Budgam, March 23: Under the Civic Action Programmes for 2018-2019, with an aim to create an interface for Police Public Repations, a cultural event titled Jashn e Bahaar was organised by District Police Budgam.

Jashn-e-Bahaar provided a platform for budding artists from budgam and elsewhere in the valley and huge number of students and prominent citizens participated in the event held at Sheikh-Ul-Alam Hall Budgam.\

The daylong event was organized by J&K Police Budgam and people leaving the hall were all praise for the performances and organisation for the event.

SP Budgam, Amod Ashok Nagpure, while speaking at the inaugural session said that the initiative of organizing the cultural event is an attempt from the police to provide a platform to young and prominent artists to perform and showcase their talent. He said that Budgam being a famous place for Art and Music has huge talent in folk music and other cultural activities. He said police will organize more such programmes to provide an opportunity to the artists to perform in future too.

Organising secretary Firoz Yehya DySP Hqrs Budgam termed it as an attempt to celebrate the arrival of spring and an interface for police public relations.

Among others who attended the function were Addl SP Budgam Munir Ahmad, ADC Budgam, Mushtaq Ahmad Simnani, Dr Bilal Mahiuddin Bhat IAS Probationer, SSP Baqir Samoon, ACR Budgam Zaffar Ahmad Shawl, Mr Ahmad Ali Fayyaz , District officers, officers from SSB, SDPOs and prominent personalities from different walks of life attended the programme.

The performers who participated include Hassan Javed, Imran Farooq, Rayees Wathoree, Waqar Khan, Abid Ali, Ayoub, Umer and others while the function was hosted by Umar Bhat who is also a social activist.
SDPO Khansahab Mohammad Aftab Awaan presented the vote of thanks on the occasion.

Former chief minister Mehbooba Mufti will be the PDP candidate from Anantnag Lok Sabha constituency but the party has decided not to field any candidates for Jammu and Udhampur seats in a bid to prevent division of “secular votes”.

 Announcing the party candidates, PDP chief Mehbooba said Aga Mohsin will be the party candidate for Srinagar seat.

“I will contest from Anantnag seat, ” she told reporters here.

The party has already named former employees’ union leader Abdul Qayoom Wani for the Baramulla Lok Sabha seat.

Mehbooba said the parliamentary board of the party, which met earlier on Saturday, decided not to field any candidates from the two Lok Sabha seats in Jammu region.

“The opposition front is not functioning as it should have but we have taken a unilateral decision to not field candidates from these seats so that the secular vote does not get divided,” she said.

Mehbooba said her party had taken around 1.75 lakh votes in 2014 Lok Sabha elections in Jammu seat and over 30,000 in Udhampur seat.

She said the party has not taken a decision yet on the Ladakh parliamentary seat.

Srinagar March 23 : In order to stop littering and dumping of solid waste into river Jhelum, the Divisional Commissioner Kashmir, Baseer Ahmad Khan today directed Deputy Commissioners Anantnag, Pulwama, Srinagar, Baramulla and Bandipora to impose section 144 immediately around Jhelum embankments and take strict action against the culprits.

The Div Com also constituted Jhelum Task Force (JTF) for Anantnag, Pulwama, Srinagar, Baramullah and Bandipora districts, where the river Jhelum flows. The concerned DCs are its heads and the officers of Environment, Pollution Control Board, Forest, Urban Local Bodies, Municipal Committees and Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC) are its members.

The JTF members will personally review the implementation of section 144 and also review the cleanliness and eco-restoration works of the river. The JTF will send the complete report with photo and video graphic evidences to the Divisional Task Force which is headed by Divisional Commissioner Kashmir and heads of Environment, Pollution Control Board, Forest, Urban Local Bodies, Municipal Committees and Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC) are its members.

Divisional Commissioner made these remarks while reviewing the progress of conservation and preservation works of the river Jhelum.

The meeting was informed that Urban Local Bodies (ULB) had released Rs 4.50 lakh each to concerned Deputy Commissioners to procure container vehicles for lifting of solid waste from the embankments of river Jhelum. To create mass awareness programme regarding the cleanliness of river Jhelum, ULB had released Rs 1.42 crore to all Municipal Committees and Panchayats. Pamphlets, Jingles, spots, quickies, debates, seminars, rallies and other awareness programmes will be held around the areas of river Jhelum.   

The Divisional Commissioner directed SMC to start intense drive to curb polythene menace around the Jhelum embankments, besides Irrigation and Flood Control department was also directed to start an anti-encroachment drive and also do beautification work on both sides of the river Jhelum.

Khan asked officers to double their efforts and utilize their expertise for the speedy eco-restoration and conservation of the river Jhelum and send their action taken the report to the Divisional Commissioners office immediately.

Additional Commissioner Kashmir, Tasaduq Hussain Mir, Deputy Commissioner Srinagar, Dr Shahid Iqbal Choudury, Chief Engineer Irrigation & Flood Control, Director Urban Local Bodies, Regional Director State Pollution Control Board, Commissioner SMC and other officers were present in the meeting whereas Deputy Commissioners of Anantnag, Pulwama, Baramulla and Bandipora districts participated the meeting through video conferencing.

Srinagar, March 23 : In order to provide a platform to the young, budding and enthusiastic artists, Srinagar police organized Art and Cultural Programme under Civic Action Programme at Tagore Hall Srinagar.

The event was inaugurated by SSP Srinagar Dr. M. Haseeb Mughal-JKPS, besides DC Srinagar Dr. Shahid Iqbal Choudhary-IAS attended the event as ‘Guest of Honor’.

About 50 youth from across the valley participated in the event which was witnessed by around 500 people.

Civil society members have praised the efforts of J&K Police in conducting such programmes.

Various senior police officers, members of media fraternity and other dignitaries were also present during the event.

Srinagar, Mar 23 : The acting chairman of Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) Abdul Hameed Butt has rejected the Government of India’s ban on the party and termed it as “frustration and election stunt” of Narendra Modi.

“Such undemocratic and immoral Indian acts can’t subdue our national resolve of freedom. Every citizen of J&K and each and every JKLF member will fight these acts with valour and passion,” Butt said in a statement issued to GNS.

Butt said: “The world knows that JKLF in 1987-88 with the inception of military struggle against India succeeded in highlighting and diverting the attention of the international community towards the UN recognized Kashmir issue. Later after the persuasion of the international community and Indian civil society, JKLF renounced its militant wing in 1994 and tread the path of peaceful and non-violent struggle for freedom and right of self-determination.”

He castigated Indian authorities for “not sparing JKLF even after the announcement of the ceasefire”, saying that “Indian forces killed more than 600 party cadres”.

“Our chairman Muhammad Yasin Malik survived 6 life attempts. India tried to push Yasin Malik and his associates back to militancy by not providing any political space but it was his strong commitment of peaceful struggle that he did not fell prey to Indian plan,” he said.

“Banning our party is not a new thing for us to face. In early nineties, the then Indian Home Minister Mufti Muhammad Sayeed through the then so-called State governor Jagmohan banned JKLF and on our challenge, it was in 2001 when a tribunal of Supreme Court of India after marathon testimonies announced the banning of JKLF as unlawful and uncalled for. Soon after lifting the ban, our party led by its chairman Yasin Malik undertook most famous eighteen-month-long signature campaign, 116-day-long freedom march, hunger strikes, voluntary arrests and countless peaceful and non-violent protests,” Butt said.

Even the two prime ministers of India Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Manmohan Singh met JKLF delegation led by Yasin Malik, Butt said adding that Yasin Malik and our worldwide party cadres represented the people of Kashmir at different international forums, met with world leaders and their representatives, attended international and regional conferences and deliberated with the representatives of international and regional human rights organizations during their visits to USA, UK, EU and other relevant places.

Thus it was JKLF and its party chairman Yasin Malik who demonstrated and encouraged the citizens of Kashmir to tread to the path of non-violence, Butt said adding that Amnesty International in 1992 declared Yasin Malik as the prisoner of conscience when he was under Indian custody in Delhi Tihar Jail.

JKLF acting chairman castigated Indian authorities for “mischievous grounds” on which the party was banned and termed them as “bogus and malafide”.

“Killing of Kashmiri pandits, raising funds, cases of killing people, terror funding and waging war against Indian State, are nothing but ill-designed cases to malign the leadership of JKLF and to force them to shun the path of freedom,” Butt said. “Arresting and shifting the party chairman Yasin Malik to Jammu jail under the draconian law of PSA, arresting and terrorizing the rest of the senior party leadership after the announcement of ban on JKLF and harassing the party members including the party sympathizers is solely being carried out by Modi government to lure the Indian voters in his favour in forthcoming Indian parliamentary elections.”

Butt directed JKLF cadres to follow the programs being announced by the Joint Resistance Leadership (JRL) to show unity at this “tough and crucial point” in time.

Srinagar, March 23 : The Divisional Commissioner Kashmir, Baseer Ahmad Khan today constituted a High-Powered Monitoring Committee for re-establishing and proper demarcation of streams, wetland, lakes, rivers, tributaries, flood basins and other water bodies across the valley, which were blocked due to high silt accumulation during 2014 floods.

Officers from Irrigation and Flood Control, Rakhs & Farms, Revenue, Forest and Wild Life Departments are the members of the Water Bodies Monitoring Committee.

The Divisional Commissioner directed the committee members to start complete mapping through Geo-tagging with satellite images, field survey, data collection, pillar erection locations on encroached and blocked areas of all water bodies and flood basins across the valley.

The committee will also prepare financial implications for dredging and other works for re-establishing of existing network of all water bodies and flood basins across the valley and submit the complete report to Divisional Commissioner’s office within three months for further necessary action.

Additional Commissioner Kashmir, Tasaduq Hussain Mir, Chief Engineer Irrigation & Flood Control, Ashok Kumar Sharma, VC LAWDA, G. Prasanna Ramaswamy, Regional Wild Life Warden, Rashid Naqash, Conservator of Forest, Irfan Ali Shah, Superintending Engineer UEED, Altaf Ahmad Koul and other concerned officers were present in the meeting.

Srinagar, March 23 : Traffic Police on Saturday issued a stern warning to the students found riding motorcycles without driving license, valid documents and crash helmets.

“It has been noticed that students of different educational institutions within the limits of City Srinagar uses Scooties/Motorcycles as a mode of transportation by violating various rules of M.V Act. As such Head of the Schools/Parents are requested not to allow School children to drive Scooties/Motorcycles without crash helmet, without driving licenses and other valid documents,” a police spokesman said in a statement.

In this regard, all the Principals of education institutions in City Srinagar are requested to advise students to follow the traffic rules properly, he said.

“Likewise concerned parents may also be informed to ensure the safety of their wards no children below the age of 18 years be permitted to drive the two-wheelers,” he said.

Whereas students falling in major age group be permitted to drive two wheelers only if they are in possession of driving license, crash helmets and other valid documents. Two days after issuance of the advisory if any student still found violating the rules shall be dealt strictly as per law, the spokesman added. 

Srinagar, March 23 : The People’s Conference Chairman, Sajad Gani Lone today castigated Centre’s decision to proscribe Mohammad Yasin Malik led JKLF faction saying that highhanded approach will not achieve anything.

Sajad Lone while addressing a gathering to welcome Mian Javaid, a prominent political leader and uncle of NC’s stalwart Mian Altaf into the party fold said that “Mian sahab, with his experience and support, will further strengthen the party and our mission for change.”

Commenting on Centre’s decision to ban JKLF, Sajad asserted that JKLF has already renounced violence and termed New Delhi’s policy to ban JKLF and arresting its leaders ‘an exercise in futility and tantamount to suicide.’

“Delhi’s highhanded approach is shrinking space for peaceful dissent. Such tactics have been tried and tested in the past but nothing has been achieved out of it. JKLF has renounced violence in the 90’s and there is no need to ban them”, he added.

Reiterating his demand to revoke ban against JeI, PC chairman said that the spirit of democracy lies in resolving differences through dialogue and negotiations asserting that New Delhi must understand that muscular approach will further complicate things rather than solving them.

 “Despite being banned and its prominent leaders arrested in the past, JeI has managed to construct hundreds of schools and educate thousands of children. Comparably, the two traditional parties, even after ruling for seven decades, haven’t been able to construct quality schools”, he added.

While launching a scathing attack on two dynasties, he said they rigged elections and despoiled the state. “They create hurdles for people who want to open private schools”, he said while comparing JeI’s social work with that of the performance of dynastic parties.

Meanwhile Ex Congress leader and social activist Choudhary Ata Mohammad Khatana, Mushtaq Ahmad Kasana, Mushtaq Ahmad Ganaie and Mumtaz Ahmad Khatana also joined Peoples Conference along with Mian Javaid.

Those who were present at the event included PC General Secretary Imran Reza Ansari, senior leader Abid Hussain Ansari, Srinagar Parliament Candidate Irfan Reza Ansari, Chief Spokesperson Junaid Azim Mattoo, Spokesperson Adnan Ashraf Mir among others.