Category: Union Territory

Srinagar: A week after the appointment of Manoj Sinha as the Lieutenant Governor (L-G) of Jammu and Kashmir and with the reports that advisory council may be formed in the Union territory to start the political process, the BJP Friday said that they are not against any decision which connects people and the government.

“BJP is not against any decision which connects people and the government. I cannot say that the advisory council will be formed. Discussions do happen, but yes our part wants that there must be some initiative to connect with the people,” Former Deputy Chief Minister and senior BJP leader Dr Nirmal Singh told news agency KINS over phone.

Singh said that public reach out is important to start the political process in Jammu and Kashmir. “We believe that the political activity must carry forward in Jammu and Kashmir. We are hopeful that LG Manoj Sinha will soon take a decision to create such a link where common people can be reached,” he said.

It is not possible to restore the political process if we could not reach the public. “People’s trust in the government should be restored, people’s trust is necessary. For that, LG Sinha should create such a link where people can list their problems and the government addresses them,” the BJP leader said.

At present, there are four advisors to the L-G , Kewal Kumar Sharma, Farooq Khan, Rajeev Bhatnagar and Baseer Ahmed Khan. All of them are civil servants and were appointed during G.C. Murmu’s tenure.

These advisers to the L-G are powerful postings and they act as the in-charge of many departments to execute development works.

BJP sources said that one of the grievances against Murmu was that he was more or less bureaucratic in his functioning, and he rarely met people to know about their issues.

Sources in J&K BJP said senior leaders have apprised the LG Sinah of all these issues.

Nirmal Singh further told KINS that the first step to restore normalcy in J&K is initiating dialogue with political parties, which can facilitate desired results.

He said that the delimitation process should be sped up and before thinking of holding elections in the UT, everyone should be approached to listen to their concerns, he added.

He said that the BJP leadership has assured party workers in Kashmir Valley that they would be provided security by the administration following recent attacks on village-level leaders by militants.

Five BJP leaders were killed and two others critically injured in separate attacks in the valley over the past one month.

Pertinent to mention here that It is now two years that J&K is without a political government.

The PDP-BJP coalition government was the last political government of the state of Jammu and Kashmir – now split into two Union Territories. The government fell after the BJP withdrew its support to the PDP on June 18, 2018.(KINS)

Srinagar: There is an uneasy calm along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the Union Territory Ladakh weeks after stand-off started between armies of India and China.

The incursions began in May this year in Galwan valley and Pangong Lake along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) after Chinese troops entered Ladakh.

On June 15, 20 Indian soldiers were killed by Chinese troops in Eastern Ladakh’s Galwan Valley, which led both the nuclear countries on the brink of war.

Former Chief Executive Councilor (CEC) of Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC), Leh, Chering Dorjay, said all preparations are going for the Independence Day in Ladakh.

“There is peace in Ladakh. But Chinese troops are not moving back to the actual position at various places. Chinese troops are at Finger 5 and Indian army at Finger 3 in Pangong. Before this stand-off, our Army would go to Finger 8 for patrolling which the Chinese army is not allowing at present,” Dorjay told news agency Kashmir Indepth News Service (KINS).

Dorjay had been a minister of the PDP-BJP government and recently resigned from the BJP.
In Galwan valley, the Chinese troops have gone backwards. “But they have entered into our territory in the Depsang plains,” he added.
Tashi Namgial, a councilor of Tangtse constituency of Ladakh, had gone to Pangong Lake in May this year.

“After which I could not go due to incursions. Chinese troops have gone backwards but are still at Finger 4 in Pangong. But there is calm along the LAC these days,” he told KINS.
Senior Congress leader from Ladakh and former minister Nawang Rigzin Jora said Chinese troops have still occupied some areas of Ladakh.

“They are not going back to Pangong where they have entered into our part,” Jora said.
China is particularly concerned about a bridge that India is building across the Galwan Nallah.
The bridge according to locals is about 7.5 km from the LAC. But the Chinese have objected because they are suspicious of India’s aims on account of New Delhi’s claim over Aksai Chin.
India shares a 3,488-km border with China while Ladakh shares 646 kms of the LAC with the neighbouring country.

The Hindustan Aeronautics Limited produced light combat choppers have been deployed in the Ladakh sector to support the Indian Air Force at short notice amidst the border tensions with China.

The HAL is expecting an order of 15 LCHs by the end of this year. 10 would be for the IAF and five for the Army.

The disengagement process with China is not moving forward even after several rounds of military-level talks.

The Pangong Lake has become famous since Bollywood film 3 Idiots was shot there in 2009.
Over the last 11 years, the world’s highest saltwater lake has been one of the most popular tourist destinations in Ladakh, as thousands of people visit there annually.
(KINS)

Principal Secretary, School Education Department, Asgar Hassan Samoon Friday announced reduction in the syllabus of class 10 and 12 in Jammu and Kashmir.

“Syllabus for 10+2 classes exams reduced to 70% for JKUT,” Samoon tweeted while adding in comments: this also applies for 10th class syllabus for exams. (KNT)

ANI

Islamabad: Prime Minister Imran Khan on Friday once again raised the Kashmir issue in his message to the people of the country as Pakistan commemorates its 74th Independence Day.

Prime Minister Imran Khan has said that Pakistan will stand firmly with the Kashmiri brethren in their struggle for securing their right to self-determination.

Prime Minister, Imran Khan, in his message on the Independence Day, today, said, “While we celebrate this Independence Day, our hearts are profoundly grieved by the sufferings of our brethren in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir who are facing military siege since past one year.”

He said that Pakistan would stand firmly with the Kashmiri brethren in their struggle for their right to self-determination and raise Kashmiris’ voice at all fora to sensitize the world about the threat to peace and security of the region posed by the supremacist RSS ideology pursued by the BJP government.

He prayed to Almighty Allah for the success of nation and Kashmiris.

On August 5 last year, India had revoked the special status of the former state of Jammu and Kashmir under Article 370 of the Indian Constitution and bifurcated it into two Union Territories (UTs). The move has left Pakistan rattled and has attempted to take the matter to the international community, but to no avail.

A majority of the Muslim countries, which earlier supported Pakistan, have now recognised and backed India’s decision on Kashmir.

Recently, Pakistan had to pay back Saudi Arabia USD 1 billion out of a USD 3 billion loan that it secured one and a half year ago to avoid default on international debt obligations after the kingdom decided to reduce its financial support.

This came after Pakistan was pushing for the foreign ministers’ meeting of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) since India abrogated Article 370.

In a report published by Dawn, a Pakistan diplomatic source confirmed that Saudi Arabia had shown reluctance to accept Islamabad’s request for an immediate meeting of OIC foreign ministers’ on Kashmir.

India has urged Pakistan to not interfere in its internal affairs repeatedly, saying it will not make its “untenable” claims acceptable.
Pakistan continues to persecute religious minorities residing in their own country.

Instead of focussing on reviving its floundering economy and taking steps to combat terrorism, Pakistan has been resorting to rhetoric against India over Kashmir in a bid to divert international attention.

Pakistan has also observed the so-called “Kashmir Solidarity Day”, but it has failed to get traction both in the country and globally.

After desperate attempts to rake up the Kashmir issue globally, Imran Khan has admitted that his country has failed in its efforts to raise the matter.

With inputs from ANI

(This story has not been edited by Kashmir Today staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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PTI

Srinagar: A day ahead of the Independence Day, Jaish-e-Mohammad militants shot dead two Jammu and Kashmir policemen and wounded another in indiscriminate firing in Nowgam area on the outskirts of the Srinagar city, police said.

They said the militants have been identified and will be neutralised soon.

Militants fired indiscriminately on a police party near Nowgam bypass Friday morning, a police official said, adding three policemen were injured in the attack.

The policemen were shifted to a hospital where two of them succumbed and the third was undergoing treatment, the official said.

Inspector General of Police Kashmir, Vijay Kumar, said the JeM carried out the attack.

“They fired indiscriminately and two of our jawans were martyred… We have identified them, they belong to JeM group. We will neutralise them soon,” Kumar told reporters near the site of the attack.

Asked whether there were any inputs about a possible militant attack on the eve of the Independence Day, the IGP said the police get such inputs every year.

“We have such inputs every year before August 15 and January 26. We had inputs that they will try (an attack) in some area. The boys were alert and prepared, but they (the militants) came from the rear side and fired on them.

“We have cordoned off the area and the searches are on. This is a narrow lane and there was civilian movement and if our boys would have retaliated, there would have been loss of civilian, so they exercised restraint,” Kumar said.

PDP condemned the attack, saying it will further aggravate the situation for Kashmiris.

“Vehemently condemn the attack on @JmuKmrPolice personnel. Such attacks further aggravate the situation for Kashmiris already reeling under double disaster post August 5. We join the families of deceased in mourning their loss,” the party tweeted.

New party chief promises to stay the course

Launched with a lot of fanfare with prominent, young faces 17 months ago, J&K’s youngest political party, the J&K Peoples Movement (J&KPM), is struggling to stay afloat.

Days after IAS topper Shah Faesal announced his decision to quit politics, the other well-known face of the party Javaid Mustafa Mir, a former legislator and minister, also has quit.

“Many young faces are also leaving the party. These is a sense of disillusionment after Faesal’s exit and his recent statements,” a young party leader, who also quit the party, told The Hindu.

Promise of change

Scores of youth were attracted to the party that pledged to “fight corruption and push for peaceful resolution of the Kashmir issue”.

Mumbai-based Kashmiri businessman-turned-politician, Feroze Peerzada, has taken over as the president of the party.

“My first priority is to give confidence to those who joined the party because of (Bureaucrat-turned-politician) Faesal. We are trying to restore the party system. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it is not possible to reach out to masses on the ground. But we are intact as a party and will not dissolve it,” Mr. Peerzada told The Hindu.

However, he also said, on hindsight, if the party leaders had had any inkling about the events of August 5, 2019, “Me and Faesal may not have floated the party”.

On rumours of Mr. Faesal returning to the civil services, Mr. Peerzada said, “Faesal’s passport was impounded following the slapping of the Public Safety Act (PSA) on him. If he is given the passport back and allowed to travel, his first priority would be to go abroad for studies.”

He said Mr. Faesal is “also hurt that no one came to his support the way he expected and shed tears with his family during his detention”.

Mr. Peerzada said Mr. Faesal was a very popular across the country. “At a party in Mumbai, Bollywood actor Shahrukh Khan praised his (Faesal) decision saying ‘he is brilliant’,” he added.

Unusual situation

Disagreeing with the former IAS officer over “political parties not having much role now in J&K” post August 5, 2019, Mr. Peerzada said, “Time heals every wound. It’s a matter of time. We are hopeful statehood will be restored soon.”

Mr. Peerzada said he has watched closely the working style of senior leaders like Sharad Pawar, Vilasrao Deshmukh during his stay in Mumbai. “I have seen them working on the development agenda. Unfortunately, Kashmiri politicians don’t have that quest. And it’s not easy to run a political party here.”

With inputs from The Hindu

Police in Kashmir have denied the allegations, which come after Imran Khan govt in Pakistan announced 1,600 scholarships for Kashmiri students.

Srinagar: Several Kashmiri students enrolled in Pakistani institutions have alleged that they have been summoned by police over the past month.

Speaking to ThePrint, the students said they were asked multiple questions — where they studied, how they got admission, etc — when they visited the police stations. Parents claim the questioning has left students “frightened”.

Two senior superintendents of police (SSPs), however, sought to deny the allegations, while a third told ThePrint they wouldn’t be able to respond unless presented with a specific name.

However, off the record, sources in Kashmir police admitted students were being summoned as part of a “verification process”, although it was not made clear why or at whose directions it was being conducted.

They said there “were concerns that the students may willfully or through coercion indulge in activities considered anti-national”.

The students’ allegations came a day after the Medical Council of India (MCI), the country’s apex regulator for medical education, said those who pursue degrees from colleges in Pakistan Administered Kashmir (PaK) will not be allowed to practice in India.

“… Accordingly, any medical institution in Pakistan Administered Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh (PaJKL) requires permission /recognition under the Indian Medical Council Act, 1956. Such permission has not been granted to any medical college in PaJKL,” the MCI notice said in a notice.

The notice followed an announcement by the Imran Khan government in Pakistan that it would offer 1,600 scholarships to Kashmiri students, a development that has reportedly raised concerns among India’s security agencies.

‘Gotten worse’

Over the past few decades, Kashmiri students have travelled to various countries to pursue higher education, especially medical degrees. Pakistan, government officials say, has emerged as a popular choice because it offers Kashmiri students many scholarships. 

According to official sources, there are around 700 Kashmiri students enrolled in universities across Pakistan, most of whom pursue MBBS degrees. Many students studying abroad would currently be back in Kashmir as a result of restrictions imposed in light of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Local students say studying in Pakistan has never been “an easy affair” — claiming phone interrogations are a routine matter — but claim the situation has “worsened since last year”.

Most of the students who spoke to ThePrint were aged between 19 and 23 years. They said they had been summoned to local police stations multiple times, with some claiming they were “questioned in detail” over phone interviews. 

“Previously, too, police used to call us or our families on mobile phones whenever we returned to Kashmir. The questioning would be routine,” said a resident of Budgam. “It was inconvenient but we would not feel threatened. Since last year, and especially the past two months, the questioning has worsened. We were never summoned to the police station.” 

A student from Baramulla said he took his father along when he was summoned. “I know of another female student who was asked to come to the station along with a family member. We were questioned about where we study and how we got admitted,” the student added. “I just told police that I am pursuing a career in medicine and that’s all. I don’t want to get into the politics part of this.”

A Srinagar resident, who has a child enrolled in a Pakistan university, said the summons had left them worried “about both the safety and the future of their children”. “Imagine boys and girls as young as 19 and 20 being questioned by police. We are afraid for their safety and future. Our children are frightened too,” said the parent.

ThePrint reached the SSPs of all the three areas where people have made these allegations.

Budgam SSP Amod Nagpure said he would only be able to comment if “you give me a specific case under my jurisdiction”.

Baramulla SSP Abdul Qayoom denied police in the district had questioned students.

Their Srinagar counterpart, Haseeb Mughal, said even his office had not issued any orders to question students. If some official is calling students at the “police station level”, Mughal said, the matter should be brought to his notice “as no such direction has been issued in Srinagar at least”.

Official sources, however, said the “informal interviews are part of a verification process”.

“There were concerns about the credentials of the foreign universities the students are studying at and how they got admitted. There is also concern that the students may willfully or through coercion indulge in activities considered anti-national,” said a source. “So, the exercise is just to ensure that proper discipline is maintained among students pursuing education abroad.”

In 2017, the MCI had refused to allow the first batch of Kashmiri students passing out of newly established medical colleges in PaK to appear for the Indian medical certification test.

Pakistan subsequently transferred other students who could be affected to mainland colleges, or handed out alternative affiliations to medical colleges in PaK. This means, most Kashmiri students studying in Pakistan may not be affected by the latest MCI notice.

With inputs from ThePrint

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Kashmir Today staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Srinagar: Kashmir Inc. has slammed the government for punishing people by imposing indefinite lockdown while opening golf courses for the rich and mighty.

Lashing out at the government for misplaced priorities, Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) said the authorities are spending money on buying concertina wires rather than medical equipment to deal with a pandemic.

“Despite full cooperation extended by the general public and the business community, the administration appeared to be running around in circles and seem oblivious to the fact that the business community of Kashmir is in the 13th month of a disruption,” said a spokesman of Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI).

He said on the other side the Royals have been enjoying their golf rounds without any break whereas the

shopkeepers are put behind bars for seeking to feed their families out of frustration.

Royal Springs Golf Course (RSGC), which was closed till May, has been opened in June, he said.

“This coincided with the government’s announcement of shifting of Durbar to Srinagar. It has been ensured that the RSGC remains open. Even when District Magistrate declared curfew in Srinagar on August 4 and 5 and the majority of 17 lakh people were caged, the RSGC was open and jam-packed. The jurisdiction of the district magistrate ends at the gates of RSGC,” he said.

Hitting out at the government, the spokesman said DDMA funds have been spent on the purchase of barriers despite Kashmir having the highest inventory of barbed wires.

“Prices of critical medical equipment including Oxygen concentrators have skyrocketed without any system of checks and balances in place. Butchers are hauled up for selling meat at meagerly higher prices but no attention is being paid to regulate the prices of essential and critical medical equipment.

Shopkeepers, pushed against the wall by the financial stress and in pursuit of bringing food to the family are being forced to operate like smugglers and reports of excessive harassment by various enforcement agencies are pouring in,” he said.

Citing an example of Mumbai, the KCCI spokesman said despite 5.35 lakh cases with a daily average of 1,700 cases the financial capital has now entered in Unlock 3.0 phase. Elaborating, he said Mumbai has a population of more than 2 crores living in an area of 603 sq km as compared to Srinagar’s population of around 17 lakh in an area of 294 sq km.

“A six times higher population density of 33,168 persons per sq km as compared to 5,782 persons per sq km in Srinagar. On August 3, the BMC has allowed all shops – essential and non-essential – to open all day except in containment zones. There are currently around 700 containment zones in Mumbai but unlike in Srinagar, they mostly consist of individual buildings and chawls/slums. Here, the administration cannot stop tweeting and identify individual houses. They simply barricade entire neighborhoods, if not the entire districts,” he said.

Lambasting district administrations, he said confusing amendments have been made to the comprehensive guidelines issued by the worthy chairman of the State Disaster

Management Authority

“A majority of the public has no idea of what the guidelines are. Banks were open throughout but no care was taken to monitor their functioning resulting in reports of largest COVID clusters”, he said.

KCCI said they are not against opening Golf Course but it seems the government’s concern is to keep senior functionaries and powerful elite physically and mentally fit.

“Had their salaries and privileges been stopped for 13 months, we doubt that they would be hitting their shots as beautifully. But at closer inspection, we realize that it is not Golf which is the issue, it is saying one thing and doing the opposite. It is about speaking empowerment and acting to disempower,” he said.

KCCI, the spokesman noted, has never shied away from appreciating decisions and policies of the government wherever it merited. The business community has a responsibility not to mince words while observing any departure in expectations from the Government.

“The story of Kashmir Golf Club (KGC) which has now become the poor country cousin of the RSGC gives the real picture. Spread over 500 kanals of prime land in the heart of the city, the government’s bank under its Corporate Social Responsibility invested Rs 40 Crores for up-gradation of the KGC. The 500 permanent members of the Club stand sidelined with no say in its functioning,” he said.

He said the democratic system of elections which was in vogue for 70 years along with the members stands bulldozed after the government took over. The last elections were held in 2013.

“Then, in July 2019 with the usual good-for-public narrative, the KGC was declared to be a `people’s Golf Course’ with 100 rupee access to all especially youth and school children. KGC is still closed for public,” he said.

The spokesman said no tangible support has been provided to the business community who continue to struggle not for revival or growth but their very survival.

“Unemployment is at an all-time high with job losses running into lakhs. On the contrary, inconsiderate policies have pushed the business community to the wall,” he said. (KNT)

Asks them to prevent dumping on wetlands, chairs meeting

Srinagar: Divisional Commissioner Kashmir, Pandurang K Pole Thursday chaired a meeting of concerned officers on conservation of Hokarsar, Wular and Kreentcho-Chandhara wetlands.

During the meeting, the Div Com reviewed the progress made viz a viz to demarcation, land transfer, installation of boundary walls, pillars, removal of encroachments,  and non- dumping of solid waste.

The concerned DCs were directed to ensure removal of all encroachments within 45 days period and prevent people from using wetlands for agricultural activities.

He instructed concerned to take stringent action including register FIRs against the offenders indulging in repeated illegal activities.

The Div Com directed concerned to constitute committees and activate field staff teams for close monitoring of wetlands.

He said that only organic farming on over 500 kanals of private land of Kreentcho wetland is allowed so that farming does not pose any threat to the wetland and is in consonance with the wetland rules.

Emphasizing on the timely completion of installation of boundary pillars, Div Com said that the step would prevent illegal encroachments on wetlands.

The Div Com directed concerned to ensure immediate removal of already dumped waste from Hokarsar and other wetlands and emphasized that only alternate and shifted dumping sites are in use for dumping purposes.

The Div Com said that he would chair a meeting of all concerned next month to take detailed review on action taken report and measures taken by all concerned for conservation of wetlands.

He also directed concerned to expedite beautification work on wetlands and called for massive awareness generation on importance  on wetland preservation.

Meanwhile, all DCs were given directions to start work on creation of new water bodies under MGNREGA funds and submit all formats as required along with the action taken reports in this regard.

DCs from Budgam, Bandipora, Pulwama, Regional Wildlife Warden and various other concerned officers attended the meeting in person or  through the video Conferencing—(KNO)