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  • Violating Indus Water Treaty will be Act of War: Pakistan

    Pakistan will approach the UN and the International Court of Justice if India suspends the 56-year-old Indus Water Treaty, the country’s top diplomat Sartaj Aziz said today, insisting the revocation of the treaty can be taken as an “Act of War”.

    “The international law states that India cannot unilaterally separate itself from the treaty,” Aziz, Advisor to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Foreign Affairs, said while briefing the National Assembly on the issue.

    He said unilateral revocation of the treaty can pose a threat to Pakistan and its economy. He said that if India violates the treaty Pakistan can approach the International Court of Justice.
    “This Indian act can be taken as breach of international peace and hence giving Pakistan a good reason to approach the UN Security Council,” Aziz said.

    He said Pakistan is considering to draw attention of the international community on the dangers of such an action if it is considered seriously.

    “Between the two countries, this act of revocation can be taken as an act of war,” he said.
    Prime Minister Narendra Modi yesterday chaired a review meeting of 56-year-old Indus Water Treaty during which it was decided that India will “exploit to the maximum” the water of Pakistan-controlled rivers, including Jhelum, as per the water sharing pact. (PTI)

  • JKCA Multi-Crore Scam

    High Court grants 3 more months to CBI to conclude probe

    The Jammu and Kashmir High Court on Tuesday granted three more months to Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to conclude the probe in multi-crore scam in Jammu and Kashmir Cricket Association.
    A division bench of Chief Justice N Paul Vasanthakumar and Justice Ali Muhammad Magrey granted three more months to CBI after the agency moved an application seeking more time for the probe.

    In the application moved through additional SP Davinder Singh, the CBI pleaded that “no investigation could be carried out in the state due to imposition of continuous curfew”.
    “Whatever progress was possible, it was done by carrying investigation in Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan,” CBI said.
    The agency submitted that the “Bank accounts clandestinely opened and operated for siphoning of funds of JKCA have been traced and money glow chart has been prepared and concerned persons are being examined”.

    On Mar 15, 2016, the High Court had granted three months to CBI to conclude the probe in multi-crore scam in Jammu and Kashmir Cricket Association.
    The CBI was handed over the investigation of the case after the court had pulled up J&K Police for carrying out the investigation in a casual manner.
    “Despite a huge scam unveiled by Probe Committee in its interim report and not taking effective steps in recovering the swindled money coupled with the fact that one of the beneficiaries namely Aslam Goni indicted by the interim report has swindled amount exceeding rupees forty crores together with Ahsan Mirza and Saleem Khan who has served the State as advocate general in the former regime, rendered it imperative that investigation is transferred to CBI,” the court had said.
    Two former cricketers—Majid Yaqoob Dar, a former Ranji Trophy player and Nissar Ahmad Khan—a club level cricketer—had filed a Public Interest Litigation before Jammu and Kashmir High Court and sought probe into the alleged multi-crore scam in JKCA.
    In April 2014, the court had expressed its dissatisfaction over the pace of investigation and observed that the “compliance report with regard to investigation was a replica of earlier report filed in the case”.
    Apart from high-level investigation, the petitioners sought directions for recovery of the money that has been allegedly swindled by former general secretary and former chief administrative officer.
    On March 10, 2012 police had registered a case (FIR 27/2012) following a complaint from the then chairman JKCA, Muhammad Aslam Goni through a fax mentioning that as per the report of then treasurer, Manzoor Ahmad Wazir, bogus accounts on JKCA funds were being operated in the various J&K Bank branches by the ex-General Secretary and then Treasurer under their joint signatures. Goni had also alleged misappropriation of funds in JKCA. The scam surfaced in JKCA which is funded by Board of Control for Cricket in India.
    A written complaint in this regard came to be lodged by some Members of the Working Committee of the Association regarding some bogus accounts run by previous office bearers—Muhammad Aslam Goni, Saleem Khan and Ahsan Mirza.

  • Pakistan stroll to 3-0 after Imad three-for

    Pakistan 108 for 2 (Malik 43*, Williams 2-15) beat West Indies 103 for 5 (Samuels 42*, Imad 3-21) by eight wickets

    Pakistan completed a 3-0 whitewash of West Indies with a comfortable eight-wicket win in Abu Dhabi that exposed the World T20 champions’ weaknesses in conditions not conducive to big hitting. Sent in to bat, West Indies stuttered to 103 for 5 in their 20 overs, failing to get into gear after losing three top-order wickets to Imad Wasim‘s non-turning left-arm spin.

    Chasing less than six runs an over, Pakistan were never under pressure, especially after Jerome Taylor sprayed the new ball around in his first two overs, conceding four leg-side fours, a leg-side wide, and a set of leg-byes down to the fine leg boundary. Kesrick Williams, the debutant fast bowler, dismissed both openers in the sixth over of the innings, but Pakistan easily shrugged that setback aside as Babar Azam and Shoaib Malik steered them home with an unbroken partnership of 68 for the third wicket. Malik ended the match off the first ball of the 16th over, shovelling Carlos Brathwaite for a six over long-on.

    When they won the World T20 earlier this year, West Indies only really struggled in two games, a narrow win against South Africa and a defeat to Afghanistan. Both games came in Nagpur, the venue with the largest outfield and most spin-friendly pitch of the tournament. Abu Dhabi’s outfield is even larger, and while its pitch didn’t offer much turn, it didn’t give the batsmen much bounce or pace to work with. This meant West Indies would need to look outside their usual T20 template to find a trustworthy run-scoring method.

    They didn’t. By the start of the ninth over, three of their batsmen had been bowled by Imad’s stock in-ducker, and only one of them, Chadwick Walton, could claim mitigating circumstances. Having just come to the crease, he was undone by a back-of-a-length ball that crept through him at shin height.

    The previous ball, knowing fully well the dangers of going across the line to an unfailingly stump-to-stump bowler on a pitch of low bounce, Johnson Charles had attempted a slog-sweep and missed. Then, Dwayne Bravo, having added 14 with Marlon Samuels in 21 balls, was bowled through the gate going for an open-faced sliced drive.

    In typical T20 conditions, it is almost essential for batting teams to take such risks. In the specific circumstances of Tuesday’s game, West Indies needed a different approach. Perhaps they needed to peek into the Virat Kohli/MS Dhoni playbook, perhaps, and bunt the ball towards deep fielders and push for twos.

    West Indies didn’t try that approach: they only ran nine twos in their 20 overs. Not coincidentally, Marlon Samuels, never the fleetest or most enthusiastic runner between the wickets, was at the crease for all but 2.3 overs of the innings. From the non-striker’s end, he also played a part in Andre Fletcher getting run out in the fifth over.

    In the end, Samuels finished unbeaten on 42 off 59 balls, but he was by no means alone in struggling to up the tempo. Conditions are certainly not conducive to big hitting when Kieron Pollard ends up not out on 16 off 17 balls without hitting a boundary or a six.

    A lot of this was down to Pakistan’s bowling. The spinners hit an awkward, short-of-good-length area and attacked the stumps, the ideal strategy for a pitch with low bounce, denying the batsman the opportunity to get on the front foot while also imperilling the horizontal-bat shots. The three left-arm seamers, including the debutant Rumman Raees, hit the same sort of length while constantly taking pace off the ball.

    The few boundaries that came were off rare deliveries that offered a bit of swinging room: Samuels played a crisp front-foot cut off Imad, and pulled a too-short slower ball from Sohail Tanvir; Nicholas Pooran slog-swept Mohammad Nawaz into the grass banks, a shot that may have cleared the stadium roof in Sharjah.

    Two balls later, West Indies were served another reminder of the difficulty of hitting big shots on this ground, as Pooran connected meatily with another big swing only to pick out deep midwicket.

  • If you could respond to killing of horses, why not Waseem, Danish: Er Rasheed to army

    Srinagar: AIP President and MLA Langate Er Rasheed has expressed surprise over army’s refusal of its any involvement in killing horses of nomads in Fresal Kulgam and said that while army has tried to bring open facts regarding the incident from it’s own perspective but may one ask the army as an institution that has its response been same when innocents have lost their lives at the brutal hands of army during different incidents.
    In a statement issued to KNS, Er Rasheed said, “The army has every right to disown the allegations but may answer why didn’t army uttered even a single word when an innocent Waseem was martyred at the hands of army in Nadihal and another youth Danish Manzoor in Ladoora Sopore.
    On both these occasions army preferred to keep mum rather saying sorry for murdering two precious human lives. The response of army spokesman on allegations of killing horses has proved yet again that Indians care much for animals rather Kashmiris. One has a right to say if army claims it’s non involvement in the incident, then who had killed the horses of poor nomads and security agencies are duty bound to give justice to nomads, so that their losses are compensated.”
    He added that the incident has proved yet again that for every Indian blood of Kashmiris is even much thinner than that of animals. (KNS)

  • Qualifying exams not enough, need required percentage to be eligible for competitive tests: class 12 students

    ‘Stop politicizing education, our careers at stak’

    Srinagar: Students of class 12 Tuesday said that qualifying examination is not only a concern but low percentage would make them ineligible to appear in competitive tests.
    They demanded deferment of scheduled annual examination.
    “We need to cover entire syllabus and to obtain satisfactory percentage to be eligible to appear in various competitive exams,” said a group of students of class 12.
    They added that authorities have issued a date sheet, asking students to appear in annual tests in November.
    “Our sessions began in March 2016. We have only covered forty percent syllabus. Our internal practical’s are pending. We are not in a position to qualify examinations,” Danish, a student told KNS.
    The students said that to be eligible to appear in JEE competitive examinations, they need to have obtained seventy five percent marks in class 12 tests.
    “There are various competitive examinations. Most of the students wish to qualify them to be a doctor or engineer or to be in other professions. If we fail to obtain required percentage and subsequently are ineligible to appear in these competitive tests, our careers would be at stake,” said Abid Ahmad, another student.
    Students said that they need to complete entire syllabus and to prepare for examination. “Government shouldn’t force examinations on us to give semblance of normalcy. We urge government to not make our educational careers as point of their politics,” they said.
    “We demand deferment of examinations. Authorities must consider that educational institutions and private tuition centres are closed from past three months now. Examinations cannot be conducted without imparting education to students,” they added.
    Pertinently, Board of School Education (BOSE) have issued date sheet for both class 10 and class 12 students. The examinations are scheduled to commence in November, this year.
    Naeem Akhtar, Education Minister had also said the examination of 10th and 12th classes will be held as planned. (KNS)

  • In Pulwama, Parra Meets Youth, Seeks Cooperation ‘To Bring Back Normalcy’

    SRINAGAR: Days after the Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti directed party legislators and senior members to reach out to people, PDP Youth Wing president, Waheed-u-Rehman Parra Tuesday visited various areas in south Kashmir’s district Pulwama.

    During his visit, he “interacted with various groups” of youth and sought cooperation for restoration of peace in Kashmir.

    “Parra sought the cooperation from the youth to bring normalcy back in the valley,” said a PDP Youth wing spokesperson in a statement to KNS.

    He added that Parra told the youth that government is “serious in resolving all the issues”. “He told them that dialogue is the only way to resolve all issues.”

    “The visit of Parra was one of the positive steps to reach out people. Parra told the people in Pulwama that all Ministers and legislators want to visit areas and constituencies. However, due to present unrest, it is difficult to reach out to people,” it read.

  • ‘Two Lines’ that Make it First Longest Poem from Kashmir

    Saima Bhat

    Srinagar: Using their IT skills and love for literature, two Kashmiri software developers working with a multinational company are about to publish first longest poem from Kashmir. The poem is their way of ‘protest’ against the Kashmir killings.

    Abdul Wajid and Obaid Darwaish did number of brainstorming sessions before thought of collecting a couplet—two lines—from any Kashmir loving person including writers, columnists, journalists, activists and others. The duo wants to publish the verses in the form of a book.

    “It is going to be our tribute to the cause,” Wajid says.

    They came with an idea when the duo sitting in their overseas offices were getting “disturbed” with the situation back home.

    “Every day we are seeing deaths and hundreds of youth getting injured,” Wajid says. “It is very disturbing for any Kashmiri working, living outside. We were not able to sleep for three days at least. I can understand the helplessness, desperation among people. I have witnessed it in 2010. Besides, only we Kashmiris can feel each others’ pain.”

    In their restive phase, they wanted to contribute in any constructive way—but, not in a conventional way. It was then an idea of longest poem stuck them.

    The longest poem, Wajid says, will be first of its kind from Kashmir. “Initially we thought we’ll close down submissions once we reach 10,000 lines, but due to internet blockade in Kashmir, we feared ending up at 1,000 lines only.”

    To begin with, the IT duo invited around 14 prominent authors who are linked to Kashmir. They used personal contacts. But to their disappointment, only a few responded. It was then, they made it public with some guidelines.

    “We could have kept it open but we wanted a poem in proper structure, in rhythmic form,” says Wajid, who has so far published 632 lines from more than 255 authors on their website http://www.last2lines.com/.

    Once published, Wajid says, the concept can be useful for signature campaigns for various social issues. “At the end of the day we will get a number of people. It is like a beautiful painting brushed by various artists.”

    But recently, the website was down for one day.

    “We couldn’t trace the glitch,” says Wajid, “but I believe it was from authorities.”

  • PDP Is Over, You Cannot Even Mention The Name in Kashmir: Karra

    NEW DELHI: The founder member of the Peoples Democratic Party Tariq Karra says that while the ruling party has lost the plot, its philosophy of being a buffer between extreme nationalism and extreme separatism remains intact. In an interview with The Citizen from Srinagar, Karra who has resigned from Parliament and the PDP as well speaks about the party he helped set up in 1999 maintaining there is not future left in Kashmir for the organisation. Excerpts:

    Q. You were a founder member of the Peoples Democratic Party. Were you against the alliance with the BJP in the first place itself?

    A. From Day One, I had been voicing my apprehensions about this unholy, unethical alliance. We had sought a vote against them, and by now entering into an alliance with them we would be betraying the voters. We know of theRSS/BJP mindset towards Kashmir, their historical background. I told Mufti Mohammad Sayeed at the very beginning, look at the Indian scenario. The Muslims there are feeling very insecure, and if you cobble together this alliance, anything that happens there will have a direct bearing on us in Kashmir.

    But Mufti sahab had his reasons. He said that the Congress is not in power, it cannot help us on talks with Pakistan, it cannot help us by bringing us closer to the government of India, it cannot help us financially, there are so many flood victims in need of assistance…

    I wanted a secular grand alliance, with the Congress and the National Conference, but he brushed all this aside and went into an alliance with the BJP.

    Q. His daughter Mehbooba Mufti had an opportunity to undo things, it did seem for a while that she was having second thoughts. Was she?

    A. She was in mourning and there was a personal reason of course. But apart from this, yes she was in two minds. She was thinking about leaving the alliance, as she knew that the agenda for the coalition had not been implemented at all. I met here and told her, that you have a god given opportunity, we can address and redress all our problems. We have lost much ground because of the alliance but we can retrieve it. Yes she was in two minds.

    But then the BJP tried many things. They came to me, offered me many things, money and…

    Q. Money?

    A.Yes money, thats what I am telling you..

    Q. And they wanted you to become the Chief Minister?

    A. Yes. They asked me to form the government. I refused. There were five applicants for the CM’s post by then, and that is when Mehbooba Mufti decided to go ahead and form the government.

    Q. So there was Muzaffar Beg and …?

    A. (Laughs) I will tell you the other four another time .

    Q.So now Mehbooba Mufti is a willing ally?

    A. Yes a willing ally, more loyal than the king

    Q. This is then the end of the PDP?

    A. Of course it is. Workers are distancing themselves, bit today the situation is such that you cannot mention the PDP to anyone in Kashmir. You can’t talk about it. No one wants to hear it.

    Q. Is it worse for the PDP than it was, is for the National Conference?

    A. Much much worse. The NC positioned itself according to what it said, the PDP’s has been a complete turn around from the position it held, and today. Mehbooba Mufti was a popular leader, she had acquired a pan-Kashmir image, she was seen by the people as a sort of saviour. Now today, it is the complete opposite.It is for the government of India to explain what is happening in Kashmir, but it does not need to, as Mehbooba Mufti is speaking for New Delhi, defending GOI, speaking for it.

    She has taken a completely contrary position to all that she stood for, she will be the first and foremost casualty.

    Q. Isn’t this a big setback for Kashmir, in that a new alternative that had emerged in the state to the NC is over as you say? The PDP has been decimated on the ground?

    A. In 1999 when we formed the PDP we had struck a middle path, through the two positions of utla-nationalism and ultra-spearatism. Thoese were the only positions in the Kashmir space then and the grey area, call it a buffer area, was filled by the PDP at the time. We were what I called a sandbag, absorning hits from both the camps and in the process we created a middle path.

    Now the PDP has not just lost the ground, but lost the plot as well.

    The relevance of the buffer area, the grey area has not diminished. The PDP has been decimated but its philosophy still holds good. Whatever emerges will not be in the shape of the PDP, it could be anything else.

    As for the NC it is also carrying a great deal of baggage.

    The situation is fluid so difficult to predict. But I am of the firm opinion that the philosphy of the PDP holds.

    Q. So from this it does appear that you are thinking of starting a new political party. After all you were a founder member of the PDP.

    A. Not necessary, not necssary at all

    Q. Why?

    A. I have thought about various options. I think I have very limited options, as the mandate should not be further fragmented.It is a very serious issue, cannot do antyhing by which the electorate gets further fragmented.

    Q. Is there an electorate there at all now?

    A.Today every single mainstream partyis irrelevant. But if democracy has to move forward there will have to be elections one presumes, if not two years later, then three years, sometime

    Q. What could Mehbooba Mufti do to regain lost credibility?

    A. What credibility are you talking about? On the ground nothing is visible. Anything she says or does is a red rag to the Kashmiris now. The credibility was first eroded when we entered the coalition. It was further eroded when she became the Chief Minister. In the last two to three months it has been lost for good.

    Q. What can the government of India do to regain a foothold in the Valley and diffuse tensions?

    A.The government of India had a couple of opportunities that they missed. No one is ready to list to anyone now, who will talk to whom…

    No such ground is left for India except repression and suppression, to economically suppress the people. The thinking of the RSS/BJP is to bring the Kashmiris to their knees. They don’t seem to understand that this is not the Kashmir of the 1990’s. The people have learnt to live in a war and conflict zone. Despite the endless curfew no one in Kashmir has died of starvation. (THE CITIZEN BUREAU)

  • Kashmir ours, Pak has to stop dreaming: Sushma

    India makes case for isolating Pakistan globally at UN

    New Delhi: India today made a case for isolating Pakistan globally at the United Nations when External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj questioned as to why some nations take no action against terrorists holding rallies in full public view on their soil and said “there is no place for such nations in the international community”.“These nations, in which UN-designated terrorists roam freely, lead processions and deliver their poisonous sermons of hate with impunity, are as culpable as the very terrorists they harbour,” she said.  “The world needs to isolate countries that do not want to act against terrorists,” she said.Her statement reflected a continuation of the grand strategy that the government has adopted after the Uri terror attack — to isolate Pakistan globally.In an address that was marked by restraint, the minister, however, made it a point to make a rebuttal on the charges brought against India by Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, who addressed the UN assembly a few days ago. She also stated very clearly that “Kashmir is and will remain an integral part of India and Pakistan needs to stop dreaming”. She rebutted Sharif’s charges of human rights violations in India by asking Pakistan to look into its own backyard and said, “Pakistan needs to introspect, including on the brutalities in Balochistan.” The Baloch card is another issue that India has now been consistently raising at various multilateral fora in an attempt to push Pakistan back when it raises the bogey of rights violations in India.The minister also rubbished Sharif’s allegation that India is the one that has set preconditions for a dialogue. Instead, she pointed out, India had offered friendship to Pakistan and in return India got “Pathankot, Bahadur Ali and Uri”. Making the point that terrorism today is not just an India-Pakistan problem, but a menace that has spread globally, she said, “The terror apparatus that was behind 26/11 was also behind Uri. They were behind several terror attacks the world over.” She also called terrorism as the “biggest violator of human rights since it targets the innocent”.Towards the end of her address, she appealed to the global community: “We should adopt the Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism to develop norms to prosecute terrorists.”

  • J&K Bank ties up with builders of SAFA VALLEY

    Srinagar: J&K Bank has entered into a financial tie-up with M/s 8 Boundary Builders Pvt Ltd., a reputed housing company in Jammu and Kashmir.
    The bank’s Vice-President Strategy & Business Development, Tabassum Nazir, signed the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Executive Director of the company, Rajesh Rathore, in presence of General Manager of 8 Boundary Builders, Aamir Suharwardy, at the bank headquarters in Srinagar.
    Shortly after signing the agreement, Tabassum Nazir said, “Amid growing urbanisation, J&K Bank has renewed its focus on the housing sector in the state. Providing finance for housing needs of our customers through such tie-ups is part of the renewed emphasis.”
    The J&K Bank has recently revised its housing loan scheme to meet changing customer needs. With relaxed eligibility criteria and improved quantum of finance, J&K Bank’s housing finance has one of the best interest rates in the industry.
    M/s 8 Boundary Builders Pvt Ltd currently develops modern residential flats at Bathindi-Jammu under the project called SAFA VALLEY, which claims to be one-of-its-kind venture to revolutionise concepts of fine living. Through the tie-up, all the business units of the bank across India will provide housing finance for the residential flats in SAFA VALLEY.