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Omar pushes for resolution of J&K’s political concerns
Illegal immigrants in state under Intel surveillance
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HC tells police to file status report in missing boy case
Durbar to open in winter capital tomorrow
Restore peace on border: PDP
Govt may allow Geelani to hold more rallies in Valley
BJP intensifies campaign to seek justice for
West Pak refugees
Learn from DMK,
AIADMK, Rashid tells NC, PDP
13-yr-old Kashmiri boy to act in Bollywood movie
Guv extends Diwali greetings
Ensure safety of jail inmates: HC
Lt Gen Chachra greets people on Diwali
Father of 3 kids undergoes hysterectomy in Baramulla
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Omar pushes for resolution of J&K’s political concerns
Srinagar, November 2 Addressing a rally in Bandipora district in north Kashmir, Omar said: “The three wars fought by India and Pakistan over Kashmir, militant violence and different political voices reverberating in the skies of J&K were not for construction of roads, educational institutions or hospitals.” He said this “all happened and is happening” for “settlement of basic political issues” of the state. He said as the Chief Minister he would continue to bat for resolution of all political issues concerning the state in an amicable and peaceful manner through the process of dialogue. He also asserted that he would continue to carry forward the development agenda to mitigate the difficulties of people. Omar was in Bandipora to inaugurate the Rs 4.26-crore Kaloosa bridge over the Madhumati nullah and the Rs 20-crore mini-secretariat in the town. The Chief Minister said the resolution of political issues of the state was the need of the hour and channels of dialogue had to be kept operative so that peace and development went hand in hand and Jammu and Kashmir became a state of peace, prosperity, development and plenty. He took a dig at leaders of opposition People’s Democratic Party for their utterances and “pretensions” that they were not power hungry. The Chief Minister said his party and he wanted power to resolve the political and developmental issues of the state and wipe off tears from the eyes of the destitute, poor and the needy to help develop J&K as a model and modern state where peace, progress and prosperity would rule the roost. |
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Illegal immigrants in state under Intel surveillance
Jammu, November 2 Nearly 2,000 Rohingya Muslims live in shanties in and around the capital city. “They are living in shanties close to railway tracks from Bari-Brahmana in Samba district to Gujjar Nagar in Jammu. Being illegal immigrants and penury-ridden, they do petty jobs. Their involvement in any subversive activity has not been established but the possibility cannot be ruled out,” said an Intelligence source. Rohingya Muslims have to be registered with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), but 400 such refugees here don’t exist in the records. An Army officer said since they came from countries like Bangladesh and Myanmar to settle in a militancy-hit state like J&K, they can be misused by terror outfits any time. On September 25 last year, a six-member team of the UNHCR from New Delhi had visited shanties of Rohingya Muslims at Narwal Bala in Jammu district. The UNHCR chief of mission to India, Montserrat Vihe, had asked unregistered refugees to get registered with the UNHCR. The team had also asked them to stay away from illegal activities. A BSF officer said some of the refugees in the past had tried to ex-filtrate to Pakistan via the international border in search of greener pastures. “After we caught them and handed them over to the local police, the latter set them free without taking strict action under law,” he added. A police officer, however, cited lack of infrastructure for not taking action against such refugees. “We don’t have enough lock-ups to keep them. We board them on the Punjab-bound trains, warning them not to return,” he said. The officer said the problem lay in the “porous” border with Bangladesh, which has not been heavily guarded. An officer of the Intelligence Bureau said the agency had been repeatedly expressing its concern over the presence of these illegal immigrants in the state. “They can be used as couriers by terror outfits any time”, he said. He described this floating population as a ‘ticking time bomb’ that may take a heavy toll if not defused in time. Threat to security
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HC tells police to file status report in missing boy case
Srinagar, November 2 It has also asked the investigating officer of the case to remain present in the court on the next hearing, along with the case files. These directions were issued today by a single bench of Justice Mohammad Yaqoob Mir, in reply to a writ petition filed by the family of Mehran, who went missing under mysterious circumstances on May 13 in 2008. Despite drawing a lot of attention, both from the police and the media, the whereabouts of the infant are still unknown. Mehran Lateef, aged four years then, had gone out of his home in Babapora locality of Habbakadal in Srinagar on the fateful day but never returned back. His parents had later approached the high court with a writ petition seeking his whereabouts. The court, in its orders dated December 20, 2012, had directed the police authorities to file the status report of the investigation, which was filed subsequently. In the report, the authorities had submitted that they had left no stone unturned to locate the boy but could not find any trace of him or his whereabouts. However, as the matter came up before the court today, the bench, in its orders, gave the authorities concerned a last opportunity to disclose the latest status report of the investigation within two weeks. Mehran Lateef Case
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Durbar to open in winter capital tomorrow
Jammu, November 2 “The Durbar is all set to open in Jammu on Monday. Arrangements related to security and traffic have been made and we are hoping everything will be peaceful,” said Shantamanu, Divisional Commissioner, Jammu. He said an old tradition was being revived this time. “The tradition of arranging dinner for the employees of Durbar Move offices is being revived and the initiative has been taken by J&K chief secretary Muhammad Iqbal Khanday. In every government colony, where employees are putting up, dinner will be organised for them on Sunday, a day before the opening of the Durbar,” the Divisional Commissioner said. He said Jammu Municipal Corporation commissioner Kiran Wattal had taken the responsibility to manage meals for the employees. This might be the last Durbar Move to the winter capital ahead of the 2014 Assembly elections. Therefore, this is the last opportunity for the government to reach out to people in the Jammu region with their work, policies and programmes. The challenge which Omar will face after the Durbar Move to Jammu is to provide a peaceful atmosphere to people living in border areas, who have been bearing the burnt of firing from across the border.
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Restore peace on border: PDP
Jammu, November 2 He cautioned that cosmetic steps were not going to help establish permanent peace on the borders. Addressing a series of meetings in border villages of Vijaypur and Samba Assembly segments yesterday, Mufti said there was no alternative to dialogue to solve all vexed issues. “The reconciliation and peace initiatives started after the formation of the PDP-led government in the state is an irreversible process and there is no alternative to it,” he said while adding that there was a need to accelerate the initiatives for resumption of meaningful dialogue. He said that roadmap laid by the PDP-led government was the only way to establish sustainable peace in the subcontinent. “The PDP, through its pro-peace polices, had convinced both India and Pakistan to announce ceasefire in 2003 and take some confidence-building measures for restoration of peace in the region,” he said. “Whatever steps we initiated for restoring peace were endorsed by successive regimes at Delhi. The NDA regime headed by Atal Bihari Vajpayee and the present UPA government led by Manmohan Singh had whole-heartedly supported the initiatives taken by the PDP regime for establishing peace in the region,” he said. Expressing his concern over the recent ceasefire violations, he said some concrete steps should be taken to avoid recurrence of such incidents. |
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Govt may allow Geelani to hold more rallies in Valley
Srinagar, November 2 The rally at Sopore was Geelani's first after being freed from nearly eight months of house detention by the authorities. He called for the boycott of the coming Assembly and Lok Sabha elections. Government sources said on Friday the senior police officials and civil authorities were keeping a close watch on his Sopore rally as it was the first public address of the 84-year-old separatist leader, who was released earlier this week after 236 days of house detention. “As the rally in Sopore passed off peacefully, we will allow him to hold further rallies wherever he wants. He will be
given political space,” said a senior official in Srinagar. “However, we may have to think otherwise in case there is any fear of any law and order problem,” he added. On Friday, when Geelani’s rally ended in Sopore, some youths had pelted the police with stones, which led to clashes in the town. Geelani, however, called these youths “vagabonds” and condemned their action. In his rally in Sopore, Geelani called for a total boycott of the elections. Spokesman of the hardline Hurriyat Ayaz Akber said the Hurriyat chief would be holding rallies in the coming days. The mainstream political parties in J&K, however, smell a rat in Geelani’s recent release. “We are glad that Geelani has been released. But we suspect that he was released only because the ruling National Conference (NC) wants a poll boycott. It is the NC that gets benefited by his poll boycott campaign,” a People’s Democratic Party leader said. Chairman of the People’s Democratic Front Hakeem Yaseen said the Hurriyat leader was being used as a tool to enforce election boycott. “Geelani has every right in the democracy to hold rallies. But his election boycott will help a particular party,” Yaseen said. ‘NC to benefit’
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BJP intensifies campaign to seek justice for
West Pak refugees
Jammu, November 3 “It is all due to the efforts of party workers that problems of the refugees were effectively highlighted during the yatra,” said BJP state president Jugal Kishore Sharma, who led the yatra. He said the party had successfully mobilised displaced PoK refugees of 1965 and 1971 through the yatra. “We have been demanding a one-time settlement of these refugees and the party would step up the campaign for this demand,” he said. During the yatra, the BJP convened as many as 100 public meetings. The party covered the entire Jammu-Poonch region and some parts of the Udhampur-Doda region. Sharma said besides highlighting problems of these people, the BJP had decided to launch a decisive war for seeking justice for West Pakistan refugees, who are a "glaring example of the worst-ever human right violations". “For the past 66 years, west Pakistani refugees have been struggling to get citizenship rights but the successive state governments have been betraying them,” he said. Rajya Sabha member and BJP in charge of J&K Avinash Rai Khanna said the party was committed to intensifying the fight for the cause of West Pakistan refugees. “The BJP is the only party which has been seriously fighting for the cause of these refugees. The party has already effectively taken up their issues at the national level and educated the nation about the woes of these refugees, who have been denied basic constitutional rights,” he said. The BJP claimed that the Parliamentary Committee had taken a serious note of the problems of West Pakistan refugees due to the efforts of the party. |
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Learn from DMK,
AIADMK, Rashid tells NC, PDP
Srinagar, November 2 “The Tamil parties including DMK and AIADMK have, despite their political differences, been using all their energy and efforts to force Prime Minister of India not to visit Colombo, as they accuse Sri Lankan government of depriving Tamils of their rights and committing human rights violations against them,” Sheikh said while addressing his party workers in Srinagar today. “Tamil
Nadu-based parties are pleading the case of Tamils living in another sovereign country,” he said. |
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13-yr-old Kashmiri boy to act in Bollywood movie
Srinagar, November 2 The movie is scheduled to be shot in the Kashmir valley later this month. “The cast and crew of the film, including director Vishal Bhardwaj, actors Shraddha and Shahid, Continuing with his fixation to adapt Shakespeare’s plays, Bhardwaj will now take inspiration from Hamlet for his movie, a major portion of which will be shot in the Valley. Bhardwaj had earlier successfully directed "Maqbool" and "Omkara", which were based on Shakespeare’s plays Macbeth and Othello. The director, who is known to be very particular about the location of shoots, reportedly toured rural areas of south Kashmir and Srinagar in September to finalise the locales for his film. Senior actor Tabbu will also be playing a pivotal role in the film. The surprise package in the film will, however, be Ainain, who bagged the role in the film during auditions at his school, Forebell School, Anantnag, in September. “Ainain, who studies in Class VI at the school was finalised for acting in the film from a group of nine students shortlisted by Vishal Bhardwaj and his crew in September,” Ainain’s father, Shafqat Ahmad, a businessman, told The Tribune. He said Ainain used to take part in various cultural programmes at his school, including dramas, but him bagging a role in the movie was like a dream come true for them. “Luckily, the film is supposed to be shot in the winter season. So Ainain will not be missing his school due to the winter break here,” he said. About the movie
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Guv extends Diwali greetings
Jammu, November 2 The Governor said the festival symbolises the triumph of truth and righteousness over falsehood and of good over evil, which highlighted high values and ethos of the country's civilisational history. He expressed hope that the festival would further strengthen the bonds of communal harmony, brotherhood, amity, tranquility and secularism, which are the hallmarks of the state's glorious composite cultural traditions. He prayed for the well-being of the people. |
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Ensure safety of jail inmates: HC
Srinagar, November 2 The court has also directed Superintendents of the Central Jail, Kotebalwal, and the District Jail, Amphala, Jammu, to file a report with regard to the incident within three weeks. These directions were issued today by a division bench of the High Court comprising Justice Mohammad Yaqoob Mir and Justice Muzaffar Hussain Attar, in response to an application by the Bar Association wherein an inquiry was sought into the alleged assault on Pakistani prisoner Jameel Ahmad in the Jammu Sessions Court complex on September 28. The Bar in its application, supported by a letter written by Jameel, had also sought directions to the authorities concerned for ensuring safety and security of the inmates, particularly Pakistani detainees and convicts lodged in jails across the state. As the matter came up before the bench today, Bar counsel Mian Qayoom submitted that there was a threat to Pakistani prisoners lodged in different jails. He also cited the murderous attack on Pakistani prisoner Sanaullah Ranjay in May. Qayoom submitted that no action had been taken with regard to the attack on Jameel by the jail authorities concerned. He said Jameel was attacked by a prisoner, Anchal Kumar, who is lodged in the Kotebalwal jail, Jammu, with a brick due which he had sustained injuries on his head and neck. "Jameel had asked the in charge police officer to take him to the judge but he was neither allowed to meet the judge neither was he given access to his counsel. The jail authorities even gave a false account of the incident to the doctor who treated him and so far, no FIR has been registered in this regard." In his submissions, additional advocate general Riyaz A Khan representing the state home department said it was the moral and legal duty of the state to provide protection to the inmates lodged in jails across the state. He said the state shall file a timely response into the matter. |
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Lt Gen Chachra greets people on Diwali
Jammu, November 2 Lt Gen Chachra expressed hope that the festival of lights, which symbolises the triumph of good over evil, would be a harbinger of joy and happiness for the society and would bring peace and prosperity to everybody. "May the festival illuminate the lives of our people for a better tomorrow," the Army Commander said. |
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Father of 3 kids undergoes hysterectomy in Baramulla
Srinagar, November 2 The patient's specimens have been sent for a pathology test and the doctors are awaiting the report, which is likely to come in a week. "We have sent the samples of the patient for a pathology test," said Deputy Medical Superintendent at District Hospital, Baramulla, Dr Masrat Iqbal Wani. "Though surgeons have removed the female reproductive organs, we will have to wait for the pathology report," he added. The 60-year-old patient, who is a father of three children, had complained of abdominal pain and was admitted in the hospital on Friday. The doctors had initially diagnosed the problem to be "inguinal hernia", which required immediate surgery. "When the patient was being operated (for inguinal hernia), the doctors were in for a surprise. They discovered female reproductive organs including a uterus, ovaries and fallopian tubes in his body," Masarat said. The surgeons later removed the female reproductive system through a hysterectomy. The doctors said the patient was in a stable condition. "The patient has lived a normal life and he has 100 per cent male features," said a surgeon, Dr Abdul Qayoom, adding, "But we are awaiting the pathological report, which will establish the facts."
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Chief Minister Omar Abdullah today said economic development alone could not resolve the basic political issues.
Intelligence agencies have started keeping the floating population of Rohingya Muslims under a constant watch, seeing them as a potential threat to security in the militancy-plagued J&K.
