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28 Safar | 1436 Hijri | Vol: 17 | Issue: 262 | Pages : 08 | Price: `3
4
The Children of Peshawar
w w w. k a s h m i r o b s e r v e r. n e t
sunDaY 21 DeCemBeR 2014
Wisdom
Where elections
end where
slavery begins.
...........John Quincy Adams
(1767-1848) Sixth President of the USA
Major Combing Ops
In Machil
SRINAGAR: Army on Saturday
launched a massive combing operation in Machil sector along the
the Line of Control (LoC) in north
Kashmir’s Kupwara district.
Official sources said that army’s
45 RR today morning launched the
searches at Doodi forests in the
sector as it has apprehension of
successful infiltration by a group
of militants.
They said while conducting
day long searches, the forces have
so far recovered large quantity of
arms and ammunition in the area.
The recovery include one Sniffer
rifle with two magazines Page 6
Man with
Loaded Pistol
SRINAGAR:
Police
Saturday
claimed that in a joint search operation, it arrested a person with a
pistol near Lal Mandi Srinagar.
A police handout said that Raj
Bagh police and a party from 117
Battalion CRPF apprehended a
person who according to police
was carrying a Chinese pistol, its
six rounds and a magazine. The
police identified the arrested person as Asadullah Parray and said
that a case vide FIR Page 6
/ Srinagar Today: MoSTly Sunny
MaxiMuM: 12oC / MiniMuM: -1oC / HuMidiTy : 75% / SunSeTS Today... 05:21 PM / SunriSeS ToMorrow... 07.24 aM
PDP Misses Majority, BJP's
Mission 44+ Fails, NC Distant 3rd
Observer News Service
SRINAGAR: The polling for fourcornered contest of Jammu and
Kashmir Assembly elections 2014
finally came to an end on Saturday. The first exit polls show
Jammu and Kashmir returning a
hung verdict with PDP emerging
as the single largest party followed by bJP.
Though the results for the
five phased staggered polling
in the state will be declared
on December 23, C-Voter Exit
Poll declared that the incumbent
Omar Abdullah led-National Conference (NC) government will not
remain in power anymore.
BJP is, however, likely to fall
much short of its mission-44 target
in the 87-member Assembly.
Pollsters have put BJP’s likely
tally in the state at 27-33 seats with
a lion's share, 25-31, coming from
Jammu region.
Ruling National Conference may
register its worst-ever performance
and is predicted by C-Voter poll
to come third with 8-14 seats followed by Congress with 4-10 seats.
Others may get 2-8 seats.
According to the exit poll, Chief
Minister Omar Abdullah who contested from two Assembly seats is
expected to win from Sonawar in
Srinagar.
Exit Polls
vOTe ShARe
Mufti Mohammad Sayeed-led PDP
is expected to get 28% votes with BJP
expected to get 20% votes. The Abdullahs-led NC is expected to get 23%
votes and the Congress may get 17%
votes. The JKNPP may get 3% votes and
others may garner 9% votes.
NO SeAT FOR bJP IN KAShmIR
vALLeY
According to the exit poll, the
BJP despite a high decibel campaign across the Kashmir valley is
unlikely to get any seats there. The
PDP is expected to win most of the
seats in the valley. Remaining seats
may to the National Conference and
the Congress.
Cm OmAR mAY WIN FROm
SONAWAR, LOSe beeRWAh
According to the exit poll, Chief
Minister Omar Abdullah who contested from two Assembly seats is expected to win from Sonawar in Srinagar. He is likely to lose Beerwah
seat in Badgam to the Congress.
TOUGh FIGhT IN LADAKh
According to the exit poll, Ladakh with four Assembly seats
may throw up some surprising and
shocking results. In Nobra, the BJP
is in a close fight with the ruling NC.
In Leh, it is in a close fight with the
Congress. The Congress is expected
to win Kargil. In Zanskar, the Congress is in a close fight with an Independent candidate. Page 6
Party
PDP
BJP
JKNC
INC
JKNP
Others
Seats
36 - 41
16-22
9-13
9-13
2-4
4-6
ObSeRveR
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SRINAGAR: The Bharatiya Janata Party on Saturday
said it will prefer to sit in opposition if it doesn’t
have numbers to form the government of its own
in Jammu and Kashmir.
The BJP said that the exit polls show less number
of the seats than the actual ones won by the party.
The Exit Polls earlier on Saturday predicted 27 t0
33 seats for this saffron party out of the 87 member
legislative assembly. “We expect more as the party has done f a i r l y
well during the five phased polls in Jammu and Kashmir,” BJP’s chief
spokesman here Arun Gupta said.
He added that Kashmir valley besides Jammu has exhibited huge support to the party and it is confidant to come out with the good numbers.
Over joining hands with any regional party of the state for Page 6
PDP: We Don’t Need Allies To Form Govt.
SRINAGAR: Hoping to perform well in Jammu, Peoples’
Democratic Party (PDP) on Saturday said it doesn’t
need any allies for government formation but need
the political parties to run the state.
As the news reports are making rounds that PDP
would need some external support for the government formation in Jammu and Kashmir, PDP’s says it
needs a better understanding with the centre and political parties to
get the state out of crises. After the exit poll results which gave PDP
32-38 seats in JK, the party says it expects more than the predicted results. “Our hopes of making the government of our own have further
strengthened. We don’t need any allies but need all of them to Page 6
Pak Army Takes Over Prisons
Amid Fears of Jailbreaks
Another Sarpanch Shot Dead in Sopore
LAHORE / QUETTA: Security was
increased at Kot Lakhpat jail in
Lahore as well as prisons in Balochistan’s Mach and Quetta on Saturday amid fears of a jailbreak following the government’s decision
to lift the ban on death penalties in
terrorism cases.
Heavy contingents of Punjab
Rangers and army were deployed
at the Kot Lakhpat jail as law enforcement agencies placed barricades and barbed wires on roads
leading to the jail.
Pedestrians and visitors were
only allowed to enter the jail after
proper checking by the quick re-
SOPORe: A Sarpanch, who had left
Congress party recently, was shot
dead by unknown gunmen in Sopore town on Saturday.
Official sources said that Ghulam
Mohammad Bhat son of Haji Mohammad Jamal was shot at from
point blank range by the unidentified masked gunmen outside his
residence at Bomai village in the
apple town.
sponse force and other officials of
law enforcement agencies.
The quick response force has
also been deployed at the central
jail and were patrolling the area on
a regular basis throughout the day.
According to sources in the jail,
four high-profile terrorists are expected to be hanged anytime after
the jail administration receives
death warrants from the court.
Convict Muhammad Zahid, who
was involved in an attack in ISI formation in Multan could be hanged
anytime, Express News reported.
The jail administration has also
finalised arrangements for Page 6
Observer News Service
Hurriyat says,
Innocent Killings
Unacceptable
NeW DeLhI: Stoking a fresh controversy after conversion plans in
Aligarh, Hindu outfit Dharm Jagran
Manch, which had planned a conversion programme in Aligarh, said
that it plans to "finish" Islam and
Christianity by 2021.
Manch leader Rajeshwar Singh
raked up a new controversy with a
fresh dose of vitriol saying that his
group plans to root out Christianity
and Islam from India by December
31, 2021. “Christians and Muslims
essentially have no right to live in
the country”, he declared.
“India’s inner voice has spoken.
Just wait and watch. 31 December
2021 is the last for Christianity and
Islam in this country. We will finish
Christianity and Islam in this country by 31 December 2021. This is
our aim,” Rajeshwar said.
Such comments are not new to
the saffron leader, and he has been
in the news for voicing similar
views earlier as well.
"We have so far ensured 'ghar
wapsi' (reconversion) of three lakh
Muslims and Christians back to Hinduism. By 2021, we will finish Islam
and Christianity," Manch head Rajeshwar Singh Singh said here yesterday.
After carrying out the attack,
sources said, the gunmen believed
to be two in number fled from the
spot on a motor-bike.
After hearing the gunshots, the
residents rushed to the spot and
found the Sarpanch lying in a pool
of blood. They rushed him to a
nearby hospital where doctors declared pronounced him dead.
Confirming the death of the Sarpanch, Block Medical Officer Sopore
Dr Syed Masood said that victim
had received two bullets in his head
that resulted in his death.
Bhat had survived a bid on his
life last year also.
The slain Sarpanch was affiliated
with National Conference when he
escaped bid on his life after unidentified militants fired at him when
he was coming out of Jamia Masjid
Bomai Sopore on April 29, 2013.
During the attack he had received two bullets in his left arm.
Soon after the attack he Page 6
The Huriyat Conference led by Mirwaiz Umar Farooq while condemning the killing of Sarpanch at Sopore today said that the killing of innocents was unacceptable. A Huriyat (M)
spokesman said that the act of the killing of a local Sarpanch at Bomai Sopore was a condemnable act and on basses of the political differences, killing of innocents carries no Page 6
‘Will Finish Christianity,
Islam in India by 2021’
KAShmIR
BJP: Will Never Align with Local Party
"We have not done any conversion. We have ensured 'ghar wapsi'.
Why they (political parties) did
not utter a word when Hindus are
converted? What's their objection
when we ensure that they come
back to the religion?" he asked.
His organisation had planned
a mass conversion programme in
Aligarh on the Christmas day but
later called it off.
On Agra conversion, he said that
those converted were Indians and
not Bangladeshis and they had affidavits of those who participated
in the programme. Agencies
We have so far ensured 'ghar wapsi' (reconversion) of three lakh Muslims and
Christians back to Hinduism. By 2021, we will finish Islam and Christianity,"
76% Turnout
in Last Phase
JAmmU- About 76% voters have
exercised their franchise in the
5th Phase of Assembly elections-2014 held in 20 constituencies spread across three districts
of Kathua, Jammu and Rajouri.
Giving details at a press conference, at PWD Guest House here today, the Chief Electoral Officer said
the highest turnout was recorded
as 83.20 % in Bani and lowest as
60% in Gandhinagar.
He said Basholi recorded 78.50%,
Kathua 80.47%, Billawar 77.60%,
Hiranagar(SC), 80.17%, Nagrota
81%, Jammu East 66.05% , Jammu
West 65% Bishnah 80.22 %, R. S.
Pura (SC) 77.79 %, Suchetgarh 80%,
Marh 82.45%, Raipur Domana (SC)
77.41 % , Akhnoor 82.97%, Chhamb
(SC) 82%, Nowshera 81.70%, Darhal
81%, Rajouri 75% and Kalakote 74%.
The Chief Electoral Officer said
20 Assembly constituencies that
went to polls today were spread
over three districts for which as
many as 2391 polling stations were
set up, which included 278 hypersensitive ones.
The CEO further added that
213 candidates were in the fray
for these 20 constituencies, which
comprised 1828904 electors including 959011 male and 869891
female voters, besides 02 third
gender voters.
Mr. Narula informed Page 6
BJP Candidate
Hurt in Clashes
Case against PDP
NOWShehRA: At least five workers
of two political parties including
BJP candidate for Nowshera were
injured when the supporters of BJP
and PDP clashed with each other in
Lambari area on Friday night.
Eyewitnesses said that the supporters of both the political parties
attacked each other with stones
and sticks while some of them
smashed the windowpanes of the
vehicles belonging to rival parties.
A police official said that some
supporters of a political party attacked the cavalcade of a candidate
when it was passing through Lambari area. “Among the five injured
persons, three belonged to BJP and
rest were PDP workers,” Page 6
Valley’s Power Woes Worsen
PDD’s toll free helpline defunct Car Theft
SRINAGAR: With Kashmir valley reeling under the darkness amid chilling
weather conditions, PDD helpline
number remains deluged, leaving people aghast and fuming over snail’s pace
restoration work in the department.
Reports said that the helpline
numbers that the PDD issued to the
Valley customers so that there woes
could be addressed properly on
time, deluged during the ravaging
floods of September. Even after the
passage of more than three months,
the services are yet to be restored.
People say that they need the
assistance of the department in
the winter months but the dead
helpline numbers only add their
miseries in the midst of the dark
hours of the winter.
As people across valley are crying for the adequate power supplies
at present, the unscheduled power
cuts are becoming an order of the
day here. “How could we register
our complain. There is no one to
listen to our woes and the helpline
numbers that the PDD earlier had
issued are out of order,” said scores
of the Srinagar residents.
They blame that though they pay
their bills on time, the erratic power
supplies continue to haunt them
everyday.
Interestingly, Power Development Department (PDD) in 2012
started a toll free helpline for the
people of the state. All people had
to dial was: 18001807666.
The toll free helpline, Page 6
Sparks Alert
SRINAGAR: Police Saturday sounded an alert across north Kashmir
after a car was stolen by unknown
persons in Baramulla town.
A police officer said that the
Maruti Car (JK01H- 7011) belonging to one Abdul Qayoom Lone was
lifted from Carapa Park in the town.
While police have registered a
case in police station Baramulla,
the alert has been sounded, he said.
“All the police control rooms
have been alerted and special
check points have been established on the important roads
including the Baramulla-Srinagar
highway,” the officer said.
He said teams have been set up
to look for the stolen car. Page 6
sunday
21 12 2014 Kashmir Observer
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earnest
money
class of
contract
Head of
account
cost of
tender
document
time of no
completion
1
permanent
restoration of
flood damages
9/2014 by way
of constr,.of
head works cum
escape on dal
khul Kupwara.
14.50
14500/-
SHG
flood
restoation
1200/-
1 month
2
permanent
restoration of
flood damages
9/2014 by way
of earth fílling
to sloughed /
breached
embankment
and constr,.of toe
wall on dumb
khul bund sar
st.tank.
7.39
7390/-
-do-
-do-
800/-
-do-
position of funds : - demanded
postion of woRKs: submitted
pRogRamme of aa: submitted
7. The rates for the items involved in the execution of works as per the rate lists be quoted item wise or over all percentage with respect to the
sanctioned schedule of rates of 2012.
8. no turnkey or complete job /any item of work free of cost shall not be accepted, in case of works having two or more items of works shall be
entertained and same shall be rejected out rightly.
9. The work for which more than one tenderer qualifyJia/fñ<l£#eted same rates or if on comparative statement the totaf amount thus by draw of lots.
10. after issuance of formal allotment in favour of the successful tendrerer, the agency shall have to start the work within three days and in case of
failure to do so, the allotment shall be cancelled without any further notice from the department.
11. no payment shall be made on account of dewatering or construction of división bund and wood work if involved in execution of work.
12. all the terms and conditions shall be the same as laid dowojn the detailed master niT of 2014-15.
Sd/- Executive Engineer
Dipk : 8882
Irrigation & F.C Division Kupwara
government ofJammu & Kashmir
office of the Executive Engineer P.H.E. Mechanical Division (North) Sopore
coRRigendum-ii to this office e-tender no. pHe/mdns/nit/e-14/16 of 2014-15,
issued under no. pHe/mdns/to/4560-69, dated: 24-11-2014
providing, installation, testing and commissioning of vertical turbine pumping unit at water
supply scheme sidiq colony stage ist
due to representation made by local contractors/suppliers for extension of dates which are accordingly rescheduled here as under:
sub:-
S. no.
particulars
dates
1.
last date for online submission of bids
24-12-2014 (04:00 pm)
2.
last date for submission of hard copies
24-12-2014 (02:00 pm)
3-
pre-bid meeting
20-12-2014 (02:00 pm)
4-
date of online opening of tender
25-12-2014 (03:00 pm)
other terms and conditions shall remain unchanged.
Executive Engineer P.H.E.
Mechanical Division (North) Sopore
Dipk : 8868
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which should reach to the office of executive engineer irrigation and f.c. división Kupwara by or before 29-122014 upto 2.00 pm the documents shall be issued. upto 27-12-2014 upto 4.00 pm.
1St tO 8tH
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Short Term Tender Notice No:- 37 of 2014-15 Dated:-17-12-2014
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e
saturday
20 12 2014 Kashmir Observer

NEWS

Pakistanis Press for Lal Masjid Freedom
lims Council) and a former PPP
senator.
In his Friday sermon, Aziz
criticised the members of civil
society who protested his views
outside the Lal Masjid against
him equating the victims of terrorism and those killed for terrorism.
Aziz poured sarcasm on the
“This caMPaign againsT Me is a consPiracy
2 LEJ Terrorists
Being Hanged
On Tuesday
KARACHI: Tuesday has been
fixed for the execution of
two terrorists belonging to
the banned Lashkar-i-Jhangvi
who had been sentenced to
death 10 years ago in a sectarian killing case.
An antiterrorism court on
Friday issued black warrants
for Attaullah alias Qasim and
Mohammad Azam alias Sharif
who had been given death
sentence by an antiterrorism
court in July 2004 for killing
Dr Ali Raza Peerani on sectarian grounds in June 2001 in
the Soldier Bazaar area.
The court directed the
jail authorities at the Sukkur
central prison to carry out
the hanging of Attaullah and
Azam on Dec 23 at 6:30am till
death.
The Sukkur jail superintendent earlier informed the
ATC-V through a letter that the
last stay order issued by the
president in this case was withdrawn as the government lifted
a moratorium on executions.
He asked the court to issue
fresh black warrants for the
condemned prisoners. The father of one of the condemned
prisoners, Hashim Khan, then
moved an application through
his lawyer, asking the ATC to
defer the issuance of black
warrants.
He said he also filed a petition in the case in the apex
court that passed an order
about fixing it for hearing
after removal of some objections. His lawyer said they
would approach the apex
court on Saturday to stay the
hanging.
Judge Mohammad Javed
Alam of the ATC-V then issued the black warrants for
the condemned prisoners,
directing the authorities to
carry out the execution under
the supervision of the area
magistrate after fulfilling legal
formalities.
The court had issued black
warrants several times in the
past for the two convicts but
their hanging had been repeatedly deferred on stay orders issued from the presidency.
Dr Peerani, belonging to
Shia sect, was killed by armed
motorcyclists in a targeted
attack on sectarian grounds
when he came out of his clinic in Soldier Bazaar and was
about to leave in his car. The
wounded doctor was rushed to
a hospital where doctors pronounced him dead on arrival.
Since 2008, only one execution has been carried out
after a military court sentenced to death a solider for
killing a colleague.
deceased person’s name.
The woman arrested is the
mother of the seven younger children and the aunt of the 14-year-old
girl. She has not been charged, but
Queensland Police said she was assisting them with their inquiries.
“She’s stable and being looked
after,” Asnicar said, adding that the
woman, who has stab wounds to her
upper body, was “awake… lucid and
speaking”. He could not say whether
her wounds were self-inflicted.
The murders have rocked Australia, which is still reeling from a
dramatic siege in a central Sydney
cafe this week that left two hostages
and a gunman dead and prompted a
huge outpouring of emotion.
“This is just an ordinary neighbourhood,” Asnicar said. “A lot of
good people, a lot of kids in the area
and this is just something that has
caught everybody by surprise. It’s
absolutely tragic.”
A makeshift memorial has been
established in a park near the crime
scene, with scores of people visiting on Saturday to leave flowers,
candles and toys in remembrance of
the children.
Torres Shire Council Mayor Pedro Stephen told Australian Associated Press that the entire region was
killed in Waziristan and other
deaths in military operations.
“My brother, his family and
many people dear to me and a
large number of students were
the mosque, said the maulana
hurled direct threats to the administration.
“He stated that any attempt
to harm him or arrest him
would lead to an uncontrollable situation in the country,”
the official told Dawn.
According to him, the maulana said: “If I am arrested the
administration will not be able
to control the protest rallies
all over Pakistan. And if they
kill me then there would be
so many suicide attacks that
would surpass the reaction that
followed death of my brother
Ghazi Abdur Rashid.”
On the other hand MWM
leader Amin Shaheedi laughed
off the statement given by khateeb of Lal Masjid, and said that
he should know what to speak.
“His statements have hurt
every Pakistani and they are
expressing their dislike. What
this has to do with me,” Amin
Shaheedi said.
An infuriated Faisal Raza
Abidi said anyone justifying
the massacre of schoolchildren
should be ashamed of himself.
“We are with the army
against these terrorists and
inhuman elements. I have the
feeling that the maulana is preparing to flee in a burka again,”
he said.
hatched by Amin Shaheedi and Faisal Raza Abidi,” he said adding that “I warn that they are testing our patience”.
Saudi Police Kills 5 In Restive East
RIYADH: Saudi police killed four youth Saturday in
restiveoil rich region in an operation to arrest the
people who shot dead a soldier there last weekend,
the spokesman for the interior ministry said.
During a shootout in Adamiya, “four terrorists,
including the primary suspect in the shooting of
soldier Abdelaziz bin Ahmed al-Assiri, were killed,”
the spokesman was quoted by the official SPA news
agency as saying in a statement.
One policeman was wounded.
Assiri died Sunday when officers came under fire
from farms near Awamiya.
The village, just west of Dammam city on the Gulf
coast, has witnessed clashes between security forces
of the Sunni-dominated kingdom and protesters
from the minority Shia community.
In February, a firefight in Awamiya left two policemen and two suspects dead. Other shootings have
occurred there in subsequent months.
Most Saudi Shias live in the oil-rich east, and
many complain of marginalisation. Since 2011,
protests and sporadic attacks on security forces have
occurred in Shia areas, leaving around 20 Shia youth
dead. Activists say several death sentences have also
been handed down by courts in the kingdom since
the demonstrations began.
BJP Distances Itself From
Religious Conversions
New Delhi: Bharatiya Janata Party
(BJP) said on Saturday it does not
support forceful religious conversions, distancing itself from a sensitive issue that has drawn sharp
criticism from opposition parties
and hurt the government’s reform
agenda.
Premier Narendra Modi has in
recent weeks come under fire for
being slow to rein in his hardline
affiliate groups that are allegedly
trying to promote a Hindu-dominant agenda by luring Muslims
and Christians to convert to Hinduism.
Critics say such groups undermine the secular foundations of
multi-faith India and have become more assertive since BJP
swept to power in May.
“BJP is not supportive of any
forceful conversions,” party president Amit Shah said, adding that
his party was supportive of bringing in an anti-conversion law.
India’s 1.2 billion people are
Mother Arrested For
Murder Of 8 Children
CAIRNS: Australian police said Saturday they had arrested the mother
of all but one of eight children reportedly stabbed to death in the
northern city of Cairns, as vigils
were held to mourn the tragedy.
Officers have not revealed the
cause of death of the children, the
youngest of which was a toddler
and the oldest a teenager, but said
knives were found at the house
where the bodies were discovered
on Friday morning.
“The 37-year-old mother of several of the children involved in this
incident has been arrested for murder overnight and is currently under police guard at the Cairns Base
Hospital,” detective inspector Bruno
Asnicar told reporters.
Flowers and teddy bears were
laid near the crime scene and
church services were held overnight
in Cairns, where police said they
are working closely with the Torres
Strait Islander community to which
the family belonged.
Police have confirmed the dead
as four girls — aged two, 11, 12 and
14 and four boys aged five, six, eight
and nine, but said they would not
name the family for cultural reasons. In some indigenous cultures it
is considered disrespectful to say a
civil society people demonstrating and lighting candles
for the Peshawar dead and said
they should also have felt pain
for the 86 madressah students
killed in army operation here
(in Lal Masjid in 2007), but I did
not raise such hue and cry,” he
said.
Aziz suggested to the military and political leadership to
negotiate peace with the Taliban, ostensibly for a more worthy cause.
“They too are Pakistanis,” he
said. “I suggest that a united
force of Pak army and Taliban
should be established to fight
the infidels.”
He said there were no differences between the Taliban of
Afghanistan and those in Pakistan. They are like brothers.
After the Friday congregation
was over, members of the Ahle
Sunnat Wal Jamaat (ASWJ), the
reincarnation of the banned
Sipah-i-Sahaba Pakistan group,
demonstrated in support for
Maulana Abdul Aziz.
Later
Hafiz
Ehtesham
Ahmed, spokesman for Shuhada Foundation of Lal Masjid,
thanked the ASWJ for its support.
“Maulana Abdul Aziz is an
asset to the whole Islamic
world and we will not tolerate
any move to harm him,” he said
in a statement on behalf of the
foundation.
A security official, who monitored his Friday sermon inside
grieving.
“It’s like a bomb has gone off,” he
said. “Everyone is in shock.”
“There will be people who have
never, ever been to Cairns who will
be touched by this tragedy,” added
Acting Assistant Police Commissioner Paul Taylor.
Queensland state minister Tim
Nicholls, who laid a wreath at the
site, said police had not yet explained the motive behind the killings.
“As a father myself with three
children under 15, I can only imagine the grief this community is feeling as they come to grips with the
events,” he said.
The dead children were reportedly discovered by the mother’s
20-year-old son when he arrived at
the house in the Cairns suburb of
Manoora on Friday morning.
Reports said a woman was heard
screaming in the house on Thursday
night, with Brisbane’s Courier-Mail
saying she had shouted: “Don’t let
them take away from us. God bless
us. Forgive me for what I’ll do.”
A 13-year-old girl who walked a
friend who lived in the house home
on Thursday night said she had
met the mother, who had given her
money for a taxi ride home.
predominantly Hindus, but the
country has about 160 million
Muslims and a small proportion
of Christians.
Religious conversions are a hotbutton issue for Hindu nationalists
in India, which was colonised for
centuries by Muslim and Christian
settlers. Some hardliners want the
entire country to become a land of
Hindus.
Earlier this month, Muslim
slum-dwellers complained they
had been tricked into a conversion
ceremony by Hindu groups who
attracted them with promises of
cheap government rations and
voter identity cards. Indian police
are investigating the case.
In another incident, a Hindu
priest-turned-lawmaker of Modi’s
party planned a conversion ceremony on Christmas Day, but cancelled the event after the prime
minister intervened.
Supporters define such events
as a “homecoming”, saying fami-
lies signing up for the ceremonies
were originally Hindus.
“A police complaint has been
registered against the so-called
homecoming programme and
the matter has reached the court.
... Let the court decide if it was a
forceful conversion or not,” Shah
said.
Modi’s agenda to push through
reforms to boost economic growth
has hit a roadblock in India’s upper
house of parliament, where opposition lawmakers have demanded
that the prime minister make a
statement on the contested conversions issue.
The Hindu nationalist leader
has so far refrained from doing so,
and has let his colleagues fend off
criticism.
“The BJP speaks with a forked
tongue,” national spokesman of
the opposition Congress party
Sanjay Jha said, accusing the BJP
of using economic reform as a way
to a camouflage its Hindu agenda.
Kurds Advance Against
Daesh In Syria’s Kobani
Beirut: Kurdish fighters advanced
Saturday in the contested northern Syrian town of Kobani after
heavy clashes with Daesh group,
a Kurdish official and an activist
group said.
Nawaf Khalil, a spokesman for
the Kurdish Democratic Union
Party, said Kurdish fighters advanced in six neighbourhoods and
have besieged the Daesh-held cultural centre east of town. He added that Kurdish fighters captured
the Yarmouk school, southeast
of Kobani where eight bodies of
Daesh fighters were found.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said
the main Syrian Kurdish force
known as the People’s Protection
Units, or YPG, killed several Daesh
fighters.
The Daesh group began its Kobani offensive in mid-September,
capturing parts of the town as
well as dozens of nearby villages.
Hundreds of fighters on both sides
have been killed since.
Kurdish forces have gradually
pushed the extremist group back
in recent weeks with the help of
US-led coalition air strikes.
The push in Kobani came a
day after YPG fighters opened a
corridor between their positions
in northeastern Syria and Mount
Sinjar in neighbouring Iraq where
Iraqi peshmerga fighters have
been on the offensive as well. Earlier this week, Iraqi peshmerga
fighters were also able to open
another corridor to Mount Sinjar.
Iraq’s Kurdistan Region Security Council said peshmerga fighters launched a new offensive on
Saturday toward Mount Sinjar and
were able to capture the nearby
area of Mushrefa.
The statement said that early
Saturday, 32 truckloads of food,
water and other aid departed
from the northern Iraqi city of
Arbil to Mount Sinjar through the
“corridor established by the courageous Peshmerga forces.”
The Daesh group captured almost a third of Iraq and Syria earlier this year, plunging the region
into deep crisis.
In early August, the militants
captured Iraqi towns of Sinjar and
Zumar, prompting tens of thousands of people from the Yazidi
minority to flee to the mountain,
where they became trapped.
Many were eventually airlifted by
a passageway through Syria back
into Iraq, where they found refuge
in Iraq’s northern Kurdish semiautonomous region.
JKFA president elected
As AiFF treAsurer
Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir
Football Association (JKFA)
president Zamir Ahmad Thakur,
was Saturday elected as treasurer of the All India Football
Federation (AIFF).
In a statement a spokesman of JKFA said, “Thakur was
elected unopposed as Hony
Treasurer of the AIFF at its Annual General Body Meeting held
at Mumbai on Saturday as the
said post had fallen vacant.”
The AIFF had also nominated Thakur as chairman of
its Competition Committee for
the term 2013-2016 last year.
Thakur, who has been president
of the JKFA since 2004, has been
instrumental in reviving the lost
glory of football in the state.
“It is a great honor
not only for Thakur,
but also for JKFA. We
wish him all the success
and are hopeful that
he serves football in
the highest caliber
by taking it to great
heights in the country,”
a JKFA spokesman said
in a statement.
“His appointment has also
raised the profile of J&K football
in front of other States,” it
added.
Football fans, players and
experts have expressed delight
over the news terming it as a
‘big development’. JKFA office
bearer Fayaz Ahmad Sofi while
expressing delight on hearing
the news said, “This will be a
big boost for J&K football. After
the years of hard work the J&K
football is being recognized
now. I hope Zamir sahib’s new
posting will be beneficial for
J&K football,” he said.
Last year Thakur was elected
as JKFA President for third
consecutive term in the elections held here. During his first
tenure as JKFA president, the
prestigious Santosh Trophy was
held in the state after a gap of
almost three decades in 2008.
Army orgAnises
medicAl, veterinAry
cAmp At uri
livestock were also adminisSrinagar: To provide the estered medical treatment and
sential services to the locals
and providing basic amenities advice,” it said.
at their doorsteps, a medical“An awareness
cum-veterinary camp was
organized by Army under the
campaign was also
aegis of Chinar Corps at Gingle conducted at the venue
village, Uri Tehsil on Saturday. where health and
A defence communiqué said
mitigation measures on
the camp aimed to address
issues like hygiene and
the medical requirements
sanitation, cold weather
of the local populace where
the health care has not been
amelioration measures,
adequately addressed due
communicable/
to non availability of medinon communicable
cal facilities. “Three medical
diseases, water
officers from Army including
purification and water
a civilian Medical Officer and
borne diseases were
Veterinary Officer, alongwith
discussed and the
ancillary staff were involved
in the camp. Apart from 445
populace was made
(Male - 285, Female - 55, and
aware of the preventive
children - 105) villagers inmeasures,” it added.
cluding children, a total of 380
crpF bArrAcK
gutted in Fire
Srinagar A Central Reserve
Police (CRPF) barrack along
with signal centre was
gutted in a fire incident in
Pulwama district of South
Kashmir on Saturday.
Official sources said that
fire erupted inside a barrack
of 183 bn CRPF stationed at
juice factory Ballow Rajpur
due to leakage of gas.
In the fire incident, a
barrack, signal centre and
a service rifle (INSAS) was
completely gutted.
Two CRPF men also sustained minor burn injuries,
they said.
The fire tenders reached
the spot and doused off the
flames while surrounding
buildings were saved due to
the time intervention.
When contacted IG CRPF,
Nalin Prabhat told GNS that a
portion of signal centre was
damaged in the fire incident
and the timely action by
the fire tenders averted the
major damage.
Meanwhile, police has
registered a case and start
investigations into the incident, they said. (GNS)
C M Y K
ISLAMABAD: A large number of
people gathered in front of Lal
Masjid on the third consecutive day on Saturday in protest
against mosque cleric Molvi
Abdul Aziz who refused to condemn the massacre of students
at Army Public School in Peshawar.
The protesters also called
for replacement of the cleric of
Lal Masjid which is a government property. Police has already registered a case against
Aziz for allegedly threatening
the protesters. They said the
leadership of Lal Masjid should
clarify if it was with terrorists
or with Pakistan.
Aziz meanwhile blamed two
persons for whipping up the
furore over his remark that the
massacre of schoolchildren in
Peshawar was a “reaction” to
the military operation against
militants.
“This campaign against me
is a conspiracy hatched by
Amin Shaheedi and Faisal Raza
Abidi,” he said adding that “I
warn that they are testing our
patience”.
Maulana Amin Shaheedi and
Raza Abidi, whom Aziz accused
of fanning public sentiments
against him, are, respectively,
leader of Majlis Wahdat Muslimeen (MWM – Unity of Mus-
sunday
21 12 2014 Kashmir Observer

OPINION

It wasn’t the Final atrocity
Pervez Hoodbhoy
T
HE
gut-wrenching
massacre in Peshawar’s Army Public
School has left Pakistan aghast and sickened. All political leaders have
called for unity against terrorism. But this is no watershed
event that can bridge the deep
divides within. In another few
days this episode of 134 dead
children will become one like
any other.
All tragedies provoke emotional exhortations. But nothing changed after Lakki Marwat when 105 spectators of a
volleyball match were killed by
a suicide bomber in a pickup
truck. Or, when 96 Hazaras in
a snooker club died in a double
suicide attack. The 127 dead in
the All Saints Church bombing
in Peshawar, or the 90 Ahmadis
killed while in prayer, are now
dry statistics. In 2012, men in
military uniforms stopped four
buses bound from Rawalpindi
to Gilgit, demanding that all 117
persons alight and show their
national identification cards.
Those with typical Shia names,
like Abbas and Jafri, were separated. Minutes later corpses lay
on the ground.
If Pakistan had a collective
conscience, just one single fact
could have woken it up: the murder of nearly 60 polio workers
— women and men who work to
save children from a crippling
disease — at the hands of the fanatics.
Hence the horrible inevitability: from time to time, Pakistan shall continue to witness
more such catastrophes. No
security measures can ever
prevent attacks on soft targets.
The only possible solution is to
change mindsets. For this we
must grapple with three hard
facts.
First, let’s openly admit that
the killers are not outsiders or infidels. Instead, they are fighting
a war for the reason Boko Haram
fights in Nigeria, IS in Iraq and
Syria, Al Shabab in Kenya, etc.
The men who slaughtered our
children are fighting for a dream
— to destroy Pakistan as a Muslim state and recreate it as an Islamic state. This is why they also
attack airports and shoot at PIA
planes. They see these as necessary steps towards their utopia.
No one should speculate
about the identity of the killers.
vived by playing dead. Another
surviving student, Aamir Ali,
says that two clean-shaven gunmen told students to recite the
kalima before shooting them
multiple times.
Second, Pakistan must scorn
and punish those who either
—Agha Shahid Ali. August 1997. (H/T Professor Suvir Kaul on Facebook)
Taliban spokesman Muhammad
Umar Khorasani released pictures of the eight ‘martyrs’, justifying the killing of minors with
reference to Hadith (a horrific
perversion, of course). Dizzied
by religious passions, the men
roamed the school searching for
children hiding under desks and
shouted “Allah-o-Akbar” before
opening fire. Shot in both legs,
Shahrukh Khan, 16, says he sur-
support terrorism publicly or
lie to us about the identity of
terrorists. Television anchors
and political personalities have
made their fortunes and careers
by fabricating wild theories. For
example, retired Gen Hamid Gul
and his son Abdullah Gul have
adamantly insisted multiple
times on TV that suicide attackers were not circumcised and
hence not Muslim. Though body
TerrOrism
they
went to
school and
But that seems really weak. Doesn’t
go far enough.
“I strongly condemn the killing of innocent people.”
No. Not profound enough. Sounds
like a prepared statement. Doesn’t seem
heartfelt.
So what would be heartfelt? Unfortunately, what’s heartfelt is not eloquent.
It provides no answers. No satisfying
explanation that neatly distances “moderate Muslims” from the ideologies of
terrorists. Because the truth is, I can’t
wrap my mind around, let alone be able
to explain to someone else, what the ideologies of terrorists are.
Here’s the truth: I don’t understand.
I just don’t. I don’t know how anyone
could justify this. It makes me sad. The
kind of sad where you find tears suddenly rolling down your cheeks, tears
for strangers, while you’re sitting in a
deli eating breakfast and CNN comes on
the TV, with a story about the lawyer
who was killed in the Sydney cafe siege
while trying to protect her pregnant
friend from gunfire. Followed by picture
after picture from Peshawar of parents
and relatives with grief-stricken faces,
clutching their dead children.
I’m sad that I have to write this and
prove my humanity. And I doubt that
this will satisfy those who demand that
the “silent” Muslim majority speak out
against terrorism. But I suspect that this
captures what many Muslims feel every
time something like this happens. We
feel numb, lost, distraught, sick, sometimes unable to keep the tears from spilling in public places, and often unable to
find the magic words that would put that
special “Moderate Muslim” gloss on the
standard, average-person reaction to inexplicable, sickening violence.
My heartfelt condolences to the parents and relatives of the students who
lost their lives in this senseless tragedy
in Pakistan. I pray that all the children
in the world are safe from any harm.”
Zafar Siddiqui is an IT professional
and blogger based in Minneapolis, Min-
ment mosque — led an insurrection in 2007 against the Pakistani
state. He flatly refuses to condemn the Peshawar massacre.
Other state employees have
called upon all to not pray for
army soldiers killed in action.
At another level is Jamaatud Dawa’s supremo, Hafiz Saeed. He
blames India for the Peshawar
massacre and, ignoring ironclad
evidence, misguides Pakistanis
That the TTP may be involved
in the Peshawar massacre is the
first exception, but this is contained only in a tweet. For a man
who uses the strongest language
against political opponents and
has hogged TV channels for
months, he has yet to condemn
TTP before a national audience.
Why the reticence?
It was even worse earlier.
In 2009, as the Taliban took over
Swat, on Hamid Mir’s Capital
Talk he claimed that the Swat
Taliban were fighting a war of
liberation against the Americans. When I asked why they
were fighting in Pakistan and
killing our policemen and soldiers, he accused me of being
an American agent and then,
later, attempted to physically attack me. Readers can google this
video.
Third, if Pakistan is to be
at peace with itself then it must
seek peace with its neighbours
and begin disassembling the apparatus of jihad. The bitter truth
is that you reap what you sow.
Today, massive militant establishments hold the Pakistani
state hostage. They run their
own training centres, hospitals,
and disaster relief programmes.
When Sartaj Aziz, adviser to the
prime minister on foreign affairs, said that Pakistan was not
going to target militant groups
which “did not pose a threat
to the state”, he accidentally
spilled the beans. In fact he was
merely restating Pakistan’s wellknown zero-sum paradigm — we
live to hurt others, not to better
ourselves.
While bewailing the murder
of our children, let us acknowledge that Pakistan’s soil has
been used time and again for inflicting grief and sorrow across
the world. Today it is not just India and Afghanistan who accuse
us, but also China and Iran.
By launching Zarb-i-Azb,
Gen Raheel Sharif has broken
with his timid predecessor, Gen
Kayani. North Waziristan should
never have become the epicentre
of terrorism. He has done well to
meet President Ashraf Ghani in
Kabul and demand the extradition of TTP’s Mullah Fazlullah,
now ensconced on the Afghan
side. But what of Mullah Omar?
The Pakistani Taliban and the
Afghan Taliban are two sides of
the same coin. I wonder if President Ghani asked General Sharif
to help extradite Mullah Omar
for facing justice before the Afghan people.
The author teaches physics in
Lahore and Islamabad.
The Children of
Peshawar
A poem to remember what should never have had to be
remembered, what should never have happened.
Another day, another tragedy. More grumbling from
certain quarters that “moderate” Muslims are silent,
that they don’t condemn terrorism and tacitly support it.
I
about the identity of the enemy.
Among political leaders,
none is more blameworthy than
Imran Khan, the icon of millions
of immature minds. He has never
named the Taliban as terrorists
even when they claimed responsibility for various atrocities.
“Pablo Neruda once asked if you could have a line which says “the blood of children flowed on the
streets?” What is there that can match the blood of children flowing on the streets? This is also an
aesthetic problem, and the way he solves it is by writing “And the blood of children flowed on streets
like the blood of children flows on the streets.” There is no equivalence outside itself.”
On Condemning
read
the sad
news in
the Star
Tribune
about the Pakistani Taliban
killing 141
children at a
ZAFAR SIDDIQUI
school in Peshawar. The very
mention of a school shooting brings
back terrible memories of Columbine,
Sandy Hook, and other such tragedies.
I decided to read through the readers’
comments. What I expected was a show
of empathy and solidarity with the hapless parents of these dozens of kids who
died at the hands of terrorists. However,
to my utter shock, I saw some blaming
Islam, while others were regurgitating
the oft answered question “Why are
Muslims not condemning terrorism.”
Coming on the heels of the terror in
Sydney, wreaked by a deranged lunatic
who happened to be Muslim, this tragedy in Pakistan shocked the world to its
core. The savagery of this terrorist act
can be gauged by the fact that even the
Afghan Taliban issued a condemnation
of this action by the Pakistani Taliban.
As I was going through my Facebook
page, I came across an incredibly eloquent and truly heartfelt post by Munazza Humayun, a Twin Cities Muslim and
an attorney by profession. This expression of outrage and frustration is something I believe is felt by a vast majority
of American Muslims. I am reproducing
her post with her permission below:
“Another day, another tragedy.
More grumbling from certain quarters
that “moderate” Muslims are silent, that
they don’t condemn terrorism and tacitly support it. And once again, I try to decide whether I should write something.
You know, to condemn terrorism, being
a “moderate” Muslim and all (whatever
that means).
I guess I’ll give it a shot.
“I don’t support killing children.”
parts are plentifully available for
inspection these days, they have
not retracted earlier claims.
Those on the state’s payroll
that encourage violence against
the state must be dismissed.
Maulana Abdul Aziz of Islamabad’s Lal Masjid — a govern-
The Children of Peshawar wake up to an easy morning
It is just another chilly day where
The cold is the villain, the saviour is the blanket
And when a tired walk to the toothbrush is
The hardest exercise of all.
The morning is fun, the birds are still chirping
Your friends gather round, exchanging jokes when
The bus arrives and all of you run inside
And then you realise, that undone math problem is
The most difficult homework of all.
In the school, with your prim uniforms you sit
Waiting for the teacher to scold you when
Instead of the school bell you hear a boom
And then you suddenly realise the walk to the gate is
The most difficult escape route of all.
They fire in the name of God, they kill, they maim
You wonder, why me? Why us? Why in the name of God?
Why are they killing? Will it be me next?
And then you see how the biology teacher you hated is
Helping you and your friends find the easiest way out of it all.
Your friend, the boy you played cricket with
Is lying on a mattress of red, unable to move, to respond
He's dead. The girl you had secret crush on, she's dead too
And then you see that the face you see in the mirror is
The face of Breaking News. It's bloodied? Ah, that's better
One by one, they kill a hundred, and then they kill more
One by one, we go numb, and then the TV microphones haunt
What do you feel? What do you feel?
What do I feel? I really do not know what I feel
What does one feel when your world has crumbled.
never came
back...
The children of Peshawar are just children, aren't we?
The children of Peshawar want to just brush their teeth
The children of Peshawar want to just wear prim uniforms
The children of Peshawar want to just be scolded by teachers
The children of Peshawar want to just have a secret crush
The children of Peshawar want to just board the school bus
The children of Peshawar want to just play football
But we are not the children of Peshawar, are we?
We are your children.
------Sachin Kalbag
21 12 2014 Kashmir Observer
sunday

PANORAMA

Abuse vs Invective
A.G. Noorani
T
HE first week of this
month witnessed political discourse plumbing the depths of vulgar abuse. It can only
undermine democracy unless it is
stopped by severe condemnation.
On Dec 1, the Union Minister of State for Food Processing
Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti, asked the
people “to decide if they wanted
a government of Ramzadon (followers of Ram) or of “-----zadon”.
The reader can guess the rhyming word.
Prime Minister Narendra
Modi rejected the opposition demand that she be sacked. Of a
piece with Jyoti’s foul abuse was
the language used by the chief
minister of West Bengal Mamata
Banerjee. She publicly threatened to wield a bamboo on the
backside of her critics.
“
In both cases, what was on
display was neither wit nor political invective; it was vulgar
abuse which should be visited
with prompt and deterrent punishment.
Of this, there is no danger. For
only an alert and assertive public
opinion can prod the prime minister or the West Bengal governor to administer a strong public
reprimand; if not, indeed, dismiss
the offender.
The inaction in both cases
does not stem from the deep political polarisation in India today.
It stems from political decay. And
that decay lies at the root of the
malfunctioning of various institutions and the distortions in the
working of the constitution.
Formerly, politics centred
around the clash of policies, programmes and principles. It now
centres around unbridled pursuit
of power for its own sake. In the
former case, anger was expressed
in wit and invective; in the latter,
it is expressed in coarse language.
The debates in the Central
Legislative Assembly of India
before independence, were not
free of passion, spirited repartee
and sharp invective. Sample this:
“Have you no eyes, have you no
ears, have you no brains?” That
was Mohammad Ali Jinnah addressing British officials in the
assembly in 1925 on the report of
the Reforms Inquiry Committee.
When the clash with the Congress
intensified, Jinnah used his armoury of invective, honed in the
years at the Bar, to deadly effect.
The most striking instance
of this was the famous telegram
to Maulana Abul Kalam Azad in
which he branded him as a ‘showboy’. It stuck. Even admirers of
Jinnah questioned the use of the
word. The exchange is recalled to
illustrate why invective was used
calculatedly for political reasons
and not as sheer abuse.
On July 12, 1940 Azad wired to
Jinnah: “Is it the position of the
League that she [sic] cannot agree
to any provisional agreement not
based on the two-nation theory?
If so, please clarify by wire.”
This was too clever by half. Elucidations on matters sensitive are
sought in meetings; not through
telegrams.
Jinnah seized on Azad’s
prefatory caution ‘confidential’
to reply “cannot reciprocate confidence”. Jinnah went on to add:
“I refuse to discuss with you, by
correspondence or otherwise, as
you have completely forfeited
the confidence of Muslim India.
Can’t you realise you are made
a Muslim ‘show-boy’ Congress
president to give it colour that it
is national and deceive foreign
countries?
“You represent neither Mus-
lims nor Hindus. The Congress
is a Hindu body. If you have
self-respect, resign at once. You
have done your worst against the
League so far. You know you have
hopelessly failed. Give it up.”
While critics have a point, the
context must not be overlooked.
The maulana was engaged in
parleys with the premier of Punjab, Sir Sikandar Hayat Khan,
to detach him from the League.
That posed a serious threat to the
Muslim League. Hence Jinnah’s
remark, often ignored, “You
have done your worst against the
League so far. You know you have
hopelessly failed. Give it up.”
The retort was given with a
political purpose. The telegram
was published before it reached
Azad. He never recovered from
the blow.
Two of the greatest masters of
invective were Benjamin Disraeli
and David Lloyd George. Both
were merciless towards their
adversaries. Each destroyed his
foe in a famous debate. Disraeli
ruined Robert Peel in a debate in
1841. Lloyd George ruined Neville
Chamberlain in the historic debate on May 7, 1940.
He said: “The nation is prepared for every sacrifice so long
as it has leadership, so long as the
government show clearly what
they are aiming at, and so long
as the nation is confident that
those who are leading it are doing
their best. I say solemnly that the
prime minister should give an example of sacrifice, because there
is nothing which can contribute
more to victory in this war than
that he should sacrifice the seals
of office.”
Chamberlain won the vote
but by so small a margin that he
resigned.
---Dawn
The NATIoN Is prepAred for every sAcrIfIce so long as it has leadership, so long as the government show clearly what they are aiming
at, and so long as the nation is confident that those who are leading it are doing their best. I say solemnly that the prime minister should give an example of
sacrifice, because there is nothing which can contribute more to victory in this war than that he should sacrifice the seals of office.”
Dawn of an Urdu Revival
I
Zofeen Maqsood
t’s a crisp winter evening and
a tasteful sundowner party is
underway in a posh New Delhi
enclave. Among the guests are
an assortment of young executives, artists and designers. As the
sun begins to set, the host announces
the highlight of the evening – an in-
Aijaz Ilmi, editor of Urdu daily,
Siyasat Jadid (New Politics) and a
national member of the Bharatiya
Janata Party, says: “Apart from popularity on TV, the renewed interest
of youngsters in Urdu on social media is an eye-opener.”
From conversations to translations, there is a sudden spurt in
online dialogue about Urdu which
houses were run by literary historians of all faiths,” adds Urdu-lover,
lawyer and human rights activist
Shehzad Poonawalla.
MAKING A COMEBACK
A key reason why Urdu may be
experiencing a revival now, says
poet and JNU professor Bakshi, is
the growing interest in Sufism. “In
this strife-torn world, suddenly Su-
Urdu through the medium of lyrics, according to Urdu lovers, there
is much more to the language than
ghazals, shayris and words such as
ishq (love) and falak (heaven). Indian
writer, critic and literary historian
Rakshanda Jalil finds it heartening
to see that the new realism of Urdu
goes beyond associations with love,
longing and shayris, with people be-
“UrdU Is AN INTeGrAl
pArT of oUr cUlTUre;
one cannot ignore it,” adds
artist and Urdu revivalist
Saba Hasan. “The problem
arose after Partition, when
most of the Urdu-speaking
population moved out and
we started associating it
with Pakistan. Urdu got
lost in the game of borders
and politics. The language
was deliberately edged
out and its promotion was
suppressed. Slowly, the
Urdu signboards vanished
and all other remnants of
its pervasive past were
forgotten.”
formal mushaira or reading of Urdu
poetry.
For the next hour, the youngsters
sit listening intently as verses in that
lyrical language float out over the
city, transporting the scene to another era.
Urdu, the lost language of the
elite, is quietly making a comeback.
It’s not just the poetry. In June this
year, a new TV channel called Zindagi – launched by Zee Entertainment
Enterprises – began bringing conversational Urdu back into Indian drawing rooms, through Pakistani soap
operas where the characters speak
predominantly Hindustani, interspersed with phrases and words from
that ancient language.
“The Pakistani shows are hugely popular and now everyone suddenly wants to know the meaning
of words like musalsal [continuous]
and akhrajat [expenses],” says Urdu
poet and JNU professor Minu Bakshi. Zindagi has even begun running
translations of Urdu words in English and Hindi as a result.
“The reason we chose Pakistani
soaps was because of the ornate and
beautiful softness in the language,”
says Priyanka Datta, business head
for Zindagi. “It was so familiar to us
that it needed no translation, and as
we expected, the response has been
phenomenal.” Zindagi already has
more than 310,000 likes on its Facebook page and 10,000 followers on
Twitter.
FASHION WITH CROSS-BORDER APPEAL
If Urdu and Pakistani soaps are
increasingly popular on TV, Pakistani fashion is increasingly visible
on the streets. Young women are
turning to the flattering silhouettes
proffered by structured pants and
breezy palazzos worn with long kameezes, as seen in the Pakistani serials. “I wouldn’t even call it Pakistani
influence. It is a hybrid of Mughal,
Iranian and Persian influences,”
says Delhi-based fashion designer
Anupama Dayal.
Earlier this year, when a Pakistani lifestyle exhibition called Aalishan Pakistan was held in the Capital,
it was the ‘Pakistani suits’ that drew
the largest crowds. “We ended up
selling every piece we had brought to
display,” says Lahore-based Zeeshan
Gaffar Khan, who was part of the exhibition. “The churidars, palazzos
and cigarette pants were the hottestselling items. We ran out of stock
before the end of the second day, and
many shoppers asked why we didn’t
have a shop or at least a delivery option in India.”
Exhibitors added that while
Pakistani designs had always been
popular with Indians, the TV serials
had likely made these style more accessible and aspirational.
— Courtesy hindustantimes.com
suggests that it is being viewed as a
language waiting to be explored and
adopted back in popular culture.
“There are an increasing number
of websites dedicated to Urdu, most
of them set up not by Urdu activists
or academicians but by individuals
just interested in the language,” Ilmi
says.
“Urdu is an integral part of our
culture; one cannot ignore it,” adds
artist and Urdu revivalist Saba
Hasan. “The problem arose after Partition, when most of the Urdu-speaking population moved out and we
started associating it with Pakistan.
Urdu got lost in the game of borders
and politics. The language was deliberately edged out and its promotion
was suppressed. Slowly, the Urdu
signboards vanished and all other
remnants of its pervasive past were
forgotten.”
Rakshanda Jalil who runs Hindustani Awaaz, an organisation
that seeks to popularise Urdu, adds:
“If there is any language that has a
religious significance in Islam, it’s
Arabic. It’s wrong to bracket Urdu as
the language of a certain community.
Forget a religion, Urdu doesn’t even
have a geography.”
“What we need is a realisation
that Urdu is not just the language
of the poetry of Mirza Ghalib and
Faiz Ahmad Faiz but a language of
contemporary knowledge, rational
thinking, commerce and liberalism, as it was when Urdu publishing
fism is gaining more followers and
it is closely associated with healing
through Urdu music,” she says. That
Urdu is beyond boundaries and beliefs is the common notion of Sufi artists as well. Murad Ali, a sixth-generation sarangi player, says, “During
our music performances, we get so
many requests to recite Sufi kalams
[devotional songs].”
Another genre, qawwali, which
has a 750-year history and was once
identified as Muslim devotional music, has been gaining increasingly
widespread acceptance too. Qawwali
parties are an urban trend and qawwals are now being invited to perform
at wedding functions and get-togethers by Hindus and Muslims alike.
“The fact is that there are qawwalis that mention Krishna and
Radha too,” says Murad Ali. “And
13th-century Amir Khusrow, whose
writings we recite, wrote not just in
Urdu but also in Brij Bhasha [a dialect of Hindi].” Saqlain Nizami of the
Nizami Brothers, who sang the popular qawwali Kun Faya Kun in the
Hindi film Rockstar (2012) says they
get more requests for qawwalis from
non-Muslims than from Muslims.
“People organise qawwali sessions
at home on festive occasions and we
recite everything from bhajans to
Kabir Das dohas to the works of 18thcentury Punjabi Sufi poet Bulleh
Shah.”
While Bollywood can be credited for single-handedly preserving
coming interested in the script too.
Bakshi laments that the growth of
Urdu is stunted because it gets little
to no support at the government level. “Urdu should be taught as a compulsory language in schools. It’s sad
that even in states like Uttar Pradesh
and Bihar, where Urdu is in use,
it’s not compulsory in schools,” she
adds. Jalil, however, feels it is Urdu
publishing that needs to improve, in
order to promote the language and
build on its growing popularity. “It
is up to Urdu-speaking people to promote the language,” she says. “We
don’t need the government taking
our cause further. Many schools offer Urdu as a third language and if
more and more schools do that, there
will not only be more jobs for Urdu
teachers but more youngsters who
know Urdu too.”
Ilmi would agree. “The government cannot be expected to support
every language,” he says. “Urdu is a
language strong enough to survive
on its own.” They would seem to
be in a minority, though. At a time
when an ancient language such as
Sanskrit is getting a push from the
Centre, Urdu is being neglected. As
activist Poonawalla puts it: “Urdu
has no community or religion. It has
lovers and it needs consumers, not
just of its cultural expression but of
its books, its science its commerce,
its news. Urdu’s survival lies not in
the romanticism by the few but in it
becoming the business of many.”
6 Sunday
21 12 2014 Kashmir Observer
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
V-Mart Reopens in Srinagar after Flood devastation
Srinagar: V-Mart “the King of Retail in tier-II
& tier-III Cities” on Saturday announced the reopening of its 1st value store in Srinagar which
had been severely damaged in recent flood. The
company, which prides itself on crafting unique
“First Of Its Kind” complete family fashion store,
fully air-conditioned with international shopping experience in J&K. For the people of Srinagar, V-Mart ensures that this store once again
fulfill the fashion needs of the entire family under one roof that too at best price. The “King of
Retail- V-Mart”, in Srinagar, is located at, Sarah
City Centre, Indira Gandhi Road, Opp-Exhibition, Srinagar, The store is spread over a retail
area of 9884 sq ft.
“We are thrilled on the revival of our fashion store in Srinagar”, says Chairman & Managing Director, V-Mart Retail Ltd, Mr. Lalit
Agarwal. We have suffered a huge damage in
recent flood but encouragement and appreciation of our customers and moreover efforts of
our staff have given us strength to rebuild and
restart this store”. For operations we fulfill our
manpower requirements by providing employment to locals. Providing customer’s true value
for their money has helped us to build the relationship with families across the state, Mr.
Agarwal added.
The opening of the store and the launch of
winter Collection is timed well to serve the customers during the winter season. For the customers of Srinagar, V-Mart has launched a Lucky
Draw offer. To avail this offer, customer has to
shop for minimum Rs 1000/-, customer will
also get a chance to win exciting prizes like LED,
Refrigerator, Wall Clocks, Iron, Quilts and many
more prizes. Apart from this, there are many offers on men’s, ladies and kids apparels like buy 2
get 1 free. As a special inaugural offer for the customers, first 200 customers will get a wall clock
at Rs 1 on purchase of Rs 299.
With the relaunch of store in Srinagar, the
With the support of Congress, NC formed government in the state and Omar Abdullah became the
any regional party like PDP or national conference. “There is no question of joining hands with
PDP or NC for making of the government. We will
either join hands with the independents if we require to or prefer to sit in opposition,” Gupta said.
He added that Kashmir valley has supported
the agenda of the BJP and the hardships, the valley people have gone through have made them to
vote for BJP during polls. “Not only Jammu but the
Kashmir valley has given us enormous support.
We are indeed indebted to them and the state in
the coming time would witness peace and prosperity during BJP’s tenure,” remarked Gupta.
people have given a warm welcome to the reopened V-Mart retail store in the city & the people are confident that the reopening of this new
store in the city will also give its citizens a chance
to unique experience by offering a vast range of
products, maintaining high standards in quality
and design, offer fashion garments at down-toearth prices which will ensure that over the period the store shall emerge as the destination of
choice for bargain hunters and the fashionable
alike. The store will be providing Apparels, Footwear, Accessories, Luggage, Home ware, Home
Furnishing, Toys & Games.
The people in Srinagar are aware about high
street fashion due to the high spread of Electronic Media and Communication. Families are
looking for a convenience store, but an organized
retail store, where all apparels and general merchandise are available under one roof. Because of
these reasons V-Mart has decided to restart its
operations in Srinagar.
From Front Page
PDP Misses
It can even go with the BJP. If the BJP does not
go with the PDP or the PDP declines the BJP’s offer,
PDP: We Don’t
run the state,” PDP chief spokesman Naeem
Akhtar said.
He added that state is facing immense problems on political and developmental fronts and
for that it needs help and understanding of Government of India and of all political parties of
Jammu and Kashmir.
Pak Army
the three other terrorists, Nadeem, Azeem and Kamran, who had been sentenced to death by the courts.
Heavy contingents of police and paramilitary
troops were deployed on Saturday at Mach and
Quetta district jails in a move to increase security
around prisons.
At least 14 prisoners in the Mach Jail of Balochistan, one of the largest jails in Pakistan, are on
death row.
The prisoners on death row do not belong to
any banned organisation but four of them were
charged with terrorism acts, such as targeted killings and murder charges over personal disputes.
“Jammers were already installed while the
cover areas have been increased,” Asif Butt, Superintendent of Quetta District Jail, said. However, there are no prisoners in this particular jail
on death row.
Butt said Frontier Corps (FC), police and Balochistan Constabulary personnel have increased
patrolling in and around the jail.
Security forces also carried out a search operation inside the jail.
Another
BJP LEaDS in JaMMU
As expected the BJP is likely to do well in Jammu region with 37 assembly seats. It is expected
to win 14-20 seats in the region.
aDVanTagE PDP
If the PDP wins 36-41 seats, it can take the
support any political party except the ruling NC
to reach the halfway mark of 44 seats. It can even
go with the Panthers Party and Independents. Or
it can even clinch a deal with its former ally the
Congress.
for the first time the BJP can become the main opposition party in the Jammu & Kashmir Assembly.
2008 rESULTS: When we look at the results
of last Assembly Elections in Jammu and Kashmir, National Conference emerged as the largest
party winning 28 seats out of 87 assembly seats.
PDP was on second place with 21 seats while the
Congress got third spot winning 17 seats. The BJP
could only win 11 seats.
Though NC became the largest party, they
failed to achieve the majority mark of 44 seats.
state’s youngest ever Chief Minister at 38.
But the political scenario has changed after general elections 2014.
Riding on Modi-wave, the BJP is winning every big election in the country. But it appears the
Modi-magic has had limited impact in Jammu and
Kashmir
BJP: Will
the government formation, BJP said it would
rather prefer to sit in opposition than to align with
joined Congress party but recently, he had declared his support for independent candidate for
Sopore Arshid Kar and canvassed in his favour
during the election campaign.
Meanwhile, soon after the attack, army,
SOG, police and CRPF cordoned off the area and
launched searches to nab the attackers.
Bhat is the second Sarpanch killed in less than a
week’s time in Sopore town.
On December 13, a Sarpanch Ghulam Mohammad Mir alias Bedar of Hygam village was killed
in similar fashion.
Police is yet to find a clue about Bedar’s killers.
Chief Minister and working president of National Conference Omar Abdullah expressed his
condolence over the killing.
“Another grim reminder of the risks associated
with fighting an election,” Omar tweeted and beseeched almighty Allah to grant him (Bhat) place
in paradise.
PDP president Mehbooba Mufti said the unending cycle of death and destruction should stop
in Kashmir to allow it grow and progress.
“It is sad that yet another precious life has been
lost to the vicious cycle of violence in Kashmir.
Our party strongly condemns such incidents,” she
said in a statement.
“Reoccurrence of such dastardly incidents is
unfortunate which has till now only devastated
families and increased the number of orphans and
widows in the society.”
Hurriyat says
logic at all.
He said that such acts are unacceptable as the
unarmed civilians cannot be killed on the bases of
difference in ideologies.
BJP Candidate
he said adding that BJP candidate Ravinder
Raina also suffered minor injuries during the
clash.
"A First Information report No 197 of 2014 has
been registered against PDP workers in in Police
Station Noushera," SSP, Rajouri Mohmmad Haseeb said.
No one has so far been arrested, SSP said, adding that five persons including three workers of
BJP and two of PDP were injured, and that action
would be taken against the two PDP workers once
they are out of the hospital.
Valley’s Power
scheduled to operate 24X7, was being seen as
the first ever hi-tech service by PDD that makes
registration of complaints as simple as making the
free phone call. The PDD also assured speedy redressal of grievances.
Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah who was also
incharge of Power ministry, was keen to provide
a “hassle free” grievance redressal system so that
people do not face inconvenience as often happens otherwise.
Major Combing
and ten rounds, one AK-Magzine, 60 AKrounds, two pistols with two magazines, two
wireless set with antenna, one pouch and other
essential items.
Man with
number 95/2014 under section 7/25 Arms Act
was registered against him and investigation is
going on. (CNS)
76% Turnout
that web casting was done in 166 Polling Stations, while at 324 polling stations, digital and at
349 polling stations, video cameras were installed
for free, fair and smooth conduct of polls.
Mr. Narula said that 20 General Observers, 06
Expenditure Observers, 03 Police Observers, 02
Awareness Observer besides 394 micro observers
and about 12820 poll officials were deployed for
the smooth conduct of polls.
He said elaborate arrangements were made
to facilitate voters to exercise their franchise in
a free and fair atmosphere, adding that the polling percentage may increase after consolidation
of figures.
Mr. Narula said that the overall percentage for
the 2014 Assembly Elections of all the five phases
has been recorded as 66%, which is 5% more than
the 2008 Assembly Elections, where the overall
voter percentage stood at 61%.
sunday
21 12 2014 Kashmir Observer

NEWS

Arrangement For Counting Of Votes For 6
Assembly Segments In Anantnag Finalized
Officer and Chief Education
Officer, Municipal Committee
Anantnag participated in the
meeting
The meeting was informed
that adequate security arrangements for all the counting centers have been put in place.
Un-interrupted power supply,
drinking water and other necessary arrangements have been
kept available around all the
counting halls at Government
Degree College, Boys Khanabal,
Anantnag.
The DEO was informed that
computers with Broadband facility, Fax Machines, Copiers,
medical aid with ambulance
and Fire and Emergency Services have been kept available
at counting venue at Anantnag.
Counting staff will be allowed for entry in the counting
premises from Gate 2nd, while
Counting Agents will be allowed
to enter from gate 3rd i.e near
petrol pump. No vehicle will be
allowed to enter in the counting
premises, the DEO added.
Later, the District Election
Officer visited counting centers
at Government Degree College
Khanabal and took stock of the
arrangements made by the District Administration.
Ban on sale,
purchase of crackers
BANDIPORA, DECEMBER 20: In view of the counting of votes
for the Assembly Elections 2014 scheduled to be held on
December 23, 2014 and to avert any law and order situation
and breach of peace in the district Bandipora by using the
crackers, District Magistrate, Bandipora has imposed Section
144 Cr. P. C for sale and purchase besides use of cracker in
district Bandipora with immediate effect till further orders.
The Tehsildars and SHOs concerned have been directed to
conduct inspections frequently in the local market in their
respective jurisdiction and seize the crackers and keep the
quantity of crackers seized in police custody after maintaining proper records.
section 144 cr. p.c
imposed in Bandipora
BANDIPORA: In view of the counting of votes for Assembly segments
of Bandipora, Sonawari and Gurez on December 23, 2014, the District
Magistrate Bandipora has imposed Section 144 Cr. P.C within the town
limits of Bandipora, Sumbal, Hajin and Dawar (Gurez) with effect from
7 a.m. on December 23, 2014 to avoid any breach of peace and safeguard the life and property of the general public.
Any congregation of five or more people is not allowed except in
religious places and purely religious purposes, no procession shall be
taken out, no person other than a member of Armed Forces, Police,
Magistrate or a public servant duly authorized and on duty shall carry
public firearms or an article capable of being used as weapon of offence.
Jitendra singh hopes
BJp will win Jammu
Nayeem Dares
Delhi To Hold
Referendum
Srinagar: Rejecting the process
of ‘election drama’ and its results, National Front Chairman
and Hurriyat Conference (JK)
leader Nayeem Ahmad Khan
Saturday said Kashmiri people
are fighting for their right to self
determination.
In a statement he said unless
and until Kashmiri people are
given their just right to determine their political future their
struggle and resistance will
continue.
Presiding the first party
meeting at central office after
his release, Khan praised those
who remained aloof of the election. “India and its collaborators
had jumped with lot of resources in the election drama hence
they tried to institutionalize
corruption,” Khan said adding “those who somehow participated in the Indian election
drama too want an end of the
Indian slavery but for the time
being pro-India politicians took
an undue advantage of them.”
Jammu: Senior BJP leader and union minister Dr Jitendra Singh
Saturday said that the party was hopeful to win all the seats of
Jammu region and will form the next government in the state.
Singh after exercising his franchisee here in Jammu said that
the party will defeat the Congress and other parties in the Jammu
and Kashmir especially in Jammu region.“We are hoping that we
will form the government here. The people have rejected the other
parties and have voted in large numbers in favour of BJP candidates,” he said.“Regional political parties, with the main conspirator Congress, had blocked development of the state. Their main
agenda is to divide people in the name of region, religion and caste
to achieve political power for their personal gains,” he alleged.
Earlier, Singh talking to reporters after exercising his right of
franchise thanked the people for coming out in large numbers to
vote. “I thank the people who are coming out in large numbers to
vote. It is a victory for democracy and defeat for all other forces
against the democratic process,” he told reporters at a polling station in Gandhinagar. (KNS)
geelani shocked over
pulwama rape, murder
76% people turned out to vote in Jammu in the last phase of elections on Saturday. The picture taken at Gandhi Nagar
polling station shows long queue of voters waiting for their turn.
Shabir Shah welcomes
UN resolution on RSD
Srinagar: Terming the resolution passed in General Assembly of United Nations regarding
the right to self-determination
of nations and Pakistan’s support for it as “encouraging and
in favour of subjugated nations
of world”, Hurriyat Conference
Jammu Kashmir (HCJK) leader
and Democratic Freedom Party
chairman Shabir Ahmad Shah
Saturday said the step will pave
way for justice to freedom fighting people of the world.
“Pakistan’s support to the resolution will encourage the freedom fighting people of the world
and it is surely a victory for those
people particularly for the nation
of Jammu and Kashmir who are
struggling for their birth right
of self-determination,” Shah in
a statement issued to press said.
He said New Delhi has to revere and acknowledge this resolution sooner or later and has to
allow the people of Jammu and
Kashmir decide their right of
self-determination. He said UN
should keep a vigil over its member nations as to how they treat
their subjects in their respective
domains. “UN should also initiate
steps to implement these resolutions on ground.”
Applauding the role of Pakistan Prime Minister Mian Nawaz
Sharif with regards to Kashmir
issue, Shah said the Pak premier
has upheld the facts based on
truth and reality. He also lauded
the statement of Nawaz Sharif
that non-serious approach towards the Kashmir issue will
only pave way for destruction in
the subcontinent as “the issue
is a bone of contention between
two nuclear neigbouring nations
India and Pakistan.”
Shah urged India to shun its
stubbornness and respond positively to Nawaz Sharif’s call for
dialogue to resolve the Kashmir
issue. “The right of self-determination is the birth right of nations which is mentioned in the
UN charter. The people of Jammu
and Kashmir are fighting for this
right from last 67 years for which
so many resolutions have been
passed in the security council of
UN but only due to India’s stubborn attitude, the issue continues to linger.”
He said though UN played a
crucial role in bringing independence to many nations like
South Sudan, East Timur, since
its inception, but the institution
has failed with regards to one of
the sensitive issues of subcontinent Kashmir issue. “Jammu
and Kashmir had never been
the part of India which has forcibly occupied the territory. This
issue has forced both its stakeholders – India and Pakistan to
spend major portion of budget
in their in defense rather than
focusing on education, poverty
and development of their respective nations.”
Mehbooba Anguished By Rape,
Murder Of Pulwama Girl
Srinagar: Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) President and
Member Parliament, Ms Mehbooba Mufti has strongly condemned the rape and murder of
a girl in Wanpora area of district
Pulwama.
Calling for immediate and
stern action against the perpetrator, Ms Mehbooba in a statement issued here today, has
sought a fool-proof legal framework to address the growing
incidents of violence against
women and girls in Jammu and
Kashmir.Expressing
anguish
and pain over the recurrent
incidents of violence like rape,
murder, sexual assaults and
acid attacks against women and
as shelter sheds by Chief Education
Officer Anantnag. The PHE and PDD
Departments were asked to ensure
water and power supply in the shelter sheds. The CA&PD department
shall keep essential commodities
like Rice, Atta, Sugar and K. oil available for the strained passengers at
all outlets of the Department on National Highway.
The Traffic Police will ensure
traffic regulation on National Highway while Mechanical Engineering
department Anantnag will clear the
snow from Khanabal to Lower Munda and from Lower Munda onwards
to National Highway the snow
clearance will be done by BEACON.
The District Administration will
keep 1500 Blankets, 15 Solar lights
and 6 LPG Cylinders available in the
up free of violence in J&K.Urging the authorities to expedite
investigation into all cases of
crimes against women in the
State, Ms Mehbooba suggested
setting up Fast-track Courts to
ensure speedy delivery of justice and exemplary punishment
for those who do such terrible
things with our sisters and
daughters.
Ms Mehbooba expressed
heartfelt sympathies with the
families of the latest victims of
violence against women including the girl who was raped and
murdered in Wanpora area of
Pulwama and another girl in
Srinagar who was targeted with
acid attack recently.
Women Group Stages Protest
Against Peshawar Attack
Srinagar: Mourning the death
of 148 people mostly children
killed in Peshawar, women
wing of separatist organization,
Jammu and Kashmir Salvation
Movement Saturday staged a
protest at Mushtaq Memorial
Press Enclave here.
Shouting slogans against terrorist organization, Tehreek-eTaliban of Pakistan, the female
protestors expressed condolenc-
Action Plan for Disaster Management on
National Highway reviewed at Anantnag
ANANTNAG, DECEMBER 20: Arrangements and action plan for
Disaster Management on National
Highway was today reviewed in a
meeting of Officers of District Administration, 9 RR, CRF and Engineers of RAMKI. The Deputy Commissioner Anantnag who chaired
the meeting stressed upon the officers and agencies to chalk out the
necessary action plan with regard to
keeping the National Highway open
in case of heavy snowfall.
Threadbare discussions were
held to meet any eventuality during the winter on National Highway.
For this purpose, a Control Room
will be setup in Police Station Qazigund. 25 School buildings from
Gulab Bagh and in other adjacent
areas of Qazigund were identified
girls in the State, Ms Mehbooba
said violence against women is
not a women’s issue, it's a human rights issue and such incidents should be dealt with
through a comprehensive legislative framework so that not
only justice is ensured for the
victims but a legal mechanism
is put in place to prevent recurrence of such reprehensible
acts.Maintaining that justice
system is key to addressing the
menace of violence against the
women, Ms Mehbooba said if
PDP gets the mandate to form
the next government it would
bring in such laws so that every girl and woman can live
safely, feel protected and grow
office of Executive Engineer R&B
Qazigund, while Chief Medical Officer Kulgam and Block Medical
Officer Qazigund will keep one ambulance available round the clock
besides life saving drugs available at
Emergency Hospital Qazigund and
PHC, Qazigund. The Forest Deportment shall keep adequate quantity
of firewood available in all Disaster Management Centres. The ADC
Anantnag has been designated as
Nodal Officer for monitoring the arrangements.
The CO 9RR and CRPF 24 BN
Tunnel assured Deputy Commissioner for providing every possible
help and assistance for the stranded
passengers during the snow fall on
National highway at Qazigund and
Tunnel.
es with the bereaved families.
Carrying banners and placards, the women wing of JKSM
sought stringent punishment
for those involved in the inhuman attack. “The attack was inhuman and strict action should
be taken against the culprits,”
the female protestors said adding that Kashmir as a nation can
feel the pain of the parents who
lost their innocent kids in the
attack, which has no moral and
human justification.
Another female protestor
told CNS that this cold-blooded
murder of budding blooms is
shocking and indeed a human
tragedy. “We appeal to the government of Pakistan to take
stringent action against the terror groups involved in the killing of innocent people in the
country,” she said. (CNS)
No Modi wave in J&K: Soni
Srinagar: As last phase of Assembly
elections ended here Saturday, the
Congress in charge of Jammu and
Kashmir affairs, Ambika Soni said
that the Modi wave was nowhere
found in the Jammu region. She
also claimed that the party will
win majority of the seats.
“The Modi magic was not visible anywhere in the last phase of
the Assembly elections. The voters
were no more willing to go with
the BJP as they probably did in this
region in the Lok Sabha elections,”
Soni told KNS over phone.
Lashing out at the BJP, she said,
“It is only the frustration of BJP
that they criticize the Congress
every now and then. We see they
always criticize us. But the fact is
that they are aware that the congress is a threat to their so called
mission 44-plus. After they failed
to impress the voters in Kashmir
region they thought that they will
sweep the Jammu region but we
didn’t find any such thing here.”
She said that the BJP will not be
able to get even a single seat from
the Kashmir province. “From the
50 seats of the Kashmir valley and
Ladkah region the BJP will get noting,” Soni claimed.
The Congress leader added that
her party had succeeded to recover
in the state after its poor performance in the Lok Sabha elections.
“I can say with authority that in
Jammu and Kashmir we have retrieved our situation in this election in a big way. For the Congress
the chances are very bright and we
will win the majority of the seats.
We will emerge as the largest party in the state even if we don’t get
majority,” she told KNS.
Srinagar: While expressing his grief and sorrow over the shameful incident of murder and rape of a 21 year old girl in Pulwama,
Hurriyat Conference (G) chairman Syed Ali Geelani Saturday
demanded stern punishment to the culprits.
He also expressed his deep concern over the rising graph of
the monster crimes and said that some decades back these types
of evils were beyond the imagination of our society. “But the
situation has changed and the criminal mindset is now flourishing in our society. The murder and rape incident in Pulwama have
shaken every conscious Kashmiri and it have created an environment of fear among the people,” Geelani said
While commenting over the rising graph of crimes, he alleged,
“Easy availability of the liquor and other drugs under the patronage of the government is playing a very important role in the
increase of these crimes. Our age old traditions of modesty and
chastity are being eradicated in a planed way.”
“Though controlling these crimes is not possible without the
help of state power, it is the responsibility of every responsible
citizen, Islamic scholars and the Imams of the masjids to stand
against these evils and jointly fight against this. A close watch
should be kept over the criminal people in every locality and
every Mohalla,” the Hurriyat (G) chairman said.Geelani said
that Hurriyat is closely monitoring the incident in Pulwama and
demanded that the people behind such incident should be given
stern punishment.
police cracks
Burglary case
Ganderbal: Ganderbal police solved a burglary case within a week
by arresting the burglar and recovered stolen property.
Giving details of the case Station House Officer Ganderbal, Asif
Iqbal said that Ghulam Ahmad Bhat resident of Tullabagh Ganderbal reported at police station Ganderbal that during the intervening night last month, some unknown burglars had entered into his
house and decamped with cash and jewellery.
Consequently a case vide FIR number 188/2014 under section
457, 380 RPC was registered in police station Ganderbal and investigation was taken up. Asif said that thorough investigation led to
the arrest of the accused within a week’s time. “The arrested person confessed to have committed the theft and on his disclosure
all the stolen property was recovered,” SHO Ganderbal said. (CNS)
driver dies after JcB
plunges into nallah
Sonamarag: A Beacon driver was killed in Central Kashmir after
his JCB skidded off the road and plunged into Nallah Sindh on
Saturday. Station House Officer, Sonamarag, Abdul Rashid told
CNS that a Beacon JCB, driven by one Bori Krishan Tala skidded off
the road and plunged into Nallah Sindh near Hajqabar Sonamarg,
when it was on way to Gagangeer from Sonamarg. The police
officer said that the driver died on spot while JCB was pulled out
from the Nallah.
QasBa chairs meeting
on traffic movement
Srinagar: Commissioner SMC Dr G N Qasba chaired a meeting regarding diversion of vehicular movement from Iqbal Park towards
Rambagh and onward to ensure smooth flow of traffic.
In a statement SMC PRO Masrat Yosuf said besides Qasba Additional Deputy Commissioner Srinagar, SSP traffic, SP South and
senior officers of the Corporation participated. “After the threadbare discussions it was decided that all the vehicles plying from
Lal Chowk towards Rambagah and onward areas shall be diverted
from Iqbal Park via Naaz crossing towards LD route to ensure
smooth flow of traffic,” she said.
The SMC Commissioner directed Chief Enforcement Officer
SMC to launch a vigorous anti encroachment drive and remove all
the street vendors in these areas who in advance shall be served
notices before getting them vacated.
An action under rules shall be taken against those vendors who
shall not comply with the directions, said Commissioner SMC.
Meanwhile, a parking lot near National School Karan Nagar
which was occupied by Sumo and Taxi drivers would also be
auctioned by SMC in short span of time, the PRO said.
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ANANTNAG, DECEMBER 20:
The arrangements for smooth
counting of votes for 6 Assembly
segments of Anantnag, Dooru,
Kokernag, Shangus, Bijbehara
and Pahalgam were finalized at
a meeting of officers chaired by
District Election Officer Anantnag here today.
All the RO’S of 6 Assembly
Segments, representatives of security agencies, ADC Anantnag,
Nodal officers, Micro observers,
Executive R&B, PDD, PHE, Chief
Medical Officer, Divisional Manager BSNL, Assistant Director
Fire and Emergency Services,
Assistant Regional Transport


Kashmir Observer
news
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8 SUNDAY 21 12 2014
Neelum-Jhelum hydro-project hits road block
TRANS ASIA NEWS
Islamabad: The strategic Neelum-Jhelum hydropower project with the capacity to generate 969 MW of
electricity has hit a road block , the project is facing a
deficit of $475 million. The government will have to
collect Rs55 billion from electricity consumers for this
vital project. So far the government has collected half
the amount in the form of N-J surcharge.
Pakistan’s Federal minister for water and power Khwaja Asif told the media that government has no money
for the project and if the required amount is not arranged then this project will get delayed.
The CEO of Neelum-Jhelum hydropower company
General (retd) Zubair has said that about one-third of
the deficit amount will be arranged by the company
. He said that the contractor has been paid after a
lapse of two years. The project is facing acute financial
constraints. He said an amount of Rs3 billion is being
spent on the project per month.
He said that once the project gets functional the government would get the benefit of Rs50 billion per annum. The cost of the project has gone up three times to
Rs274 billion, but the share of the government stands
at only 10 percent. To a question he said that Kuwait
Fund has approved $32 million a day before. To a ques-
tion he said 68 percent construction work on NeelumJehlum project has been completed and 78 per cent on
the tunnel reports the international news.
Khwaja Asif told the media that the government is focusing on the construction of Dasu and Diamer-Bhasha dams. However, provinces are entitled to build
small dams and to this effect the KPK government has
provided a list of 11 projects and the federal government will cooperate with the KPK government in this
regard. The minister also disclosed that K-Electric administration is going to offload the shares of Korean
company and expressed reservation over the selling
of shares in 2005 and 2009.
Once the prOject gets functiOnal the government would get the benefit of Rs50 billion per annum. The cost
of the project has gone up three times to Rs274 billion, but the share of the government stands at only 10 percent
Encroachments threaten
Jehlum embankments
Wokhoo Pulwama adding that brick kilns and
stone crushing plants owned by well-to-do
people couldn’t be dismantled due to their political backing.
The residents further alleged that the brick
kilns are busy in excavating the old embankments for manufacturing bricks.
“If the process of excavation continues in these
areas the slight rise in water level would create
a flood like situation and can endanger lives of
people in this area,” said a lecturer.
People in the vicinity of Kakapora have also
blamed the sand miners for endangering the
lives of the people. “These sand miners make
use of advanced machinery while the transportation process has severely damaged the
embankments of the river where sand is being
mined in Jehlum,”
Mushtaq Ahamd a resident of Samboora told
CNS adding that authorities are in deep slumber and don’t bother to act against these erring
individuals.
When contacted Assistant Executive Engineer, I&FC Department, Kakapora, Muhammad
Altaf told CNS that the department has already
issued a notice to the owners of brick kilns and
other plant owners. “Also No Objection Certificates (NOC) issued earlier by the department
to such owners have been cancelled. We need
time and machinery to raze down the mega illegal structures,” he said. (CNS)
BUNDI (Rajasthan): A 24-year-old youth died after his mobile phone exploded while it
was being charged in Korma village under Nainwa police station here, police said here.
Rajulal Gurjar was on Friday using his mobile phone, while it was also put on charging. Suddenly, the mobile battery exploded with a high sound causing him severe
burn injuries on chest and hand. He was rushed in an unconscious state to community health centre (CHC), Nainwa where he was declared brought dead by the doctors.
Dr Samandar Lal Meena, in charge at Nainwa CHC, who conducted the post-mortem, said that the victim had received severe burn injuries on chest and hands.
The youth died due to electric shock and burn injuries, Meena said, adding the
body was handed over to the family members after post-mortem.
Nainwa police said that a case has been registered and investigation is on.
OFF Track
Cow Milk Only Answer to
Corruption, Prescribes Hindu Forum
BHOPAL
* Had Mata Kaushalya not eaten
kheer made from cow milk, Lord
Rama would not have been born.
* Once you consume cow milk you
won’t commit any crime. The only
solution to corruption is cow milk.
* Even when he was 120 years old,
Lord Krishna looked like a 12-yearold because his soap was made
from cow dung.
* Bharat will become Independent
in true sense only when cow gets
the respect it deserves.
These were among the pearls of
wisdom dished out on Saturday
by speakers at a rally organised by
Bharatiya Gau Kranti Manch in Bhopal as part of a nationwide campaign
seeking death sentence for cow
slaughter, “Rashtramata” status for
the animal and a separate ministry
in each state to deal with the matter.
Called Gauvardhan Jan Jagaran Sabha, such rallies have already been
held in a few other state capitals.
Seers And Local Leaders Attend A Rally Against Cow Slaughter In Bhopal
On Sunday. Indian Express Photo
“If the government does not accept
our demands in 2015, not less than
25 lakh Gaubhaktas (cow devotees)
will storm New Delhi in February
2016 to make that happen,’’ warned
Gopal Mani Maharaj, the main
speaker. He began most sentences
by making the thousands who attended the rally repeat a prolonged
“maa” raising both hands.
Most speakers demanded that the
government offer cow milk free of
cost to children up to 10 years, the age
by which all “sanskaras” are acquired.
“What separated Krishna from Kansa
was that he consumed cow milk,
while his uncle consumed liquor and
became evil,’’ said Gopal, adding that
“the solution to corruption lies in cow
milk because it makes one cultured”.
Madhya Pradesh Home Minister Babulal Gaur, who also addressed the
rally, said he was confident all demands will be accepted. He recalled
that after the BJP came to to power
in Madhya Pradesh, cow slaughter
was made a punishable offence in
the state.
The rally was also attended by BJP
MLA Vishwas Sarang and a few Congress leaders, all of whom touched
the feet of religious figures on the
dais.
A young Mohammed Faiz Khan, who
the organizers said has made many
speeches to promote the cause, told
the rally “it was a matter of shame
that “Bharat, a Vishwaguru at one
point, has become the biggest exporter of beef”.–Indian Express
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Pulwama: Despite High Court directives to
clear Jhelum banks from illegal constructions from Khanabal to Khadinyar, the illegal
structures of many influential people in many
hamlets of Kakapora area of south Kashmir’s
Pulwama district stand intact due to alleged
nexus between them and some officials of the
concerned department.
Locals told CNS that Irrigation and Flood Control department started a drive to remove illegal encroachments from Jhelum embankments
dismantling many structures from the Jhelum
banks, however, brick kilns and stone crushing
plants of many influential people in Wokhoo,
Marval and Kandizal villages were kept out of
the drive due to reasons better known to the
department. Locals alleged that there is a neckdeep nexus between the Flood and Irrigation
Control Department officials and the owners
of such business units.
Local residents said that new embankments
erected on the Jehlum post September floods
were also sliced by these vested interests in
full knowledge of the concerned authorities.
“The plant owners cut soil from the bund and
have created mega walls than the bund that
pose a flood threat to us, we approached I&FC
Department, but they razed down structures
of poor people
only and did not dare to touch the influential ones,” said Ali Mohammad, a resident of
Youth dies as mobile phone
explodes during charging