1. religion and spirituality
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C M Y K
KashmiR
Remembering
Faiz
5
28 Muharram | 1436 Hijri | Vol: 17 | Issue: 241 | Pages : 08 | Price: `3
w w w. k a s h m i r o b s e r v e r. n e t
satuRDaY 22 nOvemBeR 2014
Wisdom
We live in a world
in which politics
has replaced
philosophy.
...........Martin L. Gross
A Call for Revolution, 1993
Pak Summons
Indian Diplomat
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has lodged
a strong protest with India over
Thursday’s Line of Control (LoC)
violation by Indian troops which
resulted in the killing of a Pakistan
Army soldier.
A senior Indian diplomat from
the Indian High Commission was
summoned at the South Asian
desk of the Foreign Ministry and
was conveyed Pakistan’s serious
concerns over the issue, said a
statement issued on Friday.
During the meeting, Pakistan
made it clear that such violations
of the LoC will not be tolerated.
Indian diplomat was reminded
that India has to respect the ceasefire agreement at the LoC and prevent its forces from such actions.
According to Inter-Services Public
Relations (ISPR), Indian troops resorted to unprovoked firing at the
LoC in Pandu sector near Muzaffarabad on Thursday.
“Pakistani troops befittingly responded to Indian firing,” it added.
No Friday Prayers
for
Geelani
SRINAGAR: Hurriyat (G)chairman
Syed Ali Geelani was placed under
house detention by police barring
him from offering Friday prayers.
A large contingent of police has
laid a siege of his residence since
October 31, a Hurriyat (G) spokesman said.
Authorities have continuously
barred Geelani from offering Friday prayers fearing his presence
would be an incitement for the
congregation to turn into a profreedom demonstration.
Lakecity
Tour And TrAvel
/ Srinagar Today: MoSTly Cloudy
MaxiMuM: 15oC / MiniMuM: -2oC / HuMidiTy : 65% / SunSeTS Today... 05:24 PM / SunriSeS ToMorrow... 07.09 aM
We Were Not Able To Do Much: Sonia
■
Say’s, some forces can shake hand with anyone for power
■ Every party in JK except Congress in league with BJP: Azad
Observer News Service
SRINAGAR: Hitting out at her party's estranged ally National Conference for the first time in the past
six years, Congress president Sonia
Gandhi on Friday said "we gave full
support to them to run the government but they did not implement
our programmes and schemes",
including the Food Bill, in the state.
"We gave full support to them to
run the government, but they did
not implement our programmes
and schemes (in the state)," Sonia told twin public rallies held in
Ramban and Bandipore to support
party candidates.
Flanked by Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Ghulam
Nabi Azad, AICC General Secretary
Ambika Soni and state party chief
Saif-ud-Din Soz, Sonia told the
people that by not implementing
some of these programmes the
NC-led government has denied
the people the benefits.
"When our government was at
the Centre we came up with the
Burial held
amidst Protests
SRINAGAR: Amidst protests, two of
the three militants killed on Thursday evening in a shootout with
Govt forces were buried in their ancestral villages .
Sheraz Ganai, Aasif Bhat and
Shabir Ahmad were killed by govt
forces during an exchange of fire.
Sheraz and Aasif were buried
amidst protests in their ancestral
villages on Friday.
The duo hailed from Panjran in
Pulwama district and Chenigam
in Kulgam district respectively.
The third militant, who was a
Lashkar-e-Taiba Commander, is a
resident of Kalakote in Rajouri district.
Police sources said the slain
commander’s family has been
informed and they are on way to
Kashmir to take their son’s body.
Another source said the slain
militants body has been kept in
morgue of SMHS hospital.
Meanwhile, a complete
Candidate missing
SRINAGAR – State Congress
leadership faced embarrassment as Congress candidate
from Bandipore, Usman Majeed, didn't attend his party
president Sonia Gandhi's public
meeting in the town on Friday.
There was no word from
the party on why Majeed had
skipped Sonia's public rally in
his constituency.
Gandhi, who was accompanied by senior Congress leaders Ghulam Nabi Azad and
Ambika Soni and Saifudin Soz
hit out at both at alliance partner NC as well as BJP for failing
the people of Kashmir.
Food Security Bill so that the poorest
of the poor gets food on cheap rates...
But due to the lethargy of NC, the bill
was not implemented in Jammu and
Kashmir thereby denying right to
the people here," she said.
Asserting that once the Congress
is again voted to power in the state,
century long relationship with
Kashmir and same brings her
to Kashmir time and again.
they will implement the Food Se- “We want prosperous Jammu
curity Bill to ensure subsidized and Kashmir. The agenda of
the Congress party is simple.
food to the poor, she said.
Sonia claimed that she had a Don’t promise Page 6
2 Slain Militants Had
Joined Hizb 10 Days Back
PuLwAMA/KuLGAM: Two of the three militants
killed in Tral gunfight on Thursday evening had
joined militant outfit Hizbul Mujhideen only 11 days
back. They were living a normal life till they left their
homes, according to their family.
One of the slain militant,
Shiraz Ahmed Ganaie son
of Muhammad Sultan Ganaie of Panjran Pulwama was
studying journalism in Islamic University of Science & Technology
(IUST) Awantipora and had recently
qualified NET. “My son Shiraz was
M.A in Economics and was presently in
fourth semester of journalism course.
He recently had rejected a government
job,” his father Muhammad Sultan
said adding that Shiraz was living a
normal life before joining militancy on
November 11 this month.
“We are well off and deal in fruit
industry. I fail to understand what
prompted my son to join militant ranks when I was
providing him every comfort of life. I am not exaggerating and in fact, we are billionaires,” he said.
He however said that before joining militancy, Shiraz
was picked up by SOG personnel for a day, but was released after few hours of questioning.
Shiraz was buried in his native grave yard at Panjran
in presence of thousands of people who bid him adieu
with tearful eyes. His funeral prayers were offered by
Jamat-i-Islami leader Advocate Zahid Ali.
Another slain militant who hails from Chenigam Kulgam also had joined Hizb only last Friday. “My brother
Asif Ahmed Bhat left home soon after Chenigam encounter last Friday which claimed the lives of two militants.
In that encounter his friend Manzoor Ahmed Malik
was killed and soon after this episode he, without informing anybody, left home,” Abdul Rashid Bhat, the
brother of slain militant said adding that they were not
in touch with Asif.
“My brother was submissive and was working at a
shop in Sangam. He was not well qualified but was religious minded,” he said. (CNS)
PM Modi
Comes Today
Observer News Service
SRINAGAR: Prime Minister Narendra
Modi will hit the campaign trail in the
state on Saturday with his addresses
at a public rally in Kishtwar, four days
ahead of the first phase of polls.
He will address at least seven rallies in the state, holding at least a
rally or two ahead of each of the five
phases of the polls in the state, reports said. According to BJP sources,
Modi will address another rally next
week in Udhampur in Jammu region
and later a rally in Kashmir valley too.
Sources said the BJP is banking
heavily on aggressive campaigning
by Modi in its bid to achieve its ambitious "Mission 44+" target required
in an Assembly of 87 seats. The party
is targeting the educated class in the
state to send home the message that
development is key to the state's
progress and the government of the
same party at the Centre and the state
would help achieve this easily.
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and
other noted lawyers will also campaign
and hold public meetings in the state.
The BJP has also chalked out a strategy for Jammu and Kashmir and is working in close coordination with smaller
parties as well as moderate separatists
in the valley to achieve its target of forming a government of its own and has had
talks with some of them. The Assembly
polls in the state will start Page 6
PdP-NC Workers Clash After
Grenade Attack on PdP Rally
Observer News Service
SRINAGAR: Violent clashes broke
out between NC and PDP workers
after a grenade was hurled at a PDP
rally at Gundwani, Norabad of Kulgam district on Friday. The grenade
however failed to explode averting
a major tragedy.
Reports said a grenade was
hurled at a PDP rally attended by
hundreds of people and led by the
party candidate Abdul Majeed Paddar at Gandwari area.
The grenade, however, missed
then intended target and went
into a drain,” they said, adding: “it
didn’t explode.”
The grenade hurled at the rally
struck the roof top of one of the
houses and then went down into a
nearby drain.
The incident triggered chaos in
the rally with people running helter-skelter for safety.
Sources said the people present
in the rally overpowered the youth.
“The people tried to thrash him but
the PDP activists locked him in a
room. Later, the security personal
of PDP candidate handed over him
to the army,” they said.
Police sources said the youth
was handed over to police by army.
The accused was identified as
Nowshad Ahmad Ganiae, resident
of Awagam.
Soon after people took to streets
and shopkeepers downed their
shutters.
Some locals also raised anti-NC
slogans, accusing NC candidate
from Noorabad of being behind the
failed attack.
Police and army later reached
the spot and took into Page 6
'Wasn’t Accepted in Pro-Freedom Camp' Mufti Sayeed Grew
Hopefully we will have a NC-less, PDP-less Govt: Sajad Lone
suRantanG RainawaRi
sRinaGaR KashmiR
SRINAGAR: Days after meeting the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Peoples’ Conference Chairman Sajad Gani Lone said he was not an ‘acceptable entity’ in Kashmir’s separatist camp and
everything wrong taking place within the camp
was attributed to him.
In an interview, Sajad said that now when he
has left the pro-freedom politics, the separatists
can take the right decisions at a right time for
themselves. “I can only tell you that I wasn't an
acceptable entity within the pro-freedom camp.
There was a total mismatch in terms of ideas.
Now that I have left, they (separatists) are themselves the best judges to decide about the course
of action they want to take,” Sajad said when
asked about the differences he had with the profreedom camp six years earlier.
Over the reports of him being the next chief
minister of Jammu and Kashmir, Sajad said: “I
am fully aware of my humble position in Kashmir politics. I don’t want to overestimate my po-
sition; neither do I want to underestimate it. My
whole concept of being in politics is to be able
to contribute to change in the most constructive
form. I see electoral politics as a way of making
J&K an economically viable entity, not dependent on doles. I would want to give a decade
or so to politics and have the moral courage to
groom a second line of leadership to take over.
I would not want to remain glued to politics for
the rest of my life. So let us see what chance we
get to serve as. May be as an assembly member
or a minister and if chance arises, may be as the
head of the state. As I said I know my humble position and I have the patience to wait. I am in no
hurry. But yes-- being in power gives you a much
bigger chance to bring change in the political and
governance systems.”
Castigating media for attributing wrong statements to him, Sajad said that he never put his
hand on Quran and said he will never contest
elections and that if the recordings are provided
to him, he will not contest the elections. “I said
at that time that I put my hand on Quran that I
have nothing to do with the elections that were
taking place at that time and neither did I put up
any candidate in 2008 elections. If anyone brings
me the recording that I have said I will never
contest elections, I will do the same.” Page 6
Older By 1 Yr in 6 Yrs
SRINAGAR: PDP patron Mufti
Mohammed Sayeed has grown
only one year old in last six years!
According to the affidavit filed
by Sayeed for the assembly election from Anantnag constituency,
the former chief minister is 72
years old. However, as per the affidavit filed by him in 2008 assembly elections from the same constituency, Sayeed had declared his
age as 71 years, a Press Trust of
India report said on Friday.
When asked for a comment,
PDP chief spokesperson Nayeem
Akthar said "there must be some
error in recording figures". The
PDP founder is not the only
politician whose increase in age
is not corresponding to the six
years that passed by between
the two assembly elections in
Jammu and Kashmir.
Congress candidate from Leh
and Housing Minister Nawang
Rigzin Jora, who declared his
age as 53 years in 2008 polls, has
shown his age as 56 years in this
year's elections.
National Conference candidate
from Sonawari and Minister for
Higher Education Mohammad Akbar Lone was 63-year-old in 2008
elections but grew by only four
years to show his age as 67 this year.
However, some politicians
have taken the opportunity to
correct their age on record. National Conference candidate from
Gurez and Minister Page 6
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here are major misconceptions that plague
the global diabetes community and urgently need to be dispelled.
There are several misconceptions associated with diabetes. Part of it has to do with the
fact that often information around the disease
tends to be sketchy, leading people to make assumptions that are harmful in the long run. It is
important that awareness around diabetes be
made more mainstream with efforts to engage
millions of people worldwide in diabetes advocacy and awareness.
There are major misconceptions that plague
the global diabetes community and needs to be
dispelled by all, especially medical practitioners,
diabetes organisations, NGOs, health departments, civil society, individuals and companies.
We bring you a low down of the five most common myths about diabetes.
Myth 1: tAKING INSuLIN
CuReS dIABeteS
The hard fact is that taking insulin does not
cure diabetes. It simply keeps diabetes under
control. Insulin is a hormone produced by an
organ in the body called the pancreas. It helps
our bodies to use glucose for energy. Someone
with diabetes cannot produce enough insulin
or the insulin that they make is not used as effectively as it should. When the body does not
make enough insulin to meet its needs, several
types of insulin products can be used to replace
the same. Since insulin is a protein, it cannot be
taken by mouth. That’s why insulin is taken by
injection. People with Type 1, and some people
with Type 2 diabetes, need to take insulin regularly to control their blood glucose levels.
Myth 2: dIABeteS IS
CAuSed By OBeSIty
It is true that if you are overweight or obese,
you are at a risk of developing Type 2 diabetes,
particularly if you have excess weight around
your abdomen. Various studies have revealed
that abdominal fat causes cells to releases proinflammatory chemicals that can make the
body less sensitive to the insulin it produces. Although this insulin resistance can be a trigger for
Type 2 diabetes, obesity has no relation to Type
1 diabetes. Doctors are of the opinion that both
genetic and environmental factors are actually
responsible for diabetes. Being overweight is indeed a risk factor, but does not cause the disease
as such.
Myth 3: PeOPLe WIth
dIABeteS ShOuLd NOt
eAt SWeetS
Sugar and diabetes have a somewhat iffy
equation. Most studies have revealed that Type
1 diabetes is caused by genetics and some unknown factors; Type 2 diabetes is caused by genetics and lifestyle factors. While cutting down
on sugar is always a good idea, especially for
Type 1 diabetes, there are times when sweets
are a must. For example if your blood-sugar level drops too low, chocolates, juice, or soda can
quickly raise it, and prevent the onset of hypoglycaemia. However, limiting sugar-sweetened
beverages like regular soda fruit punch, fruit
drinks, energy drinks, sweet tea and other sugary drinks make for a healthy option.
Myth 4: dIABetICS
CAN't PARtICIPAte IN
AthLetICS
On the contrary, regular exercise helps lower
blood sugar levels and keeps diabetes in check.
Doctors say that the type, level and duration of
physical activity depends on what is suitable for
an individual. Regular exercise and training allows body cells to better respond to insulin and
effectively take glucose out of the blood and
into the cell. Playing a sport can also decrease
the risk of cardiovascular disease by lowering
blood pressure, cholesterol levels and body fat.
Those with Type 2 diabetes should monitor their
glucose before and after exercises to understand
how to respond to certain types of activities.
Myth 5: WOMeN WIth
dIABeteS MuSt NOt Get
PReGNANt
Diabetic women need not worry about getting pregnant. However, diabetic pregnancy
requires extra effort and commitment, regular
blood-sugar control and awareness. It is important to have constant monitoring, ultrasounds,
and additional blood sugar tests. Keeping the
blood glucose level as normal as possible during pregnancy is key for the health of both: baby
and mother. Make sure that you see a good doctor who advises on meal planning, physical activity and medicines to reach the blood-glucose
targets. Even if you are diabetic, a good health
plan means you can have a healthy pregnancy.
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22 11 2014 Kashmir Observer

NEWS

Court Says Shahi Imam Can’t Anoint His Successor
Big blow to Bukhari family, who came to India 400 years
ago and nominate their successors traditionally
NEW DELHI: The Delhi High
Court on Friday said that Jama
Masjid Shahi Imam's decision to
anoint his son as his deputy and
successor has no legal sanctity.
While the court’s observation
is a big blow to the Bukhari family, which came to India on Mughal emperor Shah Jahan’s invitation from Central Asia in 1656,
the incumbent Shahi Imam Syed
Ahmad
Bukhari
can heave a sigh
of relief with the court refusing
to prevent the anointment ceremony scheduled for Saturday,
terming it as a private function.
However, the court refused to
stay the anointing ceremony of
Shahi Imam's son as Naib Imam
of Jama Masjid. The court has
also sought reply of the Centre,
Wakf Board and Imam Bukhari
by January 28.
Centre and the Wakf Board
on Thursday had submitted be-
fore the Delhi High Court that
the ceremony by Jama Masjid
Shahi Imam anointing his son as
his deputy and successor has no
legal sanctity.
The submission was made before a bench of Chief Justice G Rohini and Justice R S Endlaw during
arguments on three public interest litigations challenging the
November 22 ceremony where
Shahi Imam of Jama Masjid here
Syed Ahmed Bukhari plans to
anoint his son as Naib Imam who
will be the next chief cleric.
The Centre had said that the
Mughal-era mosque Jama Masjid is a Wakf property and it has
to decide how the rule of primogeniture applies on anointment
of new Shahi Imam, which has
come under challenge.
Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) had also requested the
court to declare the city's Jama
Masjid as an ancient monument
because of its national importance while contending that it
needs to be protected.
The PILs filed by Suhail
Ahmed Khan, Ajay Gautam and
advocate V K Anand have said
Jama Masjid is a property of
Delhi Wakf Board and Bukhari
as its employee cannot appoint
his son as Naib Imam (deputy
Imam).
The petitions said Shahi
Imam had announced on October 30 that his 19-year-old son
would succeed him as the next
Shahi Imam and the ceremony
of 'Dastarbandi' would be held
on November 22.
"Despite knowing that Shahi
Imam is an employee of the
Wakf Board and it's the board
which has the right to appoint
an Imam, he (Bukhari) has declared his 19-year-old son to be
a Naib Imam and is holding a
dastarbandi ceremony for the
said purpose, which is purely
anti-Islamic," the pleas have
said.
The pleas have alleged that
the Shahi Imam was a public
post and not the "personal property" of Syed Ahmed Bukhari
and IMAMAT (the position of a
divinely-appointed leader) is not
transferable.
It has also been contended
that Bukhari is merely an em-
ployee of Delhi Wakf Board
which is the only authority to
choose and appoint the next
Imam of Jama Masjid.
"No person can hold any title
given to him or his ancestors by
any erstwhile Emperor, King or
Shah after the Constitution of
India came into force," one of the
PILs has said.
Bukhari had recently sparked
a controversy by announcing
that he has invited Pakistan
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif for
the ceremony for anointing his
son as the deputy Imam but did
not invite Prime Minister Naren-
Powerful U.S. pro-Israel lobby
45 Dead In Boko
holds fire as Iran deadline looms Haram Attack In Nigeria
Matt Spetalnick
patricia Zengerle
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - As the
United States and other powers
negotiate down to the wire on
a nuclear deal with Iran, one
voice has been unusually quiet
- the main pro-Israel lobby in
Washington.
Israel deeply distrusts the attempt to reach a deal at talks in
Vienna that would lift harsh international sanctions on Iran in
tion is whether you'll see an intense push to engage with Congress. It could be the lull before
the storm."
A Republican sweep in this
month's U.S. congressional elections has already spurred new
threats from hawkish lawmakers to seek further sanctions
against Iran.
AIPAC is likely to find the
Republican-led Congress that
takes office in January more
receptive to tougher measures
against Tehran and President
army of lobbyists largely on
the sidelines during the current
Iran talks, a dramatic shift from
other times, when it blanketed
Congress.
At the same time, the government of Israeli Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu has toned
down once-vociferous criticism
of Obama’s handling of Iran
diplomacy, though it remains
bitterly opposed to any concessions that would not strip Tehran of all uranium enrichment
capability.
sanctions would antagonize
Iran and collapse the negotiations.
When the talks were extended in July, AIPAC said the United
States should "make clear that
Iran can expect no further extension." But officials close to
the talks said a new deadline
could be set, perhaps in March.
AIPAC has not said how it
would respond, but a pro-Israel
source said the group's earlier
concerns, principally that Iran is
trying to buy time for its nucle-
MAIDUGURI (Nigeria): At least
45 people were killed in a suspected Boko Haram attack in
northeast Nigeria, officials and
witnesses have said, in the latest violence to hit the restive
region.
The attack happened in the
village of Azaya Kura in the Mafa
area of Borno state on Wednesday, the caretaker chairman of
Mafa local government area,
Shettima Lawan said yesterday,
calling it "wicked and despicable".
Village chief Mallam Bulama
said: "We counted 45 bodies at
the end of the attack."
But other residents said more
may have died after they fled
into the bush.
Mafa, which is about 50 kilometres (30 miles) east by road
from the Borno state capital,
Maiduguri, and the surrounding area has been repeatedly
attacked by the Islamist insur-
gents.
On October 26, suspected
Boko Haram fighters abducted
about 30 boys and girls, some
of them as young as 11 and 13,
while locals complained of almost daily raids that had forced
many to flee.
Some 29 people were killed
in March this year after flyers
were sent warning of an impending attack — a tactic used
by the extremists elsewhere in
the region in their quest for a
hardline Islamic state.
In the latest attack, heavily armed militants arrived on
motorcycles at about 12:00 pm
(1100 GMT) on Wednesday as
villagers were at work.
"So far, 45 men have been
killed and there are others that
died in the bushes as a result of
bleeding from bullet wounds,"
said on resident, who gave his
name only as Jabiru.
Trader Musa Abbani, who
fled to Maiduguri, added: "The
attackers destroyed more than
half of the houses in our village,
burnt over 50 motorcycles and
four cars before they took away
foodstuff and animals."
A village elder, Mohammed
Bukar, said: "We are still picking our pieces and looking for
our missing people, especially
those who could not be seen in
Maiduguri."
Survivors, most of them the
elderly, were seen making preparations to bury the dead.
Fifty people were said to have
been injured and locals said the
militants, who have said to have
captured more than two dozen
northeast towns, blocked exits
to prevent people fleeing.
Lawan, who visited Azaya
Kura yesterday under tight security, said: "How can some
people be so wicked to kill innocent people, 45 people at once
without any confrontation?
Google's New 60th National School
Service Lets Games Open at Jammu
You Block Ads
US Secretary of State John Kerry (L), European Union High Representative Catherine Ashton, and Iranian Foreign
Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif meet in Vienna,
return for limits to its nuclear
program, aimed at preventing it
from developing an atomic bomb.
But its staunchest U.S. supporters, represented by the
powerful American Israel Public Affairs Committee, or AIPAC,
lobbying group, have been holding back. They failed earlier this
year in a full-scale push for further sanctions that the White
House said would have derailed
the talks.
With growing signs that
Monday's deadline for an Iran
deal may be extended, AIPAC
is looking past these talks and
weighing how to respond to
the outcome amid a changing
political environment in Washington.
"There’s nothing to lobby for
... until we see what's addressed
in Vienna," said a source close to
AIPAC. "But after that, the ques-
Barack Obama less likely to
have the votes to sustain a veto
against fresh sanctions.
In February, Obama was able
to block a campaign backed by
AIPAC to get Congress to impose
new sanctions, marking the
group's biggest political defeat
in years.
ARMY OF AIPAC LOBBYISTS
AIPAC, which has about
100,000 members, is widely
credited with helping to ensure
that Israel remains a top recipient of U.S. foreign aid and is accustomed to seeing most congressional measures it favors
pass almost unopposed.
This summer it helped engineer a $225 million funding increase for Israel's Iron Dome defense system to protect against
Hamas cross-border rocket fire
in the Gaza war.
But the group has kept its
The low-key approach may
reflect a desire to avoid further
antagonizing the U.S. government, Israel's most important
ally, at a time of strained relations.
AIPAC is also struggling with
internal divisions over what
some critics see as a tilt toward
the Republican party by the
group, which could jeopardize
its bipartisan principles.
An AIPAC source dismissed
this concern, saying: "Everything we do, we approach in a
bipartisan fashion."
EXTENSION OF NUCLEAR
TALKS
If Washington agrees to another extension with Iran, AIPAC
and Israel's friends in Congress
will face a decision whether to
give diplomacy more time or
seek new sanctions. Obama has
previously insisted that more
ar advances, "would still apply,
even more so."
Even as it has held fire, AIPAC
has maintained lines of communication with lawmakers
and the administration on the
negotiations.
The West and Israel accuse
Tehran of seeking to develop a
nuclear weapon, which it denies. Israel, which sees development of an Iranian bomb as an
existential threat, is believed to
be the Middle East’s only nuclear-armed state.
Like AIPAC, Israeli officials
have kept a lower-than-usual
profile in Washington during
the recent talks, possibly seeking to avoid the impression of
meddling in U.S. affairs.
"We are not doing any lobbying at this time," Israeli Strategic
Affairs Minister Yuval Steinitz
told Reuters in Jerusalem.
SAN FRANCISCO: Google on
Thursday began rolling out
a way for people to support
websites they frequent and, in
return, be rewarded with adfree pages.
A "Google Contributor" experiment was introduced with
a handful of partners including tech news website Mashable and The Onion, which is
known for clever satires.
Google described the effort
as an "experiment in additional ways to fund the web."
"When you visit a participating website, part of your
contribution goes to the creators of that site," Google said
at a page launched for those
interested in taking part.
"As a reminder of your support, you'll see a thank you
message — often accompanied
by a pixel pattern — where you
might normally see an ad."
Contributors are asked
to set a monthly donation
amount ranging from one to
three dollars, and in exchange
wipe out the ads that some
surfers see as a nuisance.
Donated money is doled
out based on which websites
contributors visit, with Google
keeping an unspecified portion.
JAMMU: The Director General of
Police, K. Rajendra today declared
open the 5-day 60th National
School Games (NSG) in the sports
discipline of Badminton.
The tournament was organized
by the Department of Youth Services and Sports (YSS) under the
aegis of School Games Federation
of India (SGFI) and is being played
between under 14 years Boys and
Girls at University of Jammu.
As many as 60 teams 30 each
Boys and Girls from different
States and Union Territories of
the country are taking part in the
tournament. These included Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh,
Vidya Bharathi, Assam, Andhra
Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Bihar,
Haryana, Gujrat, Manipur, Kerala,
Jammu and Kashmir, Delhi, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Madhya
Pradesh, JNVS, Telangana, Uttarakhand and West Bengal.
Director General Youth Services and Sports (YSS), Navin Aggarwal, who is also Chairman of
the organizing committee of 60th
National School Games was also
present on the occasion.
DG Police who was the Chief
Guest on the occasion welcomed
the participant teams. He revealed
that winning is not important
only one can win but the players
should be played in a true sports
man-ship. He said most of them
have come to the Jammu and
Kashmir for first time , adding that
such tournaments gave an opportunity to the budding youth to improve their hidden talent besides
familiarize themselves about the
about the culture of each other
States. He asked them to sharpen
their skill which will enable them
to participate in national and international levels.
The DG appreciated the department of Youth Services and
Sports for organizing such mega
event in the State of Jammu and
Kashmir.
Mr. Rajendra appreciated
the players who participated in
March past at the beginning of
the tournament. He announced Rs
1000 each student of Manipor for
showing excellence in the march
past on the occasion.
The Director General YSS Mr.
Aggarwal while welcoming the
participant teams said that the
department has already made arrangements of boarding & lodging
for guest players at Youth Hostel
Nagrota. He thanked the Police
Department and University of
Jammu for their cooperation in
making the event a grand success.
The DG YSS said that the tournament was scheduled to be held
in September 2014 at Srinagar
but due to flood the tournament
is now held at Jammu. He hoped
that the players will enjoy this
championship at Jammu.
Saints or frauds? India clashes over 'god-men' as guru Maharaj faces police
Baba Rampal rose from obscurity as a civil engineer to become the guru of millions. Yet police in Haryana decided it was
time he answered questions about a murder in 2006 attributed to his private army.
Syed naZakat
Christian Science Monitor
B
aba Rampal Maharaj,
one of India's selfstyled “god men” has
been charged with
sedition and waging
war against the state following a
days-long siege by police on his
ashram north of Delhi. It ended
with his arrest this week after
six people died and hundreds
were injured.
More than 400 people have
been arrested and detained after the popular guru’s supporters tried to fend off police with
homemade bombs, guns, and
knives. As of today some 3,000
of his followers who lived on the
sprawling ashram complex are
still there, but 15,000 residents
were evacuated.
Mr. Rampal, often called Maharaj, counts politicians, businessmen, and top security officials among his millions of
followers. And to his devotees,
the so-called god man, who is
in his early 60s, is an incarnation of Kabir, a 15th Century Indian mystical poet and a devoted
saint.
To his critics, he is a fraudulent huckster or worse, who has
fooled rich and poor alike in a
career that includes the expropriation of land and murder allegations. Rampal has avoided
more than 40 court orders and
police summons in connection
with a murder investigation dating to violence by his private
army in 2006.
The two views of Rampal
clashed this week as authorities decided to raid the ashram
and force compliance with the
law. Police first cut water and
electricity to the compound to
force Rampal out. Thousands
did leave, even as reports now
suggest that armed followers of
Rampal first forcibly held back
those trying to escape. But Rampal only came out late Wednesday.
INDIA'S MANY GURUS
Rampal himself
rose from a relatively
obscure job as a civil
engineer to become
one of India's
premier "god-men."
In a majority-Hindu country
of more than a billion people,
prayer and religious consultation ahead of business or per-
sonal decisions remains active
and alive as a practice, and god
men or gurus remain part of the
crucial mixture. Rampal is part
of a large network of gurus that
preach virtue and often offer
advice on achieving miracles –
and whose followers or clients
include film and sports stars as
well as the powerful and the
poor.
The world's best known
cricketer, Sachin Tendulkar,
is a follower of guru Sai Baba,
who drew millions of followers
around the world with his mystical powers including conjuring
objects out of thin air.
Maharishi Mahesh Yogi became a guru to the Beach Boys
and the Beatles and played a role
in the British Fab Four’s brief
“Magical Mystery Tour” to India
in the 1960s. He became best
known for propagating Transcendental Meditation or TM
in the West, a stress reduction
technique that, he claimed, can
make people levitate.
Rampal had
become known for
curing a variety of
aches and pains
and for his vigorous
opposition to alcohol
and tobacco. Those
who smoke tobacco,
he said in one of
his videotaped
addresses, “will be
reborn as a dog in
the next 70 lives.”
Many of the gurus are suc-
cessful entrepreneurs and conduct mass mediation camps and
yoga classes, and sell audio and
video products. Like Rampal,
successful gurus build large, often gated ashram communities
complete with stores, hospitals,
and schools.
Baba Ramdev, one of India's
most popular TV gurus, has a
vast yoga empire. His holdings
include a small island off the
coast of Scotland. Critics have
accused him of amassing a fortune in donations and not paying taxes. Ramdev denies such
allegations.
Another Indian guru, Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, who
heads a popular religious sect,
also appears on TV and even
performs at concerts which he
calls "Religious Rock" and has
acted in films.
Many of the gurus cultivate
relationships with political parties, which call on them to mobilize voters for elections. At least
two Indian prime ministers – Indira Gandhi and Narasimha Rao
– had spiritual advisers.
But the enormous power Indian gurus wield has led to scandals and criticisms involving
either the spiritual or temporal
exploitation of devotees. Recent
years have brought charges of
sexual offences, shady property
deals, tax evasion, money laundering and homicides.
Last year a self-styled spiritual guru, Asaram Bapu, who
boasts 20 million followers, was
arrested after a teenage girl accused him of rape on the pretext
of cleansing her from evil spirits. Mr. Asaram is currently in
prison.
C M Y K
C M Y K
saturday
saturday
22 11 2014 Kashmir Observer

OPINION

Humanity
Why J&K should
not have a hindu CM
is tHreatened By
information overload
Melanie P Kumar
O
ne of the greatest
malaises of this century
is the daily information
overload that an average
person has to deal with.
With the advent of the Internet, one
is never free of information to read
and digest, be it from e-mails, blogs,
special interest group mails not to
mention social media. Add to these
the regular sources of news like
newspapers and magazines, not to
forget the 24/7 news channels, which
thrust opinions down our throats in
the guise of news. And how can one
forget the ubiquitous smartphone,
with all the Apps, ranging from
WhatsApp to Viber, and the seamless
connection to the Internet, which
ensures that one is constantly
connected to another person,
digitally, if not in real terms?
There is a sense of being
swamped by the information that
is available, for the asking or even
without asking! In the war for TRPs
is the much-touted Satyamev Jayate,
which for a couple of weekends,
was actually pitted against Prime
Minister Modi’s Man ki Baat, (probably modelling itself on the late
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez’s
unscripted talk-show Alo Presidente,
which was aired every Sunday at
11.00am on state television and radio
stations).
Ostensibly, both these programmes were about asking for the
public’s thoughts but were more
about sounding wise and dishing out
solutions. Two episodes of Satyamev
Jayate were particularly upsetting
when the announcer kept mentioning
that Aamir is speaking to the Indian
public from France and from Japan!
Were the lesser Indian mortals to be
overawed by the wise words coming
from a higher stratosphere?
Be it Arnab Goswami, Aamir
Khan or any of the other talk show
hosts, it is finally about grabbing
eyeballs and a chunk of the huge
advertising revenue. In Aamir’s case,
very obviously so, in his action of
first promising and then withdrawing support to the Aam Aadmi Party,
before the elections, for fear of offending the biggest sponsor of Satyamev
Jayate, Reliance!
Is there any time left to process
the information that one is being
blasted with, from all sides? Are we
becoming mindless zombies, ready
to believe all that is being peddled
to us in the guise of information,
and running the risk of robot-like
manipulation?
There is a greater danger still
and the 19th century sociologist,
Georg Simmel, was among the first to
hypothesise on how an overloading
of sensations could jade urban society and interfere with people’s ability
to react to new situations. Twentieth
century psychologist, Stanley Milgram, took this information a little
further when he used the concept
of bystander behaviour to explain
“information overload”. Milgram
took the example of the stabbing of a
New York woman, in the public eye,
over a period of 30 minutes. Whilst
38 people watched this horror from
the safety of their buildings, none of
them thought of contacting the police. In his paper, Milgram attributed
this behaviour to the coping strategies devised by urbanites to deal with
information overload.
In all this, one cannot help but
recall Alvin Toffler, who in his 1970
book Future Shock, wrote that, “just
as the body cracks under the strain
of environmental overstimulation,
the ‘mind’ and its decision processes
behave erratically when overloaded.”
Perhaps the time has come to
take a few steps back to prevent ourselves from being hurtled into a vortex that threatens to take away our
humanity. One can only think of the
mindfulness that was first spoken of
by the Buddha. The only way to keep
one’s sanity is perhaps to stay in the
moment and not be overwhelmed
by the information that threatens to
swallow us.
How To Find
Out Everything
GOOGlE
Knows About You
Binoo Joshi
I
N a democracy, it should not matter as
to who becomes chief minister in any of
the states of the Indian union. Jammu
and Kashmir, the only Muslim-majority state in the country, is debating
whether a Hindu can become chief minister
of a state that has never had any non-Muslim
head of government. Hindu-majority states
like Bihar and Maharashtra have had Muslim
chief ministers but this logic does not work in
J&K even if the Hindus comprise a big chunk
of population, particularly in the Jammu region, which elects 37 of the 87 MLAs in the
assembly.
Behind the call for a Hindu CM is a sense
of neglect that the community has felt over
the decades; it is also about asserting that the
Hindus are an important part of the state. No
non-Muslim has ever become a CM, not even
the leader of the Opposition. For example, in
1983, when Hindus won a majority of seats on
the Congress ticket from Jammu, the party
chose Moulvi Iftikhar Hussain Ansari, the
only Muslim to have won from the Valley on
the party ticket.
In 2002, when the PDP won 16 seats as
compared to the Congress’ 21, the former argued that its leader, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, should become CM and not Ghulam Nabi
Azad, a man perceived to be from the Jammu
region. PDP leader Mehbooba Mufti contended that the Kashmiris needed a sense of
empowerment and that it should not appear
that it was paving the way for a non-Kashmiri chief minister. The National Conference
could have upset the Mufti’s plans by offering
support to the Congress but it did not do so
for fear of being accused of installing a nonKashmiri chief minister.
Azad became chief minister after Sayeed
completed three years in office owing to a rotational agreement between the PDP and Congress. He made desperate attempts to showcase himself as a Kashmiri Muslim rather
than a person from Jammu, while the people
of the region were fed up with the claims that
“their” person had made it to the top post in
Prime Minster Modi talking to Omar Abdullah during his recent visit to Srinagar
government.
The Hindus have grouses. They feel discriminated against in all matters. They yearn
for a rightful place in political decision-making, administration and equal development
of their areas. The tragedy is that all central
governments, right from that of Jawaharlal
Nehru to Narendra Modi, have taken them
for granted. They are used to advance the national interest and further the agenda of saving Kashmir for the country.
All this holds true. But still having a Hindu chief minister is bound to have an inevitable backlash from the majority community in
the elections and consolidate the allegations
that India wants to go in for the demographic
change in the state. The issue of a Hindu CM
could be a political game for the BJP and Congress ahead of the polls but its ramifications
are bound to be more serious than mere political one-upmanship.
W
hen you use Google, you are making a deal. You get to use Gmail and search and
YouTube and Maps for free and in exchange, you agree to share information about
yourself. Google gets to sell that information to advertisers.
The more Google knows about you, the more it can match you to an advertiser
who thinks you are an ideal customer. Advertisers are willing to pay more for ads
served to ideal potential customers. For instance, airlines want to target people who love to travel.
Children's clothing makers want to target parents.
Google uses a lot of methods to learn about you. There's the stuff you tell Google outright when you
sign up for its services, like Gmail and Google Maps or via an Android phone, like your name, phone
number, location, and so on. Google also deduces information about you from watching your internet
searches (what do you search for, click on etc) and from the stuff you do with Google's products.
By visiting a site called "Ads Settings" you can see what Google knows about you.
It's not that easy to find Ads Settings. First, click on the link or type it into your browser: https://
www.google.com/settings/
2
Google uses a lot
of methods to learn
about you. There's the
stuff you tell Google
outright when you
1
Then click on "Account history."
Scroll down to Ads and click on “Edit settings.”
This page shows
you what Google
thinks it knows
about you
including your
age bracket, the
languages you
speak and ...
3
EmErging rEgional lEadEr
shahram Akbarzadeh
M
ost commentary on the
Islamic State of Iraq
and the Levant (ISIL)
point to the challenges
it presents to the Middle East. Sectarian tensions may have
been a fact of life in the region. But ISIL
has made it the number one threat to
the political order - it cost Iraq’s Prime
Minister Nouri al-Maliki his job.
The implications of the scourge of
sectarianism are far reaching for Iran
too. As a constitutionally Shia Muslim
state, Iran is mindful of the restricting
framework of sectarianism. Since its
inception, the Islamic Republic of Iran
has been eager to project an image that
transcends sectarian differences. This
has been a key pillar of Iran’s regional
policy. Speaking to the Muslim masses
and voicing popular angst against the
Israeli occupation of Palestinian lands,
or against US arrogance and political
domination of the international order,
have been at the heart of Iran’s message to its neighbourhood. Of course,
this has antagonised neighbouring regimes, which accuse Tehran of destabilising the region.
Saudi Arabia was quite vocal in
protesting against Iran’s message fol-
lowing the 1979 revolution. But Tehran
turned such criticism to its advantage.
By supporting Hamas and Hezbollah
in an apparent attempt to challenge Israel, which it calls the “Zionist entity”,
by proxy it gained political credibility
on the Arab street. Having Hamas in
this alliance was very important, as
it offered Iran an example of an intersectarian alliance against a common
enemy.
Trans-secTarian policy
The notion of the “axis of resistance” applied to the political congruity of Iran, Syria, Hezbollah and
Hamas, was celebrated in Iran as a
successful case of its trans-sectarian
policy, emphasising the political unity
of all Muslims. Iran clearly saw itself as
the champion of all Muslims and with
the sprouting Arab Spring, the Iranian
leadership was self-congratulatory
for providing a model for the Muslim
world to follow, even though the Muslim Brotherhood of Egypt appeared
very reluctant to follow the Iranian
model.
But the Arab Spring has now
turned to winter and given rise to devastating carnage in Syria and Iraq. ISIL
has galvanised the international community to act. The US-led aerial bombardment of ISIL assets have offered
the Kurdish Peshmerga and the Iraqi
forces some reprieve.
Ironically, the common threat of
ISIL has put old foes on the same side
of the fence. Iran and the US have an
enemy in ISIL. So why is Iran not part
of the international coalition?
The Iranian leadership operates
in its own political and psychological
sphere, and responds to a range of factors beyond the geo-strategic needs of
the day. The parameters of this sphere
dictate that Iran cannot afford to be
seen as a minor player in a US-led operation. Iran sees itself as an equal
player, and in many ways a more critical player because of its geographical
location. While this does not rule out
ad hoc contact between the two sides
on practical issues, it does make entering into a military alliance with the US
highly problematic for Iran’s sense of
its own regional role.
suspicions
The Iranian leadership is also suspicious of US intentions and sincerity
in the fight against ISIL. The US is accused of sponsoring rebel groups in
Syria, and having a hand in the emergence of what Iran calls “takfiris”
(apostate groups). A recent statement
by US Secretary of State John Kerry
about the role of Saudi Arabia, UAE
and Turkey in the rise of ISIL seemed
to vindicate Iranian cynicism. Saudi
Arabia is now part of the international
coalition to stop the ISIL land grab. The
Iranian authorities, especially the conservatives, see this as disingenuous.
Indeed, Washington’s continued commitment to deposing Bashar al-Assad
in Syria, which is at war with ISIL, is
seen as evidence of its deceit.
Instead, Iran sees its ties with the
central government in Baghdad and
the Kurdistan Regional Government
(KRG) as leverage in the push against
ISIL. Iranian authorities celebrate
what they see as Tehran’s immediate response to aid Iraq against ISIL,
and have published images of General
Qasem Soleimani, the Commander of
Quds Forces, in Kurdistan.
From Iran’s point of view, history
is on its side: Once all is said and done,
once US troops return home, Iran maintains the most battle-ready military
force to offset regional challenges, buttressed with strong political ties with
Iraq, Syria and Hezbollah. The Iranian
leadership remains confident that this
alliance will allow Tehran to shift the
focus back on Israel, and allow Iran to
reclaim its role as regional leader.
Shahram Akbarzadeh is Research
Professor and ARC Future Fellow at the
Centre for Citizenship and Globalisation, Deakin University, Australia.
It’s a recognised fact that Jammu and
Kashmir is a Muslim-majority state. The
international attention on the state is much
more than on any other state. Handing the
post to a non-Muslim would give credence
to the charges that a systematic plan is on to
undermine the Muslim identity, which they
have closely identified with Kashmiri identity, with the Kashmiri Pandits and Kashmiri
Sikhs being usually out of the purview of the
definition of Kashmiri identity.
On this issue, there is going to be a unified chorus by the perceived mainstream
parties — the National Conference, PDP, Congress and the CPI(M) — that a Hindu CM is
unacceptable to them. This would help one of
the parties to rally all the Muslims to its side,
and it may be something like the repeat of
Muslim United Front (MUF) of 1987.
----Courtesy Hindustan Times
4
From that
page,
you can
edit that
information
or “opt out”
of allowing
Google to
share your
information
with
advertisers.
... your interests.
Once US troops go home, Iran has the most battle-ready
military force to offset regional challenges.
saturday
22 11 2014 Kashmir Observer

PANORAMA

Mirza Waheed
‘It’s A Lot Of Graft
And Hard Work’
Mahvish MuRad
M
IRZA WAHEED
IS A FORMER
JOURNALIST
WHO GREW UP
IN KASHMIR AND
MOVED TO DELHI TO ATTEND
UNIVERSITY. HIS DEBUT NOVEL, THE COLLABORATOR, WAS
ABOUT A YOUNG MAN LIVING
IN A VILLAGE NEAR THE LINE
OF CONTROL IN KASHMIR. IT
WAS SHORTLISTED FOR THE
GUARDIAN BOOK AWARD AND
THE SHAKTI BHAT PRIZE. THE
BOOK OF GOLD LEAVES IS HIS
SECOND NOVEL.
Your great-grandfather
was a papier-mache artist in
Kashmir and you grew up in
Srinagar. So how much of The
Book of Gold Leaves is autobiographical?
Mirza Waheed (MW): Not autobiographical at all. A bit of feeling for papier-mache art may have
helped subliminally. During a particularly long curfew when I was
a teenager in Srinagar — and we
used to have many long curfews
gestate, become, for want of a better word, audible to me. I need to
hear them. A hastily drawn character is just that, a hastily drawn
character.
Whose voice came to you
first? Whose was the easiest to
write and whose was the hardest?
MW: I don’t know how to answer that. I don’t remember. For
me, Roohi is the heart of the novel.
She was easy to write at first because I kind of knew her, liked her,
but it soon became clear I would
need to inhabit her space and
world for much longer to be able to
do justice to her. A certain register
that I thought fitted.
This book is unabashedly
romantic. The language too
— it’s lyrical, it’s poetic and
you’re not afraid of exposition.
What is your writing process
and how do you balance your
journalism and your fiction?
MW: I am glad you bring this
up. It’s an important question.
I read some review of the novel
which mentioned this in passing
Remembering Faiz
Nov 20th marked the 30th death aNNiversary of faiz ahmad faiz,
oNe of the greatest UrdU poets of oUr time.
F
AIZ Ahmed Faiz was born in Sialkot, on Feb 13, 1911. He received
his early education under the
tutelage of the renowned scholar
Sayyid Mir Hasan, known as
Shamsul Ulema at the Scotch Mission High
School in 1921. Faiz was to become one of
his favorite students just as Iqbal once was.
Faiz showed a natural affinity for languages
and excelled in Arabic, Persian, Urdu and
English. He graduated from the Scotch Mission in 1927 with honors. After graduating
with the highest honours from Murray
College, Sialkot, Faiz left for Lahore in the
autumn of 1929. Faiz became a student at
Government College, Lahore. It was the best
college in the region at that time, not only
for its academic excellence, but also for its
democratic environment which encouraged
frequent interaction between students and
teachers both on and off campus. Ahmad
Shah Bukhari ‘Patras’, a towering literary
figure, who later became Pakistan’s permanent representative to the United Nations,
taught English language and literature at
the college. Bukhari was to become one of
Faiz’s closest friends and an early mentor.
Bukhari, and later, Sufi Ghulam Mustafa
Tabassum, represented the best of the modern intelligentsia of the subcontinent. Tabassum was Faiz’s earliest mentor in poetry
to whom he regularly turned for opinion
and criticism of his poetry even after Faiz
had become a recognized poet himself.
Faiz was not very satisfied with this early poetry and included only a limited portion of it in his first collection. Faiz accepted his first job offer to work as a lecturer of
English at the Mohammadan Anglo Oriental College, Amritsar in 1935. He taught at
the MAO College from 1935 to 1940, and in
those years, according to his biographer,
translator and friend, Dr Ludmilla Vassilyeva, “A new Faiz was born in this city who
perceived the world entirely differently
from before.”
He was one of the pioneers behind the
idea of the All India Progressive Writers’ Association, which later developed into a literary movement. That movement gave birth,
in one form or another, to some of the best
literary and poetic talent of the 20th century
Urdu language, and included adherents like
Krishen Chander, Ismat Chughtai, Ahmed
Nadeem Qasmi, Sahir Ludhianvi, Mirza Adeeb, Sibte Hassan, and many others.
Faiz was married to Alys at the house
of M.D. Taseer in Srinagar in October 1941.
Their nikah was performed by Sheikh Mohammed Abdullah, the leader of the National Conference.It was a simple wedding
ceremony, ending with an informal house
party attended by the progressive poets,
Josh and Majaaz among them, in addition to
the family.
Alys was in Kashmir at the time of Par-
tition along with her young daughters. They
were lucky to avoid the bloodshed, and managed to reach home safely. Faiz at this time
was the Editor of the daily The Pakistan
Time.; His most famous poem from that era
influenced a whole generation and is always
quoted whenever Partition is discussed.
‘’Subh-i-Aazad’’ was Faiz’ first poem written after the creation of Pakistan on August
14, 1947.
Rawalpindi Conspiracy case----Faiz was
arrested from his house in Lahore alongwith many of his other colleagues, in a case
which came to be known as Rawalpindi Conspiracy Case. Faiz was treated as the ‘chief
conspirator’, representing communists. For
Faiz, this resulted in an imprisonment lasting four years, a time that was very painful
for him as well as for his family. However,
his poetry flourished and two collections
were published during the four years of
prison. Dast-i-Saba' (The Breeze’s Hand) and
Zindaan Nama (Prison Notebook) contain
some of his best poetry. By the time Faiz
was freed in 1955, he had become famous.
Faiz received the Lenin Peace Prize in
1962 in Moscow. The prize ceremony was
held in the grand Kremlin hall in Moscow.
Faiz’s acceptance speech at the ceremony,
which appears as a brief preface to his collection Dast-i-tah-i-Sang (Hand under the
rock) is a great piece of humanist literature.
The break-up of Pakistan in 1971 in the
form of Bangladesh prompted Faiz to write
one of his best poems ‘’Dhaka se Wapsi Par’’
which he wrote in 1974 after visiting Bangladesh as part of a delegation that accompanied Prime Minister Bhutto.At this juncture in it’s history when Pakistan is fast
descending into chaos, its ugliness and its
vulnerability is best described by another
of his famous poems ‘’Subh e Azaadi’’. This
tattered raiment of darkness, this sputtering of dawn, this is not the dawn that we had
hoped for.
---Trans Asia News Service
Our love for Fawad
ChaRu Gupta
— under the tutelage of my uncle I
somehow painted a hundred Easter
eggs to pass the time. I didn’t know
anything about papier-mache art
apart from the fine art of creating
a crackling fire in my grandfather’s clay fire-pot that he used to
warm his paints. We were homebound for more than two months, I
think. There was nothing to do, so I
helped my uncle who, too, was trying to pass the time and, because he
hadn’t been paid his bureaucrat’s
salary for a while, to find another
means of income. I was actually
paid some money for it by an exporter. I don’t know if the money
actually came from him or my
uncle who perhaps didn’t want to
discourage me.
For me, The Book of Gold
Leaves is as much of a love
story about you and Kashmir,
as it is a love story about Faiz
and Roohi. You moved away
years ago but clearly you remain deeply connected to the
land; is it easier or harder to
write about Kashmir when you
are further away physically?
MW: This is a novel and distance really doesn’t matter when
you’re writing one. This is also a
novel that didn’t require much research — and I suspect I may be the
kind of sloth-inflicted writer who
doesn’t do a lot of research, preferring to think about the characters, the story, and the space they
inhabit, for years before properly
embarking on a book — so it didn’t
really matter where I was. Besides,
I feel connected to Kashmir, the
only place that comes closest to the
idea of ‘home’, and I go as often as
I can. Physical distance may even
be helpful sometimes. A certain degree of detachment is essential for
the writer to do his job.
The narrative points of view
in The Book of Gold Leaves
change fairly frequently — you
deal with a number of characters here, changing between
perspectives and allowing them
each to tell parts of the story.
Which came first, the plot or
the characters?
MW: The characters and the
place came first. And I sort of always knew the loose story. [...]
Characters are my primary agents
and objects of love; I spend a lot of
time with them, turning them over
in my head for years. They have to
and I wanted to say, “Oh, yes, yes,
it’s deliberately romantic, by design echoing the fiercely honest
declamations of Shirin-Farhad,
Sohni-Mahiwal, Heer-Ranjha or
Laila-Majnu.” Many of us forget
that some of our epics and the greatest love stories are essentially lyric
poetry, some are even composed
as songs and ballads, and rhyme
and rhythm aren’t merely decorative, they are in fact central to both
the literary tradition they create
and belong to, and to the historical
world in which they belong. So, I
may have subconsciously echoed
what reviewers and newspapers
sometimes call lyricism, which
is such a key part of those ageless
tales of love. Roohi believes in a romantic life but she’s also aware of
it; hers is both a helpless and a decided falling in love. She knows her
heart well, she can’t help it, and
yet, she isn’t simply a girl waiting
for ‘her prince to take her away’.
The novel undercuts that notion,
I think. Roohi knows how to love.
I don’t do any journalism now.
My process of writing fiction? As
I said earlier, I spend a lot of time
with the story and its characters.
Sometimes I imagine I’m talking
to them, at other times I ask questions of myself, and there are those
rare glorious hours when all you
want to do in life is put it all down
on paper and think about the material later. While thinking for ever
about the world of the novel you’re
trying to write, there comes a point
when you can’t not write any more.
That said, it’s a lot of graft and hard
work, too. You’ve got to sit there
with that spotless white notebook
or in front of the blank screen. I
also write quite a few email notes
to self.
Have you had feedback
about your novels from readers
in Kashmir? Is that at all something you think about — whether you’re doing justice to the
stories of who have remained
behind?
MW: I believe most readers
in Kashmir, as in India and Pakistan, liked The Collaborator, but
it is early to know about The Book
of Gold Leaves. Of course I want
everyone to love it. And yes, I do
think about it but I write the stories I want to write.
---By arrangement with Dawn.
P
akistani actor Fawad Khan
has become a fascinating icon,
the new heartthrob for Indian
girls and women. Zindagi, an
Indian entertainment television channel launched four months ago,
broadcasts serials from Pakistan. Khan
has emerged as its central idiom — besides having looks to die for and undeniable charm, he portrays a sensitive and
mature lover and husband in the serials
Zindagi Gulzar Hai and Humsafar. Recently, he made his Bollywood debut in
Khoobsurat. Describing the movie, Shobhaa De says: “So, who is the real ‘khoobsurat’ in the movie… Any guesses?
You’ve got it! It’s a slim, bearded bloke
from across the border… He’s as yummy
as those irresistible Lahori kebabs, and
desi ladies want him.”
Khan’s religious and national identity is not hidden or muted; it is explicit
and out there. But Indian women, most
of them Hindu, are totally unconcerned
with that. While the “love jihad” hysterics are crying themselves hoarse, Indian
girls do not care if Khan is a Muslim or
a Pakistani. Instead, they dream of
having someone like him in their lives to
love. This reveals a religious and national liminality that can stump the hysteria
over the constructed bogey of love jihad.
The representation of Fawad Khan and
the construction of love jihad are part of
fictive imaginations, though in very different ways. They undercut each other,
reflecting women’s desires on the one
hand and Hindu male fears on the other.
One contests power, the other attempts
to reinstate it.
The love jihad campaign exposes
how Hindu women are central symbols
of the Hindutva body politic. Hindutva’s
cry for segregation denies free movement to Hindu women, using the threat
of physical, emotional and religious
harm to women’s bodies as weapons of
social control. Women are thus told that
inter-religious marriages are undesirable for their own good. Hindu women
who indulge in inter-religious romances
or marriages are depicted as dangerous
to the construct of the Hindu nation. But
their love for Khan is one of the many
vehicles by which such constructed
“dangers” are displaced. Through their
dreams of and desires for him, women
discursively bridge the conventional
physical and psychological distance
between Hindu/ Muslim and Indian/
Pakistani. These women signify a religious and sexual mobility. In their own
way, such women are not only refusing
their “proper” sexual and religious roles,
they are apathetic to the delusional constructions of the “evil” Muslim male. As
Janaki Nair states, “Indian women have
taken control of their lives at a much
faster pace than expected”, and they are
“no longer passive bearers of caste, religious, ethnic or other meaning — but the
makers of meaning”.
This phenomenon of Fawad Khan
highlights additional dimensions. His
imagery pitches the sensitive Muslim
against the “monstrous” Muslim. Khan
as a Muslim male idol defies stereotypes
of Muslim men or any negative-positive
binaries. His allure not only undermines
the hysteria against the “violent” Muslim, his portrayal as a hero and perfect
husband material resists the myth of
the Muslim as the rapist. That image
is replaced here with a perceptive, almost vulnerable, Muslim male. While
is not contained within a Hindu paradigm or world. As Daniel Gold writes,
the three Khans of Bollywood are often
integrated much more comfortably in
the imaginations of Indian film-goers as
they not only mostly play romantic Hindu characters on screen, but also assert a
markedly Indian identity.
Many of the complexities of gender,
religion and nation are brought forth in
this implicit battle between rabble-rousing jihad against love and our love for
Fawad Khan. A politics that imposes sexual prescriptions and designates which
partners are appropriate and legitimate
is no longer tenable. Certain aspects of
discourses of religious “othering” and
hatred have persisted and gained a new
lease of life with the political ascent of
the Hindu right, our love for Khan is an
instance that shows that such divisions
have also become muddier and more fluid as a section of Indian women discard
binary categories and fixed identities.
The juxtaposition of the phenomenon
of Khan’s popularity with the love jihad
campaign announces, through its ambivalent convergences and divergences
between religion and gender, that the
insisted-upon superiority of Hindu men
is itself an elaborate ruse, a masquerade
that keeps passing itself off as truth. The
construct of Khan also challenges certain other kinds of masculinities. His
image is far removed from an overtly
muscle-wielding macho hero, who shows
off his biceps, six, eight and 10 packs,
and bare chest as markers of manhood.
In contrast, says De, “Fawad comes to us
nicely packaged (compact chap, no abs,
no biceps), and unambiguously adult”. It
can be argued that the leading Bollywood
stars — the three Khans — are also Muslims. However, Fawad Khan is identifiably Muslim and Pakistani, and his self
popular culture, our everyday practices
and, above all, love, have yet again dismantled the wild allegations of the love
jihad campaign. Such markers and spaces need to be taken seriously for what
they tell us about Indian women and our
society. The dynamics of heterogeneities
are knocking on our doors, whereby processes of exclusion — and by implication
inclusion — that define homogenous
identities have developed many cracks
and fissures. The links between sex and
segregation, between control of women
and Hindu supremacy are being subverted in our everyday lives and actions by
many women themselves. Fawad Khan’s
popularity with Indian women, just like
inter-religious marriages, symbolises religious and national boundary crossings,
transgressions of sexual taboos and flirtations with moral castigation, imperilling the Hindutva order and threatening
constructed religious and cultural “purities”.
----Indian Express
The writer teaches in the department
of history, University of Delhi
6 Saturday
22 11 2014 Kashmir Observer


Why global fast-food chains love the Indian market
New Delhi: The love-affair between India’s burgeoning middle-class and branded international
fast food products appears increasingly to be
heading towards the stage of a mature mutual
relationship of understanding that might soon
become a marriage. That should explain why
despite negative market indicators in the short
term, international chains like McDonald’s and
Domino’s are here to stay alongside the likes of
a local Haldiram’s and also explain the optimism
of other big players like Burger King and Wendy’s to enter the Indian market with a big bang.
Everyone wants a piece of the pie, no-one
wants to miss the bus and everyone seems happy to be in the same boat. That’s the story of the
quick service restaurant (QSR) market in India.
Burger King, the world's second largest hamburger chain, opened its first outlet in Delhi on
Sunday, 9 November, while Ohio-based Wendy's
is likely to set up shop in the first half of next
year. This, while the American fast-food giant
McDonald’s has already been a household name
in India since 1994 and Domino’s and KFC continue to be popular.
The key to their success in what is potentially
a difficult market would be their ability to adapt
and localise, just as McDonald’s has done.
The BBC’s Shilpa Kannan reports that Amit
Jatia who is the local partner in the south and
west of India, running the chain as a joint venture with the global McDonald's company is a
staunch vegetarian. When he walked into a McDonald's for the first time, it was in Japan and he
was only 14. All he could have was a milkshake.
That’s why when the American fast-food chain
first contacted him in 1994, Amit's first challenge was close to home, convincing his vegetarian family to invest in the business.
"From my family's point of view we thought
through this carefully," he said.
"What convinced us was that McDonald's
was willing to localise. They promised that there
would be no beef or pork on the menu.
"Nearly half of Indians are vegetarian so
choosing a vegetarian to run their outlets here
makes sense.
Across the world the Big Mac beefburger is
the company's signature product. Amit and his
partners had to come up with their own signature product for India, so the Chicken Maharajah
Mac was born.
Originally Amit was the local partner in the
south and west of India, running the chain as a joint
venture with the global McDonald's company.
Later he bought out the McDonald's stake and
now solely runs the chain in the south and west
of the country.
"Whether you love or hate McDonald's, they
DFCO pays surprise visit to
Hindustan Coca Cola at Gangyal
JAMMU, NOVEMBER 21:-The Enforcement Staff of Drugs and Food Control Organization (DFCO) carried out surprise visit of M/s Hindustan Coca
Cola Beverages Pvt Ltd., Gangyal Jammu.
During the visit a huge quantity of Beverages and Package Drinking
Water (7978 cases of Beverages and Package Drinking Water amounting
to Rs. 50 lakh approximately) was found dumped inside the premises/
godown of the Factory.
On query by the Enforcement Staff, it was learnt that the said Unit had
recalled the unconsumed stocks of the said articles from flood affected
areas of Kashmir Valley. The so recalled articles had remained in contact
with flood waters and therefore rendered unfit for human consumption.
The Authorized Signatory, R.A Yadav of the Company was instructed to
carry out procedure for disposal of these recalled articles strictly as per
Standard Operating Procedure devised by the Company under the supervision of empowered authorities under Food Safety and Standards Act,
2006. The exercise was conducted under the active supervision of Designated Officer Madan Mangotra alongwith a team of Food Safety Officers.
The public in general and stake holders in particular are informed
through the medium of this press release that no article of food that remained touched with flood waters should be put to sale, exhibited for
sale or stocked by the Food Business Operators.
Further the information of such product recalls should be brought
in to the notice of local authorities empowered under Food Safety and
Standards Act, 2006. On the side lines of above exercise another team of
Enforcement Officers seized 287 lts of Sofit Soya Milk which was declared
Misbranded by the Food Analyst. Legal action as contemplated under law
shall follow against the defaulting Firm in due course of time.
Tata First Dot Workshop held
in Srinagar
SRiNAgAR :104 students from across18 prominent institutes in Srinagar
attended the Tata First Dot Regional Workshop held at the Jammu and
Kashmir Entrepreneurship Development Institute (JKEDI), Srinagar, recently. The workshop was a power-packed blend of group work, lectures,
activities, and expert talk led by the Chief Guest, Mr. Rajendra Bhat, Chief
Knowledge Officer at Ourea Capital Advisors. The workshop aimed to
equip the participants with tools and techniques to help them critically
analyse business ideas; assess market opportunities; develop initial business models, and understand various financing options.Students from
institutes like Central University of Kashmir, SSM College of Engineering
and Technology and University Of Kashmir, amongst others, participated.
Tata First Dot powered by NEN is a unique and innovative platform for
student entrepreneurs to access more knowledge, networks, resources
and recognition for their businesses. It is the first of its kind, which is focused on creating an environment to support student entrepreneurship.
This is in sync with the Tata group’s commitment to foster entrepreneurial culture and innovation amongst the young generation.
The regional workshops that stated on October 9, 2014 spanning across 20
cities in India will conclude in Ahmedabad on November 28, 2014. The online
submission of nominations by interested participants for the Tata First Dot
National Competition, for best Student Start-ups, is open till 30th November,
2014. At the end of the competition, five national winners of Tata First Dot
Judge’s Choice competition and five national winners ofTata First Dot People’s
Choice competition will be declared. These start-ups will receive unique professional mentoring from various entrepreneurs, angel investors, mentors,
experts and other student start-ups via the Mentoring Platform.
deliver a formula very well," says Edward Dixon,
chief operating officer of Sannam S4, which provides market entry advice and support for multinationals in India, Brazil and China.
"Localised menu, delivered with precision
quality at a price that works. One other trick
they have used very effectively [is] an entry level
ice cream which fuels the ability for consumers who might not ordinarily be able to afford
to become a customer.” This also explains the
runaway success of the 20 rupees (20p) burger
called Aloo Tikki Burger, a burger with a cutlet
made of mashed potatoes, peas and flavoured
with Indian spices- essentially the McDonald's
version of Indian street food.
The kind of customers McDonald's attracts
in India is very different from other countries.
There are still families with young children who
frequent it. But diners also include many young
people, aged between 19 and 30, with no kids.
During the week, Amit says, this crowd dominates the restaurants.
Following in McDonald’s very big footsteps,
competition is trying to now sneak in: Domino's
Pizza has more than 500 restaurants across India,
KFC has more than 300 restaurants, Dunkin Donuts has more than 30 outlets in India, Burger King
has just opened its first restaurant in Delhi and
other outlets are reported to be opening shortly - it
too has dropped pork and beef from its menu
NDTV reports that the new entrants are not
deterred by the fact that margins of existing
players are under stress amid a prolonged economic slowdown or that consumers have held
back spending amid the economic slowdown in
India. Low spending has weighed on demand,
forcing companies to come up with promotional
offers despite a sharp jump in input prices. High
attrition and real estate rental costs have also
impacted profitability, analysts say.
In the September quarter, Westlife Development, a company whose subsidiary Hardcastle
Restaurants is a master franchisee of McDonald's
in India, reported a 600 per cent year-on-year
drop in operating margins. Jubilant FoodWorks,
which operates the Domino's Pizza and Dunkin'
Donuts brands in India and whose shares are
well tracked, reported a 280 points drop in yearon-year margins in the September quarter. Its
same-store sales growth (SSSG) also declined 5.3
per cent during the quarter.
Most companies see tough days ahead despite
signs of early recovery. Jubilant FoodWorks'
management said it is not seeing any positive
change in consumer buying patterns and expects the weakness in consumer demand to continue in the near term. Current market environment has impacted shares of listed companies.
Jubilant FoodWorks shares are up just 13.50
per cent, while Westlife Development shares
are down 17 per cent over the last one year. In
contrast, the Sensex has gained over 38 per cent
during the same period.
But despite the negativity, new entrants believe that a recovery is around the corner. Raj
Varman, chief executive of Burger King India,
says the food business is a recession-proof business. Mr Varman's Burger King is coming up
with 12 restaurants in Mumbai and Delhi over
the next few weeks.
The biggest draw for these new players is the
massive growth prospects in India, analysts say.
According to a report by Technopak, the QSR segment in India is set to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 25 per cent to reach revenues of
$3.2 billion by 2018 from $1.06 billion in 2013.
There's also a growing belief that demand will
come back quicker-than-expected as inflation
cools and disposable incomes rise. "The Indian
market is on the verge of substantial recovery...
Growing disposable income and rising number
of dual income families mean the headroom is
enormous," Mr Varman says.
A sharp fall in inflation will also bring down input costs and increase profitability. Analysts also
say that most big foreign brands have deep pockets and they can afford to play the waiting game.
Tata plans big push for Prima trucks SpiceJet mum
CHENNAi: Tata Motors hopes to double
the sales of its Prima range of modern medium and heavy trucks by next year.
The company believes that the adoption of technologically-advanced trucks
will start to gain momentum in India in
the coming months.
“We are looking to produce 500 units
a month in the next 2-3 months, and
quickly hit 1,000 units a month. As we are
ramping up, there are some bottlenecks
in our supply chain and that are getting
addressed. We plan look to do annual
sales of 10,000 units in Prima range next
year and that will be about 10 per cent
of our M&HCV (25-tonne and above segment) volumes,” Ravi Pisharody, Executive Director – Commercial Vehicles, Tata
Motors, told The Hindu at the company’s
Jamshedpur plant, where India’s truck
journey began in 1954 when the Tatas
rolled out their first truck.
Prima range, which promises increased
productivity and longer life at a premium
of 10-12 per cent, is targeted at large captive users, miners, transporters as also
owner-drivers who operate small fleets.
These trucks, which are now offered mainly in the 25-tonne and above categories,
will compete against Ashok Leyland’s Utruck range, Daimler’s BharatBenz, Volvo-
on sell-out
Eicher’s Pro Series in the M&HCV segment.
Recovery in M&HCV (medium and
heavy commercial vehicle) volumes,
expansion of Prima product range, and
changing preferences of buyers, among
others, are cited as key factors for the projected growth in Prima range of trucks.
“The big push will happen now. Earlier,
Prima was in only tractor trailers and tippers. Now Prima is also coming in multiaxle vehicle (MAV) segment, a key growth
area in M&HCV segment,” he added. The
company has sold over 5,000 units of
Prima tractor trailers and tippers in the
Indian market since the introduction in
2009-10.
Mr.Pisharody also said the Jamshedpur truck complex, which is celebrating
60 years of truck manufacturing, would
be its hub for production of Prima trucks
through it assembled trucks in Lucknow
and Pune.
With a production capacity of one lakh
units, Jamshedpur factory assembles over
200 models comprising multi-axle trucks,
tractor-trailers, tippers, mixers and special application vehicles targeting civilian
and defence segments.
Jaitley slams ‘unsustainable’ taxes
NEW DELHI, : Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Friday said that an unsustainable
tax demand would only earn the country
a bad name as an INVESTMENT destination. The Minister’s comments come in
the wake of the Income Tax department
losing its battle against Shell in Mumbai
High Court.
“Unsustainable demand won’t get you
taxes. Unsustainable demands in the
books can show you in good glory, but
eventually those taxes will be blocked
in some judicial court proceedings...they
would have only earned us a bad name
as an INVESTMENT destination,” Mr Jaitley said at the HT Leadership Summit. He,
however, maintained that those who are
supposed to pay taxes must pay.
×Ads by Plus-HD-V1.1 Mr Jaitley’s comments come in the wake of Mumbai High
Court order earlier this week wherein Income Tax Department lost its Rs 18,000
crore transfer pricing cases against oil
major Shell India. The government is also
engaged in a Rs 20,000 crore tax dispute
with British telecom major Vodafone.
Referring to retrospective amendments
to the tax laws by the UPA government,
Mr Jaitley said, if the government was not
INVESTOR friendly, people would start
looking elsewhere. He further said making the taxation regime investor-friendly
and streamlining the procedure for land
acquisition were the big challenges facing
the government.
The Minister, however, took comfort
from the fact that taxation laws were the
domain of the Lok Sabha in which the
NDA has majority.
He said though the government had
managed to get the mess concerning allocation of coal blocks cleared with ease,
resolving other issues remained a challenge. When asked the three specific reforms he would like to get passed in the
ensuing Winter session of Parliament, Mr
Jaitley said he would like the insurance
Bill, coal laws and Goods and Services tax
to be cleared. He said there were political
risks to reforms.
“Reforms alone by themselves are not
enough, if they have to survive politically,
the blending [with politics] has to be adequately done by those involved, Mr. Jaitley said.
MUMBAi : Amid reports of a possible stake
sale, low-cost airline SpiceJet on Friday said it
was exploring all options to mop up funds to
overcome the cash crunch.
The company did not divulge whether it
was considering diluting promoter’s stake.
Exploring all options
“While the company is exploring all various options to further capitalise, we are unable to comment on specifics at this stage,”
SpiceJet said in a statement.
The statement comes following media
reports that promoter Kalanithi Maran, who
holds 58.4 per cent stake along with the Sun
group, is exploring either a sell-out or partial
dilution of his stake.
Shares of Spicejet soared nearly 15 per
cent to end at Rs.16.06 on the BSE.
Meanwhile, the Bombay Stock Exchange
has also sought a clarification from the airline on the media reports about sell-out.
The airline reported the fifth straight
quarter of losses for the September quarter
at Rs.310 crore, although it was down from
the year-ago period when it had a net loss of
Rs.559 crore.
The losses came down as the airline witnessed a 15 per cent growth in total revenue.
For the past fiscal, the airline had reported a
record loss of a little over Rs.1,000 crore.
SpiceJet Chief Operating Officer Sanjeev
Kapoor had earlier this week said the process
to further recapitalise the airline was on and
the airline was on track to get back in black.
The carrier, which is currently restructuring its fleet, aims to have 35 Boeing planes by
the end of the current year from 28 now and
a fleet of 45—50 Boeing 737 by the second
half of next year. In the past six months, the
airline had brought down its fleet strength by
10 planes to 28.
The airline has been facing an exodus of
some senior executives and pilots over the
past six months.
From Front Page
We Were
anything or show dreams that cannot be realized on ground,” Sonia said while addressing a
crowd of estimated six thousand people at Bandipore.
The Congress chief also took a dig at its chief
rival BJP saying that the relief works after the
catastrophic floods have been politicized by the
BJP and the slow pace of relief and rehabilitation
process by the party was adding to the miseries of
the flood victims at large in the state. “They (BJP)
made promises that were not fulfilled. The fact is
that BJP has nothing to do with the problems and
woes of the flood victims of Jammu and Kashmir.”
Eulogizing the tenure of the Congress, Sonia
said that the party promised regional councils for
Chenab valley and other parts of the state and fulfilled same sans any delay. She added that people
must vote for the Congress party so that befitting
reply is given to the party having the ‘communal
agenda’ for the state.
Azad in his address without naming NC and PDP
said that every party in Kashmir except Congress has
entered into a secret pact with BJP in a bid to be the
part of the new government. “We will defeat them.
We will defeat the communal forces,” Azad said.
He stated that every vote in BJP’s favor would
be a vote for RSS
The assembly segment of Bandipora is going
for polls in the first phase of the state elections on
November 25.
PM Modi
from November 25 and end on December 20. The
results will be out on December 23.
Burial held
shutdown was observed in Tral town and adjoining areas. Eyewitnesses said that all the shops,
commercial establishments and schools were
closed in the town.
The witnesses said youth took to streets in the
town soon after Friday prayers and held anti-India
and pro-freedom demonstrations. “The youths
also pelted stones on government forces ensuing
clashes,” witnesses said.
However, no one was injured in the clashes,
they added.
Meanwhile,Syed Ali Geelani in his telephonic
address to funeral congregation at Tral paid glorious tributes to slain youth Shiraz Ahmad, Asif
Ahmad and Shabir Ahmad.
Geelani said that these youth were sacrificing
their precious lives “against forced occupation,
coercion and for securing our future.”
In his address to mourners Geelani alleged, “India with power of arrogance occupied state and
since last 67 years we as a nation are striving and
pursuing for a sacred cause.
Meanwhile, police on Friday detained the Sumo
driver whose vehicle (JK03-8884) was allegedly
used by militants to attack a police party in Tral
on Thursday evening. A police official confirmed
that they have detained the driver for questioning.
He identified him as Showkat Ahmed Makroo, a
resident of Larkipora Awantipora.
PDP-NC
custody the accused person.
DSP Kulgam, Irshad Ahmad said that police was
investigating the matter.
Roads were also sealed by the forces later and
the situation was described by them tense but under control in the entire assembly segment.
Wasn’t Accepted
Over Jammu and Kashmir’s unique identity and
Article 370, Sajad stated that he would not only
strive to protect it but would strive to restore its
lost glory. “Achievable Nationhood inspires me
politically. Article 370 is a pale shadow of what
it used to be and has been eroded by successive
regimes. It was eroded by Congress while partnering sometimes with National Conference and
sometimes with the erstwhile state Congress
leaders who now heads a regional entity. As far as
I am concerned, I look at augmentation, enriching
its content and economic powers. We are for enhancement in sync with today's realities. I look at
enhancing Article 370. I want to make 370 richer,
more intense,” Sajad said, adding that he promises
to the people of Kashmir that if he is elected with
good numbers, he will be the biggest guarantor of
Article 370 and that PDP and NC are linked with
the erosion of Article 370.
My past is not linked to erosion of Article 370
or fake encounters or invoking of PSA, Sajad, son
of Abdul Gani Lone a veteran politician and founder member of Hurriyat Conference said.
Taking dig at National Conference and PDP,
Sajad said that both the parties were the experts
in double speak. “Both of them follow a typical
pattern. One statement in Kashmir publicly and
a counter statement in Delhi privately. Take the
case of my meeting with Prime Minister. Publicly
they have said nothing adverse but their known
sympathizers have launched a vicious campaign
on the social media. Omar was the minister in BJP
government and Mufti was the Home Minister
backed by the BJP government. They have to answer questions. I have no questions to answer. I
met the Prime Minister of India and have every
right to meet him. Why is this whole song and
dance being enacted. I made the mistake of entering an arena which they feel is monopolized arena
of the two families. But the writing on the wall is
clear. Change is clearly visible."
Over the question that why he chose the mainstream line when his father was a known separatist leader, Sajad said he is proud of his father
and that his soul would be proud of his son. “He
was Abdul Gani Lone and I am Sajad Lone. He was
a different generation and I am a different generation. My father was the most liberal father. He
never issued diktats to his children.”
Stating that he would not mind if his son tomorrow joins the separatist camp, Sajad said he
would advice his son certainly not to pelt stones.
“I will also tell children of other people not to pelt
stones. I am not one of those persons who would
be happy in watching the neighbor’s son pelt
stones and reprimand their own children for doing the same.”
Over the role of separatists in Kashmir politics
in the political landscape of Jammu and Kashmir, Sajad remarked that both India and Pakistan
must come forward to talk to the parties associated with Kashmir. “It is for us to convince Delhi
on the need to talk to separatists. I can tell you
with certainty that biggest enemies of separatists
are PDP and NC. Publicly they say that New Delhi
should talk to separatists and in Delhi they tell the
government privately that separatists are non entities. NC and PDP see separatist camp as a threat.
I don’t see it that way. I believe that talks should
be held with them. BJP government has initiated
talks with the separatists in the past. Everyone
remembers that tenure of Vajpayee and how he
initiated talks which were not unfortunately carried forward by the Congress government in the
same spirit.”
Over the cancellation of the foreign secretary
level talks in the past, Sajad said that one must not
get excited by the ups and downs of diplomacy.
“Diplomacy is all together a different world. There
are ups and downs and there are movements of
togetherness and movements of bitterness. ”
Sajad, a graduate from London School of Economics, while commenting on the Kashmir issue said, “My whole idea is that economics has
made geography irrelevant. Role of economics in
solution is greater than change in geography. You
need to accelerate the economic activity rather
than be focused or obsessed with redrawing the
geographical borders. My stand is that role of
economics is far greater than any other factor in
resolving the conflict.”
Affirming that there would be a big political
change in Jammu and Kashmir after 2014 elections, Sajad said that after around 40 to 50 years,
the state would for the first time get rid of the dynastic rule of NC and PDP. “Hopefully we will have
a NC-less, PDP-less government.” (KNS)
Mufti Sayeed
of State for Animal Husbandry Nazir Ahmad
Khan was only 35 years old in 2008 polls. This
year, he has shown his age as 49. Agencies
saturday
22 11 2014 Kashmir Observer

NEWS

Mufti Sounds Caution Over
Dissentious Political Misadventure In JK
Srinagar: Cautioning against
any political misadventure in
Jammu and Kashmir, Peoples
Democratic Party (PDP) Patron
Mufti Mohammad Sayeed today said the retrograde rhetoric
being introduced in the State by
divisive forces is fraught with
dangerous consequences as it
would deepen the trust deficit between Srinagar and New
Delhi.
“I advise caution to all the
stakeholders against pushing Jammu and Kashmir towards dangerous polarization
for electoral gains,” Mufti said
while addressing massive election rallies at Kangan and Doda
today. He said J&K is a victim of
partition and PDP won’t allow
the divisive forces to push the
State into similar horrible situation again by fiddling with its
special status.
Mufti said no political party
should try to make religious,
sectarian and ethnic divide part
of its agenda and instead allow
Jammu and Kashmir to flourish
as a bouquet of communal harmony. “Any attempt to fiddle
with the composite culture of
the State has the potential of
not only deepening the trust
deficit between Srinagar and
Delhi, but fueling alienation as
well,” he said and added that
Jammu and Kashmir has already suffered immensely because of the political uncertainties and efforts have to be made
by one and all to pull the State
out of the morass.
Mufti said Kashmir has remained a challenge for the all
the Prime Ministers since 1947
there was need for bold steps
to address the issue instead of
making overt and covert efforts towards political invasion
of the sensitive state. “Only
a multidimensional approach
and not the hawkish rheto-
ConstituenCy pRoFile
Can Pulwama
Throw A Surprise?
Pulwama: As the battle for
state’s assembly polls intensifies
among different political parties, guessing a winner in Pulwama constituency has become
a difficult task as the ruling
National Conference (NC) and
opposition Peoples Democratic
Party (PDP), are locked in a battle with Third Front candidate.
In the last two terms the constituency has been represented
by the PDP legislator Mohammad Khalil Bandh who will be
challenged by NC’s Rajjya Sabha
MP Ghulam Nabi Ratanpuri. But
in the battle between NC and
PDP, Third Front candidate Abdul Qayoom Mir may emerge as
winner.People pin their hope on
new, young and educated faces
who they think will develop the
neglected assembly segment on
modern lines, and take it out of
its backwardness. Across the 94
revenue villages from Wanpora
to Dogripora in the constituency
including the district headquarters, people are angry with both
NC and PDP.
Although known for his sober nature, the incumbent MLA
is being described as “incompetent” by his own supporters, the
party’s old and staunch workers, and people across the constituency. Majority of the senior
workers are disgruntled with
him and this resentment could
turn the tide against him in the
coming polls.
“Bandh sahab has been an
MLA for the last 12 years and he
was a minister in PDP-Congress
Government in 2008, too. But
due to his incompetence he has
not done anything remarkable
for the constituency, not even
for his supporters,” said a senior
party worker, who did not want
to be identified.
After PDP declared him as
their candidate for the third
term, fissures developed among
the party’s workers over supporting him. Bandh has not held
any workers’ convention after
his candidature was announced.
And he has not succeeded in
mobilizing and attracting youth
into the party fold in the last
over a decade.
Moreover, the new, young
entrants into the party from
the constituency have further
opened flood-gates for him.
The party’s supporters had anticipated that their leadership
would announce a new candidate to contest the assembly
election but to their dismay it
didn’t happen.
“The decision (to field a new
candidate) would have been a
turning point for us to motivate
the young and educated electorate to vote in the elections. In
nutshell the party workers are
not happy with the decision,” he
said adding this could make our
winning chances thin.
The young supporters of the
party are annoyed with Bandh
and are likely not to rally for
him. The workers also blame
the sitting MLA of not visiting
the constituency during his
tenure to built mass contact
with the people.
Equally, NC’s candidate,
Ratanpuri too is on a sticky
wicket, and does not have a firm
grip on the electorate. His rumblings and swerving political
stand against his own party during the last five year has left the
NC’s old supporters annoyed.
Ratanpuri’s calling Hurriyat
leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani
tallest than NC founder Sheikh
Abdullah has the party’s staunch
supporters training guns against
him, and doubt his loyalty for
the party. People believe that
this has also cast the constituency on development as the
party top brass including Omar
Abdullah openly flayed him and
asked him to leave the party.
And the party leadership
maintained distance from him.
“Since NC was in power, Ratanpuri could have brought lot of
funds and development for the
whole of Pulwama district besides the constituency,” said Farooq Ahmad Wani, a resident of
the Pulwama town.
“Due to his faltering political character, Ratanpuri has not
won any new support from the
people in the area, particularly
among youth. Only those people
are pretending to support him
whom he had allotted contracts,” he alleged.
The old, staunch workers
have stayed aloof from him as
they accused him of neglecting
them. They were backing the
candidature of former NC minister Bashir Ahmad Nengroo,
but to their disappointment the
latter lost in the fray to contest
on NC ticket.
People also accuse Ratanpuri of making “irrational and
utopian” statements in the very
few meetings he has held at his
party office in the district. In the
last over five years, he has not
held a single mass rally to show
his support rising. The floods
too have cast shadow over their
leadership and role as legislators.
Since whole Pulwama district was severely damaged in
the recent floods, both the NC
and PDP leaders are being accused of neglecting the flood
affected people in relief and
rehabilitation. “As the district is
politically dead due to incompetent leadership, we will support
new, young, and literate faces in
the polls,” said Javaid Ahmad, a
youth in Ratnipora village which
has considerable registered
young voters, and has highest
number of electorate.
Among the new faces in the
fray that have attracted young
and old equally is the Peoples
Democratic Front’s state General Secretary Abdul Qayoom Mir,
from Ratnipora village. Mir, a
law graduate from Kashmir University, is contesting for the second time on Hakim Yasin’s PDF
ticket and could this time throw
a surprise for both PDP and NC.
Political analysts say Mir has
generated interest among the
people in the constituency by
his door to door meetings with
people and his mass contact
programme during the last five
years. His realistic speeches,
statements are in tune with the
demands and aspirations of the
people, they said, adding his
ability as a political leader could
get the constituency out of the
political death that it has been
seeing from the last six decades.
Mir’s wining chances are
multiplied by the emergence of
Third Front, which is an amalgam of number of smaller parties like M Y Tarigami’s CPI (M),
Ghulam Hassan Mir’s DP (N),
and Engineer Rashid’s Awami
Itehad Party.
ric would save the state from
decades-old miseries,” he said
and added that Kashmir issue
has to be addressed at political,
diplomatic, constitutional and
economic levels.
He said the trust deficit between residents of J&K and rest
of the country has to be bridged
by ensuring justice, fair-play
and equality before law and
unless the people in the state
enjoy the dividends of being
part of a democratic system the
alienation levels would in-turn
result in more problems for
them in the state. “Governance
deficit and trust deficit are the
main causes of ever increasing alienation of the people
so there is a need to restore
peoples’ faith in governance
and democracy,” he said and
added that PDP is committed
to bridge the gap between different regions and also between
people of Jammu and Kashmir
and rest of the country.
“During our tenure we had
proved how to treat all regions
and sub-regions equally and
party would further facilitate
the process of bridging the gap
to ensure justice and equality
to all regions and sub-regions,”
he said and added that the cosmetic approach on the Kashmir
issue has neither worked in the
past nor will it be of any consequence in the future.
Mufti expressed the hope
that the new government headed by Mr Narendra Modi would
follow the holistic path shown
by former Prime Minister Mr
Atal Behari Vajapyee and Dr
Manmohan Singh while dealing
with Kashmir problem. “Government of India shall have
to take all the stakeholders on
board within and outside the
State to work-out a lasting solution of the problem,” he said
and added that the assertions
like Insaniyat, Jamhuriyat and
Kashmiriyat have to be translated into reality as otherwise
people of the State would become more cynical as similar
assertions made by various
leaders from time to time have
only proved to be political rhetoric.
He said the renewed trust
people of the State have reposed
in the democratic institutions,
offers a fresh opportunity to
work through peaceful and reconciliatory means towards addressing all the dimensions of
the Kashmir issue in a manner
that balances and promotes enduring political and economic
stability in the State and the region. “PDP visualizes a space of
dignity, opportunity and prosperity for the people of Jammu
& Kashmir in the paradigm of
friendship and cooperative relationship between India and
Pakistan,” he said.
ICCR Sponsored Foreign Police
Blind
Scholars Meet Governor Cracks
Murder Case
Accused arrested,
Rs 1.5 lac recovered
JAMMU, NOVEMBER 21: Mr.
Balwant Thakur, Regional Director of the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR), Jammu
called on Mr. N. N. Vohra, Governor, here at the Raj Bhavan
yesterday. He was accompanied
by Mr. Rohullah and Mr. Mohammad Jafar Tanin, both from
Afghanistan, and Ms. Tshivolo
Tshandyewene Renatte from
Namibia. These three foreign
scholars, sponsored by ICCR, are
presently studying at Sher-eKashmir Institute of Agricultural
Sciences and Technology, Jammu. The Govt. of India is sup-
porting the education of these
scholars under the intellectual
exchange programme with different countries.
The foreign scholars interacted with the Governor and
shared with him their experiences as students of the State
Farm University and their perceptions about the culture and
traditions of India. The Governor, who is the Chancellor of
the SKUAST-J, enquired about
the studies imparted and facilities being provided to them. He
wished the students a bright
and successful future.
Srinagar: Police have cracked
a blind murder case of a herb
collector who was found dead
in open fields at Ashmuqam
area of south Kashmir’s Anantnag district.
A police spokesman said
Ashmuqam police station was
informed by some locals on 13
November that a male body was
lying in an open fields near Siligam. “The body was later identified as of Buttu Khatana son
of Abdullah Khatana resident of
Lidru Pahalgam a herb collector by profession. A case FIR No
77/14 under section 302 RPC
was registered in Police Station
Ashmuqam and investigation
was taken up.”
“During the investigation, several suspects were questioned
by the police. The investigations
zeroed in on a suspect, Firdous
Ahmad Bhat son of Gul Mohammad Bhat resident of Salia. During his sustained questioning he
confessed of murdering Buttu
Khatana. He revealed that the
murder was a preplanned by
him. He called Buttu Khatana to
the open fields on the pretext of
finalizing a deal of forest herbs
early morning on the fateful day.
Buttu Khatana came to the spot
with 1.5 lac rupees.
Jaitley to address election
rally in Kashmir on dec 3
Srinagar: To raise the morale of the BJP’s contesting candidates,
Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley is arriving here on December 3 and is scheduled to address the election rally in Kashmir.
A top party leader Friday said that the union finance
minister will be arriving here on December 3 and will address
election rally in Kashmir.
“Jaitley besides addressing the public rally in Kashmir will
also hold a meeting of the BJP state leaders to discuss the
preparations for the elections in the state,” he said.
Meanwhile talking to KNS BJP’s Kashmir affairs in charge
Ramesh Arora said that the morale of party workers and leaders has gone up due to the visits of the top brass of BJP. “The
arrivals of top party leaders is giving boost to our workers and
to our goal of achieving 'Mission 44+' in Jammu and Kashmir,”
he said. The BJP is running its “Mission 44” in Jammu and
Kashmir to form next government. The party has already said
that “formation of BJP government in J&K is their dream.
mirwaiz welcomes nawaz
sharif’s statement
Raised 1 Cr Donation For Flood Victims
Srinagar: Welcoming the statement of Pakistani Prime Minister
Nawaz Sharief that Pakistan would talk to Hurriyat leadership
before resuming talks with India, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq Friday
said, “The Indian position was contrary to the basic international and diplomatic principles whereby it has asked Pakistan
to choose between India or Hurriyat leadership.
Hurriyat (M) Chairman stated that Kashmiris were the main
party to the dispute and they are the ones who would decide
its political future. India should not befool itself by thinking that it would ignore Kashmiri leadership and pressurize
Pakistan to do the same.”Mirwaiz stated that without Kashmiri
participation, bilateral talks between India and Pakistan would
end up as a futile exercise. He stated that the past talks and
bilateral agreements testify the Hurriyat position
Meanwhile Mirwaiz as head of Darul Khairat also announced start of rehabilitation work under the ‘Akh Akis’
programme for the flood victims from next week.
In a statement he said in this connection the donation raised
so far is about 1 crore rupees.
sopore chowK turns
into parKing lot
Sopore: Failure of the authorities to check frequent traffic
jams in Sopore town here cause immense inconvenience to the
commuters.Residents said that in absence of any traffic regulation, endless traffic conjunction occur on daily basis on vital
routes including the main chowk, Iqbal market and College
road. Failure of the traffic department to ensure smooth flow
of traffic has evoked strong resentment among the commuters
and locals. “Frequent traffic jams drastically affect our lives.
The employees and the students are unable to reach their
destination in time,” said Idrees Mir a college student.
“Traffic jams can prove dangerous for patients in case of any
medical emergency. Ironically the concerned authorities are
acting as mute spectators,” the local said.
They said wrong parking of vehicles on main roads also
contribute to traffic jams.
family members of ‘missing
person’ stage protest
Srinagar: Accusing police of inaction, the family members of a
‘missing’ person Friday staged a protest alleging that police has
miserably failed to trace their missing son who according to
them went missing on October 22 last month.
The family members hailing from Dudhmohalla Shalimar
appeared in Press Enclave Srinagar and staged a peaceful protest. “My husband, Shabir Ahmed Rather a driver by profession
left home in his Taveera (JK01T-1112) to ferry some passengers
to Jammu on October 22 last month. Since then he is missing,”
her wife told CNS adding that though police has registered a
missing report, but they have failed so far to trace him.
legal awareness camp
BARAMULLA, NOVEMBER 21: District Legal Services Authority,
Baramulla in collaboration with Tehsil Legal Services Committee Pattan is going to organize a Legal Awareness Camp at
Palhallan Ghat Pattan on November 22, 2014. The camp has
been scheduled as per directions of High Court of J&K and it
would be held for flood affected people during which their
cases would be taken up.
shah welcomes
sharif’s statement
Chief Secretary, Mohammad Iqbal Khandey today visited Rajbagh, Parimpora Fruit Mandi and Harwan
areas and inspected the construction work on the 40 residential sheds which will be provided for
residential purpose to those families whose houses were completely damaged due to September floods.
Omar must follow
‘Mamu’ G M Shah: ANC
Release all political prisoners & resign: Muzaffar
Srinagar: Asking the chief minister
Omar Abdullah to follow the suits of
the former chief minister Ghulam
Mohammad Shah, Awami National
Conference (ANC) working president Muzzafar Shah Friday said that
Omar must release all the political
prisoners and resign at an earliest.
Shah while addressing a press
conference here stated that the
communal parties have landed into
the political landscape of Kashmir
and are hell bent upon eroding
state’s unique identity. “I can only
tell you that more devastating than
the floods of September are the
plans being hatched by the communal forces in Kashmir to abrogate
unique identity of Jammu and Kashmir,” Shah said while addressing the
newsmen here, adding that people
in power at New Delhi are hell bent
to erode Article 370.
Shah also flayed the recent statement of the home minister Rajnath
Singh, saying that the party has ‘nefarious’ designs to isolate Kashmir.
“They (BJP) want us to get fragmented into pieces. They are separating
Kashmir, Ladakh and Jammu from
each other and are using people and
parties in Kashmir.”
Shah, the son of the former chief
minister G.M. Shah, stated that
Kashmiri pundits and the new born
political parties of JK are being used
by the BJP in carrying out its hidden agenda of Kashmir. “Our pundit
brothers must remember that their
identity is only because of Kashmir
and once identity is lost, everything
is lost. Also the new born political
parties for their own vested interests are becoming instrumental for
BJP.”He maintained further that history in the state is repeating itself as
in 1977, it was Janta Dal that tried to
fragment Kashmir and now it is BJP
which is carrying the same task.
“My only appeal to people is not to
fall prey to these issues.”
Shah also asked the chief minister Omar Abdullah to follow the
suits of the former chief minister G
M Shah who resigned in 1986 after
feeling threat to Article 370. “If Omar
does this, the entire political spectrum here will change,” Shah said,
adding that national conference is
not the legacy of the Omar Abdullah
only and that people might forgive
the party for what it has done in the
past, provided it acts at present.
Srinagar: Hurriyat Conference Jammu Kashmir leader and
Democratic Freedom Party chairman Shabir Ahmad Shah while
welcoming the speech made by Pakistan Prime Minister Mian
Nawaz Sharif in Kashmir Council Muzaffarabad said the Pak
Premier spoke “the voice of hearts of the people of Kashmir.”
Applauding Pakistan’s stand on Kashmir issue, Shabir
Ahmad Shah said that due to India’s stubborn attitude, the
people of the subcontinent continue to suffer “as threat to
peace looms large here.”Shah said it is actually the people of
Kashmir who are the prime party to the Kashmir issue “as
their unflinching sacrifices demand so.”
“Mian Nawaz Sharif’s statement that Kashmiri pro-freedom
leadership has to be taken on board for consultations before
talks with India is laudable.”
‘fear of bJp’s rise aimed at
enhancing poll percentage’
Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) Friday
said that spreading weird and bizarre idea of BJP and RSS coming to power if polls are boycotted is actually a conspiracy to
enhance poll percentage in Kashmir.
In a statement JKLF Vice Chairman Showkat Ahmad Bakshi
said, “BJP and RSS enmity with Muslim and Kashmir is a recognized fact but other pro India leaders and their parties have
also acted against the interests of Kashmiris. Kashmiris with
their total boycott of elections will defeat the nefarious designs
of all these enemies.”
While speaking to people at Bandipora today, he said,
“Whenever so called elections are held, many gimmicks and
bizarre ideas about election boycott are floated in the market
by Indian agencies through their Kashmiri stooges. During this
election the idea of RSS and BJP grabbing power if polls are
boycotted is being flourished. The sole purpose of this weird
idea is to create fear psychosis among people and incite them
to participate in elections by casting votes, so that boycott call
is weakened.”
He said that this is an established fact that BJP and RSS have
an ‘anti Muslim and anti Kashmiri agenda and program and
these communal people have always acted against us, but at
the same time this is also true that other pro India Kashmiri
parties and leaders are also no special.’
C M Y K
C M Y K
SPORTS
NEWS


Kashmir Observer
news
C M Y K
C M Y K
8 SATURDAY 22 11 2014
166 Candidates file nomination papers for 3rd Phase
Srinagar: National Conference Candidate from 14Gulmarg constituency Dr Mustafa Kamal Friday submitted his nomination papers before the Returning
Officer at Tangmarg. In a statement a spokesman of
the party said Kamal was taken in an open gypsy from
his home to the office of Returning officer accompanied by his weaving and cheering supporters. He was
accompanied by Showkat Ahmed Mir Provincial Secretary and other office bearers later he was taken to
the venue of a well attended public meeting nearby.
In his speech he congratulated the people for their heavy
turnout enthusiasm and complemented them for keeping
the legacy of Sher-I-Kashmir Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah
alive and vibrant despite repeated attempts over the years
to destroy it. “We all are indebted to him for making us the
masters of our land and for giving us freedom to choose
our government through Adult Franchise and freedom of
speech and expression, easy and affordable access to health
and universal education, food security, power and potable
water National Conference under his stewardship freed the
people from centuries of serfdom and destitution,” he said.
Labeling Gulam Hussian Mir the DP (N) candidate as
‘stooge of agencies who has made vast fortunes in brazen
whole scale corruption all these twelve years’ Kamal alleged, “Even he sold public property at Gulmarg and Tangmarg which included one centrally heated hospital just to
make money. He cautioned GOI to encourage such people
and tendencies which has only gone to harm the overall
National interests’ right from 1953 which was the watershed in souring of relations between J&K New Delhi.”
In 14- Gulmarg constituency, 9 candidates
Mohammad Abbas Wani and Abdul Aziz Dar
(PDP), Ghulam Hassan Mir (DPN), Mohammad
Akram Mir (Ind), Shabbir Ahmad Mir (Ind),
Tejender Singh(Ind), Sheikh Mustafa Kamal (NC),
Abdul Ahad Sheikh(Ind), Ghulam Mohi-ud-Din
Malla (JKNPP) have filed their nomination papers.
In 15 –Pattan constituency, 16 candidates Imran
Raza Ansari and Irfan Raza Ansari (PDP), Riyaz Ahmad (INC), Bashir Ahmad Ganaee( Ind), Wali Mohammad Wani (Ind), Farooq Ahmad Ganiae (Ind),
Abdul. Ahad Yatoo (Ind), Shahzad Ahmad Yatoo
(Ind), Aga Syed Mehmood-Al-Mosavi, Basharat
Hussain Najar (JKDPN), Ab. Rashid Shaheen (Ind),
Ashiq Ahmad Dar (Ind), Shabir Ahmad Wani (Ind),
Tariq Ahmad Parry (Ind), Aashiq Hussain Lone
(BSP) have filed their nomination papers.
In 26-Chadoora constituency, 9 candidates
Mr. Ali Mohammad Dar (NC), Gh. Mohammad
Bhat(Peoples Republican Party) Mr. Javid Mustafa Mir and Showkat Ahmad Bhat (PDP), Dr
Bilal Ahmad Mir (Ind), Gh. Mohammad Paul (Nationalist Congress Party), Mohammad Maqbool
Malla (INC), Azad Ali (NC), Reyaz Ahmad Rather
(JKNPP) have filed their nomination papers.
In 27-Budgam constituency, 7 candidates
Rafiq Ahmad Dar (Ind), Gh. Mohi-ud-Din Bhat
(PDP), Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi (NC), Fayaz Ah-
mad Dar (PDF), Mohammad Kamal Malik (PC),
Mir Fayaz Rahat (BJP), Gh. Hussain Geelani (INC)
have filed their nomination papers.
In 28-Beerwah constituency, 8 candidates Dawood Khan Lodhi (JKPC), Dr. Shafi Ahmad Wani
and Bashir Ahmad Beigh(PDP), Omar Abdullah
(NC), Aijaz Ahmad Lone (Ind), Nazir Ahmad Khan
(INC), Abdul Rashid Banday (BJP), Muzaffar Ahmad
Shah (Ind) have filed their nomination papers.
In 29-Khansahib constituency, 8 candidates
Hakim Mohammad Yaseen (PDF), Saif-ud-Din
Bhat and Bashir Ahmad Bhat (PDP), Abdul Gani
Naseem (INC), Bashir Ahmad Khan (AIF), Mohammad Anwar Lone(Ind), Manzoor Ahmad
Wani and Mohammad Yaseen Wani (NC) have
filed their nomination papers.
In 30-Chrar-i-Sharief constituency, 10 candidates Ghulam Mohammad Chopan (BJP), Zahid
Hussain (INC), Abdul Rahim Rather (NC), Fayaz
Ahmad Rather (JKNPP), Ghulam Nabi Lone and
Nazir Ahmad Lone (PDP), Mohammad Latief
Lone (PC), Mushtaq Ahmad Baba (KMP), Nazir
Ahmad Rather (Ind), Showkat Ahmad Raina (Ind)
have filed their nomination papers.
In 31-Tral constituency, 9 candidates Mr.
Ab. Rashid Dar (AIP), Mr. Mohammad Ashraf
Bhat (JKNC), Mr. Gh. Mohammad Mir (INC), Mr.
Avtar Singh (BJP), Mr. Krishan Singh (JKNPP),
Mr. Mushtaq Ahmad Shah and Mr. Mohammad
Ashraf Shah (PDP), Mr. Sheikh Abdul Rashid
(Ind), Mohammad Ashraf Ganie (Ind) have filed
their nomination papers.
In 32 – Pampore constituency, 7 candidates
Mr. Yawar Ali Abbas Masoodi (JKNC), Mohammad Iqbal Sofi (Ind), Mohammad Anwar Bhat
(INC), Zahoor Ahmad Mir (JKPDP), Mr. Ghulam
Mohammad Yatoo (Ind), Ali Mohammad Wagay
(BJP), Mohammad Akbar Lone (Ind) have filed
their nomination papers.
In 33-Pulwama constituency, 10 candidates
Bashir Ahmad Magray(INC), Bashir Ahmad
Malik(Ind), Mohammad Khalil Bandh(PDP), Ab.
Qayoom Mir (PDF(S)), Farooq Ahmad Mir(PC),
Ab. Gani Shah(Ind), Gh. Nabi Wani(NC),Sonaullah
Dar(Ind), Riyaz Ahmad Mir, ( BJP), Masood Hussain Wani(Ind) have filed their nomination papers.
In 34-Rajpora constituency, 8 candidates
Syed Riyaz Ahmad(Riyaz Khawar)(Ind),Gh.
Nabi Wani(Niloora), (Ind), Mohammad Abdullah Dar(RPI), Fayaz Ahmad Dar, (INC), Peerzada
Syed Bashir Ahmad(Ind), Ghulam Mohi-ud-Din
Mir (NC), Haseeb A Drabu (PDP), Latief Ahmad
Dederd (Ind) have filed their nomination papers.
The scrutiny of the papers would be held on
22nd November and 24th November is the last
day for withdrawal of nomination papers.
SMHS Turned Into
Chinese hospital lets men
experience pain of childbirth A Dispensary: DAK
JINAN-CHINA- A hospital in eastern China is
offering fathers-to-be a chance to experience
the pain of childbirth after several new moms
complained they got little sympathy from their
partners. Free sessions are held twice a week at
Aima maternity hospitalin Shandong province
and about 100 men have
signed up to be tortured.
Most are expectant dads
but there are thrill seekers too among the volunteers for "taster sessions".
For the simulations, pads
attached to a device are
placed above the abdomen,
giving electric shocks that
induce pain. The test subjects writhe in agony for up
to five minutes as a nurse
gradually raises the intensity on a scale of one to ten.
Song Siling, who is trying for a baby with his girlfriend, shut his eyes and
grimaced as the needle on the electrode monitor
inched forward with a beep. "It felt like my heart
and lungs were being ripped apart," said Song, who
made it to level seven before frantically waving to
the nurse to turn off the system. Others dropped out
within minutes when they couldn't take the pain.
Despite their obvious discomfort, the on-duty
nurse said the simulations could never match
the torment of actual childbirth. "Still, if men can
experience this pain, then they'll be more loving
and caring to their wives," said Lou Dezhu.
Wu Jianlong, who
braved the pain right up
to level 10, says the experience radically altered
his views on childbirth.
"Because all women have
children and it usually
takes quite a long time, I
had thought of it as being
something really natural,
something really normal
that they can get through,"
he said. Wu, whose wife
is three months pregnant, yelled in pain and
clenched his fists before
giving in and begging the nurse to stop - he had
reached the maximum limit by then.
Unlike in the West, Chinese men are often not
in the room when their partners or wives give
birth. Some state-run hospitals do not allow expectant dads to enter, even if they want to.
‘Functions as an extension of private labs’
SRINAGAR: Doctors Association Kashmir (DAK) has
alleged that the city’s premier
tertiary care SMHS hospital
has turned into a dispensary
because of lack of facilities.
The damaged machinery and
equipment in SMHS hospital
due to floods has not been restored yet and government’s
claim of it being fully operational is hoax, DAK President
Dr Nisar ul Hassan said in a
statement here today.
SMHS hospital is without CT
scan, MRI, Doppler, echocardiography and neurology lab
without which it is impossible to
diagnose and manage patients.
Blood Bank of SMHS hospital
is without facilities for platelet transfusions and fresh
frozen plasma that are life
saving for thrombocytopenic
patients and hemophiliacs.
Microbiology and pathology labs are defunct without
which it is not possible to
treat infections and perform
surgeries.
SMHS hospital functions as
an extension of private diagnostic establishments.
Patients coming to SMHS hospital for treatment are referred
to private diagnostic laboratories for most of the tests.
Though CT scan has been procured but its installation is
delayed deliberately to benefit a particular private center.
The private players are minting money from poor patients
in connivance with authorities
who seem to be in no mood to
restore SMHS hospital.
' The damaged machinery and equipmenT in
SMHS hospital due to floods has not been restored yet and
government’s claim of it being fully operational is hoax'
Sangrama’s
Crorepati Candidate
Srinagar: The National Conference candidate, Muhammad Yaqoub Wani, who
filed his nomination papers on Thursday for Sangrama Assembly constituency in Baramulla district is a crorepati
with the total value of his declared assets as Rs 16 crore.
The affidavit submitted by Wani (61),
who is contesting elections for the first
time, has movable and immovable property worth Rs. 16 crore.
He has more than 66 kanals of apple
orchard land worth Rs 14 crore and two
houses.
He has over Rs. 2 lakh cash in hand
while his wife a retired Zonal Education
Officer, Zareefa Wani, has Rs. 72,000.
"I am confident and sure that people
will support and vote for me. I will win
from here," Wani said.
Upbeat after filing his nomination papers, he claims of getting overwhelming
response of people during his ongoing campaign in the seat which falls in
Baramulla district.
"I am telling people that I will not promise the moon to you but I will try to develop this constituency as an IT hub and
centre of education if I win," he said. KNS
DIPK-NB-1726
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Kamal files nomination
papers for gulmarg
Gh. Rasool Dar (Ind), Mohammad Ashraf Ganie
(NC), Gh. Mohammad War (Ind), Sayed Iqbal
Nazki (Ind), Mohamad Abdullah Dar (Ind), Khazar Mohammed Ganie (Ind), Zahid Gani Mircha
(KMP), Shahzad Aasim (Ind), Bashir Ahmad Azad
(Ind), Ulfat Sabba Ahmad Khawaja (Ind), Mohammad Ramzan Baba (PC), Shabir Ahmad Dar
(Ind) and Sayed Irshad Ahmad (Ind) have filed
their nomination papers have filed their nomination papers.
In 12-Sangrama constituency, 10 candidates Ghulam Mohidin Bhat (J&K PC), Syed Nisar Shah (All
J&K Kissan Mazdoor Party), Shoiab Nabi Lone (INC),
Farooq Ahmad Bhat (JKNPP), Kh. Mohammad
Yaqoob Wani (JKNC), Gh. Mohiuddin Sofi (Ind),
Fazal Mahmood Baig (Ind), Irfan Hafiz Lone (Ind),
Syed Basharat Bukhari (JK PDP) and Hilal Ahmed
Bhat (Ind) have filed their nomination papers.
In 13-Baramulla Constituency, 14 candidates
Mohammad Aslam Deedar (Ind), Ashiq Hussain
Ganie (Ind), Javid Hassan Baig (PDP), Mohammad Maqbool Mir (Ind), Altaf Jameel Lone (Ind),
Gh. Hassan Rahi (NC), Salman Anees Soz (INC),
Gulam-ud-Din Gulshan (Ind), Mohammad Rafiq
Lone (Ind), Mohammad Afsar Khan (Ind), Gulshan
Sanhotra (JKNPP), Mohammad Anwar Khan (Ind),
Mohammad Yousf Dar (JK PC) and Asif Akbar
Lone (JK PC) have filed their nomination papers.
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JAMMU, NOVEMBER 21: On the last day of filing
of nominations today, 166 candidates have filed
their papers for 3rd phase of Assembly election
to be held on 9 December 14, 2014 covering 16
constituencies spread over Baramulla, Budgam
and Pulwama districts.
In 6- Uri constituency, 5 candidates, Mr. Taj
Mohi-ud-Din (INC), Mohammad Shafi (JKNC),
Ajaz Ali Khan (PDP), Mushtaq Ahmad Mir (BJP),
Waseem Raja (JKKMP) have filed their nomination papers.
In 7- Rafiabad constituency, 13 candidates
Mohammad Maqbool Mir(Ind), Mohammad
Umar Dar (Ind), Khurshid Ahmad Khan (JKPC),
Abdul Gani Vakil(INC), Desh Kumar Nehru(BJP),
Javaid Ahmad Dar(NC), Yawar Ahmad Mir(PDP),
Mudasir Rasool Bhat(Ind), Mohammad Maqbool Dar(Ind), Fayaz Ahmad Malik(Ind), Ghulam Mohi-ud-Din Ahanger (Ind), Abdul Majeed
Dar(JKNPP) and Ghulam Nabi Parry (Ind) have
filed their nomination papers..
In 8-Sopore constituency, 23 candidates Sajad Mohi-udddin Sheikh(Ind), Mudasir Manzoor
Wani (Ind), Gh. Hassan Lone (Ind), Nazir Ahmad
Naikoo (PDP), Khazir Mohammad Ganie (Ind),
Mohammad Maqbool Rather (BSP), Shabir Ahmad Dar (Ind), Muzafar Ahmad Lone (JKNPP),
Abdul Rashid Dar (INC), Irshad Rasool Kar (Ind),