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Revoke ban on Kashmir Reader without any conditions: Er Rasheed

Srinagar: AIP President and MLA Langate Er Rasheed today strongly condemned imposing ban on renowned English newspaper Kashmir Reader and warned government of dire consequences if the ban is not revoked without any condition. In a statement issued today Er Rasheed said, “On one hand some so called national TV channels have been given a free hand to defame and hurt the sentiments of Kashmiris but on the other hand any credible voice in J&K is being curbed with draconian laws. Like other rulers, CM has been making frequent sermons in and outside Assembly to make fourth pillar democracy credible and strong, but in practice is following the footprints of Omar Abdullah, who buried the local TV channels in 2010.  While government is providing all facilities to media industry in Jammu but has been cruel and brutal towards Kashmir based print and electronic media. However, these dirty tricks will yield nothing except bringing bad name to the government and truth will prevail in the long run under all circumstances.” Er Rasheed demanded lifting of lifting ban on Kashmir Reader without any delay and asked government not to forget that journalists in Kashmir have been working under terrible and worst circumstances.

Srinagar: Militant attackers who mounted an attack on an army garrison in Baramulla have managed to escape after leaving one BSF man dead and another injured. The area is currently witnessing a major search operation that has paralyzed the movement.

Reports suggest that the firing stopped after a few hours soon after the two BSF personnel were driven to the hospital where one of them died. Later, the assailants have managed their escape.

Army has sealed the entire area and no movement is being permitted. The particular garrison of 46-RR is located in Janbazpora through which the road to Rafiabad-Langate-Handwara passes. There are scores of fruit laden trucks parked nearby waiting for the opening of the road.

Residents said they were scared by the attack and did not sleep for most of the night.

It was not immediately known if the attack was a Fidayeen attack or a simple hit and run attack.

A senior police officer in Srinagar confirmed that the operation was over as it has been many hours that there was no exchange of fire between militants and the soldiers.

The attack took place within days of ‘surgical strike’ in PaK that has triggered war tensions in the region. Already there is massive movement of army towards the LoC as tens of thousands of people, mostly in Jammu, have dislocated.

Pakistan wrapped up the ODI series in convincing fashion – much the same way they did the T2oI series – against the West Indies in the UAE on Sunday after a 59 run win. The win gives Pakistan a 2-0 win in the three-match ODI series.

West Indies have had a poor show in the UAE and that run continued when first they conceded 337 runs and then with a big target to chase, lost wickets without hurting the scoreboard. Babar Azam once again produced the goods with the bat for Pakistan, scoring a second century in a row and found good support from Shoaib Malik who scored 90.

Late on, Sarfraz Ahmed upped the scoring level with a quick 60 from 47 balls.

In response, Darren Bravo (61) and Kraigg Brathwaite (39) tried to give their side the momentum with a 89 run stand for the second wicket. But with Brathwaite’s dismissal, that continuity was lost.

Marlon Samuels tried to give some edge to the West Indies batting with a 57 but in the end, it was for a lost cause.

Srinagar: : Chief Minister Ms Mehbooba Mufti met Governor N N Vohra at Raj Bhavan.

An official spokesman said they discussed the internal security situation and steps underway to deal with the problems faced by the residents of border villages consequent to the counter terrorism operations recently carried out by the Army across the LoC. They also discussed issues relating to the educational sector and measures required to revive economic activities.

Meanwhile police said in a statement that situation remained by and large peaceful today. “A couple of stray stone pelting incidents were reported,” it said.

According to the statement, militants shot at 30 year old Fayaz Ahmad Bhat son of Abdul Ghani Bhat a resident of Kandizal, in district Pulwama at his home. “He was shifted to hospital where doctors declared him brought dead,” it said adding police and security forces immediately cordoned off the area. The deceased, according to the statement, is survived by four sisters and aged parents.

The statement said that during the day greater movement of people and vehicular traffic was observed in Srinagar, besides Sunday market also opened in the city which was thronged by shoppers. “Vehicles were also seen plying in the main towns as also on the inter-district roads,” it said.

The statement said that police in its drive against the miscreants arrested 60 such individuals involved in various offences of creating disturbances in different part of the valley.

All medical equipments destroyed

Srinagar: Sub-district hospital Vilgam Handwara was destroyed in the major fire that broke out during intervening night of October 1 and October 2.
“The hospital having sixteen rooms was destroyed in the fire. All medical equipments including X-ray plant, ultra sound machines and dental equipments destroyed in the fire. It is loss of crores of rupees,” said Dr Javiad, BMO of the hospital.
He added that immunizations stored for children were also destroyed in the incident.
Ghulam Jeelani, Superintendent of Police Handwara said that police has registered a case and investigations have been taken up. (KNS)

BENGALURU: From graffiti artists painting the nation and in particular Bengaluru, with their innovative art, several social and political messages have been conveyed by graffiti artists.

At the other end of the spectrum, graffiti is also increasingly being used by artists to convey a viewpoint.

As politics and unrest rages on in Kashmir in the aftermath of the killing of Burhan Wani+ , commander of the Kashmir-based terror group Hizbul Mujahideen, graffiti about him has appeared in the premises of Tipu Sultan‘s summer palace fort in Nandi Hills, on the outskirts of Bengaluru.

Alongside Wani’s name in black spray paint is that of Olympian gymnast Dipa Karmakar+ , painted in red with a red star atop her name. While the common man may ignore the names of these figures as being the work of miscreants at a popular tourist destination, the names inspire mixed feelings for those who read them with perspective. From the choice of colours to the intent behind the graffiti, artists believe there is a deeper meaning for a chosen few and even for the artists who paint it.

TOI spoke to a couple of graffiti artists on whether the art form holds water and what it means to have such scribbles in public domain. Badal Nanjundaswamy ,a prominent exponent of the art form who conveys social messages with designs on potholes and leaking water supply lines, said all graffiti holds meaning for the artist and intellectuals who grasp its intent.

“All graffiti is an expression of the artist. We cannot categorically say whether the expression is right or wrong. There has been controversial graffiti of the Mona Lisa in Kerala. Artists tend to express the injustice in society with their art,” he said.

Agreeing with the scouting of locations by graffiti artists, exponent Shaunak Mahbubani said on a general level, each one of them is looking for a location where there can be a conversation.”However, locations like historically protected monuments to propagate political messages tend to detract people from the graffiti movement,” he said

The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) said it has no control over the Nandi Hills fort, barring Tipu’s guest house, while the state archaeological department said it will get the graffiti immediately removed.

“People should respect and feel responsible for the culture and heritage we have inherited. We need to safely pass it on to our future generations and once destroyed, it can’t be recreated,” said commissioner for the state archaeology department Manjula.

(Times Of India)

Responsibility of UN to bring India on table

Srinagar: Chairman Hurriyat (G) Syed Ali Geelani has strongly condemning the killing of yet another youth Muzaffar Ahmad Pandit of Narabal and said that India tries to suppress us at every level to strengthen their undemocratic, illegal and forceful occupation of our land.
He said that economically India continues to punch us by forcefully, braking open the houses, destroying everything even the household items, burning of food grains, damaging the fruit laden trucks and blocking their entry at Banihal Tunnel at evenings to satisfy the blood lust of their enraged masses, so that we line up on their doorsteps with a begging bowl.
Syed Ali Geelani further said that gagging the communication and snapping the internet facilities have not only irked the students but have disappointed online traders as well, negating the artificial concern shown by so-called ministers on the media screens. He said that killing field throughout the valley, scores of young people crippled and forced to live a parasitic life. Peaceful demonstrations made violent by teargas shells, pallets and bullets, creating a suffocating ambiance throttling the echo of freedom.
He further said that night raids and widespread arrests, son for father and brother for brother is continued unabated. Hundreds of youth have been booked under PSA and shifted to jails outside valley, multiplying their psychological and financial constrains and their families. Many pro-freedom activists are languished in jails along-with their kids. Age and physical status is no criteria, as young as 14 years and as old as 80 years earn the wrath of Indian brutalism and the judicial apathy with its slow peace, keep them confined for years together.
Geelani said that these oppressive tools have been in use for the last 70 years and those not tamed by these mechanics are pressed hard, either to yield or to break. Hurriyat Chairman said that aggressor with the passage of time manages to foster and rear a hatchery of yes-men who go a step further in implementing their masters writ, even at the cost of blood and flesh of their own population. They portray and impersonate their atrocities, war machinery in such a way that their masters in Delhi are also taken by surprise.
Geelani said that to hide their blood drenched hands, the ugly scars of the worst kind of state-terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir, India rulers have time and again orchestrated and devised such plans as that of a “Surgical Strike” so that whole focus and concentration drifts away from the 70 years long struggle of self-determination in Jammu and Kashmir. Their jingoistic and ultra nationalistic media fumes the flames further by their venomous and sadistic vocabulary inseminating the “fertile” brains of their collective conscience. Recent uproar and war mongering was nothing but a desperate attempt to put a smoke-screen on the 90 day bloody uprising in the valley.
Coming heavenly on selective and partial approach and a continuous lip service of mediation offer by United Nation, Geelani said that mediation is done when both parties agree, but if one i.e. India is in persistent denial and abnegation of the historical realties, isn’t United Nations duty bound to pressurize the denying partner further to bring him to the table. But we have been sick of listening this rhetoric from UN, as there is no concrete follow-up to address the Kashmir issue and end our age old miseries and bloodshed.
Geelani said that our particular faith may perhaps be the sole reason, or lack of natural resources be the rationale behind distraction from world powers putting a bid question mark on their authoritarian stature.
Geelani further said that despite belonging to other faith, from a poor and resource less piece of land, we are humans with same blood and flesh, sentiments and emotions as all humans have, so why this diabolic attitude and duplicity-WHY?.

Several offices keep no file record, display no info on notice boards

Srinagar: Several offices in Jammu and Kashmir have been undermining the much hyped Jammu and Kashmir Public Services Guarantee Act (JKPSGA) as they least record of timely delivery of the government services, hence making the act a one more failure on ground.
The state government enacted JKPSGA 2011 which came into force on August 10, 2011. The act was ought to provide delivery to the people of the state within the stipulated time limit and relate to the matters connected therewith and incidental thereto.
However, reports are coming to fore that various departments in Jammu and Kashmir government are keeping no records of the public delivery system, hence leaving the act limited to the rule books only and absent on ground.
It was informed that several Designated Offices (DOs) in government departments least bother about maintaining a register in a prescribed form wherein necessary details such as name and address of the applicant, service for which the application is given, last date of the stipulated time limit, application allowed or disallowed and date/ details of the order passed are to be recorded.
The officials, as per the act, have to mention the necessary time limit for every application they receive under the guidelines of the act. However, it has been found during the initial investigations by the government that most of the offices do not adhere to the guidelines laid down by the JKPSGA and that the heads of several departments are reluctant to issue acknowledgments to the applicants. “It is being informed that due to the heavy rush of the applications and scarcity of the staff, it is not becoming possible for various government departments to issue acknowledgments for the applications they receive for various government services,” divulges an official.
Furthermore, the act at the time of its inception made it mandatory for the government departments to display all the relevant information related to the services provided on the notice board installed at a prominent place in the government office for public knowledge and also in the public domain. Also, the necessary to be attached with the application for obtaining notified services are also to be displayed on the notice board so that people would come to know about the procedure of seeking services under the act. However, there are also handful of departments who have adhered to the guidelines of the act while others preferred to keep the routine order in vogue. Ironically, no action is being taken against the departments who haven’t displayed the required information related to the act on their respective notice boards. This is happening despite the fact that under the guidelines of the act, event of non-display of such information in the public domain appropriate action is to be initiated against the department by the competent authority. However, there has not been even a single action against any department that hasn’t adhered to the guidelines of the act. (KNS)