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Srinagar, Feb 3: After yet another successful Ranji trophy season, J&K all-rounder, Parvez Rasool has been named in the Rest of India squad for Irani Cup that will take on Ranji champions, Karnataka, at Bangalore from February 9.
 Harbhajan Singh has been named captain of the team which includes 15-memebers.
 The squad includes, JK’s top cricketer, Parvez Rasool, who will be seen leading the spin department along with Harbhajan and Amit Mishra.
 It is first time that Parvez has been named in the Rest of India squad and will play the match of Irani Cup against Ranji champions.
 “I am happy to see myself in the list of Rest of India squad. It is a great chance for me to prove my credential before all important Indian premier League bidding process,” Parvez said.
 “If I am included in the playing-XI, I will try my best to get maximum out of this chance. I will try my best to derail the Ranji champions Karnataka,” he said.
 About playing under the captaincy of Harbhajan, he said: “It is a dream come true. It gives me yet another chance to learn from greats like Harbhajan Singh”.
 Harbhajan’s inclusion as the captain means that he is still on the selectors’ radar for the longer version of the game. Ditto for Gambhir, who has scored close to 600 runs this season and is likely to open with Punjab’s Jiwanjot Singh.
 The squad has Ranji Trophy’s top-scorer Kedar Jadhav (1223 runs) along with talented youngsters like Jiwanjot, Tamil Nadu’s Baba Aparajith, Maharashtra’s Ankit Bawne, Punjab’s Mandeep Singh, who have scored heavily in this year’s national domestic tourney.
 Odisha’s Natraj Behera, who had a prolific season despite his state not qualifying for the knock-outs, was included in the side.
 The spin department will be taken care of by Harbhajan and leggie Amit Mishra while Jammu and Kashmir captain Parveez Rasool will be the third spinner.
 The only questionable non-inclusion was Himachal Pradesh seamer Rishi Dhawan, who ended as the highest wicket-taker with 49 scalps.
 However, the selectors have finally found a place for veteran Rajasthan seamer Pankaj Singh, who has been performing in the domestic circuit year after year. This year also, he has taken 39 wickets.
 Varun Aaron is also there in the squad and the selectors would be interested in checking out whether he lasts in a rigorous five-day game where one needs to bowl a long second and even a third spell.
 Bengal’s Ashoke Dinda and Railways’ Anureet Singh have also made it to the squad on the back of some match-winning performances for their respective teams.
 Squad: Harbhajan Singh (Captain), Jiwanjot Singh, Gautam Gambhir, Baba Aparajith, Kedar Jadhav, Ankit Bawne, Dinesh Kartik, Amit Mishra, Pankaj Singh, Ashoke Dinda, Varun Aaron, Parveez Rasool, Anureet Singh, Natraj Behera and Mandeep Singh.

Srinagar, Feb 3: On the back of three successful seasons in the past, the 4th season operations of Kashmir Heli Skiing were kicked-off at at Gulmarg on Friday.
 The operation run by a local company has emerged as top source of extreme skiing for the skiers from all over World while bookings have doubled as compared to the last season.
 Launched in 2011 at Gulmarg by locally owned company, Kashmir Heli-Ski, with the support of J&K Government, has turned out to be a major attraction for high end skiing. The event, run by a local extreme skier and guide, Billa Majeed Bakshi, has become hit all over the world attracting some of the well known extreme skiers. Initially it targeted the customer base in Australia, New Zealand but with the success of each year it extended its horizon to Europe and United States of America.
 This season everything has been perfect for company so far, snow, conditions, and Government and Defense Ministry support.
 According to Billa the 4th season operations have started at the right time.
 “We started the 4th year of operation on Friday. Though many consider it late but I and my fellow experts know that it is right time to start heli and back country skiing operations at Gulmarg. The snow conditions are good and weather forecast also shows encouraging signs,” Billa who is also lead guide said.
 Apart from making the virgin turfs of different sections of Pir Panchal mountain range accessible, the skiers are also able to get access to those peaks and slopes which were out of bounds for the adventure sports lovers.
 “This year we have already registered 1500 clients. All the clients are from West and none among them is local. We have got customers from Australia, New Zealand, Europe and USA as well. With each year we are adding new success stories and it is working well for us. Those who ski along with us give good word of mouth and media publicity in their parts of the World. Hence they help us and State a great deal,” Billa, who is Company Director, said.
 About the area of operation, Billa says, “Most of the area that we covered last year was Pirpanjaal range and some little area on Poonch side. This year we want to explore 5000 metre peaks and that is an added attraction for the skiers. Our area of operation extend upto around 75-kiloemteres of Pir Panjal range”
 “We are the only heliski company in Kashmir. Jammu & Kashmir Tourism have given us permission for heliski for the entire Pir Panchal Range. We have amazing terrain, few kilometers long open Alpine bowls for intermediate skiers and snowboarders up to 5000 metres untracked and undiscovered peaks in tour long terrain,” Billa said.
 “Himalayas are known for remarkable deep dry powder snow. The high quality powder snow, with perfectly spaced pine trees, open alpine bowls and mighty peaks of the Himalayas makes the experience best in world. Our Alpine area holds a variety of exceptional terrain for all abilities from wide open bowls to virgin peaks of Himalayas. Tree line skiing is a complete adrenalin rush during bad weather days,” he said.
 About the prospects of Sonamarg, he said: “When you think about extreme Heliski, It is not Alaska, Sonamarg is the place with most challenging terrain on the Planet. Due to heavy snowfall, place remains closed from December to May. Only accessible with helicopter Sonamarg has so much to offer for Extreme Skiers”.
 He said that this season the administration at the ski resort of Gulmarg are well prepared and have kept Cable Car Gondola operational even in extreme conditions

.
 “This season we are lucky to have Gondola operational even in extreme conditions. When the conditions doesn’t support flying we take our customers to back country skiing with help of Gondola. Cable Car Managing Director Tufail Matoo and his team deserve applauds,” he said.
 About the experts that help him to run such an adventurous venture, he said, “We have got the experts of international repute who have achieved lot in their illustrious career. We have got Dean and Woody who both have climbed highest mountain peak in the World Mount Everest nine times. Another senior pro, Tim is chief guide who has got experience of more than 20 years in the operations of Heli-Skiing”.
 He said that his aim is to groom local ski guides in the operation of Heli Sliiing and time is not far when whole operation would be run by local lads.
 “We have got around nine local guides and our aim is to groom them to become full-fledged experts. Some of them have been with us since the first season and have got ability to run operation on their own,” he said.
 On the number of choppers employed, he said, “The operation is almost unimaginable to be run by one chopper. It requires two and we have employed two as well. The second chopper is mostly kept for backup, rescue and any sort of medical emergencies”.
 Pertinently it was Sylvain Sudan in late 70’s to start Heli-Skiing in the Valley and he is known as pioneer of extreme skiing. Known as a ‘skier of the impossible’, for his dare-devil skiing feats in Alps and other peaks in Europe and Asia, the 74-year old Swiss born French Heli-skier Saudan was considered to be instrumental in launching Heli-skiing in the Valley in late ‘70s.
  He continued his date with Kashmir even during the years of conflict by bringing skiers.
  However, Sudan stopped to come to Kashmir after his helicopter crashed in a mountain range on way to Sonamarg in 2007. The skiers in Heli-skiing dive from a helicopter on top of mountains. It is considered to be an extreme form of skiing offering the ultimate powder skiing experience.

I don’t expect justice from Govt: Afzal’s wife
‘One day Guru will be buried here with an epitaph on his grave’

=> “Omar Abdullah signed the death warrant a month before hanging of my husband. He knew it all along,” she said, adding Omar Abdullah did not even ask the Center to allow a meeting between Afzal and his family.

=>Sepratists are playing their politics

Srinagar: Tabassum Guru, wife of Muhammad Afzal Guru of Sopore Kashmir who was hanged on February 9 last year in New Delhi’s Tihar Jail, Monday said she doesn’t expect justice from Central or State government but would continue to demand the return of her husband’s body till her death.
“I will demand the body of my husband. I will wait for his body till my last breath. He is a Shaheed (martyr) and everybody knows this,” Tabassum told Greater Kashmir.
“If they return the body, I wish to be buried besides his grave,” she said.
Tabassum said they tried to get back Afzal’s body, however there was no reply from Government of India. “My written request for the return of the body has not been replied till this day,” she said. “I do not expect any justice neither from Government of India nor from J&K Government,” Tabassum said.
Tabassum said questions by her son Ghalib worry her. “He always asks me about his father. He was not allowed to meet his father before the hanging and this is the question I have to confront,” she said.
She said she or her son won’t visit Tihar Jail on the death anniversary of her husband. “Why should we go? There is no expectation from Government of India. They did not allow my 14-year old son to meet his father before hanging him,” she said.
“One day people will get the remains of Afzal and he will be buried here with an
epitaph on his grave,” she said, adding her wait for the body will never die out till her last breath.
She blamed J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah for hanging of her husband. “Omar Abdullah signed the death warrant a month before hanging of my husband. He knew it all along,” she said, adding Omar Abdullah did not even ask the Center to allow a meeting between Afzal and his family.
“They are befooling the people of J&K. The CM just shed crocodile tears after the hanging of my husband.”
Tabassum is also disappointed with the separatist camp, saying if they would have made efforts, Afzal would not have been hanged. “Ajmal Kasab’s hanging was a signal for them, but they made no efforts to save my husband,” she said, without naming any separatist leader or group. “They are playing their politics,” she said.
She said now the Government of India has given relief to the assassins of Rajiv Gandhi and Beant Singh who were also given death sentence. “Afzal Sahib was hanged because he was a Muslim,” she said

Srinagar, Feb 4 (KNS): Opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti on Tuesday reaffirmed her party’s ability to persuade the central government for any breakthrough on Kashmir issue irrespective of whichever national party comes in power in Delhi.
Addressing a press conference on creation of new administrative units in the state, at her official residence in Gupkar, Mehbooba said that besides providing god governance to people, resolution of Kashmir issue is of utmost importance for her party’s agenda. “Had forging alliances been important then Chief Minister Omar Abdullah was a minister in NDA rules when autonomy proposal of his party (National Conference ) was thrown to dustbin,” she said.
The PDP president said that he party was able to persuade the BJP led central government for major Confidence Building Measures on Kashmir like opening of Srinagar-Muzaffarabad road and it has the potential to persuade the any national party which comes in power when it comes to taking of initiatives on Kashmir.
Ridiculing the state government decision of creating new administrative units without following any set criteria, Mehbooba urged the state government to fulfill the demands of new administrative units pout forth by people in many left out areas.
She said that the present dispensation has taken the decision keeping its narrow electoral interests into consideration. “It is a simple propaganda otherwise, one cannot expect any sincerity from a government which is bankrupt, not able to pay the bills of contractors, pay for transformer oils or for that matter salaries of the employees,” she added, according to KNS correspondent.
She said that PDP-Congress coalition government had appointed a committee of experts under former chief secretary SS Biloeria. “The committee was tasked to make recommendations about creation of new administrative and development units in the state on a rational basis. Since Biloeria had to opt out of the committee after some time it was continued under Mushtaq Ahmed Ganai.”
Mehbooba said the committee under both chairpersons made a detailed exercise, met people across the state and made some recommendations in 2011. “Since then the report had been gathering dust and the cabinet had been tossing the issue without taking any decision. Repeated demands were made to table the reports in the state legislature but without any response from the government.”
According to KNS correspondent, Mehbooba said that election time is the occasion to provide an account of a government’s performance. “As the elections approach the discomfort of the government became very obvious as it has nothing positive to tell the electorate. The watermarks of this government have been corruption, lawlessness, nepotism and lack of governance. A record number of civilian killings at the hands of government forces, thousands of youth victimized with false, multiple cases, dissent criminalized and opposition voices gagged, the government is clearly on the back foot.”
She said the people seek answers to their questions on the BOPEE scandal, back door recruitments, sale of jobs, re employment of the retired and the dead wood and subversion of the examination system and erosion of its sanctity and credibility.
Mehbooba alleged that like always in its history the NC looked for easy way out. Since people have seen through its emotional tricks it knew that the usual plank of autonomy or anti centre tirade was not available to it in the vastly changed circumstances. “The game started with a mock fight between the coalition partners, threats of resignation, hobnobbing with new possible allies and the stage was set for an unprecedented chaos in the sensitive state. Election time has been converted deliberately into a virtual social upheaval, with only elections in mind.”
She said the state was made to pay the price in the shape of chaos, collision and hostility. Villages have been pitted against villages. Tehsil, CD block and niyabat have become new prestige symbols because the government did not follow any rules or criteria. Every village feels equally qualified for an institution as the other one.
“People of Kaprin (Shopian) are protesting wearing shrouds and in Budhal (Darhal) people are on hunger strike. Similarily, other areas in Kashmir also protesting that include: Wachi, Turkehwangam in Shopian; Karna, Chumkoot, Gabra, Lolab, Wavoora, Kalaroos in Kupwara; Wasoora, Shadimarg, Shahoora, Drubgam, Awantipora in Pulwama; Seer Hamdan, Ashmuqam, Shangus, Nowgam, Achabal etc in Anantanag district; Manigam, Faag in Ganderbal and Soibug in Budgam. Kandi (Sangrama) in Baramula. In Jammu: Kotdaran (Budhal), Doongi Dodsan, Dudaj, Palma, Jamola, Peeri etc in Rajouri district. Buffliaz, Fazalabad, Gunthal Lolwer, Lathone, Chari Khawaja, Shendhra, Loran Gund etc in Poonch district Jib, Ghri and Rohan Dumail in Udampor district.”
She said PDP calls upon the government to take note of the protests that have spread to every nook and corner of the state. PDP is apprehensive, if the government doesn’t respond positively to the demands of the protesting people that may lead to untoward incidents resulting in some sort of tragedy. “Therefore, immediate remedial measures should be taken to satisfy the urges of those areas that feel left out.” (KNS)