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TUESDAY 15 April | 2014 | 14 Jamadi-Ul-Thani 1435 AH | PAGES 12 | VOL NO: 4 | ISSUE NO: 104 | RS: 2/- (AIR SURCHARGE FOR JAMMU /DELHI/LEH 50 Paisa)Pen For Justice Largely Circulated, No. 1 Bilingual Daily of J&Khttp://www.zabarwantimes.com

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Inside story

On Edit Page

See More On Pg 09

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Petty politics- harmful for democracy

The present poll campaign for Lok Sabha Elections has seen many up-heavals due to the scathing attacks by the leaders on each other and rev-elations which have shocked and sur-prised the whole country. On one side the leaders are leaving no stone un-turned to indulge in personal attacks, using abusive language and throwing all parliamentary ethics into winds and on the other side some persons who were very close to the power like the former advisor to Prime Minister Sanjay Baru created furors by try-

NC’s downfall imminent: Mehbooba

PG 06 PG 11 PG 06

3 injured in road mishaps

Human Skeleton found in Pulwama

Srinagar, Apr 14: PDP Srinagar Dis-trict Coordinator Adil Jan joined Na-tional Conference today along with hundreds of his supporters at an event organized at NC Headquarters at Nawa-e-Subh Complex in Srinagar.According to a statement issued to KNS, while welcoming Adil and his supporters to National Conference, NC Provincial President Nasir Aslam Wani said that National Conference’s

Baisakhi celebrated with traditional gaiety

PDP Srinagar District Coordinator Joins NC

24 hour long Ahmad Nagar encounter ends

Pulwama, April 14, CNS: Mas-sive search operation was con-ducted in Hasanwani hamlet, five kilometers away from South Kashmir’s Pulwama towan to nab the District Commander of Lashkar Toiba Molvi Bilal and his associate who according

See LeT on pg 11

Searches on to track down LeT

Commander

Udhampur-Kathua, Apr 14 : Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare Ghulam

Nabi Azad, who is Congress candidate for Udhampur-Do-da Lok Sabha seat, today said that he is contesting Parlia-ment election with a vision and specific agenda to serve the people of this backward region.According to a statement is-sued to KNS, while addressing series of road shows in differ-ent parts of Udhampur

See Azad on pg11

Azad icon of development: Raj Babbar

Tosamaidan lease agreement:KCDS to hold protest on Wednesday

Srinagar, Apr 14: Stating that the firing has devastat-ed bio-diversity by filling the area with all sorts of military waste that includes unexplod-ed bomb fragments, shells and heaps of waste material generated by military exercise and heavy artillery shelling, KCDS has expressed a grave concern announcing a pro-test programme against Tosa maidan lease agreement on Wednesday.According to the statement

issued to KNS, KCDS held a round table conference in which tourist and trade bod-ies besides tosamaidan bacho front in which the partici-pants said that Tosamaidan is under the control of Army since 1964 and as such pro-hibited for human activities. The area has regularly been used for firing drills by Indi-an army and air force that has so far killed 63 persons and caused permanent

See KCDS on pg11

Srinagar, April 14: Baisakhi, the festival of harvest, was cel-ebrated with traditional gaiety and fervor across Jammu and Kashmir on Monday. Perfor-

mances of energetic bhangra and gidda by men and women respectively from Sikh Commu-nity marked the occasion. Peo-ple also exchanged greetings

with friends, neighbours and relatives as they relished the best of famous Punjabi cuisine.Colourful Baisakhi fairs were organized at several places with people going on shopping, eating and recreational spree. Hundreds of people from Sikh Community, tourists and lo-cals visited Mughal Gardens. Keeping in with the tradition, the Mughal gardens were offi-cially opened to public on the occasion. All Mughal gardens, Nishat, Shalimar, Harwan be-sides tulip garden witnessed rush of visitors from across the Valley. Men and women dressed in colourful outfits were seen enjoying the festival at Nishat and Shalimar.

See Baisakhi on pg11

Srinagar, Apr 14: A Pakistan Occu-pied Kashmir (POK) woman who had recently accompanied her husband un-der the return and rehabilitation policy via Nepal on Monday lost her battle for life, five days after she had set herself ablaze in a village in North Kashmir’s Bandipora district.According to the reports received by KNS, Saira Bano wife of Abdul Majeed Wani hailing from Badipora Bandipora set herself ablaze on April 10. Bano has left behind her three children includ-ing two girls of six to ten years. After the incident, she was referred to Sher-e-Kashmir Institute of Medical Scienc-

es (SKIMS) Srinagar hospital in a crit-ical condition where she succumbed to her injuries on Monday.Reports stated that Bano was disgrun-tled over the lack of facilities being provided to her family under the re-turn and rehabilitation policy of the state. Some of the families who have returned in last few months told KNS that the return and rehabilitation policy for Kashmiri youth who have crossed over to LoC to seek arms train-ing and are willing to shun the path of violence ‘seems to be death trap for their wives and the children.’

See Battle on pg11

5 days after setting herself ablaze, POK lady loses battle for life

Srinagar, Apr 14 : Close on the heels of Khrew encounter, a fierce gun battle that erupted on Sunday at Ahmad Nagar Srinagar ended up after 24 hours on Monday evening with the killing of two militants and injuries to two security personnel.According to reports received by KNS, security forces after receiv-ing a tip-off about the presence of militants in the Ahmad Nagar area cordoned the town. The encounter started between the two sides with the thuds of gunshots sending shiv-ers in the whole locality. The opera-tion against the militants was joint-ly launched by the police, CRPF and later 55 RR was also called in.During the initial stage of the fierce gun battle, one police personal was

hit by a bullet and was injured. He was later shifted to the hospital for treatment. Forces later suspend-ed the operation during the night hours and re-started the same in

the morning.Police said that it managed to res-cue the family members of the house wherein two militants were holed up. Inspector General of Po-lice (IG) Kashmir A. G. Mir while confirming that the encounter has ended told KNS over phone that the gun battle took some time to end because the security forces had to rescue the family members from the house wherein the militants were holed up. “The militants had taken the family members hostage and it was a challenge for the secu-rity forces to evacuate them first.” The police claimed the militants killed in the encounter belonged to Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT).

See Encounter on pg11

Srinagar, Apr 14 (KNS): Reiterating resolve of his party to work for the peaceful and amicable solution of the Kashmir issue, patron of Peo-ples Democratic Party (PDP) Mufti Mohammad Sayeed today said that mandate in favour of his party in the Parlia-ment elections would accelerate the process of addressing all as-pects of the Kashmir problem. According to a state-ment issued to KNS, while addressing series of public meetings at Tumlahal, Lasipura, Wachi, Dekapu-ra and Harman areas in connection with road show in favour of party candidate Mehbooba Mufti, the PDP patron said that his party has fielded most capable and trusted candidates for the Parliament elections. “We are fighting Parliament election to send credible representatives in the Lok Sabha so that voice of the people of Kashmir should be raised in the Par-

liament with conviction and commit-ment”, he said and told the people that vote in favour of PDP candidates would boost the campaign for change in J&K. “Change is imminent in the State and PDP is future of J&K”, he

said and expressed satisfaction that his party has earned faith and trust of the people of Jammu and Kash-mir in a short span.Reiterating that PDP would facilitate any meaningful initiate to solve Kashmir issue, Mufti reminded that

his party had earlier convinced suc-cessive governments at New Delhi to initiate some concerted step for establishing lasting peace in this re-gion. He especially mentioned that PDP led coalition, without compro-mising with the dignity of the people of the State, had pursued the recon-ciliatory process which was endorsed by the then Prime Minister Atal

See Mufti on pg11

PDP fighting elections to send credible representatives in Parliament: Mufti

Srinagar, Apr 14: Three persons were injured in different road ac-cidents across the valley. Accord-ing to a statement issued to KNS, a Maruti car bearing registration number JK05A/7705 rammed into a shop at Nowpora, in the jurisdic-tion of Police station Bandipora, resulting in injuries to Mohammad Shafi Malla resident of Nowpora. The injured has been shifted to hos-pital for treatment.

See Mishaps on pg11

Srinagar, April 14: Pulwama police recovered a human skeleton in the forests of Yarwan. Police has sent the skeleton for DNA sampling to establish the identity of the deceased and has started investi-gation to ascertain the cause of the death.Pulwama police was informed by some locals that a human skeleton is laying at compartment no. 5 in Yarwan forest, in the jurisdiction of Police station Rajpora. Police party rushed to the spot and

See Pulwama on pg11

Srinagar, April 14, CNS: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah visited the Tulsibagh residence of Peo-ple’s Democratic Front Chairman Hakim Muhammad Yasin on Mon-day. Reliable sources said that both the leaders had a closed-door meeting while Omar Abdullah was accompanied by Provincial pres-ident Kashmir Nasir Aslam Wani and political advisor Tanvir

See Omar on pg11

Omar Abdullah visits Hakim Yasin’s resi

Not ready to lose weight In Jodhpur to meet Anushka

> 2 militants killed, 2 cops injured; JuM claims responsibility

> It took time because of rescue operation: IGP Kashmir

I have road-map for development of backward areas: Azad

Srinagar, Apr 14: Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Mon-day said that National Confer-ence allegations that PDFP was behind the Khrew militant at-tack, are serious in nature and asked Dr Farooq Abdullah to come out with the source of in-formation about the attack.According to KNS correspon-

dent, while addressing media persons at PDP headquarters here, Naeem Akhter PDP MLC and chief spokesperson, said: “PDP has filed a formal com-plaint with Election Commis-sion of India as the allegation is totally baseless.” He said that J&K police chief has

See Akhter on pg11

Come out with proof for your allegations: Akhter

Overloading a death trap for passengers authoirities in slumber PIC: ShahidWani

Geelani arriving on WednesdaySrinagar, Apr 14 : Huriyat Conference (G) is going to make public its roadmap vis-à-vis poll boycott campaign after the return of its chairman Syed Ali Geelani on April 16.According to a statement issued to KNS, according to the de-tails received by KNS, Geelani is scheduled to arrive in Valley on April 16 after which he will chair an important meeting of his amalgam wherein the strategy of poll boycott will be discussed. His flight is scheduled to

See Geelani on pg11

Srinagar, Apr 14 : “Is a scientifically evolved preparatory package to coach the meritorious stu-dents of the poor & underprivileged sections of Kashmir valley to crack national level engineering entrance exams for institutions such as IIT. This initiative was launch by Chinar Corps in 2013 in which 30 IIT aspirants were provided free coach-ing by experts along with free of cost boarding, lodging, books and stationery,” said an army state-ment issued to KNS. “Seeing the immense success & popularity of the first edition, the Second Edition of Kashmir Super 30 is being launched shortly. The selection will in-clude a seminar followed by written Test and inter-views,” the statement added.“The coaching is to commence from second week of Jun 2014. Students who have cleared Class 12th Science Stream at the time of registration with minimum 70% marks and the annual income of whose parents/guardian is not more than

See Edition on pg11

2nd edition of Kashmir super 30 to commence shortly

Srinagar, April 14, CNS: Minister for Higher Edu-cation Muhammad Akbar Lone’s cavalcade came under attack when he was moving towards Paribal Hajin to attend a workers meeting. Eyewitnesses told CNS the National Conference leader Muhammad Akbar Lone was on way to Paribal Hajin to attend a workers meeting when scores of agitated youth pelted stones on his cavalcade near New Brigde Hajin. Reports said the security guards and the policemen accompanying him exercised maximum

See NC on pg 11

NC Minister’s cavalcade attacked

11 Srinagar, Tuesday 15 April 2014 Zabarwan Times

FROM THE FRONT PAGE

Encounter

GeelaniNC

Mishaps

Omar

Edition

Battle

LeT

Azad

Akhter

Mufti

KCDS

Pulwama

Baisakhi

Owner , Printer & Publisher: Suhail Malik Editor -in-Chief: Shahana Malik RNI NO. JKBII/2011/39764, Email: zabarwantimes@gmail.com Publised at Govt. Quarters , M-13 Magarmal Bagh Srinagar-190001 J&K, Printed at:- Sangarmal Offset Press Humhama Sheikhpora Tele/Fax: 2478370 Cell No. 09999964750, 9796 787844

However, in a tele-statement issued to KNS, Jami-at-ul-Mujahideen (JuM) a militant out-fit claimed responsibility of the encounter at Ahmad Nagar. The outfit’s spokesman identifying himself as Jameel Ah-mad told KNS that two JuM militants were hiding in a house at Ahmad Nagar and both had a constant con-tact with their militant headquarters till the gun battle erupted.The police spokesman while providing details of the gun battle said that two militants have been killed. “The slain militants have been identified as Abu Hu-zaifa and Chota Hafiz of LeT outfit. One policeman also got injured today.” He added that arms and ammuni-tion was recovered from the encounter site. Locals said that during the gun battle fire engulfed two houses in which the militants were hiding. The fire and emergen-cy service men were busy in extinguishing the fire till the last reports came in. (KNS)

to police were hiding in the village. A top police official told CNS that after receiving the inputs about the presence of LeT District Commander and his associate in Hasanwani hamlet, Army person-nel from 55 RR, Special Operation Group team jointly cordoned off the hamlet. “Search operation is going on to track down the Lashkar District Commander,” he said. (CNS)

and Kathua district, Ghulam Nabi Azad, who was ac-companied Bollywood star and Congress, MP, Raj Babbar and PCC president Saifud-Din-Soz, said that Udhampur-Doda Parliamentary segment, which com-prised of six mountainous districts, is one of the big-gest constituencies of the country. “Being native of this place I am aware of the problems being faced by the inhabitants of this region so I have prepared a blue-print for the growth and betterment of this region”, he said and reminded the gathering, “As Chief Minister of State, I had formulated a comprehensive plan to cre-ate infrastructure in this mountainous region and in a short span of just two and half years and I had proved how to develop this region”.Azad, who during his tenure had accelerate develop-mental activities, said that being the most backward region this belt deserve special attention and compre-hensive programmes and policies for development and growth.“I have a vision and roadmap for this belt”, Azad said and sought over-whelming support of the people to implement developmental agenda in this belt. He said that decision to open two medical colleges- one at Kathua and another at Doda, Cancer Hospital at Ud-hampur district, was first step towards bringing this backward belt on the map of development. “With the opening of Medical Colleges in this region-comprising of 17 assembly segments-would automatically devel-op in every sphere of life”, he observed and said that he has many more programmes for this region, which would lead towards development and prosperity.“Following long pending and genuine demand of new districts, my cabinet created eight districts. I had con-stituted Baloeria Commission to make a comprehen-sive report for further setting up of administrative units. Finally, during NC-Congress coalition, a cabinet subcommittee was constituted and headed by dep-uty chief minister, which held extensive tour of each and every part of the state and made a detailed report thereby creating hundreds of new administrative units including Sub Divisions, Tehsils, Blocks and Niabats,” highlighted Mr Ghulam Nabi Azad and added that “these new administrative units would definitely bring a revolutionary changes in rural and hilly belts of the Jammu and Kashmir.”“Now, you will not have to go far off to get your work done. Congress and NC had tried to end up your prob-lems to a great extent.While moving in various wards of Kathua Municipal Council and adjoining town areas, Ghulam Nabi Azad appealed the people to defeat divisive and exploitive forces strengthen secularism to ensure development and prosperity.Cautioning people against divisive politics of BJP, Ghulam Nabi Azad said that such dangerous politics for petty political gains has always proved disastrous for the people living in backward and neglected areas. “It is a historical fact that BJP had exploited senti-ments of the people during the aftermath of Amarnath land agitation and had managed to win 11 Assembly segments by creating polarization”, he reminded the gathering and asked “who got benefit of that polariza-tion only some BJP leaders who later auctioned them in the open market and betrayed people of Jammu region. It also hampered the development of state in general and Jammu region in particular.”“The dangerous game which state BJP is brazenly playing to reap political benefits would be proved di-sastrous for the common masses as it will create walls of hatred among different communities and would also hamper developmental activities”, he cautioned and asked that people that instead of giving ear to such divisive politics they (people) should support agenda of peace and development.Lambasting BJP leadership for blatantly raking up emotive issues to exploit sentiment so of the people, Mr Ghulam Nabi Azad said that at national level BJP leadership was claiming to contest Lok Sabha elections on developmental plank but in J&K this party is out and out playing religious politics. Realizing that they have been exposed before the masses after Cash for Vote episode, BJP leadership has decided to use religion as mean to reap political ben-efit, he said and asked at which parameter “tainted” MLAs, who were expelled from the BJP on the charges of taking money in lieu of votes, were taken back in the party. He said that BJP has damaged Jammu more as compared to other parties.Bollywood star and Congress, MP, Raj Babbar in his address described Mr Ghulam Nabi Azad as “Icon of

Development”. “He is a man of development. His pol-itics starts with development in the morning and con-cludes with development in the evening. He is the man who always arouse above the party politics and led the pace of the development to all nook and corner of the country. As Union Health Minister he ensured estab-lishment of 55,000 Hospitals throughout the country,” highlighted Babbar.Taking a dig at saffron brigade Raj Babbar said “Un-like BJP which is fighting elections on rhetoric of Modi , Congress is contesting elections on historical back ground in freedom struggle, its’ tireless and continues efforts to develop infrastructure in the country, which includes roads, airports, railway lines, hospitals, Schools, Colleges, Universities and number of people oriented policies and programmes like NRHM and MNREGA schemes which have benefitted the people of the country”.“BJP is solely dependent upon artificially managed leader who is trying to get votes of the people on myth and dream but the Congress is seeking mandate of the people on the basis of substantiated work it has done for nation building”, Raj Babbar said and added that BJP candidate Narendra Modi has not done any sub-stantiated work in his own state of Gujarat. He termed Narendra Modi as super imposed leader who himself is much against wishes of his own party leaders.Highlighting achievements of UPA Government, he said that under Congress led UPA regime, India has achieved “near universal education” at the primary school level due to Right to Education and the drop-out rates have also decreased. The outlay for education has been constantly increased. Central universities in-creased from 17 to 44 during 2004-13.“There has been a three-fold increase in food subsidy during UPA tenure. The Food Security Act passed by Congress party entitles 35 kg of food-grains per month and other families for 5 kg per person at subsidized rates has been passed during UPA regime”, he said.Lambasting the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for misleading the people by spreading false propaganda against Congress, Mr Raj Babbar said, “In comparison to the hard work and tireless efforts made by Congress for the people of nation, the track record of BJP in gen-eral and Narendera Modi in particular is mostly based on rhetoric rather than substantiating work done by them”. The bollywood star further sought to know from Narendera Modi about his contribution so far in nation building.While cautioning the people not to fall in the nefarious designs of divisive forces, he said, “Congress and its leadership is a fact and truth, whereas so-called artifi-cially managed leadership of BJP is simply myth and dream. People should vote to Congress on the basis of its work done in both pre and post independence era”.In his address, PCC president, Saifud-Din-Soz, de-scribed Congress party as “synonym to development, secularism and national integrity.” He highlighted that “130 year old Congress party has played great role in freedom struggle. Thousands of workers and leaders sacrificed their lives, remained jailed till we got Inde-pendence. After Independence, it was Congress that scripted the future of the country and advanced to-wards the path of development”. “Development in any sphere cannot be done over night but the consistent and committed efforts of Congress has brought India on the world map, which is now one among the leading nation of the world,” he pointed out. (KNS)

categorically said that the attack was not aimed at any single person. “DGP and IGP have said in newspaper reports that the aim of militants was to snatch rifles and nothing else,” he said quoting news reports and added that Farooq Abdullah should come out with his source of information.Akhter further said that PDP had earlier also filed two complaints with ECI but no action from the ECI has emboldened National Conference. “Wazwan served to NC workers that was ferried in police vans and Sakina Itoo influencing an elderly in South Kashmir were se-rious in nature and we had full proof in form of photos and videos but lack of action on part of ECI has only emboldened NC,” he said demanding an independent probe in the allegations leveled by Farooq Abdullah on PDP.He said that such accusations can only come from the persons who see their defeat as imminent. He also said that Congress minister, Ghulam Ahmad Mir also has used religion in support of NC-Congress candidate for South Kashmir. “Mir

Behari Vajpayee and his successor Dr Manmohan Singh. He further said that PDP led regime had re-moved a number of misconceptions and also managed economic package for the development of the State without bartering wishes of the people.Exhorting the people to teach present regime a lesson, Mufti said that NC and Congress government has re-neged on almost all the promises made with the peo-ple during last Assembly elections and the coalition government run by them seems to be a rudderless ar-rangement lacking direction and commitment.“Except enjoying powers and looting public exchequer both Congress and National Conference have nothing in common”, he said and observed that it was a his-torical fact that alliance between these two parties (NC-Congress) has always proved ominous for the people of Jammu and Kashmir. He reminded the gath-ering about brazenly ridden infamous 1987 assembly elections which was fought by both NC and Congress jointly. Reminding people about revolutionary steps taken by the PDP led government during its tenure, he said that PDP led regime had set an example of good governance in the State by providing a corruption free and transparent system to the people. He added that PDP led regime had brought transparency and ac-countability in the governance and justice was given to all sections of the society. He said that during PDP led regime more than 70,000 Rehbar-e-Talim (ReT) teachers were appointed. Similarly more than 40000 Anganwari workers were also appointed but not even a single case of favourtism and nepotism was high-lighted. “Although we had only 16 members yet we had changed political discourse of the state and created a sense of security among the common masses”, he said and added that biggest achievement of PDP was that it had earned credibility of the people through its convic-

tion and commitment. “Unlike National Conference, PDP leadership has never compromised with its prin-ciples for the power”, he asserted and reminded the gathering PDP had entered into an power sharing alli-ance with Congress in the year 2002 only after formu-lation of Common Minimum Programme (CMP)- an agenda to run the coalition. Calling upon the people to cast their votes in favour of party candidate Me-hbooba Mufti, PDP patron said that as a leader she (Mehbooba Mufti) has proved herself as a trusted and credible representative of the people. “As as MLA she wiped tears of people through her humanist approach and tried to solve problems of the masses”, he said while appreciating role of Mehbooba Mufti as MLA. “You need a representative like Mehbooba Mufti who would raise your issues in the Parliament with com-mitment and conviction”, he said and added that PDP has formulated a comprehensive agenda for youth and farmers. Earlier over-whelming response was accord-ed to Mufti Mohammad Sayeed during his road show Hundreds and hundreds of people were standing to the road side to accord reception to Mufti. Sayeed Bashir, MLA, Wahid Parra, Mohammed Khalil Naik, Ghulam Mohi-ud-Din, Ghulam Hassan, Muzaffar, Mousin and others also spoke in the meetings. (KNS)

land here at 3 p.m on April 16. Ayaz Akbar confirmed the visit of Huriyat (G) chair-man on the scheduled date. Pertinently, after com-plaining ill health, the state government offered chop-per services to the senior separatist to shift him to Delhi, Geelani later boarded the civil aircraft on April 13 and reached the capital where he undergone sev-eral tests. Geelani later on April 2 attended the function orga-nized by Pakistan embassy on the eve of Pakistan day. The senior separatist leader also held a detailed meet with the Pak high commissioner Abdul Basit on April 3 along with the senior leaders of Huriyat (G). Accord-ing to reports, Geelani will lead the marriage prayers of the son one of the senior member of Jamat-e-Islami hind at Okhla, New Delhi. (KNS)

Nazir Ahmad Shah, resident of Khai Tangan Baram-ula told KNS that he returned to valley after 18 years along with his wife and children via Nepal. He stated that lack of facilities has perturbed the families of re-turnees at large and that the wives of returnees have become mentally retarded also.“Our passport is being seized at Nepal border and also the Visa that was issued to us had the expiry of 15 days only. No one is helping us here and our wives are terming this place a prison for them,” Nazir said add-ing that 250 men along with their wives who belong to POK returned to valley but neither the government nor their relatives are paying any heed to the prob-lems that they face every day in Kashmir.He said that the wives of all the 250 men are striving to go back to their country but their vital travel doc-uments have already been seized. Reports informed that six months ago, another returnee Bashir Ahmad a resident of Kreeri Baramulla had consumed poison and ended her life due to the hardships she faced in Kashmir.Another person Rayees Ahmad Dar who had recently returned from POK via Nepal after 16 years along with his wife told KNS that the government has turned a blind eye towards their plight and that no efforts for their rehabilitation are being taken up. “We have no jobs; banks don’t provide us loans to set up our own business- the certificates of our children are not be-ing accepted by the schools, if we apply for a private job-police denies our verification details,” Rayees told KNS on phone adding many want to go back to POK but their travel documents are already seized.Sheereen is a resident of POK and married Moham-mad Lateef of Sopore accompanied her husband to valley in the recent past. She told KNS: “Since we are the wives of ordinary Kashmiri youth, we are denied travel documents and other facilities but contrary to this those who claim to be our leaders enjoy the full protocol of governments of India and Pakistan.” The returnees said that they are soon going to chalk out a strategy and will stage protest demonstrations against the government apathy. (KNS) disability to 43 persons.

“Although the lease of Tosamaidan had ended in 2004, yet it was extended for further 10 years by the state government in contravention to the Forest Conservation Act 1997,” reads the statement.The participants remarked that firing drills have devastated biodiversity by filling the area with all sorts of military waste that includes unexploded bomb fragments, shells and heaps of waste mate-rial generated by military exercise and heavy artil-lery shelling. Besides environment, these activities have also badly impacted the agriculture, education, health and economy of the local population. “Massive deforestation, soil erosion, landslides and disappearance of fauna and flora (unique medicinal plants in particular) are a few among other conse-quences of this army exercise.”

Sikhs visited temples and Gurdwaras, where langars or community feasts were arranged as a part of char-ity on the day. The biggest function was held at Chatti Pathshahi in Kathi Darwaza Rainawari in old city here. Although Baisakhi is celebrated in various other northern states for a good harvest of Rabi crop, the Sikh community here celebrates the festival to mark 315th year of the foundation of Khalsa Panth by 10th Sikh Guru, Guru Gobind Singh.According to CNS, in north Kashmir hundreds of devotees from Sikh community visited the Gurdwara

Chatti Padshahi in Baramulla, Khawaja Bagh and Paranpila in Uri. The markets in the area remained crowded with the shoppers throughout the day, re-ports said.In south Kashmir, Baisakhi was celebrated at many places. People kept pouring in at Gurdwaras at Mat-tan, Singhpora, Hutbora, Kchenbal, Palmpora and Tral. (CNS)

Rs 2.50 lakhs per annum are eligible for this edition of Super 30.”Students can either be from CBSE Board or State Board, recognized by Ministry of HRD, Govt of India and should be eligible to appear for JEE (Main) 2015. The initiative will kick start with seminars at four dif-ferent locations in the Valley. First such seminar will be held at Baramulla on 16 April 2014. Post seminars, the registration of the aspirants will commence. The registration will close on 30 Apr 14 and thereafter, a written test will be conducted on 11 May 14 at eleven centres spread all over the Valley. The students who clear the written test will be called for interview and fi-nal selection will be made thereafter. Detailed instruc-tions are available with Majid Aziz on 8715017567 and anupamguru.ag@gmail.com. (KNS)

restraint and did not retaliate. A police official told CNS that few youth who were present near New Bridge hooted at the cavalcade and they did not resort to any stone-pelting. SHO Hajin Atiqullah refuted the report and said that no such inci-dent occurred in Hajin. (CNS)

Bandipora Police has registered a case in this regard.Meanwhile, a motorcycle bearing registration number JK01F/4988 and a Santro bearing registration num-ber JK01U/7187 collided near old Petrol Pump, in the jurisdiction of Police station Tangmarg, Baramulla. The motorcyclist Ajaz Ahmad Lone son of Abdul Ahad resident of Qazipora Tangmarg was injured in this incident. The injured has been shifted to Hospital for treatment. Tangmarg Police has registered a case in this regard.In another accident, a tipper bearing registration number JK01G/0171 turned turtle near Haripora, in the jurisdiction of Police station Ganderbal, result-ing in injuries to 25 years old Mustafa Khan son of Abdul Aziz resident of Wangath Kangan. The injured has been shifted to SKIMS Soura Srinagar for treat-ment. Ganderbal Police has registered a case in this regard. (KNS)

Sadiq. Sources said that the meeting held between NC lead-ership and Hakim Muhammad Yasin was an import-ant one in wake of ongoing parliament elections. Pertinently, People’s United Front which is popularly known as Third Front and of Hakim Muhammad Yasin is a party recently declared that it would not contest Parliament Elections and nor will ask their supporters to support any candidate. When contacted PDF Chairman Hakim Yasin told CNS that Chief Minister along with other leaders vis-ited his residence to inquire about his health. “I have been suffering from back pain and Omar Abdullah vis-ited to know the condition of my health,” he said add-ing that there was routine discussion with the Chief Minister Omar Abdullah. (CNS)

recovered the human skeleton from the spot. The skeleton was sent for DNA sampling.In this regard, Rajpora Police has initiated inquest proceedings under section 174 CrPC to ascertain the case of death.

S.No. Name and Parentage Rank Occupation1) Mudasir Majeed Lone Chairman (Pvt. Teacher) S/O Abdul Majeed Lone 2) Nisar Ahmad Bakshi Gen. Secretary (Pvt. Teacher) S/O Habib-ullah Bakshi 3) Mushtaq Ahmad Bakshi Member (Pvt. Teacher) S/O Late Abdul Majeed Bakshi4) Hilal Ahmad Shah Member (Business-Man) S/O Late Mohd Amin Shah 5) Sajad Ahmad Khan Member (Business-Man) S/O GH Mohd Khan

Office of the Principal Iqra Gousia Public School Ranbirpora

List of Managing Body of the Institution

NC’s downfall imminent: Mehbooba

Jammu, 14 April: Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president, Mehbooba Mufti Monday said instead of using derogatory language against its opponents the National Conference should have come out with its performance report for their last 40 years in the government.Addressing public meetings at Ramsoo and Banihal, Mehboo-ba said till now NC was able to get away without offering an account of its performance and misdeeds in absence of a viable alternative but now with the emergence of PDP it can’t avoid presenting a report card and vision while seeking votes.

SRINAGAR | TUESDAY, APRIL | 15| 2014Daily ZABARWAN TIMES NEWS

Take a break from your routine, Libra. You might feel like you’re leading an army into battle as you strive for new adven-tures and conquer new realms. Make sure you take a bit of time out today to stop and let your troops rest. You deserve a little rest yourself. Use this moment of stillness to form your plan of attack so you’re sure about how to proceed.

The key for you is to minimize your daily drama as much as possible, Scorpio. You may not realize how much you cripple your-self by the way you exaggerate every aspect of your life. Try not to give so much of your attention to things that really don’t matter much. Petty jealousy and gossip about other people’s lives are es-pecially irrelevant in your world.

Be careful of advertising yourself as someone who is so strong and mentally competent that you’re capable of handling every-thing, Sagittarius. Take note that the strongest mule on the trail usually ends up carrying the most weight. Your emotions are more sensitive than you may think, and certainly more than you demonstrate to others. Be honest about the way you feel and not just the way you think.

Things should flow well for you today with very little ef-fort on your part, Capricorn. Take note that if any quarrel arises, it’s an indication that the person you’re arguing with isn’t nec-essarily the right person to deal with or confide in. Emotional issues are likely to be the hardest ones to overcome, but this shouldn’t be a problem for you. You have the ability to work through these like a pro.

This is meant to be a nice, relaxing day, so treat it as such, Aquarius. There’s no need for you to plan any great strategy at this time. Try to take it easy and not indulge in any unnecessary stress. This is your time to enjoy the moment. Don’t tax your mind by overanalyzing everything that comes your way. Go with the flow and have a great time regardless of what you end up doing.

Your sensual nature is heightened, Pisces, and you’ll find yourself engaged in tender moments and languid peacefulness in the company of others. Soothe your soul by letting yourself slip into situations that give you the emotional freedom to do or say whatever comes to mind. Life should be like a love poem written by a great master. Accept the good energy that comes your way.

Your sixth sense is right on target, Virgo, so trust your instincts today. You’re likely to connect with someone in a wonderful partnership that will help you foster the very plan you want to develop now. Stay close to those things that resonate strongly with your morals. The answer is in front of you; you don’t have to search too far afield in order to find it.

Allow your eager and restless nature to express itself in ways other than through the spoken word, Aries. Show someone that you care through your gentle touch or a big bear hug. Hold on a little bit more tightly than you might normally. There’s an unspo-ken understanding that comes when you communicate through nothing but pure silence. Work on developing this kind of connec-tion with those closest to you.

This is a terrific day for you, Taurus. You should find that your relationships, especially with men, go exceptionally well. Your tender and extremely sensitive nature is finally being recognized as the treasure chest it is. There are many times in which this type of personality is seen as weak, yet today is one of those times in which you’re given the full credit you deserve.

A selfish attitude on your part won’t be tolerated today, re-gardless of the circumstances, Gemini. Don’t make it worse for yourself by pretending that you don’t notice others’ hurt feelings. People are likely to be extra sensitive today, so be careful about trying to impose your will on someone who really wants nothing more than an ear to talk to and a shoulder to cry on.

You could find the hardest person to face is you, Cancer. You tend toward introspection, and you may find yourself shrinking into self-recrimination. You could analyze the important people in your life and yet fail to address the one you really need to look at – you. As you continually strive for perfection, give yourself proper credit. Do something nice for yourself today.

Take advantage of the creative energy in the air today, Leo. Keep your hands moving and your imagination flowing toward something fun and artistic. If you begin to doubt your work, you may fall down a spiral of creative blockage. Don’t get into the habit of constantly judging the quality or outcome of your work. Give yourself free rein to open up and explore whatever comes to mind.

NEW DELHI: Days after the Con-gress praised Atal Bihari Vajpayee to target Narendra Modi, the party did a U-turn on Monday calling the BJP veteran “the weakest PM India ever had”, a taunt often directed at Man-mohan Singh by the opposition par-ty. In his tweet, Congerss spokesman Sanjay Jha alleged that Vajpayee was the “weakest” Prime Minister as he had failed to protect India’s border and interests while dealing with Pakistan.

He said that Vajpayee had even failed to handle Narendra Modi whom he wanted removed as chief minister in the wake of Gujarat riots in 2002.

“The weakest PM ever was AB Vajpayee, who wanted to sack Mr Modi for the ghastly Gujarat massa-cre, but succumbed to BJP bullying,” he tweeted.

The Congress spokesman also

took potshots at Vajpayee over his government’s failure in protect-ing the Indian border and interests while dealing with Pakistan.

“The weakest PM India ever had was AB Vajpayee who was hugging PM Nawaz Sharif, even as 50 sol-diers had lost their lives in Kargil,” Jha tweeted.

“The weakest Prime Minister that India ever had was AB Vajpayee. Gen Musharraf spent a night on In-dian soil, while the PMO and NDA snored,” he said. In the midst of the poll heat, Congress had showered praises on Vajpayee to attack Modi, asking how can a person whom the tallest leader of BJP “wanted re-moved” as CM in the wake of Guja-rat riots be the party’s PM candidate.

In its official website, the Con-gress had asserted that no leader in BJP can match the stature of Va-jpayee, the founding president of

the party. BJP had said on Sunday the book

written by former media adviser of Manmohan Singh was an “offi-cial confirmation” that he was the “weakest” Prime Minister and as-serted that his office was “dwarfed” during the UPA rule. “The weakest Prime Minister that India ever had was AB Vajpayee. Gen Musharraf spent a night on Indian soil, while the PMO and NDA snored,” he said. In the midst of the poll heat, Con-gress had showered praises on Va-jpayee to attack Modi, asking how can a person whom the tallest lead-er of BJP “wanted removed” as CM in the wake of Gujarat riots be the party’s PM candidate.

The BJP also said that on the eve of relinquishing the office Singh must “seriously introspect” as to how his tenure “impacted” on the institution of Prime Minister.

LATUR, MAHARASHTRA: In a blistering attack on Narendra Modi, Rahul Gandhi on Monday dubbed the Gujarat model propagated by Narendra Modi as a “toffee model”, saying it has benefited only one industrialist in the state, ignoring the inter-ests of the farmers and the poor.

He also said while the BJP talks of empowering women in its election campaign posters, its party activists along with RSS cadres beat up women going to pubs in Mangalore (Karnataka) and the Gujarat chief minister uses his powers and police ma-chinery to tap the phone of a woman.

“Let me tell you about the Gujarat model. Have you heard of (L K ) Advani. Advani, Jaswant Singh have been sidelined. Now a new neta (leader) has emerged. He is Narendra Modi. Ear-lier, there was a partnership between Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Advani. Now there is partnership between Modi and Adani,” Rahul said at an election rally here.

“Land of Aurangabad’s size...45,000 acres...has been given for a mere Rs 300 crore. This is toffee model not Gujarat model. For Re 1, you get a toffee here. There land was sold at Re one per metre...it was the land of the poor and the farmers,” Gandhi said. He said a loan of Rs 10,000 crore was given to build the Nano car. The amount is more than what is spent on health and education in Gujarat.

Gujarat development model a ‘toffee model’:

Rahul Gandhi

Days after praising Vajpayee, Congress calls him the weakest PM India ever had

ABUJA: Twin blasts on Mon-day at a bus station on the outskirts of Nigeria’s capital crammed with morning com-muters killed 71 people and in-jured 124 others, police said.

“We have a total of 71 dead and 124 others injured. (The wounded) are receiving treat-ment at hospitals within and around” Abuja, national police spokesman Frank Mba told jour-nalists at the scene.

The attack appeared to be the latest attack by Boko Haram Is-lamists.

The explosions rocked the Nyanya station roughly five ki-lometres (three miles) south of Abuja at 6.45am (0545 GMT) and destroyed some 30 vehicles, mostly large passenger buses, officials and an AFP reporter said.

The head of search and res-cue operations at the Nigeria’s National Emergency Manage-ment Agency (NEMA), Charles Otegbade, said one of the blasts “emanated from a vehicle” with-in the station but the precise na-ture of the explosion was not im-mediately clear.

No group has yet claimed the

apparent attack, but suspicion is likely to fall on Boko Haram, an insurgent group blamed for kill-ing thousands across northern

and central Nigeria since 2009. The Islamists have attacked

Nigeria’s capital in the past, most prominently in a 2011 car bomb-ing at the UN headquarters in the city that killed at least 26 people.

The explosions left a hole roughly four feet (1.2 metres)

deep and scattered personal items as well as human flesh across the compound, an AFP re-porter and witnesses said.

“I saw bodies taken away in open trucks,” said witness Yaku-bu Mohammed. “It is difficult to count them because the bodies were burnt and in pieces.” A sec-ond witness, Suleiman Aminu, said he believed the initial blast came from a minibus parked

near larger commuter vehicles, and that commuters who had queued up to board were the

likely target. Nyanya is a densely popu-

lated suburb of Abuja, filled with government and civil society workers who cannot afford the city’s exorbitant rents.

Boko Haram violence has cost more than 1,500 lives already this year, but most of the unrest has affected villages in the remote north-east.

The military in May of last year launched a massive of-fensive to crush the Islamist uprising and has described Boko Haram as being in dis-array and on the defensive.

A major attack in the capital, just a few kilometres from the seat of government, will likely cast further doubt

on the success of that campaign. Bus parks have been among

Boko Haram’s most favoured targets, including multiple, co-ordinated bombings at a termi-nal in the northern city of Kano last year that killed more than 40 people. Rebels based in the

southern oil-producing Niger Delta region have also claimed at-tacks in the capital, notably a car bombing on independence day in 2010. But most analysts describe that group, the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND), as being largely defunct.

The explosion on Monday “af-fected quite a number of people because it was still early in the morning and there was a lot of traffic,” Otegbade told reporters at the scene.

The private Channels televi-sion news network showed im-ages of thick black smoke billow-ing out from the station.

President Goodluck Jonathan was reportedly on his way to the scene to assess the damage. Jona-than, expected to face a tough re-election battle next February, has faced mounting criticism of the continuing Boko Haram violence.

An escalation of violence in or near Abuja would pile further pressure on the embattled presi-dent.

Boko Haram’s leader, Abuba-kar Shekau, has in recent video messages vowed to widen his insurgency outside the group’s northeastern stronghold.

Twin blasts at bus station in Nigeria’s capital kill 71, injure 124

Inform AROs before holding political rallies: DEO Budgam

Governor stresses importance of careful planning for all pilgrimages

Budgam, April 14: The District Election Officer Budgam, Mr. Khurshid Ahmed Shah has im-pressed up all political parties and independent candidates, contesting Lok Sabha elections to seek necessary permissions from the concerned Assistant Returning Officer (ARO) of the assem-bly segment of Budgam, in which the party or candidate wants to organize any political rally, meeting or road show.For the information of all the political parties and contesting candidates it is notified that Assistant Commissioner Revenue, Mr. Haneef Balkhi is ARO for Budgam assembly segment, General Manager, District Industries and Commerce Centre, Mr Layeek-e-Parvez is ARO Chrar-i-Shareef, DFO Pir Panjal Range, Mr. Irfan Rasool Wani has been designated as ARO Chadura whereas Sub Divisional Magistrate Khansahib, Mr. Farooq Ahmed Dar is ARO Khansahib and Chief Agricultural Officer, Mr. Sajad Ahmed Shah has been designated as ARO Beerwah.

AROs have established their headquarters at their respective assembly segment and are avail-able there to oversee election related work, even on gazetted holidays, till Lok Sabha election, in-formed DEO Budgam for the general information of the public of district Budgam.

3 day science awareness mela concludesSrinagar, April 14: A three day science awareness mela concluded yesterday in which a num-

ber of schools attended. The students displayed various working models and took part in essay competition, science quiz, talent search test and seminar.The camp was jointly organized by Jammu and Kashmir Students Welfare Anantnag under the auspices of science and Technology Department of Education, Government of India in collaboration with Khalsa High school, Magar-mal Bagh Srinagar.The Chief Guest on this occasion was the Deputy Director General of Radio Kashmir, Mr. Bashir Arif besides Mr. Jagmohan Singh Raina, Mr. Narender Singh, Mr. R.S. Bali, Mr. H.S. Risam were the also present on the occasion.

JAMMU, APRIL 14 –In a recent programme organized by Baba Amarnath and Buda Amarnath Yatri Niyas the Governor Mr N.N. Vohra, who is Chairman of the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi and Shri Amarnathji Shrine Boards, had urged the senior Niyas leaders and office bearers to undertake careful planning for ensuring provision of satisfactory facilities and arrangements for all the pilgrims who visit the Buda Amar-nath and other Shrines in the State. He also urged the Niyas to identify requirements and prepare a practical plan for supporting the Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board’s ar-rangements to register Sadhus and provide them various facilities for undertaking the pilgrimage. To enable them to carry forward some of their commitments, Chair-man Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board has provided assistance of Rs. 1 lakh to the Niyas.

EO chairs meeting at BandiporaBandipora, April 14: In order to oversee the implementation of guidelines by the

Election Commission of India (ECI) on expenditure by contesting candidates during elections, the Expenditure Observer for elections, Mr. Mahipal Singh today visited Bandipora and convened a meeting with ARO’s, Nodal Officers and Master Train-ees of the district.District Election Officer, Bandipora, SP Bandipora, ADC Bandipora and Electoral Registration Officer Bandipora also attended the meeting.It may be recalled that the nomination filing process in the Parliamentary Constituency began on April 12, 2014 (issue of election notification) and will continue upto April 19, 2014 upto 3 pm.The Election Expenditure Observer during the meeting was briefed about the expenditure monitoring mechanism put in place by the district administration. The DEO also briefed him about the surveillance.

Former coal secretary’s book deals new blow to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh

NEW DELHI: A new book ac-cuses Prime Minister Manmo-han Singh of being weak and unable to stamp out corruption on his watch, the second recent attack by an insider that under-mines the Congress party as it seeks re-election despite trailing in opinion polls.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has cast the world’s larg-est ever election as a battle be-tween its dynamic and assertive leader Narendra Modi and the relatively ineffective incumbent premier Manmohan Singh.

That impression was under-lined in a book, published on Monday, called “Crusader or Conspirator? Coalgate and Other Truths” by PC Parakh, who re-tired as coal secretary in 2005.

It said Singh’s inability to take on vested interests led to the so-called “Coalgate” scandal, which

rocked his premiership.It was the second book in the

last week to portray 81-year-old Singh, Prime Minister since 2004, as a well-intentioned man of high personal integrity but one often unable to assert his authority.

READ ALSO: Congress calls Vajpayee the weakest PM India ever had

The other, by former media adviser to Singh Sanjaya Baru, was greeted with glee by the BJP, and the party is expected to seize on the Coalgate book to try to land another blow at a crucial time.

The BJP is favourite to emerge as the largest party in an election that ends on May 12, although surveys conducted before voting began last week suggest it is un-likely to win an outright major-ity and will need to form a coali-

tion with other parties.Congress is headed for one of

its weakest ever showings, the same polls showed.

‘Some resist, others succumb’The Coalgate scandal erupted

in 2012 after the public auditor questioned the government’s awarding of mining concessions without competitive bidding, which it said unduly benefited chosen private and state com-panies and potentially cost the treasury billions of dollars in lost revenues.Parakh said that Singh, though keen to introduce open bidding, could not tackle resistance from coal ministers in his administration. Parakh said he himself came under pres-sure from people interested in acquiring coal blocks.

“Pressures come in the form of enticements such as post-retirement assignments, part-

nership in business, bribery, blackmail or pure intimida-tion. Pressures also come from friends and relations,” Parakh wrote in the book.

“Some can resist these pres-sures. Others succumb,” he said, adding that at no time did the Prime Minister’s office make recommendations or exert pres-sure in favour of any party.

The Prime Minister’s media adviser declined to comment on specific allegations in Parakh’s book, and referred to previous comments the Prime Minister made in Parliament.

The media adviser said the government was helping the courts and police in their in-vestigations into the affair, and that there was no case against anyone in the Prime Minister’s office.Singh has consistently denied his government did any-

thing wrong, blaming the delay in introducing competitive bid-ding on resistance from coal-rich states ruled by opposition parties.

He has said the findings of the state auditor in the 2012 re-port were “clearly disputable”.

Former media adviser to Singh, Sanjaya Baru, alleged in a book published on Friday that the Prime Minister allowed his authority to be undermined by Sonia Gandhi, president of the Congress party and standard-bearer of the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty.In an interview on Monday, he commented on the Prime Minister’s handling of various scandals under his rule.

“In all these cases he was aware of what was happening, he tried his best given the po-litical limitations,” Baru told TV channel CNN-IBN.

Daily Zabarwan TimesEDITORIAL/ OPINIONEDITORIAL/ OPINIONDaily Zabarwan TimesSrinagar, Tuesday 15 April 2014

Disclaimer : The contents and comments appearing in any article published in this paper are purely the personal opinion of the writer

Petty politics- harmful for democracy

The present poll cam-paign for Lok Sabha Elections has seen many upheavals due to the scathing attacks by

the leaders on each other and rev-elations which have shocked and surprised the whole country. On one side the leaders are leaving no stone unturned to indulge in personal attacks, using abusive language and throwing all par-liamentary ethics into winds and on the other side some persons who were very close to the power like the former advisor to Prime Minister Sanjay Baru created fu-rors by trying to say that all de-cisions were being influenced by UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Dr. Manmohan Singh was the weakest Prime Minister. The congress in retaliation citing the inability of the then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee to handle former Home Minis-ter L. K. Advani and the Gujrat Chief Minister Narender Modi described Mr. Vajpayee as the weakest one. The two books re-leased during the electioneering cannot be without any purpose as the release time must have been chosen to help indirectly some political parties who are trying to project that under Gandhi family nobody other than them has the bridal of power in his hands. The two writers may have tried to say that Dr. Manmohan Singh was himself very honest but their presentation has not helped his cause as it seems that he was only working on the be-hest of the UPA Chairperson and not able to exert his position and powers. In the larger perspective the release of these two books has caused dents t o the image of Prime Minister himself and also the congress party besides the West Bengal Chief Minister Mamta Bannerjee. The observa-tions about CBI in Parikhs book have also caste serious asper-sions on the functioning of this premier investigating agency as he says that the agency is a vil-lain whose head did not know the rules and the laws and tried to impress the Supreme Court in Coalgate scandal. It is unfor-tunate that the leaders and their former friends have created a vi-cious atmosphere which in no way is conducive for the demo-cratic institutions of the country. It will in the fitness of the things if the leaders restraint from petty political gimmicks and avoid to peep into each other’s personal life and also show some respect to the former and present Prime Ministers of the country who perhaps deserve it.

Daily Zabarwan TimesEDITORIAL/ OPINIONEDITORIAL/ OPINIONDaily Zabarwan TimesSrinagar, Tuesday 18 March 2014

Disclaimer : The contents and comments appearing in any article published in this paper are purely the personal opinion of the writer

Why does this happen once

and againUnfortunate to note that every now and then, here and there the security forces indulge in an act which white washes all the efforts made towards res-toration of peace and normal-cy in the valley. It has been seen during the whole mili-tancy particularly during last few years that security forces sometimes do not exhibit re-quired patience while dealing with mobs particularly the stone throwing people. Thoughthere seniors and the political leadership has been repeated-ly stressing the need to exer-cise restraint while on law and order duty but some impatient personnel do an act which plunges the whole valley into fresh wave of violence fol-lowed by strikes, shut downs and curfew. This process ef-fects the normal life very badly and derails the state from the path of development. It also causes enormous problems for general people who have to suffer on many counts varying from lack of medical facilities to the ailing people, denial of education to our children and shortage of essentials besides their sky rocketing prices. They provide a tool to those people who are waiting to get a pretension for disturbing the whole normal life in the valley because it is always in their in-terest to keep the pot boiling. One fails to understand as to why these things happen re-peatedly. The recent happen-ing a Naidkhai which resulted in the protests marches and hartal in the whole valley is never and will never be in the best interest of the state and the country. If Jammu & Kash-mir police and other security forces exercise a bit more pa-tience and restraint, there will never happen incidents like Naidkhai and the young peo-ple will not lose their precious lives. Anybody in the securi-ty forces doing such things is not in any way a well wisher of the country and the state. In fact security forces are meant to establish peace and normal-cy in the state and that can be done only when they have thecredibility in the people and when people think that they are their saviors and not kill-ers. A best force is known be-cause of its reputation in the people and not by its repres-sive actions which annoy the people who then serve the pur-pose those elements who are alien to the interests of the state and the country.

Income Tax Ombudsman: Take his help to Redress Your Grievances

As a taxpayer, you may have some very legiti-mate grievances relating to your income-tax mat-ters of settlement of your

claims. You may, for example, feel that the Income Tax Department owes you a certain refund of tax but it is not doing enough to hear your grievance of complaint nor taking action to redress it. You may also be aggrieved about the rude behaviour of officials or their failure to follow instructions and circulars of the Board. In all such cases, you can approach your Income tax Ombuds-man. Before you do so, however, you have to ensure that certain condi-tions are fulfilled. The Ombudsman is governed by, and has to act with-in, the framework of the Income Tax Ombudsman Guidelines, 2006. The institution of Ombudsman is of Scandinavian origin. The Om-budsman enquires into grievances or complaints against the function-ing of a public authority. In our own country, the Income tax Ombuds-man is appointed by the Central Government. He is usually a person with vast experience in tax adminis-tration, but functions independent-ly of it. At present, the Government has appointed Ombudsman at New Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kanpur, Chandigarh, Pune, Bhopal, Kochi, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Bangalore and Ahmedabad. What Grievances can you take to the Ombudsman

You can complain to the Om-budsman about your grievances re-lating to delays in disposal or settle-ment of claims connected with: a. Issue of refunds;b. Interest waiver petitions;c. Appeal effects;d. Rectification applications;e. Release of seized books of ac-counts and assets;f. Allotment of PANs/ issue of PAN Cards. You can also complain of such mat-ters as failure to:a. Give credit for taxes paid, including tax deducted at source;b. Maintain transparency in selec-tion of cases for scrutiny;c. Follow the guidelines, circu-lars and instructions of the Central Board of Direct Taxes;d. Observe proper working hours by Income-tax officials;e. Acknowledge letters and doc-uments forwarded by the assessee;f. Maintain or update records and registers leading to harassment. “A person can also complain about any unwarranted rude behavior of In-come Tax officials with assesses.” Etc., For further details, please re-fer to clause 9 of the Guidelines.

Procedure to be Followed

On receiving complaint, the Ombudsman will examine it to see if certain basic conditions laid down in the guidelines have been fulfilled or not. He cannot take notice of the complaint unless these conditions are fulfilled. These conditions are: i. The complaint should have been signed by the complainant as well as his authorized representa-tive, in case the complainant is rep-resented by such an authorized rep-resentative.ii. The complaint should clearly

indicate/provide:a) The name, address and PAN of the complainant;b) The name and designation of the official who is being complained against (this should invariably be the junior most officer who has giv-en rise to the grievance, not below the rank of an Income Tax Officer)’c) The facts giving rise to the com-plaint;d) Supporting documents; ande) The relief sought from the Om-budsman.iii. The Ombudsman will accept complaints filed through the elec-tronic media if they are otherwise in order, but the print out of such a complaint has to be signed by the complainant at the earliest. After he does so, the complaint would relate back to the date on which it was first received electronically. A complaint shall not lie to the Ombudsman unless in the first in-stance, the complainant had also made a written representation to the superior authority of the officer complained against. Also, a com-plainant can complain only if he has received no reply and more than one month has passed since he submit-ted his representation. Alternative-ly, he can also complain if he has re-ceived a reply but he is not satisfied with it, or if his representation has been rejected. No complaint can be made:i. 12 months after the re-ply was received from the superior

authority;ii. 13 months after the representation was submitted to the superior authority but no reply was received. Remember, the Ombudsman will not take cognizance of the complaint if it has been the subject matter of : a. an earlier settlement made by the OmbudsmanORb. an appeal, revision, reference or writ before any Income-tax authori-ty or a court of law. On receiving a complaint, the Om-budsman shall forward it to the of-ficer complained against and shall endeavour to settle it by an agree-ment through either conciliation or mediation. If the officer cannot set-tle the grievance by agreement with the complainant within a period of one month, or such further time as the Ombudsman may allow, the Ombudsman will mediate and try to bring about an agreement. If he still does not succeed, he can make an ‘award’.

Powers The Ombudsman has the following powers:

i) He can receive complaints on matters indicated in clause 9 of the Guidelines.ii) He can consider these com-plaints and settle them either by agreement through conciliation and mediation or by passing an appro-priate award.iii) He can require the Income-tax authority concerned to provide any information or furnish certified cop-ies of relevant documents required by him.iv) In the event of the failure of an Income-tax authority, to furnish such information or documents (in-dicated in para iii above), he may

draw an adverse inference.v) He can suggest remedial mea-sures for redressal of grievances.vi) He can also report his findings to the Secretary, Department of Rev-enue and Chairman, C.B.D.T.

Duties The duties of the

Ombudsman are to:i) Exercise powers of superinten-dence and control over his office.ii) Maintain confidentiality of information coming into his pos-session and not divulge the same to third parties, except with the consent of the person who furnish-es such information. He may, how-ever, divulge such information to an opposing party to the dispute in order to reasonably comply with the principles of natural justice.iii) Protect the taxpayers’ rights and reduce their compliance bur-den.iv) Identify issues that increase the burden of compliance and bring the same to the notice of the CBDT and Ministry of Finance.v) Furnish a monthly report to the Chairman, CBDT and Secretary, Department of Revenue recom-mending appropriate action includ-ing that to be taken against erring officials.vi) Furnish an annual review of the tax administration to the Chairman, CBDT and Secretary,

Department of Revenue.vii) Compile a list of awards made by him during the financial year and report the same to the Chief Commissioners concerned and Chairman, CBDT so that the same can be taken into account while writing the Annual Confidential Reports of the officials concerned.

Nature of the Proceedings

The proceedings before the Om-budsman are quasi-judicial in na-ture. He is not bound by any legal rules of evidence. He is expected at all times to be fair and reasonable while performing his functions.

Nature of Awards As already indicated, he shall try to settle a complaint by agreement in the first instance. If such agreement is not forthcom-ing within a month or such further time as the Ombudsman may al-low, he may make an award. This shall be speaking order and shall clearly specify the directions to the authority concerned- including making of an apology. The award, however, cannot affect the quan-tum of total income or tax assessed or the penalty already imposed. The Ombudsman can award com-pensation upto Rs. 1000/- for the loss suffered by the complainant. Such compensation will be the first charge on the budget allotted to the authority complained against. The award shall be binding on the de-partment but it shall be binding on the assessee, only if he issues a letter of acceptance within 15 days of its receipt. If the complainant does not accept the award or fails to furnish a letter of acceptance within 15 days or further period of

15 days if the Ombudsman permits, it shall lapse and be of no effect. If it is accepted by the assessee, the authority complained against has to implement the award within one month of its having being made. Compliance of having done so has to be reported to the Ombudsman.

Check List A check list has been prepared to help you file a complaint. This is given below: 1. The complaint has not been signed by the complainant.2. It has not been signed by the authorized representative.3. It does not contain:-a. The name and address of the complainantb. Supporting documentsc. Details of the relief sought from the Ombudsman.4. It has been made electroni-cally but the hard copy (print out) does not have the complainant’s signature.5. The complainant does not seem to have reported to the imme-diate superior of the officer com-plained against.6. More than one month has not passed before the representation to the immediate superior was filed.7. The complainant does not ap-pear to be aggrieved with the reply received from the immediate supe-rior.8. (a) The complaint has been made after the expiry of one year

from the receipt of the reply of the immediate superior;OR (b) Where no reply has been received from the immediate supe-rior:The complaint has been filed after the lapse of 13 months from the date of filing of the representation before the immediate superior.9. The complaint is the Subject matter of an earlier proceeding with the Ombudsman.10. The ground(s) of the complaint is/are also the subject matter of a proceeding in appeal, revision, ref-erence or writ before an appellate authority or a revisionary authori-ty or a Court of Law.11. The ground is not covered by Guideline 9 of the Income Tax Om-budsman Guidelines, 2006.12. The complainant is represent-ed by an authorized representa-tive but no power of attorney to represent the complainant has been filed before the Ombuds-man. Remember, the answer to every statement in the check list should be negative. A positive response to statements are Sr. No. 1 to 7 and 12 would indicate that the complaint is defective and the Ombudsman cannot proceed further to redress your grievance till the defect is re-moved. A positive response to statements at Sr. No. 8 to 11, on the other hand, would indicate that not only is the complaint defective but it is also incurable. No purpose would be served by filing such a complaint. We all have a positive responsibil-ity in making this institution effec-tive. We can do so by ensuring that we eschew the defects indicated in the check list given above and avoid filing frivolous or vexatious com-plaints.