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Jammu: For Ravi Kiran Raina, a software engineer with a leading multi-national company in New Delhi, the report of each school getting burnt in Kashmir not only makes him sad but also refreshes bitter memories of his days as a student after the exodus of 3.50 lakh Pandits in 1990.Now a frequent traveler to Europe and the US on business trips every few months, Raina’s journey to get education after migration was full of struggle and frustration. He would feel disheartened on account of delay and postponement of examinations. There were no facilities to display and promote talents in evening colleges opened by the government to allow displaced minorities to pursue education.Ravi is not alone but he belongs to a generation of Pandit youth who were forced to leave the Valley after the eruption of militancy in 1990. The youth studied in squalid migrant camps in sweltering summer heat of Jammu, pursuing their dreams with determination.“It took me five years to complete my graduation from Kashmir University (KU) because continuous protests and militant attacks would force the university to defer the exams and results were not announced on time. Today when I read about the loss of an academic session in the Valley, I feel pity for separatists and agenda they are pursuing for younger generation,” said Ravi Kiran who completed his BSc in 1995 from KU’’s offsite campus in Jammu.Every displaced Pandit student, who was in school or college in 1990, lost nine to 12 months of his/her academic session after the exodus forced several people to discontinue studies.Worst-hit were school kids who studied in tents without facilities leaving a lasting impression on their life despite achieving remarkable success in various fields.“Schooling was a formality for us. Due to lack of classrooms, disruption of class work was routine in hot weather and rain. Those politicising education in Kashmir will never understand its value and how one feels when you are pushed to extreme by circumstances,” said Manju Bambroo, who now lives in Ahmedabad, Gujarat.About seven camp schools were established in Jammu to adjust thousands of students and teachers belonging to the minority community. During initial years, these lacked facilities of laboratory and library, affecting students and even the brightest among them.Vijay Bakaya, who was Divisional Commissioner (Jammu) between 1989-90 and was instrumental in the opening of camp schools and colleges, said, “Displaced youth suffered but the government adjusted thousands of teachers in these institutions and community too sacrificed much to educate their children to channelise trauma of migration in a positive way,” Bakaya said.The situation in the Kashmir valley is now coming a full circle to early years of militancy, when educational institutions were the first target of militants under a deliberate policy to drive away children from liberal education. (TNS) 

Srinagar: Hurriyat Conference (m) Monday expressed shock and strongly denounced the murderous assault on Qaiser Hameed Sofi, son of Abdul Hameed Sofi of Shalimar, a 16-year-old student of Mirak Shah Sahab School, “who was arrested by the forces and beaten and tortured and then forcibly” fed a germicide called “Neva” by the forces on Friday, October 28, 2016, and left in an unconscious state on the roadside following which he is battling for  his life at SKIMS, Soura where he is on a ventilator.

Expressing sympathy and sharing the pain of Qaiser’s parents and family who had come to visit the Hurriyat Conference (m) chairperson, who continues to be under house arrest, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq denounced the murderous assault on the young student and said such cruelty and barbarity find few parallels in today’s age.

Deploring the forces for harassing people through crackdowns and ransacking of homes, the APHC-m Chairperson said, “in yet another barbaric incident, a nine-year-old girl of Kulgam died of cardiac arrest during these raids and expressed sympathy and solidarity with her parents.”

Stressing that the forces “taking advantage of draconian laws” under which they enjoy impunity were “carrying out a systematic wipe out of Kashmir’s young  population”, Mirwaiz once again called upon the international human rights bodies to wake up to the brutalities of Kashmir.

Commenting on Omar Abdullah’s statement in which he said that Hurriyat Conference “did not act in time to save school buildings”, the Hurriyat Conference said, “after commending GoI for its integrity with regard to Kashmir and paying obeisance to his masters in his New York  speech, Abdullah has suddenly woken up to express his deep concern about the future of Kashmiri children, when a few years ago he did not hesitate to facilitate the brutal killing of 120 young Kashmiris many among them school going children  as the likes of 15-yr-old Shaheed Tufail Matoo who was killed in cold blood on his way  home from school.”

“Post his New York utterances which have once again exposed his lust for chair and his crocodile tears  of concern for people, Mr Abdullah now goes to the extent of deliberately spinning the facts and asking Hurriyat to have the courage to condemn the school  burning incident, when he very well knows that not only has the resistance leadership repeatedly condemned it but it is greatly concerned about the seriousness of the school burning episodes which seems aimed at maligning the people’s movement and the handiwork of anti-movement agencies,” the Hurriyat Conference (m) said in the statement issued this evening.

It said that such statements are “aimed at” making the right noises to “please his masters” in New Delhi, “but it seems try as he may, as of now Mr Abdullah is out of favour with the dispensation there”.

Meanwhile, the Hurriyat Conference (m) spokesperson condemned the continued house arrest of the Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, senior Hurriyat leader, Mukhtar Ahmad Waza and APHC-m Media Advisor, Advocate Shahid-ul-Islam, arrest and slapping of PSA of veteran and ailing Hurriyat Conference leader Ghulam Nabi Zaki, who has been detained at Kot Bhalwal Jail.

The spokesperson said, “ransacking of homes, nocturnal raids and arresting of youth, continues unabated. While critical injuries were sustained by half-a-dozen youth who were protesting peacefully in Pulwama, and condemned the use of unabated violence on people.”

Srinagar: JKPCC Chief. G.A. Mir today expressed disappointment over the incidents of burning down of school buildings in various parts of the valley and strongly condemned these unlawful activities, which is being performed to destroy the career of our children.
He said it the inefficiency and incompetence of the State, which is not able to protect the infrastructure in the valley and secure the future of children from being getting ruined. He said the burning down of School is an attack on the future of our children and the culprits must be identified sternest punishment.
The attack on School is a ploy to damage Education system, Govt must come out of the deep slumber and stop such unlawful activities. He said this was an objectionable attempt to destroy the future of our children and it cannot be tolerated. He asked the Govt to identify the culprits for sternest punishment and ensure that no other school building is torched again.
Describing burning down of school as greatest tragedies, PCC Chief said that Govt must rise to the occasion to protect education institutions, as such type of unfortunate incidents reflects the utter failure of the State Govt, he added. (KNS)

Srinagar: United Jihad Council (UJC) on Monday blamed security establishment for burning of educational institutions in Kashmir Valley. 

UJC Chief Syed Salahuddin said that there was no escape for the “agents of Indian security establishment” involved in such incidents. 

“The schools are burnt down to defame the historical Kashmir Freedom Movement. Indian stooges are targeting schools to divert the attention from main Kashmir issue,” he said. 

In a statement, he said: “We appeal to freedom loving people to protect all the educational institutions including private schools and help us to expose the culprits. All resources will be utilized to expose and eliminate these elements,” he said. 

“Such strategies used by India in past as well have failed and these are bound to fail yet again,” Salahuddin said. (CNS)

‘Govt should release all political detainees, separatist leaders’

Pulwama: A retired police officer on Monday was beaten black and blue while his residential house was damaged by government forces when shortly after clashes Army personnel from 53 Rashtriya Rifles barged into houses and created havoc in Rohmu area of South Kashmir’s Pulwama district.

      “Even though I informed Army men that I am a retired Deputy Superintendent of Police and has also got Meritorious Presidential Medal, but they didn’t listen to me and went on rampage. They thrashed me and my children without any provocation. I am aghast. They treated a retired police officer like this what they will do to common people,” Ghulam Hasan Rather who retired as DSP told news agency CNS.

    Rather suffered fracture in his left leg. “The Army men thrashed whosoever came their way. They not only broke my leg but beat up my children also. They damaged my house and smashed the window panes of my two storey building,” he said adding that Army action shocked him.

   Pertinently, clashes erupted in Rohmu village after Army conducted search operation and removed banners and flags from the area. (CNS)

SRINAGAR: Minister of State for Health and Medical Education, Asiea Naqash, today convened a meeting to review electricity scenario of the Hazratbal Constituency.

During the meeting, the Minister said the constituency would soon get energy-saving LED street lights, which would not only save energy but will add to beauty of the area as well.

She directed the officials of PDD to start work on this project at an earliest. She also directed the officials to complete all electric transformer repair works, besides installation of new electric poles, HT wiring and other pending work in the constituency before the onset of winter season so that the people do not face any difficulty.

Earlier, the meeting was informed that Hazratbal lighting project has been approved under Prime Minister’s Development Package (PMDP) at a cost of Rs. 6 crore.

The Minister was briefed that under the project LED lights would be installed around the shrine and from from Nishat to Hazratbal, Habak to Buchpora and Rainawari to Hazratbal roads. Around 300 octagonal poles with automatic control panels, AVRs, new cabling and sophisticated electrical items will be used in this project.

SE PDD Srinagar and Ganderbal, and concerned Executive Engineers and Xens were present in the meeting.

Meanwhile, the Minister also reviewed PHE and Irrigation and Flood Control projects underway in the Constituency.

She was informed that Rakh-i-Zakura water plant to be constructed at a cost of Rs 42 crore will augment the water supply to the constituency, besides various areas of Ganderbal district.

Ms Asiea Naqash asked the concerned to clean all irrigation canals in the constituency and directed them to stop dredging from Harwan-Teilbal nallah. She also asked the officials to conduct regular field visits so that grievances of the people are redressed at an earliest.

Chief Engineer, Executive Engineers, Xens of PHE and I&FC departments attended the meeting.

SRINAGAR: The Jammu and Kashmir High Court today said collective efforts are needed to save school buildings as it is the responsibility of all to safeguard them as education is pivotal for intellectual excellence and prosperity.

Highlighting the importance of education, a Pil titled Justice Mohammad Yaqoob Mir and Justice Ali Muhammad Magrey in Suo-moto vs State of J&K others case said that investment in education is an investment for future generations. They observed that setting school buildings on fire is in effect destroying the knowledge centres of future generations.

The court directed the Divisional Commissioner Kashmir, Inspector General of Police, Kashmir, and Director School Education Kashmir to devise modes and methods in collaboration with higher authorities and lower officials which shall be effective in protecting school institutions.

The court directed the Chief Secretary, Director General of Police, Director School Education Kashmir to issue necessary instructions to all DCs, SSPs and CEOs of the concerned districts to take all preventive and protective measures necessary for saving the school buildings from any harm.