Kashmir.Watch

Author: hamid

  • Transparency, accountability ensured while implementing RD schemes: Sagar

    Jammu rated one of the best districts in country for MGNREGA implementation

    Jammu: Maintaining that transparency and accountability has been strengthened while implementing various Rural Development schemes, the Minister for Rural Development and Panchayati Raj, Mr. Ali Mohammad Sagar Friday said that these programmes have been instrumental in changing the socio-economic profile of the rural and far-flung areas of the state besides ensuring the creation of assets for the convenience of the people.
    While replying to the Demand of Grants of Rural Development Department & Panchayats in the Legislative Assembly, the Minister said that the pace of implementation of the flagship schemes MGNREGA has registered a phenomenal growth since 2008-09 onwards when the budget of the scheme was Rs. 86.51 crore to Rs. 850 crore and during the current financial year the scheme is expected to cross an availability of Rs. 1000 crores with zero liability to the next financial year.
    “1.10 lakh number of works have been taken in hand and ending January 2014, 2.35 crore man-days have been generated which may touch 4 crore by the end of current financial year and next year’s labour budget for the first quarter stands approved at 2.88 crore man-days”, the Minister added and maintained that 10.99 lakh families have been registered and job cards issued to them.
     “Jammu district has been ranked as one of the top most in the implementation of MGNREGA in the country and recently it was awarded by the Union Ministry at New Delhi”, the Minister maintained.
    Under supporting staff of MGNREGA, 80 Programme Officers, 2179 GRS, 834 Technical Assistants, 230 Management Information System (MIS) Operators and 20 Social Audit Coordinators have been engaged, the Minister maintained and said that a fool proof mechanism has been put in place to ensure transparency as well as accountability in its implementation and deviations if any, have been strictly taken notice of and action initiated against the derelicting officials.  
    Referring to the mechanism of transparency and grievance redressal, the Minister said that the department has created a cell in the administrative department for redressal of grievances and the complaints received are given a track number and then response is elicited from various officials and the complainant is informed about the action taken.
    Terming the incorporation of certain amendments in J&K Panchayati Raj Act, 1989 in order to incorporate certain broad features of constitutional 73rd amendment like reservation to SC/STs, Women and direct elections to the chairpersons of all three tiers as historical, the Minister said it would go a long way in broadening the ambit of decentralization of powers and involvement of people at grass root level in day-to-day governance.
    J&K ombudsman for Panchayats Bill 2014 has been drafted and is being tables in the House during current session, which will look into the complaints against Panchayats so as to ensure that PRIs function within the frame work of rules and regulations so as to make their functioning transparent and accountable, the Minister added. He said that Government of India has put in place MIS where entire information regarding execution of individual works and payments to the individual job holders are uploaded on the system which can be accessed by anyone by taking printouts of the works done as well as the payments received by the individual card holders thereby strengthening the mechanism of transparency in MGNREGA works.
    While terming the process of empowering the Panchayats with powers of 14 vital departments as one of the major feature of ensuring the democratic decentralization of powers to the grass root level, the Minister said that the government has fulfilled its promise of putting in place a vibrant Panchayati Raj System and these representatives are being involved in the policy formulation as well as implementation of various welfare schemes undertaken by the government, the Minister said and maintained that senior officer of the level of Additional District Development Commissioner has been nominated as Nodal Officer for ensuring that the orders of empowerment of Panchayats are strictly adhered to.
    While referring to the process of augmenting the infrastructural capacities of the Panchayats, the Minister said that the money released under the 13th Finance Commission is being solely utilized for capacity building of PRIs and 1678 Panchayat Ghars are being constructed in convergence with MGNREGA and funds for repair and renovation of the existing 2250 Panchayat Ghars have been released under the same award. He said in addition, Rs. 1.25 lakh for Halqa Panchayat has been released for developmental works to be identified and executed by these Panchayats.
     “We have passed clear instructions to ensure that all the Panchayat Ghars constructed by December 2014. We have kept a budgetary provision for honorarium of Panches and Sarpanches in the budget and they are currently being paid an honorarium of Rs. 1000 and Rs. 2000 respectively as sitting fee besides they are being taken out the State for interaction and subsequently also trained at IMPA”, the Minister elaborated.
    In order to bring the rural areas at par with urban ones the government has undertaken a comprehensive programme of constructing one model village per constituency, the Minister maintained and said that this would go a long way in ensuring that the people living in far-flung and remote areas of the state get the requisite facilities which would also ensure their socio-economic elevation.
    Referring to the Government’s decision of creating additional 177 CD Blocks as watershed in the history of the state, the Minister said that the same would ensure sustained and fast paced development of the rural areas. He said that the necessary directions have been passed for identifying the institutional structure and other related things for these blocks. Under the Rajiv Gandhi Panchayati Sashiktikaran Abhyan an amount of Rs. 29.96 crore has already been approved by Union Ministry of Panchayati Raj for the current year.
    Under NRLM (UMEED) an amount of Rs. 750 crore has been sanctioned and the scheme has initially been started in four blocks i.e. Basohli, Chenai, Khansahib, Laar and till date 1650 Self Help Groups have been framed in these blocks and five more blocks viz Sumbal, D. H. Pura, Gundna, Mahore and Kargil are being covered during current financial year. Similarly, under Integrated Watershed Management Programme (IWMP) a perspective programme of Rs. 2300 crore stands approved for treating 15 lakh hectares of treatable area, the programme would go a long way in Waste Land Management, Soil and Water Conservation, he said.
    In order to provide the housing facilities to the rural poor under Indira Awas Yojana, the State has registered a phenomenal increase in its implementation and the current year allocation has increased to Rs. 140.64 crore and 18752 houses have been taken in hand, the Minister maintained.
    To ensure cleanliness in rural areas Nirmal Bharat Abhyan has been undertaken for construction of individual household latrines school toilets by converging with MGNREGA funds and an amount of Rs. 92 crore has been allocated for the current year and 3455 school toilets and 83 community toilets are being constructed. As many as 23 Members participated in the discussion which included, Mr. Sharief Niaz, Mr. Abdul Gaffar Sofi, Mr. Rashpal Singh, Mr. M. Y. Tarigami, Mr. Jugal Kishore, Dr. Shafi Wani, Hakeem Yaseen, Mr. Javaid Dar, Mr. Ashwani Kumar, Mr. Rafi Ahmad Mir, Mr.
    Harshdev Singh, Mr. Yashpal Kundal, Mr. Irfan Shah, Prof. Chaman Lal Gupta, Er. Rashid, Ashok Kumar, Mrs. Shamima Firdous, Mr. Gharu Ram Bhagat, Mr. Nizam-ud-Din Bhat, Ch. Sukhnandan, Mr. G. M. Saroori, Mr. Charanjeet Singh and Mr. Peer Afaq. Earlier, the Minister moved the Demand for Grant of a sum of Rs. 1420.47 crore to defray the charges which will come in the course of payment during the year ending March, 2015.
    The Members who had moved the cut motions withdrew the same after satisfactory reply from the Minister. Later, the House passed the grants with the voice vote.

  • HCJK leaders detained in Parimpora

    Slams Antony of giving clean chit to Pathribal culprits

    Srinagar: Police on Friday arrested senior Hurriyat Conference Jammu Kashmir senior leaders at Parimpora when they were on way to Warpora, Sopore. The leaders included Shabir Ahmad Shah, Nayeem Ahmad Khan, Muhammad Yusuf Naqash, Tariq Ahmad, Munir Ahmad, Sajad Ahmad Tantray and dozens of other Hurriyat activists.
    According to a statement issued to KNS, the Hurriyat spokesperson while condemning the arrest of Shabir Ahmad Shah and his associates said that arresting Shabir Shah has become a routine for authorities. According to spokesperson, Shah has been either arrested or put under house arrest for 15 months and 20 days during the past three years and was prevented from offering 117 Friday and six Eid prayers.
    However, senior Hurriyat Conference leaders, Mushtaq-ul-Islam and Shabir Ahmad Dar managed to reach Warpora, Sopore, where they addressed the public gathering amid pro-freedom slogans. In their speech, the leaders reiterated their pledge of continuing the freedom struggle against forcible occupation of India till any solution as per the wishes and aspirations of Kashmiri people is not found.
    The leaders strongly condemned the Indian Defence Minister AK Antony’s clean chit to forces involved in Pathribal fake encounter. They alleged that Indian government treats Jammu and Kashmir as its colony and treats its people as a mere cattle.
    Terming Jammu and Kashmir as the last target of colonialists in 21st century, the leaders appealed United Nations General Secretary, Ban Ki Moon to take notice of war crimes committed by Indian forces in the state and fulfill its responsibilities by starting investigation through War Crime Tribunal against the forces involved in Pathribal fake encounter.
    Accusing India of possessing dual nature, the Hurriyat leaders said India misleads world community with its “other” face of democracy. “Indian democracy holds dual nature. One, which it shows to world and the other which it shows to the people of Jammu and Kashmir, which has been proven by the clean chit given to Pathribal fake encounter culprits by Indian Defence Minister, AK Antony,” they said.
    Talking about Rajiv Gandhi assasination case and hanging of Shaheed Muhammad Afzal Guru, the resistance leaders said: “Now it is crystal clear that even Indian systems of law and justice are of dual nature. Since Kashmiris are fighting against the forcible occupation of India, the world’s so-called largest democracy is putting off all its veils of democracy, laws and justice when it comes to Kashmir. Shaheed Muhammad Afzal Guru too had to pay the price for the same crime that he was a Kashmiri fighting for freedom cause.”
    “Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah is now shedding crocodile tears over the hanging of Shaheed Afzal Guru,” they added.
    The Hurriyat leaders said the hushing up of scandals like Pathribal and Kunan Poshpora only provokes hatred and rage against India. “We have given innumerable sacrifices to achieve our usurped right of self-determination. Our youth continue to offer their blood for the cause and our people continue to tolerate the worst human rights violations.”
    The leaders said if India is of the view that by killing, puttiing Kashmiri people behind bars or by implementing harsh laws , the people of Kashmir will give up their fight for freedom, it is living in a fool’s paradise. “The spirit of freedom among Kashmiris is only increasing with each passing day,” the Hurriyat leaders added.
    However, Mushtaq-ul-Islam, Shabir Dar, Imran Ahmad, Bilal Ahmad Shah and Fayaz Ahmad Kaloo were arrested on their return and lodged in Police Station, Amargarh.  (KNS)

  • India slams Pakistan as Parliament attack mastermind resurfaces, calls for ‘Jihad’

    New Delhi: India has slammed Pakistan for allowing terrorist Masood Azhar, accused of planning the brazen attack on the Indian Parliament in December 2001, to address an anti-India rally in late January.

    Soon after Pakistan’s foreign office sought to play down as a “one time event” reports that Azhar had called for “jihad” or holy war against India at the rally, New Delhi said, “Once is once too many times…We have zero tolerance for terrorists.”

    The Ministry of External Affairs said it was “concerned that a terrorist who is banned is able to spew venom on India,” pointing out that Azhar’s Jaish e Mohammad is “a terrorist organisation banned by India, the US and more importantly by Pakistan.”

    Masood Azhar, 45, was one of three terrorists released by India in 1999 in exchange for the hostages of the hijacked Air India flight IC-814. He went on to form the Jaish e Mohammad or Army of Mohammad and was soon banned by Pakistan and the US.

    He was named as the prime suspect in a 2001 Parliament attack. Tension spiralled and up to a million troops were mobilised on both sides of the volatile border. Pakistan refused to hand over Azhar to India.

    The portly and bearded cleric had remained mostly confined to a compound in his home city of Bhawalpur in Pakistan’s Punjab province for years. Earlier this week, however, Reuters reported that he had addressed a rally by telephone in Muzaffarabad, saying the time has come to resume jihad against India.

    “There are 313 fidayeen (fighters who are ready to die) in this gathering and if a call is given the number will go up to 3,000,” Azhar he told the rally. A Reuters journalist who was present said a telephone was held next to a microphone which broadcast his comments to loudspeakers. Azhar spoke from an undisclosed location.

    Twice since the end of December, authorities have issued an airport security alert, warning of an attempt by members of his militant group to hijack a plane, with smaller airfields most at risk.

    Intelligence analysts have described Azhar’s resurgence as part of a change in tactics in Pakistan as US forces withdraw from Afghanistan this year, and as Islamabad tries to clamp down on Islamic insurgents who oppose the Pakistani government.

  • Remembering Nadeem Khateeb

    On February 27, 1999, Nadeem Khateeb’s family learned he was dead. A report published in the March of that year says his family received a call from London informing the Khateebs about his death during a gunfight. “Your son and two other mujahideen have been martyred in Udhampur,” the caller said.

    On February 21, Khateeb was shot dead at Buthal village on the Gool heights of Udhampur district. All that Khateeb’s family has been able to learn is that their son was only recently asked to return to India by his organization.

    His wealthy Srinagar family had had no inkling of their son having become a militant. The son of a retired Chief Engineer, Khateeb had been living in the United States, working as a well-paid flight instructor in a Georgia school where he had obtained his commercial pilot’s license in 1995.
    Khateeb was a graduate in geology, geography and economics. In 1994 he attended a flight training school in Georgia and joined the same school as a staff flying instructor.

    At an age of 30 he left his dream life in the US as a professional, from the runways of US, and chose to take another path by foot. Khateeb friends describe as a person “who watched from the sidelines” as protests raged in his motherland Kashmir.

    One of his closest friends, Ishfaq Majeed Wani, grew up to be a commander of the resistance group Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front one of the many resistance organizations who challenged Indian rule. While Ishfaq spearheaded the militant rebellion against India, Khatteb never talked about joining the ranks of the militants, says his father.

    Engaged to a girl who was his relative, he was reluctant to marry, nobody knew why, maybe he was trying to focus on his career but his leaving the US to take up the armed struggle explains it all, he says.

    After being in the US for many years, a close friend explains it thus: ‘‘He used to brood a lot on the US exploitation of the Muslim countries. He said that after being in the US for so many years, his eyes had finally opened”.

    Khateeb had joined the militant group Al-Badr for arms training in Kashmir, before crossing the Line of Control. “He would call us and tell us he was fine. How would we know where he was calling from? We thought he was in the US,” his father says.

    His mother says, “I have no regrets. I have absolute faith that my son was a martyr and is thus alive.”
    “Whenever I am alone, I feel his presence. When I stand up on the prayer mat, I feel him next to me. He was always his mother’s boy,” she says.

    The Biscoe School boy was the first non-resident Kashmir person to have returned to fight the Indian rule in the state.

  • Saudi man gets 2,400 lashes in public for beating mother

    Mnama: A man in Saudi Arabia has been sentenced to five years in jail and 2,400 lashes in public by a court for beating up his mother.
    According to Gulf News, the man physically assaulted his mother and broke her front tooth while she was riding with him in a car.
    Judge Turki Al Qarni said that the man will also have the same tooth broken as his mother’s as a part of his punishments. The judge has ordered the lashing to be carried out in 60 parts, 40 every 10 days in public near a market. The man was taken into custody after his bruised mother alerted the police at a local checkpoint. The accused has reportedly agreed to the accusations laid on him by his mother. The Judge issued the sentence after getting the accused medically examined for his mental faculties and whether he had taken any drugs. (ANI)

  • Restrictions, shutdown continues in Pulwama

    Srinagar: Curfew like restrictions continued for the second straight day Friday in south Kashmir’s Pulwama town which has been on boil after a Jaish-e-Muhammad militant was killed in an alleged encounter in Budgam district of central Kashmir.
    Reports reaching GNS said that undeclared curfew remained imposed in the town and its peripheries for the second straight day to prevent people from staging demonstrations against the killing of JeM militant Tausef Ahmad Dar on Wednesday afternoon in army firing.
    Hundreds of police and paramilitary troopers were deployed in Main Town Pulwama who restricted the movement of civilians.
    In Murran Chowk, unprecedented security arrangements were made, a day after violent clashes rocked the area causing injuries to at least nine people. However, In Dalipora area, groups defied restrictions and clashed with the government forces. However, no one was injured in the clashes, reports said.
    Reports of clashes have also been received from Pakerpora area, where youth fought pitched battles with forces.
    Meanwhile, a complete shutdown was observed in Prichoo, Kangan, Rajpora, Rahmoo, Kakpora, Rajpora, Neva, Pakerpora and other neighbourhood areas to mourn the death of the local militant.
    A police official told GNS that the situation remained by and large peaceful in the town barring few stray incidents of stone pelting. (GNS)

  • Central jail inmate dies at SMHS hospital

    Srinagar: An inmate, who was lodged in Central jail Srinagar for more than four months, died in SMHS Hospital here on Friday afternoon. Official sources told GNS that the inmate, Mukhtar Bhat son of Ghulam Mohiuddin Bhat of Dalipora Pulwama was admitted in SMHSHospital late last evening after he complained severe respiratory problem.
    The deceased was arrested on 19 September last year in case FIR (259/2013) under section 8/20 Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act in police station Pulwama. Later, he was shifted to Central Jail Srinagar.
    When contacted, Director General of Prisons, K Rajendra, told GNS that the inmate was lodged on judicial remand. “Yesterday he complained of severe pain and was immediately referred to JLNM hospital Rainawari from where he was removed to SMHS Srinagar where he was given two blood pints. He had problems in Pancreas,” he said, adding, “Unfortunately, he expired today. Currently the body of inmate is in Police Control Room Srinagar for postmortem and the body will be handed over to his family for last rites.”
    A senior doctor at SMHS, who operated upon the inmate, said he was brought here yesterday at around 5:00 pm. “He complained of acute abdominal pain and finally he expired due to acute Hemorrhagic Pancreatitis,” the doctor told Global News Service. (GNS)

  • Pro-India parties shedding crocodile tears on Guru: Mirwaiz

    Visits Qadri family  to offer condolences on Nazir’s demise

    Srinagar: Holding pro-Indian political parties along with Government of India equally responsible for subjecting Kashmiris to interminable injustices and sufferings, Hurriyat (M) Chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq Friday said that their (pro-Indian political parties) loud screams about injustice with martyr Afzal Guru were nothing more than shedding crocodile tears.
    According to a statement issued to KNS, while terming their politics as deceitful, Mirwaiz said India has kept Kashmiris hostage to its military might while on the other hand these pro-Indian political parties were in the forefront to provide legal cover to these shameful acts of brutality which were the main cause of suffering and bloodshed of Kashmiris.
    Mirwaiz said those people who are sitting in assembly, beating the drum of democracy and representative character, should learn something from the government of Tamil Nadu which has recommend the release of the convicts in Rajiv Gandhi’s assassination where as the self claimed representatives were busy to provide protection to the killers and murders of innocent Kashmiris.
    Addressing a large gathering at historical Jamia Masjid, APHC Chairman said it was due to scheming of pro-Indian political parties that Guru was secretly hanged, adding, if there was an iota of consciousness left with these people, then they should come forward with passing a resolution in Assembly for the return of the mortal remains of Shaheed Mohammad Afzal Guru.
    Mirwaiz said that the Government of India often talks about peace, but it was a known fact that peace is only talked where the tenets of justice and fair play are fulfilled. Asserting that double standards were being adopted while dispensing justice to Kashmiris, he said that the world knows how political, religious and social rights of Kashmiris have brazenly been usurped.
    “APHC Chairman said that legal experts have opined that Shaheed Afzal guru was hanged in contravention to all established norms of justice. He further said that in the Pathribal fake encounter incident all those who were killed by the Army personnel later turned out to be innocents. He said it was highly shameful that the government dumped the report of one of its investigating agency- CBI, holding the army personnel responsible for these innocent killings and gave the accused, involved the crime, a clean chit,” the Hurriyat (M) statement said.
    Referring to Kunan Poshpora mass rape incident, Mirwaiz said 23 years have passed since the incident took place, but no action has ever been taken against the culprit army personnel involved in the gruesome crime. He said India was using black laws like AFSPA to provide legal cover to the crimes of its armed personnel committed against the unarmed Kashmiris, he said that India was using this tactics as a weapon of war against the Kashmiris to suppress them to subjugation
    On the occasion, Mirwaiz announced that the conglomerate would organize a seminar on Feb 23, 2014 to highlight these issues. He said a resolution in this connection will also be passed and letters would be sent to United Nations, E.U, and other international organizations to divert their attention towards sufferings of Kashmiris. Mirwaiz also condemned the imposition of continuous curfew in Pulwama where people have  been put to enormous difficulties by the action of the authorities
    Meanwhile, Hurriyat (M) Chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq visited the Qadri house in Srinagar to pay condolences on the sudden demise of Nazir Ahmad Qadri son of founder of Afaq newspaper, late Mohamamd Yousuf Qadri who lost his life in a tragic road accident. Mirwaiz expressed his sympathies with the bereaved family. He was accompanied by  Shahid-ul-Islam and engineer Hilal Ahmad war. Hurriyat leader Zaffar Akbar Bhat,  and Javaid Ahmad Mir also visited the house of the deceased and expressed their sympathies with the bereaved family.  (KNS)

  • Youth shot dead in Sopore

    Srinagar: A youth was shot dead on Friday by unknown gunmen in Sopore town of north Kashmir’s Baramulla district late Friday evening.
    Officials told GNS that Wasim Mehraj Malla, 26, son of Mehraj ud-din Malla of Naseem Bagh locality of Krankshivan, Sopore was shot dead by unidentified gunmen from point blank range near Masjid Baghi Islam around 6:40 pm Friday. Wasim, they said, collapsed on the road in a pool of blood. “He was rushed to the sub-district hospital, Sopore where doctors declared him brought dead,” the official said.
    Meanwhile, Army, Special Operation Group of Police and CRPF cordoned off the area and launched the hunt to nab the unknown gunmen.(GNS)

  • Yasin Malik pays rich tributes to martyr Nadeem Khateeb

    Srinagar: Chairman JKLF Mohammad Yasin Malik has paid rich tributes to great martyr of Kashmir Pilot Nadeem Khateeb on his martyrdom anniversary. Recalling the sacrifices and struggle of pilot Nadeem, Malik said that he was a great son of soil who left Life of luxury and comfort, joined the freedom struggle and sacrificed his life for the sacred cause. Yasin Malik while paying tributes to the great martyr expressed solidarity with his family…
    According to a statement issued to KNS, Malik expressed deep shock and grief over the demise of Nazir Ahmad Qadri of qadri family, who was brother of famous journalists Jeelani Qadri and Moarifat Qadri of Aafaq. Yasin sahib and other JKLF leaders Ghulam Rasool Dar Eidi, Noor Mohammad Kalwal, Showkat Ahmad Bakhshi, Sheikh Abdul Rashid, Imtiyaz Ahmad Bitta, Ashraf Bin Salam etc visited the house of the deceased who lost his life in a tragic accident and expressed solidarity with his bereaved family.
    Jammu Kashmir liberation (JKLF) has condemned the killing and distortion of face of a Pulwama youth Tawseef Ahmad by Indian forces. Yasin Malik while condemning this heinous killing by forces said that people of Pulwama and the area where this young man has been martyred are protesting against this custodial killing. He said that young ones of our nation are sacrificing their lives for the freedom of this nation and their sacrifices cannot go waste. JKLF while condemning the excessive use of force against the people of Pulwama also prayed for the martyr.  Front also expressed solidarity with his bereaved family. (KNS)