Srinagar, Feb 18: Joint Resistance Leadership comprising Syed Ali Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Muhammad Yasin Malik today said they are in constant touch with the Bar Association as the crucial hearing of article 35-A is again scheduled for February 20 and 21.

The list of cases comes to fore in the evening a day before the case is listed for hearing ,so whenever the case challenging the hereditary state subject law 35-A that has a direct bearing on the Kashmir dispute comes up for hearing before the Supreme Court, people will observe a complete protest strike.

JAMMU, FEBRUARY 18: The Government today said that the Liaison Officers in various states are in constant touch with local administrations and college authorities to ensure that the students from J&K are not put to any inconvenience.

“The state administration is advising all the students and their parents, not to pay heed to any rumors, try to stay put at their respective places and contact the LOs or local police administration for any help. The mobile numbers of LOs have already been distributed amongst the students,” a state Government spokesman said.

He said in the aftermath of Lethpora incident, there have been certain reports of alleged harassment of students from J&K studying outside the state.

The spokesman said that the J&K Government has already appointed Liaison Officers at 6 regions the country including Delhi NCR- Meerut, Jaipur – Bhopal, Chandigarh, Aligarh, Bengaluru, Pune in order to coordinate with the students of J&K studying in and around these regions. The students in these regions have been advised to get in touch with these LOs in case they face any problem. These LOs are supposed to coordinate with respective college authorities and local administration in case there is any issue to be resolved. Since these LOs have already been in place for last 3 months, so all of them have already circulated their respective contact numbers to the students and colleges of these regions and some of them have already met many of the college authorities also for building better coordination.

There have been media reports of alleged mischievous WhatsApp chats by some of the miscreants, reports of candle marches and other marches in these regions by the local people, alleged rumors of some of landlords asking their respective tenant students to vacate the houses, resulting in a sense of insecurity and fear in the students. 

Responding to this, the LOs of respective regions have been taking necessary steps in the last two days to help the students. Similarly, controlrooms/helplines have also been established in the office of the Divisional Commissioner, Kashmir. The LOs immediately got in touch with the students, the college authorities and the local administration so as to ensure safety and security of the students.

Some of the incidents handled by LOs include, one at Maharaishi Narkendeshwar Mullana University, Ambala, where 104 students who were staying in PG locations have been accommodated in 3 hostels of University and these hostels are well guarded by the police as confirmed by local SHO. This region is being coordinated by LO Chandigarh. Another incident handled by LO – Chandigarh has been of Ganpati Institute – Bilaspur. There the Director of the Institute has been spoken to and he has assured full safety and police protection for hostels there.

Further there have been lot of calls from Dehradun students, for whom the coordination is being done by LO-Delhi NCR. There have been numerous calls from students of different colleges including Baba Farid Institute of Tech, Alpine Institute, Dolphin Institute, SBS Medical College and so on so forth. Regarding Baba Farid Institute, the LO has been assured by the College Administration and SHO – PS Premnagar, that no untoward incident has happened so far and the situation is normal. The college authorities have assured that in case, the outside students are facing any problem they can be accommodated temporarily in their respective hostels.

Some of the students from Dehradun have reached Delhi yesterday evening and they have been accommodated in J&K House Chanakyapuri.

Further around 100 students from Sailakui (Dehradun) have gathered in Rampur. A visit by SHO and CO has been arranged at the place and further both of them assured their safety and security at that place.

Further LO- Jaipur has confirmed that the situation in Pacific University Udaipur is calm and safe. The students have been advised not venture out of the campus. The Police Commissioner and SP has visited the campus.

The State Administration assures people of J&K that, due cognizance is being taken for each and every call from the students and their parents and local administration is being apprised of the developing situation. The local administration and college authorities of all the locations have given full assurance of complete support, help and safety of the students.

Srinagar 18 February: AIP President Er. Rasheed has appealed regional political parties to assure and include in their manifesto that they will ensure opening of new professional and technical colleges in the state in private sector and will make the legal procedure for the same easier. In a statement issued today Er. Rasheed said “While state already lacks good professional colleges and institutions, but the ongoing assault and harassment against Kashmiri students in other states has created more need for establishing such institutions in public and private sector. Many local investors have been trying hard to get permission from the competent authority to establish various much needed colleges in Kashmir valley but unfortunately bureaucracy has been creating barriers and thus not allowing education sector to flourish beyond a certain point. It is high time for all those regional political parties who are in the race of power to make sincere and concrete promises that they will not only allow investment in the education sector without creating hurdles but will also create a huge network of professional and technical colleges in every district and region of the state”. Er. Rasheed said that whatsoever Kashmiris are facing in rest of the states should act as a wakeup call and while large number of students will prefer to leave their education half way, rather studying outside J&K, parents will also be facing physiological and real worries in sending their children outside Kashmir. Er. Rasheed said “However we cannot deprive our generation from getting best possible education in an era of huge competition and advanced technology. It is also known to all that getting passport too has become an uphill task for the youth and studying outside Kashmir has become an issue, there is no way out but to set up best class educational institutions in the state itself. Prominent investors should prefer to invest in education sector. It can really be a huge contribution towards the society. However unless main political parties including NC and PDP do not promise to make the process of establishing these institutions time bound and easy by making necessary amendments in the laws, the aim cannot be achieved”. Er. Rasheed welcomed actor turned politician Kamal Hassan’s statement asking New Delhi to revisit its policies and resolve Kashmir dispute by holding plebiscite, so that peace returns in the entire sub-continent. He said “It is good to see credible voices speaking sense and understanding the significance of finding peaceful resolutions rather indulging in spreading venom against each other”.