MS Nazki 

Poonch, Dec 25 (GNS): Army on Tuesday apprehended a 17-year-old student and recovered a pistol from his possession from Mendhar area of this district while he was on way to Kashmir valley to join militant ranks. 
The youth, a student of government degree college Surankote, had come to Medhar from Surankote and was going to Kashmir to join the militant ranks, defence sources told GNS.

The student, whose name is being kept secret being a juvenile, was apprehended by the army’s 37 and 16 Rashtriya Rifles and other units of the army while acting on specific information. He was apprehended while he was travelling a passenger sumo vehicle. A pistol and some rounds were recovered from his possession, the sources said.  

The army has also apprehended his father, a teacher by profession, for further investigation, they said. 
“The youth is being handed over to police station Gursai for further investigation,”  the sources said. (GNS)

JAMMU, DECEMBER 25: The Jammu and Kashmir Services Selection Board (JKSSB) today approved 55 final selection lists for 463 different posts.

According to a statement issued by Malik Suhail, Public Relations Officer, JKSSB, the selection lists were approved at 146th meeting of the Board held under the chairmanship of Zubair Ahmad, Chairman, J&K Services Selection Board. The marathon Board meeting continued for two days.

The meeting was attended by the Members of the Board including Anil Koul, Prof Tasleema Peer, Dr Nirupa Rai, Ajay Kumar Sharma, Rachna Sharma, Vivek Sharma and Abdul Aziz Sheikh, Controller of Examinations, JKSSB, Musheer Ahmad Mirza, Secretary, JKSSB, Ranjeet Singh and other officers of the Board.

Malik said the approved selections include 303 posts of Patwaris for 18 districts of Jammu, Kathua, Samba, Udhampur, Reasi, Doda, Ramban, Kishtwar, Rajouri, Poonch, Anantnag, Bandipora, Baramulla, Budgam, Ganderbal, Kulgam, Kupwara and Srinagar. The other selections approved, include 160 different posts including Junior Employment Officer, State Cadre, Labour and Employment Department and other posts of various Departments for which Computer Based Test (CBT) was held during February 2018.

He said the Government having recently approved enhancing of waitlist limit, on the request of J&K Services Selection Board, inclusion of 223 candidates in different waitlists pertaining to these selections was also approved by the Board.

Malik said in addition to the fresh selections, the Board also approved release of withheld recommendations against various posts, in respect of 35 candidates. “It also approved cancellation of the recommendations/ candidature in respect of 17 candidates, selected earlier for different posts, whose recommendations had been kept withheld for completing deficiencies, but who failed to complete these deficiencies, despite notices by the Board, as this shall help the candidates, figuring in the waitlists to get benefitted,” he said.

Malik said while the aspirants know their merit in other selections, in respect of Patwari results, the non-selected candidates, desirous of knowing their score in written test, interview or working knowledge of Urdu test alongwith status (qualified/disqualified), can apply for the same, as per the provisions of J&K Right to Information Act, 2009 and rules made there-under, to Public Information Officer, J&K Services Selection Board, Central Office, Sehkari Bhawan, Railhead Complex, Jammu, after the selection lists are notified on the official website of J&K Services Selection Board for which the process shall commence tomorrow. “The Public Information Officer, J&K Services Selection Board, has been asked to provide such details to the desirous candidates, expeditiously,” he said.

He said the Board was also apprised that two in-house Committees of the Board are presently finalizing 42 selection lists of Teachers for various districts in the disciplines of Urdu, Science/Math and General Line. The Committees are required to complete the massive exercise of finalization of selections for 2154 posts and also firming up waitlist for inclusion of nearly 1100 candidates in these lists, on the remarks and reports of the Counseling-cum-Document Verification Committees, in light of the documents furnished by the candidates in individual cases, he said and added that the Board was apprized that a substantial number of candidates have obtained dual degrees with overlapping periods of study and the Counseling-cum-Document Verification Committees have recommended that their entitlement for assigning of additional weightage for higher qualifications needs to be carefully established.

The Board was further apprized that on the advice of the Department of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs and General Administration Department, the steps required to be taken in the High Court in respect of 10 different court cases, concerning these selections, have now been taken.

Srinagar, Dec 24, CNS:  National Conference senior leader and former Speaker Muhammad Akbar Lone Sunday defended the claim made by Farooq Abdullah that if elected to power NC will grant autonomy to Jammu and Kashmir. Lone however added that if New Delhi will reject their Autonomy Resolution, NC will abdicate the Chair.

Lone while talking to news agency CNS said that NC won’t repeat the mistake that it committed in 1996. “We committed a blunder when New Delhi rejected the Autonomy Resolution in 1996. We should have resigned the very moment, but we didn’t. This time NC will go to any extent for restoration of Autonomy in Jammu and Kashmir,” Lone said.

To a question, Lone said Autonomy is possible. “Law makers pass the resolution in every state but in Jammu and Kashmir, the rights and voice of legislators is being muzzled which is not a good sign for a healthy democracy,” Lone said and advised New Delhi to show some respect for the aspirations and sentiments of people of the State. (CNS)