daily paper february 18, 2013

7/29/2019 Daily Paper February 18, 2013

1/8


2/8

BJP organizes...AfzalGuroo. He said that the nationalists are

not safe in the hands of such a government whichis involved in strengthening the separatist agenda

by provoking the sentiments of the people. JugalKishore highlighted all the traditional agendas of the party like Delimitation Of Constituencies,Implimentation of 73rd and 74th amendments inthe Panchayati raj, Article 370 , unemploymentand Ignorance of Ladakh region.

In his address, JagatPrakashNadda highlight-ed the party's continuous increase in reach toevery region of the state not withstanding being aMuslim majority state. The people in Valley

recalling the path breaking steps taken by theBJP-led NDA government in ameliorating thesufferings of the people and attaining the peace,are enthusiastically joining the party. The samestory is being repeated in cold desert region of Ladakh. He praised the party workers for work-ing in most difficult and discouraging environ-ment and said that only BJP can transform thestate and change the destiny of the people for bet-ter, which NC, Congress and PDP has failed tilldate. MLA Sukhnandan Kumar pointed out the

problems being faced by the farming communityon account of administration's lack of concern for them. State Secretary Haleema threw light on the

plight of a common man in valley and said thatonly a handful of privileged people are enjoyingthe loaves of power there.

State Spokesperson Lalit Moza spoke on the plight of the internally displaced Kashmiri pan-dits. Former State Secretary Sunil Sharma high-lighted the problems of the Village DefenceCommittees (VDCs) and moves to disband them

on flimsy grounds in order to pave way to facili-tate the activities of anti-national elements.

The proceedings of the Sammelan were con-ducted by State General Secretary Kavinder Gupta while Akhnorr distt. President SukhdevSingh presented vote of thanks.

Modi emerges...

leadership through Sh. Ram LalJee he tooaired the same sentiments about Modi.Surprisingly even the party workers fromKashmir looked more excited about NarendraModi if presented as the prime ministerial candi-date. Now it will be interesting to see how far will state BJP be able to capitalize on this ModiFactor.

Ashok Khajuria....

for the process of election of the legislature partyleader. The appointment comes in the wake of therecent party elections in which Nagrota MLAJugal Kishore was elected as the President of thestate unit of BJP.

Omar Abdullah putting ....

on Omar's statement and said that the partyshould come out with a statement in this regard.

"Congress should make a clear statement onthis. Their silence means that they are endorsingall this and it also means that Congress does notvalue the decision of the Supreme Court and thePresident of the country," he alleged.

In his address, he also highlighted the party'scontinuous increase in reach to every region of the state not withstanding being a Muslim major-ity state. The people in Valley recalling the path

breaking steps taken by the BJP-led NDA gov-ernment in ameliorating the sufferings of the peo-

ple and attaining the peace, are enthusiastically joining the party. The same story is being repeat-ed in cold desert region of Ladakh. He praised the

party workers for working in most difficult anddiscouraging environment and said that only BJPcan transform the state and change the destiny of the people for better, which NC, Congress andPDP has failed till date.

Dwelling upon the rampant corruption culturedeveloped by the NC, Congress and PDP, Naddasaid that instead of Dal Lake cleaning, the clean-ing of the ruling elite is more pressing need for the welfare and safety of the people.

Citing an instance of corruption culture prevalent in the ruling political class, he said thatnon implementation of the 73rd and 74thAmendments of the Indian Constitution is directresult of this as they do not want to share decisionmaking with elected representatives of the pan-chayats lest they loose an important source of po er and pelf While highlighting the regional

He advised the workers to go into the public andcommunicate to them the party's agenda and its

positive conduct during NDA rule.Ram Lal, in his address, said that the basic

mantra for a political worker is communication,interaction with people, continuous struggle,coupled with personal discipline and ideal behav-iour. All workers have to work in unison witheach other and have to do so continuously andthere can be no break in this process. He askedthe workers to treat their political work as a serv-ice to the motherland as J&K state is its crown.While terming the state government as one of themost corrupt govt. in the country, he said that

UPAat centre is in no way less corrupt and hasdegenerated into a Ghoutala government.

BJP to 'gherao' ....

Nadda said, "due to 'mis-governance' in the state,corruption has reached at its peak in Jammu andKashmir and the ruling National Conference ledgovernment here, is least concerned with the

plights of a common man." The BJP leader saidthat the party has decided to 'ghearo' J&K Assembly on March 14 in protest against corrup-tion and mis-governance. He however, alsoalleged that funds released by the Centre for thedevelopment of the state and other activities, arealso not being utilised properly. Jammu andKashmir Assembly session is scheduled to startfrom February 28 here. On Chief Minister Omar Abdullah's recent statement on Afzal Guru, Mr

Nadda said, "being a Chief Minister of a sensitivestate, he should not have issued 'such irresponsi-

ble' statements." Mr Abdullah had said that UPA

Government at Centre should clear that AfzalGuru's hanging was not 'politically motivated'and termed it as 'selective hanging'. "Congress

party should also come clear on Omar's statementas it was not in the interest of the nation," headded. BJP is a party of masses and the only

party that can address the issues of 'aam admi' inJammu and Kashmir.

Sunil Condemns the....

deserve legal action.He further said that the State Govt. is putting

the lives of AamAadmi to risk by disbanding theVDCs. It is strange that status of SPOs/VDCs isnot decided as to whether they are civilians or

police men. Their duty is very rigorous as theyare deployed in militancy infested areas far awayfrom their homes without food and shelter. Theyare being thrashed and beaten if they raise their grievances. Dozens among them have been dis-engaged on flimsy grounds.

State Gen. Secretary Bali Bhagat read out paper on the mis-governance in the state. He alsoannounced party's decision to Gherao the stateassembly on March 14 to protest against govern-ment's total failure on all fronts.He rued Stategovernment for being silent spectators to whatthe anti-national forces are doing in the state.

Gorkhas to hold ...

is our first step towards realizing our demand.We will be forced to go for militant movement inDarjeeling if our demand for a separate state isnot met," Giri said.

On last Friday, a GJM delegation led by the party MLA Harka Bahadur Chhetri met the WestBengal governor M K Narayanan and compliedto him about Mamata Banerjee government'sdecision to carry out government work in theHills without holding any talk with the newly-elected Gorkha Territorial Administration (GTA)Sabha.

Chhetri also told reporters after his meetingwith the governor that bilateral relation of thestate government and GJM was sure to deterio-rate once the state government continue to bypassthe GTA in carrying out several governmentworks in the Hills.

But the GJM's decision to go for bandhs in theHills has certainly raised questions about contin-uation of prevailing peace and tranquility inDarjeeling. It is certain that tourist flow inDarjeeling will be reduced due to continuous

bandhs and strikes in the Hills called by the GJM.

EC bars 2171....

Commission, with the maximum being up toJan ar 2016

the conduct of elections which forms the larger part of electoral reforms process.

While Maharashtra tops the list with 260 dis-qualified candidates, it is followed byChhattisgarh 259 candidates. They are followed

by Haryana with 197 candidates, Odisha 188 andMadhya Pradesh 179.

Uttar Pradesh has 159 candidates disqualified.Jharkhand has 118 candidates and Tamil Nadu97.

Among the Parliamentary constituencies,Uttar Pradesh has a maximum of 158 candidatesdebarred from contesting, while Chhattisgarh hasthe maximum of 240 debarred candidates when itcomes to State Legislative Assemblies.

All these candidates were disqualified under Section 8A read with 11 (A) (2) and 10A of Representation of the People Act, 1951, for fail-ing to submit their poll expenditure accountswithin the stipulated 30-day period from the dateof announcement of results.

While most such candidates are non-seriouscandidates, some candidates had filed their returns within the stipulated 30-day period butthose were not found in proper order and thusstood disqualified.

The Commission has sent the list of all such barred candidates to Chief Electoral Officers for further sending such names to the respectiveReturning Officers. Earlier, it had disqualified asmany as 3,275 contestants in September 2009.

Militants may have infiltrated ....

members went into hiding in the bushes and

opened indiscriminate fire on troops," said asource, adding and exchange of fire for over anhour followed.

An extensive search operation was launchedin the area after the firing stopped but "so far there has been no recovery of any sorts".

Police have also joined the army in carryingout searches. The army sources suspect that thegroup has been able to intrude into the Indianside. The operation will resume Monday morn-ing.

Katju vs Jaitley: A bitter .....

the Germans in 1933."I concede to Justice Katju the right to hold

his political views, but can the occupant of a jobwhose functioning is quasi-judicial openly par-ticipate in political activity. His appeal is politi-cal. He appears to be more Congress than theCongress party," Jaitley said, adding he should"either quit before actively participating in poli-tics or be sacked."

Katju, in turn, accused Jaitley of twisting factsand said that he had written "very strong" lettersto Congress-ruled Maharashtra's Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan over the arrest of two girls for a Facebook post after the death of Shiv Senasupremo Bal Thackeray.

Katju looks at ....

accused Katju of selective targeting. "Shouldnot a former judge who currently occupies aquasi judicial office as Chairman of the PressCouncil of India, either quit before actively par-ticipating in politics or be sacked? Retired judgesmust remember that the rental for occupying aLutyen's bungalow post retirement has to be

political neutrality, not political participation,"Jaitley said, adding that the choice of Katju's sub-

jects and targets was motivated by his political preferences.

Budget 2013: Par's....

is scheduled to be presented on February 26,and the economic survey will be tabled the nextday. Finance Minister PChidambaram will pres-ent the General Budget on February 28.

A meeting of the BJP parliamentary office bearers is scheduled on Tuesday which will soon be followed by a meeting of NDA to decide thestrategy of the main Opposition and its allies,BJP spokesman Prakash Javadekar said.

On the allegations of kickbacks in the pur-chase of 12 choppers for VVIPs, the governmenthas already indicated that it was not averse to a

probe by a Joint Parliamentary Committee, ademand made by BJPand Shiv Sena.

Economy to...

then many more signs would have been evi-dent". Economic growth in 2011-12 slipped to6.2% from 9.3% a year ago mainly on account of global factors and s ubdued investor sentiments.

Gross Domestic Production (GDP) of thecountry has grown by 5.5% in April-June quarter and further declined to 5.3% in July-September quarter. The recent industrial production datawhich reflects the health of mainly the manufac-turing sector, has also portrayed a dismal picture.Manufacturing constitutes almost 75% of the IIP.

The factory output measured in terms of Indexof Industrial Production (IIP) for December,2012, has contracted by 0.6% for second straightmonth. IIP declined by 0.8% in November 2012.

Cameron to arrive ....

a visit to St Xavier School and laying a wreath atthe Police Memorial.

Cameron will hold discussions with PrimeMinister Singh in New Delhi on February 19 anddisc ss bilateral and global iss es of common

Minister last visited India in July 2010.His visit to India comes on the heel of a visit

by French President Francois Hollande to drumup trade and bilateral relations.

Ahead of his visit, Cameron said that he want-ed the relationship between India and the UK to

be "one of the great partnerships of the 21st cen-tury". Cameron's delegation will include repre-sentatives of Small and Medium enterprises.British retailers are keen to increase their pres-ence in India and executives from the Tescosupermarket chain, Britain's biggest retailer which already has a joint venture in India, areexpected to accompany him.

The Prime Minister is confident that he willreach the goal of doubling Britain's trade withIndia from 11.5 billion pounds in 2010 to 23 bil-lion by 2015.

Cameron will also use the trip to correct anymisunderstandings about his government's driveto bring immigration numbers under control amidconcerns that Indian students could be deterredfrom applying to study in Britain.

Padder fire: Kichloo....

The Minister also inspected the CommunityKitchen at the hostel and asked the DistrictAdministration to provide quality food to the vic-tims.

The Government had announced two-monthfree ration, Rs. 10,000/- interim relief and Rs.15,000 under IAYin favour of those whose hous-es had been damaged in the fire that engulfed thevillage bordering Himachal Pradesh on February

12. The Divisional Administration has also pro-vided 4 blankets and folding mattresses, and onesleeping bag each to the victim families. Some of the blankets and warm clothing were airdroppedon the day of the fire as the chopper could notland due to bad weather.

The Minister also announced 150 solar lightseach for 5 panchayats of Padder tehsil thatinclude Gulab Garh, Atholi, Afani, Jarh andKundal. He also assured the people that work onGulabgarh-Machail, Ishtyari-Tun andGulabgarh-Lijri roads will be soon taken up for

better connectivity to the remote area.Speaking on the occasion, Gurezi said he has

issued instructions to Director Animal and SheepHusbandry, Jammu, to extend all possible facili-ties for protection of their livestock. He laudedthe Kishtwar administration for putting in placeexcellent makeshift arrangements for the fire vic-tims. "Additional supplies of feed will be provid-ed to the livestock of the fire sufferers till the

people rendered homeless will shift back to per-

manent structures," he said.Later, the Ministers visited District Hospital

Kishtwar and interacted with the patients. Theyalso made spot visit near New Era Public Schoolwhere two shops and a shed were burnt in anovernight fire. The Minister announced Rs.10,000 each to those whose shops have been

burned in the fire.

IAS officer ....

is going on after State Vigilance Organisation(SVO) directed police to register a case in thisregard. Pole during his tenure as DC Reasi wasinstrumental in registration and transfer of nearly26 acres of prime land near Katra, base camp of Vaishno Devi shrine, in favour of a Delhi-basedcompany for construction of hotel and resort.

The others named in the first informationreport (FIR) include Naib Tehsildar Reasi, Sher Singh Thapa.

The action was taken by SVO on the com- plaint of Anudhan Singh of Jammu.

CBI team to....

also sending a senior joint secretary to Italy"to gather as much evidence as possible" relatingto the allegations of corruption in the acquisitionof the helicopters for the VVIP use by the IndianAir Force. The official, A.K. Bal, will leave for Rome Monday.

Sources said that the defence ministry officialand the CBI team were likely to travel together toItaly. They said the CBI team will probe if firmshad been floated to route kickbacks in the heli-copter deal with AgustaWestland, a Britain-basedsubsidiary of Italian firm Finmeccanica.

The government has already put on hold thedeal and launched the process to cancel it amidallegations that kickbacks of 51 million euro(approx $68 mn) were paid to clinch the deal.

It has also issued a show cause notice toAgustaWestland as to why the contract shouldnot be scrapped in view of the corruption allega-tions. An Italian court, hearing the case, hasrejected India's request for documents related tothe investigations into the matter, maintainingthat the "information is covered by secrecy".

AgustaWestland has said it was preparing toclarify the points raised by the Indian govern-ment. The helicopters were for the IAF's eliteCommunication Squadron, which ferries the

president, the prime minister and other VVIPs.The IAF had sought the choppers as a replace-

ment for its ageing Mi-17 cargo helicopters thatwere modified for VVIP use. Three of the 12AgustaWestland helicopters have already beensupplied.

Italian agencies Tuesday arrestedFinmeccanica chief e ec ti e officer (CEO)

STUDENT AGE

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 20132

Contd. from page 1... Omar Abdullah'sremarks against

national integrity: BJPJAMMU: BJP on Sunday flayed Jammu andKashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah for his remarks over the hanging of Afzal Guru,saying it was against "dignity and nationalintegrity" and might put national interest atstake. "It is unfortunate that such unconstitu-tional statements are being made by the lead-ers here. For minor political gains they are

putting national interest at stake," BJP RajyaSabha MP and national general secretary JaiPrakash Nadda said while addressing a day-long conclave of partyworkers here.

He said the statement was against the "dig-nity and national integrity" and should be con-demned in strong words. Omar had earlier said that the execution of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru would reinforce a sense of "alienation and injustice" among generation of youth in the Valley. Nadda also condemnedCongress' silence on Omar's statement andsaid that the party should come out with astatement in this regard. "Congress shouldmake a clear statement on this. Their silencemeans that they are endorsing all this and italso means that Congress does not value thedecision of the Supreme Court and thePresident of the country," he alleged.

J&K legislator to move

resolution seekingAfzal Guru's remainsSRINAGAR: Independent MLA SheikhAbdul Rashid on Sunday said he would movea resolution in the coming session of theJammu and Kashmir Assembly for handingover of the mortal remains of Parliamentattack convict Mohammad Afzal Guru to hisfamily. "I will bring a resolution in the comingsession of the Assembly for handing over of the mortal remains of Afzal Guru to his fami-ly," the MLA from Langate told reportershere. "Earlier, I had brought a resolution inthe Assembly seeking clemency for him(Guru) but I failed. I apologise to the people of Kashmir for not being able to save him," thelegislator said. "My resolution was sabotagedand I failed," he said adding he intented to

bring two more resolutions -- one to seek themortal remains of JKLF founder MohammadMaqbool Bhat and second for abolishing the

death penalty. The MLA asked mainstream political parties to support his resolutions inthe Assembly. "I have called for a meeting of all mainstream parties tomorrow at my resi-dence to chalk out a joint strategy in thisregard," he said. Rashid said if the Centre didnot hand over the Guru's remains, he wouldresign from the Assembly. "I am in touch withthe PDP and other parties and if the mortalremains are not returned, then let us allresign," the MLA said. He demanded namingof commercial Lal Chowk in Guru's name.Guru was hanged in Tihar jail in Delhi lastweek.

More Andhra migrantsreturn from Gulf

HYDERABAD, FEB 17: Another group of migrants from Andhra Pradesh grantedamnesty for overstaying in the United ArabEmirates returned home Sunday.

Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy andminister for NRI affairs D. Sridhar Babucalled on the 17 at the Rajiv GandhiInternational Airport. The workers from Dubaiflew back with the help of voluntary groups.

Sridhar Babu told reporters that 1,000migrants stuck up in the UAE haveapproached the state government for help. Hesaid the government had asked a team of offi-cials to identify the migrants. He promisedthat the government would provide employ-ment and all possible help to those returninghome. The migrants, mostly unskilled labour-ers from various districts, were stuck after their visas expired or agents cheated them.

This was the third group of migrants toreturn home since last week. The first grouphad 14 people and the second batch 20.

The Indian Migrants Rights and WelfareForum came forward to help the poor workers

by arranging their flight tickets.Its president K. Narasimham Naidu, who

visited Dubai a few days ago, said he foundthat 200 Indians, including 71 from AndhraPradesh, needed help to return to their native

places. Naidu said he was trying to rope involuntary agencies and cultural groups to

bring back more migrants. He said the Indiangovernment should request the UAE authori-ties to extend the amnesty as many illegalmigrants could not apply for amnesty.According to Migrants Rights Council, a vol-untary organization, 18,000 workers from thestate were languishing in the UAE. However,only a few availed the amnesty declared by theUAE government from Dec 4 to Feb 3 thatallo s the illegal migrants to forego the

BJP Muslim Morcha workers at the workers meet.

Page 2_Defence_Bali.qxd 2/18/2013 10:26 AM Page 1


3/8

STATESTUDENT AGE

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2013 3

NEWS IN BOXPolice refutes rumors regarding

cause of death of an elderly personSRINAGAR: According to district police authorities, pre-

posterous rumors are being spread regarding the death of 62years old, Abdul Rashid Sheikh son of Ghulam Mohammadresident of Kutab-ud-Din Pora, Aali Kadal. Abdul RashidSheikh a retired Jamadar Srinagar Municipal Corporationwas a chronic Asthma patient, died of his ailment yesterdaymornings.There was no law and order problem in the areayesterday. Some law and order problem were reported after 12 noon in Nawakadal and Kawadara.Any rumors withregard to his cause of death are strongly refuted.

Rename Lalchowk To "ShaheedAfzal Chowk": Engineer Rasheed

SRINAGAR: Indepnedent MLA from Langate, Engineer Rashid has suggested that the name of Lal chowk should berenamed to "Shaheed Afzal Chowk" from today.

Addressing a press conference here at a local hotel,Rashid said that he has invited mainstream parties includingruling NC and opposition PDP to send an All PartyDelegation to New Delhi to seek body of Muhammad AfzalGuru, executed at Tihar Jail in New Delhi last week.

DIC Rajouri organizesmusic concert

RAJOURI, FEB 17: District Information Centre Rajouriorganized a musical programme at Nawaz Public Higher Secondary School Palma.The patron of the institution Haji

Sikander Khan was the chief guest on the occasion and prin-cipal of the school Nazam-Ul-Din presided over the func-tion.Addressing the function Haji Sikander Khan thanked thedepartment of Information for organizing the programme inthese far-flung areas to promote the culture of the state. Hesaid that such programmes provide platform to the talentedartists and boost their morale.

The artist of the Panjal Cultural Club Darhal Rajouri Mr.Sahil Mehra, Danish Khan, Tahir Mir, Akash Zutshi, Sanjaykumar, Mehran Shah etc. presented Sofiyana, Pahari, Gogri,Urdu,Dogri and kashmiri songs.

The artists enthralled the audience and the students bytheir Melodious voice. The cultural items based on Nationalintegration and communal harmonies were also presented.

The programme was managed by Ashfaq Mir CulturalAsstt. DIC Rajouri and Mr. Tariq Hussain was the stage sec-retary for the programme.

Hurriyat members meet AfzalGuru's family

SRINAGAR: A team of leaders of the moderate faction of

Hurriyat Conference on Sunday visited the bereaved familyof Parliament attack convict Mohammad Afzal Guru atSopore in Baramulla district of Kashmir.

"A delegation of Hurriyat leaders including MusadiqAdil, GN Zaki and Farooq Ahmad Tawhedi met the familymembers of Guru after they were successful in breaking thecordon thrown by the government around his house," aspokesman of the amalgam said.

The delegation had to take a boat to cross the Jhelum river and reach Guru's house at Jagir in Sopore, he said.

The delegation expressed their sympathies with the bereaved family, relatives and people of the area, thespokesman said.

"The delegation paid tributes to Guru and saluted hiscourage, bravery, and sacrifice. The delegates told the fami-ly that Guru has become a symbol of the Kashmiri freedomstruggle," he added.

88 JKNPP workers join CongressJAMMU: As many as 88 Jammu and Kashmir NationalPanthers Party (JKNPP) workers Sunday joined Congress inMajalta area of district Udhampur.

The JKNPP members, including Jagdish Mankotia andArjun Sambyal, were welcomed into the party by GeneralSecretary Pradesh Youth Congress R S Pathania.

"Winds of change have started blowing over Ramnagar Assembly segment and people are fed up with corrupt, divi-sive, unaccountable and undemocratic rule of JKNPP in thearea," Pathania said after joining the Congress.

Army foils infiltration bidalong LoC in Rajouri

JAMMU: An infiltration bid by a group of five militantswas today foiled by the Army which launched a massivesearch operation along the Line of Control(LoC) in Rajourisector of Jammu and Kashmir.

"A suspected move of a group of four-five persons wasdetected by alert army troops along the LoC atHamirpur area, Balakote sector of Bhimber Gali Brigade, Rajouri atearly hours today," PRO Defence S N Acharya said.

"Immediately, the surrounding area was cordoned off.The infiltrating group was challenged by our troops," he said,adding that the men thereafter took cover in the bushes andopened fire on the troops.

The troops then fired back in the direction from where themovement had been observed, Acharya said, noting that theintermittent firing continued during the night.The troops thenfired back in the direction from where the movement had

been observed, Acharya said, noting that the intermittent fir-ing continued during the night.

"The exchange of fire stopped at around 0600 hourstoday. The intruders probably retreated taking advantageofthe darkness, thick vegetation and ground topography," thePRO said.A search operation was launched at day-break todetect any injured person, or any left over stores in the vicin-ity, he said, maintaining that the search operation was still in

progress.H th b d th diti i g i

SRINAGAR: With theimmediate anger substantial-ly doused by the protractedcurfew, it is time for the accu-sations within the state over the secret execution of AfzalGuru. As Congress is sittingsilent and non-committal, it isthe ruling NC that is under attack from almost all sides.

"Omar Abdullah repeatedthe history in facilitating thehanging of Afzal Guru in themonth of February the wayhis father Farooq did inFebruary 1984 in the hangingof Maqbool Bhat," Kashmir Bar association general secre-tary M Ashraf Bhat said in astatement. "NC cannot clean

its hands by issuing ridicu-lous statements and sheddingcrocodile tears." Terming it

political assassination,Kashmir Bar Association seesno "iota of doubt" in Omar collaborating in the Guruhanging.

The reaction came to aruling party statement thataccusing the Kashmir Bar of

being "unethical and unprin-cipled." NC spokesman saidafter the hanging, Bar wastrying to absolve itself of its"complicity" in Guru's execu-tion. "All the people deserveto know where were thesegreat lawyers that make upthe bar when Guru wasn't

receiving proper representa-tion and had to rely on ami-cus curiae appointed by thecourts," the party spokesmansaid.

"They didn't want to giveup the income of their prac-tice to give Guru a decentdefense. They didn't evenwant to contribute towardsthe fees of a decent lawyer sowhile the accused represented

by Ram Jaitmalani and ShantiBhushan are alive Afzal Guruis not."

NC spokesman suggestedBar to avoid "fudging itsrole" and honesty confess thatit let Guru down. He accusedthem of shedding crocodile

tears. But NCs major prob-lem is its opposition, the PDPand not the bar. "Had we beenin power we would definitelynot have allowed the execu-tion", PDP spokesperson

Naeem Akther said. They areaccusing him of failure in notdoing what he was expected."It is clear that he (CM) wasconsulted on every stage andif he claims he was not con-sulted, it is a very sad com-mentary on his performance",Akhter said. "He is not aSarpanch, he is the Chief Minister."

NC has its main base inKashmir and it would man-age things in absence of an

opposition. The situationchanged post-2002. Off late,it has converted Kashmir inslivers and is focusing onspecific regions. With southKashmir still considered anopposition bastion, NC hasleft it to the Congress. It isfocusing on central Kashmir and north Kashmir. After Guru's execution, north wasthe epicenter of the crisis

between Handwara andBandipore.

In such a situation, NC isdesperately trying to be stayon the right side of the publicdiscourse. It all started withChief Minister Omar Abdullah addressing a brief

press conference registeringhis anger. It is now his uncle,Dr Mustafa Kamal who is onnewspaper front-pages dailyfor his anti-Delhi rhetoric.

"They (Congress) wantedto counter the BJP and other saffronBSE 4.90 % parties, astheir eyes are fixed on 2014elections", Dr Kamal said."They could have given Guru20 days time as is warrantedunder law to allow him to filea review petition before theSupreme Court as was donein the case of RajeevGandhi's killers." Since thehanging lacked sincerity andgood intentions, Kamal saysit will boomerang on them.

UDHAMPUR, FEB 17:Deputy Chief Minister, TaraChand inaugurated AnnualDay cum sports meet of K CGurukul Public School at vil-

lage Jakhar in Udhampur today.

Speaking on the occasion,the Deputy Chief Minister laid stress on providing qual-ity education to the studentsand appreciated the role

played by private institutionsin universalizing school edu-cation in the state.

He said that private edu-cational institutions shouldshare their noble and socialresponsibilities in providingquality education to the stu-dents belonging to weaker and deprived sections of thesociety so that they couldalso compete with their counterparts in this fastchanging world of competi-tion.

"We call upon primer edu-cation institutions operatingin the state to come forwardin adopting underprivileged,handicapped and BPL familychildren and give such chil-dren an opportunity for excelling in life," he exhort-ed.

He highlighted the impor-tance of games in the schoolcurriculum, saying thatextracurricular activities playvital role in the overall per-sonality development of thestudents. He said holding of annual sports meet in anyeducational institution has its

own relevance as such occa-sions provide a common

platform to the talented stu-dents to exhibit their hiddensports talent which further help them in improving self-confidence, physical andmental capabilities.

While referring to therecent accident in a school inJammu, the Deputy Chief Minister condoled the saddemise of the student andexhorted upon the schoolmanagements to be morevigilant for the security andsafety of the school children.

The Deputy Chief Minister said that educationsector is achieving new

heights in its excellence inthe state, adding that private

educational institutions havetheir major role in thisregard. "Merely bookishknowledge does not cater therequirement of the students,"

He observed and enjoinedupon the teaching fraternityfor imparting quality educa-tion based on moral values totheir students so that theycould become responsiblecitizens.

Later, Mr.Tara Chand pre-sented trophies, medals, andcertificates among the stu-dents who excelled in the co-curricular activities.

Earlier, the students pre-

sented sport and culturalactivities which were highly

appreciated by the audience.Legislator Mr. Krishan

Chander Bhagat, DeputyInspector General of Police,Udhampur- Reasi Range Mr.Jagjit Kumar, DeputyCommissioner, Udhampur,Mr. P. K. Pole, Senior Superintendent of Police,Udhampur, Mr. Ashkoor Wani, Director Academics,KC Gurukul Public School,Mrs Vijay Puri, besides sen-ior members of the KCGurukul Educational Society,

prominent citizens, teachers, parents and students were present on the occasion.

JAMMU, FEB 17: ReiteratingGovernment's determination to

provide better basic amenities tothe people of the State, Minister for Housing, Horticulture andCulture Mr. Raman Bhalla hassaid that has several innovativemeasures have been taken for rais-ing the living standard of the peo-

ple, including those residing in peripheral areas of the urban cen-ters.

The Minister was interactingwith the people after launchingvarious works like upgradation of l d d i t R i T l b d

to redouble their efforts and accel-erate pace of all ongoing works inthe area for completion beforeMarch 15, 2013. He directed themto ensure use of quality material inexecution of the works, addingthat the objective of theGovernment was to create durable

basic infra struc ture acros s theState for providing better facilitiesto the people.

Mr. Bhalla said to connect ruralareas with urban pockets, the exe-cution of several ambitious road

projects worth crores o f rupees areth St t H id

tion in the State, adding severalmacro, micro and mini power

projects have been taken up for which besides State, the Centre is

providing liberal financial assis-tance to the State.

Mr. Bhalla called upon the people to ext end whole hear ted coop-eration to the Government for maintaining peace and prosperityin the State.

He said 'it is the duty of everycitizen to cooperate with theGovernment in making the Jammuand Kashmir as a model Stateddi g th t l j t

NEW DELHI: Demandingthat body of Parliamentattack convict Mohammad

Afzal Guru must be returnedto his family for burial,renowned journalist and for-mer chief interlocutor onKashmir, Dilip Padgoankar Sunday said that he hastaken up the issue withimportant people in NewDelhi.

Talking to KNS he said,"The way Guru's family wasnot allowed to meet him

before hanging and the wayhe was buried in Tihar jailwas wrong. In the age of internet informing some onthrough postal delivery rais-es questions. I have writtenon it in Times of India."

Asked whether he willtake up the issue with PrimeMinister, he said, "I have

already taken up it withimportant people in Delhi."

Asked whether he willtake up the issue of return of

body with Home Ministry,he said, "We don't have anyrole in it. This decision can

be taken by the government.But my personal view is thatthe body should bereturned."

Padgonkar said the mat-ter of Guru's hanging is

being debated and it willtake time and will be debat-ed further. "I talked to 200Kashmiri students in Pune

yesterday. I have toldGovernment of India that tillyou won't understand prob-

lems of Kashmiris peacewon't return."

The former interlocutor accepted that hanging of Guru has derailed the peace

process.He urged New Delhi to

implement the recommen-dations of Prime Minister'sWorking Groups and inter-locutors as soon as possibleto restore confidence amongKashmiris.

"Situation isn't con-ducive in Kashmir this time.But PM's Working Groupsand interlocutors recom-mendations should beimplemented without anydelay."

Asked whether he will play a role in it, he said, "I

am an ordinary citizen likeyou and have no officialrole."

Padgoankar claimed thathe understands that HomeMinstry had talked to Omar Abdullah before hangingGuru. "I think Omar sahibhad been informed by theHM in advance," he added."It (hanging) has created awedge between Kashmirisand the India. All stakehold-ers in Delhi and Kashmir should sit and discuss theissue without any delay," herecommended.

JAMMU: At a solemn yet touching cer-emony, Air force school Jammu, bidfarewell to its outgoing students of ClassXII here. In all, 64 students walked outof the portals of the school with valuesinculcated in them by their mentors. MrsMamta Patenge President AFWWA (L)was the chief guest on the occasion.

Mr Vikesh Sandhal Principal Air force school Jammu wished all his stu-dents the best in their future as they wereready to stride into the world of chal-lenges. "You will now be in charge of your lives. The lessons and guidancethat we have given you should hold youin good stead," he said. He also told theoutgoing students to turn their positiveattitudes into reality.

In her address, Flt Lt Karishma SethiO I/C Air force school Jammu, advisedthe students to convert aspirations intoinspirations. The students of class XIwere successful in mesmerizing theaudience with the lively western

bhangra and meadly dance. The highvoltage group song by the boys choir "Dekha tujhe to hua mai deewana"won the hearts of the audience. Fashionshow by class XII students was a treat towatch. Well dressed male title was won

by Rahul Gupta and Priya won the titleof Well dressed girl.

Students who brought laurels to theinstitution and excelled in variousspheres were given momentos.Shubham pargal, Shubham Sharma,

Vikhyat, Preetika, Rahul Chopra, RishiMahajan, Tarun and Sandeep kour weregiven special awards for their excellencein academics.

Haneet Kour of class 12th wasadjudged Miss Air Force School andTarun Kumar was declared as Mr Air Force School 2013. Chief guest MrsMamta Patenge President AFWWA (L)gave away the prizes and momentos tothe winning students. In her brief address she was full of praise for classXI students for presenting such a colour-ful entertaining programme and advisedthe students of class XII to be aware of the intricacies of life and face life withconviction. She wished them good luck for the forthcoming Board examination.

Afzal Guru execution: Omar Abdullah's NC focu

Pvt schools must shoulder social responsibility,admit poor, underprivileged children: Tara Chand

Bhalla launches Rs. 15 lakh dev works at Gandhi Nagar

Minister for Housing, Horticulture and Culture Mr. Raman Bhalla inauguratingvarious works like upgradation of lanes and drains at Preet Nagar,Jammu.

Deputy Chief Minister, Tara Chand presenting trophy among the students who excelled in the co-cur-ricular activities in K C Gurukul Public School at village Jakhar in Udhampur .

I think Omar had beeninformed in advance:

Padgoankar

AIR FORCE SCHOOL BIDS FAREWELL TO CLASS 12TSeparatist leaders releasedGeelani, Mirwaiz continue under house arrestSRINAGAR: After arresting around the one dozen of resist-ance leaders in wake of protest apprehensions after sendingthe Parliament Attack Case convict Afzal Guru to gallows,various resistance leaders were today released.

Firdous ahmad Shah, Javid Ahmad Mir, Firdous AhmadShah, Advocate Mohammad Shafi Reshi, Farooq AhmadSodagar, Er. Hilal Ahmad War, Mohammad Yousuf Naqash,

Noor Mohammad Kalwal, Imtiyaz Haider, MohammadYousuf Nadeem, Bashir Ahmad Bhat, Mohammad YaseenAttayi and Mohammad Yousuf Bhat were today released,said Hurriyat sources.Meanwhile, Shabir Ahmad Shah, AyazAkbar and other various leasders has been put in central jailSrinagar.Chairmen of both factions of the HurriyatConference, Syed Ali Geelani and Mirwaiz Umar FarooqContinue under house arrest at their respective residences in

New Delhi.

Page 3,4 State.qxd 2/18/2013 10:27 AM Page 1


4/8

STATESTUDENT AGE


12th Pass or 12th Class studyingstudents who are interested inEngg. / Medical fields are informedto get their seats booked in reputedcolleges of Northern India under Management seats without anydonation securing 50% marks inPhy, Chem, Maths/Bio for thefollowing courses,M.D.S, B.D.S, M. Tech, B. Tech,B. Sc Nursing, B. Pharmacy,Diploma in all streams G.N.M,M.Ed, B.Ed, MBA, LLB, HotelManagement, MCA, BBAetc.RAINA EDUCATION CONSULTANCY(Opposite Sub Treasury Tirth

ADMISSION BOOKING 2013

JAMMU FEB 17- Minister for Planning, Labour &Employment, Mr. AjayKumar Sadhotra on Sundayassured people that theongoing developmental proj-ects across the State would

be expedited and completedwith complete satisfaction of the people concerned.

Addressing a largelyattended public meeting atMakwal border village inMarh constituency this after-noon, the Minister said the

priority of the coalition gov-ernment is to ensure that

benefits of developmenta lschemes and other welfare

programmes reach the tar-geted segments of the popu-lace as expeditiously as pos-

sible."Delayed completion of

projects frustrate the veryidea behind taking up these",he said and referred to thestrategy of the governmentto give impetus to worksalready taken up for ensur-ing their early completion.He said the Government hasall along focused on devel-opment and has, in fact,undertaken a massive devel-opment effort across thestate with an avowed objec-tive of ameliorating the lotof downtrodden and under

privileged segments of thesociety.

"The coalition govern-ment headed by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah will

carry forward this missionsingle-mindedly", he said

and sought the cooperationof people in this regard. He

described people as the ulti-mate judges of performance

of any government and saidthe achievements registered

during the past over four years stand testimony to thekeenness of the Chief Minister in taking develop-ment to the doorsteps of the

people, especially living in border areas, far flung andremote areas.

The Minister pointedtowards the initiatives takenover the years for enforcingaccountability and ensuringtransparency in the adminis-tration and referred to revo-lutionary measures likeRight to Information Act andPublic Services GuaranteeAct, which have empowered

people to seek redressal totheir grievances. During hisvisit, the Minister interactedwith several delegations of

people and listened to their problems. He assured that hewill take up all these withthe concerned for immediateredressal. Mr Sadhotracalled upon the people to

benefit from variousschemes which have beentailored keeping in viewtheir requirements. Hereferred to various state sec-tors and centrally sponsoredschemes and asked theimplementing departmentsto generate adequate aware-ness about these so that max-imum people can benefit.The local leaders of the bor-der village brought to thenotice of the Minister vari-ous problems and soughttheir immediate solution.

Sadhotra exhorts people to benefit from poverty allev

Minister for Planning, Labour & Employment, Mr. Ajay Kumar Sadhotra addressing a largely attended public meeting at Makwal border village in Marh constituency.

JAMMU, FEB 17: Minister for Medical Education,Youth Services and Sports,Mr. Taj Mohi-ud-Din andMinister for Housing,Horticulture and Culture Mr.Raman Bhalla today flaggedoff 4th Jammu Marathon

from M AM Stadium.The 8.5 kms long

marathon passed through BCRoad, Amphalla, CPOChowk, Kachi Chawni,Parade, Shallamar, Gummat,Vivekanand Chowk andDogra Chowk and culminat-ed at M. A. Stadium. The

marathon was divided intoMale and Female categories.

Speaking on the occa-sion, Mr. Taj said that aim of such an event is to promotesports activities among theyouth. He appreciated theinitiative taken by the organ-

izers adding that it is veryencouraging event whichshows the faith and determi-nation of the people of theState.

The Minister asked theofficers to seek cooperationof the education and other departments, besides local

sports clubs to organizesports events as it wouldhelp to promote sports cul-ture among the younger gen-eration and makes them

physically and mentally fit.In his address, Mr. Bhalla

welcomed the 4th Jammu

Marathon organizers andsaid such occasion helped tochannelize the energy of youth for constructive pur-

pose. He said Youth Servicesand Sports Department ismaking all out efforts toorganize more and moresports events in all districts

of the State as it helps to tapthe available talent of theyouth. He urged the younger generation to participate inco-curricular activities

besides academic education.Later, Mr. Taj awarded

Ist, Second and third male

and female category winnerswith Rs. 21000/ as first

prize, Rs. 11000/- as second prize and Rs. 5100/- as third prize.

The 4th Jammu Marathonorganized by Board of Development for Sports inIndia in which a galaxy of

stars from the Bollywood,Vice Chairman Other Backward Classes Mr.Kuldeep Verma, Director Youth Services and Sports,S. Jaipal Singh, DeputyInspector General of PoliceMr. J P Singh, Deputy

Inspector General of Police,Traffic Mr. Shakeel A Baig,Secretary Sports Council,Mr. Dalip Thusoo, Director,Board of Development for Sports in India Mr. AmitSethi besides hundred of sports lovers participated inthe mega event.

SRINAGAR, FEB 17:Minister for RuralDevelopment and PanchayatRaj, Mr. Ali MohammadSagar today visited variousGovernment institutionswhich include Power Complex Bemina and SMHSHospital Srinagar to monitor the services being provided tothe public at these vital publicutility services centres.

Mr. Sagar accompanied byChief Engineers of Power Development Departmentand other senior officerstoday visited Power ComplexBemina and inspected theunder construction DataCentre coming up at a cost of Rs. 191 crore under centrallysponsored RestructuredAccelerated Power Development and ReformsProgramme (R-APDRP). TheData Centre envisaged imple-menting InformationTechnology in Power Sector for data collection, billing,

grievance redressal etc.On the occasion, the

Minister was informed thatnecessary equipments costingRs. 80 crore are beinginstalled in the Master of Arthigh tech Data Centre. TheData Centre is likely to becommissioned by endingMarch this year.

Mr. Sagar also inspected4-line Toll Free Call Centrewhich has started functioning

from November last year andhas received 13000 calls dur-ing last three months.

The Minister wasinformed 341 calls werereceived on February 16,2013 out of which 248 callshave been replied on the spotwhile the rest have been reg-istered for necessary action.

While inspecting 150MVA capacity main Power Control Room, the Minister

was informed that 11.50 per-cent more energy has beengiven to general public incomparison to last year. Hewas also informed that 230 to235 lakh units are being sup-

plied to the public on an aver-age since last week.

Later, Mr. Sagar visitedSMHS Hospital, Srinagar andtook stock of facilities being

provided to the patients in theHospital.

The Minister was accompanied by Principal,Government MedicalCollege, Srinagar, Dr. RafiqAhmad Pampori and MedicalSuperintendent, SMHSHospital, Srinagar, Dr. Nazir Ahmad Chowdhary.

Mr. Sagar went round var-ious Units which includeTriage Ward, Medical andSurgical Emergency Wards.During the visit, the Minister interacted with the patients

and enquired about the facili-ties being provided to the

patients.On the occasion, theMinister was informed that150 beds would be addedsoon to the Chest DiseaseHospital which will be direct-ly connected with SMHSHospital, easing the pressureon the SHMS.

Mr. Sagar was alsoinformed that the Hospitalwill get world's best tech-nique "Bio Medical WasteManagement'' by February20, 2013 for which a teamfrom Gujarat is arriving for itsinstallation in the Hospital.Onthe occasion, a deputation of Resident Doctors Associationcalled on the Minister andapprised him of their prob-lems. The Minister assuredthem that the matter will betaken up with the concernedauthorities for its immediateredressal.

SRINAGAR: Rain lashedseveral parts of Kashmir

Valley with the famous skiresort of Gulmarg reelingunder severe cold conditionsat a low of minus 11.2degrees Celsius.

The minimum tempera-ture in Gulmarg plummetedover four notches from the

previous night's minus 7.0degrees Celsius to minus 11.2degrees Celsius, an official of the MET Department said.

He said Pahalgam in southKashmir recorded a low of minus 0.5 degrees Celsius, asagainst minus 1.4 degreesCelsius yesterday, adding theresort received 3 mm rainfall.

Summer capital Srinagar recorded a minimum temper-ature of 2.9 degrees Celsiuslast night, slightly down up

from the previous night's 3.1

degrees Celsius, the officialsaid.

The gateway town of Qazigund recorded minimumtemperature of 1.2 degreesCelsius, he said, adding theminimum in Kokernag set-tled at a low of minus 0.1degrees Celsius. Qazigundreceived 7.2 mm of rainfallwhile Kokernag recorded 13mm. He said Kupwara innorth Kashmir recorded alow of 1.0 degree Celsius, adrop of half a degree from the

previous night's 1.5 degreesCelsius.

Leh and Kargil towns incold desert region of Ladakhrecorded low temperatures of minus 4.8 degrees Celsiusand minus 8.4 degreesCelsius respectively, thespokesman said.

He added the minimum

temperature in the twin townswas minus 6.2 degrees

Celsius and minus 10.2degrees Celsius respectivelythe previous night.

Meanwhile, authoritieshave sounded an avalanchewarning in snow-bound areasof north Kashmir."An ava-lanche warning has beensounded in the areas of

Naugam Kayiam,Chowkibal, Tangdhar, Keranand Gurez sectors," an offi-cial spokesperson said yes-terday. He said the DivisionalCommissioner, Kashmir, hasadvised people living in theseareas not to venture into steepavalanche prone slopes dur-ing next 24 hours and fre-quently remove snow fromroof tops of their houses toavoid any causality due to

house collapse.

JAMMU, FEB 17: TheGovernment has asked theDrug and Food ControlOrganization (DFCO) toensure that no drug sub out-lets are operative on proxy

basis anywhere in the Stateand ordered that drug shopsshould only run by licenseholders.

The direction in thisregard was given by theMinister of State for Health,Mr. Shabir Ahmad Khanduring his meeting with theOfficers of Drug and FoodControl Organization heldhere today.

The Health Minister saidthat drug shops should beonly operated by licensedholders issued only by thecompetent authority of theOrganization. "It is matter of health care and we have toensure that drugs only sold

by trained pharmacy personshaving requisite certificatesand license from theOrganization", he instructed.

He directed field func-tionaries to keep close vigilon spurious drugs in themarkets especially in ruraldrug shops where such prac-tices are more common.

"Spurious drugs and proxydrug outlets should be seizedand guilty holders bookedunder the law", he directed.

The Health Minister alsostressed on lifting samplesof variety edibles in the mar-kets for testing to ensure thatno adulteration is made inthem which harms the healthof the people.

He directed that suchmanufacturers and shop-keepers should be fined and

booked under the law andtheir units be sealed andlicenses canceled.

The Health Minister saidthat DFCO was an importantOrganization related withthe health of the people andgovernment would bringmore transparency andaccountability in the func-tioning of the Organization."Its working would bereviewed on monthly basis,

besides new initiat iveswould be taken to strengthenthe Organization", he saidand directed that refresher courses be organized for theofficials where drug andfood experts acquaint them-selves with latest trends of their working.

Taj, Bhalla flag off 4th Jammu Marathon

Minister for Medical Education, Youth Services and Sports, Mr. Taj Mohi-ud-Din and Minister for Housing, Horticulture and Culture Mr. Raman Bhalla flagging off 4thJammu Marathon from M A M Stadium at Jammu.

Rain lashes Kashmir Valley,Gulmarg freezes at -11.2 deg C

'DemandingAfzal's body isconstitutionalright of family'SRINAGAR: A KashmiriPandit organisation onSunday demanded that the

body of Parliament attack convict Mohammad AfzalGuru be returned to hisfamily members, saying itis their constitutionalright.

"Kashmir PanditSangharsh Samiti (KPSS)request the Government of India to return mortalremains of Afzal Guru tohis legal and legitimateheirs. It is the constitution-al right of the family to ask for the same," president of the organisation, SanjayTickoo said in a statement.

He said theGovernment should acceptthe "collective con-science" of the people of Kashmir and the genuineand legitimate request of the family by returning the

body. 43-year-old Guruwas hanged and buried inTihar Jail in Delhi onFebruary 9.

SRINAGAR: This is the for-mal request of MuhammadAfzal Guru's family for everyvisiting journalist seeking atalk with his son Ghalib.

Fourteen-year-old Ghalibmourns his father's death ingrim silence with moist eyes.He is yet to come to termswith the shocking news of hanging of his father onF b 9

arrested in connection withthe Parliament attack case inDecember 2001. Since thenhe could see his father aroundten times that too for a limit-ed time at the high securityTihar Jail in Delhi.

The seventh class studentwould often insist his mother Tabasum to meet his father,

but some simple excusesgh t di t hi

geous and a wise son.Sometimes when he showedhis desire to meet father,Tabasum would divert hisattention with some other thing and Ghalib wouldunderstand it," says Aijaz,Afzal's elder brother.

Ghalib, along with hismother and maternal uncle,met his father last time inS t b R k h

iting journalists, met his brother last time in August onthe eve of Eid-u-fitr. The con-versation they had at Tjar jailstill echoes in his mind andgives him "enough courage"to bear the loss of his brother.

"He was mentally pre- pared for death and hadaccepted his fate for thecause of Kashmir. He never di d f il i

political movement inKashmir," Aijaz recalls.

"I met him once in Tihar jail and during the conversa-tion I raised a family issue.He got angry and told me'leave aside the family rela-tion, I treat all Kashmiris asmy own family members andKashmir cause is above fam-ily matters."

Aij G

prefer to discuss Kashmir issue thoroughly whenever he met them.

"Why should I care aboutmy son and wife when Allahcares for everyone? I feel

proud that Allah chose me for this holy cause," he had toldAijaz at Tihar once.

This attitude also reflectedin Guru's letters before his

ti

Aijaz says people don't knowGuru personally and that hissingle letter is enough to

bring 'political reforms' inKashmir.

"He was a transformedman and completely ready toaccept his fate. I deny themedia reports that Guru wasconcerned about his family.His precise and heartfelt let-t if d t d i

"Please don't ask Afzal's son anything:"Afzal's Family

Take action on proxy drug outlets,spurious drugs: Shabir to DFCO

Sagar visits vital public utility services in Srinagar Inspects Power complex Bemina, SMHS Hospital

Minister for Rural Development and Panchayat Raj, Mr. AliMohammad Sagar during visit at Govt. hospital at Srinagar.

Page 3,4 State.qxd 2/18/2013 10:27 AM Page 2


5/8

EDITORIALSTUDENT AGE


The spoilers of peace in the val-ley of Kashmir are many. That ispreciously the reason why evenafter a week since the prime accusedin the parliament attack case Mohd. Afzal Guru was hanged the valley haswitnessed widespread protest and

shutdown. Curfew had to be imposedto quell the nefarious designs of theanti-social elements. Despite the factthat curfew has been lifted from mostparts of the valley yet the sporadicincidents of violence and stone throw-ing has continued.

No doubt the time will come whenthe life will return to its natural pacebut the events after the aftermath of Guru's hanging are grim pointers tothe fact that something is seriouslydemanding the attention of all nation-alistic forces in the country. The valleyis sitting on a political powder kegwhich every separatist stakeholder wants to ignite and cook his anti -Indian concoction for Pakistani andIslamist consumption. However thereis another side to this political oppor-tunism which is not displayed by theseparatists but by the mainstreampoliticians who for the sake of cheappolitical posturing time and againhave tried to fan the sentiments of thecommon masses. When the Chief Minister says that he was not infavour of hanging of Guru and that thedecision was taken without consider-ing the sensitivities of the people inthe Kashmir it makes him answerableto the people of the country. Twothings can be surmised from his state-ment one is that either he is still anave or he is playing to galleries. Inboth case his statements were notwelcome and on the contrary fanned

the anguish of some sections of thepeople in the state who are not com-fortable with peace ever returning tothe Valley.

One thing that we must appreciateis that Dr. Farooq Abdullah as a saga-

cious statesman was very tacit andclear on the hanging of Guru. It is nota secret that Guru was working at thebehest of Pakistani separatists fromwhom he received his brief. The judi-cial process was very carefully fol-lowed to the last letter but when he

was found responsible in mastermind-ing the attack on Indian Parliament,the highest citadel of Indian democra-cy which resulted in the death of nineinnocent persons it was quite in tunewith the present law of the land thathe was to be punished. Hence it ismere political opportunism to deridethe judicial process of law of the landand issue statements that are detri-mental to the interests of the state.But all said and done we must notlose sight of the fact that soon after hanging of Afzal Guru the Chief Minister rushed to the valley to takestock of the situation. He is still camp-ing there along with his ministers. Buttrouble makers in Kashmir are manyand unless they are not brought to justice they will always be there to fishin troubled waters. We are pained tosee young boys taking to streets andpelting stones and damaging proper-ty. They have been injured along withthe police personnel. Ask any of these boys why he is indulging instone pelting he will have no answer.But the sheep in them get shepherd-ed with such impunity that they as if nursing a natural instinct come on theroads to destroy hard earned peace.The time is ripe for the young genera-tion of Kashmiris to see the reality.They have to decide whether theywant to associate themselves with thelikes of Shah Faisal who topped thelist of IAS and Parvez Rasool who has

arrived on the country's cricketingscene with a bang or with the jihadileaders who have sent their childrento western countries to make a goodfuture for them. The choice has to bemade by them the sooner the better.

Young men in the valleyhave to take a call

H ercules must be turning inhis grave. TheI n t e r n a t i o n a lOlympic Committeehas recommended theexclusion of wrestlingfrom the 2020 Gamesonwards. The proposalwill outrage not just

mythical, but famed,wrestlers such as thisGreek hero but alsomortals who recognizethe need to preservethe chains that bind tra-dition to modernitythrough the agency of sports.

The IOC has pro-posed that wrestling bedemoted from the elitecategory of 25 "core"sporting events. If theproposal is endorsed ina meeting scheduled totake place later thisyear in Buenos Aires,wrestling's loss couldprove to be a gain for

one of the seven other competing events thatthe IOC is looking at asan alternative. Theseinclude squash, rock-climbing, softball/base-ball, karate, wakeboard-ing, roller sports and theChinese martial arts,wushu.

The IOC's proposalto omit wrestling hasdeeper connotations.The decision threatens

continuity that hasmade the Olympics per-haps the most presti-gious of all internationalsporting events.Wrestling featured for the first time in theGames way back in 708BC, and has beenincluded in every chap-

ter of the Olympics savefor one since the rein-troduction of the mod-ern Games in 1896.

The preservation of this link lends to theGames not just itsunique historical dimen-sion. It has also helpedthe Olympics stake itsclaim as an event thatprioritizes such timelessand universal values ashonour, fairness andrespect.

It is perhaps perti-nent to mention that theprize for a champion inthe ancient Games wasa crown of sacred olive

leaves, accompanied,occasionally, by a lyricalode composed in theclassical style. Themodern version of theGames has been ableto retain, thus far, thissense of purity, eventhough the crown hasbeen replaced bymedallions.

The threat that lurksover the future of wrestling in the

to yield to the pressureexerted by the spectreof commercialization onsports. Significantly, ithas been reported thatone of the factors thatled to the IOC framingthis contentious propos-al was the fall in televi-sion viewership of

wrestling. A thinning televisionaudience indicates aloss of revenue. Thisconfirms the suspicionthat the fate of sports,even of one that sawthe enthusiastic partici-pation of no less than71 nations in the lastedition of the Games,will be decided not byhistory and tradition butby the forces of com-merce.

The Indian govern-ment and its sportsadministrators will dowell to mobilize the sup-port of other nations to

force the IOC to recon-sider its suggestion.This is not only becauseIndia's slim chances of striking gold in thefuture editions of theGames rest largely onwrestling. In a countrysegregated on the linesof faith, class and com-munity, it is wrestling'sinclusive appeal andpopularity that helpease the pressures on

F I N A L B O U T

By Swapan Dasgupta

Indians have an elevated

perception of thei r ownmoral standing in the

world - as the nation thathas been wedded to loftyspiritualism for many thou-sands of years, as the civil-isation that put personalethics over the quest for

power, and as the karmab-hoomi of the Buddha, Guru

Nanak and Mahatm aGandhi.

What is less appreciatedis that this faith in collec-tive self-superiority is notuniversally shared, and cer-tainly not in the West. TheOccident's view of what theOrient represents doesn'tmake very flattering read-ing.

Some of the most damn-ing indictments of theflawed Indian have, natu-rally enough, come fromBritons who have had themost sustained engagementwith Hindustan.

Robert Clive, the rogue

who cut every corner toestablish the foundations of the British Empire in India,made a fortune from hisswashbuckling ways. Yet,when he returned toEngland to enjoy his fameand fortune, he found him-self the subject of aParliamentary inquiry for acquiring assets dispropor-tionate to his knownsources of income.

Clive defended himself

with characteristic gusto,claiming that in view of thetemptations, he was"astounded by his ownmoderation." But more thanemphasising his ownuprightness, Clive'sdefence rested on the asser-tion that corruption was away of life in India. "Fromtime immemorial", he toldhis inquisitors, "it has beenthe custom of that country,for an inferior power never to come into the presenceof a superior without a

prese nt. It begin s at the Nabob and ends at the low-est man who has an inferi-or."

The omnipresence of Indian venality was recog-nised by the stalwarts of theEast India Company as aninescapable reality. If Britain was to do businesswith India, it would have torecognise the grim truth of Lord Cornwallis's claimthat "Every native of Hindustan, I verily believe,

is corrupt." Nor was this accommo-

dation of local custom lim-ited to graft. Duplicity indealings and negotiablestandards of truthfulnesswere the two other featuresof public conduct that con-fronted the foreigner.

Innumerable civil ser-vants who were entrustedwith dispensing justicewere aghast at the ease withwhich witnesses committed

perjury if that suited their self-interest.

In February 1905, whiledelivering the address atthe Calcutta Universityconvocation, Lord Curzon(one of the few Viceroyswho was genuinely fond of India) lit a bush fire byclaiming that "I hope I ammaking no false or arrogantclaim when I say that thehighest ideal of truth is to alarge extent a Western con-ception Undoubtedly,truth took a high place inthe moral codes of the West

before it had been s imilarlyhonoured in the East, wherecraftiness and diplomaticwile have always been heldin much repute."

In Kim, RudyardKipling's classic tale of theAnglo-Indian encounter,the Eurasian street urchinwatches the disorientedTibetan lama narrate hissearch for his disciple to a

pass er-by : "Kim stoo damazed at this, because he

had overheard the talk inthe museum, and knew thatthe old man was speakingthe truth, which is a thing anative seldom presents to astranger."

Subsequently, describ-ing the boy's friendshipwith the spy-cum-horsetrader Mahbub Ali, Kiplingstressed Mahbub knew that"Kim was the one soul inthe world who had never told him a lie. That would

have been a fatal blot onKim's character if Mahbubhad not known that to oth-ers, for his own ends or Mahbub's business, Kimcould lie like an Oriental."

There is a strong tempta-tion these days to dismissthese awkward observa-tions on the Indian charac-ter as being racially and

political prejudiced - whatEdward Said has charac-terised as the condescen-sion of "Orientalism".Equally, there is an inclina-tion to highlight the role of 'dharma' in moulding theindividual India's percep-tion of right and wrong.

Actually, it would seemthere is no contradiction

between the two. J ust as theIndian manages to effort-lessly reconcile a strongsense of personal hygienewith public squalor, thetendency to see salvation asa personal initiative hasinvariably prompted adetachment from the disre-

pute of public li fe." R e s p o n s i b l e

Government" the BritishICS officer Sir MichaelO'Dwyer (who earned noto-riety with the Rowlatt Act)wrote after a lifetime inIndia, "has no meaning tothe Indian peoples, noequivalent in any Indianvernacular".

O'Dwyer was not entire-ly correct because RamRajya came to denote virtu-

ous and enlightened gover-nance. But he was right inemphasising that in thehierarchy of values, Hindushave attached greater valueto the self over the State.This isn't because of anyinsufficient attachment towider dealings: the impor-tance of trust in Indian

business practices has beenknown and appreciated for centuries. Yet, there is a

profo und aliena tion fromthe ethical underpinnings of

polit ics and gover nancewhich outsiders have notedand repeatedly takenadvantage of.

The latest saga of the 10 per cent or so commission paid to agent s and anunnamed 'family' for facili-tating a Rs3,700 crore heli-copter purchase from anItalian firm has an air of eerie inevitability about it.Short-changing the publicexchequer, subverting pub-lic officials and discountingthe larger good have been

the driving principles of national life for too long.

I haven't read what theItalian whistle-blower deposed before theMagistrate and public pros-ecutor. But I won't be sur-

pris ed if they rese mbleLord Clive's observationson the India of the decrepitMoghul Shah Alam. Thelater Moghuls and the later Gandhis: is there any dif-ference?

Later Gandhis same as later Mughals?

By Arjun Shekhar:

T

hough I never gotaround to actuallyconducting it, for a

long time I carried around inmy head the transcript of animaginary interview I wouldhave with M.S. Gill, the 73year old ex-minister of (Sports) and Youth Affairs inUPA II. It began with myasking him this question.

"Sir, how are you able toconnect to a constituencywhich is half a century lessthan you in age?"

There were many replies Iconcocted on his behalf tothis ticklish question but theone I liked best was this:"Men will always be boys atheart. Don't judge a book byits cover; I'm forever young!"

In a way, he is absolutelyright. Why should age be amarker for what is essentiallya bunch of psychologicalqualities bunched under theterm youth hood? Whyshould people be excludedfrom the epithet of young

just because they havecrossed a certain age? Aren't'old' and 'young' just wordsafter all? For instance, if wetake mental and physicalenergy as key differentiatorsof what it means to be young,then many 'young' peoplewould be disqualified. On theother hand, many 'old' folks,Mr. Gill is a case in point,could pass off as quarter of their age.

But are energy and suchother qualities the markers of youth hood? Isn't this a stageof psychological develop-ment? How does it differ from other stages of humangrowth before and after it?What is unique about beingyoung?

While there isn't a defini-tive answer from the psycho-logical field, here are somedifferentiators that our research has led us to sug-gest. We believe it's a timefor making first impressions;also, a time for experimenta-tion in the real world; a timef d t di g th

sum, youth hood, we believeis unique in being a specialage and time for an individ-ual's identity quest. As an

adult, you have already mademany choices, your identifi-cation with a certain way of life has become a habit; youare not ready to try new iden-tities as easily.

And so, as an older personyou don't feel anywhere near as undefined as a youngster who is still searching. Whichis why, I feel, M.S. Gill, may

he stay forever young, wasthe wrong choice as theyouth minister, for how couldhe really know what youngIndia wants? How could hedecide on youth policies? Hisheart may have been young

but his mind was deeplywired with the impressionsthat had been made by thecontext of the times when hewas growing up. .

Moreover, due to the sym- bolic shift from print toimage, the world has trans-formed steadily since the lasttwo decades of the previouscentury like never before.Margaret Meade in her famous treatise on the gener-ation gap has said,"thereare no adults left who canhelp the young interpret their experience because theydon't know how"

M.S. Gill only representsone end of a continuum of choices made by the elders inIndian society sinceIndependence. Here is aquick recap of that story. I'llb f i g h t' t i

There are some startlinginsights you may havemissed in your reading of thehistory of independent India

as written by the elders. I willuse facts, not interpretation,to show what went wrong.

It's well known that young people came forward indroves to participate in the

political arena after their youthful energy had routedthe British empire and thenew ship called India was allset to launch into the oceans

of the world. They came ascrew for the new vessel; asmany as 26.3 % of the firstLok Sabha in 1950 wereyoung people between theage group of 25 to 40 years.This representation by youthswelled to 32 % in the secondLok Sabha.

Those were the days whenthe heads were held high, thedays when politics hadn't

become a four letter word.Those were the days whenthe mind was without fear,the days when cynicism had-n't ravaged the country side.Those were the days wherethe clear stream of reasonflowed in the Indian Psyche,the days when the drearysands of habit hadn't creptinto the young people's heart.

How did it all change?How did the youth represen-tation dwindle down steadilyto reach the abysmal 6.3 % itis in the current Lok Sabha?How did the young peopledecide to give up their voice?When did the crew become

g ? Thi t

really happened back then tochange the habit of revolt theyouth had acquired duringthe freedom movement.

What is well accepted isthe fact that since the 60's,when the youth in the rest of the world were rising up inrebellion against the oldorder, Indian youth were

being lulled back into thefour hundred year old slum-

ber (not counting the mil-lions of minor mutinies thatstill simmer here and there)

from which they had awokento claim the country's free-dom.

One of Gandhiji's littleknown exhortations providedus the clue to unravel themystery. Shortly after Indiaattained independence, hesaid, "It's time the youth of this country go back to their studies and careers now." Hemight as well have said,"Thanks for your energy thathelped topple the British butnow run along sonny, go playwith your books, we have acountry to run."

Following this lead, weresearched further into thehealthy looking statistics of youth representation in thefirst and second Lok Sabhas.Quick calculations of the ageof the first cabinet showed upthe underbelly of the beast.The average age of the firstcabinet turned out to be 52years (remember, there were26.3 % Members of Lok Sabha between the ages of 25to 40 in the first Parliament).O l i i t J gji

to 40!Do you see now how the

youth voice was drowned?How the crew was turned

into passengers? Theimmense energy of young

people helped us to get free-dom; many of them were thenatural choice of leadersselected by the public. Butthe elders, with all duerespect to them, succumbedto the age old tradition of denying young people a rightto govern their own future."Representation is alright;

but sorry, governance is anadult's job."

Denied real power, asyoung people went back totheir "studies and careers",

political affairs went off their radar, except for a few blipsduring the 70's (and as notedin some pockets even nowmutinies rage).Constitutionally speaking,the participation of the young

people has deteriorated dra-matically since the secondLok Sabha: representation inthe latest Lok Sabha has gonedown to 6.3 % and the aver-age age of the cabinet hasrisen to 62 years (though thelatest reshuffle has brought itdown marginally).

In this neo liberal and postideological age, commenta-tors lament the cynicism of young people and low voter turnouts. Almost every day,some politician or civil soci-ety activist urges the youth todo their bit for the country asif it's their duty. They arereminded that as citizensthey are expected to put intheir drop in the ocean. Andyet, the elders have onlythemselves to blame for thelow interest of youth in poli-tics. What do you expect willhappen when you approachan ocean with a spoon?

They deserve the dropthey got. May the minds of our elders remain full of rea-son, may they rule every sea-son; may their hearts remaintough, may they forever guard their turf; may their

g l b g d

What Pulled Down Youth Participation In India

In this neo liberal and post ideological age, commentators lament thecynicism of young people and low voter turnouts. Almost every day,some politician or civil society activist urges the youth to do their bitfor the country as if it's their duty. They are reminded that as citi-

zens they are expected to put in their drop in the ocean. And yet, theelders have only themselves to blame for the low interest of youth in

politics. What do you expect will happen when you approach anocean with a spoon? They deserve the drop they got. May the mindsof our elders remain full of reason, may they rule every season; maytheir hearts remain tough, may they forever guard their turf; maytheir song always be sung, and may they remain Forever Young!

Page 5.qxd 2/18/2013 10:27 AM Page 1


6/8

NATIONALSTUDENT AGE


LONDON: Seeking to build "one of the great partnerships" of the 21stcentury, British Prime Minister DavidCameron will begin a three-day offi-cial visit to India from Monday dur-ing which he will meet his counter-

part Manmohan Singh and discussissues of common interest. The visitalso comes in the wake of India takingsteps to scrap the contract after Italianinvestigators probed allegations thataerospace group Finmeccanica, the

parent company of AgustaWestland,had broken the law by paying bribesto foreign officials.

The helicopters, three of whichhave already been delivered, are man-ufactured in southwest England. Indiahas already issued a note verbale andmet with UK Foreign Office officialsto get information and assistance in

probing the allegations of corruptionin the deal, an official spokespersonin the Ministry of External Affairssaid. Noting that the UK has provided

an interim response, the spokespersonalso said, "Nobody is ever satisfiedwith an interim response. Everybodywould want a full-fledged response.So, I mean it is pretty obvious that wewould like a full-fledged response."Westland used to be a UK firm andwas taken over by Italian defencegiant Finmeccanica.

Cameron will hold discussions

with Prime Minister Singh in NewDelhi on February 19 and discuss

bilateral and global issues of commoninterest. He will also call on PresidentPranab Mukherjee on the same day.The British Prime Minister last visit-ed India in July 2010.

His visit to India comes on the heelof a visit by French PresidentFrancois Hollande to drum up trade

and bilateral relations. Ahead of hisvisit, Cameron said that he wanted therelationship between India and theUK to be "one of the great partner-ships of the 21st century". Cameron'sdelegation will include representa-tives of Small and Medium enterpris-es. British retailers are keen toincrease their presence in India andexecutives from the Tesco supermar-ket chain, Britain's biggest retailer which already has a joint venture inIndia, are expected to accompanyhim.

The Prime Minister is confidentthat he will reach the goal of doublingBritain's trade with India from 11.5

billion pounds in 2010 to 23 billion by 2015. Cameron will also use thetrip to correct any misunderstandingsabout his government's drive to bringimmigration numbers under controlamid concerns that Indian studentscould be deterred from applying tostudy in Britain.

Cameron to arrive in India tomorrow;India likely to seek information

MOGA: Union Informationand Broadcasting Minister Manish Tewari Sunday askedthe Akalis that if everythingwas to be blamed on the cen-tre what was the state gov-ernment meant for? He saidthat the Akalis were mostungrateful when theyaccused the centre of dis-crimination as their govern-ment was surviving only withthe grants provided by thecentre.

Addressing a largely

attended p u b l i cmeetingat theP a r t a pRoad insupportof the

p a r t yc a n d i -d a t eV i j a y

Sathi here today, Tewari pointed out, every week theChief Minister Parkash SinghBadal is in New Delhi meet-ing the Prime Minister andother union ministers askingfor various grants and aid andeverybody is graciousenough to grant it."Unfortunately once hereturns to Punjab he startscrying wolf that centre wasdiscriminating with Punjab",he pointed out.

Referring to the poor state

of economy in Punjab,Tewari said, under the last sixyears of Akali rule the Punjabhad gone down from sixth totwelfth place in the develop-ment index while the statedebt had broken all therecords. The Minister said,the people of Moga have gota rare opportunity to voiceand articulate the sentiment,the anger and the resentmentof all the people from acrossPunjab by rejecting the Akalicandidate as mark of protestagainst the wrong policies of the government.

Tewari said, this govern-ment was trying to survive onmere lies. "But you cannot

befool all the people all thetime with your lies", he toldthe government while strong-ly urging the people to ensurethat the Congress candidateVijay Sathi wins with the

biggest margin.

Manish Tewari slams Punjab govt,calls Akalis most 'ungrateful'

Rains, snowfall

continue acrossnorth IndiaNEW DELHI: Rains, accompa-nied by strong winds, and snowfallcontinued across north India.

Meteorological department has predicted cloudy sky for Sundaywith possibility of light rains or thundershowers in the national cap-ital region.

The maximum and minimumtemperature is likely to remainaround 19 and 13 degree Celsius.

In Rajasthan, light to moderaterainfall lashed several parts of thestate with Pilani recording a maxi-mum of 46.6 mm rains. Vanasthali,Jaipur, Bikaner, Jhalawar, Ajmer and Jodhpur recorded 15.2, 8.8, 3.3,2, 1.4 and 1 mm rainfall till 8.30Sunday morning, according to Met

department in Jaipur. Meanwhile,entire Himachal Pradesh is reelingunder extreme cold condition. Thefresh snow fall and wide spread rainhave paralysed the normal life inthe state. The tourists' resortsManali, Solangnala, Kufri,

Narkanda and Dalhousie are receiv-ing intermittent snowfall.

N E W D E LH I: Former ArmyChief Gen VK Singh has showndisinterest in joining politics as hefeels that the present system issuch that good people may notenter it. "I have a small mission -Reclaim India. I want to raiseawareness among the people.Moreover, the present political sys-

tem is such that good people maynot enter politics. That does notmean, all those who are in politicsare bad," Singh said. "This countryhas given me the best for the last42 years and I want to give some-thing back to my country," headded.

The retired general said there

should be three req-uisites for a good

politi cian -- goodimage with no crimi-nal case pending,capability and themotivation to servethe nation and socie-ty. Asked why he hadattended a rally withINLD chief OmPrakash Chautala,

who is in jail on corruptioncharges, he said he did it to cele-

brate the birth annivers ary of Chautala's father Chaudhary DeviLal.

"Devi Lal ji is the main figurewho introduced Old Age Pensionin Haryana years before other states started the scheme. He also

waived tax on poor people's bicy-cles. If Chautala was there becauseof his father, I can't push him out,"Singh said.

He also said that he had noambition to become a governor or ambassador. "Had I wanted to

become a governor or an ambassa-dor, I could have stayed silent on

the Tatra truck scam. Rs 26 lakhworth trucks were being sold to theArmy for Rs 1 crore. Most of the

bureauc rats, approach ing retire -ment, agree to whatever they areasked to. I am not that sort of man," Singh said.

He also said that he belongs tothat group of men who are ready tostand up and fight injustice.

"There are two types of people -- one who sit on bended knees andtakes alms, and the other who standstraight with head held high, readyto fight injustice. I belong to theother group," he said. The former Army chief also suggested thatIndia should adopt a no-nonsense

policy towards Pakistan."Pakistan never sincerely

accepted our hand of friendship.

We have to evolve a policy of howto deal with our neighbours.

We should make Pakistanunderstand that if it does some-thing wrong, we will hit back andif it behaves well, then we can befriends. Like a big brother, we needto give a tight slap, if it misbe-haves," Singh said.

VK Singh not keen on joining politics

NEW DELHI: The SupremeCourt refused to take up themercy plea of the four aides of Veerappan for hearing, asthere was no proof that theexecution would take place onSunday, lawyers of the meninformed. The matter wasmentioned before Chief Justice of India Altamas Kabir

but he did not give a hearing toit, said a staff from his officewhen contacted. Senior advo-cate Colin Gonsalves, whohad mentioned the matter atthe CJI's residence, said theChief Justice did not hear thematter this evening on theground that there was no proof that execution will take placeon Sunday. He said the CJItold him that the matter will betaken up for hearing in duecourse. Gonsalves and hisassociate advocate Samik

Narain said they approachedthe apex court after gettinginformation that the executionof death penalty will take

place tomorrow."No e are hoping that

adding that they will againmention the matter before thecourt on Monday. Veerappan'saides had on Saturday movedthe SC against the executionof their death penalty in con-nection with a landmine blastthat had killed 22 policemen inKarnataka nearly 20 yearsago. Veerappan's elder brother Gnanaprakash, Simon,Meesekar Madaiah andBilavendran were awardeddeath sentence in 2004 in con-nection with a landmine blastat Palar in Karnataka in 1993in which 22 police personnelwere killed.

Their mercy petition wasrejected by President PranabMukherjee on Feb 13 andaccording to sources, their hanging has been fixed for tomorrow. The four convictsare lodged in a jail in Belgaumin Karnataka. A TADA courtin Mysore had in 2001 sen-tenced them to life term whichwas enhanced to death sen-tence by the apex court. GangleaderVeerappan askilled in

NEW DELHI: Worried thatthe anti-Maoist offensive inthe Red corridor might jumpoff the tracks, the UnionHome Ministry on February20 will seek to propel naxal-affected states to 'reorient'their tactics and go on anoffensive rather than justretaliate when cornered.

Home Secretary R K Singh wishes to ask state

police forces to decentralise planning and execution of operations, with districtsuperintendents of police

playing a lead role instead of watching from the fringesand executing decisionstaken at the state headquar-ters.

The meeting has beencalled against the backdropof what the ministry called

'low returns' from the heavydeployment of central andstate forces on anti-Maoistoperations. Last year, 74 nax-als and 114 policemen werekilled in anti-naxal opera-tions against 220 naxals and317 policemen in 2009, well

before central forces startedmaking their presence felt inthe Maoist heartland. Theidea that the ministry wishes

to give a push to next week isto get the states to put togeth-er more teams of commandosin the jungles to catchMaoists unawares in their comfort zones.

The step has been takenwithin weeks of the Centreclearing a project to fundspecialised anti-Maoist com-mando units in four of theworst-affected states.

MHA to ask naxal-hit states to reorient tactics

NEW DELHI: The visit of aPakistani judicial commissionto India for the second time tocross examine four witnessesin the 26/11 attacks case con-tinues to remain uncertainwith Islamabad's failure to fixdates for the tour.

Though Islamabad has notgiven any reason for the delayin the commission's visit,sources said hanging of LeTterrorist Ajmal Kasab andrecent border skirmishesalong the LoC, where anIndian solider was beheaded,might be the causes. "Wehave conveyed to Pakistanlong ago about our willing-

ness to host the Pakistani judicial panel. But so far thereis no information from themwhen the panel will come," asenior Home Ministry officialsaid.

The agreement on the visitof the second Pakistani judi-cial commission to Mumbai

was finalised on December 25, 2012 in Islamabad follow-ing several rounds of discus-sions on complex technicaland legal issues between afour-member visiting Indiandelegation and Pakistani offi-cials.

The Home Ministry alsogot approval of the BombayHigh Court for the visit of thePakistani panel and crossexamination of the four wit-nesses of the Mumbai attack case.

The witnesses are metro- politan magist rate RamaVijay Sawant-Waghule, whorecorded the confessional

statement of Ajmal Kasab,chief investigating officer Ramesh

daily paper february 18, 2013

Documents