SRINAGAR: A general shutdown is being observed in Kashmir valley to commemorate the assassination of two senior separatist leaders.

Shops and educational institutions are closed while traffic is off the roads. Government offices and banks, however, are functioning normally.

Separatist leader and chief cleric of the valley, Mirwaiz Muhammad Farooq was shot dead by unidentified gunmen at his Nigeen residence on this day in 1990.

During a rally to mark his 12th death anniversary in 2002, another senior separatist leader, Abdul Gani Lone was killed. Both of them are buried in the Martyr’s Cemetery at Eidgah in old quarters of the city.

It could not be established who the assassins were, but Lone’s son and now a mainstream politician, Sajad Lone blamed separatist militants for his father’s killing.

“I know that two gunmen from Pakistan killed my father. Whether they were acting on their own or at someone’s behest, I cannot say for sure,” Sajad told a news agency in 2011.

Mirwaiz Farooq’s son and his successor as the chief cleric, Mirwaiz Umer Farooq has called for a march to Eidgah today. The authorities have placed him under house arrest.

Police and paramilitaries in riot gear have been deployed in strength in the old quarters of the city to foil any attempts by people to take out a rally.

However, witnesses say people in small groups have been reaching the Martyr’s Cemetery since morning to offer tribute.

JAMMU: Despite the visit of Union Home Secretary RK Singh in May last year followed by the visit of Union Home Minister Home Sushilkumar Shinde in October , the “biggest” confidence-building measure (CBM) between India and Pakistan-intra-Kashmir trade via the LoC has failed to pick up.

Against expectations, the trade has come down from 21 items in the export list to mere three. Trade between Pakistani side of Kashmir and Jammu and Kashmir had started on October 10, 2008.

“When the trade started in 2008, only seven to eight items out of the 21 items on the export list were exported to PoK and now they have come down to only three items, including fruits, dry fruits and herbs,” said Pawan Anand, president of the J&K Chamber of Cross LoC Trade.

Anand recalled how the trade via Chakan-da-Bagh trade centre in Poonch had come down to only chilli last year, which had compelled the PoK traders to suspend the trade for over a week.

In 2008, New Delhi under the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) had given its consent to the Indian traders to export 21 different items to other side.

“We are exporting fruits (largely banana), dry fruits and some herbs to our counterparts in PoK. Coconut and groundnut, which have a good market in PoK, are still banned,” said Anand.

The trade, on barter system, takes place four days a week from Tuesday to Friday via Salamabad in Baramulla district and Chakkan-Da-Bagh in Poonch district.

A senior official associated with the trade said most of the items on export list were not viable at all. “There is no demand of most of the items on export list. It should better be re-looked into,” he said.

(TNS)

The shooting, the latest in a string of such incidents in the strife-torn region, took place on Monday night in Kishtwar town, south of Srinagar.

“An SSB soldier, identified as Vijay Kumar, opened fire from his service rifle on his colleagues sleeping in a camp in Kishtwar. Two soldiers have died while two others have been injured in the shooting,” IANS quoted Superintendent of Police (SP) Kulbir Singh as saying.

Two other soldiers were wounded. Stress levels are high among the hundreds of thousands of Indian police and soldiers serving in Kashmir.

The four SSB troopers were rushed to the Kishtwar district hospital, about 220 km from here, where Narinder Singh, who hails from Uttarakhand, was declared dead. His colleague Veer Singh succumbed to his injuries later.

The two other injured SSB troopers — Ravinder Nath and Habib-ul-Islam — are undergoing treatment for bullet injuries at the hospital. Habib got injured when he tried to grab Vijay Kumar who was firing indiscriminately.

The incident took place around 1 a.m. Tuesday at the police line in Kishtwar, where the SSB has been camping for the last two months after the central government decided to replace Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) with SSB for internal security in some troubled areas of the state.

Vijay Kumar has been arrested and is being interrogated.

SRINAGAR: The land at Gulmarg has been up for grabs for years, with many of the existing lease holders, including hotels and hut owners, having occupied more land than allotted to them by the government. Ironically, the lease hold rights granted by Maharaja Hari Singh to first Prime Minister of J&K Ram Chander Kak continue to exist.

The preliminary report about the ongoing measurement of the land under the lease holders at Gulmarg has revealed that out of 49 hotel and hut owners surveyed by the revenue officials so far, 33 have occupied the state land in excess than allotted to them by the government.

It has also been revealed that many of the existing hotels stand on the land, where the leasehold rights have already expired. A total of 84 persons have been granted land lease rights at Gulmarg by the authorities from time to time.

Official documents have revealed striking facts about the land leases and the actual quantum of land in possession of various stake holders in Gulmarg.

As revealed in the documents, one lease holder namely Mohammad Afzal Khanday, hailing from Sopore, has occupied 3 kanals and 15 marlas at Gulmarg for hotel ‘Alpine’ as against the allotted 2 kanals and 13 marlas.

The lease hold rights of former Chief Justice Shadi Lal, who had been leased 4 kanals at Gulmarg in 1920 by Dogra ruler Maharaja Hari Singh has expired. However, the lease rights continue to be possessed by three persons namely Kishan Amla, Amit Amla and Arjun Amla.

The ongoing measurement by the revenue officials has revealed that the possessors have currently occupied 10 kanals as against the allotted 4, the documents reveal.

The lease hold rights of the first Prime Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, who had been granted lease rights of 4 kanals and 1 marla at Gulmarg by Maharaja Hari Singh in 1942 continue to be live, with one Asif Burza currently possessing the lease rights. Though the original lease period initially in this case was for 40 years, it was extended for another 40 years vide a government order in 1978.

In another case, the original lease holders, Hari Nanda Raina/Bansi Lal Raina, whose lease is currently possessed by one Manzoor Ahmad Burza and two other persons, were granted lease hold rights for 12 kanals, but the current possessors have occupied 17 kanals, reveal the documents. In this case, the lease hold rights have already expired and no extension has been granted.

The documents also reveal that Benji Nedous, a close relative of former Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah, was granted lease hold rights of 60 kanals for 40 years from 1965. However, after the expiry of the lease period, the land in question was ‘regularised in favour of Benji Nedous’ by the government in 1980.

In another case, the lease hold rights of Hari Nedous and Begum Salima Nedous over 2 kanals and 13 marlas were extended for 90 years by the government in 1981.

Lease holder MS Ali Shah, represented by his partner, Mohammad Sidiq of Nigeen, Srinagar, originally holds the lease rights over 1 kanal and 19 marlas at Gulmarg for their hotel, Vintage, but the latest measurement survey has revealed that they have occupied 2 kanals.

Likewise, Haji Ahmad Shahdad having lease hold rights of 1 kanal and 18 marlas has occupied 2 kanals and 2 marlas for hotel ‘Welcome’ at Gulmarg.

Those whose lease has expired include Janki Nath, Muzaffar Hussain Beigh and Mohammad Yasin Mir, who had been granted lease for 15 kanals and 18 marlas at Gulmarg, reveal the documents.

It is also being claimed by the officials of the Gulmarg Development Authority (GDA) that the original record of about 84 lease holders was gutted in a fire incident in 1980s. After nearly 33 years, the GDA has now issued public notices through the media to all lease holders to submit their leases for reconstruction of the records.

Why the measurement survey

The current measurement survey of land at Gulmarg is being carried out by the revenue officials on the instructions of the J-K High Court, which on a previous hearing had directed the government to submit a report by or before May 15 regarding demarcation of land at the famous tourist resort.

The court is hearing a public interest litigation filed by Mohammad Rafiq Zargar, wherein he had sought intervention of the High Court in safeguarding the eco-sensitive areas of Gulmarg and Tangmarg from illegal constructions.

The High Court had said the report should indicate whether any of the lease holders was in possession of the land in excess of the land shown to have been leased out to him or her in the lease deed.

Observing that “striking facts” have been brought on record regarding leases in Gulmarg, the High Court on May 15 directed the Chief Secretary to take action within two weeks after a sub-committee constituted by the government submits its report about the lease holders and land in their possession at Gulmarg.

(TNS)

The girl’s parents told the police that their daughter was raped by her teenage cousin while the mother was busy in the lawn.

“The child raised a cry and told her mother that ‘Bhaya pulled down my pyjamas’ and also narrated everything after that,” Station House Officer Trehgam, Sajad Asad told Freepress.

He said a medical report had confirmed rape.

“A case under section 376 (rape) and 452 (trespassing) has been registered against the accused and further probe is on.”

“The pollen infection has become a major worry for people in city. It has been decided that no fresh plantation of Russain poplars should be allowed in the city,” Deputy Commissioner, Srinagar, Farooq Ahmed Shah told a local news agency KNS.

Shah has also asked officials of Social Forestry and Urban Forestry departments to submit a report within 15-days.

“If anyone is found violating the directives they will be subject to legal action.”

Doctors say pollen from these trees is causing infections in people, particularly children and the elderly. Some say it could even cause death in patients with acute asthma.

“The number of sick units has gone up to 457 till March 2013 from 350 in 2011,” said a state government official.

According to the official, there are 25,000 units in Jammu and Kashmir, including 150 large and medium scale. Of these, about 11,300 are in Jammu region and remaining in the Kashmir Valley.

He added that there are about 16,500 small-scale industries, of which 5,825 are closed or “untraceable”.

Y.V. Sharma, president of Jammu Chamber of Commerce and Industries, said the government had promised revival of a central package which expired in June 2012 “but nothing has happened in this regard.”

“We have a long way to go before we can say that Jammu and Kashmir is on path of industrialisation,” he said and added that the sector was “facing very tough challenges.”

The central government had announced a package of incentives and concessions for industries in Jammu and Kashmir in 2002 for a period of 10 years, which expired in June 2012.

“The basic industry friendly atmosphere and culture in Jammu and Kashmir which is lacking at the moment,” said Ashwini Soni, an industrialist in Bari Brahmana Industry complex, about 20 km from Jammu. “The government is not showing adequate intent and keenness to develop industries in Jammu and Kashmir.”

According to a study conducted by the industries department, inadequate financing by banks and lack of marketing facilities for end products and the turmoil in Kashmir region were the reasons behind units going sick in the past 10 years.

The study showed that “32.71 percent of the units became sick due to financial crunch, 30.55 percent due to law and order and other problems, 19.40 percent due to marketing problems, 9.24 percent due to raw material unavailability and 8.10 percent due to migration.”

C.L. Gupta, a retired officer of the industries department, said the government has not been able to provide incentives to the sector.

Among the central government incentives which have expired, were total income tax exemption, 100 percent excise refund, 90 percent transport subsidy, 100 percent insurance cover to industrial units, 15 percent subsidy on capital investment on plant and machinery and three percent interest subsidy on working capital.

(IANS)

“Political leaders were banned from visiting even the violence-hit areas of Dharmapuri and Marakkanam. But allowing a separatist like Malik into Tamil Nadu is dangerous and the state government should understand this,” party’s state unit president Pon.Radhakrishnan said in a statement.

He said the issues of Jammu and Kashmir and Sri Lankan Tamils were completely different as Government of India had accorded special staus for the state while ethnic minorities in the island republic were struggling and seeking India’s help to retrieve their lost rights.

On Saturday, the public meeting was banned by police after the organisers put up banners carrying pictures of slain LTTE chief V Prabhakaran. The leaders later held a meetig indoor.

(PTI)

Kainaat Mushtaq

SRINAGAR: They sell for thousands of dollars, grace the shoulders of celebrities and are coveted by women the world over, but the future of the famous pashmina shawl is tangled due to neglect and cheap copies.

For centuries, pashmina shawls have been woven on handlooms from wool handspun from the shaggy coat of a goat which lives in the heights of the Himalayas in Kashmir’s Ladakh region.

Thousands of Kashmiris are associated with the ancient trade, with women mostly spinning and men weaving the delicate yarn into warm, soft scarves and shawls which are often embroidered. The name pashmina is derived from the Persian for wool.

But today, hundreds of pashmina weavers in Kashmir have been forced to move to other professions because cheaper, machine-made shawls are decreasing demand.

“Machine-made cheap products and fakes from different parts of India have badly hit pashmina shawls, and in fact all weavers,” said 65-year-old Mustafa Qadir, considered by many as one of the best pashmina weavers in Kashmir.

“Our daily wages fell drastically and many of us had to change our business,” said Qadir, who now runs a small grocery shop on the outskirts of Srinagar, which is ringed by snow-covered mountains.

PATCHY PROSPECTS?

After a global ban on shahtoosh, a wool allegedly derived from the hair of an endangered Tibetan antelope, shawls made from pashmina wool are considered the world’s finest and are exported worldwide.

According to officials, nearly 60,000 pashmina shawls are still woven in Kashmir a year.

Local legend has it that Kashmiri shawls came to Europe after French emperor Napoleon Bonaparte presented one to his wife Josephine more than two centuries ago.

Kashmiri pashminas, with intricate embroidery, can now fetch as much as 500,000 Indian rupees ($10,000) a piece at trendy boutiques and department stores in London or New York.

Plain handwoven pieces are less expensive at a few hundred dollars, but even these are out of the grasp of most people compared to good quality, machine-made alternatives which are priced at up to 2,500 rupees ($52) each.

“It is difficult to find what is real and what is fake for a customer,” said Shakeel Ahmad, a shawl dealer in Srinagar’s main market. “Machine-made designs are more trendy, much cheaper and attract customers.”

Another problem facing the pashmina industry is lack of proper branding. The name “pashmina” is used indiscriminately by weavers, and can be found on cheap, synthetic-fibre shawls as well as wraps made with a mix of wool and silk fibres.

Many customers do not have the knowledge to differentiate.

“The fake pashmina products have now infiltrated most of the pashmina outlets in and outside Kashmir even abroad,” Parvez Ahmad Shah, a prominent Kashmir art dealer, said.

“Even the Kani shawl, which is pride of Kashmir, has a duplicate now,” added Shah referring to special type of pashmina painstakingly woven knot by knot on looms with the help of “kanis” or special bobbins.

Years back authorities said they were patenting the pashmina to prevent imitations. “After the government declaring it an intellectual property right, pashmina will bear a definite logo and will help it from fakes,” a spokesman said.

But many Kashmiris are sceptical about the government’s claims to help out the war-weary region.

“Shahtoosh shawls are nearly extinct, and the fake Indian pashmina has invaded Kashmir now,” said Fayaz Punjabi, a wholesale pashmina dealer. “Only God can save it.”

SRINAGAR: Black bears and Leopards went on a rampage in different villages across Kashmir valley attacking women working in rice fields and orchards, police say.

Three women, a child and a shepherd have been seriously injured in the series of attacks during the past 24 hours.

The increasing fear of attacks from wild animals has forced residents to abstain from work in orchards and vegetable fields in many areas, witnesses say.

A group of women working in rice fields at village Lar in Ganderbal were attacked by a bear injuring three of them, police said.

In another incident at Tick Bagh, Nunar, Ganderbal, Mohammad Hussain (5) was injured by a bear when he was walking along side a field. He was shifted to SKIMS, sources said.

Local residents said about a dozen leopards were roaming in Handwara villages posing threat to their lives. They said they were forced to accompany children to schools due to the fear of attacks from wild animals.

After shrinking of their natural habitat, wild bears and leopards are wandering into Kashmir villages and have killed nearly 200 people and maimed thousands since 2005.

Leopard and Himalayan black bear populations have increased after a ban on hunting was enforced in Kashmir in 1970, and the loss of pine forests had already increased contact between animals and people.

Man-animal conflict has shown a drastic increase in the region after authorities erected a fence along Kashmir’s border with Pakistan designed to stop militant incursions.

The nine feet high fence along Line of Control, a military line which divides Kashmir between India and Pakistan, is curbing the movement of wild animals, experts say.

Authorities are now planning to set up control rooms and distribute leaflets urging people living near forests to take precautions to prevent more casualties.

Police say at least six bears and leopards have been killed by villagers and authorities in the last one year after attacking local people.

State’s Wildlife department has paid nearly five million rupees as compensation to the next of kin of the deceased persons and injured persons.