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“We had more than Rs 100 crore lying with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) when the scam came to light but later is adamant to release the money,” he said.

Eleven years after taking possession of 500 kanals of land for the construction of proposed International Cricket stadium in Bajalta area of Jammu, the Jammu and Kashmir Cricket Association (JKCA) on Monday said that cricket body has no money to build one.
“Our account has been frozen since unearthing of multi-crore scam in 2012, we are running our day- to- day affairs with great difficulty, we don’t have money even for players, so it is unimaginable to start construction of stadium at this point,” Chairman JKCA, Mehboob Iqbal told.

“We had more than Rs 100 crore lying with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) when the scam came to light but later is adamant to release the money,” he said.
“We are not hiding anything, after 2012 fund scam, cricket in Jammu and Kashmir has suffer much,” he said, adding, “The scam dented our image, BCCI decided not to release any funds meant to spend for conducting of domestic activities or taking up development projects until culprits of the scam are not punished,” he said.
He said that the land, which has been allotted for the stadium has been found as flood prone and it is difficult to raise construction on that site.

“Don’t want to comment on working of successors but the land which they (then JKCA team) finalized was faulty and flood prone, which invites 60-70 crore more investment for construction of protection bunds in addition to project cost,” the chairman JKCA said, adding, “It’s our irony to start work but we don’t have money to take up the process of land identification”.
Pertinently, the foundation stone for the international stadium was to be laid on March 18, 2012.
Almost all arrangements were in place for the ceremony, but in the meantime multi-crore scam hit headlines after reports surfaced that said crores of rupees intended for promotion of the sport in the state was diverted to different accounts by JKCA office bearers with mala fide intention. Due to confusion and chaos within the state cricket body, work on the stadium failed to take off, which had given rise to a blame game.

Says Govt committed to address basic issue of Kashmir

Minister of Education, Naeem Akhtar, today said that government is not “simply doing anger management” in Kashmir but is committed to address the basic issue of Kashmir which cannot be brushed aside.
Akhtar was speaking at teachers’ conference at Women’s College M A Road, here.

“I assure you the situation will not remain same. And, once the situation normalizes, our government will take steps to address the basic issue,” Akhtar said.
Akhtar said the examination of 10th and 12th classes will be held as planned. He said he mourned the killing, blinding and maiming of children and equally mourned the “precious academic time that has been lost.”
“I am overwhelmed with a sense of defeat,” Akhtar said in an emotional tone. “These children who got killed don’t even know what they are doing. They are getting killed while running after a mirage. I am not able to help. I am immensely a helpless person,” he said.

Coming down on the resistance leaders for their “protest strategy”, Akhtar said, “There is no example in the world where a nation has empowered itself by inflicting harm on itself. What kind of strategy is this to fight a war? Here we are disempowering ourselves intellectually, economically and physically.”
“Those kids who should have been in schools are enforcing curfew in villages and cities,” he said.
Terming himself as one of the most “unpopular leaders” Akhtar expressed his disappointment about the disruption in academic calendar. “We should have been reaping the benefits of several initiatives which halted because of the disruptions. I find myself as a sorrowful man. I have achieved nothing,” he said.
“I know many of you must have issues with me. I get abused on social media and everywhere. This tragedy has broken my heart but not my courage. I will put forward my word so that it may find some resonance among you.”
Terming Syed Ali Shah Geelani as the “absolute head of resistance movement”, Akhtar in a surprising move asked the audience to read his Wullar Kinaray. “Everyone should read his (Geelani’s) book wherein he has documented his struggle right from early childhood. Despite immense hardships he never gave up the dream of education and the best of his days were spent as a teacher,” Akhtar said.
“Similarly, Mirwaiz too overcame his personal struggle and completed his PhD as an accomplished scholar. He never stopped his journey of education come what may.”
“I am firm believer that these leaders are not against education and it is some third unscrupulous element that has caused the disruption of education,” Akhtar said.
“It is somebody else who burns schools and exploits children by terming them as soldiers of freedom. Even our religion has kept children and women out of war.”
Akhtar said that education is coming back on rails and normal activities like teachers training will resume within a week. The conference was attended by hundreds of school and college teachers.

Police contest, say he was ‘heart patient and died of cardiac arrest’

Jalaluddin Wani of Nag Mohalla Awantipora, had come home from his duty three days ahead of Eid to celebrate the festival among his nears. But on Eid he died here allegedly by inhaling the smoke of the tear shells fired by forces.
His relatives say Jalaluddin died of suffocation caused by tear smoke shells fired by forces during clashes. However, according to police “he was a heart patient and died of cardiac arrest.”
Jalaluddin (48) was working in police department as Hawaldar and was posted at TRC Srinagar.
His story from the beginning was that of a tragedy. Jalaluddin had lost his father when he was a child. His mother had remarried when he was just 9.
Not married, Jalaluddin, according to his relatives, was living with his uncle.

According to his relatives, he had come home three days ahead of Eid to celebrate the festival. On the fateful day of September 13, he left home for Eid prayers. “Soon after the prayers, clashes broke out outside the mosque. Jalaluddin reached home in a state of nervousness complaining breathlessness and suffocation due to the tear smoke shells fired by the forces to quell the clashes,” his uncle Abdul Gani Wani said.
“We gave him some water, which he drank. We quickly rushed him to PHC Awantipora but he died on reaching the hospital,” he said.
Wani said that later the body was taken by hundreds of locals in a procession and put on the Highway as a mark of protest. “With body on the Highway, the people protested as it was evident that he had died of suffocation. Later, in the afternoon the body was taken to Pampore hospital for post-mortem”.
His cousin, Basheer Ahmad Wani said: “Jalaluddin was not a heart patient. He died due to suffocation caused by the shelling. He had inhaled smoke of tear shells and he informed us about it in the home.”
A doctor in Pampore hospital said: “We took the samples for the post-mortem but initially we have given the report as ‘probable cardio respiratory arrest’.”
However, he added that the actual cause of death “will be clear by the post mortem report.” (GK)
POLICE VERSION:
The police while denying the relatives’ version, said: “He was a heart patient and died only of cardiac arrest and not by smoke.”
“Jalaluddin had been admitted in the police hospital before Eid in Srinagar after suffering a minor heart attack. Later, he was advised to take rest and sent to home,” a top district police officer said.
“On September 13 he offered Eid prayers, and then went to home. Later, he had gone towards the mountains and after returning home he suffered a heart attack at around 12 noon and later died”.
“There is no reality in the blame that he died due to smoke but apparently he died of his heart ailment,” he said.

Teachers attend their duties; it is for parents to cooperate: Naeem Akhtar

Srinagar: Education Minister, Naeem Akhtar here on Monday categorically ruled out the possibility of any mass promotion of any examination in view of the current turmoil in Jammu and Kashmir and asked people to seek clarification from those who have shut twenty thousands government schools and several thousands of private schools across the state.
Talking to KNS, Akhtar said, Government on spot is providing all facilities including medical services, ration, electricity, LPG, cooking gas, water supply and all other services but it is only education which has become the target of the current unrest in Kashmir.
Clarifying that it is not the government who have closed the schools, Naeem said, “Government has made every kind of facility for the smooth functioning of schools but at the same time it is up to parents to take the benefits of the facility.”
Akhtar further said that the teachers are attending their duties and as such it is for the parents to cooperate. (KNS)

Condemns arrest of JKLF leaders, says they have been lodged at SOG’s Air Cargo camp
Srinagar: The Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) on Sunday issued a statement condemned the arrest of JKLF vice-chairman Bashir Ahmad Butt, JKLF senior vice president (zonal) Muhammad Yasin Butt and senior resistance member Muhammad Amin Magloo who have been arrested by SOG (police special operations group) and are languishing in task force custody at Air Cargo camp. This was stated by JKLF chairman Muhammad Yasin Malik who himself is incarcerated at Humahma JIC in his message sent out from incarceration on Sunday.
The JKLF chairman said that the SOG arrested senior JKLF leader and zonal vice president Muhammad Yasin Butt along with senior resistance member Muhammad Amin Magloo while police and SOG on Sunday morning cordoned the masjid at Methan Chanpora and arrested JKLF vice chairman Bashir Ahmad Butt who was offering morning prayers inside the masjid. Both Bashir Ahmad Butt and Muhammad Yasin Butt have been jailed at SOG camp air cargo while Muhammad Amin Magloo is languishing at police station Sadar.
The incarcerated JKLF chairman said that it is highly ironical that same people who are day in and day out propagating with pride that they disbanded the SOG and saved people of Jammu and Kashmir from their tyranny are now using the same infamous force against known political leaders, activists, youth and students and suppressing the democratic voices of the people. He said that advocate Bashir Ahmad Butt, Muhammad Yasin Butt and Muhammad Amin Magloo are all known as peaceful political figures and jail, incarcerations, and tortures are not new to them, but the irony is that a force like SOG is being employed to arrest them and its notorious camps are being used to cage them down. This is being done, he said, by the same rulers who talk about dignity, peace, Goli Nahin Boli, battle of ideas, disbanding SOG and so on.
The JKLF chairman said that 80 days of curfew and lock down, about 100 innocent killings, more than 15,000 injured persons, more than 600 blinded men ,women and children , 6,000 arrests among whom more than 500 have been booked under black law PSA, are enough evidence of Indian oppression in Jammu and Kashmir but what is more gruesome is that the sadistic mindset of  pro-India rulers of Jammu and Kashmir is not yet satisfied and they want more repression, more blood, more people to be jailed, more and more use of black laws to cage down political opponents.
Malik said that suppressing people’s voices with police and military might, intimidations, nocturnal raids, arrests, slapping PSA, vandalising private properties, putting a ban on mobile phone and internet may establish peace of graveyard in Kashmir but it can never eradicate the love, passion and desire for freedom from the hearts and minds of Kashmiris who are ready to sacrifice everything to attain this goal.
The JKLF chairman said that the reign of oppression has now reached Chinab and Pir Panjal regions where so –called rulers and their authorities at the behest of RSS and other chauvinist forces have started terrorising Muslims and those who have raised their voices against killings in Kashmir. While condemning the recent arrests in Kishtwar and other areas and imposition of curfew there, JKLF chairman said that the PDP-led coalition has surpassed every tyrant and oppressive regime in Jammu and Kashmir.
Yasin Malik said that Indian rulers and their Kashmiri stooges should read history carefully and understand that military might, oppression and suppression have never defeated people’s resolve and history bears witness to the fact that no nation desiring and striving for its freedom has ever been defeated by occupants and tyrants. He said that according to the law of retribution every tyrant and oppressor has to answer for his crimes against humanity and the time is not far when the reign of terror unleashed by India and its stooges against Kashmiris will end.