Kashmir Times

Reacting to the Republic Day message of the Governor Lt Gen (Retd) S K Sinha, Mehbooba said comparison of different territorial situations on troop deployment is not only surprising but out of place. She said while the views of the state Governor deserve to be respected, if expressed in confidence, their public expression was completely uncalled for, especially if references were made to situations prevailing in three different and independent countries.

Labels: jammu, Jammu and Kashmir, kashmir, kashmir news, prime minister

# posted by PressMart Team @ 11:04 AM 0 Comments

Addressing the media outside the assembly complex, Rather, joined by all his party colleagues, averred, "Our demand is well considered. The ministers should be removed till the completion of investigation. If the Vigilance Organisation and Crime Branch clear them of charges, they can be recalled. So what's wrong in that? Beig Sahib Kehte Hain Action Liya Hai Report Par Jaisa ATR Mein Likha Hai…(Beig says that the action has been taken as per the recommendations of Kundal Committee report as mentioned in Action Taken Report (ATR)…)."...

To read the complete article click here..
To read the complete e-paper click here: epaper.kashmirtimes.com
Image and Article source: Kashmir Times
Article taken from the issue: 25 Jan 2008

# posted by PressMart Team @ 3:34 PM 0 Comments

Beig, while robustly shielding them, maintained, "NC is not allowing the debate fearing it would expose it. The way, NC members are protesting is just like - call somebody a dog and kill him. This is the worst kind of gimmick any responsible opposition would indulge in. The fact is they have tasted the blood of one minister. Now they are baying for the blood of other two like a Vampire. They have got used to it. They've become blood thirsty as they get to drink the blood of innocent persons."

Labels: beig, Deputy Chief Minister, jammu, Jammu and Kashmir, kashmir, kashmir news, vampires

# posted by PressMart Team @ 12:56 PM 0 Comments

Reports said that a jawan of General Reserve Engineering Force (GREF) today died due to bone-chilling cold in Udhampur district.

Though there was a relatively warmer beginning to the New Year yet it was back to the typical winter shiv ers, as large parts of the plains and upper reaches across the state reeled under a severe cold wave on Tuesday morning.

It was shivering cold during the sunny day after the maximum temperature was recorded at 3.2 degrees C in Srinagar city, two degree below normal. There was, however, slight improvement in the night temperature.

Labels: 1 degree celcius, Jammu's winter, lowest temperature

# posted by PressMart Team @ 4:06 PM 0 Comments

In an interview with Indian News Bureau (INB), a local news agency, Sallahud-Din said, " The unity move is definitely a very healthy step towards a unified and strong leadership. I always yearned for unity of all those who are fighting for the Kashmir cause in any manner. I would love to see Hurriyat under a single umbrella. I never supported division in Hurriyat. The contribution of Syed Ali Shah Geelani for the freedom movement cannot be neglected. He has the support of all the supporters of Jamat-i-Islami and he is a world renowned figure.

Similarly the roles of Asiya Andrabi, Yasin Malik, Masarat Alam and all the true sons of the soil are praise worthy. It would have been a welcome gesture if these leaders also join the unification process."

Labels: jammu, Jammu and Kashmir, kashmir, kashmir news, srinagar, united jihad council

# posted by PressMart Team @ 10:56 AM 0 Comments

Official sources said that the amendment bill is being drafted by legal experts of the state law department and would be tabled before the house during the current session for discussion and passage. It has been reliably learnt that draft of the amendment bill is on the lines of the central Right to Information Act-2005.

Sources said that the amendment bill is being introduced on the directions of Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad who had conveyed his desire of bringing the state RTI Act at par with the central act to the state law department. They added that after Chief Minister instructed the law department, a core group of legal experts from the law department was formed to prepare draft of the amendment bill for tabling before the house.

Labels: Jammu and Kashmir, kashmir, kashmir news

# posted by PressMart Team @ 2:41 PM 0 Comments

Party sources maintain that the Congress high command had chosen not to upset the leadership of the Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) in the volatile election year despite Peerzada Mohammad Sayeed getting embroiled in the charges of graft.

Sources said the party high command had brushed aside graft charges and had even decided to back the minister for want of any evidence, but ‘one phone call' changed the situation, dooming Peerzada's political fortunes. They further said that Congress President Sonia Gandhi was furious at this alleged threatening call which Peerzada's wife made to the MLA's mother.

Labels: Doctor, leader, peerzada, politics, wife

# posted by PressMart Team @ 4:20 PM 0 Comments

Minister for Finance Tariq Hameed Qarra today announced this while talking to media after tabling the annual budget for the year 2008-2009 in the state assembly. Qarra maintained that the broad contours of the employment policy had already been formulated.

"However when it was submitted before the cabinet for the approval, it was stressed there that it should have a broader perspective.

Hence it was delayed. But it is most likely to be tabled in the house in this session,"

Responding to the opposition's allegation that the budget was more like a PDP manifesto than the annual state budget, Qarra shot back, "Did you find "selfrule" in that?"

He refuted the allegations of opposition that the government had not spelt out any measures to tackle the problem of unemployment.

"Employment opportunities not only pertain to government jobs. On that front, we have not only taken into account government jobs, because there the avenues are limited. For that in the current fiscal programme, we'll have 86 percent developmental component and only 14 percent non developmental component. This developmental component will directly or indirectly generate employment avenues," the finance minister maintained.

# posted by PressMart Team @ 3:58 PM 0 Comments

The driver Altaf Noorani was arrested yesterday after Sangrama legislator, Shoaib Nabi Lone made a complaint to the chief minister about receiving threatening calls by Peerzada's wife, Tabassum, from the accused driver's mobile phone.

A senior police officer claimed that acting on the complaint of threatening phone call lodged by MLA Sangrama, a case has been registered under section 107 and 151 CrPc against both the driver of the education department Altaf Ahmed of Uri and former minister's wife in Police Station Gandhi Nagar. The MLA's mother was in Lone's official residence in Gandhi Nagar when the call was made yesterday morning.

Labels: minister of education, news, peerzada, police case

# posted by PressMart Team @ 11:50 AM 0 Comments

The blast in front of Lahore High Court was the latest in a wave of attacks targeting politicians and security forces ahead of Feb. 18 parliamentary elections. There was no immediate claim of responsibility, but suspicion will likely fall on militants linked to Taliban and al-Qaida.

It came as Scotland Yard investigators visited forensic laboratories elsewhere in Lahore, the capital of Punjab province, to examine evidence in the assassination two weeks ago of opposition leader Benazir Bhutto in Rawalpindi, a city to the north.

"There were about 60 to 70 policemen on duty when a man rammed into our ranks and soon there was a huge explosion," said police officer Syed Imtiaz Hussain, who suffered wounds to his legs and groin. "I saw the bodies of other policemen burning. It was like hell."

Labels: blast, explosion, lahore, lahore high court, policemen, sucide bomber, suicide attack

# posted by PressMart Team @ 12:14 PM 0 Comments

Musharraf was also quoted as telling the CBS "60 Minutes" program to be broadcast on Sunday that his government did everything it could to provide security for Bhutto, who was killed last week in a gun and suicide-bomb attack after a political rally.

"For standing up outside the car, I think it was she to blame alone. Nobody else.

Responsibility is hers," Musharraf said in the interview taped on Saturday morning.

Pakistan's government has said Bhutto died when she struck her head on a handle on her vehicle's sunroof - a contention widely derided in Pakistan where many people suspect Musharraf's government of complicity. The government has also blamed al Qaeda for the attack.

Musharraf was asked by CBS, which provided excerpts of the interview, whether a gunshot could have caused Bhutto's head injury. He replied, "Yes, yes."

Labels: Benazir Bhutto, Benazir shot, Pervez Musharraf

# posted by PressMart Team @ 2:20 PM 0 Comments

But the political pundits analyse this move just an act of checkmating on the part of astute Chief Minister to cut to size his opponents both within the party and outside. Just a cursory glance at the reshuffle and one would come to know as how skillfully the allocation of portfolios was maneuvered to humble the antagonistic elements and reward the loyalists, they maintain.

This observation gets an endorsement when even the party sources maintain that the proximity to the Chief Minister served as the major yardstick in this reshuffle as always. However the political analysts moving a step ahead scan the reshuffle in the light of politics of manipulation and articulation.

While Gulchain Singh Charak, Nawang Rigzin Jora and Haji Nissar Ali have suffered the most, Jugal Kishore Sharma and Jatinder (Babu) Singh have emerged as the major bene ficiaries in this game of checks and balances.

Labels: Ghulam Nabi Azad, Kashmir Cabinet Reshuffle

# posted by PressMart Team @ 4:20 PM 0 Comments

Inaugurating the Kashmir handicrafts expo exhibition 2008 here this morning, Jairam said the centre has received a proposal from the Jammu and Kashmir government for setting up of a permanent marketing and exhibition centre for Kashmir handicraft in the capital. He also disclosed that AV Thomas, the world's largest wallet making company has expressed a desire to set up a unit in Kashmir. He said such a centre would give fillip to the handicraft expo and suggested organizing such expos at other states of the country as well.

Present on the occasion were Minister for Power Nawang Rigzin Jora, Minister of State for Industries Dr.Ramesh Chander and a number of handicraft exporters.

# posted by PressMart Team @ 2:41 PM 0 Comments