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Bardoli: Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Saturday said no power in the world can stop the government from resolving the Kashmir issue and hit out at Pakistan for its “impious” activities against India.

Singh said the NDA government has given a ‘free hand’ to the Army to act against ‘terrorists’ and give a befitting reply to any firing from across the border in Kashmir.

“I would like to say that nobody needs to be worried about Kashmir. No power in the world can stop us from resolving the issue,” he said.

Addressing a gathering here in Surat district as part of the BJP’s ‘Gujarat Gaurav Yatra’, Singh attacked Pakistan saying it sends terrorists into India and wants to break the country.

“Pakistan is our neighbouring state. Its name is ‘Pak’-istan, but it regularly indulges in ‘napaak’ (impious) activities, tries to break India and sends terrorists into India,” he said.

“Our Prime Minister Narendra Modi tried his best (for peaceful resolution of bilateral issues) considering that Pakistan is our neighbouring state. He even went to Pakistan breaking all protocol, but Pakistan is not refraining from its activities. This can’t continue for long,” he said.

The home minister said he has asked the Army to reply with bullets to Pakistani firings on the Kashmir border instead of showing the “white flag” (of peace).

“We have given a free hand to the Army. I have said you are free to act against terrorists,” Singh said, adding this has resulted in a “record” number of militants being killed in Jammu and Kashmir in 2016-17.

“We do not need to tell you the numbers. Someines it is one (militant) in a day or two or four or six. The jawans of our Army keep greeting them with ‘Jai Sri Ram.’ It has never happened before that militants have been killed in such a large number,” the Minister said.

Singh recalled how a few months after the Modi government came to power in May 2014, he had given standing orders to the BSF DG to stop the practice of showing “white flags” to Pakistan in response to their firings at the Indo-Pak border.

Singh said he came to know about the practice after he talked to the BSF chief following news that five Indian citizens had been killed in firing by Pakistani personnel.

He (The BSF DG) “told me it is an old practice to show white flag in response to Pakistani firing… this is to tell them that we want peace. I asked the DG as to what was Pakistan response to our flags being shown 16 times.

“He said Pakistan did not show any white flag. On telephone I told him not to show white flag for the 17th time. And it is my standing order that while first bullet shall not be fired by India, if we receive even a single bullet, we will retaliate,” he said.

Singh said had Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, the country’s first deputy prime minister who launched a satyagrah (in support of farmers) during the British rule from Bardoli in 1928, been allowed by Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru to act freely, India would not have been facing the Kashmir issue.

“Sardar Patel got Junagad and Hyderabad to become part of the country. Had Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru not stopped him from also deciding the fate of Kashmir, then, I think, the Kashmir issue would not have been before us today,” he said.

The BJP has launched the `gaurav yatra’ to galvanise support ahead of the assembly elections in Gujarat. A number of BJP leaders and Union ministers have taken part in the campaign and addressed rallies.

One of the major problems faced by almost every driver at night is the flashing lights from the headlights of cars coming from the other direction. The problem becomes more acute in Kashmir as the roads are narrow and “Use dipper at night” is just a useless cliché written on the back of trucks. Therefore driving at night is a daunting task in the valley.

Srinagar: When I recently met Zuhaib, a photojournalist who was hit by pellets during last year’s unrest, I was amazed to learn that he hadn’t gone out of his home for the past one year or so. I asked him, don’t you get bored and do you ever go out?  He said, “In the evenings, I go out with my friends; they have to shut the street lights in my vicinity so that I can go by at ease. But it’s not the street lights which bother me, it’s the high beam and flashing lights that people use at night which forces me to stay indoors.” What he said afterwards was indeed heart wrenching.

“As a photojournalist, I used to play with light; now light plays with me,” he said.

One of the major problems faced by almost every driver at night is the flashing lights from the headlights of cars coming from the other direction. The problem becomes more acute in Kashmir as the roads are narrow and “Use dipper at night” is just a useless cliché written on the back of trucks. Therefore driving at night is a daunting task in the valley.

To make matters worse, many young boys now-a-day’s use extra flashy, blinking and irregular lights and sport fog lamps or other auxiliary lights in the front while there are some who drive with a broken headlight, a crime for which you are charged 8,000 Indian rupees in a country like Dubai.

Sometimes, one would wonder if anything at all can be done to teach offenders a lesson but then one feels helpless. A few years back, China came up with a unique idea, and it proved pretty effective. Chinese drivers who blinded others with high-beam headlights were given an unorthodox punishment. The offenders were made to stare into the glare of the headlights for a full minute and a compulsory fine equivalent of Rs 3000 was also handed out in addition to the punishment. Many social media users approved of such punishment. Soon after it was reported that the offence rate declined in China dramatically.

Experts and doctors reveal that not only do people having eye problems suffer but it also effects people with normal vision as bright light coming from the opposite direction falls directly on our eyes and causes one to lose depth perception and peripheral vision and pupils also dilate leading to blurriness. This temporary blindness often leads to accidents.

“Drivers middle-aged and older are more sensitive to glare than younger drivers because their eyes take longer to adjust to changing light levels,” said Imityaz Qureshi, an ophthalmologist.

According to the National Safety Council (NSC), the risk of a fatal accident is three times greater at night and as per data, almost 50 percent accidents are caused during the night time in J&K.

Post-2011, there have been almost 1000 deaths in Kashmir per year due to accidents, making it one the most accident-prone areas in India.

Ghulam Mohammad, who has been working in Sher-e-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences since 1983, said that accident-associated cases increase at night as people from other hospitals are also referred to his hospital.

As per National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) survey conducted in 2013, J&K topped the list of “high accidental death-prone areas”, which found that an accident in J&K state has a 64 percent chance of causing death as opposed to 36.4 percent for all of India.

For getting a driving licence, one has to pass the learner’s licence test first in which basic questions such as traffic signs and traffic rules are asked, and only then one can apply for a permanent licence. But it seems people either knowingly break the law or there is some flaw in the system. 

When contacted, transport commissioner Saughat Biswas said, “ It is unfortunate that people are breaking law despite having a valid licence. We are working to make the process of granting the licences a more stringent one.”

According to the data from Regional Transport Officer (RTO), number of vehicles that were registered in Kashmir division from 1971-2006 stood at 2,06,998 while in the last 10 years the number has risen to 3,64,128 which indicates a whopping 633 percent rise, from 2007 to August 2017. The numbers, as per trend, are going up each day which indicates the traffic department needs to remain vigilant and have a tough job ahead.

“The state government is preparing a State Road Safety Policy which will set guidelines for the enforcement of traffic rules and creation of awareness among people,” he added.

Talking about awareness, he said in the last four years the number of general awareness programmes conducted stood at 3330 in which more than 66 percent of programmes were conducted in Baramulla district only while the programmes conducted in schools and college stood at 1020.

Children right from school should be taught about road safely and the traffic department should organise more awareness programmes in schools and colleges. They can always increase the fine for breaking the law. In most countries, like USA, people who drive with improper use of headlight are fined between rupees 3000-10000.

According to ARTO, Mubashir, on an average 60 out of 100 people qualify for the driver’s test. How do the rest of them get licence is a mystery. Moreover, there are increasing numbers of driving schools in the valley.

Before 2000, there were just a few registered driving schools in Kashmir but post-2000, the numbers have gone up. It is important to check whether these driving institutes comply with the rules and regulations as per Motor Vehicles Department J&K.

May be its high time authorities in Kashmir impose China’s method of punishment for law-breaking drivers.’

Source- The Milli Gazette 

Anantnag: Perhaps recognising her public profile, Social Welfare Department of the J&K government added picture of prominent separatist leader and Dukhtaran-e-Millat chief Asiya Andrabi in one of its banners which was put on display at a tourism festival in Kokernag in South Kashmir.

Andrabi’sphoto has been shown among the twelve prominent women for the promotion of Beti Bachaw Beti Padaw campaign.

Others who feature alongside Asiya Andarbi include Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti, former Prime Minister of India Indira Gandhi, singer Lata Mangeshkar, sports star Saniya Mirza, state minister Asiya Naqash, former top cop Kiran Bedi, poetess Habba Khatoon, astronaut Kalpana Chawla besides few IAS toppers.

The day-long event was organised by the Tourism Department along with other government departments and district administration Anantnag to attract tourists to this popular destination in south Kashmir.

Many senior civil and police officials including the army CO were present at the function. MLA Kokernag and MOS Fisheries were also present at the event.

When contacted the concerned depratment to know if it was an inadvertent error or a conscious decision to include a separatist leader’s face in the campaign, they refused to comment.

Programme Officer, Anantnag Mohammad Ashraf however said they will have to investigate the matter first.

Meanwhile, Additional Deputy Commissioner Anantnag has placed CDPO Breng Shameema Akhter under suspension.

Srinagar: Pakistani-origin Bollywood musician and singer Adnan Sami on Saturday performed in Srinagar, enthralling the audience with some of his popular songs, including those requested by youth in attendance at the “Rhythm in Paradise” concert here.

Sami performed for free at the concert, jointly organized by the Union Home Ministry and the Jammu and Kashmir government, and held at the lawns of high security Sher-e-Kashmir International Convention Centre on the banks of the Dal Lake here.

“Koyi Tujhe Samjhaye Na/Tere Bina Jiya Jaye Na/Kashmir Kay Bina Jiya Jaye Na (Why doesn’t somebody convince you that I cannot live without you, Kashmir),” he began, and thanked Union Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju, who was also present, for helping organize the concert.

“I have a special relationship with Jammu and Kashmir. Not only that my mother belongs to Jammu, but also because my pursuit of classical music has been inspired by the spiritual and Sufist moorings of Kashmir.

“It is not possible that somebody comes to Kashmir and does not become a lover. Wherever I go, I spread this message of love.

“Let us make a pledge that today’s concert becomes the beginning of a new era of peace and progress in Kashmir,” Sami told the audience.

He said this was his second visit to Kashmir as he had come here earlier to shoot a qawaali sequence for Bollywood blockbuster “Bajrangi Bhaijaan” at the shrine of Sufi saint Zainuddin Wali in Aishmuqam area close to Pahalgam tourist resort.

Srinagar: Shoots of peace are “sprouting” in Jammu and Kashmir and the government is now working towards ensuring that the people in the state can be uplifted with dignity, Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti has said.

In an interview to news agency PTI last night, the 58-year-old chief minister welcomed recent attempts by the Centre and the ruling party to reach out to Kashmiris, starting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Independence Day speech where he asked the countrymen to embrace their brothers and sisters in Jammu and Kashmir.

This was followed by Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh’s statement that the Centre is willing to hold talks with all stakeholders, then BJP leader Ram Madhav saying talks can be held with anyone.

In his “Mann ki Baat” speech on Sunday, PM Modi also praised a poor Kashmiri youth, Bilal Dar, for his attempt to clean up a lake, which became front page news in Kashmir and heavily discussed on social media.

“These are welcome signs” in Kashmir Valley where people are eagerly waiting for peace to return, the chief minister said.

“The shoots of peace have started sprouting. They have to be watered and fertilized, and I am sure that the fruits of peace will follow,” she said in the interview at her residence, with a large portrait of her father, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, in the background. Mehbooba Mufti succeeded him as the chief minister a few months after his death in January 2016.

Mehbooba Mufti, whose PDP is in an alliance with the BJP in the state, blamed the electronic media for making even minor incidents of violence into national events, portraying Kashmir as a region in perpetual flames. She said the high-pitched debates that follow end up vilifying Kashmiris. This in turn alienates Kashmiris against the rest of the country, and the country against Kashmir, which has a direct impact on tourism, the mainstay of the state’s economy.

Mehbooba Mufti, who is also the tourism minister, gets a report on tourist arrivals every evening, and the figures are grim – arrivals have now fallen to 4,000-5,000 daily from a peak of 10,000-12,000. Most hotels and houseboats are empty, taxi companies have virtually no business and shops are shut.

Blaming the media, she said, “You talk about the 200 terrorists but don’t talk about the thousands of Kashmiris who proudly serve in the Indian Army.”

However, the recent statements from highest level are an opportunity to build peace and give Kashmiris back their dignity, Mehbooba said. “All that is required now is to hold their (people of Jammu and Kashmir) fingers with dignity intact,” she said.

Ms Mufti, who is the first woman chief minister of the state, said her government is in favour of holding talks with everyone as has been enshrined in the Agenda of Alliance between the PDP and the BJP. She indicated that she is in favour of the peace talks strategy employed by the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government in the early 2000s.

“There is a need to take the bull by its horns and finding a way out for bringing in a ‘permanent’ peace in the state,” she said, adding that she is in regular contact with Home Minister Rajnath Singh, whom she described as “very supportive”.

She noted that Ram Madhav, the BJP general secretary, also has a clear understanding of Kashmir and has been extremely supportive of the alliance government. “I am sure together, we will be able to steer the state to new heights.”

Ms Mufti said Prime Minister Modi’s singling out 18-year-old Bilal Dar in “Mann Ki Baat” had sent a wave of pride among the young residents of the Valley. “These steps have a tremendous impact on the psyche of the younger generation and their hope for recognition at national level is rekindled. They are not seen or labelled as mere stone pelters,” she said.

Seventeen months into office, Mehbooba Mufti also feels that talks between India and Pakistan should begin at the earliest, but she holds Islamabad responsible for the present tension.

“The Prime Minister made a wonderful gesture by stopping at Islamabad and meeting the then Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. But what happened after that? It was followed by attack at Pathankot and increased terror activities in the state,” she said.

“However, there is a need to bring Pakistan to the negotiating table once again. After all, the relations between India and Pakistan have a direct bearing on Jammu and Kashmir.

“Smooth relations between the two countries have always seen better life for people in the state,” she said.

The chief minister blamed the Congress-led UPA for not carrying forwarding the “gains” from the peace process of the Vajpayee-era. “I mean they were there for 10 years but could not make any headway. It was an opportunity that was never cashed in by them,” she said.

Militant activities declining in Kashmir

Srinagar: Stating that the militant activity in Kashmir is on decline, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) National General Secretary, Ram Madhav Thursday said that normalcy will be restored in Kashmir soon if Opposition cooperates.
He also said that the government is open for dialogue with anyone.
Talking to reporters on the sidelines of the party meeting here at Deputy Chief Minister, Dr Nirmal Singh’s residence, Madhav according to KNS correspondent said that they are happy that the militant activities in Kashmir is on decline. “We are happy that the militant activity seems to be on decline but some militant attacks on security forces are still going on. Our government will take all measures so that such activities wouldn’t happen,” he said.
Madhav said that the normalcy will be restored in Kashmir very soon if the opposition political parties cooperate with them. “We are sure that the normalcy will be restored in Kashmir very soon if the opposition will not engage in political game of provocation and cooperate with us,” he said, adding that as far as the attacks in Kashmir and on Loc is concerned, the security forces will ensure that the game played will not be succeed.
“People of Kashmir have suffered enough and now it is the time they get focus of development. We will together (central and state government) focus on the development of Kashmir in next three years of our tenure,” he said, the government is committed to give good governance to the people.
Invoking the Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s speech of Aug 15, Madhav said, “Kashmir’s future is not in bullets but in love and affection, which would be our government’s way forward.”
“When we say Kashmir is ours it also means that Kashmiris are our own people. We will focus to fulfill the aspirations of people,” he said.
When asked about dialogue with the pro-freedom camp, the senior BJP leader said that government is open to have dialogue with anyone. “Our government is open for dialogue with all the stakeholders but without any pre-conditions. We welcome those who want to have dialogue with the state or central government,” he said.
Replying to a query about the settlement of Rohingya refugees in the country, Madhav said that the issue is right now before the SC. “Government of India has already said that this issue will be handled keeping security situation in mind. The issue will be dealt with the security perspective also,” he said.
He said that as far as the humanitarian angel is concerned, the government have to take care of the human rights and humanitarian concerns of 124 crore Indian’s also. “An appropriate step will be taken after taking care of the humanitarian concerns of 124 crore Indian’s,” he said.
Meanwhile, Madhav said that the people of Kashmir are giving good response to the Modi led government. “Today’s meeting with the workers was aimed to strengthen the party. We will talk to BJP ministers as well as the PDP ministers and will ask them to fulfill the aspirations of our workers,” he said.
Rejecting the reports of reshuffle of BJP ministers, Madhav said that no talks are ongoing over this issue. (KNS)

Oppressed Nation of Kashmir Cannot Tolerate Hatred on the Basis of Creed. 

Refrain From Spreading This Hatred or Otherwise We Will Ask Nation to Boycott You : Mohammad Yasin Malik

Srinagar: Oppressed nation of Kashmir cannot tolerate hatred on the basis of creed. Refrain from spreading this hatred or otherwise we will ask nation to boycott you. This was stated by the chairman of Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) Muhammad Yasin Malik while asking religious institutions, Ulema, Molvis, preachers and heads of Islamic seminaries to refrain from preaching and propagating hatred in Masajid and on social media. Terming this new phenomenon of hate mongering in the name of religion and creed by a section of so-called Ulema and preachers as most unfortunate, JKLF chairman said that a nation that on daily basis is losing its young and old while resisting military occupation and oppression, cannot tolerate hatred and division in the name of religion and creed and anyone who is doing this is actually playing in the hands of oppressors and enemies of Islam and Muslims. He said that our great scholars and predecessors have laid down a great principle which teaches to hold fast to ones Maslak (creed) without teasing the others’’ and we all need to adhere to this principle and stop hate mongering in our Masajid, Dar Ul Uloom, social media and at other places. Our Allah is one, our prophet (SAW) is one, our Deen is one, and our Qibla is one. This oneness in all important aspects of life and religion clearly shows that we are also one and despite differences in interpretations should remain one. He said that from some time many of our preachers and Molvis are seen delivering hate speeches against their rivals and other Maslaks (creeds). These people are actually crossing all the limits of decency and are seen showering abuses on each other in Masajid and seminaries and especially on social media networks. This actually amounts to setting whole Ummah on fire and no true Muslim can tolerate this non-sense, added Yasin Malik. Has Islam or prophet of Islam (SAW) ever told us to propagate hate? Have our Ahli Bait (RaH), Sahaba (RaH), Imam’s or great predecessors taught or ordered us to publicize abhorrence that too against each other. This is pure non-sense and a nation that is losing its kith and kin on daily basis, a nation whose very existence is at stake and that is striving for a sacred cause, cannot endure this non-sense any more. JKLF chairman said that we respect all religions, creeds, Ulema, spiritual personalities, places of worship and religious seminaries but our tiny and weak nation cannot tolerate abhorrence and hatred that is being propagated by a section of people in the name of religion and creed. Asking all the religious bodies and organizations including Ahli Sunnat Wal Jamat, Ahli Hadith, Beravileis, Devbandis, Shia, Jamati islami, Tableegis and others to immediately stop their people indulging in hate campaign and play their active role in stopping this hate campaign, JKLF chairman said that it is our moral and religious duty to safeguard our unity and brotherhood as ordered by Allah and his last messenger (SAW) and we will not let a bunch of fools to pollute and disintegrate our pluralistic society. Issuing a stern warning to Molvis and preachers who are indulging in this ugly affair to refrain from their criminal acts immediately, JKLF chairman said that this nation respects you but if you don’t change your approach, you will have to face the wrath of same nation and we will be compelled to ask people to boycott you all.