Anantnag, Apr 19: Seeking mandate to accomplish the unfinished agenda of durable peace and inclusive prosperity for Jammu and Kashmir, Peo-ples Democratic Party (PDP) Patron Mufti Mohammad Say-eed today said 2014 would mark a new beginning for the State as winds of change have already set-in.According to a statement issued to KNS,

while addressing impressive election rallies in Anantnag and Devsar assembly seg-ments of Anantnag Parliamen-tary constituency, Mufti said the momentum for change to be laid down in the on-going General Elections would cul-minate in the State assembly

polls to be held later this year.See Mufti on pg 11

Srinagar ,Apr19 :Assert -ing that National Confer-ence(NC) has ushered an era of peace, progress and development besides ensuring democratic decentralisation of powers and involving people in day to day governance , Senior National Conference leader and Minister for Rural Development and Panchayats ,Mr. Ali Moham-mad Sagar today said that PDP in a state of despair and

desperation is trying to mis-lead the people by spreading false propaganda for their

ulterior motives but the fact is that NC has rendered innu-merable sacrifices for the cause of the state and thousands of the party work-ers have been killed, since last so many

decades. Mr. Sagar was addressing huge gatherings at

See Sagar on pg 11

Srinagar, Apr 19: Taking strong exception to the statement made by Syed Ali Geelani that emissar-ies of BJP prime ministe-rial candidate Narendra Modi had met some Hur-riyat leaders, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, chairman Hurriyat Conference (M) on Saturday said the al-legations of Geelani need to be substantiated by him with proof of when, where and with whom this meeting took place.“If he fails to do so and if he has

any moral integrity he needs to apologize for these fabrications not to us but the nation which he is trying to mislead and among whom he is trying to create mis-trust,” Mirwaiz said while addressing a press conference, ac-cording to KNS corre-spondent.

Mirwaiz said that time and again Geelani has been creating situa-tions where pro freedom leaders have to prove their sincerity to

the movement. “But his sincerity is above doubt it is a far granted. All else for him are guilty till they prove their innocence.”Mirwaiz said: “Many times I, my party

See Mirwaiz on pg 11

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SUNDAY 20 April | 2014 | 19 Jamadi-Ul-Saani, 1435 AH | PAGES 12 | VOL NO: 4 | ISSUE NO: 109 | 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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On Edit Page

See More On Pg 09

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 trying to say that

Governor discusses longer term needs of the Shrine

PG 06 PG 10 PG 06

Militant apprehended in Sopore

Sarpanch’s Killing aftermath;7 panchayat

members quit

To be appointed as Head Coach

UPA-I and UPA-II ensured unprecedented development

across country: Azad

NC cadres rendered sacrifices for cause of state: Sagar Mufti seeks mandate to

accomplish PDP’s agendaPDP condemns

police assault on video journalist

KNTJA condemns scribes beating,

demands a fair probe

Separatists up in arms Ask Geelani to come out with Proof

He has no copyright on resistance movement: Mirwaiz Srinagar, Apr 19: Jamaat-e-Is-lami Jammu and Kashmir on Saturday said that the division in Hurriyat Conference is un-fortunate and damaging for the Kashmir movement.Talking to KNS, Mohammad Ab-dullah Wani said that Jamaat had tried its best to reunite the

two factions of Hurriyat Confer-ence in past but its efforts yield-ed no results.While reacting to Geelani’s alle-gations that BJP Prime Ministe-rial candidate Narendera Modi’s emissaries has met some sepa-ratist leaders in Kashmir

See Jamaat on pg 11

Srinagar, Apr 19: Sanjay Saraf, National president youth Lok Jana Shakti Party, today urged Syed Ali Geelani to disclose the names of two Pandits who had met him on behalf of BJP Prime Ministerial candidate Narendra Modi.“I respect Geelani sahib and have good personal relations with him for the last many

years. But his latest statement that two Pandits had met him on behalf of Mr Modi has created a lot of confusion as people have been calling me to clarify. People think I am one of the two Pandits who had met him on behalf of Mr Modi,” Saraf told KNS on phone.He added that Mr Geelani should disclose the names of two

See Saraf on pg 11

Division in Hurriyat Conference unfortunate: Jamaat-e-Islami

Geelani must disclose names of Pandits who met him on behalf of Modi: Saraf

Marathwada, Apr 19: “There has been un-precedented all round development taken place during rule of Congress led UPA-I and UPA-II across the coun-try. There has been revolution in almost all sectors including that of Road connectivity, Education, Pow-er generation and Industry,” stated Union Minister for Health and Fami-ly Welfare, Ghulam Nabi Azad at Au-rangabad, here today.According to a statement issued to KNS, earlier, while addressing a press conference at Aurangabad and later while addressing mammoth gatherings in Aurangabad, Malega-on and Dhule, Ghulam Nabi Azad expressed concern and said that “un-fortunately this revolution could not get proper coverage and publicity at regional as well as national level”.“People in both rural as well as ur-ban areas of the country have not got that much benefits in the shape of development in past over 55 years, which Congress party and its allies delivered in every nook and corner of the country in past 10 years of its rule,” added Azad.

“During past 10 years, there has been global crisis in economic sec-tor, due to which most of the countries even well established country like United States and most of the European and Gulf countries suffered heavy setbacks, which

virtually made their developmental works to standstill,” pointed Ghu-lam Nabi Azad and further highlight-ed that “it was only India which un-der the able leadership of Congress leaders withstood the onslaught of global economic crisis. Not even a single centrally sponsored scheme was stopped. Rather more centrally sponsored schemes were added to benefit the people across the coun-try both in rural, urban areas and sub-urban areas.“Never before in the history of India so many skilled and un-skilled jobs were created through MNREGA and other similar schemes. Never before in the history of the nation so many Educational and Health Institutions were created. Never before in the history of the country so many power projects were established so

See Azad on pg 11

Srinagar, Apr 19 : Terming Mirwaiz Umar Farooq’s press conference as a kneejerk reac-tion which according to it was ‘unwanted’ and ‘uncalled for, Huriyat Conference (G) Satur-day stated that it has not named any leader meeting BJP Prime Ministerial candidate Narendra Modi’s emissaries.Huriyat (G) chief spokesman Ayaz Akbar told KNS on phone that people are the best

See Unwanted on pg 11

Mirwaiz knee jerk reaction unwanted, uncalled for:

Hurriyat (G)

Srinagar, April 19: The Jammu and Kashmir Police today lodged a first information report (FIR) against Hurriyat Conference Chairman Syed Ali Geelani for ‘his anti-national speech during a press confer-ence’ on Friday.The FIR, number 70/2014 under section 13 Unlawful activities Act has been lodged at the Budgam Police Station today, sources said.

See FIR on pg 11

Geelani charged with sedition; FIR registered

‘2014 will mark a new beginning for JK’

Bandipora, April 19: Much to the embarrass-ment of the National Conference senior lead-er and Higher Educa-tion Minister, people forced him to leave Shahgund Hajin with-out attending workers meeting on Saturday. Muhammad Akbar Lone arrived at Shah-gund Hajin to attend a

workers meeting that was supposed to take place at the residence of NC worker Muham-mad Maqbool Ghasi. As the word about his visit spread in the area, peo-ple used public address system urging shop-keepers and traders to close down their shops and observe a complete shutdown in the area.

Eyewitnesses told CNS that as the Lone reached Shahgunds, scores of people encir-cled his vehicle and amid anti-NC and an-ti-Minister slogans did not allow him to pro-ceed towards the venue. People demanded pun-ishment to the ‘killers’ of Farhat Ahmed Dar

See Attack on pg 11

Protestors attack houses of 2 NC workersSrinagar, April 19: Kashmir Na-tional TV Journalists Associa-tion (KNTJ), a collective body of broadcast professionals con-demns the incident in which a news stringer was reportedly beaten to pulp by the cops in Ban-dipora.According to the information brought to the Association by Mr Inayat who works as a news stringer for TV channels in North Kashmir, he was beaten up by the police without any provocation. His equipment was also seized.

Srinagar, Apr 19 : Strongly condemning the police assault on video journalist, Inayat Ullah who had reportedly video graphed the controversial hate speech by National Conference leader Dr Farooq Abdullah which had been used by a prominent TV channel, Peoples Democratic Par-ty (PDP) Saturday criticized the government for its intolerance and lack of any goodwill towards the media fraternity in

See PDP on pg 11

Srinagar, April 19: Sopore Police received an information that some unknown gunmen entered into the house of Ghulam Mohi-ud-din War son of Mohammad Akbar War resident of Nowpo-ra Kalan with the intention to commit an offence. Upon this information a joint party of Police, CRPF and Army rushed to the spot and on reaching the spot the house owner had already overpowered one of the persons Mudasir Ahmad son of Mubarak Ahmad Shah. On his disclosure the joint party rushed to the house of a militant Imran Ahmad Dar son of Sanaullah Dar resident of Nowpora Kalan who is the master mind of the criminal act and was apprehend-ed along with AK-47 and other ammunition. However, other two accomplices managed their escape while taking advantage of the darkness and are still absconding and their search is going on. The identity of the absconding persons have been established. Sopore police has registered a case FIR number 57/2014 under section 7/25 Indian Act and investigation has been set into motion, it is pertinent to mention here that above named militant was earlier arrested along with on PAK terrorist Fahadullah and was release on bail recently.

Srinagar, April 19: ) At least sev-en panchayat members in south Kashmir’s Pulwama district have resigned following the kill-ing of a colleague by unknown gunmen on Thursday evening.On Thursday, unidentified gunmen shot dead 45-year-old Mohammad Amin Pandith, a Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Sarpanch, in Gulzarpora village in Awantipora.Official sources told GNS that Sarpanchs Ghulam Nabi Dar son of Mohammad Akbar Dar of Palpora, Mohammad Auob Mir son of Ghulam Hassan of Zahid Bagh, Watchi and Panch-es Shahzada Begium wife of Mohammad Amin Shah, Farooq Ahmad Mir son of Mohd Maq-bool, both hailing from Rakhi Litter Pulwama, Hameeda Bano wife of Mohammad Akbar, Mohammad Ramzan Reshi son Mohd Akbar son of Azad and Mohd Ayoub Mir son of Ghulam Hassan, hailing from of Zahid Bagh, Watchi and all associated with opposition Peoples Demo-cratic Party (PDP) made an-nouncement at the local Masjids after congregational prayers were offered Friday last.

Beats Nadal

Srinagar, April 19: Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president, Mehbooba Mufti has said that some progress was made in improving relations between India and Pakistan and bringing Kash-mir into the process only when NC was marginal-ized for a few years after 2002.Addressing various roadside meetings in Hom-shalibug segment of Anantanag parliamentary constituency, Mehbooba said it is no wonder that the people of the state miss those years when ev-erything positive seemed to be happening between India and Pakistan over Kashmir. “There is a very obvious yearning for revival of that process which

had brought relief to the people internally and had reduced tensions between India and Pakistan,” she said. On this occasion PDP Senior leader and MLA Sofi Ab Gaffar, Zone president Mohd Maqbool Mandoo, Master Sanaul-lah, Sheraz Ahmad and others were also present.According to GNS, Mehbooba said for the

See Mehbooba on pg 11

PDP would revive spirit of friendship with Pakistan: Mehbooba‘People miss cross LoC initiatives of 2003’

Dr. Farooq addresses public meeting in Srinagar

Srinagar, Apr 19: National Con-ference Party President Dr. Farooq Abdullah addressed an impressive public meeting in Khimber, Srinagar and asked people to uphold the peace and harmony of not just the State but the entire country by voting against communal forces who base their politics on destruc-tion and division.

According to a state-ment issued to KNS, while speaking on the occasion Dr. Farooq Abdullah said that Na-tional Conference was a guardian of the spe-cial status of Jammu and Kashmir and the party will never allow political miscreants to toy with the desti-

ny and sentiments of the people they allegedly want to repre-sent. Dr. Farooq Abdullah said

"When PDP President Mehbooba Mufti was a Member of Parliament and when she was asked to represent the angst of the State she shrugged the respon-sibility and spoke the famous words of Mei Kya Kahun Yaar".

Dr. Farooq Abdullah said See Farooq on pg 11

Asks people to vote for secularism not destruction

Spoiled Wazwan, forced Minister to retreat

Er Rashid Files Nomination PapersSrinagar, Apr 19: Awami It-tihaad Party President (AIP) and MLA Langate Engineer Rashid today filed his nomi-nation papers from Baramulla Parliamentary Constituency. Despite lashing rainfall thou-sands of people from Kupwara, Bandipora and Baramulla and other parts of the Kashmir valley were present on the oc-casion.According to a statement is-sued to KNS, Engineer Rashid termed the impressive mode developed at the inspiring gathering as a good omen sig-nalling positive change for

Kashmir. Pertinently, En-gineer Rashid stressed that sensing the mode of people the parties like National Confer-ence and PDP should accept their defeat and also the larger reality that people of Kashmir cannot be hoodwinked by ex-ploitative politics of NC and PDP.Engineer Rashid stated: “Call-ing for the solution of Kashmir dispute does not mean treason towards constitution of India as the Founder of India and first elected Prime Minister of India Jawahir Lal

See Rashid on pg 11

11 Srinagar, Sunday 20 April 2014 Zabarwan Times

FROM THE FRONT PAGE

Mirwaiz

Saraf

Sagar

Azad

Mufti

Mehbooba

Attack

Unwanted

JamaatFarooq

PDP

Rashid

FIR

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

Government of Jammu & KashmirOFFICE OF THE EXECUTIVE ENGINEER

PMGSY (JKRRDA) DIVISION)The Mr. Asif Sultan,Assistant EngineerC/o 11 Zaberwan colonyBrain Nishat Srinagar (J&K)-191121)

Subject: - Unauthorised absence from duty.

1. Whereas 25 days earned leave combined with 60 days half pay leave was sanctioned in your favour by Superintending Engineer PMGSY (JKRRDA) Circle Srinagar Sgr. under order No:- SE/PMGSY/S/262-64 Dt:- 26-04-2012 & No:- SE/PMGSY/S/ 784-85 Dt:- 02-06-2012 in connection/with private work at Srinagar.2. Whereas after the expiry of sanctioned leave on 07-07-2012 you were supposed to resume your duties on 07-07-2012 but instead of reporting back after availing of said leave you had applied for further extension of leave w.e.f 07-07-2012 which could not be processed for sanction for ascertaining your actual whereabouts.3. Whereas you were asked vide this office letter No:- EE/PMGSY/G/2483-84 Dt:- 20-09-2012 read with letter No:- EE/PMGSY/G/2899-2900 Dt:- 31-10-2012 to provide your actual whereabouts whether you are availing the extension of leave in J&K State or outside the State or outside India0. 4. Whereas after making necessary enquiries it has been learnt that you are not availing the extension of leave on the address given in the leave application (during leave period) as reportedly you have proceeded outside country without seeking prior permission from the competent authority. 5. Whereas availing of leave outside the country cannot be entertained in the ab-sence of prior approval of Administrative department. 6. Whereas neither extension of leave applied for by you was granted nor your whereabouts were known which clearly denotes your unauthorized absence from duty so you were asked vide this office letter no:- EE/PMGSYG/3144 copy served on your residence) to report back immediately failing which action as warranted under rules shall be initiated against you.7. Whereas Superintending Engineer PMGSY (JKRRDA) Circle Srinagar vide his no: - SE/PMGSY/S/3411-12 Dt:- 29-11-2012 directed this office to notify the unauthorized absence of Er. Asif Sultan, (AE) in the leading Newspaper so that matter for termination is recommended to Govt, after fulfillment of codal formalities. 8. Whereas instead of replying to various none served to you tor un-authorised absence you have applied for further extension of leave for 60Days Dated: - 21-11-2012 in connection with private work abroad outside country in Canada as per address given in me leave application. 9. Whereas it straightly means that neither you want to pay any proper attention to reply to the notices issued against vou nor interested to complete the pre-requisites/codal formalities as envisaged under law.10. Whereas you were also intimated vide this office letter no: EE/PMGSY/G/3228 Dt:~ 07-12-2012 that leave cannot be sanctioned due to pau-city of existing strength of AE's and purely in the exigency of service of A.E required in public interest at the site of execution of work.11. Whereas superintending Engineer PMGSY (JKRRDA) Circle Srinagar vide his no:- SE/PMGSY/S/3805-07 Dt:- 19-12-2012 directed" you to resume your duties without any further loss of time as you had proceeded outside coun-try without obtaining permission from administrative department and absence without permission entails fore feature of service under rules.12. Whereas although your-whereabouts were not known to this office but you were again notified by giving a final notice (copy served on your residence at Srinagar) vide this office no:- EE/PMGSY/G/4247 Dt:-'27-03-2013 to resume the duties within one week positively to avert the difficulties being experienced at the site of work but no response evoked from you.13. Whereas your personal contact has remained out rightly cut off from the date you proceeded abroad outside country at Canada and under these circumstances you are being treated as absent/absconding from duty.14. Whereas unauthorised absence from duty tantamount to loss of ap-pointment as per provision contained in the Article 128 of J&K CSR Vol-1.15. Whereas it is self-explanatory from your non-response of show cause notices served to you from time to time by Superintending Engineer as well as this office that you are not interested to continue the Govt. Services any-more and so you do not heed any importance to the notices of this office. Therefore this office is bound to notify your unauthorized absence in print media to explain your position in person within ten days' time posi-tively falling which it shall be presumed that you have nothing to say in your defense and this office will move further to refer you unauthorized absence from duty to higher authorities for placement of suspension/termination of services as warranted under rules. Sd/-Executive Engineer DIPK NO. 129 PMGSY(JKRRDA) Division Ganderbal

Faculty of LawUniversity of Kashmir.

Admission Notification No-3Consequent upon the counselling conducted by the Department of Law on 16th April, 2014 candidates bearing entrance test Roll No’s given hereunder have been selected provisionally for admission to LL.B course in the Department of Law (in open merit and reserved categories) purely on the basis of merit. The selection of the candidates is subject to their production of original marks certificates of qualifying exam-ination, provisional, character, state subject and reserved category certificates (if any) for verification. The selected candidate should submit an affidavit duly attested by 1st Class Magistrate to the effect that he/she is neither on the rolls of any institution nor employed in any Govt/Semi-Govt. Department and is not enrolled in any other course in this university or any other university/institution. The candidates claiming benefit of any reserved category should also mention in the affidavit that their admission shall be liable to be cancelled in case their category certificate is not found valid by the competent authorities. The admission of the candidates who have obtained qualifying degree from university/Institution other than the University of Kashmir is subject to clearance from the Academic Section of the University which must be obtained before completing their admission formalities. The candidates selected against Self-finance seats are required to deposit Rs. 40,000/- (Forty Thousand) as 1st installment in the shape of Demand Draft in favour of Registrar, University of Kashmir, payable at J&K Bank Hazratbal, Srinagar. All the information including the marks of the qualifying examination submitted by the candidates online/offline will be re-verified from their original certificates and if the information submitted is found incorrect the provisional admission granted shall be deemed to have been cancelled. The Admission Forms can be downloaded from the official website of the University of Kashmir www.kashmiruniversity.net The selected candidates are directed to complete their admission formalities latest by 27th April, 2014 upto 4 p.m. failing which they shall have no claim over admission. The seats left vacant (if any) shall be filled up from the waiting list.Open Merit

520585 520679 520455 520270 520363 520695 520039 520171 520474 520097 520139 520506 520168 520015 520639 520094 520260 520223 520833 520745 520614 520859 520351 RBA NCC Sports520719 520746 520604 520696 520373 520234 520869 Self Finance Seats520864 520242 520337 520547 520788 520301 520775 520613 520346 520303 520583 520744 520177 520568 520623 520577 520299 520319 520682 520152 520092 520399 520356 520091 520853 520365 520331 520343 520459 520733 520072 520063 520832 520408 520563 520263 520422 520266 520545 520284 520265

Further, candidates bearing following entrance test Roll No’s of WUP and CDP categories are directed to remain present in the department of Law at 10:30 am on 23rd April 2014 for counseling.WUP: 520348,520315 & 520108 CDP: 520727,520241 & 520512No.F(Adm-Notificaton-3)Law/14/ET-85 Sd/-Dated: 18-04-2014 Prof. Mohammad Ayub Dean, Faculty of Law

and people have been hurt by Mr Geelani’s remarks wanting to create suspicion in the minds of people but resisted responding only keeping in view the integrity and unity of the movement. But there is a limit to tol-erance”, the Hurriyat Conference (M) chair-man maintained.He said Geelani’s ‘fabrications and alle-gations’ have gone too far this time. “Our patience should not be viewed as our weak-ness. It is a quality inherited from my fam-ily, forefathers and my father who for the past decades have rendered innumerable sacrifices for the nation and whose sole pur-pose in life was safeguarding the interests of Kashmiri people.”Mirwaiz said that he has inherited this leg-acy of sacrifice of patience of tolerance of faith in goodness of human being of trust of accommodation not a legacy of creating mis-chief suspicion and misgiving. “Does meet-ing people with differing or opposite views construe a sell-out or insecurity towards the movement? Is it some kind of a benchmark of sincerity? We have always kept the public well informed about any and every meeting. Who can dare to sell out or compromise on the Kashmir issue especially people like us whose family has been the founders of the movement and have dedicated ourselves to the cause for the past more than 100 years.”Such statements vitiate the atmosphere and create and facilitate such serious situations that become the cause of physical elimina-tion of which my family has become a target not once but twice. One fails to understand why Mr Geelani is trying to project his im-age before people as the most sincere, holi-er than other leaders and has to do so at the expense of others by trying to malign them. “Would we have doubted his sincerity if he had met Modi’s emissaries and not told the nation?” he asked. He said, “Mr Geelani has made a deliberate attempt to mislead the people of Kashmir and since 1990- he has been continuously do-ing so”. Mirwaiz added that Geelani is not a god father of the ongoing resistance move-ment of Kashmir and that no person shall be allowed to create misconception at this cru-cial juncture of the movement.Clarifying that his faction of Huriyat has not met any emissary of Modi, Mirwaiz stated that whenever his amalgam held dialogue- the same was carried out openly. “Our stand is clear that Kashmir can either be resolved through the implementation of UN resolu-tions or through the dialogue between India, Pakistan and the people of Kashmir.”He asked: “Geelani is trying to create cha-os in Kashmir and due to his irresponsible statements several Huriyat leaders have been targeted in the past. Geelani should come clear about whom he wants to get killed this time.”He said the nation can never forgive Geelani and that before pointing fingers at anyone, he should have gone for self introspection. “He is the man who has contested Indian elections for many a times and took oath of the constitution of India.”Mirwaiz said that almost every time Gee-lani uses the traditional rhetoric of ‘sell out’. “Who the hell is Geelani? He has no right to give irresponsible statements,” said Mirwaiz, adding Geelani’s questioning the relevance of Tosamaidan issue is absurd as the firing range at this meadow reflects the mindset of government of India.Stating that Kashmir is at the state where its leadership has to take serious responsibili-ties and that farsightedness is the need of the hour. “Geelani sahib should not treat our patience as our weakness and we must not be compelled to come out on streets and in media as far as Mr Geelani’s approach and mindset is concerned.”Remarking the Huriyat (G) chairman was never right in his approach and policy, Mir-waiz said that Geelani has no copyright on Kashmir’s resistance movement. “Geelani wants to be seen as the sole conscience keep-er of this nation. He has to change his ap-proach. He is always surrounded by a cote-rie of so called columnists who declare him right all the time and portray others with the different brush.” (KNS)

Police said Geelani has been booked under the unlawful act for delivering an anti-In-dia speech during his address to reporters on Friday.They said his statements are also proactive and ant-national.Several FIRs have been lodged against Geelani in the past also for anti-India speech. (GNS)

judges and the reaction of Mirwaiz is in it-self self speaking. “We are on record of not naming any person or party vis-à-vis Modi’s issue but what Mirwaiz Sahib has accused cannot be answered in the same tone.”“We had not named any party during Gee-lani sahib’s press conference but now as Mirwaiz Sahib is speaking over the issue- people can decide themselves as they are the best judges.” Akbar added that Hurriyat (G) cannot cross the ‘fine line of etiquettes and morality’ by reacting harshly to Mir-waiz’s allegations.The Hurriyat (G) also condemned the statement wherein Mirwaiz accused Geelani of preparing ground for the killing of the leaders in Kashmir. “We can have difference of ideologies but never have we believed in harming anyone nor we use the language that Mirwaiz sahib is using,” Akbar said. (KNS)

and Mirwaiz Umar Farooq’s reaction in his today’s press conference, Wani said that the differences between the different factions of Hurriyat Conference is harming the cause of Kashmir movement.

“This infighting is in no way benefiting the people of Kashmir. On the other hand the Government of India’s divide and rule poli-cy is paying its dividends when we witness these kinds of differences,” Wani observed. The Jammat chief said that his party in past has met all the leaders including Geelnai, Mirwaiz, Shabir Shah, Yasin Malik, Nay-eem Khan and others and appealed them to united in the interest of Kashmir movement but all its efforts have failed to deliver any results.On Geelani’s allegations, the Jammat chief said that his party has not met any of the em-issaries of Modi nor was there any need to meet them. “What could have BJP got out of meeting us, I fail to understand.”Asked about the Modi’s policy on Kashmir, Wani said that both Congress and the BJP are the two faces of the same coin when it comes to interests of Muslims in India. “In whose time was Babri Masjid demolished. In whose tenure Muzaffar Nagar riots took place? These area a few questions to under-stand the pseudo secularism credentials of Congress. Similarly, BJP is openly fascist and communal in its politics.”On Modi’s personal political character, Wani observed that he can change his rigid atti-tude once in power. “I think the country’s responsibility can fine tune him and change his rigid attitude towards Muslims. But equally I may be wrong in my perception. Everything will be clear once the election results are made public”, Wani said. (KNS)

Pandits who met him in order to clarify his (Saraf’s) stand. “Geelani sahib is a revered leader and I have a purely personal relation with him. I met him frequently but not in capacity of any political activist or leader of any national party,” Saraf added. (KNS)

much power was generated, asserted Ghu-lam Nabi Azad and further said that “there has been a great revolution in the field of communication and information technolo-gy. Almost every house of the country has accessibility of mobile phones and internet services even in the remotest part of the country. All it happened under the leader-ship of Congress party”.Lashing out at BJP and its allies, Ghulam Nabi Azad stated that “It is unfortunate that false propaganda of the opposition BJP, RSS and its prime ministerial candidate Nar-endra Modi throughout the country is sup-pressing the ongoing developmental works across the country.” He further appealed to the people irrespective of any caste, religion and region to rise to the occasion and stand-by the policies and programmes of Congress. He said that Congress is the only party, which can keep the country united, strong and vibrant.Castigating the saffron brigade for spread-ing communalism and hatred throughout the country, Congress stalwart, Ghulam Nabi Azad stated that “BJP is playing divi-sive politics. Its leadership on one side is perpetuating divisive forces through RSS during nights while holding parleys with people like Hurriyat Conference leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani. They are living in fool’s paradise if they (BJP) think that they will achieve success in befooling the innocent people. They stand exposed before the people who had and will give them befitting reply by again voting Congress to power”. (KNS)

first time since independence there were serious and constructive moves to lift the siege around Jammu and Kashmir that had imprisoned it after partition by closing all traditional routes of the state.She said it is true that the opening of Sri-nagar-Muzzafarabad and Poonch-Rawlakoot roads has not attained its full potential yet because of lack of follow up but in doing so India and Pakistan have conceded major principles in connecting the people across the Line of Control (LoC) through travel and trade.She said while NC had throughout its histo-ry used opening of Rawalpindi road as slo-gan to seek votes but Mufti Mohammad Say-eed facilitated it without making any noise or exploiting anybody sentiments. She said Mufti was clear about his agenda and pur-sued it with focus and achieved results in a brief period which laid foundation for future progress that was unfortunately reversed by the change in government.The PDP chief said the fact that the two countries have accepted that there is no re-quirement of passport, visa or custom duty for travel and trade across the LoC lays the foundation for an economic free zone in the region. She said a decisive vote for PDP in the Lok Sabha elections would enable the party to effectively pursue the goal of carry-ing forward this process to the logical end.Mehbooba said while the NC as partners of the BJP in the NDA government recom-mended bombing of Pakistan the PDP quiet-ly changed the entire narrative and brought peace and friendship into the discourse.“Why did Vajpayee initiative wait for change in J&K which ousted NC from the power for a while even though they were allies,” Mehbooba asked and said it was because the NC’s purpose for alliance was power for Dr Farooq Abdullah and his son. On the other hand Mufti Mohammad Say-eed handled both NDA and UPA wisely and brought relief to his people in the shape of diplomatic initiatives, economic revival and administrative discipline.

"Now the same individual wants to enter the Parliament and represent the people of this State. When she chose to stay silent in perhaps the most important Kashmir-cen-tric debate of the Lok Sabha in this decade, how can she make a claim to speak up for the people of this State now?"

Dr. Farooq Abdullah said that there were clear signs of a PDP and BJP nexus now and even PDP leaders had come out of the polit-ical closet of destructive machinations by openly praising Narendra Modi and advocat-ing support for the Modi-led BJP. Dr Farooq Abdullah said "National Conference is aware of the evil partnership between PDP and BJP to benefit a figure as polarizing and commu-nal as Narendra Modi and the people of J&K will respond to this epic betrayal by ensur-ing the success of the NC-Congress Coalition Candidates in the Parliamentary Elections".Asking the workers to go door-to-door to make people aware of the hidden BJP and PDP pact to dilute the special status of the State, Dr. Farooq Abdullah expressed utmost confidence in the NC-Congress Coalition emerging victories in the State. Dr. Farooq Abdullah said there were new revelations every day of Modi having reached out to indi-viduals and entities in Jammu and Kashmir.

different places in old city, Srinagar, which was attended by other prominent persons from different fields of life besides, promi-nent persons and leaders of the party.Reacting to the statement of the PDP leaders, Mr sagar said “people are well aware that thousands of NC workers have been killed by forces inimical to peace and prosperity and inspite of facing threats our party has tirelessly been working for the welfare and betterment of people ,despite the malicious and provocative propaganda unleashed by the PDP”. Referring to the statements of the PDP viz a viz the K issue, Mr Sagar said that the party is a group of political opportunists who keep on changing their colours like chameleons’ to suit their interests as they have never ever raised the issue while in power, whereas NC has always advocated for the peaceful res-olution of the same. He said that the PDP is trying to hoodwink the people by telling tales and spreading falsehood but the people are well aware of their political mechanizations and would ensure their defeat in the coming elections.

“Despite getting a very short span of three years in power between 2002 and 2005, PDP set into motion a comprehensive process of economic empowerment and infrastructural development in the State which is to be taken to the logical conclusion,” Mufti said adding the party’s visionary political and economic agenda has made it to emerge as a genuine, strong and credible regional voice of the peo-ple of Jammu & Kashmir.

who was allegedly killed in police firing last month during a protest. As the security guards of the Minister tried to disperse the protestors, the agitated people resorted to stone-pelting and forced Muham-mad Akbar Lone to retreat from the place without attending the workers meeting. During the clashes between people and police, at least three persons were injured. People alleged that the police and CRPF per-sonnel thrashed tow scribes Inayat Hajni and Zahoor Ahmed Bhat. “I was beaten to pulp while covering the clashes by police and CRPF personnel. Blood oozed out from my mouth and nose and I don’t know who shifted me to Srinagar for treatment,” Inayet Hajni told CNS. Reports said that amid clashes, agitated protestors barged into the house of District president National Conference Khazar Mu-hammad Dar and ransacked the belongings there. People smashed the windowpanes of the house and caused damage to furniture. Eyewitnesses told CNS that agitated protes-tors entered the house of Muhammad Maq-bool Ghasi in Bagatmohalla where the Min-ister was supposed to attend the meeting and spoiled the ‘wazwan’ (dishes) there that was prepared for the Higher Education Minister.

Nehru had taken the issue to United Na-tions. If Nehru taking Kashmir Dispute to UN and calling for Plebiscite to settle the Kashmir Dispute is not traitor than how come Kashmiris are traitors who demand implementation of Plebiscite. Today or To-morrow Delhi would have to heed to the people of Kashmir and look for the solution of Kashmir Dispute and that too outside the paradigm of its constitution. For the time be-ing Narendra Modi or other leaders are not honest in solving Kashmir dispute but ulti-mately they will have to talk to resistance leadership like Hurriyat and honest, dedi-cated representatives of people of Kashmir to settle this dispute.”

Kashmir.In a statement issued to KNS, the party chief spokesperson, Naeem Akhtar said the journalist was beaten merciless-ly by police in Sonawari and shifted by the locals and colleagues to a hospital in a se-rious condition. Reports said the journalist along with other colleagues was trying to shoot the demonstration against local MLA and minister who was on tour to the area. “There needs to be a probe into the incident especially the possibility of Inayat being tar-geted for having recorded Dr Farooq Abdul-lah’s statement that has caused an outrage all around,”Naeem said though the ruling government will be known more for unleashing war with every section of the society the media persons too remained its soft target over the last more than five years as their only ‘fault’ is that they want to tell the actual story to the people. Akhtar said this is not the first that this government has maltreated people from press and other media but in the past as well it has employed every possible method to silence them.

SRINAGAR | SUNDAY, APRIL | 20 | 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.

JAMMU, APRIL 19: Mr. N.N. Vohra, Governor of J&K, who is the Chair-man of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board, held an extensive meeting to discuss and identify areas for which plans need to be finalized to meet the longer term needs of the pilgrim-age to this Shrine. The discussions were held with Sh. H.L. Maini, Board Member and Technical Consultant, SMVDSB and Dr. M.K. Bhandari, Chief Executive Officer, SMVDSB at Raj Bha-van, Jammu.

After discussion, the Chairman di-rected the CEO to have a project report prepared from a reputed consultancy firm to quantify the requirements of power and water for the Yatra over the next 15-20 years. On the basis of such assessments timely action shall need to be taken to execute projects to meet the future water and power demands for the Yatra. The CEO was asked to take early action for secur-

ing inputs from Central Ground Water Board and other agencies to iden-tify places where underground water may be available so that exploration efforts can be carried out on a time bound basis.

The Governor also directed that early action should be taken for setting up a water filtration plant near the existing sources from which water is supplied for the pilgrims moving on the Tracks and the various establishments which are located along side. The meet-ing discussed the functioning of the existing water supply schemes and the plans for enlarging their capacities.

Earlier, Sh. Maini gave a detailed presentation of the Master Plan for the Shrine area which had been pre-pared some years ago. The discus-sions included plans for widening the existing pathways for enabling rapid

and free movement of the pilgrims. Also discussed was the remodelling of the existing buildings, widening of the Atka area, installing elevators in the Shrine area for easier access for pilgrims etc. The Chairman directed the CEO to ensure installation of solar power units to cover every establish-ment in the Shrine area and to make all the locations more eco-friendly.

The Chairman asked the CEO to ensure time bound completion of the ongoing work for the demolition of Durga Bhawan. He advised that a suitable design, of the new building to be constructed at the same location should be got prepared very early to create dormitory accommodation for the pilgrims.

The CEO was asked to have pre-pared a model of the existing struc-tures around the entire Bhawan area and another model which would show the proposed new buildings.

Plantation drive held at Industrial Estates Kup, Bla

KUPWARA, APRIL 19: A plantation drive was conduct-ed at Industrial Estate, Chottipora, Handwara organized by General Manager, District Industries Centre, Kupwara. District Development Commissioner, Kupwara, who was the chief guest on the occasion, planted a Chinar sapling in the premises of Industrial Estate, Handwara.

Speaking on the occasion, District Development Com-missioner, Kupwara directed the unit holders and field functionaries of the Industries to ensure that environ-ment of the Estate is kept clean, green and pollution free as the current plantation in the Estate will ensure eco-logical and environmental balance of the area.

The large numbers of saplings were planted in the vicinity of the Estate at Handwara on the directions of the district administration, as the Estate has generated 51 investors who have been allotted land for setting up various Industrial Units to generate employment for the local youth.The General Manager, District Industries Centre, Kupwara informed that about Rs. 25 crores have been invested by these investors in setting up of their in-come generating units in the Estate.The Additional Dep-uty Commissioner, Handwara, Chief Horticulture Officer Handwara, Tehsil level officers, field functionaries be-sides large number of locals was present on the occasion.

Governor discusses longer term needs of the Shrine

NEW DELHI: A Delhi court on Saturday warned Arvind Kejriwal and three other AAP leaders that it would initiate “coercive process” if they fail to appear before it on May 24 in a criminal defamation com-plaint filed against them by Union telecom minister Kapil Sibal’s law-yer son Amit Sibal.

Metropolitan magistrate (MM) Sunil Kumar Sharma told advocate Rahul Mehra, who appeared for Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia, Prashat Bhushan and Shazia Ilmi, that he should ensure that the accused ap-pear before him on the next date of hearing.“Ensure that everybody is present on the next date (of hear-ing) otherwise I will initiate coer-cive process,” the court told Mehra and fixed the matter for hearing on May 24.

The court also imposed a cost of Rs 2,500 each on Sisodia, Bhushan and Ilmi while allowing their plea seeking exemption from personal appearance for today.

It, however, allowed the ex-emption application of Kejriwal for today and did not impose any cost on him on the ground that he himself is contesting the Lok Sabha poll.

All the four accused did not

appear before the court today on the ground that they were busy in campaigning for the Lok Sabha election.

The court, on March 15, had imposed a cost of Rs 2,500 each on Kejriwal and Sisodia for their fail-ure to appear before it.

It had imposed the cost on Ke-jriwal and Sisodia while accept-ing their pleas seeking exemption from personal appearance for the day only.The court had also re-leased Bhushan and Ilmi, who had appeared before it on March 15, on an undertaking that they would appear before it on each and every date of hearing.

The court had on July 24 last year summoned Kejriwal, Sisodia, Bhushan and Ilmi on the criminal defamation complaint filed by Amit in which he had alleged that the AAP leaders had said that he had taken advantage of his father’s position to represent a telecom company in court cases here.

During the proceeding on Sat-urday, advocate Mehra moved ap-plications seeking exemption from personal appearance for the day for the four accused.

He said that due to the Lok Sab-ha election, the AAP leaders were

busy in campaigning and the court should fix the matter after May 16, when the election result will be declared.

“These are national polls. They (accused) are not evading the pro-cess of law...they are not are ab-sconders,” Mehra said.

Advocate Mohit Mathur, who appeared for Amit, opposed the pleas of the accused saying they should have appeared before the court.

“Kejriwal and these leaders should have planned their cam-paigning so that they could appear before the court of law,” Mathur said.

Mathur also said that accused were given almost five weeks time on the last date of hearing on March 15 but still they did not ap-pear before the court.

“They are not allowing the pro-ceedings to proceed,” he said.

The court, however, said that the exemption application of Ke-jriwal could be considered as he is himself contesting the Lok Sabha election.“Exemption application of Arvind Kejriwal is allowed without any cost. The exemption applica-tion of other three accused is al-lowed with cost,”.

Appear on May 24 or face action, court warns Kejriwal

Director Libraries refutes news item General Observer discusses election aspects with Micro Observers SRINAGAR, APRIL 19: The Director, Libraries and Research, Kashmir has strongly re-

futed the news item published in a newspaper on April 13, 2014 titled “Rare books vanish from historic SPS Library” and an editorial about the “Missing Books” published on April 14, 2014 in the same newspaper.Consequently the Director while taking serious note of the matter, initiated a fact finding exercise and sought report from Chief Librarian SPS Library Srinagar. As per the report of Chief Librarian SPS Library, the books mentioned in the news item titled “Illustrations of the ancient buildings of Kashmir” (old copy by Henry Hardy Cole, published by D.H. Allens and Co. London in 1869, bearing Accession No. 4462) and the new copy of the said book published by City Book Centre, Srinagar 2008 bearing Accession No. 59278 are very much available in the Library.

Regarding the news report about with holding of books by State officials, the matter was also enquired into and as per the preliminary perusal of available records by the Chief Librarian, that no book has been issued to any interlocutor or transferred to Raj Bhawan, the Director Libraries and Research communicated.

235 medical shops inspected, 300 samples collected for analysis in the Valley

SRINAGAR, APRIL 19: As many as 235 Medical Shops were inspected during the spe-cial drive conducted by the department of Drug & Food Control Organisation in different districts of Kashmir Division.During the drive, licences of 60 medical shops have been suspended for violation of various provisions of D&C Act 1940 & Rules made there un-der. While 11 medical shops were put on the show cause notices.The Chemists during the special drive were directed to maintain sale cum purchase records of drugs, besides store drugs as per their requirement & supply drugs only on presentation of prescription besides were asked to issue Cash Memo’s to the consumers.

PULWAMA, APRIL 19: General Observer for 03-Anantnag Parliamentary Constit-uency, Mr. R.A. Khandelwal today convened a meeting of Micro Observers at Pul-wama and discussed various aspects related to smooth conduct of Parliamentary elections scheduled to be held on April 24 in the Parliamentary Constituency.

Mr. Khandelwal impressed upon the Micro Observers to work in tandem to ensure conducting of free, fair and transparent elections in the district. He asked them to go through the guidelines of Election Commission of India and ensure their implementation in letter and spirit during the entire election period.

Among others, the Assistant Electoral Registration Officer, who is also the Assis-tant Commissioner Revenue, Pulwama and other concerned officers were present on the occasion.

Election training programme held at BudgamBUDGAM, APRIL 19: In connection with the smooth conduct of Lok Sabha Elec-

tions-2014, a daylong election training programme was held at Budgam which is part of 02-Srinagar Parliamentary Constituency.

The training was conducted under the supervision of District Nodal Officer Budgam in which 10 Zonal Magistrates and 49 Sectoral Magistrates were imparted necessary election training for conducting free, fair and transparent polls in the dis-trict.All the Zonal and Sectoral Magistrates were asked to contact their respective Election Cells through its Telephone Nos or can contact District Election Officer, Bud-gam and Assistant Returning Officers if they face any difficulty.

Flight MH370 search at ‘critical juncture’: Malaysia minister

KUALA LUMPUR: The effort to find missing flight MH370 is at a “very critical juncture”, Ma-laysia’s transport minister said on Saturday as authorities mull whether to reassess a challeng-ing search of the Indian Ocean seabed that has so far found nothing.

“The search for today and to-morrow is at a very critical junc-ture. So I appeal for everybody around the world to pray and pray hard that we find some-thing to work on,” transport minister Hishammuddin Hus-sein said.

The jet is believed to have crashed in deep and remote wa-ters far off Western Australia.

But with no results from the multi-national search operation for the Boeing 777, which van-ished on March 8 carrying 239

people, Australia’s Prime Minis-ter Tony Abbott on Thursday set a one-week deadline to locate the plane by mini-submarine.

The Australian-led search effort is relying on a single US Navy submersible sonar scan-ning device to scour an unchart-ed seabed at depths of around 4,500 metres (15,000 feet) or more.

Technical hitches, including the fact that the torpedo-shaped Bluefin-21 is operating at the ex-tent of its depth limit, made for a slow start to the search.

Launched from an Australian naval vessel, the device has so far made six deep-sea scanning runs but has detected nothing.

“We have pursued every possible lead presented to us at this stage, and with every pass-ing day the search has become

more difficult,” Hisham-muddin, who is heading up the Malaysian gov-ernment’s response to MH370, told reporters in Kuala Lumpur.

As the search and res-cue effort expected to be the costliest in aviation history wears on, au-thorities have indicated alternative methods may be needed, including possibly deeper-diving devices.

Hishammuddin said adjustments “may in-clude widening the scope of the search and utilising other assets that could be relevant in the search operation”, but he stressed the search would not be abandoned.

Daily Zabarwan TimesEDITORIAL/ OPINIONEDITORIAL/ OPINIONDaily Zabarwan TimesSrinagar, Sunday 20 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 revelations which have shocked and surprised the whole country. On one side the leaders are leav-ing no stone unturned to indulge in personal attacks, using abu-sive language and throwing all parliamentary ethics into winds and on the other side some per-sons who were very close to the power like the former advisor to Prime Minister Sanjay Baru cre-ated furors by trying to say that all decisions were being influ-enced by UPA Chairperson So-nia Gandhi and Dr. Manmohan Singh was the weakest Prime Minister. The congress in retal-iation citing the inability of the then Prime Minister Atal Bi-hari Vajpayee to handle former Home Minister L. K. Advani and the Gujrat Chief Minister Naren-der Modi described Mr. Vajpay-ee as the weakest one. The two books released during the elec-tioneering 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 un-der Gandhi family nobody other than them has the bridal of pow-er in his hands. The two writers may have tried to say that Dr. Manmohan Singh was himself very honest but their presenta-tion has not helped his cause as it seems that he was only work-ing on the behest of the UPA Chairperson and not able to ex-ert 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 observations about CBI in Parikhs book have also caste serious aspersions on the functioning of this pre-mier investigating agency as he says that the agency is a villain whose head did not know the rules and the laws and tried to impress the Supreme Court in Coalgate scandal. It is unfortu-nate that the leaders and their former friends have created a vicious atmosphere which in no way is conducive for the demo-cratic institutions of the coun-try. It will in the fitness of the things if the leaders restraint from petty political gimmicks and avoid to peep into each oth-er’s personal life and also show some respect to the former and present Prime Ministers of the country who perhaps deserve it.

Voting Right: Power of the Powerless‘Power of the Powerless’ presuppos-es the division of the society into two classes – Powerful and Powerless. The world ‘Power’ can be dissected into further classification such as politi-cal power, economic power and social power. The general belief or feeling is that the power – political, economic and social – is centered in the hands of a few who can be termed as powerful. But the moot question is whether the so-called powerless are really pow-erless. I do not think so – in so far as the sharing or enjoyment of political power in India is concerned, which, in my opinion, is the mother of all other powers and a really potent means to achieve those powers. In this Article, I propose to dilate on this aspect, name-ly, political power of the Power of the Powerless.The Constitution of India proclaims that India is a Sovereign, Socialist, Secular, Democratic Republic. Giving expression to the solemn resolve of the Constitution makers, the Preamble to the Constitution secures to all the citizens of India, among other things, Justice, Social, Economic and Political; and also Equality of status and of op-portunity. The ‘Objective Resolution’ moved by Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru on 13th December, 1946 in the Constituent Assembly, which set out the agenda and goal of the Constituent Assembly, that Assembly declared its firm and solemn resolve, to inter alia, guarantee and se-cure to ‘all the people of India justice, social, economic and political; equality of status, of opportunity, and before the law; freedom of thought, expression, belief, faith, worship, vocation, associa-tion and action, subject to law and pub-lic morality’ and to provide adequate safeguards ‘for minorities, backward and tribal areas, and depressed and oth-er backward classes’. The foundation for such resolve of the Constituent Assembly was laid down, much earlier in 1928, by a committee un-der the Chairmanship of Shri Moti Lal Nehru, appointed at an all-party con-ference held in Bombay in May, 1928. Pandit Nehru in his inaugural address as the President of India National Con-gress at Lucknow session in 1936 further elaborated the point as under:-“I am convinced that the only key to the solution of world’s problems and of India’s problems lies in socialism. Socialism is, however, something even more than an economic doctrine; it is a philosophy of life. I see no way of ending the poverty, the vast unem-ployment, the degradation and the subjection of the Indian people except through socialism.”In the Indian scenario, it was Mahat-ma Gandhi who set the goal to wipe every tear from every eye. Gandhiji held that freedom is a mockery so long as men starved, were naked and pined away in voiceless anguish. Gandhi-ji’s fight for emancipation of Harijans will always be reckoned as the most glorious aspect of his fight for human rights and dignity.Apart from socialism as envisioned by Mahatma Gandhi and Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru, the founding fathers of the Constitution enshrined Democracy as one of the inalienable basic features of the Constitution of India. Democracy

has been best defined by Abraham Lin-coln as ‘Government of the people, for the people and by the people’. Democ-racy is thus the real empowerment of the people – both powerful as well as powerless. In order that even the so-called power-less, who have been suffering for ages due to economic backwardness or so-cial exploitation, untouchability and other evils which have plagued the Indian society on the grounds of caste, creed, race, religion, etc., are ensured justice and equality as enshrined in the preamble to the Constitution, the Constitution makers took the most historic step by providing in the Con-stitution, in Article 326, for ‘universal adult suffrage’ for choosing their rep-resentatives to the House of the Peo-ple and State Legislative Assemblies. It was truly an historic decision and real empowerment of the powerless. By this decision, the Constitution also gave equal rights to women in the mat-ter of their democratic rights, where-as, even in the West, the women were still struggling for such equality in the matter of their right to franchise. The most notable feature in this truly historic decision was the fact that an overwhelming majority, nearly 84%, of the people in India at the time of the adoption of the Constitution in 1950 were still illiterate, and mostly living in villages, and had not yet tasted the fruits of scientific and technological advancement. Quite paradoxically, in the pres-ent day political scenario, the socially backward and economically weak are looked upon as powerless and seen as ‘vote banks’. But the mere fact that they are rewarded by the political parties as vote banks shows their real strength to turn the fortunes of many a stalwarts. All political parties try to woo them in their favour by various sorts of inducements in the form of new employment guarantee schemes, housing projects, financial subsidy and other grants and concessions. The too frequent elections in recent times at various levels – parliamentary, state, local – have in fact proved to be a boon for them, as that has brought the power seekers to their doorsteps. Another significant step taken by the Constitution makers in ensuring equal-ity of opportunity, was the provision in the Constitution, in Article 325, that there shall be one general electoral roll for all electors of a constituency and no person shall be ineligible for inclusion in any such roll or claim to be included in any special electoral roll for any con-stituency on grounds only of religion, race, caste, sex or any of them. But, at the same, the founding fathers of the Constitution were also not oblivious of the facts that some down trodden sec-tions of the Indian society, that is to say, Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, needed special protection and impetus for the amelioration of their social sta-tus and dignity. This was the motivat-ing force for reservation of seats for the Scheduled Castes and the Sched-uled Tribes in proportion to their population, in the House of the Peo-ple and State Legislative Assemblies. By the 73rd and 74th Amendments to the Constitution in 1992, even women

have been given exclusive seats to the extent of 1/3rd of the seats in Munic-ipal Corporations, Municipalities and Panchayats. A similar reservation for women in Parliament and State Legislatures is also being considered, and being agitated for, but an amicable formula for such reservation has so far eluded a consensus among the politi-cal parties and parliamentarians.In order to ensure that the potent weapon or power given to the power-less under the Constitution in the form of their voting right at elections to Par-liament and State Legislatures does not remain a mere paper provision, the Constitution has entrusted the duty of ensuring free and fair elections to the Election Commission of India. It is a permanent constitutional au-thority, insulated from the executive interference, so that it discharges its sacred constitutional responsibility of conducting free and fair elections, which is so vital for the democracy to flourish and deepen its roots. And the Election Commission, on its part, can take due credit and pride in the fact that it has faithfully discharged its sacred constitutional responsibil-ity and fulfilled the aspirations of the teeming millions of the country. The results of the fourteen general elec-tions to the House of the People and more than 300 general elections held to the State Legislative Assemblies have evidently demonstrated, not only the successful accomplishment of the task assigned to the Commission by the Con-stitution, but also the judicious way the so-called powerless people of the coun-try have exercised their power of vote, showing their political maturity. Even the sitting Prime Minister of the coun-try, and many a sitting Chief Ministers of the States, have suffered defeats and seen the fall of the mighty at the hands of these ‘Powerless’ people of the coun-try when they used their real power of ballot in the not too distant past. On the other hand, the rise of the poor – hum-ble sons of the soil, local school teachers and others lowly placed in the social or-der – to the highest elective offices in the country bears ample testimony to the power of ballot in the hands of the so-called powerless. The Election Commission does every-thing within its powers and in its al-lotted domain to ensure that the power of vote to the powerless is exercised by them according to their own free will and judgement. · By a constant and close watch on the preparation and revision of elector-al rolls, every precaution is taken by the Commission to ensure that all eligible adult Indian citizens are brought on the electoral rolls and no eligible elector, particularly those belonging to weak-er sections of the society, are excluded from the electoral rolls by any manip-ulations by the so-called powerful or political bigwigs.· As a safeguard against any at-tempt to deprive the weaker sections of the society of their right to vote, the Election Commission has launched the scheme of Electoral Photo Identity Cards (EPICs), at the State cost, in all States and Union Territories and each elector is now allowed to vote only after his identity is properly checked

and established by means of these EPICs or any other alternative docu-ments specified by the Commission. · The preparation of Photo Elec-toral Rolls containing the photos of the electors alongwith their other particu-lars is the next step in this direction.· Polling stations are provided as near as possible, normally within a walking distance of not more than 2 Kms, to the hamlets, locality or villag-es of the weaker sections, so that they may not have to traverse long distanc-es to go to their polling stations on the day of poll. In one case in Kerala, the Commission has provided a polling station in a remote area for just one elector, and in a few other far-flung places in the North-East, polling sta-tions have been provided for just one family of four or five electors.· In order that the electors of weak-er sections are not prevented by use of muscle power by intimidation, coer-cion or physical violence from exercis-ing their vote according to their free will and choice, the Commission de-ploys adequate police forces – particu-larly the Central Para Military Forces – in the areas inhabited by them – not only on static duty at polling stations but also for area domination and pa-trolling duties to instil a feeling of con-fidence and assurance in their minds.· Observers are appointed by the Commission in each constituency to keep a close watch on the use of money power in poll expenses, so that the can-didates even with moderate means can contest elections on a reasonably level playing field. · The introduction of Electron-ic Voting Machines is another signif-icant step taken by the Commission to make the voting right of the poor and illiterate more effective. These ma-chines have made the recording of votes by them not only simpler but also error free, whereby each vote cast by them is duly recorded for the candidate of their choice and no vote goes waste, unlike in the past, by indistinct voting mark.· Facilities are being provided in the voting machines to enable the visually impaired electors to vote by use of Braille; ramps are being provided at polling sta-tions and, as far as practicable, all polling stations are being brought down to the ground level of the buildings housing the polling stations, to enable the physically handicapped electors to enter their poll-ing stations.· Awareness campaigns are being arranged and undertaken by the Com-mission to educate the electors, particu-larly those belonging to weaker sections of the society, about their rights, partic-ularly the right to vote, under the Con-stitution.· As part of electors’ right to infor-mation, all candidates are now required to disclose their criminal antecedents, if any, assets and liabilities and their educational qualifications, so that the electors can make an informed choice in the matter of exercise of their potent power of vote in their hands. In nutshell, the Election Commission is not sparing any effort to see and en-sure that the ‘Power of the Powerless’, that is to say, the right to vote, is made more powerful, effective and mean-ingful.

YEGN – Mainstreaming the Youth Unemployed youth are the most

vulnerable lot to be misguid-ed, exploited or lured into unlawful activities. It was

to involve the youth in constructive activities, enable them to get employ-ment that a major initiative Youth Em-ployment and Guidance Node (YEGN) programme was launched a few years back in border and remote areas of Jammu and Kashmir .The YEGN guidance and training to young men and women in various skills to equip them to either get a job or start their own enterprise , pre-pare them for recruitment in the army and other security agencies including paramilitary forces and help them ac-quire some expertise for self employ-ment .Thanks to the YEGN under the Sad-bhawna programme today many a youth have been recruited in army, paramilitary forces, railways, banks and many trained to earn a livelihood on their own. The YEGN centres have computer training facilities, facilities for train-ing in different skills and competent personnel and expertees to guide the youth in getting gainful employment or seeking higher education or sitting for exams for recruitment in bank, railways and other fields.The youth that include a large number of students have also access to maga-zines and journals on general knowl-edge and competitive exams in various sectors besides Employment News magazine. Naresh Kumar from Deeng village took training as a plumber for a month at YEGN at the border village of Sainth. He was given a certificate of Diploma in Plumbing by MSME after success-

ful completion of the training. Today he is able to earn about 10,000 rupees a month He says that sometime he is engaged on a daily basis or he gets pay-ment for the particular job done.Twenty years old Rohit Kumar who had taken training from a polytech-nic college in Jammu in plumbing, is today an instructor and is paid 500 ru-pees on daily basis.Inderjit Mahi from Jhanghar village says that he took training in repair-ing electrical gadgets like irons, fans , motor wiring and has been given cer-tificate for the same. By repairing the electronic gadgets, he is able to earn some money. Inderjit wants to open his own repairing shop with the help of a loan at concessional rates.Tenth pass Sanjeev Kumar also from Jhangar village underwent similar training but wants further training in mechanics.Balwinder Kumar from a border vil-lage in Jammu division is a small farmer and is not able to earn enough to make both ends meet. In his 30’s Balwinder said at his age it is difficult for him to acquire some skill and get a job. He at the same time wants to sup-plement his income. The army under Sadbhawana Programme is giving him training as a mason. He says that masons are getting 250 to 300 rupees a day and he is hopeful that once his training is over; he too would be able to earn around 15,000 rupees a month.Many young men of Sainth Gram Pan-chayat and nearby villages have got training as a hair dresser and are now able to earn 200 to 250 rupees a day. Training is being provided in me-chanics, welding, poultry farming, hairdressing, tailoring. In order to expand the scope of self employment,

training in nursing and fisheries is also being included. Vivek from Sainth village has passed the physical fitness as well as medical test. When we met him he was to appear for the written test for which he was well prepared. He says that youth were told about what all is required for recruitment in the army and other services and professions. They were also taken to the recruit-ment center to give them an idea of the process involved. Today he is hope-ful of joining the army and serving the nation like his father who too was in the army.Vishal who has also cleared all the tests is waiting for an appointment letter from the BSF. He says the young men in border village are passionate about joining the forces.Another youth expressed similar senti-ments. He says the youth from villages have the required physique and tough-ness to clear physical fitness tests. He said he has learnt discipline from the army and they are great source of inspiration for serving the nation . He too has cleared all other tests and would be appearing for a written test to join the Border Roads Organisation, BRO.Rakesh Kumar took admission in BA this year. He has benefitted a lot, he says from magazines and books on general knowledge and the employ-ments news provided at the YEGN centre. He also takes computer classes provided by YEGN in the evening af-ter college hours. Rakesh Kumar like many youth in the area wants to join army.Besides over sixty youth recruited in army, navy and other para military forces, many young men and women have acquired skills to enable them to

start their own work. Many more have cleared the tests and are hopeful of be-ing recruited soon.Teachers and students too are benefit-ting from the YEGN initiative. Vishal Sharma from Government High school Khairi village is a teacher. Although an MSc, he had absolutely no knowledge of computers. He underwent training by YEGN in Basics. He says the army provided the school with computers and then trained the teachers in using computers for about a month. They were guided about how they can make use of the computers to educate stu-dents and about related software.This is not all. In order to instill con-fidence in the youth, matches in dif-ferent games including football, bas-ketball etc, are also organized besides competitions in debates, essay writ-ing and other academics and hold-ing youth festivals to tap their talent. Adventure tours including trekking, mountaineering, and cycling are orga-nized .Yet another programme that the army is conducting to expose the youth to the world outside their villages is to take them on educational tours the idea is also to broaden their vision.Rahul Kumar studying in government high school in Siddar recalls his tour to Pathankot, Chandigarh and Shimla and other places in Himachal Pradesh. He had never been out of his village. The Sarpanch of Sainth Gram Panchayat, Sukh Dev Singh said that YEGN has been of great help in involv-ing the youth in constructive activ-ities as well as diverting them away from undesirable activities. He said in one year alone 15 young men from his Panchayat have been recruited in the army and various other professions.