We Were Not Able To Do Much: Sonia - Kashmir Observer

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C M Y K KashmiR Remembering Faiz 5 28 Muharram | 1436 Hijri | Vol: 17 | Issue: 241 | Pages : 08 | Price: `3 w w w. k a s h m i r o b s e r v e r. n e t satuRDaY 22 nOvemBeR 2014 Wisdom We live in a world in which politics has replaced philosophy. ...........Martin L. Gross A Call for Revolution, 1993 Pak Summons Indian Diplomat ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has lodged a strong protest with India over Thursday’s Line of Control (LoC) violation by Indian troops which resulted in the killing of a Pakistan Army soldier. A senior Indian diplomat from the Indian High Commission was summoned at the South Asian desk of the Foreign Ministry and was conveyed Pakistan’s serious concerns over the issue, said a statement issued on Friday. During the meeting, Pakistan made it clear that such violations of the LoC will not be tolerated. Indian diplomat was reminded that India has to respect the ceasefire agreement at the LoC and prevent its forces from such actions. According to Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), Indian troops resorted to unprovoked firing at the LoC in Pandu sector near Muzaffarabad on Thursday. “Pakistani troops befittingly responded to Indian firing,” it added. No Friday Prayers for Geelani SRINAGAR: Hurriyat (G)chairman Syed Ali Geelani was placed under house detention by police barring him from offering Friday prayers. A large contingent of police has laid a siege of his residence since October 31, a Hurriyat (G) spokesman said. Authorities have continuously barred Geelani from offering Friday prayers fearing his presence would be an incitement for the congregation to turn into a profreedom demonstration. Lakecity Tour And TrAvel / Srinagar Today: MoSTly Cloudy MaxiMuM: 15oC / MiniMuM: -2oC / HuMidiTy : 65% / SunSeTS Today... 05:24 PM / SunriSeS ToMorrow... 07.09 aM We Were Not Able To Do Much: Sonia ■ Say’s, some forces can shake hand with anyone for power ■ Every party in JK except Congress in league with BJP: Azad Observer News Service SRINAGAR: Hitting out at her party's estranged ally National Conference for the first time in the past six years, Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Friday said "we gave full support to them to run the government but they did not implement our programmes and schemes", including the Food Bill, in the state. "We gave full support to them to run the government, but they did not implement our programmes and schemes (in the state)," Sonia told twin public rallies held in Ramban and Bandipore to support party candidates. Flanked by Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad, AICC General Secretary Ambika Soni and state party chief Saif-ud-Din Soz, Sonia told the people that by not implementing some of these programmes the NC-led government has denied the people the benefits. "When our government was at the Centre we came up with the Burial held amidst Protests SRINAGAR: Amidst protests, two of the three militants killed on Thursday evening in a shootout with Govt forces were buried in their ancestral villages . Sheraz Ganai, Aasif Bhat and Shabir Ahmad were killed by govt forces during an exchange of fire. Sheraz and Aasif were buried amidst protests in their ancestral villages on Friday. The duo hailed from Panjran in Pulwama district and Chenigam in Kulgam district respectively. The third militant, who was a Lashkar-e-Taiba Commander, is a resident of Kalakote in Rajouri district. Police sources said the slain commander’s family has been informed and they are on way to Kashmir to take their son’s body. Another source said the slain militants body has been kept in morgue of SMHS hospital. Meanwhile, a complete Candidate missing SRINAGAR – State Congress leadership faced embarrassment as Congress candidate from Bandipore, Usman Majeed, didn't attend his party president Sonia Gandhi's public meeting in the town on Friday. There was no word from the party on why Majeed had skipped Sonia's public rally in his constituency. Gandhi, who was accompanied by senior Congress leaders Ghulam Nabi Azad and Ambika Soni and Saifudin Soz hit out at both at alliance partner NC as well as BJP for failing the people of Kashmir. Food Security Bill so that the poorest of the poor gets food on cheap rates... But due to the lethargy of NC, the bill was not implemented in Jammu and Kashmir thereby denying right to the people here," she said. Asserting that once the Congress is again voted to power in the state, century long relationship with Kashmir and same brings her to Kashmir time and again. they will implement the Food Se- “We want prosperous Jammu curity Bill to ensure subsidized and Kashmir. The agenda of the Congress party is simple. food to the poor, she said. Sonia claimed that she had a Don’t promise Page 6 2 Slain Militants Had Joined Hizb 10 Days Back PuLwAMA/KuLGAM: Two of the three militants killed in Tral gunfight on Thursday evening had joined militant outfit Hizbul Mujhideen only 11 days back. They were living a normal life till they left their homes, according to their family. One of the slain militant, Shiraz Ahmed Ganaie son of Muhammad Sultan Ganaie of Panjran Pulwama was studying journalism in Islamic University of Science & Technology (IUST) Awantipora and had recently qualified NET. “My son Shiraz was M.A in Economics and was presently in fourth semester of journalism course. He recently had rejected a government job,” his father Muhammad Sultan said adding that Shiraz was living a normal life before joining militancy on November 11 this month. “We are well off and deal in fruit industry. I fail to understand what prompted my son to join militant ranks when I was providing him every comfort of life. I am not exaggerating and in fact, we are billionaires,” he said. He however said that before joining militancy, Shiraz was picked up by SOG personnel for a day, but was released after few hours of questioning. Shiraz was buried in his native grave yard at Panjran in presence of thousands of people who bid him adieu with tearful eyes. His funeral prayers were offered by Jamat-i-Islami leader Advocate Zahid Ali. Another slain militant who hails from Chenigam Kulgam also had joined Hizb only last Friday. “My brother Asif Ahmed Bhat left home soon after Chenigam encounter last Friday which claimed the lives of two militants. In that encounter his friend Manzoor Ahmed Malik was killed and soon after this episode he, without informing anybody, left home,” Abdul Rashid Bhat, the brother of slain militant said adding that they were not in touch with Asif. “My brother was submissive and was working at a shop in Sangam. He was not well qualified but was religious minded,” he said. (CNS) PM Modi Comes Today Observer News Service SRINAGAR: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hit the campaign trail in the state on Saturday with his addresses at a public rally in Kishtwar, four days ahead of the first phase of polls. He will address at least seven rallies in the state, holding at least a rally or two ahead of each of the five phases of the polls in the state, reports said. According to BJP sources, Modi will address another rally next week in Udhampur in Jammu region and later a rally in Kashmir valley too. Sources said the BJP is banking heavily on aggressive campaigning by Modi in its bid to achieve its ambitious "Mission 44+" target required in an Assembly of 87 seats. The party is targeting the educated class in the state to send home the message that development is key to the state's progress and the government of the same party at the Centre and the state would help achieve this easily. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and other noted lawyers will also campaign and hold public meetings in the state. The BJP has also chalked out a strategy for Jammu and Kashmir and is working in close coordination with smaller parties as well as moderate separatists in the valley to achieve its target of forming a government of its own and has had talks with some of them. The Assembly polls in the state will start Page 6 PdP-NC Workers Clash After Grenade Attack on PdP Rally Observer News Service SRINAGAR: Violent clashes broke out between NC and PDP workers after a grenade was hurled at a PDP rally at Gundwani, Norabad of Kulgam district on Friday. The grenade however failed to explode averting a major tragedy. Reports said a grenade was hurled at a PDP rally attended by hundreds of people and led by the party candidate Abdul Majeed Paddar at Gandwari area. The grenade, however, missed then intended target and went into a drain,” they said, adding: “it didn’t explode.” The grenade hurled at the rally struck the roof top of one of the houses and then went down into a nearby drain. The incident triggered chaos in the rally with people running helter-skelter for safety. Sources said the people present in the rally overpowered the youth. “The people tried to thrash him but the PDP activists locked him in a room. Later, the security personal of PDP candidate handed over him to the army,” they said. Police sources said the youth was handed over to police by army. The accused was identified as Nowshad Ahmad Ganiae, resident of Awagam. Soon after people took to streets and shopkeepers downed their shutters. Some locals also raised anti-NC slogans, accusing NC candidate from Noorabad of being behind the failed attack. Police and army later reached the spot and took into Page 6 'Wasn’t Accepted in Pro-Freedom Camp' Mufti Sayeed Grew Hopefully we will have a NC-less, PDP-less Govt: Sajad Lone suRantanG RainawaRi sRinaGaR KashmiR SRINAGAR: Days after meeting the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Peoples’ Conference Chairman Sajad Gani Lone said he was not an ‘acceptable entity’ in Kashmir’s separatist camp and everything wrong taking place within the camp was attributed to him. In an interview, Sajad said that now when he has left the pro-freedom politics, the separatists can take the right decisions at a right time for themselves. “I can only tell you that I wasn't an acceptable entity within the pro-freedom camp. There was a total mismatch in terms of ideas. Now that I have left, they (separatists) are themselves the best judges to decide about the course of action they want to take,” Sajad said when asked about the differences he had with the profreedom camp six years earlier. Over the reports of him being the next chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir, Sajad said: “I am fully aware of my humble position in Kashmir politics. I don’t want to overestimate my po- sition; neither do I want to underestimate it. My whole concept of being in politics is to be able to contribute to change in the most constructive form. I see electoral politics as a way of making J&K an economically viable entity, not dependent on doles. I would want to give a decade or so to politics and have the moral courage to groom a second line of leadership to take over. I would not want to remain glued to politics for the rest of my life. So let us see what chance we get to serve as. May be as an assembly member or a minister and if chance arises, may be as the head of the state. As I said I know my humble position and I have the patience to wait. I am in no hurry. But yes-- being in power gives you a much bigger chance to bring change in the political and governance systems.” Castigating media for attributing wrong statements to him, Sajad said that he never put his hand on Quran and said he will never contest elections and that if the recordings are provided to him, he will not contest the elections. “I said at that time that I put my hand on Quran that I have nothing to do with the elections that were taking place at that time and neither did I put up any candidate in 2008 elections. If anyone brings me the recording that I have said I will never contest elections, I will do the same.” Page 6 Older By 1 Yr in 6 Yrs SRINAGAR: PDP patron Mufti Mohammed Sayeed has grown only one year old in last six years! According to the affidavit filed by Sayeed for the assembly election from Anantnag constituency, the former chief minister is 72 years old. However, as per the affidavit filed by him in 2008 assembly elections from the same constituency, Sayeed had declared his age as 71 years, a Press Trust of India report said on Friday. When asked for a comment, PDP chief spokesperson Nayeem Akthar said "there must be some error in recording figures". The PDP founder is not the only politician whose increase in age is not corresponding to the six years that passed by between the two assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir. Congress candidate from Leh and Housing Minister Nawang Rigzin Jora, who declared his age as 53 years in 2008 polls, has shown his age as 56 years in this year's elections. National Conference candidate from Sonawari and Minister for Higher Education Mohammad Akbar Lone was 63-year-old in 2008 elections but grew by only four years to show his age as 67 this year. However, some politicians have taken the opportunity to correct their age on record. National Conference candidate from Gurez and Minister Page 6 Cell :- 9419967015 E-mail [email protected] Do You Get Your Copy of Kashmir Observer Regularly? If Not Contact Circulation Incharge: Pervez Ahmad 9419565003 Or 210 6304 C M Y K saturday 22 11 2014 Kashmir Observer  BAzAR oBSERvER  mugHAl dArbAr Mughal Darbar Is Kashmir’s Favourite FoodStop And Tourists Delight. Being In The Heart Of Kashmir People From All Walks Of Life Cherish To Enjoy Their Lunch In This Beautiful Place. 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There are several misconceptions associated with diabetes. Part of it has to do with the fact that often information around the disease tends to be sketchy, leading people to make assumptions that are harmful in the long run. It is important that awareness around diabetes be made more mainstream with efforts to engage millions of people worldwide in diabetes advocacy and awareness. There are major misconceptions that plague the global diabetes community and needs to be dispelled by all, especially medical practitioners, diabetes organisations, NGOs, health departments, civil society, individuals and companies. We bring you a low down of the five most common myths about diabetes. Myth 1: tAKING INSuLIN CuReS dIABeteS The hard fact is that taking insulin does not cure diabetes. It simply keeps diabetes under control. Insulin is a hormone produced by an organ in the body called the pancreas. It helps our bodies to use glucose for energy. 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RNI No: 69503/98; Postal Regn: K-151 22 11 2014 Kashmir Observer  NEWS  Court Says Shahi Imam Can’t Anoint His Successor Big blow to Bukhari family, who came to India 400 years ago and nominate their successors traditionally NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court on Friday said that Jama Masjid Shahi Imam's decision to anoint his son as his deputy and successor has no legal sanctity. While the court’s observation is a big blow to the Bukhari family, which came to India on Mughal emperor Shah Jahan’s invitation from Central Asia in 1656, the incumbent Shahi Imam Syed Ahmad Bukhari can heave a sigh of relief with the court refusing to prevent the anointment ceremony scheduled for Saturday, terming it as a private function. However, the court refused to stay the anointing ceremony of Shahi Imam's son as Naib Imam of Jama Masjid. The court has also sought reply of the Centre, Wakf Board and Imam Bukhari by January 28. Centre and the Wakf Board on Thursday had submitted be- fore the Delhi High Court that the ceremony by Jama Masjid Shahi Imam anointing his son as his deputy and successor has no legal sanctity. The submission was made before a bench of Chief Justice G Rohini and Justice R S Endlaw during arguments on three public interest litigations challenging the November 22 ceremony where Shahi Imam of Jama Masjid here Syed Ahmed Bukhari plans to anoint his son as Naib Imam who will be the next chief cleric. The Centre had said that the Mughal-era mosque Jama Masjid is a Wakf property and it has to decide how the rule of primogeniture applies on anointment of new Shahi Imam, which has come under challenge. Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) had also requested the court to declare the city's Jama Masjid as an ancient monument because of its national importance while contending that it needs to be protected. The PILs filed by Suhail Ahmed Khan, Ajay Gautam and advocate V K Anand have said Jama Masjid is a property of Delhi Wakf Board and Bukhari as its employee cannot appoint his son as Naib Imam (deputy Imam). The petitions said Shahi Imam had announced on October 30 that his 19-year-old son would succeed him as the next Shahi Imam and the ceremony of 'Dastarbandi' would be held on November 22. "Despite knowing that Shahi Imam is an employee of the Wakf Board and it's the board which has the right to appoint an Imam, he (Bukhari) has declared his 19-year-old son to be a Naib Imam and is holding a dastarbandi ceremony for the said purpose, which is purely anti-Islamic," the pleas have said. The pleas have alleged that the Shahi Imam was a public post and not the "personal property" of Syed Ahmed Bukhari and IMAMAT (the position of a divinely-appointed leader) is not transferable. It has also been contended that Bukhari is merely an em- ployee of Delhi Wakf Board which is the only authority to choose and appoint the next Imam of Jama Masjid. "No person can hold any title given to him or his ancestors by any erstwhile Emperor, King or Shah after the Constitution of India came into force," one of the PILs has said. Bukhari had recently sparked a controversy by announcing that he has invited Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif for the ceremony for anointing his son as the deputy Imam but did not invite Prime Minister Naren- Powerful U.S. pro-Israel lobby 45 Dead In Boko holds fire as Iran deadline looms Haram Attack In Nigeria Matt Spetalnick patricia Zengerle WASHINGTON (Reuters) - As the United States and other powers negotiate down to the wire on a nuclear deal with Iran, one voice has been unusually quiet - the main pro-Israel lobby in Washington. Israel deeply distrusts the attempt to reach a deal at talks in Vienna that would lift harsh international sanctions on Iran in tion is whether you'll see an intense push to engage with Congress. It could be the lull before the storm." A Republican sweep in this month's U.S. congressional elections has already spurred new threats from hawkish lawmakers to seek further sanctions against Iran. AIPAC is likely to find the Republican-led Congress that takes office in January more receptive to tougher measures against Tehran and President army of lobbyists largely on the sidelines during the current Iran talks, a dramatic shift from other times, when it blanketed Congress. At the same time, the government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has toned down once-vociferous criticism of Obama’s handling of Iran diplomacy, though it remains bitterly opposed to any concessions that would not strip Tehran of all uranium enrichment capability. sanctions would antagonize Iran and collapse the negotiations. When the talks were extended in July, AIPAC said the United States should "make clear that Iran can expect no further extension." But officials close to the talks said a new deadline could be set, perhaps in March. AIPAC has not said how it would respond, but a pro-Israel source said the group's earlier concerns, principally that Iran is trying to buy time for its nucle- MAIDUGURI (Nigeria): At least 45 people were killed in a suspected Boko Haram attack in northeast Nigeria, officials and witnesses have said, in the latest violence to hit the restive region. The attack happened in the village of Azaya Kura in the Mafa area of Borno state on Wednesday, the caretaker chairman of Mafa local government area, Shettima Lawan said yesterday, calling it "wicked and despicable". Village chief Mallam Bulama said: "We counted 45 bodies at the end of the attack." But other residents said more may have died after they fled into the bush. Mafa, which is about 50 kilometres (30 miles) east by road from the Borno state capital, Maiduguri, and the surrounding area has been repeatedly attacked by the Islamist insur- gents. On October 26, suspected Boko Haram fighters abducted about 30 boys and girls, some of them as young as 11 and 13, while locals complained of almost daily raids that had forced many to flee. Some 29 people were killed in March this year after flyers were sent warning of an impending attack — a tactic used by the extremists elsewhere in the region in their quest for a hardline Islamic state. In the latest attack, heavily armed militants arrived on motorcycles at about 12:00 pm (1100 GMT) on Wednesday as villagers were at work. "So far, 45 men have been killed and there are others that died in the bushes as a result of bleeding from bullet wounds," said on resident, who gave his name only as Jabiru. Trader Musa Abbani, who fled to Maiduguri, added: "The attackers destroyed more than half of the houses in our village, burnt over 50 motorcycles and four cars before they took away foodstuff and animals." A village elder, Mohammed Bukar, said: "We are still picking our pieces and looking for our missing people, especially those who could not be seen in Maiduguri." Survivors, most of them the elderly, were seen making preparations to bury the dead. Fifty people were said to have been injured and locals said the militants, who have said to have captured more than two dozen northeast towns, blocked exits to prevent people fleeing. Lawan, who visited Azaya Kura yesterday under tight security, said: "How can some people be so wicked to kill innocent people, 45 people at once without any confrontation? Google's New 60th National School Service Lets Games Open at Jammu You Block Ads US Secretary of State John Kerry (L), European Union High Representative Catherine Ashton, and Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif meet in Vienna, return for limits to its nuclear program, aimed at preventing it from developing an atomic bomb. But its staunchest U.S. supporters, represented by the powerful American Israel Public Affairs Committee, or AIPAC, lobbying group, have been holding back. They failed earlier this year in a full-scale push for further sanctions that the White House said would have derailed the talks. With growing signs that Monday's deadline for an Iran deal may be extended, AIPAC is looking past these talks and weighing how to respond to the outcome amid a changing political environment in Washington. "There’s nothing to lobby for ... until we see what's addressed in Vienna," said a source close to AIPAC. "But after that, the ques- Barack Obama less likely to have the votes to sustain a veto against fresh sanctions. In February, Obama was able to block a campaign backed by AIPAC to get Congress to impose new sanctions, marking the group's biggest political defeat in years. ARMY OF AIPAC LOBBYISTS AIPAC, which has about 100,000 members, is widely credited with helping to ensure that Israel remains a top recipient of U.S. foreign aid and is accustomed to seeing most congressional measures it favors pass almost unopposed. This summer it helped engineer a $225 million funding increase for Israel's Iron Dome defense system to protect against Hamas cross-border rocket fire in the Gaza war. But the group has kept its The low-key approach may reflect a desire to avoid further antagonizing the U.S. government, Israel's most important ally, at a time of strained relations. AIPAC is also struggling with internal divisions over what some critics see as a tilt toward the Republican party by the group, which could jeopardize its bipartisan principles. An AIPAC source dismissed this concern, saying: "Everything we do, we approach in a bipartisan fashion." EXTENSION OF NUCLEAR TALKS If Washington agrees to another extension with Iran, AIPAC and Israel's friends in Congress will face a decision whether to give diplomacy more time or seek new sanctions. Obama has previously insisted that more ar advances, "would still apply, even more so." Even as it has held fire, AIPAC has maintained lines of communication with lawmakers and the administration on the negotiations. The West and Israel accuse Tehran of seeking to develop a nuclear weapon, which it denies. Israel, which sees development of an Iranian bomb as an existential threat, is believed to be the Middle East’s only nuclear-armed state. Like AIPAC, Israeli officials have kept a lower-than-usual profile in Washington during the recent talks, possibly seeking to avoid the impression of meddling in U.S. affairs. "We are not doing any lobbying at this time," Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Yuval Steinitz told Reuters in Jerusalem. SAN FRANCISCO: Google on Thursday began rolling out a way for people to support websites they frequent and, in return, be rewarded with adfree pages. A "Google Contributor" experiment was introduced with a handful of partners including tech news website Mashable and The Onion, which is known for clever satires. Google described the effort as an "experiment in additional ways to fund the web." "When you visit a participating website, part of your contribution goes to the creators of that site," Google said at a page launched for those interested in taking part. "As a reminder of your support, you'll see a thank you message — often accompanied by a pixel pattern — where you might normally see an ad." Contributors are asked to set a monthly donation amount ranging from one to three dollars, and in exchange wipe out the ads that some surfers see as a nuisance. Donated money is doled out based on which websites contributors visit, with Google keeping an unspecified portion. JAMMU: The Director General of Police, K. Rajendra today declared open the 5-day 60th National School Games (NSG) in the sports discipline of Badminton. The tournament was organized by the Department of Youth Services and Sports (YSS) under the aegis of School Games Federation of India (SGFI) and is being played between under 14 years Boys and Girls at University of Jammu. As many as 60 teams 30 each Boys and Girls from different States and Union Territories of the country are taking part in the tournament. These included Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Vidya Bharathi, Assam, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Bihar, Haryana, Gujrat, Manipur, Kerala, Jammu and Kashmir, Delhi, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, JNVS, Telangana, Uttarakhand and West Bengal. Director General Youth Services and Sports (YSS), Navin Aggarwal, who is also Chairman of the organizing committee of 60th National School Games was also present on the occasion. DG Police who was the Chief Guest on the occasion welcomed the participant teams. He revealed that winning is not important only one can win but the players should be played in a true sports man-ship. He said most of them have come to the Jammu and Kashmir for first time , adding that such tournaments gave an opportunity to the budding youth to improve their hidden talent besides familiarize themselves about the about the culture of each other States. He asked them to sharpen their skill which will enable them to participate in national and international levels. The DG appreciated the department of Youth Services and Sports for organizing such mega event in the State of Jammu and Kashmir. Mr. Rajendra appreciated the players who participated in March past at the beginning of the tournament. He announced Rs 1000 each student of Manipor for showing excellence in the march past on the occasion. The Director General YSS Mr. Aggarwal while welcoming the participant teams said that the department has already made arrangements of boarding & lodging for guest players at Youth Hostel Nagrota. He thanked the Police Department and University of Jammu for their cooperation in making the event a grand success. The DG YSS said that the tournament was scheduled to be held in September 2014 at Srinagar but due to flood the tournament is now held at Jammu. He hoped that the players will enjoy this championship at Jammu. Saints or frauds? India clashes over 'god-men' as guru Maharaj faces police Baba Rampal rose from obscurity as a civil engineer to become the guru of millions. Yet police in Haryana decided it was time he answered questions about a murder in 2006 attributed to his private army. Syed naZakat Christian Science Monitor B aba Rampal Maharaj, one of India's selfstyled “god men” has been charged with sedition and waging war against the state following a days-long siege by police on his ashram north of Delhi. It ended with his arrest this week after six people died and hundreds were injured. More than 400 people have been arrested and detained after the popular guru’s supporters tried to fend off police with homemade bombs, guns, and knives. As of today some 3,000 of his followers who lived on the sprawling ashram complex are still there, but 15,000 residents were evacuated. Mr. Rampal, often called Maharaj, counts politicians, businessmen, and top security officials among his millions of followers. And to his devotees, the so-called god man, who is in his early 60s, is an incarnation of Kabir, a 15th Century Indian mystical poet and a devoted saint. To his critics, he is a fraudulent huckster or worse, who has fooled rich and poor alike in a career that includes the expropriation of land and murder allegations. Rampal has avoided more than 40 court orders and police summons in connection with a murder investigation dating to violence by his private army in 2006. The two views of Rampal clashed this week as authorities decided to raid the ashram and force compliance with the law. Police first cut water and electricity to the compound to force Rampal out. Thousands did leave, even as reports now suggest that armed followers of Rampal first forcibly held back those trying to escape. But Rampal only came out late Wednesday. INDIA'S MANY GURUS Rampal himself rose from a relatively obscure job as a civil engineer to become one of India's premier "god-men." In a majority-Hindu country of more than a billion people, prayer and religious consultation ahead of business or per- sonal decisions remains active and alive as a practice, and god men or gurus remain part of the crucial mixture. Rampal is part of a large network of gurus that preach virtue and often offer advice on achieving miracles – and whose followers or clients include film and sports stars as well as the powerful and the poor. The world's best known cricketer, Sachin Tendulkar, is a follower of guru Sai Baba, who drew millions of followers around the world with his mystical powers including conjuring objects out of thin air. Maharishi Mahesh Yogi became a guru to the Beach Boys and the Beatles and played a role in the British Fab Four’s brief “Magical Mystery Tour” to India in the 1960s. He became best known for propagating Transcendental Meditation or TM in the West, a stress reduction technique that, he claimed, can make people levitate. Rampal had become known for curing a variety of aches and pains and for his vigorous opposition to alcohol and tobacco. Those who smoke tobacco, he said in one of his videotaped addresses, “will be reborn as a dog in the next 70 lives.” Many of the gurus are suc- cessful entrepreneurs and conduct mass mediation camps and yoga classes, and sell audio and video products. Like Rampal, successful gurus build large, often gated ashram communities complete with stores, hospitals, and schools. Baba Ramdev, one of India's most popular TV gurus, has a vast yoga empire. His holdings include a small island off the coast of Scotland. Critics have accused him of amassing a fortune in donations and not paying taxes. Ramdev denies such allegations. Another Indian guru, Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, who heads a popular religious sect, also appears on TV and even performs at concerts which he calls "Religious Rock" and has acted in films. Many of the gurus cultivate relationships with political parties, which call on them to mobilize voters for elections. At least two Indian prime ministers – Indira Gandhi and Narasimha Rao – had spiritual advisers. But the enormous power Indian gurus wield has led to scandals and criticisms involving either the spiritual or temporal exploitation of devotees. Recent years have brought charges of sexual offences, shady property deals, tax evasion, money laundering and homicides. Last year a self-styled spiritual guru, Asaram Bapu, who boasts 20 million followers, was arrested after a teenage girl accused him of rape on the pretext of cleansing her from evil spirits. Mr. Asaram is currently in prison. C M Y K C M Y K saturday saturday 22 11 2014 Kashmir Observer  OPINION  Humanity Why J&K should not have a hindu CM is tHreatened By information overload Melanie P Kumar O ne of the greatest malaises of this century is the daily information overload that an average person has to deal with. With the advent of the Internet, one is never free of information to read and digest, be it from e-mails, blogs, special interest group mails not to mention social media. Add to these the regular sources of news like newspapers and magazines, not to forget the 24/7 news channels, which thrust opinions down our throats in the guise of news. And how can one forget the ubiquitous smartphone, with all the Apps, ranging from WhatsApp to Viber, and the seamless connection to the Internet, which ensures that one is constantly connected to another person, digitally, if not in real terms? There is a sense of being swamped by the information that is available, for the asking or even without asking! In the war for TRPs is the much-touted Satyamev Jayate, which for a couple of weekends, was actually pitted against Prime Minister Modi’s Man ki Baat, (probably modelling itself on the late Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez’s unscripted talk-show Alo Presidente, which was aired every Sunday at 11.00am on state television and radio stations). Ostensibly, both these programmes were about asking for the public’s thoughts but were more about sounding wise and dishing out solutions. Two episodes of Satyamev Jayate were particularly upsetting when the announcer kept mentioning that Aamir is speaking to the Indian public from France and from Japan! Were the lesser Indian mortals to be overawed by the wise words coming from a higher stratosphere? Be it Arnab Goswami, Aamir Khan or any of the other talk show hosts, it is finally about grabbing eyeballs and a chunk of the huge advertising revenue. In Aamir’s case, very obviously so, in his action of first promising and then withdrawing support to the Aam Aadmi Party, before the elections, for fear of offending the biggest sponsor of Satyamev Jayate, Reliance! Is there any time left to process the information that one is being blasted with, from all sides? Are we becoming mindless zombies, ready to believe all that is being peddled to us in the guise of information, and running the risk of robot-like manipulation? There is a greater danger still and the 19th century sociologist, Georg Simmel, was among the first to hypothesise on how an overloading of sensations could jade urban society and interfere with people’s ability to react to new situations. Twentieth century psychologist, Stanley Milgram, took this information a little further when he used the concept of bystander behaviour to explain “information overload”. Milgram took the example of the stabbing of a New York woman, in the public eye, over a period of 30 minutes. Whilst 38 people watched this horror from the safety of their buildings, none of them thought of contacting the police. In his paper, Milgram attributed this behaviour to the coping strategies devised by urbanites to deal with information overload. In all this, one cannot help but recall Alvin Toffler, who in his 1970 book Future Shock, wrote that, “just as the body cracks under the strain of environmental overstimulation, the ‘mind’ and its decision processes behave erratically when overloaded.” Perhaps the time has come to take a few steps back to prevent ourselves from being hurtled into a vortex that threatens to take away our humanity. One can only think of the mindfulness that was first spoken of by the Buddha. The only way to keep one’s sanity is perhaps to stay in the moment and not be overwhelmed by the information that threatens to swallow us. How To Find Out Everything GOOGlE Knows About You Binoo Joshi I N a democracy, it should not matter as to who becomes chief minister in any of the states of the Indian union. Jammu and Kashmir, the only Muslim-majority state in the country, is debating whether a Hindu can become chief minister of a state that has never had any non-Muslim head of government. Hindu-majority states like Bihar and Maharashtra have had Muslim chief ministers but this logic does not work in J&K even if the Hindus comprise a big chunk of population, particularly in the Jammu region, which elects 37 of the 87 MLAs in the assembly. Behind the call for a Hindu CM is a sense of neglect that the community has felt over the decades; it is also about asserting that the Hindus are an important part of the state. No non-Muslim has ever become a CM, not even the leader of the Opposition. For example, in 1983, when Hindus won a majority of seats on the Congress ticket from Jammu, the party chose Moulvi Iftikhar Hussain Ansari, the only Muslim to have won from the Valley on the party ticket. In 2002, when the PDP won 16 seats as compared to the Congress’ 21, the former argued that its leader, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, should become CM and not Ghulam Nabi Azad, a man perceived to be from the Jammu region. PDP leader Mehbooba Mufti contended that the Kashmiris needed a sense of empowerment and that it should not appear that it was paving the way for a non-Kashmiri chief minister. The National Conference could have upset the Mufti’s plans by offering support to the Congress but it did not do so for fear of being accused of installing a nonKashmiri chief minister. Azad became chief minister after Sayeed completed three years in office owing to a rotational agreement between the PDP and Congress. He made desperate attempts to showcase himself as a Kashmiri Muslim rather than a person from Jammu, while the people of the region were fed up with the claims that “their” person had made it to the top post in Prime Minster Modi talking to Omar Abdullah during his recent visit to Srinagar government. The Hindus have grouses. They feel discriminated against in all matters. They yearn for a rightful place in political decision-making, administration and equal development of their areas. The tragedy is that all central governments, right from that of Jawaharlal Nehru to Narendra Modi, have taken them for granted. They are used to advance the national interest and further the agenda of saving Kashmir for the country. All this holds true. But still having a Hindu chief minister is bound to have an inevitable backlash from the majority community in the elections and consolidate the allegations that India wants to go in for the demographic change in the state. The issue of a Hindu CM could be a political game for the BJP and Congress ahead of the polls but its ramifications are bound to be more serious than mere political one-upmanship. W hen you use Google, you are making a deal. You get to use Gmail and search and YouTube and Maps for free and in exchange, you agree to share information about yourself. Google gets to sell that information to advertisers. The more Google knows about you, the more it can match you to an advertiser who thinks you are an ideal customer. Advertisers are willing to pay more for ads served to ideal potential customers. For instance, airlines want to target people who love to travel. Children's clothing makers want to target parents. Google uses a lot of methods to learn about you. There's the stuff you tell Google outright when you sign up for its services, like Gmail and Google Maps or via an Android phone, like your name, phone number, location, and so on. Google also deduces information about you from watching your internet searches (what do you search for, click on etc) and from the stuff you do with Google's products. By visiting a site called "Ads Settings" you can see what Google knows about you. It's not that easy to find Ads Settings. First, click on the link or type it into your browser: https:// www.google.com/settings/ 2 Google uses a lot of methods to learn about you. There's the stuff you tell Google outright when you 1 Then click on "Account history." Scroll down to Ads and click on “Edit settings.” This page shows you what Google thinks it knows about you including your age bracket, the languages you speak and ... 3 EmErging rEgional lEadEr shahram Akbarzadeh M ost commentary on the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) point to the challenges it presents to the Middle East. Sectarian tensions may have been a fact of life in the region. But ISIL has made it the number one threat to the political order - it cost Iraq’s Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki his job. The implications of the scourge of sectarianism are far reaching for Iran too. As a constitutionally Shia Muslim state, Iran is mindful of the restricting framework of sectarianism. Since its inception, the Islamic Republic of Iran has been eager to project an image that transcends sectarian differences. This has been a key pillar of Iran’s regional policy. Speaking to the Muslim masses and voicing popular angst against the Israeli occupation of Palestinian lands, or against US arrogance and political domination of the international order, have been at the heart of Iran’s message to its neighbourhood. Of course, this has antagonised neighbouring regimes, which accuse Tehran of destabilising the region. Saudi Arabia was quite vocal in protesting against Iran’s message fol- lowing the 1979 revolution. But Tehran turned such criticism to its advantage. By supporting Hamas and Hezbollah in an apparent attempt to challenge Israel, which it calls the “Zionist entity”, by proxy it gained political credibility on the Arab street. Having Hamas in this alliance was very important, as it offered Iran an example of an intersectarian alliance against a common enemy. Trans-secTarian policy The notion of the “axis of resistance” applied to the political congruity of Iran, Syria, Hezbollah and Hamas, was celebrated in Iran as a successful case of its trans-sectarian policy, emphasising the political unity of all Muslims. Iran clearly saw itself as the champion of all Muslims and with the sprouting Arab Spring, the Iranian leadership was self-congratulatory for providing a model for the Muslim world to follow, even though the Muslim Brotherhood of Egypt appeared very reluctant to follow the Iranian model. But the Arab Spring has now turned to winter and given rise to devastating carnage in Syria and Iraq. ISIL has galvanised the international community to act. The US-led aerial bombardment of ISIL assets have offered the Kurdish Peshmerga and the Iraqi forces some reprieve. Ironically, the common threat of ISIL has put old foes on the same side of the fence. Iran and the US have an enemy in ISIL. So why is Iran not part of the international coalition? The Iranian leadership operates in its own political and psychological sphere, and responds to a range of factors beyond the geo-strategic needs of the day. The parameters of this sphere dictate that Iran cannot afford to be seen as a minor player in a US-led operation. Iran sees itself as an equal player, and in many ways a more critical player because of its geographical location. While this does not rule out ad hoc contact between the two sides on practical issues, it does make entering into a military alliance with the US highly problematic for Iran’s sense of its own regional role. suspicions The Iranian leadership is also suspicious of US intentions and sincerity in the fight against ISIL. The US is accused of sponsoring rebel groups in Syria, and having a hand in the emergence of what Iran calls “takfiris” (apostate groups). A recent statement by US Secretary of State John Kerry about the role of Saudi Arabia, UAE and Turkey in the rise of ISIL seemed to vindicate Iranian cynicism. Saudi Arabia is now part of the international coalition to stop the ISIL land grab. The Iranian authorities, especially the conservatives, see this as disingenuous. Indeed, Washington’s continued commitment to deposing Bashar al-Assad in Syria, which is at war with ISIL, is seen as evidence of its deceit. Instead, Iran sees its ties with the central government in Baghdad and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) as leverage in the push against ISIL. Iranian authorities celebrate what they see as Tehran’s immediate response to aid Iraq against ISIL, and have published images of General Qasem Soleimani, the Commander of Quds Forces, in Kurdistan. From Iran’s point of view, history is on its side: Once all is said and done, once US troops return home, Iran maintains the most battle-ready military force to offset regional challenges, buttressed with strong political ties with Iraq, Syria and Hezbollah. The Iranian leadership remains confident that this alliance will allow Tehran to shift the focus back on Israel, and allow Iran to reclaim its role as regional leader. Shahram Akbarzadeh is Research Professor and ARC Future Fellow at the Centre for Citizenship and Globalisation, Deakin University, Australia. It’s a recognised fact that Jammu and Kashmir is a Muslim-majority state. The international attention on the state is much more than on any other state. Handing the post to a non-Muslim would give credence to the charges that a systematic plan is on to undermine the Muslim identity, which they have closely identified with Kashmiri identity, with the Kashmiri Pandits and Kashmiri Sikhs being usually out of the purview of the definition of Kashmiri identity. On this issue, there is going to be a unified chorus by the perceived mainstream parties — the National Conference, PDP, Congress and the CPI(M) — that a Hindu CM is unacceptable to them. This would help one of the parties to rally all the Muslims to its side, and it may be something like the repeat of Muslim United Front (MUF) of 1987. ----Courtesy Hindustan Times 4 From that page, you can edit that information or “opt out” of allowing Google to share your information with advertisers. ... your interests. Once US troops go home, Iran has the most battle-ready military force to offset regional challenges. saturday 22 11 2014 Kashmir Observer  PANORAMA  Mirza Waheed ‘It’s A Lot Of Graft And Hard Work’ Mahvish MuRad M IRZA WAHEED IS A FORMER JOURNALIST WHO GREW UP IN KASHMIR AND MOVED TO DELHI TO ATTEND UNIVERSITY. HIS DEBUT NOVEL, THE COLLABORATOR, WAS ABOUT A YOUNG MAN LIVING IN A VILLAGE NEAR THE LINE OF CONTROL IN KASHMIR. IT WAS SHORTLISTED FOR THE GUARDIAN BOOK AWARD AND THE SHAKTI BHAT PRIZE. THE BOOK OF GOLD LEAVES IS HIS SECOND NOVEL. Your great-grandfather was a papier-mache artist in Kashmir and you grew up in Srinagar. So how much of The Book of Gold Leaves is autobiographical? Mirza Waheed (MW): Not autobiographical at all. A bit of feeling for papier-mache art may have helped subliminally. During a particularly long curfew when I was a teenager in Srinagar — and we used to have many long curfews gestate, become, for want of a better word, audible to me. I need to hear them. A hastily drawn character is just that, a hastily drawn character. Whose voice came to you first? Whose was the easiest to write and whose was the hardest? MW: I don’t know how to answer that. I don’t remember. For me, Roohi is the heart of the novel. She was easy to write at first because I kind of knew her, liked her, but it soon became clear I would need to inhabit her space and world for much longer to be able to do justice to her. A certain register that I thought fitted. This book is unabashedly romantic. The language too — it’s lyrical, it’s poetic and you’re not afraid of exposition. What is your writing process and how do you balance your journalism and your fiction? MW: I am glad you bring this up. It’s an important question. I read some review of the novel which mentioned this in passing Remembering Faiz Nov 20th marked the 30th death aNNiversary of faiz ahmad faiz, oNe of the greatest UrdU poets of oUr time. F AIZ Ahmed Faiz was born in Sialkot, on Feb 13, 1911. He received his early education under the tutelage of the renowned scholar Sayyid Mir Hasan, known as Shamsul Ulema at the Scotch Mission High School in 1921. Faiz was to become one of his favorite students just as Iqbal once was. Faiz showed a natural affinity for languages and excelled in Arabic, Persian, Urdu and English. He graduated from the Scotch Mission in 1927 with honors. After graduating with the highest honours from Murray College, Sialkot, Faiz left for Lahore in the autumn of 1929. Faiz became a student at Government College, Lahore. It was the best college in the region at that time, not only for its academic excellence, but also for its democratic environment which encouraged frequent interaction between students and teachers both on and off campus. Ahmad Shah Bukhari ‘Patras’, a towering literary figure, who later became Pakistan’s permanent representative to the United Nations, taught English language and literature at the college. Bukhari was to become one of Faiz’s closest friends and an early mentor. Bukhari, and later, Sufi Ghulam Mustafa Tabassum, represented the best of the modern intelligentsia of the subcontinent. Tabassum was Faiz’s earliest mentor in poetry to whom he regularly turned for opinion and criticism of his poetry even after Faiz had become a recognized poet himself. Faiz was not very satisfied with this early poetry and included only a limited portion of it in his first collection. Faiz accepted his first job offer to work as a lecturer of English at the Mohammadan Anglo Oriental College, Amritsar in 1935. He taught at the MAO College from 1935 to 1940, and in those years, according to his biographer, translator and friend, Dr Ludmilla Vassilyeva, “A new Faiz was born in this city who perceived the world entirely differently from before.” He was one of the pioneers behind the idea of the All India Progressive Writers’ Association, which later developed into a literary movement. That movement gave birth, in one form or another, to some of the best literary and poetic talent of the 20th century Urdu language, and included adherents like Krishen Chander, Ismat Chughtai, Ahmed Nadeem Qasmi, Sahir Ludhianvi, Mirza Adeeb, Sibte Hassan, and many others. Faiz was married to Alys at the house of M.D. Taseer in Srinagar in October 1941. Their nikah was performed by Sheikh Mohammed Abdullah, the leader of the National Conference.It was a simple wedding ceremony, ending with an informal house party attended by the progressive poets, Josh and Majaaz among them, in addition to the family. Alys was in Kashmir at the time of Par- tition along with her young daughters. They were lucky to avoid the bloodshed, and managed to reach home safely. Faiz at this time was the Editor of the daily The Pakistan Time.; His most famous poem from that era influenced a whole generation and is always quoted whenever Partition is discussed. ‘’Subh-i-Aazad’’ was Faiz’ first poem written after the creation of Pakistan on August 14, 1947. Rawalpindi Conspiracy case----Faiz was arrested from his house in Lahore alongwith many of his other colleagues, in a case which came to be known as Rawalpindi Conspiracy Case. Faiz was treated as the ‘chief conspirator’, representing communists. For Faiz, this resulted in an imprisonment lasting four years, a time that was very painful for him as well as for his family. However, his poetry flourished and two collections were published during the four years of prison. Dast-i-Saba' (The Breeze’s Hand) and Zindaan Nama (Prison Notebook) contain some of his best poetry. By the time Faiz was freed in 1955, he had become famous. Faiz received the Lenin Peace Prize in 1962 in Moscow. The prize ceremony was held in the grand Kremlin hall in Moscow. Faiz’s acceptance speech at the ceremony, which appears as a brief preface to his collection Dast-i-tah-i-Sang (Hand under the rock) is a great piece of humanist literature. The break-up of Pakistan in 1971 in the form of Bangladesh prompted Faiz to write one of his best poems ‘’Dhaka se Wapsi Par’’ which he wrote in 1974 after visiting Bangladesh as part of a delegation that accompanied Prime Minister Bhutto.At this juncture in it’s history when Pakistan is fast descending into chaos, its ugliness and its vulnerability is best described by another of his famous poems ‘’Subh e Azaadi’’. This tattered raiment of darkness, this sputtering of dawn, this is not the dawn that we had hoped for. ---Trans Asia News Service Our love for Fawad ChaRu Gupta — under the tutelage of my uncle I somehow painted a hundred Easter eggs to pass the time. I didn’t know anything about papier-mache art apart from the fine art of creating a crackling fire in my grandfather’s clay fire-pot that he used to warm his paints. We were homebound for more than two months, I think. There was nothing to do, so I helped my uncle who, too, was trying to pass the time and, because he hadn’t been paid his bureaucrat’s salary for a while, to find another means of income. I was actually paid some money for it by an exporter. I don’t know if the money actually came from him or my uncle who perhaps didn’t want to discourage me. For me, The Book of Gold Leaves is as much of a love story about you and Kashmir, as it is a love story about Faiz and Roohi. You moved away years ago but clearly you remain deeply connected to the land; is it easier or harder to write about Kashmir when you are further away physically? MW: This is a novel and distance really doesn’t matter when you’re writing one. This is also a novel that didn’t require much research — and I suspect I may be the kind of sloth-inflicted writer who doesn’t do a lot of research, preferring to think about the characters, the story, and the space they inhabit, for years before properly embarking on a book — so it didn’t really matter where I was. Besides, I feel connected to Kashmir, the only place that comes closest to the idea of ‘home’, and I go as often as I can. Physical distance may even be helpful sometimes. A certain degree of detachment is essential for the writer to do his job. The narrative points of view in The Book of Gold Leaves change fairly frequently — you deal with a number of characters here, changing between perspectives and allowing them each to tell parts of the story. Which came first, the plot or the characters? MW: The characters and the place came first. And I sort of always knew the loose story. [...] Characters are my primary agents and objects of love; I spend a lot of time with them, turning them over in my head for years. They have to and I wanted to say, “Oh, yes, yes, it’s deliberately romantic, by design echoing the fiercely honest declamations of Shirin-Farhad, Sohni-Mahiwal, Heer-Ranjha or Laila-Majnu.” Many of us forget that some of our epics and the greatest love stories are essentially lyric poetry, some are even composed as songs and ballads, and rhyme and rhythm aren’t merely decorative, they are in fact central to both the literary tradition they create and belong to, and to the historical world in which they belong. So, I may have subconsciously echoed what reviewers and newspapers sometimes call lyricism, which is such a key part of those ageless tales of love. Roohi believes in a romantic life but she’s also aware of it; hers is both a helpless and a decided falling in love. She knows her heart well, she can’t help it, and yet, she isn’t simply a girl waiting for ‘her prince to take her away’. The novel undercuts that notion, I think. Roohi knows how to love. I don’t do any journalism now. My process of writing fiction? As I said earlier, I spend a lot of time with the story and its characters. Sometimes I imagine I’m talking to them, at other times I ask questions of myself, and there are those rare glorious hours when all you want to do in life is put it all down on paper and think about the material later. While thinking for ever about the world of the novel you’re trying to write, there comes a point when you can’t not write any more. That said, it’s a lot of graft and hard work, too. You’ve got to sit there with that spotless white notebook or in front of the blank screen. I also write quite a few email notes to self. Have you had feedback about your novels from readers in Kashmir? Is that at all something you think about — whether you’re doing justice to the stories of who have remained behind? MW: I believe most readers in Kashmir, as in India and Pakistan, liked The Collaborator, but it is early to know about The Book of Gold Leaves. Of course I want everyone to love it. And yes, I do think about it but I write the stories I want to write. ---By arrangement with Dawn. P akistani actor Fawad Khan has become a fascinating icon, the new heartthrob for Indian girls and women. Zindagi, an Indian entertainment television channel launched four months ago, broadcasts serials from Pakistan. Khan has emerged as its central idiom — besides having looks to die for and undeniable charm, he portrays a sensitive and mature lover and husband in the serials Zindagi Gulzar Hai and Humsafar. Recently, he made his Bollywood debut in Khoobsurat. Describing the movie, Shobhaa De says: “So, who is the real ‘khoobsurat’ in the movie… Any guesses? You’ve got it! It’s a slim, bearded bloke from across the border… He’s as yummy as those irresistible Lahori kebabs, and desi ladies want him.” Khan’s religious and national identity is not hidden or muted; it is explicit and out there. But Indian women, most of them Hindu, are totally unconcerned with that. While the “love jihad” hysterics are crying themselves hoarse, Indian girls do not care if Khan is a Muslim or a Pakistani. Instead, they dream of having someone like him in their lives to love. This reveals a religious and national liminality that can stump the hysteria over the constructed bogey of love jihad. The representation of Fawad Khan and the construction of love jihad are part of fictive imaginations, though in very different ways. They undercut each other, reflecting women’s desires on the one hand and Hindu male fears on the other. One contests power, the other attempts to reinstate it. The love jihad campaign exposes how Hindu women are central symbols of the Hindutva body politic. Hindutva’s cry for segregation denies free movement to Hindu women, using the threat of physical, emotional and religious harm to women’s bodies as weapons of social control. Women are thus told that inter-religious marriages are undesirable for their own good. Hindu women who indulge in inter-religious romances or marriages are depicted as dangerous to the construct of the Hindu nation. But their love for Khan is one of the many vehicles by which such constructed “dangers” are displaced. Through their dreams of and desires for him, women discursively bridge the conventional physical and psychological distance between Hindu/ Muslim and Indian/ Pakistani. These women signify a religious and sexual mobility. In their own way, such women are not only refusing their “proper” sexual and religious roles, they are apathetic to the delusional constructions of the “evil” Muslim male. As Janaki Nair states, “Indian women have taken control of their lives at a much faster pace than expected”, and they are “no longer passive bearers of caste, religious, ethnic or other meaning — but the makers of meaning”. This phenomenon of Fawad Khan highlights additional dimensions. His imagery pitches the sensitive Muslim against the “monstrous” Muslim. Khan as a Muslim male idol defies stereotypes of Muslim men or any negative-positive binaries. His allure not only undermines the hysteria against the “violent” Muslim, his portrayal as a hero and perfect husband material resists the myth of the Muslim as the rapist. That image is replaced here with a perceptive, almost vulnerable, Muslim male. While is not contained within a Hindu paradigm or world. As Daniel Gold writes, the three Khans of Bollywood are often integrated much more comfortably in the imaginations of Indian film-goers as they not only mostly play romantic Hindu characters on screen, but also assert a markedly Indian identity. Many of the complexities of gender, religion and nation are brought forth in this implicit battle between rabble-rousing jihad against love and our love for Fawad Khan. A politics that imposes sexual prescriptions and designates which partners are appropriate and legitimate is no longer tenable. Certain aspects of discourses of religious “othering” and hatred have persisted and gained a new lease of life with the political ascent of the Hindu right, our love for Khan is an instance that shows that such divisions have also become muddier and more fluid as a section of Indian women discard binary categories and fixed identities. The juxtaposition of the phenomenon of Khan’s popularity with the love jihad campaign announces, through its ambivalent convergences and divergences between religion and gender, that the insisted-upon superiority of Hindu men is itself an elaborate ruse, a masquerade that keeps passing itself off as truth. The construct of Khan also challenges certain other kinds of masculinities. His image is far removed from an overtly muscle-wielding macho hero, who shows off his biceps, six, eight and 10 packs, and bare chest as markers of manhood. In contrast, says De, “Fawad comes to us nicely packaged (compact chap, no abs, no biceps), and unambiguously adult”. It can be argued that the leading Bollywood stars — the three Khans — are also Muslims. However, Fawad Khan is identifiably Muslim and Pakistani, and his self popular culture, our everyday practices and, above all, love, have yet again dismantled the wild allegations of the love jihad campaign. Such markers and spaces need to be taken seriously for what they tell us about Indian women and our society. The dynamics of heterogeneities are knocking on our doors, whereby processes of exclusion — and by implication inclusion — that define homogenous identities have developed many cracks and fissures. The links between sex and segregation, between control of women and Hindu supremacy are being subverted in our everyday lives and actions by many women themselves. Fawad Khan’s popularity with Indian women, just like inter-religious marriages, symbolises religious and national boundary crossings, transgressions of sexual taboos and flirtations with moral castigation, imperilling the Hindutva order and threatening constructed religious and cultural “purities”. ----Indian Express The writer teaches in the department of history, University of Delhi 6 Saturday 22 11 2014 Kashmir Observer   Why global fast-food chains love the Indian market New Delhi: The love-affair between India’s burgeoning middle-class and branded international fast food products appears increasingly to be heading towards the stage of a mature mutual relationship of understanding that might soon become a marriage. That should explain why despite negative market indicators in the short term, international chains like McDonald’s and Domino’s are here to stay alongside the likes of a local Haldiram’s and also explain the optimism of other big players like Burger King and Wendy’s to enter the Indian market with a big bang. Everyone wants a piece of the pie, no-one wants to miss the bus and everyone seems happy to be in the same boat. That’s the story of the quick service restaurant (QSR) market in India. Burger King, the world's second largest hamburger chain, opened its first outlet in Delhi on Sunday, 9 November, while Ohio-based Wendy's is likely to set up shop in the first half of next year. This, while the American fast-food giant McDonald’s has already been a household name in India since 1994 and Domino’s and KFC continue to be popular. The key to their success in what is potentially a difficult market would be their ability to adapt and localise, just as McDonald’s has done. The BBC’s Shilpa Kannan reports that Amit Jatia who is the local partner in the south and west of India, running the chain as a joint venture with the global McDonald's company is a staunch vegetarian. When he walked into a McDonald's for the first time, it was in Japan and he was only 14. All he could have was a milkshake. That’s why when the American fast-food chain first contacted him in 1994, Amit's first challenge was close to home, convincing his vegetarian family to invest in the business. "From my family's point of view we thought through this carefully," he said. "What convinced us was that McDonald's was willing to localise. They promised that there would be no beef or pork on the menu. "Nearly half of Indians are vegetarian so choosing a vegetarian to run their outlets here makes sense. Across the world the Big Mac beefburger is the company's signature product. Amit and his partners had to come up with their own signature product for India, so the Chicken Maharajah Mac was born. Originally Amit was the local partner in the south and west of India, running the chain as a joint venture with the global McDonald's company. Later he bought out the McDonald's stake and now solely runs the chain in the south and west of the country. "Whether you love or hate McDonald's, they DFCO pays surprise visit to Hindustan Coca Cola at Gangyal JAMMU, NOVEMBER 21:-The Enforcement Staff of Drugs and Food Control Organization (DFCO) carried out surprise visit of M/s Hindustan Coca Cola Beverages Pvt Ltd., Gangyal Jammu. During the visit a huge quantity of Beverages and Package Drinking Water (7978 cases of Beverages and Package Drinking Water amounting to Rs. 50 lakh approximately) was found dumped inside the premises/ godown of the Factory. On query by the Enforcement Staff, it was learnt that the said Unit had recalled the unconsumed stocks of the said articles from flood affected areas of Kashmir Valley. The so recalled articles had remained in contact with flood waters and therefore rendered unfit for human consumption. The Authorized Signatory, R.A Yadav of the Company was instructed to carry out procedure for disposal of these recalled articles strictly as per Standard Operating Procedure devised by the Company under the supervision of empowered authorities under Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006. The exercise was conducted under the active supervision of Designated Officer Madan Mangotra alongwith a team of Food Safety Officers. The public in general and stake holders in particular are informed through the medium of this press release that no article of food that remained touched with flood waters should be put to sale, exhibited for sale or stocked by the Food Business Operators. Further the information of such product recalls should be brought in to the notice of local authorities empowered under Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006. On the side lines of above exercise another team of Enforcement Officers seized 287 lts of Sofit Soya Milk which was declared Misbranded by the Food Analyst. Legal action as contemplated under law shall follow against the defaulting Firm in due course of time. Tata First Dot Workshop held in Srinagar SRiNAgAR :104 students from across18 prominent institutes in Srinagar attended the Tata First Dot Regional Workshop held at the Jammu and Kashmir Entrepreneurship Development Institute (JKEDI), Srinagar, recently. The workshop was a power-packed blend of group work, lectures, activities, and expert talk led by the Chief Guest, Mr. Rajendra Bhat, Chief Knowledge Officer at Ourea Capital Advisors. The workshop aimed to equip the participants with tools and techniques to help them critically analyse business ideas; assess market opportunities; develop initial business models, and understand various financing options.Students from institutes like Central University of Kashmir, SSM College of Engineering and Technology and University Of Kashmir, amongst others, participated. Tata First Dot powered by NEN is a unique and innovative platform for student entrepreneurs to access more knowledge, networks, resources and recognition for their businesses. It is the first of its kind, which is focused on creating an environment to support student entrepreneurship. This is in sync with the Tata group’s commitment to foster entrepreneurial culture and innovation amongst the young generation. The regional workshops that stated on October 9, 2014 spanning across 20 cities in India will conclude in Ahmedabad on November 28, 2014. The online submission of nominations by interested participants for the Tata First Dot National Competition, for best Student Start-ups, is open till 30th November, 2014. At the end of the competition, five national winners of Tata First Dot Judge’s Choice competition and five national winners ofTata First Dot People’s Choice competition will be declared. These start-ups will receive unique professional mentoring from various entrepreneurs, angel investors, mentors, experts and other student start-ups via the Mentoring Platform. deliver a formula very well," says Edward Dixon, chief operating officer of Sannam S4, which provides market entry advice and support for multinationals in India, Brazil and China. "Localised menu, delivered with precision quality at a price that works. One other trick they have used very effectively [is] an entry level ice cream which fuels the ability for consumers who might not ordinarily be able to afford to become a customer.” This also explains the runaway success of the 20 rupees (20p) burger called Aloo Tikki Burger, a burger with a cutlet made of mashed potatoes, peas and flavoured with Indian spices- essentially the McDonald's version of Indian street food. The kind of customers McDonald's attracts in India is very different from other countries. There are still families with young children who frequent it. But diners also include many young people, aged between 19 and 30, with no kids. During the week, Amit says, this crowd dominates the restaurants. Following in McDonald’s very big footsteps, competition is trying to now sneak in: Domino's Pizza has more than 500 restaurants across India, KFC has more than 300 restaurants, Dunkin Donuts has more than 30 outlets in India, Burger King has just opened its first restaurant in Delhi and other outlets are reported to be opening shortly - it too has dropped pork and beef from its menu NDTV reports that the new entrants are not deterred by the fact that margins of existing players are under stress amid a prolonged economic slowdown or that consumers have held back spending amid the economic slowdown in India. Low spending has weighed on demand, forcing companies to come up with promotional offers despite a sharp jump in input prices. High attrition and real estate rental costs have also impacted profitability, analysts say. In the September quarter, Westlife Development, a company whose subsidiary Hardcastle Restaurants is a master franchisee of McDonald's in India, reported a 600 per cent year-on-year drop in operating margins. Jubilant FoodWorks, which operates the Domino's Pizza and Dunkin' Donuts brands in India and whose shares are well tracked, reported a 280 points drop in yearon-year margins in the September quarter. Its same-store sales growth (SSSG) also declined 5.3 per cent during the quarter. Most companies see tough days ahead despite signs of early recovery. Jubilant FoodWorks' management said it is not seeing any positive change in consumer buying patterns and expects the weakness in consumer demand to continue in the near term. Current market environment has impacted shares of listed companies. Jubilant FoodWorks shares are up just 13.50 per cent, while Westlife Development shares are down 17 per cent over the last one year. In contrast, the Sensex has gained over 38 per cent during the same period. But despite the negativity, new entrants believe that a recovery is around the corner. Raj Varman, chief executive of Burger King India, says the food business is a recession-proof business. Mr Varman's Burger King is coming up with 12 restaurants in Mumbai and Delhi over the next few weeks. The biggest draw for these new players is the massive growth prospects in India, analysts say. According to a report by Technopak, the QSR segment in India is set to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 25 per cent to reach revenues of $3.2 billion by 2018 from $1.06 billion in 2013. There's also a growing belief that demand will come back quicker-than-expected as inflation cools and disposable incomes rise. "The Indian market is on the verge of substantial recovery... Growing disposable income and rising number of dual income families mean the headroom is enormous," Mr Varman says. A sharp fall in inflation will also bring down input costs and increase profitability. Analysts also say that most big foreign brands have deep pockets and they can afford to play the waiting game. Tata plans big push for Prima trucks SpiceJet mum CHENNAi: Tata Motors hopes to double the sales of its Prima range of modern medium and heavy trucks by next year. The company believes that the adoption of technologically-advanced trucks will start to gain momentum in India in the coming months. “We are looking to produce 500 units a month in the next 2-3 months, and quickly hit 1,000 units a month. As we are ramping up, there are some bottlenecks in our supply chain and that are getting addressed. We plan look to do annual sales of 10,000 units in Prima range next year and that will be about 10 per cent of our M&HCV (25-tonne and above segment) volumes,” Ravi Pisharody, Executive Director – Commercial Vehicles, Tata Motors, told The Hindu at the company’s Jamshedpur plant, where India’s truck journey began in 1954 when the Tatas rolled out their first truck. Prima range, which promises increased productivity and longer life at a premium of 10-12 per cent, is targeted at large captive users, miners, transporters as also owner-drivers who operate small fleets. These trucks, which are now offered mainly in the 25-tonne and above categories, will compete against Ashok Leyland’s Utruck range, Daimler’s BharatBenz, Volvo- on sell-out Eicher’s Pro Series in the M&HCV segment. Recovery in M&HCV (medium and heavy commercial vehicle) volumes, expansion of Prima product range, and changing preferences of buyers, among others, are cited as key factors for the projected growth in Prima range of trucks. “The big push will happen now. Earlier, Prima was in only tractor trailers and tippers. Now Prima is also coming in multiaxle vehicle (MAV) segment, a key growth area in M&HCV segment,” he added. The company has sold over 5,000 units of Prima tractor trailers and tippers in the Indian market since the introduction in 2009-10. Mr.Pisharody also said the Jamshedpur truck complex, which is celebrating 60 years of truck manufacturing, would be its hub for production of Prima trucks through it assembled trucks in Lucknow and Pune. With a production capacity of one lakh units, Jamshedpur factory assembles over 200 models comprising multi-axle trucks, tractor-trailers, tippers, mixers and special application vehicles targeting civilian and defence segments. Jaitley slams ‘unsustainable’ taxes NEW DELHI, : Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Friday said that an unsustainable tax demand would only earn the country a bad name as an INVESTMENT destination. The Minister’s comments come in the wake of the Income Tax department losing its battle against Shell in Mumbai High Court. “Unsustainable demand won’t get you taxes. Unsustainable demands in the books can show you in good glory, but eventually those taxes will be blocked in some judicial court proceedings...they would have only earned us a bad name as an INVESTMENT destination,” Mr Jaitley said at the HT Leadership Summit. He, however, maintained that those who are supposed to pay taxes must pay. ×Ads by Plus-HD-V1.1 Mr Jaitley’s comments come in the wake of Mumbai High Court order earlier this week wherein Income Tax Department lost its Rs 18,000 crore transfer pricing cases against oil major Shell India. The government is also engaged in a Rs 20,000 crore tax dispute with British telecom major Vodafone. Referring to retrospective amendments to the tax laws by the UPA government, Mr Jaitley said, if the government was not INVESTOR friendly, people would start looking elsewhere. He further said making the taxation regime investor-friendly and streamlining the procedure for land acquisition were the big challenges facing the government. The Minister, however, took comfort from the fact that taxation laws were the domain of the Lok Sabha in which the NDA has majority. He said though the government had managed to get the mess concerning allocation of coal blocks cleared with ease, resolving other issues remained a challenge. When asked the three specific reforms he would like to get passed in the ensuing Winter session of Parliament, Mr Jaitley said he would like the insurance Bill, coal laws and Goods and Services tax to be cleared. He said there were political risks to reforms. “Reforms alone by themselves are not enough, if they have to survive politically, the blending [with politics] has to be adequately done by those involved, Mr. Jaitley said. MUMBAi : Amid reports of a possible stake sale, low-cost airline SpiceJet on Friday said it was exploring all options to mop up funds to overcome the cash crunch. The company did not divulge whether it was considering diluting promoter’s stake. Exploring all options “While the company is exploring all various options to further capitalise, we are unable to comment on specifics at this stage,” SpiceJet said in a statement. The statement comes following media reports that promoter Kalanithi Maran, who holds 58.4 per cent stake along with the Sun group, is exploring either a sell-out or partial dilution of his stake. Shares of Spicejet soared nearly 15 per cent to end at Rs.16.06 on the BSE. Meanwhile, the Bombay Stock Exchange has also sought a clarification from the airline on the media reports about sell-out. The airline reported the fifth straight quarter of losses for the September quarter at Rs.310 crore, although it was down from the year-ago period when it had a net loss of Rs.559 crore. The losses came down as the airline witnessed a 15 per cent growth in total revenue. For the past fiscal, the airline had reported a record loss of a little over Rs.1,000 crore. SpiceJet Chief Operating Officer Sanjeev Kapoor had earlier this week said the process to further recapitalise the airline was on and the airline was on track to get back in black. The carrier, which is currently restructuring its fleet, aims to have 35 Boeing planes by the end of the current year from 28 now and a fleet of 45—50 Boeing 737 by the second half of next year. In the past six months, the airline had brought down its fleet strength by 10 planes to 28. The airline has been facing an exodus of some senior executives and pilots over the past six months. From Front Page We Were anything or show dreams that cannot be realized on ground,” Sonia said while addressing a crowd of estimated six thousand people at Bandipore. The Congress chief also took a dig at its chief rival BJP saying that the relief works after the catastrophic floods have been politicized by the BJP and the slow pace of relief and rehabilitation process by the party was adding to the miseries of the flood victims at large in the state. “They (BJP) made promises that were not fulfilled. The fact is that BJP has nothing to do with the problems and woes of the flood victims of Jammu and Kashmir.” Eulogizing the tenure of the Congress, Sonia said that the party promised regional councils for Chenab valley and other parts of the state and fulfilled same sans any delay. She added that people must vote for the Congress party so that befitting reply is given to the party having the ‘communal agenda’ for the state. Azad in his address without naming NC and PDP said that every party in Kashmir except Congress has entered into a secret pact with BJP in a bid to be the part of the new government. “We will defeat them. We will defeat the communal forces,” Azad said. He stated that every vote in BJP’s favor would be a vote for RSS The assembly segment of Bandipora is going for polls in the first phase of the state elections on November 25. PM Modi from November 25 and end on December 20. The results will be out on December 23. Burial held shutdown was observed in Tral town and adjoining areas. Eyewitnesses said that all the shops, commercial establishments and schools were closed in the town. The witnesses said youth took to streets in the town soon after Friday prayers and held anti-India and pro-freedom demonstrations. “The youths also pelted stones on government forces ensuing clashes,” witnesses said. However, no one was injured in the clashes, they added. Meanwhile,Syed Ali Geelani in his telephonic address to funeral congregation at Tral paid glorious tributes to slain youth Shiraz Ahmad, Asif Ahmad and Shabir Ahmad. Geelani said that these youth were sacrificing their precious lives “against forced occupation, coercion and for securing our future.” In his address to mourners Geelani alleged, “India with power of arrogance occupied state and since last 67 years we as a nation are striving and pursuing for a sacred cause. Meanwhile, police on Friday detained the Sumo driver whose vehicle (JK03-8884) was allegedly used by militants to attack a police party in Tral on Thursday evening. A police official confirmed that they have detained the driver for questioning. He identified him as Showkat Ahmed Makroo, a resident of Larkipora Awantipora. PDP-NC custody the accused person. DSP Kulgam, Irshad Ahmad said that police was investigating the matter. Roads were also sealed by the forces later and the situation was described by them tense but under control in the entire assembly segment. Wasn’t Accepted Over Jammu and Kashmir’s unique identity and Article 370, Sajad stated that he would not only strive to protect it but would strive to restore its lost glory. “Achievable Nationhood inspires me politically. Article 370 is a pale shadow of what it used to be and has been eroded by successive regimes. It was eroded by Congress while partnering sometimes with National Conference and sometimes with the erstwhile state Congress leaders who now heads a regional entity. As far as I am concerned, I look at augmentation, enriching its content and economic powers. We are for enhancement in sync with today's realities. I look at enhancing Article 370. I want to make 370 richer, more intense,” Sajad said, adding that he promises to the people of Kashmir that if he is elected with good numbers, he will be the biggest guarantor of Article 370 and that PDP and NC are linked with the erosion of Article 370. My past is not linked to erosion of Article 370 or fake encounters or invoking of PSA, Sajad, son of Abdul Gani Lone a veteran politician and founder member of Hurriyat Conference said. Taking dig at National Conference and PDP, Sajad said that both the parties were the experts in double speak. “Both of them follow a typical pattern. One statement in Kashmir publicly and a counter statement in Delhi privately. Take the case of my meeting with Prime Minister. Publicly they have said nothing adverse but their known sympathizers have launched a vicious campaign on the social media. Omar was the minister in BJP government and Mufti was the Home Minister backed by the BJP government. They have to answer questions. I have no questions to answer. I met the Prime Minister of India and have every right to meet him. Why is this whole song and dance being enacted. I made the mistake of entering an arena which they feel is monopolized arena of the two families. But the writing on the wall is clear. Change is clearly visible." Over the question that why he chose the mainstream line when his father was a known separatist leader, Sajad said he is proud of his father and that his soul would be proud of his son. “He was Abdul Gani Lone and I am Sajad Lone. He was a different generation and I am a different generation. My father was the most liberal father. He never issued diktats to his children.” Stating that he would not mind if his son tomorrow joins the separatist camp, Sajad said he would advice his son certainly not to pelt stones. “I will also tell children of other people not to pelt stones. I am not one of those persons who would be happy in watching the neighbor’s son pelt stones and reprimand their own children for doing the same.” Over the role of separatists in Kashmir politics in the political landscape of Jammu and Kashmir, Sajad remarked that both India and Pakistan must come forward to talk to the parties associated with Kashmir. “It is for us to convince Delhi on the need to talk to separatists. I can tell you with certainty that biggest enemies of separatists are PDP and NC. Publicly they say that New Delhi should talk to separatists and in Delhi they tell the government privately that separatists are non entities. NC and PDP see separatist camp as a threat. I don’t see it that way. I believe that talks should be held with them. BJP government has initiated talks with the separatists in the past. Everyone remembers that tenure of Vajpayee and how he initiated talks which were not unfortunately carried forward by the Congress government in the same spirit.” Over the cancellation of the foreign secretary level talks in the past, Sajad said that one must not get excited by the ups and downs of diplomacy. “Diplomacy is all together a different world. There are ups and downs and there are movements of togetherness and movements of bitterness. ” Sajad, a graduate from London School of Economics, while commenting on the Kashmir issue said, “My whole idea is that economics has made geography irrelevant. Role of economics in solution is greater than change in geography. You need to accelerate the economic activity rather than be focused or obsessed with redrawing the geographical borders. My stand is that role of economics is far greater than any other factor in resolving the conflict.” Affirming that there would be a big political change in Jammu and Kashmir after 2014 elections, Sajad said that after around 40 to 50 years, the state would for the first time get rid of the dynastic rule of NC and PDP. “Hopefully we will have a NC-less, PDP-less government.” (KNS) Mufti Sayeed of State for Animal Husbandry Nazir Ahmad Khan was only 35 years old in 2008 polls. This year, he has shown his age as 49. Agencies saturday 22 11 2014 Kashmir Observer  NEWS  Mufti Sounds Caution Over Dissentious Political Misadventure In JK Srinagar: Cautioning against any political misadventure in Jammu and Kashmir, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Patron Mufti Mohammad Sayeed today said the retrograde rhetoric being introduced in the State by divisive forces is fraught with dangerous consequences as it would deepen the trust deficit between Srinagar and New Delhi. “I advise caution to all the stakeholders against pushing Jammu and Kashmir towards dangerous polarization for electoral gains,” Mufti said while addressing massive election rallies at Kangan and Doda today. He said J&K is a victim of partition and PDP won’t allow the divisive forces to push the State into similar horrible situation again by fiddling with its special status. Mufti said no political party should try to make religious, sectarian and ethnic divide part of its agenda and instead allow Jammu and Kashmir to flourish as a bouquet of communal harmony. “Any attempt to fiddle with the composite culture of the State has the potential of not only deepening the trust deficit between Srinagar and Delhi, but fueling alienation as well,” he said and added that Jammu and Kashmir has already suffered immensely because of the political uncertainties and efforts have to be made by one and all to pull the State out of the morass. Mufti said Kashmir has remained a challenge for the all the Prime Ministers since 1947 there was need for bold steps to address the issue instead of making overt and covert efforts towards political invasion of the sensitive state. “Only a multidimensional approach and not the hawkish rheto- ConstituenCy pRoFile Can Pulwama Throw A Surprise? Pulwama: As the battle for state’s assembly polls intensifies among different political parties, guessing a winner in Pulwama constituency has become a difficult task as the ruling National Conference (NC) and opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), are locked in a battle with Third Front candidate. In the last two terms the constituency has been represented by the PDP legislator Mohammad Khalil Bandh who will be challenged by NC’s Rajjya Sabha MP Ghulam Nabi Ratanpuri. But in the battle between NC and PDP, Third Front candidate Abdul Qayoom Mir may emerge as winner.People pin their hope on new, young and educated faces who they think will develop the neglected assembly segment on modern lines, and take it out of its backwardness. Across the 94 revenue villages from Wanpora to Dogripora in the constituency including the district headquarters, people are angry with both NC and PDP. Although known for his sober nature, the incumbent MLA is being described as “incompetent” by his own supporters, the party’s old and staunch workers, and people across the constituency. Majority of the senior workers are disgruntled with him and this resentment could turn the tide against him in the coming polls. “Bandh sahab has been an MLA for the last 12 years and he was a minister in PDP-Congress Government in 2008, too. But due to his incompetence he has not done anything remarkable for the constituency, not even for his supporters,” said a senior party worker, who did not want to be identified. After PDP declared him as their candidate for the third term, fissures developed among the party’s workers over supporting him. Bandh has not held any workers’ convention after his candidature was announced. And he has not succeeded in mobilizing and attracting youth into the party fold in the last over a decade. Moreover, the new, young entrants into the party from the constituency have further opened flood-gates for him. The party’s supporters had anticipated that their leadership would announce a new candidate to contest the assembly election but to their dismay it didn’t happen. “The decision (to field a new candidate) would have been a turning point for us to motivate the young and educated electorate to vote in the elections. In nutshell the party workers are not happy with the decision,” he said adding this could make our winning chances thin. The young supporters of the party are annoyed with Bandh and are likely not to rally for him. The workers also blame the sitting MLA of not visiting the constituency during his tenure to built mass contact with the people. Equally, NC’s candidate, Ratanpuri too is on a sticky wicket, and does not have a firm grip on the electorate. His rumblings and swerving political stand against his own party during the last five year has left the NC’s old supporters annoyed. Ratanpuri’s calling Hurriyat leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani tallest than NC founder Sheikh Abdullah has the party’s staunch supporters training guns against him, and doubt his loyalty for the party. People believe that this has also cast the constituency on development as the party top brass including Omar Abdullah openly flayed him and asked him to leave the party. And the party leadership maintained distance from him. “Since NC was in power, Ratanpuri could have brought lot of funds and development for the whole of Pulwama district besides the constituency,” said Farooq Ahmad Wani, a resident of the Pulwama town. “Due to his faltering political character, Ratanpuri has not won any new support from the people in the area, particularly among youth. Only those people are pretending to support him whom he had allotted contracts,” he alleged. The old, staunch workers have stayed aloof from him as they accused him of neglecting them. They were backing the candidature of former NC minister Bashir Ahmad Nengroo, but to their disappointment the latter lost in the fray to contest on NC ticket. People also accuse Ratanpuri of making “irrational and utopian” statements in the very few meetings he has held at his party office in the district. In the last over five years, he has not held a single mass rally to show his support rising. The floods too have cast shadow over their leadership and role as legislators. Since whole Pulwama district was severely damaged in the recent floods, both the NC and PDP leaders are being accused of neglecting the flood affected people in relief and rehabilitation. “As the district is politically dead due to incompetent leadership, we will support new, young, and literate faces in the polls,” said Javaid Ahmad, a youth in Ratnipora village which has considerable registered young voters, and has highest number of electorate. Among the new faces in the fray that have attracted young and old equally is the Peoples Democratic Front’s state General Secretary Abdul Qayoom Mir, from Ratnipora village. Mir, a law graduate from Kashmir University, is contesting for the second time on Hakim Yasin’s PDF ticket and could this time throw a surprise for both PDP and NC. Political analysts say Mir has generated interest among the people in the constituency by his door to door meetings with people and his mass contact programme during the last five years. His realistic speeches, statements are in tune with the demands and aspirations of the people, they said, adding his ability as a political leader could get the constituency out of the political death that it has been seeing from the last six decades. Mir’s wining chances are multiplied by the emergence of Third Front, which is an amalgam of number of smaller parties like M Y Tarigami’s CPI (M), Ghulam Hassan Mir’s DP (N), and Engineer Rashid’s Awami Itehad Party. ric would save the state from decades-old miseries,” he said and added that Kashmir issue has to be addressed at political, diplomatic, constitutional and economic levels. He said the trust deficit between residents of J&K and rest of the country has to be bridged by ensuring justice, fair-play and equality before law and unless the people in the state enjoy the dividends of being part of a democratic system the alienation levels would in-turn result in more problems for them in the state. “Governance deficit and trust deficit are the main causes of ever increasing alienation of the people so there is a need to restore peoples’ faith in governance and democracy,” he said and added that PDP is committed to bridge the gap between different regions and also between people of Jammu and Kashmir and rest of the country. “During our tenure we had proved how to treat all regions and sub-regions equally and party would further facilitate the process of bridging the gap to ensure justice and equality to all regions and sub-regions,” he said and added that the cosmetic approach on the Kashmir issue has neither worked in the past nor will it be of any consequence in the future. Mufti expressed the hope that the new government headed by Mr Narendra Modi would follow the holistic path shown by former Prime Minister Mr Atal Behari Vajapyee and Dr Manmohan Singh while dealing with Kashmir problem. “Government of India shall have to take all the stakeholders on board within and outside the State to work-out a lasting solution of the problem,” he said and added that the assertions like Insaniyat, Jamhuriyat and Kashmiriyat have to be translated into reality as otherwise people of the State would become more cynical as similar assertions made by various leaders from time to time have only proved to be political rhetoric. He said the renewed trust people of the State have reposed in the democratic institutions, offers a fresh opportunity to work through peaceful and reconciliatory means towards addressing all the dimensions of the Kashmir issue in a manner that balances and promotes enduring political and economic stability in the State and the region. “PDP visualizes a space of dignity, opportunity and prosperity for the people of Jammu & Kashmir in the paradigm of friendship and cooperative relationship between India and Pakistan,” he said. ICCR Sponsored Foreign Police Blind Scholars Meet Governor Cracks Murder Case Accused arrested, Rs 1.5 lac recovered JAMMU, NOVEMBER 21: Mr. Balwant Thakur, Regional Director of the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR), Jammu called on Mr. N. N. Vohra, Governor, here at the Raj Bhavan yesterday. He was accompanied by Mr. Rohullah and Mr. Mohammad Jafar Tanin, both from Afghanistan, and Ms. Tshivolo Tshandyewene Renatte from Namibia. These three foreign scholars, sponsored by ICCR, are presently studying at Sher-eKashmir Institute of Agricultural Sciences and Technology, Jammu. The Govt. of India is sup- porting the education of these scholars under the intellectual exchange programme with different countries. The foreign scholars interacted with the Governor and shared with him their experiences as students of the State Farm University and their perceptions about the culture and traditions of India. The Governor, who is the Chancellor of the SKUAST-J, enquired about the studies imparted and facilities being provided to them. He wished the students a bright and successful future. Srinagar: Police have cracked a blind murder case of a herb collector who was found dead in open fields at Ashmuqam area of south Kashmir’s Anantnag district. A police spokesman said Ashmuqam police station was informed by some locals on 13 November that a male body was lying in an open fields near Siligam. “The body was later identified as of Buttu Khatana son of Abdullah Khatana resident of Lidru Pahalgam a herb collector by profession. A case FIR No 77/14 under section 302 RPC was registered in Police Station Ashmuqam and investigation was taken up.” “During the investigation, several suspects were questioned by the police. The investigations zeroed in on a suspect, Firdous Ahmad Bhat son of Gul Mohammad Bhat resident of Salia. During his sustained questioning he confessed of murdering Buttu Khatana. He revealed that the murder was a preplanned by him. He called Buttu Khatana to the open fields on the pretext of finalizing a deal of forest herbs early morning on the fateful day. Buttu Khatana came to the spot with 1.5 lac rupees. Jaitley to address election rally in Kashmir on dec 3 Srinagar: To raise the morale of the BJP’s contesting candidates, Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley is arriving here on December 3 and is scheduled to address the election rally in Kashmir. A top party leader Friday said that the union finance minister will be arriving here on December 3 and will address election rally in Kashmir. “Jaitley besides addressing the public rally in Kashmir will also hold a meeting of the BJP state leaders to discuss the preparations for the elections in the state,” he said. Meanwhile talking to KNS BJP’s Kashmir affairs in charge Ramesh Arora said that the morale of party workers and leaders has gone up due to the visits of the top brass of BJP. “The arrivals of top party leaders is giving boost to our workers and to our goal of achieving 'Mission 44+' in Jammu and Kashmir,” he said. The BJP is running its “Mission 44” in Jammu and Kashmir to form next government. The party has already said that “formation of BJP government in J&K is their dream. mirwaiz welcomes nawaz sharif’s statement Raised 1 Cr Donation For Flood Victims Srinagar: Welcoming the statement of Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharief that Pakistan would talk to Hurriyat leadership before resuming talks with India, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq Friday said, “The Indian position was contrary to the basic international and diplomatic principles whereby it has asked Pakistan to choose between India or Hurriyat leadership. Hurriyat (M) Chairman stated that Kashmiris were the main party to the dispute and they are the ones who would decide its political future. India should not befool itself by thinking that it would ignore Kashmiri leadership and pressurize Pakistan to do the same.”Mirwaiz stated that without Kashmiri participation, bilateral talks between India and Pakistan would end up as a futile exercise. He stated that the past talks and bilateral agreements testify the Hurriyat position Meanwhile Mirwaiz as head of Darul Khairat also announced start of rehabilitation work under the ‘Akh Akis’ programme for the flood victims from next week. In a statement he said in this connection the donation raised so far is about 1 crore rupees. sopore chowK turns into parKing lot Sopore: Failure of the authorities to check frequent traffic jams in Sopore town here cause immense inconvenience to the commuters.Residents said that in absence of any traffic regulation, endless traffic conjunction occur on daily basis on vital routes including the main chowk, Iqbal market and College road. Failure of the traffic department to ensure smooth flow of traffic has evoked strong resentment among the commuters and locals. “Frequent traffic jams drastically affect our lives. The employees and the students are unable to reach their destination in time,” said Idrees Mir a college student. “Traffic jams can prove dangerous for patients in case of any medical emergency. Ironically the concerned authorities are acting as mute spectators,” the local said. They said wrong parking of vehicles on main roads also contribute to traffic jams. family members of ‘missing person’ stage protest Srinagar: Accusing police of inaction, the family members of a ‘missing’ person Friday staged a protest alleging that police has miserably failed to trace their missing son who according to them went missing on October 22 last month. The family members hailing from Dudhmohalla Shalimar appeared in Press Enclave Srinagar and staged a peaceful protest. “My husband, Shabir Ahmed Rather a driver by profession left home in his Taveera (JK01T-1112) to ferry some passengers to Jammu on October 22 last month. Since then he is missing,” her wife told CNS adding that though police has registered a missing report, but they have failed so far to trace him. legal awareness camp BARAMULLA, NOVEMBER 21: District Legal Services Authority, Baramulla in collaboration with Tehsil Legal Services Committee Pattan is going to organize a Legal Awareness Camp at Palhallan Ghat Pattan on November 22, 2014. The camp has been scheduled as per directions of High Court of J&K and it would be held for flood affected people during which their cases would be taken up. shah welcomes sharif’s statement Chief Secretary, Mohammad Iqbal Khandey today visited Rajbagh, Parimpora Fruit Mandi and Harwan areas and inspected the construction work on the 40 residential sheds which will be provided for residential purpose to those families whose houses were completely damaged due to September floods. Omar must follow ‘Mamu’ G M Shah: ANC Release all political prisoners & resign: Muzaffar Srinagar: Asking the chief minister Omar Abdullah to follow the suits of the former chief minister Ghulam Mohammad Shah, Awami National Conference (ANC) working president Muzzafar Shah Friday said that Omar must release all the political prisoners and resign at an earliest. Shah while addressing a press conference here stated that the communal parties have landed into the political landscape of Kashmir and are hell bent upon eroding state’s unique identity. “I can only tell you that more devastating than the floods of September are the plans being hatched by the communal forces in Kashmir to abrogate unique identity of Jammu and Kashmir,” Shah said while addressing the newsmen here, adding that people in power at New Delhi are hell bent to erode Article 370. Shah also flayed the recent statement of the home minister Rajnath Singh, saying that the party has ‘nefarious’ designs to isolate Kashmir. “They (BJP) want us to get fragmented into pieces. They are separating Kashmir, Ladakh and Jammu from each other and are using people and parties in Kashmir.” Shah, the son of the former chief minister G.M. Shah, stated that Kashmiri pundits and the new born political parties of JK are being used by the BJP in carrying out its hidden agenda of Kashmir. “Our pundit brothers must remember that their identity is only because of Kashmir and once identity is lost, everything is lost. Also the new born political parties for their own vested interests are becoming instrumental for BJP.”He maintained further that history in the state is repeating itself as in 1977, it was Janta Dal that tried to fragment Kashmir and now it is BJP which is carrying the same task. “My only appeal to people is not to fall prey to these issues.” Shah also asked the chief minister Omar Abdullah to follow the suits of the former chief minister G M Shah who resigned in 1986 after feeling threat to Article 370. “If Omar does this, the entire political spectrum here will change,” Shah said, adding that national conference is not the legacy of the Omar Abdullah only and that people might forgive the party for what it has done in the past, provided it acts at present. Srinagar: Hurriyat Conference Jammu Kashmir leader and Democratic Freedom Party chairman Shabir Ahmad Shah while welcoming the speech made by Pakistan Prime Minister Mian Nawaz Sharif in Kashmir Council Muzaffarabad said the Pak Premier spoke “the voice of hearts of the people of Kashmir.” Applauding Pakistan’s stand on Kashmir issue, Shabir Ahmad Shah said that due to India’s stubborn attitude, the people of the subcontinent continue to suffer “as threat to peace looms large here.”Shah said it is actually the people of Kashmir who are the prime party to the Kashmir issue “as their unflinching sacrifices demand so.” “Mian Nawaz Sharif’s statement that Kashmiri pro-freedom leadership has to be taken on board for consultations before talks with India is laudable.” ‘fear of bJp’s rise aimed at enhancing poll percentage’ Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) Friday said that spreading weird and bizarre idea of BJP and RSS coming to power if polls are boycotted is actually a conspiracy to enhance poll percentage in Kashmir. In a statement JKLF Vice Chairman Showkat Ahmad Bakshi said, “BJP and RSS enmity with Muslim and Kashmir is a recognized fact but other pro India leaders and their parties have also acted against the interests of Kashmiris. Kashmiris with their total boycott of elections will defeat the nefarious designs of all these enemies.” While speaking to people at Bandipora today, he said, “Whenever so called elections are held, many gimmicks and bizarre ideas about election boycott are floated in the market by Indian agencies through their Kashmiri stooges. During this election the idea of RSS and BJP grabbing power if polls are boycotted is being flourished. The sole purpose of this weird idea is to create fear psychosis among people and incite them to participate in elections by casting votes, so that boycott call is weakened.” He said that this is an established fact that BJP and RSS have an ‘anti Muslim and anti Kashmiri agenda and program and these communal people have always acted against us, but at the same time this is also true that other pro India Kashmiri parties and leaders are also no special.’ C M Y K C M Y K SPORTS NEWS   Kashmir Observer news C M Y K C M Y K 8 SATURDAY 22 11 2014 166 Candidates file nomination papers for 3rd Phase Srinagar: National Conference Candidate from 14Gulmarg constituency Dr Mustafa Kamal Friday submitted his nomination papers before the Returning Officer at Tangmarg. In a statement a spokesman of the party said Kamal was taken in an open gypsy from his home to the office of Returning officer accompanied by his weaving and cheering supporters. He was accompanied by Showkat Ahmed Mir Provincial Secretary and other office bearers later he was taken to the venue of a well attended public meeting nearby. In his speech he congratulated the people for their heavy turnout enthusiasm and complemented them for keeping the legacy of Sher-I-Kashmir Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah alive and vibrant despite repeated attempts over the years to destroy it. “We all are indebted to him for making us the masters of our land and for giving us freedom to choose our government through Adult Franchise and freedom of speech and expression, easy and affordable access to health and universal education, food security, power and potable water National Conference under his stewardship freed the people from centuries of serfdom and destitution,” he said. Labeling Gulam Hussian Mir the DP (N) candidate as ‘stooge of agencies who has made vast fortunes in brazen whole scale corruption all these twelve years’ Kamal alleged, “Even he sold public property at Gulmarg and Tangmarg which included one centrally heated hospital just to make money. He cautioned GOI to encourage such people and tendencies which has only gone to harm the overall National interests’ right from 1953 which was the watershed in souring of relations between J&K New Delhi.” In 14- Gulmarg constituency, 9 candidates Mohammad Abbas Wani and Abdul Aziz Dar (PDP), Ghulam Hassan Mir (DPN), Mohammad Akram Mir (Ind), Shabbir Ahmad Mir (Ind), Tejender Singh(Ind), Sheikh Mustafa Kamal (NC), Abdul Ahad Sheikh(Ind), Ghulam Mohi-ud-Din Malla (JKNPP) have filed their nomination papers. In 15 –Pattan constituency, 16 candidates Imran Raza Ansari and Irfan Raza Ansari (PDP), Riyaz Ahmad (INC), Bashir Ahmad Ganaee( Ind), Wali Mohammad Wani (Ind), Farooq Ahmad Ganiae (Ind), Abdul. Ahad Yatoo (Ind), Shahzad Ahmad Yatoo (Ind), Aga Syed Mehmood-Al-Mosavi, Basharat Hussain Najar (JKDPN), Ab. Rashid Shaheen (Ind), Ashiq Ahmad Dar (Ind), Shabir Ahmad Wani (Ind), Tariq Ahmad Parry (Ind), Aashiq Hussain Lone (BSP) have filed their nomination papers. In 26-Chadoora constituency, 9 candidates Mr. Ali Mohammad Dar (NC), Gh. Mohammad Bhat(Peoples Republican Party) Mr. Javid Mustafa Mir and Showkat Ahmad Bhat (PDP), Dr Bilal Ahmad Mir (Ind), Gh. Mohammad Paul (Nationalist Congress Party), Mohammad Maqbool Malla (INC), Azad Ali (NC), Reyaz Ahmad Rather (JKNPP) have filed their nomination papers. In 27-Budgam constituency, 7 candidates Rafiq Ahmad Dar (Ind), Gh. Mohi-ud-Din Bhat (PDP), Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi (NC), Fayaz Ah- mad Dar (PDF), Mohammad Kamal Malik (PC), Mir Fayaz Rahat (BJP), Gh. Hussain Geelani (INC) have filed their nomination papers. In 28-Beerwah constituency, 8 candidates Dawood Khan Lodhi (JKPC), Dr. Shafi Ahmad Wani and Bashir Ahmad Beigh(PDP), Omar Abdullah (NC), Aijaz Ahmad Lone (Ind), Nazir Ahmad Khan (INC), Abdul Rashid Banday (BJP), Muzaffar Ahmad Shah (Ind) have filed their nomination papers. In 29-Khansahib constituency, 8 candidates Hakim Mohammad Yaseen (PDF), Saif-ud-Din Bhat and Bashir Ahmad Bhat (PDP), Abdul Gani Naseem (INC), Bashir Ahmad Khan (AIF), Mohammad Anwar Lone(Ind), Manzoor Ahmad Wani and Mohammad Yaseen Wani (NC) have filed their nomination papers. In 30-Chrar-i-Sharief constituency, 10 candidates Ghulam Mohammad Chopan (BJP), Zahid Hussain (INC), Abdul Rahim Rather (NC), Fayaz Ahmad Rather (JKNPP), Ghulam Nabi Lone and Nazir Ahmad Lone (PDP), Mohammad Latief Lone (PC), Mushtaq Ahmad Baba (KMP), Nazir Ahmad Rather (Ind), Showkat Ahmad Raina (Ind) have filed their nomination papers. In 31-Tral constituency, 9 candidates Mr. Ab. Rashid Dar (AIP), Mr. Mohammad Ashraf Bhat (JKNC), Mr. Gh. Mohammad Mir (INC), Mr. Avtar Singh (BJP), Mr. Krishan Singh (JKNPP), Mr. Mushtaq Ahmad Shah and Mr. Mohammad Ashraf Shah (PDP), Mr. Sheikh Abdul Rashid (Ind), Mohammad Ashraf Ganie (Ind) have filed their nomination papers. In 32 – Pampore constituency, 7 candidates Mr. Yawar Ali Abbas Masoodi (JKNC), Mohammad Iqbal Sofi (Ind), Mohammad Anwar Bhat (INC), Zahoor Ahmad Mir (JKPDP), Mr. Ghulam Mohammad Yatoo (Ind), Ali Mohammad Wagay (BJP), Mohammad Akbar Lone (Ind) have filed their nomination papers. In 33-Pulwama constituency, 10 candidates Bashir Ahmad Magray(INC), Bashir Ahmad Malik(Ind), Mohammad Khalil Bandh(PDP), Ab. Qayoom Mir (PDF(S)), Farooq Ahmad Mir(PC), Ab. Gani Shah(Ind), Gh. Nabi Wani(NC),Sonaullah Dar(Ind), Riyaz Ahmad Mir, ( BJP), Masood Hussain Wani(Ind) have filed their nomination papers. In 34-Rajpora constituency, 8 candidates Syed Riyaz Ahmad(Riyaz Khawar)(Ind),Gh. Nabi Wani(Niloora), (Ind), Mohammad Abdullah Dar(RPI), Fayaz Ahmad Dar, (INC), Peerzada Syed Bashir Ahmad(Ind), Ghulam Mohi-ud-Din Mir (NC), Haseeb A Drabu (PDP), Latief Ahmad Dederd (Ind) have filed their nomination papers. The scrutiny of the papers would be held on 22nd November and 24th November is the last day for withdrawal of nomination papers. SMHS Turned Into Chinese hospital lets men experience pain of childbirth A Dispensary: DAK JINAN-CHINA- A hospital in eastern China is offering fathers-to-be a chance to experience the pain of childbirth after several new moms complained they got little sympathy from their partners. Free sessions are held twice a week at Aima maternity hospitalin Shandong province and about 100 men have signed up to be tortured. Most are expectant dads but there are thrill seekers too among the volunteers for "taster sessions". For the simulations, pads attached to a device are placed above the abdomen, giving electric shocks that induce pain. The test subjects writhe in agony for up to five minutes as a nurse gradually raises the intensity on a scale of one to ten. Song Siling, who is trying for a baby with his girlfriend, shut his eyes and grimaced as the needle on the electrode monitor inched forward with a beep. "It felt like my heart and lungs were being ripped apart," said Song, who made it to level seven before frantically waving to the nurse to turn off the system. Others dropped out within minutes when they couldn't take the pain. Despite their obvious discomfort, the on-duty nurse said the simulations could never match the torment of actual childbirth. "Still, if men can experience this pain, then they'll be more loving and caring to their wives," said Lou Dezhu. Wu Jianlong, who braved the pain right up to level 10, says the experience radically altered his views on childbirth. "Because all women have children and it usually takes quite a long time, I had thought of it as being something really natural, something really normal that they can get through," he said. Wu, whose wife is three months pregnant, yelled in pain and clenched his fists before giving in and begging the nurse to stop - he had reached the maximum limit by then. Unlike in the West, Chinese men are often not in the room when their partners or wives give birth. Some state-run hospitals do not allow expectant dads to enter, even if they want to. ‘Functions as an extension of private labs’ SRINAGAR: Doctors Association Kashmir (DAK) has alleged that the city’s premier tertiary care SMHS hospital has turned into a dispensary because of lack of facilities. The damaged machinery and equipment in SMHS hospital due to floods has not been restored yet and government’s claim of it being fully operational is hoax, DAK President Dr Nisar ul Hassan said in a statement here today. SMHS hospital is without CT scan, MRI, Doppler, echocardiography and neurology lab without which it is impossible to diagnose and manage patients. Blood Bank of SMHS hospital is without facilities for platelet transfusions and fresh frozen plasma that are life saving for thrombocytopenic patients and hemophiliacs. Microbiology and pathology labs are defunct without which it is not possible to treat infections and perform surgeries. SMHS hospital functions as an extension of private diagnostic establishments. Patients coming to SMHS hospital for treatment are referred to private diagnostic laboratories for most of the tests. Though CT scan has been procured but its installation is delayed deliberately to benefit a particular private center. The private players are minting money from poor patients in connivance with authorities who seem to be in no mood to restore SMHS hospital. ' The damaged machinery and equipmenT in SMHS hospital due to floods has not been restored yet and government’s claim of it being fully operational is hoax' Sangrama’s Crorepati Candidate Srinagar: The National Conference candidate, Muhammad Yaqoub Wani, who filed his nomination papers on Thursday for Sangrama Assembly constituency in Baramulla district is a crorepati with the total value of his declared assets as Rs 16 crore. The affidavit submitted by Wani (61), who is contesting elections for the first time, has movable and immovable property worth Rs. 16 crore. He has more than 66 kanals of apple orchard land worth Rs 14 crore and two houses. He has over Rs. 2 lakh cash in hand while his wife a retired Zonal Education Officer, Zareefa Wani, has Rs. 72,000. "I am confident and sure that people will support and vote for me. I will win from here," Wani said. Upbeat after filing his nomination papers, he claims of getting overwhelming response of people during his ongoing campaign in the seat which falls in Baramulla district. "I am telling people that I will not promise the moon to you but I will try to develop this constituency as an IT hub and centre of education if I win," he said. KNS DIPK-NB-1726 C M Y K C M Y K C M Y K C M Y K C M Y K C M Y K Kamal files nomination papers for gulmarg Gh. Rasool Dar (Ind), Mohammad Ashraf Ganie (NC), Gh. Mohammad War (Ind), Sayed Iqbal Nazki (Ind), Mohamad Abdullah Dar (Ind), Khazar Mohammed Ganie (Ind), Zahid Gani Mircha (KMP), Shahzad Aasim (Ind), Bashir Ahmad Azad (Ind), Ulfat Sabba Ahmad Khawaja (Ind), Mohammad Ramzan Baba (PC), Shabir Ahmad Dar (Ind) and Sayed Irshad Ahmad (Ind) have filed their nomination papers have filed their nomination papers. In 12-Sangrama constituency, 10 candidates Ghulam Mohidin Bhat (J&K PC), Syed Nisar Shah (All J&K Kissan Mazdoor Party), Shoiab Nabi Lone (INC), Farooq Ahmad Bhat (JKNPP), Kh. Mohammad Yaqoob Wani (JKNC), Gh. Mohiuddin Sofi (Ind), Fazal Mahmood Baig (Ind), Irfan Hafiz Lone (Ind), Syed Basharat Bukhari (JK PDP) and Hilal Ahmed Bhat (Ind) have filed their nomination papers. In 13-Baramulla Constituency, 14 candidates Mohammad Aslam Deedar (Ind), Ashiq Hussain Ganie (Ind), Javid Hassan Baig (PDP), Mohammad Maqbool Mir (Ind), Altaf Jameel Lone (Ind), Gh. Hassan Rahi (NC), Salman Anees Soz (INC), Gulam-ud-Din Gulshan (Ind), Mohammad Rafiq Lone (Ind), Mohammad Afsar Khan (Ind), Gulshan Sanhotra (JKNPP), Mohammad Anwar Khan (Ind), Mohammad Yousf Dar (JK PC) and Asif Akbar Lone (JK PC) have filed their nomination papers. C M Y K JAMMU, NOVEMBER 21: On the last day of filing of nominations today, 166 candidates have filed their papers for 3rd phase of Assembly election to be held on 9 December 14, 2014 covering 16 constituencies spread over Baramulla, Budgam and Pulwama districts. In 6- Uri constituency, 5 candidates, Mr. Taj Mohi-ud-Din (INC), Mohammad Shafi (JKNC), Ajaz Ali Khan (PDP), Mushtaq Ahmad Mir (BJP), Waseem Raja (JKKMP) have filed their nomination papers. In 7- Rafiabad constituency, 13 candidates Mohammad Maqbool Mir(Ind), Mohammad Umar Dar (Ind), Khurshid Ahmad Khan (JKPC), Abdul Gani Vakil(INC), Desh Kumar Nehru(BJP), Javaid Ahmad Dar(NC), Yawar Ahmad Mir(PDP), Mudasir Rasool Bhat(Ind), Mohammad Maqbool Dar(Ind), Fayaz Ahmad Malik(Ind), Ghulam Mohi-ud-Din Ahanger (Ind), Abdul Majeed Dar(JKNPP) and Ghulam Nabi Parry (Ind) have filed their nomination papers.. In 8-Sopore constituency, 23 candidates Sajad Mohi-udddin Sheikh(Ind), Mudasir Manzoor Wani (Ind), Gh. Hassan Lone (Ind), Nazir Ahmad Naikoo (PDP), Khazir Mohammad Ganie (Ind), Mohammad Maqbool Rather (BSP), Shabir Ahmad Dar (Ind), Muzafar Ahmad Lone (JKNPP), Abdul Rashid Dar (INC), Irshad Rasool Kar (Ind),