Category: Union Territory

Srinagar: “During his last days, Sheikh Muhammad Abdullah was eager to get the Kashmir issue resolved once for all. I still remember how he rebuked the then Congress president K.C. Buruwa and asked New Delhi to revoke all the Central laws extended to Jammu and Kashmir illegally from 1953 onwards. Only those hold Sheikh Sahab responsible for the Kashmir mess who are ignorant and barely know ACB about Kashmir,” this was stated by Muzaffar Ahmed Shah, the grandson of Sheikh Abdullah who according to him was the personal driver of the late leader form more than 10 years. 

       Shah said that a year before his death, Sheikh Abdullah was at loggers head with New Delhi, urging it to resolve Kashmir issue. “He had termed all the Central Laws illegal that had been extended to Jammu and Kashmir in his absence and was pressing for the revocation of those laws,” Shah told Kashmir based news agency CNS adding that it was Jawahar Lal Nehru who backstabbed and deceived him. 

    “People don’t know under what circumstance Sheikh worked for the people of the State. Indira Gandhi had promised a solution to the Kashmir issue on the condition that Sheikh would first take care of the economic development of the State of Jammu and Kashmir and when Sheikh Sahab pressed for the solution after prosperity of the State, New Delhi backtracked,” Shah said. 

    He said the heart of Sheikh Abdullah beat for the people of Kashmir. “A million attended his funeral procession. Do you want to say those mourners were all wrong? There was charisma in him and it is an open fact that he was yearning for a permanent solution to the Kashmir problem. If he would have lived more, Kashmir would have seen a solution,” Shah said.  

       “People don’t know how Sheikh Abdullah was single handedly facing the powerful New Delhi. On his insistence two committees were constituted to find ways and means to annul all the central laws from Kashmir. The ‘insignificant’ report made by the DD Thakur was made public but after his death another report filed by GM Shah and Ghulam Nabi Kochak was thrown into dustbin and never made to public. Sheikh fought like a lion and one should realize that the environment in which he worked was hostile. The coteries of New Delhi were hell-bent to erode the autonomy of the State and at present we have been feeling heat because of those stooges against whom people never raise a finger,” he said. 

    Responding to a question, Shah said that Sheikh Muhammad Abdullah never dumped the Kashmir issue for power. “He focused on development for a temporary period while his main objective was to find a permanent solution to Greater Kashmir. During his last day’s he was up in arms against New Delhi and his Death certainly was a breather for New Delhi. What happened to Kashmir and National Conference after his death is history and we all know about it,” Shah said and added that Kashmir can’t produce a leader like him again. He said that Kashmir at present is reeling under uncertainty and among the current leaders no one has been possessing the charisma of Sheikh Abdullah. 

    “One day in my presence Sheikh Abdullah told his companions that time has come that we press for Kashmir solution and tell Delhi to stop using dilly-dally tactics. He was a true Kashmiri who empowered the people of Kashmir,” he said. 

     Without studying historical events on their merit, it is not fair to blame Sheikh Muhammad Abdullah for the tragedy that befell us. We need to have an objective approach towards history with a particular reference to the man who is accused of the crimes that others committed, he said. (CNS)

Two caretakers, locked in by miscreants, rescued by locals

Srinagar: Miscreants on Saturday night locked the caretakers of Government High School, Larnoo, in a room and set the school on fire. With this incident, the count of schools burnt during the unrest has gone up to 35.Police official Tawseef Ahmad from Larnoo village, 50 km away from Anantnag town, said the incident occurred at 11:30 pm on Saturday. He said they were trying to trace the people responsible for the act.“We got a call at 11:30 pm and we rushed to the spot. The school was holding the classes these days, but now four rooms have been completely damaged. It was closed today,” the official said.The miscreants locked the two caretakers, who were guarding the school at night, and set the school ablaze. The official said the locals rushed to the spot and saved the caretakers.“The locals heard the cries of the caretakers rushed to the spot. They broke the windows to rescue them. Then they informed the firemen,” said a senior officer from the Department of Education.About 90 Gujjar students study in the school at Larnoo, which is a hilly village in Kokernag in Anantnag district. The officer said the students now did not have any classrooms left as four rooms, including the furniture, had been burnt.The two caretakers were being interrogated by the police who were trying to find out the cause of the fire.Confirming the incident, Director School Education Aijaz Ahmad Bhat said the school building had been partially damaged.The burning of the school comes at a time when the Valley continues to linger under restrictions and separatist-sponsored shutdowns for nearly five months. The J&K Police have already arrested 33 persons and booked six under the Public Safety Act for being involved in arson at 34 schools located at various places.

35 schools burnt

Miscreants locked the caretakers of Government High School, Larnoo, in a room and set the school on fire on Saturday. Four school rooms gutted in the incident. The count of schools burnt during the unrest has gone up to 35. (TNS)

Srinagar: The newly appointed Northern Command chief has asked soldiers to remain alert along the Line of Control for any eventuality. He also urged the soldiers to maintain pressure on militant groups in the Valley. On his maiden visit to the Valley just a couple of days after taking over the reins of the Udhampur-based Northern Command, Lt Gen Devraj Anbu reviewed the security along the LoC and hinterland.The Northern Command chief arrived in Srinagar yesterday for a two-day tour, an Army spokesman said.In Srinagar, Lt General Anbu was briefed by Chinar Corps Commander Lt Gen JS Sandhu on the overall security situation and major operational, logistical and administrative aspects pertaining to the 15 Corps.“During his two-day visit, Lt General Anbu visited the frontier areas of Baramulla, Uri and Kupwara where he was briefed by the GOCs of Baramulla and Kupwara divisions and other local commanders on all measures taken by the Army along the LoC to rebuff any misadventure from across,” the spokesman said. “During his interaction with officers and men on the ground, the Northern Command chief lauded their high levels of operational preparedness, vigil and morale and exhorted them to remain alert for any eventuality,” the spokesman added.The General Officer Command-in-Chief also visited the hinterland formations at Sharifabad and Awantipora where he was given an account of the ground situation. “The Commander urged all to sustain the pressure on all terrorist groups operating in the Valley and also to continue with the humanitarian initiatives to help the civil administration in alleviating the problems of the people. He appreciated the synergy being maintained amongst all security agencies which, he said, was the most critical aspect of counter-terrorist operations,” the spokesman said.Lt General Anbu assumed the charge of the Northern Command on December 1. (TNS)

Srinagar: The Khyber Himalayan Resort and Spa, Gulmarg, was awarded for the fourth consecutive year by Condé Nast Traveller India at the sixth edition of its Readers’ Travel Awards.A statement issued by the Khyber group said The Khyber Himalayan Resort and Spa, Gulmarg, was voted by readers as the Favourite Boutique Hotel for 2016 in a ceremony held yesterday evening in New Delhi. It said these awards, which were received for the past four years, were “globally renowned and considered the most prestigious in the industry”. “It is a great honour to be consistently regarded so highly by readers of Condé Nast Traveller India who have once again voted for the resort,” said Umar Tramboo, MD, Pinnacle Resorts Pvt Ltd, promoter of The Khyber Himalayan Resort and Spa, Gulmarg.

Srinagar: Separatist leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq on Friday vowed to continue the protest programme while hinting that it would be comprehensive and for the long term.Mirwaiz, one of the three separatist leaders who are steering the ongoing unrest by issuing week-long protest calendars, said the future protest programme would also include the functioning of trade and schools.“We (separatist leadership) are not allowed to meet but despite this we are preparing a long-term programme to ensure that resistance will continue and your homes and trade will function and schools will also work,” Mirwaiz said during his first Friday sermon at the city’s Jamia Masjid.Separatist leaders Mirwaiz, Syed Ali Geelani and Yasin Malik had recently attempted to meet but were barred from doing so by the police. The three separatists are jointly issuing weeklong protest calendars scheduling shutdown and work hours to steer the unrest, sparked by killing of militant commander Burhan Wani on July 8.Mirwaiz said the separatist leadership was not tired of the long unrest. “We are not tired out…these five months have given us such strength that we can continue it for five years,” he said.The separatist leader said the “past record of tyranny and oppression” has been beaten during the unrest. “I am meeting you after five months and past records of tyranny and oppression have been beaten during these five months. The right to live of Kashmiris has been snatched during these months,” said Mirwaiz, who heads the moderate faction of separatist amalgam Hurriyat Conference.

Srinagar: Separatist leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq on Friday vowed to continue the protest programme while hinting that it would be comprehensive and for the long term.Mirwaiz, one of the three separatist leaders who are steering the ongoing unrest by issuing week-long protest calendars, said the future protest programme would also include the functioning of trade and schools.“We (separatist leadership) are not allowed to meet but despite this we are preparing a long-term programme to ensure that resistance will continue and your homes and trade will function and schools will also work,” Mirwaiz said during his first Friday sermon at the city’s Jamia Masjid.Separatist leaders Mirwaiz, Syed Ali Geelani and Yasin Malik had recently attempted to meet but were barred from doing so by the police. The three separatists are jointly issuing weeklong protest calendars scheduling shutdown and work hours to steer the unrest, sparked by killing of militant commander Burhan Wani on July 8.Mirwaiz said the separatist leadership was not tired of the long unrest. “We are not tired out…these five months have given us such strength that we can continue it for five years,” he said.The separatist leader said the “past record of tyranny and oppression” has been beaten during the unrest. “I am meeting you after five months and past records of tyranny and oppression have been beaten during these five months. The right to live of Kashmiris has been snatched during these months,” said Mirwaiz, who heads the moderate faction of separatist amalgam Hurriyat Conference (TNS)

Srinagar: The Jammu and Kashmir Police have arrested 33 persons, including five juveniles, for allegedly burning 34 schools in Kashmir in the past few months.“In total for 34 incidents, the police have arrested 33 persons, including 28 adults and five juveniles,” read an official report submitted by the police in the High Court on Friday.The police have submitted before District Magistrates dossiers on 14 arrested persons for slapping the Public Safety Act on them. “The police have executed the PSA against six persons to date,” it said.The police have categorised 65 places which house school buildings as highly sensitive and deployed 115 police personnel on guard duty to thwart miscreants from burning schools.Depending upon the sensitivity of the location of schools, the police have gone in for permanent deployment at highly sensitive locations, permanent nakas near sensitive areas and patrolling in less sensitive areas to prevent arson.The police said it had constituted Special Investigation Teams to carry out arrests and dispose of cases. From November 7, there has been no report of any fire incident or damage to school buildings. At least 14 attempts to set schools on fire by miscreants were foiled, the police said.The High Court had directed the state government on November 7 to provide adequate fire safety measures to all schools. The court had also directed the IGP, Kashmir, to file a status report on the steps taken to prevent the burning of schools. The next hearing in the matter is on December 15.For providing safety measures, the government has directed the Chief Education Officers of all districts to install fire extinguishers in all schools. (TNS)