Hassan and other prominent Islamic scholars. “The meeting has been called to discuss and debate the high court judgment on ‘talaq’. The effort would be to formulate a joint opinion on the high court verdict”, J&K Jamiat Alhadees president Ghulam Rasool Malik told The Tribune. Terming the high court verdict as an “undue interference in Islam”, Malik said in the judgment, there appears to be “an attempt to give a diversion to already established Sharia laws” in Islam. He said Islam as a way of life has explained all issues related to day-today life, including matters of marriage and divorce. “But the court ruling has laid an undue emphasis that a husband needs to prove that he has pronounced ‘talaq’, which we think is unwise. This is bound to give rise to controversies”, Malik said, adding that discussion on these and other “controversial” dimensions of the judgment form part of the agenda of the Sunday’s meeting. Earlier on November 1, while talking to The Tribune, Grand Mufti (chief cleric) of Kashmir Mufti Bashiruddin had also said he would convene a meeting of religious scholars to discuss the ramifications of the verdict. Islamic Dawah Centre, a city-based organisation which runs an Islamic marriage counselling centre in Srinagar, had said the high court verdict was “not fully in compliance with the well-established principles and commandments” of the Islamic Sharia. The HC Verdict The high court in its judgment on April 30 had ruled that a husband’s power to pronounce ‘talaq’ (divorce) was “not absolute”, observing that it was the last resort which could be administered only after he had exhausted other options The judgment was delivered in a divorce case involving Mohammad Naseem Bhat and Bilquees Akhter The court had held that it was only after the husband had proved that he had exhausted all the options of reconciliation that ‘talaq’ would become valid and marriage between the parties would stand dissolved The court said the husband should have a valid reason and a genuine cause to pronounce ‘talaq’ on his wife in the presence of two witnesses.
	Omar surrenders two of his three LPG connections Tribune News Service Srinagar, November 3 As the residents of Jammu and Kashmir are facing an LPG crisis, triggered by a government cap on the number of subsidised cylinders per connection, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah today surrendered two of his three LPG connections. “As promised two of the three LPG connections surrendered this morning,” Omar wrote on the micro-blogging website Twitter. The Chief Minister had on Friday evening said he would surrender the two connections in his name as the “first thing” on Saturday after a news website reported that Omar was availing three LPG connections. “Didn't realise I had three connections in my name. Will surrender two of those connections first thing tomorrow,” Omar wrote on Twitter yesterday evening while reacting to the news report. Omar had three Hindustan Petroleum (HP) gas connections in his name and had received 10 subsidised cylinders from the company before September 14, when the decision was taken to cap subsidised LPG cylinders at six per connection per year. Two of the connections were listed to Omar’s residential address and one was listed at his office address, all of which are located in the highly guarded Gupkar road area of the city. The Chief Minister had availed a subsidy of Rs 3,298.81 from the 10 cylinders before the September 14 cap decision, according to the HP website. The HP website also listed the two of Omar’s three gas connections as “blocked”. Jammu and Kashmir is facing a simmering gas crisis as winter months approach when the need of LPG increases manifold due to severe cold and erratic power supply. The region has already witnessed several protests amid growing calls from traders, opposition parties and separatists demanding an increase in the number of subsidised cylinders. The Divisional Commissioner, Kashmir, had yesterday said there was a demand of 18,000 cylinders everyday in the Valley during winter months. The Jammu and Kashmir government has, so far, refused to increase the number of the subsidised cylinders to nine or 12 as demanded by different quarters.
	Govt to computerise health institutions Tribune News Service Jammu, November 3 In a bid to streamline health sector, the state government will soon computerise health institutions in the state to maintain the records of vital statistics in an effective way. Manoj Kumar Dwivedi, Commissioner Secretary, Health and Medical Education, has recently stressed upon the significance of recording vital statistics and their computerisation. Officers concerned were made aware of the fact that recording of vital events was absolutely necessary. The central assistance will be available for the purpose of digitising the health institutions and initially a proposal that envisages the implementation of the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) projects in two selected district hospitals, four Community Health Centers (CHCs) and 10 Primary Health Centers (PHCs) involving a total amount of Rs 6.56 crore, which was to be received by the state in a phased manner “At present, Rs 1.82 crore has been approved and is available with the NRHM. Software has been developed and medical superintendents and their assistants dealing with registration purposes have already been trained and records are being maintained accordingly,” said an NRHM official. He said it would also be made mandatory to ensure registration of vital statistics of hospitalised patients. It was also informed that a provision had been kept in the software for the private health institutions also and Government Medical Colleges would implement the programme within one month.
	Threat to sarpanches: Village heads term it death warrant Set 24-hour deadline for Union govt to provide security Arteev Sharma Tribune News Service Jammu, November 3 Village heads in Jammu and Kashmir have set a 24-hour deadline to the Union government to clear its position vis-à-vis providing security cover to sarpanches and panches after the Pakistan-based Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) chief, Syed Salahuddin, issued a fresh threat to target panchayat members if they didn’t quit their posts. They also described the threat call to “unarmed grassroots level representatives” of the people as an “act of sheer cowardice” and put a brave face saying they would not succumb to pressure tactics of the terrorist outfits. “The open threat of United Jihad Council (UJC) and HM chief Syed Salahuddin is not less than a death warrant for the elected panchayat members, especially in militancy infested and vulnerable areas of the state. The Centre and the state government should not take the issue casually and provide security to sarpanches and panches without wasting time,” Shafiq Mir, chairman of All-J&K Panchayat Conference (AJKPC) told The Tribune. Claiming that it had now become a “survival issue” for the elected members of the Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs), Mir also hit back at the UJC chief’s statement saying the killing of unarmed people was an “act of sheer cowardice”. “He has been waging a war against the security forces in Jammu and Kashmir since the past two decades. He must fight with the armed security personnel if he is really fighting for the cause. Targeting unarmed and innocent people holds no justification,” the AJKPC leader said. He regretted that the government was apparently unmoved over the security threat to the panchayat members as they have not been provided with necessary security. On Friday, Salahuddin in an interview with a Delhi-based newspaper had said the sarpanches and panches would continue to be targeted if they didn’t quit their posts. “No matter how much the government tries to secure them, they will still be attacked. That is why we call on them to resign from their posts and not allow themselves to be used to undermine the Kashmir issue,” the UJC chief had said. The state has already witnessed the killings of three panchayat members this year so far. Principal Secretary, Home, Mohammad Iqbal Khanday, however, downplayed the statement of the UJC chief saying the state government had made elaborate arrangements to deal with any situation. “The threat perception to the panchayat members was discussed in a detailed manner at the Unified Headquarters meeting. We have intensified the night patrolling and necessary measures have been put in place to tackle the situation. We will not allow anyone to disrupt the democratic process in the state,” Khandey said.
	India, China using UAVs along LAC in Ladakh for surveillance, says Army Tribune News Service Jammu, November 3 While even today Unidentified Flying Objects (UFOs) remain a mystery for the world, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) of China and India ‘quietly’ remain busy in their ‘work’ on both sides of the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the strategic Ladakh region. “Being in a high-altitude area, we do see celestial objects, including shooting stars and meteors, and sometimes we do see satellites also but we can’t say for sure about UFOs,” said a senior ITBP official, who declined to be named. The UFOs remain a debatable issue and even the Army doesn’t have accurate expertise in studying them. To unravel the mystery, scientific studies are required, he added. However, an Army source divulged that the UAVs, which have become an indispensable part of the armies around the world, are being used on both sides of the LAC in the Ladakh region for maintaining “surveillance”. “They (China) also use UAVs and we also do for taking pictures and videos purely for surveillance purposes,” added the source. Another senior Army officer said, “For unravelling the mystery behind UFOs scientific studies are required. How could one expect the Army, which has limited expertise in the field, to conduct scientific studies? But, of course UAVs are being used in the Ladakh region. Officially neither we intrude into Chinese territory nor they do but strategic importance of the region is known to us and to them as well.” He further informed that though officially UAVs don’t intrude into each other’s territory, in case of ‘violations’ the standard procedure remains ‘no shooting’. “We have special UAVs with side-looking cameras that look behind each and every nook. To fortify our surveillance, we have also set up radars on possible ingress routes,” he added. A Defence source said, “Equipped with latest technology and handy to use, all the armies in the world are using UAVs today for surveillance and even espionage purposes. Strategic Ladakh region is no exception to India, China and Pakistan. Like us they also take help of UAVs.” However, the source refused to divulge specific areas where UAVs are being used by China and India for obvious reasons. The Northern Command, this year, had floated a global tender to procure 20 mini UAVs to be used for surveillance along the vast frontiers of the border state. These mini UAVs will be more advanced than the existing fleet with the Army because they will have cameras, including an infrared one, besides recording devices and sensors for surveillance. They would be propelled by electric motor and hence will be literally noise-free. Expert opinion Equipped with the latest technology and handy to use, all the armies in the world are using UAVs today for surveillance and even espionage purposes. Strategic Ladakh region is no exception to India, China and Pakistan. Like us they also take help of UAVs. — Defence source
	Constant exposure to high altitude takes heavy toll on ITBP men in Ladakh 35 per cent suffer from high altitude sickness every year Ravi Krishnan Khajuria Tribune News Service Jammu, November 3 Duties in extreme weather conditions in high altitude areas continue to take a heavy toll on the health of Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) personnel in the cold desert of Ladakh. And, the paramilitary force is again getting afflicted with Monge’s disease --- also known as chronic mountain sickness --- that develops during extended time living at a high altitude. The disease is characterised by extreme polycythemia, hypoxaemia and reduced mental and physical capacity. “Every year 30 to 35 per cent of the ITBP men and officers suffer from high altitude sickness in the Ladakh region alone either needing hospitalisation or medicines,” said a top ITBP source. The ITBP at present has five battalions in the Ladakh region. One battalion has 1,300 personnel. “We are regularly shifted from one high altitude area to another, unlike the Army units, which after rendering duties in high altitude areas for two years get a break of at least six or seven years before being shifted to another high altitude area,” said the source. He said the recommendations of the Defence Institute of High Altitude Research to the Defence Ministry on shifting out Army units posted in high altitude areas after two years were being implemented but the ITBP men continued to get transferred from one high altitude area to another. The source said that a mechanism of shuffling peacetime battalions of the ITBP with those in high altitude areas could be evolved to give respite to the ITBP units in high altitude areas. The ITBP guards 3,488 km of borderline that passes through the Himalayas ranging from 9,000 feet to 18,700 feet where mercury plummets to - 50° C. “Steep gorges, ravines, glaciers, icy rivers and other natural hazards in the form of blizzards, avalanches and landslides form our terrain. Though cold injuries like chilblain lupus and frost bite are common, our men also fall sick to high altitude cerebral edema and high altitude pulmonary edema,” said the source. “Prolonged exposure to high altitude weather damages brain cells and causes memory loss. Besides indigestion and loss of appetite in our men, breathlessness due to less oxygen also damages their lungs.” “More than the enemy, the most challenging task for us remains the inhospitable terrain in the Himalayas,” he said. The source said Monge’s disease had again started afflicting ITBP men. The disease suddenly increases haemoglobin and thickens the blood besides leading to enlargement of heart chambers and causing an array of other illnesses. The ITBP men had been diagnosed with Monge’s disease in the 1990s and to get rid of it, the ITBP had adopted the practice of rotating its personnel from high altitude to low altitude areas. Though the practice is still in place, it is limited. As a result, the paramilitary force, which has to guard 3,488-km- long Line of Actual Control with China from Karakoram Pass in Ladakh to Diphu La in Arunachal Pradesh with over 75,000 men, is again afflicted with the disease. “We have a few battalions in Delhi but to rotate our personnel regularly after a stint of two years from high altitude to low altitude areas, we don’t have sufficient battalions on standby,” said a senior ITBP officer. “We spend the prime of our lives in extreme weather conditions and contract high altitude diseases. It is high time the Centre evolved a mechanism to transfer ITBP men from high altitude to low altitude areas after every two years,” said the officer. The LAC between India and China runs through the Himalayan states of J&K, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh.
	Delimitation of Assembly constituencies sought Tribune News Service Jammu, November 3 Chief patron of the Panthers Party (PP) Bhim Singh today appealed to youths to join the Rashtriya Chetna Abhiyan to mobilise the public opinion against corruption, communalism, criminalisation, drug menace and for immediate electoral reforms in the country. Addressing a press conference, Singh demanded delimitation of the Assembly constituencies in the state so as to end discrimination with the Jammu region. He said the Census of 2011 was complete and there was every reason to hold delimitation. Singh also accused the state government for depriving the Scheduled Tribe (ST) communities of their basic right to share political reservation in the Assembly. It is only through delimitation that the Gujjars, Bakerwals, Gaddies and other ST communities shall get justice, he argued. Singh regretted that the Jammu migrants had not been provided relief in accordance with the Supreme Court’s judgment of 2007 in spite of contempt petition and declaration by the government to pay equitable relief to the Talwara and other Jammu migrants. He expressed full support to the Jammu migrants from the streets to the Supreme Court once again.
	Mantra Airlines makes trial landing at Kargil airport Tribune News Service Jammu, November 3 Mantra Airlines will soon start air service for Kargil, as the airlines made a successful trial landing at Kargil Airport today. During the trial landing, the Director, Civil Aviation (J&K), Katoch along with officials of the Airports Authority of India and Mantra Airlines were present. At Kargil they were welcomed by the Chief Executive Councilor of Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council, Kargil, Kacho Ahmad Ali Khan, the Executive Councillors, Haji Ghulam Amir Kamran and Syed Kazim Sabere, Additional Deputy Commissioner Kargil, Kacho Hassan Khan, SSP Kargil Javed Iqbal Mattoo and some prominent citizens of Kargil. A meeting was also organised in which security and other related issues were discussed. It was decided that the Mantra Airlines would start officially before the closing of the Zojila Pass.
	Sacrilegious act triggers protest Tribune News Service Handwara/Srinagar, November 3 Residents of Bicharwari and some of its adjoining areas in north Kashmir’s Kupwara district today held a protest against the alleged sacrilegious act by some miscreants in a religious place last night. They alleged that some miscreants set on fire matting of a religious place at Bicharwari in Handwara last night. “They damaged some furnishing and curtains of the religious place and desecrated the holy book,” said a local resident. The angry protesters blocked the Langate-Handwara road for hours. Soon after protests broke out, senior civil and police officials reached the spot and assured the people that the culprits would be brought to book. “They assured stern action against the culprits responsible for the act and also assured that the police patrol in the area will be increased,” said an official. The protesters later dispersed peacefully.
	Normalcy returns to Kulgam Our Correspondent Kulgam, November 3 Normalcy prevailed in the Redwani Ghat area of Kulgam district. Police reports said Section 144 had been lifted from the area and the situation remained normal throughout the day. The clashes took place between two groups over some dispute, leaving 10 persons, including two children, injured. “Things remained under control since the clashes took place on Wednesday evening and Section 144 was also lifted on Thursday evening,” said Kulgam Deputy Superintendent of Police (Headquarters) Shabir Ahmad. He said nearly half of the people, arrested by the police for rioting in the area, had been released on bail. “We had arrested 12 persons immediately after the clashes, while some of them have been released others continue to be in preventive custody,” said the Deputy Superintendet of Police. Meanwhile, some reports said elders from both groups had agreed upon solving their disputes amicably.
	Infiltration bid foiled in Samba sector Jammu, November 3 The BSF foiled an infiltration bid near forward post along the international border between India and Pakistan in the Samba sector on Thursday midnight. Sources said the troops of 59 battalion of the BSF posted at Border out Post (BoP) Glad spotted the movement of four to five suspected militants around 12:30 am, who were trying to intrude into this side. “When the BSF personnel challenged them, they opened fire on the troops. They were later joined by the Pakistan rangers posted at Glad Tanda post on the other side of the border. The intermittent firing continued for one hour,” the sources added. The BSF jawans retaliated and fired before pushing back the infiltrators. — TNS