Category: Union Territory

Srinagar: At the neurosurgery ward of Government Super Specialty Hospital (GSSH), Srinagar, patients are made to wait for months before they are finally operated upon.Doctors say the surgeries are getting delayed because of lack of an operation theatre and staff shortage.Government Super Specialty Hospital at Shireen Bagh in the city was created out of the 12-bedded Neurology Department of Shri Maharaja Hari Singh (SMHS) Hospital earlier this year with limited infrastructure.One of the patients at the ward, Shakeel Ahmad, 17, a resident of south Kashmir’s Shopian district, who remains admitted for the past more than two months, says the delay in getting operated upon has distressed him.Ahmad suffers from brain arteriovenous malformation —- a tangle of abnormal and poorly formed blood vessels having a higher rate of bleeding than normal vessels.After having repeated convulsions, Ahmad was brought to GSS Hospital by his parents and admitted on November 1 last year.“I have been waiting to get operated upon since November 1 but every week the doctors treating me give me a new date for surgery,” said Ahmad. He hopes and prays that his surgery, whenever performed, is successful. So far, he has received no confirmation from the doctors about the date of his surgery, pushing him into despair.“I am scared and in distress. I am feeling suffocated living among the patients here for such a long time,” he said.Doctors say Ahmad’s blood vessels in the brain can rupture anytime and result in his sudden death. Like Ahmad, several other patients in the Neurosurgery Department have been waiting for months to get operated upon.Another patient, Muhammad Ishaq from Kargil, has a tumour in the brain and has been waiting for the surgery for the past two months. After much delay, Ishaq’s surgery has been scheduled on Friday. However, he has no hope that his surgery will be performed on the scheduled date. “I don’t know when they will operate upon me. I have been waiting for long now,” he said.A doctor at GSSH said: “The emergency surgeries of the patients who suffer from trauma in road and other accidents are being done on a routine basis but the planned surgeries are getting delayed.” The inadequate staff has overburdened the resident doctors and paramedics at both hospitals.The junior residents have to work 24 hours twice a week while senior consultant Shafiq Alam is the only doctor who visits both wards twice a day and also performs surgeries during the night when on emergency call.To cater to the rush of patients, the Neurosurgery Departments at both hospitals have only two senior residents, four junior residents and two consultants, headed by retired doctor Muhammad Afzal Wani, who was given an honorary post after his retirement some years ago.Principal, Government Medical College, Srinagar, Dr Kaisar Ahmad, who is the head of both hospitals, said the Neurosurgery Department had done the “best job” in recent turmoil in Kashmir. “The Neurosurgery Department is headed by the best hand beyond doubt. We cannot say that the planned surgeries are getting delayed. They are performed keeping in view the different health aspects of the patients,” he said. TNS

Srinagar: A year after he passed away on January 7, former JK CM Mufti Mohammad Sayeed is likely to be honoured with the Padma Vibhushan, the highest category of Padma or civilian honours given away on Republic Day, The Hindu reported.

The award is significant in that the late Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir had struck an alliance with the BJP to form a government after the 2015 elections yielded a fractured mandate.

The award is likely to be given on January 26, the Indian Republic Day.

Pertinently, the first death anniversary of late Mufti will be observed tomorrow.

Late Mufti is the second politician, besides former CM Ghulam Muhammad Sadiq, to be honoured with Padma Vibhushan.

 

Kashmir movement not a case of democratic mis-governance: Yasin Malik to Pak assembly

“It is an outcome of a forced incorporation of a people in a country against their will”

The Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) Chief Yasin Malik on Friday said that the five-month-long uprising triggered after the July 8 killing of militant commander Burhan Wani was “crushed through the use of unbridled force”.

He was addressing a seminar of Young Parliamentarians Forum of Pakistan, National Assembly of Pakistan through a video link.

Malik said that, as a member of the “oppressed Kashmiri nation and Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front, I pray for the growth of cordial relations between Pakistan and India, which is a precondition for the resolution of Kashmir Conflict and for a lasting peace in South Asia.” 

“The young and dynamic group of Pakistani Parliamentarians, who are the future nation and State builders of Pakistan, would hopefully share my sentiments regarding the importance of promoting sustained efforts at peace building in South Asia, particularly aimed at improving Pakistan-India relations. The brunt of Pakistan-India border hostilities is borne by Kashmiris on both sides of the Line of Control and naturally the people of both parts of divided Kashmir are the biggest votaries of peace,” he said, in his speech.

Malik told the seminar that the five-month-long mass uprising was crushed by an unbridled use of force. 

He said that the International Community tells them that the world must move from the outdated conception of state centered national security to a people centered conception of human security. 

“We also hear about the doctrine of R2P, about a State’s responsibility to protect its citizens but we continue to see the limits and repeated failures of liberal humanitarianism the world over. Many powerful western governments have encouraged subjugated peoples like Kashmiris to give up armed struggle and adopt non-violent means in their struggles for freedom. In the past ten years, Kashmiris have primarily relied on non-violent means in articulating their aspirations for Azadi or Independence. However, Indian State has responded with an increasing use of military force to suppress mass uprisings in Kashmir and choked all spaces for non-violent resistance. The people’s uprisings of 2008, 2010 were crushed by massive military force and the story of the 2016 people’s uprising has seen history repeating itself. The world largely remains mute to the sufferings of Kashmiris,” he said.

Diplomats of major Western democracies have even stopped paying lip service to the question of human rights in Kashmir. 

“When some of them visit India occupied Kashmir, they lecture us on the virtues of India’s participatory democracy and about India’s democratic successes. It is like blaming the victim. Democracy, be it in a formal sense or substantive may work for the Hindu middle classes and the elite in India but Kashmiris have since 1947 harvested a bitter fruit of this democracy. This is not to suggest that Kashmiris’ movement for Azadi or freedom is a case of democratic mis-governance or decay of democratic institutions but it is an outcome of a forced incorporation of a people in a country against its will,” said Malik.

He said India as a growing market has become the darling of powerful western countries. 

“In the world of big business and arms deals, where do western powers stand on human rights? Can the oppressed people of Kashmir and other oppressed nationalities expect any solidarity from western democracies like USA, UK, France AND EUROPIAN UNION, which have huge economic stakes in the weapons industry? Can the David of Human rights really triumph over the Goliaths of War industry and big business?” he asked.

Malik said that a “poor country like India” is spending 40 Billion US Dollars on its military annually. A smaller economy of Pakistan has an annual defense budget of over 8 Billion US dollars. 

“The defense budgets of the two countries continue experiencing a regular increase annually. The primary reason behind this massive spending on arms is the Pakistan-India rivalry over Kashmir, which leads to a huge loss of precious economic resources and limits economic potential of both the countries. Not surprisingly the Human Development Index Rankings of India and Pakistan stand at 130 and 147 respectively,” he said.

A just and lasting solution to the Kashmir conflict, which gives primacy to Kashmiri self-determination, would usher in an enduring and positive peace in South Asia,” said Malik. 

“It would not only put an end to the suffering of Kashmiris but also help unlock the massive economic potential of South Asia, with a population that roughly adds up as one fourth of the world’s total population.”

 

Srinagar: The state government has toughened its stand and ordered the teachers not to take any private assignments, including teaching in private coaching centres, unless permitted by the authority concerned.The order issued by the government on Wednesday has directed that no teaching faculty of the Education Department shall take any activity/assignment, including teaching in private institutions or coaching centres.“The Directorates of the Education Department and all Education Officers are directed to ensure strict compliance of the instructions in their respective jurisdiction,” the order reads.The order reads that those who will violate the directions will be strictly dealt with. It has also been directed that a weekly report shall be furnished with relevant details by the Directorates.In 2015, the state government had framed guidelines for the operation of the tuition centres across the state and put a blanket ban on the private practice of government teachers.However, not much changed was visible on the ground.In its fresh order, the government has ordered that no teacher shall undertake any assignment privately unless the permission is obtained from the competent authority and no such permission shall be available two hours before the opening of the schools and two hours after the schools get closed.Since last year, the government has also started winter schooling for children and the Chief Minister’s Super 50 to prepare students for competitive exams.The government has set up 800 centres across the Valley to teach students during winter and many teachers have been engaged for teaching.The Director, School Education, said the decision had been taken to make the government’s winter schooling efforts successful.“There are some teachers who don’t want our initiative of free winter schooling to succeed. This creates problems as we want the students to get benefitted. We are using the services of experienced and specialised teachers in the department. Those who fail to adhere to the guidelines will be strictly dealt with,” said Aijaz Ahmad Bhat, Director, School Education. (TNS)

Srinagar: Thursday morning saw much of the Valley, including the summer capital Srinagar, turn white as the much-anticipated snowfall covered the plains during the night.The upper reaches in the Valley have been receiving continuous light to moderate snowfall since Tuesday evening. The hill stations of Pahalgam and Gulmarg also continued to receive snowfall. According to a weather official, the ski resort of Gulmarg in north Kashmir received the highest snowfall with nearly a feet of fresh snow accumulated there.The fresh snowfall is expected to draw domestic and foreign tourists to Kashmir. Tourists have largely stayed away from the Valley after unrest broke in July last year, causing a huge loss to the state’s tourism industry.Srinagar recorded snowfall equivalent to a rainfall of 2.5 mm in the past 24 hours. Bad weather also hit air traffic and many flights were cancelled at Srinagar International Airport. An official said 12 flights were cancelled at the airport today. Meanwhile, reports from the frontier district of Kupwara said roads leading to border areas, including Karnah, Keran and Maachil in Kupwara district, had been blocked due to snowfall since Wednesday.“We have set up at least 89 dumping centres at high altitude areas to cater to the requirement of locals in these areas,” said Deputy Commissioner of Kupwara, Ghulam Mohammad Dar. The border areas remain cut off from the district headquarters for at least five months. — TNS

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Srinagar: A senior leader of the ruling PDP in Jammu and Kashmir Thursday urged the New Delhi to address the issues troubling the state by resuming dialogue with “all the stakeholders” including separatists, and with Pakistan.
New Delhi must address issues concerning the state with a sense of urgency, sincerity and seriousness by resuming talks “not only with Pakistan, but with all the stakeholders, within the state as well, including the separatists,” PDP leader Peerzada Mansoor said at a party convention in south Kashmir.
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) rules Jammu and Kashmir in alliance with Bharatiya Janata Party.
Mansoor said besides working through political means and implementing an economic development agenda, the central government must engage with the people of the state to find a lasting solution to the issues confronting Jammu and Kashmir. PTI

Srinagar: Srinagar received fresh snowfall on Thursday while rest of the Valley witnessed snow for the third consecutive day, with the Met department predicting more wet weather over the next few days.While the summer capital recorded fresh light snowfall on Thursday morning, many other areas, especially the higher reaches in the Valley, experienced continuous light to moderate snowfall for the third consecutive day, an official of the Meteorological Department here said.The plains also received rains during the past 24 hours.Srinagar recorded snow and rains equivalent to rainfall of 7.5 mm during the last 24 hours till 0830 hours, the official said.The city registered minimum temperature of minus 0.3 degree Celsius–slightly down from minus 0.1 degree Celsius on Wednesday.The official said the depth of snow recorded during the last 24 hours in Gulmarg, the star attraction for tourists visiting the Valley during winter, was two feet.There also were reports of snowfall in the peripheral areas of the resort, including in the areas of Khilanmarg, Kongdoori and Afferwath.The famous ski-resort registered a low of minus 5.2 degrees Celsius, down from the previous night’s minus 3.6 degrees Celsius.Other areas which witnessed snow included Ganderbal, Keran, Machil, Karnah, Gurez, Shopian, Sonamarg and Amarnath along with surrounding areas.Kupwara, in north Kashmir, recorded depth of 8.2 cm snow, while the night temperature there settled at a low of minus 1.0 degree Celsius.The famous health resort of Pahalgam in south Kashmir, which serves as a base camp for the annual Amarnath Yatra, received 3.5 cm snow, the official said, adding that the resort recorded a low of minus 1.6 degrees Celsius.Kokernag town in south Kashmir registered a minimum of minus 1.4 degrees Celsius and recorded rains and snow equivalent to 1.9 mm of rainfall, the official said.Qazigund, the gateway town to the Kashmir Valley, recorded 3.8 mm of rainfall and snow and the night temperature there settled at a low of 0.6 degrees Celsius.Kargil in the frontier region of Ladakh was the coldest recorded place in the state with a low of minus 10.2 degrees Celsius, while the nearby Leh town registered minimum temperature of minus 6.7 degrees Celsius.The Met Office has forecast widespread snow or rain over the next two days in the state and isolated rains or snow a day after that. PTI