Srinagar, May 19 : Hurriyat Conference (M) Chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq today said that he expected that a new government which will be formed in India will review its Kashmir policy.

 Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a seminar organised by the Hurriyat Conference to commemorate Hafta-e-Shahuda program, Mirwaiz said that the Kashmir issue will not be resolved through army might and by violent methods.

“Government of India has to change its policy on Kashmir. Anti-Kashmir measures like closing down of Highway, raids by NIA, ED, PSAs, transferring land to forces will not lead to any solution. We expect the new government which will be formed will review its Kashmir policy,” Mirwaiz said.

“The new government should think that the resolution of Kashmir will come out through dialogue. Kashmiri people, be it youth or Hurriyat Conference support dialogue and peaceful resolution of the issue,” he said.

On May 23, results of Parliamentary elections in India will be declared and a new government will be formed. 

Srinagar, May 19 : Private Schools’ Association of Jammu and Kashmir (PSAJK) has welcomed the government step to allow schools to conduct class 8 examinations instead of SIE (State Institute of Education) and DIET (District Institute of Education and Training).

The Association while welcoming yesterday’s statement of Advisor Khurshid Ahmad Ganai at Baramulla has termed it as a good omen for the education sector. The Advisor Ganai had at Baramulla announced that schools have been entrusted to conduct the annual examinations from current academic session that were previously conducted by SIE and DIET. “This is one of the biggest news for education sector in recent times. Earlier the centralised examination conducted by SIE and DIET had become worthless and loss its relevance due to host of problems. Markings were biased, element of corruption had crept in, no truthful evaluation of children could take place,” said G N Var chairman PSAJK. “Now the entire system will get streamlined.”

The Association termed it as an academically viable decision which will ensure every child is assessed properly. “The earlier examinations were sheer wastage of time and resources. The schedule would often clash with interests of schools and the situation on ground. There would be frequent postponements of papers and even after exams the time would be wasted in checking, evaluation etc. Now schools can conduct exams as per their convenience and declare results accordingly without wasting any time. Schools don’t have to wait for SIE date sheet,” said Var. “Secondly there is a huge learning gap between children of private schools and government schools. The single exam was unable to do justice with their evaluation. Under new system there would be fair evaluation as schools would self assess the performance of their students. We will achieve the objectives of Continuous and Comprehensive Evaluation.”

The association said that it will also eliminate corruption. “There were reports of fudging of marks and manipulation by few vested interests. The government would end up with unreliable data about students thus hampering its long term planning. Now that thing will be eliminated and system will have hassle free and transparent evaluation. It will also reduce the school dropout rate,” said Var. “The new system will make education sector to be at par with the other states in terms of conducting of examinations of class 8.”

The Association said that another benefit of the new government order will be that SIE and DIET will be freed of the huge work of conducting examinations. From now on they will work towards teacher training programme which is their original mandate and hep in propagating quality teaching.

Srinagar, May 19 : Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) President and former Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti on Sunday said that only meaningful engagement between India and Pakistan and the leadership of the state can resolve decades old Kashmir conflict and accord permanent peace to the region.

Chairing an important meeting of party’s top leadership and important functionaries of Kashmir and Ladakh, Mehbooba said that it is high time for all the political forces to come together and make strenuous efforts in unison to get Jammu and Kashmir out of the present uncertainty, bloodshed, mayhem and chaos.

Mehbooba said that the world has now realized how Kashmir issue, if allowed to remain unsettled, could become a major cause for pushing both India and Pakistan towards brink of a nuclear war. She said that it is high time that both the countries for their greater common good address Kashmir issue on priority and to begin with, PDP’s Self Rule formula is the best option as already described by the saner voices of South Asia.

Mehbooba said that in recent times, Pakistan was giving positive vibes about its realization that meaningful & peaceful engagement was the only possible way forward and the central government should reciprocate positively to every initiative of peace and reconciliation.

The PDP president asserted that after the 2014 polls, the government in Jammu and Kashmir wasn’t formed for the petty power but in the larger interests of the state of Jammu and Kashmir and get the people out of the squalid conditions. The government was formed to ensure the peace returns and the perturbed people of the state could heave a sigh of relief from bloodshed, mayhem and uncertainty, said the PDP president, adding that the core motive of the PDP has always been to get India and Pakistan on table to talk peace and end the decades only conflict, the brunt of which is primarily been borne by the innocent people of the state.

PDP President added that time has come for both the countries that they leave their ego for the betterment of largest human mass residing in south Asia and same can be achieved by addressing the aspirations of the people of Jammu and Kashmir and also while safeguarding the integrity of both the countries. She added that it is more or less around the agenda of the PDP which includes opening of roads across the LOC, safeguarding special status of Jammu and Kashmir, fulfillment of constitutional commitments, utilization of state’s water resources for the benefit of the state, establishment of joint council between Jammu and Kashmir and Pak administered Kashmir so that matters pertaining to trade, tourism, commerce, natural disasters, global warming are jointly taken care of.

Asking party members to work with greater zeal to help mitigate sufferings of the people, Mehbooba asserted that PDP and its cadre will play a pivotal role in structuring and executing any effective formulation to get people of the state out of morass. 
Party patron Muzaffar Hussain Beigh, party vice president A R Veeri, General Secretary Gh Nabi Lone Hanjoora and Abdul Haq Khan also addressed the gathering. 

Anantnag, May 19: A 55-year-old man allegedly committed suicide by hanging himself inside his home at Naarapora village of Kokernag in Anantnag district of south Kashmir.

Officials identified the deceased as Ghulam Mohammad Tantray son of Abdul Salam Tantray a resident of Naarpora village of Kokernag. “He was shifted to nearby Hospital where doctors declared him brought dead,” an official told Kashmir Despatch.

After the completion of medical and legal formalities, the body will be handed over to family members for last rites, the official added.

A police officer also confirmed to Kashmir Despatch and said that a case under relevant sections of law has been registered in this regard and further investigation has been initiated.

Inputs from Umaisar Gull Ganie