|
|
|
|
|
Hurriyat leaders may be quizzed for meeting Hafiz
Woman panch battles for life in hospital
AJKPC dares Omar to withdraw his security cover
No peace-time for these soldiers
|
|
|
Omar reviews security
Army adds café and prayer room at Kaman transit point
Cabinet reshuffle tomorrow
Soz discusses Cabinet reshuffle with Omar
Srinagar-Muzaffarabad bus to ply on schedule
Self-reliance lies in power generation: CM
J-K one of the best tax-collecting states: Minister
Night temperature in Valley improves after snowfall
NC leader’s ‘plebiscite’ remark
Kashmir’s first e-gaming championship draws hundreds
|
|
Hurriyat leaders may be quizzed for meeting Hafiz
Jammu, January 13 But they have not been questioned about their meetings with the men, particularly Hafiz Saeed, who are state and non-state actors in giving a fillip to militancy-related violence in India. It was not explained, why? Leaders of the moderate faction of the Hurriyat, including its chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, Abdul Ghani Bhat and Bilal Gani Lone, had visited Pakistan from December 15 to 25, on the invitation of the Pakistan government. Mirwaiz had declared that they were visiting Pakistan in search of “a ground which would throw a respectable Kashmir resolution”. He had blamed India for “its obstinacy” in addressing the core issue of Kashmir. Nowhere did he ever mention that they had meetings with the top militant leaders who are guiding the course of violence in Kashmir and other parts of the country. Saeed, in particular, who claims himself to be the chief of Jammat-ud-Dawa, a charity. Sources came to two conclusions from these meetings. The moderates are feeling insecure and they are guarded by the state-provided security in Kashmir. They might have wanted a guarantee of their security from these leaders because moderate Hurriyat leaders have been doing business off and on over the issue of talks with the Government of India. The other possible reason could be that they were told to whip up passions in Kashmir and lead anti-India diatribe from the front. It is learnt that the political leadership of the country has not as yet given the green signal to the central agencies or the state police to quiz them so far. But now when the issue is gaining momentum in the political circles, the nod may come soon. |
||
|
Woman panch battles for life in hospital
Srinagar, January 13 Zoona Begum (45), wife of Mohammad Ramzan and a mother of three, was seriously injured when she was shot at by unidentified gunmen, suspected to be militants, outside her home at Dar Mohalla in Hardshiva village near north Kashmir’s Sopore town. A senior doctor at the Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS) here said Zoona was admitted to the hospital last evening with firearm injury. “She is admitted to the Surgical Intensive Care Unit and she is not that stable. She continues to be on ventilator. She is still in a critical condition,” said the senior doctor at SKIMS. The doctor, who requested not be named, said the bullet had damaged the right temporal area of the woman. “Her right eye has been shattered and the bullet left from the neck area. We had to remove her eye,” the doctor said. A team of doctors which includes surgeons, anaesthetics, orthopaedics and ophthalmologists, are trying to save the woman’s life. The attack on Zoona is the second such attack in the Bomie area of Sopore by suspected militants targeting the panchayat members. On Friday, Habibullah Mir, sarpanch of Gooripora village of the Bomie area, was killed in a similar assault near his home. Sopore, 50 km from Srinagar, is among Kashmir’s last militant bastions where militancy remains resilient and resurgent despite major offensives by security forces. Zoona’s husband Mohammad Ramzan said a pistol-borne man, who spoke in Urdu, knocked at the window of his house at 7:15 pm yesterday and asked him to accompany to the house of Bilal Ahmad Dar, another village panch. “I refused to accompany him. He then took out a piece of paper from his pocket and read Zoona’s name. He (gunman) asked her to come out of the house,” Ramzan said. Ramzan said names of all panchayat members of the area were written on the page which the assailant, who was accompanied by two more men, took out from his pocket. He said the government offered his family security today, but he had refused it. “I have children at home. Accepting security can put them in danger. It can lead to more trouble for the family. If we have (security) forces to guard our home, it could make them (militants) target us again,” he said. There have been several attacks on panchayat members last year which forced hundreds of them to publish their resignations in newspapers after militants threatened to kill them if they failed to do so. The attacks which killed Habibullah and left Zoona battling for life highlights the persistent threat faced by the panchayat members in the region. Attacks on panches mysterious: Geelani Hardline separatist leader Syed Ali Geelani on Sunday termed the recent attacks on panchayat members, in which one was killed and another wounded, as mysterious. Geelani said no militant group had so far claimed responsibility for the attacks on panchayat members. |
||
|
AJKPC dares Omar to withdraw his security cover
Jammu, January 13 The Conference also dared Chief Minister Omar Abdullah to withdraw his and his ministers’ security cover if he felt there was no threat to panchayat members. “The state government is directly responsible for the fresh killing of panches and sarpanches. The killing of our executive member and sarpanch Habibullah Mir took place because of the negligence of the government. We had repeatedly requested the state government to provide security to the senior members of Conference, but the government deliberately avoided it,” said AJKPC chairman Shafiq Mir. He said village heads would not resign and bow to terror outfits. “We will continue to uphold the flag of democracy. We will not resign,” Mir said. Flanked by other leaders of AJKPC, Mir lashed out at the ruling dispensation and alleged the Omar government had “totally failed” to protect even the elected leaders of the community. “If the state government cannot protect the lives of innocent elected panchayat members, the Chief Minister should either tell the 33,000 panchayat members to resign or take moral responsibility and must resign. We urge the central government to intervene immediately,” the AJKPC leader said. He alleged the Chief Minister had never taken security of panchayat members seriously. “We challenge him to withdraw his security and of his ministers,” Mir said. Condemning the recent killings, Anil Sharma, AJKPC general secretary, said the village heads were being targeted from all sides. “On the one hand, terror outfits have made our organisation their target because we have refused to resign. And on the other, the apathetic government has not bothered much,” Sharma said.
|
||
|
No peace-time for these soldiers
Churanda (LoC), January 13 “Whether there is peace on the LoC or cross-border shelling, we always have to be on the alert,” said an Army officer based in Uri. With renewed tension between the two countries in the wake of the brutal killing of two jawans in the Poonch sector, soldiers continue to be on a high alert and are keeping a close vigil as they suspect the ceasefire violations by the Pakistan army was mainly aimed at infiltrating more militants into the state. “The militants have never stopped infiltrating. The latest ceasefire violations were aimed at pushing in more militants. So we are on a high alert and are maintaining a vigil all along,” said the officer whose area has been witnessing frequent ceasefire violations since October 15 last year. For an Army jawan posted in a forward post, the job is not easy. Almost every day, the jawan has to do a minimum of six-hour duty and that can extend up to 16 hours, depending on the situation. “These soldiers also have to do patrolling in the area,” said another Army officer in Churanda village. “We are on the job round the clock and one has to always be ready for duty.” A soldier’s duty at a forward post is two years, and along the LoC the tenure lasts three years. Apart from remaining vigilant, soldiers have to brave harsh weather conditions on the lofty peaks and thick forests along the LoC. And one cannot ignore the high speed winds passing through the rugged mountains. “The terrain is hostile and the weather too is your enemy,” said a soldier. Despite the killing of the two soldiers in the neighbouring Poonch sector, Army jawans said their morale was high. “The killing of our two soldiers by the Pakistan army was brutal. In fact, the way our soldiers were treated was not only inhuman but also the worst war crime,” said a rifleman posted in the village.
|
||
|
Omar reviews security
Srinagar, January 13 Minister of State for Home Nasir Aslam Wani; Principal Secretary, Home, Suresh Kumar; GOC of 15 Corps Lt Gen Om Prakesh; DGP Ashok Prasad; senior officers of the Army, security agencies, state police and civil administration attended the meeting. The meeting was held post the killing of a sarpanch at Bomai in Sopore on Friday, followed by another strike by unidentified gunmen yesterday, in which a woman panch was injured in Sopore. The Chief Minister met the injured woman panchayat member at the Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences, Soura in Srinagar. “The Chief Minister inquired about the health conditions of the woman panch and prayed for her early recovery. He also gave directions to the hospital administration for providing all possible medical treatment to her,” an official said.
|
||
|
Army adds café and prayer room at Kaman transit point
Srinagar, January 13 The Kaman post bridge, also called Aman Setu, was opened for the Srinagar-Muzaffarabad bus service in 2005. The route was also opened for the cross-LoC trade between the two divided parts of Kashmir in October 2008. The Kaman post has since been developed as the Kaman Transit Point (KTP), symbolising a yearning for peace and prosperity on both sides of the LoC. “We developed the Kaman Transit Point to provide refreshment facilities to the people transiting through Aman Setu”, said an Army spokesman. The infrastructure and transit facilities at the KTP, he said, were recently given a facelift under the Border Area Development Programme (BADP). Besides, repair and refurbishment, a few new facilities have also been added to the existing passenger facilities. “A cafeteria and a prayer room has added value to the KTP and will be of immense utility to the people”, said the Army spokesman, adding the “improvement at KTP is a symbol of India’s unflinching commitment towards the people of Jammu & Kashmir”. Through the Kaman Transit Point (KTP), the trade between two sides of Kashmir has been taking place without interruption since 2008. Besides, the Cross-LoC bus, also called the peace bus, has been plying regularly on the Srinagar-Muzaffarabad route through the KTP. “The bus service has helped unite many Kashmiri families. The trade service has generated vibrant economic activity benefiting Kashmir,” said the Army spokesman. Over the years, the transport and trade facilities have emerged as the focal confidence building measures, the spokesman said.
|
||
|
Cabinet reshuffle tomorrow
Jammu, January 13 The Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress
Committee chief Saifuddin Soz said the Cabinet expansion, followed by the Cabinet reshuffle, would be held soon. When asked about new faces to be inducted in the Cabinet, Soz said a decision in this regard had to be taken by Congress president Sonia Gandhi. “The exercise for the Cabinet reshuffle has been started and it would be given a final shape by the Congress president,” he said.
|
||
|
Soz discusses Cabinet reshuffle with Omar
Jammu, January 13 Sources said Soz and Omar discussed the proposed Cabinet reshuffle and other political developments in the state. The sources said it was decided that a meeting of the Coordination Committee would be held tomorrow to sort out various contentious issues between the two coalition partners, the National Conference and the
Congress. Soz confirmed to The Tribune that the Coordination Committee meeting would be held tomorrow. “Various issues are to be discussed in the Coordination Committee meeting,” Soz said and added that both the parties would decide on the constitution to establish a three-tier Panchayati Raj system in the state. The sources said a report prepared by the two committees constituted by the JKPCC chief for the empowerment of the panchayats would also be placed before the members of the Coordination Committee for approval. Keeping in view the differences between the two parties over the extension of the 73rd Amendment of the Indian Constitution to Jammu and Kashmir, Soz had constituted two committees to recommend relevant provision of the amendment to be incorporated in the J&K Panchayati Raj Act to empower the
panchayats. “The committees constituted by Soz have submitted their report and recommended that various clauses of the 73rd Amendment be implemented for strengthening the panchayats at the grass-roots level. The party has decided to force the National Conference to accept these recommendations,” a source said. “The report of these panels would be placed before the Coordination Committee to exert pressure on the National Conference (NC) to conduct the Block Development Councils and District Development Councils elections without further delay,” the source said.
Soz is the head of the Coordination Committee constituted by the two coalition partners. Meanwhile, a handout issued by the party stated, “Soon after his arrival from New Delhi today, Soz straightway drove to the Chief Minister’s residence for the meeting. He also discussed security cover to the panchayat representatives in the state. Both the leaders condemned the machinations of certain elements to destabilise peace in the state and try to disrupt the process of further strengthening democracy at the grass-roots level. The leaders hoped that the people of the state would not allow disruptive forces to succeed in their nefarious designs.” |
||
|
Srinagar-Muzaffarabad bus to ply on schedule
Uri, January 13 The bus service and trade from the Poonch side was halted by Pakistan following the ongoing tension between the two neighbours over the recent killing of soldiers. “The Srinagar-Muzaffarabad bus will ply on Monday as slated,” said Regional Passport Officer Firdous Iqbal. “Eighteen passengers from Kashmir are going to Muzaffarabad and similarly over a dozen passengers are coming from that side.” There was a growing fear in the Valley that after the suspension of the cross-LoC bus on Friday that plies on the Poonch-Rawalkote route, the Srinagar-Muzaffarabad bus might also get suspended. The Poonch-Rawalkote bus was suspended days after Pakistan soldiers brutally killed two Indian soldiers in the Poonch sector, triggering widespread anger in the country. Apart from the Poonch-Rawalkote bus service, the cross-LoC trade in Poonch was also suspended last week. Though both cross-LoC trade and bus service from Poonch were suspended last week, the trade activities between the two countries went smoothly at the trade centre in
Salamabad, Uri. Once-a-week service *
The Karvan-e-Aman bus service between Srinagar-Muzaffarabad operates once a week. Launched on April 7, 2005, the bus service is only used by “divided families”, who have relatives on both sides of the LoC *
The cross-LoC bus service and trade are considered both by New Delhi and Islamabad as major confidence-building measures between the two countries after the Partition.birds inhabiting Shivalik Hills |
||
|
Self-reliance lies in power generation: CM
Jammu, January 13 “The hand which contributes and extends financial support is always better than the one which receives it,” he said, adding that God has bestowed upon Jammu and Kashmir his blessings in the shape of water resources in plenty and these could be utilised to transform the economy of the state by generating surplus hydro energy. Addressing a function after inaugurating a toll plaza at Lakhanpur in Kathua district today, the Chief Minister said enhancing the tax orbit was not the answer to strengthen the state’s financial position but generation of electricity in huge quantity was the only way forward to make financial autonomy rule the roost in the state’s development process. “Whatever is our right to receive from the Centre, we should get it with our heads up. But when it is in the shape of concessions and mercies, one does not feel elated,” he said. He added the total dependence on the Central financial support had to be reversed by the joint efforts and determination of the people and the state government. “We have lagged behind in harnessing the hydroelectric potential of 20,000 MW available in the state. Had half of it been realised so far, we would have been providing 24X7 electricity to consumers and industries in the state and selling about 5000 MW to other parts of the country,” he said and reiterated his government’s resolve to make necessary dent in this regard. Omar said his government had launched prestigious projects in the state sector, in joint ventures, in the PPP and IPP modes, and the day was not far when the state would bash new strides in power generation and achieve the cherished goal of self-reliance. Saying the coalition government was committed to the public service, Omar said besides focusing on upgrade and improvement of basic facilities across the state, the consolidation of the health and education sectors loomed large in the development policy of his government during the last four years. He expressed gratitude to the Union Government for extraordinary financial support to the state and providing Rs 7,300 crore plan grants for the current fiscal. He said the transfer of money from the Centre to the state takes some time. “There are still Rs 1,900 crore with the Centre which have not yet been transferred to the state. This sometimes creates difficulties for the state to carry on the financial commitments,” he said, adding that he would take up the issue of the early release of the amount with the Centre and with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. He said sometimes this kind of situation results in delay in payment to contractors. He said the Finance Minister and his team has not allowed this difficulty to impact the transactions and the development processes and managed to tackle the situation amicably.
|
||
|
J-K one of the best tax-collecting states: Minister
Jammu, January 13 Addressing a gathering after inaugurating a toll plaza at Lakhanpur, Rather said tax collection which was Rs 2,600 crore in 2008-2009 had increased to Rs 5,500 crore last year and the state had registered 34 per cent increase in it. “This has been recognised and appreciated at the highest forums in the country,” he said. The minister said despite the coalition government imposing no tax on people during the last four years, the growth in tax collection has been achieved by plugging leakages and making the systems more transparent. Rather said the new toll plaza would give a fillip to the economic activities as Lakhanpur had become the state’s economic hub. He said it would provide hassle-free facilities to traders, industrialists and the business community. He said the concept of a modern toll post at Lakhanpur was conceived by him in 1999-2000 and he had directed the authorities concerned to formulate a plan in this regard. The land acquisition process began and the work on new toll plaza started in 2008. He said Chief Minister Omar Abdullah’s keen interest in the project at the state’s gateway had fast-tracked the construction work and it was completed in over three years. Minister of State for Finance Manohar Lal, Choudhary Lal, Jagdish Sapolia, Charanjeet Singh, Durga Dass, Subash Gupta and senior officials of the Finance Department attended the function.
|
||
|
Night temperature in Valley improves after snowfall
Srinagar, January 13 The minimum temperature in the city was 1.6°C, an official of the Meteorological Department said. The day temperature in the city also increased considerably as the mercury rose to 8.5°C, the official said. The city recorded 3.5°C yesterday, which was three degrees lower than the average maximum. The city witnessed the coldest night of the season last week when the minimum temperature fell to minus 5°C. The Meteorological Department said a fresh Western Disturbance would effect the region for three days from January 16 resulting in increased precipitation. The department said the weather would be mainly dry in the state for the next 24 hours. The Kashmir region received light to moderate snow and rain yesterday which ended the long dry spell and severe cold conditions. Qazigund, the southern gateway town to the Valley, recorded a maximum temperature of 8.0°C while the minimum temperature recorded was 1.7°C. In Kupwara town in north Kashmir, the minimum temperature was minus 0.2°C while the maximum temperature was 8.6°C. The ski resort of Gulmarg in north Kashmir, which is enveloped in snow, was the coldest place in the Valley as the night temperature there fell to minus 4.2°C, the official said. Gulmarg had last week recorded a low of minus 10°C. Pahalgam in south Kashmir witnessed a minimum of minus 0.2°C while the day temperature was recorded at 6.6°C, the official said. In the Ladakh region, the mercury has consistently remained below the freezing point since last week even during the days. Leh town in Ladakh recorded a minimum temperature of minus 10.2°C while the maximum temperature was minus 1.0°C. The day temperature in Kargil district was recorded at minus 5.2°C while the night temperature was minus 10.6°C, the official said.
|
||
|
NC leader’s ‘plebiscite’ remark
Jammu, January 13 Spokesman of the Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee has dubbed Nazir’s statement as “highly objectionable”, but the Opposition has intensified its attack on the Congress for entering into an alliance with the National Conference (NC), which has the history of anti-India bashing. Sheikh Nazir, while addressing party workers at Srinagar on January 8, had blamed New Delhi for deceiving and backstabbing the people of Kashmir on one pretext or the other. He had reportedly demanded plebiscite in Jammu and Kashmir. “Just giving a statement in the media is not going to solve the issue,” said Jugal Kishore Sharma, state BJP president, while reacting to the statement issued by Congress spokesman on Friday. “For the lust of power, the Congress has virtually succumbed before the secessionist policies of its coalition partner NC,” Sharma alleged. He said additional general secretary of the NC Mustafa Kamal had earlier stated, “India, not Pakistan, is their enemy and the Indian Army is the biggest hurdle to peace in Jammu and Kashmir.” “It is unfortunate that the Congress is sharing power with a party whose leaders are openly challenging the integration of the country,” the BJP president said and dared the Congress to sever links with the NC. The BJP has decided to hold protests at all district headquarters against Nazir’s statement to expose the Congress and the NC. The Panthers Party, another Jammu-based party, has already kicked-started a campaign against the Congress for maintaining a criminal silence on India bashing by NC leaders from time to time. Panthers Party activists had a couple of days ago staged a protest at New Delhi to draw attention of the nation towards the anti-India campaign started by NC leaders. Jammu State Morcha president Virender Gupta, while condemning Nazir’s statement, said it was Pakistan which had deceived not only the people of Kashmir, but also the Government of India a number of times. Gupta said Kashmir leaders, including those of the NC, had deceived the people of Kashmir. They always try to exploit the Kashmiri people for their own vested interests. “They speak one thing in the Valley and speak differently when not in the Valley,” he said. Meanwhile, the BJP yesterday held a demonstration against Sheikh Nazir at Kishtwar and raised slogans against the NC and the Congress. |
||
|
Kashmir’s first e-gaming championship draws hundreds
Srinagar, January 13 The Sunday event was the first of its kind in Kashmir where young boys battled each other in an unreal, high-graphic world. Kashmir Cyber Games Championship 2013, a two-day marathon of incessant, high-drama fights, which began today, is being played on laptops and play stations. The organisers said they were expecting up to 300 participants. “It is becoming chaotic. We have so far received may be 500 to 600 people,” said Ahmer Khan, the young founder of Loudbeetle group, which organised the gaming championship. As crowds of gamers kept on growing at the Sangarmaal city centre, where the gaming championship is being held in the region’s summer capital, organisers made appeals every minute for calm. Among the crowd of enthusiastic gamers waiting in the hallway was a 30-year-old computer engineer Younis Mustafa. Mustafa, sporting a long flowing beard, pleaded with the organisers to let him play on Sunday. “I have to go to office tomorrow (on Monday),” he requested. He was let in. Mustafa was not the eldest gaming enthusiast. Organisers said a 45-year-old man had come in the morning and had waited through the day for his turn. “He had also requesting that he be allowed to play today as had office tomorrow,” one of the organisers said. The surprise at the gaming championship was six-year-old Qasim Bakshi, the youngest player to battle competitors some of whom were double his age and height. Bakshi, a hardened Tekken player measuring two feet and a Class I student, won multiple rounds and was unbeaten by mid-day. Digital gaming or e-gaming, which has swept the imagination of new-age Kashmiris over the last one decade when computers increasingly became household stuff, is fast encroaching into the space of outdoor games as more and more young boys prefer to stay indoors in the region where the lifestyle of residents has been heavily altered by the two-decade-long conflict. “This event will give a boost to the IT sector in the state as more and more people become interested in computers from a very young age,” said 22-year-old Muheet Mehraj, founder of the KashmirBox trading website and one of the sponsors of the championship. In the championship, gamers are battling each other at two different games. The tactical first-person shooter game ‘Counter Strike’ is being played by five-member teams and the fighting game ‘Tekken’ is being battled on individual basis. A member of the organising group said the aim of the contest was to churn out a gamers’ team which can represent Kashmir at national and international gaming competitions.
|
|
| 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 | |
“They (the Hurriyat Conference leaders) had met Hafiz Saeed and the Hizbul Mujahideen supreme commander Syed Salahauddin and ISI chief Lt Gen Zahir-ul-Islam,” confirmed a high-ranking source to The Tribune.
