The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

	news analysis Afzal Guru’s hanging puts Omar’s leadership to test again Arun Joshi Tribune News Service Jammu, February 9 At the time when he was basking under the glory of having restored peace in Kashmir in the past two years after the two preceding years of turbulence in 2009 and 2010, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah is now once again confronted with a situation where his political and administrative skills have been put to a severe test. That the hanging of the Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru would provoke some kind of reaction that could derail the situation for a while or in long term spur further radicalisation of Kashmiri youth was an open secret. No Chief Minister wanted that to happen under his watch. Omar was no exception. He had pleaded strongly with the Central leadership in the private meetings and discussions that the execution of Afzal Guru, which the right wing forces in the country saw as a symbol of the December 13, 2001 terrorist assault on the Indian Parliament, would have serious ramifications. He was not alone in saying this as his immediate predecessor Ghulam Nabi Azad had sought Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s intervention in stopping the execution in September 2006. This was also the approach of the main Opposition Peoples Democratic Party. Now that it has happened, all the burden of saving the situation taking a turn for the worse has fallen on Omar Abdullah, as law and order is the state subject. Afzal Guru was hanged today morning, and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah claimed that he was informed only 12 hours before the execution took place, that is at 8 pm on Friday evening. All this is immaterial because the deed has been done. These 12 hours have changed the dynamics of the internal politics in Kashmir, where his rivals in politics and separatists would blame him for not doing enough to save the life of Afzal Guru. They would hit the streets, but for how long that would depend how Omar handles the situation. Today morning, Kashmir learnt that a Valley-wide curfew has been imposed. The TV channels informed the people that Afzal Guru had been executed in Tihar jail and buried there. As things stood today, there were two trouble spots, Baramullah and Sopore in north Kashmir, because Guru and his relatives hail from these areas. Some parts of Jammu region, especially its hills, reverberated with the protests. So far, he has done well-imposed curfew, appealed the people to maintain calm and also reiterated that the “state had no hand in this case, as there was no case against Afzal Guru in the state.” “The state has been making it clear that there would be ramifications.” In the short-term, it is a law and order situation that the state police is capable of handling. But the real test lies in the months and years to come. There are radical elements in Kashmiri society, who disbanded the all-girl band just one week ago, and the hanging of Afzal Guru and the venom that it has invoked in social media, gives a fair glimpse as to how the youth would see him as an icon of resistance. That part is the most difficult one - the state can take care of the physical appearances in the streets, but it cannot transform their psyche. His political opponents are already after his blood. In a carefully worded statement, the PDP has put a large part of the blame on the state government (read Omar Abdullah). The statement straddles between the legal factors and long-term political implications. PDP’s statement read: "We also believe that the state government cannot be absolved of its responsibility in taking this crucial decision that can have long-term political implications on the state. The NC is part of the UPA and it must share the responsibility for this decision.” That bares the intentions of the party that is eyeing to return to power in the next Assembly elections. The Opposition and separatists would do everything to exploit the situation, and any knee-jerk reaction, whether to protests in streets or the political one, can put Omar in harm’s way, politically. The elections are just one year from now. Pressure would also come on him to do something spectacular to show that he is more Kashmiri than others, the fear is that he may heighten the pitch for the revocation of Armed Forces Special Powers Act. Withstanding that political stress would be his real test.
	BJP jubilant, Congress and NC react with caution Tribune News Service Jammu, February 9 The hanging of Parliament attack convict Mohammad Afzal Guru has evoked mixed reactions from political parties in Jammu and Kashmir. While Jammu-based parties like the BJP and the Panthers Party hailed this decision, the Congress - which is part of the ruling coalition along with the National Conference - reacted with caution. The CPM, on the other hand, said the execution may encourage elements who are not supportive of the fragile peace process. BJP state president Jugal Kishore Sharma said Guru’s hanging was due for several years but the UPA government had unnecessarily delayed it. Sharma also cautioned the regional political parties and its leaders to refrain from making statements in support of Guru. He said such utterances will provocate people and result in communal tension, unrest and law and order problem. A terrorist was a terrorist and he should be treated as a terrorist irrespective of the religion he belongs or the region he hails from, said another BJP leader Jitendra Singh. “In principle, we are against the capital punishment. We had been consistently demanding commuting of Guru’s death into life imprisonment,” said state secretary of the CPM, Mohammad Yosuf Tarigami. “Unfortunately, this was not considered. We think the execution of Guru is fraught with narrow considerations and the sensitivities of Jammu and Kashmir people have not been taken into consideration. The decision will hit the fragile peace process,” he said. “Law has taken its own course,” said Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) spokesman Ravinder Kumar Sharma when asked to comment on Guru’s execution. Panthers Party leader and Udhampur MLA Balwant Singh Mankotia, while welcoming the decision, said the menace of terrorism should be dealt with iron hands. Former Union Minister and MLA Chaman Lal Gupta said the attack on Parliament was a serious matter. “It was strange that it took 12 years for the government to arrive at this decision,” he said.
	Though delayed, justice finally delivered: Security forces Ravi Krishnan Khajuria Tribune News Service Jammu, February 9 Though Afzal Guru was sent to the gallows 11 years after the Parliament attack on December 13, 2001, security forces in the state felt “though delayed, justice had finally been delivered.” “Better late than never. The man who masterminded the Parliament attack has been finally sent to the gallows. Exemplary punishment to perpetrators of terrorism certainly boosts the morale of troops, who have been fighting Pak-sponsored militancy in the state,” said a senior Army officer. “After a long wait, Ajmal Kasab was hanged last year and Guru was sent to the gallows this morning. Justice has been done. But we feel that in serious offences like crimes against country and the humanity, where guilt is proved beyond doubt by the highest court, time should not be wasted in executing the verdict because it demoralises the troops,” he said. In Jammu and Kashmir, the Army, BSF, CRPF and the state police have been combating Pak-sponsored militancy since 1989. A top Army source appreciated President Pranab Mukherjee, who, he felt, “had wasted no time in giving his decisions on clemency petitions of Kasab and Guru.” “With Kasab and Guru out of the list, the President has 13 more such files pertaining to different cases,” he said. The Union Government has finally sent out a strong message to the world that India will not tolerate terrorism anymore, he added. A CRPF officer said the families of those who had fallen prey to the bullets of terrorists, who attacked Parliament, must be feeling relieved today. “If India has to fight terrorism, then it has to fight it out with an iron hand,” said the CRPF officer. On December 13, five heavily-armed terrorists had stormed the Parliament complex and opened indiscriminate fire, killing nine persons.
	Life remains normal in Jammu Tribune News Service Jammu, February 9 Despite Afzal Guru’s hanging today morning at Tihar Jail in New Delhi, life in Jammu remained normal and people went around with their daily chores. Loudspeaker-mounted vehicles, flying squads and policemen, besides CRPF personnel in strength were deployed in the Muslim dominated Bhatindi, Sidhra, Gujjar Nagar and Talab Khatikan areas to maintain law and order. “Life is normal and no procession has been taken out by people,” said a police officer at Gujjar Nagar. He appreciated the people for reacting in a mature manner. “So far there has been no protest or sloganeering and we don’t anticipate any trouble. The common man is more concerned about earning two meals for his family and bringing up his children,” he said. He, however, said the police and the CRPF were patrolling the sensitive areas of the winter capital to keep a check on trouble-mongers.
	JKLF calls for four-day shutdown Tribune News Service Srinagar, February 9 The Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) today called for a four-day-long shutdown to protest the execution of Parliament attack accused Afzal Guru. In a statement issued here from Islamabad, Pakistan, JKLF chairman Mohammad Yasin Malik appealed to the people to observe a shutdown for four days and stage protests against the execution. Condemning the execution, Malik said he would observe a hunger strike in Islamabad for 24 hours to demand handing over of Guru's body to his family. He said the international community, especially the human rights organizations, should raise their voice against the “inhuman” act.
	Hand over Afzal’s body to family, says PDP Srinagar, February 9 Terming the execution of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru today as disappointing, Opposition PDP president Mehbooba Mufti demanded handing over his body to the family for last rites. "While the hanging should not have been carried out, the return of Afzal's body was the least the government could do to show its concern for humanitarian values," the PDP president said in a statement here. Mehbooba said the PDP believed that whatever the requirements of legal process, there was a need for the government to take into consideration the overall political impact of this execution, which is the reason why the option of mercy has been provided under the constitution. She said the PDP had, keeping this in view, made an appeal to the President of India in 2011 to grant clemency to Guru and commute his death sentence into life imprisonment. "We feel that at a time when there is a need to step up measures to reduce the trust deficit between the state and rest of the country, the execution of Afzal Guru could produce results to the contrary. Our party is generally in favour of scrapping death penalty from the statute book and we reiterate that position once again," Mufti said. Referring to Chief Minister Omar Abdullah's claim that he had no role in carrying out the execution, Mehbooba said the state government cannot be absolved of its responsibility in taking this crucial decision that can have long-term political implications on the state. — PTI
	PDP appeals for calm, says NC must share responsibility Tribune News Service Srinagar, February 9 The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) today expressed disappointment over the execution of Parliament attack accused Afzal Guru. The party urged people to maintain calm and said the ruling National Conference (NC) “must share the responsibility for this decision”. “The state government cannot be absolved of its responsibility in taking this crucial decision that can have long-term political implications on the state. The NC is part of the UPA and it must share the responsibility for this decision. We appeal for restraint as the people of the state have suffered too long and too much with the loss of life in 2010 only the latest which awaits closure,” the PDP said in a statement issued here. “We have learnt about the execution of Mohammad Afzal Guru with a sense of disappointment. We believe that whatever the requirements of legal process, there was a need for the government to take into consideration the overall political impact of this execution, which is why the option of mercy has been provided in our constitution,” the PDP statement said. “The PDP had made an appeal to the President of India in 2011 to grant clemency to Afzal Guru and convert his death sentence into life imprisonment. We feel that at a time when there is a need to step up measures to reduce the trust deficit between the state and rest of the country, the execution of Afzal Guru could produce results to the contrary. Our party is generally in favour of scrapping death penalty from the statute book and we reiterate that position once again,” it added.
	Omar’s ‘brainchild’ fails to break obsession of govt jobs among youth State should create jobs at regular intervals, say scholars Ravi Krishnan Khajuria Tribune News Service Jammu, February 9 Chief Minister Omar Abdullah’s brainchild - Sher-e-Kashmir Employment and Welfare Programme for Youth (SKEWPY) - has failed to break the craze for other government jobs among youth. The state had over 6 lakh unemployed youth at the end of 2011 and the count is on. With thousands of educated unemployed youth queuing up outside the office of the J&K Services Selection Board for 3,193 posts, Jammu University research scholars feel the state government should either come up with government jobs at regular intervals or better abrogate Article 370 to pave the way for entry of big corporate houses so as to bring the youth of the state on a par with their counterparts in other parts of the country. “Coming out with handful of government jobs after a long dry patch is nothing more than hoodwinking the unemployed youth,” said Mahesh Kaul, a Jammu University research scholar. “With hundreds of graduates passing out from colleges every year, these handful jobs serve no purpose. It doesn’t matter if the number of jobs is limited but the government should come out with them every year,” he said. He said if the government really wanted to create job opportunities for the youth of the state then it should create requisite infrastructure to attract big corporate houses. Kaul also dubbed the SKEWPY a political ploy of the National Conference-led government. “The SKEWPY has failed to deliver desired results and, therefore, the youth of the state still look for government jobs,” he said. On December 5, 2009, the Chief Minister had launched the SKEWPY to tackle the problem of unemployment but despite four years of National Conference-Congress combine in the office, things haven’t changed much. Suresh Magotra, an unemployed PhD holder from the University of Jammu, said “Since 2009 when Omar launched the scheme, the government has not released any data about the beneficiaries. It is nothing more than a joke with unemployed youth.”
	Amarnath yatra: Shrine Board clarifies issues related to tent, shop permission Tribune News Service Jammu, February 9 The Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB) today said all issues pertaining to the grant of permission for tents and shops for this year’s Amarnath yatra had been resolved in consultation with the Deputy Commissioners of Anantnag and Ganderbal districts. Reports had appeared in a section of the media regarding some people agitating against the SASB for having imposed certain conditions for granting permission for erecting tents and opening shops at various places for the yatra this year. Additional CEO of the SASB PP Singh referred to the report of the Special High Powered Committee constituted by the Supreme Court, wherein it has stated that the quality of tents made available to the yatris in many cases was not up to the mark. It has said a committee headed by the concerned Deputy Commissioner should in future grant permission for erecting tents only after verifying their quality. Accordingly, Anantnag Deputy Commissioner Farooq Ahmad Shah, who has considerable experience in the tourism sector, was requested to identify reasonably-priced tents of suitable quality which should be the benchmark for assessing the quality before issuing permission for pitching the tents. Shah identified a benchmark tent, which costs around Rs 18,000 and not Rs 35,000 as mentioned by some media reports. Singh further clarified that for the yatra 2013, a committee headed by the Deputy Commissioner concerned and not the Shrine Board shall grant permission for shops and tents. Further, the guidelines in this regard were framed in close consultation with the Deputy Commissioners of Ganderbal and Anantnag districts. No condition has been prescribed for people to buy new tents. If a person already has a tent, which matches the quality prescribed this year, the Inspection Committee will clear the tent while issuing permission. Only those persons having poor quality and torn tents would have to buy tents of specified quality. The Additional CEO said representatives and delegations of the Tent Owners Association had met the CEO and most of their issues regarding production of documents and date for filing of applications had been resolved. If they still have any grievance, they can contact the Deputy Commissioner concerned, who is the final authority for granting permissions and redress their grievances.
	After MFN status, Indo-Pak trade may cross $12 bn by 2015: Assocham Tribune News Service Jammu, February 9 Industry body Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry (Assocham) has said the bilateral trade between India and Pakistan might cross over $12 billion by 2015 if Pakistan accords India the most-favoured nation (MFN) status. It said exports of commodities like sugar and sugar confectionary, cotton, coffee, spices, tea, petroleum products, iron and steel, pharmaceuticals, petrochemicals, fertilisers, paints, automobiles, heavy industrial goods and others to Pakistan and import of fruits and vegetables, mineral fuels, organic and inorganic chemicals, woollen products from Pakistan together with mutual trade promotion initiatives between the two neighbours can help boost the bilateral trade by almost five times from $2.7 billion realised in 2010-11. It also stressed upon the need to spruce up the land transport infrastructure and develop alternate transit routes between India and Pakistan to contain the high trade and transit costs. “The two sides may focus on institutional agreements for developing transportation through sea routes, establishing the state-of-the-art integrated checkposts with quick customs clearance and commercial documentation procedure, and easing visa requirements,” said DS Rawat, national secretary-general of Assocham while releasing a study titled ‘The Potential of Indo-Pak Economic Engagement: A study with focus on post-MFN scenario,’ here yesterday. Rawant said they had also recommended establishing a Joint Business Council and a Joint Study Group to enable normalisation of trade between the two neighbours and dismantle trade and investment barriers. MFN status to India will also help legalise informal and illegal trade worth several millions of dollars through Indo-Pak border. Besides, both the countries should work to reduce bilateral trade costs by reducing tariff and non-tariff barriers and better trade.
	Netizens pray for peace across Valley Tribune News Service Jammu, February 9 Even as security agencies have been maintaining a close watch at social networking sites after the execution of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru today morning, netizens in the state have resorted to a ‘fierce encounter’ on the Internet to put forth their views on the hanging and its impact on the fragile peace in the Valley. Some Internet users have linked the decision of the Congress-led UPA government to execute Guru after 11 years of the Parliament attack with the upcoming general elections in the country, terming it a “politically-motivated” move. Given the sensitivity of the issue, most of the netizens have also prayed for restoration of peace and calm across the state. Apart from netizens, the ruling National Conference, which has come under fire from “radical” elements across the state, has made it clear that if any party leader appears on any channels, it may be taken as their individual point of view and not of the party. “It’s all about time & Politics! Kasab was hanged before the Gujurat elections and now Afzal Guru has been hanged before the 2014 elections. Cases, which were pending and rotting, have suddenly got afresh and decisions are coming quickly but unfortunately very late… Moral of the story: Elections are near !!!!!!,” wrote Sanjay Puri, Facebook user from Jammu. Zahoor Mattoo, a Facebook user, while reacting to Guru’s execution said: “Election 2014 and chronic anti-Muslim as well as anti-Kashmiri sentiment in Indian establishment killed Afzal Guru...!!!!” Jammu Dogra Sabha Chandigarh wrote on Facebook: “The wait has been a long one but finally justice has been done for family members of security personnel killed in the Parliament attack.” In another post Jammu Dogra Sabha Chandigarh said: “Afzal a scapegoat... damage control... could be hanged earlier... but home minister’s remarks on saffron terrorism and modi factor forced to take much demanded action... to keep themselves alive...” Facebook user Rohit Choudhary posted, “Hope & Pray for Peace in Jammu & Kashmir.” “Wife of #AfzalGuru should be allowed to perform last rites as per religion silently. It should be allowed to family, not public or media,” said a Twitter user.
	Honorarium to sarpanches under consideration: Rather Jammu, February 9 Granting honorarium to panchayat representatives in Jammu and Kashmir is under consideration of the state government, Minister for Finance and Ladakh Affairs, Abdul Rahim Rather said. Addressing a gathering at Sher-i-Kashmir Bhawan here, he said the state government had taken various initiatives to empower Panchayati Raj Institutions for playing a larger role in development at the grass-roots level. Rather sought larger public participation in decision making, saying the will of the people forms main plank of development strategy of the coalition government. He said assuaging urges of the people as per their aspirations is imperative in parliamentary democracy. Rather described the Chief Minister's initiative as historic, saying such interactive sessions provide opportunity to those in the government to frame up policies and programmes as per needs of the people besides having a feel of their problems. “We believe in accountability and transparency,” he said adding the people were ultimate judges to adjudge the performance of the government. He described the people as real fountainhead of power and said Sher-i-Kashmir Sheikh Mohammed Abdullah always believed in the supremacy of the people and this belief has been a guiding force for National Conference -a party of the people and for the people of Jammu and Kashmir. The Finance Minister stressed the need for continuing this initiative and added that this will enable the people and the party workers to have exhaustive, free and frank discussions on various issues. —PTI
	Kashmiris more susceptible to gastric cancer, says study Bismah Malik Tribune News Service Srinagar, February 9 The oncologists at the Regional Cancer Centre, Sher-e-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS ), say Kashmiris are more susceptible to gastric cancer as compared to people of other regions of the country possibly due to some of their habits such as smoking of ‘hukkah’ and consumption of pickled vegetables, smoked fish and spices. Owing to dietary habits, people in Kashmir are more vulnerable to gastro-intestinal tract (GIT) cancer, affecting food pipe, stomach, etc, than those from cities such as Mumbai, Delhi and Bhopal as per the National Cancer Registry Programme (NCRP) report. Of the 3,288 cancer cases which were registered at the Regional Cancer Centre in 2012, a majority of them were pertaining to GIT cancer. “We have received 500 cases of stomach cancer and 288 cases of food-pipe (esophagus) cancer in 2012. Definitely, there is a prevalence of gastric cancer here,” said Dr Rasheed Lone, additional professor at the centre. A cross-sectional study was conducted between January 1, 2009, and December 31, 2011, in which 8,648 patients were diagnosed with cancer. “Of them 5,174 were males and 3,474 were females. In both sexes combined, cancer of esophagus (a type of GIT cancer) was the most common. It was found in 1,221 (14.11%) patients (699 males and 522 females) with a median age of 63 years for males and 60 for females,” the study stated. The study observed that esophageal cancer was the most common type of cancer in females and was the second most common in males. This cancer has a very high incidence in the Kashmir valley, which is comparable to the Iranian cancer belt, it stated. Medicos have attributed unique dietary habits of Kashmiris for the medical condition. “This is probably because of the peculiar food habits of the people of Kashmir. Most Kashmiris take tea called “noon chai” (hot beverage boiled in samovar) both in morning and during supper and this has been said to be responsible for the high incidence of this carcinoma in the Valley. Besides, hukkah smoking may also be a causative factor, which is practised commonly by both males and females in rural Kashmir,” said Dr Lone. He said followed by GIT cancer, lung cancer and breast cancer were common in the Valley. “A lot of awareness programmes and screening camps should be organised to make even the non-risk group aware of the ill-effects of cancer. The Valley is equipped with all state-of-the-art facilities which can diagnose and treat the problem at an appropriate time and hence avoid major repercussions,” he said.
	Partial strike, peaceful protests in Doda, Kishtwar Batote, February 9 Shops and other business establishments remained closed in Doda, Kishtwar and Banihal areas of the Chenab valley region today following the news of Afzal Guru’s hanging. Amid heavy deployment of security personnel, peaceful protests were held by people and processions were taken out through various markets in the morning today. Protesters raised slogans in favour of Pakistan, azadi (freedom) and Afzal Guru and against India. In Bhaderwah, businessmen took part in protests. In Gool, Ramban and Batote, the situation remained normal. — OC
	Youth Cong demands honorarium for panches Tribune News Service Jammu, February 9 Youth Congress (YC) leader Nadeem Sharief Niaz has demanded a monthly honorarium of Rs 10,000 per month for panchayat members to restore their dignity. In a statement issued here today, Niaz said most of the panchayat members in the hilly areas of the state were not well off. He also demanded security for them. Niaz, who is the assembly president of the Youth Congress from Bhaderwah, was interacting with panchayat members from Bhallessa, Chiralla and Bhaderwah. Panchayat members highlighted the problems being faced by them.