C M Y K 9906564001 | 8494068168 | 9419087897 AEE BEE EnginEEring Works 18 KashmiR @ 5 [email protected] [email protected] Servicing, repairing & Maintenance of all of Dg SetS,cc caMera Nabdi Pora, M.K. Chowk, Hawal, Srinagar (J&K) 02 Rabi-Al-Thani | 1436 Hijri | Vol: 18 | Issue: 19 | Pages : 08 | Price: `3 The other half of conflict: the story of Kashmir’s women w w w. k a s h m i r o b s e r v e r. n e t satuRDaY 24 JanuaRY 2015 Wisdom He is a king who fears nothing, he is a king who desires nothing! / Srinagar Today: MoSTly cloudy MaxiMuM: 3oc / MiniMuM: -2oc / HuMidiTy : 75% / SunSeTS Today... 05:21 PM / SunriSeS ToMorrow... 07.24 aM Kashmir Shuts, Protests Against French Provocation AIMMM justifies strike in Kashmir ...........Seneca (4 BC-65) Roman philosopher and playwright. Justice Paul New J&K CJ sriNaGar: Justice Narayanan Nadar Paul Vasantha Kumar has been appointed Chief Justice of Jammu and Kashmir. Sources said that Union Ministry of Law and Justice has formally issued a notification in this regard. The notification bearing No K 13021/04/2014-US.II dated January 22 has been issued by Praveen Garg, Joint Secretary with the Union Ministry of Law and Justice. “In exercise of the powers conferred by Section 95 of Page 6 FC Suspends Naib Tehsildar Protesters burning the effigy of French cartoonist who sketched the carricature of Prophet of Islam (Pbuh) inviting the world wide Musim ire- Pix Abid Bhat JammU: Financial Commissioner Revenue has placed Syed Fayaz-udDin, Naib Tehsildar Pattan under suspension and attached him with the office of Regional Director, Survey and Land Records, Srinagar. The Suspension has been ordered on the basis of a preliminary report from Commissioner Survey and Land records about alleged attestation of land situated in village Devar Yakmanpora Page 6 sriNaGar: amid shutdown, Kashmir valley witnessed protests on Friday against the publication of sketches of Prophet muhammad (Pbuh) in the latest issue of French satirical weekly Charlie hebdo. US, French and Israeli flags along with the effigies of Charlie Hebdo cartoonist Renald Luzier were set on fire at dozens of places by agi- tated protesters soon after the Friday congregational prayers. Cutting across party lines, almost all the separatist and religious organizations had Page 6 New Delhi: Renowned Muslim cleric and president ‘All India Muslim Majlis Mashawrat’, (AIMMM) Dr Zafarul Islam Khan while justifying the strike observed by people of Kashmir on Friday criticized the French satirical weekly for publishing new caricatures depicting Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) in its first issue after the killings. He denounced the new caricatures’ as insolence, ignorance and foolishness and said that Freedom of speech must not become a hate-speech and it is not an offense to the others. He said that no sane person, regardless of doctrine, religion or faith, accepts his beliefs being ridiculed. “The decision to print more caricatures of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) is an unnecessary provocation and sign of disrespect that would create a backlash. The journalists working at Charlie Hebdo invited death and destruction to themselves as they offend the Page 6 Terrorist ‘Safe Havens’ in Pakistan Unacceptable: Obama PDP-BJP Likely to Contest RS Polls Together sriNaGar: Ahead of a crucial visit to India US President Barack Obama has said terrorist “safe havens” in Pakistan were unacceptable. In an interview to India Today magazine which will appear in the upcoming issue of the weekly, the US president also said those behind the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks should be brought to justice “I have made it clear that even as the US works with Pakistan to meet the threat of terrorism, safe havens within Pakistan are not acceptable,” Obama said. The US president, who will be- sriNaGar: With crucial Rajya Sabha polls approaching, it seems Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) have reached to some consensus over seat sharing agreement. Sources said that both the parties will field two candidates each for February 7 polls and support each other to ensure their victory. While PDP announced names of Nazir Ahmad Laway and Fayaz Ahmad Mir as its candidates for the two seats, the BJP is yet to announce its candidates. PDP Chief Spokesman Page 6 gin his three-day visit to India this Sunday, said the US has been relentless in its fight against terror. “We have deepened our cooperation against terrorism, and we work together to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons,” he said. Obama also said people world over were horrified by the devastating attack on over 130 children in Peshawar, an attack that had paralysed Pakistan. Of the attack, he said it was a “painful reminder that terrorists threaten us all.” The Nawaz-led government decided on January 15 to ban the Jamaat-ud-Dawa, which is led by Hafiz Saeed, who incidentally has been linked to being the mastermind of the Mumbai terror attack. “As President, I have made sure that the US has been unrelenting in its fight against terrorist groups — a fight in which Indians and Americans are united,” the US president said. Obama said both terror attacks on September 11 and the Mumbai attacks included victims of India and the US. “On my previous visit to India, my first stop was the memorial at the Taj Hotel to pay my Page 6 Fix the Link to Pakistan, Bond With India MICHAEL KUGELMAN NEW YORK TIMES Kashmir Observer No Need To Travel to Srinagar Drop your ads/ notices at our Anantnag office Opp Achabal Bus Adda washiNGTON: President Obama, who is visiting India this weekend, and India’s prime minister, Narendra Modi, have both described their countries as natural partners. That may be true. But they cannot achieve a deep and strategic partnership until the United States deals more forthrightly with Pakistan, New Delhi’s neighbor and nemesis. In other words, Washington must do more to address India’s anxieties about Pakistan. But there is a conundrum. Washington should also not harm its delicate and distrustful relationship with Islamabad. Yes, Pakistan harbors jihadist groups that threaten and kill Americans. But it also sits astride the Middle East and Asia, boasts a large and young population, and enjoys deep friendships with China and Saudi Arabia. Diplomatic wisdom argues for staying on the good side of such a strategically significant state. In effect, Washington needs to execute a delicate dance: Push back against Pakistan in order to further America’s friendship with India, while taking care not to alienate the Pakistanis. A neat trick? Perhaps. But it can be done. First, America should stop giving free passes to the Pakistani military, which receives billions of dollars’ worth of aid even as it sponsors militant groups that murder Indians. An American law requires that the government, before releasing security assistance, certify that Pakistan’s armed forces have acted to stop Pakistanbased militants, including antiIndia groups. But in recent years, the Obama administration has invoked national security waivers that bypass the certification process. That should stop. Insisting on certification would show India that the White House holds Pakistan’s military to some account. And Pakistan would probably pass. Last year it launched a counterterrorism offensive in North Waziristan, and this month it pledged to ban sev- eral militant groups operating on its soil; together, those actions would probably allow Pakistan to attain certification today, as it last did in 2011. Second, Washington should help India guard against Pakistan-based terrorism. It should go beyond placing bounties on top militant leaders, as it does now, but stop well short of staging raids into Pakistan to seize them for transfer to India. It should instead deepen its sharing of intelligence technology with New Delhi to forestall attacks. Encouragingly, Mr. Obama’s visit has been preceded by speculation about a deal involving surveillance drones. Washington should also target overseas financial holdings of Pakistanis who Page 6 Taking 'Concrete, Positive' Steps for Govt Formation: BJP New Delhi: Jammu and Kashmir will soon have a government and "very concrete and very positive efforts" are being made towards that, a top leader of the bharatiya Janata Party (bJP) said today. Party General Secretary Ram Madhav also hinted that talks with PDP on forming a coalition government in Jammu and Kashmir were in progress Stressing that people there had voted for a government and not instability, Madhav said, "We are shortly going to have a good government in Jammu and Kashmir." He was speaking here at an event organised by 'India Today' group. Asked if PDP, which has emerged as the single largest party in J-K Assembly with 28 seats, was on board, he said without naming the party that "there are very concrete and very positive efforts which are being made towards forming a good government in state". He also answered in the affirmative when asked whether progress has been made in talks with allies. "Yes, definitely", he said. Madhav, who was the party's in-charge for polls in the state and has been fronting talks with prospective allies, said the mandate was for BJP to be in government even as he parried a query as to whether it will be the senior or junior partner in any possible alliance saying that conditions cannot be laid while holding talks. There have been reports that PDP and BJP, which emerged as the second largest party with 25 seats in the 87-member J-K Assembly, have made progress in their talks. The state's electorate had returned a hung verdict in the December polls with no party managing to reach the majority mark of 44 seats needed to form the government there. Meanwhile sources said that the much awaited meeting between PDP patron Mufti Mohammed Sayeed and Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to take place after the Republic Day celebrations. Going by recent political developments, a lot of ground work has been completed by the negotiators representing both the parties. During the meeting between Mufti and Modi the remaining issues would be sorted out amicably to pave way for the alliance government in the state. According to senior leaders belonging to both the parties, during informal discussions, the negotiators sorted out the contentious issues and also held discussions ahead of finalising Common Minimum Programme (CMP) Saudi King Dead, Half Brother Takes Over TRANS ASIA NEWS DUbai: Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz, the powerful U.S. ally who was an absolute ruler of the ultraconservative Muslim kingdom died Friday at the age of 90. A royal court statement said the king died at 1 a.m. on Friday. Saudi Arabian state television reported that Abdullah would be succeeded by his brother, Prince Salman bin Abdulaziz, 79. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Egypt’s Prime Minister Ibrahim Mehleb joined the leaders of Gulf Arab states for the funeral prayer at the Imam Turki bin Abdullah mosque. Bahrain's King Hamad Al-Khalifa, Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim and Kuwait's Emir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah were at the funeral, state television showed on Friday. In keeping with the kingdom's traditions, the king was buried in an unmarked grave as was his predecessor King Fahd, who died in 2005. More than his guarded and hidebound predecessors, Abdullah assertively threw his oil-rich nation's weight behind trying to shape the Middle East. His priority was to counter the influence of rival, revolutionary Iran wherever it tried to make advances. He and fellow Sunni Arab monarchs also staunchly opposed the Middle East's wave of pro-democracy uprisings, seeing them as a threat to stability and their own rule. He backed extremist Muslim factions against Tehran's allies across the Muslim world, but in Lebanon for example, the policy failed to stop Iranian-backed Hezbollah from gaining the upper hand. And Riyadh's colliding ambitions with Tehran stoked proxy conflicts that enflamed Sunni-Shia hatreds from Pakistan to Nigeria. Hiked Sunni militancy due to Saudi backing has now returned to threaten tightly controlled kingdom. King maintained the historically close alliance with Washington and he consistently pushed the Obama administration to take a tougher stand against Iran and to more strongly back the mainly Sunni rebels fighting to Page 6 Contact no's. 9622484809, 9906620313, 9086944392 Do You Get Your Copy of Kashmir Observer Regularly? 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ReASONABle ROOM tARiFF OuR SPeCiAlity KAShMiRi wAZwAN tRAMee @300/= PeR PeRSON Contact no’s: 0194-2459000,2476583 Website: www.grandhotelkashmir.com This is the reason you keep forgetting things A new study has recently revealed that just seeing or hearing something isn't going to help people remember it. According to Penn State psychologists people might have to "turn on" their memories in order to remember even the simplest details of an experience. This finding, which has been named "attribute amnesia," indicated that memory was far more selective than previously thought. It was suggested that individuals are better at remembering details when they anticipate having to recall them in the future. Attribute amnesia occurs when a person uses a piece of information to perform a task, but was then unable to report specifically what that information was as little as one second later. The researchers pointed out that people's expectations play an important role in determining what they remember, even for information they are specifically using. Brad Wyble, assistant professor of psychology, said that it seems like memory was sort of like a camcorder, if people do;t hit the "record" button on the camcorder, it's not going to "remember" what the lens is pointed at, but if they do hit the "record" button, in this case, they know what they're going to be asked to remember, then the information is stored. Wyble and Hui Chen argued that this selective memory storage might be a useful adaptation because it prevents the brain from remembering information that is probably not important. The researchers plan to continue this line of research as they study whether people are aware of their own lack of memory. The study is published online in the journal Psychological Science. (ANI) Tech Apple WATch New details surface online N EW DELHI: When Apple officially unveiled its smartwatch, the company did not shed any light on its battery life. This led to a somewhat negative response from analysts and press, who believed Apple was concealing details as the watch's battery doesn't last long. However, Apple CEO Tim Cook, later revealed that users will need to charge the watch on a daily basis, similar to most Android Wear watches. Now, more details on the watch's battery life under different use cases has surfaced online thanks to some new rumours. According to a report by 9to5mac, Apple Watch will offer a standby time of 2 to 3 days. The Cupertino giant is striving to achieve 2.5 hours of heavy application use, such as playing heavy games, or 3.5 hours of standard app use. However, it expects the backup to reach 4 hours when users run the watch's fitness tracking software continuously. The information has been sourced from people with knowledge of the Apple Watch's development, as per the website. It also mentions that the watch will be able to last almost three hours if users choose to continuously run the watch face with animations and don't open any other app. Apple is targeting 19 hours of mixed use but it's unlikely that the first-generation Apple Watch would achieve the goal, as per the report. According to the website's sources, the dismal battery life of the Apple Watch is due to its powerful processor which is similar to Apple's A5 processor that powers the iPod Touch, and high-end screen that supports a frame rate of 60fps. The watch features a stripped-down version of iOS codenamed SkiHill. The MagSafe-based inductive charging mechanism was responsible for slow charging and will be fixed by the time the watch is released, as per the website's sources. Apple Watch is expected to be released by March-end. IIT-B unveils 'world's cheapest' netbook dynamic enterprises Distributors And Govt , Order Suppliers Of Electro Mechanical And Electronic Item ReGd with SMAll SCAle iNduStRieS email: [email protected] Alamdar Road Budgam, Kashmir- 191111 Cell No: +91- 9419967015, +91- 9622432766 N EW DELHI: IIT Bombay has developed a 10inch netbook, which it claims could be the world's cheapest, at around Rs 6,000. The netbook, conceived during the institute's work with the low-cost Akash tablet, will be unveiled in the second week of February."We wanted a device that would make it easy for people to 'create' information. The netbook was born out of this desire," says professor Kannan Moudgalya at IIT Bombay . He explains that while a tablet is useful to retrieve information, a netbook can create it, through processes such as programming and data entry. The IIT Bombay team has worked on designing the netbook's specifications besides creating the OS image and the accompanying software bundle. "One of the mandates of the low-cost tablet project was to continue to do research and development on affordable accesscum-computing devices," says Moudgalya.The project's objective was to understand its shortcomings and address them in the next product. In a bid to address the needs of students and to drive information creation, the team at IIT Bombay thought it was important to have a fully functional keyboard as opposed to a virtual keyboard, more battery time, a larger screen size (10-inches as compared to a 7-inch screen on a tablet), greater memory, more storage, a normal USB slot (not a micro USB), while not letting go of the price focus. The netbook also needed to be light-weight for students to carry comfortably. "We put in a lot of effort to arrive at specifications for the hardware -- trying out various machines available in the market, working with different design specifications, and then looking for manufacturers through a tender process," says Moudgalya. IIT Bombay has tied up with Delhi-based company Basic Computers, which has delivered 1,000 netbooks for the pilot phase. Under the pilot, IIT Bombay plans to lend these netbooks to all first year BTech students at the institute who have to undergo an introductory programming course, CS 101. Out of nearly 450 students who are taking this course in the current semester, close to 100 do not have their own laptops. Printer, Publisher & Editor: SAJJAD HAIDER | Published from: Residency Road, SGR | Editorial: 9419004782,0194- 2456304 Corporate office: Wani Manzil Top Floor Lambert Lane, SGR-1 Circulation: 9419565003, Switch Board: (2106304 | Email- (Editorial) : [email protected] |Email- (Advertising) : [email protected] Printed at: Kashmir Images Printing & Publishing House 15-A Industrial Estate Shalteng, SGR. RNI No: 69503/98; Postal Regn: K-151 saturday 24 01 2015 Kashmir Observer NEWS Processions were taken out on Friday in various areas to denounce the insulting caricatures of Prophet of Islam (Pbuh) in a French magazine Budgam Protests Blasphemous Cartoon Budgam: Amid complete shutdown, massive protest demonstrations were held in central Kashmir’s Budgam district against the blasphemous sketch of Prophet (S.A.W) here on Friday. Soon after Friday prayers ended, hundreds of youth assembled outside Imambargah at main town Budgam and took out a huge protest rally while marched through the main markets to protest against the French satirical magazine’s controversial cartoon. Raising anti- West and pro Islamic slogans, protesters appealed Muslim Ummah to con- “ demn the blasphemous cartoons in strong words across the world. “Our Prophet Mohammad (PBUH is the message of humanity and dignity not only for millions of Muslims but for the whole humankind round the globe. If Islam is the body then the very soul of it is the holy Prophet (PBUH),” protesting youth told media persons. Protesters threatened that any attempt to disgrace Prophet would be dealt with stern action. “These acts are intolerable for Muslims. We love our Prophet more than our lives,” Mudassir Ahmad said. Meanwhile, protesters alleged that the Western media was hellbent upon defaming the Islam through its anti- Islamic and antiMuslim propaganda. “Muslims must understand that the so called super powers are busy in creating groups like ISIS, Boko Haram and other terrorist organizations only to defame the Islam. The West project these organizations as Islamic but while the reality is these terrorists groups have been deliberately created to defame our religion,” Kumayl Hyder said. Our PrOPhet MOhaMMad (PBuh) is the message of humanity and dignity not only for millions of Muslims but for the whole humankind round the globe. If Islam is the body then the very soul of it is the holy Prophet (PBUH),” Div Com visits Jawahar Tunnel Srinagar: In the wake of recent snowfall in Valley, Divisional Commissioner, Kashmir, Rohit Kansal, today visited Jawahar tunnel to take stock of snow clearance on SrinagarJammu National Highway besides reviewing arrangements being put in place for disaster management preparedness, an official spokesman said. The Deputy Commissioner, Anantnag, apprised the Divisional Commissioner that ten disaster centers have been established from Lavdora to Jawahar Tunnel and adequate stock of essentials besides heating arrangements have been kept available in these centers to facilitate the stranded passengers. He also informed that 25 school buildings near the National Highway have also been identified to accommodate the stranded passengers in case of any exigency. Further, police station Qazigund has been designated as Control Room and SDM Pahalgam has been nominated as coordinator for overseeing the arrangements. State Govt. closely monitoring Zanaskar eco situation: CS JAMMU: The State Government today told the Centre that it is closely monitoring the situation arisen out of the blockade of River Phuktal due to a landslide and consequent creation of an artificial lake in Zanaskar Sub Division of district Kargil. Participating via video conferencing in a high level meeting held in this regard at New Delhi, Chief Secretary, Mr. Muhammad Iqbal Khanday informed that the State Government is closely watching the ecological developments in the area following the land- slide and all related agencies are working in unison in this regard. The meeting was chaired by Cabinet Secretary, Mr. Ajit Seth and it was attended by Union Home Secretary, Mr. Anil Goswami, representatives from National Disaster Management Authority, Central Water Commission, and other agencies. Mr. Khanday said the District administration has chalked out a rehabilitation plan as well for the inhabitants of seven catchment villages and their residents. HWO alleges disparity in compensation for flood hit Srinagar: Hussaini Welfare Organization, a non-governmental organization (NGO) Friday alleged disparity in disbursement of compensation to hundreds of flood affected families of Hassanabad and Saida Kadal localities here. In a statement, HWO, executive President, Javed Hussain Shirazi said that hundreds of families of Hassanabad and Saida Kadal were affected by the devastative floods of September. He said on the instructions of the administration, revenue officials, includ- ing the Patwaris concerned assessed the damage and recommended compensation to the affected families. “However, the engineer discriminated with the flood sufferers. He recommended a compensation of Rs 3800 to most of the flood hit families. While as, the rich and influential were given a compensation of Rs 12000 and Rs 75,000 respectively. This is injustice with those families, who have no influence in the corridors of power,” Shirazi said. In Anantnag Umate Islamia organized a protest after Friday prayers- Pix sameer Rahmani Anti-ChArlie hebdo protests in dodA Srinagar: As Kashmir region Friday witnessed large scale protests against blasphemous caricatures, the Muslims in Doda district in Chenab valley of State also took to streets against the French magazine. Sources and witnesses said that worshippers in all the mosques of Doda town condemned strongly condemned the blasphemous sketches of Prophet which were published by French Weekly. “Soon after Friday congregational prayers, the people from almost all the mosques of the Town took out protest rallies against the publication and assembled at Jamia Chowk in Doda,” the witnesses said. The protesters said any insult to Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) is unacceptable to every Muslim. JAh grieVed oVer king AbdullAh’s demise Srinagar: Jamait Ahlihadees Jammu Kashmir has expressed its grief and sorrow over the sad demise of King of Saudi Arabia shah Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz who breathed his last in Riyah today. Expressing their solidarity with the bereaved family, people of Saudi Arabia and Ummah, Jamiat president Ghulam Mohammad Bhat Almadani, general secretary Dr Abdul Lateef Alkindi, Mufti Mohammad Yakoob Baba Almadani, vice president Mushtaq Ahmad Veeri and other leaders of Jamiat, prayed for the heavenly abode of departed soul. Meanwhile Jinaza prayers in absentia will be held in all major mosques of Jamiat Ahlihadees on Saturday after Zuhr prayers. India set to curb US Chicken imports TraNSaSIa NeWS New Delhi : In an effort to offer protection to the growing domestic poultry industry from competitively priced American chicken legs, the Indian government is all set to ban frozen chicken older than six months, as well as those that have fed growth hormones, antibiotics or genetically modified feed. A news report in Economic Times suggests that the new standards meant to tighten the norms for import of American chicken legs will kick in within the next six months. The World Trade Organization had recently ruled against India's ban on chicken import from the US imposed on account of avian influenza in 2007, calling it 'unscientific' and non-compliant with the global trade body's rules. The Commerce Ministry has now asked local poultry breeders to work out fresh risk assessments that would better withstand scientific scrutiny. The Indian government has time till 26 January to respond to WTO's ruling. US chicken legs are priced much lower than ones from India as chicken legs have no viable market in the US, where consumers prefer white meat like chicken breast and consider legs as 'harmful' red meat. So the unwanted frozen chicken legs are exported at throw away prices to Central Asia, with India potentially being one such country. In India, chicken legs are priced locally at about Rs 150-170 per kg, while the US sells them at Rs 40-50 per kg. But given that the domestic poultry industry fears that allowing free import of chicken legs would be detrimental to their interest as it will eventually wipe out our small farmers and the nascent industry, India currently has a 100 percent import tariff on cut chicken (chicken legs) and 30 percent tariff on non-cut chicken. A report in the Hindu Businessline says, the commerce ministry feels it will have a better chance of retaining the import ban if it can issue fresh orders based on a more valid health concern. Due to this risk assessment is being done on factors such as US poultry being fed genetically modified food or the fact that frozen chicken is kept in that state for long periods. A report in Economic Times suggests India could look at options such as anti-dumping duties but it will have to allow US chicken for a year to assess the dumping margin or else dumping analysis can be done by apprehending the price at which US sells to different markets. This will not be an easy task. Earlier this month, China banned the import of US Chicken and Eggs after the detection of an avian flu strain in the Pacific Northwest. More than 20 countries, including members of the EU, South Korea and South Africa, have imposed curbs on poultry from certain US states or the entire country. VigilAnCe files CAse AgAinst reVenue offiCers Jammu: Vigilance Organisation Jammu has registered a case against revenue officers/officials of District Udhampur. The complaint was received through State Vigilance commission from the Principal Accountant General (Audit) regarding illegalities committed in the transfer of state land under Roshni Act by officers/officials of Revenue Department District Udhampur. A verification was conducted into the allegations and it has emerged that while settling the cases of illegal occupants for vesting of ownership rights, the officers/officials of Revenue Department District Udhampur have committed illegalities by abusing their official position, which include improper recorded possession, insufficient and incomplete documents, and the rates have not been fixed by Price Fixation Committee as per provision of the act and in many cases money has not been remitted to Govt. Treasury besides, violation of prevention of Ribbon Development Act, non-eviction of illegal occupants from the state land and not putting the state land to auction. JournAlist body ACCuse poliCe of hArAssment Srinagar: A journalist body Friday condemned the alleged harassment of a photo-journalist by a police officer in south Kashmir’s Anantnag district. In a statement , Anantnag Working Journalists Association (AWJA) said: “It has come to fore that a photojournalist, Muneeb-ul-Islam; working with the local dailies was threatened by the In-charge Sherbagh Police post.” The group alleged that the police official threatened him to implicate Islam in a false case of grenade hurling. “AWJA has observed that the police official has been repeatedly found beating, threatening and harassing photojournalists who put their life on line while covering violent protests and/or other volatile situations,” it said. “The Association is repeating the demand and appealing to the police higher ups that the scribes be allowed to perform their duties without getting beaten or harassed at the hands of police officials,” the statement added. pdp nAmes lAwAy, mir As rs CAndidAtes Srinagar: Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has decided to contest two seats in the upcoming elections to the Rajya Sabha from the state. The Chief Spokesperson Naeem Akhtar said Nazir Ahmad Laway and Fayaz Ahmad Mir will be fielded as the party candidates for the two seats. He said the decision was taken by the party president Mehbooba Mufti after consulting senior leaders of the party. Laway and Mir are young and energetic workers of the party who have struggled hard to promote the party’s interests and agenda. They contested the recent elections to the state assembly but lost by very thin margin while Laway contesting from Kulgam lost by 334 votes and Fayaz Ahmad by 151 votes. These were the lowest margins for any PDP candidate to lose by in the South and North Kashmir. dr nAzir mushtAq disChArged from hospitAl SRINAGAR: Popular physician Dr Nazir Mushtaq who recently underwent bypass surgery at Fortis New Delhi was discharged from hospital on Friday. Dr Nazir was admitted in the Fortis Hospital following a heart attack in Srinagar last week. He underwent coronary artery bypass graft surgery at the hospital and is now recuperating, his family said. Dr Nazir also a noted writer, is a reputed physician and has treated thousands of patients during his illustrious career. Dr Nazir told Kashmir Observer that he was grateful for the messages of love and affection during his time in hospital from hundreds of his admirers. He said he will be back shortly. protest strike shuts AnAntnAg distriCt Sameer ahmad Anantnag :- Businesses and offices closed Friday in Anantnag district in response to a strike call given by separatists and religous parties to protest against the publication of caricatures of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) in the latest issue of French satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo. Thousands of people gathered in Lal Chowk Anantnag were JKLF District President Mohammad ishaq led the rally to protest against the insulting caricatures. ‘’By encouraging and allowing the reproduction of the highly provocative and insulting caricatures of our beloved Prophet the West has contemptuously disregarded sensitives of the Muslim world, JKLF leader said. Similar protests were held by Umat-e-Islamia in the town. In other parts of the south Kashmir like Kulgam and Pulawama Muslims took to streets to protest against the publication of a blasphemous carricatures.. C M Y K In Chattabal Ittehadul Muslimeen took out a protest march- Pix Mushtaq Reshi saturday 24 01 2015 Kashmir Observer My quest for IslaM! I OPINION nikita singla was in Mysore, the yoga capital of India. In one of the yoga teacher training courses that I was attending with ten different nationalities in the same room, a fellow yogi from the west asked the teacher, “Say I have a Muslim student in my class and he refuses to chant ‘Om’ in the beginning prayer. As a yoga trainer, what am I supposed to do?” That had never occurred to me before. While that class ended, the question didn’t leave me for months. I headed back to Delhi and there began my quest for Islam. As I began discussions and deliberations with my Muslim friends and workmates, I was intrigued even more to learn about the community which is nearly one-fourths of the world’s population. It was logical that if I wanted to learn about the faith, I would start by reading its holy text. I started reading the English translation for Surah Al-Fatiha and Al-Baqarah – the first two chapters of the Qur’an. “You might want to cover the book with a newspaper”, a friend remarked! “They say one who reads the Qur’an converts himself to Islam. I pray for you”, said another. For a moment, I started wondering if I had laid my hands on something that formidable. We have been celebrating Indian independence for seven decades now, but independence just from the British Raj. Another reform movement is what we need to gradually free ourselves from the shackles of ignorance. And for that, dire need is to understand different religions by reading their holy text. Before we go and put forth our opinions on public forums, the least we can do is not just read what these texts say in Arabic or Sanskrit, but also understand the exegesis through translations in our own languages. Was I making an attempt to create that big religion comparison chart and have an opinion on what is right and what is wrong? No! My endeavor was to understand the faith which is not just so different from the one I have grown up to believe, but also the faith over which societies have been wrangling over for times immemorial. My head muddles every time I sit down to watch these television debates hyperbolizing sensitive to sensational. With freedom of speech becoming a contentious issue in recent times, Islam is becoming a topic of heated debate. As far as my memory serves right, I have grown up to believe that Muslim men can marry up to four wives, just for sheer merrymaking (!). The verses in the holy book have been seen as giving permission for, in fact promoting polygamy, but the condition for this ‘permission’ has remained ignored. This verse has a strong context. In the aftermath of war, it was likely that men lost their lives, leaving behind widowed women and orphaned children. It is in this context that the Qur’an clearly states how men can marry from among (orphaned/widowed) women, two, three, four, but only if they can be fair and do justice amongst the co-wives. If they fear they can’t be just to all wives, then they should stick to monogamy which is the ‘safest course’. I think the book is very clear on this subject, that monogamy is the basis for normal relationships, while polygamy is only allowed as an exception, so that the needs of the wider community can be met. Similarly, it’s quite a popular perception that Islam considers two female witnesses equivalent to one male witness. This is contextual again. In the patriarchal society of seventh century Arabia, women were lesser involved in the financial transactions of public life and hence lacked experience in this regard. Two women could not only encourage each other to become active participants in delivering public duty, but also stand for each other if any of the female witnesses was coerced, manipulated or forced to change testimony by the party breaching the contract. Equally eye-opening it was, when I gradually began understanding the concepts of fasting, hajj, apostasy, marriage, divorce, charity, usury, domestic violence, and veil to say the least. I would do injustice to the very experience of reading the Qur’an if I impose my views and my understanding of these themes on you. The holy text is urging to be read, urging to both Muslims and non-Muslims – to Muslims to not just blindly follow but understand what shapes their life, to non-Muslims to know what is true Islam and not bias their understanding on a series of unfortunate events. And I take the liberty of suggesting that as you read the Qur’an, pick the holy text of your own faith also, and you will be taken aback to see how Almighty is focusing on the same core message in different forms through different media. Astounded was I, as I read the Surah AlFatiha and the Gayatri Mantra, side by side. Commonalities of these spiritual paths have been lost in the haze of ‘organizing’ religions. I couldn’t have agreed more with Robert M. Pirsig, who so beautifully said: “You are never dedicated to something you have complete confidence in. No one is fanatically shouting that the sun is going to rise tomorrow. They know it’s going to rise tomorrow. When people are fanatically dedicated to political or religious faiths or any other kinds of dogmas or goals, it’s always because these dogmas or goals are in doubt.” So the holy text, be it yours or be it mine, as we like to classify, is challenging the reader to think about its message, ponder its meaning, and accept it with understanding rather than blind faith. In any religion, learning process can never be complete. As we grow our understanding, we will be surrounded with more and more questions, but it is the courage to seek answers to those questions, test and interrogate our ideas and experiences afresh that can add meaning to our reverence for our faith. Nikita Singla blogs at: https://nikitasingla.wordpress.com/ Liberating Faith, rigid FoLLowers W O aijaz Zaka syed f all the angry speeches, sound bites and opinion pieces that the Charlie Hebdo massacre generated, the best one came from an unexpected quarter – Pope Francis. In the face of the west’s chorus defending unlimited freedom and free speech, Pope Francis mustered the courage to argue that there were limits to this freedom, especially when it insults or ridicules someone’s faith and beliefs. By way of example, he referred to Alberto Gasparri, who organises papal trips and was standing by his side aboard the papal plane when he spoke. “If my good friend Dr Gasparri says a curse word against my mother, he can expect a punch”, the Pope said, throwing a pretend punch his way. “It’s normal. You cannot provoke. You cannot insult the faith of others. You cannot make fun of the faith of others.” The leader of 1.2 billion Catholics said it was an “aberration” to kill in the name of God and said religion can never be used to justify violence. But he said there was a limit to free speech when it concerned offending someone’s religious beliefs. “There are so many people who speak badly about religions or other religions, who make fun of them, who make a game out of the religions of others. They are provocateurs. And what happens to them is what would happen to Dr Gasparri if he says a curse word against my mother. There is a limit.” The Pope also joined four prominent French imams in issuing a joint declaration that denounced the attacks but also urged the media to treat religions with respect, disappointing many western liberals and closet fanatics whose concept of freedom begins and ends with testing the limits of Muslim tolerance. In the relatively short period of time since he took over as the leader of the Christendom, Pope Francis has gone out of his way to win hearts and minds and not just of his flock. This is what leadership is all about. This is what men of faith should and ought to do – showing the way, making peace and offering hope and a healing touch. And what a refreshing change this Pope offers after his staid, rather dull predecessor. This is perhaps because of the fact that he is the first non-European Pope in 1300 years – remarkable for a faith that was born in the east! Francis comes from Argentina, a nation with a long history of western colonialism and subjugation. So unlike the cold and distant Europeans, this Pope has no qualms in showing his human side and warmth from time to time. For example during a visit to e seem to have lost ourselves in the literal world of dogma, leaving somewhere behind the soul and spirit of a generous, powerful faith. We see technology and innovation that the rest of the world hungrily laps up as a challenge. We fear change. We are afraid of women who drive and work. We even fear harmless schoolgirls. Bethlehem, the birthplace of Christ, he stopped over to pray at the monstrous, ugly Wall that Israel has built to imprison Palestinians in their own land. An emotional pontiff touched the Separation wall and silently prayed, glancing at the graffiti that voices Palestinian defiance and resolve for freedom. When he visited Jerusalem and the Western Wall, the holiest site in Judaism, he was seen warmly hugging two old friends – Rabbi Abraham Skorka and a Muslim leader Omar Abboud. During a visit to the Yad Vashem Memorial to victims of the Holocaust, he met half a dozen survivors of the Nazi genocide, fervently kissing their hands. As Tim Stanley notes in the Telegraph: “This is a cleric who is prepared to talk frankly and humanely about issues of injustice. His simplicity appeals, too. Often, the Pope is seen boarding a plane carrying his own bag. But when talking to the press mid-flight, he displays a rugged kind of faith that, again, citizens of the developing world would appreciate more than ‘cosmopolitan’ Europeans. “He decried the killings in Paris, but noted that when people love God like a father, they take a risk when they insult Him. For perhaps the first time, many western liberals were disappointed with Francis – for questioning the wisdom of blasphemy. But those who truly want to understand how Muslims feel about Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) could learn a lot from what he had to say.” His emphasis is not upon liturgical richness but, happily, upon straightforward themes of love and compassion that resonate widely. In the Philippines, street children asked him why God allowed suffering. When one girl broke down in tears, the Pope told her crying cleansed the soul and asked why so few women had been invited to speak. No wonder this pontiff evokes strong emotions wherever he goes. In Manila, some six million people turned up for communion. It was perhaps the biggest papal mass in history. Stanley also suggests that it was Pope Francis who played a critical role in bridging the impossible, decades-old gulf between the United States and Cuba, earning generous praise from President Barack Obama. The pontiff also earned himself silent gratitude of Muslims around the world when he defended the Prophet’s (pbuh) honour with a conviction that not many Muslim scholars or leaders have managed to. Which reminds me – why do we not see Muslim scholars and religious leaders reach out to the world with such love, warmth and kindness? Especially when Islam is being increasingly monopolised by a lunatic fringe that distorts and twists its humane teachings and commits every sin imaginable in the name of all that is holy. We never tire of claiming that Islam stands for peace, salvation and universal brotherhood. How many of our leaders, scholars and imams demonstrate this with their actions or even in their speeches, reaching out to the world with the liberal, universal message of the faith? Why do we not see Muslim scholars talk more about the kindness, generosity and humanity of the Prophet (pbuh) that he showed to the worst of his adversaries? Or his emphasis on kindness to women and children and his Last Sermon that celebrates the equality and oneness of humanity like nothing else does? Instead of offering guidance and leadership to the faithful in these most trying times and in confronting challenges such as extremism and ignorance, our scholars spend much of their time obsessing over frivolous, non-issues. From issuing fatwas on Indian tennis star Sania Mirza’s sartorial choices to condemning social media such as Twitter as ‘the source of all evil,’ our priorities and propensity to scout for the irrelevant and absurd never cease to amaze me. It is as if we inhabit a different planet altogether. Recently, Saudi Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul Aziz Al-Asheikh stunned everyone by proclaiming that celebrating the Prophet’s (pbuh) birthday is ‘sinful’ and a ‘bidaa’ (innovation). One understands the Grand Mufti’s emphasis on embracing the teachings of the Prophet (pbuh), rather than ceremonial celebration of his birth anniversary. But the joy that the faithful experience on this most special day, can it really be termed ‘sinful’? This at a time when Christmas is being celebrated all over the Middle East with increasing fanfare and fervour Shopping malls and hotels in the Gulf are all decked up months before December 25th. We seem to have lost ourselves in the literal world of dogma, leaving somewhere behind the soul and spirit of a generous, powerful faith. We see technology and innovation that the rest of the world hungrily laps up as a challenge. We fear change. We are afraid of women who drive and work. We even fear harmless schoolgirls. I know there is no concept of clergy or a global religious leader in Islam. But the faithful can certainly do with some leadership and muchneeded guidance right now. It is time to rediscover the spirit of the faith. Aijaz Zaka Syed is a Middle East based columnist. row over West Pakistan refugees bashir ahmad Khan T HE row in Jammu and Kashmir over the Government of India’s move to grant citizenship rights in the light of Joint Parliamentary Standing Committee (JPSC) recommendations to few thousand refugees from erstwhile West Pakistan, settled in Jammu, is snowballing into a major political controversy in the state. West Pakistan refugees, eighty percent of whom are of the scheduled caste Hindus, migrated during the partition from Sialkot to Jammu and Kashmir. They chose to take refuge in Jammu as it was the closest town across the line of partition from Sialkot. The WP refugees continue to live in miserable conditions since from past six decades in villages from Kathua to Pallanwalla in Jammu along the international border with Pakistan. According to official statistics, only one lakh 14 thousand West Pakistan refugees are living in 137 hamlets in RS Pura, Suchetgarh and Bishnah constituencies of Jammu region. The union home ministry has approved certain concession for the West Pakistan refugees recently, including recruitment right for the Central Armed Police Forces and special recruitment drives in the state. Besides, JPSC of Union Home Ministry has also recommended that the refugees be given citizenship rights in the state. However, all the separatist factions and mainstream parties of Kashmir in unison have opposed the Government of India’s move to grant citizenship rights to these refugees stating such a move was aimed at changing the demography of the state. Hurriyat (G) Chairman Syed Ali Shah Geelani has threatened to launch an agitation if the Centre granted citizenship and voting rights to WP refugees living in Jammu. Geelani has also stated that such a move was aiming at altering demography of the state. Hurriyat Conference led by Mirwaiz Umar Farooq recently held an emergency meeting over the refugees’ issue and alleged Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) “was planning to change the demographics of J&K to subvert chances of referendum on Kashmir problem.” Mirwaiz had said that Hurriyat was going to chalk out the future strategy with other separatist groups and civil society members to launch a united resistance. Chairman Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) Mohammad Yasin Malik has organised protests against granting of rights to West Pakistan refugees in the state. It’s just not only separatists but mainstream parties of valley seem to be too concerned about the issue of West Pakistan refugees in the state. National Conference, the state’s oldest mainstream political party has also opposed the recommendations. National Conference General Secretary and Former minister Ali Muhammad Sagar termed the JPC recommendations as ‘unacceptable’ and are a wicked conspiracy to temper the special status of Jammu and Kashmir State. Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) which emerged as the single largest party with 28 seats in the recently concluded 2014 state elections also cautioned Government of India against a “hasty decision.” “It is a legacy of the partition and a very complicated and complex issue. No decision on such a sensitive matter should be taken arbitrarily as it could have serious repercussions,” PDP spokesman Naeem Akhtar had said. Earlier, Independent legislator Sheikh Engineer Rashid had staged a protest and urged all the political parties and separatists groups to counter the move. Rashid is also holding a seminar on Jan 19 where he has invited all the separatist and mainstream leaders against the centre’s move to grant citizenship rights to refugees. On the other hand, refugees claim if the rights would not be given to them, they would approach international human right organizations as they have a right to live with dignity. According to them, they have been living in miserable conditions from past six decades and have decided to take their case before international human right organizations if Kashmir leaders would try to ‘subvert’ their rights. Rajiv Chuni, the chairman of SOS international-an organisation of Pakistan-administered Kashmir (Pak) refugees settled in Jammu believes Kashmiri separatists and mainstream parties are misleading the people. According to him, how can only a meagre number of people change the demography of the state? To grant citizenship and voting rights to West Pakistan refugees in the state Assembly elections, apart from monetary and other benefits was one of the main election planks of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). BJP which emerged as the second largest party in the state bagging 25 seats is committed to provide rights to West Pakistan refugees, who have been living all odds from the past six decades. The BJP leaders and even some Jammu-based Congress leaders like Raman Bhalla, Sham Lal Sharma and Manjit Singh and a number of social and political groups condemned the anti-refugee forces, saying that the whole issue is of humanitarian nature and they would continue to fight for their rights. If separatist leaders of Kashmir continue to resent the move to grant ‘citizenship’ status for the west Pakistan Refugees and granting ‘voting rights’ to them in the state may prove counterproductive which can change for the state’s fragile political atmosphere. The refugees’ issue has risen to such an extent that some people are saying the trifurcation of the state is the only solution to end the crises. The statements from separatists and other groups can trigger law and order problem in both regions of the state which will have serious consequences much like of 2008 Amarnath land row like situation. It is pertinent to mention that the election results on December 23 had thrown up a fractured mandate and the political parties failed to reach to a consensus over government formation thus leading the state under Governor’s rule. It is now time for Governor Administration to act before it is too late. Governor should keep all cards open so that neither there should be any division nor the refugees should be denied of their rights. Similarly Central government must also intervene to find out a possible solution to solve this refugees’ crisis for the larger interests of the state. Author can be reached at: [email protected] saturday 24 01 2015 Kashmir Observer PANORAMA the Other half Of COnfliCt The Story Of Kashmir’s Women Everyone talks of how the men have endured the prolonged unrest and violence, but how have the women lived through the conflict in their own ways? Manisha Sobhrajani D uring my first interaction with a group of women labelled “halfwidows” – women whose husbands are not officially declared dead, but termed “missing” – from Dardpora in 2003, BOOK EXCERPT it was difficult for me to fathom how a man could simply “disappear”. Of course things have become clearer now, but that first time was numbing, to say the least. Amongst this group of women from Dardpora was Rafiqa, a woman in her mid-twenties, who looked stunningly beautiful in her salwarkameez detailed with Kashmiri embroidery. I can recall my conversation, with an eager-to-talk Rafiqa, to the last detail even to this day. Her husband had been picked up, presumably by the security forces, and taken away, never to return. She was left behind with two children, both below five, and nothing but memories of her husband. Her in-laws turned her out from their house, and other men from the village harassed her day and night. She did not want to burden her parents, but had no choice but to return to their house. Amongst other things, her biggest regret was that she and her husband only managed to have two children before he “disappeared”. She didn’t want to “retire” so soon. She had wanted many more children. I wasn’t sure if it was appropriate to suggest a second marriage to Rafiqa. The Indian government does not provide any relief to half-widows before seven years from the date of the ‘disappearance’ of their men, and if the women choose to re-marry before those seven years, they are not entitled to any official relief or assistance whatsoever. Until recently, the government had provided relief only to a few hundred half-widows. For Rafiqa, as for most women of Kashmir, the conflict has been doubly fatal, as they haven’t just borne the wrath of the conflict but have also been treated as objects of use and amusement, both by militants and Indian security forces. I was meeting her again, after a gap of many years, during my current visit to the valley. In trying to find her own Azaadi, she had fought the battle of survival ferociously. The journey had been long and painful. She had visibly aged, but was still stunning, and in control of life. It was difficult to imagine how she must have toiled and fretted over rebuilding it bit by bit. She seemed reluctant to talk about it. I decided to go with Rafiqa to her village, Dardpora. Dardpora, the “village of widows” in Kupwara, is nestled in the mountains and is very close to the LoC. Its name comes from the Dardi tribe which inhabits the village. Ironically, it also symbolizes dard, or the pain and suffering, that the women here undergo. Even though I had been to the village before, going with Rafiqa was a different experience. She had been born and brought up in Dardpora, and had been mar- ried to a man from the same village, Suleiman. In the early 1990s, when militancy was just setting foot in Kashmir, three militant groups – Al Barq (mostly comprising Gujjars), HM, and the Kashmir Liberation Force - became operational in the area. A fratricidal war between the three the men/militants were killed, the women did not remarry because of their children. They also said that nobody wanted a woman with children from a previous marriage. Since livelihood means were scarce, and it was only women left behind in Dardpora, prostitution could not be ruled out. I had to be very gentle agencies, mostly by armed personnel, in the last twenty years. Many of them were young men, and their disappearance has left behind 2,000 to 2,500 half-widows.37 The official version on these disappearances is bleak. Most men are either taken away under cover of darkness, or picked up from some- groups and clashes with security forces claimed most of the men in this village. Prior to that, the hostility between the two prevalent communities – Gujjars and Kashmiris – had taken the lives of many male members. As a tragic and sad aftereffect, those who were left in the village were mostly women and children, women whose men had either died or had gone ‘missing’. Women whose husbands went ‘missing’ began to be known as ‘half-widows’. Hussain drove the two of us up to Dardpora. It had snowed the previous day, an unusual phenomenon for the month of November. After four hours of a journey full of twists and turns on long, winding roads through thick forests of unparalleled scenic beauty, we reached the outskirts of the village, beyond which we had to make our way on foot. Hussain wasn’t too happy about this, but once he realized Rafiqa and I wouldn’t be deterred, he reluctantly parked his vehicle and followed us – a gesture which deeply touched me. His job was simply to take me to places, not to worry about my whereabouts and safety. But over the years, Hussain had donned the mantle of being my guardian angel in Kashmir: ensuring I ate my meals, called home and informed my family of my well-being, and didn’t get too “adventurous”. Rafiqa took us to her parents’ house, where she had been living along with her two children after her husband went “missing” and the in-laws turned hostile. Having spent some time talking to Rafiqa’s mother and sharing tit-bits of information about my work in general, I expressed a desire to walk through the village. “Yahan par charon taraf dushman hai. Kisi par bharosa nahi kiya ja sakta,” the elderly woman told me. Everyone here is an enemy. No one can be trusted… Hussain made his exit at this point, and Rafiqa and I spent the better part of the afternoon walking aimlessly around lower Dardpora exchanging pleasantries with the village folk. Most of the widows in the village were very young, between twenty-one and forty-five years. Most had large families, with school-going children to support. Earlier, Gujjar women would go to the jungles to chop firewood that they would then sell, and Kashmiri women would cultivate the land or earn a meagre income from handicraft orders. Now, widowhood had become the dominant marker for these women. They were harassed by security forces and militants alike, not to mention the daily struggle of having to fend for themselves and their children. about asking them if they had been harassed by security forces or government officials. They denied that this was happening, and indicated that as they were now liberated from all men, issues of rape, battering and assault were no longer relevant. The basis of my interactions with the women in Dardpora, as anywhere else in Kashmir, had to be trust, which I had to work upon. Rafiqa was going to help me with that. My first interaction with the Dardpora women had taken place in Srinagar many years before. We had invited a group of twenty women from the village to stay with us for a two-day “trauma healing and reconciliation” workshop. For the Dardpora women, it was strange to be away from the village, stranger still that they didn’t have to look after the house, cook, clean and manage the children. What was worse was that there was someone else who was happy to cook for them and feed them! A shikara ride on the Dal lake, which we all take for granted as part of the deal when visiting Kashmir, put these women in a state of utter confusion and deep, far-away thoughts. In trauma healing, symbolism plays a crucial role. During the course of the workshop, it was important for us as the team conducting the workshop to establish an act of symbolism that we could relate to as ours, as belonging especially to our group – the Dardpora women and the team from Delhi. We tried to get the group to do several things: sing, draw, do an exercise wherein we divided the group in pairs. Nothing seemed to be working. It was an intense and extremely challenging experience to even get the women to talk. All they wanted was some money, and be allowed to go back home to their children. “Caring and sharing” was a concept alien to them, and they didn’t think much of “talking”. Amongst other things, conflict teaches people survival tactics. An important part of that is to be able to say things the other party wants to hear. So the Dardpora women said the “right” things which were meant to move us women from Delhi After day one of the workshop, as I was talking to the group during dinner, one of the women took me aside, and putting my hand inside her pheran, told me she had no breasts as the militants had simply chopped them off! My instant reaction was denial. How could this be possible? However, it was. In Kashmir, thousands of women are going through an identity crisis owing to the phenomenon of enforced disappearances, which leads them to the status of half-widows. For such women, each day begins with the hope of their men returning, and ends in despair. While officials put the number of enforced disappearances between 1,000 and 3,000, according to human rights activists at least 10,000 people have been made to disappear by state where where nobody can identify the person or even know the location from where the disappearance took place. The ones taken away for questioning on the pretext of a “crime” or “violent incident” are said to be kept under tight security where neither their families are allowed to meet them nor are they given any legal assistance. Year after year, they remain missing, and the government does not say where they are. It came to light that there was once a time when there was not a single house in Dardpora that did not house militants. Women had a choice between willingly marrying the militants or being forcefully carried away. After Most half-widows are women from lower-income families and mostly dependent on their husbands. During the seven-year waiting period, the women’s rights to their husbands’ property are often threatened. As is common, there is little or no support from the in-laws. Even after the completion of seven years from the date of disappearance, the women get a meagre amount of money for their sustenance. Halfwidows have no recourse to justice or provision of aid, especially in the form of employment. Many NGOs, both local and national, have opened schools for these women where they are taught stitching and embroidery, and at times, given sewing machines. This is hardly enough or practical to help the women out of their plight. When I had visited Dardpora after the two-day workshop in May 2003, there was a certain sadness that hung around the place like a gloomy cover. It seemed like life itself was dishevelled, unkempt and lost. For the inhabitants of Dardpora, mostly women, their days revolved around a few fruit trees, farming land where they cultivated some rice, and perhaps a small income from a room or two given out on rent. There was one school with only one old man acting as both schoolmaster and mentor for the fifteen-odd children of all age groups who came there. When I visited Dardpora the second time, Master sahib was happy to see me again, this time with Rafiqa. During a long chat over a cup of noon chai, the salty tea for which I had finally acquired a taste, he told me how it was important for the women of Dardpora to have exposure to the outside world and interact with people beyond the village. When word spread that the ‘madam’ from Delhi had come, some of the women from the village came to greet me. I was delighted that two of them were from the same group I had met earlier in Srinagar, and what’s more, they even remembered me! After exchanging polite banter, I was ushered into one of their homes and offered tea and blankets to keep me warm. On the way, I noticed a small stitching school. There wasn’t much progress in the village in terms of development, but the gloomy cover had certainly lifted. Even the school premises looked impressive and had an air of selfimportance about it. However, not much seemed to have changed in the lives of the women. They were still waiting to hear news of their missing men; reports still emanated of them being tortured by militants and security forces for the same reasons; they continued to wonder where their next meal would come from. Rafiqa and I made our way back to her parents’ house, and by now, her father and her two children were also home. While the mother and daughter got busy with preparing the evening meal, and the father entertained a group of his friends, I tried to talk to the children. They responded by bringing their school bags and displaying their books. I asked them if they liked school and what they did there. “We study, and we play terrorist-terrorist, and sometimes when one of us can’t be found by the others, that child is considered ‘missing’." The ease with which the children said this sent a chill down my spine. Almost all children in Kashmir have been affected by the conflict – while some are the children of insurgents, there are others who have lost their parents to the insurgency. Some have been physically affected by the conflict, a victim in a violent incident; others have been badly affected psychologically. While the children in far-flung areas like Dardpora undergo formal education courtesy NGOs and some government infrastructure, there is little or no exposure to the outside world, particularly due to lack of interaction with people outside their own area. In such a situation, how do children cope with the trauma of conflict? The answer was in front of my eyes: they do so by playing games like “terrorist-terrorist”. I have often wondered how their innocent minds address the issues of fear, hatred, anger, rebellion, trauma, disaster, compassion, reconciliation etc. Do they ever get healed? How do the children react to being identified as ‘victims’, and how does it affect their growing up? How does conflict affect their interactions with each other, particularly during extra-curricular activities? Again, I had no answers. I mentioned this to Rafiqa as soon as we had all retired for the day after a delicious meal of haq (locally grown spinach) and rice with yakhni (meat cooked with spices and curd). She was not surprised. According to her, it was not just hers but most children of Kashmir who played such games and spoke in this manner. She also mentioned another “favourite” game Kashmiri children played: during firing, which is a common feature of everyday life here, children derived thrills by trying to establish whether it was the sound of rifles, AK-47s or some other gun! I only had to slightly encourage Rafiqa to tell me her story, and she began telling me what had transpired in her life. Suleiman and Rafiqa had gotten married in the village ten- odd years ago and had begun their family almost immediately. Suleiman was a porter, and there was a rumour that he, along with twenty other men from the village, was involved with a militant group and helped them in various ways. Rumour also had it that since Kupwara was very close to the LoC, one of the routes that militants on both sides used to cross the border was through Dardpora. Rafiqa said Suleiman had been warned a couple of times by the armed forces that he was under watch and his daily activities were being closely followed. One day, Suleiman left home in the wee hours of the morning, even before the darkness of the night had given way to the sunrise. He told Rafiqa he was going for work, and she knew better than to ask more. Suleiman met up with his acquaintances in the deep cover of the forest, and together they set out even deeper. They were to meet up with foreign militants and bring them to safety. However, security forces had come to know of this movement, and had been keeping watch for a few days now. Suleiman was oblivious to this. Suspecting nothing, the group moved on. Soon enough, there was an ambush; the security forces had formed a ring around them. Caught unawares, the militants fared badly in the clash, and most of them succumbed to the bullets. The few who survived tried to run away into hiding. When Rafiqa heard persistent banging on her door, and that too only a few hours after her husband had left, she immediately sensed trouble. She opened the door to find a badly injured Suleiman almost collapsing outside the house. She got him inside, and helped him to bed. He refused her offer to bring Khan Chacha who acted as the village doctor, even though he had no medical background. But once Suleiman lost consciousness, Rafiqa immediately went and fetched the old man. She wasn’t very happy to note Chacha’s expression on examining her husband. After treating four bullet injuries with whatever could be used as equipment from within the house, Khan Chacha administered Suleiman some local herbs as medicine, and told Rafiqa in no uncertain terms that his chances of survival were bleak. He suggested that if and when Suleiman recovered from unconsciousness, he should not be allowed to move at all. With a promise of coming back to check on Suleiman, he left. Rafiqa was lost. She knew that word would soon spread around the village about Suleiman and his injuries, even though Chacha would not be the one doing the talking. She didn’t know what to say to her children and Suleiman’s parents. However, she knew she had to move her husband away from the house because the security forces would come looking for him any minute. This she did with the help of Chacha and some other elders; Suleiman was moved to an abandoned and well-hidden cave in the forest. In a few weeks’ time, when Suleiman had regained and lost consciousness several times before finally coming about, and when the whole village including his parents and children knew what had transpired, there was an air of discomfort all around. Suleiman insisted on going deeper into the forest to make contact with the foreign militants to find out what had happened that morning. Rafiqa and the others could not stop him. The inevitable happened: Suleiman left the cave one afternoon after a bitter argument with Rafiqa, and that was the last she saw of her husband. She had not expected him back soon, but when Suleiman didn’t return even after three weeks, Rafiqa declared an emergency. She tried to make contact with Suleiman’s friends, some of whom had gone out that fateful morning to help the militants. This was no easy job. It involved sending out signals and messages in the most discreet and strange manner, then waiting for days at an end to get even the most insignificant response. Months passed, and Rafiqa turned from a homely, simple woman into a messenger between different stakeholders operating in Kupwara, involving not just members of militant outfits but also security forces. Despite this, she failed to get any concrete piece of information about Suleiman, and soon, her husband, like many other men from within and outside Dardpora, was termed “missing”. This left her a halfwidow, someone who didn’t know whether her husband was dead or alive. In trying to get any news about Suleiman, Rafiqa had many a time ruffled a few feathers here and there, and had also made many enemies. In order to placate them, she sometimes had to compromise sexually so as to avoid trouble. Before long, she was joined by other women who had similar backgrounds. Soon, Dardpora became known as the infamous village of half-widows whose women were aware of shorter routes in the mountains of Kupwara. They guided both militants as well as security forces through these routes, and in return demanded favours which otherwise would not come their way. Sexual manipulation became a common game played out in the region. It was early morning by the time Rafiqa finished her story, almost six years since Suleiman had gone “missing”. I didn’t know what to say to her, and sensing my discomfort, she suggested we get out of bed and have some tea. Excerpted with permission from The Land I Dream of: The Story of Kashmir's Women, Manisha Sobhrajani, Hachette India. 6 Saturday 24012015 Kashmir Observer India poised for 6.5% growth: Jaitley DAVOS: The economy is set to clock a 6.5 per cent growth next year and then take off to reach 8-9 per cent in the years to come on the back of huge public support for reforms initiated by the government, FINANCE Minister Arun Jaitley said on Thursday. “There is a huge amount of popular support, particularly in the backdrop of slowdown in the last two years, that we must grow. “There is fair amount of clarity about the road map which is required for that growth. Therefore, I don’t think there is any resistance as far as bureaucracy is concerned to the reform process, but the bureaucracy has long been made whipping boys for it,” he said, while speaking at a BRICS session at the World Economic Forum annual meet. Mr. Jaitley said the manner in which the new government was working, the country would reach 6.5 per cent growth rate next year and “I think that is where the take off will start.” Observing that there was also a change of mindset with the change of the government, he said, “Even if this year [2014-15] we end with about 5.5 per cent growth rate, which is okay by global standards, India is not smiling at this growth rate.” The Minister said 5.5 per cent growth was much below the real capacity of India and the target was to get back to 8-9 per cent growth rate “which is more natural to India and I think we have the potential to do that.” India’s economic growth fell to below five per cent during 2012-13 and 201314. During the current financial year, the country’s economy is expected to recover and clock a growth rate of 5.5 per cent. The world is showing interest in India which had earlier fallen off the global radar, he said, adding the government and policymakers were working to consolidate on these gains and sentiments. Mr. Jaitley is scheduled to present the Union budget for 2015-16 on February 28 in the Lok Sabha. Jet Airways and Etihad launch discounted fares NEW DELHI: Private carrier Jet Airways in association with its gulf partner Etihad on Friday announced limited period discounted fares for travel across its network on the occasion of Republic Day. Besides, the offer will also be applicable on Etihad Airways flights, which holds 24 per cent stake in the Naresh Goyal-promoted airline, for destinations across the US, Europe and the Middle-east, airline said in a statement in New Delhi. The three-day offer of 25 per cent discount on tickets, for which the bookings commence tomorrow, is the third in series from the Mumbaiheadquartered airline in this year so far. The offer is applicable for economy fares on Jet Airways’ domestic network for travel between March 1 and September 30 (on domestic routes), the airline said in a statement, adding the dis- count can be availed in both economy and premier fares on the airline’s international flights. Etihad Airways will also join the celebrations by extending the offer to the passengers flying on its network from India to the Middle East, Europe and the United States, Jet Airways said in statement in New Delhi. On Etihad Airways flights the offer, however, is applicable on business and economy class fares, it said adding the offer is valid for travel on the international routes of Jet Airways and Etihad Airways from February 1 onward. “Our special Republic Day fares will provide the chance to experience our exceptional service, a wide global network, flexible schedules and enhanced connectivity. It’s also great that guests can enjoy these special offers on the combined network of Etihad Airways and Jet Airways,” Jet Airways senior vice president for commercial Gauran Shetty said. Jet Airways currently operates a fleet of 117 aircraft to across 71 destinations both in India and abroad. From Front Page Kashmir Shuts appealed to the people to protest and observe shutdown against the blasphemes sketches after Friday prayers across Kashmir. All the shops and business establishments remained closed while transport was off the roads. City Centre Lal Chowk presented a deserted look while the adjoining areas of Srinagar city also witnessed a complete shutdown. Police had sealed the Lal Chowk with barbed wire and did not allow people to assemble there. Movement of people was also restricted in restive Maisuma locality of Srinagar city as police and para-military personnel guarded the streets whole day keeping a strict vigil on passersby. Amid protests, shutdown was also observed in other parts of Kashmir valley including Anantang, Pulwama, Pampore, Awantipora, Shopian, Budgam, Ganderbal, Baramulla, Sopore, Pattan, Tangmarag, Kupwara and Bandipore. Despite stringent security arrangements, protestors clashed with police at various places amid tear-smoke shelling and stone-pelting. In the city Lal Chowk, Saraibala, Ram Bagh, Channapora, Hyderpora, Batamaloo, Nowhatta, Alamgari Bazar, Soura, Khankah-e-Maula, Safakadal, Habakadal, Saida Kadal, Rainawari, Sonawar, Pantachowk and in other districts and towns of Kashmir Valley, including Pulwama, Shopian, Anantnag, Tral, Baramulla, Sopore, Bandipore, Budgam, and Kupwara people took to streets castigating the inflammatory anti-Islamic sketches and French government for defending the acts. A procession was taken out from Jamia Masjid Nowhata that was led by Awami Action Committee General Secretary Ghulam Nabi Zaki. Hundreds of people participated in the procession that was taken out soon after Friday congregational prayers. Angry protesters carried Islamic banners, green and black flags. They chanted pro-Islamic and anti-American, Israel and French slogans. The protestors set the effigies of Charlie Hebdo cartoonist on fire. "West is the enemy of the people," the demonstrators shouted. They also yelled out, "Yes, yes to Islam. Yes, yes to Quran and there is no God but Allah and Muhammad (PBUH) is the last Messenger of Allah." Eyewitnesses said that the protestors clashed with police and CRPF. Police used tearsmoke shells to disperse them. Protest marches were also taken out from Saidakadal, Rainawari. A big procession was taken out at 90 Feet Soura. The protesters there burned American and Israeli flags, while others put the photograph of Charle Hebdoo cartoonist on the ground and stepped on it to express their anger. Protestors clashed with police at Chinkral Mohalla Habakadal while police burst teargas canisters to disperse the agitated youth who resorted to intense stone-hurling. "Since most Western countries especially America, France besides Israel did not respect more than 1 billion Muslims, we should also teach Americans a lesson and tell them what we can do," said an angry protestor. Kashmir Traders and Manufacturers Federation members took out a peaceful march in Lal Chowk Srinagar, that was led by Muhammad Sadiq Baqal. Carrying placards and banners that read, “Muhammad (PBUH) is our honour and we will die for Him”, the protestors demanded stringent punishment for the owners and editors of the Charlie Hebdo. Police did not allow the protestors to move towards Clock Tower and stopped them near Biscoe School. “You cannot write against Jews and Christians in West but you can freely spew venom against Islam. This speaks volumes about the double standard of the West,” Baqal told the protesters. Police resorted to teargas shelling near Zainakadal Srinagar when protestors tried to move towards Bohrikadal. The procession march that was taken out from Khankah-e- Maula was led by JKLF vice chairman Bashir Ahmed Bhat. “We were peaceful but were chased away by police without any provocation,” said JKLF spokesperson Ashraf Bin Salam. Protest marches were also taken out in different districts of South Kashmir after Friday prayers. Jamat-e-Islami supporters organized a protest march from General Bus Stand in Anantnag, that culminated at Mehandikadal. Some youth hurled stones on police near Reshibazar and Chenichowk, however, police swung into action and dispersed them successfully. Another peaceful protest march was taken out from General Bus Stand to DC office Anantnag that was headed by Hurriyat G district president Hafizullah. JKLF and Umat-e-Islamia jointly organized a protest march from Jamia Masjid Hanfia to Lal Chowk Anantnag. The protest march was led by Mirwaiz South Kashmir Qazi Yasir who denounced the action of French satirical magazine for showing disrespect to Islam. In Pulwama, JKLF district president Javid Ahmed Bhat and chief cleric Markazi Jamia Masjid Maulana Muhammad Akram Dar led a peaceful protest march and denounced the anti-Islamic policies of France. The protest marches in Shopian, Tral, Awantipora and Pampore also culminated peacefully. In North Kashmir’s Palhalan area, the protestors soon after Friday prayers clashed with police after the latter barred them from appearing on highway. Peaceful protest against the blasphemous caricatures of Prophet of humanity were also taken out in Sopore, Handwara, Baramulla and Kupwara, In Trehgam Kupwara, JKLF leaders Rafiq Ahmed Dar and Master Muhammad Afzal led a peaceful protest. Scores of youth also protested at mainchowk Handwara against the blasphemous sketches of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). A protest march was also taken out in Bandipora district. A biggest march was taken out from Central Kashmir's Budgam district in which people from hundreds of surrounding hamlets participated. Protesters set the photographs of Charlie Hebdo Cartoonist Renald Luzier on fire and called on Muslims from Arab Countries to get united. Peaceful protest marches were also taken out from certain parts of Ganderbal district. "No Muslim can bear what is being told against our beloved Prophet (PBUH). We are not going to tolerate this,” said a protestor. A top police officer said that barring few minor incidents of stone-pelting no untoward incident was reported from any part of the Valley. "There were protests against anti-Islamic sketches which passed off peacefully," he said. AIMMM justifies religious sentiments of billions of Muslims across the globe by publishing blasphemous caricatures of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) in past,” Dr Zafarul Islam Khan told CNS adding that Western rulers are the open enemies of Islam that enjoy the patronage of United States of America. The renowned Islamic scholar said that such cartoons "fuel feelings of hatred and resentment among people" and publishing them "shows contempt" for Muslim feelings. the publication of new satirical images of Muhammad "amounts to declaring war on all Muslims." He said that every Muslim has right to protest and send a clear message to the enemies of Islam that Muslims are alive and capable to respond to their foolish and insane acts. (CNS) Terrorist respects to the victims, meet with survivors and send a strong message to the Indian people that we stand together in defence of our security and our way of life,” he added. PDP-BJP Nayeem Akhtar said that seat sharing is a necessary scenario in the present situation. “We have 28 seats and are single largest party. But the minimum to secure one RS seat is 29 votes in the house of 87 members. No party in the present scenario can hope to get a seat on its own unless all contest separately and get support of some independents,” he said. “We will have to have a seat sharing arrangement with one of the parties to safeguard PDP interests and try to get in combination with that party and win all the four seats. It will involve give-n-take,” Akhtar said. Asked whether they have reached to a consensus with the BJP he neither denied nor confirmed. “Why we have fielded two candidates only? Seat sharing with some party is necessary. Whichever party we go ahead we have to leave seats for them. We are in a situation where seat sharing and floor management is thrust on us,” he said without elaborating. A senior state BJP leader said that party high command has invited the top state leadership to New Delhi for holding deliberations over the issue of seat sharing and government formation. KNS Fix the Link threaten India. One of India’s most wanted men, Dawood Ibrahim, is an organized crime boss frequently seen in Karachi. According to the United Nations, he funds the Pakistani militant group Lashkar-e-Taiba, which attacked Mumbai in 2008. He is believed to hold assets in Dubai. Washington should work with officials in the Persian Gulf to freeze those assets. Third, the United States should try to steer Pakistan’s shortterm focus away from Kashmir and toward normalizing trade relations with India. Trade negotiations have progressed in recent years, and Mr. Modi advocates using commercial diplomacy to improve relations with neighbors. And India would be relieved to hear less about Kashmir, an issue that is nowhere near resolution. Of course, it would be a tough sell for Washington to persuade Pakistan that the economic benefits of trade with India would far outweigh any benefit possible from dwelling on Kashmir. But there may be no better time to try, given the relatively relaxed current state of American-Pakistani relations. Still, any efforts to reassure India must be accompanied by nuanced American diplomacy, so as not to feed into the “America and the world are out to get us” narrative that permeates Pakistan. The United States should acknowledge Pakistan’s neuroses about India — a nation perhaps seven times as populous and four times as large, with an army twice as big and governed by a Hindu nationalist party known for anti-Pakistan views. Americans should also take into account the Pakistani contention (rejected by New Delhi) that India engages in subversive activities in Pakistan (specifically, that it aids a separatist insurgency in Baluchistan province). Pakistanis have not forgotten India’s support for the secession of East Pakistan — now Bangladesh — in 1971. Of course, any American plan that intensifies support to India is likely to upset many Pakistanis, whose government has long demanded to be treated as India’s equal. And any plan that aims not to offend Pakistan would have detractors in India. Realistically, the United States is in no position to allay all of India’s fears about Pakistan — in particular, Pakistan’s rapidly increasing nuclear weapons stockpile. It also can’t end the Pakistani military-intelligence establishment’s insistence on treating anti-India militants as useful proxies. And it won’t succeed at coaxing Pakistan away from policies that are driven by its belief, whether manufactured or real, that India poses a direct threat. Washington should, however, press states that enjoy more leverage with Pakistan — China, for example — to impress upon Islamabad the need to rethink its bellicose posture. China needs stability nearby, and its voice would resonate in Islamabad. None of these potential limitations should deter Americans from trying this strategy. In fact, there are compelling reasons to push forward. With its combat troops out of Afghanistan, America can relax its fixation on pursuing deep relations with Pakistan, even while taking care not to spoil the relationship, and feel freer to engage India more. Its refocusing toward Asia, which envisions India as a counterbalance to China, should have a similar effect. So helping New Delhi address its fears of Pakistan while engaging in damage control with Islamabad would be a logical and timely policy — a worthy goal for President Obama. Michael Kugelman is the senior associate for South Asia at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington. Saudi King overthrow Syrian President Bashar Assad. President Barack Obama expressed condolences and offered sympathy to the people of Saudi Arabia. "As a leader, he was always candid and had the courage of his convictions," Obama said. "One of those convictions was his steadfast and passionate belief in the importance of the U.S.Saudi relationship as a force for stability and security in the Middle East and beyond." Abdullah was born in Riyadh in 1924, one of the dozens of sons of Saudi Arabia's founder, King Abdul-Aziz Al Saud's 7th wife. Like all Abdul-Aziz's sons, Abdullah had only rudimentary education. Tall and heavyset, he felt more at home in the Nejd, the kingdom's desert heartland, riding stallions and hunting with falcons. Abdullah was selected as crown prince in 1982 on the day his half-brother Fahd ascended to the throne. The decision was challenged by a full brother of Fahd, Prince Sultan, who wanted the title for himself. But the family eventually closed ranks behind Abdullah to prevent splits. Abdullah became de facto ruler in 1995 when a stroke incapacitated Fahd. Abdullah inherited the kingdom where resentment against the deployment of US tropops following 1990 Iraqi invasion of Kuwait had given birth to new militancy. Following the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks in the United States Abdullah steered the new alliance with the US led coalition. The kingdom was home to 15 of the 19 hijackers, and many pointed out that the baseline ideology for al-Qaida and other groups stemmed from Saudi Arabia's Wahhabi interpretation of Islam. When al-Qaida militants in 2003 began a wave of violence in the kingdom aimed at toppling the monarchy, Abdullah cracked down hard. For the next three years, security forces battled militants, finally forcing them to flee to neighboring Yemen. There, they created a new al-Qaida branch, and Saudi Arabia has played a behind-the-scenes role in fighting it. After the 2011 Arab Spring uprisings in particular, Saudi Arabia clamped down on any dissent. Riot police crushed street demonstrations. Dozens of activists were detained, many of them tried under a sweeping counterterrorism law by an anti-terrorism court Abdullah created. Authorities more closely monitored social media, where anger over corruption and unemployment — and jokes about the aging monarchy — are rife. In 2000, Abdullah convinced the Arab League to approve an unprecedented offer that all Arab states would recognize the state of Israel if it withdrew from lands it captured in 1967. However he faced severe Iranian rebuke for the move. Now Abdullah's biggest priority was to confront rising Iran. Worried about Tehran's clout, Abdullah told the United States in 2008 to consider military action to "cut off the head of the snake" and prevent Iran from producing a nuclear weapon, according to a leaked U.S. diplomatic memo. In Lebanon, Abdullah backed Sunni allies against the powerful anti-Israeli party the Hezbollah and in a proxy conflict that flared repeatedly into potentially destabilizing violence. Saudi Arabia was also deeply opposed to longtime Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, whom it considered a tool of Iran. In Syria, Abdullah stepped indirectly into the civil war that emerged after 2011. He supported and armed rebels battling to overthrow President Bashar Assad, Iran's top Arab ally, and pressed the Obama administration to do the same. Iran's allies Hezbollah and Iraqi Shia volunteers rushed to Syria after Saudi backed militants began blasting holy Islamic shrines particularly revered by Shia Muslims including that of Zainab bint Ali granddaughter of Prophet Muhammad, and the resulting conflict has left hundreds of thousands dead and driven millions of Syrians from their homes. From the multiple conflicts, Sunni-Shia hatreds around the region took on a life of their own, fueling Sunni militancy that is now plaguing the world from Peshawar to Paris. Syria's war helped give birth to the Islamic State (ISIS) group, which burst out to take over large parts of Syria and Iraq. Fears of the growing militancy prompted Abdullah to commit Saudi airpower to a U.S.-led coalition fighting the extremists. Toby Matthiesen, author of "Sectarian Gulf: Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, and the Arab Spring That Wasn't," said "Saudi Arabia plays a huge role in fueling sectarian conflict." Wary of the rising influence of pro democracy movements, Saudi Arabia backed military coup led by Abdel Fattah alSisi against popularly elected Mohamed Morsi of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt and dispatched troops to crush popular uprising in neighbouring Bahrain. Abdullah’s successor faces multiple challenges like the impact of plunging oil prices domestically, the rise of militancy, and an assertive Iran whose influence is growing across the Mideast as its allies take on increasingly powerful roles in Iraq, Lebanon, and Syria. He also face an intensifying crisis in Yemen, whose Saudibacked government has been effectively overthrown by Iranian-backed Houthi rebels. A Saudi official said in a recent interview that Riyadh sees the future of Yemen as “an existential threat.” Abdullah had more than 30 children from around a dozen wives. Justice Paul the Constitution of Jammu and Kashmir, the President is pleased to appoint Justice Narayanan Nadar Paul Vasantha Kumar, Judge of Madras High Court to be the Chief Justice of the Jammu and Kashmir High Court with effect from the date he assumes charge of his office”, said the notification. Sources said that Justice Vasantha Kumar is going to assume office shortly adding his joining would also depend on the availability of Governor, N N Vohra, who has to administer him the oath of office. Justice Vasantha had been appointed as Additional Judge of Madras High Court on December 10, 2005 and as Permanent Judge on July 20, 2007. Prior to his appointment, Justice Vasantha held the post of Senior Standing Counsel for Tamil Nadu Public Service Commission and also Standing Counsel for Central Government. He was also given an honorary post of the member in Ecclesiastical Synod Court, C.S.I Specialist in Service Law, Labour Law and Education matter. FC Suspends Baramulla in favour of some person in violation of law. The record of all such transfers in the concerned Patwar Halqa has been seized and the Regional Director, Survey and Land records, Srinagar has been asked to hold detailed enquiry in the matter. NEWS 24 01 2015 Kashmir Observer Government of Jammu and Kashmir OFFICE OF THE DISTRICT SHEEP HUSBANDRY OFFICER BANDIPORA (Chairman District Level Recruitment Committee Sheep Husbandry Department Bandipora) NotificatioN It is notified for the information of all concerned that: 1. The interview of eligible shortlisted candidates shown in the Annexure “A” to the Advertisement notification No. DSHO/BPR/Estt/Adv/201415/612-15;Dated:12/06/2014,for the Posts of Assistant Stockman,Orderly,Chowkidar and Orderly cum Chowkidar in district Bandipora shall be conducted in Office of the Undersigned from 10:30 AM onwards as per dates shown against each. 2. The criteria and eligibility for shortlisting of candidates is as under: (i) For the Post of Assistant Stockman – Weightage to basic Qualification Weightage to higher Qualification Experience in four Categories Total Points i.e 10th =50 points 12th= 10 points 10 points in each 100 (ii) For the Post of Orderly, Chowkidar and Orderly cum Chowkidar- Weightage to basic Qualification Points to higher Qualification Total Points i.e 10th =90 points 12th= 10 points 100 3. The weightage has been calculated on Prorate basis with reference to percentage of marks obtained in particular examination as per the formula (% of marks obtained in the particular examination multiplied by total points of the examination divided by 100). 4. The candidates shown in Annexure “A” are shortlisted in terms of 1:10 ratio in each category. 5. In case the candidates whose names do not figure in the shortlist and have got points more than or equal to the cut off points are advised to submit their claim on application with the relevant records by or before 30/01/2015,for consideration of their merits and thereafter no claim shall be entertained. 6. Mere figuring of the name in the list does not entitle the candidates to appear in the interview as it is subject to scrutiny of all the testimonials of shortlisted candidates. 7. No interview call letters shall be issued separately. 8. The candidates shall have to produce all original certificates/testimonials at the time of interview. The candidates failing to produce such certificates/testimonials may forfeit their candidature. 9. Any candidate found guilty of impersonating or submitted fabricated/tempered documents or making false, incorrect suppressing material/ information shall render him/her liable for criminal prosecution under law. 10. No TA/DA shall be paid to the interviewing candidates. NOTE: The candidates are advised to bring Photostat copy of each certificate duly attested by a Gazetted Officer ,for depositing with the selection committee at the time of interview in addition to the original documents. ANNEXURE "A" Shortlist of the Candidates for the Post of Assistant Stockman -Open Merit S.No. Name of the Candidate Parentage Residence 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 Aabida Yousuf Aadil Nazir Wani Aamir Gulzar Aarifa Rashid Aasia Mohiuddin Buhroo Ab. Hafeez Dar Ab. Hamid Bhat Ab. Qayoom Rather Ab. Salam Chopan Ab. Salam Magray Abid Wali Rather Adil Khursheed parrey Ahsanul Haq Mir Ahtisham Gulzar Ali Mohd Lone Altaf Hussain Sheikh Amir Rashid Amir Yousuf Amirullah Lone Anamul Rafiq Aqib Ali Ashiq Hussain Mir Ashiq Hussain War Asif Gul Asif Mohiuddin Mir Asiya Bhat Auqib Afzal Azad Ahmad Dar Babar Bashir Bashir Ahmad Bhat Bilal Ahmad Lone Bilal Ahmad Magray Bilal Ahmad wani Faisal Amin Rather Farhat Khursheed Farhat Majeed Bhat Farkhanda Bashir Farooq Ahmad Wagay Farooz Ahmad Bhat Farooz Ahmad Rather Fayaz Ahmad Wani Ferooz Ahmad Khan Firdoos Ahmad Chopan Idrees Fayaz Harray Mohd Yousuf Buhroo Nazir Ahmad Wani Gulzar Ahmad Mir Ab. Rashid Rather Gh. Mohiuddin Buhrro Lal Mohd Dar Ab. Rashid Bhat Ab. Rashid Rather Ab. Rashid Chopan Khazir Mohd Magray Wali Mohd Rather Khursheed Ahmad parrey Altaf Hussain Mir Ab. Rashid Sheikh Taj Mohd Lone Mohd ismayal Sheikh Ab. Rashid Doom Mohd Yousuf Doobi Habibullah Lone Rafiq Ahmad Mir Ali Mohd Najar Ab. Rahim Mir Gh. Mohd War Gh. Mohd Ganaie Gh. Mohiuddin Mir Ab. Rashid Bhat Mohd Afzal Mir Ab. Rahman Dar Bashir Ahmad Rather Mohd Ramzan Bhat Ab. Kabir Lone Khazir Mohd Magray Nawaz Wani Mohd Amin Rather Lt. Khursheed Ahmad Ab. Majeed Bhat Bashir Ahmad Lone Mohd Sultan Wagay Fayaz Ahmad Bhat Saifuddin Rather Mohd Sabir Wani Ab. Rasheed Khan Mohd Ramzan Chopan Fayaz Ahmad Harray 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 Ilyas Ahmad Wani Imtiyaz Ahmad Lone Imtiyaz Ahmad Sheikh Irfan Ahmad Dar Irshad Ahmad Beigh Irshad Ahmad Wani Irshad Rasool Tantray Ishfaq Ahmad Bhat Ishfaq Ahmad Bhat Ishfaq Ahmad Chopan Ishfaq Ahmad Doobi Ishfaq Ahmad Lone Ishfaq Bashir Ishfaq Manzoor Ishtiyaq Ahmad Khan Islam-Un -Nabi Ganai Javeed Ahmad Ganaie Javeed Iqbal Wani Jehangir Mumtaz Khan Raja Hyder Ali Kounser Neyazi Khan Latieef UL Afzal Mahak Shafi Majid Aziz Bhat Malik Mudasir Manzoor Ahmad Ganaie Marajuddin Samoon Mashooq Ahmad Bhat Masrat Kamal Mehboob Akhter Mehboobul Haq Mehraj Ahmad Bhat Merjeena Maheen Mohd Abaez Afzal Mohd Afzal Dar Mohd Altaf Dar Mohd Ayaz Wagay Mohd Ayoub Mir Gojjar Mohd Azharuddin Sofi Mohd Ibrahim Lone Mohd Muzaffar Chopan Mohd Saleem Bhat Mohd Saqib Wani Mohd Shafi Baba Mohd Shafi Malla Mohd Shahid Bhat Mohd Sultan Mohd Waseem Wani Mohd Yaqoob Beigh Mohd Yaqoob Beigh Mohd Yaqoob Margoo Mohd Yaseen Sheikh Mohd Yasir Khan Mohsin Hassan Mir Mudasir Ahmad Mir Mudasir Ahmad Samoon Mudasir Fayaz Shah Mudasira Mohd Muneeb Ahmad Rather Muneer Ahmad Gojjar Mohd Sayeed Wani Ali Mohd Lone Gh. Rasool Sheikh Gh. Nabi Dar Bashir Ahmad Beigh Mohd Shafi Wani Gh. Rasool Tantray Mohd Saidullah Bhat Gh. Mohd Bhat Ali Mohd Chopan Nazir Ahmad Doobi Nazir Ahmad Lone Bashir Ahmad Rather Manzoor Ahmad Wani Farooq Ahmad Khan Gh. Nabi Ganai Gh. Mohiuddin Ganie Ab. Aziz Wani Mohd Mumtaz Ganaie Gh. Hassan Khan Bashir Ahmad Khan Mohd Afzal Rather Mohd Shafi Zargar Ab. Aziz Bhat Shabir Ahmad Malik Mohd Jamal Ganaie Ab. Jabbar Samoon Ab. Ahad Bhat Mohd Kamal Chopan Gh. Mohiuddin Wani Mohd Yaseen Khan Gh. Hassan Bhat Lt. Mohd Muzaffar Mir Mohd Afzal Chopan Mohd Jafar Dar Mohd Ramzan Dar Gh. Nabi Wagay Ab. Rahim Mir Mohd Saidullah Sofi Mohd Mushtaq Lone Ali Mohd Chopan Farooq Ahmad Bhat Ab. Hamid Wani Mohd Akbar Baba Fayez Ahmad Malla Ab. Gaffar Bhat Hyder Ali Ab. Aziz Wani Ab. Gani Beigh Ab. Gani Beigh Ab. Samad Margoo Ab. Ganie Sheikh Mohd Yaseen Khan Gh. Hassan Mir Rahmatullah Mir Gh. Nabi Samoon Fayaz Ahmad Shah Gh. Mohd Ganaie Mohd Amin Rather Mohd Munawar 105 Muqsid Mushtaq Mushtaq Ahmad Parray Nadihal Bpr Gundpora rampora W.No. 05 Bpr Asham Sonawari Nadihal Bpr Sarai Dangerpora Gundi Boon Asham Sonawari Bonakoot Bpr Dawar Gurez Ajas Bandipora Gundpora Rampora Nowpora Bandiora Malangam Bpr Shahpora Chorwan Sardaab Tilail Kaloosa Bpr Sumbal Sonawari Shahpora Gurez Insafabad W.No.01 Onagam Bpr Arin Bandipora Asham Sonawari Tawheed Abad Bagh Bonakoot Bpr Ajas Bandipora W. No. 06 Bpr Kema Malangam Madar Bpr Ajas Bandipora Dangithal Tilail Dawar Gurez PTL Ajas Sonawari Gundpora Rampora Ajas Bandipora Garoora Bpr Hakbara Sonawari Chewa Sumbal Ajas Bandipora Tarbal Gurez Chewa Sumbal SK Payeen Gulshanpora Bagtore W. No. 02 Bpr Garoora Bpr Mantrigam Bpr Garoora Bpr Wangipora Sumbal Bonakoot Bpr Asham Sonawari Watpora Bpr Chittaybanday Bpr Takiya Safapora Sumbal Sonawari Kharpora Bpr Mader Bpr Dachigam Bpr Nowpora Bpr New Colony Garoora Onagam Bpr Sonerwani Bpr Papchan Bpr Ahamsharief Bpr Muslimabad Bpr Asham Sonawari Ajar Bpr Watpora Bpr Aloosa Bpr Gund S.K Bala Khandyal Gurez Hilal Abad Nesbal Konan Bpr Ayathmulla Bpr Kaloosa Bpr Sumlar Bpr W.No.06 Bpr Chittaybanday Bpr Gadkhod Sumbal S.K Bala Kosumbagh Hakbara Garoora Bpr Qazipora Bpr Watapora Bpr Khayar Bpr W.No.06 Bpr Wani Mohalla Sumbal Sonawari Dachigam Bpr Watpora Bpr Badwan Gurez Checkreshipora Bpr Ganesthan Sumbal Ganesthan Sumbal Saudnara Sonawari Dangithal Gurez Panzigam Bpr Ayathmulla Bpr Lawaypora Bpr Khandyal Gurez Shahpora Khandyal Khayar Bpr Ajas Bandipore Sumlar ShokbabaBpr Hajin Sonawari Cut off Points:39.52 Date of Birth Category Date of Interview 26-05-1994 OM 2/02/2015 16-04-1995 OM 2/02/2015 9/06/1992 OM 2/02/2015 5/11/1994 OM 2/02/2015 6/07/1994 OM 2/02/2015 17-09-1988 OM 2/02/2015 15-10-1993 OM 2/02/2015 3/08/1986 OM 2/02/2015 15-12-1986 OM/RBA 2/02/2015 25/05/1991 OM/ST 2/02/2015 2/10/1993 OM 2/02/2015 3/01/1995 OM 2/02/2015 26-02-1994 OM 2/02/2015 15-10-1991 OM 2/02/2015 16-11-1991 OM/ST 2/02/2015 15-11-1992 OM/ST 2/02/2015 17-11-1992 OM 2/02/2015 14-05-1992 OM 2/02/2015 4/01/1989 OM/ST 2/02/2015 25-09-1992 OM 2/02/2015 28-02-1993 OM 2/02/2015 1/01/1994 OM 2/02/2015 3/05/1992 OM 2/02/2015 20-03-1991 OM 2/02/2015 1/01/1996 OM/RBA 2/02/2015 6/07/1993 OM 2/02/2015 14-03-1992 OM 2/02/2015 12/08/1992 OM 2/02/2015 25-12-1992 OM 2/02/2015 1/04/1990 OM 2/02/2015 23-11-1991 OM/ST 2/02/2015 31-12-1995 OM/ST 2/02/2015 1/03/1994 OM/ST 2/02/2015 1/12/1993 OM 2/02/2015 20/10/1992 OM 2/02/2015 28-03-1990 OM 2/02/2015 16-04-1995 OM 2/02/2015 24-02-1993 OM/RBA 2/02/2015 9/07/1993 OM 2/02/2015 2/02/1992 OM 2/02/2015 15-02-1995 OM/ST 3/02/2015 24-02-1992 OM 3/02/2015 18-02-1990 OM/RBA 3/02/2015 3/07/1994 OM/ST 3/02/2015 10/03/1988 15-03-1990 7/06/1992 4/12/1991 30-03-1989 16-11-1989 4/01/1981 11/09/1995 2/11/1991 8/05/1993 14-06-1993 18-02-1993 2/10/1994 16-03-1995 14-09-1991 28/02/1991 3/01/1993 10/12/1991 9/10/1995 1/01/1994 9/03/1993 5/02/1985 3/08/1993 26-02-1994 3/07/1992 14-04-1990 11/10/91 17-01-1994 11/01/1985 29-03-1991 15/10/1989 10/01/1988 27/09/1993 1/09/1995 1/01/1990 15-03-1992 3/01/1996 1/01/1995 11/01/1992 2/02/1994 11/02/1990 10/02/1988 20-12-1992 3/10/1993 4/12/1992 3/01/1994 15-11-1992 4/03/1995 25-10-1994 25-10-1994 4/01/1990 15-01-1992 1/12/1994 1/07/1990 15-01-1991 3/04/1987 25-08-1994 5/01/1994 9/02/1992 7/11/1995 OM OM OM OM OM OM/RBA OM OM OM/RBA OM OM OM OM OM OM OM OM OM OM OM/ST OM OM OM OM OM OM/RBA OM/ST OM OM OM OM OM/RBA OM OM OM OM/RBA OM/RBA OM/ST OM OM OM OM OM OM OM OM OM/ST OM OM OM OM/RBA OM/ST OM OM OM OM/ST OM/ST OM OM OM/ST 3/02/2015 3/02/2015 3/02/2015 3/02/2015 3/02/2015 3/02/2015 3/02/2015 3/02/2015 3/02/2015 3/02/2015 3/02/2015 3/02/2015 3/02/2015 3/02/2015 3/02/2015 3/02/2015 3/02/2015 3/02/2015 3/02/2015 3/02/2015 3/02/2015 3/02/2015 3/02/2015 3/02/2015 3/02/2015 3/02/2015 3/02/2015 3/02/2015 3/02/2015 3/02/2015 3/02/2015 3/02/2015 3/02/2015 3/02/2015 3/02/2015 3/02/2015 4/02/2015 4/02/2015 4/02/2015 4/02/2015 4/02/2015 4/02/2015 4/02/2015 4/02/2015 4/02/2015 4/02/2015 4/02/2015 4/02/2015 4/02/2015 4/02/2015 4/02/2015 4/02/2015 4/02/2015 4/02/2015 4/02/2015 4/02/2015 4/02/2015 4/02/2015 4/02/2015 4/02/2015 19/02/1993 OM 4/02/2015 106 107 108 109 Mushtaq Bashir Musiab Manzoor Malik Muzamil Bashir Naveed Ahmad Rather Bashir Ahmad Doobi Manzoor Ahmad Bashir Ahmad Khan Rather Ayaz Ahmad 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118 119 120 121 122 123 124 125 126 127 128 129 130 131 132 133 134 135 136 137 138 139 140 141 142 143 144 145 146 147 148 149 150 151 152 153 154 155 156 157 158 159 160 161 Nayeem Ahmad Nazir Ahmad Mir Owais Ahmad Koot Peerzada Mohd Mudasir Quratul Ain Rafia Maqbool Raja Karamat Rashid Mumtaz Rayees Uddin Bhat Razia Hassan Reqiya Rashid Rizwan Rasool Ganaie Saba-Un-Nisa Sadam Hussain Samoon Safdar Hussain Akhoon Saima Nabi Sajad Ahmad Kumar Saleem Yousuf Sofi Saqib Hussain Bini Shagufta Rashid Shahanawaz jabar Sofi Shaista Kareem Shakeel Ahmad Jan Shaysta Nabi Sheikh Javeed Ahmad Sheikh Zahooruddin Showkat Ahmad Reshi Suhail Farooq Sumaira Bano Sumaya Habib Suzia Hassan Tabasum Mushtaq Tanveer Ahmad Bhat Tanveer Ahmad Bhat Tanveer Ahmad Malla Tawseef Ahmad Mir Umair Bashir Ummar Nazir Wani Ummar Rashid Aga Waheedul Majeed Wajeed Gulzar Wani Pervaiz Rasool Waseem Sarwar Wasiem Maqsood Bhat Wasim Ahmad Ganaie Yasir Arfat Yasmeena Majeed Zahid Maqbool Zeeshan Ali Dar Zubair Ahmad Rather Zubair Mohd Wani Zubair Nabi Mohd Shabaz Bhat Mohd Ramzan Mir Khazer Mohd Koot Peerzada Gh. Mohd Nazir Ahmad Khan Mohd Maqbool Lone Lt. Mohd Khalil Mumtaz Ahmad Mir Noor Uddin Bhat Gh. Hassan Bohroo Ab. Rashid Chopan Gh. Rasool Ganaie Manzoor Ahmad P.Z Ab. Jabbar Samoon Gh. Rasool Akhoon Gh. Nabi Dar Gh. Hassan Kumar Mohd Yosuuf Sofi Sheikh Gh. Mohiuddin Ab. Rashid Wani Ab. Jabar Sofi Ab. Kareem Wani Dilawar Jan Gh. Nabi Dar Sheikh Gh. Mohd Jalaluddin Sheikh Ab. Kabir Reshi Mohd Farooq Khan Mohd Ramzan Mir Habibullah Parray Gh. Hassan Wani Mushtaq Ahmad Buhroo Ab. Ahad Bhat Ab. Ahad Bhat Gh. Ahmad Malla Ab. Rashid Mir Bashir Ahmad Chopan Nazir Ahmad Wani Ab. Rashid Aga Ab. Majeed Parray Gulzar Ahmad Mir Gh. Rasool Wani Mohd Sarwar Dar Mohd Maqsood Gh. Ahmad Ganaie Gh. Ahmad Najar Ab. Majeed Parray Mohd Maqbool Mohd Jaffar Dar Mohd Ashraf Rather Gh. Mohd Wani Gh. Nabi Wani Sumbal Sonawari Sumlar Bpr Panzigam Bpr Gundikaser Bandipora Aloosa Bpr Wangipora Sumbal Gundi Dachina Gundpora Rampora Ahamsharief Bpr Gundpora Rampora Checkreshipora Bpr W. No. 04 Bpr Asham Sonawari Nadihal Bpr Patushay Bpr Garoora Bpr Konan Bpr Khandyal Gurez Markoot Gurez Garoora Bpr Asham Sonawari Brar Bpr SK Bala Qazipora Bpr Brar Bpr Checkreshipora Bpr Onagam Bpr Garoora Bpr Bangar Hajin Malangam Bpr Hilal Abad Nesbal Kaloosa Bpr Dachigam Bpr Patushay Bpr Gundpora Rampora Nadihal Bpr Ajas Waza Mohalla Ajas Bandipora Chittaybanday Bpr Kaloosa Bpr Nazcolony Nowpora Ayathmulla Bpr Mangnipora Bpr Vijpara Hajin W.No. 05 Bpr Jaleel Abad Check Dachigam Bpr Asham "A" Garoora Bpr Chittaybanday Bpr Asham Sonawari Hilal Abad Nesbal Gadkhod Sumbal Ajas Bandipora Ajar Bandipora Checkreshipora Bpr 21-08-1993 18/07/1992 1/01/1990 3/01/1994 OM OM/RBA OM OM 4/02/2015 4/02/2015 4/02/2015 4/02/2015 29-01-1992 16/02/1986 17-07-1995 26-10-1990 27/02/1995 1/11/1994 2/11/1993 29/11/1991 26-07-1995 13-05-1995 11/12/1992 20-03-1995 25-04-1994 4/04/1994 06/09/91 24/03/1992 10/12/1995 11/07/1989 6/06/1992 3/01/1993 22-05-1993 3/06/1992 3/08/1986 15/04/1995 1/01/1991 1/01/1978 12/06/1989 9/10/1989 12/10/1989 17-11-1994 9/01/1995 27-06-1990 1/01/1996 1/01/1996 3/04/1994 3/12/1988 2/01/1994 7/02/1993 3/01/1993 11/05/1989 12/07/1990 31-10-1988 20-10-1994 28/02/1977 20-03-1993 27-03-1994 20/02/1993 7/05/1994 3/10/1994 25-11-1988 2/02/1990 18/03/1993 OM OM OM OM OM OM OM OM OM OM OM OM OM OM/ST OM/ST OM OM OM OM/RBA OM OM OM OM OM OM OM OM OM OM OM OM OM OM OM OM/RBA OM OM OM OM OM OM OM OM OM OM OM/RBA OM OM OM OM OM OM 4/02/2015 4/02/2015 4/02/2015 4/02/2015 4/02/2015 4/02/2015 4/02/2015 4/02/2015 4/02/2015 4/02/2015 4/02/2015 5/02/2015 5/02/2015 5/02/2015 5/02/2015 5/02/2015 5/02/2015 5/02/2015 5/02/2015 5/02/2015 5/02/2015 5/02/2015 5/02/2015 5/02/2015 5/02/2015 5/02/2015 5/02/2015 5/02/2015 5/02/2015 5/02/2015 5/02/2015 5/02/2015 5/02/2015 5/02/2015 5/02/2015 5/02/2015 5/02/2015 5/02/2015 5/02/2015 5/02/2015 5/02/2015 5/02/2015 5/02/2015 5/02/2015 5/02/2015 5/02/2015 5/02/2015 5/02/2015 5/02/2015 5/02/2015 5/02/2015 5/02/2015 Shortlist of the Candidates for the Post of Assistant Stockman (RBA) Cut off Points: 28.16 Cut off Points =28.06 S.No. Name of the Candidate Parentage Residence Date of Birth Category Date of Interview 1 Ab. Qayoom Sheikh Ab. Salam Sheikh Dudwan SK Bala 27-09-1988 RBA 6/02/2015 2 Ab. Rouf Bhat Gh. Ahmad Bhat Chendergair 11/10/1994 RBA 6/02/2015 Sonawari 3 Ab. Salam Chopan Ab. Rashid Chopan Bonakoot Bpr 15-12-1986 RBA 6/02/2015 4 Ajaz Ahmad Sheikh Mohd Maqbool Sheikh Chandergair 12/01/1989 RBA 6/02/2015 5 Ajaz Hussain Rather Gh. Ahmad Rather Rekh Shilvat 18-11-1989 RBA 6/02/2015 6 Altaf Hussain Sheikh Noor Mohd sheikh SK Payeen 24-03-1991 RBA 6/02/2015 7 Arshad Hussain Bhat Ali Mohd Bhat Rekh Shilvat 25-10-1995 RBA 6/02/2015 8 Arshed Ahmad Wagay Mohd Sultan Wagay Hakbara Sonawari 11/01/1991 RBA 6/02/2015 9 Arsheed Ahmad Dar Gh. Mohiuddin Dar Kosumbagh Hakbara 3/05/1994 RBA 6/02/2015 10 Ashaq Hussain Malik Gh. Qadir Malik Sumlar Bpr 15-12-1984 RBA 6/02/2015 11 Ather Gul Gh. Mohd Mir Chittaybanday Bpr 9/10/1993 RBA 6/02/2015 12 Azad Ahmad Malik Mohd Subhan Malik Chittaybanday Bpr 10/10/1993 RBA 6/02/2015 13 Basharat Ahmad Tantray Gh. Rasool Tantray Braripora Bonakoot 11/05/1991 RBA 6/02/2015 14 Bilal Ahmad Dar Ab. Ahad Dar Hakbara Sonawari 16-04-1992 RBA 6/02/2015 15 Fahmeeda Rashid Ab. Rashid Wani Gund S.Kote 7/07/1990 RBA 6/02/2015 16 Farooq Adil Wani Ab. Rashid Wani Gund Saderkote 9/12/1991 RBA 6/02/2015 17 Gh. Ahmad Hajam Ab. Hameed Hajam Kosumbagh Hakbara 25-03-1994 RBA 6/02/2015 18 Gh. Mohiuddin Rather Gh. Ahmad Rather Rekh Shilvat 14-02-1994 RBA 6/02/2015 19 Gulzar Ahmad Khan Gh. Hassan Khan Hakbara Sonawari 3/05/1991 RBA 6/02/2015 20 Hilal Ahmad Khan Ab. Aziz Khan SK Bala 15-02-1991 RBA 6/02/2015 21 Hilal Ahmad Khan Ab. Aziz Khan Gund SK Bala 15-02-1991 RBA 6/02/2015 22 Hilal Ahmad Rather Bashir Ahmad Rather Gund S.K Hajin 10/11/1990 RBA 6/02/2015 23 Imtiyaz Ahmad Kotharie Ab. Gani Kotharie Guzerbal Bonakoot 25-10-1991 RBA 6/02/2015 24 Irshad Ahmad Pinchoo Gh. Nabi Pinchoo SK Payeen 16-03-1993 RBA 6/02/2015 25 Irshad Ahmad Rather Bashir Ahmad Rather Gund S.K Hajin 3/11/1992 RBA 6/02/2015 26 Ishfaq Ahmad Chopan Mohd Shafi Chopan Guzerbal Bpr 11/01/1991 RBA 6/02/2015 27 Ishfaq Ahmad Khan Gh. Hassan Khan Hakbara Sonawari 24/02/1994 RBA 6/02/2015 28 Ishrat Fatima Gh. Mohiuddin Chopan Chittaybanday Bpr 3/05/1994 RBA 6/02/2015 29 Javeed Ahmad Shah Mohd Akbar Shah Braripora Bpr 3/04/1993 RBA 6/02/2015 30 Kaiser Mohiuddin Rather Gh. Mohiuddin Rather Panar Bpr 12/12/1994 RBA 6/02/2015 31 Kalsooma Nazir Nazir Ahmad Lone Chittaybanday Bpr 3/01/1989 RBA 6/02/2015 32 Kowser Amin Sheikh Gh. Mohiuddin Dudwan SK Bala 15-09-1995 RBA 6/02/2015 33 Mahjabeena Nazir Nazir Ahmad Lone Chittaybanday Bpr 3/01/1991 RBA 6/02/2015 34 Manzoor Ahmad Bhat Gh. Hassan Bhat Kosumbagh Hakbara 26-03-1989 RBA 6/02/2015 35 Mehrajuddin Sheikh Ali Mohd Sheikh Saudnara Sonawari 3/03/1972 RBA 6/02/2015 36 Mohd Ashraf Dar Mohd Maqbool Dar SK Bala 9/01/1989 RBA 6/02/2015 37 Mohd Ayoub Margoo Gh. Mohd Margoo Saudnara Sonawari 20-03-1993 RBA 6/02/2015 38 Mohd Muzamil Wani Ab. Rashid Wani Sumlar Bpr 25-06-1993 RBA 6/02/2015 39 Mohd Shafi Dar Ali Mohd Dar Gund SK Bala 1/09/1990 RBA 6/02/2015 40 Mosood Bin Habib Habibullah Dar Gund Saderkoot 10/10/1986 RBA 6/02/2015 41 Mudasir Ali Wani Ali Mohd wani Rakhi Shilvat 25-10-1993 RBA 7/02/2015 42 Mushtaq Ahmad Chopan Ab. Kareem Chopan Chittaybanday Bpr 3/10/1988 RBA 7/02/2015 43 Mushtaq Ahmad Najar Ab. Khaliq Najar Bonakoot Bpr 1/01/1974 RBA 7/02/2015 44 Naseeruddin Mohd Gh. Mohd Lone Chittaybanday Bpr 4/01/1994 RBA 7/02/2015 45 Nazir Ahmad Rather Mohd Ishaq Rather Rekh Shilvat 1/01/1991 RBA 7/02/2015 46 Owais Mohiuddin Gh. Mohiuddin Ganaie Chittaybanday Bpr 5/05/1995 RBA 7/02/2015 47 Parveena Bashir Bashir Ahmad Wagay Pehlipora Hakbaba 3/01/1989 RBA 7/02/2015 48 Rahina Nazir Nazir Ahmad Zargar Chittaybanday Bpr 11/08/1990 RBA 7/02/2015 49 Rayees Ahmad Chopan Ab. Rashid Chopan Guzerbal Bonakoot 3/05/1988 RBA 7/02/2015 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 Reyaz Ahmad Dar Reyaz Ahmad Wagay Saifullah Shahnawaz Sajad Ahmad Dar Shafat Manzoor Shahida Ali Sohail Ahmad Ganaie Taveer Hydait Mir Tawseef Ahmad Malik Wagay Taj Din Zubair-ul-Irshad Khoja Gh. Nabi Dar Gh. Nabi Wagay Gh. Hassan Bhat Gh. Mohiuddin Dar Gh. Mohd Dar Ali Mohd Hajam Mushtaq Ahmad Ganaie Hadytullah Mir Gh. Mohd Malik Mohd Shabaz wagay Irshad Ahmad Khoja Kosumbagh Hakbara Kosumbagh Hakbara Rakh Shilvat Kosumbagh Hakbara Gada Khod Sumbal Kosumbagh Hakbara Chittaybanday Bpr Chittaybanday Bpr Chittaybanday Bpr Saudnara Sumbal Saudnara Sonawari Shortlist of the Candidates for the Post of Assistant Stockman (ST) S.No. Name of the Candidate Parentage 1 Amjed Hassan Mir Gh. Hassan Mir 2 Arif Mohiuddin Lone Gh. Mohiuddin Lone 3 Ashaq Hussain Najar Mohd Maqbool Najar 4 Ashaq Rasool Mapnoo Gh. Rasool Mapnoo 5 Auqib Sajad Lone Mohd Yaqoob Lone 6 Bashir Ahmad Malik Gh. Malik 7 Bilal Ahmad Lone Gh. Rasool Lone 8 Bilal Ahmad Lone Gh. Ahmad Lone 9 Farooq Ahmad Chopan Ali Mohd Chopan 10 Jameel Ahmad Khan Ab. Jabbar Khan 11 Khursheed Ahmad Lone Ab. Rahim Lone 12 Kunsar Hussain Chopan Gh. Hassan Chopan 13 Manzoor Ahmad Lone Ab. Rahman Lone 14 Maymoona Banoo Mohd Sultan Lone 15 Mohd Abrahim Sheikh Gh. Mohd Sheikh 16 Mohd Imran Harray Ab. Rahim Harray 17 Mohd Sayeed Lone Mohd Subhan Lone 18 Moosa Khalil Lone Mohd Khalil Lone 19 Musrat Naz Ab. Sattar Ganaie 20 Nadeem Ahmad Chopan Gh. Hussain Chopan 21 Naveed Anjum Lone Mohd Abdullah Lone 22 Nazifa Wazir Wazir Hussain Harey 23 Rafia Mumtaz Mohd Mumtaz Mir 24 Reyaz Ahmad lone Mohd Subhan Lone 25 Ruqia Bano Gh. Qadir Samoon 26 Sajjad Ahmad Lone Ab. Majeed Lone 27 Saleem Shafi Mohd Shafi Ganaie 28 Shahid Mumtaz Mir Mohd Mumtaz Mir 29 Tahira Jabeen Hamidullah Lone 30 Ziyafat Hussain Mir Atta Mohd Mir 11/06/1990 9/01/1990 15-02-1991 3/04/1994 4/02/1994 14-11-1992 4/05/1994 25-02-1991 4/01/1994 11/11/95 3/09/1994 Cut off points: 31.45 Residence Gulshanpora Bagtore Gujran Dawar Gurez Shahpora Bala Dawar Gurez Kilshay Tilail Shahpora Gurez Jalindora Gurez Chuntiwari Gurez PTL Kanzalwan Gurez Badwan Gurez Mantrigam Bpr Shahpora Chorwan Dangithal Tilail Bagtore Gurez Badugam Tilail Sardab Tilail Gulshanpora Gurez Badwan Gurez Badugam Tilail Gulshanpora Bagtore Gulshanpora Tarbal Badugam Tilail Dawar Gurez Gulshanpora Gurez Bagtore Gurez Gulshanpora Tarbal Shahpora Gurez Dawar Gurez Shortlist of the Candidates for the Post of Assistant Stockman (S.C) S.No. Name of the Candidate Parentage 1 Ajay Kumar Sh. Tulsi Ram 2 Ajay Kumar Panjathya Ganesh Dass 3 Akshay Karlupia Tilak Raj 4 Amandeep Sh. Janak Raj 5 Antu Kumar Sh. Kaku Ram 6 Ashok Kumar Sh. Tulsi Ram 7 Dharmindar Kumar Sh. Sain Dass 8 Happy Angural Sat Paul 9 Hira Lal Sh. Thuro Ram 10 Jeet Raj Devraj 11 Kooshal Kumar Omkar Chand 12 Kushal Kumar Munshi Ram 13 Maneesa Kumari Rash Pal 14 Mukesh Kumar Girhdhari Lal 15 Pawan Lal Kartar Chand 16 Rajinder Kumar Sudagar Ram 17 Rakesh Kumar Sardari Lal 18 Rakesh Kumar Pritam Lal 19 Rakesh Kumar Sh. Gharu Ram 20 Ranjeet Singh Dina Nath 21 Rohit Badgal Dev Raj 22 Sandeep KumarGadiyal Bansari lal 23 Sanjeev Thapa Balkar Chand 24 Sanju Kumar Omkar Chand 25 Sudesh Kumar Shounku Ram 26 Sunil Kumar Omkar Chand 27 Sunil Kumar Madan Lal 28 Sunil Manhas Dhani Ram 29 Surinderkumar Waryam Chand 30 Vipan Kumar Bhushan Kumar RBA RBA RBA RBA RBA RBA RBA RBA RBA RBA RBA 7/02/2015 7/02/2015 7/02/2015 234 7/02/2015 7/02/2015 7/02/2015 7/02/2015 7/02/2015 7/02/2015 7/02/2015 Date of Birth 11/01/1990 12/10/91 19-11-1989 10/11/90 15-12-1995 3/01/1991 11/01/1994 20-11-1993 15-10-1989 12/11/93 4/01/1990 10/12/88 1/04/1981 12/08/1994 5/10/1994 4/01/1989 10/04/1992 26-11-1994 11/09/1991 30-11-1985 3/01/1994 2/06/1995 30-10-1992 10/12/88 30-10-1989 15-10-1991 2/01/1993 10/12/89 4/01/1990 4/01/1989 Cut off Points: 26.70 Residence Kanki Doda Chak Jagtu Jammu Kopri Samba Jindlehar RS Pora Rakh AMB Talli Samba Kanki Doda VPO Paloora Jammu Phariwala Akhnor Sher Kotla Kathua Pahariwala Akhnoor Arazi Samba Thalori Samba Madna Samba Check Jangi Samba Abtal Kattan Samba Pangdour Samba Mandhera Samba Kanhal Upper Jammu RS Pora Jammu H.No.263 Muthi Jmu Katli Samba Hazuri Bagh Jammu Pangdour Samba Panghour Samba Johnu Udhampur Glar Samba Gole Bohri Jammu Banhore Kathua Hiranagar Kuthwa Samba Category ST ST ST ST ST ST ST ST ST ST ST ST ST ST ST ST ST ST ST ST ST ST ST ST ST ST ST ST ST ST Date of Birth 8/12/1992 1/10/1995 8/01/1994 21-08-1991 27-03-1992 1/01/1989 6/12/1975 19-06-1992 5/02/1994 29-01-1989 18-01-1989 31-07-1988 11/03/1981 8/02/1993 16-04-1979 10/06/1994 31-03-1993 15-06-1991 23-03-1987 5/12/1983 27-02-1995 27-10-1983 27-01-1991 3/02/1992 3/04/1987 2/05/1991 23-06-1990 15-03-1992 5/07/1986 22-06-1980 Shortlist of the Candidates for the Post of Orderly Cum Chowkidar (OM) S.No. Name of the Candidate Parentage 1 Azharuddin Bhat Hamidullah Bhat 2 Bhat Rayees Mohd Yousf Bhat 3 Fayaz Ahmad wagay Gh. Nabi Wagay 4 Gh. Nabi Parray Ab. Gani Parray 5 Hafizullah Wani Mohd Afzal wani 6 Imtiyaz Ahmad Mir Ab. Gani Mir 7 Ishfaq Ahmad Wagay Ab. Khaliq Wagay 8 Javeed Ahmad Ganaie Mohd Maqbool Ganaie 9 Noorul Hassan Rather Ab. Aziz Rather 10 Tariq Ahmad Koul Mohd Hayat Koul 11 Ulfat Atta Ataullah Bhat Cut Off Points: 52.12 Residence Watpora Bpr Aloosa Bandipora Qosumbagh Asham Sonawari Qazipora Bpr Arin Bpr Hakbara Sonawari Hajin Sonawari Ajas Bandipora Baharabad Hajin Malangam Bpr Shortlist of the Candidates for the post of Orderly - Open Merit S. No. Name of the Candidate Parentage 1 Basharat Nazim Mohd Maqbool Bhat 2 Mansoor Ahmad Sheikh Sonaullah Sheikh 3 Mohd Saqib Wani Ab. Hamid Wani 4 Mubashir Ahmad Rather Habibullah Rather 5 Mudasir Ahmad Mir Gh. Mohiuddin Mir 6 Muneer Ahmad Dar Mohd Ashraf Dar 7 Naseerul Islam Gh. Mohd Khan 8 Rameez Ahmad Rather Manzoor Ahmad Rather 9 Shagufta Hussain Mohd Hussain Mir 10 Shaheena Jameed Jameed Ahmad Lone Shortlist of the Candidates for the Post of Orderly - RBA S. No. Name of the Candidate Parentage 1 Ajaz Ahmad Dar Ab. Hamid Dar 2 Arshid Ahmad Hajam Ali Mohd Hajam 3 Bazilla Bashir Bashir Ahmad Wani 4 Bilal Ahmad Khanday Mohd Ashraf Khanday 5 Ishfaq Ahmad Wagay Bashir Ahmad Wagay 6 Mohd Yaseen Rather Ab. Ahad Rather 7 Naza Bano Gh. Rasool Bahar 8 Nusrat Bano Gh. Rasool Bahar 9 Rasiakh Ahmad wagay Mohd Ismaiel wagay 10 Tawseef Ahmad Lone Mohd Afzal Lone (Cut Off Points:64.18) Residence Date of Birth Chewa Sonawari 6/12/1993 Ajar Bandipora 15-04-1990 Wani Mohalla Sumbal 20/12/1992 Matipora Ajas 19-09-1991 Baharabad Sonawari 14-04-1994 Inderkote Sumbal 14-06-1989 S.K Bala 11/10/1990 Ajas Bandipore 20/04/1991 Asham Sonawari 3/01/1994 Markoot Gurez 7/12/1992 (cut off Points: (Cut Off Points:36.18) Residence Date of Birth Rakh Shilvat 3/05/1994 Kosumbagh Hakbara 7/07/1993 Sumlar Shokbaba 26-08-1994 Saudnara Sonawari 11/03/1984 Hakbara Sonawari 6/05/1991 Chendergair 15-11-1985 Baharabad Sonawari 31-03-1987 Baharabad Sonawari 3/01/1993 Hakbara Sumbal 3/10/1990 Chuntimulla Bpr 5/01/1986 Shortlist of Candidates for the Post of Chowkidar -Open Merit Date of Birth 15-11-1986 2/03/1986 3/01/1991 4/10/1981 25-03-1989 11/05/1989 12/01/1991 3/01/1988 2/06/1975 11/11/1992 15-09-1995 Date of Interview 7/02/2015 7/02/2015 7/02/2015 7/02/2015 7/02/2015 7/02/2015 7/02/2015 7/02/2015 7/02/2015 7/02/2015 7/02/2015 7/02/2015 7/02/2015 7/02/2015 7/02/2015 7/02/2015 7/02/2015 7/02/2015 7/02/2015 7/02/2015 9/02/2015 9/02/2015 9/02/2015 9/02/2015 9/02/2015 9/02/2015 9/02/2015 9/02/2015 9/02/2015 9/02/2015 Category S.C S.C S.C S.C S.C S.C S.C S.C S.C S.C S.C S.C S.C S.C S.C S.C S.C S.C S.C S.C S.C S.C S.C S.C S.C S.C S.C S.C S.C S.C Date of Interview 9/02/2015 9/02/2015 9/02/2015 9/02/2015 9/02/2015 9/02/2015 9/02/2015 9/02/2015 9/02/2015 9/02/2015 9/02/2015 9/02/2015 9/02/2015 9/02/2015 9/02/2015 9/02/2015 9/02/2015 9/02/2015 9/02/2015 9/02/2015 9/02/2015 9/02/2015 9/02/2015 9/02/2015 9/02/2015 9/02/2015 9/02/2015 9/02/2015 9/02/2015 9/02/2015 Category OM OM OM/RBA OM OM OM OM OM OM OM/RBA OM Date of Interview 10/02/2015 10/02/2015 10/02/2015 10/02/2015 10/02/2015 10/02/2015 10/02/2015 10/02/2015 10/02/2015 10/02/2015 10/02/2015 Category OM OM OM OM OM/RBA OM OM/RBA OM OM OM/ST Date of Interview 10/02/2015 10/02/2015 10/02/2015 10/02/2015 10/02/2015 10/02/2015 10/02/2015 10/02/2015 10/02/2015 10/02/2015 Category RBA RBA RBA RBA RBA RBA RBA RBA RBA RBA Date of Interview 10/02/2015 10/02/2015 10/02/2015 10/02/2015 10/02/2015 10/02/2015 10/02/2015 10/02/2015 10/02/2015 10/02/2015 Cut off points: 40.60 S. No. Name of Candidate Parentage Residence Date of Birth Category Date of Interview 1 Aurif Nazir Lone Nazir Ahmad Lone Onagam Bpr 3/10/1991 OM 10/02/2015 2 Bhat Fayaz-ud-din Bashir Ahmad bhat Aloosa Bpr 20-01-1981 OM 10/02/2015 3 Gh. Mustafa Mapnoo Gh. Rasool Mapnoo Shahpora Chorwan 1/02/1995 OM/ST 10/02/2015 4 Hilal Ahmad Bhat Mohd Yousuf Bhat Plan Bpr 15-03-1989 OM 10/02/2015 5 Irshad Ahmad Parray Gh. Mohd Parray Wangipora Sumbal 27-04-1985 OM 10/02/2015 6 Mohd Irfan Sofi Gh. Mohd Sofi Qazipora Bpr 3/04/1991 OM 10/02/2015 7 Musheer Ul Islam Mohd Maqbool Bhat Checkarsala khan 10/10/1986 OM 10/02/2015 8 Nazir Ahmad Wani Gh.Nabi Wani Baharabad Hajin 12/05/1985 OM/RBA 10/02/2015 9 Tasqduq Ahmad Bhat Gh. Mohd Bhat Chittaybanday Bpr 25-03-1986 OM/RBA 10/02/2015 10 Zaid Mohd Dar Mohd Shafi Dar Sonerwani Bpr 10/08/1993 OM 10/02/2015 Shortlist of Candidates for the Post of Chowkidar- RBA Cut Off Point: 32.94 S. No. Name of Candidate Parentage Residence Date of Birth Category Date of Interview 1 Ab. Qayoom Bhat Gh. Mohd Bhat Chandergair Sonawari 26/01/1991 RBA 10/02/2015 2 Firodous Ahmad Bhat Gh. Mohiuddin Bhat Saudnara Sonawari 4/11/1985 RBA 10/02/2015 3 Mehrajuddin Malla Ab. Rashid Malla Kosumbagh Hakbara 30-03-1983 RBA 10/02/2015 4 Mohd Ashraf Sheikh Mohd Shaban Sheikh Zoonipora Sumbal 15-04-1984 RBA 10/02/2015 5 Mohd Mumtaz Dar Ab. Ahad Dar Kosumbagh Hakbara 11/10/1993 RBA 10/02/2015 6 Mohd Munawar Rather Ab. Jabar Rather Chandergair Sonawari 12/01/1986 RBA 10/02/2015 7 Nissar Ahmad wagay Ab. Rahman Wagay Hakbara Sumbal 20-04-1989 RBA 10/02/2015 8 sameer Ahmad Wagay Gh. Ahmad Wagay Pahlipora Hakbara 10/02/1993 RBA 10/02/2015 9 Tanveer Ahmad Najar Ab. Satar Najar Chittaybanday Bpr 3/09/1989 RBA 10/02/2015 10 Tariq Ahmad Wagay Mohd Jamal Wagay Kosumbagh Hakbara 1/01/1976 RBA 10/02/2015 (Dr. Mohammad Amin Dar) District Sheep Husbandry Officer Bandipora C M Y K saturday Kashmir Observer news C M Y K C M Y K 8 SATURDAY 24 01 2015 India clears cows, dogs, dust for Obama Taj Mahal trip AGRA, INDIA: As he scrubs the road to India’s Taj Mahal on his knees for less than five dollars a day, Ramjeet beams with pride at the thought of US President Barack Obama admiring his handiwork. “If everything is clean then he will be impressed,” said the aching man as he took a rest with another 10 kilometres (six miles) of road still to be scoured by him and his co-workers. “It’s hard on the knees and back,” admitted the cleaner, who is being paid just 300 Indian rupees (around $4.80) a day for his part in a massive makeover. Ramjeet, who does not have a last name, is one of 600 cleaners mobilised in the city of Agra ahead of Tuesday’s visit by the US president and First Lady Michelle Obama to the world’s most famous temple of love. Apart from cleaning white lines on the roads, authorities have been rounding up stray dogs, clearing cows from the streets, and have ordered a lockdown around the complex. “There are a lot of spit stains and such that need to be washed away. The streets need to be spick and span,” said India’s former chief achaeologist KK Mohammed, who has guided world leaders around the white marbled mausoleum. “You cannot have a VVVIP of the world come to the Taj Mahal and let him see that,” Mohammed told AFP. The spruce-up, which comes after Modi himself launched a national clean-up campaign last October, reflects a wider determination to ensure the Obamas get to see India at its finest. In the capital Delhi, workers have been coating buildings and bollards with fresh paint ahead of the Obamas’ attendance at a military parade on Monday. But the frenzy has been most intense in Agra, no stranger to hosting heads of state or royalty such as Britain’s late Princess Diana. The Obamas’ visit will be covered by a massive press pack and organisers want to ensure a picture-perfect backdrop. Pradeep Bhatnagar, chairman of the Taj Trapezium Zone, a buffer region around the monument, said ongoing beautification work has been halted for 10 days to allow dust to settle before the guests arrive. Suresh Chand, who is in charge of the clean-up, said stray dogs — a common sight in any Indian city — have been rounded up, and more than two tonnes of rubbish pulled from the nearby polluted Yamuna river in just two days. Another official said cows and buffaloes roaming the streets also “would have to go”. “When a guest comes to our house then we have to do something better than the normal,” said Chand, Agra municipal council’s chief engineer. Inside the Taj complex, a dozen barefoot women were busy trimming lawn edges with trowels. “Obama, Obama,” one lady, who has worked at the Taj for more than two decades and earns 100 Indian rupees a day, said with a grin. Some 3,000 police are on duty and will conduct boat patrols of the river, said Agra police senior superintendent Rajesh Modak. Tourists will be turned away while the Obamas are touring the Taj, built by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan as a tomb for his beloved empress who died during childbirth in 1631. Locals teeming the alleys around the Taj — which took 20,000 labourers 16 years to build — said they have been ordered to stay indoors. Not everyone is happy about the lockdown, with some saying it has made them feel like criminals. “You can’t go outside, you can’t go onto the roof, you can’t go outside to the bathroom — it’s like a curfew,” grumbled Anil Kumar Sonkar, who runs a sweet shop a stone’s throw from the Taj. “We should be open for business and Obama should be allowed to come and sample my world-famous petha,” said Sonkar of the sweet made from sugar and pumpkin. A similar shutdown occurred during US president Bill Clinton’s visit in 2000, prompting him to ask officials if he was visiting a ghost town, according to locals. “We were (then) rounded up and made to stand in a line and Mr Clinton came past in his car and shook our hands,” said Sunehri Lal, as he watched children play in a rubbish heap. “If Obama did something like that, it would be overwhelming.” Amnesty slams West for overlooking Saudi rights violations "Nothing has changed as of now. Legally he is still going to be flogged every Friday and the only reason they are stopping is for his medical condition to improve so they can hurt him again," Shetty warned. LONDON: Amnesty International has lashed out at the Western leaders for turning a blind eye to human rights violations in Saudi Arabia, voicing concern over the fate of the jailed Saudi activist, Raif Badawi. "The Saudi regime seems insensitive to human rights and human dignity and unfortunately they are also protected by many Western countries because they have oil and because they are seen as allies in the fight against terrorism," said Secretary General of Amnesty Interna- C M Y K JAMMU, JANUARY 23: As per a notification issued here today by Law Department, every notary has to submit to the government an annual return in the form XVI of Notaries Act for the work done by him during the preceding year. Accordingly, all the enrolled notaries, who have not submitted their returns till date, are called upon to do so within a period of two weeks from the date of publication of this notification, failing which action as warranted under law will be initiated. C M Y K Widespread protests were held in the city against insulting cartoons published by a French journal after Friday prayers- Pix Abid Bhat Bukhari censures telecom companies for poor services in Kashmir Srinagar: Asking telecommunication operators particularly the Government run Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) to wakeup and improve their services in Kashmir, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) senior leader and MLA Elect Amirakadal Syed Mohammad Altaf Bukhari has said the poor mobile and landline services is giving a tough time to the millions of subscribers in the Valley. In this connection Bukhari has shot a communiqué to the Union Minister of Communications & Information Technology New Delhi bringing into his notice the plight of subscribers who are directly and indirectly affected by the poor services offered by the telecom- munication companies operating in Kashmir. While referring to the decrepit landline telephonic services, broadband internet outage, poor GPRS, 2G and 3G services, Bukhari has said that the tall claims made by telecommunication companies particularly the BSNL about restoration of its services in short span of time after floods has proved to be a hoax. “The role of telecom companies has been worst during the floods and these companies are still operating on a snail’s pace. Four months have passed since the flood devastated Kashmir in September last year, the subscribers particularly those having BSNL landline and cellular connections find it difficult to make a call, surf internet or avail a smooth broadband internet facility in their homes and offices. Same is the case with private telecom companies who earn thousands of Crores in terms of revenue C M Y K but hardly bother to streamline their cellular services in Kashmir,” Bukhari opined. The MLA Elect said that the poor and dismal telecommunication services have also affected the business community in Kashmir particularly the tour and travel companies who are not able to make regular contacts with their outside State agencies because of poor internet and mobile telephonic services. “Similarly the families of students studying outside J&K complain of poor mobile and internet connectivity when they try to talk or chat with their wards. This dismal situation needs to be changed without any delay.” “People across Kashmir particu- larly in Srinagar are facing tough times in absence of a smooth mobile and internet service. The services offered by the telecom companies at present are so poor that subscribers are now fed up by making constant efforts to make a call or receive the one properly,” the MLA Elect observed. Even at most of the times, people witness only one way of mobile traffic or come across frequent cross connections while making a call. “In various localities of the flood-affected Amirakadal constituency, the BSNL is yet to restore its landline network. This has created a lot of problems for the people especially the traders’ community as the non functional landline connections have rendered broadband internet and fax services defunct,” Bukhari remarked. Stressing on telecom authorities to streamline the mobile and internet connectivity, Bukhari said that temporary initiatives like intra-circle roaming arrangements between various mobile service operators in Kashmir should be continued for facilitating smooth mobile services to the subscribers particularly in far flung areas of the Valley. “Proper arrangements should be made till the requisite infrastructure is put in place by the telecom companies particularly the BSNL to remove the technical hitches,” Bukhari averred. C M Y K C M Y K Notaries asked to submit annual return tional Salil Shetty on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on Friday. Shetty also urged the international community not to forget the case of Badawi following the Saudi king’s death. Badawi has been sentenced to 1,000 lashes in 20 weekly installments by the Saudi Judiciary. However, the Saudi officials suspended his verdict following an international outcry after he received the first 50 lashes. The blogger's persecution began in 2008 after he co-founded the “Free Saudi Liberals” website, where he criticized influential Saudi clerics who follow Wahhabism, a sect which originated in Saudi Arabia. Although his lawyers appealed for a retrial, the verdict was upheld last May. His sentence included 1,000 lashes, a 10-year prison term, one-million-riyal fine ($266,000), 10-year ban on overseas travel after his release, and 10-year ban from participating in visual, electronic and written media after his release. Criticism of Wahhabi clerics is viewed as a red line as they play a vital role in supporting the Al Saud regime’s policies. International human rights organizations have lashed out at Saudi Arabia for failing to address the rights situation in the kingdom. They say Saudi Arabia has persistently implemented repressive policies that stifle freedom of expression, association and assembly. C M Y K C M Y K Raif’s prosecution
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