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BJP out to reap political gains from Modi’s Ladakh visit
Cong workers blame party ministers for LS poll defeat
Pakistan fires at LoC posts in Poonch
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Afzal Guru linked to militants since 1998, claims book
Barring few hiccups, yatra concludes peacefully
Union Ministry wants locals recruited for managing Leh airport
Army Chief arrives in Ladakh on three-day visit
Induction training for teachers concludes
On the
frontline
Islamic varsity to soon have centre for IT,
e-governance
Doda to have Government Medical College
soon
Power supply woes worsen in Valley
Raina plays T-20 match with Army XI in Baramulla
4,000 women participate in Islamic Peace Conference
Raksha Bandhan celebrated with traditional gaiety in Jammu
Dental surgeons suspend hunger strike, but continue to protest
Persian scholar Maqbool Sofi dies
Khanyar youth among two found hanging
NC employing all tricks for political survival: Mehbooba
PDP MLA cries betrayal over denial of ticket
Bharatiya Janata Party’s Mahila Morcha nominates office-bearers
Soz remarks on NC governance unethical: Rana School holds cleanliness drive at Bassi Kalan village Geelani calls for shutdown on August
15 Two houses damaged in fire ‘Walk for health’ on I-Day PDP announces four more candidates
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BJP out to reap political gains from Modi’s Ladakh visit
Jammu, August 10 Keeping in view the ensuing Assembly elections in the state, the BJP has decided to make the most of the Prime Minister’s visit. Besides focusing on the Jammu region, which comprises 37 Assembly segments, the party is targeting
Ladakh, which has four seats, to accomplish its mission of achieving 44 plus seats. The BJP has reasons to concentrate on the Ladakh region because it is for the first time that the party won parliamentary elections from this belt. Party candidate Thupstan Chhewang had won the election by a narrow margin. The party had secured 27,429 votes in the two Assembly segments of Leh district but its performance in Kargil was not up to the mark with 3,275 votes. Therefore, the party has decided to focus more on Kargil district, sources said. As Kargil is dominated by
Shias, the party has deputed its national leader Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi to mobilise public for the Prime Minister’s function in the district.
Naqvi, himself a Shia, has been camping at Kargil to supervise the arrangements for the function. The sources said the party had already opened communication with
two prominent Shia leaders of Kargil. “The state government is creating hurdles over the holding of a public rally at
Kargil,” alleged former state president of the BJP Nirmal Singh, who has been deputed by the party to arrange political functions both at Leh and
Kargil. Singh, who has been camping at Ladakh for the last five days, said that there was unprecedented enthusiasm among party workers at Leh and Kargil regarding Modi’s visit. “Rallies of the Prime Minister will be held at both Leh and
Kargil,” he said. In Leh, the BJP has already started a public contact
programme. The party has unofficially announced its candidate, Chering Dorjee
Larkook, for the Leh Assembly segment. Party targets Ladakh’s 4 Assembly seats
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Cong workers blame party ministers for LS poll defeat
Kathua, August 10 As of now, the Congress has so far organised five such conventions, but in every gathering workers minced no words in exposing party ministers. All-India Congress Committee
(AICC) general secretary Ambika Soni, who is in charge of the state Congress, former Union Minister and leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad and Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee
(JKPCC) chief Saifuddin Soz were present at the Kathua convention. Instead of giving suggestions for the coming Assembly elections, a majority of speakers seized the opportunity to pin-point reasons for the worst-ever defeat of the party in the recently held Lok Sabha polls. The debacle of party in the Lok Sabha elections dominated the convention, which was organised to suggest new ideas to fight the coming Assembly elections. Shocked over the defeat of party stalwart Ghulam Nabi Azad from the Udhampur-Doda seat, party workers in the presence of senior leaders minced no words in attacking party ministers. A majority of the speakers blamed ministers, without disclosing their names, for defeat of the party, but a few workers directly named some ministers who, according to them, had crossed “all limits of
corruption”. Yash Pal Sharma, a Congress worker from Hiranagar, said they were still in shock after Azad’s defeat from the Udhampur-Doda Lok Sabha seat. He, however, said it was a few party ministers who were responsible for Azad’s defeat. Creating embarrassment for the senior leaders who were present at the convention, Sharma named some ministers who, according to him, had brazenly “fixed rates” for transfers and adjustments. “If the party leader failed to keep a check on rampant corruption, especially transfer industry, the Congress will be wiped out from the state politics,” he said. Some senior leaders tried to control Yash Pal Sharma from lambasting party ministers in the convention, but of no avail. He continued his tirade against party ministers and some outsiders who he said had “hijacked” the party. Gauging the mood of the party workers, Ambika Soni assured them that anyone found involved in corruption would not be given party mandate in the coming Assembly elections. Blame game begins
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Pakistan fires at LoC posts in Poonch
Jammu, August 10 The Indian troops guarding the border with Pakistan took positions and fired back with equal calibre weapons, resulting in intermittent exchange of fire, he said. “There was no loss of life or damage to property in the firing on this side of LoC,” Lt Col Mehta said, adding, “the firing exchange continued till the time last reports came in”. Today’s firing by Pakistani troops is third instance of violation of the ceasefire this month, and second after the handing over of the captured jawan to the BSF by the Pakistan Rangers on the Octerio BoP along the Indo-Pak border in Jammu district’s RS Pura Sector on Friday. On August 8, barely six hours after handing over captured 30-year-old BSF jawan Satya Sheel Yadav, Pakistani troops violated the ceasefire by targeting Indian forward posts with small arms and automatic weapons along the Line of Control in the Bhimbher Gali (BG) sector of Poonch district. On August 5, Pakistani troops targeted Indian forward posts with small arms and automatic weapons along the LoC in the Sher Shakti forward belt of Poonch district. At the flag meeting between Battalion Commandants of the BSF and the Pak Rangers at the Octerio BoP in the RS Pura Sector, the BSF and the Pakistan Rangers had on Friday made a commitment to uphold peace and tranquillity on the border and extend all cooperation to each other in dealing with emergent incidents in a proactive and positive manner. General Officer Commanding of the Nagrota-based 16 Corps Lieutenant General KH Singh had recently said the Indian Army had been directed to give a befitting reply to Pakistani troops over ceasefire violations, firing and infiltration attempts from across the border. Eight ceasefire violations by Pakistan were witnessed in July. In June, it violated the ceasefire five times along the LoC and IB in the Jammu region. There were 19 incidents of ceasefire violation along the LoC in April-May.
— PTI |
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Afzal Guru linked to militants since 1998, claims book
Srinagar, August 10 The book, written by Guru in 2010 during his years in the Tihar Jail, contains information about his life as an overground worker for militants, his meetings with Ghazi Baba, who masterminded the Parliament attack, and his views about the situation in the subcontinent. Titled ‘Aayina’ (mirror), the book has a brief introductory note about Guru, which says he first joined militancy in the late 1980s, but distanced himself from it as he was not convinced about fighting on a “national and linguistic” basis. “In 1998, after a meeting with Ghazi Baba, (Guru) joined the jihad full-time and remained (with it) till the end,” it reads. It says Guru was “in charge” of a secretive “upper ground network” of militants and controlled logistics for “movement from Kashmir to India”. The book rejects theories propounded by a few writers and activists projecting Guru as a victim of conspiracy. A chapter written by Jaish-e-Mohammad commander Mufti Mohammad Asgar Khan Kashmiri has sharp criticism of those who projected Guru as a “common man” and dumped his relation to militancy in an attempt to prove him “innocent”. “It was a very crude way to prove him innocent. Such people should remain silent instead of writing and speaking anything,” the Jaish commander writes. Kashmiri writes that Guru’s secretive role as a militant operative was unknown even to his family. Kashmiri eulogises Guru as a “great martyr” and writes that he weaved such a “network” that any target in Kashmir could have been attacked within 24 hours and any target in India within a week. In the book, Guru writes that a meeting with Ghazi Baba in 1998 changed him and “induced a revolution in the days and nights of his life”. Ghazi Baba was the Jaish chief operational commander who was killed in a gunfight during a raid on his hideout in Srinagar in 2003. Guru has written extensively about meetings with his “mentor” Ghazi Baba and shares the details of their discussion on religion, politics, militancy and events after 9/11. In a chapter on Kashmir’s first suicide bomber, Afaq Shah, Guru provides a brief account of a meeting in which the 20-year-old Srinagar resident volunteered to drive an explosive-laden vehicle into the Army’s 15 Corps headquarters. It is not clear whether Guru wrote an eyewitness account or heard about the meeting. In the chapter titled ‘Taliban’, Guru writes about his and Ghazi Baba’s dejection over Pakistan joining the US war to topple the Islamic regime in Afghanistan. “When I asked Ghazi Baba what will happen now, he answered in a single word: Taliban,” Guru writes. This suggests that their meetings took place even during the two months between October, 2001, when the US attacked Afghanistan, and December, 2001, when militants attacked Parliament. Guru writes about an incident in which he went to a snow-covered mountain to meet Raashid, presumably Ghazi Baba’s deputy, where he saw a militant who had come from England. It is not clear whether the militant, whom Guru saw digging a cave hideout, was Birmingham resident Mohammad Bilal, alias Abdullah Bhai, the second suicide bomber. Bilal had blown an explosive-laden vehicle outside the headquarters of the Army in Srinagar.
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Barring few hiccups, yatra concludes peacefully
Srinagar, August 10 Even as inclement weather conditions initially delayed the start of the yatra from the traditional Chandanwari route and later clashes between two groups threatened to play spoilsport, the authorities nevertheless managed to overcome these aberrations. Though it was clash between langar operators and other service providers at the Baltal base camp on July 18, attempts were made to project the fight between “anti-yatra” locals and pilgrims and the issue could have snowballed into something bigger. However, the timely intervention of the authorities, especially the Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board (SASB), managed to keep the yatra sailing smoothly. Soon after the incident, Governor NN Vohra, who is also the SASB Chairman, took up the matter with Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, under whose direction top officials, including the Divisional Commissioner and IGP, Kashmir, immediately rushed to Baltal. The Governor also personally spoke to the president of SABLO, the apex langar organization, and urged him to ensure restoration of harmony essential for the progress of the yatra. Finally, the number of pilgrims to have performed darshan at the holy cave shrine of Lord Shiva beat last year’s mark of 3.55 lakh even as the row over the Kousar Naag yatra too had threatened to snowball into a major controversy earlier this month. Over 3.72 lakh pilgrims paid obeisance at the Amarnath cave shrine this year. The yatra had begun from the Baltal route on June 28. Pilgrimage from the Chandanwari route had started later on July 2 after snow accumulation earlier postponed the commencement. Meanwhile, devotees by and large looked satisfied with the yatra arrangements. Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) national president Sanjay Saraf, who returned today after performing the yatra, said he was happy with the arrangements made for the pilgrims. “As per traditions, the yatra concluded with the Charri Mubarak pooja and we were satisfied with the arrangements,” he said.
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Natrang’s weekly theatre
series Tribune News Service
Jammu, August 10 Set at the backdrop of ongoing wars in Gaza and Iraq, the play opened in a hospital where fighting creatures were treated by infusing new vaccines meant to dehumanise them. This new dehumanising vaccine was invented by Dr Hoax and his team, who were indulged in supplying it all over the world to spread the menace of extremism. During the play, two fighters were brought back from the battlefield for treatment in the emergency ward of the hospital. One complained of having regained sensitivity and it pained him while he killed others. His bosses wanted him to regain that barbaric mind again as he shivered while throwing bombs and killing innocents, including women and children. The other complained of having regained sight as he distinguished good and bad. Instead of hitting the desired targets, he was seen stopping others not to indulge in inhuman acts. This worrisome surprising development had raised suspicion about the dehumanising vaccine developed by Dr Hoax and his team. Threatened of loosing the business of dehumanising fighters and spreading extremism, the Dr Hoax's team comes out with yet another super strong dehumanising vaccine. This new vaccine had all the ingredients to transform a sensitive human to a brutal, barbarous, wicked, cruel, heinous and ruthless human being. At the climax, a new vaccine of Dr Hoax surprised everyone. When injected, the two fighters after regaining senses, turn into super barbaric to such an extant that they kill the entire team of doctors, including Dr Hoax and themselves. The actors who performed in the play were Sayed Mudassar Ali Shah (Dr Hoax), Varun Sharma (fighter one) Mahikshit Singh Langeh (fighter two), Shekhar Sharma and Sachin Saini.
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Union Ministry wants locals recruited for managing Leh airport
Jammu, August 10 During the meeting, B Singh, regional director, northern region, admitted that Leh was the most difficult station and it was difficult to post regular staff from outstation. Sources said the regional director also admitted lack of adequate staff, extreme weather conditions and poor connectivity at the Leh airport. Sources claimed that Sonam
Nurboo, director of Leh airport, informed the meeting that four contractual labourers had already been engaged and the regional headquarters
(RHQ) had initiated recruitment for group C & D as per the sanctioned strength. “The regional headquarters will take up with the authorities concerned for the posting of terminal/security/finance and tenure of the airport director. The regional headquarters will issue administrative order and authorise the officiating officer to use the power of airport director. Until the arrangement of a finance person is made at
Leh, The RHQ Finance will continue to incorporate Leh data and all other financial matters will also be done by it,” a statement from the Ministry of Civil Aviation said. Meanwhile, Jammu airport drector Ramesh Kumar informed the meeting that deep space communications network antenna installed on the terminal building would be shifted to the site which had already been earmarked by the regional office. Sources claimed that the Ministry of Civil Aviation had directed the airport director and communication, navigation and surveillance in charge of Jammu station to take action in order to avoid delay in the construction work. Sources claimed that the Civil Aviation Ministry had expressed concern about the weak areas where stakeholders were contributing towards customer satisfaction and advised all airport directors to frequently involve stakeholders in their dealing with passengers and evaluate grievances and complaints in a systematic way. |
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Army Chief arrives in Ladakh on three-day visit
Jammu, August 10 Defence spokesperson SD Goswami said the Army Chief was accompanied by Lt Gen DS Hooda, GOC-in-C (Army Commander), Northern Command, and was received at the Leh airport by Lt Gen BS Negi, GOC, 14 Corps. “The Army Chief had a detailed interaction with the Army Commander, Northern Command, and General Officer Commanding, 14 Corps, on the prevailing security environment, infrastructure development projects and various initiatives undertaken by the Army in the Ladakh region. He also reviewed the logistical infrastructure available to the soldiers,” the spokesperson said. During his Siachen visit, he paid tribute to the soldiers, who had laid down their lives in this sector, by laying a floral wreath at the Siachen War Memorial. In his address to the troops at the Siachen Base Camp, the Army Chief applauded the efforts put in by the ‘brave soldiers’ of the Siachen Brigade. “The Army Chief will also visit forward posts of the eastern Ladakh and will review the Army’s defence preparedness in that sector,” the spokesperson said. He said the Army Chief would also receive Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is scheduled to visit the region on August 12. The Prime Minister will lay the foundation stone of the Srinagar-Leh transmission line and inaugurate two hydro-electric projects —Chutak in Kargil and Nimoo Bazgo in Leh district.
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Induction training for teachers concludes
Jammu, August 10 The participants in the programme gained an insight into the RMSA framework, National Curriculum Framework (NCF)-2005, practical implementation of the CCE, importance of actively based learning and role of subject-specific teachers. They were also trained in specific subjects, viz science, mathematics, social science, Hindi and English. The District Institute of Education and Trainings Jammu garnered the support and expertise of various experts from the faculty and the field to make the lecture fruitful and effective. In charge Principal, DIET, Jammu, RL Gupta, along with his monitoring team, visited the training programme from time to time. The team interacted with the participants and took feedback about the programme. Gupta highlighted the importance of training to enhance the quality and competence of the teachers. He thanked the Director, School Education, Chief Education Officer, Jammu, Zonal Education Officers (ZEOs) and Headmaster for their wholehearted support in order to achieve the proposed targets. |
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No scope for political adventurism in Kashmir
Arun Joshi In the late 1970s, the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi rang up the then Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee chief Mufti Mohammad Sayeed (now patron of Peoples Democratic Party) to enquire about the fallout of Mirza Afzal Beig, a political stalwart of the National Conference, parting ways with his friend and leader Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah. Mufti Sayeed was surprised at Indira Gandhi’s interest in the strained relationship between Beigh and Sheikh Abdullah. To his mind, it was an internal matter of the National Conference. But later it dawned on him that there must be something more to the query by Indira Gandhi. The question had a direct link with the sensitive state. Any political instability in Kashmir was a matter of concern for the whole nation. Vote bank politics
Not any more, the political leadership at the Centre and the state today is more focused on vote bank politics. That class which was aware of the sensitivities has been reduced to a miniscule minority. It is a period of great political instability in the state, where there is a coalition government but the coalition partners are abusing each other in public. The only glue for both the ruling alliance partners National Conference and Congress is power. There is no one like Indira Gandhi who would keep a close watch on Kashmir affairs and seek opinion from their people about the ground situation in the state. After Indira Gandhi, Kashmir has hardly had any leader who was as much concerned about Kashmir. Thereafter, what we have seen is the announcement of packages and political experiments as if Kashmir was a laboratory. These experiments have drastically reduced the psychological space of India in the state. The oft–repeated cliché of winning hearts and minds of the people has become meaningless. Farooq Abdullah of the NC and Mufti Mohammad Sayeed of the PDP — contemporaries representing different parties — still hold hope for the future generation. Unacceptable compromise
Farooq is a living legend, no matter that he lost for the first time an electoral battle in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls from the hitherto National Conference bastion — the Srinagar constituency. He did commit mistakes — some because of his own impulses and others were forced upon him. The man who won with a handsome majority in the 1983 elections was unceremoniously dismissed in 1984 at the behest of the then Central leadership. He made an unacceptable compromise and entered into an alliance with the Congress in 1986, and the two parties rigged the elections in 1987, and that became the flashpoint for the current situation of fear and violence. Had he waited and contested the elections without an alliance, he would have been ruling the state to date and there would have been no baggage of the rigged elections. There would have been no militancy. To be fair to Mufti Sayeed, he had warned the Congress leadership of the day that the alliance would prove suicidal as there would be no secular dissenting voice. People need an opposition to articulate their concerns. But, by that time things had changed at the Centre. Farooq regretted the alliance with the Congress and said that his party would never enter into any alliance with the Congress in future. But he did exactly the opposite in 2008. But, he was and is still important. It was this importance that made his arch-rival Mufti Mohammad Sayeed urged him to contest elections in 1996 at a meeting in Banquet Hall, Srinagar. The then Governor, General K V Krishna Rao (retd), had bet on him. “I am afraid that if something happens to Farooq Abdullah, we will have no one coming forward to contest the polls,” said General Rao. And now the common refrain in the National Conference is: “Farooq Abdullah’s guidance is needed at this juncture. He is the only one who can lift the morale of the party and the cadre.” The sad fact is that some of the leaders in the party have divided loyalties. Chief Minister Omar Abdullah knows it. Mufti Sayeed invested so much politically during his three-year tenure as Chief Minister (2002-2005) that he is remembered for removing the barricades, stopping snooping into the privacy of people, especially in villages, where media access was missing in that period of Kashmir. There were no mobile phones and no SMSes. And it goes to his credit that he persuaded the security apparatus that mobiles and opening of the roadways 24 hours a day would change the psyche of the people. And it did so to some extent. The rest of the country was just a phone call away from the remotest of the remote places. Bad politics
The 2008 episode — when PDP ministers first signed the 100 acre land diversion decision for the facilities of Amarnath pilgrims and then backtracked, and finally, withdrew support to the then Congress Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad, the man known for building infrastructure in Jammu and Kashmir — was bad politics. At this point of time, when the Assembly elections are approaching, both Farooq and Mufti Sayeed will have to play positive roles. Both Mehbooba Mufti and Omar Abdullah have long innings ahead of them. These two men can guide them to connect with the people and advise that political adventurism is a terminal disease. |
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Islamic varsity to soon have centre for IT,
e-governance
Srinagar, August 10 The meeting also deliberated on increase in intake capacity, institution of new programmes and pension policy for staff and creation of new posts. Vice Chancellor AR Trag, on the occasion, gave a detailed power point presentation highlighting the achievements of the varsity. Finance Minister Abdul Rahim Rather was also present in the meeting. The VC informed the meeting that the university has emerged as a major knowledge hub and has achieved distinguished features in the seven years of its establishment. It has become first university in the state to offer undergraduate and postgraduate degree courses in Food Technology, the VC said, adding the institute was also the first in Jammu and Kashmir to initiate master’s degree in International Peace and Conflict Studies in collaboration with the University of Peace, Costa Rica, a UN mandated university. It is also the first varsity in the state to introduce BSc programme in Actuarial and Financial Mathematics and runs many research Centres, including the Ranchen Shah Centre for West Himalayan Cultures and the International Centre For Spiritual Studies, conceptualised to encourage studies and research on spirituality, Trag said. He informed the meeting that the university was connected to 980 institutions across the country through the National Knowledge Network. Trag also said about 1,900 students have graduated from the university during the last six years, whereas 4,607 students have been enrolled during the same period. The VC further said the university would shortly establish an Advance Centre for Information Technology and e-governance at a cost of Rs 2.83 crore, for which the proposal has been already submitted to the Department of Information and Technology, Jammu and Kashmir Government. Rather assured all the logistic support to the varsity to help it achieve academic excellence. He said all the required measures would be taken to handover additional 1,400 kanals of land in the vicinity of the institute to make it one of the best residential universities of the country. Building infrastructure The university will shortly establish an Advance Centre for Information Technology and e-governance at a cost of ~2.83 crore, for which the proposal has been already submitted to the Department of Information and Technology, Jammu and Kashmir Government, said AR Trag, Vice Chancellor of the Islamic University of Science and
Technology. |
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Doda to have Government Medical College
soon
Jammu, August 10 Nodal officer, GMC Doda, Dr Sunanda Raina, conducted an extensive tour of the town to identify a suitable place, where building of the proposed college could be constructed. The nodal officer visited places around the District Hospital, Doda, where the locals had recommended some land for the college. She also visited Ghat village, 5 km from the District Hospital, where the people had offered to sell land for the construction of the GMC building. “Yes, I toured Doda where I visited the District Hospital, areas around it and Ghat village. We have to follow the guidelines set by the Medical Council of India (MCI). Any decision for the construction of buildings will be taken accordingly,” said Dr Raina. As per the MCI guidelines, there should be 200-bed hospital and classrooms, including required labs before the start of classes in any new medical college. Sources said former Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare Ghulam Nabi Azad, who is presently leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha, is personally monitoring the progress of the GMC in Doda. “Azad has directed the authorities concerned to speed up the process of identification of the land so that construction can get underway and GMC Doda is established,” added the sources. It was during Azad’s tenure as Union Health Minister that five medical colleges were sanctioned for Jammu and Kashmir. Three were for Doda, Kathua and Pir Panjal in Jammu region and two for Anantnag and Baramulla in the Kashmir region. The sources said the state government was interested in starting classes in these new colleges from this session in respect of District Hospitals, but the MCI intervened and asked the state government to first provide the infrastructure. It is pertinent to mention here that the GMC Doda nodal officer toured the area to get a feedback from the local authorities for identifying land for the medical college. She will be again visiting the area in the coming days so that things are streamlined and construction gets underway at the earliest.
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Power supply woes worsen in Valley
Anantnag, August 10 The residents of the region say this had by far been the worst summer as frequent power cuts had rendered cooling devices useless. Industrial units across the region are also bearing the brunt. According to local sources, the power supply during the month of Ramadan had been a little bit better. However, soon after the end of the month power woes have worsened. “During the last few years, power supply used to be comparatively better at least during the summer months,” Khursheed Ahmad, a resident of Damhal Hanjipora in Kulgam district said. People were foreseeing a harsher winter this year keeping in view the erratic power supply, he added. The managements of various schools across the region have been left high and dry this summer. “The majority of the children in my school are under five years of age. It’s painful to see them suffer in such heat,” said a Principal of primary school in Anantnag town on condition of anonymity. He said school managements were making things worse as they were reluctant to spend money on alternative power systems. Industrial estates in the region are finding it hard to bear labour costs as the production has taken a dip due to irregular power supply. Unit holders at the Bijbehara industrial estate have been deprived of a power supply line for long. “We pay our employees but they are out of work for most part of the day as there is no regular power. My unit is still in the infancy stage and I’m already incurring losses,” said Danish Ahmad, a young entrepreneur. Officials of the Power Development Department
(PDD) maintain that the power supply had been good in the region. “There have been some maintenance issues in some parts of the region. However, the overall power supply has just been fine,” said a senior PDD official from south Kashmir.
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Raina plays T-20 match with Army XI in Baramulla
Srinagar, August 10 An Army official said Raina played for six overs after which he headed to the Uri sector on the Line of Control (Loc) to meet Army men. Raina also met a cross section of the people, especially youth in north Kashmir township and clicked pictures
with them. Raina is son of a retired Army officer. He hails from Rainawari locality of the old Srinagar city. Raina moved to
Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, in the late 1980s along with his parents, two brothers and a sister. In 2011, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah impressed by Raina’s spectacular rise as an international cricket star offered him a plot in his hometown. He wanted him to represent Jammu and Kashmir team in the nationals. The sources also revealed that some top Bollywood actresses were in the summer capital and were headed to the LoC to meet Army men. However, the event was not open to media coverage. Bollywood actors perform at convention
centre
Top Bollywood actors, Sunil Shetty and Sohail Khan, performed at the
Sher-e- Kashmir International Convention Centre in Srinagar today for the cause of supporting children, who were orphaned during the twenty years of turmoil. The event was organised by Dr
Ashai, a Kashmir-based physiotherapy expert, who is also known as a personal trainer of many celebrity actors and cricketers. |
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4,000 women participate in Islamic Peace Conference
Srinagar, August 10 Various speakers from the Islamic Research Foundation, Mumbai, which is headed by well known Islamic scholar Dr Zakir Naik, spoke on different issues concerning the role of women in Islam. Farhat Naik, wife of Dr Zakir Naik, and his daughters Zikra and Rushda also participated in the event. Farhat spoke on ‘Ideal Muslimah’. Naila Noorani, Dr Naik’s sister, was also present on the occasion. The event was organised Feroze Peerzada in association with the LoudBeetle, an event management group. “Such events enlighten you about religion and guide youth, who are mislead in many ways. These events should continue in future as well so that they can guide youth towards the right direction,” said Jabeena, who participated in the event along with her two daughters. “It is good that the event witnessed a huge rush. Women hardly get a chance to go out,” said Aymun, a student. The speakers mainly focused on changing lifestyles of Muslim women across the country, including Kashmir. “The event was held to focus on growing western influence among women in Kashmir and stress was laid on leading a purposeful life to keep their vision clear,” said one of the organising members. The event was conceptualised by Valley-based Mursallen Peerzada, who left the Bollywood to work for the women in Kashmir.
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Raksha Bandhan celebrated with traditional gaiety in Jammu
Jammu, August 10 The festival falls on the Shravan Purnima, which comes generally in the month of August. Heavy rush was witnessed on the roads as everyone was in a hurry to buy gifts and reach the homes of their brothers and sisters. Sisters tied colourful rakhis on the wrists of their brothers. Besides, young and old enjoyed the flying kites during the entire day. Before tying the thread, a “tilak” is applied on the forehead of the brother and prayers are offered for his long life and happiness. In return, sisters are showered with gifts. In many localities residents had erected temporary sheds using bedcovers or tents as shields against sun and played loud music while flying kites. Since, the festival has a special significance of kite flying in Jammu and adjoining towns, residents, especially males, enjoyed flying kites throughout the day. The sky remained dotted with colourful kites. |
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Dental surgeons suspend hunger strike, but continue to protest
Jammu, August 10 While briefing the media, Dr Pawan Singh, chairman, DSA, said, “Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) patron Mufti Mohammed Syed showed a great concern about us and assured us of resolving our issues when they will come to power.” “The association appreciates and welcomes the assurance given by Syed. On behalf of the PDP patron, his party members visited the place of our dharna at Amphalla and insisted us to call off hunger strike,” he added. Dr Pawan claimed that none from the state government or administration visited the place of dharna even after the association met the minister concerned and government representatives. “On July 17, we met Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and told him about our genuine issues, but his response was totally negative,” the DSA claimed. “Showing the same attitude towards our genuine demands, Health Minister Taj Mohiuddin stated financial implication as a major reason which is restraining the government from engaging new dental surgeons in the state,” it added. |
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Persian scholar Maqbool Sofi dies
Srinagar, August 10 Sofi also has many scholarly papers to his credit. Separate condolence meetings were held at Government Degree College,
Pampore; Government Degree College, Tral; and Bijbehara college to commemorate the services rendered by the eminent scholar. Prof Ishaq
Wani, while recounting the services of the dedicated academician, said: “Sofi was a cherished colleague and a genuine and great scholar. A man of integrity and one of the most remarkable, plain and unpretentious individuals anyone could hope to meet.” Another speaker said: “Sofi was a man of impeccable integrity and great decency. He was a meticulous and impressively scholar of classical Persian literature whose professional interests spanned teaching the language at rudimentary level to the theory and criticism.” |
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Khanyar youth among two found hanging
Srinagar, August 10 The police said it has registered a case under section 174 CrPC and started an investigation to ascertain the circumstances of the death. In another incident, the police said, 21-year-old Javid Ahmad Khan allegedly committed suicide by hanging himself in his room at Kutri Narbal village in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district. “The body of the deceased youth was handed over to the family for the last rites after the completion of legal formalities,” the spokesperson said. The police have started investigation under section 174 CrPC to ascertain the cause and circumstances of the death, he added.
— TNS
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NC employing all tricks for political survival: Mehbooba
Srinagar, August, 10 “The NC-led government is trying to employ suppressive methods against officials and workers of the PDP to coerce them into submission. They are making false promises, laying fake foundation stones, conducting false ribbon-cutting ceremonies and inventing new methods of selling non-existent jobs,” she added. |
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PDP MLA cries betrayal over denial of ticket
Pulwama, August 10 Bashir was denied party ticket to contest Assembly elections although he was the sitting MLA from the constituency. He said it was unfortunate that the party did not take him into consideration when the decision was taken by the high command. “Now Mufti Mohammad Sayeed is saying that he had intimated me about the decision and I was taken into consideration, but the party’s patron is telling a blatant lie,” said Bashir while talking to mediapersons. “I worked for the party with enthusiasm, but in the end it proved useless as the party did not even consider me to be a part of this crucial decision,” said Bashir. — OC
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Bharatiya Janata Party’s Mahila Morcha nominates office-bearers
Jammu, August 10 Dr Indira has been elected president of the Mahila Morcha (Kashmir unit). Other office-bearers of the morcha are: Vice-presidents — Kalpana Pandita and Dolly Raina; general secretary — Shashi Razdan; secretaries — Sunita Kher and Babey Kour; and cashier — Radha Bhat. The newly elected president of the Mahila Morcha, Dr Indira, called upon workers to spread the message of the party among the masses, especially among the displaced Kashmiri Hindus, and ensure that people take part in the upcoming Assembly elections in big numbers. Members also discussed the problems faced by displaced Kasmiri Hindu women like scarcity of drinking water and electricity in the camps. |
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Srinagar, August 10
PDP president Mehbooba Mufti said the party had been able to inspire confidence among a majority of the people in all the regions of the state.
Addressing a meeting of the party workers and leaders here today, she said the credentials of the PDP in the government and in the Opposition were impressive and any comparison of this party with the National Conference (NC) was not only out of place, but patently unfair.
Jammu, August 10
