PC allots 15-mins to each party in J&K

Srinagar: An all-party delegation led by Home Minister P Chidambaram arrived here on Monday on a two-day visit to assess the ground situation in Kashmir Valley which has witnessed unabated violence in recent months.



The team was received by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, as curfew remained clamped in the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir. Shortly after his arrival, Chidambaram said each major political party in Jammu and Kashmir has been allotted 15 minutes. "It is very important that you use your 15 minutes to your best advantage," he said.

Flanked by leaders of different political parties and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, Chidambaram said the delegation would like to hear the grievances of the people. "We hope and believe that the honour, dignity and future (of Kashmiris) are secure as part of India," he said.

Chidambaram said the delegation has a tight schedule and asked the parties appearing before them to make their presentation effectively. Several members of the 42-member delegation are likely to call on hardline Hurriyat leader Sye Ali Shah Geelani at his Hyderpora residence here.

Though Geelani has officially refused to meet them, he said the delegation members would not be turned away if they decide to call on him at his house as they were guests. Moderate Hurriyat Conference led by Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and the JKLF have decided not to meet the all-party delegation.

"We will submit a memorandum to the all-party team," said JKLF chief Yasin Malik. The delegation hopes that the leaders of various separatist groups will finally come for the talks to help break the impasse in Kashmir which has witnessed unabated violence over the last few months claiming over 100 lives.

PDP's Mehbooba Mufti has now decided she will not meet the all-party delegation. The general secretary of the party, Mohd Dilawar Meer, accompanied by 14 party members will meet the delegation instead.



On Sunday, the Opposition PDP had accused the Jammu and Kashmir government of "sabotaging" the visit by clamping curfew in the Valley.

"If the repressive measures continue, we will have to reconsider our decision (of being part of the all-party initiative)," PDP president Mehbooba Mufti had said.

She had said there was no purpose in the visit of the all-party delegation if the members of the civil society, those raising the voice of dissent and the common people are not allowed to meet it.

Dismissing the PDP charge as misleading and baseless, Jammu and Kashmir Law Minister Ali Mohammad had said it was surprising that the party had been all praise for the all-party initiative two days ago but has suddenly changed its stand.

"I do not know what has changed in two days. I will leave it to the people of Jammu and Kashmir to decide who is trying to scuttle the visit of the delegation."

Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, rejecting the demand for his resignation, said without naming any party that those behind the demand were "some frustrated political elements who failed to make it to the government in the 2008 elections".



Why meeting of minds may be dialogue of deaf

Srinagar: Wholesales mutton dealers will be there and apple growers, while most travel agents are keeping out. An association of journalists is not coming, while others who applied to meet the team have been denied time.

Voices not new have been told to spell out their agendas, while leaders well known to New Delhi's dialogue circuit have got a shoo-in. As the all-party delegation arrives here on Monday to "find a way to resolve the current public unrest in Kashmir", it will be a classic dialogue of the deaf.

Apart from the mainstream political parties, the list of invitees includes a standard group of people and organisations who will hardly help the country's top politicians demystify Kashmir's azadi demand or to find a remedy to its slogan-and-stones crisis.

It is the first such delegation comprising top national leaders from across the political landscape since March 1990, when then leader of opposition Rajiv Gandhi had led a team to Srinagar. This was soon after the emergence of armed insurgency in Kashmir. Hardly anybody other than a small group of mainstream politicians had risked their lives to meet the delegation.



While the situation may not be as dire now, there is no doubt that Kashmir stands at the crossroads once again. However, here is why the all-party delegation is set to be doomed even before it arrives:

The PDP has put a condition, saying it would meet the delegation only if the government lifts curfew and restrictions. While the moderates among the separatists are yet to take a call, Syed Ali Shah Geelani has already turned down the invite.

The list of invitees includes the Kothdar association, a group of wholesale mutton dealers, two associations of local editors (the Press Guild of Kashmir has declined to meet the delegation while the Kashmir Press Association is yet to decide), House Boat Owners Association, Shikara Association, JK Apple Growers' Association, Numberdar Association (they are all on government rolls), two Srinagar-based hotel and restaurant associations (of which the Travel Association of India Kashmir chapter led by Nazir Bakshi, a member of the PDP, has decided not to attend).




The chairman of the House Boat Owners Association Manzoor Ahmad Wangnoo told The Indian Express they held a joint meeting with Kashmir Hotel and Restaurant Association, Kashmir Hotel and Restaurant Owners Federation, Travel Agents Society of Kashmir and Travel Agents Association of India and others.

"We unanimously decided not to meet the delegation," Wangnoo said. J-K Tourism Alliance President Rouf Tramboo said "we have decided to wait till tomorrow to take a decision".

The president of Press Guild of Kashmir, Bashir Ahmad Bashir, says they don't think working journalists have any role in such meetings. "The government is not allowing us to work. Our staff members, hawkers and distributors were beaten," Bashir says.



The chief of one of the largest business associations in the state, Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industry's Nazir Ahmad Dar, says they too are unsure. "We have not been able to meet because of curfew. I am trying to reach our members through telephone," he says.

The invitees also include select NGOs involved in social work, including Yateem Trust, Yateem Foundation, Save the Children, Help Foundation, Rahat Ghar, Voluntary Health Association and Hussaini Relief Committee.

"We are not going for the meeting," Yateem Trust chief Tak Zaingiri told The Indian Express. "The agenda of the delegation is political and we have nothing to do with it."

The J-K Apple Growers Association that has been chosen to represent apple farmers of Kashmir is in fact a small apple growers group of Baramulla town and is headed by Mohammad Yousuf Dar -- a PDP councillor from Ushkara who later joined the National Conference.

There are five lawyers too who have been invited but they either belong to the NC or are related to NC leaders.

The government has asked Vice-Chancellors of Kashmir University and Islamic University of Science and Technology to handpick a small group of students to form the students' delegation, especially as the formation of student unions on campuses is banned in Kashmir. Besides, the two V-Cs, the government has chosen prominent citizens and representatives of the Valley's two missionary schools and Delhi Public School.



A prominent Kashmir doctor, Dr Altaf Hussain -- whose name is on the list -- told The Indian Express that he has not received any invitation.

There is a rumour going around that the Union Home Ministry and Parliamentary Affairs Ministry -- both of whose ministers, P Chidambaram and P K Bansal, are coming -- have sent two officers to set up a control room to facilitate interested people to meet the delegation. But actually, it is the J&K government's Law Minister and NC leader Ali Mohammad Sagar who is calling all the shots.

Youth Congress president Shoaib Lone said that till 6 pm today, he was supposed to lead a youth delegation of his party to the meeting. "Ali Mohammad Sagar called me and asked me to come with the Congress delegation instead. I tried to explain that I want to put forth the issues of youth and want exclusive time," he said. "He told me there is no time."

Similarly, Syed Sajjad Hussain of the local teachers' forum in Sumbal said they wanted to meet the delegation and had approached the divisional commissioner. "He asked us to give him in writing what we would tell the delegation. We refused and he declined to permit us," he said. Divisional Commissioner Asghar Samoon was not available for comment.



Sonwari Welfare Forum and two prominent cultural organisations, Urdu Academy and Adbi Markaz Kamraz, too have declined to meet the delegation.

If that weren't enough, the government has made foolproof arrangements so that the delegation members only see a calm and serene Kashmir. The delegation members are staying at Grand Palace overlooking the Dal Lake, where the J&K Government has booked 50 suites and rooms. A kilometre away, inside the high-security zone, the meetings will take place at the Sher-i-Kashmir International Convention Centre.

Hundreds of policemen and security force personnel are deployed to ensure no civilians can make their way in. Sources say the government is also considering its options and may fly the delegates to Nehru helipad and thus avoid the 10 km road journey from the airport. Even the slogans written on roads and walls have been washed ahead of the visit.

Source: The Indian Express

Sonia dials Mehbooba as Omar sulks

New Delhi: On the eve of an all-party meeting on Jammu and Kashmir called by the Centre before it takes any key decision regarding the state, the two coalition partners there, the Congress and National Conference, today sent out mixed signals.




A day after the Centre said there was "trust deficit and governance deficit" in J&K and asked Chief Minister Omar Abdullah to "deliver", Congress president Sonia Gandhi reached out to former ally PDP, a bitter rival of the National Conference.
From Srinagar, the NC too sent a signal to Delhi, saying the party would not repeat the mistake of 2000 when it decided to continue its alliance with the NDA despite the rejection of its autonomy proposal by the then BJP-led government at the Centre.

PDP patron Mufti Mohammad Sayeed also landed in New Delhi on the eve of the all-party meeting though his daughter and party president Mehbooba Mufti maintained that he was in town for a health check-up.
For the first time since the Omar government took charge in the Valley, Sonia Gandhi called up Mufti Sayeed and Mehbooba on Eid day.



Mehbooba refused to discuss the phone call, saying it was a "personal call". She told The Indian Express that her party did not endorse the NC demand for amendments in the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act or its partial withdrawal from J&K.

"It is unfortunate that people either take the extreme position -- that nothing can be done in Kashmir because of the demand for azaadi and, therefore, the military situation -- or they just make it simplistic. When the situation in Kashmir started developing, Omar said it was political and blamed the
PDP for it. Today, he is again simplifying it. The issue of revocation of AFSPA is important, but the NC is simplifying the issue by demanding cosmetic changes like withdrawal of the AFSPA. He is looking for a face-saver. They think withdrawing it from some areas will give this government a few more days. We need to have a holistic, inclusive approach," Mehbooba said on phone from Srinagar.





Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal had called her to request PDP participation in the all-party meeting. Calling the meeting "very important", Mehbooba said that though all flights to Delhi had been suspended, her party was trying to send somebody to attend it.

Meanwhile, National Conference leader and Rajya Sabha MP G N Ratanpuri sought to blame the Centre for the unrest in Kashmir. "When Rahul Gandhi came to Kashmir, he said he was there because Omar was his friend. The perception is that Rahul's influence was phenomenal in his selection as Chief Minister. NC workers, however, perceive that he (Omar) has not been supported sincerely. People think the Government of India has taken us for granted. Some say Omar has Delhi's support, while his detractors say he is Delhi's man. For any Chief Minister, it is a minus point to be perceived as Delhi's man," Ratanpuri said.



In Srinagar, the NC core group, comprising six leaders besides Omar and party president Farooq Abdullah, took stock of all that had transpired between the state government and Delhi.

"The party will not remain silent this time. We will not repeat the mistake of 2000," NC leader Choudhary Mohammad Ramzan told The Indian Express. "We think the Government of India has not yet taken a final call on the the AFSPA issue. That is why they have called an all-party meet. Had it been a closed chapter, then the meeting tomorrow would not have been called. Our party has taken a position after serious deliberations and we are firm on our demand."





Contacted by The Indian Express, Omar Abdullah said the party's delegation to the all-party meet - he would not be attending it - would not only put forth its demands on the AFSPA issue but also the "overall political direction that is needed". Asked whether the demand for restoration of autonomy would be raised, he said, "Obviously. Autonomy will be there because that is what we talk about."

What if the Centre were not to agree to the NC demand? "We will not answer if, but, how or what about our future course of action. Doctor Sahib (his father Farooq) and our other leaders will return, we will discuss the outcome of the all-party meeting and take a stand accordingly."



In New Delhi, the Central government said it "knows what it has to do" and was looking for that one "elusive starting point" where it could begin the dialogue process in Kashmir. Sources indicated that the government wanted to develop a political consensus before taking a final call on the proposals on the table.

The Centre's proposals range from amendments to the AFSPA to a new policy facilitating the return of ex-militants from PoK to the setting up of a Minorities Commission in the state to deal with issues relating to Sikhs and Hindus.

The CCS, sources said, may hold another meeting tomorrow in case some kind of a broad political consensus is reached at the all-party meeting. In case a decision is taken to send an all-party delegation to the state, the CCS meeting could be scheduled for a later date.

Source: The Indian Express

Three die in Kashmir violence, toll now 73

Srinagar: Protests and violence continued in the Kashmir Valley on Monday as a protester and a policeman were killed in central Badgam district while a youth died in firing by security forces in Bandipora district, taking to 73 the toll in ongoing unrest in the state.



"A mob attacked a post of the local armed police at Humhama in Badgam district. So, guards opened fire in which one person identified as Gulam Rasool Tantray was critically injured," a police officer said here. "Tantray succumbed to his injuries in the Sher-e-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences Soura (SKIMS)," he added.

In north Kashmir Bandipora, a young man was killed as security forces fired at a mob of protesters. "Nisar Ahmed Bhat, a protesting youth, was killed and another was injured when security forces fired at an unruly mob in Ajas village of Bandipora district today (Monday)," a police officer told IANS here.

img src="http://stbjp.msn.com/i/5E/73FFC1B3C7A7E952696E33F499EE1.jpg" alt="Three die in Kashmir violence, toll now 73" />

Reports said that Bhat and Riyaz Ahmad, the other protester, sustained bullet injuries and Bhat died while being shifted to a Srinagar hospital. In a separate incident in Badgam town, Devinder Singh, a policeman, was overrun by a truck carrying a slogan-shouting mob.

"The injured constable was shifted to Badgam hospital where he succumbed to injuries," a police official said. "The vehicle that carried the constable to hospital was later overturned by another violent mob outside the hospital and set ablaze," he added.



Mobs in north Kashmir Tangmarg town, meanwhile, torched a Christian missionary school, the office of the social welfare department and a police vehicle.

Large crowds also gathered in Shalteng, Ompora, Bemina and other places of Srinagar city, defying round-the-clock curfew imposed here in the wake of widespread violence that followed the separatist march to city centre Lal Chowk, led by moderate Hurriyat leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq on Eid on Saturday.




Mobs in north Kashmir Tangmarg town, meanwhile, torched a Christian missionary school, the office of the social welfare department and a police vehicle.

Large crowds also gathered in Shalteng, Ompora, Bemina and other places of Srinagar city, defying round-the-clock curfew imposed here in the wake of widespread violence that followed the separatist march to city centre Lal Chowk, led by moderate Hurriyat leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq on Eid on Saturday.

But as 24X7 curfew continued in major towns of the valley, hundreds of villagers from south Kashmir's Pulwama district took out processions, shouting pro-Quran and anti-America slogans. Such protests also erupted in Shalimar area of Srinagar city.

Locals here said an Iranian television news channel announced late Sunday that a copy of the Quran had been burnt in the US. A pastor in Florida, US, had threatened to burn copies of the Quran on the anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks but later called off the plan.



Pro-Islam and anti-US protests were also held at Humhama, Ompora, Shalteng, Shalimar, Newthead and other places in Srinagar.

An indefinite curfew continued in Srinagar and other major towns of the valley for the second day on Monday.

"Curfew continues to be in force in the entire Srinagar city, south Kashmir's Anantnag, Pulwama, Bijbehera and north Kashmir's Baramulla and Sopore towns. The situation is under control throughout the valley," a senior police officer said here.

Round-the-clock curfew has been imposed for the first time here since the present unrest started June 11.

During the last three months, the authorities would announce curfew or restrictions in vulnerable areas during the day and deployment of police and CRPF were withdrawn with dusk.

"That practice allowed us to buy at least some essentials of life from small shops in the area which would open up for a few hours in the evening. But as the authorities decided to continue with round-the-clock curfew here, nobody has ventured out in our locality," said Abdul Majid, 39, a resident of Bohri Kadal area in Srinagar.

Source: IANS

Separatists set terms to end Valley stir, want release of Afzal Guru

Srinagar: Asking the Centre to acknowledge Kashmir as an international dispute, Hurriyat hardliner Syed Ali Shah Geelani has laid down five conditions for putting an end to the massive protests that have rocked the Valley for almost three months now.

Addressing a press conference here today, he said: "This has been the tactic of India that whenever the streets of Jammu and Kashmir are turned red by the blood of youth, whenever the Indian forces are killing the people here, they talk about political engagement."

He added: "If India and the international community are sincere about resolving this dispute, the atrocities have to stop and the international community will have to motivate India to accept these conditions".

The five conditions set by Geelani are:

1. The Centre must acknowledge Jammu and Kashmir as an international dispute.

2. The government must announce and begin the process of complete demilitarisation, to be monitored by a credible agency like the United Nations.

3. The Prime Minister must commit publicly and ensure practically that henceforth no killings and no arrests shall take place. The Centre must also discipline the troops and order them to stop humiliating people and destroying public and private property.

4. The government must immediately and unconditionally release all the youths and political prisoners, and withdraw cases against youths pending in courts for the last two decades. The list of 44 political prisoners include Parliament attack convict Mohammad Afzal Guru, Aasiya Andrabi, Shabir Ahmad Shah, Nayeem Khan, Mohammad Qasim and several key separatist leaders.

5. The process of punishing the perpetrators of state violence has to begin with the conviction of troops responsible for the recent 65 killings, and has to be followed by convicting all those responsible for war crimes in Jammu and Kashmir.

This is the first time since the protests began in the Valley on June 11 that Geelani has put forward conditions to end the stir. He warned that the protests could be intensified if these conditions were not met.



"If India accepts these demands, only then the sincere leadership of Jammu and Kashmir can create a conducive atmosphere," said Geelani. "Our liberty, honour and future can't wait endlessly for these measures to be implemented. We therefore urge the Indian leadership to end oppression and implement these measures immediately".

Source: Indian Express