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Omar aide takes over as NC provincial president
Fearing attacks, panchayat members appeal to militants
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Brutal killings
Ceasefire pact: Can Pakistan be trusted?
Valley welcomes increase in subsidised LPG cap
Now, government departments to self-assess performance
Avalanche warning issued in Valley after fresh snow
Gurpurb greetings from
Guv, CM
Finance Minister calls on Governor
Governor for making Jammu University a centre of excellence
One injured in road accident in Anantnag
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Omar aide takes over as NC provincial president
Jammu, January 17 Apart from a galaxy of party leaders and ministers, there were hundreds of supporters of Rana who raised slogans hailing party president Farooq Abdullah and working president Omar Abdullah. The supporters came from various parts of the Jammu region, braving heavy showers. Rana was chosen for the key party position by the Chief Minister on the eve of the Cabinet reshuffle with the 2014 elections in sight. Party workers say Rana, who had worked with the Chief Minister as his political adviser, displays political acumen in carrying along one and all for party work. Rana, who will turn 48 in March, had demonstrated his political administrative skills during the past four years when he held the position of political adviser. The Chief Minister, who recently put together his team for the 2014 poll, profusely praised Rana’s commitment to the party and hoped that the party would march from one success to the other under his leadership ahead of the elections. “We have chosen the right people for the right assignments and it is now for the party workers to help the leaders,” the Chief Minister said. A mood of festivity prevailed in Sher-e-Kashmir Bhavan, the NC headquarters in Jammu, and its surroundings as an endless stream of party workers and supporters participated in the rally which was held on the occasion. The function was attended by National Conference leaders, including Dr Sheikh Mustafa Kamal, Surjit Singh Slathia, Harbans Singh, Rattan Lal Gupta, Abdul Rahim Rather, Ali Mohammad Sagar, Mian Altaf Ahmad, Sakina Itoo, Mohammad Akbar Lone, Choudhary Ramzan, Ajay Sadhotra and Mir Saifullah. District party presidents from the Jammu division and block presidents also attended the function. |
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Fearing attacks, panchayat members appeal to militants
Srinagar, January 17 “We are apolitical and we were elected for development and nothing more than that. We have nothing to do with the Kashmir issue as we are not the stakeholders. We appeal to the militant leadership that the panchayat members should not be attacked,” said the convener of the Jammu Kashmir Panchayat Conference (JKPC), Shafiq Mir. Mir, however, made it clear that the panchayat members would not resign due to any threats. “Let me make it clear that we will not resign even if threats continue to pour in,” he said. “Many panchayat members have resigned in the past few days due to the recent attacks, but now we have decided that we will not succumb to any pressure.” Mir also asked chief of Hizbul Mujahideen Syed Salahuddin, who had issued the threats to the panchayat members few months back, to reconsider his call. “Salahuddin took up arms in 1990s after he lost the elections. He, too, was a part of the democratic process. But now when we are fighting for empowerment, development and democracy, we should not be threatened,” he said. On Friday, Habibullah Mir, sarpanch of Gooripora village in Sopore town, was shot dead by suspected militants. A day later, a woman panch, Zoona, was shot at in Hardshiva village of the town. Zoona’s condition continues to remain critical. The initial police investigations had blamed Kashmir’s indigenous militant outfit Hizbul Mujahideen for the attacks on the panchayat members in Sopore. Following the attacks, nearly 90 panchayat members have so far resigned. Officials, however, maintain that they were yet to receive any resignation from the panchayat members. “We are yet to receive any resignation,” Director, Rural Development, Mir Altaf Ahmed said. “I have checked with my field staff. No resignation has been submitted so far,” he said. The Baramulla Deputy Commissioner said a group of panchayat members had come to his office on Wednesday to submit their resignations. “I told them the procedure that was to be followed. But so far only one resignation has been submitted,” he said. Meanwhile, the state police has asked the panchayat members to give in writing if they needed security. “We met the IGP, Kashmir, who told us that anyone who was facing threat should give in writing and they will ensure his security,” said the spokesman of the JKPC, GH
Panzoo. |
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Brutal killings
Jammu, January 17 “To say that there was a security lapse on the part of the Army would be unfair because nothing, including surveillance devices, are infallible on the LoC that passes through rugged and rocky terrain,” said a senior Army officer, who declined to be named. The Army can’t deploy its troops on every inch of the LoC, which has dense jungles, steep ravines, rivulets and hilly terrain, he said. Though the Northern Command has initiated an inquiry into Pakistan’s heinous act that goes against the international conventions, there was no security lapse, he said. The officer said what the Pakistan army did on January 8 was part and parcel of their dirty game plan. “They are infamous for indulging in such acts. History is replete with such instances — the Kargil conflict, sniper fire in the Krishna Ghati sector along the LoC last year that killed border guard PK Mishra, a soldier Harvinder Singh and injured four other soldiers. Killing of border guard Chandan Rai at the Abdulian post along the international border, besides a transborder tunnel in Chalyari village of the Samba sector. This incident is a new leaf in their book,” he said. Though we do have sufficient troops, sophisticated weaponry and gadgetries at the vast frontiers of the state, nothing is foolproof, particularly when it comes to the hilly and hostile LoC, he said. In other words, the hilly terrain and inclement weather sometimes outmaneuver technology, said the officer. Another senior officer, who also echoed similar views, said on January 8, a patrol party led by Lance Naik Sudhakar Singh and Hemraj Singh of 13 Rajputana Rifles was moving from one post to another in the Balnoi sector amidst inclement weather when they were ambushed by Pakistani troops, who mutilated their bodies and decapitated one of them before escaping to Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. The officer said the area where the Pakistani troops carried out the dastardly act was an open area ahead of the fence and devoid of any anti-infiltration obstacle grid. “Going by the demography of the hilly terrain, the LoC can’t be sealed completely,” he said. The Pakistani troops of 29 Baloch Regiment had ambushed the patrol party near the Chatri and Atma posts of the Indian Army in the Balnoi sector. |
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Ceasefire pact: Can Pakistan be trusted?
Jammu, January 17 Soldiers on both sides of the Line of Control (LoC), the de facto border between India and Pakistan, guard the borderline in sub-zero temperatures, and they hope to reap the fruits of the November 26, 2003, ceasefire agreement on the borders. Pakistan’s military and ISI bosses perhaps don’t understand this and sponsored a mission to “kill and mutilate bodies of two Indian soldiers” on January 8 in a clear bid to ditch Americans to shift their troops from their western borders to the eastern borders with India. “This was a pre-mediated action”, said Indian Army Chief Gen Bikram Singh, who decoded the action and the way it was executed. And he also made it amply clear that “India would retaliate, if provoked” and reiterated that the onus of maintaining the ceasefire pact lay on Pakistan and its army, which has been violating the ceasefire agreement frequently on the LoC and international border. On top of it, Khar, taking full advantage of the presidency of the United Nations Security Council, accused India of “warmongering”, while resorting to the rhetoric that “Pakistan was committed to peace and dialogue and it has invested so much in the peace process.” What she did not explain was that what kind of investment was in cross-border raids and killing of soldiers and disfiguring their bodies in the most brutal fashion. Supposing for a moment what Khar says is correct, why didn’t she condemn the brutal action that her army’s soldiers executed? Essentially, she wanted to kill two birds with one stone. Firstly, she wanted to deny that Pakistan was involved in the cross-border raids. Secondly, by using the expression of “warmongering”, she sought to defame the Indian Army and political leadership. After the Indian and Pakistani Director Generals of Military Operations spoke to each other yesterday, what is expected on the LoC is complete peace. A period of less than 24 hours, however, is not enough to judge whether the ceasefire is holding or not. Pakistan has not honoured its Islamabad declaration of January 6, 2004, that it would not allow its land and the areas under its control to be used for exporting terrorism. So to expect that a phone call will do what the declaration of 2004 could not deliver, sources in the government said would be like trusting something that cannot be trusted at all. “At the moment, it is all quiet on the LoC,” said Defence PRO of the Northern Command, Lt Col Rajesh Kalia. Speaking from the military point of view, questions remain unanswered. What would the Army tell the families of Lance Naik Hem Raj and Lance Naik Sudhakar Singh who were brutally killed by Pakistan soldiers? That diplomacy doesn’t permit “retaliation”? This is nothing new, the Indian Army was not allowed to cross the LoC during the Kargil conflict, nor was any action was taken after 26/11. Instead, came the Thimphu thaw and after January 8, no one seems to know which thaw would come. For, it appears that Khurshid will be eager to respond to the ministerial-level talks with
Khar. |
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Valley welcomes increase in subsidised LPG cap
Srinagar, January 17 Soon after the news of the Centre raising the annual cap on supply of subsidised cooking gas to nine cylinders from six spread, the Chief Minister tweeted: “Grateful to the Government of India for accepting states like J&K's request to increase the number of subsidised LPG cylinders.” The Kashmir Economic Alliance (KEA), an amalgam of various traders’ bodies that had last year called for a shutdown and staged protests against the cap, too welcomed the Centre’s announcement while saying that there should have been an increase of three more cylinders. “It is a good sign but it should have been increased to 12. We face harsh winters and amid less electricity and kerosene shortage, we have no other option but the LPG,” said KEA chairman Mohammad Yasin Khan. Incidentally, the KEA shutdown in October last year had affected normal life across the Valley and the amalgam had threatened to take the “fight” against the LPG cap "to the roads" if the government failed to increase the number of subsidised cylinders per year. The common man too felt that the Valley needed more subsidised cylinders due to harsh winters. “We welcome the increase but the cap should have been raised to 12 at least,” said Abdul Hamid, a local. Meanwhile, the Chief Minister’s followers on the micro-blogging website, Twitter, felt that he was trying to score brownie points through his tweet. “Wag ur tail harder...,” wrote a follower, while another said: “You are so sweet. They did not do it at the request of JK. The rule is for whole India and they did it for coming elections.” After demand for increase in the LPG cap last year, Finance Minister A R Rather had stated that the state government would lose Rs 260 cr annually if it announced the subsidy on its own for three additional cylinders. The state government had also sent a delegation to New Delhi where it had sought a special concession for the state on account of the harsh winter conditions, especially in the Valley and Ladakh region. OMAR TWEETS Grateful to the Government of India for accepting states like J&K's request to increase the number of subsidised LPG cylinders
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Now, government departments to self-assess performance
Jammu, January 17 Omar said the RFD would inculcate a new work culture in government departments. “It will enable them to put in place a self monitoring and assessing system and make realise physical targets and outcomes benchmark of performance,” he said. Talking to the Central Task Force on the RFD, who called on him here today, he expressed gratitude to its members for guiding the state departments in formulating the RFDs and setting the stage ready to launch the new initiative in the state. Omar said under the RFD, the focus would shift from assessing the performance from financial spending to the realisation of physical targets and outcomes with impact on ground. The matters relating to power generation and widening the mandate of Science and Technology Department also came up for discussion in the meeting. He asked the task force to give their opinion regarding expanding the science and technology orbit in the state for creating scientific temperament and enabling youth to participate in the IT and software technology sectors in a bigger way. “Prior to militancy, measures for development of software technology and involving outside players to participate received good attention and a software park was established in the Valley. However, this received jolt by militancy and the progress remained stand still,” he said. “The government has now initiated measures to revive this sector and provide level field for youth to adopt IT and software technological initiatives for economic sustenance and development of the state,” he said, adding that the science advisory board of reputed scientists and technologists of the country was in place to advise the state government regarding utilisation of science and technology in economic betterment and employment generation in the state. |
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Avalanche warning issued in Valley after fresh snow
Srinagar, January 17 “A medium danger avalanche warning has been issued on the basis of information from the Snow and Avalanche Study Establishment. The people living in snow-bound areas of Naugam, Chowkibal, Machil, Tangdhar, Keran and Gurez have been advised not to venture into steep avalanche-prone slopes during the next 24 hours,” said Aamir Ali, coordinator of the Divisional Disaster Management Cell, Kashmir. While Srinagar city recorded moderate rainfall during the day, heavy snowfall started in the evening. An official of the Meteorological Department said the summer capital recorded 13.6 mm of rain from last night till 5.30 pm today. Qazigund recorded 28 mm of rain and snow till 5.30 pm. Pahalgam in south Kashmir recorded 16 mm of rain and snow while Kupwara recorded 21.5 mm of rain and snow till 5.30 pm. Due to the snowfall, the day temperatures dipped considerably. Srinagar recorded a maximum temperature of 4.4°C as compared to 12.0°C yesterday. Qazigund, Pahalgam and Kupwara recorded the maximum temperatures of 5.3°C, 3.6°C and 4.5°C, respectively. There was an increase in the night temperatures. Srinagar recorded 0.8°C minimum temperature as compared to 0.1°C the night before. The minimum temperature in Qazigund rose from minus 1.0°C to 1.8°C. Pahalgam and Kupwara saw a low of 1.4°C and 0.3°C, respectively. Meanwhile, the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway was reopened for a few hours after it was closed due to the snowfall around Jawahar Tunnel in the morning. A Traffic Police official said the stranded vehicles from Jammu to Srinagar were allowed to move in a regulated manner. The highway was again closed to traffic at 4:15 pm due to another spell of snowfall, the official said. He said the movement of traffic on the national highway tomorrow would depend on the weather conditions. The weatherman has forecast moderate to heavy snowfall at many places across the Valley tomorrow. Weather-o-meter
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Gurpurb greetings from Guv, CM
Jammu, January 17 The Governor expressed the hope that this auspicious occasion would be a harbinger of peace, progress and prosperity in the state and further strengthen the bonds of communal harmony, brotherhood and secular traditions which have been the hallmark of the glorious heritage and composite ethos of the state for centuries. — TNS |
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Finance Minister calls on Governor
Jammu, January 17 In their hour-long meeting, they discussed issues related to effective fiscal management and its co-relation with the increased resource mobilisation for advancing the pace of socio-economic development of the state. The Governor congratulated Rather for a significant increase in the tax revenue from last year and expressed hope that the non-tax revenue collection would also improve by the end of the current fiscal year. — TNS |
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Governor for making Jammu University a centre of excellence
Jammu, January 17 The Governor, who is the chancellor of the university, discussed with the vice-chancellor issues relating to enhancing the university’s teaching and research capacities and for developing the varsity into a centre of excellence. Issues relating to the functioning of the main campus and the development of off-site campuses were also discussed. The Governor exhorted the vice-chancellor to ensure against any deviation from the norm in any arena of functioning and to see that the varsity enjoyed a high repute as a centre of learning. Navin K Choudhary, principal secretary to the Governor, was present on the occasion. |
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One injured in road accident in Anantnag
Srinagar, January 17 The police said a Tata Sumo hit and injured a motorcyclist, Khalid Ahmad Nikoo (22), a resident of Poshkreeri near Srigufwara. The injured was taken to a hospital. The police has registered a case. |
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Chief Minister Omar Abdullah today installed his trusted aide Devender Singh Rana as the provincial president (Jammu province) of the National Conference.
Jammu, January 17
While the Kashmir valley received fresh snow and rain today, the authorities issued an avalanche warning for the people living in the upper reaches.
“A medium danger avalanche warning has been issued on the basis of information from the Snow and Avalanche Study Establishment.”
While the Indian Army is probing the circumstances that led to the brutal killing of two soldiers in the Balnoi sector of Poonch district on January 8 by Pakistani troops, hilly terrain along the Line of Control (LoC) and inclement weather at the rugged borders had facilitated the gruesome attack.
