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NEWS Updates - 20
Jan 2009 |
* Protests continue in Eidgah, erupt in Varmul
*
Geelani for black day on January 26
*
PDP to pursue Kashmir resolution agenda
* Shawl
congratulates Obama
* 200 Kanal land under troops occupation since 1990 |
Protests continue in Eidgah, erupt in Varmul :
Srinagar/Varmul, Jan 19: Hundreds of people staged
demonstrations for the second consecutive day Monday
against the desecration of the historic Aali Masjid in
the Eidgah area of the city allegedly by the CRPF
troopers.
On Sunday, the locals protested against the CRPF men
claiming they were gambling in the Masjid courtyard. The
situation took an ugly turn when the CRPF troops and
police used force to quell the protesters.
Reports reaching PBI said that hundreds of local people
on Monday demonstrated against the CRPF troops demanding
the removal of the bunker near the Masjid. The
protesters alleged that troops under the influence of
liquor resorted to eve-teasing and thrashed the local
youth without any reason.
The protesters also blocked the main road and resorted
to stone pelting on the troops and police. In
retaliation, the troops resorted to cane charge besides
lobbing dozens of tear gas shells to the agitating
youth. The ding dong clashes continued till late hours.
“We will not tolerate the desecration of our shrines.
Our protests will continue till the CRPF picket is
removed,” Shabir Ahmad, a protester told PBI.
The SP North, Abdul Waheed Shah, said an FIR had been
registered and enquiry started.
HURRIYAT CONDEMNS ‘DESECRATION’
Hurriyat Conference (M) Monday condemned the desecration
of the historical Aali Masjid allegedly by paramilitary
troopers.
A Hurriyat statement issued here said that the
desecration was tantamount to “playing with the
religious sentiments of people which won’t be tolerated
by the people in Kashmir.”
Hurriyat has demanded probe into the incident and said
the erring troopers should be given ‘stern punishment.’
“If the errant troopers are not punished, we won’t stay
silent,” the statement said. Meanwhile, a Hurriyat
delegation led by Hurriyat (M) chairman, Mirwaiz Umar
Farooq and Imam of the Jamia Masjid, Syed Ahmad Syed
Naqshbandi, visited Aali Majid today and took stock of
the situation there.
PROTESTS IN VARMUL
Meanwhile, the border town of Varmul was rocked by
protests against the alleged atrocities of the army.
Reports said that on Sunday evening a contingent of army
cordoned off Sangri Bala before entering the house of
Muhammad Sharif Khan son of Meer Ahmad Khan in search of
arms and explosives. The troopers allegedly thrashed the
inmates and misbehaved with the women folk, a PBI report
said.
“At 6 pm, I heard knocks at the door. As I opened it,
dozens of army men barged in claiming that we had hidden
arms and explosives in the house,” Amir Hussain son of
Khan said on Monday.
“We pleaded that we are not even remotely connected with
militancy but they turned deaf ear and thrashed us
mercilessly,” he alleged.
Hussain said that frustrated by the failure to find
anything incriminating, the army men placed a grenade
outside their house claiming that it had been lobbed by
the family members on them.
“They placed a grenade outside the house and later
exploded it. We were watching helplessly,” Hussain said,
adding “The Army claimed that we had hurled the grenade
on them,”
As the grenade exploded, hundreds of residents, chanting
pro-freedom and anti-army slogans, rushed to Khan’s
house and entered into heated argument with the troops
forcing them to flee from the spot.
“Before leaving the army men took the photographs of our
family and even snatched the identity cards. I am
terribly worried about the safety of my family,” Hussain
told PBI.
Refuting the allegations, the deputy inspector-general,
Abdul Gani Mir, told PBI, “I have no information of
locals being thrashed by the army, though the army has
recovered a grenade from the area. Incase people have
any complaints against the army, they should bring it
into my notice,” Mir said. |
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Geelani for black day on January 26 :
Srinagar, Jan 19: Hurriyat
Conference (G) chairman Syed Ali Shah
Geelani has appealed to the people of
Jammu and Kashmir to observe January 26
as black day.
Geelani, according to Hurriyat
statement, has said the people should
observe January 26 as black day to show
it to the world that India has, under
the cover of democracy, occupied the
state by the dent of its military power
for the past six decades. He said, “At
this time when the people are subjected
to crackdowns, frisking and other
humiliating acts, showered bullets and
lathis, put behind bars by invoking
draconian laws and usurped of their
right of self-determination, they have
every right to observe black day on
January 26.”
Geelani appealed to the people to shun
lethargy and continue freedom struggle
ardently, effectively and forcefully.
Meanwhile, the Tehreek-e-Hurriyat (TeH)
has expressed serious concern over the
plight of Kashmiri detainees in various
jails.
In a statement today, a spokesman of the
Tehreek alleged that the authorities of
district jail, Kathua, were subjecting
the Kashmiri detainees to inhuman
treatment and denying them even basic
facilities. He said some detainees in
this jail were suffering from serious
ailments.
The spokesman said only a few detainees
were released by the government while a
large number of pro-movement leaders and
activists are still languishing in jails
without any justified reason. |
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PDP to pursue Kashmir resolution agenda
: Srinagar, Jan 19: Peoples
Democratic Party Patron Mufti Muhammad
Sayeed has said that armed with the
people’s mandate, PDP would strive with
fresh resolve for the peaceful and
amicable settlement of the Kashmir
issue.
Sayeed was addressing a function
organized here today in connection with
the joining of former National
Conference MLA from Rajpora, Ghulam
Mohi-ud-Din Mir, in PDP.
“PDP would forcefully pursue its
Self-Rule agenda for Kashmir resolution
to usher the State and the region into
an era of peace, dignity, stability and
prosperity,” Sayeed said. He said the
people of the State have, in recent
elections, substantively reposed their
faith in the PDP’s agenda for Kashmir
resolution and it would be now the
party’s onerous responsibility to
safeguard their political and economic
interests.
Sayeed said the PDP has with unflinching
consistency pursued its agenda of
Kashmir resolution, whether in or
outside the Government and it would
continue to work towards the
implementation of its pro-people agenda.
He said measures of immense political
and economic significance taken by his
Government between 2002 and 2005, not
only transformed the political and
economic discourse within the State but
facilitated some notable initiatives
towards the peaceful and amicable
settlement of the Kashmir issue. “But
the challenging task of securing peace
for our State, dignity for my people and
prosperity for our future generations is
still unaccomplished,” he said and added
that the cherished dream of sustainable
peace and inclusive prosperity for Jammu
& Kashmir has to be realized by PDP.
Sayeed said the wide-ranging public
acknowledgment of the fact that a
credible leadership and pro-people
agenda of PDP has discernibly impacted
the State’s political and development
landscape, is the outcome of the party’s
conviction towards its political and
developmental agenda. “And, the party
would, with fresh resolve, embark on the
agenda of ensuring dignified peace and
sustainable prosperity for the people in
all the regions and sub-regions of the
State,” he said and added that PDP has
been constantly and with conviction
raising the issues touching the skin of
the State’s people and its regional
aspirations.
“Whether it is the issue of cross-LoC
reconciliation, basic economic
development, security of our citizens,
troop reduction, revocation of the
special powers, rehabilitation of the
victims of violence or safe passage to
the youth who want to come back from
across the border and live peaceful
lives, PDP has never compromised on its
stand on these vital issues,” Sayeed
said and added that even some political
quarters that once used to ridicule us
for raising such crucial issues, are now
rallying around our stand as they have
realized that there is no alternative to
the agenda of peace and reconciliation.
Mir alongwith his hundreds of supporters
joined in PDP on this occasion. Senior
PDP leader and former minister Mohammad
Khalil Bandh was also present on the
occasion. |
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Shawl congratulates Obama :
Srinagar, Jan 19: Professor Nazir A
Shawl, executive director, Justice
Foundation Kashmir Centre London has
congratulated Barack Hussein Obama on
his assumption of office as president of
United States of America.
In a statement, Shawl said that his
assumption of office is a momentous
event in history of USA. “Martin Luther
King's admirers in US and all over the
world welcome this development and hope
that the syndrome of hate wherever it
exists will be demolished for social
justice, economic emancipation and
international peace,” Shawl said.
Prof Shawl hoped that Obama and his team
would respond to various challenges on
different fronts and in different
regions. “One of the challenges is the
62 years Kashmir imbroglio which is a
great destabilizing factor for south
Asian regional stability and peace,” he
added.
Shawl hoped that special envoy for the
region would be appointed to strengthen
the voices of sanity in the region and
for realizing the aspirations of people
of Jammu and Kashmir so that they live
in dignity and honour without fear and
denial of all their rights including
their right of Self determination.
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200 Kanal land under troops occupation
since 1990 : 50 families migrated to
AJK, 30 living under avalanche threat :
Kupwara, Jan 19: More than 200 kanal
of proprietary land at Lashdut in this
frontier district, comprising maize,
pulse and potato fields besides apple
and walnut orchards have been under the
occupation of troops since 1990.
As a consequence, nearly 50 families
were forced to cross over to AJK in 1990
and 30 other families are living
temporarily at Kanyan, Doga and Kamkadi
near the line of control under avalanche
threat.
Before 1990, Lashdut was a peaceful
village. Inhabitants of the small hamlet
used to earn their livelihood through
cattle rearing, growing food grains and
vegetables. In January 1990, Grenadier
Regiment occupied the land, and over the
years army units, including 14 Raj
Rifles, JAK riffles, Mahar regiment and
several other units took control of the
land. Presently, land is under the
occupation of Rajput and 7 Para
regiments.
“We were living happily and the main
source of our sustenance was land and
cattle. But in 1990, when the armed
rebellion broke out in the state, army
started harassing us and finally
occupied the land forcing the villagers
to migrate. The occupation has rendered
us homeless and made our survival
difficult,” said head of a displaced
family wishing not be named.
The families alleged that scores of
cattle had perished in the past 18 years
due to landmine explosions. They said
the land had been completely fenced by
the troopers and their houses razed to
ground. “Troopers have been using trees
and furniture as firewood. We have not
received single penny as compensation
till date,” the villagers said, adding,
“Since the day troops occupied our land
we’ve not been allowed to visit our
fields.”
“Only source of income for my family was
my 20 kanal of land comprising walnut
trees. But for past two decades, I have
been deprived of my livelihood and the
troops are using my land as helipad and
the walnut trees have been chopped,”
said a displaced farmer.
When contacted, the PRO Defence declined
to comment on land compensation issue.
“I can’t comment on this,” he said.
Officials at district development
commissioner’s office at Kupwara told
Greater Kashmir that the file had been
sent to army’s district estates office,
Varmul, for approval. |
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NEWS /
Articles are reproductions of Local News
Papers (Greater Kashmir & Others)
So the legal rights are with there
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