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After talking tough, Omar now says war no solution
To escape shelling, border residents turn to trenches
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Pak shelling forces fasting women to stay indoors
Flying mortars cast shadow on girl’s marriage
Pak army assisting Rangers, says BSF
HC bans construction along Sindh in Ganderbal
Coordination Committee meeting
Gool killings: Two brothers arrested for instigating violence
Army indicted for Baramulla firing
5 families trying to exfiltrate to PoK arrested
Factionalism takes ugly turn in Youth Cong
Cabinet orders transfers
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After talking tough, Omar now says war no solution
Srinagar, September 23 “No one in Jammu and Kashmir or in the country is in favour of war as wars are no solution to any issue.... The shelling by Pakistan on villages in Jammu and other areas has made me seriously concerned about the life of people living in frontier areas," Omar said addressing a public meeting near the LoC here. Reiterating his advocacy for peace and tranquillity between India and Pakistan, Omar said wars had never solved any issue and they only brought destruction and miseries. He, however, said friendships required equal response from both sides. “Friendship is like clapping which needs two hands to perform. If one side extends the hand of friendship, the other side also needs to reciprocate,” he said while expressing concern over Pakistani shelling at the LoC and the internationaI border. The Chief Minister was addressing a public meeting at Tangdhar, close to the LoC in the Karnah area of Kupwara district in north Kashmir. Omar hoped that normalcy would return to the troubled areas along the borders and leaders of India and Pakistan would talk to each other to settle all outstanding issues in an amicable and peaceful manner. Omar had on Monday warned Pakistan about the ceasefire violations along the borders and asked the Centre to firmly take up the issue with Pakistan. In his address today, the Chief Minister said the shelling on villages in the Jammu region and other areas was a matter of concern, as it endangered the lives and property of the people in these areas. He said he would continue to urge the Central Government to take up the matter “with Pakistan and resolve the issue so that peace rules the roost on borders and on the Line of Control.” This, he said, was in the best interest of the people of the state, particularly those residing in the frontier areas of Jammu, Kashmir and Kargil. The chairman of the hardline faction of the Hurriyat Confernce, Syed Ali Geelani, had on Tuesday criticised the Chief Minister for asking the Central government to take action against Pakistan over the ceasefire violations. Geelani pointed out that the Chief Minister was speaking in such terms “only to appease” the Central government. (Inputs from
PTI) CM takes U-turn
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To escape shelling, border residents turn to trenches
Pindi Charakan
Kalan, October 23 “During the October 21-22 night, Pakistan Rangers fired mortars on our village which has a BSF post. Last night, they fired over 100 shells. So, we thought of cleaning up the cellar in our house,” said 58-year-old Sham Singh, a farmer of Pindi Charakan Kalan village. “In Pindi Charakan Kalan, which is along the Zero Line, you never know when the situation will turn ugly. It is always better to remain in a state of preparedness. Our village has a BSF post (200 Battalion) right in the middle and that is why the Rangers target us,” he said. Singh said he had seen such shelling in the 1965, 1971 and 1999 conflicts. Almost every house in the village had constructed either a cellar or a trench to protect its members from shelling. The village has nearly 700 households. Sarwan Singh, another farmer of the village, said families were sending aged men, women and children to their relatives’ houses at safer places. “Cellars and trenches certainly protect us during intense shelling,” he said. Kura Ram, another resident of the village, said a villager, Mohan Lal, who had started digging to have an underground water reservoir in his house, has now converted the pit into a cellar for his family. Kamla Devi, whose husband Krishan Lal was injured in a mortar explosion outside his shop around 6.30 am today, said cellars and trenches do provide a cover during intense shelling, but it was high time the government provided border residents five-marla plots in safer zones to take refuge in difficult times. |
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Pak shelling forces fasting women to stay indoors
Pindi Charakan
Kalan, October 23 “Yesterday, it was all quiet till the evening. We were waiting for the moon to appear, when all of a sudden firing started. We thought that it would subside after some time, but we were wrong. Soon, guns started booming from both the sides and it appeared to be a war-like situation,” said 50-year old Beaso
Devi. Panicked by the heavy volume of fire, none of the villagers moved out of their house to see the moon and the women had to eventually end their fast without getting a sight of it. “In such a situation, no one had the courage to get to the roof-top to see the moon,” Beaso added. “We just remembered the moon God in our memory before breaking the fast…we had no other option,” said Krishni
Devi. “You can call it sheer luck or grace of the God that entire village didn’t suffer any casualty in last night’s assault, except a minor injury to one Krishan Lal this morning, when a mortar exploded outside his shop,” she
said. Sunita Kumari, meanwhile, was furious over shelling from across the border. “Can’t they live in peace and let their neighbours live in peace?” she asked. |
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Flying mortars cast shadow on girl’s marriage
Pindi Charakan
Kalan, October 23 Deepo Rani, who has to marry off her 19-year-old daughter, Pammi
Devi, on October 29, is worried because of the intense Pak shelling for the past two nights. The woman, who works as a domestic help in the village after her husband, is now at wits end and doesn’t know what to do if Pakistan continues the act. With just a marginal landholding at her disposal, Deepo works in the village while her 16-year-old son Sunny Kumar works as a labourer to eke out a living for the family of three. “From my petty savings, I had made arrangements for my daughter’s wedding. The ‘barat’ has to come on October 29 from Karan Bagh in the Chatha area of Jammu. Though they have not backtracked, but if Pakistan continues shelling like this, then how will we conduct the ceremony?” said the distraught woman. “Our village is on the Zero Line. Even a single mortar on the day of the wedding can turn celebrations into a tragedy. I lost my husband at a young age. I may not withstand another nightmare,” she said, with tears welling up in her eyes. She said that it would be kind on the part of the district administration or the local MLA to provide an alternate space, may be a community hall or a school at a safe place, away from the firing range of the
Pak Rangers on October 29 to solemnise her daughter’s marriage. Village sarpanch Rajinder Singh said the entire village was with the
family and would do everything possible for a hassle-free ceremony. Local MLA Ashwani Kumar Sharma from the Bishnah constituency assured a helping hand to the family. In distress From my petty savings, I had made arrangements for my daughter’s wedding. The ‘barat’ has to come on October 29 from Karan Bagh in the Chatha area of Jammu. Though they have not backtracked, but if Pakistan continues shelling like this, then how will we conduct the ceremony — Deepo Rani |
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Pak army assisting Rangers, says BSF
Jammu, October 23 The Tribune on October 20 had carried a report on how the Rangers were being clandestinely assisted by the Pakistan army, especially in areas along the border that had turned ‘hot’. In his first media interaction, Pareekh said: “We have got inputs that Rangers are being helped by Pakistan army regulars in certain areas.” “In July, we had one sniping incident and then in August we had two sniping incidents. Then there were killings of five soldiers at the LoC on August 6 followed by twin terror attacks on September 26. They are showing desperation,” said the DIG. “There are elements in Pakistan, which don’t want talks with India. The BSF has a lot of inputs about militant groups working in conjunction with Pakistani forces,” the BSF DIG said. “We see their movement on the other side but can’t give their exact number. They are desperate to infiltrate and do make attempts but are not successful,” he added. On villages being targeted by the Rangers, the DIG described it as a tactics of the enemy. “Since it is very difficult to target our posts, they are now targeting villages to pressurise us. It is a tactic,” he said. On flag meets, which have taken a backseat in the present scenario, Pareekh said the BSF twice tried to contact Pakistan officials on October 18 but didn’t meet with any success. On BSF’s deployment on the sensitive border, he said, “We have sufficient men on the border and our morale is very high. We are giving a befitting reply to Pakistan and would continue to do so until it mends its ways.” |
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HC bans construction along Sindh in Ganderbal
Srinagar, October 23 These directions were passed by a division
bench of the High Court headed by Chief Justice MM Kumar. The court is hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by Qazi Rashid Shams, seeking removal of illegal structures and constructions along the banks of the Sindh in the district. “We wish to clarify that further construction of any type is banned around river Sindh without specific permission from this court, within 100 metres from the banks of the river Sindh,” the high court said in its orders passed today. “If any construction is sought to be raised, then the District Magistrate (Ganderbal district) and the Chief Engineer, Irrigation and Flood Control (I&FC), will be fully competent to demolish the same without issuing any show-cause notice,” the court ruled. It also directed the Deputy Commissioner, Ganderbal, to furnish the verification reports of
the revenue records within two weeks. In his compliance report to the high court, the Chief Engineer, I&FC, had submitted that the process of identifying the illegal structures was under process and seven such illegal structures had
been identified and also served notice. Besides, it has been submitted in the report that in response to the notice to seven violators, the claim is that the constructions are on the proprietary land supported by the documents. Earlier during a hearing on August 29, the authorities concerned had informed the high court that 10 structures which were built illegally along the banks of the Sindh in Ganderbal district had been demolished. The Sindh originates from Gumri Glacier ahead of Baltal, Sonamarg. Before merging with the Jhelum in Ganderbal, several fresh water streams join it along the way, including the Amarnath nullah, Sonamarg nullah and Shutkuri nullah, giving it the shape of a big river. In June 2011, the J&K High Court had directed the authorities to remove all encroachments and illegal structures along
the Sindh that had come up in violation of the Kashmir Valley Embankment
Act, 1992. What the court said z We wish to clarify that further construction of any type is banned around river Sindh without specific permission from this court, within 100 metres from the banks of the river Sindh z If any construction is sought to be raised, then the District Magistrate (Ganderbal district) and the Chief Engineer, Irrigation and Flood Control, will be fully competent to demolish the same without issuing any show-cause notice |
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Coordination Committee meeting
Srinagar, October 23 The meeting held under the chairmanship of its president, Saifuddin Soz, was attended by Congress leaders Deputy Chief Minister Tara Chand and Peerzada Mohammad Sayed and National Conference leaders Abdul Rahim Rather and Ali Mohammad Sagar today. The last Coordination Committee meeting was held in September to resolve the crisis over the formation of the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council, Kargil, following a fractured mandate. Though the Congress and the NC are running a coalition government in the state, the two fought against each other in the Kargil Council elections held on August 22. Both the parties claimed to have achieved the requisite number of members to form a council, which led to a stalemate for many days. The issue was later resolved at the meeting of the Coordination Committee. The meeting held today was the first one after senior Congress leader and in charge of the J&K party affairs Ambika Soni visited here on September 22. She had said the Coordination Committee should hold at least two meetings every month while asking the Congress ministers to be present at the PCC headquarters to address public issues. The meeting was also attended by JKPCC president Saifuddin Soz and Union Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad along with the state PCC members from the Kashmir division. Meanwhile, the party has been engaged in roping in prominent figures into the party to fill the gaps at different levels and mark an impressive performance in the elections. At least 15 prominent persons, both from Srinagar and Jammu, made a formal entry into the party recently. |
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Gool killings: Two brothers arrested for instigating violence
Batote, October 23 The duo was arrested in Gool after a report was submitted by the special investigation team (SIT), which was looking into the events that led to a protest and the killing of four persons by the BSF in Dharam village of the Gool area in Ramban district on July 18. The accused allegedly created a false propaganda and instigated people against the BSF. Sources told The Tribune that the SIT had found that both Ahmad and Latief, who were managing the affairs of a local madarasa and masjid, had levelled a false charge of blasphemy on BSF men on July 17 night, which led to a strong protest in the area. Following this, BSF personnel fired indiscriminately on the protesters and four persons were killed. The accused have been arrested under Section 153 and 120B of the RPC. “The arrest has come after the SIT filed a report holding the duo responsible for the overall mess in Gool on July 18,” sources said. |
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Army indicted for Baramulla firing
Srinagar, October 23 "Taking into account the evidence that has come up during the inquiry proceedings, it is concluded that on March 5, the 46 Rashtriya Rifles Army personnel ransacked residential houses and vehicles in the Kakar Hamam and Ganai Haman localities without any reason and subsequently without any justification opened fire on unarmed and peaceful people that led to the death of Tahir Rasool Sofi and injuries to Mohammad Abbas Lillu," the inquiry report said. The report, submitted to the state government in August, said warning shots were not fired in the air by the Army that could have scared away the people. "There seems to be no valid reason for the action that was taken by the Army personnel that resulted in the loss of an innocent life and injuries to the teenager who has been rendered handicapped for the rest of his life," the report said. Sofi's killing sparked massive protests, forcing the authorities to clamp curfew in major towns and districts of the Valley. — PTI |
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5 families trying to exfiltrate to PoK arrested
Srinagar, October 23 Out of the five families, four had returned to Kashmir under the J&K government’s rehabilitation policy for the surrendered militants, which was approved in November 2010. In August, two families of the surrendered militants had gone back to Pakistan via Nepal. “We are trying to ascertain the reason behind the attempt,” Deputy Inspector General, north Kashmir, JP Singh, told The Tribune. Sources said those arrested include the family heads of the five families, four from Kupwara and one from Srinagar. “They have been identified as Zahoor Bhat, brother of Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) founder Maqbool Bhat; Fayaz Wani of Hyhama Kupwara, who returned in 2012, Mushtaq Mir of Babadem Srinagar, Syed Munir-ul-Hassan of Lolab Kupwara and Syed Zahoor Bukhati of Keran. Most of the families had returned to the Valley through Nepal," the sources said. They were detained by troops of 23 Grenadiers when they were moving near to the LoC in suspicious circumstances. “They had managed to reach very near to the LoC. They had told the Army that they were going to attend a marriage function in Keran village and when the Army checked, there was no marriage taking place in the area. They were later detained by the Army,” the sources said. They were later handed over to the police today and a case has been registered against them. “Most of those detained have told the police that after their return to the Valley, they were struggling to make their ends meet. They were also concerned that their children were not getting admission in schools and wanted to return to PoK. It was the prime reason why they were trying to return to PoK,” the police sources said.
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Factionalism takes ugly turn in Youth Cong
Jammu, October 23 A meeting of the executive committee was held here today in which a “no confidence motion” was unanimously passed against the president. Pranav Shagotra, vice-president, RS Pathania, Manjeet Singh Jatt, Abid Kashmiri, Dr Rashid Choudhary (all general secretaries) and Rajveer Singh Manhas, secretary, attended the meeting in which the resolution was passed against Shahnawaz. Shahnawaz had won the election of the PYC chief as a candidate of the faction which owes its allegiance to Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad. Later, Shahnawaz shifted his loyalties and became a “blue-eyed” boy of the faction led by Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee chief Saifuddin Soz. In the resolution, the executive committee appealed the party high command to take immediate corrective measures to protect the party from further embarrassment. “Shahnawaz Choudhary has lost the confidence of the entire PYC executive. The president is much in the news for his less presence on roads and podiums and more in the power corridors of the Civil Secretariat, running a virtual transfer industry and seeking contracts from ministers for his contractors,” the resolution, which was also sent to AICC vice-president Rahul Gandhi, stated. The PYC executive has also taken serious note of the list of ‘high performers’, ‘performers’ and ‘low performers’ prepared by the president. “We have strong objection to the list prepared by the chief. We question the very rationale, basis and parameters employed while finalising the list whereby sycophants and low-key players have been shown as high performers, and work-efficient people have either been shown as low performers or their names have been deleted from the list,” the resolution pointed out. Shahnawaz clarified that he had not prepared the list. “In charge of the PYC, Jammu and Kashmir, is very much aware of the functioning of the organisation in the state and he has prepared the list,” Choudhary told The Tribune. |
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Cabinet orders transfers
Srinagar, October 23 An official spokesperson said Farooq Ahmed Khan, Director, Social Welfare, Kashmir, had been transferred and posted as Director, Department of Rural Development and Panchayat Raj, against an available vacancy. Nisar Hussain Wani, Additional District Development Commissioner, Kulgam, has been transferred and posted as Director, Social Welfare, Kashmir. Madan Mohan Gupta, Joint Development Commissioner, Works, Public Works (R&B) Department, has been transferred and posted as Chief Engineer, PMGSY, Jammu, in place of Sheikh Abdul Hamid. Bimal Tickoo, chief engineer, Mughal Road Project, has been transferred and posted as chief engineer, PMGSY, Kashmir, against Ishtiyaq Ahmad Hamal. Sheikh Abdul Hamid, chief engineer, PMGSY, Jammu, has been transferred and posted as chief engineer, R&B, Jammu, relieving Tehseen Mustafa, CEO, ERA, of the additional charge. |
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Two nights of intense Pakistani shelling here and villagers have started cleaning their cellars while some of them have started digging trenches to take shelter.
Srinagar, October 23
