Srinagar, August 16
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said he had taken up the revocation of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) from parts of Jammu and Kashmir with the new Central government and that there was a discernible improvement in the situation.

“We have taken up the demand for revocation of AFSPA with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government and the issue is under discussion,” Omar told mediapersons on the sidelines of the Independence Day celebrations at Bakshi Stadium here yesterday.

Replying to questions, Omar said an impression had been created that the security situation would deteriorate as a result of the fallout of the withdrawal of the US soldiers from Afghanistan this year. “There is no evidence of any such situation on the ground,” Omar asserted and hoped that by the end of 2014, such an impression would fade away.

Earlier, addressing the main function, the Chief Minister expressed concern over the separatists’ call for boycotting the elections over the past 25 years while seeking a resolution of Kashmir issue. He said such forces did not achieve anything by calling for poll boycott. He added that most people in Kashmir did not vote as compared to heavy participation in Jammu and Ladakh regions. Omar urged the people to vote in larger numbers for peace, development and prosperity.

The Chief Minister, presenting a report card of his government for the past five and a half years, said a lot of improvement was seen in the security situation of the state and added that there was 80 per cent decline in militancy during this period.

Omar said all schools and hospitals were vacated by the security forces in addition to 1,000 private buildings, 300 government buildings, 40 hotels and 30 industrial units. He said 54 bunkers had also been removed from Srinagar city.

Omar said, “The rehabilitation policy was introduced for the youth who had crossed LoC and wanted to return to live a normal life. He said 350 youth have returned under this policy so far.”

Omar said the last Assembly elections were fought on local development issues such as road, water, power, education and health. He said he advocated resolution of K-issue at all important forums.

Srinagar, August 16
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president and Member of Parliament from Anantnag, Mehbooba Mufti, today accused the National Conference of providing the state with the “worst ever” governments over the years.

“The ruling National Conference has created a record of sorts by giving the state the worst ever governments over the years,” Mehbboba said while addressing gatherings of some prominent leaders and their supporters, who joined the PDP today.

“After having stood out as the worst ever government, even by the NC standards, the Omar Abdullah-led dispensation has exposed itself as the worst loser as well,” she said.

Welcoming social and political activist from Srinagar Malik Asif Noor and a senior veterinarian Dr Abdur Rashid from Trehgam, Kupwara, into the party fold, Mehbooba said though the victory and defeat were part of the democracy, the National Conference leadership was “unnerved” by the loss in the Lok Sabha polls and the prospect of “imminent rout” in the forthcoming Assembly elections.

That is why in desperation they have virtually pushed the state into anarchy and chaos, she said.

“The anarchist approach adopted by the ruling NC government has again pushed Kashmir into despair and alienation,” alleged the senior PDP leader.

Mehbooba also named Sheikh Nasir as the district coordinator for Kishtawar, while Ishtiyaq Hussain Waza has been appointed as the coordinator for Kishtawar Assembly constituency. Noor Hussain Malik will be the election in charge for the Kishtawar Assembly segment.

Srinagar, August 16
National Conference (NC) general secretary Ali Mohammad Sagar announced the third list of 15 candidates for the Assembly elections today.

The parliamentary board cleared the list during a meeting under the chairmanship of party president Farooq Abdullah and in the presence of working president Omar Abdullah.

Devender Singh Rana will contest the poll from Nagrota, Mohammad Yaqoob from Sangrama, Ghulam Hassan Rahi from Baramulla, Manzoor Ahmed Wani from Khansaheb, Yawar Masoodi from Pampore, Ghulam Mohi-ud-din Mir from Rajpura, Imran Nabi Dar from Muran Kulgam, Peerzada Ghulam Ahmed Shah from Devsar, Farooq Ahmad Ganai from Doru, Ghulam Nabi Bhat from Kokernag, Riaz Ahmed Khan Advocate from Shangus, Altaf Kaloo from Pahalgam, Raj Kapoor from Ramnagar, Ghulam Haider Malik from Bani and Bimla Luthra from Jammu East.

Jammu, August 16
Ashwani Kumar Sharma, two-time MLA from Bishnah, formally joined the BJP in the presence of senior party leaders on Friday.

A former Congress leader, Sharma had won two successive Assembly elections from Bishnah as a candidate of the Jammu State Morcha, set up by the RSS in 2002.

Rajya Sabha member and J&K BJP affairs in charge Avinash Rai Khanna came from Delhi to formally induct Sharma into the party. State BJP president Jugal Kishore Sharma and general secretary (organisation) Ashok Koul were also present.

Sharma’s induction would help the BJP in border areas of Vijaypur, RS Pura and Suchetgarh. As MLA, he had vociferously taken up issues of inhabitants of border areas and refugees from west Pakistan and Pakistan occupied Jammu and Kashmir. The BJP had supported Sharma’s candidature in 2002 and he showed his popularity by winning the Bishnah seat again in 2008. He managed to retain the seat even though the BJP had fielded Shilpi Verma, widow of Kuldeep Verma, who committed suicide during the Amarnath land agitation from the segment.

His joining was being considered as a big boost for the BJP as the Congress had also been trying to induct him into the party. Being a former Congress leader, the party had assigned one of its ministers the task of roping in the Bishnah legislator.

Sharma said he joined the BJP to serve the people of the state in general and the Jammu region in particular. He said the BJP was the only party which could serve the interests of all sections of society.

Srinagar, August 16
Continuous rain in the Valley since last evening brought much needed respite to the people from sweltering heat and humid conditions, which had prevailed in the region over the past two months.

The downpour also brought cheer to the farming community as it ended a long dry spell, which had threatened apple and other major crops in the region.

The maximum temperature in Srinagar city was 31.4 degrees Celsius, which dropped to a minimum of 15.3 degrees Celsius as rain lashed the region through the night and even continued today morning.

The weatherman has predicted pleasant weather conditions for the next 24 hours.

Wet and cloudy weather conditions would continue on Sunday also, during which light to moderate rain fall is expected in the region, the Meteorological Department said.

“The downpour since Friday evening is the result of interaction between the monsoon currents and the western disturbances, which is expected to continue for the next 24 hours,” Director, Metrological Department, Sonam Lotus said.

He said the rain since Friday has ended the dry spell and also brought down the temperatures in the region considerably.

The department said Srinagar recorded 35.8 mm of rainfall up to 8.30 am on Saturday, while Qazigund registered 46.4 mm rain till morning.

Pahalgam witnessed 58.8 mm since Friday evening, while Kupwara and Kokernag registered a rainfall of 20.4 mm and 41 mm respectively. Gulmarg recorded 39.4 mm rain till 8.30 am today, the MeT office said.

Samba, August 16
Flash floods damaged a portion of border fencing in the Ramgarh subsector of Samba district on yesterday

“Flash floods in village Kamore of Samba district have damaged around 200 metre of fencing along the Indo-Pak border near the Kamore forward post of the Ramgarh subsector,” an official source said.

The official spokesperson, however, said repair work has been initiated and the fence would be mended soon.

“The repair work was initiated the same day and the fence will be fixed soon,” the spokesperson said.

“A patch of 100-200 metre of the fencing has suffered damage due to flash floods,” he said.

An official said the troops guarding the borderline were keeping a close watch on the three-tier fencing in view of the threat of infiltration from across the border.

Besides the damage to the border fence, crops in the area were also affected by the floods. Meanwhile, Samba DC Mubarak Singh along with the BSF officials visited the Kamore post and took stock of the situation.

Last year, the BSF had repaired and re-constructed over 500 metre of fencing which were damaged by the torrential rains and flash floods.

Srinagar, August 16
Amid tight security arrangements and separatists’ shutdown call, the Independence Day celebrations were held at the Bakshi Stadium here and all other district headquarters across Kashmir division yesterday.

The main function was held at Bakshi Stadium in the summer capital, where Chief Minister Omar Abdullah unfurled the Tricolour and took salute at the march past. Various contingents of the police and schoolchildren took part in the march past.

Omar later hosted “At Home” in connection with the Independence Day celebrations at SKICC in the evening. Governor NN Vohra, former Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah, Speaker of the Legislative Assembly Mubarak Gul, members of the Council of Ministers, legislators, Chief Secretary Mohammad Iqbal Khanday, civil, police and Army officers and senior Citizens attended the “At Home”.

The celebrations were also held at all other district headquarters across Kashmir and Ladakh regions. Various ministers unfurled the National Flag and took salute at the march past at different district headquarters of Budgam, Ganderbal, Baramulla, Kupwara, Bandipore, Anantnag, Pulwama, Shopian and Kulgam in Kashmir. These celebrations were also held at Leh and Kargil district headquarters in Ladakh region.

The celebrations were also held at the Srinagar international airport, where S Raheja, member, Airports Authority of India (AAI), hoisted the National Flag.

Officials of the AAI, police, CRPF, Airlines and Indian Oil and passengers participated in the event.

Raheja also inaugurated all-weather illuminated National Flag, which is the first-of-its-kind in the AAI-managed airports in the country.

Jammu, August 16
The 68th Independence Day was celebrated with patriotic fervour and zeal across Jammu division with Deputy Chief Minister Tara Chand hoisting the National Flag in Jammu on Friday.

He took salute at the march past of contingents drawn from the J&K Police, forest protection force, SDRF, fire emergency services, NCC and educational institutions at Parade Ground here.

Minister of state for Revenue, Haj and Auqaf Aijaz Ahmed Khan, Jammu Divisional Commissioner Shantmanu, IGP Rajesh Kumar, senior officers and students were present on the occasion.

Paying tributes to the freedom fighters, the Deputy CM said the nation owed to these great leaders who sacrificed their lives to secure freedom from the foreign rule. He also paid tributes to the soldiers and security personnel who stand as guardians to maintain peace and protect the sovereignty of the country. Earlier, students of government and private educational institutions presented a cultural programme conveying the message of national integration.

In Rajouri, Independence Day was celebrated with national spirit despite inclement weather.

The main function was held at the district Police Lines, Rajouri, where Minister for PHE, Irrigation and Flood Control Sham Lal Sharma unfurled the Tricolour and took salute at the march past.

In Doda, Minister for PWD and Mechanical Engineering Abdul Majid Wani unfurled the Tricolour and took salute at the march past.

In Samba, Minister for Urban Development and Local Urban Bodies Nawang Rigzin Jora hoisted the National Flag and took salute at the march past by the contingents of JKAP, Forest Protection Force and NCC students.

At Reasi, the main function was held at the sports stadium Reasi, where Minister for Tourism Ghulam Ahmad Mir unfurled the Tricolour and took the salute at the march past from the contingents of JKP, IRP, CRPF, NCC and students from various schools.

At Katra, CEO of SMVDSB M K Bhandari hoisted the Tricolour. Similar functions were held at Mahore, Pouni and Arnas.

At Poonch, Minister for Housing, Horticulture, Culture, Youth Services and Sports Raman Bhalla hoisted the National Flag at Sports Stadium, Poonch.

At Kathua, Minister of State with Independent charge of Fisheries, Cooperatives Printing and Stationary Manohar Lal Sharma hoisted the National Flag.

Independence Day was celebrated across Kishtwar district with gaiety. The main function was organised at the Chowgan ground where Minister for Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Mir Saifullah hoisted the Tricolour.

At Udhampur, the 68th Independence Day function was celebrated with patriotic spirit across the district. The main function was held on the premises of Government PG College (Boys), Udhampur, where Minister for Planning and Development Ajay Sadhotra hoisted the National Flag and took salute at the march past.

At Ramban, Minister of state for Animal and Sheep Husbandry Nazir Ahmed Gurezi hoisted the National Flag. The Jammu District Jail celebrated the I-Day where Superintendent of Jail Harish Kotwal hoisted the National Flag.

Srinagar, August 16
The first batch of Haj pilgrims will leave Srinagar on August 27. This was stated during a high-level meeting chaired by Kashmir Divisional Commissioner Rohit Kansal to finalise arrangements for the pilgrimage.

“The first batch of 275 Haj pilgrims will board the direct flight for Madina Munawara from the Srinagar international airport on August 27. Regular flights will continue up to September 12,” a spokesman said.

Srinagar, August 16
Governor NN Vohra has greeted people on the eve of Janmashtami and expressed hope that the auspicious occasion would be a harbinger of peace, harmony, progress and prosperity in the state.

In his message, the Governor observed that the divine message of Lord Krishna, enshrined in the Bhagavad Gita, exhorts mankind to strive for the ultimate truth and to do one’s duty to the best of one’s ability without worrying about the benefits to be gained.

Vohra said adherence to such values provides a firm foundation of a stable and harmonious society.

On the occasion, the Governor also prayed for the well-being of the people of the state.

Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has also extended greetings to the people on Janmashtami, wishing them well-being and prosperity.

In his message, the Chief Minister highlighted the state’s rich tradition of celebrating festivals and holy occasions together ad in an atmosphere of amity.

The Chief Minister emphasised on further strengthening this trait and prayed for peace and development in the state and country. 

Srinagar, August 16
A fire broke out in Koker Bazaar area of the city here causing damage to three houses and several shops, the police said today.

Deputy Superintendent of Police Sheikh Faisal said the fire spread from one of the houses to a nearby complex.

“A fire broke out in the Koker Bazaar area of the city this morning resulting in damage to the three buildings,” a Fire and Emergency Services official said.

He said fire tenders were rushed to the spot and the blaze was brought under control.

A firefighter was injured while dousing flames. However no civilian was reported to be hurt incident, the Fire and Emergency Services official added. — Agencies