Sunday, December 23, 2007

Indian shying away from result-oriented dialogue: Geelani

KT NEWS SERVICEJAMMU

Senior separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani today accused Indian government of shying away from holding a result oriented discourse aimed at resolving the Kashmir issue. "Had the Indian government understood the importance of our open doors and hearts, they would have engaged us in a meaningful dialogue intended at resolving the long pending Kashmir issue in coherence with the wishes and aspirations of people of Jammu and Kashmir," said senior separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani.

Politics:worst tumult to remember

Nirbhay Jammual Jammu Dec 23

Some described it as the politics of convenience other termed the politics of compulsion. Whatever description one may choose, but the year 2007 remained as the year of political tumult for Jammu and Kashmir. The year began at a high political note as the budget session was advanced to January instead of the routine February-March calendar. The Opposition National Conference which was seen more as a friend of the Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad during the previous assembly sessions was not all the same.

12 top hm militants surrender before CM in J&K

excelsior correspondent

Twelve top militants of Hizbul Mujahideen outfit today surrendered before Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad in Ramban as Mr Azad called upon parents of the ultras and the people who matter to persuade more and more militants to lay down arms and join national mainstream.
Surrender by a dozen militants, who were operating in different parts of the State for a period ranging between two to seven years, was the result of two month long constant efforts put in by Kashmir police under direct supervision of DGP Kuldeep Khoda and IGP Kashmir S M Sahai.

The ultras, who had been kept in safe custody and tight security at an undisclosed place since last evening, surrendered before Mr Azad in the presence of Mr Khoda, Mr Sahai, IGP Jammu Dr Shesh Pal Vaid, Deputy Commissioner Ramban A D Shanas and SP Ramban Basant Rath.

Baglihar to go operational in June next: AzadCM, Jora inspect pace of work on mega project

Ramban, December 23 – Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad said on Sunday that 450 MW first phase of Baglihar Hydel Power Project would become operational by June next, adding that the completion of 450 MW second phase of the project in near future would considerably improve the power position in Jammu and Kashmir.
Azad was speaking with media persons after inspecting the pace of work on Baglihar Hydel Project near here. He said that the work on the prestigious project has picked up fast during the past over one year and is being executed round the clock. The Chief Minister inspected work on the dam and power house. He was briefed by the executing authorities about the status of various components of the project.

He also interacted with engineers and other manpower engaged in the construction of the project. The Baglihar Hydel Power Project is the biggest electricity generating project coming up in the state sector. The pace of work on the project had slowed down in the past, breaking the target date of its completion. However, the Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad after taking over the responsibilities of the State personally monitored the execution of the prestigious project and visited the site several times. He made it clear to the executing agency to complete it without further delay as the State was badly in need of power.

Today's visit to the project site was part of his effort to speed up the early completion of the project. Minister for Power, Nawang Rigzin Jora, Director General of Police, Kuldeep Khoda, District Development Commissioner, Ramban, A. D. Shanas, Executive Director, Baglihar Hydel Project, V. K. Malhotra, Chief Engineer, Power Development Corporation, Electric, S. K. Raina, Chief Engineer, Civil, R. A. Kamli and other senior officers were present on the occasion.

Sunday, September 16, 2007

Pak citizens oblivious while Musharraf is endorsed, Sharif debarred

Abhishek Behl


Political events unfolding in Pakistan have raised adrenalin in most parts of the world but the average Pakistani on the streets is oblivious of the hype created by chasm between the army and Pakistan politicians.



PEOPLE FEEL that this is a just a war of interests between Military and political mafia of the country, who wants to serve their own selfish ends. Battle is not between dictatorship and democracy but for owning Pakistan and using, rather misusing her resources like a personal fiefdom, feels an average Pakistan citizen.
Striking a despondent note on the future, Abdul Sattar, an electrical engineer, living in Karachi, says, “Forget about democracy in Pakistan. It is basically feudal-cum-military society ruling at the top, either one of them will be owning us and any one point of time.”
Not ready to discuss the political situation, Sattar told merinews that future of Pakistan was decided in America and an average Pakistani had no role to play in the entire game.
“We are still a colony and decisions are made in Riyadh, Dubai, London and Washington,” he said, echoing the views of large number of citizens on the streets.
Interacting with Pakistanis it becomes clear that they want to break from the extremes imposed by religious fundamentalists as well the military rule.
Sandwiched between the devil and the deep sea, Adnan, a software professional from Karachi, said, “People are fed up with the military rule of Musharraf. They want democracy but they are helpless.” He added that Pak president had outlived his utility and was more of a burden to the country.
Accusing Musharraf of diluting the concept of Jehad, which was one of the most fundamental precepts of Islam, Adnan opined that Pakistanis do not like the blind modernism promoted by him.
“We want to live peacefully and are least concerned with politics of the country,” he added.
From what is emerging it becomes clear that people are resigned to their fate and though angry at the treatment meted out to Sharif are obviously not in love with ‘Mian Sahib’, as Sharif is popularly called.
Identified more with Punjab than with other areas of Pakistan, Sharif’s arrest and subsequent deportation has not caused much stir outside Punjab.
A resident of Lahore, Mohd Imran Zafar, Network engineer, said that situation was quite normal.
“Yahan par sab kuch normal hai aur traffic bhi aam dinon ki tarah hi chal raha hai (everything is normal here and the traffic on the roads too is normal)”, he told this scribe over the phone from Lahore. He however said that there was lot of support for former Pakistan premier and people want that he should come back.
Instead of talking about their political future, if you talk to Pakistanis they prefer discussing Indian heroines particularly Ashwarya and Kareena. This became evident when, Abdul Sattar, the electrical engineer from Karachi said “Forget about democracy in Pakistan tell me how is Aishwarya Rai and how is her marriage with Abhishek?”
Adding somewhat wistfully, “Yeah, the situation in Pakistan is really sad and depressing but actresses from India give us the high.”
Meanwhile, ignorant of what majority of Pakistan wants, the military government in Pakistan barred the former Prime Minister from participating in the ensuing elections saying that he had already been convicted in a case.
On the contrary the Federal Cabinet which met under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz endorsed the re-election of President Musharraf, to ensure the stability, security and growth of Pakistan.

Monday, September 10, 2007

Pakistan tense, Nawaz Sharief deported to Saudi Arabia

Abhishek Behl


Pakistan witnessed high drama today as a defiant Nawaz Sharief reached Pakistan to challenge the military might of Musharraf regime. A tension full day came to a close when Mian Sahib was deported to Saudi Arabia.



EVEN AS THE Pakistan president tried to defuse the explosive situation by deporting Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) president Nawaz Sharief to Jeddah, the mood in the country is volatile.
The former Premier had reached Jeddah on Monday evening. He was taken to an undisclosed location in Saudi Arabia under heavy security.

In Pakistan, a virtual martial law was imposed in Punjab, considered to be the bastion of the Sharief clan.
Thousands of PML-N activists were put behind bars by the Army regime including central as well as provincial leadership across the country.
Eyewitnesses said that all roads leading to Islamabad were closed and heavy containers were stationed at bridges to stop the movement of vehicles in the city.

http://merinews.com/catFull.jsp?articleID=126194

Sunday, September 02, 2007

Indian websites hacked: Swiss hacker offers free solution

Abhishek Behl

The man, who hacked the email addresses and websites of Indian embassies and government sites throughout the world has offered to fix the problem in five minutes and that too free of cost.



DAN EGARSTAD, a Swiss, who runs the site derangedsecurity.com during an exclusive interview with merinews.com said that hacking the emails and sites was a two minute job for him and he would rectify the same if different governments contact him.

“I am a security expert and I was just doing a simple experiment, when I hit upon this discovery, wherein I could break into the websites and email addresses of a majority of Indian Embassies located in foreign countries,” he said, adding that this could prove to be major security risk as very sensitive data is handled by some of these organisations.

When asked if he had tried to contact Indian government, Dan replied in negative, saying that his experience with private companies and governments has been extremely bad. “I tried to contact a private company but they behaved very badly with me and threatened to take legal action against me” said the security maverick.

The reason behind first hacking and the posting the email addresses and passwords of these establishments on his website, he said was only to create awareness among the governments and administrators regarding internet security.

“What is surprising is the attitude of the establishments which do not care about the security of their internet platforms. No one has cared to contact me and ask the fix for this problem,” said the Swiss citizen while talking to Merinews.

Asserting that he was an ethical hacker and had no axe to grind, Dan Egerstad said that if the governments and companies can call for a fix of the problem fee of cost, “I won’t charge them any money,” he reiterated.

How easy it is to break into a site or someone’s email address becomes clear, when he says, “I can teach a person with basic security knowledge to break into a website or email address within 5 minutes,” he however, refused to teach the same to this correspondent, when asked to do so.

Ready to help anyone and everyone in this regard, Dan said “If the authorities have not yet figured to plug the holes then they can contact me and I am ready to help.” He further revealed that despite the security breach a number of websites and their administrators had not responded so far. “They are still having the same password and have not made any changes which is not very professional and is quite irresponsible,” he added.

The Indian sites which have been hacked include Indian embassy in Sweden, Defence Research Development Organization, Indian Embassy in USA, Indian Embassy in Germany, Indian Embassy in Finland and a number of other important websites and emails belonging to different countries and users.

Friday, August 31, 2007

Hyderabad bomb blasts demonstrate holes in Indian establishment

Abhishek Behl, www.merinews.com

Even as UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi called for fighting terrorism in the Gandhian way, two terrible blasts ripped apart Hyderabad killing at least 40 persons and injuring many more.
She said this while delivering a lecture in Cape town University in South Africa, while terrorists, who obviously have no faith in Gandhian ways planned and executed their attack to perfection.
The inhuman blasts in Hyderabad have once again proved the failure of Indian intelligence and security agencies in preempting the actions of terrorists operating in the country. Political failure of the Indian establishment is evident and as a usual Home Minister Shiv Raj Patil is scheduled to visit the spot where the actual blasts took place.
National security Guards are already there, the Leader of the opposition will be visiting Hyderabad and the usual post blast voices will be made. Money and jobs will be offered to the families of those killed, a special investigating team will be constituted and and after few months all will be forgotten, till another blast hits the nation.

Being the most powerful politician in the country, Sonia’s statement assumes significance as her words set the tone for the administration and governance of the country. Congress government particularly Home Minister Shiv Raj Patil have time and again failed to ensure that justice is done to the perpetrators of these crimes.
Even as hundreds of Indians have been mowed down by terror attacks in Hyderabad, Kashmir, Delhi, Varanasi, Bombay, Malegaon and many other places, the UPA government has failed to provide leadership to the country.
The most important question is whether the government has any concerted plan to fight terrorism? After suffering for so many years have we evolved a plan as to how to check the global terrorists, who are bent upon killing the people?
Are the local police and security men trained to take on the might of these highly motivated but misguided men.

The answer to these questions is plain no. Even if the Indian government has any poper plan to tackle terror its results are evident, India is not safe. Terrorists are planning and executing their operations with impunity and government has no concrete solution to offer against this menace.
Only thing which the government can do is add more Zs to the security of its own ministers and bureaucrats, who are already well protected and over fed. If a proper audit of the Indian security system is done then it will be obvious that ninety percent of the resources meant for protecting the public are usurped by Indian politicians, VIPs bureaucrats and their families.


Hyderabad has been on the hit list of terrorists and this is what the pan-Islamic jihadi terrorist organisations in Pakistan, which are members of Osama bin Laden's International Islamic Front (IIF), have been saying even long before the IIF was formed in February, 1998.
Top Indian Terrorism expert, BV Raman, writes “They look upon Hyderabad and Junagadh as Pakistani territory, which should have come to Pakistan in 1947. They also look upon them as legitimate lands of the Ummah, which should be restored to the Ummah. They project their jihad as a three-phase struggle. Under Phase I, they would "liberate" J&K. Under Phase II, they would "free" Hyderabad and Junagadh from "Hindu control." And under Phase III, they say they would "liberate" the Muslims in other parts of India.”
Indian government must wake up from the deep slumber and formulate an effective policy against the Pakistan based terrorists. The Congress government and its Left allies will have to stop appeasing Pakistan, a country which has been branded as exporter of global jihad.
Life of every Indian is precious and the government should stop treating this loss of lives as routine which it has been doing for the last many years. If this is not done at the earliest, chances are more blasts will rip through the Indian cities and kill many more.

And it is not that only ordinary Indians will die, but even those rich, powerful and influential Indians, who do not visit the chaat Bhandars, public parks and bus stands will face annihilation, though their number may come next in the game of global jehad.

Friday, August 24, 2007

Japanese PM draws a new painting of Indo-Japan relations





“Stronger India is in the interest of Japan, while a strong Japan is in the interest of India and both countries have started working towards building an enduring relationship which is mutually beneficial to the people of both countries”- Shinzo Abe.



AT THE FUNCTION organised by India Center Foundation on Wednesday, Japanese Prime Minster Mr. Abe, inaugurated and added colours to a canvas to portray the new picture of Indo-Japan relations.

Cutting across political ideologies, CPI(M) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury and Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi joined hands and came together on stage with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to add colours to the canvas, signifying a rare unanimity on Indo-Japan relations.

While Abe painted the red hued Sun, Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhra Raje Sindhia added her own signature style and engulfed the sun with vibrant orange and brown, signifying energy and power.

A large number of dignitaries, who were present on the occasion used the brush with enthusiasm and panache and filled the canvas with vivid colours signifying the improving relations between the two countries. An abundance of red, yellow, green and browns ware filled by leading politicians, industry leaders and bureaucrats including Minister of State for Planning MV Raj Shekharan, former Defence Minister George Fernandes, Gautam Adani, chairman Adani Group, Rajesh Shah, chairman Mukund Steel, President FICCI Amit Mitra, Girish Kumar Sanghi, MP; Suresh Prabhu, MP; Aloke Mehta, MP;Vijay Darda, MP, Lalit Modi, Ram Jethmalani, Dilip Padgaonkar, Sudeendhra Kulkarni, Chief Information Commissioner Wajahat Habibullah and many others.

Japanese Ambassador Yasukuni Enoki was also present on the occasion.

Speaking on the occasion, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said that India and Japan have entered a new phase of friendship, which would significantly impact the world.

The relations which had been silent for the past 10-years are now growing at a rapid pace as Japan has re-discovered India and both are natural allies in the road towards progress, said the Japanese Prime Minister while appreciating the work done by India Center Foundation in strengthening the relations between the two countries. The Foundation and particularly it’s chairman Vibhav Kant Upadhyay, he said has played a vital role in building cultural, social and economic linkages between the two countries.

Welcoming the Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi said that Abe’s visit to India was a historic one and marked the high watermark of Indo-Japanese relations.

Extending warm welcome to Japanese entrepreneurs in Gujarat, Modi said that they were aiming at building a mini-Japan in Gujarat that would be a hub of industrial growth in the country.

CPI(M) general secretary, Sitaram Yechury, recalled that Prime Minister Abe was the grandson of the first post-war Prime Minister of Japan and was playing a crucial role in improving the Indo-Japan relations. Both India and Japan complement each other and if they build a strong relationship, they can reach the pinnacle of the new pecking order in the world, he added.

Dwelling on the role played by India Center Foundation, chairman Vibhav Kant Upadhyay said “India and Japan are natural friends and friendship between two countries will benefit and service the world besides the two nations.”

Here it must be mentioned that India Center Foundation has played a crucial role in promoting India-Japan relations and it was instrumental in the successful creation of India-Japan global partnership which was announced by the Prime Ministers’ of both the countries in the wake of post-Pokharan sanctions. India Center Foundation was established in 1996 with the vision of catalyzing the relationship between the two countries.

Earlier, addressing a business meeting organised jointly by FICCI, CII and ASSOCHAM, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe underlined the need for a bilateral currency swap agreement and called upon the private sector in both countries to assist their respective governments in meeting the challenge of climate change that Japan and India have decided to tackle at the global level.

Mr. Abe reiterated his government’s commitment to assist India in infrastructure development, particularly the Delhi-Mumbai and Delhi-Kolkata Dedicated Freight Corridors and Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor.

Wednesday, August 22, 2007

Chaos stalls proceedings in assembly second dayRather, Qarra exchange heated words; NC, PP legislators protest

Athar Parvaiz


SRINAGAR, Aug 22: Chaotic scenes dominated the proceedings of in the state assembly for the second consecutive day and the scheduled business got suspended with the legislators in opposition benches protesting in favour of their persistent demands.
The speaker had to enforce adjournment thrice as every attempt to resume the scheduled business proved unsuccessful. Prior to the adjournment of the house on the third and final occasion, leader of Opposition Abdul Rahim Rather and Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister,

Tariq Hameed Qarra exchanged words of criticism and disparagement. They also made arguments in favour of their respective benches and both of them refused to take the responsibility of the resultant chaos on the two successive days. Later, Rather further elaborated his and his party's viewpoint during a press conference outside the assembly complex.
The high drama began at the very outset today as the legislators from district Kupwara, donning black aprons, inscribed with the slogan "Estehsal Bandh Karo", walked into the well of the house and demanded immediate attention towards the far-flung district. They said that the district has altogether been ignored just because people of Kupwara have elected NC candidates. Those who raised slogans included: Qaiser Jamshed, Kafeel-ur-Rehman, Mir Saifullah and Sharief-u-Din Shariq. Jamshed and his other colleagues were later forced to leave the house as the speaker observed that they were disprupting the proceedings.

Mubarak Gul and legislators of Panthers Party also chose to get assertive in favour of their respective demands. Mubarak demanded attention about the "deteriorating condition of Srinagar city" whereas legislators of Panthers Party demanded immediate revocation of suspension of Harsh Dev Singh. Harsh was suspended by the Speaker on Tuesday after senior Congress leader, Pandit Mangat Ram Sharma moved a motion for his suspension.

All the members later raised joint slogans: "Nekami Sarkar Hai Hai.. Choroon Ki Sarkar Hai Hai." Finding the members unrelenting, the speaker adjourned the house for 10 minutes (which ultimately continued for more than an hour). When the attempt was made for the second time to resume the "business" at 12:05 pm, Panthers Party (PP) legislators started raising fierce slogans in favour of revocation of suspension orders against their leader, Harsh Dev Singh.

Jammu and Kashmir in nutshell today:Drama in Jamm and Kashmir assembly

Amid continuous clashes in Assembly, Cong comes closer to PDP, Panthers to NCOn day 2 of failed business, Govt hints at aborting session

From Ahmed Ali Fayyaz

SRINAGAR, Aug 22: Continuous clashes on varied issues between the Opposition and the ruling coalition on the second consecutive day in the Legislative Assembly today concluded with the senior Congress leader and Minister incharge CAPD Taj Mohiuddin's revelation that the Government would ask the Speaker to adjourn the current session sine die if National Conference (NC) persisted with its 'tactics of disrupting the business'. The House witnessed mayhem as NC's MLAs from Kupwara sought "justice" to their district and three of the Panthers Party's MLAs demanded revocation of the suspension of their colleague Harsh Dev Singh who had been punished on Tuesday for allegedly threatening to murder Minister for Rural Development, Jugal Kishore Sharma.

"We are seriously thinking to request the Speaker to adjourn this session sine die if National Conference did not discard its tactics of disrupting the business in the House", Taj Mohiuddin threatened at an interaction with media on premises of Legislative Assembly. According to him, the "real cause" of NC's indignation was that the senior PDP leader and Minister incharge Law and Parliamentary Affairs, Tariq Hameed Qarra, had touched some sensitive nerves of the Opposition leaders by exposing their "doublespeak".

He said it was utterly unfortunate that senior NC leaders, who have been members of the House for over 25 years, used "derogatory language" to silence Mr Qarra. "They shouted that the Minister had gone mad", Taj referred to the leader of the Opposition Abdul Rahim Rather's unexpunged remarks on the Parliamentary Affairs Minister. Speaking on behalf of his Congress party, Taj said: "We endorse each and every word of the Law Minister".

Taj's outburst came minutes after he came out of Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad's chambers, clearly to express his party's solidarity with the ruling coalition sibling. He was escorted to the dais by a number of the coalition MLAs and Ministers, notably PDP's Abdul Aziz Zargar and Dilawar Mir besides Jugal Kishore of Congress. Taj and Zargar accosted the journalists immediately after NC's Abdul Rahim Rather and Panthers Party's Balwant Singh Mankotia lashed out on the coalition Government separately at a platform created by the State Information Department. Both, Taj and Zargar held NC and PP members responsible for disrupting the business and "playing with the sentiments of the people". They said that the Opposition had run out of the issues and was taking refuge under "cheap histrionics". Rather and Mankotia had earlier separately put the blame of disrupting the business on the Treasury Benches.
Briefing mediapersons, Rather said that in his earlier statement in the Assembly today, Mr Qarra had presented himself as a "mad man". "As everything was turning calm, the Parliamentary Affairs Minister got up without any reason and made an impromptu outburst on the Opposition. I did seriously realise that the Minister had turned mad. I told the Speaker that the Minister had some mental problem and was in need of a medical examination. I told him that we had a well equipped mental hospital with qualified doctors here", an unusually irritated Rather vomitted.

He alleged that the Law Minister's tantrums, coupled with the Speaker's repeated orders of adjournment, were "part of a conspiracy to scuttle business of the House". In his briefing, Mankotia lamented that the Speaker had taken extreme action against Harsh Dev Singh for a disputed incident that had occurred outside the Assembly but he had not explained under what rule of the business he had entertained the Congress leader Mangat Ram Sharma's motion and hastily expelled an elected representative.

NC's, PP's and the coalition's briefings and counter-briefings were understandably preceded by hours of unruly scenes on day three of the current session in Assembly. With the Speaker's arrival, three of NC's MLAs from Kupwara---Kafeel-ur-Rehman, Qaisar Jamsheed Lone and Mir Saifullah---emerged on the well while shouting slogans and seeking "justice" to their backward district in development. Wearing black aprons, emblazoned with bold slogans in Urdu, all the three MLAs continued with their dramatic demonstration, forcing the Speaker to order an adjournment of 10 minutes. Proceedings, however, resumed after a pause of one hour. When the agitating MLAs, supported by many of their party colleagues from their seats, persisted with the drama, their own party colleague and Deputy Speaker, Mohammad Akbar Lone, who was this time in chair, ordered watch and ward staff to take them out.

Even as everybody seemed to be appreciative of the Deputy Speaker's action and Speaker Tara Chand took the seat in a relaxed atmosphere, Mr Rather got up and requested Mr Tara Chand to withdraw Harsh Dev Singh's suspension for rest of the session. Speaker told him that he had received the submission and would consider it properly before coming up with his decision. On this occasion, NC's senior leader Ali Mohammad Sagar too got up and began disputing the penal action against the PP's MLA as "unwarranted, unjustified and unconstitutional". It immediately ignited all three of the PP MLAs who began shouting volleys of slogans and occupied the well. As the Parliamentary Affairs Minister Mr Qarra got up and began making a statement, PP's Balwant Singh Mankotia began gesticulating and snatched away his microphone. This prompted the watch and ward staff to quickly run to the Minister's rescue and drag out all three of the PP MLAs.

Taking umbrage on the ruckus caused by the NC and the PP MLAs over Harsh Dev's suspension, Qarra turned bitter and directed his ire on Rather. Continuing his hard-hitting speech, he slapped the accusation of "doublespeak" on Rather and shouted that the latter had proved himself as incompetent in functioning as Leader of the Opposition. "Mr Rather, don't you have any control on your members. This pandemonium has questioned your competence as Leader of the Opposition", he shouted on the NC leader. He claimed that Mr Rather had assured maintenance of order from the Opposition in his meetings with the Minister and the Speaker but he was encouraging and provoking a many members in the Opposition to create mayhem.

"This is all a drama to demonstrate to the media as you people have no issue to confront the Government. Why doesn't the Leader of Opposition know as to where the black aprons of his MLAs came from. We'll hold you accountable--- in the people's court", Qarra grumbled and evoked louder slogans from the Opposition. "Mr Speaker, you'll have to think if this House could run with this pandemonium. You'll have to take an appropriate decision", Qarra directed on the Speaker.
As Qarra paused with thumping of desks in his praise by several PDP and Congress members, Rather retorted in the din of anti-Government slogans by NC MLAs that the Minister incharge Parliamentary Affairs had turned "mad". This prompted Speaker Mr Tara Chand to adjourn the business till tomorrow. Significantly, Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad, who was present in his chambers and also visited a medical camp outside on Shergarhi Lawns, distanced himself from the mayhem and did not enter the House.
Three-hour-long drama on the floor of Assembly came at the cost of authorities subjecting hundreds of thousands of people to untold suffering outside. Entire public movement remains frozen in the top business streets of Budshah Chowk, Maisuma, Koker Bazar, Jehangir Chowk and parts of Hari Singh High Street from beginning to end of every day's business in the Legislature. While the shopkeepers have been complaining losses worth Rs 20 to 50 cr every day, residents and other commuters have got to live in a curfew-like situation. Any demand of relaxation is being perceived by the authorities as comprise to security guidelines.

Speaker's announcement of adjournment was quickly followed by leaders of all the political parties approaching media and attempting to convince them that their rivals were responsible for failure of business on yesterday and today. When journalists asked Taj Mohiuddin why the session had not been held at SKICC if the Government, according to him, was really concerned about the people's suffering outside, he pleaded that the convention complex had been booked by different parties one to two years in advance. He said it was impossible for the Government to disturb the conferences at SKICC. When it was pointed out to him that no international conference was booked at SKICC during the current session of legislature, he said that he would check the records.

While Minister for Rural Development, Jugal Kishore, explained to the journalists as to how and why the PP members had been threatening and abusing him for "pre-empting the exploitation of Talwara migrants" in Reasi area, PP's President and MLC Bhim Singh spread fire in all directions, with the exception of NC and BJP. He alleged that Jammu Police had unleashed a reign of terror on his workers and Talwara migrants on the directions of Chief Minister and senior Police officials in Jammu. He alleged that most of the Congress party's MLAs and Ministers had swindled an amount of Rs 70 cr which Government of India had provided for the relief of Talwara migrants on a direction from Supreme Court. In an explicit allegation, he claimed that Taj Mohiuddin had grabbed 500 kanals of land at river Tawi in Jammu city in addition to spending Rs 5 cr of State exchequer on his private bungalow. He held out a threat that his party would continue agitation until Harsh Dev Singh's suspension was revoked by the Speaker.

Friday, August 17, 2007

Commonwealth Games Village: Fight to save the Yamuna

Abhishek Behl

The proposed Games Village seems to be in trouble as two groups have locked horns over its construction on the Yamuna floodplains. Whereas the first group is backed by builders and Delhi Government, the other comprises of ecologists and activists.



A BATTLE HAS begun between two interest groups on the banks of river Yamuna. While one is bent upon occupying the Yamuna floodplains to construct the high profile Commonwealth Games Village with the support of the State, the other is aiming to stop this construction as it threatens the very ecology of the river.

The first group comprises of powerful builders working in unison with Delhi Government as well as the Union government. In contrast, their opponents comprise of an assorted group of environmentalists, local farmers, social activists and members of Delhi Resident Welfare Associations as well as local villagers.

By joining the ‘crusade’, renowned water activist Rajendra Singh has not only boosted the morale of the environmentalists but added to their rank and file too.

The Games village is proposed to be constructed on a prime piece of property, adjacent to famous Akshardham temple on the National (Delhi-Nainital) highway. Construction on the site began on August 10 and it was marked by a strong protest by ‘Save Yamuna’ activists, who have been camping on the site since last 13 days.

Accusing the government for neglecting the interests of the people for the sake of commercial interests of few, the environmentalists have asked Delhi Development Authority (DDA) to explain as to on what grounds it decided to construct the Games Village on Yamuna river bed.

They opined that the proposed construction was in gross violation of the NEERI report titled ‘Environmental Management Plan for Rejuvenation of River Yamuna in NCT’, which explicitly states, “No residential or industrial facilities requiring permanent structures should be provided on the river bed.”

Further, the protestors claim that the Yamuna Standing Committee accorded no specific permission to DDA for raising the permanent residential multi-storied flats in the name of ‘Commonwealth Games Village’ alongside the Akshardham temple on Yamuna floodplains.

Speaking on the occasion, noted water activist, Rajendra Singh said that construction on the river bed would lead to the destruction of Yamuna, which is the lifeline of Delhi and this loss would be irreversible. It could lead to floods as well as shortage of drinking water as concretization of the river would not allow the replenishment of the already receding water table of the city.

In a similar vein noted water activist, SA Naqvi accused the government of failing to safeguard the interests of the common man, particularly farmers, living in and around Delhi. Asserting that the proposed construction would not be allowed as it was against all environmental norms, Naqvi said that people’s power would win against the might of the State and power builder nexus.

Harpal Singh Rana, a local leader asked the people to unite against the unjust policies of the State and to take the fight unto the last. A few Delhi University students, who were present on the occasion expressed surprise over the government’s decision, “ Games village should be built on such land, which does not threaten the very existence of the people”, said Sonakshi, a DU student.

With battle lines drawn, it would be interesting to know that who will win the ‘game’? Will state power knock out the ‘Save Yamuna’ campaign or will the underdogs be able to wrest the initiative and Save Yamuna from extinction. If they manage to do so, it will not only save the river, the lifeline of the entire region.

The answer will be there for all to see in the next few days.

Monday, August 13, 2007

Merinews impact: Hotmail, Rediff make amends accept J&K as India

Abhishek Behl

Finally MSN Hotmail and Rediffmail.com have come around to recognize you as citizens of India, if you happen to be resident of Jammu and Kashmir.
The correction was made only after Merinews published the report regarding the absence of J&K from the list of Indian states available on both these sites.
It is worthwhile to mention that both these sites were not showing Jammu and Kashmir on the list of Indian states on their email registration forms.
A large number of people from Jammu and Kashmir had demanded that government should take immediate action against these sites as these were violating the law of the land.
It is pertinent to mention that Indian Parliament has unequivocally resolved that J&K is and will always be an integral part of the country.
As the emotions of millions of people were involved in the issue, Merinews had talked to senior representatives of MSN and Rediff, who had admitted that omitting Jammu and Kashmir from the list was a serious mistake.
Both MSN and Rediffmail.com came good on their promise of rectifying this technical glitch, which had sent a wave of anger among the residents of Jammu and Kashmir in particular and Indian citizens in general
Appreciating the prompt action taken by these sites, Mohd Shahid, a JK resident, said “I am really happy that merinews took up the cause of the people of the valley and compelled these big corporations to make amends”, adding the people of J&K form an integral part of the country.
That the people of the country were really unhappy with this situation can be clearly made from the fact that a large number of netizens had made put up angry comments against both the sites as well as the government.
Accusing the government of apathy, Mohd Mudassir Alam, had written, “Our political leaders should at least wake up now. Always they claim Kashmir as integral part of India, but when it comes to reality is far way. Even today most of the Kashmiris do not consider themselves neither an Indian or a Pakistani. Today Hotmail, Rediffmail is doing such types of things, if government wouldn't resolve the matter soon, chances are that the whole world will deny it as a part of India.”.
Likewise a number of concerned citizens had demanded that the matter should be taken up at the highest levels, however, the management of these two sites preempted any such thing and corrected the mistake at a war footing.



With inputs from Pritha Roy Choudhury

Thursday, August 09, 2007

For Hotmail and Rediff, J&K does not exist in India

Perhaps, married to the cold war legacy MSN Hotmail and Rediffmail.com do not show Jammu and Kashmir as part of India thus questioning the very integrity of the country.



IF YOU ARE a resident of Jammu and Kashmir, then Microsoft owned Hotmail.com does not recognise you as an Indian. Even our very Indian Rediffmail.com does the same although it considers Jammu as part of the country while Srinagar is missing from the list of cities.

Surprised! Just try to sign up for an account with Hotmail.com, and click on the box for the option of country, that is India. While you open this section all states of the country come up but Jammu and Kashmir, the crown of India does not exist in the category.

What can be the reason behind the absence of Jammu and Kashmir from this list?

Is it an inadvertent mistake or a sad reminder of the cold war legacy that MSN owned Hotmail.com does not recognise Jammu and Kashmir as part of India.

Startlingly the same happens when one registers for Rediffmail.com, but there is a catch, the name of Jammu crops up in the list of Indian cities in Rediff, while Kashmir or Srinagar remains to be absent from the list.

It may be worth mentioning that during the cold war, American institutions and companies used to refer Kashmir as a disputed territory in order to whiplash India.

The absence of Jammu and Kashmir from the list of states in the Hotmail account clearly sends this shocking message to millions of users worldwide that there is no state with this name in India.

The seriousness of the matter can be gauged from the fact that Hotmail is world’s largest free Web-based e-mail service provider and is used in more than 220 countries and territories.

As MSN Hotmail is said to be having around 190 million active accounts, it means that a population as large as world’s 5th largest country is being told, perhaps unintentionally that Jammu and Kashmir does not exist in India.

Similarly, Rediff.com, one of the most popular and most used mail platforms in the country and its failure to show Kashmir in the list of Indian cities can send very confusing signals to the people, particularly, the citizens of Jammu and Kashmir.

When Merinews spoke to some people about this fallacy they expressed deep anguish over the issue and demanded that Microsoft and Rediffmail and any other website doing the same should correct the situation at the earliest.

Chairman of the Internet Governance Forum, Nitin Desai, when contacted, said, “It is really surprising and this is not done. What will someone residing in Jammu and Kashmir who wants to sign up for these websites do? This fallacy needs to be addressed.” Desai is also the Under Secretary for Economy and Social Affairs United Nations.

The officials of MSN as well as Rediff.com maintained that this was a technical mistake and would be rectified at the earliest. Talking to merinews, Vice President (Marketing), Rediff.Com, Manish Agarwal, said that currently there is no city in the list from Kashmir Valley, “I think it is an unintentional error made by the guys working on it. I have taken a note of it and this will be rectified at the earliest.”

A senior official of MSN, India agreeing to speak on the condition of anonymity maintained that it was a technical glitch, “We will see that it is rectified as soon as possible.”

However when merinews pointed out the fallacy, MSN officials said they would rectify the error within a couple of hours, but one wonders why it did not occur to them earlier, which is very apparent.

People in the state of Jammu and Kashmir are flabbergasted over this mistake, intentional or otherwise, they allege that this is a part of larger conspiracy to ensure that Kashmir issue remains a disputed affair.

With inputs from Pritha Roy Choudhury, merinews

Saturday, August 04, 2007

Jammu

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Wednesday, July 18, 2007

Lashkar India coordinator liquidated in Kashmir, killing of Shally Singh avenged

Abhishek Behl, www.merinews.com

By killing a hard-core Laskkar-e-Taiba terrorist, Khalid-ur-Rehman in a pre-dawn operation in Doda today, the Jammu and Kashmir police added another feather to its cap.

THE JAMMU AND Kashmir police today received a shot in the arm, when it managed to liquidate Khalid-ur-Rehman alias Abu Omeira, all India coordinator of Lashkar-e-Taiba in a pre-dawn operation in Doda.
Rehman was a resident of Railway Colony, Bahawalpur in Pakistan and was considered to be one of the masterminds behind terror attacks in Jammu and Kashmir.

Active for past 10 years in Kashmir valley, Rehman was the chief architect of fidayeen attacks and he was instrumental in number of suicide killings in the state.
Being an innovator and experienced terrorist, he was also responsible for starting infiltration through the sea route in the country and was also involved in all activities and operations of Lashkar-e-Taiba in the country.

According to reports, after receiving a tip off about the whereabouts of the Lashkar militant, the Doda police swung into action and cordoned off the target house. According to reports, when the police asked the terrorist to surrender, he opened fire on the police party and jumped out of the house. While trying to escape, he attempted to forcibly enter an adjacent house and threw a grenade on the door to break it open.

“However, before he could enter the house, the policemen shot him dead,” informed a police officer while adding that a woman Mishra Begum was killed due to grenade sharpnels. Terming it as a major victory Manohar Singh, SSP, Doda informed that Rehman had been active in J&K for past ten years and was involved in numerous massacres and fidayeen attacks.

“Fidayeen or suicide attacks were introduced by Rehman in the state,” said Singh, adding that he had been transferred to Doda two years back after Ghulam Nabi Azad assumed the Chief ministerial chair in the state. The aim was to increase the terrorist activities in the Doda district and this he did with remarkable alacrity.

Rehman was also engaged in recruitment and is said to have sent hundreds of youth to Pakistan for arms training, police said. Police also claimed that Rehman was behind the killing of DSP Shally Singh, a daring officer of J&K police in Doda, a month back. He is also said to have planned a failed assassination attempt on Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad, during his visit to Doda few months back. The police had then arrested some political activists and managed to break into the terror cell and prevent the attack.

Similarly, the J&K police and even the intelligence agencies were caught on the wrong foot, when some arrested terrorists told them about infiltration from the sea route, which was obviously an innovation and said to be orchestrated by the deceased militant mastermind.

Tuesday, July 17, 2007

Resurgent militants attack army convoy in Kashmir, kill 2 jawans

Abhishek Behl and Aijaz Qazmi


Poonch, July 17—Substantiating the reports coming from different quarter that militants were trying to regroup in District Poonch, a group of militants today attacked an army convoy near totewali gali while it was on its way to Poonch killing 2 army jawans and injuring eight others sitting in a bus in the rear of the convoy.
Following the attack a fierce encounter ensued between the militants and the security men in which six sepoys including two Naiks were injured.
According to reports, the convoy had started at 1:30 in the afternoon from Biji and around 3 pm it was attacked somewhere between totewali gali and Bhatta Durian, on Surankote Rajauri road.
A militant, who was hiding alongside the road suddenly came in front of the convoy and fired indiscriminately in which army gunner Hare Krishna of 25 RR died on the spot, while critically injuring driver S Basant, who also succumbed to his injuries.
During the ensuing encounter which lasted for over an hour, eight army men were injured which included Naik Mohan of 25 RR, Sepoy Kali Subhash and Sepoy JK Bamari of 25 RR, Naik Khammiah and naik Govind of 40 RR, Clerk Braham Dutt of 169 Military Hospital, JCO Ashok Singh and Havaldar Ashok Joshi of 16 RR.
The militant attack comes in the wake of repeated reports that militants are trying to regroup and increase their activities in district Poonch and adjoining Mendhar which lies along the line of control.
Despite reports coming from different quarters that militancy was likely to be boosted in the area, the government and various security agencies have remained in a mode of denial over the heighten terror activities.
During the past few months, terrorists have managed to hit important targets in the state, particularly the attack on Dy Sp Yougal Manhas and killing of Dy SP Shally and this should have ringed the warning bells for the authorities.

Reports of militants trying to re-establish their network has been doing the round for the past several months and according to the local grapevine recruitment and indoctrination of local youth is on the prime agenda of different groups operating the area.
Security forces and government authorities have however denied the movement of terrorists despite acts of high profile violence. Sources said that if proper action was not taken to neutralize these groups than the situation could turn bad.

Monday, July 16, 2007

LoP and not LoC, says PM Manmohan Singh

Abhishek Behl, www.merinews.com,
merinews network



Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Sunday called for a 'historic reconciliation of hearts and minds in our region' in a fresh peace overture to Pakistan. He urged that the Line of Control (LoC) dividing Kashmir should become a 'line of peace'.



THE ASPIRATIONS of all sections of people in each of the three regions of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh would be taken into account while pursuing the development of a united State of Jammu & Kashmir. He also urged the people of the state to work towards making the line of control redundant.

Calling upon people of the state to join hands, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said when power flows to the grassroots and every community gets space, there is no sense of discrimination. “I appeal, therefore, to the people of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh to join hands in building a glorious future for all the young people of this beautiful state. Our dialogue with Pakistan seeks to end the bitter legacy of the last 60 years, and begin a new chapter in our bilateral relations.

The Prime Minister was speaking at Special function organized at the Jammu University to honour him with Honoris Causa. He was conferred with a Degree of Letters (Honoris Causa) by the Chancellor of the University of Jammu, Lt. Gen.(Retd.) S. K. Sinha, in Jammu yesterday.

Exhorting upon all the stakeholders to seize the chance of making history, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said that time is ripe for making a genuine effort to build peace and create the conditions for a historic reconciliation of hearts and minds in the region. For sixty years, he said, “we have lived with tension and periods of violence, both internally and in our relations with Pakistan. You all know, better than anyone else, the tragic consequences of war, terrorism, conflict and displacement.”

Asserting that the LoC could be made redundant, the PM said that he hoped and believed that Jammu and Kashmir can, one day, become a symbol of India-Pakistan cooperation rather than of conflict. “As I have stated earlier, borders cannot be changed, but they can be made irrelevant. There can be no question of divisions or partitions, but the Line of Control can become a line of peace with a freer flow of ideas, goods, services and people. We could, for example, use the land and water resources of the region jointly for the benefit of all the people living on both sides of the Line of Control. Similarly, there are vast opportunities to jointly work together for the mutual benefit of our people,” he added.

Manmohan Singh also said, “It goes without saying that this can only happen once terrorism and violence end permanently. I have said this before and I say it again, real political power in a democracy comes from the ballot box, not the barrel of a gun. We are firm in our resolve to fight terrorism and to end the blackmail of terror in this peace-loving State. We are committed to winning the hearts and minds of all.”

Friday, July 13, 2007

Freedom from cyber crime: No reply, no buy, no spam

Abhishek Behl, www.merinews.com


In an era when cyber crime is rising drastically, one should be extra careful while replying to unknown mails and subscribing to journals, magazines etc.



BEWARE. Before clicking on any email just take your time and see to it that you are clicking on a message which comes from a secure source. Not taking this precaution will make you susceptible to the guile of thousands of cyber criminals waiting to misuse your identity or sensitive data. This in turn can set you back from a million to a few hundred rupees.

The cyber criminals are using highly sophisticated techniques to play with an individual’s need thereby motivating them to part with personal and proprietary financial information.

According to a study conducted by Dr James Blascovich, professor of Psychology at the University of California, Santa Barbara cyber criminals use common emotions like fear, lust, and greed to methodically steal money, information and data.

Email is the most potent tool being used by the cyber criminals to prey upon millions of unsuspecting internet users, who are bombarded with unsolicited mail, some of which often promises bank loans, free credit cards and company of beautiful females and so on and so forth.

Even the most smart internet user is beguiled and charmed into the email offensive as cyber criminals are knocking at the doors using different psychological approaches to motivate the potential users.

There are emails which have a stamp of authority like ‘must complete and submit’, ‘your unique code’; then there are mails which are friendly and say ‘mail from family or friends’, ‘is it you’; the lure of greed is also thrown in, with emails offering free downloads; emotions, love and loss is another aspect of human personality which is attacked with mailers like ‘another week alone’, ‘want a beautiful friend or lonely woman needs company.’

In addition, there are other aspects like cultural affairs, auction frauds, lottery scams, sexual promises that are used to lure a prospective victim to make the kill.

The smart cyber outlaw knows that these enticements will play with the psychological moderators, which include legitimacy and familiarity and help them in netting the prey. In addition, gullibility, lack of rational decision-making and all around knowledge make the net users more prone to crime.

According to the study, a person may be an expert computer user but he might not be well versed with business practices and this can happen in the reverse direction too. If the scam-spam mail looks familiar and legitimate, then the recipient’s doubts are allayed and he is ready to fish in the troubled waters.

Likewise, if the spam mail is promising goodies, then a promotion oriented person is enticed whereas if the message is one concerning with avoiding loss, then a prevention-oriented person is likely to open and use it. Here it must be mentioned that sometimes even opening the email can beset the user with trouble in the form of a virus or a pernicious software download.

Even replying to an unsolicited email can cause serious problems as software can steal your entire proprietary data and financial information, which can be really dangerous.

When the enemy is so clever, then a user might ask-what is the fix for this problem and how can a cyber criminal be kept at bay. The answer lies simply in accepting the fact that everyone including the smartest people using the net can easily become victims of this fraud.

While you are asked to unsubscribe from a spam, just remember that you have never signed up initially to receive these mails and these have been forced down your throat, albeit digitally.

Don’t publish your email on any discussion forum or website but if still you want to join any forum then get yourself an additional email account for this purpose.

Use a separate email account for signing up for journals, magazines, trade fairs and similar such services.

Don’t unsubscribe from an email message immediately and keep it in a separate folder for some weeks in order to review it.

Please remember never to reply to spam and also do not buy anything from spammer, if you do not want to lose your money, identity and peace of mind at the hands of the cyber criminals.

Interstate bus operators add to Blueline woes

Abhishek Behl, www.merinews.com


While the Blueline buses in Delhi have terrorized the people on roads by killing many of them, there is another set of bus operators working clandestinely and giving sleepless nights to interstate travellers.



THE ORDEAL for an interstate traveller particularly those travelling to the Holy Shrine of Mata Vaishno Devi in Jammu and Kashmir starts as soon as he reaches Lal Quila, the abode of former Mughal emperor Shah Jahan and now the front office of a number of travel operators having offices in the vicinity.

Within seconds of reaching the place, the gullible travellers are hounded by the touts of different travel agents, who offer you the latest rates for buses to different cities. Risking their lives to catch hold of the potential customers, these youngsters do not mind jumping head on to the rickshaws and cars and luring the customers towards their travel agencies.

Mind you; there is no fixed fare for a journey, a person can be made to pay double the amount paid by someone in the adjacent seat and traveling the same distance. Recently during a trip, Rakesh Sharma, a Delhi based businessman talking to merinews said that he was made to pay twice the amount which was charged from the gentleman sitting next to him.

The issue here is not only the money but the manner in which the passengers are treated with royal disdain without any care for their comfort. As no bus timings are followed by these travel operators, the passengers are made to sweat in the heat and grime of Chandni Chowk’s pollution.

Recounting her experience of a horrendous bus yatra on way to the Vaishno Devi Shrine, Pallavi Sharma, said that they boarded the bus at 8 pm in evening and were excited to leave for Jammu. However, the hurry to leave Delhi turned into an endless wait as the bus operator refused to budge from the place till all the seats were filled up. “We heaved a sigh of relief as the bus started moving but to our horror the bus continued to move about suspiciously on the roads of Delhi,” she said, adding that it was only after the driver picked up passengers from Majnu Ka Tila that it started its journey outside Delhi.

Torment for the passengers did not end here, her sister Puja said, “Instead of taking the highway the bus driver decided to take a detour via Bhalswa dairy which was another horrible experience. There being a huge garbage dump in the area the stench was unbearable,” she added.

Here it must be mentioned that majority of the buses operating on the Jammu-Delhi route are doing so without valid papers. This is one of the reasons that some of the drivers take roads where even angels fear to tread, says Mohd Shahid of Delhi, while recounting his experience of travelling from Jammu to Delhi in private bus. The bus started from Lal Quila and after traversing through various Delhi routes took state highways which are not on the routine map. The bus passed through Ludhiana, took Rahon Machiwara route and passed through similar routes, and all this he said was done perhaps to avoid the authorities.

Not averse to putting the lives of passengers in danger, these drivers often indulge in rash driving in order to cover the time which has been often wasted while looking out for passengers.

A veteran traveller on this route, Amarjit Singh said that drivers often try to cover as much as 250 kms in two hours during the night which often proves to be fatal on the Indian roads.

Asking the government to come down heavily on these operators, he demanded that authorities should put a check on the movement of interstate buses run by private operators. He, however, also said that there were some scrupulous travel operators also, who are playing by the book and ensure the comfort of the bus passenger.

Friday, July 06, 2007

Climate change devours Amarnath lingam

Abhishek Behl


The melting ice-lingam in the Amarnath cave shrine is just a signal of the things to come. It calls for long term plans to address the issue instead of stop-gap arrangements.



THE MELTING of the holy Shiv Lingam for the past few years at the Amarnath cave shrine has been an agonizing event for most of the devotees, who make the arduous trek to the holy shrine fighting the elements. But, from another perspective this also sends a message that Shiva-the supreme lord is not happy with human beings and is not willing to give darshan. The ice lingam at the Amarnath caves used to remain frozen for months in the previous years but extreme changes in climatic conditions have made it impossible for the phenomenon to continue. The holy ice lingam which is formed every year due to a natural process has been melting prematurely due to the extreme heat being witnessed in the area for the past few years.

Notwithstanding the simple fact that global warming has initiated a number of climatic changes, the controversy surrounding the melting of the ice lingam at the Amarnath Cave shrine has become a perennial feature. This controversy will linger on till the yatra is over like it has been happening for the past few years. Putting the responsibility for the melting of the lingam squarely on the State Government, Chief Executive Officer (Ecology) of the Shri Amar Nath Shrine Board, Arun Kumar in an interview said that this happened due to delay in the transfer of land for preserving the ice lingam. Governor SK Sinha, who also presides over the Shrine Board, however, blamed the weather for the melting of the holy lingam, adding, that he had witnessed it in full during an earlier visit.

Last year also, a huge controversy had broken out over the alleged tampering with the ice-lingam at the cave shrine, which had forced the authorities to order a judicial inquiry into the matter. It is not beyond comprehension that religious sensibilities are hurt, when a pilgrim is not able to have darshan of the very deity for which he/she has travelled thousands of kilometers. But it must be accepted that that humans are very much responsible for the melting of this lingam. It is worthwhile to mention that June 26 night was one of the hottest nights in the Kashmir valley when the minimum temperature was recorded at above 22 degree Celsius.

The temperature inside the cave rises not only due to the increasingly warm days in the area but also due to human activity which includes burning of candles, incense sticks as well as the heat generated from human bodies. A warning must be read into the study conducted by the High Altitude Warfare School (HAWS) and Snow and Avalanche Studies Establishment (SASE) last year which said that the glacier cover of the Amarnath cave has receded by 100 meters. Since, Amarnath shrine is part of a natural glacier it is important that this pilgrimage respects the biotic environment of the area and it remains undisturbed.

Putting aside the controversies, the time has come for the Amarnath Yatra Shrine Board, J&K government and State Pollution Control authorities to take necessary steps to prevent the melting of the holy lingam which is also a signal of the damage done to the environment. A concerted effort by the stakeholders can ensure that pilgrims from all over the country and even from abroad do not have to face the specter of a vanishing lingam. The state government and Shrine Board should get in touch with DRDO and put in place a technological system which will ensure that temperature is kept at freezing point inside the cave. At the macro level the government of Jammu and Kashmir will have to act fast and check the increasing depletion of state forests which is one of the prime reasons for extreme variations in weather.

Pollution caused by the pilgrims also acts as a major problem in the area and the State Pollution Control Board has an important role to play in this regard. It must educate the pilgrims and also ensure that the leftovers do not create an ecological crisis in the area.

All these indications suggest that the time has come for a concerted action. While in the short run, the melting lingam can be saved by using technology but permanent solutions are needed to reverse the havoc wrought by us on mother Earth. Whatever has been done cannot be undone but the melting lingam every year is sending the message that we have to act fast and find a remedy. Or else there is the danger that like the holy lingam the human race might melt into oblivion due to its own follies.

Wednesday, July 04, 2007

Fake currency charge stumps PoK visitors

Abhishek Behl, Merinews


Two visitors from Pakistan already wary of visiting India had a nightmarish experience when they crossed over to this side of the border. Suspected of bringing in fake currency the duo was released only after tasting the hospitality of security forces.



THOSE LIVING in Pakistan particularly in Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) always dream of visiting Jammu and Kashmir to meet their relatives and friends, long separated by the curse of partition. The shared burden of history and three wars between India and Pakistan have almost made it impossible for people on both sides of the border to meet each other.

Although the opening of borders at Uri in Kashmir and Poonch in Jammu has allowed the people to realize their dream of meeting each other but the hardened attitude of the establishment on both sides of the border has often been a bugbear for the visitors.

Recently, two visitors from Pakistan occupied Kashmir recently had to face the wrath of investigating agencies fuelled by a shared sense of mistrust and suspicion. When Ashiq Khan and Liaqat Khan, both residents of Kotli in PoK crossed over to this side of the border in Poonch they were thrilled as a grand reception was awaiting them in Mendhar. However, the moments of bliss proved momentary courtesy the Immigration and Customs authorities, who asked the duo to stay put as they were suspected of bringing in fake currency.

The authorities were not moved even when the visitors told that this currency worth Rs 990 in ten rupee notes, was handed over to them by a designated bank at the Pakistani Customs and Immigration point. The duo was made to sit throughout the day at the Immigration point and in the evening they were handed over to Police authorities in Poonch.

While authorities were taking their own time to investigate the matter, both Ashiq and Liaqat feared the worst if anything came out against them during the checks. Talking later to the media persons, the duo said that they were thinking of a long term in jail and prayed to god for an early sorting out of the matter. Their calls were perhaps answered by God, when the branch manager of Jammu and Kashmir Bank, who was brought in by Poonch police verified the antecedents of the currency and told that it was original.
It was only after the local bank officials informed that the currency was not fake that the duo was released by the police late in the night.

SHO of Poonch, Nisar Khan, when contacted admitted that the duo had been arraigned on the suspicion of bringing fake currency but they were released later. He said that the since the currency proved to be original no case was made against them.

Not ready to take the risk of travelling in the thick of the night, the visibly shaken Ashiq Khan and Liaqat Khan called it a day in Poonch. During an interaction with locals, they said “This was one of the most harrowing days in my life and I pray to god the same should not happen to anyone both in India and Pakistan.”

Although people in both India and Pakistan are ready to forget the past and move on to future but it seems that the officials on both sides are frozen in history, said Ashiq Khan, adding “if we don’t move on history will never forgive us.”

Thursday, June 28, 2007

Probe Kashmir 'molestation' by soldiers: Antony

New Delhi, June 28: Defence Minister A.K. Antony Thursday ordered a probe into the alleged molestation of a girl by two soldiers in Jammu and Kashmir, an incident that has sparked widespread protests.
"The minister has taken the incident seriously and asked the defence secretary to look into it," a defence ministry official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.Bandipora town in north Kashmir Wednesday witnessed protests and a shutdown for the second day Wednesday against the alleged molestation of a local girl by two soldiers of the 57 Rashtriya Rifles counter-insurgency force.
Hundreds of angry demonstrators shouted slogans against the army in Bandipora, 54 km from Kashmir summer capital Srinagar, even as locals paraded the offenders naked and with their heads shaven.
The locals said the two soldiers were caught while attempting to rape a girl in Kunan village on the outskirts of Bandipora town late Tuesday.The soldiers are currently lodged in the Bandipora police station.Ten civilians and five policemen were rounded up Wednesday when police intervened to take the two soldiers into custody."

The soldiers were on routine patrol duties in Kunan when the civilians took them hostage. We have initiated our investigations into the matter," said Brigadier V. Garg, commander of the army's 81 Mountain Brigade under whose command the Rashtriya Rifles operates in Bandipora district.
The protesters, however, maintained that the soldiers could not have been on patrol duty as they were unarmed and were caught from a house in the village.The district administration has assured the people that appropriate action would be taken against the soldiers after investigations.

Shivraj Patil to visit J&K from Saturday

The Home Minister, Shri Shivraj Patil will visit Jammu and Kashmir from Saturday. During the two-day visit, he will discuss with the Chief Minister and senior officers of the State Government the security situation in the State. He will also review the security arrangements made for the Amarnath Yatra. The Home Minister will be accompanied, among others, by the Directors General of CRPF and BSF and Special Secretary (Internal Security) in the Ministry of Home Affairs.

Monday, June 25, 2007

J&K govt to restore Bemina woollen mills


SRINAGAR: Jammu and Kashmir government will make all efforts to restore the pristine glory of the Bemina woollen mills. "The woollen products of the state are popular throughout Asia. We have to put in all our efforts to restore the pristine glory of this industry," Minister for Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution Taj Mohiuddin on Monday said at a meeting here.

The meeting was convened to discuss matters relating to the revival of sick government owned Bemina woollen mills. Mohiuddin said the continuous slump of bemina woollen mills despite the availability of raw material, labour and machinery is a cause for concern.

Strategy is needed for making the defunct units functional and give boost to local products, he said adding the government departments including Health, Police and Tourism would be asked to purchase woollen products from the government wool board and woollen mills. Top state officials attended the meeting

Firing on Gujjars in Jammu

Jammu, June 25--An attempt to grab a piece of land in Majalta area under the Nagrota police station was foiled today.
The police fired at a group of Gujjars in Majalta, when they tried to capture 87 Kanals of government land. Police resorted to firing after the alleged land grabbers refused to vacate the land despite repeated warnings.
No one was injured in the firing and situation has been brought under control till last reports came in.

15 injured in Grenade blast at Doda

Jammu, June 25--Fifteen civilians were wounded three of them critically, when unidentified militants lobbed a hand grenade near old Bus stand of Doda, on Monday afternoon.
Official sources said that suspected militants lobbed a hand grenade targeting civilians who had just reached to Bus-Stand from their respective villages for purchasing ration.
Reports reaching here revealed that panic gripped the area after the blast as the people start running presuming it as a fidayeen attack. As the things calm down, the police and local residents shifted the injured to a Sub-District Hospital, where the condition of three persons was stated to be critical.

Thursday, May 31, 2007

The ferment in Kashmir

By HL Shishoo
Nearly half a century back, the then Prime Minister of the Jammu & Kashmir State was asked about the density of pro-Indian people in the valley. Without any effort he said that along with him every body was pro-Indian and without him every body was anti-Indian.

Nothing much has changed since then, for those in power every person is for India and for those opposing the present status quo every person is a separatist. In broad perspective all leaders claim to be one with the people and for the people but the essence of all political activity in the State is firstly power, secondly, power and thirdly power, animated of course by covetousness and ambition.

However great leaders the State may have produced they were not great enough to forgo lust for power, voluntarily for the sake of pride of their people, because self-interest was the operating force of their political thought. The power equation between power holders and power seekers kept changing like an orchestra in the auditorium but music remained unchanged.

The most puzzling thing is that Kashmiris could not produce a quality leadership bound by the rules of honor, representing the wave of the future and dedicated to the cause of building a sense of dignity in local politics. In absence of leadership of excellent abilities and honest intentions, people are left hanging on a trembling and doubtful balance.

A number of factors may have contributed and even conspired tg bring the common man’s state of mind to the present stagnation but the most obvious cause is inaction and lack of positive attitude towards building a stable political system. The harsh reality of the political equation in Kashmir is that people are neither honest to themselves nor to others, even in the pressing times they are scheming and fighting for personal advantage.

They have no doubt become articulate by showing faith in the political realism that offers something to every body without seriously offending any body. By shedding the very genius and spirit of political morality they are trading larger interests for individual prosperity, one good result being that the specter of separatist politics disappears in the final tally of profit. The consequences are that in spite of illusory quest, most of the people want to retain the present status quo to preserve their privileged economic and social status.

The crudest understanding is that the mental backup of common man in Kashmir has been bolted by revenge killings and overwhelming social pressure but Kashmiris posses amazing adaptability and disposition born of self-preserving instincts. Violence, intimidation and fear are no doubt integral part of daily life but even in the most unrewarding circumstances people’s creative energies are intact and very active. For most of their common day problems people find answers on the ground of pure logic and pure mathematics and having intensely inert intellectuals on their side is an added advantage that helps a great deal to dull the political advantage of the separatists.

People committed to the dignity of work have since disappeared from the scene, displaced in physical sense by the people who make gains from the benefit of delayed task of finding a solution to the political issues.In order to make a strict distinction between the separatist tendencies in Kashmir and rest of the State, the picture presented by the separatists must be corrected by more balanced perception of reality. There exists a different position in Jammu and Ladakh where separatist intentions did not get the support to proceed beyond the first stage.

Despite Violence, separatism looks more or less a surface phenomenon to most of the people but on the grounds of pure logic they have assumed a mask to supersede inner expressions and emotions. On the one side people’s immersion in separatist politics is shallow and tenuous and on the other side their interest in the elected Government is need based and transitory.

Let us be very honest that the secessionist movement is not a revolution by common consent but it is the fear that stands between slave impulse and in the way of freedom of expression, accommodation and reason.Inability of the main political parties, Congress and the National Conference to satisfy the political aspirations of the people undoubtedly led to the eruption of pent-up forces whose intention is to break through the status quo.

The movement instead of working through legislature and parliament relies on rigorous and ruthless programme of implementation and has worked two ways, one by paralyzing the will of the people and another by giving respectability to the separatists who were desperately trying to gain recognition among the masses. Militancy worked like a juggernaut rolling on regardless of innocent people crushed beneath it but it failed to clean the Augean stables or solve the political problems.

The greatest good that has happened to the common man is the economic reconstruction, the impetus of which is towards development of infrastructure and creation of jobs for the educated unemployed. Separatists are using intoxicating phrases in political sense to influence the political understanding of the common man who is paying heavy price for the contradictions in their fundamentals.

Separatist conduct does neither make them the prophets of a new era nor do they hold the winning edge but they are definitely working against the future. Separatism will survive in the State as long as it receives indirect support from legislature and the bureaucracy, former by consistent wavering and later by running a State within the State. It is not surprising that bureaucracy works at various levels in most intricate ways that is difficult to detect, to strengthen the separatist movement in the State.

A strong current of thought works in the bureaucracy that fixes jobs for separatist cadres within the police and administration, strengthens its finances by arranging economic assistance, helps in securing Government contracts, facilitates loans from Banks and Financial institutions, manipulates financial relief on flimsy grounds and ensures striking of work in Government institutions to compliment the separatist propaganda.It will be absolutely disastrous for India if any attempt is made under the influence of political turncoats to roll back the history of the State.

Militancy will stay long even if a solution is found but a strong will is needed to blunt its potency and base because the people of the country particularly the armed forces have accepted enormous sacrifices in the spirit of service to the nation. In local politics rational and irrational forces are so intertwined that these cannot be separated and whatever the script of the authors of self-rule and demilitarization, their real intention is to lay the snares for the desperate souls in Delhi to strengthen the separatist agenda.

The think-tank of Government of India should not fall prey to self-deception and irrationality in view of delay in finding a solution. They must understand the political mechanism in the State, grasp the dangers posed by organized deceit and hypocrisy of the politicians professing high principles and public interests but in practice contributing to evil imaging and evil doing fraught of course with dangerous consequences.

The most obvious fact is that there exists a peculiar relationship and diversity between the three regions of the State and this introduces great complexity in managing the solution to the present conflict. The task would be simpler if the separatists and the nationalist employ the vocabulary of reason and realism, harmonize the conflict of interests to make reconciliation a potent reality. Self-patting and chest thumping leaders, who claim exclusive right to the political wisdom, literally demanding a place in the Sun, give the impression that the solution to Kashmir issue is in their brief.

Many a desperate soul believes unwittingly in these diverse and heterogeneous elements that cultivate and cater to foreign interests. Peace is undoubtedly a beautiful dream but two widely divergent views of political thought and action can neither produce unity nor solution but only perpetual conflict.

The problems that seem so simple to the men of ludicrous self-importance seeking headlines in the local media are highly complicated, as no alimentary canal can be a substitute for the stomach. With the loosening of the social bonds people are without a shepherd, they need a real regenerator at some space and time, the man who can hold their emotions as Sheikh Abdullah did in 1940’s but unlike him, who works for permanence and fresh efflorescence in the concept of politics. Let us be clear that Jammu and Kashmir is politically fluid and Geographically fractured State and any new concept cannot be founded on the ideology of terror. The people may be contributing to the collective paralysis of will under threat but they have not completely surrendered their faculty.

Separatist must accept that the participation of the people in the Hurriyat is not voluntary and without their interior and natural cohesion of a pervading sense of homogeneity there can be no solution. We cannot ignore the strong lay elements of the State and its intellectualism in the long run, without whom solution to the conflict is impossible. The real issue to be addressed by people, their leaders and the Government should be what degree of autonomy can be pressed for keeping in view the diverse social, political and economic interests of the three regions of the State. Government of India must stop political gaming for temporary relief, understand and accept the tremendous reverberations in the changing political thought and prepare the ground for granting reasonable degree of self-expression on domestic policy not only to Jammu and Kashmir but also to other States in addition to reasonable degree of decentralization in the economic matters.

Sunday, May 06, 2007

Militants hold cabinet meeting in Poonch

Jammu /
Poonch May 6--Amidst the clamour for demilitarization and reduction of troops in the state, the militant outfits and their mentors across the border have decided to reinvigorate the rank and file in order to give a fillip to the terror activities.
In order to take advantage of the movement and relocation of troops in Poonch district, an executive meeting of militant commanders was held on April 30 at Sheen Darrah, to discuss new strategies and operational matters.
In this meeting, new appointments were also made to ensure that communication with local people is improved and they are taken into confidence. Seventeen terrorists which include locals as well as foreigners were made responsible for the entire Poonch district and adjoining Mendhar and their area of operation was also demarcated.
As per highly placed sources, Abu Asif, Saiful Rehman, Mohd Mushtaq and Abdul Ghani son of Mohd Hussain, all belonging to Lashkar-e-Toiba have been assigned the area of Sheen Darrah, Kalai, Khanetar and Manjari.
These men will be responsible for receiving operatives from Pakistan, providing them shelter and helping them in carrying out the actual operations against the security forces.
Dawood of LET has been made incharge of Salwa and Mendhar, Abu Arsalan of HMPPR has been made responsible for Khanetar and Mendhar, Abu Vida and Abu Salma of LeT has been made responsible for Fazalabad and Mastandarrah, Sarfaraz of JeM has been made the incharge of Sangla, Parmote, Ghunthal and Kalar, Abu Kadal of HM and Mast Gul of HuM have been made responsible for Lassana, Sanai, Bachianwali gali; Abu Bilal of HM, Wahid of HM and Maqsood Hussain of HMPPR, son of Mohd Shafi Mustafa resident of Hari Budda has been made in- charge of Seri Chouhana; Mohd Yakoob son of Mohd Azam is responsible for Paleira Mandi, Chaktroo Andharwali; Sitar, resident of Marhote has been made the incharge of Kalaban, Jagti Toti and Hari Budda; Abu Mafiya of LeT has been made the incharge of Adai alongwith additional charge of Hari Budda.
According to sources, Inter Services Intelligence of Pakistan has asked the new operators to tap the unrest among the people which has been caused by reduction of troops as well as some incidents of high handedness by the Army men.
These men have been assigned the task of tapping new youth and recruiting them to get training across the border. Infact, the top commanders of the terrorist outfits have decided to work in close coordination to ensure that youth of the area join the militant ranks in large numbers.
Another important task which has been assigned to this new team is to take action against Village Defence Committees and break the confidence of the local people.
In a startling revelation it was also discovered that a team of locals has also been constituted as recruiting board to identify the local youth, who can be lured successfully into anti-national activities. This team will move with the top militant commanders of the area and motivate the local youth for crossing the border.
Here, it must be mentioned that people living in and around Hill Kaka particularly the VDC members have repeatedly expressed apprehensions of retribution by the terrorist groups.
The residents of these areas had helped the Indian Army during the Operation Sarp Vinash in 2003.

Tuesday, May 01, 2007

Recruitment on for terror ranks in Poonch, Mendhar

Jammu, Poonch, May1—Lashkar-e-Tayyba and Jaish-e-Mohammad plan to recruit around 200 youth from the border districts of Poonch and Mendhar in order to augment the shortage in their ranks.'
According to highly placed sources, the top commanders of the two terrorists outfits are working in close coordination to ensure that youth of the area join the militant ranks. In order to lure the youth of Poonch and Mendhar, sources said Saiful Rehman, divisional commander of Lashkar-e-Tayba and Saiful Qari, divisional commander of Jaiesh-e-Mohhammad have promised a monthly salary to these youths for three months and after that they will be taken to Pakistan for training.
In a startling revolution it was also revealed that a team of locals has been constituted as recruiting board to identify the local youth, who can be lured successfully into anti-national activities. This team moves with the top militant commanders of the area and motivates the local youth for crossing the border.
The impressionable youth are made to study literature and watch CDs containing inflammatory speeches of militant leaders which exhorts them to seek revenge for the atrocities being committed against the Muslims across the length and breadth of globe.
As per the militant plans, these youth would be first indoctrinated with militant ideology and thereafter taken across the border to Lashkar-e-Toiba camps spread across Pakistan and Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK).
The camps and recruitment centers are spread across the length and breadth of Pakistan and PoK in Muzaffarabad, Lahore, Peshawar, Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Karachi, Multan, Quetta, Gujranwala, Sialkot, Gilgit (in the Northern Area of PoK), etc.
LeT reportedly has 2,200 offices across Pakistan These youth would be taught in handling sophisticated weapons which includes AK series rifles, LMG/HMG's, Hand Grenades and sophisticated communication systems. As per reliable sources, the movement of the terrorists have been facilitated to a great extent due to the reduction of troops in the areas as a number of army pickets have been recalled on the pretext of a fall in militancy in the area.
Local, however, opine that militants are waiting to spread their wings as they have spotted an opportunity in the demilitarization move of the army. People, who have worked with the army are particularly perturbed as they feel that they would be targeted by the terrorists.
A local official on the condition of anonymity said that they are keeping a close watch on the situation and every effort would be made to thwart the designs of anti-national elements.
The LeT’s professed ideology goes beyond merely challenging India's sovereignty over the State of Jammu and Kashmir. The Lashkar's ‘agenda’, as outlined in a pamphlet titled Why are we waging jihad includes the restoration of Islamic rule over all parts of India.
Further, the outfit seeks to bring about a union of all Muslim majority regions in countries that surround Pakistan. Towards that end, it is active in J&K, Chechnya and other parts of Central Asia. Hafiz Saeed, a scholar of Islam, has said that the purpose of Jihad is to carry out a sustained struggle for the dominance of Islam in the entire world and to eliminate the evil forces and the ignorant.
He considers India, Israel and US to be his prime enemies and has threatened to launch Fidayeen (suicide squad) attacks on American interests too. The Lashkar-e-Toiba does not believe in democracy and nationalism.
According to its ideology, it is the duty of every 'Momin' to protect and defend the interests of Muslims all over the world where Muslims are under the rule of non-Muslim in the democratic system. It has, thus chosen the path of Jihad as the suited means to achieve its goal. Cadres are drawn from the Wahabi school of thought.

Saturday, April 21, 2007

Children stand guard as parents tend to fields in Hill Kaka village

Kalali (Surankote), Jammu April 22—Can you imagine a sixteen year old boy taking admission in class one and than going to school every day with zeal to learn. This unthinkable happened at village Kalali in Hill Kaka in the year 2003 after militancy was crushed by the Indian army during operation Sarp Vinash.
The tragedy, however, is that instead of attending school, sixteen year old Bashir Ahmed son of Abdul Ahmad of Kalali in Surankote is has been forced to hold a gun and guard his family while they are working in the fields.
Not only he, but children as little as 12-year are standing guard to protect their families from the wrath of the militants, who are keen to avenge the mauling of operation Sarp Vinash, launched by the Indian army.
“ I would have passed matric by now, if there was no militancy in the area but it was only after the militants were erased by the Army and local people that schools started”, said Bashir.
The decision to remove army pickets from the area is retrograde and this will result in massacres, he warned, adding that the children of Kalali have taken up guns as life is more important than anything.
Another child of the village Kalali, Qamran said that they waned to live like other children and enjoy life as they were doing, while army was present in
the area. He reiterated that fear has set in among the locals as they actively participated against the militants during the operations launched at Hill Kaka.
The tragedy is that these innocent hill children, more adept at taming the hillocks and playing with nature have become experts in handling sophisticated weapons. Some of them, a Kalali villager said can even tell what type of guns are being used after hearing the shots.
He further said that not only ordinary residents but the VDC members are also afraid due to the removal of army.
Here it must be mentioned that soon after the sun breaks, these children get ready for the arduous task of protecting their families. Weapons are checked, ammunition counted and a discussion is held about the proceedings of the day.
Thereafter, the families move out with the guard children as fields have to be tended and cattle need to be grazed, for these are the only two ways in which the people of Kalali and other villages fend for themselves.
The Hill Kaka area in which village Kalali falls was called mini-Pakistan, prior to operation Sarp Vinash, during which the Indian Army managed to uproot hard core terrorists, who had fortified themselves in this area.

Thursday, April 12, 2007

Curse of partition undone after 50 years, lost brothers unite

Abhishek
RS Pura, Apr 12—It took fifty years for a family to undo the curse of partition but still the scars of that horrible event can not be erased even now.
The joy which went out of the lives of the family of late Chattar Singh living at Simble Camp, near the border town of RS Pura, returned when his long lost son came back to meet them from across the border, where he was left behind along with family members during the holocaust.
The family here is now headed by Chattar Singh’s son Harbans Singh, who now lives here in Simble camp.
With the improving relations between India and Pakistan, an increasing number of visitors from Pakistan many of whom are part of divided families are coming here to pick up the lost threads.
It was only after a sustained search which lasted half a century, that Harbans Singh’s brother, now known as Sheikh Abdul Aziz could find his lost family in R S Pura.
Yesterday, when Aziz came from across the border, he was given a emotional welcome not only by his family members here, but the entire Simble camp gathered to meet the visitor from Pakistan.
As soon as Harbans Singh saw his brother Aziz, he could not control himself and embraced his brother as to make for the lost fifty years, since they were parted in the melee of partition.
The tragic tale of this family begins from Poonch town, where the family headed by their father Chattar Singh lived in 1947.
Family members said that when the situation became volatile in the area which they lived, they joined a group of people coming to this side of border.
While coming to this side, Chatter Singh lost contact with his family members, due to the prevailing confusion caused by the rioters as a result of which he alone managed to reach Jammu.
Here, he reached Simble camp and after a prolonged search for his family, he married a local woman Harbans Kour and started a new family.
In the meanwhile, his three sons, who remained in Pakistan also settled there and adopted Islam and began life afresh there.
It was only few years back that Singh came to know that his family members had survived partition and were living there.
Thereafter, both families got in touch and started exchanging letters, and many a times plans were made and unmade to meet each other.
It was only after the relations between India and Pakistan improved that it become possible for Chattar Singh’s son Paramjeet Singh aka Sheikh Abdul Aziz to visit his lost family in India.

Wednesday, April 11, 2007

Harried passenger demand renaming of Poonch-Rawalakote bus service

Abhishek Aijaz Qazmi
Poonch, Jammu, April 11—Notwithstanding the hype surrounding the Poonch-Rawlakote bus service, the Indian passengers are harried lot once they cross the Zero point and reach the other side of the border in Pakistan occupied Kashmir.
The Indian passengers, board the bus from Degree College, Pooch and once they reach Zero point on the line of control, they are dropped off to cross over to PoK, where they are made to pass through Pak Immigrations and Customs.
Once through these formalities, the elated Indian visitors are happy to reach Pakistan occupied Kashmir but the reality sinks in only when they do not find any connecting service to reach Rawlakote town, a distance of 48 kilometres from the Customs and Immigration office.
Neither a government bus service, nor private vehicles are available to the Indian visitors to reach Rawlakote, said Mohd Din, a resident of Mendhar, who was on a visit to meet his family members across the border.
Critical of the manner in which the passengers are being treated, Mohd Din said, “The Poonch-Rawlakote bus service should be renamed Poonch-Zero point bus service”, adding once the passengers reach PoK they are left to the mercy of elements.
The travellers were also critical of the Indian government over its refusal to ease the communication facilities with PoK. The problems are compounded by the fact that people from this this side can not make phone calls across the border to their relatives, said Farooq Din, another passenger, who returned from PoK, after visiting relatives.
“Our relatives do not know when we are coming as we can not contact them, as such they are not able to come to pick us after crossing the border”.
Once the passengers reach Pakistan, there is no one to receive us and it is after a great trouble that private conveyance is arranged, he added.
The passengers, however, appreciated the transport arrangements made by J&K government, which has provided JKSRTC buses to ferry the passengers across the border.
Here it must be mentioned that the Poonch-Rawlakote bus service was flagged off by UPA chairperson, Sonia Gandhi alongwith Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee in on June 20 in 2005.
Launch of this bus service was a long pending demand from the locals of both sides as it drastically rescued the travel time. Earlier the people intending to visit the other side of Kashmir had to go from Muzaffarabad.

Tuesday, April 10, 2007

Hill Kaka warriors feel orphaned, rue decision to fight terrorists

Poonch, Jammu,India—They defeated the nefarious designs of the terrorists in Hill Kaka and fought neck and neck with the Indian Army during the operation Sarp Vinash but now they are feeling orphaned.
The people of Kalali, Do Phalli, Chapra and Telgi Katha-all villages enroute Hill Kaka are ruing their decision to fight the highly trained terrorists enconsced there. The reason for the desolation of these people is the reported movement of the troops from these villages, where army pickets had been set up to provide security to people since 2003.
According to sources, !6 Rastriya Rifles which was posted in the area has been shifted and as a result the villagers have been left to fend for themselves. Perturbed over the shifting of Army pickets from the area, around 120 Village Defence Committee members, who took an active part in anti-insurgency operations allege that they are being treated as cannon fodder by the government. “We fought against the terrorists alongside the security forces and because of our support terrorists were crushed in the area”, they said in unison, adding that they have become easy targets as army has left the area.
“We fear a Kalakote like massacre in the area as the army has moved out like it happened there”, they assert. Most vulnerable among these villagers are the 20 women VDC members, who are trained in handling and using the weapons. These women feel that absence of army will definitely give an upper hand to the militants and allow them to set up base here.
A resident of Dophalli, Razia Begum said “I have fought against terrorists when I should have been tending the family and the household all because we had faith in the Indian establishment”, adding “we feel orphaned in the manner we have been left at the mercy of terrorists”.
During the crucial fight in Hill Kaka it was our men and women, who provided crucial information to security men, which led to a resounding victory for the Indian Army. The residents of the area warn that the absence of armed forces in the area could be very dangerous not only for the people but strategically as well. “If the terrorists return, they will hit us hard”, said an angry Imtiaz Ahmed, a VDC member, who has worked extensively against the terrorists.
Listening to the fears of these people, it can be safely assumed that if the faith of these people is lost than India will be losing their most strategic asset and best friends which she got in the militancy infested country.