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  • Separate enclaves proposed for Pandits in valley widely spurned

    Srinagar: The proposal mooted by the Centre to have separate enclaves in Kashmir for the rehabilitation of displaced Kashmiri Pandits has not found favour with the mainstream political and separatist groups in the valley, and has also been rejected by most organizations representing Kashmiri Pandits.

    There are reports that three identified ‘settlements’ will be carved out of existing populated areas of Kashmir for the Kashmiri Pandits. A total of17, 000 Kanals of land was proposed be given for this purpose. The prime objection of all concerned people is that the idea of creating ‘Bantustans’ within Kashmir violates Kashmiryat, which has defined both Muslims and Hindus living in the valley for centuries. Those opposing the idea say that this will create social and communal tensions in the valley, and is fraught with dangerous consequences.

    As a result, even though all political groups and most people in the valley are supporting the return and rehabilitation of displaced Kashmiri Pandits, stiff opposition to the proposal of separate enclaves has derailed the rehabilitation process. What has made matters worse is that no clarity has emerged as to the nuances of the proposed resettlement plan. Most Kashmiri Pandit leaders other than the Panun Kashmir are opposing the idea of rehabilitating the exiled community in separate enclaves.

    National Spokesperson of opposition PDP Dr Sameer Koul told KNS that there are vested interests in the state establishment as well as at Centre, who do not want the reunion of the two communities for their partisan interests. Dr Koul said the ulterior motive to create permanent barricades between the two communities should be opposed tooth and nail. “Is there any opposition to the return of the exiled community to their home and hearth from anyone?” Koul questioned. He appreciated that the majority community has been asserting since long that they will ensure the safety and security of their brethren and want to revive the Kashmiri culture of peaceful co-existence between the two communities.

    Koul said that on one hand, the government at the Centre and in the state have been saying that the situation has improved tangibly. On the other hand, there seems to be a conscious effort to vitiate the atmosphere of coexistence and the composite culture of the valley. The dominant feeling is that these separate enclaves for Kashmiri Pandits are aimed at creating a wall between the elements of Kashmiri society that have always co-existed peacefully. “Even the fateful days of 1990 did not see a ‘communal riot’. There were targeted ‘murders’ of the Pandits at a time when there were more targeted murders of Kashmiri Muslims,” said Dr Koul. Bhushan Lal Bhat, a Kashmiri Pandit and an NC leader, said the proposal to create separate enclaves was actually an effort to divert attention from the main political problems of J&K, and give it a religious and communal colour. “We have been living together for centuries, and will continue to live as loving neighbours. These separate enclaves will create barriers among Hindus and Muslims. We cannot accept any such proposal,” he said.

    Leaders of most Kashmiri pandit organizations agree with this viewpoint. “Separate enclaves for Kashmiri Pandits are neither workable nor practical. They will only add to the problem,” Sanjay Saraf, National Youth President of Lok Janashakti Party told KNS. Saraf said only the affluent young Kashmiri Pandits who have settled outside the state favour the idea of separate enclaves. The majority of middle-class and poor pandits living in migrant camps want to return to their villages and live with their brethren of the majority community. Saraf said that rehabilitating the exiled community in separate enclaves goes against the spirit and ethos of Kashmiryat.

    “These separate settlements are the idea of those who want to visit Kashmir as tourists during summers, stay here for some days with their families and go back,” Saraf said. He asserted that the Kashmiri Pandits who want to return to their homeland, and live and work here, do not subscribe this idea. Saraf highlighted that such a proposal only suits the right wing BJP and its subsidiaries in J&K, not the suffering Kashmiri pundits. “All political groups in the Valley support the idea of the return and rehabilitation of the Pandits. Therefore, the proposal of settling the Pandits in separate colonies is illogical” Saraf said.

  • Now fill up passport applications at Khidmat centres @ Rs 100 per form

    Peoples can avail this service at any time: Passport Officer Srinagar

    Srinagar: In order to eliminate monopoly and to curb unregulated kiosks offering passport application filling services in Kashmir, the Ministry of Communication, Information and Technology government of India has tied up with Village Level Entrepreneurs  to offer these services to people on nominal charges.

    Talking to KNS, Firdous Iqbal Regional Passport Officer Srinagar said that the people can now avail these services at any time at Khidmat Centres across the state.  “Aspirants will be charged Rs 100 for filling up of a single online passport application form as compared to exorbitant rates charged by private kiosks,” Firdous Iqbal said.

    He said that the union ministry for communication under Common Service Centres-Special Purpose Vehicles (CSC-SPV) has started this facility for the common people who sofar were being taken at a ride by unregulated kiosks in the market. The new facility will end the monopoly of these private centres who were charging people as per their own parameters, a Passport applicant observed while talking to KNS. The facility has already been started by the government of India and people have been appealed by the passport officer to avail these services.

  • NC creating situation for election boycott in valley: Beigh

    Srinagar: The former deputy chief minister and senior PDP leader Muzaffar Hussain Beigh Mondaystated that the pre-poll alliance in no way can affect PDP’s position in the state and that situations by NC are being created for poll boycott in valley.

    We have seen in the past what outcome was of the NC-Congress poll alliance during Lok Sabha polls, let them try this again for assembly, said Beigh who represents Baramulla constituency in the parliament.

    According to the KNS correspondent, Beigh while addressing party workers at headquarters here stated that nothing is left with the ruling national conference now so that it could lure voters and that people have understood the difference between friends and foes. He stated further that the slogans NC used to raise earlier cannot be cashed now as the party has already bartered the slogans and aspirations of the people.

    Beigh maintained that the hue and cry that NC raised over the creation of new administrative units in the state is a misplaced euphoria and that no approval from planning commission of India has been given and a mere propaganda is being created to befool the masses of the state.

    He remarked further the smaller parties, ahead of polls, in the state are being brought together to counter PDP and also the hidden candidates could be made to contest the polls from several areas of valley to decrease the voter count of one particular party. “I can tell you with certainty that people have accepted the policies and agenda of PDP and no force could compete with PDP’s popularity in the state.”

  • Srinagar again caught in traffic mess

    People aghast over Govt.’s inability to tackle with the crises

    Srinagar: In the midst of the scorching heat and ongoing month of Ramadan, the state authorities here miserably failed t tackle the traffic mess, giving tough time to the vehicular movement in Srinagar’s commercial hub.

    According to the reports received by KNS, massive traffic jams were Monday witnessed in the commercial hub here with authorities miserably failing to regulate vehicular flow.

    Also the people accused that the cops remained mute spectators as the vehicles in the broad day light violated the traffic norms and even broke signals at several places of Lal Chowk area. People also stated that while the vehicles in large numbers were breaking the traffic signals at Jahangir chowk, the police personnel didn’t even move out of their vehicle parked in the corner of the road wherein huge traffic jam was witnessed.

    Traffic jam was also reported from, Khayam, Barzulla, Rambagh, Batamaloo and several other areas of the city wherein the people expressed serious concern over the inaction of the concerned department to cope up with the mess. The problem of traffic jams and overcrowding on roads in different part of Kashmir is making commuting difficult for people. The poor management of traffic apart from bare bone infrastructure in Valley is reckoned to be the main reason behind this mess.

    Residents of different parts of valley as well as locals in Srinagar are equally affected by this mess on the roads which is increasing by the day. With each new day this problem is increasing causing lot of problems, says a local.

    Residents of Srinagar say that all through the day streets remain choked with cars and mini buses leading to heavy vehicular jamming.

  • NC- Congress Pre-poll alliance: Deliberations on, no decision sofar: Soz

    Srinagar: The state Congress chief Saif-ud-din Soz Monday stated that Congress is yet to take final call over entering into a pre-poll pact with its ally national conference.

    “Congress is a big party. Deliberations are continuing at various levels so is the introspection. The party high command has not taken any decision on any issue including the pre-poll alliance for upcoming assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir so far,” Soz told KNS over phone. Reports earlier had maintained that the Congress party is reportedly much perturbed over the increasing strength of the BJP in Jammu region- that earlier used to be the bastion of the Congress. Congress is now looking for the alternatives to regain control over the its lost ground and it for this objective that voices are being raised that the party must enter into a pre-poll pact with the National Conference.

    Interestingly, chief minister Omar Abdullah had kept the option of any pre-poll alliance with the Congress open- maintaining that the party president and his father Dr Farooq would take the final call over the issue once he returns to Jammu and Kashmir. Reports have also maintained that Omar in a deliberate move kept the decision of the pre-poll alliance in limbo as he was in full knowledge about the dangerous outcome for both Congress and NC if the duo decides to contest the polls separately.

    On the other hand, opposition Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) has clearly denied to have given any nod to Congress of entering into any pre-poll alliance with it. The party has decided to contest the polls on its own- keeping in view the recent LS results wherein it swept all the three seats in valley.

  • Bride murdered, throat-slit body recovered in Rajouri

    Rajouri: Police on Tuesday recovered body of a bride under mysterious circumstances from a village in Rajouri district of Jammu and Kashmir. Some locals informed the police about the body lying near the open field at Fethpur in the district and a police team was immediately rushed to the spot where a female body has been recovered having visible torture marks on her body, official sources said. A police official told GNS while confirming the recovering of a throat-slit body.  “The body was later identified as Kounsar Parveen (24-years-old) wife of Wazaret Iqbal resident of Fethpur, Rajouri”. “She was Wazaret Iqbal’s second wife and was married with him some 12 days back”, the official said, adding that Wazret Iqbal’s first marriage was held 3 years back. Last night Wazret was staying with her first wife and her two year old girl was sleeping with Kounsar, he said. During the dawn time, the family members found the girl alone while the bride was missing inside the bedroom, the official said. He said that later during morning prayers, the family members and their neighbours found the bride some 70 meters away from the home in a pool of blood. He said a team of FSL experts has been deputed to the spot for investigation. The body has been sent for postmortem. “A case FIR no. 350 under section 174 CrPc has been registered in this regard and further investigations taken up”, he said. Meanwhile, the family and the relatives of the Kounsar Parveen Jan staged protest and demanded stern action against the culprits.

  • A meeting that was overdue

    By: Muhammad Aslam Bhat (Chief Editor Kns)

    The June 26 review meeting on Cross LoC trade that took place between the union ministry of home
    affairs and Jammu and Kashmir industries and commerce department, though late but is a welcome initiative. Realizing a need for further augmentation and streamlining of the trade that connects the people through exchange of goods across the border in the state is a result of the sustained struggle of the traders who exchange their goods on the LoC. While it was agreed that additional items preferably that are produced in Jammu and Kashmir can be included only after going through a set procedure, the ministry of home affairs also gave nod to pursue the banking facility of the traders with the government of Pakistan very vigorously. Telecommunication facility particularly ISD will be made available for senior officers dealing with the cross LOC trade and the designated heads of traders association. The meeting also expressed its willingness to upgrade the infrastructure at Trade Facilitation Centres at Salamabad, Uri and Chakan da Bagh and it has been learnt that MHA has agreed to fund Rs 10 Crores for Chakan Da Bagh and Rs 5 Crores for Uri TFCs. During the meeting enhancement of cash amount to be carried by the passengers travelling across to Pakistan administered part was also agreed to and a proposal to this effect will be submitted by the state home department to the union home ministry for approval. The importance of the cross LoC trade must be realized by the new dispensation in New Delhi that should look at this activity not through the prism of trade and economy but as a confidence-building measure to further strengthen the relations between the two neighbouring countries especially between the two divided parts of the Jammu and Kashmir. Though peace building is not a primary objective of the initiative, the cross LoC trade has also helped Kashmiri communities to start to rebuild severed relationships across the LoC even though the outcome has been limited by certain restrictions on movement of people across the border. Nevertheless, cross-border trade in Kashmir may ultimately have the potential to provide a reason to help build confidence in the India-Pakistan peace process, and to strengthen Kashmiri capacity to contribute to peace building in Kashmir. The meeting was overdue and need of the hour is to review the Cross LoC trade atleast on a monthly basis so that people associated directly or indirectly with this trade are not allowed to suffer for want of infrastructure and the modern market facilities. Both the countries must also cooperate with each other and extend all their support for making the cross LoC trade a success, if they really want cessation of hostilities and want a better future for their suffering populations, besides resolving Kashmir issue amicably.

  • Clarion call for judicious use of Mosque loudspeakers

    •    Better to use them for Azaan and Friday prayers only: Mirwaiz

    •    God can hear us without loudspeakers too: Zareef

    •    Health experts sound caution over prolonged noise exposure

    Srinagar: The indiscriminate and prolonged use of loudspeakers in Mosques has prompted many religious scholars, civil society members and health experts to call for their judicious and limited use within the precincts of the Mosques.

    Advocating restrain in the use of public address systems, chief cleric and chairman of Hurriyat Conference (M), Mirwaiz Umar Farooq said: “I think we should make limited use of loudspeakers in Mosques. It’s better to use it for Azaan (call for prayer) and Friday congregations. We tried to start a campaign against it last year but it couldn’t make much impact.”
    He said imams (clerics) and local elders should come forward and try to convince people about the need for restricted use of loudspeakers in Mosques.
    “In the next Ulema council meeting we will raise this issue and formulate a joint mechanism to start a sustained campaign to make local imams and people aware about the hazards of prolonged usage of the loudspeakers,” said Mirwaiz.
    Qazi Mufti Imran of Darul Uloom Bilaliya, Lal Bazar, said loudspeakers should only be used when it is necessary.
    “We have always maintained that unnecessary use of loudspeakers should be avoided. It should only be used either for calling prayers (Azaan) or on Friday when there is large gathering of people outside the masjids,” said Imran.
    He said the onus is on the local Imams to limit the use of loudspeakers in their Mosques.
    “Local Imams of all masjids should stop unwanted use of loudspeakers. It should only be used within the parameters of Mosque. There is no need to disturb others,” said Imran.
    Mufti Abdul Rashid is also of the opinion that loudspeakers should only be used within the confines of a Mosque.
    “There is no need of using outside speakers of Mosques. We should restrain ourselves from using them. It is best to use it for Azaan and on Friday gatherings. Apart from that it is not necessary to use them,” said Rashid.
    Noted Kashmiri poet, satirist and social activist, Zareef Ahmad Zareef said excessive use of loudspeakers has become a nuisance for the society.
    “I think we should take a firm stand and educate people about the harmful effects of loudspeakers. It has become a nuisance for the society,” said Zareef.
    He said every locality has three to four loudspeakers installed in each Mosque “which has created noise pollution”.
    “I am not against using loudspeakers but I think it should only be used for ‘Azaan’ and for Friday prayers. I don’t understand why we have to chant ‘darood’ on loudspeakers, God can hear us without them (loudspeakers) also,” said Zareef.
    In his typical satirical style, Zareef said: “Mashidan shouri shar,dam pathti insaan, bayen takleef dun cha hukmi yazdaan, mangan akhlaq sani lout aaes khudayas, khuda sahab ous tohund lot ti bozan.”
    Noise exposure has been known to have adverse effects on health and may cause hearing impairment, hypertension and cardiovascular complications besides annoyance and sleep disturbance.
    Principal GMC, Dr Rafiq Pampori said extreme noise is hazardous for humans. “Any noise which becomes intolerable for a human ear is harmful. Children and pregnant women are most vulnerable to it,” said Pampori.
    Noises above 115db can even lead to deafness. According to statistics, about 50 percent of those who are exposed to the noise above 80db for a long time lose their hearing.
    According to Dr. Shafqat Waqil, a gynecologist working at Max Hospital Delhi, said It has been observed that the foetus of the women gets affected by the blaring sound of loudspeakers.
    “Exposure of an expecting mother to prolonged noise of loudspeakers can be hazardous for the foetus,” he said.
    Noted civil society activist, Shakil Qalandar while passing the buck to Ulemas said it is entirely up to the religious leaders to start a vigorous campaign to stop the use of loudspeakers in Mosques.
    “No doubt in Kashmir usage of loudspeakers in masjids has become a cause of annoyance, but I think civil society cannot play much role in it. It is upto the religious leaders and scholars to stop this menace,” said Qalandar.
    “Loudspeakers should only be used within the Masjid or for Azaan,” he added.
    Social media has also been abuzz with the debate over the use of loudspeakers with most netizens advocating an end to unnecessary use of street loudspeakers outside the Mosques.

     

  • Release all political prisoners before Eid: Geelani

    Srinagar: While demanding the release of all the political prisoners including Masarat Alam Bhat, Amir Hamzah, Mushtaq-Ul-Islam, Dr. Ghulam Mohammad Bhat, Abdullah Nasir, Abdul Gani Bhat, Assadullah Parray, Javaid Ahmad Falay, Nisar Ahmad Bhat, Abdul Majeed Lone, Showkat Hakeem, Manzoor Ahmad Wani, Mehraj-ud-Din Nandah, Molvi Sajad and Mohammad Yaseen Yatoo before the Eid-Ul-Fitr, chairman Hurriyat Conference (G) Syed Ali Geelani said that it is the tradition of even the cruel governments all over the world to release the prisoners at this occasion but in Jammu & Kashmir this tradition has been stopped a long time ago and the arrest spree is continue even in this holy month of Ramadan.

    He also demanded that the cases of 44 detainees including Dr. Muhammad Qasim, Ghulam Qadir Bhat, Mohammad Shafi Sheryati, Mohammad Amin Dar Banihal, Mohammad Ayoub Dar, Engineer Farooq, Mohammad Amin Wani, Mohammad Ayoub Mir, Sharief-ud-Din Reasi, Mohammad Syed Bhat, Peer Fayaz and Abdul Waheed Naik Banihal should be relooked on humanitarian grounds and their sentences should be ended who have been sentenced for life in false cases and who are in different jails of the state and India.

    In Sunday’s press statement, Hurriyat chairman said that there are still 690 persons detained in jails and 149 of them are in outside state jails where they are denied the basic facilities of the life. 60 percent of them are in preventive custody and are in prison without trial and others whose cases are in courts are deliberately not taken for the hearings on one pretext or other and in this way their detentions get prolonged.

    Geelani sahib said that many detainees who are in prison from a very long time have developed different ailments and there is no proper and adequate treatment available to them in jails. A detainee Ghulam Qadir Bhat who is in prison from last 20 years is suffering from back pain and he has become the diabetic and hypertensive patient while as another detainee Mohammad Amin Dar Banihal who is also in prison from last 20 years is also suffering from a serious disease which can’t be treated in jail.

    Hurriyat (G) chairman also demanded immediate release of Tihar jail detainees Dr. Ghulam Mohammad Bhat, Tariq Ahmad Dar, Mohammad Rafiq Shah and Javaid Ahmad Fazli and said that Mr. Bhat had applied for pay-roll, he was not only denied the pay-roll but the NIA gave the misleading information to the court that if Mr. Bhat is given the pay-roll he will terrorize the witnesses.

    Geelani said that Tihar jail is proving Guantanamo prison for Kashmiris where they are not only tortured by the jail staff but they are left sole on the mercy of the professional criminals. Kashmiri detainees are often attacked there and in these attacks they even got injured. Hurriyat chairman said that the Kashmir issue is the internationally accepted political dispute whose disputed nature has been accepted by the UN charter, so any prisoner related to this dispute is having the status of political prisoner and they are eligible for all those facilities which have been set for the detainees of the conflict zones of the world. He said that registering criminal cases against these prisoners and announcing punishments for them is an open violation of international laws which doesn’t have any moral or constitutional justification.

    Geelani appealed the Amnesty International and other human rights organizations to use their influence in releasing the political prisoners of Kashmir so that after a long period they also can celebrate Eid with their families.

  • Kashmir facing worst kind of discrimination under NC-Congress rule: Karra

    Srinagar: Accusing National Conference (NC) of working towards complete disempowerment of Kashmiris, senior PDP leader and Member Parliament,  Tariq Hameed Karra Sunday said Kashmir has become a victim of worst kind of discrimination perpetuated by Omar Abdullah’s anarchic regime.

    “Brazen regional discrimination by the State Government in appointment of around 9000 contractual teachers under special recruitment drive should prove an eye-opener for Kashmiris. It is now amply clear that how Omar Abdullah-led regime is slowly and steadily pushing Kashmiris into perpetual economic subjugation,”  Karra said in a statement issued here today.

    “To the shock and dismay of every Kashmiri, the advertisement issued in local dailies on 5th July 2014, shows that out of 8475 posts of contractual teachers, 5396 are for Jammu region, 2960 for Kashmir and 119 for Ladakh,” he said and added that one fails to understand what criteria the state government has used to justify such brazen discrimination in allocation of posts.  “Going by population ratio Kashmir should have got more posts than Jammu region. If not that, at least the distribution of posts should have been on 50:50 basis so that justice was done with the unemployed youth in all the regions,”  Karra said.

    He said the worst thing is that while around 1300 contractual teacher posts have been advertised for Jammu district, there are just 80 posts for district Srinagar. “This is the height of injustice and discrimination with the city’s youth especially the girls some of whom have been waiting for a job for years so that they can get a decent marriage proposal,” he said and added that while unemployment and economic deprivation is a major concern in Srinagar, the state government seems to be hell bent upon making the things worse for the educated unemployed youth of the city. “If this sense of injustice and discrimination is not addressed immediately, it could have dangerous consequences,” he said.

    “I really feel pity for the silence of the so-called political representatives of Srinagar when the rights of city’s youth are being usurped in such a brazen manner? Why are the legislators of Srinagar keeping mum on this barefaced discrimination? Has power made them so feeble that except doing lip-service to the people of Srinagar, they can’t muster the courage to stand up to this blatant show of disparity by their government?”  Karra said and added that it is now very clear that by resorting to such biased policies towards Kashmiri youth, Omar Abdullah-led government is trying to push them into another phase of death and destruction as they are left with no other option.

    “Right from the day Omar Abdullah assumed power, Kashmir is getting step-motherly treatment in every sphere with the blessings of the Chief Minister,” he said and added that NC leaders seem to be taking revenge from the people of Kashmir for having discarded this exploitative party.

    Quoting other instances of disparity with Kashmir perpetuated by Omar Abdullah-led government,  Karra said out of 676 sub-health centres to be setup under NRHM, 429 are in Jammu region and 247 for Kashmir with Srinagar getting none. “Similarly, out of 953 schools proposed for upgradation, 600 are in Jammu, 370 in Kashmir and 30 in Ladakh.  Under Central Road Fund (CRF) while Jammu has got a whopping Rs 208. 81 crores during the last 3 years, Kashmir has got just Rs 79 crore. Under the 10th phase of PMGSY Jammu has got Rs 2531.58 crore whereas Kashmir has been given just Rs 1554.12 crore. Out of 659 administrative units cleared by the Cabinet in February this year, 337 went to Jammu, 274 to Kashmir and 48 to Ladakh. Out of the 38 villages recently approved for inclusion in backward list, 30 are in Jammu and only 8 in Kashmir. Recently 34 ventilators were installed in district and sub-district hospitals of Jammu region while the number is only 16 in Kashmir,”  Karra said and ended that the list of discrimination with Kashmir seems to be endless.

    He said even in district plan allocation thee is massive disparity in fund allocation and while in 2011-12 plan outlay Srinagar got Rs 55.8 crore, Jammu walked away with Rs 99.8 crore. Similarly, for the year 2013-14, Srinagar got Rs 63.47 crore while Jammu got a whopping Rs 109.47 crore, he said and added people of Kashmir are simmering with resentment over the injustices meted out to them by the NC-Congress coalition regime and they are anxiously waiting for the movement to get rid of them forever.