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 The way every town cannot be made a district,
every MLA or MLC also cannot be made a minister. Despite knowing this,
almost all the left out legislators have expressed their anguish over the
recent cabinet expansion. PDF and Panthers Party which are coalition
partners claim they had not been consulted before going for the cabinet
expansion. “We were not even informed about it,” they allege. PDP the
second largest party in the Government seems heading for a split. Not
only those having allegiance to Ghulam Hassan Mir have been dropped, many
others also have been ignored who may join the rebel band wagon, too. But
Congress seems to be the most affected party where a dangerous rebellion
has surfaced. “We are not hurt because we have been dropped. We are hurt
because the selection has been wrong”, say some left out MLAs on promise
of anonymity. According to them Gulchain Sing Charak should not have been
promoted. Similarly, they are unhappy with inclusion of Jugal Kishore as
a Cabinet Minister. “The CM has been rebuking Charak every now and then
and rebukes are not showered for good performance”. As far Jugal Kishore
they say his performance in Mufti’s Ministry as MOS had not been so
excellent as could make him eligible for being elevated. “Riasi has been gifted
twice first by granting it the status of a district and now by giving it
a Cabinet Minister”.
Not only that, political leaders are unhappy with the recent
expansion, a common man also sees the expansion as a disappointing
exercise. “The expansion has given a loud message that neither honesty
nor hard work pay. Had hard work been considered Ramman Bhalla should
have been included and had honesty been considered Babu Singh should have
been promoted. Including and promoting those who are neither honest nor
hard working negates Azad’s lofty claims of encouraging hard work and
honesty”, says Raj Kiskore a student of Jammu University.
“Giving representation to Rajouri has been a welcome step, but it
would have been much better had Ashok Sharma been made Minister who is
more dynamic and honest. This way, Congress could also be benefited”,
says Ghulam Rasool a teacher from Rajouri. It can be said that Ashok
Sharma could not be included because he is an MLC and that there couldn’t
be two inclusions from one district. But both the reasons can be turned
as lame excuses. “ If one Cabinet Minister and one MOS can be given to
Riasi and when an MLC can be promoted, why can’t two MOS be given to
Rajouri and why can’t an MLC be included from there”? Asks Vinod Kumar a
businessman also from Rajouri.
And he is not wrong any way!
Undeclared
Death Sentence!
By:
Ramneek Manhas
 On the recommendations of a
medical team consisting of Dr. Sheikh Aziz, Dr. S A Zargar and Dr. SK
Thussu which examined the high profile IAS officer, Iqbal Khanday,
languishing in jail for his alleged involvement in the notorious
‘Srinagar Sex Scandal’ that having been operated twice for malignancy the
accused might collapse if he remained in the unhygienic and suffocating
room of the jail provided to him, the competent court has granted
conditional bail in favour of Mr. Khanday.
As per the law of the land, an accused cannot
be treated as a criminal as long as he has not been declared so by a
competent court after giving him every opportunity to prove himself as
innocent. But in case of Mr. Khanday, he faced ‘death sentence’ before
legal proceedings in his case had even begun. In view of his unblemished
and magnificent service career it was the duty of the authorities
concerned to take due care of his health. If separatists whose hands are
dipped in the blood of innocent people and who are neck deep in the
intrigue against common Kashmiri are put under house arrest, why
shouldn’t a civil servant having served the people in different
capacities in an utmost and fairest manner be kept under same arrest
particularly so when his life is at risk as reported by the team of
senior doctors. Putting an accused under such conditions wherein he or
she could die is like subjecting him to an undeclared death sentence,
which is a grave human rights violation of highest magnitude and a fit
case to be taken up by the National Human Rights Commission.
He admits
they blundered!
By: Anil Choudhary
 While speaking before a
selective gathering on the opening day of Bhadarwh- Kailash Yatra
Festival the Deputy Chief Minister and PDP leader, Muzaffar Hussain Baig
showered all possible praises upon Mr. Azad. Calling him as a great
visionary, Mr. Baig said that due to his personal influence in the Union
Government, Azad had been able to get unexpected amount of funds. In a
way, the PDP leader has confessed that Azad is an influential leader
under whose stewardship the State could prosper at a record pace. This
also means that Mr. Baig admits that by heading the Government for three
years, PDP has wasted time and that had Azad been allowed to head the
Government for those three years also it would have been in the overall
benefit of the people of the State. This stance of the PDP leader is
indicative of the fact that he is gradually drifting from his parent
party and that the relations between Muftis and him are gradually
becoming sour. Though Baig is not politically popular yet his honest
image is an asset. Also, as Finance Minister he can put hurdles in the
works belonging to the constituencies of his opponents thereby making
awkward their position in the eyes of their voters. He can also help
spread the base of those parties who are opposed to PDP. This way, Baig
can damage PDP to an unimaginable limits and this, Muftis perhaps have
started visualizing and this is perhaps because of this reason that they
are wooing an estranged Ghulam Hassan Mir a sworn enemy of Baig.
However
all this is not without posers: Is he really impressed by Azad or he is
praising him only to prove that ‘Boss is always right’?
If
he couldn’t be loyal to his mentor, how could he be loyal to Azad? And is
he really drifting from Muftis or has been using pro Azad statements to
keep Mir away from Muftis?
Boycott Call
of Kashmir Bar, an eye opener
BY:
Rakesh Jamwal
 Kashmir Bar Association has
given a boycott call according to which none of its members would appear
on behalf of the ‘ladies and gentlemen’ allegedly involved in the
notorious ‘Srinagar Sex Scam’. By doing so, the Kashmir Bar Association
has been trying to prove that it is strictly against those who commit
heinous crimes. Apparently, the stance of the Bar Association is
commendable, but it has a dark side as well. As the law says, every
accused is an innocent person unless proved guilty in the court of law.
The accused of the Srinagar Sex Scandal as such are also innocent until
and unless they are proved guilty in the court of law. Therefore, as
advocates of law it becomes the bounded duty of the lawyers of any Bar to
allow the accused to prove themselves as innocents. Denying them this
right, is both unethical as well as unprofessional.
But there is a louder message hidden in the
boycott call of the lawyers in Srinagar. They seem to be playing in the
hands of those who do not believe in the democratic laws. They have their
own laws and decide cases according to their whims and fancies. Talibans
in Afghanistan did it and so had been doing the militants in Kashmir when
militancy was in its infancy. Separatists want Azadi so that they
can have a free hand to execute ‘culprits’ according to their whims and
there could be no legal hurdle to prevent them from doing so. Though
majority of people are averse to Kashmir’s merger with Pakistan, the
dream of Azadi still fascinates them. Let’s presume that they are
given the Azadi will the people of Kashmir remain Azad with
forces heading them wanting to implement dictatorial laws? The question
is simple and its answer too is simple, but it must come from the mouth
of Kashmiris themselves instead of others.
Jashan-e-Jammu
By:
S. Gurdeep Singh
 Though every Tom, Dick and
Herry has been trying to share the credit of getting four districts for
Jammu, the Panthers Party has taken a lead by organizing Jashan-e-Jammu
to celebrate the event claiming that it was this party which first
managed to include implementation of Wazir Commission Report in the
Common Minimum Program of the State coalition Government and then getting
it executed.
There is no denying that every body and every
party from Jammu has fought
for getting the Wazir Commission Report implemented, but the lion’s share
of credit goes to the Panthers Party, which not only put maximum pressure
on the Government being a coalition partner.
After Mufti Sayeed became State Chief
Minister, I had a chance meeting with him at the residence of a common
friend. There I asked him if the Government was going to implement the
recommendations of the Wazir Commission, his reply was, “No, not yet,
though Bhim Singh is putting lot of pressure. The project needs lot of
funds”. The small sentence speaks volumes about the struggle that Bhim
Singh and party did for the implementation of Wazir Commission Report
that had suggested formation of three new districts in Jammu region. Fourth
district, Rammban came in the bargain for which Azad alone deserves the
credit.
The process in fact started when Mufti Sayeed
was the Chief Minister. Announcement of new Tehsils and Niabats in
Kishtwar were a step towards giving a district status to Kishtwar. He
however could not announce formation of new districts because he was
under severe pressure in the Valley to give equal number of districts to
Kashmir as well that required huge amount of funds. But when Azad came in
power, he announced formation of new districts following an assurance
from the Centre for release of adequate funds. This again goes to the
credit of Azad with whose personal influence it was possible to get huge
amounts of funds sanctioned for establishing the new districts.
Not only fighting as a coalition partner, the
Panthers Party had been fighting for implementation of Wazir Commission
and Delimitation Commission Reports implemented legally as well as
publicly. Whereas other parties satisfied themselves by issuing
occasional Press releases, Panthers Party went for protests and
agitations not only in Jammu but at Delhi as well. Accepting to preside
over the inaugural function of the week long Jashan-e-Jammu at Abhinav
theatre, the CM has also recognized the efforts of the Panthers party for
getting additional districts for Jammu.
Hindu
Organizations say Government is biased
By: Ajay Kotwal
In
a joint statement, Vishwa Hndu Parishad, Snatan Dharam Sabha and a host
of other Hindu organizations have leveled serious charges against the
State Government for adopting biased approach towards Hindus of the
State. Quoting examples they said, “The Chief Minister went to Darhal and
announced ex-gratia relief to the victims of the bus accident within
hours because the victims there were Muslims. On the other hand, the kins
of the victims of the Padder bus accident are clamoring for relief even
after more than six months of the accident because they are Hindus”. They
also alleged that on one hand the State Government has been funding Madrasas
that breed anti-nationalism whiles on the other hand funds to the schools
run by Hindu organizations are being stopped. They have also charged the
Government of hatching a plan to change the name of Amarnath Cave. “The
names of Shankeracharya and Hari Parbat have already been changed and now
Azad Government is contemplating to change the name of Amarnath Cave”.
The Hindu organizations have also blamed the Government for Islamisation
of J&K Bank of which the State Government is a share holder. “The
costly calendars of the Bank have been used to publicize Islam”.
Whatever the depth and seriousness of the
allegations, they loudly indicate that a Government cannot become popular
only by unleashing a relentless development drive. Govt. however, has
rejected the allegations as misleading.
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