KASHMIR READER HEADLINES 1. West Pak refugee proposals: experts ring alarm bells Wasim Khalid Srinagar: In a rare instance, pro-India politicians and the resistance leadership in the Valley have spoken in one voice and warned of serious repercussions if New Delhi accepts the recommendations of a parliamentary panel and grants refugees from Pakistan permanent residency and voter rights in the state. Several political experts agree. Political science professor GM Dar said the intent behind the recommendations is to change the dominant Muslim political character of the state. “What will happen if eight assembly seats are created for the refugees and they are granted voting rights? The number of such refugees is about a million. Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and its affiliates want to change the Muslim-majority character of the state,” Dar said. A parliamentary panel has recommended Permanent Resident Certificate and right to vote in assembly elections for the West Pakistan Refugees (WPRs) and displaced persons (DPs) from Pakistan-administered Kashmir (PaK) besides a financial assistance of Rs 30 lakh per family. Continued 2. Chadoora man thrashed ‘for divorcing’ NC after 3 decades Moazum Mohammad Srinagar: Mohammad Altaf Rasray, a National Conference loyalist from Chadoora for the past 30 years, divorced the party before the Assembly elections and embraced People’s Democratic Party. His act has earned him four stitches in the head at the hands of an NC loyalist, he said. On Friday last week, Ghulam Rasool Bhat and his son Bilal Ahmad thrashed Rasray outside his home in Dada Ompora village when he was buying bread from a baker. If Rasray’s sister had not been accompanying him and come to his rescue, injuries would have been more serious, he said. “We filed a complaint with the police but no action was taken against the duo because they enjoy the patronage of the former MLA Chrar-e-Sharief (Abdul Rahim Rather),” Rasray said. Forty-five-year-old Rasray said his joining PDP and persuading several other villagers as well did not go well with NC supporters in the village. After the attack, Rasray said that newly-elected PDP legislator Ghulam Nabi Lone Hanjoora told him to approach the media to highlight his case. Continued 3. Stable govt soon: BJP again Jammu: Two days after Governor’s rule was imposed in Jammu and Kashmir following failure of political parties to reach a consensus to form government, BJP on Sunday said a stable government would soon be in place in the state. Addressing party workers in Poonch, state president of the party and MP from Jammu, Jugal Kishore Sharma said, “Government shall be in place soon and a huge task is ahead for all of us to provide equitable development for all the areas in the region.” He thanked the voters for supporting BJP in the Assembly election and said that BJP would work in all the far off areas to ensure full-scale development in the days to come. “The areas that have been neglected need immediate attention... It is high time that due attention is given to all the sectors where no attention had been paid by successive governments,” he said. Continued 4. Courts can’t ask states to provide quota in promotions: SC New Delhi: The Constitution enables governments to provide for reservation of SC/ST category employees even in promotions but courts cannot direct them to make such a provision, the Supreme Court has ruled. A bench of justices J Chelameswar and A K Sikri, however, said the aggrieved employees, belonging to SC/ST categories, can themselves seek redressal from the court if they are denied the rightful promotions. “Insofar as making of provisions for reservation in matters of promotion to any class or classes of post is concerned, such a provision can be made in favour of SC/ST category employees if, in the opinion of the State, they are not adequately represented in services under the State. “Thus, no doubt, power lies with the State to make a provision, but, at the same time, courts cannot issue any mandamus to the State to necessarily make such a provision. It is for the State to act, in a given situation, and to take such an affirmative action,” the bench said. Continued 5. Imposition of Guv rule raises hope of flood victims Srinagar: Imposition of Centres rule in Jammu and Kashmir has raised hopes among the victims of last years devastating floods that the process of rehabilitation will be expedited now even as the political parties continue to blame each other for enforcement of Governors rule in the state. “We are hopeful that the central government will now act faster on its promise of complete rehabilitation of the flood victims....elections are out of the way and there can be no politicking over rehabilitation in Governors Rule,” Abdul Rashid, who lost all his worldly possessions in the September floods last year, said. Rashid said that the Centre should expedite the rehabilitation process and no excuse can now be made. “During the election campaign, the BJP leaders who are ruling at the central level promised complete rehabilitation of the victims. This is their opportunity to walk the talk,” he added. Continued 6. PDAs demolition drive continues SHABIR AHMAD ANANTNAG: Continuing its demolition drive, Pahalgam Development Authority (PDA) on Sunday razed to ground several illegal structures in different areas of its jurisdiction. The demolition squad of the PDA led by its chief executive officer (CEO) bulldozed two huge under-construction hotels at Rangwar. The structures were illegally coming up in the ecologically fragile area and were near completion, reports said. The squad also demolished an illegal structure near Sadu Top. PDP’s CEO, Mohammad Yousuf Bhat, said they had already served notices to the people who were constructing these structures in violation of the High Court directives. “We had given them three days for demolition of the illegal structures on their own. Since they ignored our warning a team of PDA accompanied by police rushed to the area and demolished all the three structures,” Bhat told Kashmir Reader. Continued 7. No liquor for BSF troopers at IB Reader Correspondent Srinagar: The Border Security Force (BSF) has banned consumption of liquor by its troopers posted along the International Border in Jammu and Kashmir, a media report said Sunday. As the mercury dips close to freezing point in forward areas of the state and the ban on use of brandy, “which can come handy to cut bone-chilling cold,” at the BSF BOPs is a deterrent. BSF officials believe liquor can be a distraction in sensitive areas like Jammu. A BSF trooper found intoxicated on duty can be sentenced to rigorous imprisonment of up to six months under Section 24 of BSF Act and Rules. “We cannot take any risk with spirits. Our layers of outfits are completely trustworthy,” BSF’s Inspector General Dharmendra Pareek was quoted as saying by the Times of India. Continued 8. ‘Work stress leading to social isolation of CRPF men’ New Delhi: Continuous deployment in “high intensity conflict areas” like Jammu and Kashmir is forcing personnel of country’s largest paramilitary CRPF to suffer from large-scale “social ostracisation”, a report prepared on the state of affairs of the force has said. As per the voluminous analytical report prepared on the current status of the personnel of this three-lakh strong force, they also undergo trauma in marital and family issues and are unable to ensure good education for their children. The report puts forth some damning facts about the “pathetic” living and work conditions as well as poor emotional and physical well-being of its men and women. Continued 9. BJP working on Hurriyat agenda in JK: Congress ‘Jammu denied its due right by Kashmir-centric politicians’ Akhnoor: By not forming the government in spite of getting a mandate, BJP was “hijacking” the agenda of Kashmir-based separatists aimed at creating political instability in Jammu and Kashmir, Congress said on Sunday. “BJP is least interested in formation of government in the state, they just want to hijack the agenda of the Hurriyat Conference to create political uncertainties and instability in Jammu and Kashmir,” senior Congress leader Sham Lal Sharma said while addressing youth workers of the party here. “People voted for a change, let them now judge how their mandate is being humiliated. Despite having the requisite numbers they failed to form a government which resulted in the imposition of the Governor rule in the state,” Sharma said. Sharma said that BJP has compromised with the sentiments and aspirations of the people of the Jammu region. Continued 10. Guv rule makes no difference to Kashmiris’: Hurriyat (G) Reader Correspondent Srinagar: Syed Ali Geelani-led Hurriyat Conference Sunday said that imposing Governor’s rule in Kashmir “makes no difference” to the people here. In a statement, a party spokesman Ayaz Akbar termed the Governor’s rule as a “non-issue”. “Jammu and Kashmir is actually governed by the Indian home ministry, army and police, and the so-called state administration acts on their orders,” he said. “Be it the Governor’s rule, BJP-PDP coalition or the grand alliance of PDP-NC-Congress in the state, it makes no difference to Kashmiris as there will be no impact over the illegal occupation of the state,” he added. Akbar said that people of Kashmir “have suffered both under the Governor’s rule as well as during a civil administration.” . Continued 11. Settling WPRs a plot to change state’s demography: JKLF (R), JKSM Reader Correspondent Srinagar: JKLF (R) and JK Salvation Movement on Sunday said that New Delhi’s move to permanently settle the West Pakistan Refugees (WPRs) here was a “dangerous plot” to change the demography of the state. JKLF (R) chief patron barrister Abdul Majeed Tramboo and chairman JKLF-R Farooq Ahmad Dar (BittaKaratey) in a joint statement said, “India wants to transform J&K into a Muslim minority state.” “They have been trying to do it from 1947. Now, with BJP led government in place, they are trying to implement their plans and starting from the settlement of these refugees in the state by giving them all the basic rights,” they said. Continued 12. PPP for hartal in Lal Chowk on Jan 21 Reader Correspondent Srinagar: People’s Political Party (PPP) chairman Hilal Ahmad War on Sunday called for a shutdown in Lal Chowk and adjoining areas on January 21 to commemorate the 24th anniversary of Gaw Kadal massacre. 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Posted on: Sun, 11 Jan 2015 16:48:48 +0000
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