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Srinagar: Students Liberation Front (SLF) Chairman Tahir Mir has been released today from Police Custody on bail, after some weeks of illegal detention.

According to a statement issued to KNS, he was taken into custody for supporting “Quite Kashmir” call given by JKLF. While welcoming the release of Tahir Mir SLF Spokesman has said that although Mir has spent most of his life in different jails of India and jail is not new thing for him, but his present arrest by police proves the dedication and commitment he has with the holly Freedom struggle of Kashmir.

Srinagar: A thirteen-year-old boy was killed and his brother injured after leopard attack them while playing in Lolab area of North Kashmir’s Kupwara district.

“The leopard appeared at Lohar Mohalla in Diver, Lolab  today evening  and mauled two minor brothers who were playing in an open field outside their house,” a witness told GNS.

In the meantime, the leopard dragged Zubair Ahmad Ahanger (13) son of Mohammad Ayoub several 100 meters away from the spot, he said, adding that the cries of boy caught the attention of some people who chased the leopard to save the boy from his clutches.

“However, they failed to rescue the boy. The locals who after reaching on the spot found him in a pool of blood”, he said, adding that the leopard fled towards the forest area nearby the village.

Afterwards, the grievously wounded was shifted to a nearby hospital where doctors declared him brought dead, a police official confirmed to GNS.

However, his younger brother Basit Ahmad Ahanger (9-year-old) sustained injuries and has been immediately hospitalized where his condition is said to be stable, the official said.

Following the tragic incident, a pall of gloom descended upon the village when Zubair’s body reached home.

Later the villagers staged massive protest against wildlife authorities for failing to prevent entry of wild animals in residential areas.

The residents of the area told GNS that wild animals had created a reign of terror in the area. “The wild animals are also on prowl at the adjoining villages wherein the people fear to venture out of their homes during the dusk,” the inhabitants of these areas said.

Poonch: Police on Monday arrested two families in border district of Rajouri in Jammu and Kashmir who had crossed over to this side from Pakistan via Nepal route, official sources said.

Official sources told GNS that after receiving specific information, a team of Rajouri police led by Superintendent of Police (SP) Mubashir Lateefi arrested the 16 family members including children of Abdul Rashid son of Ali Muhammad and Faqeer Ahmad son of Ali Muhammad, who are brothers. The duo hails from Jaglanu village of Kandi Badal in the district and had crossed over to Pakistan administered Kashmir in 1987 via Mendhar in Poonch district, they said.

Official sources said the arrested persons have been kept in police station Kandi where they are being questioned. Meanwhile, police have registered a case in this regard, they added.

In the past, dozens of Jammu and Kashmir families have crossed over to this side from Pakistan via Nepal route.

‘Blue eyed doctors enjoy prize postings’

Srinagar: President DAK Dr Nisar ul Hassan Tuesday said that Health Department is brazenly violating transfer policy which was adopted in the interest of patient care and smooth functioning of health institutions especially those located in far flung areas.

In a statement issued to GNS, the spokesman quoting Dr Nisar ul Hassan as having said that the policy states that the postings of doctors shall be made on rotational basis to sensitive and non-sensitive posts. The minimum tenure of a doctor on a post shall be two years or a maximum period of three years.

“Every doctor has to compulsorily serve for a minimum of two years in category “A” (very difficult) and for five years in category “B/C” (difficult) Health Institutions in his/her first ten years of service. Those doctors who do not serve in these indicated Health institutions for the required period will not be considered for time bound promotions”, Dr Nisar ul Hassan said.

He said that transfer policy further states that doctors selected in Health Department against RBA category shall serve in such areas for a period of no less than seven years. “The spirit of transfer policy is buried fifty fathoms deep by its non-implementation and gross violation on ground”.

“Blue eyed doctors enjoy the privilege of prize postings in and around Srinagar city or to their places of convenience. The favorite doctors remain posted on their places of choice for decades thus violating the very idea of transfer policy” Dr Nisar ul Hassan said, adding that the violation of transfer policy has created chaos and confusion among doctors of health department.

This messy transfer system in health department has taken toll on patients as doctors instead of focusing on patient care try to secure their places of postings Dr Nisar ul Hassan said, adding that the Head of Health department is all the more happy for this mess as in bargain he uses the favored doctors for covering up his wrongdoings and misdeeds.

Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir Police on Tuesday launched a massive hunt and intensified the searches across Srinagar after a former National Conference minister’s car, ‘gifted to him by chief minister Omar Abdullah’, was stolen, officials said on Tuesday.

The official said police have sounded an alert and communicated a message to all the district and tehsil headquarters across the Kashmir division following the theft of a vehicle belonged to Khursheed Ahmad Mir, a former minister in NC regime, who later contested unsuccessfully in 2002 on a PDP ticket. The car a ‘Maruti Esteem’ (white colour bearing registration number JK04-0111 was parked outside his residence at J-51 Govt Quarters Jawahar Nagar Srinagar when it was stolen.

Mir hails from frontier village of Harri in Kupwara and presently resides in Jawaha Nagar, officials said.

“From today morning police had established more check points in every entry and exit points of the city,” sources said.

While confirming the theft, a senior police official said: We have registered a case under FIR no. 46/2014 under section 379 RPC in this regard and we have launched searches to nab the car lifters.

Meanwhile, sources said that vehicle was gifted to Mir by Omar Abdullah in 2000.

The Esteem car Model 1996, chasis no. 0185947 and engine no. 0181312 was transferred in the name of Khursheed on 26-11-2002, a senior officer at Assistant Regional Transport office Budgam told GNS.

Directs early completion of Panchayat Bhawan, RETC

Srinagar: Minister for Rural Development and Panchayati Raj, Mr. Ali Mohammad Sagar today asked the officers to ensure speedy completion of various projects undertaken to augment the infrastructural capacities of the department.

The Minister was addressing officers during a review meeting convened to discuss the status of implementation of Panchayat Bhawan-cum-Conference Hall being constructed with an estimated cost of Rs. 9.24 crore at Srinagar, Rural Extension Training Centre (RETC) being constructed at Chadoora with an estimated cost of Rs. 12.10 crore and Sarai for devotees at Tujjar Sharief Sopore at an estimated cost of Rs. 2.54 crore.

The meeting was attended by Secretary Rural Development, Sheikh Mushtaq Ahmed, Director Rural Development, Kashmir, Mir Altaf Ahmed, MD JKPCC, Mr. T.R. Bhagat, Director Finance, RDD, Mr. K. S. Jamwal and other senior officers. Mr. Sagar asked for speedy completion of the Panchayat Bhawan-Cum-Conference Hall as it would go a long way in augmenting infrastructural capacities of the department and would also serve as focal point for holding conferences and other related activities. He also called for early completion of the RETC being constructing at Chadoora maintaining that it would go a long way in honing the technical skills and knowhow of various schemes being implemented by the department to the officials / officers being trained there.

The Minister also called for completing the leftover work on the Sarai being constructed by the department at Tujar Sharief Sopore for the convenience of devotees coming to pay their obeisance at the revered shrine. He was told that it would be completed by 20th July, 2014.

Srinagar: The Jammu and Kashmir High Court has issued bailable warrants against deputy commissioner Kupwara for violating court orders. Pronouncing the direction, Justice Ali Muhammad Magray  directed the IGP Kashmir to execute the warrants and secure the presence of deputy commissioner Itrat Hussain Rafique.

The warrant was issued after Rafique failed to implement court orders directing not to interfere in the peaceful possession of a piece of land by the land owners in Kupwara. However, the deputy commissioner failed to file a compliance report or implement orders in its letter and spirit.

“Neither compliance filed nor anybody appeared on behalf of deputy commissioner leaving no option but to secure the presence of respondent deputy commissioner by coercive method,” observed the court orders while hearing the contempt petition filed by Nazeer Ahmad and others against Itrat Rafique. The court has issued bailable warrants in the amount of Rs 20,000 and directed the IG Kashmir to execute the warrant and secure the presence of the deputy commissioner on next hearing on July 7.

Chalk out comprehensive policy for reservation of specially-abled people

Srinagar: Expressing serious concern over the pathetic standard of living of a vast section of widows, orphans, destitute and old age people in the state, CPI (M) state secretary Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami has urged the government to enhance widow and old age pension, urging the government to ensure welfare of this poor and miserable lot of the society.

“Rs 400 financial assistance is too small an amount to fetch them even medicines,” Tarigami said, adding that the amount received by widows, old aged and orphans after running form pillar to post in social welfare department needs to be reviewed without any delay, a statement issued to KNS said. In a statement issued here today, Tarigami while referring to the huge number of orphans, widows, handicapped and destitute observed that the state government must go for a one time exercise to cover all the needy and deserving people under the central government’s various flagship programmes.

The CPI (M) leader also remarked that instead of spending money on unproductive areas, the government must focus and utilize that money in providing financial assistance to the uncovered segments of the society who are in distress. “Hundreds of financial assistance cases of widows, orphans, old aged people and handicapped persons are pending for the last many months before social welfare offices in different districts for unknown reasons. What will these needy people do to that meager amount if it is not provided to them in time,” Tarigami asked. He said unfortunately the conflict of last twenty years has posed a huge challenge, leaving behind nearly 40,000 widows, orphans and handicapped persons since the insurgency erupted in 1990.

Tarigami also called for a comprehensive reservation policy for the disabled in private educational institutions, training and professional colleges and other employment concerns to empower the specially-abled population in Jammu and Kashmir. He said the rising problems of the specially-abled can’t be addressed through lip service, pseudo promises or ritual celebration of World Disability Day, but a serious policy intervention is the need of the hour to facilitate their independent living and self determining existence.

Srinagar: Appealing people to observe complete shutdown on 4^th July the arrival of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Hurriyat Conference Jammu Kashmir has said that Modi is coming here as a prime minister of that country which has usurped the right of self-determination of the people of Jammu and Kashmir and subjugated them. “Those who will welcome Narendra Modi on his arrival are the paid agents of India and the worst enemies of the ongoing freedom movement,” HCJK in a statement issued to media said and added that the people of Kashmir will observe complete shutdown as a mark of protest. 

Srinagar: Noted economist and well known intellectual, Dr. Haseeb A Drabu today joined People’s Democratic Party (PDP). According to a spokesman of the party he wrote a letter to party president Mehbooba Mufti about his desire for joining the PDP. Giving the context of his joining the political fray, Drabu wrote, “I want to leave the perch of punditry and slug it out in noise and chaos of politics. I have earlier had the occasion to work with and for the people of J&K. Not only was it professionally an absolute privilege but also personally it was by a long way most satisfying. I want to participate and, to the extent that I can, contribute, to this overall change by working within aegis of the PDP. I do hope you will provide me the opportunity to do so”.

While welcoming the entry of Drabu into the PDP the party patron Mufti Mohammad Sayeed said he had ably assisted the state in its post 2002 economic reconstruction and financial restructuring. He said Drabu had played an important role in all major economic initiatives like the PM’s reconstruction programme , ADB financing and establishment of ERA.

He said the entry of professionals like Drabu into PDP indicates the positive impact this party has made among the intelligentia in the state. He said politics provides the best instrument to serve people and bring change in their lives, as established by the PDP in its brief tenure in power. Drabu has been associated with Mufti Mohammad Sayeed since 2003 when as the Chief Minister, Mufti appointed him as the Economic Adviser to the government of J&K with the rank of a minister of state.

Starting his career with the planning commission of India, he has worked with Finance Commission. He has also been a part of the Prime Minister’s Economic Advisory Council. Drabu was also a member of Prime Minister Committee on long term development of J&K. He also served as a member of the minorities Committee set up to look at the Sachar Committee report. Drabu was appointed a the Chairman of J&K Bank in June 2004 and continued to serve it with distinction till June 2010.

After his stint with economic policy making at the national level, Drabu moved into journalism and was the National Editor of Business Standard, a premier financial daily. Interestingly, his first policy stint with the government of J&K was as member of the Godbole committee appointed by Dr Farooq Abdullah in 1997. Since 2009 , Drabu has been based in Mumbai and has been working as an advisor to leading corporate in Mumbai. He is on the Board of Directors of many companies and also chairs some of these companies.