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C M Y K
9906564001 | 8494068168 | 9419087897
AEE
BEE
EnginEEring Works
18
KashmiR
@
[email protected]
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Servicing, repairing & Maintenance
of all of Dg SetS,cc caMera
Nabdi Pora, M.K. Chowk, Hawal, Srinagar (J&K)
8
18 Rabi-ul-Awwal | 1436 Hijri | Vol: 18 | Issue: 07 | Pages : 08 | Price: `3
Imran and Reham Khan tie the
knot in Bani Gala
w w w. k a s h m i r o b s e r v e r. n e t
FRiDaY 09 JanuaRY 2015
Wisdom
He who angers
you, controls
you.
/ Srinagar Today: MoSTly Sunny
MaxiMuM: 12oC / MiniMuM: -1oC / HuMidiTy : 75% / SunSeTS Today... 05:21 PM / SunriSeS ToMorrow... 07.24 aM
Vohra recommends Governor's rule in J&K
Omar Abdullah Expresses Inability to Continue as Caretaker CM
hazrat ali (as)
11 Hurt in Poonch Mishap
POONCh: At least 11 persons, including a six month old baby, were
injured when a private vehicle skidded off in Mendhar area of Poonch
district, official said.
Officials said that a sumo (JK02H
1415) was coming from Salwa to
Mendhar town and when it reached
Behra, it skidded off the road and
fell into a deep gorge.
The incident occurred at around
9:30 am.
In the accident, eleven people including seven females were injured
while one person namely Waseem
Rashid sustained critical injuries.
The injured were rushed to hospital
by police and army, the official said.
According to Station House Page 6
Bid to Loot JK Bank
sriNaGar: Amid tight police security, unidentified burglars last night
made an unsuccessful attempt to
loot branch of J&K Bank located
in Nehalpora Pattan in Baramulla
district.
Police sources said that some unidentified persons tried to break into
the Bank branch during the dead of
the night however, they could not
break the lockers and left the Bank
without taking away any cash.
The Branch Manager said that the
burglars had entered into the bank
from the backside. “They seemed
to have used axes and hammers to
smash the lockers but failed in their
attempt to loot the cash Page 6
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sriNaGar/NeW DeLhi: Jammu &
Kashmir on Thursday appeared
hurtling towards a spell of governor's rule with incumbent N N
vohra sending a report to the Centre
on the political impasse after Omar
abdullah asked him to relieve him
as caretaker chief minister.
The report to the President is
understood to be containing two
or three suggestions including the
option of a spell of governor's rule
in the wake of no party being in a
position to cobble up numbers required to form a government after
the highly-fractured verdict in the
assembly elections, sources said.
The governor's report comes a
Misappropriation of food grains in JK
Centre sets up task force
sriNaGar: The Centre has set up
a task force comprising around 12
officers from the Central Food Ministry to keep an eye on complaints
against the misuse of food grains
meant for Jammu and Kashmir.
Sources said the task force, headed by the Secretary level officer, will
monitor and supervise all issues
related to the management of food
grains in the state of Jammu and
Kashmir to ensure smooth distribution of the food grains.
One of the officials of the Central
Food ministry said from New Delhi
that after getting the information
about the misuse of food grains
the Central government has constituted a special task force. “The task
force comprising around 12 officers
will keep the vigil of supply of food
grains and will monitor the distribution process of the food grains,”
he said and added that several welfare schemes were being run by the
Centre whose progress will also be
monitored by the task force.
Meanwhile, sources said that the
written complaint from a group of
senior citizens has gone to the food
ministry in which they have complained about the misuse of food
grains.
They said that the complaint
reads: “Ration meant for inhabitants of the Jammu and Kashmir has
been embezzled by the officials of
the Consumer Affairs and Public
Distribution Department (CAPD).”
“The ration meant for the poor
people, especially belonging to BPL
families, are being sold in the open
market, causing hardships to the
people of Jammu and Kashmir. So
being the responsible citizens of this
society we understand it to be an
important duty to inform you about
this mess,” the complaint reads.
Meanwhile, sources said that
consumer of the flood hit Srinagar
have been facing lots of difficulties as ration is not being supplied
to them as per their requirement.
“Many areas are presently reeling
under acute shortage of ration,” the
people complain. (KNS)
day after Omar met him in Delhi
last night soon after his return from
London after a 12-day visit to his ailing parents and asked him to relieve
him as caretaker chief minister.
Omar told him that the state
needed a full-time administrator
to deal with the situation along the
border with Pakistan and Page 6
This Can Create
Constitutional Crisis: Soz
Mufti’s Only Choice,
BJP: Ansari
sriNaGar: As the speculations over the stepping
down of Omar Abdullah from the post of the caretaker chief minister galore, the state Congress chief
Saif-ud-din Soz Thursday said Omar should continue in the interests of the state.
Talking to KNS, Soz said the stepping down of
Omar as the caretaker chief minister would create
‘constitutional problems’ in JK. “On one side, Omar
sahib is right that it has taken a long in the formation of the new government in Jammu and Kashmir. He must be feeling fed up as in the care taker
government, the administration becomes weak.
He doesn’t want to take blame on himself.”
“Having said this, I would like to suggest to
Omar sahib that he should not insist in quitting his
post,” said the state Congress chief.
He added that the Governor of the state as the
constitutional head had earlier requested Omar
to continue. “It will create constitutional problem
and that Omar Sahib should avoid this decision in
the interests of the state,” said Soz.
Pertinently, Omar is believed to have told the
state Governor that it was not possible for him to
provide relief as a caretaker Chief Minister to the
people along the border in Jammu where constant
shelling has led to loss of houses and migration
to safer places. He was not in a position to help
people affected by the floods in the Valley who are
facing a harsh winter.
NeW DeLhi: Former interlocutor M.M.Ansari Thursday
said that People’s Democratic Party has been caught in
catch ‘28’ situation as it doesn’t know which way to go. He
advised PDP to forge an alliance with BJP but at the same
time suggested the party patron Mufti Muhammad Sayeed not to take any step that could disappoint the people
of Kashmir valley.
“PDP will not be able to repeal AFSPA, demilitarize
the region and financially help the people without the
help and support of BJP. For such issues it ought to seek
the support of BJP which is at the helm of affairs in the
Centre. This party however, has been facing tremendous
pressure from pro-freedom groups and some people that
are against its alliance with BJP and this pressure can stop
this party to form the government in Jammu and Kashmir,” Ansari told Srinagar based news gathering agency
CNS adding that people of Kashmir should not treat BJP
as untouchable.
“All over India Muslims have accepted and supported
the BJP. PDP should continue to seek the support of BJP
till it agrees to work on developing Jammu and Kashmir
and provide assistance to flood victims. BJP has changed its
policies and it is not harping now on communal politics,”
he said and asked PDP to formulate a Common Minimum
Programme with BJP and form the government to ease the
sufferings of the people.
Ansari revealed that New Delhi is ready to repeal the
contentious AFSPA from Jammu and Kashmir, strengthen
trade relations with Pakistan Administered Page 6
France On Edge with More
Shooting, Mosques Attacked
Paris: An assailant opened fire
on a police officer on the southern edge of Paris early Thursday,
killing her and injuring a nearby
street sweeper before fleeing, officials and a witness said. France’s
Interior Minister cautioned against
jumping to conclusions a day after
the deadly assault on a satirical
newspaper that killed 12 people.
The attacker in the pre-dawn
shooting on Thursday remained
at large, said French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve. It was
not immediately clear whether
the attack was linked to the assault
on the newspaper Charlie Hebdo,
in which two police officers were
among the dead.
In the Thursday shooting, Mr.
Cazeneuve said, the officer had
stopped to investigate a traffic
accident when the firing started.
Paris police said the second victim was a street sweeper. The of-
ficer later died of her injuries, said
Emmanuel Cravello of the Alliance
police union.
“There was an officer in front
of a white car and a man running
away who shot,” said Ahmed Sassi,
who saw the shooting from his
home nearby.
Mr. Sassi said the shooter wore
dark clothes but no mask. “It didn’t
look like a big gun because he held
it with one hand,” Mr. Sassi said.
Mr. Cazeneuve left an emergency
government meeting to travel to the
scene of the latest shooting. France
is on its highest level Page 6
Islamic Rage Boy’
Rearrested
sriNaGar: Kashmiri youth who has
been dubbed as ‘Islamic Rage Boy’
by the Western media was rearrested by authorities soon after court
directed police to release him from
Udhampur jail on Thursday.
Shakeel Ahmed Bhat resident of
Malik Angan Fathe Kadal Srinagar
was languishing in jail from past six
years. He was arrested in 2008 on
the charges of organizing protests
against police while authorities had
slapped 18 PSA’s on him. He was
released before the Parliament elections but was arrested shortly before
the start of Assembly poll process.
Shakeel lodged in Udhampur Jail
was released by Court on Thursday,
however, was soon rearrested by
police from court premises and was
taken to unknown destination.
Castigating authorities for dishonouring the court orders, Democratic
Political Movement General Secretary, Advocate Muhammad Shafi
Reshi told CNS that ahead of Assembly polls authorities had slapped 18th
PSA on Shakeel and had lodged him
in Udhampur Jail. He said Page 6
Delhi –Lahore Bus not
to cross border
NeW DeLhi : Due to increased terror threat, Sada-e-Sarhad, DelhiLahore bus would ply up to Wagah
(Pakistan) border only. The decision
was taken after Pakistan Tourism
Department Corporation (PTDC)
wrote a letter to Delhi Transport
Corporation
about restricting the bus
service up to
Wagah owing
to security reasons, informed
In charge, Dr.
Ambedkar Terminal, Delhi,
RP Singh to
the TOI on
Wednesday.
He informed
that
PTDC's
Dosti
Bus
would depart for Delhi from Wagah
and not from Lahore.
Sources informed that PTDC
took the decision in wake of suicide
bombing at Wagah on November
2 that left more than sixty persons
dead and killing of nearly 150 persons, mostly young school children,
in an army school, Peshawar on December 16th.
The Indian government has expressed hope that "temporary aberrations" in the Dosti bus service
connecting Delhi and Lahore, which
has been restricted to the Wagah
border by Pakistan in view of
increased "terror
threats",
will be sorted
out soon.
"This
is
an
initiative
which
our
former Prime
Minister Atal
Bhihari Vajpayee and Pakistan
Prime Minister
Nawaz Sharif
had
started.
We hope that it would ply in accordance with their vision and if there
are temporary aberrations, we hope
these will be sorted," Ministry of
External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin told reporters
on the sidelines of the 13th Pravasi
Bhartiya Divas here. Page 6
ThIS IS An InITIATIve which our former
Prime Minister Atal Bhihari Vajpayee and
Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had
started. We hope that it would ply in accordance
with their vision and if there are temporary
aberrations, we hope these will be sorted,"
C M Y K
friday
09 01 2015 Kashmir Observer

BAzAR oBSERvER

mugHAl dArbAr IMAMIA
PublIc school
Mughal Darbar Is Kashmir’s Favourite FoodStop And Tourists Delight. Being In The
Heart Of Kashmir People From All Walks Of
Life Cherish To Enjoy Their Lunch In This
Beautiful Place. There Are People Who Cover
Miles Form Distant Areas To Enjoy The
Delicates Of Mughal Darbar. What Is Worthy
Needs No Praise, It May Be Out Of Course To
Be Boast But Invite The Lovers Of Cuisine
Who Have Never Visited Mughal Darbar To
Visit Here And Give Us The Honor Of Being
Their Host And Serve
What We Are
Best At.
Addmission
oPen
FOR ClASS
Rajbagh, Near Girls
Convent School Sgr
Phone: 0194- 2312323, 2313725
Website: www.royalresidencykashmir.com
Hotel
Golden Finger
advertized. cost
amount in
lacs
earnest
money
cost of.tender class of
documents
contractor
Timeof
completion
head of
accouint
position of
funds
1
desilting of 1.25 lac gailons s.r at kerewa
batapora wss batapora Tokana
0.35
700
100
dee
5 days
m &r
demanded
2
salyaging of defunct 100 mm dia rising
main from dathwatoo up to s.r batpora wss
batapora Tokana
0.52
1040
150
dee
5 days
m &r
demanded
3
providing repairs to ohTat chachkoot by way
of giving water proofing treatment to ohT wss
chachkoot
0.44
880
150
dee
5 days
m&r
demanded
4
laying/ fitting of 100 mm dia shunt line from
batpora up to beighpora wss batapora Tokana
1.00
2000
200
dee
10 days
o&m
demanded
5
providing of roof cover and wash out to psT at
beighpora wss beighpora gulzarpora
1.69
3380
200
dee
10 days
o&m
ongoing
6
const. of spring protection work at lajura
1.95
3900
250
dee
15 days
o&m
demanded
7
const. of 0.10 lac gailons rcc service reservior
at rather mohallah kerawa wss ratherpora
kanjinagh
4.37
8740
300
dee
30 days
nrdwp
on going
8
laying / fitting of 100 mm dia /so mm dia g.l
pipes of supply main wss ratherpora kanjinagh
1.09
2180
200
dee
10 days
nrdwp
on going
9
const. of chain link fencing around s.r at rather
mohallah awantipora wss ratherpora
3.64
7280
250
dee
15 days
nrdwp
on going
10
const. of chain link fencing around tube well
site for wss kanchipora lajura
1.65
1650
200
s.h.g
15 days
nrdwp
ongoing
11
laying/ fitting of supply main from s.r up to
existing supply main wss awantipora Quarry
1.21
2420
200
dee
15 days
nrdwp
ongolng
12
const. of chain link fencing around structures,
s.r and operators quarter at Quarry awantipora
wss Quarry awantipora
2.64
5280
250
dee
15 days
nrdwp
ongoing
Phone No: 9796149988, 9906564001
13
const. of additional room for sub division awantipora at bohu wss awantipora Quarry
2.35
2350
250
s.h.g
15 days
nrdwp
on going
CONSultANCy
14
laying/fitting of 100 mm dia g.i delivery main
(section ist) for wss astanpora goripora
1.83
1830
200
s.h.g
10 days
nrdwp
ongoing
15
laying/fiting of 100 mm dia g.i delivery main
(section 2nd) for wss astanpora goripora
1.83
3660
200
dee
10 days
nrdwp
on going
knowledge campus
16
laying/fiting of 100 mm dia g.i delivery main (
section 3rd ) for wss astanpora goripora
1.75
3500
200
dee
10 days
nrdwp
on going
17
const. of chain link fencing around different
structures for wss astanpora goripora
1.84
3680
200.
dee
15 days
nrdwp
on going
18
laying / fitting of 80 mm dia g.i delivery main
from s.r site for wss astanpora goripora
1.59
3180
200
dee
10 days
nrdwp
on going
19
const. of 0.10 lac gallons rcc service reservior
for astanpora barsoo wss barsoo
4.26 '
4260
300
s.h.g
30 days
nrdwp
on going
20
laying /fitting of 100 mm dia feedlng main from 1.46
s.r lst to s.r kuchay mohallah of wss barsoo
2920
200
dee
10 days
nrdwp
on going
21
const. of chainlink fencing around pump cum
operators quarter at barsoo wss barsoo .
3.21
6420
250
dee
15 days
nrdwp
on going
22
providing water supply to mohallah beighnard
of viliage beighpora wss beighpora gulzarpora.
0.20
400
50
dee
10 days
nrdwp
on going
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OFFICE OF THE EXECUTIVE ENGINEER
ElECTRIC MAINTT, DIVISION AWANTIPORA
Fax 01933247157 email id : [email protected]
exTeNSiO NOTiCe
Due to no response to NIT No. EDA/17 of 2014 Dt. 30-12-2014 the sale and
receipt of tender documents is hereby extended upto 13-01-2015 and 15-01-2015
respectively. All other terms and Conditions laid down in said NIT Shall remain
unaltered.
However to invoke fair response Self Help Groups of Un-employed Engineers
registered with J&K Employement Department can participate as well for which
EMD to be accompanied with the tender documents shall be 1% of quoted amount.
DIPK No. 9614
nimrah
Near islamia college,Hawal,Srinagar-190001
Ph:0194-2410284,09205041260
Email:[email protected]
rESidEnCy rOad Srinagar
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DIPK No. : 9602
india
pOlO ViEW Sgr
COntaCt: 2480966
GRAND HOTEL
AND RESTAURANT
for and on behalf of governor of Jammu & kashmir, sealed tenders affixed with revenue stamps worth rs 4.00 are invited from registered
"civil /s.h.g" contractors only for the works shown as per annexure enclosed. The tender should reach office of the executive engineer phe division
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last date of sale for tender document : 20-01-2015
2.
last date for receipt of tenders : 22-01-2015
Terms and conditions:1 .The tender documents shall be issued by the division against cash payment (non refundable) during office hour’s . 2. in case the date for
receipt of tenders happens to be the holiday or due to some other reasons if office remains closed . the tenders shall be received on next working day.
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SHORT TeRM TeNDeR NOTiCe NO. 08 /PHA (box) of 2014-15
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s.
no
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Printer, Publisher & Editor: SAJJAD HAIDER |
Published from: Residency Road, SGR | Editorial: 9419004782,0194- 2456304 Corporate office: Wani Manzil Top Floor Lambert Lane, SGR-1
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e
friday
09 01 2015 Kashmir Observer

NEWS

All AnAntnAg CoAChing Centers running
Without registrAtion, Flout norms
Sameer ahmad
ANANTNAG: None of the 23 tuition centres, imparting coaching to thousands of students,
in this southern district is registered with the education department.
Officials say that the tuition
centers in Anantnag district
witnessed mushroom growth
in the past couple of years and
all of them are functioning illegally. These tuition centres
face flak due to host of issues,
top among them: illegal profiteering, lack of discipline, poor
infrastructure and odd timings.
Neither are these illegally run
centres registered with State's
education department nor do
they comply with the conditions laid down in J&K Regulation of Private Tuition Rules of
2010.
Concerned parents told
Kashmir Observer that the tuition centers have resorted to illegal profiteering eversince they
began doing what they termed
as business of education.
These acts, they allege are
being done under the patronage
of administration.
Parents demanded separate
class rooms for female students,
proper infrastructure and right
timings. "In a single classroom
which has intake capacity of 30
students they forcefully accommodate triple the number”, a
student Nadeem Wani of Wanihama said adding students are
forced to attend classes from
7:00 am in this winter which is
sheer injustice."
Chief Education Officer, Anantnag, Ghulam Rasool Shah
while talking to Kashmir Observer acknowledged that none
of the tuition centers running
in Anantnag district have registered
their centers with the department. “No one has registered their center as they are
not fulfilling the conditions laid
down in J&K Regulation of Private Tuition Rules of 2010."
He also said that he has di-
rected all the tuition centers to
get their centers registered with
State's education department
and comply with the conditions
laid down in J&K Regulation of
Private Tuition Rules of 2010 for
running coaching classes within
one week or face appropriate legal action, including the closure
of such centers.
"Those government teachers and lectures violating the
norms by running these centers
will be dealt according to law."
TARIGAMI REITERATES
SUPPORT TO PDP
Demolishing drive
launched in Srinagar City hurriyat (m) holds
Srinagar: Reiterating its support to PDP for the formation of
the secular coalition, CPI (M) leader and MLA Kulgam Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami Thursday said parties must not delay
further in the formation of the new government in Jammu
and Kashmir.
Talking to KNS, Tarigami said that the people of the state
are caught up in serious crisis with the scarcity of basic
amenities in absence of the democratically government is
taking a toll. He said the secular and a non- BJP government is
possible in JK as PDP is being offered support from all sides in
this regard. “The onus lies with the PDP as it has emerged as
the single largest party in the state after state elections. PDP
has to take final call in this regard and same must be done at
an earliest,” he said.
Tarigami maintained that the parties are ready to support
PDP to form the secular government. “By the formation of
secular government, Jammu in no way is going to be ignored
as it is the constitution of the state which ensures overall
development of all the regions of the state,” he added.
Srinagar: Intensifying the removal of encroachments
and demolishing of illegal structures constructed on
the banks of river Jehlum and its tributaries besides
around the flood channel, Deputy Commissioner Srinagar, Farooq Ahmad Shah alongwith team of officers
supervised the demolition drive on the banks of Doodh Ganga here today.
According to a statement, during the demolition
drive, the inhabitants of the area appreciated the efforts of the Government in removing the encroachments and illegal constructions in the district.
Shah enjoined upon the officers concerned to dismantle the illegal constructions and warned those
people involved in encroachments of dire consequences.
WOMEN DELIVERS
TRIPLET DELIVERED IN
SOPORE HOSPITAL
Srinagar: A woman in north Kashmir’s Sopore town gave birth
to a triplet after a successful surgery on Tuesday, medical officials said.
The officials told GNS that breaking the tradition of
referral of such patients, a high risk mother namely Haseena, wife of Muhammad Jamal, resident of Malpapanpora in Sopore, was admitted vide D UMBER 2734 with
previous 2 LSCS was operated on 6-1-15 at Mother and
Child Hospital in the town and delivered a triplet.”The
mother and neonates are doing well. The surgery was
performed by Dr Rakhshanda Rashid senior gynaecologist
and the team of doctors,” they said.
It is pertinent to mention that breaking the custom of
referral of such patients to tertiary care centers has brought a
respite to the patients living in far flung areas and depicts the
strong commitment, zeal and enthusiasm of health department to bring a complete and effective health care to the
doorstep of people, the officials added. ‘
“It is unique surgery. The patient had already received two
anesthesia and it was third. But, we managed to do it successfully,” the Block Medical Officer, Sopore, Dr Syed Masood, told
GNS over phone. He added that it was first of its kind surgery
in Sopore. (GNS)
executive meet
Srinagar: The All Parties Hurriyat Conference
(APHC) chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq today
convened the meeting
of Hurriyat executive
council members at
Mirwaiz Manzil Nigeen,
a statement issued by
the amalgam said.
During the meeting
the participants took
stock of the existing political situation in the
sub-continent and also
discussed party matters.
Expressing serious concern over the recent escalation of violence on
borders between Indian
and Pakistan, the participants stressed upon
the leadership of both
the countries to exhibit
political maturity and
farsightedness by taking steps to prevent the
delicate situation from
turning out of hand.
The participants stated
that before the situation takes an ugly turn,
leadership of both the
DC Kulgam for constant
vigil over tuition centers
Kulgam : The tuition centers operating in Kulgam
town have been directed to register themselves with
the school education department within a week in default of which strict action will follow.
The direction to this effect was given during the inspection carried out by Assistant Commissioner Revenue on the direction of Deputy Commissioner Nisar
Hussain Wani.
During the inspection, it was
enjoined upon the proprietors to make
adequate arrangements of heating
besides ensuring separate classes
for boys and girls with a reasonable
strength. They were told to put in place
clean washrooms with focus on overall
sanitation.
As many as 11 tuition centers are operating in the
district, most of which have applied for registration
with CEO office following strict vigil by the district
administration. The Deputy Commissioner, who later
chaired a meeting with the concerned officers stressed
on effective monitoring of tuition centers to ensure
that these institutes operate in conformity with Regulation of Private Tuition Centre Rules. He said constant
vigil has to be maintained to ensure that such centers
operate with basic minimum facilities for the overall
welfare of the student community.
Srinagar: A day after some irregularities in the Class-IV appoints in
Central Kashmir’s Budgam came
to fore, the Director School Education (DSE) Thursday ordered a
full dress inquiry into the matter.
According to the KNS correspondent, the dropout candidates of the list of class-IV posts
in Education Department alleged
“massive irregularities” over the
recruitment process and urged
government to initiate high level
probe as to “who is who” were absorbed and appointed in the final
selection list.
Chief Education Officer, Budgam after issuing the final selection list candidates for classIV, notified under CEOB/NT/
ADV/14/22349 came under severe
criticism from some of the members of selection committee and
all the dropout candidates.
Reports informed that a full
dress inquiry into the complaint
regarding the recruitment of ClassIV in Budgam district. A committee
comprising of Joint Director (EE),
OSD (IMW), and Deputy Director
Planning (DSEK) have been directed to investigate the matter.
The committee has been asked
to furnish the comprehensive report to the Director School Education Kashmir within three weeks
time positively. .
GIST of SHORT TERM TENDER NOTICE FLOOD RESTORATION
NIT No.: PHE/MDNS/30 of 2014-15 Dated;12/2014
Sealed tenders affixed with Four rupees revenue stamps are invited for and on behalf of the Governor of Jammu and Kashmir State from registered firms/dealers/workshop
owners/SSI Unit holders for various Electrical/Mechanical works as per details below.
The tender should be accompanied with earnest money in shape of CDR pledged to undersigned equivalent of 2% of the Estimated Cost as per Standing Government Orders of
any scheduled bank. The tender documents can be had from the c ffice of the undersigned during working days up to 13-01-2015 3:00 pm
The tenders should reach to the office of the undersigned on or before15-01-2015 upto 02:00pm by registered post or by hand. The tenders will be opened on the same day or any
other day convenient to the opening authority in presence of the intending tenderers who may wish to be present at that time.
1.
2.
estimated
cost
Provlding.installation, testing and commissioning of 100 2.15
KVA, voltage stabilizer at WSS model town stage 1st
Electrical works to carried out at WSS new colony
wadoora stage 1st
Provlding. installation, testing and commissioning of
horizontal shaft 10000GPH, 30 Meter head, pumping
unit and allied works at WSS Kaniyari stage 2nd
Mechanical works to be carried out at WSS Saidnara
Mechanical works to be carried out at WSS Harikaran
stage 1st
Mechanical works to be carried out at WSS Sidiq Colony
3.
4.
5.
6.
earnest
money
2% of
estimated
cost
time of
completion
15 days
cost of tender
documents
200.00
position of
funds
demanded
3.20
-do-
15 days
300.00
-do-
2.80
-do-
15 days
200.00
-do-
2.00
1.14
-do-do-
15 days
15 days
200.00
100.00
-do-do-
1.80
-DO-
15 days
200.00
-doExecutive engineer PHE mechanical
division (north) sopore
Dipk no 9474
GOVERNMENT OF JAMMU & KASHMIR
OFFICE OF THE EXECUTIVE ENGINEER
SUB-TRANSMISSION DIVISION PULWAMA
(Abbreviated) Short Term Tender Notice No: 20 /STD/Pul of 2015 Dated: 02/01/2015
For and on behalf of Governor of Jammu and Kashmir sealed tenders duly affixed with six rupees stamps are invited from registered A-Class Electrical Contractors enlisted with
CPWD/MES/Railways/DGBPO or Inspection Agency of Jammu and Kashmir Power Development Department for below mentioned work.
S.
No.
Particular
Approx.
estímated cost
Qty-
Earnest Money
Completion
period
1
Supply, installation, testing, commissioning
of 33KV Vacuum Circuit breaker complete at
Receiving Station Lethpora.
3.65 lacs
1Nos.
8000/- pledged to Executive
Engineer STD Pulwama
20 days
Tenders should reach to the office of the Executive Engineer Sub-Transmission Division Pulwama (Washbugh) by or before 2.00 pm 22.01.2015 through speed post, registered
post and courier or by hand. In case the due date of receipt of tenders fails on Hartal/holiday or the holiday being declared subsequently, the tenders will be received on next working
day upto 2.00 PM The detailed tender document of work can be had from office of undersigned at a cost of Rs 1000 up to 2 PM 21.01.2015 after demonstration of the following
original documents which proves eligibility of the bidder:1. Eniistment card.
2. Tax registratuon certificate with latest clearance certifícate.
3. TIN Registration.
The offers received after due date due to postal delay or any other reason shall not be entertained. Any request for extension in last date of receipt of tenders is likely to be
rejected. In case the due date of receipt of tenders falls on holiday or the holiday being declared subsequently, the tenders will be received on next date. The tenders shall be opened
on the next day of last date of receipt or any subsequent day to the convenience of the Tender Opening Committee. The tenderers or their authorized representatives may, if so desire,
be present at the time of opening of tenders.
The tender opening authority reserves the right to reject any or all tenders without assigning any reasons thereof. Further detaiis can be had from the office of undersigned
during the office hours.
Sd/- Executive Engineer
DIPK : 9463
Transmission Division, Pulwama
The participants felt
that Kashmiris living
across the borders become victims of tension
prevailing between the
two countries. To put
an end to the bloodshed
and violence, they stated that it was important that both countries
should sit together and
hammer out the solutions to their existing
issues.
All the executive
members
including
Professor Abdul Gani
Bhat, Moulana Abbas
Ansari, Agha Syed Hassan Al Moosvi Al Safvi,
Musadiq Adil, Mukhtar
Ahmad Waza, representative of Bilal Gani Lone,
Khaleel Ahmad Khaleel,
and conglomerates political secretary Abdul
Majeed Banday participated in the meet.
The participants also
stated that there was a
need to strengthen the
conglomerates activities
at the grass root level.
Water scarcity
sparks protest
Director School Education
orders inquiry
OFFICE OF THE EXECUTIVE ENGINEER PHE
MECHANICAL DIVISION NORTH SOPORE
name of work
countries should shed
their
confrontational
approach and take serious initiatives to solve
the issues between
them. The participants
stated that talk of peace
and prosperity in the
region were meaningless without solving the
Kashmir dispute on urgent basis according to
the political aspirations
of Kashmiris.
The participants stated that significance and
sensitivity of Kashmir
issue cannot be diluted
by taking support of
sham elections, backdoor politics, or by clash
of cultures and identity.
Hence, the solution of
Kashmir on urgent basis becomes inevitable
to extricate more than
a billion people inhabiting the sub-continent
from insecurity and
instability towards the
path of progress and
prosperity in the changing global scenario.
Irregularities
in selection of
Class-IV posts
Government of Jammu and Kashmir
s.no
CEO assured.
Pertinently, the High Court
had also ordered the closure of
all unregistered coaching centers in the valley and constituted a panel headed by Division
Commissioner.
The committee, framed under rules of Jammu and Kashmir
Regulation of Private Tuition
Centers 2010, was formed following a PIL that sought court's
intervention in the regulation of
private coaching classes.
Srinagar: Water scarcity sparked protest in
Singhpora Pattan in North Kashmir’s Baramulla district while protestors blocked Muzafarabad-Baramulla road forcing State Congress president Saifuddin Soz to approach
police station Pattan to seek their help in
getting the problems of protestors redressed.
Eyewitnesses told CNS that hundreds of
residents of Singhpora Pattan took to roads
and staged a protest against PHE department
for failing to supply them drinking water. Protestors blocked Muzafarabad-Baramulla road
that resulted in massive traffic jam. Reports
said that State Congress President Saifuddin
Soz, who was on way to Srinagar from Baramulla stuck in the traffic jam while protestors
after sighting him, cornered his cavalcade
demanding redressal of their problem. Soz
reportedly came out from his vehicle and appealed the protestors to end their protest and
allow the stranded vehicles to cross the road.
When protestors defied his instructions, Soz
reportedly approached Police Station Pattan
and appealed the Station House Officer to play
his role in getting the problem of people addressed. “You are the immediate officer and
you must talk to PHE officials to end this protest,” Soz told SHO Pattan and assured people
that PHE department will supply them drinking water round the clock.
Soz told reporters that people of Kashmir are suffering due to lack of government.
“Once government gets formed, all the
problems of people will be over,” he said.
SHO Pattan Muhammad Saleem confirmed
to CNS that State Congress President had
approached police station Pattan and said
that PHE officials have been asked to supply
drinking water to the affected people. (CNS)
Rajendra
flags off
new vehicles
JAMMU: Underscoring the importance of Police Stations in
reaching out to the common
masses, Jammu and Kashmir
Police is upgrading the mobility network and functioning of
police stations across the State.
A police station is the first responder to the complaints of
public and they have expectations with this basic unit of the
Organization.
This was disclosed by the Director General of Police (DGP),
K. Rajendra Kumar, while flagging off new vehicles for 107
Police Stations of various zones
in Jammu and Kashmir, at a
simple function held at Police
Headquarters (PHQ) here this
morning. He said that in view
of the responsibilities and expectations of public, the Organization has been focusing
on upgrading the mobility and
other working conditions of all
police stations in the State. The
Organizations is focussing on
up-gradation of all police components including the Police
Stations with modern facilities
to strengthen the networking of
all police units.
Under the modernization
programme, the Organization
is focussing to upgrade the mobility network of all Police Stations across the State, which is
the basic requirement of Police
Stations. Rajendra said keeping in mind the importance and
responsibilities of Police Stations, the Department would
strengthen the working in the
field of public service and crime
detection and would provide all
requirements including communication, infrastructure, mobility
network facilities, information
technology (IT) and expert assistance in handling the day-to-day
professional policing.
Body of NHPC
worker fished out
from Uri dam
Srinagar: The body of a tipper driver, who working with
National Hydroelectric Power
Corporation (NHPC), was
fished out by police and Navy
from Uri dam in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district.
An official told GNS that
the body of Abdul Kareem
Mughal was fished out at Salamabad in Uri along with the
tipper by police and MARCOS,
the commando unit of Navy.
Mughal was swept away
by a strong current of water when his tipper slipped
while clearing the muck from
the banks of the river on
Wednesday, the official said.
(GNS)
OFFICE OF THE CHIEF EDUCATION
OFFICER
BUDGAM
NOTIFICATION
In supersession to the previous notifications issued by this office in respect of the below mentioned
post/s. The list of candidate whose particulars are given below has been recommended by Zonal
Education Officer Khansahaib District Budgam for engagement of Class IV (Contractual basis) in KGBV
Lanilab Zohe Khnsahaib on the basis of merit determined from their credentials. Accordingly it is notified
for the information of ail the concerned that any person having any. objection regarding the eligibility
of the candidate/s, shall file objections with genuine documentary proof, to the office of the concerned
Zonal Education Officer, within a weeks time from the date of publication of this notice. No claim what so
ever will be entertained after expiry of the stipulated period and the process consummated accordingly.
LIST OF CANDIDATEs PROVISIONALLZ RECOMMEENDED FOR ENGAGEMENT OF Class IV “ (Contractual basis) FOR THE SCHOOL SHOWN BELOW
(DISTRICT Budgam)
S.
No
Name Of The
Candidate With
Parentage And
Residence
D.o.b
1
Shakeela Parveen
D/0 Gh.Qadir
Najar R/0
Gurwaith Kallan
10.03..85
DIPK No. : 9462
Qualf.
10 + 2
Marks Obtained In
10+2
B.a/Bsc /
Com
Ma/Msc
/M. Com
275/ 600
------
-----
School Where
Recommended
KGBV Residential
school at Lanilab
Zone Khansahaib
Academic
Background
Remarks
KGBV Class
(Replaceme
case)
Sd/- Chief Education Officer Budgam
C M Y K
CEO Assures Action, Gives
Centres 1 Week To Comply
friday
09 01 2015 Kashmir Observer

OPINION

Friday, 09 january, 2015
AffectionAte
And Loving
“And your Lord has decreed that you
not worship except Him, and to parents,
good treatment... “Qur’an 17:23
I
n the verse, “Do not direct your eyes longingly to what We have given certain of them to
enjoy. Do not feel sad concerning them. And
take the believers under your wing,” (Qur’an,
15:88) Allah calls on Muslims to be affectionate and loving. The state of mind described in the
words “...take the believers under your wing”
makes it clear that the affection of Muslims must
be an ethical model that covers not just certain specific events, but every moment of life.
Mother’s Love
A mother is highly attentive and loving toward
her defenseless child, which is of course quite unaware of all the dangers around it. Allah protects
people from the moment they become alive by
means of this feeling of love He bestows on mothers. The feeling of affection is a manifestation of
Allah’s name of the compassionate and merciful.
Allah has created this intense feeling of love
that mothers have for their offspring in animals,
too. Science is amazed by the self-sacrifice that animals display in defence of their young. Of course
Allah also creates various lessons in this behaviour of animals.
There is much wisdom behind this affection
that Allah inspires in the human heart. An entity
with no knowledge of the world it will live in, nor
of right and wrong or good and bad, that is totally
unable to defend itself and to meet its own needs
when it first opens its eyes is placed under total
protection by Allah through this “mother’s love.”
This is an important indication of the affection that believers need to show one another. The
way that a mother shows her defenceless infant
concern and affection, not pulling back to help it
“learn to look after itself,” but always puts that
infant above everything else, represents the ideal
conception of affection. The way that a mother
makes unconditional sacrifices for her infant and
puts its comfort and well-being and needs above
all else shows the kind of affection that people
need to show one another. The compassion between people must be as strong as that of a mother who makes not the slightest concessions on
her affection and care, even under the most difficult conditions, and no matter how tired, sleepless, weak, sick or busy she may be.
This “maternal affection” seen in believers is
an important sign of the love that believers feel
for one another. Only someone who loves for Allah’s sake alone with no expectation of advantage
can exhibit such a lofty virtue. This virtue being
shown to Muslims on a constant basis, with no discrimination between people, is at the same time
evidence that the person doing so is a true believer.
The true source of all affection is love of Allah. A person’s love of Allah causes warmth in his
heart for all the entities He has created. A person
who loves Allah will feel a direct love and affection
for His creations. Because of that powerful love for
our Lord, Who created him and all other people,
he will behave virtuously toward people as commanded in the Qur’an. True compassion appears
when one fully abides by these commandments in
the Qur’an because the most accurate definition of
true compassion and what a compassionate person must do comes from the Qur’an.
The unbeliever’s friendship lasts only so long
as it is in their interest. Enmity starts where advantage ends: Patience and affection are the essence of being a Muslim.
‘Fear of Allah’ Must
Allah guides mothers by inspiring this affection for their offspring in them. However, in order to be able to preserve that concept of affection
throughout one’s life and to feel the same compassion for all people, one has to be someone who
fears Allah and abides by the moral values of the
Qur’an.
People who do not believe can only display
powerful compassion and affection to those whom
it is to their advantage to do so; in other words,
to people they think it will benefit them to do so.
And even then, they can only manage to do so for a
limited amount of time.
With believers, on the other hand, being affectionate and compassionate is part of their characters throughout their lives. They also adopt
the “mother’s love” that Allah points to as a role
model as a character trait. They are even more
protective and watchful over the believers around
them than a mother is to her infants. They love
their Muslim brothers and sisters as brothers and
sisters, friends and relatives, and their service toward them is never wanting or deficient. They are
scrupulous about showing affection, in the same
way that a mother thinks of her infant’s wants and
needs without being told to do so. They put other
Muslims’ problems, needs and troubles before
their own. Even under the most difficult of conditions, they make no concessions regarding protecting and watching over their Muslim brothers.
The only way for a society to live a comfortable, happy life is for people to live by the true
concept of affection revealed in the Qur’an. If
people fail to abide by that model revealed in the
Qur’an, then no matter how much they try, they
will still be unable to avoid injustice and unease;
wickedness prevails where there is no affection.
The model that emerges in a society where wickedness prevails inflicts the most serious material
and psychological harm. Harun Yahya
What’s In store For
KashmIrIs IF BJP Is Part
oF the Government?
Ram Puniyani
T
he recent (December
2015) verdict of Kashmir elections has
been fractured, so to
say. While PDP has
emerged as the largest single
party, the BJP is a close second
with substantial percentage of
votes. Interestingly BJP has secured most seats and major vote
share from the Hindu majority
Jammu region of Kashmir. Now
the dilemma for the other parties, National Conference, Congress is in which direction to go
as for Government formation is
concerned.
BJP is a part of the RSS combine which wants to achieve
Hindu Nation. It has become
quite obvious during the last
over six months of Modi Sarkar,
that the associated organizations of BJP are actively communalizing the society along
religious lines. Those making
statements contrary to the values of Indian Constitution (Gita
as the national book, those not
sons of ram are illegitimate,
Godse was a nationalist), the aggressive Gharvapasi campaign
(Reconversion to Hinduism), opposing the film PK, on grounds
that it promotes love Jihad,
have made it amply clear that
under Modi’s leadership, BJP
patriarch, RSS, wants to make
a fast transition towards Hindu
Nation and in this direction the
religious minorities and Indian
Constitution’s values are its major target. What this agenda will
give to the Kashmir as a state
and Kashmiri people as citizens
needs to be assessed.
One can briefly go through
the troubled history of Kashmir
to understand this. The Kashmir Maharaja’s decision was
to remain independent and the
likes of Pandit Premnath Dogra
(Praja Parishad, the predecessor of Bhartiya Jansangh, the
previous avatar of BJP) also
opposed Kashmir’s merger to
India on the grounds that Kashmir is being ruled by a Hindu
king (Raja Harisingh) so why
should it merge with secular
India. Later Kashmir was attacked by Pakistani tribal, and
the intervention of Indian army
took place after the treaty of
accession to India with article
370 coming to fore, are too well
known by now.
The article 370 gave the special status to Kashmir, giving it
autonomy in all the matters barring defense, communications,
and currency and external affairs. RSS was totally opposed to
it. One of the Hindu Mahasbaha
leaders, Shyama Prasad Mookerji raised the flag of opposition
to this treaty and demanded to-
with the entry of Al Qaeda elements in to Kashmir the militancy took a communal turn.
The hanging of Maqbool Butt
further accentuated the violent
actions. This led to the fear
tal merger of Kashmir in to India right away. During this time
India witnessed the ugly face of
communalism, in the form of
murder of Mahatma Gandhi by
a RSS trained pracharak and
active worker of Hindu Mahasabha, Nathuram Godse. At the
same time RSS–HMS made loud
and aggressive noises against
the Article 370. This led to a
bit of rethinking in the mind of
Sheikh Abdullah, who started
saying whether he has committed a mistake by acceding to India, as the major premise of his
decision was Secular India and
these acts showed the erosion of
secular values. In this phase of
his thinking he was arrested on
the charges of sedition and put
in jail, leading to great amount
of alienation amongst Kashmiris. RSS stuck to its guns and
gradually under its pressure
the clauses of autonomy started
getting diluted. The major example was re-designating Prime
Minister of Kashmir to Chief
Minister and Sadar-e-Riyast to
Governor.
The alienation of Kashmiris
was taken advantage of by the
US backed Pakistan, which
encouraged and supported the
militancy in the area. In 1980s
amongst the Kashmiri Pandits,
who were encouraged by the
pro Hindutva Governor, Jag
Mohan, to leave the valley. This
complex fact has been constantly harped by the RSS combine
and presented in the communal
color. The Kashmiriyat as such
is a synthesis of Vedanta, Buddhism and Sufi Islam. Sheikh
Abdullah had implemented land
reforms in right earnest, changing the complexion of Kashmir
society towards democratic direction.
The prolonged militancy
and intervention of Indian
army, has added to the sour
wounds of Kashmiri people. At
one time RSS had proposed the
prescriptions, which demanded
that Jammu be made a separate
state, Ladhak be made a Union
territory and a separate union
territory be carved out from the
valley for the Kashmiri Pandits.
These are the lines similar to
what BJP had been demanding
when not in power. This betrays
their total communal ideology. Even in these elections the
communal polarization, Hindu
Jammu versus Muslim valley
is what has been propagated for
electoral benefit by BJP, and
thus BJP has gained the ground
on divisive basis. The issue of
Amarnath yatra has also been
used to polarize Kashmir along
religious lines. Opportunistically, during election campaign
Modi and company had been
talking in a clever way about article 370, while their intentions
on the subject are very clear.
This BJP gaining electoral
ground in Kashmir is a major
blow to the Kashmiriyat culture
and is a sign of aggressive policies to abolish article 370 and
to bring in the agenda of Hindu
Nation. The trajectory of BJP
in different states so far is that
it allies in the beginning in the
name of some common program
and then gradually weakens its
allies to come one up and grab
the total power. What Kashmir
needs is a representative Government, which respects the existing Constitutional provisions
and upholds the Hindu Muslim
unity, in the form of Kashmiriyat a valuable inheritance of
Kashmir’s history.
Kashmir is standing on the
cross roads. It has suffered a
lot due to the militancy and the
ways of army in the valley. In
case the BJP is in the driver’s
seat or in the driving seat, the
plight of Kashmir will worsen.
Surely the next Government
must focus on addressing the issues of Pundits, issues of Kashmir youth and evolve a development model for the state where
the youth can get employment,
pundits’ grievances are addressed and a surge for peace to
promote tourism and development should be top most on the
agenda. The rising tide of communalism has to be checked, at
the same time congenial situations are to be created where
separatism, dies its natural
death and the peace inside and
peace from outside is enhanced
by inclusive politics of the state
government.
Ram Puniyani was a
professor in biomedical engineering at the Indian Institute
of Technology Bombay, and
took voluntary retirement in
December 2004 to work full time
for communal harmony in India. He is involved with human
rights activities from last two
decades.He is associated with
various secular and democratic
initiatives like All India Secular
Forum, Center for Study of
Society and Secularism and
ANHAD. Response only to ram.
[email protected]
Why Islamophobes Love
Terrorism In The Name Of Islam
W
hen I was penning my
piece, “Why Islamophobes
love Erdoğan and AKP," for
this column last week I had
no idea that I would have
to continue writing on the issue from a different angle because of a disgusting and deplorable terror attack in France.
I argued last week: “We, academics,
had been trying to disprove the accusations of the Islamophobes both in Turkey
and in the world that Islam is incompatible
with democracy, freedoms, pluralism and
human rights by referring to the cases of
the Justice and Development Party (AKP)
and the Hizmet movement. … The Islamophobes must now be ecstatically applauding themselves for winning an argument.
It seems that until proven wrong they will
be free to claim that Islamists can never be
true democrats. Erdoğan has shown that
Islamists are die-hard Islamist and it is almost impossible for them to jettison their
socialism-like, top-down, social engineer-
ing ideology that claims to know what is
the best society and that tires to social engineer such society by using the ideological
and repressive apparatuses of the state.”
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and the
AKP, of course, do not seem to be supporting terrorism in the name of Islam. What I
want to say is this: Similar to Erdoğan and
the AKP helping Islamophobes to win the
argument, those terrorists who claim to
be Muslims are only helping the Islamophobes. I am, of course, neither a pragmatist nor an opportunist. So, I am not looking
at the issue from a perspective that evaluates social phenomena through a lens that
measures them in terms of their utilitarian
value for Muslims. Yet, I humbly want to
show these idiots and monsters who claim
to serve Islam that if they are sincere in
this “serving Islam and Muslims,” they
must know that they are harming their religion and their “co-religionists.” I put coreligionists in speech marks, since I think
that terrorists cease to be Muslims when
they commit such cruel crimes against humanity.
I remember writing here that many
Islamists and Islamophobes are mirror images of each other. They both want to prove
that Islam is intolerant, exclusive, hostile,
anti-pluralist, antI-democratic, anti-secularist, and anti-human rights. This is much
more the case with the terrorists who claim
to be Muslims. They simply prove the point
of the Islamophobes. As a matter of fact,
they both dislike the fact that Muslims
and their religion have been flourishing
in Western secular democratic societies.
They hate to see that the overwhelming
majority of Muslims have successfully
integrated to Western societies and have
been increasingly become “good” citizens.
They deplore the fact that many practicing Muslims with their manifest Muslim
identities can become engineers, doctors,
judges, teachers, mayors, artists, members
of the parliaments in almost all Western
countries. Both Islamophobes and so-called
“Muslim” terrorists denigrate pluralism
and co-existence. They want to divide the
world into two diametrically opposed, antagonistic and constantly belligerent political camps: “Dar Al Harb “(land of war) and
“Dar Al Islam” (land of Islam). They do not
want to hide the fact that they use the poisonous rhetoric of the Nazis. They would
love to see a World War between secularist racist nationalists and fanatic radical
“Muslim” terrorists.
Whenever I read pieces by authors who
try to portray themselves objective but are
deeply Islamophobic, I feel that their unbalanced and hostile approach to even moderate and peaceful Muslims who condemn
violence only helps the monsters that I
described above. Focusing only on the mistakes, differences and problematic aspects
of these peaceful Muslims and disregarding their much stronger positive aspects is
not helpful for pluralist co-existence. There
are about 1.5 billion Muslims on the planet.
If there are no plans to annihilate these
people or change their religion, we have to
work towards finding ways to co-exist.
If the West cannot talk with the peaceful Muslims, with whom will they talk?
---İhsan Yilmaz
friday
09 01 2015 Kashmir Observer

PANORAMA

Is freedom of expressIon alIen to Islam?
Muslims are now on a warpath with whatever they do not approve as a religious philosophy and whomever they don’t like for their
opinion and that includes, amongst others, a large section of human population.
I
Ahson Saeed Hasan
am a journalist and I believe in freedom of expression. While I understand
there are values for which
journalism stands but those
empowering principles are meant
to only enhance and secure the
right to express. Journalists, for
the most part, are conscientious
individuals who portray societal
fallacies and fight to eliminate
human betrayals that rampantly
obscure the very essence of our
existence.
Journalists and journalism
are in deep trouble all over the
world. Freedom of expression
is at risk. And this is not just on
account of some sporadic oppressive or rogue regimes trying to
use strong-arm tactics against
the torchbearers of truth but the
threat is coming from the evil of
radical religious ideology and fanaticism.
Starting from the days of the
Salman Rushdie issue down to
what happened in France on the
morning of January 7, 2015, freedom of expression doesn’t seem
to be Islam’s strongest virtue. At
least, that’s how it looks like to
those who have stereotyped Islam
as a faith based on violence and
animosity.
I used to tell people that Islam
is a religion of peace. I had this
sense of conviction even though
on several occasions I myself
came under attack from militants. I’m not sure if I have the
motivation or the desire to convince anyone anymore. Ordinary
minds are neither scholarly nor
academically gifted. They only
perceive and process what they
experience. What is experienced
is translated into conceptions
that can sometime be interpreted
as fatally stereotypical ideals.
No one knows the historical
infrastructure, the mechanistic
dynamics of Islam or, for that
matter, of any religion. People
don’t ever care to dig deep looking for the genesis or the stories
that make a religion distinct and
distinguished. They believe in
what they see in action and not
what’s written in books.
This is no news but what’s
transpired in the modern-day
world is that Muslims are now
on a warpath with whatever they
do not approve as a religious phi-
losophy and whomever they don’t
like for their opinion and that
includes, amongst others, a large
section of human population.
When I say Muslims, I understand that this is a slight minority of the faith – the ISIS, the al
Qaeda, the Taliban and the likes
– that are absurdly wrecking the
image of the rest of the believers.
These fundamentalist beasts are
ruining any prospect of a progressive and healthy future for Muslims all over the world.
Journalist beheadings and
killings are now a global norm.
The 12 Charlie Hebdo journalists
that were taken out had a history
of anti-Islam sloganeering. I’m
quite aware of that. The journal
has a controversial past. Not too
long ago, sometime after the 2011
controversy that the magazine
had stirred up, I happened to
brush shoulders with one of the
publication’s main role players.
I asked him a series of pointed
questions that included one questioning the periodical’s effort to
add fuel to the fire.
If Muslims do not accept the
concept of drawing cartoons of
their sacred religious personalities, why in the world would the
Europeans continue agitating
their minds?
The answer that I received
was remotely defensive.
The individual in question
asked if Christians and Jews
can accept Jesus and Moses being made fun of, why would the
Muslims not allow themselves to
let go of some parochial, archaic
beliefs that are not only anti-progressive but are standing in the
way of growth of their faith itself.
Why can the Muslims not live and
let live? I was stumped for an answer.
We cannot quantify emotions
and hence I’m not sure what percentage of Muslims condone the
blatant killings carried out by
their co-religionists but these
events are surely making the
lives of people who look, sound or
are named Middle Eastern nothing but miserable in the Western
world. Each new episode of bloodshed only adds to the list of preconceived suspicions that people
may have about Muslims.
Don’t get me wrong. I’m not
justifying the publication of the
Prophet (pbuh) of Islam’s cartoons. This needs to stop if it
hurts the sentiments of millions
of followers of a faith all over
the world. However, just like
the Western world is facilitating
mushroom growth of terrorism
by indulging in racial profiling
or using abrasive means of interrogation, in the same way, Mus-
lims are not helping their own
cause by reacting so nastily to
the publication of the Prophet’s
(pbuh) cartoons. They are equally
responsible for adding fuel to the
fire.
Eons ago, as a young man who
was trying to discover and define
himself, I remember two different
sets of memories that would agonise me when interacting with
some folks when fundamentalism was slowly making its way
through the Pakistani culture.
I was in the habit of using ‘good
morning’ to greet my co-workers.
Most of them were okay with that
but some would encourage me to
use the Muslim way of greeting,
the traditional salam. I would see
this reprimand as an attack on
my freedom to express. I would
ask them if it made any difference
to God how or which language we
employ to show respect and exchange pleasantries? I also recall
the time when some Pakistanis
were switching to ‘Allah Hafiz’
from ‘Khuda Hafiz’. Once again,
a ridiculous explanation was provided that was literally offensive
and discriminating.
Muslims are a hardworking,
dedicated folk who come to the
West in pursuit of better livelihood and future. There are only
a few rotten eggs that are brainwashed and hence go on to create
havoc in societies. Does chanting
Allah-o-Akbar and going on killing sprees all over the globe make
them better Muslims?
Certainly not.
By killing those who believe
in satire and express how they
identify modern-day Islam, will
the extremists killing the ‘offenders’ stop this kind of expression?
Not at all.
Does believing in freedom of
expression turn one into less of a
human being?
The answer is a capital ‘NO’.
Here’s something else to ponder upon; I’ve been told that those
who kill in the name of Islam are
usually trained killers who basically do not have the depth of
mind to worry about or analyse
the heinous acts that they indulge
in. Whereas this may be one mitigating defence factor, it may also
simply suggest that Islam has
been mortgaged to paid murderers. I personally beg to differ with
this premise since right from the
start of religious fanaticism and
terrorist assaults, what we’ve noticed is that the assailants have
almost always been those committed to the concept of absurd Islam. Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO), al Qaeda and now
ISIS and their senseless brutalities have produced brainwashed
zombies who truly believe that
by killing innocent folks, they are
doing the right thing.
Without getting distracted
from the question of freedom of
expression in Islam, will it be too
much to ask from Islamic scholars to shed light on the subject?
I’m aware of the fact that
whenever an incident of terrorism takes place these days,
Imams, Muslim governments
and organisations are quick to
condemn the attacks. While this
definitely helps in allaying fears
of the Islamophobes, by encouraging freedom of expression and
religious debate, it will be a great
service to the religion, as well as
to its followers, to ensure that
gullible folks are enlightened effectively.
My last two cents: The extremism that pervades the Muslim
world today is a much broader
phenomenon than, for instance,
the blasphemy crosscurrent in
Pakistan (or Iran, namely, the
Rushdie episode). Since extremism in Islam is caught up with
“identity” issues, that extremism
is extremely difficult to counter
directly. That is why, much as
one might wish it otherwise, war
(counter-violence) against extremists is a necessity and it has
to be a visibly winning effort to
begin to make a difference.
While I respect all religions of
the world, I personally do not follow any, and as a rank outsider I
want to end this conversation by
saying that religion should not be
used as a tool to scare people. Religions are ideas, evolving ethos
that must be open to criticism
and objections. The faithful must
embrace change and welcome expression. This is one way of sorting out the mess and ensuring the
world that Islam is indeed a tolerant and peaceful religion.
The writer is a Washington
DC based journalist who has
written extensively on US foreign
policy and South Asian affairs.
He tweets @tweetingacho (twitter.
com/tweetingacho)
JournAliStS And JournAliSm Are in deeP trouble All over tHe World. Freedom of expression is at risk. And this is not
just on account of some sporadic oppressive or rogue regimes trying to use strong-arm tactics against the torchbearers of truth but the threat is
coming from the evil of radical religious ideology and fanaticism.
(PAkiStAn WAtcH)
A brief history of us (1836-1838)
T
Sindhyar talpur
he period after Aurangzeb’s death in 1707
and the first war of
independence in 1857
is a tumultuous one, a
period of change in South Asia.
This phase is however lost from
our history books underneath
the vast misinformation and retelling of history to suit a certain
narrative.
The area known as Pakistan
today was particularly at the
centre of all this tumultuousness. While the British East India
Company was absorbing Mughal
India from the east, the Persian
King Nadir Shah and later Afghan King Ahmed Shah Abdali
were busy capturing regions in
the west. As these empires also
waned and retreated, there was a
period of our history when both
Punjab and Sindh co-existed as
independent states.
The compilation ‘Correspondence relative to Sinde 1836-1838’
provides a snapshot from that
period through the officers of
the East India Company. These
correspondences are of the chief
British imperial officer, the governor general’s, report to the
secret committee of the British
parliament. They are not meant
for propaganda but are verbatim
correspondences with political
agents to the governor general in
Fort William, Bengal. These correspondences are pre-Napier and,
therefore, more candid since they
lack his attempts at deceit.
In this period, the Sikh Empire was ruled by its founder
Maharaja Ranjeet Singh from
his capital in Lahore. The empire
covered not only both Indian and
Pakistani Punjab but also covered areas of north-east Pakistan
and Kashmir. Ranjeet Singh’s
empire only stopped where the
British began and he was no longer interested in harming their
interests. A good relationship
had developed between the British and Singh, which played a vital role in subsequent events.
Sindh was ruled by Talpur
Amirs. Unlike Singh, the Talpurs
ruled Sindh as an emirate, with
Hyderabad as its capital. Hyderabad’s territory was ruled by
four Amirs, known as Chauyari.
These were Mir Naseer, Mir Mir
Mohammad, Mir Sobdar and, the
head of Chauyari, Mir Noor Mohammad. There were two other
domestically independent smaller territories ruled from their respective capitals in Khairpur and
Mirpurkhas by other amirs. On
foreign affairs, these territories
followed Hyderabad’s lead and
treated Mir Noor Mohammad as
the head of the whole of Sindh.
The correspondences begin
with a report sent to the secret
committee that Ranjeet Singh
is advancing towards Sindh. He
has complaints against the Mazari tribe that lives on the SindhPunjab border. He claims that the
Mazaris have been crossing over
to his land and plundering villages there. As retribution, Singh
invades Rojhan, the capital of the
Mazaris. The Mazaris live under
the protection of Sindh and and
the Amir of Khairpur, Mir Rustam is expected to keep them in
check. Because the Amirs have
failed to check the Mazaris, Singh
is now planning to invade Shikarpur, the commercial hub of the
region with an annual revenue of
sixteen lakhs. He demands twelve
lakhs as a tribute for suspension
of his march.
The British see an opportunity in Ranjeet’s plan of invasion.
For them, Sindh is a geographically vital area for Indus, Afghanistan and Punjab. It is vital
for trade through River Indus
down to their territories in Kutch
and Bombay, allowing the Indian
merchants access to central Asia
and vice versa. However, Sindh
has remained fiercely aloof and,
until 1830s, the British were not
allowed access to it without invitation. Now is the opportunity
to change that and open up Indus
and have a permanent base in
Sindh.
The British offer
their services to the
Amirs of Sindh. They
will ask Singh to stop
his march towards
Shikarpur and offer
to mediate between
the parties. Any future
correspondence
between Punjab
and Sindh from then
onwards will be
exclusively through
the British. They will
do this only if the
Amirs allow the British
access to the Indus
river without any
checks and a British
agent will be allowed
to be stationed in the
capital, Hyderabad.
If the Amirs agree to
British conditions,
but Singh continues
with his march, then
the British offer their
troops.
Consequently an attack on
Shikarpur will constitute an attack on a British protectorate and
the British will fight back. However, a proportion of the cost of
the troops will be incurred by the
Amirs. The British will also consider making Sindh a permanent
protectorate against all external
threats, if they so request.
The governor general is confident that Ranjeet Singh will not
disobey their request and it is
very likely that he will suspend
his march. In essence, the British
are confident that they will get access to the Indus river and have
an agent stationed in the capital
merely for being an independent
mediator between Punjab and
Sindh.
Captain Wade is assigned by
the governor general to negotiate
with Ranjeet Singh to get him to
suspend his march. Colonel Pottinger is assigned the job of finalising commercial and political
agreements with the Amirs.
As the British had expected,
Captain Wade confirms that Ranjeet Singh is willing to suspend
his march; he is even willing to
retreat from Rojhan and accept
British mediation. However, he
wants his retreat to be on honourable and face-saving terms.
Colonel Pottinger confirms
that the Amirs are willing to sign
the commercial treaty to allow
access to Indus. They will also allow a commercial fair to be held
in Sindh, and offer Shikarpur as a
more suitable place for it, instead
of Thatta as proposed. However,
they are reluctant to allow an
agent to be stationed in Hyderabad as this will not be acceptable to the Baloch tribes, including their own tribe of Talpurs.
Instead the Amirs offer the agent
a station in Shikarpur to oversee
trade and also offer one-fourth of
the revenues of the city for garrison of troops and upkeep of the
agent. They, however, refuse to
become a permanent protectorate.
The governor general refuses
to allow British involvement unless there is total acceptance of
their demands, including stationing of an agent in Hyderabad.
In the meanwhile, the Amirs of
Mirpurkhas approach Ranjeet
Singh directly to negotiate the
issue. The British inform the
Amirs that even if they directly
get Singh to retreat, permanent
peace can only come through
their intervention. This was exhibited by his suspension of the
march, merely on their request.
After much back and forth, the
Amirs agree to the full terms.
The correspondences end
with a final brief correspondence
from August 1838 to the secret
committee. It confirms that everything the British set out to
achieve has been achieved – and
more. The commercial agreement, the control of Indus, a British agent in Hyderabad and more,
a British agent in Shikarpur and
one-quarter of the revenues of
the city, have all been accepted.
They will now begin to mediate
between the two sides, ‘independently’.
The writer is a PhD student
in Legal and Political Theory at
the University of Glasgow and coeditor of South Asia Jurist.
Author can be reached at:
[email protected]
6 Friday
09 01 2015


Kashmir Observer
Home Ministry's J&K division Voting ends in Sri Lanka presidential polls
does not have AFSPA records
New Delhi: The Home Ministry Division handling matters related to Jammu and Kashmir
does not have a copy of any communication
from the state government on the areas covered
under the controversial Armed Forces Special
Powers Act (AFSPA).
Activist Venkatesh Nayak of the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative had sought to
know from the Home Ministry, under the RTI
Act, all the communications received till date
from the Jammu and Kashmir government relating to notifications issued under the Section
3 of AFSPA. Under Section 3, the state government declares the whole or part of the state to
be a disturbed area through a Gazette notification allowing the use of armed forces in aid of
the civil forces. The query posed by Nayak to
the Home Ministry was sent to the Jammu and
Kashmir Division which handles the affairs of
the state here. Responding to the query, the
Central Public Information Officer and Director
in the division said, "In this regard, it is stated
that no such record has been found in this desk
relating to communication received from the
Government of Jammu and Kashmir in relation
to notifications issued by that Government under Section 3 of the Armed Forces (Jammu and
Kashmir) Special Powers Act, 1990.
"As such the information may be treated as
'NIL'." Nayak said, "In fact these notifications
were available on the MHA's website earlier
as they were cc'ed to the J and K Division. But
they are no longer uploaded on the MHA website although their text is re-typed under the
bare Act of J&K AFSPA uploaded on the MHA's
website. Yet the MHA cannot find the original
notifications and has sent me a 'Nil' reply. This
is very strange indeed."
Colombo: Polling has concluded
in Sri Lanka’s presidential elections
with millions turning out to vote in an
unexpectedly close contest that pits
President MahindaRajapaksa against
one of his former allies- MaithripalaSirisena. Monitors and officials have
reported a high turnout, despite some
reports of intimidation.
Mr Rajapaksa, in office for two
terms since 2005, called the election two years early with analysts
predicting an easy win. But reports
suggest many voters have since rallied behind the challenger, former
health minister MaithripalaSirisena, who defected from the ruling
party to run against him. He quit
as one of Rajapaksa's ministers in
November, triggering a flood of defections from the government. The
From Front Page
tweet: “I had assumed govt formation would be a
Vohra recommends
matter of a week or 10 (sic). Today we seem even
providing relief to flood-affected people in the
Kashmir valley.
In a series of tweets, Omar wrote that he had
met State’s Governor, NN Vohra, on Wednesday
late night. He said he asked Vohra to relieve him
as caretaker CM of the State.
Omar met Vohra after his return from London
where he had gone to meet his parents.
The new dispensation in Jammu and Kashmir is
required to be formed ahead of January 19 when
the term of the current Assembly expires.
While pitching for ‘full time administrator’,
Omar wrote: “Given the situation on the border
with 10,000 displaced, the hardships of winter &
the continuing need for relief for flood affected.
I believe the interests of the state will only be
served by a full time administrator & not a caretaker with no mandate to govern (sic).”
Following the hung Assembly verdict on December 23, Omar was asked to continue by Governor till the formation of new government.
Omar, who is working president of National
Conference as well, faced defeat in the polls and
got only 15 seats. While as Peoples Democratic
Party (PDP) got 28 seats, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) got 25 seats.
Soon after the results were declared, the BJP
and PDP got into informal talks over the government formation but even after 17 days, both the
parties failed to form government.
Though, the National Conference and Congress
offered support to PDP over government formation, but the PDP, it seemed, wasn’t interested.
However, as the deadlock over the government
formation continued, the Omar said in another
further away from that goal than we were 10 days
ago.”
Omar said that if Governor Rule is imposed in
the State, it is for PDP to explain to people. “It is
now for the @jkpdp to explain to the people that
with 28 MLAs & offers of support from 2 other
parties why the state has central rule,” the NC
working president tweeted.
The new Government is required to be constituted before January 19 when the term of the current Assembly expires failing which Governor’s
rule looks inevitable. Mr. Omar’s decision means
such a rule may have to be imposed earlier.
The Governor, according to the sources, will
now be submitting a report to the President in
which he may recommend a spell of Governor’s
rule to avert a Constitutional breakdown.
Meanwhile reacting to the development Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) said Omar Abdullah’s decision to step down as the caretaker chief
minister was ‘childish’.
“It is Omar Abdullah who is forcing the state
into the Governor’s rule,” PDP chief spokesman
Naeem Akhtar said, adding that there is still time
upto 19 January.
“While the PDP is trying to ensure a stable and
an effective government in Jammu and Kashmir,
Omar has suddenly decided to force the hands of
the Governor. But Omar must know that by his
pranks, he cannot dictate terms to PDP. Our effort has been to constitute a government that can
serve the best interests of the state and as a result
of the deeply fractured verdict, it would obviously
take some time,” he said.
Akhar said that PDP will continue to make ef-
defection turned Rajapaksa's bid
for a third term into a referendum
on the president, and the enormous power he wields over the island nation.
Around 15 million people were
eligible to vote in Thursday's election reports Al Jazeera. Early indications suggested national turnout
could be as high as the near 75 percent reported in 2010. There were no
major reports of violence, although
the Campaign for Free and Fair Elections (CaFFE), a private monitoring
group, said a small number of voters had been prevented from casting
their ballots.
Election monitors also reported
two large explosions in the south and
east that initially caused panic, but
there were no casualties and voting
forts irrespective of the Omar’s tweet. “We are accountable to our conscience and to the people of
the state.”
Mufti’s Only
Kashmir and provide financial assistance to
state to help flood victims, in case PDP agrees to
form the government with the support of BJP.
“Grand Alliance will be a failure as it has to deal
with New Delhi where BJP has been ruling the
roost,” he said.
Responding to a question, Ansari said that it is
not true that the future of PDP will not be bright in
case it forms government with BJP. “After forming
the government if PDP really will mean business
and will take pro-people initiatives, develop the
State on modern lines particularly Srinagar city,
then I am sure that this party will emerge always
as the single largest party in the state. People
want development and employment and they are
intelligent enough to differentiate between good
and bad,” he said. (CNS)
was unaffected. "A high turnout usually favours the opposition," KeerthiThennakoon, CaFFE's head said.
In Colombo the chief election commissioner reportedly visited a staterun television station to demand it
correct a report that a prominent opposition leader had defected to Rajapaksa's camp.
The election observer group have
said that there had been "unparalleled misuse of state resources and
media" by Rajapaksa's party and that
police inaction had given free rein to
election-related violence.
The Sri Lankan president said he
was confident of a "resounding victory" and promised a peaceful postelection period as he cast his ballot.
Opposition candidate Sirisena also
claimed victory was in sight. “There
Dosti bus service will now on be operated only up
to Wagah Border. "This has happened since the 31
December. If there are security concerns that Pakistan is expressing on its side, then it is for Pakistan
to decide what is in their best interest, in terms of
security," he told the media
11 Hurt
Officer (SHO) Sadaqat Qureshi, the vehicle wasn’t
meant for serving passengers. He told GNS the
driver of the vehicle escaped from the spot and is
absconding.
Police have registered a case in this regard, the official added.
Bid to Loot
that it has become a routine for authorities in
Jammu and Kashmir to dishonor the court orders.
(CNS)
and returned empty handed,” he said.
A police along with an FSL team reached to the spot
and after assessing the situation initiated investigation.
“We have registered an FIR vide number 5/2014
under section 379, 511 of RPC in this regard and investigation has been taken up to nab the burglars,”
SHO Pattan Muhammad Saleem said.
The said branch remained closed till afternoon and
was opened up for customers only after the completion of all formalities. (CNS)
The bus service between the two countries was
launched on 16 March, 1999 with an objective
to enhance people-to-people contacts following
an initiative by the then Indian Prime Minister
Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Pakistan Premier Nawaz
Sharif.
The Pakistan Tourism Development Corporation (PTDC) on Wednesday said the Pakistan-India
of alert after the deadly attacks at Charlie Hebdo’s central Paris offices.
Several attacks against Muslim targets
Muslim places of worship in two French towns
were fired upon overnight, leaving no casualties,
prosecutors said on Thursday.
Three blank grenades were thrown at a mosque
shortly after midnight in the city of Le Mans, west
Islamic Rage Boy
Delhi –Lahore
France On Edge
is support for us everywhere. From
tomorrow, we will usher in a new
political culture,” Sirisena said after
casting his vote in the eastern town
of Polonnaruwa.
BBC reports that Mr Rajapaksa rode
a wave of popularity after the civil
war ended in 2009 but he now faces
charges of cronyism. His relatives fill
many of the most powerful and influential positions in the country, and
critics accuse him of running the state
like a family business.
Analysts say Mr Sirisena appears to
have capitalised on this perception,
making gains among Sinhalese who
usually vote for Mr Rajapaksa. Mr
Sirisena is also expected to win most
of the vote from the ethnic minorities
that make up about 30% of Sri Lanka's
population.
of Paris. A bullet hole was also found in a window
of the mosque.
In the Port-la-Nouvelle district near Narbonne
in southern France, several shots were fired in
the direction of a Muslim prayer hall shortly after evening prayers. The hall was empty, the local
prosecutor said.
An explosion at a kebab shop near a mosque in
the eastern French town of Villefranche-sur-Saone
on Thursday morning also left no casualties. Local
prosecutors have described it as a "criminal act".
Charlie Hebdo attack suspects ‘spotted’
Meanwhile, two brothers suspected of having
gunned down 12 people in the attack on satirical
magazine Charlie Hebdo were spotted on Thursday morning and are armed, sources close to the
manhunt said.
The manager of a petrol station near VillersCotteret in the northern Aisne region "recognised
the two men suspected of having participated in
the attack against Charlie Hebdo", the source said.
France observes minute of silence
Bells rang out, Paris public transport stood still
and children sat silent as France mourned the 12
people killed in Wednesday’s attack.
French President Francois Hollande ordered
flags at half-staff and a moment of silence Thursday to honor the victims of the attack on Charlie
Hebdo, which had caricatured the Prophet Muhammad. Witnesses said the attackers claimed
allegiance to al-Qaeda.
Onlookers wept while listening to bells peal
at Paris’ Notre Dame Cathedral. The rector of the
Paris Mosque called on Muslims to observe the
moment of silence and honor victims of this “exceptional violence”.
friday
09 01 2015 Kashmir Observer

NEWS

Indian Politician Offers 51 Crore Reward To Paris Attackers
approach to avenge disrespect
for Prophet Mohammed (pbuh).
Qureshi went several steps
forward to offer a monetary reward of 51 cores to the Charlie
Hebdo attackers. He had first hit
the headlines, when in 2006, at
a public rally in Meerut, Qureshi
declared a reward of the same
amount for anyone who would
kill the Danish cartoonist who
had created a controversial cartoon of Prophet Mohammed.
Charlie Hebdo had reprinted
cartoons of the Prophet that
had originally appeared in Danish daily Jyllands-Posten.
Reacting to views expressed
by Islamic clerics that the religion had no place for violence,
BSP leader Haji Yakoob Qureshi
told Hindustan Times on Thurs-
Modi hard-sells India
to NRIs at Pravasi Divas
NEW
DELHI/GANDHINAGAR:
“There used to be a time when
you left your beloved country to
explore opportunities in different
parts of the world…Now I want
to assure you that lot many possibilities are awaiting you as time
is changing rapidly and India has
risen with new strength,” Prime
Minister Narendra Modi said to
around 4,000 members of the
Indian diaspora, as he appealed to
the community of over 25 million
people living in over 200 countries to help transform the nation.
In his address at the 13th
Pravasi Bhartiya Divas at Gandhinagar's swank Mahatma Mandir
in his home state Gujarat, on
Thursday, 8 Jan, which marked
the 100th anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi’s return to India from
South Africa, Mr. Modi said the
whole world was looking at India
with great expectations and what
was needed was confidence and
capability.
Describing the Indian diaspora
as the “great capital” for India,
the PM said, “if we focus on this
segment, we can create a lot of
respect for the country globally”.
"I have met more than 50 world
leaders so far and almost all of
them want to work with India,"
said Modi, who described himself as a Pravasi Gujarati while
welcoming the diaspora. Indian
Express reports that, Modi asked
the diaspora to help in transforming India, making it clear that it
is not only the “Pound Sterling
and the Dollars” that the government is interested in. “There
is one more issue that I am sure
you are concerned about and that
is the rejuvenation of Ma Ganga,”
the PM said, asking the gathering
to join his government's flagship
programme to clean the Ganges.
Lauding the diaspora for keeping Indian values alive, he said,
“When someone living abroad
finds out an Indian will be his
neighbour, he is happy. He thinks
his children will inculcate family
values.”
He also said when he proposed in the UN General Assembly meeting that International
Yoga Day be declared, a large
number of countries supported
the proposal including more than
40 Muslim countries. “The fact
that 177 out of 193 UN member
countries supported the Indian
proposal and the UN making the
announcement within 100 days
is a small reflection on how the
world is ready to embrace India,”
he said.
Hindustan Times reports that
earlier, external affairs minister
Sushma Swaraj delivered the welcome address and said the successful and prosperous diaspora
is an asset to India. Swaraj said
the Indian diaspora is respected
in the countries they live in for
their discipline, work culture and
contribution to that country's
economy.
She said the Modi government
is determined to work closely
with the diaspora and engage
with them and said: “I promise it
will be a rewarding partnership.”
The chief guest, Guyanese
President Donald Ramotar, and
South African foreign minister Maite Nkoana-Mashabane,
shared the dias with Modi and
Swaraj. “India can provide leadership to protect the interests of the
developing nations of the world,”
said Ramotar.
Govt. of Jammu and Kashmir
Office Of the chief educatiOn
Officer PulWaMa
Phone/Fax No.01933242234, 242187 E-mail [email protected]
NOTIfICaTION
All concerned candidates of District Pulwama selected as teachers by SSB
vide no: SSB/Sel/Secy/014/8971-77 Dated : 18/10/2014 and who have been
directed by Director School Education Kashmir to report Chief Education Office
Pulwama vide Order No: 18 DSEK of 2015 Dated: 03/01/2015 are informed to
report this office along with following documents in original within a period
of seven days from the date of publication of this notification through print
media. The documents required to be submitted are:
1. Character and antecedents certifícate from Additional Director General of Police
(CID).
2. Qualification Certificates viz: Degree/marks .
3. Permanent Residence certifícate.
4. Age and Health Certifícate.
5. Discharge certifícate from the institution attending / last attended.
6. Certifícate from the concerned authority to the effect that NO Loan under self,
employment has been taken by the concerned candidates.
7. Category Certificates.(In case of Reseryed Categories) under SRO 294 of 21-10-2005.
Sd/- Farooq Ahmad Dar
Cheif Education Officer Pulwama
DIPK No. : 9522
Government of Jammu and Kashmir
Office Of the executive engineer,
electric Maintenance and re
divisiOn, anantnag
TENDER NOTICE
Tender Notice No.:-21/ Tender/EDA of 2015 Dated:-.5/01/15
For and on behalf of Government of Jammu and Kashmir State, sealed
tenders affíxed with Rs l0/- revenue stamps are invited from registered "Self
Help Groups" (Electrical Contractors ) for Supply, Execution, Testing and
Commissioning of material for following works in Anantnag District.
S.No
Name of work
Description of Work
Class of
contract
CDR Amount
in Rs.
Advertised Cost
of Work in Lacs.
Time of
Completion
1
HT/LT Improvement at
Bondialgam Anantnag.
"Self Help
Group"
3400 (1 %)
3.40
2 Weeks
The tender documents can be had from the office of the Executive Engineer
Electric M&RE Division, Anantnag on any working day during office hours up to
16-01-2015 against cash payment of Rs 300/= per document. The tenders duly
filled shall reach the office of Executive Engineer. Electric M&RE Division Laizbal
Anantnag on or before 17-01-2015 up to 3 PM, the tenders received after the due
date / time shall not be accepted in any case.
The earnest money in the shape of CDR shall have to be pledged to Executive
Engineer Electric Division Anantnag. The tenderer shall be required to fill the tender
document in full and shall quote rates both in words as well as figures without any
correction or overwriting and shall be duly affixed with transparent tape otherwise
the teners will be straight away rejected.
The Tenderer shall have to produce / show CDR, a photocopy of the Renewed
Registration Card / certifícate along with the Tax Clearance Certifícate at the time of
obtaining the detailed tender document from the office of the under signed.
The Tenderer shall be bound to utilize the materials supplied by the department
for the works, whatever is available in the Divisional Stores, or whatever is deemed
necessary to be supplied through the department by the Executive Engineer (ED
Anantnag).
The tender opening authority reserves the right to reject any or all tenders
without assigning any reason thereof. For any clarification / further details the
tenderer can approach undersigned from 10:30 am to 1:00 PM on any working day
till the date of issuance of the tenders.
DIPK : 9598
Sd/- Executive Engineer,
Electric Maintenance and RE Division,
Anantnag.
day, 8 Jan, “Rasul ke ashiq unhe
saja de dete hai (followers of
Prophet punish them).” The
Meerut-based leader said the
Prophet spread the message of
peace and love, but “Those who
dare insult Prophet Mohammed
deserve death and there is no
need to initiate legal procedure
against them.”
Late on Wednesday, he had
maintained the same line with
journalists who sought his reaction to the attack on the magazine.
Qureshi said, he was ready to
pay the reward money of Rs. 51
crore to the attackers involved
in the armed assault on the
Charlie Hebdo office in Paris,
which is the same amount he
had offered in 2006, for any-
Mullah says next attack
will make people forget
Peshawar attack
PESHAWAR: Tehreek-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) leader Mullah Fazlullah
says the next attack they are planning will make people forget Peshawar attack. Mullah Fazlullah according to MIRROR has said that they
will target the military in streets,
markets and everywhere.
Justifying the Peshawar school
attack Fazlullah has said according
to MIRROR that the school attacked
was a military training center where
they were raising soldiers.
Mullah Fazlullah According to
MIRROR says they will continue to
target places like this.
He has further justified the attack according to MIRROR that their
kids who got killed by the Pakistani
Army were also children.
Peshawar attack took place on
December 16, 2014 where a group
of 6-7 gunmen attack an Armyrun school in Warsak Road area of
Peshawar and sprayed bullets on
school children.
Around 140 school children were
killed and over 130 more injured.
The responsibility of which was
taken by TTP.
LeJ co-founder dodges
death at the eleventh hour
LAHORE: The Punjab authorities on
Thursday cancelled the hanging of a
convicted sectarian militant after the
victim’s family pardoned him, officials and a family member said.
The case is seen as a test of the government’s plan to execute convicted
terrorists in the aftermath of a school
massacre that claimed 150 lives in the
country’s deadliest terror attack
Ikramul Haq, a co-founder of
banned Sunni militant outfit Lashkare-Jhangvi (LeJ), was sentenced to
death by an anti-terror court in 2004
for killing a Shia Muslim in 2001.
Haq is popularly known as Akram
Lahori and also has another alias Muhammad Ajmal.
The co-founder was set to be
hanged in Lahore on early Thursday
but his family came to a deal with
the victim’s relatives on Wednesday
night, Haq’s lawyer, Ghulam Mustafa
Mangan, told AFP.
“The hanging was cancelled after
we reached a compromise with the
complainant’s family. They have pardoned my client,” Mangan said, with-
out giving further details of the deal.
Murder can be forgiven under law
in exchange for blood money, while
rival militant groups may choose to
pardon each others’ convicted killers.
Ehsanul Haq, brother of Ikramul
Haq, confirmed the cancellation of
hanging.
A senior prison official also confirmed the move, adding: “A magistrate has recorded the statements and
the execution has been stayed. Now
the court will decide whether the
person (should) be acquitted or not.”
The government lifted a six-year
moratorium, last month, on the death
penalty in terror cases in the wake
of the Taliban’s horrific massacre at
an army-run school in the city of Peshawar, and has so far executed nine
people.
The attack on December 16 left
150 people dead, the vast majority of
them children.
Pakistani officials said they plan
to hang 500 convicts in the coming
weeks, drawing protest from international human rights campaigners.
Sachin Tendulkar
to act in biopic
Mumbai: After releasing his best-selling autobiography, Indian cricketing
legend Sachin Tendulkar who retired
from all forms of cricket in 2013 with
an unparalleled record of 100 international centuries is now all set to make a
big-screen debut- as, himself! A Mumbai-based production house called
200NotOut has reportedly acquired the
rights to make the film for World Sports
Group (WSG)- which manages Tendulkar's brand and commercial interests across the world. Award-winning
London-based writer and filmmaker,
James Erskine will be directing the film.
Krishna Ananthan, a spokesman
for the production house told the BBC,
“It will be mostly about his personal
life since his cricketing career is well
known.” The as yet-unnamed film on
Tendulkar's life is expected to be "between 90 minutes and two hours" and
"we are aiming to release it by the end
of this year or early next year”, he said.
The film is aimed at Tendulkar's fans
all over the world and the makers of the
film say they expect it will be watched
globally by "people who like him and
follow him".
Asked to comment on the cricketer's
acting skills, Mr Ananthan said: "He is
not acting, he's just playing himself."
"Shooting for the film has been going on for the past year and we aim to
continue filming through the year," he
added.According to the TOI, the feature
film on the former cricketer and master blaster, will hit over 2000 theatres
in the near future. The report says, the
film will cover the highs and lows of
Sachin’s career, following his life both
on and off the field including his childhood, youth and marriage to Dr. Anjali
Tendulkar. But, the highlight of the film
will be that Sachin himself will be the
lead character. Famous personalities
across the world have also been roped
in to contribute to the film. The production company will also be in touch with
cricket boards all over the globe to retrieve video footage of Sachin’s golden
moments on the field.
one who would kill the Danish
cartoonist who created a controversial cartoon of Prophet
Mohammed. “I am ready to pay
the money if they come and demand the declared reward,” he
said.
HT reports that Qureshi’s
statement is likely to come under police glare. Uttar Pradesh
additional director general (law
and order) of police Mukul Goel
said, “We can initiate action
against him only after examining his statement under the
purview of law.”
Four of France's most famous cartoonists were among
the dozen people murdered
Wednesday when gunmen attacked the Paris offices Charlie
Hebdo.
Saudi SuccessionThe Road Ahead
New Delhi: After ten years of relative stability under King Abdullah
in Saudi Arabia, how is the situation
poised for change as the 90 year
old monarch battles pneumonia
in hospital? How could a likely
succession row influence stability
in Riyadh and impact international
relations with the world’s largest
producer of oil?
C Raja Mohan, a distinguished
fellow at the Observer Research
Foundation, Delhi and a contributing editor for ‘The Indian Express’
believes whatever happens, the
consequences would be significant
and far-reaching, for the king of
Saudi Arabia is more than a mere
monarch. He is the custodian of the
Muslim holy places in Mecca and
Medina, and exercises great political
influence in the Islamic world.
Since the fall of Egypt’s Gamal
Abdel Nasser in the late 1960s,
Saudi Arabia has acquired a decisive
influence in shaping the regional
order in the Middle East.
The kingdom has been a
strong ally of the AngloSaxon powers and enjoyed
great clout in shaping the
world economy. With
nearly a fifth of the world’s
proven oil reserves and the
very low costs of exploiting
them, some have described
the king of Saudi Arabia
as the “custodian of the
world’s oil prices”. As has
been demonstrated in the
last few weeks, Saudi Arabia
remains the swing producer
that can unilaterally determine the international price
of oil. At a moment when
the world is marvelling at
the bold Saudi strategy of
driving down oil prices- this
week they dipped for a
moment below $50 a barrel,
the illness and subsequent
hospitalisation of the king
has set off speculation
about the kingdom’s stability and the international
consequences of a political
transition in Riyadh, writes
C Raja Mohan.
Unlike in other monarchies,
the Saudi succession has moved
horizontally from one brother to
another among the 40-odd sons
that the founder of the kingdom,
Abdul Aziz, fathered. Abdullah’s
designated crown prince, Salman, is
79 years old; but he is said to be ill.
The deputy crown prince Muqrin,
the youngest of the second generation, is 69. Some analysts worry that
Abdullah’s death might generate
considerable internal jockeying for
power in Riyadh.
Abdullah acceded to the Saudi
throne in 2005, when his halfbrother King Fahd passed away.
But Abdullah had been the crown
prince since 1982 and was in charge
of the kingdom during Fahd’s prolonged illness in his final years.
Some observers believe that
Abdullah has had enough time to
organise a smooth transition to
the third generation of leadership.
There is speculation that Abdul-
W
i
d
e
A
n
g
l
e
Office Of the Medical suPerintendent
JlnM hOsPital rainaWari srinagar
SHORT TERM TENDER NOTICE
For and on behalf of His Excellency the Governor of J & K State sealed tenders affixed with
Rs.5/- Revenue stamp are invited for Dietary items etc. for the In-patients under JSSK ( Maa Tujay
Salam), for the year 2015-2016 from the firms registered with Health and Medical Education
Department, J &K .The list of items along with the terms and conditions etc. can be had from the
undersigned , against non-refundable cash payment of Rs.100/= upto 14/01/2015 on written
request on letter head.
The tenders must be submitted properly sealed in double waterproof envelops duly super
scribed as "Tender for dietary items etc. for inpatient under JSSK(Maa Tujay Salam)of JLNM
Hospital Rainawari Srinagar" addressed to Medical Superintendent,JLNM Hospital, Rainawari
,Srinagar and should reach to the same office by or before 28/01/2015.The tenders will be
opened on 31/01/2015 at 2:00 PM or any other date, which may be convenient to the Tender
opening rommittee in the office chamber of Medical Superintendent JLNM Hospital,Rainawari,
Srinagar.
The intending tender(s) shall have to deposit an amount of Rs.25000/= in the shape of FDR/
CDR from any Nationai Bank/J & K Bank Ltd. having validity not less than 24 months from the
date of issue pledged to the undersigned.
Sd/- Medical Superintendent
DIPK : 9501
lah has positioned his son, Prince
Miteb, currently the head of the
powerful National Guard, at the top
of the heap in the third generation.
Some are betting that when King
Abdullah abdicates or passes away,
his son Miteb could be appointed
deputy crown prince.
However, C Raja Mohan writes
that the internal problems of
succession in Saudi Arabia look
rather simple in comparison to the
massive external challenges that the
Kingdom faces.
If his predecessors had the reputation for political passivity, King
Abdullah had brought a measure
of assertiveness to Saudi Arabia’s
foreign policy.
Amidst the growing perception
that Saudi Arabia is losing its clout
in the oil market, Abdullah has
taken on high-cost oil production around the world, including
shale gas exploitation in the US, by
forcing lower prices. This involves
considerable cost to Saudi Arabia
in the near term and Abdullah has
been willing to run the risk, says the
author. Angered by the American
empathy for the Arab Spring and
concerned that Washington might
cut a nuclear deal with Iran, Abdullah has acted vigorously in the
region. He sent troops into Bahrain
to assist the minority Sunni elite
in putting down a popular revolt.
Abdullah offered strong support to
the Egyptian army when it ousted
the Muslim Brotherhood government in Cairo led by Mohammed
Morsi. He actively sought to blunt
the regional policies of Turkey and
Qatar that backed the Brotherhood.
Fears of rising Iranian power and
Tehran’s support to Shia formations
across the region saw Abdullah
back the Sunni militias in Syria and
Iraq. The rise of Sunni extremism
in the form of the Islamic State
that threatens the interests of both
Saudi Arabia and Iran has begun
to encourage Abdullah to limit the
regional rivalry with Tehran in the
last few months.
In the context of India and
China, C Raja Mohan writes that
over the last decade, Abdullah
unveiled a “Look East” policy that
lent Asia greater salience in the
Saudi worldview. Abdullah became
the first Saudi monarch ever to visit
China. His trip to India as the chief
guest on Republic Day in 2006 was
the first by a Saudi king in more
than 50 years. If Beijing moved
with great speed to consolidate the
partnership with Riyadh, the UPA
government seemed somewhat
slow in seizing the new opportunities that opened up in Saudi Arabia
under Abdullah. The NDA government, focused as it has been on the
immediate neighbourhood and
the great powers, has not devoted
sufficient attention to the Middle
East in 2014, the author points out.
As New Delhi turns to the Gulf in
2015 and tends to its high stakes
in the region, C Raja Mohan opines
that an intensive engagement with
Saudi Arabia must be at the top of
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s
diplomatic priorities.
India to bypass
Pak, sign motor
vehicle pact
New Delhi: To boost trade
amongst members of the
South Asian Association for
Regional Cooperation (SAARC) nations, an agreement
to allow free movement
of vehicles carrying cargo
as well as passengers was
proposed at the recently
concluded summit in Nepal.
However Pakistan refused to
sign it, seeking more time to
consult all its provinces.
As the situation remains unresolved, India is
now set to bypass Pakistan
and instead sign a similar
sub regional agreement
with Nepal, Bhutan and
Bangladesh as part of the
South Asia Subregional
Economic Cooperation
(SASEC) – another grouping of south Asian countries, at an upcoming meet
to be held in Kolkata in the
first week of February.
C M Y K
Meerut: On a day when there
was all round condemnation of
the armed attack on the Paris
offices of satirical magazine
Charlie Hebdo, which left 12
staff members dead, in India,
Haji Yakoob Qureshi a leader of
the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP)
in Uttar Pradesh and a former
state minister defied all odds,
praising the attack as the right
09 01 2015


Kashmir Observer
news
C M Y K
C M Y K
8 FRIDAY
Imran and Reham Khan tie the knot in Bani Gala
he was completely in the dark
when it came to Imran’s wedding plans.
PTI’s central information secretary Shireen Mazari also took to
Twitter to rubbish the reports.
“There are no wedding or Valima receptions. Tomorrow food
will be distributed amongst
poor children,” Mazari added.
A local Urdu newspaper on
Thursday reported that the politician and his close aides are discussing certain proposals to raise
funds at the Valima ceremony.
It is being proposed that the
Valima ceremony will be held
in four main cities — Peshawar,
Islamabad, Karachi and Lahore.
While Valima cards will only be
given to those who ensure contribution for the completion of
the cancer hospital in Peshawar.
The report further states that
the minimum price of the
Valima invitation is fixed at
Rs100,000 while VIP cards will
cost between Rs500,000 to
Rs1,000,000.
A total amount of Rs500 million is expected to be earned
from Imran’s Valima celebrations. After weeks of rumours
and speculation, on Monday
Imran confirmed he hadgood
news to share regarding his
marriage with the nation.
Imran has married Reham
Khan, a journalist who formerly presented the weather on
theBBC. For what we already
know about the woman speculated to be the PTI chief’s newlywed read here.
The PTI chief was previously
married to Jemima Khan, nee
Goldsmith and has two sons
with her, Qasim and Suleiman.
--By arrangement with the Express Tribune
C M Y K
C M Y K
Indian scientists at odds on ancient discovery claims
NEW DELHI: A series of sensational
claims, including that ancient Hindu
sages were the pioneers of aviation
and algebra, have triggered a furious debate in Indian academic circles
amid warnings that nationalist breastbeating could undermine the country’s burgeoning scientific reputation.
A weekend conclave of experts and
researchers, whose guests included
new Hindu nationalist Prime Minister
Narendra Modi, was intended to highlight some of the latest achievements
by India’s scientific community.
The nation’s scientific prowess received a major boost last year when
it became the first Asian country to
reach Mars, a breakthrough that academics hoped would make people
view India in a different light.
However the headlines from the
weekend conference in Mumbai were
dominated by the contributions in
a session devoted to Vedic science,
which appeared in ancient Hindu
scriptures.
Former pilot turned author Anand J.
Bodas said Maharishi Bhardwaj – a
sage of the Vedic period (around 1500
– 500 BC) – had laid down as many as
“500 guidelines” on flying in one of
the ancient Hindu texts much before
Leonardo da Vinci’s 15th century ideas
for flying machines and the American
Wright Brothers’ first flight in 1903.
The Maharishi defined an aeroplane as
C M Y K
a vehicle which could even travel from
one planet to other, Bodas said before
adding that some of the “jumbo” aeroplanes of ancient India had “40 small
engines” and could move not only forward but backward as well.
He then raised eyebrows further by
claiming aviation technology existed
in India as early as 7,000 BC, though
he did not explain his evidence for this
theory.
In the same session, Science and Technology Minister Harsh Vardhan also
caused a stir by claiming that Indians
were the first to discover some of the
most important mathematic principles.
“Our scientists discovered the Pythagoras theorem but we very gracefully
allowed the Greeks to take the credit,”
said the minister who is a member of
Modi’s right-wing Bharatiya Janata
Party.
“We all know we knew ‘beej ganit’
(Hindi term for algebra) long before
the Arabs, but very selflessly allowed
it to be called algebra.”
The claims did receive some support,
including from opposition politician
Shashi Tharoor who said “the genuine
accomplishments of ancient Indian
science” should not be underplayed
just because their modern-day champions are Hindu supremacists.
But D Raghunandan, president of the
All India People’s Scientific Network,
said such claims for Vedic science
would only end up heaping ridicule
on the country’s scientific community.
“They want to trace everything back to
the Hindu Vedic age. They are not talking about the medieval period because
then they would have to mention the
influence of Islam,” he told AFP.
“We are giving a young, aspirational
generation a wrong idea of science.
And this is why nobody takes Indian
scientists seriously.”
Even before Bodas took to the stage, a
Nasa researcher was reported to have
launched a petition calling for the author’s speech to be cancelled as it had
no scientific basis.
Bodas was not immediately available
for comment.
But reacting to Bodas’ speech, Nobel
prize winner Amartya Sen said that a
distinction had to be drawn between
imagination and reality.
“As our epics show, Indians have
thought about flying for a long time.
But it would be fanciful to say that India invented the aeroplane,” Sen told
the CNN-IBN news network.
“If ancient India had airfare technology, we would like to see some evidence,” the economist said.
One noted scientist said Bodas’ claims
about aviation had been debunked 40
years ago by a team of experts after a
thorough study.
HS Mukunda, one of the authors of
the study, said the planes described
by Bodas are “at best poor concoctions
rather than expressions of something
real”.
“None of the planes has …capabilities of being flown, the geometries are
unimaginably horrendous…. and the
principles of propulsion make them
resist rather than assist flying,” Mukunda told the Indian Express.
In an editorial after the conference,
The Hindustan Times criticised the
claims as baseless, saying that “while
proof of such things is said to exist in
the texts of yore, none of this seems
grounded in fact”.
In a speech in October, Modi himself
cited examples from Hindu mythology
as proof that plastic surgery and genetic science existed in ancient India.
“We worship (elephant god) Lord Ganesha. There must have been some
plastic surgeon at that time who got
an elephant’s head on the body of a
human being and began the practice
of plastic surgery,” Modi said.
Critics have accused the government
of pursuing a ‘majoritarian Hindutva’
(Hindu nationalist) agenda by exalting
Hindu history, culture and religious
texts while ignoring the country’s
secular credentials.
Hindus comprise some 81 percent of
India’s 1.2 billion population with 13
percent Muslim and a little over 2 percent Christians.
C M Y K
Blasphemy
Poor Connectivity: BSNL,
Airtel sailing in the same boat accused killed
SrINagar: Even as about three
months have passed since the
floods hit Kashmir, the cellular companies like Airtel, BSNL
and Reliance are yet to restore
the communication services in
various parts of Kashmir valley. The subscribers of Bharti
Airtel told CNS that the service is extremely poor in North
Kashmir’s Pattan town while
the company companies is giving
tough time to the
consumers round
the clock.
The service by
Airtel which has a
largest customerbase in Jammu and Kashmir,
and Reliance is so poor that
people are now fed up as they
have to make constant efforts to
get through a phone call. In Dangiwachi area of Pattan town, the
consumers said from Wednesday evening the Airtel subscribers are suffering as there is no
signal and the system of the
company in the area has totally
been collapsed.
“When we return from
workplaces, the moment
we enter the jurisdiction of
Pattan, the signal is off,” the
consumers said.
Reports said that Airtel service
is totally out of order in Kreeri
Pattan, Baramulla, Dangiwacha
and main Pattan town.
Meanwhile, the subscribers of
BSNL from Buchwara Dalgate
told CNS that from past week
BSNL has stopped woring in
their area. “There is no signal
and
hardly
we get connected with
our
friends
and
relatives,” Ishfaq
Ahmed said
adding that
it was a misconception that
BSNL didn’t charge monthly
bill for the month of September and October. “Look at these
receipts. These are the receipts
of September and November
when no cellular company
provided service and yet I was
forced to pay the bill,” he said.
The subscribers of Reliance
Communications in Khanbal
Nai Basti area of South Kashmir’s Anantnag town complained that the poor connectivity of Reliance is ‘traumatizing’.
after release
ISLAMABAD: Police say a
52-year-old Muslim man
arrested for blasphemy was
killed by gunmen after being released from jail.
Police officer Mohammad
Ayub said Thursday that
the bullet-riddled body of
Abid Mehmood was found
the day before in Taxila, a
town about 40 kilometers
(25 miles) from the capital
Islamabad.
He says Mahmood was arrested in 2011 after claiming to be Islam's prophet,
but authorities freed him
recently after concluding
that he was not mentally
stable.
Ayub says relatives of the
man buried him at the
courtyard of his home after
residents objected to his
burial at a local graveyard.
Under Pakistan's harsh
blasphemy laws, anyone
convicted of insulting Islam
or the Prophet Mohammad
can be sentenced to death.
However, people often
take the law into their own
hands.
C M Y K
C M Y K
Earlier, Syed said while speaking to reporters, “The good
news you have been waiting
for, I have come here for that.”
PTI leader Imran Ismail confirmed Mufti Syed conducted
the PTI chief’s Nikkah.
“The event was a low key affair
because we did not want to celebrate due to the Peshawar school
massacre,” Ismail said while
speaking to the Express News.
Further, he said close friends and
family attended the ceremony.
Earlier, there were reports that
Imran’s wedding may also be
a fundraiser for the PTI chief’s
Shaukat Khanum Cancer Hospital, which is currently under
construction in Peshawar.
However, the reports were rubbished by PTI leaders. Talking
to The Express Tribune,PTI’s
Arif Alvi said it was the first
he had heard such reports and
C M Y K
PESHAWAR: The most talked
about wedding of the season
took place today with Mufti Syed
having conducted the nikkah between Imran Khan and Reham
Khan at Imran’s Bani Gala residence, Express News reported.
Speaking to the media after
conducting the Nikkah, Mufti
Syed said, “Imran Khan sb asked
me to speak on his behalf to the
media, his Nikkah just happened
and the witnesses included Aun
Chaudhary, Zakir Khan, Reham’s
friend Aziz and others.”
Further, Mufti Syed refused to
comment on whether a Nikkah
between the two had been conducted earlier.
He added, the Haq Mehr was
set at Rs100,000.
Imran wore a cream-coloured
Sherwani, while Reham wore
an off-white peshwas dress
with red brocade border.