|
|
|
|
|
To avoid repeat of 2010 unrest, police cracks down on protesters
Protesters throw stones towards CRPF men during a protest in Srinagar. A file photo
on the frontline
Soon, health advice just a phone call away
Lawyers hail appointment of five HC judges
|
|
|
Increase retirement age of medical faculty: Azad to CM
J-K can’t be eternally governed by black laws, says Mufti
Pandits slam unnecessary weightage given to ‘threat’
After US retreats from Afghanistan in 2014, jihadis may ‘eye Kashmir’
Pak-returned Malik put under house arrest on arrival in Srinagar
JKLF chairman Yasin Malik talks to mediapersons after his return from Pakistan, in Srinagar on Sunday. Tribune photo: Amin War
Minister rules out quota for OBCs
|
|
To avoid repeat of 2010 unrest, police cracks down on protesters
Srinagar, March 10 Since March 1, sources said, over 500 protests and stone-throwing incidents were reported from all 10 districts of the Valley. The highest number of protests and stone-throwing incidents — over 150 — were reported from Srinagar district followed by Baramulla. The stone-throwing in the past 10 days was even reported from areas of the Valley which had remained largely peaceful during
the peak of street protests in 2010. The sources said over hundred protesters had been detained in various parts of the Valley this month. The arrests have been made from various localities of Srinagar, Baramulla, Sopore, Pulwama, Kupwara, Budgam and Anatnag. “Those detained include those who had either the history of being involved in stone-throwing incidents or were involved in stone-throwing in the past 10 days,” said a police officer. “A few of the arrested have been remanded in police custody by the court,” he added. The sources said while most of them were picked up during the night raids jointly conducted by the police and paramilitary forces, a few were summoned to the police stations where they were detained. Reports from various parts of the Valley reveal that some youths have gone into hiding as the police crackdown has created a panic among locals. A senior police officer in Srinagar said those who take law in their hands would be booked. “I cannot reveal the exact number, but yes we have detained many. Those detained include some stone-throwers who were also involved in extortion cases,” he said. “The crackdown on the stone-throwers will go on,” he added. |
||
|
on the frontline
After a heartening tourist season, it’s back to the politics of emotions in Kashmir. The Valley hosted 2 million tourists and pilgrims in 2012, and today it’s not sure how it will make up for the losses of the first quarter of 2013.
It is not a question of tourism alone, there are other sectors, too, crying for immediate attention. But the timing of peaking emotions has to be seen in perspective. Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, groomed in the politics of emotions as grandson of Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah, had a sense of the ground reality too when he cried in rage tinged with sadness: “How can I talk of schools and development when my own people are being killed like this?” That was on Tuesday (March 5) evening, when he was scheduled to reply to the motion of thanks on the Governor’s Address. The killing of a youth, Tahir Sofi, allegedly in Army firing in Baramulla in north Kashmir had turned the mood. There is always a price for emotional politics, which Kashmir is paying right now. Curfews and shutdowns have returned after two and a half years. Uncertainty in daily life is a natural consequence. Emotions started running high after the execution of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru in Delhi’s Tihar Jail on February 9; there is no telling when tempers may cool again. Kashmir is in a mood to protest. That is a palpable fact, but at the same time it yearns for a life as in “normal times”. Education has suffered, examinations have been postponed, the reopening of colleges has been delayed despite improvement in weather, and daily-wage earners fear a return of the dark days of 2010, when the Valley was defined by curfews, bandhs, stone-pelting and firing. The government and security forces were then clueless on how to restore peace. “Justice has to be done and justice will be done; and I will go to any length to get justice for the family of the youth.” With these words, Omar demonstrated his determination to bring a halt to killings of the kind. Some trusted him, others did not. The opposition Peoples Democratic Party mocked his “helplessness”. In a move aimed at adding to his discomfiture, Muzaffar H. Baig, a former Deputy Chief Minister, submitted his resignation from the Legislative Council to Speaker Mubarak Gul, “to be accepted only if the Chief Minister resigned from his post.” Omar was in no mood to resign. That he had made very clear through his favourite medium of Twitter, dismissing any rumours in that regard. At the end of the day, the storm was over in the Assembly, but it was only gathering momentum in the Valley. Will he be able to blow away the dark clouds in 2013? No one is sure in a state where politics is divisive, and emotions drive the political classes. Omar has to rediscover himself as the Chief Minister he promised to be in 2009, when he took over the reins with a commitment to change the landscape of Jammu and Kashmir, which royal scion and legislator of his own party Ajat Shatru Singh is demanding back “if this government cannot protect it”.
|
||
|
Soon, health advice just a phone call away
Srinagar, March 10 The toll-free helpline, which would be set up in Srinagar and Jammu, is aimed at addressing the woes of not only the residents, but also the employees who work in far-off places. “We are almost ready to start the helpline and the residents of the state can seek health advice and information about various schemes over the phone,” Mission Director, NRHM (J&K), Yashpal Sharma told The Tribune. “We will have a proper mechanism at helpline centres and all the complaints would be addressed in a time-bound manner and the complainants too would be informed,” said Sharma. The helpline, the Mission Director said, would go a long way in providing a mode to contact top officials of the Health Department for seeking any assistance. “The health helpline, once functional, would be made public,” Sharma added. The official said people could call on the helpline number during office hours on any working day. The caller can register any kind of complaint regarding health services. “Later, we can operate the helpline number round the clock, but initially the number will operate from 9 am to 9 pm in Kashmir and 8 am to 8 pm in Jammu,” he said. Sharma said the helpline number would also help the employees to register any complaints. “We have 12,000 Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHA), who are working in far-off places. We have 5,500 male employees and it is difficult for each of them to meet officers to get their problems solved. So the helpline number would also be made available to all the employees for registering any sort of complaint,” he added. The NRHM aims at inclusive health and improved access to quality health care for people residing in rural areas. Health reforms *
Under the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM), the state is focusing on empowerment of people through effective mechanism of Rogi Kalyan Samities, decentralised planning and implementation, strengthening of physical infrastructure and ensuring fully functional facilities on the doorstep of the people despite odds of topography and situation constraints *
The helpline can be used to lodge complaints against unauthorised absence of doctors, paramedics from health institutions, non-availability of drugs and poor sanitation |
||
|
Lawyers hail appointment of five HC judges
Srinagar, March 10 The five judges were sworn in and administered oath of office by Chief Justice of the Jammu and Kashmir High Court Justice MM Kumar during a function at Jammu on Friday, which has raised the existing strength of judges at the high court to 12. The sanctioned strength of the judges at the high court is 14. “It is a welcome and good sign that these judges have been appointed. We hope that the lawyers will get a chance to be heard properly. Earlier, cases would take months to get listed due to the shortage of judges,” said Kashmir High Court Bar Association general secretary M Ashraf Bhat. The five judges who were sworn in are Justices Ali Muhammad Magray, Dheeraj Singh Thakur, Tashi Rabstan, Bansi Lal Bhat and Janak Raj Kotwal. Terming the appointment of five judges a “welcome step”, senior high court lawyer Zaffar Shah said they (lawyers) expected reduction in the pendency of cases and delivery of speedy justice. “We expect that the newly sworn in judges will be able to do justice. We hope that they will be able to bring in their experience in the administration of justice,” Shah said. Asked how he viewed the appointment of the five judges, Kashmir Bar president Zaffar Qureshi said, “As far as reducing the backlog of cases is concerned, it depends upon how they work. Definitely it is going to reduce the backlog of cases,” Qureshi said. Over 2.7 lakh cases were reportedly pending in various courts across the state. More than 80,000 cases were pending in both wings of the high court in Srinagar and Jammu till May, 2012. Lawyers in Kashmir, however, feel that the Kashmir Bar has not been given proper representation. “Six names were recommended for appointment as judges. Though five names were selected, one from the Kashmir Bar quota was dropped, which the High Court Bar Association terms as unfortunate,” said advocate Ashraf Bhat. “It is natural for the lawyers here to expect more representation for the Kashmir Bar. Two posts are still vacant. They must choose people from the Bar quota in Kashmir to fill the vacancies,” said Zaffar Shah. As regards giving representation to the Kashmir Bar quota in the new panel of judges, he said, “It is the prerogative of the high court and the Central government to appoint judges. We as bar cannot comment on it,” he said. |
||
|
Increase retirement age of medical faculty: Azad to CM
Jammu, March 10 Azad was addressing a function after laying the foundation stone of a private medical college at Jammu. Chief Minister Omar Abdullah was also present at the function. The Union Health Minister pointed out the lack of infrastructure in medical colleges of the state. “I request Omar Abdullah... I have written to every Chief Minister and almost 60 per cent of the Chief Ministers have increased the age limit, but in J&K it is still 58 years,” Azad said. Most of the medical colleges fail to get recognition from the Medical Council of India (MCI) because of lack of faculty, he said, adding that the state needed to take measures in this regard. “There has been no improvement in the faculty. The four medical colleges which are present in our state are purely running because of intercession, otherwise all four will be rejected (by the MCI),” he said. Azad said various restrictions were removed and provisions made soft for private players to invest in the medical education sector and expand the modern health facility all across the country. Sixty per cent of the medical institutes were set up by the private sector in India and most of them were in Maharashtra and southern states. “We are trying and facilitating the growth of these institutions in other states like Jammu and Kashmir, UP, Bihar and Odisha”, he said. Omar, while speaking at the function, said a proposal to increase the retirement age was being discussed. He, however, pointed out that the move might have a negative impact on other sections of the state administration. “A proposal in this regard is before the Cabinet but we don't want to take any decision in haste,” Omar said. The Chief Minister said his government had flagged the health sector as one of the most important concerns in the state’s development policy. Stress had been laid on improving the healthcare facility in rural and far-flung areas by strengthening health institutions and creating the required infrastructure. |
||
|
J-K can’t be eternally governed by black laws, says Mufti
Reiterating his party’s stand on the revocation of the special law, party patron Mufti Mohammad Sayeed today said, “The very claim of our country to a democratic system suffers a blow when the people of the entire state are denied fundamental rights on the pretext of security.” Mufti said he had been advocating the revocation of the AFSPA since 2007 when Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had on his suggestion appointed a high-powered committee to examine the issue. He said allowing the law to operate in changed circumstances when militancy had reduced and people were participating in democratic processes was a hurdle in complete normalcy and a setback to the peace process. “Jammu and Kashmir cannot be eternally governed by black laws if the region has to come out of its painful history of discord and destabilisation” Mufti said. Mufti said while it was undeniable that the Kashmir issue had to be resolved amicably to achieve lasting peace, the reversal of that process after the present government took over was partly the result of oppression and mis-governance inflicted on people. He said the level of disaffection among the people only rose during the last four years and the arrogant attitude of the government added fuel to the fires caused by a series of atrocities committed by its forces. Terming the latest suggestion of using the Army for controlling unrest among people as a serious setback to the process of normalisation, Mufti said any civilian government which resorts to it was not worth the representative character it claimed. “Can there be a more profound evidence of a government’s failure?” he asked. The claim of such a government to try to lift the AFSPA is no more than another hollow slogan of the National Conference which has lived off such gimmicks for most part of their history, he added. Mufti said it was unfortunate that this government had lost its way on all fronts, including governance, development and people’s security. “The government is trying to terrorise people into silence and in attempting that all norms of decency have been violated,” he said. Mufti said hundreds of youth had been framed in false cases and a fresh wave of arrests had seen hundreds more in jails. He said there were reports that parents were being arrested and tortured to ensure ‘good conduct of their sons’. Mufti said all strong-arm tactics had only short-term impact. By capitulating on major issues, the state government has failed to safeguard the interests and dignity of the state and it has reduced itself to a scavenging job. The Centre cannot escape from its primary duty towards the people of the state, he said. He said unless the democratic aspirations of the people which they repeatedly expressed since 2002 were reciprocated in an ample measure, Kashmir would continue to simmer and suffer. |
||
|
Rajya Sabha
Srinagar, March 10 “We strongly react to the reply in which an insensitive approach was shown by Minister of State for Home R PN Singh while replying a question in the Rajya Sabha with respect to the threats, if any, to Kashmiri Pandits living in the Valley. As the case is more than six months old, we are surprised why this question was raised and replied so immaturely at this time, when the entire Kashmir is on the boil due to political failures at different levels,” Kashmiri Pandit Sangarsh Samiti (KPSS) president Sanjay Tickoo said in a statement issued here. Stating that “unnecessary weightage” had been given to “dead news”, he said making the issue “alive” again would “make the situation more chaotic at the ground level”. A reply in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday had stated that Kashmiri Pandits in Kashmir had received a letter threatening them to leave the Valley within a week. However, Tickoo said the threatening letter had been received in the name of the Secretary, Pandit Colony, Sheikhpora in central Kashmir’s Budgam district in August last year. Stating that a FIR had already been lodged and the matter was under investigation, the KPSS questioned why “eyebrows of the Central Government have been raised during the current chaos”. He claimed that the matter had already been “dealt with seriousness at the ground level” and as per the news reports published at that time, the police had dismissed the letter as mischief by some people and also called it a prank. As normal life in the Valley has remained disrupted over the past few days due to shutdowns and restrictions, Tickoo said raising the “dead issue” now would “put fuel in the turmoil to make it grimmer for the people of Kashmir, especially the minorities”. |
||
|
After US retreats from Afghanistan in 2014, jihadis may ‘eye Kashmir’
Srinagar, March 10 “It won’t be difficult to guess that after 2014 when the US retreats from the region in shame, a large number of Mujahideen involved in ‘jihad’ (in Afghanistan) will start looking for a new mission. Who will, due to affections and faith, choose the land of Kashmir,” Mawiya, one of Pakistan’s most wanted militant commanders, warns as he hints towards a major escalation of the theatre of war. Since 9/11 attack on the United States, militancy in Kashmir has gradually slowed down and has reached its lowest ebb since it began two decades ago as most of the foreign militants shifted their focus away from Kashmir to Afghanistan. With the Afghanistan war winding down after more than a decade of conflict and the US announcing plans to complete its troop withdrawal from the country in 2014, the Army Generals in India have warned of its impact on Kashmir. Their assessment has been attested by the moderate separatist faction who on their return from Pakistan recently warned of a “spillover” from Afghanistan once the US army withdrew. The first warning came in 2011 when the Commander of Army’s Srinagar-based 15 Corps said the turbulence in Afghanistan and Pakistan would have an impact on the situation in Jammu and Kashmir. In 2012, the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Northern Command said it was “quite likely” that some militants operating in the Af-Pak region could be diverted to Kashmir. Lt Gen (retired) B S Jaswal, who from October 2009 to December 2010 was the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief (GOC-in-C) of the Northern Command, however, says it is “unlikely as of now” that the Al-Qaida will diversify its operations to Kashmir. “There were a lot of reports starting from the late 1990s that the Al-Qaida may come in, but no Al-Qaida came in, because it had its own focus at other places,” the retired Army commander, with wide operational experience in Kashmir, told The Tribune. He says once the US military withdraws from Afghanistan, militant groups will work to establish themselves there. “The Al-Qaida has got a greater stake there. So to say it will be able to diversify from there to India is unlikely as of now. But I don’t deny the possibility of some groups or terrorist groups being directly trained by Al-Qaida groups to operate,” he said. In the last few months, the Al-Qaida and its affiliate groups have taken a permanent line of rhetoric wherein they have denounced the United Nations and sharply criticised the Pakistan government and its intelligence agency for launching a “registered jihad” in Kashmir. The new dynamics in the militant discourse began to emerge immediately after the November last year statement issued by Al-Qaida chief Ayman al-Zawahiri which had called for the formation of an alliance for “liberation” of “occupied Muslim lands”, which had specifically mentioned Kashmir. Lt General Jaswal, however, says the key lies with Pakistan. “The whole situation will also depend on what is role Pakistan is going to play vis-à-vis terrorism being sponsored in Kashmir,” he said while further suggesting that the US pressure on Pakistan could make a difference. (Concluded)
|
||
|
J-K expecting record tourist footfalls this year
New Delhi, March 10 Ready with the first-ever tourist guide and sectoral maps for all major tourist spots in the state, Tourism Minister Ghulam Ahmed Mir told The Tribune during a visit to New Delhi that the state would witness record-breaking arrivals this year and trends until March were heartening. “The trend so far has been impressive. Now is the time when domestic tourists from Maharashtra and Gujarat will start pouring in. At this rate we will hopefully break the record of the past year,” Mir said. He was here to launch the new J&K tourism guide book and map prepared by the state with the help of the Ministry of Tourism. The total tourist arrivals in Kashmir shot up from 7.36 lakh in 2010 to 13.11 lakh in 2012. Corresponding domestic arrivals for these two years were 7.1 lakh and 12.7 lakh, respectively, indicating that the major contributing factor to the revival of the tourism in the state was the return of the local tourists. Foreign arrivals to the Valley comparatively surged from 25,984 in 2010 to 37,166 in 2012, Mir said. “The reason why we decided to launch the guide book and the map was to attract more domestic tourists. A common refrain of the people coming to J&K has been the lack of guidance on which places to visit and where to go. We wanted to show the world that Gulmarg and Pahalgam were not the only stars on the sky of J&K tourism. The books, which we commissioned to professional bodies, fill a huge information gap,” Mir said. The state government also launched a special pen drive which has the entire tourism information on the state. The tourist arrivals in Ladakh have also been extremely impressive in the past three years, going up from 77,800 in 2010 to 1.78 lakh in 2012. Asked what was the biggest contributor to the revival of the sector from which 30 per cent people earn their livelihoods, Mir said it was the sense of security and peace which people now experienced when coming to Kashmir. “The security situation in the state has improved and people feel comfortable here. Bollywood has also helped generate interest. Bollywood actors such as Shahrukh Khan, Ranbir Kapoor to Katrina Kaif are now shooting in the Valley,” he said.
|
||
|
Pak-returned Malik put under house arrest on arrival in Srinagar
Srinagar, March 10 Yasin termed the controversy surrounding his hunger strike in Pakistan a “media trail and war”, which he claimed was aimed at diverting the attention from the happenings in Kashmir in the wake of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru’s hanging. Malik had landed in controversy after staging a hunger strike in Islamabad against Afzal’s hanging. He was seen sharing the dais with JuD Chief Hafiz Saeed during the protest. Saeed is wanted in India in connection with the Mumbai terror attacks. “In the wake of Afzal Guru’s hanging, when the whole Kashmir was undergoing tremendous sufferings, atrocity and curfew was imposed, a media trail and war was started against me as a diversionary tactic to divert the attention from Kashmir,” he said. “I want to repeat it again that hunger strike means putting oneself through pain and you aim to register your protests through this,” Malik said. There had been calls in India for revoking Malik’s passport and it was apprehended that the authorities may arrest him on his arrival in New Delhi. “As soon as I arrived at the Srinagar airport, the police arrested me and I am still in their custody,” Malik told mediapersons outside his Maisuma residence in Srinagar today afternoon. |
||
|
Minister rules out quota for OBCs
Jammu, March 10 The OBCs all over the country get 27 per cent reservation as per the Mandal Commission recommendations but in Jammu and Kashmir only 2 per cent reservation is being granted to them. In a written reply to a question of Raipur-Domana MLA Bharat Bhushan, Minister for Social Welfare Sakina Itoo said 27 per cent reservation was recommended by the Mandal Commission for the OBCs in the country but she ruled out implementing the same in the state. “At present, no such proposal is under consideration of the state government. The reservation in all has to be less than 50 per cent as per the directions of the Supreme Court,” she said. Congress leaders in the state have been claiming that with the constitution of the advisory board for the OBCs, the party has taken its first step towards the solution of problems of the community in the state. |
|
| HOME PAGE | |
Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir |
Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs |
Nation | Opinions | | Business | Sports | World | Letters | Chandigarh | Ludhiana | Delhi | | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | E-mail | |
The state police has been detaining alleged stone-throwers across the Valley in a bid to ensure that the 2010-like situation does not recur this summer.
Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front chairman Yasin Malik, who returned to India from Pakistan on Saturday evening, was today detained by the police soon after his arrival at the Srinagar airport and was put under house arrest.
