Kashmir.Watch

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  • Protest rocks KU against Dr Lone’s arrest

    SRINAGAR: Hundreds of Kashmir University students Monday held protests in the campus against police for arresting Dr Ghulam Qadir Lone of Hudipora, Rafiabad in North Kashmir’s Baramulla district.

    Renowned scholar and noted writer, Lone was arrested on May 2.

    The students gathered near the Iqbal Library and raised anti-police, anti-India and pro-freedom slogans.

    The protesters were holding placards reading slogans like, “release Dr Lone”, “stop arrests” and “stop killings”.

    Dr Lone is a PhD in Islamic Studies from Aligarh Muslim University and has many international publications to his credit.

    Police have also arrested hundreds of youngsters from every nook and corner of the valley since the start of Lok Sabha election season.

     

  • Kashmiri students beaten in UP for not raising anti-Pakistan slogans

    SRINAGAR: Three Kashmiri students have been beaten by a group of student for not shouting slogans against Pakistan in a University in Utar Pradesh on Monday, reports said.

    They added that the incident happened on Saturday night in Sector Pi, where various students of different universities stay in rented apartments.

    Around 100 Kashmiri students later protested with their bags packed against the university officials for their failure to provide them security and inaction.

    Media reports suggested that six students forcefully entered the room of the Kashmiri students and beat them and made them shout anti-Pakistan slogans.

    A Kashmiri student staying in Noida sector 62 reportedly told a media organization that these kinds of discriminatory attitude towards them have become a norm now.

    Meanwhile, reacting to the incident, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minsiter Omar Abdullah has questioned the UP administration’s inability or unwillingness to provide security to Kashmiri students.

    Omar expressed his resent on twitter saying: “If the Universities or state authorities can’t protect Kashmiri students coming there then man up and admit your inability or unwillingness,” Tweeted Omar, on Monday.

    “I am sending the Resident Commissioner from Delhi to visit the University in question to ascertain all the facts before deciding next steps,” Omar said in another Tweet.

     

  • Narendra Modi will Destroy Secularism : Rasik Bhat

    Srinagar: While urging people to vote in favor of coalition candidates to strength secularism and to defeat Narendra Modi, Rasik Bhat General Secretary National Conference Students Union in voice today termed Modi threat for Country if he becomes Prime Minster. Addressing a Youth / Students  gathering here in North  Kashmir’s Baramulla district . This is not the time to Question each other but this is time to rethink whether we can defeat Modi or not? From past Many years I know from which stage this state progressed but I am afraid that if he sits in New Delhi, he will destroy the constitution. He is poison for this country” said Rasik Bhat  while acknowledging that we might have hurt each Students / Youth  urged workers not to raise questions but contribute in saving the country. “This person is saying one thing but believe me he will do opposite to it. So we have to save the nation.” He said that so far our Chief Minister / Party President  Omar Abdullah has proved his best in Concern of Youth and Students of J&K.  We are hopeful that collation will win all the Seats in J&K, “Modi is definitely a threat for secular India, for our brotherhood and secularism, he is like poison and we all have to defeat him to ensure safety of the country, safety of the economy and brotherhood.” Rasik Bhat said that top leadership of BJP itself is too afraid of Narender Modi. “Now a day’s Advani  is silent it is because he himself is afraid of Modi, Jaswant Singh and Sushma Suwraj is too afraid of Modi Ji”, He said

     

  • Vote for Coalition is to keep communal forces at bay: Nizami

    SRINAGAR: Joint Secretary of J&K Pradesh Congress Committee Salman Nizami today asked the people to vote for NC-Congress coalition candidate stating that every single vote cast in their favor will be to keep the communal forces at bay. He said it would also strengthen the secular and democratic ethos of the country. Taking a dig at media surveys which have shown BJP leading in the country, Nizami claimed the UPA would be the largest after the polls. Criticising the BJP, he said that the saffron party doesn’t want development; it only uses it as tool to grab power. He said that the voters should ensure that the new Prime Minister of India is a leader who would carry all sections of the society along with him and have a secular and democratic mindset as opposed to an individual who harbors communal hatred and believes in religious polarization of the country. He said that “Today, it’s very easy to be communal but very difficult to remain secular. Congress Party knows how to fight these communal forces,”. He further said that the people vote the party to power which works for development and UPA government has fulfilled all its promises made in the party manifesto. He said BJP is dividing the country on the basis of caste and religion. Modi has destabilised the harmony and brotherhood of a secular country, Gujarat riots will remain a black mark on history and heritage of India, he has killed the innocent people to grab power, his venomous approach towards Muslims and other minorities makes him unfit to lead the country of pluralistic ethos Nizami added. J&K is not safe in the hands of dictator, he is hell-bent to evade article 370, by way of which he is further illustrating kashmiris. It is by way of Congress-NC coalition govt that people have started reposing a trust and faith in the system. Kashmiris were pushed to wall and they resorted to violence because of the corruption in the state during the time of NDA regime and congress tried to clean the state from corruption and the highest priority of Congress led coalition govt was development and prosperity of the state.

     

  • BSNL aims to double post-paid users in one year

    As it aims to double its post-paid mobile customer base to 10 per cent in one year, BSNL has launched a facility wherein bills can be paid at over 5 lakh of its franchises or retailers all the seven days in a week.

    The State-owned telecom firm has been citing bill payment problem as one of the issues for decline in its high revenue post-paid customer base.

    “One of the reason for our declining post-paid users was the problems related to bill payment. But with the launch of this new facility from May 1, we are targeting to double our post-paid users to 10 per cent by May next year,” BSNL Director (Consumer Mobility) Anupam Shrivastava toldPTI.

    Currently, 5 per cent of BSNL’s users are post paid as most of them prefer pre-paid due to hassles in bill payment.

    Customers had to pay the bills on BSNL’s counters and billing centres during working hours only, which used to be a problem for working professionals.

    The state-run company had 9.48 crore wireless subscribers at the end of February 2014.

    “The average revenue per user (ARPU) for post-paid is around Rs. 400 whereas for pre-paid, it is in the range of Rs 90-100. It will be good for BSNL’s profitability, if we can increase the post paid users,” Mr. Shrivastava said.

    He added the company has attractive post-paid plans but most of the people prefer pre-paid due to bill payment.

    BSNL has a network of around 5 lakh franchisees and retailers across the country. The new facility will allow users to pay bills all the seven days and also during government holidays.

    No additional amount will be charged from customers for using this facility.

    BSNL has been logging losses since 2009-10. The company’s profits started declining after 2004-05, when it had made net gains of Rs. 10,183 crore.

    The government had also constituted a Group of Ministers (GoM) for revival of BSNL and MTNL.

     

  • Kashmiri women and boutique business

    Srinagar: At a place where youth are scared of taking to entrepreneurship, young women in Kashmir are taking lead by setting up boutiques to earn their livelihood and support their families. Shazia (name changed) started her boutique in 2009 at her home with almost no money. She started her journey with just two suits. With mere commitment and hard work, today she has a full-fledged boutique and supplies her products to many garment stores in Valley. “I started with just two suits and I had no capital in hand. Today I supply material to many of the known shops in Fairdeal shopping complex,” says Shazia. Shazia found refuge in entrepreneurship after bracing up many problems at home. “I had so many family problems and my life was shattered.  This business helped me forget all my worries and I have become financially independent. Now am feeding my family too,” says Shazia. Though many disapprove of women working in Kashmir however Shazia found dignity in her business. “The boutique has brought me dignity and also I do not have to go out. I have set up my unit at my home.” These women entrepreneurs have not only created jobs for themselves but also provide society with solutions. Beenish, who has done masters in business administration, set up boutique by the name ‘Panache’ at MA Road Srinagar to keep herself busy and be financially independent. “I didn’t have any financial problems but I just wanted to be busy. I was into the world of fashion since beginning and I found this business of my taste and very innovative,” says Beenish. Beenish’s family is happy with her business venture and they fully support her. Another girl is Mehvish who is pursuing masters in Sociology. Mehvish has established Labia-a Lucknow chicken art garment shop-in Abi Guzar area of Srinagar to support her family. “I lost my father 13 years ago. I have two sisters and my mother is the only one who earns for the entire family. When I completed my graduation and there were less job opportunities I came up with an idea of establishing my own business,” said Mehvish. “This is just the beginning and I hope I will be financially independent,” Mehvish added. Gazala Amin who has earned her name in the business and is first women to be office bearers of oldest trader’s body- Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industry- says nothing can be better than a business for women operated from her home. “Now-a- days when it is difficult to balance your personal and professional life nothing can be as good as starting a business from your home. Boutiques are a good source of income and growth for women,” says Gazala Amin who is dealing with essential oils.

     

  • Freedom of the Press 2014: Media Freedom Hits Decade Low

    Paris: Global press freedom has fallen to its lowest level in over a decade, according to a Freedom House report released today.

    The decline was driven in part by major regression in several Middle Eastern states, including Egypt, Libya, and Jordan; marked setbacks in Turkey, Ukraine, and a number of countries in East Africa; and deterioration in the relatively open media environment of the United States.
    Freedom of the Press 2014 found that despite positive developments in a number of countries, most notably in sub-Saharan Africa, setbacks were the dominant trend in every other region. The share of the world’s population with media rated “Free” remains at just 14 percent, or only one in seven people. Far larger shares live in “Not Free” (44 percent) or “Partly Free” (42 percent) media environments.
    “We see declines in media freedom on a global level, driven by governments’ efforts to control the message and punish the messenger,” said Karin Karlekar, project director of the report. “In every region of the world last year, we found both governments and private actors attacking reporters, blocking their physical access to newsworthy events, censoring content, and ordering politically motivated firings of journalists.”
    “In 2013 we saw more cases of states targeting foreign reporters and media outlets,” Karlekar added. “Russian and Chinese authorities declined to renew or threatened to withhold visas for prominent foreign correspondents, but the new Egyptian government went a step further by detaining a number of Al-Jazeera staff on charges of supporting terrorism.”

    Key Global Findings:
    § Of the 197 countries and territories assessed during 2013, a total of 63 (32 percent) were rated Free, 68 (35 percent) were rated Partly Free, and 66 (33 percent) were rated Not Free.
    § All regions except sub-Saharan Africa, whose average score leveled off, showed declines, with the Middle East and North Africa suffering the worst deterioration.
    § Triggers for country declines included governments’ overt attempts to control the news—whether through the physical harassment of journalists covering protest movements or other sensitive stories, restrictions on foreign reporters, or tightened constraints on online news outlets and social media—as well as the role of owners in shaping media content through directives on coverage or dismissals of outspoken journalists.
    § Country improvements were largely driven by three factors: a growing ability of private firms to operate television and radio outlets; greater access to a variety of views via online media, social media, and international outlets; and improved respect for legal protections for the press.
    § China and Russia maintained a tight grip on local media while also attempting to control the more independent views provided either in the blogosphere or by foreign news sources.
    § The world’s eight worst-rated countries remain Belarus, Cuba, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Iran, North Korea, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.

    Key Regional Findings:
    Americas:
    § The regional average score worsened to its lowest level in five years, and just 2 percent of the population in Latin America lived in Free media environments.
    § Scores dropped in Honduras, Panama, Suriname, and Venezuela.
    § Paraguay’s rating improved to Partly Free.
    § Conditions in the United States deteriorated due primarily to attempts by the government to inhibit reporting on national security issues.
    Asia-Pacific:
    § Only 5 percent of the region’s population had access to Free media in 2013.
    § China, rated Not Free, continued to crack down on online speech, particularly on microblogs, and also ramped up pressure on foreign journalists.
    § Press freedom deteriorated in Hong Kong, India, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and several Pacific Island states, including Nauru, which was downgraded to Partly Free.
    § Burma and Nepal registered score improvements.
    Eurasia:
    § The overwhelming majority of people in the region (97 percent) lived in Not Free media environments.
    § Conditions in Russia remained grim, as the RIA Novosti news agency was closed and the government enacted additional legal restrictions on online speech.
    § Ukraine was downgraded to Not Free for 2013 due primarily to attacks on journalists covering the Euromaidan protests, and further erosion took place in Azerbaijan.
    § Positive developments occurred in Kyrgyzstan and Georgia.
    Europe:
    § This region enjoys the highest level of press freedom, but the regional average score registered the second-largest drop worldwide in 2013.
    § The Netherlands, Norway, and Sweden were rated the world’s top-performing countries.
    § Significant decline took place in Turkey, which fell into the Not Free category, as well as in Greece, Montenegro, and the United Kingdom.
    § A modest numerical improvement was noted in Italy, which remains Partly Free.
    Middle East and North Africa:
    § Only 2 percent of the region’s people lived in Free media environments, while the vast majority, 84 percent, lived in Not Free countries or territories.
    § Backsliding occurred in Libya, which fell back into the Not Free category, and Egypt, where the military-led government limited press freedom.
    § Significant deterioration took place in Jordan and to a lesser extent in Iraq and the United Arab Emirates. Press freedom declined further in Syria, in the midst of an especially brutal civil war that posed enormous dangers to journalists.
    § Improvements took place in Algeria (upgraded to Partly Free), Yemen, the West Bank and Gaza Strip, and Israel (upgraded back to Free).
    Sub-Saharan Africa:
    § The majority of people (56 percent) lived in countries with Partly Free media. Improvements in the legal and economic spheres in 2013 were balanced by declines in the political category.
    § Declines occurred in South Sudan and Zambia (both downgraded to Not Free), the Central African Republic, and several countries in East Africa, including Kenya, Mozambique, Tanzania, and Uganda.
    § West Africa saw a number of improvements, including the upgrade of Côte d’Ivoire to Partly Free and numerical gains in Mali, Senegal, and Togo.
    § Other gains were recorded in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Madagascar, the Seychelles, and Zimbabwe.

     

  • Agencies weakening Kashmir economy: KEA

    Threatens public agitation if killings don’t stop

    Srinagar: Kashmir Economic Alliance – a constituent body of various traders, hoteliers and transporters’ organizations, Saturday threatened to call for a public agitation against the government “if killing of innocent people in Kashmir does not stop.”

    Chairman, KEA, Muhammad Yaseen Khan while condemning the killing of Bashir Ahmad, a Downtown youth who was shot dead by CRPF on Wednesday, said: “If the cycle of killing of innocent people does not stop, we will have no alternative but to urge the people to take to roads and protest against the government.”
    Talking to Greater Kashmir on the margins of KEA executive committee meeting here today, Khan said: “The KEA could smell a big conspiracy in the killing of innocent people in Kashmir. There are agencies both in the state as well at the centre who want to weaken  and are weakening Kashmir economy.”
    “The boy (Bashir Ahmad) was killed when the elections were over. He was working for the entire day at his home and just when he came out to have a walk after a daylong work, he was killed. This shows that there are elements who want to keep the things on boil in Kashmir and hit its economy,” Khan said.
    Khan appealed the world community to take cognizance of the recent killing and put pressure on Indian government to stop the wanton killings in Kashmir.
    About elections he said: “These aren’t credible elections nor are they fair.”
    About the working of the present government he said, ““We have lost all hopes with this government. After every killing this government orders magisterial probes which everybody knows never reach to any conclusion,” he said.
    KEA spokesperson, Siraj Ahmad said: “The balance sheet of the present government does not reflect even a single promise which has been met by it.”
    He said: “Should the lower voter turnout in elections give any reason to the forces to kill our youth,” Khan said.
    He said the KEA won’t allow any further killing or arrest of “our children. If the forces continue with it, we will issue a call to the people to come on roads and agitate against the government.”
    “No democratic state uses such repressive measures on its people and it is shame for Indian government to even call themselves democratic,” Siraj said.
    Economy in doldrums
    Khan blamed the government of damaging the economy and tourism sector in Kashmir. “If we see the contribution of National Conference-led government in the state towards economy, they have nothing to show,” he alleged and added that the hollow promises of the state government had aggravated the problem of people in Kashmir.
    He alleged the economy of Kashmir was being weakened “deliberately by the agencies.”
    Earlier, the KEA held its executive committee meeting. Representatives of its constituents from districts of Kashmir attended the meeting.
    In the brainstorming session held during the EC meet, the members put forth various suggestions for promoting trade and commerce in Kashmir.
    The members expressed dismay that the government and its ministers were not paying any heed to the genuine demands of the traders.
    President KHARA Showkat Chowdhery said: “The business community in Kashmir despite forming the majority portion of the population is being ignored by the government.”
    “Whenever we go with our demands to the government, the ministers hardly bother to address our problems.”

     

  • Bank Watch

    SAJJAD BAZAZ

    Bad cheques, good solution

    Incredible! But true. You can withdraw money from your account despite having insufficient balance.

    One of the oldest banking instruments which has so far successfully negotiated the information technology revolution has been Cheque. This piece of paper infuses a kind of empowerment to a holder that holds its worthiness beyond being a mere piece of paper. Numerically speaking its use in the day to day banking transactions has of course gone down, but it’s not yet outdated. The way it has survived in the modern banking system makes us believe that the cheque is going to remain an inevitable part of the system.
    How do we define a cheque? Cheque is a written order of an accountholder upon a bank to pay to or to the order of a designated party or to bearer, a specified sum of money on demand. The person who draws the cheque is called drawer, the bank on which the cheque is drawn is called drawee and the person to whom payment is to be made is called payee. It is an order of the accountholder (customer) without condition. The banker has always to pay it on demand. Precisely, it is payable to a certain person or to his nominee or to the bearer of the instrument.
    The parties involved in a financial transaction through cheque are governed by certain rules to uphold its image as instrument of credibility. The first and foremost thing is that a cheque should not bounce once issued by a drawer in favour of a payee. This means, the accountholder who issues a cheque must have sufficient balance in the account to meet the liability of the cheque. On the dishonour of a cheque, one can file a suit for recovery of the cheque amount along with the cost and interest and can also file a Criminal Complaint u/s 138 of Negotiable Instrument Act for punishment to the signatory of the cheque for having committed an offence.
    Precisely, it’s a criminal offence.
    In order to enforce discipline among bank customers, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has asked the banks to take certain steps while dealing with incidents of frequent dishonour of cheques. The banks have been told to make it clear to its customers that in the event of frequent dishonour of a cheque for want of sufficient funds in the account, no fresh cheque book would be issued. In case of current accountholders, the bank has the discretion to close the account. Meanwhile, if cheques drawn on a particular account are dishonoured four times during a financial year for want of sufficient funds, banks are allowed to deny a fresh cheque book to the customer.
    Another important thing to note is that the validity of the cheque is only three months. The banks are under regulatory directions not to accept cheques having age beyond three months. After the stipulated period, the cheque loses value and remains a mere piece of paper.
    There’s also a regulatory direction on writing on the cheque. No alteration or modification in cheques is allowed even if an authorized signature has been made at the place of alteration. The banks will dishonour any kind of altered cheques. So, if a drawer makes some mistake in writing a cheque, he should simply cancel the cheque leaf and write new one. Otherwise, the banks will only dishonour the cheque.
    Among all the things, dishonouring of a cheque is a serious lapse on account of being a criminal offence and slapping punishment to the drawer is inevitable. Innumerable instances are on record where an account holder issued cheques for a certain amount despite knowing that the balance in his/her account was insufficient. But instances also galore where drawer was not aware that his/her account is short of funds to meet the liability of the cheque. But in both cases, intentionally or unintentionally, dishonouring of a cheque is offence.
    Amid the incidents of dishonouring of cheques, banks started developing products where an account holder can withdraw amount and issue cheque despite having insufficient balance in his/her account. Once such product is Smart Saver Scheme introduced by J&K Bank. If you are seriously thinking to be on safer side and avoid dishonouring of cheques, this is the financial product on which you can bank upon.
    The mechanism of the scheme is amazing. You have to deposit Rs. 25,000 or more but in multiples of Rs.1,000 in a core term deposit for a period of one to ten years. Simultaneously you have to open either a savings bank account or a current deposit account which has to be linked to the core term deposit. You can operate your linked accounts (savings or current account) like a normal account. This facilitates you to deposit more money under the scheme. You don’t have to deposit it in the core term deposit, but in the linked savings bank account or current account. Whenever balance in these accounts will cross a threshold limit (which is Rs.5,000 in savings bank account & Rs.25,000 in current account) fixed deposit (FD) instruments of Rs.10,000 and Rs.25,000 respectively would automatically be booked through auto sweep and even liquidated through reverse sweep facility on their own. These term deposits are created for a pre-determined tenure of 180 days.
    It’s through reverse sweep facility that whenever there is a shortfall of funds in your account and you wish to withdraw a greater amount, the fixed deposit is swept back into the account to meet your requirement. You can withdraw the amount even through ATM. In case you have issued a cheque, it wouldn’t be dishonoured for short of funds. One more benefit is that you would be getting the benefit of interest differential, as the fixed deposits offer higher interest than savings. In current account you don’t get any interest.
    So smart saver option allows you to withdraw amount or issue a cheque even though there’s insufficient balance in your account. In short, credibility of cheque as a bond of trust among a drawer, drawee and the payee is maintained.
    (The views are of the author & not the institution he works for. Feedback at [email protected])

     

  • ‘Parents keen to get their detained son’s released’

    SRINAGAR: Relatives of hundreds of detained youth allegedly involved in stone-pelting incidents were seen waiting outside different police stations and posts to get their kins released as early as possible.

    After the stone-pleting incidents in length and breadth of Kashmir Valley, police have swung into action and have nabbed hundreds of stone-pelters across Kashmir Valley. Most of the detained stone-pelters according to police had been bailed out by the Court, however, “even after that these youth did not mend their ways and continued to indulge in stone-pelting.”

    According to reports, hundreds of youth have been arrested by police for their alleged involvement in stone pelting. Some of the youth have been called to police stations for their involvement in past in stone-pelting incidents. Eyewitnesses told CNS that scores of men and women were seen waiting outside police stations to meet their dear ones.

    “My 15 years old son has been lodged in Saddar police station. He is not a pelter but a student,” Shameema Bano from Padshahi Bagh said. Her daughter expressed the same views. She said that her brother who was arrested by police during nocturnal raid has been lodged in the police station and no police officer is allowing to meet his brother.

    There are six teenagers, two from Raj Bagh and four from Padshahi Bagh locked up in Sadar Police Station.

    “They are immature but not innocent. We apprehended them on spot while attacking CRPF bunker at Mehjoor Nagar area of Srinagar city on the polling day. We have identified all the stone-pelters and in coming days, we are going to arrest them,” Station House Officer Saddar police station said, adding that it is apathy that parents don’t have control over their children.

    Scores of women folk were seen outside police stations located in civil lines areas.

    “We have released most of the youth soon after the polling was over. There are some known stone-pelters who are still behind the bar and they will be released once their parents assure us that they will not indulge in violence in future,” a top police official from Srinagar city said.

    Relatives of youth who were waiting outside police station Pampore said that their son’s are innocent.

    “My brother was arrested after the 2010 summer unrest but after his release, he abjured violence. I fail to understand why he was arrested again when he is innocent,” Irshad Ahmed from Namlabal Pampore said.

    “Why don’t you trust police when we tell you that no one is innocent? Come and see yourself, how many vehicles these stone-pelters have damaged. We never arrest any innocent and whosoever has been arrested is a known stone-pelter,” a police official from Pampore police station said.

    Scores of parents perplexed with gloomy faces were seen waiting outside police station Pulwama.

    “I am not going to tell you that my son is innocent. He participated in procession and stone-pelting on the polling day in Pulwama. My humble submission to Inspector General of police Kashmir Zone is that give a chance to my son and I assure him that he will never indulge in stone-pleting again,” a father of a arrested youth said adding that he is disturbed and desperate to see his educated son out of the lock-up.

    “There are at least 20 youth in our lock-up. Every one of them disturbed peace in the town and attacked poll staff and police on the polling day in Pulwama. More arrests are on cards and in coming days, we are going to arrest more youth who have been identified and are known stone-pelters,” a police official said.

    Reports said that there are many youth locked up in different police stations in old Srinagar city, however due to ongoing curfew, their relatives are unable to meet them.

    “We have almost released everyone who were called to police stations before polling in Srinagar. There are still few youth in lock-ups and they will be released as well,” a top police official said.

    When contacted Inspector General of Police Kashmir Abdul Gani Mir said that police is going to release all these stone-pelters in coming days.

    “Before their release we will dispatch a team of expert comprising of known psychiatrists and doctors to different police station and would provide counseling to these stone-pelters. We will keep the record of these pelters and release them so that in future they don’t indulge in stone-pleting incidents,” IGP Kashmir Zone said.

    Meanwhile, a team of experts led by known Psychologist Dr Muzafar met various stone-pelters at Pulwama police station and interacted with them. Sources said that all the stone-pelters would be released in coming days on the condition that they will abjure violence.