Category: Union Territory

Srinagar: With the world celebrating mother’s day on May 11, Kashmir and its mothers have reason to mourn as seven mothers have died from the past 5 years- waiting for their sons who left home and never returned.  

According to the details available with Kashmir News Service, while protesting for the whereabouts of their beloved ones, ten parents including seven women have breathed last in past five years. The process started with the death of Moguli, a lone mother who died in the year 2009.

Haseena Begum died on October 5, 2013 whose son Syed Anwar Shah disappeared on July 21, 2000 when he was arrested in Srinagar. Anwar was a wall painter by profession.  APDP led by Parveena Ahanger stated that Hasserna along with her Son’s half widow was fighting for the whereabouts of her lone son for 13 years continuously. Mahtaba Begum hailing from Kashmir’s far-off village Karhama died while looking for her son who was arrested during a crackdown by forces in the winter of 1990. Her son Mohammad Yaqub Khan was a laborer by profession.

Misra begum of Bemina’s boatman colony died in the desolation of her only son Shabir Hussain Gasi who was allegedly arrested by 6RR on January 21, 2000. Hameeda Parveen died in the year 2012 after searching from pillar to post with the hope that her son would one day return to home. Details informed that her son namely Abid Hussian was a student.

Zona Begum hailing from Raj Bagh whose son disappeared on May 1996 when he was detained after forces raided his house. Her son Imtiyaz Ahmad was a forester. Zona died in the year 2011while waiting for her son to return home. Haleema Begum hailing from City’s Batmaloo died February this year. She struggled for the last 23 years in search of her son namely Basharat Ahmad Shah was studying at Ali Garg Muslim University. Basharat was arrested on January 7, 1990 allegedly by CRPF from North Kashmir’s Sopore. 

Srinagar: Chief Secretary, Mohammad Iqbal Khandey inaugurated 2nd Chief Secretary’s Golf Course Tournament -2014 at Royal Spring Golf Course here today.

The day long tournament was jointly organised by the District Administration, Srinagar and Tourism Department Kashmir in which as many as 88 prominent golfers across the country participated.

The first Sunday was selected for the tournament after opening of Darbar Move at Srinagar, while as the second tournament would be organised on October 26th, 2014 at the same venue.

Chief Secretary said that Kashmir is bestowed with natural beauty and hoped that a good number of tourists would visit Kashmir Valley during the current tourist season. He said that the Government is committed for the promotion of tourism sector and several steps have been initiated for strengthening the tourism infrastructure in the State.

The Divisional Commissioner Kashmir,  Shalinder Kumar, Principal Secretary Planning & Development,  B.R. Sharma, Principal Secretary to Chief Minister,  B.B. Vyas, Principal Secretary Home,  Suresh Kumar, Principal Secretary Power,  A.K. Mehta, Secretary Tourism,  Zaffar Ahmed, District Development Commissioner, Srinagar,  Farooq Ahmed Shah, Director Tourism,   Talat Parvez, DDC Ganderbal, Sarmad Hafiz, I/C Spring Royal Gulf Course, Ms Nusrat, besides other prominent golfers were also present on the occasion.

Later, the Chief Secretary gave away trophies among the golfers who adjudged first, second and third. He also honoured the other participants by distributing prizes. 

15 youth have been released: BTF

Srinagar: After hectic in-house deliberations with almost all trade, economic and transport associations of Valley and an assurance from the administration that its  genuine demands would be fulfilled, the Baramulla  Traders Federation (BTF) on Sunday called off its strike that had crippled the town for the last three days. On the other hand administration also responded promptly releasing 15 youth from detention.

Er Tariq Mugloo general secretary of BTF told KNS that the strike has been called off after the district administration assurance that its genuine demands including compensation of damages suffered by various households during police raids would be fulfilled without any delay. “First we held a general meeting with our traders’ fraternities who had come from across the valley. The participants included Traders Federation Srinagar, Kashmir Economic Alliance, Contractors Association of Kashmir, Transporters coordination Committee Kashmir and Kashmir Traders and Manufacturers Association,” he informed KNS.

Er Mugloo said that the meeting urged the administration to release all innocent youth who have been detained across valley particularly for the last few weeks in Bandipora, Sopore, Shopian, Srinagar and other places of valley. “The deputy commissioner Baramulla who met us yesterday has appointed committees headed by ADC Baramulla to assess the damages suffered by some families in old town Baramulla during raids carried out by police in last few days. The district administration has also assured us to look into our demand of transfer of SHO Baramulla,” Er Mugloo said.

He added that the traders’ fraternities who participated in the meeting took stock of the situation, met victim families in old town Baramulla and addressed public gathering in stadium colony and Kakarhamam in old town. “The traders’ bodies pledged full support to us in our fight against injustice. Meanwhile, the police released 5 youth on Saturday evening and 10 youth including Ghulam-u-Din Mir a shopkeeper, Abdul Rashid Halwaie and Omais Rasool Zargar have been released today,” Er Mugloo confirmed.

He said that the DC Baramulla has assured the BTF that first class executive magistrate will be accompanying police if they need to raid any house at any point of time. “We have also cooperated saying that we don’t condone violence and we will not create hurdles in normalizing law and order situation but our houses should not be ransacked and youth should not be arrested without following the proper procedures,” he added.

The BTF has also strongly condemned thrashing of voters in Baramulla, Sopore and its adjoining areas. Pertinently, the Baramulla Traders were up in arms against the alleged excesses and arrest spree during nocturnal raids in which scores of civilians were allegedly thrashed in the town. However, the police had clarified that no unlawful demands would be fulfilled.

Srinagar: For the mother of Tufial Matoo, a young boy killed in the old city on June 11, 2010, May 7- the mother’s day is the ‘darkest day’ of her life. She is sitting in a desolated room of her two story house located in the old city of Srinagar, narrating the woeful tale of the time that she is spending without 17year old Tufail.

Those scenes still come before my eyes when Tufail was a little kid and I used to feed him with spoon in the garden. He always had new ways to protest against eating meals but I kept on narrating him the tales of fairies for hours to that I he would not remain hungry, She said amid tears, asking us the question that no could perhaps could answer. “Wouldn’t he be hungry in the grave where he is sleeping now?”

“I we continue to console her; she managed to utter few more words. She said that the pain she has to bear every day cannot be explained through the words. “If he would have died the natural death, it would not have been as painful as it is now. I kept on thinking what of he would not have gone for the tuitions that day.” Nothing really can soothe my blighted heart now as I am aware that this pain will remain with me even after I die and till the dooms day, she said, adding that if the involved in Tufail’s killing would have been punished, the pain and grief could have reduced.

Stating that she is not the only one who has lost her son in Kashmir, Tufail’s mother says that the day her husband returns from the court after attending Tufail’s case, she eagerly hopes that justice has arrived. “Four years have passed and nothing really has happened.”

“We want someone to stand for us so that justice is delivered. We want someone to speak for us and help us in holding the persons accountable who took our sons away. If justice would have been given to me, I could have understood that there is someone who cares for the people who have lost everything,” she said as her husband Mohammad Ashraf Matoo continues to calm her. Tufail , the lone child of his parents was Seventeen-year-old Taufail Mattoo was killed by security forces in the Valley on June 11 last year, allegedly after they fired a tear gas canister at him. Tufail’s death led to widespread protests and triggered a summer of unrest in which more than 100 people were killed. (KNS)

Srinagar: The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Sunday castigated the state authorities for what it termed ‘adopting a selective approach’ in the ongoing demolition drive against illegal structures in and around Dal lake.

In a statement issued to KNS, the party youth wing incharge Waheed ur Rehman said the National Conference led government after having miserably ‘failed’ to rehabilitate the Dal dweller outside the lake over the last more than five and half years of it ‘misrule’ is now targeting the Dal dwellers ‘to hide its failures, incompetence’. “The latest demolition drive going on in and around the Lake is brazenly politically motivated and only specific areas are being deliberately targeted by the government which is totally unacceptable.”

Waheed said till now the ruling party has been using the Dal dwellers for its vote bank politics and when it feels that it has lost the ground the NC is resorting to political vendetta. Condemning the use of brute force against agitators Waheed said instead of listening to their grievances and making serious efforts for their rehabilitation the ruling government is again making it clear that it has nothing to offer to the people except pain.

He said though it was necessary to discourage illegal constructions and remove encroachments to restore the Lake to its pristine glory but the people living out there need to be decently rehabilitated first. Waheed said the PDP is having a comprehensive plan to safe guard the interests of not only the Dal dwellers but it will be party’s priority to restore the grandeur and glory of the Lake in its future scheme of things.