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Trump renews J&K mediation offer; India says no thanks

KD Desk
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Trump renews J&K mediation offer; India says no thanks

Bangkok/Washington, Aug 3 :  As US President Donald Trump, in an off-hand manner, renewed his offer of mediation in the Kashmir issue, India on Friday firmly rejected the offer, saying that any discussion on Kashmir, if warranted, will only be with Pakistan, and only bilaterally.

Hours after Trump told reporters in Washington that “it is up to Prime Minister Modi” to accept his offer to intervene in Kashmir, Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, during a bilateral meeting with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in Bangkok, conveyed “in clear terms that any discussion on Kashmir, if at all warranted, will only be with Pakistan and only bilaterally”.

Jaishankar tweeted: “Wide ranging discussions with @SecPompeo on regional issues. Have conveyed to American counterpart @SecPompeo this morning in clear terms that any discussion onKashmir, if at all warranted, will only be with Pakistan and only bilaterally.”

On Thursday, to a query by a reporter in the White House on the Kashmir issue, Trump, said: “Have they accepted the offer or not (to mediate)? Well, it is really up to Prime Minister Modi.”

Trump added: “And I met with Prime Minister Khan. I think they are fantastic people, Khan and Modi. I mean, I would imagine they can get along really well. But if they wanted somebody to intervene, or to help them; And I spoke with Pakistan about that, and I spoke frankly to India about that; but that”s been going, that battle, for a long time. If I can, if they wanted to, I would certainly help them.”

Reacting to Trump”s renewed offer, Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi urged the US to use its “influence” to “persuade” India to start talks on the peaceful resolution of the Kashmir issue.

Qureshi said that India was avoiding the talks and did not appear willing to negotiate on the matter.

“India insists it is a bilateral matter, but it is not even willing to come to the table for talks,” he said.

“India won”t agree easily to the Kashmir talks. We urge the US to exercise its influence and persuade India (to come to the table),” Qureshi said, adding that he will write a letter to the United Nations chief Antonio Guterres on the matter.

On July 22, President Trump had set off a diplomatic storm after he said, during a press conference at the White House with Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan, that he would “love” to mediate on the Kashmir issue and that it had been suggested to him by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

India strongly rejected Trump”s claim. “No such request was made,” Jaishankar said in Parliament.

The US administration had moved swiftly to counter the diplomatic embarrassment caused by Trump”s claim, and acknowledged that Kashmir is a bilateral issue between India and Pakistan. The US administration clarified that it welcomes India and Pakistan sitting down to resolve the “bilateral” issue and the “US stands ready to assist”.

Pompeo, during his meeting with Imran Khan in Washington on July 23, had not mentioned Kashmir at all.

–IANS

Build-up to abrogation of Article 35A begins, does it go before Aug 15?

KD Desk
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Build-up to abrogation of Article 35A begins, does it go before Aug 15?

Srinagar, Aug 3 : Most people in Jammu and Kashmir, especially in the Valley, believe that Article 35A of the Constitution is going amid reports that the idea of dividing the state into three union territories of Jammu, Valley and Ladakh is also being toyed with.

For the common Kashmiri, the priority right now is completely different: the immediate concern is stocking rations, medicines, edible oil, salt, tea, pulses and vegetables. Top sources said security forces have been told to be in readiness during the next 24 hours for a Valley-wide clampdown.

“We are giving a 72-hour window to Amaranath yatris and tourists to leave the Valley,” a government source said. As the news about an impending clampdown spread in the Valley, the people mobbed ATM outlets and petrol stations.

While the authorities were drafting contingency plans, discussing and re-drafting them, the common man in the Valley was making his plans to adjust to the administrative and security arrangements.

Nobody seems to know what was going to happen. Yet, nobody has any doubt that something big is going to happen. Cynics, who said Delhi cannot even toy with the idea of changing the state”s special status, looked puzzled.

As the state administration and the Central security agencies go through the familiar drills, Kashmiris have started preparing for a long hours of curfew, as the locals believe so.

Governor Satya Pal Malik and his advisers trashed what they called “wild rumours and fake government orders” doing the rounds on the social media.

“Kashmir has been the breeding ground of rumours. If someone sneezes in Lal Chowk, I am told in the Raj Bhawan there is a blast. Rest assured everything is all right and normal,” Malik told the media two days back.

He then said yesterday that there was no plan at any level to abrogate Article 35A, which allows the Jammu and Kashmir state”s legislature to define “permanent resident” of the state. The state administration thought the Governor”s remark was good enough to scotch rumours.

It was National Security Adviser Ajit Doval”s “secret visit” to Kashmir that set the rumour mill rolling. The NSA, it was said, had come for the Amarnath Yatra. But does the NSA have the time to spend three days in Srinagar?

Officials said he did not take any security meeting during his stay here. But, nobody said he was on a holiday. Reports said the NSA met the Army Chief General Bipin Rawat inside an Army tent near the Amarnath cave shrine.

Doval left the Valley, keeping everyone guessing. Did he not take anyone into confidence? One man of course has the absolute confidence of the Prime Minister and the NSA, state Chief Secretary, B.V.R. Subrahmanyam. He is believed to be Delhi”s eyes and ears and perhaps also the trusted hand in Srinagar.

Subrahmanyam served as private secretary to then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh from 2004 to 2008. He worked with the World Bank in June 2008 and September 2011 before joining again in March 2012. When he moved to Jammu and Kashmir, he was handpicked by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

When 10,000 paramilitary troops were brought in the Valley, it was called a routine movement of security forces. News reports that 250 more companies (nearly 100 men in a company) were ordered to reach Srinagar have been denied. Top sources said 70 companies were ordered to reach Srinagar out of which 34 have arrived here. Thus, the smokescreen of “routine movement of troops” wass finally dropped on Friday.

Friday evening, truckloads of provisions carried by the paramilitary forces were seen in Srinagar as ground forces were reportedly told to be ready for a Valley-wide curfew within the next 24 hours.

Reports said mobile phones, cellular and fixed line Internet facility would also be snapped. All cable TV operators have reportedly been told to stop operations.

All sensitive installations have been taken over by the state police and the paramilitary forces including the CRPF, BSF, SSB and the ITBP.

Local police guards at shrines have been withdrawn on apprehensions of weapon snatching by militants.

All police stations have received their requirements of reinforcement and communication. Some locals are still using the time available to buy few essentials they might have forgotten to buy.

This all leads to the all important question: what does the Centre want to do? If former Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah is to be believed, it cannot just be for abrogation of article 35A or delimitation. Omar believes alerting the Air Force and the Army does not gel with the idea of abrogating Article 35A.

What else can it be? Informed sources said the centre has discussed two plans for “settling the Kashmir issue for good”.

One is to divide the state into three centrally administered union territories. Top sources say this would need a constitutional drill that might take several weeks.

The second option is abrogation of Article 35A. The order promulgating this Article that gives the state legislature the power to define state”s permanent residents and their privileges, was issued by then President of India Rajendra Prasad on May 14, 1954.

The order was issued by the President exercising powers he has by virtue of section 1 of Article 370. The order was never ratified by Parliament. Constitutional experts say the President of India can rescind the order using the same powers he enjoys under section 1 of Article 370.

Constitutional experts say the order to rescind (abrogate article 35A) would be constitutionality and legally valid. It is also said the abrogation of 35A would be called the completion of the unfinished task of integrating the princely states into the union of India and undertaken by Sardar Patel.

“After abrogation of 35A, Kashmir would not only be an integral part of India, it will be India itself”, the assertion of a top BJP leader would, in all likelihood, become a reality before the country celebrates its Independence Day in August 15.

–IANS

Kathua Rape-Murder Case: J&K Seeks Death Penalty For 3 Main Convicts In HC

KD Desk
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Kathua Rape-Murder Case: J&K Seeks Death Penalty For 3 Main Convicts In HC

The Jammu and Kashmir administration has filed an appeal in Punjab and Haryana High Court, seeking death penalty for the three main convicts in the gangrape and murder of an eight-year-old girl in Kathua, contending that the case was “rarest of rare” and deserves capital punishment.

In two other appeals, the state sought conviction of the accused acquitted, Vishal Jangotra, and setting aside of the acquittal of three police officials from the charge of conspiracy.

The appeals are expected to come up for hearing on August 7 along with other appeals filed by convicts and complainant.
“It is not a case of any spur of the moment provocation or even a case where the accused gets overcome by lust. This is a case where a calculated and meticulously planned conspiracy was hatched, the victim was identified and targeted, and what disturbs the moral fibre of the society is that the same was done due to the enmity between the two communities, of which an innocent girl of 8 years paid the ultimate price,” reads an appeal filed through Jammu Crime Branch.

The appeal seeks death penalty for the three main convicts — Sanji Ram, Deepak Khajuria and Parvesh Kumar — who were sentenced to life imprisonment by a Pathankot court on June 10.

Former Sub Inspector Anand Dutta, SPO Surinder Kumar and Head Constable Tilak Raj were sentenced to five years in jail for destruction of evidence.

A Special Investigation team (SIT) had concluded that the victim was murdered and raped in January 2018 as part of a conspiracy to “dislodge” her community from the village. The trial was conducted by the District and Sessions Judge, Pathankot, on Supreme Court’s orders.

In the appeal, the State critiqued the trial court’s order: “…it can be safely stated that the learned trial judge has been highly perfunctory in the discharge of judicial function in the matter of sentencing.”

Submitting that the trial court “erred gravely” while accepting the plea of alibi of the accused named Jangotra, who was acquitted on the basis of alibi that claimed he was in UP to take an examination when the crime occurred, the appeal stated that the trial court ignored the confessional statement of convict Parvesh Kumar. The trial court also ignored the testimony of three witnesses regarding Jangotra’s presence at the crime scene January 13, 2018, the state submitted.
Stating that the trial court has misread evidence of the handwriting expert regarding the attendance sheet of the exam Jangotra purportedly took, the state said that the trial court has relied on an interested witness, Jangotra’s sister, to show that he had used a debit card at an ATM during the relevant period at Meeranpur — the card could have been used by anyone, the state pointed out in its appeal.

In its appeal against acquittal of former policemen Dutta, Kumar and Raj, who were convicted only under the charge of destruction of evidence, and not for conspiracy, the State said, “The trial court on one hand has come to the conclusion that the accused were in connivance with the other main accused but has erroneously and without application of mind acquitted the accused of other charges framed against them, which stands proved beyond any shadow of doubt.”

Stating that while the trial court held the three policemen played a part in misdirecting the search party from visiting the area where the victim was confined, the state has said the court failed to draw the inference that this misdirection was not only to shield the culprits but was “in pursuance of the conspiracy hatched to execute the plan.” (IE)

Sopore Encounter: Militant killed,armyman injured in ongoing operation

KD Desk
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Sopore Encounter: Militant killed,armyman injured in ongoing operation


Suhail Khan

Srinagar, August 03: A militant has been killed and a army solidier injured in a fierce gunfight which broke out between militants and government forces in Malmapanpora area of Warpora of North Kashmir’s Sopore on Saturday.

A senior Police officer told that after a brief pause in firing, contact was again established with militants. During course of firing one militant has been killed and also one army solidier received bullet wound and has been shifted to hospital.

The officer further said that the operation is underway in the area.

Earlier Reports reaching said that a joint team of Army’s 22RR, SOG and CRPF launched cordon and search operation in Malmaponpora.(GNS)

Encounter breaks out in Sopore Village

KD Desk
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Encounter breaks out in Sopore Village


Suhail Khan

Srinagar, August 03: Encounter rages between militants and government forces in Malmapanpora area of Warpora of North Kashmir’s Sopore on Saturday.

Reports reaching said that a joint team of Army’s 22RR, SOG and CRPF launched cordon and search operation in Malmaponpora.

A senior police officer told that a brief exchange of fire took place between militants and government forces in Malmapanpora after the suspected spot was encircled.

The officer further said that right now there is no exchange of firing, however the cordon is still intact and all the exit points have been sealed, he added.

Till this report was being filed searches were still underway.(GNS)

Clear the Air

KD Desk
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Clear the Air

The panicky situation in Kashmir valley is in no way beneficial to anyone. Rumour mills feed on such situations. What has added to the gravity of situation and lend credence to some of the rumours are advisories issued by the home department itself. Not only an atmosphere of panic and apprehension was created among the local populace but the tourists in valley have gone into tizzy. Hotels are being vacated and the tourists and Yatris who have been asked by the government to curtail their stay in valley were seen helter skelter.

The massive build-up of security forces, the curtailment in stay of Yatris and tourists, have created an atmosphere of the heightened insecurity and fear. From the possibilities of delimitation defreeze to repeal of Article 35-A to abrogation of Article 370, locals were seen guessing all the day across the Kashmir valley.

Huge rush in ATMS, Petrol Pumps and Grocery stores was unprecedented. Although the Kashmiri people have witnessed worst phases in 2008, 2010 and 2016 but there is a vast difference between those situations and the present day tumultuous condition mostly ignited by the official advisories.

It will be in the interest of the nation not to push the whole population of Kashmir into an unprecedented chaotic condition. This will not only deteriorate the law and order situation but can have unwarranted implications. 

Maintain calm and do not believe rumours – Governor to a delegation of political leaders

KD Desk
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Maintain calm and do not believe rumours – Governor to a delegation of political leaders

Srinagar, Aug 02 : The Governor of Jammu & Kashmir, Satya Pal Malik met at short notice a delegation of political leaders including Ms Mehbooba Mufti, Shah Faesal, Sajjad Lone and Imran Ansari. They had sought to meet the Governor who immediately gave them time.

The delegation expressed concerns about the panic situation in the Kashmir valley created by the developments during the day including the advisory issued by the government asking Amarnath Yatris and tourists to return as soon as possible.

Governor Malik informed the delegation that there were serious and credible inputs which were available to the security agencies regarding terrorist attacks on the Amarnath Yatra. There was a Press Conference today afternoon by the Corps Commander of the Army and the DGP in which details of the weapons and ammunition recovered was given. Details of the seriousness of the threats that are there were also given. They also mentioned that the security forces were going to tackle these threats head on and will not allow them to succeed.

It is in this context that the government had issued an advisory asking Yatris and tourists to return as soon as possible. These are a vulnerable group of people who do not know the area and are extremely vulnerable to a terrorist or a fidayeen attack. It is the responsibility of the state to provide security to all its citizens. Therefore, as a precautionary measure, Yatris and tourists have been asked to return. This is to ensure that no terrorist attack takes place on them.

Unnecessary panic is being created by linking this to all kinds of other issues. A pure security measure is being mixed up with issues with which it has no connection. That is the cause of the panic. This has been clarified in the evening by the Home Secretary and the Divisional Commissioner.

The Governor requested the political leaders to ask their supporters not to mix up matters, to maintain calm and not believe exaggerated rumours being circulated all around. The Governor himself had clarified matters on 35A yesterday in Baramulla and the day before in Srinagar. (GNS)

Mehbooba Mufti, PDP leader, and former CM during Press conference

KD Desk
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Mehbooba Mufti, PDP leader, and former CM during Press conference


The Government advisory that was issued today has created chaos and confusion among people.

Due to recent developments here, there is an atmosphere of fear. I have never seen such panic. One one side, Governor Sahib says that the situation is normal. On the other side, deployment of additional forces is being done.

The PM talks of winning the hearts of people of J&K. Then, why are such rumours doing the rounds. The Amarnath yatris & tourists are being sent back. But, you are not thinking where the Kashmiris, people of Jammu and Ladakh will go?, She said. More to come

Why is PM maintaining silence in parliament on Kashmir?

KD Desk
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Why is PM maintaining silence in parliament on Kashmir?



Why is panic being created in Kashmir?

Srinagar, August 2: While reacting to the Center’s decision to rush additional 25000 paramilitary forces into Kashmir and keeping Air Force on high alert, CPI (M) leader Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami on Friday questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s silence in Parliament over the issue.

What was the need for putting Air Force on high alert and deploying additional forces? Yatra is going on smoothly with good turnover, situation is said to be improving in Kashmir. The Governor had recently termed speculations about revocation of Article 35A as rumours. Then what is the urgency for such measures, he asked.

He said Parliament is in session and why isn’t Prime Minister taking the House into confidence. Why is government keeping the country in dark? Government must take the country into confidence and let the PM speak in the Parliament now.

Eid is just 10-days away and this type of panic is bound to disturb the coming Eid Festivals. (CNS)

BJP govt trying to create fear and panic among people of Kashmir: Monga

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BJP govt trying to create fear and panic among people of Kashmir: Monga

Srinagar, Aug 02 : Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) Vice President and former MLC G N Monga today said that BJP government in Delhi was constantly trying to create fear and panic among the people of Kashmir which is not going to help to solve the problems.

In a statement issued, he said, “From rushing additional troops to Kashmir to issuing advisory to tourists and Amarnathji yatris to immediately leave Kashmir, the Center government is creating fear psychosis for their own interests. It is unfortunate that BJP government is hell bent to create unrest in Kashmir.”

“On one hand the BJP government claims that peace has returned to Kashmir due to its policies, while on the other annual yatra has been halted in the midst. This situation was never ever in Kashmir when Amarnath yatra had to be halted. BJP owes an answer to the people of country why it has brought Kashmir to this stage,” Monga asked.

The Congress leader said revocation of Article 35A has neither any constitutional nor legal base, as state’s accession with India was full and final.

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