Category: Union Territory

‘Don’t become tool of political interests, listen to your conscience’

Srinagar: Hurriyat Conference (M) Chairman, Mirwaiz Dr. Molvi Mohammad Umar Farooq Saturday stressed upon the Panchayat representatives that instead of becoming tools to further political interests of India, they should listen to their conscience and resign.

According to a statement issued to KNS, a high level delegation of Jammu Kashmir Panchayat Association led by their General Secretary Khurshid Ahmad Malik met Mirwaiz and apprised him about the situation in the aftermath of killing of Panchayat members and failure of administration to protect them.

Responding to the queries of delegations, Mirwaiz stated that Kashmiris were engaged in the struggle for freedom from many decades, adding, being the members of Kashmiri nation, Panchs and Sarpanches should listen to their conscience. Mirwaiz told the delegates that it was highly regrettable that Panchs and Sarpanchs willingly became the part of so called Panchayat election process thereby openly rejecting the political realities of Kashmir.

APHC Chairman stated that the democratic process is meaningful only at a place where people are politically free and enjoy full political rights. He said situation in Kashmir was totally contrary to that where even the basic right to life is denied to people. He told them Kashmiris were engaged in the freedom struggle, adding the Indian system has committed gross human rights violations and killed lakhs of people in Kashmir.

Mirwaiz stated that practically Kashmir was a police state and India was using the so called elections for its own political interests. In this situation, Mirwaiz said that Panchayat election was futile and meaningless. Hurriyat media Advisor Advocate Shahid-ul-Islam, Er. Hilal Ahmad war, Javaid Ahmad Mir, and Shahid Saleem of Hurriyat Conference were also present in the meeting. (KNS)

‘Both NC-Congress need serious retrospection’

Srinagar: Congress senior leader and Minister for health and medical education on Saturday advised both coalition partners in the state to forget about the past bickering and go for serious retrospection to see what led to the defeat of coalition candidates in the state.

Talking to KNS, Taj however, admitted that there was lack of trust between National Conference and the Congress besides being complacent about its performance on the ground. “First there was a trust deficit between us (NC-Congress coalition) and second we were perhaps more complacent about our performance on ground. May be we thought we are strong, have done enough, and cannot fail in garnering public support. There should be no complacency anymore. The ground situation ought to have been studied before contesting the elections.”

The minister for health and medical education told KNS that both the NC and Congress should bury the hatchet and think of future. “We should think about future and how to face the upcoming assembly elections. Bygones are bygones and now when we are left with few months to prepare for the upcoming assembly elections we should not enter into blame game and rather focus on how to address our weak areas,” he added. (KNS)

Srinagar: Commenting upon the establishment of new government of BJP under the prime minister-ship of Narendra Modi, Chairman Jammu Kashmir liberation front (JKLF) Mohammad Yasin Malik has said that after achieving its independence India today is standing at crossroads from where this nation can go anywhere. Yasin Malik said that BJP and the personality of Narendra Modi and their long association with RSS is making this situation much more complicated. He said that after 1947, RSS has been asking Indian public to give them a powerful mandate so that they can implement their 3 point agenda which is eradication of Muslim personal law and enacting a common civil code, construction of Ram temple, and complete Merger of Jammu Kashmir with Indian union against the wishes and aspirations of people of Jammu Kashmir. Now the question arises that will New Indian government implement this dangerous agenda of RSS and Set on fire the entire region ( sub continent), or will it resist this agenda.

Yasin said that Modi himself has said that people of India have given him the mandate for development and that to implement his agenda of development he needs 10 years.

Yasin said that for development it is necessary to have an atmosphere of peace and stability and everybody knows that peace is not established in vacuum. To create peace and stability it is necessary to provide strong foundations and this is done through solving the long pending disputes and issues concerning people.

Yasin said that today it is India which needs peace and stability much more than anyone. This nation is growing economically and the nations which are economically growing need to safeguard that growth. He said that the history of Roman Empire, British Empire and military might of USSR is before us. These nations were strong economies and military powers but indulging in wars and lack of peace and stability made these nations vulnerable and finally they lost their power and might and became a history.

Yasin said that it is an internationally known fact that Jammu Kashmir issue is the biggest hurdle in the way of peace and prosperity, stability and development of the sub-continent and without solving this issue, one cannot dream of peace, stability and development. Yasin Malik said that RSS agenda and the dreams of development are two different things and one needs to wait and watch and see which agenda is given priority, preference and implemented by the new Indian government. Making pre-judgments in this regard is unwise as time is the best Judge, added Yasin. (KNS)

CM to complete full term in office: Nasir Aslam Wani

‘Prof Soz wanted to keep both NC, PDP in good humor’  

Srinagar: With Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) showing an overwhelming performance by securing all three Lok Sabha seats in Kashmir valley, National Conference on Saturday trained its guns on Congress saying its alliance with the party has proved  ‘disastrous’ for it. The party also made it clear that the Chief Minister Omar Abdullah will not step down and will complete his full term in office to fulfill all the pending developmental projects in the state.

While talking to KNS, Nasir Aslam Wani, provincial president Kashmir regretted formation of pre poll alliance with its coalition partner Congress. Wani said: “Had National Conference fought these elections separately the results could have been entirely different.”

The NC Provincial President Kashmir also informed that the Chief Minister Omar Abdullah will not step down and will complete his full term in office. “The Chief Minister Omar Abdullah wants to see his commitment made with the public fulfilled is committed during his tenure. And I am sure we will fulfill all our promises made with the public,” he added.

Referring to the defeat of NC candidates in Kashmir valley, Wani said that NC will review its electoral strategy to retrospect that led to its decimation in Valley. He also took an exception to the remarks made by Pradesh Congress Committee president Prof Saifuddin Soz in which the later had said that ‘there was no PDP wave but hatred against NC on ground’. Wani said NC’s alliance with Congress has proven disastrous for its cadres in these Lok Sabha elections.  “Prof Soz’s remarks are surprising. If so called hatred against NC is responsible for defeat of Coalition candidates in Kashmir what led to its decimation in rest of the country?” he asked, while admitting that pre poll alliance with Congress was a ‘step taken in haste’. “It is regretful that we did not opt for contesting these elections separately,” Wani said while informing that its candidates did not got lead in any of the Congress strongholds in the Valley like Dooru, Kokernag, Shangus, Bandipora, Uri and even in Tangmarg areas. “And Also the Congress being part of coalition and all the major portfolios are held by the Congress ministers and if there is any lacunae in governance, Congress is equally responsible for that. Infact we got hit by their wrong policies more than they can blame us. We have fully supported coalition candidates in Jammu province which is evident by leads in areas where NC had substantial influence.”

He also alleged that not on a single occasion during the campaigning of Lok Sabha elections in Jammu and Kashmir, Prof Soz spoke against PDP’s anti people policies. “Actually he (Prof Soz) tried to keep both the parties NC and PDP in good humor.” The NC provincial president Kashmir said that NC will go for serious deliberations to know the reasons behind its defeat in the Lok Sabha elections in Valley and will try to find out why the people especially youth are reportedly angry with this party. “We will try to see to it as why the youth have not shown much enthusiasm this time to make our candidates win. We will also see why people have voted against us in these Lok Sabha elections,” Wani said, while adding that his party will regain the ground during the few months left for the legislative assembly elections in the state. “We will see the weak areas where people have voted against us and will ensure that their grievances are redressed,” he claimed.

Wani said that party is trying to look into the circumstances which led to defeat of its candidates. “I think we focused mainly on national issues rather than our over five-year performance in the state. Another thing is that there was some problem in our electoral strategy that did not work this time. But nevertheless we will surely review all these shortcomings and will trying to reach out the areas where we have failed to garner the public support,” Wani told KNS. (KNS)

Srinagar: National Conference President Dr Farooq Abdullah, Friday faced the first ever defeat in his political career. 81 years old NC veteran was defeated by Tariq Hamid Karra, of PDP by a margin of round about  42,183 votes in Srinagar Lok Sabha seat. Farooq secured 115363 votes while as Karra secured 157546 votes. Reacting to Farooq’s defeat by the hands of Karra, in Srinagar, a PDP leader told Kashmir Life, “Karra is man of the match.”

Srinagar: The None of the Above Option (NOTA) option available on Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) have not gone unnoticed in Kashmir as over 25000 people have pressed this button in Lok Sabah elections this year.

According to reports received by KNS, out of 25000, over 14000 voters in Kashmir valley have pressed this button. While as 11000 people have used this option in rests of the state. 5000 people pressed NOTA option on EMS in Anantnag Lok Sabha constituency while as 4789 people used this button while exercising their franchise in Srinagar Lok Sabah constituency.  In Baramulla parliamentary constituency, 3741 voters used NOTA to express their electoral opinion. In Udhampur Lok Sabha constituency,  10,477 people pressed NOTA button and in Jammu 4383 voters used this button to express their decision.  The much hyped that was introduced in the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) turned out to be a flop show in Kashmir as the people here seem least interested in pressing that ‘strange’ button.

Pertinently, senior Congress leader and Medical Education Minister Taj Mohi-ud-Din had said the move should not be introduced in the State as the same could strengthen the separatist elements here at large. “Government of India (GoI) should move the Supreme Court to prevent the implementation of NOTA in disturbed areas like Jammu and Kashmir and North-East,” Taj had stated at a function here. He had also written a letter to the Prime Minister and the Congress high command that the option of NOTA should not be applicable in Jammu and Kashmir, as it would be used by separatists in anti-election campaign. (KNS)