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NC lashes out at Gen Singh, wants him to name ministers paid by Army
Present and ex-ministers issue statement
Coalition, opposition parties call for probe
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JKLF moves High Court over Army’s role in 2010 killings
Every year, Centre gives Army over Rs 40 cr for Operation Sadbhavana
CISF
jawan’s killing
356 recruits from J&K inducted into Army
MLAs to take up Vaishno Devi board issue in Assembly
Modi likely to visit Jammu in first week of December
Jammu
rape case
ASI restores six stupas at ancient Buddhist site in Akhnoor
State releases Rs 420 lakh for national nutrition scheme
Labourer killed by militants
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NC lashes out at Gen Singh, wants him to name ministers paid by Army
Jammu, September 24 The NC provincial president (Jammu region), Devender Singh Rana, made this statement while reacting to General Singh’s remarks about ministers in J&K being paid by the Army. “The former Army Chief must disclose the names of all ministers he was referring to so that action can be taken against those ministers. The NC has demanded a probe by a sitting judge of the SC so that the truth comes to the fore,” Rana told The Tribune. “General Singh is not the Army Chief. He is a former Army Chief who is now a political worker and is trying to enter politics… he is the biggest enemy of the country. “General Singh is not speaking in the interest of the nation. Now, when he has opened a Pandora’s box, he must disclose the names of ministers as well. If any minister from the NC is found taking money from the Army, he will be asked to resign or the Chief Minister will throw him out,” Rana said. “The former Army Chief is making statements in the media and then he talks of the national interest. He is not speaking in the national interest and if a case of sedition has to be filed against anybody, it should be filed against General Singh for this,” the NC provincial president said. Rana demanded that a probe should be initiated and General Singh’s role as Army Chief should also be
probed. |
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Present and ex-ministers issue statement
Srinagar, September 24 The joint statement was released by Nasir Aslam Wani, provincial president of the National Conference, here this evening. The statement has been signed by 15 ministers, including Abdul Rahim Rather, Mir Saifullah, Sakina Itto and Mohammad Akbar Lone. The former ministers include Nasir Aslam Wani, Qamar Ali Akhoon and Javed Ahmad Dar. Since the allegations were made against ministers, the joint statement was issued on the directions of Chief Minister Omar Abdullah. Replying to questions, Wani said the party had demanded a probe by a sitting judge of the Supreme Court or at least by the CBI into the allegations. This demand was made on Friday following media reports about the functioning of a secret Intelligence unit set up by General VK Singh, which was alleged to have used secret service funds to destabilise the Omar Abdullah-led government.
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Coalition, opposition parties call for probe
Srinagar, September 24 The mainstream political parties, including the ruling NC-Congress coalition and the opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP), today demanded a probe into the matter. Senior Congress leader and Minister for Medical Education, Sports and Youth Services, Taj Mohiuddin demanded a high-level probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into the details disclosed by General Singh. He said since the General had referred to the ministers in the past as well, all political parties should take adequate steps. The political parties (at present) should drop such ministers, if any,” Taj told mediapersons. “The sweeping remarks are defaming the political class in the state”, said Mehboob Beigh, senior National Conference leader and MP from Anantnag. Demanding a time-bound judicial probe by a sitting Judge of the Supreme Court, Beigh said the remarks were not good for the “political credibility” of the parties in the state. Both the Central and state governments must taken cognisance of the reports, he said. Chief spokesman of the PDP Naeem Akhtar said the remarks confirmed the “impression among the people in the state” that the problem in the state was because of the Central security agencies. He said the security and intelligence agencies were interfering in the democratic process in the state. Akhtar also referred to the alleged rigging in the 1987 Assembly elections with the help of Central security agencies to install Farooq Abdullah as Chief Minister. Again, the “tactical rigging” in the 2008 elections, particularly in Srinagar, was ensured to clear the way for Omar Abdullah to take over as Chief Minister, he added. Independent MLA and president of Awami Ittihaad Party (AIP) Sheikh Abdul Rashid described the General’ remarks as “serious and unfortunate”. Issue set to rock Assembly session
Jammu: Former Army Chief (retd) Gen VK Singh’s remarks are set to rock the Autumn Assembly session commencing from September 30. Opposition parties are particularly up against the Omar Abdullah-led government and have demanded a thorough probe into the matter so that the people come to know about the ministers who received ‘secret money’ from the Army. “When it comes to their (ministers) Assembly constituencies, they condemn the Army and demean its significant role which it played in the restoration of normalcy in the state. On the other hand, the same people get money from the Army which is reflective of their dubious role. We will raise the issue in the Assembly and demand a fair and thorough probe into the matter,” Harsh Dev Singh, Leader of Panthers Legislature Party, said. Harsh Dev said the government should disclose the names of ministers who had been receiving money from the Army and other security agencies. “How much money did they receive? Where was this money spent? What welfare measures had the ministers initiated from the money? All this needs to be investigated,” he said. Chaman Lal Gupta, former Union Defence Minister and MLA Jammu West, said, “When I was the Defence Minister, not even a single penny was paid to any minister in Jammu and Kashmir. We will bring an adjournment motion in the Assembly to seek a discussion on the issue so that the ministers, who received money for personal use, are punished.” Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, patron of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), in a statement issued a couple of days ago, had said the Army’s “intrusion” into the state politics was the “most embarrassing poster” of the democratic system and the exposure should lead to introspection at the highest level to sort out issues of empowerment of the democratic institutions of the state. His statement indicated that the PDP would raise the issue in the Legislative Assembly in the Autumn session. Ashok Khajuria, Leader of the BJP Legislature Party, said his party legislators would oppose the “malicious propaganda” unleashed by the ruling coalition partners - National Conference and Congress - to tarnish the Army’s image. “Both parties appear to have accepted their defeat in the next parliamentary as well as Assembly elections in the state. They have been resorting to cheap vote-bank politics. Any attempt of the National Conference in connivance with the Congress to tarnish the image of the Army would be opposed. The Army has done a commendable job under Operation Sadbhavana and they (NC and Congress) must bear it in mind while criticising the Army on irrelevant subjects,” Khajuria said. The former Army Chief, while talking to a national news channel, had said the Army had “paid” ministers in Jammu and Kashmir since Independence, and that everyone in the system, including the Defence Ministry, knew it well. He said the Army “transfers the money to ministers in Jammu and Kashmir because there are various things to be done, as part of the stabilising factor in Jammu and Kashmir, as part of the activities to be organised”. |
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JKLF moves High Court over Army’s role in 2010 killings
Srinagar, September 24 Chairman of the Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) Yasin Malik filed the petition, pleading that the government be directed to form a commission, headed by a retired judge of the Supreme Court or retired Chief Justice of the state High Court. The petition pleaded that the commission should comprehensively deal with “all aspects” of the events of 2010 and “all circumstances” in which 117 civilians were killed. “The investigation carried out allegedly by the local police is no investigation because as it now transpires the local police has not investigated events in the perspective as has become known now,” the petition stated. It also pleaded that the commission should report on the role, funding and expenditure of Technical Services Division (TSD), a secret Army unit, during the widespread protests in the Valley in 2010. The petition said it “appears that the massacre of the people” was an outcome of a “deep-rooted conspiracy”. “The discernible object appears to be to perpetuate killing of innocent people, continue the conflict and cover-up fake encounters by the Army like that of Machil (and) Pathribal,” it said. The petition further pleaded that the records of the now-disbanded secret unit be “seized forthwith” so that the evidence is preserved to know the role played by the TSD in Kashmir during the year of the unrest. The TSD has run into a controversy after media reports revealed that it funded a state Cabinet minister to “engineer a change of government” in Jammu and Kashmir. Former Army Chief General (retd) VK Singh yesterday told a news channel that the Army had been “funding” ministers in the state. Malik, who had earlier submitted a petition in 2011 to seek investigation into the civilian killings in 2010, said the state government’s investigations had not inquired into the role of the TSD. “It has, therefore, become necessary to order further investigations in all cases and book the guilty,” Malik said. The separatist leader pleaded before the court that his latest petition be treated as part of the 2011 petition. A “fake” gun battle in the remote Machil forest of north Kashmir in April 2010, in which the Army had claimed to have killed three foreign militants, who later turned out to be locals, had stoked anger in the region. More than a month later, in June 2010, the killing of a teenage boy in Srinagar’s old city triggered widespread protests, which spiralled leading to many deaths. “In order to know the truth and to unravel the conspiracy which showed its ugly face in 2010 when 117 boys were killed, it is necessary that the state actors are held responsible and brought to justice,” the petition said. |
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Every year, Centre gives Army over Rs 40 cr for Operation Sadbhavana
Jammu, September 24 Every financial year, the Centre provides the Army Rs 40 crore to Rs 50 crore to implement the programme in Jammu and Kashmir. “The Army does take the help of politicians for conducting welfare activities under Operation Sadbhavana but it doesn’t mean that the Army bribes them,” said an Army source. When militancy was at its peak in the state during 1990s and governance was poor, the Army, as a part of its strategy to check militancy and ensure development in far-flung areas, had launched Operation Sadbhavana in 1998. Since then the Army has been helping people of the state via various developmental and welfare projects, said sources. An officer divulged that during the 1990s separatists and sympathisers of militancy used to incite civilians against the Army. “With governance lacking on the one hand and civilians being incited against us, the Army decided to win their hearts and minds through Operation Sadbhavana,” he said. The Ministry of Defence sanctions the funds for welfare activities and every single penny is accounted for, the work is videographed, photographed and recorded in writing, he added. Another officer said the question of bribing ministers did not arise at all. “This year in August we helped 101 students from the erstwhile Doda region to secure admissions in Pacific University in Udaipur under Project Himayat and Project Udaan,” he said. “When the stakes were so high in this state for obvious reasons and where separatists keep the pot boiling, the Army comes in handy for easy bashing,” he rued. The officer said welfare activities of the Army in J&K were known to all and in fact the Ministry of Defence had asked us to go ahead with the Sadbhavana programme. “Operation Sadbhavana also helped us to check to a great extent the trend of youth falling into the trap of militants,” he said. Under Operation Sadbhavana, the Army performs offers facilities like educational tours for schoolchildren, women empowerment centres, infrastructure for the schools in far-flung areas, sports tourneys and construction of roads and bridges. |
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CISF
jawan’s killing
Srinagar, September 24 A Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) jawans was shot dead and another injured by militants when they had gone for shopping yesterday. The Hizb module, the police claimed, had in the past been involved in the killing of policemen in
Srinagar. “The initial investigation has revealed that the Hizbul module which operates in Sopore was involved in the killing of the CISF jawan in Srinagar. In June this year, two days ahead of the Prime Minister’s visit to the Valley, the same module shot dead two policemen near to the yesterday’s shootout site,” said a police officer. “In both incidents the militants shot dead security men from a point-blank range,” he said. Police sources said the Hizb’s Sopore module was a major concern for the security agencies, not only in north Kashmir but also in Srinagar. “The militants of the Hizbul from Sopore have not only been active in their area, but they have also been found responsible for many attacks on security men in Srinagar this year. These militants usually travel from Sopore to Srinagar and after carrying out the attack, they go back,” said a police officer. Recently, the police in north Kashmir had pasted posters of the seven members of the Hizbul module and offered government jobs and cash for information about them. The security agencies in Srinagar said apart from the Hizbul, Lashkar-e-Toiba’s module, headed by a foreign militant, Qasim, was also a ‘headache’ for them. “This LeT module from south Kashmir is keen to carry out attacks in Srinagar. This year, this module was responsible for the deadly attack on an Army convoy in Hyderpora, in which eight soldiers were killed,” said another police officer. The J&K Police recently arrested two Lashkar men who had provided logistics to the three militants who carried out the Hyderpora attack. |
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356 recruits from J&K inducted into Army
Srinagar, September 24 “Their passing-out parade was reviewed by Commandant, JAKLI Regimental
Centre, and was attended by over 2,000 parents and relatives of the soldiers along with a number of civil and military dignitaries,” the spokesman said. “The young soldiers of the regiment, hailing from all regions and religions of the state, took oath to serve the nation. Their ceremonial ardour and salute to the Tricolour and the playing of the national anthem inspired patriotic vigour in all those present,” he added. The Commandant congratulated the soldiers and impressed upon them to selflessly serve the nation. |
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MLAs to take up Vaishno Devi board issue in Assembly
Jammu, September 24 Addressing a joint press conference with other MLAs, former Union Minister and MLA from Jammu West Chaman Lal Gupta said it was a serious development and they would not remain mute spectators to such deceitful tactics of the state government. “We will not allow the state government to accomplish its nefarious design. We will take up the matter inside and outside the Assembly to mobilise public opinion,” said Baldev Raj Sharma, MLA Reasi. Sharma said the SMVDSB was doing a great job and it was only after its formation that the number of the pilgrims had increased manifold. “We will oppose any move of the state government to subvert the SMVDSB,” he said. He added there was resentment among people against such misdeeds of the state government. The Tribune, in its September 23 edition, reported that the Jammu and Kashmir Government was apparently seeking to subvert the SMVDSB, allegedly under the pressure of political groups. Replying to a question, Chaman Lal Gupta alleged that the state government was trying to create a hurdle in releasing cash assistance in favour of the victims of Kishtwar riots. He said seven MLAs had announced to give Rs 10 lakh each from their constituency development fund to the affected traders. “This is delaying tactics on the part of the state government,” he alleged. |
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Modi likely to visit Jammu in first week of December
Jammu, September 24 According to the sources, the state unit has been told to convince other political parties, particularly the Jammu and Kashmir National Panthers Party (JKNPP), not to field their candidates on the Jammu-Poonch and Udhampur-Doda Lok Sabha seats, to ensure the defeat of the rival Congress. During a meeting of the core group of the party in Chandigarh, a detailed discussion was held on each and every constituency of the northern region, the sources said. The BJP leaders from Jammu and Kashmir had reportedly informed the high command that it had lost the Udhampur-Doda Lok Sabha seat due to the division of votes. BJP’s Nirmal Singh had lost the Udhampur-Doda Lok Sabha seat by a margin of over 13,000 votes to Congress’ Choudhary Lal Singh. The JKNPP patriarch, Bhim Singh, had managed over 70,000 votes. ? “This time the party has decided to take every possible step to avoid the division of opposition votes. So we will try to rope in all likeminded parties,” a senior BJP leader said on the condition of anonymity. He added that BJP will particularly concentrate on the Panthers Party, to ensure victory of its party candidate from the Udhampur-Doda Lok Sabha seat. The state unit has also been told to ensure that all like-minded groups support the BJP candidate on other seats as well. Sources said BJP national president, Rajnath Singh, while discussing the present situation of the party in Jammu region sought detailed reports about strengthening of teams at the booth level. “Rajnath Singh himself got booth-level detail from state team and asked them to fulfil the deficit as soon as possible,” the source said. “Local leaders were asked to prepare panels of potential candidates so as to finalise party nominees in time. In every parliamentary constituency one convention of booth-level workers would be held and same would be addressed by at least one national leader,” he added. Sources, meanwhile, said the Jammu visit of BJP’s Prime Ministerial candidate Narendra Modi has almost been finalised and he is likely to visit the state during the first week of December to formally kick-start the campaign for the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections. “Earlier, the state unit of the BJP had given a proposal to the high command to organise a rally of Narendra Modi at Jammu on October 26, on theoccasion of the Accession Day. However, the proposal was rejected by the party high command,” the source said. |
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Jammu
rape case
Jammu, September 24 Treating a letter written by advocate Suraj Singh, who has sought monitoring of investigations into the case, as public interest litigation (PIL), a Division Bench of the High Court comprising Justice Virender Singh and Justice Ali Mohammad Magrey gave these directions. The Division Bench also directed the Deputy Commissioner, Jammu, to file an affidavit indicating the action taken against the management of the Rotary Inner Wheels Home. The Division Bench arrayed Chief Secretary, J&K State, Commissioner/Secretary to Government Social Welfare Department, Inspector General of Police, Jammu Zone, Deputy Commissioner, Jammu, Director, Social Welfare, Jammu, SSP, Jammu, and president, Rotary Inner Wheels as respondents and directed to serve a notice on the president, Rotary Inner Wheels, returnable within two weeks. The Division Bench also directed the SSP to file the complete status report of the investigation so far carried out and also submit future course of action adopted for the investigation. Advocate SS Ahmed drew the attention of the court, wherein, the petitioner sought the enlargement of the scope of the petition. He further pointed out: “The victims of the case are still lodged in the same house under the same management and they are required to be shifted or the management of the house should be taken over by the Social Welfare Department.” Division Bench asked Senior AAG Gagan Basotra to have instructions from the functionaries concerned so that effective directions can be issued on the next date of hearing. |
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ASI restores six stupas at ancient Buddhist site in Akhnoor
Jammu, September 24 “The ASI has restored six stupas to their original form and the preservation of four more stupas, including two big ones, will be taken up shortly,” said an ASI official. The restoration work was taken up last year. The visit of Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama in November 2011 put the site on the international map of pilgrimage tourism and last week at least 250 Buddhist pilgrims from foreign countries visited the place, the official said. Earlier, Buddhist pilgrims visited the ancient site in winter. But after the Dalai Lama’s visit, the frequency of pilgrim visits has certainly increased, he added. Congress MP Madan Lal Sharma and his brother Sham Lal Sharma, PHE minister in the ruling NC-Congress alliance in the state, had recently invited research scholars from various universities in the country and abroad with an aim to spreading awareness about the site. The state government has asked the Revenue Department to finish the necessary paper work to pave the way for excavation work to learn more about the site. The ASI experts believe that the site could run up to the old Akhnoor bridge over the Chenab. A three-layered casket set of copper, silver and gold containing bone relics
and ornaments is one of the major excavations from the site. The site is known for its terracotta figures that include Buddha heads of various sizes and ornately dressed male and female statues, with influences of the Greco-Buddhist and Gandhara schools of art. Buddhist monasteries in the state date as far back as the Gupta period and can be traced from the copper coins of 500 AD.
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State releases Rs 420 lakh for national nutrition scheme
Jammu, September 24 Sources said the government had directed that the funds will be used as per the approved work plan 2013-14 approved by the Department of Agriculture Production. The head of the Departments (Animal/Sheep Husbandry) have been instructed to ensure that project-wise accounts will be maintained and are subject to normal process of statutory audit. “For training, awareness camps, demonstration, publicity, the HoDs shall use the funds out of availability under support to the state extension programmes for extension reforms. The HoDs shall also ensure that there shall be no over lapping or duplication in the adoption of the scheme or incurring of expenditure from any other scheme of the state or Centre. An inventory of the assets created under the projects should be carefully maintained and preserved and assets that are no longer required shall be transferred to the nodal department for its use and re-deployment wherever possible,” a statement claimed. Sources said the drawing and disbursing officers had been directed to ensure that funds released will be used prudently and judiciously and in no case they should book the expenditure for the sake of spending. It states that recurring expenditures like engagement of manpower on contractual basis, hiring of vehicles, TA/DA and other consummate items would not be incurred out of the RKVY funds. Instructions have also been issued to the HoDs to furnish physical and financial progress report to the administrative department for its submission to the agriculture production department and the Centre on a monthly or quarterly basis without fail. “The release of funds shall not be taken as final authority of utilisation and the HoD should satisfy himself/herself about the techno-economic viability of the scheme/components to ensure optimum utilisation of funds. The HoD is required to furnish utilisation certificate along with the physical and financial progress reports,” the statement
added. |
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Labourer killed by militants
Srinagar, September 24 The police said the militants shot dead Muhammed Iqbal Khan, 22, outside his house in Cherihar Bomai in Sopore around 9 pm. “Two AK rifle-yielding militants barged into Iqbal’s home and shot him dead. His background is being verified,” the
police said. |
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