11 January 2016

SRINAGAR | 11 January 2016 | 30 Rabi ul Awwal 1437 AH Vol: 4 | Issue No: 09 | Pages: 08 | Rs 3/- 

MONDAY 

4th 

PRECIOUS KASHMIR 

Journalism With A Human Heart 

C 

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Speculations start 

as Mehbooba meets 

Sonia, Gadkari 

Srinagar, Jan 10: In a meeting 

that is being seen as politically 

significant, Congress president 

Sonia Gandhi along with 

party leader Ghulam Nabi 

Azad meet Mehbooba Mufti 

at her residence here on Sunday 

to offer condolences to 

the family of late chief minister 

of Jammu and Kashmir 

Mufti Muhammad Sayeed. 

Over speculations that 

Congress is offering an olive 

branch to Mehbooba after the 

demise of her father and J&K 

CM, while speaking to news 

agency ANI, Azad said, “Sonia 

Gandhi's visit was just to offer 

prayer and attend the condolence 

meeting, for what she 

had come.” 

“She (Sonia) visited for 

the long association Mufti 

Sahib had with the family and 

the party,” Azad added. 

According to media reports, 

Union minister Nitin 

Gadkari also met Mehbooba 

Mufti who is all set to take 

oath as the next chief minister 

of Jammu and Kashmir. 

After meeting Mehbooba 

Mufti at her residence here, 

Gadkari said, "I met Mehbooba 

Mufti ji to express grief. It 

was not a political meet." 

"When I met Mufti sahab 

1 month ago, we discussed 

many issues such as industrial 

development, infrastructure 

development in J&K," he 

added. 

He further said, "I assured 

him (Mufti Muhammad) of 

all possible help from my department 

for the infrastructural 

development in J&K." 

Meanwhile, as per 'Times 

of India' the PDP chief has set 

tough conditions for the BJP 

saying if they want to continue 

the alliance or not. The 

report further quoted sources 

as saying, the PDP has made 

it clear that it can't give the 

deputy chief minister's post 

to the BJP, it has also asked for 

more central assistance and 

and asked its alliance partner 

to avoid speaking on sensitive 

issues. 

The fourth day 

See Speculations on Pg 6 

Governor to meet 

Secretaries today 

Precious Kashmir News 

Jammu, Jan 10: Raj Bhavan 

spokesman stated that 

Governor N.N.Vohra shall be 

meeting all the Administrative 

Secretaries on Monday 

morning, at the State Government 

Secretariat. He shall 

also have separate discussions 

with Chief Secretary, 

DGP and Principal Secretary, 

Home Department. 

The Governor rule came 

into force after PDP chief 

and former CM's daughter 

Mehbooba Mufti refused to 

take oath as Chief Minister 

before the traditional 

four-day period of mourning 

ends. Governor's rule will last 

in the state till Mehbooba 

agrees to take oath as the 

new CM of the state. 

Though Mehbooba, the 

PDP chief, was set to take 

over the charges of CM of 

PDP-BJP coalition government 

in the state, she refused 

to take oath until Chahurram 

- the four-day mourning 

period for Kashmiri Muslims, 

a period during which 

ceremonial functions are 

avoided, is over. 

If and when she takes 

charge of Jammu and Kashmir, 

Mehbooba Mufti will 

have to prove her majority on 

the floor of the 87-member 

assembly. She will also have 

to get elected to the state 

assembly or be nominated to 

the state legislative council 

(upper house) within six 

months. 

At present, Mehbooba 

See Governor on Pg 6 

http//www.preciouskashmir.com | email: preciouskashmir@gmail.com 

Mufti’s ‘chahrum’ turns Bijbehara’s 

Dara Shikoh garden melancholic 


Srinagar, Jan 10: Amid sobs 

and tears, PDP president 

Mehbooba Mufti along with 

her family members Sunday 

morning visited the grave of 

her late father and chief minister 

Mufti Mohammad Sayeed 

at Dara Shikho garden in 

Bijbehara town in Anantnag 

district on his Fateha Khawani. 

While praying for her 

deceased father at the grave, 

Mehbooba wept and sobbed, 

eyewitnesses said. 

The PDP president was 

accompanied by her mother, 

Gulshan Mufti, her brother 

Tasaduq Mufti, Sister Rubiya 

Sayeed and other close family 

members. 

All the PDP legislators 

and senior party workers attended 

the prayer function. 

BJP leader and former 

Deputy CM Dr Nirmal Singh 

was also among the mourners. 

Hundreds of people visited 

the Fairview residence 

of Mufti’s at Gupkar and their 

ancestral home in Bijbehara. 

Sea of people converge on 

Mufti Sayeed's hometown for 

Congregational Fateha 

Meanwhile, an official 

spokesman said that sea of 

people today converged on 

the south Kashmir town of 

Bijbehera to offer congregational 

prayers (Fateha) and 

Quran Khwani on the Chahrum 

of late Mufti Mohammad 

Sayeed, who had breathed his 

last in New Delhi on January 

7. 

The sprawling Dara Shikov 

Bagh, where the former 

Chief Minister was laid to 

rest on Thursdaylast, today 

swarmed with wailing 

mourners who could not hold 

their tears back at the passing 

away of a dear leader who 

ruled their hearts with love 

and affection for sixty long 

years. 

Incidentally, it is the same 

garden where Mufti Sayeed 

started his chequered political 

career that saw him write 

new chapters in the annals of 

J&K history. 

The congregational 

prayers were led by Maulana 

Zia-ul-Haq and attended by 

hundreds and thousands of 

his admirers, who bid one 

final adieu to their beloved 

leader. 

Besides daughter, Mehbooba 

Mufti, close family 

members, including Begum 

Mufti Mohammad Sayeed 

and son Tassaduq Mufti, were 

present on the occasion. 

Also present were former 

Deputy Chief Minister and 

senior BJP leader, Dr. Nirmal 

Singh, ex-Ministers, Legislators, 

senior party leaders and 

functionaries and top officers 

of the State government including 

Chief Secretary, B. R. 

Sharma, Financial Commissioner, 

B. B. Vyas and Director 

General of Police, K. Rajendra 

Kumar. 

After Congregational 

Fateha, Mehbooba Mufti 

along with her brother, slowly 

walked up to the podium 

and waved to an emotional 

crowd of people, which was 

seen chanting slogan –Jab Tak 

Sooraj Chand Rahega, Mufti 

Tera Naam Rahega. 

A large number of people 

from all parts of the state 

continued to pour in to offer 

Fateha at the final resting 

place of late Mufti Mohammad 

Sayeed. 

Subsequently, a condolence 

meeting was held at the 

Fairview residence of departed 

leader at Gupkar, Srinagar 

in which several religious and 

political leaders paid glowing 

tributes to the late Mufti Mohammad 

Sayeed. 

Unprecedented rush of 

people was witnessed today 

at the Fairview residence 

here on the chahrum of Mufti 

Mohammad Sayeed, former 

Chief Minister of the state. 

People in droves from 

all walks of life came to pay 

their homage to the departed 

leader. From ordinary people 

to politicians across political 

spectrum, VIPs and business 

fraternity thronged the 

Srinagar residence to offer 

condolences to the bereaved 

family members. 

See Mufti’s Chahrum on Pg 6 

BJP’s Nirmal Singh prays 

for Mufti at his grave 


Srinagar, Jan 10: BJP senior 

leader and former Deputy 

chief minister Sunday said 

that the party will decide 

about the next government 

formation with the PDP 

“soon”. 

“We hope the government 

is formed soon. But 

we are still in mourning 

and we will start deliberations 

about the government 

formation soon once we are 

out of mourning the loss of 


Mufti Mohammad Sayeed,” 

Singh told KNS after paying 

condolence to late Mufti 

at his graveyard in at Dara 

Shikho garden in Bijbehara 

town in Anantnag district 

on his Fateha Khawani. 

While hailing the leadership 

of Mufti, Singh said 

that his death is a huge loss 

to the state. 

“Though his space cannot 

be fulfilled, but we hope 

his vision and path of development 

that he laid be carried 

along,” Singh said. 

Srinagar, Jan 10: Congress 

Leader of Opposition in Rajya 

Sabha and former chief 

minister of the state Ghulam 

Nabi Azad Sunday said that 

people should not read politics 

while the Congress leaders 

offer condolence to Mehbooba 

Mufti after the demise 

of her father and former chief 

minister Mufti Mohammad 

Sayeed. 

“We came here to offer 

condolence to Mehbooba 

Mufti. No politics should 

be read out of it. Mehbooba 

ji and her party know it 

(about government formation),” 

Azad told reporters 

here. 

He expressed deep surprise 

over the reports linking 

his visit with politics. 

“There is not an iota of 

truth in these reports,” clarified 

Azad, adding: “Muft Sahib 

was a leader of stature 

and my association with him 

People in 

droves visit 

Fairview 

residence 


Srinagar, Jan 10: Unprecedented 

rush of people was 

witnessed today at the Fairview 

residence here on the 

chahrum of Mufti Mohammad 

Sayeed, former Chief 

Minister of the state. 

People in droves from 

all walks of life came to pay 

their homage to the departed 

leader. From ordinary people 

to politicians across political 

spectrum, VIPs and business 

fraternity thronged the 

Srinagar residence to offer 

condolences to the bereaved 

family members. 

Several religious scholars 

and political leaders also 

spoke on the occasion 

and paid glowing tributes 

highlighting the significant 

contribution of late Mufti 

Mohammad Sayeed in the 

socio-economic development 

of the state. Senior party 

leaders also paid homage to 

their guide and mentor who 

devoted his entire life in the 

service of the people of the 

state. 

The huge rush of 

people, both at Fairview and 

Bijbehera residences, has 

continued following the passing 

on of late Mufti Mohammad 

Sayeed in New Delhi on 

Thursday last. 

No politics in offering condolence 

to Mufti family: Azad 

has been personal as well as 

professional so my visit to 

his graveyard was a tribute to 

him. 

It is unfortunate that this 

visit is linked with politics 

when there is none, he added. 

Valley doctor, 

scribe ruthlessly 

beaten in New Delhi 


Srinagar, Jan 10: In yet another 

brazen attack on Kashmiris 

outside J&K, two youth were 

beaten by half a dozen goons 

in New Delhi on Saturday late 

evening. 

Imran Shah and Dr Amaar 

Khan who are living in union 

capital for quite some time 

were beaten by some goons 

when they were on their way 

to residence. 

Imran Shah is a freelance 

journalist while Amaar is a 

medical doctor by profession. 

Shah is living in Malviya 

Nagar while Khan has his residence 

in East Delhi. 

Narrating the incident as 

what happened with them 

and the police “in-action” 

thereafter, Imran said, “my 

sister and her family reached 

Delhi yesterday and I had 

booked a guest house for 

them near Kashmiri Park. I 

was supposed to have my dinner 

with them along with my 

doctor friend as special Kashmiri 

dishes were brought by 

my sister for us.” 

Imran said that it was 

around 9:45 PM that he along 

with Dr Amaar reached near 

Kashmiri Park that five goons 

who were coming on the other 

side set their dogs free after 

us. “Suddenly, we found dogs 

coming towards us to attack 

and we ran for safety and in 

the meanwhile, Dr Khan fell 

down hurting his leg,” he said. 

“While we were just restoring 

our postures, they started 

ruthlessly beating us.” 

For the two helpless 

Kashmiris, no one came for 

their help. “They started yelling 

at us that we seem like 

ISIS men,” Imran said, “this is 

what is happening with us. 

ISIS are not humans; they kill 

people and how come we are 

like them. We are respectable 

citizens.” 

He said that they made a 

call to 100. “Police came and 

we gave them details but 

nothing happened.” 

Further, Imran called his 

journalist friend who is 

See Doctor on Pg 6 

If India moves a yard, Pakistan will 

move even more: Kasuri 

New Delhi, Jan 10: As Pakistan Army 

joins Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in 

condemning the Pathankot attack, 

former Pakistan's foreign minister 

Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri says Pakistan 

Army is on board with Sharif in 

the new peace effort and a serious dialogue 

must commence between both 

the countries. 

He suggests a give and take between 

the two resolve outstanding issues. 

Excerpts from an email interview with 

a national news agency: 

Q. What do you make of Prime Minister 

Narendra Modi's visit to Pakistan? 

A. I wholeheartedly welcome the resumption 

of the dialogue between 

Pakistan and India. For those trying 

to understand the immediate motives 

of the Indian PM's visit to wish PM 

Nawaz Sharif on his happy birthday, 

it would be instructive to refer to the 

recent speech of Indian Minister for 

External Affairs, Sushma Swaraj that 

war with Pakistan was not an option. 

It is not an option for Pakistan either. 

Her statement is all the more significant 

because she had developed the 

reputation of a hardliner on Pakistan. 

Another lesson is that simply flexing 

your military muscles doesn't always 

win elections. The recent defeat in 

Bihar elections could be one reason, 

among many, for PM Modi's sudden 

and surprising visit. 

Q. Can it lead to a dramatic breakthrough 

in ties? 

A. I do expect a serious and a sincere 

dialogue because Modi has put a lot at 

stake by his surprising visit to Lahore. 

I believe that even a dramatic breakthrough 

cannot be ruled out because 

the Kashmir framework that Pakistan 

and India evolved during 2004 to 

2007, after detailed negotiations on 

the back-channels, provides a ready 

road map for those in charge now. 

Q. People in India are asking 

whether this would lead to less firing 

across the Line of Control and 

less cross-border terror attacks on 

India? 

A. I do expect lessening of tensions. I 

will be surprised if it didn't happen. 

The efforts during our tenure helped 

to usher in a period of ceasefire on the 

LOC in 2003 which lasted for almost 

10 years. This is in great contrast to the 

state of hostilities on the LOC in more 

recent years. As far as, acts of terrorism 

in India are concerned, I sympathize 

with India, particularly, after 

the recent attack at Pathankot. In fact, 

we had agreed to an anti-terrorism 

mechanism in 2006 at Havana. Both 

countries have now agreed to discuss 

terrorism at the level of National Security 

Advisors. 

Q. Will any talk between the two 

without discussing Kashmir bear 

any positive result? 

A. Why should be one scared of dealing 

with the real issues between India 

and Pakistan. India has for a long time 

felt that terrorism needs to be discussed, 

Pakistan has for a much longer 

period (almost since independence) 

felt that Kashmir needs to be resolved. 

There is no doubt that a large part of 

the Kashmiri population is unhappy 

with the current situation. Even leaders 

like late Mufti Mohammad Sayeed 

and Mehbooba Mufti of the PDP and 

President of the National Conference, 

Omar Abdullah have emphasised that 

the status of Jammu and Kashmir 

needed to be resolved by Pakistan, 

India and the Kashmiris. It would deprive 

the terrorists of a major propaganda 

weapon. 

Q. Do you think the Modi government's 

efforts to keep Hurriyat away 

from talks is a positive thing? 

A. I think it is counter-productive. 

Prime Ministers Vajpayee and Manmohan 

Singh must have obviously 

considered it worthwhile when they 

decided to talk to the APHC (All Parties 

Hurriyat Conference). We feared that 

unless we kept them broadly aware of 

the framework, they could well reject 

it outright. This would affect Pakistani 

public opinion very negatively. I 

have repeatedly indicated in my book 

'Neither a Hawk, nor a Dove' that we 

wanted the Kashmiris to be sitting 

at the negotiating table. India would 

not just accept it. Our whole purpose 

in interacting with Kashmiris was to 

sound them out regarding the slowly 

evolving framework in the back 

See Kasuri on pg 6 

10th class 

results 

declared 

Srinagar, Jan 10: Tabish 

Manzoor Khan of Radiant 

Public School Anantnag has 

secured the first position in 

tenth class examinations, 

results of which were announced 

today evening. 

Khan has scored 498 

marks out of a total of 500. 

The second and third 

positions were secured by 

Aneesa Haleen of Mallinsion 

and Hiba Intikhab of 

Shah-e-Hamdan Memorial 

school Shopian by scoring 

491 and 490 marks respectively. 

Out of a total of 29162 

students of government run 

schools who had appeared 

in the examination, 14716 

have been declared successful 

with the pass perecentage 

of 50.46 percent. 

Whileas in private 

schools 31657 studenmts 

appeared, of which 24981 

qualified the examination 

with a pass percentage of 

78.91 percent. 

The overall percentage 

of the results 65.27 percent. 

C 

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Baig will be surprised if BJP 

‘engages in any kind of bargaining’ 


Srinagar, Jan 10: Mehbooba Mufti is 

all set to become J&K CM. Will she 

be able to fill her father’s shoes? 

I think she will do even better 

than her father. She will earn more 

laurels. Mufti’s death is a challenge 

for us, but also an opportunity for 

PDP to get a fresh start. You know, I 

am an insider critic, not a dissenter 

because I want the government to 

succeed and I want the alliance to 

succeed. I told Mufti sahib to his 

face that how can we be the party 

of good governance if some of our 

governors that is administrators, are 

not good? 

The perception of our party 

among the people in the last couple 

of years has not been good. 

Some ministers in the government 

are newcomers, they are arrogant, 

they don’t know the cadres, they 

don’t know who their voters are, 

they are contemptuous of the cadres. 

This has to change. BJP, too, 

must improve its stock in Jammu, 

otherwise they too will fall. This 

is a time for alliance partners to 

Ranchi, Jan 10: President 

Pranab Mukherjee on Sunday 

stressed the need to arrest the 

declining standards of education 

in the country and sought 

quality improvement by engaging 

focussed attention of 

academic leaders, policy makers 

and other stakeholders to 

this end. 

“Multiple interventions 

are necessary. Attracting 

quality faculty and continuous 

faculty development is 

one. Adjunct faculty from the 

industry and research institutions 

if hired can provide 

practical orientation to course 

modules,” he said. 

Inaugurating the Diamond 

Jubilee celebrations and the 

26th Convocation of the Birla 

Institute of Technology, Mesra, 

here, Mukherjee said through 

promoting centres of excellence, 

core competencies of 

an institute can be nurtured. 

“Through the establishment 

of research parks, cutting- 

edge research can be 

pursued and that will help develop 

a world class eco system 

in our institutions,” he said. 

The President also said 

stop playing games. Mehbooba deserves 

her father’s shoes, she has 

worked for it. 

But why isn’t she taking oath? Isn’t 

this causing a constitutional crisis 

as there is no government in J&K 

at the moment? 

This has been a Greek tragedy 

for her. The death of her father – the 

most important person in her life – 

has come also with her hour of glory, 

namely becoming chief minister. 

Within 24 hours she cannot obliterate 

her human side. She can’t fail as 

a human being. In fact, if she fails in 

President stresses 

need to arrest declining 

education standard 

GMC condoles 

Mufti’s death 

Srinagar, Jan 10: Government 

Medical College 

(GMC), Srinagar and other 

associated hospitals today 

prayed for peace to the 

departed soul of Ex-Chief 

Minister of Jammu and 

Kashmir, Mufti Mohammad 

Sayeed. 

Extending his condolences 

to family members 

of Ex-CM, Principal/Dean of 

GMC, Dr Kaisar Ahmed said 

that his untimely demise 

is a huge loss to the whole 

state. 

Terming Mufti as a 

visionary leader, Ahmed 

said that medical professionals 

are highly indebted 

to Ex-CM for his efforts 

in promoting medical 

education by establishing 

premier medical education 

institutes in the state. 

Srinagar, Jan 10: Governor’s 

rule was Saturday imposed in 

the state as the PDP and BJP 

delayed the formation of new 

government due to reluctance 

by PDP president to take oath 

after the demise of the sitting 

chief minister Mufti Mohammad 

Sayeed. 

This is the seventh time 

that governor rule was imposed 

in the state. 

A Raj Bhavan spokesperson 

stated that after receiving 

concurrence from the President 

of India, Governor N N 

Vohra issued a Proclamation 

today to impose Governor’s 

Rule in the State. 

“Consequent to the sudden 

passing away of Chief 

that institutes can also pursue 

establishment of partnerships 

with foreign and domestic 

institutions by signing Memoranda 

of Understanding. 

He said there was a need 

for giving a boost to start-ups 

to provide a head-start to various 

innovative activities. 

“Due to facilitated environments 

that have evolved, 

the youth today has a greater 

share for entrepreneurship. 

Many start-ups in India have 

become successful and have 

shown the path of progress 

to others,” the President said. 

In fact, India with over 4,200 

start-ups has the third largest 

start-ups eco-system in the 

world, behind the US and the 

UK, Mukherjee said. 


Rajouri, Jan 10: District Development 

Commissioner, 

Rajouri, Shabir Ahmed Bhat 

today conducted tour of 

Panchayat Sasalkote, block 

Dongi which has been taken 

up BADP to be developed 

as Model village. 

During his tour, he inspected 

various developmental 

works to the tune of 

Rs 50 lakh being executed 

so far to meeting the urgent 

developmental need of the 

village. He asked Xen R&B 

to prepare the estimate for 

construction of three class 

rooms and an examination 

hall at Hr Sec School 

, Dongi. 

Laying stress on the 

creation of sports facilities 

in Hr. Sec School, Dongi, 

News 

Monday 

2 

11.01.2016 

her duty as a daughter, she fails her 

duty to the state. She has to heal the 

wounds of her family. So she should 

not be running to be chief minister 

within hours of her father’s death. 

When she does become CM, she 

will add to Mufti’s legacy. She has 

the opportunity to play a new, more 

modern type of politics. 

Will being a woman go against 

her? 

It will be her great advantage 

just as it was for Indira Gandhi. Mehbooba, 

on her own, is a lady who 

generates a lot of sympathy and empathy. 

She is the wronged party as a 

wife. She left behind her two young 

daughters to work for the party and 

work with orphans and widows 

in villages. She has never been in 

power and doesn’t carry any negative 

baggage. Her biggest weakness 

is that she does not have any experience 

in governance or administration. 

But with the proper advisers, I 

am sure, she can catch up before it’s 

too late. 

Is the BJP fully on board? 

I have not met any BJP person recently 

who has said otherwise. The 

PM has been very gracious. The HM 

(Home Minister) was also very gracious, 

kind and cordial and walked 

the extra mile. I would be very surprised 

if the BJP engaged in any kind 

of bargaining. But we must be a government 

that does not always look 

to gain favours from Delhi but addresses 

the human rights and other 

concerns in Kashmir. 

There were some reports that you 

were a contender for the CM’s 

post? 

I only aspire to be one thing, to 

be a good human being. 

Rajiv Gandhi had promised support for 

Ram Mandir in Ayodhya: Swamy 

DDC Rajouri inspects ongoing 

developmental works 

Minister Mufti Mohammad 

Sayeed on 7th January 2016, 

the process to form government 

had commenced and 

intimations were still awaited 

about the respective positions 

of PDP and BJP,” the spokesperson 

said. 

“Considering the likelihood 

of some more time being 

taken before government 

can be formed, with the approval 

of the President of India, 

Governor’s Rule has been 

imposed in the State with effect 

from 8th January, 2016, 

under Section 92(1) of the 

Constitution of Jammu and 

Kashmir,” the spokesperson 

added. 

The Governor on Friday 

Govt formation 

DC asked the concerned 

to take up the levelling 

works of the play ground 

besides construction of 

boundary wall around the 

play ground for providing 

better facilities to the 

sportsperson . 

Addressing the public 

on the occasion, DC said that 

the main objective of the 

BADP is to meet the special 

developmental needs and 

well being of the people living 

in the remote and inaccessible 

areas by providing 

essential infrastructure in 

these areas. 

Meanwhile, directions 

were passed on to the concerned 

officers to ensure 

expeditious execution of development 

works to extend 

the desired benefits to the 

people. He impressed upon 

Governor rule twice in less than a year 

had asked the PDP and BJP to 

clear their stand over the government 

formation. 

In March 1977, the governor 

rule was first time 

imposed under then Governor 

L K Jha after Congress 

withdrew its support to the 

then National Conference 

government headed by NC 

founder Sheikh Mohammad 

Abdullah. 

In March 1986, Governor’s 

rule of Jagmohan Malhotra 

was imposed in the 

state for the second time 

when Congress withdrew 

support to the minority government 

headed Ghulam 

Mohammad Shah of Awami 

National Conference. 

New Delhi, Jan 10: The hue and cry 

over a seminar on the construction 

of the controversial Ram Temple in 

Ayodhya grew louder on Saturday, 

with protesters shouting slogans 

outside the Delhi University’s Arts 

Faculty. 

Amid protests outside the Delhi 

University, senior BJP leader Subramanian 

Swamy went ahead with 

the seminar where he asserted that 

nothing will be done forcibly or 

against the law. 

“Construction of Ram temple in 

Ayodhya is ‘mandatory’ for revival of 

our culture. We have started and we 

will not give up until it is made but 

nothing will be done forcibly and 

against the law. We have full faith 

that we will win in the court,” he 

said in his inaugural address at the 

two-day seminar. 

Claiming that former Prime 

Minister Rajiv Gandhi had promised 

him of support for the construction 

of Ram Mandir in Ayodhya, Swamy 

appealed to Congress to come forward 

and support the cause. 

“Rajiv Gandhi had personally 

told me that Ram Mandir will be 

built and whenever he will get an 

opportunity he will also help and 

the first help he did was that despite 

party opposition, he started the television 

serial on Ramayana which 

created a new excitement in public,” 

he said. 

“He had said they will permit 

the foundation laying, too. He had 

also said in his campaign for 1989 

elections that there should be Ram 

Rajya in the country. I hope Congress 

will also come forward and support 

as this is not just our demand but 

that of the country,” he added. 

“In our country , over 40,000 

temples have been demolished, we 

never say that all those should be 

reconstructed...but there cannot be 

a compromise on three of them -- 

Ram Janmabhoomi temple, Krishna 

them to put in concerted efforts 

for judicious and effective 

utilization of funds besides 

removing bottlenecks 

hindering developmental 

works. He also impressed 

upon the officers to work 

in a coordinated way, ensure 

regular monitoring to 

achieve quality parameters 

and effective implementation 

of the schemes. 

On the occasion, DC 

was also apprised about 

the demands and problems 

highlighted by the 

locals and assured them to 

mitigate these in a phased 

manner. 

Responding to the demands 

for augmenting water 

supply in the area, the 

DC asked Xen PHE to chalk 

out a comprehensive plan to 

resolve the issue on priority. 


Srinagar, Jan 10: Mercury 

nosedived across north India 

with Gulmarg in Kashmir 

recording a low of minus 

9.2 degrees Celsius even as 

a warmer day prevailed in 

the national capital with the 

temperature hovering above 

normal for this time of the 

year. 

In Kashmir, mercury 

dropped across the Valley as 

the minimum temperature 

settled several degrees below 

freezing point. 

The minimum temperature 

at famous ski-resort of 

Gulmarg recorded a low of 

New Delhi, Jan 10: Congress 

leader Manish Tewari on 

Sunday defended his statement 

on a 2012 troop movement 

towards Delhi, saying 

there was “nothing to add or 

subtract” to it, while his own 

party contradicted his claim. 

Minister of State for External 

Affairs General VK Singh 

(retired), the then army 

chief, on Sunday dismissed 

the statement, calling Tewari 

“jobless”. 

“Whatever I said yesterday 

(Saturday), I have nothing 

more to add or subtract 

to that,” Tewari told reporters 

on Sunday, a day after 

his comments on Saturday 

evening that a news report 

on a 2012 troop movement 

towards Delhi was true. 

Tewari, who said at a 

book release function that he 

minus 9.2 degrees Celsius. 

It was a warm and sunny 

day in Delhi as the maximum 

temperature was recorded 

at 24.4 degrees Celsius, four 

notches above normal, and 

the minimum at 8.7 degrees 

Celsius, two above the season’s 

average, MeT department 

said. 

Visibility was 1,000 meters 

at 5.30 AM and it increased 

to 1,500 meters at 

8.30 AM and then to 2,000 

meters by afternoon, the MeT 

department said. 

The humidity levels oscillated 

between 95 and 53 per 

cent. 

After remaining over the 

freezing point for six consecutive 

nights, the minimum 

temperature in the Jammu 

and Kashmir summer capital 

Srinagar dropped by 5.5 

degrees to settle at minus 3.8 

temple in Mathura and Kashivishwanath, 

if Ram Temple is constructed 

there will be easy way for 

others, discussions can be done but 

not compromise,” he said. 

“Ram Mandir is an aim for us. 

And when the Muslims leaders had 

committed that if it is proved that 

there was temple earlier, they will 

let us reconstruct it there, not fulfilling 

that commitment can be contempt 

of court,” he added. 

He also said that the issue surrounding 

the construction of the 

Ram Temple in Ayodhya should not 

be seen as a political stunt. 

“Suppose we don’t do it this 

year, the next year is the election 

and then we have to do it the following 

year which is 2018. Then you 

will say it is for the Lok Sabha elections. 

Every year there is an election. 

So, we can’t stop our activities just 

because there is going to be an election,” 

Swamy said. 

“The public is quite sensible. 

They will know that it is an election 

stunt or not. The whole country 

wants, 99 percent of the Hindus 

today want the Mandir to be built 

and most of the Christians and the 

Muslims are not opposed to it because 

we are not against to build the 

Masjid across the Saryu river in Ayodhya,” 

he added. 

The two-day seminar titled “Shri 

Ram Janma Bhoomi Temple: Emerging 

Scenario” is being organised at 

DU’s Arts Faculty by Arundhati Vashishtha 

Anusandhan Peeth (AVAP), 

a research organisation founded by 

late VHP leader Ashok Singhal. 

There was strong opposition 

from the student groups to DU’s decision 

for allowing such a seminar 

alleging it would “communalise” the 

campus and push “saffron agenda”. 

Meanwhile, the students’ wing 

of Congress party, National Students 

Union of India (NSUI), All India Students’ 

Association (AISA) and the 

Krantikari Yuva Sangathan (KYS) 

protested outside the venue of the 

seminar, saying the event aimed at 

polarising. 

The Delhi Police detained a 

number of protesters in a bid to control 

the situation. 

The seminar will see historians, 

archaeologists and law experts 

discussing various topics 

including “Lord Ram’s character 

and values, and their impact on Indian 

culture”, “History of the Ram 

temple and related archaeological 

findings”, “Legal issues around 

Ram temple” and “Experience and 

future of Ram temple”. 

degrees Celsius, the local MeT 

department said. 

The official said the mercury 

in Pahalgam, which 

serves as the base camp during 

annual Amarnath yatra, 

www.preciouskashmir.com 

‘India has given spiritualism, 

not communalism to world’ 

was on parliament’s Standing 

Committee on Defence 

when the reported incident 

took place, called the report 

“unfortunate but true”. 

“...at that point in time I 

used to serve in the Standing 

Committee on Defence. 

It’s unfortunate but the story 

was true, story was correct,” 

Tewari said. 

This drew a sharp reaction 

from Singh. 

“Manish Tewari is jobless 

these days. I have written a 

book, tell him to read it,” Singh 

told reporters in Ujjain. 

When contacted, Singh 

said he had “no comments” 

on the issue. 

Tewari responded on 

Twitter that he would love 

to read Singh’s book “provided 

he promises to read 

mine - in offing!”. 

The Congress, meanwhile, 

not only distanced itself 

from Tewari’s statement, 

but advised the party leader 

not to make comments on 

the issue. 

“When this alleged incident 

regarding the army 

is supposed to have taken 

place, senior ministers had 

even then clarified, and I am 

now clarifying, that there is 

absolutely no truth in the allegation,” 

Congress spokesman 

Abhishek Singhvi said 

here. 

“In fact, it was also clarified 

(then) that some troop 

movements are necessary, 

inbuilt and inevitable part of 

a defence mechanism. But to 

read into it all the other elements 

is completely wrong,” 

he said. 

Singhvi pointed out that 

Mumbai, Jan 10: Against the backdrop of 

‘intolerance’ debate, Prime Minister Narendra 

Modi today said India’s contribution to 

the world is not communalism but spiritualism 

which can resolve all problems and invoked 

former President APJ Abdul Kalam to 

underline his point. 

He regretted that the world has failed 

to understand the people of India properly 

as he praised the saints and religious leaders 

for their contribution to the country’s 

legacy. 

“India is a country, which has not tried to 

bind the world in a particular sect... We are 

the people whom the world has probably 

not understood in the manner in which we 

should have been understood,” Modi said 

while addressing via video conferencing a 

book release event here. 

“India has given the world neither community 

nor communalism. Our saints and 

sages (Rishis and Munis) and traditions 

have given the world spiritualism and not 

communalism,” he said, adding sometimes, 

sect leads to problems while spiritualism resolves 

the same. 

The Prime Minister’s comments assume 

significance as these come against the 

backdrop of debate on ‘intolerance’ and allegations 

of growing communalism in the 

country. 

“Saints, hermits and religious leaders 

have blessed the world with spirituality, 

a legacy in which our former President Dr 

APJ Abdul Kalam believed and said that 

the problems of human beings can be 

neutralised by the spiritualisation of mankind,” 

he said. 

Modi, while addressing the event to 

mark the release of a book titled ‘Maru 

Bharat Saru Bharat’ written by Jain Acharya 

Ratnasundersuriswarji Maharaj, described 

the monk as a “great social reformer and 

spiritual leader” who has expressed his 

views about all concepts and objects of the 

universe through his various books. 

“National religion is above all religions 

and Guruji has lit the candle of national religion 

through his writings, as it has been the 

glorious tradition of our country,” he said. 

The book, ‘My India, Nobel India’, in four 

languages - English, Hindi, Gujarati and Marathi 

- was released at the Somaiya Grounds 

in Sion-Chunabhatti area here during the 

‘Sahitya Satkar Samaroh’ programme on the 

concluding day of the 10-day-long religious 

and spiritual conclave. 

Mufti’s death 

a great loss to 

state: Sajad Lone 

Srinagar, Jan 10: Peoples 

Conference chairman Sajad 

Gani Lone Sunday said that 

the demise of former chief 

minister Mufti Muhammad 

Sayeed was a great loss to the 

state. 

According to KNS correspondent 

Sajad said “Mufti 

Sahab would treat me as his 

son. In the past more than 

nine months he taught me like 

his son and would advise me 

as my father would do every 

small and big issue,”. 

“When I took oath as 

a minister, Mufti Sahab 

acknowledged me and asked 

me to perform better as he 

mentioned it was something 

new experience for me,” Lone 

said while speeking at the 

residence of Mehbooba on the 

day of congregational prayers 

of late Mufti Mohammad 

Sayeed. 

“Whenever Mufti sahab 

would talk to me I would feel 

as I was talking to my father. 

Lone said that despite 

political differences between 

his father Abdul Gani Lone 

and Mufti Sahab, yet they 

were good friends. 

Congress, VK Singh contradict Tewari on 

‘troop movement report’ towards Delhi 

Tewari was never a member 

of any decision-making 

body on defence, nor was 

he a party spokesperson or 

spokesperson on issues pertaining 

to external affairs 

and defence. 

“He is neither the authorised 

spokesperson of the 

party, nor the spokesperson 

on foreign or defence affairs, 

nor privy to any of the committees 

or decision-making 

group,” Singhvi said. 

According to a published 

report, late on the night of 

January 16, 2012, the day 

Singh approached the Supreme 

Court on the issue of 

his date of birth, intelligence 

agencies reported an unexpected 

and non-notified 

movement by a key military 

unit from Hisar in Haryana in 

the direction of New Delhi. 

Temp dips below freezing point in Valley 

also increased by one degree 

to minus 6.3 degrees Celsius 

against previous night at minus 

7.1 degrees Celsius. 

Cold conditions prevailed 

in Punjab and Haryana with 

minimum temperatures hovering 

around normal level in 

most parts of both states. 

Narnaul in Haryana was 

the coldest among the places 

in the two states where mercury 

recorded a low of 4.6 degrees 

Celsius. 

Chandigarh, the joint 

capital of the states, registered 

low of 5.8 degree 

Celsius, one degree above 

normal, as per local MeT department 

report.

Precious Kashmir 

‘Martyrs Memorial’ 

NEWS 

Situation worsening in 

Pulwama 


transport stayed off the roads. 

The tension gripped the 

Srinagar, Jan 10: Amid arrest of township a fortnight ago following 

over thirty youth by police in Pulwama 

on Saturday night, the town the killing a local LeT militant, 

a shutdown in the town against 

Sunday observed complete shutdown 

for the eleventh consecutive ra district. 

Omais Ahmad Sheikh in Bandipo- 

day Sunday against the administration 

and police’s opposition to trict worsened due to the arrests 

Later, the situation in the dis- 

erecting a “memorial” at Shaheed of some youth on charges of stone 

Park for the militants killed in pelting and the subsequent plan of 

encounters in the district during the youth to erect the memorial at 

the last year. 

Shaheed Park. 

Police sources said that more The police, however, thwarted 

than thirty youth were arrested by the bid, subsequently arresting 

police in night raids in Washbugh about 20 youths from various the memorial. 

the local Auqaf committees have that the issue be resolved through 

locality, which prompted people areas of the district, mostly from The talks held between top threatened to launch indefinite consensus. 

to come out of their homes and the Pulwama town. 

police officials and members of strike till they install the memorial, 

despite the traders facing huge is worsening. I hope the issue 

“The situation in the district 

raise protests against the forces. 

Even as the police, in order to the traders’ federation also failed 

All the shops, business establishments, 

private offices, banks, dozen arrested boys late Monday administration and police have not shutdown. 

between people and the admin- 

pacify the anger, released around a to break the deadlock. The district losses worth Crores due to the is resolved through consensus 

and coaching centres remained evening, the shutdown continued agreed to allow setting up of the As situation is spiralling 

istration,” Bandh said, though 

completely shut in the town, while in the town, with youths demanding 

that they be allowed to erect However, the traders and Mohammad Khalil Bandh, hoped this tense 

memorial. 

into chaos, the local legislator, evading his role as the legislator in 

private as well as the passenger 

situation. 

Asiya, 

Shah 

hail 

resolve 

Srinagar, Jan 10: Senior Hurriyat Conference leaders including Syedah Asiya Andrabi and Shabir Ahmad Shah saluted the “steadfastness and 

bravery” of the people of Pulwama who for the past 11 days are agitating for a “memorial of the martyrs”. 

In a statement issued here, Asiya said, “the entire South Kashmir has taken a lead in fight against India on both the political and the military 

level and District Pulwama has excelled in its own.” 

“I request people in Pulwama to continue till they achieve their goal and besides the memorial make it sure that the bodies of Ansar Mujahideen 

are handed over to people so that they are given an Islamic burial along with their Kashmiri counterparts,” Asiya said asking youth to 

involve Ulema of the district in this cause. 

“These Mujahideen from different and far places come to fight for us thus it is our moral obligation that we stand for them and arrange their 

funeral with honour and respect. The funeral of Shaheed Abu Qasim was a solace for his family and general people in Pakistan and therefore it 

is necessary that the same be provided for other Ansar Shuhada as well,” she said. “Under a conspiracy our Mujahideen are being buried in the 

forests of Uri. This should not be allowed.” 

She condemned the arrest spree in Pulwama and said that it is “barbaric that innocent young kids and youth are being dragged out in the 

dead of the night from their homes as if they are criminals they too have committed the crime which entire Muslims of Jammu and Kashmir 

have i.e. freedom from illegal occupation of India. People of the entire valley should rise up in their support”. 

Meanwhile she also paid glowing tributes to “Shaheed Muhammad Yaseen Itoo, a top commander of Hizbul Mujahideen” and prayed for 

him and his family. 

In his statement, Shabir Shah while strongly condemning the unleashing of brute force by police upon the people of Pulwama, on Sunday 

extended his full support to campaign demanding erecting of a “martyrs’ memorial” in the area. 

Kabul, Jan 10: Pakistan 

will present a list of Taliban 

willing to negotiate with 

Kabul at a meeting this 

week aimed at reviving the 

Afghan peace process, an 

Afghan official said today. 

Afghanistan, Pakistan, 

China and the United States 

are scheduled to meet in 

Islamabad tomorrow to discuss 

a road map for peace 

talks. The meeting will not 

include the Taliban. 

Javid Faisal, deputy 

spokesman for Chief Executive 

Abdullah Abdullah, 

said that Pakistan’s list will 

include Taliban who do 

and do not want talks with 

Kabul on ending the 15- 

year war. 

Pakistan had agreed to 

cut off financial support to 

Taliban fighters based in 

Pakistani cities, including 

Quetta and Peshawar, Faisal 

said. Insurgents based in 

Pakistan would not be 

allowed to resettle in Afghanistan, 

he added. 

The agreement would 

also include “bilateral 

cooperation on eliminating 

terrorism,” Faisal said. 

Pakistani officials could 

not be immediately reached 

for comment. 

Pakistan has consistently 

denied US and Afghan allegations 

that it gives financial 

or material support to 

Afghanistan’s Taliban. The 

CIA has publicly accused 

Pakistan of supporting the 

Haqqani group, a Taliban 

affiliate and US-declared 

Srinagar,Monday 


3 

Pakistan to 

present list of 

Taliban open to 

peace talks 

terrorist group. 

Tomorrow’s meeting in 

Islamabad could revive a 

process that collapsed last 

summer after Afghanistan 

announced that Mullah 

Mohammad Omar, founder 

and leader of the Taliban, 

had died in a Pakistani 

hospital more than two 

years ago. 

The announcement led 

the Taliban to pull out of the 

talks after just one meeting 

hosted by Islamabad. A 

subsequent power struggle 

within the Taliban has 

raised questions about who 

would represent the insurgents 

if and when the talks 

with Kabul are restarted. 

Analysts have cautioned 

that despite the rapprochement 

between Kabul and 

Islamabad, any substantive 

peace talks are still months 

off. 

Pakistan’s relations 

with Kabul have been 

tense in recent months. 

The two countries have 

long accused each other 

of backing the Taliban 

and other insurgents 

operating along their 

porous border. 

Afghan President 

Ashraf Ghani took part in 

a regional conference last 

month in Islamabad, which 

called for the resumption of 

the Afghan-Taliban peace 

negotiations. Ghani was given 

a warm welcome at the 

meeting, which was also 

attended by US and Chinese 

representatives. (AGENCIES) 

Renowned mystic 

Sonaullah Bhat passes away 


Srinagar, Jan 10: Renowned mystic and 

faith-healer Khwaja Sonaullah Bhat 

passed away at his residence in Mazhama 

area of central Kashmir's Budgam 

district last night, family sources said. 

They said Bhat, who was fondly 

called 'Sonae Sahib', breathed his last at 

11pm last night. 

His Namaz-e-Jinazah will be offered 

at 2 pm today following which he will 

be laid to rest in the premises of his residence 

at Mazhama near Magam town. 

Mirwaiz expresses shock 

Srinagar, Jan 10: Expressing grief and shock over the death of a prominent Sufi 

saint, Sanaullah Bhat alias Sonaullah Bab of Magam, Hurriyat (M) Chairman, Mirwaiz 

Umar FarooqSunday offered condolences to the bereaved family and followers 

of the Sufi saint. 

In his condolence message, the Hurriyat (M) Chairman termed the saint’s 

simplicity, religiosity and Sufi way of life as a lesson for the people and said late 

Sanaullah Bhat had dedicated his life in way of the Almighty Allah and for the 

betterment of the people. 

Meanwhile, on the directions of the Mirwaiz a delegation led by Abdul Qayoom 

and other Hurriyat (M) activists participated in the Nimaz-e-Jinazah of the Sufi 

saint and expressed sympathy and condolences with the bereaved family. (KNS) 

Er Rasheed condemns 

attack on two 

Kashmiris in New Delhi 


Srinagar, Jan 10: Reacting 

sharply to the brazen attack 

on two Kashmiri including 

journalist Imran Shah and 

Dr Amaar by goons in New 

Delhi, MLA Langate and AIP 

Supremo Er Rasheed has 

asked New Delhi to declare 

whole India as no entry zone 

for Kashmiris. 

Er Rasheed added that 

the way two youth were 

humiliated and pet dogs 

were set free to attack them 

proves the level of immorality 

and rudeness towards 

Kashmiris among Indians. Er 

Rasheed said, “Kashmiris are 

safe nowhere in India and 

the way these two respectable 

were ruthlessly beaten 

and abused of resembling 

ISIS militants is a shameful 

act and the indifferent role 

of Delhi police towards the 

issue is deplorable. 

Shawl merchants and 

other businessmen from 

Kupwara and other areas doing 

business in Punjab, Himachal, 

Delhi , U.P, Bengal, Rajasthan 

and other states, are 

being subjected to mental 

and physical torture by police 

and other agencies and 

are being forced to report 

to police stations on daily 

basis.” 

Er Rasheed questioned 

that if thousands of 

non-Kashmiris are rooming 

free to do anything or business 

in Kashmir why are 

Kashmiris being treated like 

slaves of a free country. He 

asked Central government to 

declare India a No Entry Zone 

for Kashmiris so that doubts 

among few Kashmiris who 

believe that India is a secular 

and tolerant country are over 

once for all. 

Mehbooba comes out, 

dines with party leaders 


Srinagar, Jan 10: For the first 

since the day former Chief 

Minister Mufti Mohammad 

Sayeed breathed his last and 

was laid to rest in his native 

home town of Bijbehara, 

Peoples Democratic Party 

president, Mehbooba Mufti 

came out of her residence 

and had a dinner meeting 

with her party men. 

Mufti died on Thursday 

(Jan 07, 2015) in AIIMS, 

New Delhi. Today was his 

customary ‘Chahrum’ and 

Fateha was held at Bijbehara 

and Fairview residences, respectively 

in the day. 

Insiders in the party 

said that Mehbooba Mufti 

joined the meeting where 

PDP lawmakers and senior 

members were present 

at her Fairview residence 

around 7 PM this evening. 

It was first interaction 

since Thursday. 

In an emotionally 

charged atmosphere, Mehbooba 

spoke to her party 

leaders while reminding 

the leadership of late Mufti. 

“Mehbooba Ji sought 

forgiveness on behalf of 

her late father if, anyway, 

we were hurt by late Mufti,” 

one of the participants 

of the meeting said. “This 

changed the whole atmosphere 

as participants broke 

down and Mehbooba Ji 

could not hold herself.” 

A few of the PDP leaders 

spoke on the occasion. 

While paying tributes to 

late Mufti, they hailed his 

contribution to J&K. The 

meeting ended with a joint 

dinner. 

However, Mehbooba 

Mufti, sources added, didn’t 

talk anything about new 

government formation. 

“Nothing was discussed 

about the government formation,” 

they added. 

The PDP-BJP coalition 

government ceases to exist 

in J&K as CM left this world. 

On Saturday evening, Governor 

rule was imposed in 

J&K while Mehbooba had 

refused to take oath as CM 

after her father died. 

Ladakh Scouts 

soldiers who 

died in avalanche 

laid to rest 

Srinagar, Jan 10: Army 

Sunday laid to rest with military 

honours the soldiers of 

Ladakh Scouts at their native 

villages, Lakjung and Nimu, 

in Leh district. 

The army men had died 

in an avalanche while on a 

patrol in the Siachen area of 

Ladakh region on January 3. 

An army spokesman in a 

statement said that the brave 

martyrs Havaldar Tsewang 

Norboo and Sep Jigmat Chosdup 

were laid to rest with 

full military honours. 

Two other army men, 

Sepoy Mohammad Yousuf 

and Havaldar Dorjay 

Gyaltson, also of the Scouts, 

too had died in the same 

avalanche. 

“Sepoy Mohammad 

Yousuf was earlier laid to 

rest in his native village Aihampur 

of District Kargil on 

January 6 with full military 

honours, while the funeral 

of Havaldar Dorjay Gyaltson 

is plannedtomorrow at his 

native village Taingyar on 

Agam axis in Nubra area,” 

the spokesman said. 

10th class result: Afzal Guru’s 

son scores 474 marks 


Srinagar, Jan 10: A boy form 

Anantnag has topped the 

Class 10 results in the Valley 

by scoring 99.6 per cent 

marks in the annual session 

of the examination, the results 

of which were declared 

on Monday evening. 

Tabish Manzoor Khan 

of Radiant Public School, 

Anantnag, has topped the 

results by scoring 498 marks 

out of a total of 500. 

The second and third positions 

were also held by two 

girls, Aneesa Haleen of Mallinson 

Girls School, and Hiba 

Intikhab of Shah-e-Hamdan 

Memorial school of Shopian 

district. The two brilliant 

students have scored 491 

and 490 marks respectively 

out of the 500. 

Interestingly, son of 

Afzal Guroo, Ghalib Afzal 

Guroo has scored a distinction 

by scoring 474 marks, 

making his entire distraught 

family proud. Afzal Guroo 

was hanged as a convict in 

Parliament attack case on 

February 9 in 2013. 

The overall percentage 

of students who have passed 

the exams stand at 65.27, of 

which pass percentage of 

boys is 67.28 and girls pass 

percentage is 63.04. 

Again, the government 

schools have lagged behind 

private schools in the results. 

50.46 per cent students of 

government schools have 

qualified the examinations, 

while 78.91 percent of 

students in private schools 

have passed. 

“14,716 have been 

declared successful out of 

a total of 29,162 students 

of government schools 

who had appeared in the 

examination, while 24,981 

students out of 31657of private 

schools have qualified 

for the next class,” a board 

official said. 

While 2296 scored A1 

grade, 5186 A2, 6036 B1, 

7005 B2, 8176 C1, 6013 C2 

and 741D. 

In English 60608 appeared 

and 70.63 per cent 

students have qualified; in 

Mathematics out of 60099, 

65.18 per cent students have 

qualified; of 357 students 

in Hindi 92.86 per cent students 

passed; in Urdu 81.73 

percent students passed out 

of 59,693; in Science 60336, 

74.66 per cent students 

passed; in Social Science 

60224, 73.89 per cent students 

passed 

In the language 

subjects, 92.60 per cent 

students have passed in 

Arabic out of 1054; in 

Kashmiri, only 39 students 

have passed and all of 

them have passed. In 

Computer Science out of 

42 students, 60 per cent 

students have qualified. 

Treat Punjab at par with Kashmir 

for BSF deployment: Badal 

Amritsar, Jan 10: In wake of two major 

terror attacks in Punjab in about five 

months, Chief Minister Parkash Singh 

Badal on Sunday urged the central 

government to treat the state frontier 

at par with Jammu and Kashmir for deployment 

of more BSF troopers to check 

infiltration from across the border. 

Badal said that he has asked the 

union Home Minister Rajnath Singh 

to deploy adequate number of Border 

Security Force (BSF) personnel along 

the international border with Pakistan 

in Punjab, keeping in view the growing 

threat of infiltration from the neighbouring 

country. 

"In wake of recent terror attacks at 

Dinanagar (July 27, 2015) and Pathankot 

(January 2, 2016), the need of the 

hour is to replicate the formula which 

was applicable in Jammu and Kashmir 

in Punjab also to intensify vigil on the 

border. 

"Punjab is a national frontier and 

concerted efforts must be made to beef 

its security for the sake of protecting 

unity and integrity of the nation," he 

said. 

Though the 553-km long international 

border in Punjab is barbed wire 

fenced, infiltration takes place through 

areas where it is damaged or missing. Infiltrators 

also take advantage of riverine 

areas in Gurdaspur and Pathankot districts 

where floods damage the fencing. 

The border is guarded by the BSF. 

Six terrorists from Pakistan, who 

had attacked the Pathankot air base on 

January 2, were killed by security forces. 

Seven security personnel were also 

killed in the counter offensive. 

In the July 27 attack on Dinanagar 

town in Gurdaspur district, seven people 

- a police officer, three home guards 

personnel and three civilians - were 

killed. Three terrorists were eliminated 

by security forces. 

Two army 

porters 

injured in 

LoC blast 


Srinagar, Jan 10: Two porters 

working for the Indian Army were 

injured in a landmine blast on Sunday 

near the Line of Control (LoC) 

in Jammu and Kashmir's Kupwara 

district, police said. 

"Two local porters working 

for the army were injured in a 

landmine blast when they were 

repairing the fence along the LoC in 

Keran sector," a police officer told 

IANS in Srinagar. 

Both the injured were admitted 

to a hospital, where doctors said 

one of them had sustained critical 

injuries. 

The fence along the LoC to 

prevent infiltration often gets 

damaged due to heavy snowfall in 

winter.

Precious Kashmir 

Edit 

Srinagar,Monday 

10.01.2016 4 

The question of will! 

Man’s will is one of the most influential moral factors and the 

strongest way of achieving good intentions and noble hopes, 

it has strong correlation to the basis of man’s happiness. It is 

will, which has the power to guard his personality from the 

reach of filth and the lowliness in life. A strong will or we can 

say self-control is a determining factor in a happy life; it allows 

man to resist events which can have significant consequences 

in his life. The more efforts we make toward strengthening this 

vital power, the more vigor we achieve in order to obtain moral 

excellence. Our souls then become tranquil and protected from 

disarray. 

Self control is a central function of the self and an important 

key to success in life. Self-control pushes you to make the 

difficult choice over the immediately appealing option for a 

result that will eventually pay off. People with good self-control 

not only live cheerfully but are also less depressed and anxious, 

have stronger personal bonds and better self-esteem. Michelle 

Hofmann and his team at University of Chicago did a research 

and found that: Most self-controlled people are satisfied with 

their living conditions. 

People with self-control appear generally to be in higher 

spirits; in the long run, they are happier with their lives. Initially, 

it is not easy to exercise self-control over cravings; there 

is a certain threshold which can be surpassed by persistency 

and steadfastness. It is like when one starts practicing a math 

question, at first he finds it irksome but after continuous focus 

and attention he drives out pleasure from it. 

Kelly McGonagall, in his book “The science of Willpower” 

says: “I believe that the best way to improve your self-control 

is to see how and why you lose control. Knowing how you are 

likely to give in doesn’t, as many people fear, set yourself up 

for failure. It allows you to support yourself and avoid the traps 

that lead to willpower failures. Research shows that people who 

think they have the most willpower are actually the most likely 

to lose control when tempted. For example, smokers who are 

the most optimistic about their ability to resist temptation are 

the most likely to relapse four months later, and overoptimistic 

dieters are the least likely to lose weight. Why? They fail to predict 

when, where, and why they will give in. They expose themselves 

to more temptation, such as hanging out with smokers or 

leaving cookies around the house. They’re also most likely to be 

surprised by setbacks and give up on their goals when they run 

into difficulty. 

The payoff for practicing self-control is always immediate 

and convincing. Whenever you discipline yourself, and force 

yourself to do the right thing, whether you like it or not, you 

will like and respect yourself more. Your self-esteem increases. 

Your self-image improves. 

Printer, Publisher, Owner : Afaq Ahmad Bhat 

Editor: Afaq Ahmad Bhat 

Legal Advisor: Hakim Sami Yaqoob (Advocate) 

Published From: Rajbagh Opposite Radio Colony Srinagar 

J&K 

Printed At: Alsafa Printing Press Hazuri Bagh Srinagar 

RNI No: JKENG/2013/55310 

Cell No: 9419081703 

OTHER OPINION 

El Chapo proves Mexico is failing 

The re-recapture of Mexico’s dreaded drug kingpin, Joaquin Guzman Loera 

or El Chapo, after an epic manhunt by security forces is a significant 

event in the history of countering organised crime. But hauling him back 

into prison is not in itself a solution to chronic lawlessness and insecurity. 

Rather, the fact that it took so long and so many sensational jailbreaks 

and near-misses before he was yet again pinned down means that he 

is more a symbol of what is sorely amiss in Mexico’s corroded legal and 

political systems. 

A man who topped charts as the most-wanted fugitive in the world, El 

Chapo was no ordinary thug. 

His legendary status as the merciless and wily head of the Sinaloa drug 

cartel, his Robin Hood cult as a billionaire messiah of the poor, and the 

ease with which he would give chasers a slip made him a parallel authority 

who mocked at the flawed Mexican state that has struggled under the 

weight of multiple institutional flaws. 

Larger than life 

For his faithful, he was the de facto state and the law - a demigod who 

killed at will, built vast transnational linkages to siphon cocaine, marijuana 

and heroine, and commanded a private air force, navy and army 

to spread his empire. Where a smuggler could become so larger-thanlife 

and unstoppable for decades, it exposes misguided policies and relationships 

involving the formal state structure.Now that El Chapo is back 

behind bars (hopefully for good at least this time), it is worth recalling 

that he was the byproduct of a proverbial weak state riven by a culture 

of clientelismo or patronage networks wherein federal and provincial 

governments were integrated with local warlords to sustain themselves 

in power. 

From cabinet ministers to local mayors, judges and lawers to beat cops, 

the entire body politic was compromised and conducive for a superhuman 

criminal to exploit the chinks and ride his way to glory. 

The lure of the market for contraband in the United States, the nefarious 

connections with US banks, and the easy availability of weapons across 

both sides of the US-Mexico border were the perfect backdrops for drug 

syndicates to flourish and exercise brutal control over millions of Mexican 

people. 

The state and its arms were so enmeshed in graft and nepotism that they 

abdicated in delivering social services, justice and clean government, allowing 

the cartels to step in as a substitute. El Chapo and his ilk ravaged 

Mexico but they have been paradoxically worshipped by many laypersons 

because they addressed the needs of the poor better than the legal 

institutions. 

There are fascinating parallels between El Chapo and Matteo Messina 

Denaro, the still-at-large Italian mafia boss who goes by the nickname 

Diabolik. The chief of the Cosa Nostra gang, Diabolik has operated with 

impunity across several continents and has the blood of countless victims 

on his hands. 

Email: preciouskashmir@gmail.com 

Afghanistan and the Taliban 

need Pakistan for peace 

Barnett Rubin 

In the latest attempt to find a solution to the nearly 

38-year-old war in Afghanistan, diplomats from Afghanistan, 

Pakistan, the United States, and China will 

meet in Islamabad on January 11. This format, called 

the “two plus two” or the “quad”, evolved from an 

effort started by Afghan President Ashraf Ghani soon 

after his inauguration in September 2014. 

Fighters have joined the insurgency in Afghanistan 

for many reasons, such as anger over the US-led 

intervention, civilian casualties, detentions and torture, 

abuse by local power holders, or to protect lucrative 

criminal activities, but the main driver of the 

conflict is Pakistan’s use of these groups to pressure 

Afghanistan. 

IPakistan, specifically the military, intends to keep 

pressuring Afghanistan to counter Kabul’s perceived 

alignment with India and the longstanding bilateral 

issues between the two countries. These mainly 

concern the status of the boundary between the two 

countries, which Afghanistan calls the “Durand Line” 

and has never officially recognised. 

Disputes over the border are linked to Afghan 

and Pashtun nationalist movements in both countries 

that have challenged the legitimacy of the incorporation 

of Pashtun territories into Pakistan. 

Political solution 

Pakistan supports the Taliban by providing a secure 

safe haven for their leadership, logistics, training, 

recruitment, and fundraising. Pakistan’s nuclear 

and conventional forces have deterred kinetic action 

against these safe havens. The country’s strategic 

importance to China, the United States, and Saudi 

Arabia, precludes international sanctions against Pakistan. 

Therefore only a political solution is possible. 

At a press conference on December 31, 2015, 

Ghani said, “It is obvious that there are groups of 

Taliban, not a unified movement.” If so, direct engagement 

with the Pakistan-based so-called “Islamic 

Emirate of Afghanistan”, formerly led by the late 

Mullah Muhammad Omar and now by Mullah Akhtar 

Muhammad Mansur, will only magnify the importance 

of that group. 

If the Taliban are a collection of groups, then the 

Taliban political office in Doha with which the US has 

engaged in talks, could not be an effective interlocutor. 

Since the announcement of the death of Mullah 

Omar, at least one group has split from the Taliban, 

but Pakistan, sometimes to the dismay of Kabul, has 

supported Mansur’s efforts to consolidate power. If 

the Taliban are a collection of groups, then the Taliban 

political office in Doha with which the US has engaged 

in talks, could not be an effective interlocutor. 

Therefore as a first step Afghanistan must offer to 

build trust with Pakistan, as Ghani tried to do starting 

with his November 2014 visit to Pakistan. Economic 

cooperation such as the Turkmenistan Afghanistan 

Pakistan India (TAPI) pipeline will reinforce such confidence 

building measures and provide incentives to 

reach agreement. 

The rise of China’s economy and its leadership’s 

decision to “look west” has led China to break with its 

passivity in this region. In order to complete the hundreds 

of billions of dollars of infrastructure that China 

intends to build across Central and South Asia, it 

requires a predictable environment, including peace 

and security in Afghanistan. 

China’s interests 

This trend has moved China’s interests in the region 

toward closer alignment with those of Afghanistan 

and the US. At least some of Pakistan’s use of 

Islamist militants now threatens China’s interests, 

while China’s investments offer Pakistan a significant 

payoff if it modifies its policy of protecting the Taliban 

safe haven. Hence inclusion of China in the process is 

essential to move Pakistan in the right direction and 

keep it on board. 

The US remains the dominant foreign power for 

both Afghanistan and Pakistan, and the increasing 

alignment of US and China’s interests and the development 

of US-China cooperation on Afghan issues reduces 

Pakistan’s ability to play one against the other. 

US-China cooperation may also turn into a durable 

partnership that will be needed to monitor and implement 

any agreement. 

Therefore these four powers must reach agreement 

on the framework for negotiation. Whether or 

not various Taliban groups accept that internationally 

agreed framework will constitute the working definition 

of those who “choose peace or terrorism”, in 

Ghani’s words. 

Those who refuse this framework should be dealt 

with militarily in both Afghanistan and Pakistan. That 

would include international extremist groups such as 

al-Qaeda and ISIL. 

Especially after the bloody summer and fall of 

2015, Afghan public opinion will not accept negotiations 

as long as this level of violence continues. While 

Pakistan has argued that a ceasefire or the equivalent 

must emerge from the talks, Ghani insists that some 

confidence building measures must lead very quickly 

to a reduction in violence. For that he is relying more 

on Pakistan’s leverage over the Taliban than on agreement 

with them. 

If Pakistan’s ability or willingness either to deliver 

or suppress the Taliban is less than the Afghan government 

believes or hopes, Afghanistan may have to 

engage more with the Taliban rather than with Pakistan. 

Talks with Taliban 

Who would represent the Taliban in such talks? 

The Taliban leadership has stated for years that the 

Doha office is the address for talks. The Taliban sought 

an office in a Gulf country so it could operate more independently 

of Pakistan and represent the real positions 

of what they portray as a politically centralised, 

though operationally decentralised, movement. 

At the July 5 meeting in Murree, however, the Taliban 

side consisted of two representatives of mujahidin 

networks from Eastern Afghanistan dating back to 

the 1980s that joined the Taliban later (the Haqqanis 

and Harakat-Mansur) and one individual working 

more or less directly for the ISI (Mullah Abbas). 

If negotiations are to lead to an actual settlement 

with most of the insurgents, future meetings will 

have to include representatives who can deliver results 

on the ground. 

If the so-called Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan 

does speak for a significant portion of the fighters, it 

may be necessary to include the political office, which 

has so far rejected the framework proposed by the Afghan 

government and demanded more talks with the 

US and the lifting of sanctions before negotiating with 

the Afghan government. 

If Pakistan’s ability or willingness either to deliver 

or suppress the Taliban is less than the Afghan 

government believes or hopes, Afghanistan may have 

to engage more with the Taliban rather than with Pakistan, 

and Pakistan will have to agree to loosen its 

control of the process. 

Thus far it has insisted that all meetings, including 

both Murree and this Monday’s diplomatic meeting, 

take place in Pakistan. 

And if Pakistan will not or cannot take the necessary 

measures to disarm the Taliban as part of the implementation 

of an agreement, not only Afghanistan, 

but also the US and China will have to reconsider how 

to gain its compliance. 

The main subject of discussion in Islamabad is 

likely to be where and when to hold the next meeting, 

who should be invited, and how to place the chairs 

around the table. That is necessary. 

But a clearer consensus within the quad on the 

issues discussed here will be needed to actually attain 

the objective 

Source { Aljazeera.com}. 

British Muslim charities are paying ‘Islamic penalty’ 

Muhammad Abdul Bari 

The fact that Britain is the most charitable developed 

nation in the world and Muslims are “its top charity 

givers” has been well established for some time. 

Prime Minister David Cameron acknowledged this 

reality in his Ramadan 2014 message, “Here in Britain, 

Muslims are our biggest donors - they give more 

to charity than any other faith group.” 

The impulse of charity giving is embedded in human 

nature. For many Muslims the prime mover is 

the teachings of their religion to help out fellow human 

beings in distress or in need, irrespective of their 

background. This has contributed to the emergence 

of a strong Muslim charity sector that has employed 

thousands of dedicated professionals. Many new 

charities have appeared in recent years and are attracting 

young talented university students and graduates 

as volunteers. Some are known for their highly 

entrepreneurial and specialised works. 

But in recent years, the new menace that is 

haunting Muslim charities is the fear of their bank account 

closure. The first that came to be widely known 

was HSBC’s notification to a few charities that their 

accounts would be closed in just two months time as 

they were outside the bank’s “risk appetite”. 

This irreversible decision came without any previous 

notice and as a shock to the affected charities. 

HSBC’s failure to provide any warnings or appropriate 

evidence for its actions has been a real worry. 

Risk appetite 

Since then, a few other banks such as Barclays 

and Co-operative Bank have followed suit. Early in 

2015 HSBC closed the Muslim Aid account. 

Recently, they have closed down the account 

of Islamic Relief, the largest UK Muslim charity. On 

last 15 December, the Co-operative Bank informed 

Friends of Al-Aqsa that it would close their bank account. 

No reasons have been provided, apart from 

mentioning the same “risk appetite” issue. The Co-op 

has refused to engage in any negotiations, and have 

called this “a business decision”. 

Bigger charities like Islamic relief and Muslim Aid 

use multiple bank accounts; for them the main issue 

is a serious reputational damage. But smaller charities 

do not have the luxury of doing this, so closure of 

their main account becomes a survival issue for them. 

Bank closures undermine the great work done by 

Muslim charities abroad and in our own shore such as 

in recent and past floods. 

For a community which is going through disproportionate 

scrutiny from successive government’s 

counter-productive Prevent agenda, bank closures 

of its charities without proper explanation is an additional 

worry. When an organisation like the Palestinian 

Solidarity Campaign (PSC) that has been 

supporting Palestinian rights for decades found that 

their account with Cooperative Bank was also closed 

last July, naturally it raised the spectre of fear among 

many. 

Bank closures undermine the great work done by 

Muslim charities abroad and in our own shore such as 

in recent and past floods. Many feel that the rhetoric 

of “extremism” and “protecting British values” visa-vis 

Muslims is creating a climate where Muslims 

NGOs are seen as a fair game. One is not sure whether 

this selective bank closure affecting only Muslim 

charities is because of the political climate of judging 

the community through a prism of security. 

Reliable partners 

Of course it is understood that there would be 

greater scrutiny of charities’ finances prompted by international 

money laundering concerns and tougher 

UK counter-terrorism laws. But in a rights-based society 

and renowned for its principle of innocence until 

proven guilty, if a community is made to feel out of 

place this does not bode well for Britain. 

Muslim charity sector has been the jewel in the 

Muslim community’s crown in serving humanity in 

recent decades; without a way out this may one day 

be reduced to insignificance. 

Almost all charities in Britain are now regulated 

by Charity Commission (CC); so charities are duty-bound 

to maintain due diligence while transferring 

money directly to the recipients or through reliable 

partners acceptable to the CC. 

Access to banking facilities is vital for transparency 

and good governance and fear that fundraising and 

aid work in Muslim communities could otherwise 

collapse or even be driven underground. 

The confidence of Muslim charities on British 

banks is obviously at an all time low. The community 

is deeply worried about this development. Although 

banks are denying their motives are religious, many 

believe this is the penalty of bearing any “Islamic” 

name in current political climate. 

David Anderson, the UK’s reviewer of terrorism 

legislation, called for dialogue between policy makers 

and NGOs on the issue of bank closures. It is time the 

government steps in to assure that Muslim charities 

are not victimised for political reasons . 

Source [Aljazeera.com} 

Website: www.preciouskashmir.com >>>>>>>>> Please send your articles and letters on preciouskashmir@gmail.com >>>>>>>>>


Sensex Nifty Gold 

Business/ International 

Monday 

5 



Silver Dollar J&K Bank Yes Bank SBI ICICI Bank HDFC Bank 

82.50 

33.05 

119.00 

715.00 

0.30 

2.25 

14.85 

0.60 

1.70 

6.15 

24934.33 

7601.35 

25,981.00 

33,816.00 

66.63 

83.70 

693.70 

208.95 

245.05 

1,062.35 

India to be star performer; China 

New Delhi, Jan 10: India 

will be a “star performer” 

among emerging market 

economies and is expected 

to clock 7.7 per cent growth 

in 2016, outshining China 

for the second consecutive 

year, a PwC report says. 

According to the global 

consultancy firm, of the 

emerging economies, only 

India is expected to grow 

faster in 2016 than its longterm 

average growth rate. 

Among the seven 

emerging economies (China, 

India, Brazil, Mexico, 

Russia, Indonesia and Turkey), 

India will be a “star 

performer”, while the Brazilian 

and Russian economies 

will contract and 

China will slow down, the 

to slow down in 2016: PWC 

report said. 

“For the second year in 

a row, we expect India to 

grow faster than China, expanding 

by around 7.7 per 

cent in real terms,” it said. 

While the G7 economies 

(the US, the UK, Japan, 

Germany, France, Italy 

and Canada) are expected 

to grow at fastest rate since 

2010, led by the first two, 

the E7 emerging economies 

ease to 6.5 per cent in 

2016, as growth in manufacturing 

and exports will 

continue to slow gradually. 

The report further noted 

that India will continue 

to reap the benefits of recent 

reforms. 

“The cut in the policy 

rate by the Reserve Bank 

of India from 8 per cent to 

6.75 per cent last year will 

help support consumption 

will grow slower than 

and investment growth 

their trend rate (but still 

faster than the G7). 

“We expect the US recovery 

this year,” PwC said, adding 

that FDI in the country’s 

“underdeveloped” manu- 

to switch into a 

facturing sector should 

higher gear in 2016, while of the end of the Eurozone of India,” PwC UK Chief also pick up as foreign investment 

the UK will also enjoy crisis. The once-mighty Economist John Hawksworth 

caps have mostly 

continued consumer-led BRICs, however, will have 

said. 

been lifted. 

growth. We should also 

see at least the beginning 

another tough year in 2016, 

with the notable exception 

According to PwC, the 

Chinese GDP growth will 

Geopolitics, rather than 

economics, will be at the 

Q3 results, IIP to dictate 

market trend this week 

New Delhi, Jan 10: Third-quarter earnings of 

blue chip companies like TCS and Infosys, as 

well as key macroeconomic data of IIP and 

inflation will dictate market trend this week, 

say experts. 

Other factors that are likely to influence 

market sentiments in the near 

term include global mar- k e t 

trends, investment by foreign 

institutional investors 

(FIIs), the movement 

of rupee against the dollar 

and crude oil prices. 

On the earnings 

front, markets will be 

eyeing the results of 

big names like TCS, Infosys, 

Hindustan Unilever, 

Zee Entertainment 

and IndusInd 

Bank, among others. 

Participants 

would also be tracking 

IIP data for November 

and consumer price index and 

wholesale price index data for December. 

“In the coming week, we have a lot action 

as government will release key macroeconomic 

data which will built the market 

Damascus, Jan 10: The Syrian government 

announced that it is ready to attend 

peace talks later this month with 

the opposition in Geneva as a new 

air strike in northern Syria killed and 

wounded scores of people, including 

many militants. 

However, foreign minister Walid 

al-Moallem said Damascus also 

wants to see lists of the opposition 

groups who will attend and ensure 

that “terrorist” groups will not be 

represented. 

State news agency SANA said al- 

Moallem made his comments while 

meeting in Damascus with UN envoy 

Staffan de Mistura. Al-Moallem’s 

comments came shortly before opposition 

activists said an air strike had 

killed at least 39 and wounded dozens 

of others. 

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory 

for Human Rights said 39 people 

were killed, including many fighters 

from al-Qaida’s affiliate in Syria, 

the Nusra Front, as well as detainees 

in the northwestern town of Maaret 

al-Numan. It said the targeted area 

sentiments. 

“Apart from this, Q3-FY16 corporate 

earnings and sentiments in the global markets 

and movement of rupee against the dollar 

and global crude oil price movement will 

dictate trend next week,” said Vijay Singhania, 

Founder-Director of discount brokerage 

firm Trade Smart Online. 

According to domestic brokerage firm 

Reliance Securities, the short-term trend is 

likely to be dictated more by “global developments 

as compared to the India Inc’s 

earnings’ scorecard, where no significant 

improvement is expected.” 

Advising traders to be cautious, Reliance 

Securities said that 

investors should focus 

on quality companies’ 

stocks as these 

counters accumulated 

during such challenging 

times tend 

to yield great returns 

over the mediumto-long-term. 

The benchmark BSE Sensex 

tumbled by 1,226.57 points or 4.68 per cent 

on a weekly basis amid concerns over the 

Chinese economy and geopolitical tensions 

between Saudi Arabia and Iran. 

included a jail and a courthouse run 

by Nusra Front. 

The Nusra Front is one of the 

country’s most powerful factions and 

is opposed to peace talks with the 

government, saying its aim is to step 

up an Islamic state in Syria. The group 

is fighting against government forces, 

the Islamic State group as well as 

some US-backed rebel factions. Much 

like its rival, the Islamic State group, 

the Nusra Front imposes its own vision 

of Islamic shariah law in territories 

it controls — including Islamic 

courts and prisons. 

The Syrian government has been 

carrying out air strikes for years, 

which activists say have killed thousands 

of people. Russia began its own 

air campaign on Sept. 30 saying its 

air strikes are meant to weaken the 

Islamic State group and other “terrorists” 

in Syria. 

The Local Coordination Committees, 

another activist group, said the 

air strike killed 51. The group posted 

a photo on its Facebook page showing 

several bodies covered with blankets 

and lined on a pavement. Another 

showed two dead bearded young 

New Delhi, Jan 10: The Income 

Tax department’s ambitious 

OTP-based ITR filing 

system for taxpayers has 

crossed the 50 lakh e-verification 

mark, while more than 39 

lakh Aadhaar numbers have 

been successfully linked with 

the PAN database after the 

scheme was launched over 

six months back. 

The new e-filing system, 

operationalised last year, allows 

online verification of 

a person’s Income Tax Returns 

(ITR) by using either 

the Aadhaar number, internet 

banking, ATM or email, 

thereby ending the practice 

of sending paper acknowledgment 

to the Centralised 

Processing Centre (CPC) of 

the IT department located in 

Bengaluru. 

“The e-verification of 

ITRs recently crossed the 50 

lakh figure which is a testimony 

to more and more 

people and entities opting 

for electronic filing of their 

IT returns. While sky is the 

limit here, getting these 

numbers just when the new 

year has begun will enable 

the government to usher in 

more and more facilities for 

e-filing of ITRs in the new 

financial year begining April 

1,” a senior official said. 

The official, quoting latest 

data of the week ending 

today, said a total of 

50,10,282 ITRs have been 

e-verified, while Aadhaar 

linkages with the Permanent 

Account Number (PAN) has 

been achieved in 39,66,149 

cases during the same period. 

The online ITR filing 

portal of the department 

is available at http://incometaxindiaefiling.gov.in. 

According to the rules 

notified in this regard by the 

Syrian government ready to attend 

peace talks in Geneva 

US flies B-52 over S Korea 

after North tests nuke 

Seoul, Jan 10: A US long-range heavy bomber 

flew over South Korea on Sunday, the US 

military said, days after North Korea conducted 

its first alleged hydrogen bomb test 

in defiance of international sanctions. 

The B-52 Stratofortress, which is capable 

of carrying nuclear weapons, briefly roared 

over the Osan Air Base, some 72 kilometres 

(45 miles) south of the inter-Korean border, 

the military and an eyewitness said. 

It circled once over the airbase before 

heading home. 

The aircraft are known to have taken 

part in joint annual US-South Korea military 

exercises that have enraged Pyongyang, but 

their flights over South Korea are rarely publicized. 

The last time such a flight was made 

public was in 2013, after North Korea carried 

out its third nuclear test. 

At that time, the US dispatched both a 

B-52 and the more sophisticated B-2 stealth 

bomber to South Korea in a show of military 

muscle against the North. 

Pyongyang on Wednesday conducted 

its fourth nuclear test, angering the international 

community and raising tensions 

across the inter-Korean border. 

top of policymakers’ agendas, 

the report noted. 

The migrant crisis in 

Europe, the response of the 

international community to 

the crisis in the Middle East 

and the referendum on the 

fate of the UK’s membership 

of the European Union, will 

be the three major geopolitical 

issues to dominate the 

news headlines. 

Meanwhile, commodity 

prices are expected to 

remain lower for longer. 

“This will be a good 

news for most businesses, 

households and policymakers 

in commodity importing 

economies, but a challenge 

for countries that rely heavily 

on commodity exports,” 

the PwC report added. 

E-filing: Over 50 lakh ITRs 

e-verified by Income Tax dept 

Sanaa, Jan 10: The Arab coalition 

in Yemen has denied accusations 

of dropping cluster 

bombs in the country after UN 

chief Ban Ki-moon said their 

use may be a “war crime”. 

The coalition “denies using 

cluster bombs in Sanaa”, 

the Yemeni capital, spokesman 

Brigadier-General 

Ahmed al-Asseri told AFP 

news agency on Sunday. 

He was specifically responding 

to a report issued 

on Thursday by the US-based 

Human Rights Watch (HRW), 

which quoted residents describing 

a January 6 attack 

in a manner consistent with 

cluster-bomb use. 

men being loaded into an ambulance. 

Syria-based activist Hadi Abdallah 

wrote on his Twitter account that 

the air raid killed 43 and wounded 

more than 100, claiming it was carried 

out by Russian aircraft. 

The “terrifying massacres was 

carried out by Russian warplanes,” 

Abdallah wrote, without saying why 

he believed they were Russian. 

Conflicting casualty figures are 

common in the aftermath of air 

strikes in Syria. 

The observatory said the warplanes 

fired four missiles that hit the 

Islamic court, which includes a jail, as 

well as a nearby road linking the court 

with a market. 

De Mistura arrived in Beirut and 

boarded a plane heading to Qatar, airport 

officials said in Beirut on condition 

of anonymity in line with regulations. 

He arrived in Syria on Friday 

and earlier this week, he met Syrian 

opposition officials in Saudi Arabia 

— a main backer of some of the rebel 

groups trying to remove President 

Bashar al-Assad from power. 

“I think it’s a very weak report,” 

Asseri said. “They didn’t 

show any evidence.” 

He said HRW mentioned a 

type of cluster munition “that 

doesn’t exist in our stock”, 

adding that 90 percent of coalition 

operations in Sanaa are 

Central Board of Direct Taxes 

(CBDT) in July last year, any 

taxpayer whose income is Rs 

5 lakh or below per annum 

and has no refund claims 

can straightaway generate 

the ‘Electronic Verification 

Code’ (EVC) for e-filing and 

validating their ITR through 

their registered mobile 

number and e-mail ID with 

the department. They get a 

system generated One-Time 

Password (OTP) to validate 

their ITRs. 

However, this simplified 

option will be subject to 

certain “restrictions” which 

have been prepared by the 

taxman based on the concerned 

taxpayer’s “risk criteria 

and profile” on a case-tocase 

basis. 

These new measures 

would completely eliminate 

the need of sending the paper 

acknowledgment called 

Seoul, Jan 10: North Korean 

leader Kim Jong Un said the 

country conducted a hydrogen 

bomb test as a selfdefensive 

step against a US 

threat of nuclear war and 

had a sovereign right to do 

so without being criticised, 

state news agency KCNA reported 

on Sunday. 

North Korea’s fourth 

nuclear test on Wednesday 

angered both the United 

States and China, which was 

not given prior notice, although 

the US government 

and weapons experts doubt 

the North`s claim that the 

device it set off was a hydrogen 

bomb. 

“The DPRK’s H-bomb 

test ... is a self-defensive 

step for reliably defending 

the peace on the Korean 

Peninsula and the regional 

security from the danger of 

nuclear war caused by the 

US-led imperialists,” KCNA 

quoted Kim as saying. 

“It is the legitimate right 

ITR-V through post to the 

Bengaluru based CPC. 

In other options, those 

taxpayers who have activated 

internet banking facility 

can also do the e-verification. 

Once logged in to the 

banking portal, the taxpayer 

will be sent EVC on his mobile 

number provided to the 

official e-filing portal of the 

department which they will 

put in their ITR for final submission. 

The Aadhaar database is 

also being used by the taxman 

to verify taxpayers’ credentials. 

The department initiated 

these new technologybased 

measures in order to 

fully automate the e-filing 

system and also to end taxpayers’ 

grievances with regard 

to their ITR-V not reaching 

by post which led to their 

returns getting rejected. 

‘Hydrogen bomb test 

self-defensive step against US’ 

directed against Scud missile 

launchers. “You cannot use 

a cluster bomb against Scud 

launchers,” Asiri said. 

His comments came a day 

after Yemen’s government apparently 

reversed a decision to 

expel the head of the country 

New Delhi, Jan 10: Sebi is 

mulling urgent steps to safeguard 

investors’ interest 

against any over-exposure of 

mutual funds to riskier corporate 

bonds, while measures 

are also underway to allow 

sale of funds on e-commerce 

platforms to provide an easy 

and cost-effective channel. 

The proposed move to allow 

the fund houses and their 

distributors to sell mutual 

fund schemes through e-commerce 

platforms is expected 

to benefit all stakeholders including 

the investors. 

At the same time, Sebi 

is considering reducing the 

sector exposure limits for 

debt schemes to address concerns 

over the risks associated 

with their investments 

in distressed corporate bonds, 

of a sovereign state and a 

fair action that nobody can 

criticize,” he said. 

Kim`s comments were 

in line with the North`s official 

rhetoric blaming the 

United States for deploying 

nuclear weapons on the 

Korean peninsula to justify 

its nuclear programme but 

were the first by its leader 

since Wednesday`s blast. 

The United States has 

said it has no nuclear weapons 

stationed in South 

Korea. But it has been in 

discussion with the South 

about deploying strategic 

weapons on the Korean 

Arab coalition denies using 

cluster bombs in Yemen 

Sebi mulls steps to reduce 

Mutual Funds exposure in 

corporate bonds 

office of the UN High Commissioner 

for Human Rights 

(OHCHR) after an appeal from 

Ban. An AFP report identified 

the official as George Abu al- 

Zulof and said Yemen had accused 

him of lacking impartiality 

in his assessments of 

the human rights situation in 

the Arabian Peninsula country. 

“Because of the fuss created 

around the matter and 

caused by media reports ... the 

Yemeni government has decided 

to give more time to review 

the relationship with the 

OHCHR, in order to uphold the 

values of human rights,” said a 

letter from Yemen’s UN mission 

to Ban, seen by Reuters. 

which recently came to fore 

after Amtek Auto crisis. Currently, 

the exposure limit is 30 

per cent. Sebi’s board is likely to 

deliberate upon these proposals 

in its meeting scheduled for 

tomorrow, sources said. 

The Securities and Exchange 

Board of India (Sebi) 

is also looking into additional 

guidelines for credit rating 

agencies with respect to rating 

procedures on such corporate 

bonds. The issue of reducing 

the MF exposure limit for debt 

schemes caught Sebi’s attention 

after JP Morgan Mutual 

Fund got into troubles due to 

its exposure to debt securities 

of Amtek Auto, while a few 

other fund houses have also 

faced similar problems with 

regard to corporate bonds of a 

few other distressed firms. 

9 of top 10 firms 

lose Rs 78511 cr 

in m-cap 

New Delhi, Jan 10: Overall 

weakness in the equity market 

dragged down the combined 

market valuation of nine of 

the top-10 most valued Indian 

companies by a whopping Rs 

78,511.56 crore last week. 

Reliance Industries, was 

the only stock which defied 

the broader market trend and 

added to its market capitalisation; 

the rest nine companies 

saw erosion in m-cap for the 

week ended Friday (January 8). 

The valuation of RIL 

climbed Rs 2,818.11 crore to 

Rs 3,31,711.42 crore, even as 

the benchmark BSE Sensex 

tumbled by 1,226.57 points or 

4.68 per cent on a weekly basis 

amid concerns over the health 

of Chinese economy and 

geopolitical tensions between 

Saudi Arabia and Iran. 

The m-cap of TCS plunged 

by Rs 3,743.81 crore to Rs 

4,72,360.84 crore. 

peninsula after the test. Media 

said these could include 

nuclear-capable B-2 and 

B-52 bombers, and a nuclear-powered 

submarine. 

Experts believe the test, 

which produced a seismic 

tremor of 5.1, too small to 

be a proper hydrogen bomb 

test, was designed to set 

the stage for a rare general 

meeting of its ruling Workers` 

Party, the first since 

1980. 

Kim noted the significance 

of the timing of the 

test as being held in the 

year of the party congress, 

“which will be a historic 

turning point in accomplishing 

the revolutionary 

cause of Juche,” according to 

KCNA. 

Juche is the North’s 

home-grown state ideology 

that combines Marxism and 

extreme nationalism established 

by the state founder 

and the current leader`s 

grandfather, Kim Il Sung. 

Egypt’s parliament 

meets after long 

absence 

Cairo, Jan 10: Egypt’s new 

parliament held its opening 

session on Sunday, state 

television reported, more 

than three years after a court 

dissolved the old Islamistdominated 

chamber. 

The body is expected to 

choose a speaker on its first 

day back, and now has 15 days 

to approve hundreds of laws 

issued by executive decree 

during the period when it was 

suspended. 

Egypt’s last parliament 

was elected in 2011-12 in 

the country’s first free vote 

following a popular uprising 

that ended autocrat Hosni 

Mubarak’s 30-year rule.


HEALTH 


Srinagar | Monday 


36 

Do you constantly feel sleepy the whole day? 

There could be several 

reasons for this 

Feeling sleepy in 

the afternoon is a 

common com plaint 

that many people have. However, 

if you constantly feel 

sleepy throughout the day , 

there could be some underlying 

health problem that you need 

to identify . Excessive sleepiness 

can have detrimental 

effects on your life. You could 

doze off during an important 

meeting, nod off while driving 

or find it impossible to concentrate 

on an important task, 

leading to mistakes. 

When you don’t get adequate 

sleep, it has a negative 

impact on your health -you 

could suffer from obesity , high 

blood pressure, hypertension, 

diabetes, dementia and even 

heart ailments. If you think 

that getting five to six hours of 

sleep every night (or at times 

even lesser), is enough, you’re 

inviting some serious trouble 

in the long run. A person needs 

at least seven to eight hours of 

shut-eye every night. Sleepiness 

during the day could result 

from a number of causes. These 

include constantly travelling, 

working odd shifts, not getting 

enough sleep or sleeping 

at different hours each night. 

These things upset your body’s 

natural sleep rhythms and lead 

to daytime sleepiness. Other 

reasons include Restless Legs 

Syndrome or sleep apnea. 

Dealing with sleepiness by 

loading your body with caffeine 

or energy drinks during the day 

is not an answer to this problem. 

You’ll simply be stuck in a 

never-ending vicious cycle. 

Experts say that when 

you get enough sleep but still 

feel drowsy during the day , 

you could be suffering from a 

sleep disorder. These disturb 

you during the night, either 

by waking you up or causing 

difficulty in falling back asleep. 

Both quality and quantity are 

important terms when it comes 

to sleep. So, the first thing you 

need to do is figure out which 

out you’re lacking in. Do you 

notice any of the following 

signs? Waking up repeatedly 

during the night and finding it 

difficult to fall asleep. 

- It takes you more than 

45 minutes to an hour to fall 

asleep on most nights. 

- Feeling sleepy despite 

taking sev eral short naps 

during the day. 

- Fighting sleep during 

work hours. 

- Snoring so loudly that it 

disturbs your partner. 

- Jerking your arms or 

legs in your sleep or feeling 

as if you’re free-falling. 

- Insomnia is a common 

complaint amongst several 

people.Symptoms are 

characterised by difficulty 

in falling asleep or staying 

asleep for too long. 

- Sleep apnea causes a 

break in breathing, snoring, 

choking or gasping. When 

you constantly stop breathing, 

it lowers your oxygen 

supply and this interferes 

with your sleep. 

- Ever felt the urge to 

move your legs in sudden 

jerks while you’re lying 

down? Restless Legs Syndrome 

causes you to twitch 

your legs repeatedly while 

you’re asleep. 

A high ‘sense of purpose’ 

in life lowers death risk 

People who have a higher 

sense of purpose in life are 

at lower risk of death and 

cardiovascular disease, says a 

study. 

“Possessing a high sense 

of purpose in life is associated 

with a reduced risk for mortality 

and cardiovascular events,” said one 

of the researchers, Randy Cohen from Mt. 

Sinai St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital, New 

York. 

The findings suggest that approaches 

to strengthening a sense of purpose might 

lead to improved health outcomes. 

The researchers pooled data from previous 

studies evaluating the relationship 

between purpose in life and the risk of 

death or cardiovascular disease. 

The analysis included data on more 

than 136,000 participants from ten studies--mainly 

from the US or Japan. 

The US studies evaluated a sense of 

purpose or meaning in life, or “usefulness 

to others”. 

The Japanese studies assessed the concept 

of ikigai, translated as “a life worth 

living”. 

The study participants, average age 67 

years, were followed up for an average of 

seven years. 

During this time, more than 14,500 

participants died from any cause while 

more than 4,000 suffered cardiovascular 

events such as heart attack or stroke. 

The analysis showed a lower risk of 

death for participants with a high sense of 

purpose in life. 

Mortality was about one-fifth lower 

for participants reporting a strong sense of 

FROM FRONT PAGE..................... 

Speculations........ 

congregational prayers of Mufti Muhammad Sayeed was offered 

today. 

The 'Fateha' prayers were offered for late chief minister 

Mufti Mohammad Sayeed today at the Muftis' native town Bijbehara 

in south Kashmir. 

Around 5,000 people, including Peoples Democratic Party 

leaders and activists, relatives and well wishers gathered at the 

grave of Sayeed at the Dara Shikoh Park in Bijbehara around 11 

am to offer the prayers on the fourth day of Sayeed's death. 

PDP president Mehbooba Mufti accepted condolences from 

people who called on her at her family's ancestral home in Bijbehara. 

Mehbooba also went to the graveyard and offered prayers 

at her father's grave. 

After battling for his life for 14 days, Sayeed passed away at 

the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in New Delhi 

on January 7. 

Following refusal of Mehbooba Mufti to be sworn in as the 

new chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir, Governor's Rule was 

imposed in the state. 

"After reaching concurrence from the president of India, 

Governor NN Vohra issued a notification today to impose Governor's 

Rule in the state," a Raj Bhavan spokesman confirmed 

yesterday. 

The Governor's Rule has been imposed retrospectively with 

effect from January 8. 

Last time the state was brought under the Governor's Rule 

was on December 23, 2014, after the state assembly election results 

threw up a hung verdict. 

Governor....... 

represents Anantnag Assembly in the Lok Sabha. After taking 

the oath, Mehboob would become the first woman Chief Minister 

of Jammu and Kashmir. 

However, as per the report, Mehbooba has made it clear to 

her part leader that she will not take the oath as CM immediately 

after the end of the mourning period. 

Syeed, who led the first coalition government in the state, 

was admitted to a New Delhi-based hospital and died 14 days 

after he was hospitalized. 

Mufti’s Chahrum........ 

Several religious scholars and political leaders also spoke on the 

purpose, or ikigai, the findings showed. 

A high sense of purpose in life was also 

related to a lower risk of cardiovascular 

events. 

“Together, these findings indicate a robust 

relationship between purpose in life 

and mortality and/or adverse cardiovascular 

outcomes,” the researchers wrote. 

occasion and paid glowing tributes highlighting the significant 

contribution of late Mufti Mohammad Sayeed in the socio-economic 

development of the state. Senior party leaders also paid 

homage to their guide and mentor who devoted his entire life in 

the service of the people of the state. 

The huge rush of people, both at Fairview and Bijbehera 

residences, has continued following the passing on of late Mufti 

Mohammad Sayeed in New Delhi on Thursday last. (KNS) 

Doctor........ 

working with a news channel in New Delhi. “He tweeted the incident 

and many news channels reached the spot forcing Nizam 

Ud Din police station cops to come back,” he added. 

“The cops reached and filed a report, however, they didn’t 

check the footage of the CCTVs installed in the area.” 

Earlier on Jan 4, 8 Kashmiris were detained in Bekanir district 

on suspicious grounds—only to be set free later. 

Kasuri....... 

channel on Kashmir so that they would not reject the proposals 

on the grounds that they had not been consulted. 

Q. India and Pakistan foreign secretaries are starting talks 

on January 15th. Do you think without track II initiative, any 

progress is possible? 

A. I strongly believe that civil society and people-to-people 

contact can play a positive role. If by track II you mean efforts 

by eminent and experienced citizens of the two countries who 

have had experience in the past (political, military or administrative 

spheres), I would wholeheartedly welcome it. 

Q. Do you think the Pakistan army is on board with Sharif 

in the new peace effort, especially in view of the history of 

Kargil after Vajpayee's initiative? 

A. I was not Foreign Minister at the time of Kargil. I recently 

met somebody who ought to know and who told me that Kargil 

had actually started before and not after PM Vajpayee's visit, 

the famous bus yatra, to Lahore. Either PM Nawaz Sharif did not 

know or if he did, he did not think it was serious enough at the 

initial stages and may have felt such activities has been going 

on routinely between Pakistan and India for a long time. Later 

on ,the scale of Kargil operations surprised the Indian establishment 

and it may have surprised PM Nawaz Sharif as well. 

I would like to say that the time has moved on and Kargil 

may well have taught both sides some important lessons. The 

NSA, Lieutenant General (retd) Naseer Khan Janjua, is considered 

to be very close to current COAS Gen. Raheel Sharif. His 

appointment is significant and should also remove any doubts 

Why gut microbes are your ‘winter buddies’ 

The winter is upon us and with it comes 

the time to take out the heavy coats and 

thick gloves, but also the time, if a recent 

study is to be believed, for your gut bacteria 

to remodel your weight. 

Exposure to cold temperatures is 

known to mimic the effects of exercise, 

protecting against obesity and improving 

metabolic health. The study reveals that 

the beneficial health effects of cold exposure 

are mediated in part by gut microbes. 

The researchers found that cold exposure 

dramatically alters the composition 

of intestinal bacteria in mice and that this 

Spiritual health 

key to the 

making of better 

physicians 

Wondering how the doctors in 

the hit American drama “Grey’s 

Anatomy” deal with the daily 

stress of life-and-death situations 

with confidence? 

Well, a recent study by Indian 

public health experts has shown 

links between parents’ education 

levels and coping skills of medical 

students - highlighting the need 

to focus on the spiritual well-being 

of budding physicians. 

The way individuals deal with 

crisis comes under the umbrella of 

spiritual health, often referred to 

as the fourth dimension of health. 

So what drives spiritual health 

and mental resilience? Factors like 

parents’ education, participation 

microbial shift is sufficient to burn fat, 

improve glucose metabolism, and reduce 

body weight. 

“We provide compelling evidence that 

gut microbes play a key role in our ability 

to adapt to the environment by directly 

regulating our energy balance,” says 

senior study author Mirko Trajkovski of 

the University of Geneva. “We are excited 

about exploring the therapeutic potential 

of these findings and testing whether targeting 

some of these microbes could be a 

promising approach for preventing obesity 

and related metabolic conditions.” 

n social gatherings and family 

rituals and meditative practices 

play a key role in managing crises, 

experts said. 

To analyse how spiritual 

well-being impacts adaptation to 

crisis, experts with West Bengal 

Public Health and Administrative 

Service and All India Institute of 

Hygiene and Public Health chose 

third semester medical students 

in government medical colleges 

of Kolkata for the survey-based 

study. 

“The results showed the coping 

skills and hence the spiritual 

health of medical students were 

greatly influenced by the education 

of the father. The better the 

father is educated, the better the 

students dealt with crisis during 

their stressful undergraduate 

days,” Shibotosh Sen, medical 

officer with the state’s public 

health and administrative service, 

told IANS. 

“Spiritual health goes beyond 

spiritual and religious practices 

that Pakistan Army is, per se, opposed to a serious peace process 

with India. I have heard reports (from very credible sources) 

that the meeting in Bangkok was a success and that the two 

NSAs got along very well indeed. 

Q. Do you think it is US pressure was behind Modi's Lahore 

visit? 

A. Pressure may be the wrong word. Persuasion or facilitation 

may be better words. Both India and Pakistan are very 

large countries to be pressurised by anybody. Even when Pakistan 

was a very close ally with US in the 'war on terror' , it defied 

American pressure on the Iran-India-Pakistan gas pipeline. 

I have no doubt if Pakistan can withstand US pressure so can 

India. The US, along with other Western countries, has a strong 

interest in the stability of Afghanistan. The last thing it would 

want is a proxy war between Pakistan and India in Afghanistan. 

The US thus serves its own interests as well in facilitating talks 

between two countries. 

Q. What would be your advice be on the next steps needed to 

enhance India-Pakistan ties? 

A. Unfortunately, in Pakistan and India mature political 

culture has not been developed yet. Political parties say and do 

different things when they are in power or in the opposition. I 

urge both to approach the coming talks not just tactically but 

strategically. From my experience I can predict that if India gives 

nothing, Pakistan will give nothing either and the current dialogue 

process may be short-lived. But if India moves a yard, Pakistan 

will move even more. There is a lot of low-hanging fruit 

that could be harvested. The improvement in their relationship 

can be quite speedy and very dramatic. 

Man detained by BSF 

in Gurdaspur for 

suspicious activities 

Batala, Jan 10: A man, allegedly moving suspiciously near a BSF 

post in the border area of Dera Baba Nanak here in Gurdaspur 

district, was apprehended on Sunday and handed over 

to police. 

The man, identified as Harpreet Singh alias Honey, was 

wearing a trouser similar to army fatigue and was allegedly hiding 

in the bushes when he was caught by BSF, SHO of Dera Baba 

Nanak Paramjit Singh said on Sunday. 

BSF seized his mobile phone which was allegedly used to 

take pictures of army tanks and government buildings, Paramjit 

Singh said. 

and is actually a reflection of one’s 

control over emotions and the 

situations they are thrown in,” 

Sen explained.The study was published 

in September in the Indian 

Journal of Public Health and was 

conducted among 362 medical 

students of Medical College, Nil 

Ratan Sircar Medical College & 

Hospital and R.G. Kar Medical 

College & Hospital.However, in a 

rather puzzling observation, a reverse 

trend was seen in education 

status of mothers: students whose 

mothers were comparatively less 

educated coped better. 

Explaining the disparity on 

the basis of the socio-cultural 

aspect of Bengal, Sen pointed out 

that while working moms were 

more adept at managing workplace 

conflicts, homemakers and 

those less educated tend to have 

better resilience because they 

efficiently tapped in available resources 

and made the best use of 

them.“Conflicts in the workplace 

are usually better managed by 

One potential therapeutic avenue for 

obesity centers on promoting the formation 

of good types of body fat known as 

brown and beige fat. Human infants have 

large amounts of heat-generating brown 

fat to protect them from extreme cold, and 

scientists recently discovered that adult 

humans also retain brown fat stores consisting 

mainly of a subtype known as beige 

fat. Cold exposure or exercise can promote 

the formation of beige fat, thereby burning 

stored calories and protecting mammals 

from hypothermia, obesity, and metabolic 

problems. 

more educated individuals. They 

can avail of resources like technology 

and other services, whereas 

those with limited means and 

education relied on their inner 

strength to adapt to difficult situations 

and this is imbibed by their 

children,” Sen said. 

This means its not just literacy 

that matters. Resourcefulness 

powers mental strength, noted 

the expert. 

In addition, socialising had a 

positive role, the study found. 

“Usually the tendency for 

students is to isolate themselves 

from any social activity to focus 

on studies. But being part of the 

social milieu and participating in 

gatherings broaden the mind and 

help in sharing ideas. Even annual 

rituals and family traditions show 

family support,” he said.Sen 

concluded that examining and 

harnessing the interplay of these 

factors can boost the medical students’ 

spiritual health and make 

them better caregivers. 

The man was handed over to the police, he said, adding that 

investigation was going on. 

Gurdaspur, particularly its biggest town Batala, has been on 

high alert as locals have been reporting sighting of suspected 

terrorists over the last few days. 

Army and police carried out extensive search operations for 

three days before calling off those on Friday as no suspect was 

found. 

Guraspur’s adjoining district Pathankot last week saw a major 

terror attack at Air base. 

Modi govt brings web 

tools to promote use of 

Hindi among employees 

New Delhi, Jan 10: Government has introduced web tools like 

audio-typing aid on computers and is working on making 

available Hindi classic literature digitally to promote use of 

the language among its employees, a top official said on Sunday. 

“We have introduced e-tools to make learning and adaption 

of Hindi easier among our employees. For their self-learning, 

we have also brought in audio-typing aid for their ease,” 

Secretary, Department of Official Language (Rajbhasha) Girish 

Shankar said. 

The senior bureaucrat said this on the sidelines of a function 

to mark the 11th ‘World Hindi Day’ in the national capital. 

“In our bid to promote usage of Hindi, we are also bringing 

classic works like those of Premchand and others authors 

available on the web for our employees, who wish to read those 

literature,” he said. 

The event was hosted by city-based organisation ‘Vishwa 

Hindi Parishad’ at the Constitution Club of India, which was attended 

among others, by BJP Sitamarhi MP Ram Kumar Sharma 

and noted novelist Narendra Kohli. 

Union Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting 

Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore who was scheduled to open the 

event had to give it a miss, due to some urgencies. 

“I express my heartfelt wishes to one and all on the occasion 

of ‘Vishwa Hindi Diwas’. It would have been an honour to 

attend the programme but due to some urgent work, I couldn’t 

move out of Mumbai,” he said in a Hindi message sent to the 

organisers. 

First ‘World Hindi Day’ was celebrated in 2006 during 

the then UPA dispensation.

MONDAY 

11 JANUARY 2016 

Yasir 

S 

P 

O 

R 

T 

S 

appeals against 

doping suspension 

Yasir Shah, the Pakistan 

legspinner, has decided to 

appeal against his suspension 

for testing positive 

for a banned substance. 

He has informed the ICC 

through the PCB that 

he will contest the case. 

The ICC will now form 

an independent tribunal 

within two weeks to hear 

the case. 

"We, on behalf of Yasir, 

have exercised the right of 

appeal and informed the 

ICC that he will contest his 

case," a PCB spokesman 

told ESPNcricinfo. "It's the 

player's right and he is 

ready to put up his case 

before the ICC." 

According to the 

details compiled by the 

PCB after an investigation 

by a medical panel, Yasir 

had reportedly taken his 

wife's blood pressure 

medication, unaware of 

the banned substance 

contained in the drug. 

Ryder, Worker 

star in Central 

Districts' win 

Yasir was provisionally 

suspended in December 

under the ICC anti-doping 

code for testing positive. 

A sample taken from Yasir 

on November 13, when 

Pakistan played an ODI 

against England in Abu 

Dhabi, was found to contain 

chlortalidone, which 

is on WADA's prohibited 

list of diuretics and masking 

agents. Chlortalidone 

also treats high blood 

pressure. 

While he is provisionally 

suspended, 

Yasir cannot play - or 

be involved in any capacity 

in - international 

matches, and games organised 

by any national 

cricket board or its 

affiliated members. 

Southee out of Pakistan 

T20s with foot injury 

The bruising in Tim Southee's 

left foot will keep the 

pacer out of the threematch 

T20 series against 

Pakistan, New Zealand 

Cricket confirmed on Sunday. 

Southee suffered the 

injury during the third 

ODI against Sri Lanka, and 

though it was originally 

hoped he could recover 

in time for T20s against 

Pakistan, a CT scan has revealed 

slightly more serious 

bruising. 

New Zealand have not 

set a date for Southee's 

return, but said they will 

continue to monitor the 

injury. Batting coach Craig 

McMillan told radio station 

Newstalk ZB that the 

aim was to have him fit for 

the ODIs against Australia, 

which begin on February 

3. For now, New Zealand 

have only ruled him out 

for the T20 leg of Pakistan 

tour. 

"It's something that 

will take a wee while to 

get right," McMillan said. 

"I'm not exactly sure of the 

time frame - whether it's 

two to three weeks - as to 

where he is at. The plan in 

place, fingers crossed, is 

that hopefully he'll be back 

for the end of the season - 

back firing for the Australia 

series." 

Southee's absence will 

be a substantial blow, as he 

is seen as the spearhead of 

the limited overs attack. 

However, New Zealand 

have substantial depth in 

their pace battery. Matt 

Henry was took 13 wickets 

at an average of 9.38 in 

three ODIs against Sri Lanka. 

Doug Bracewell, Trent 

Boult and Adam Milne 

have also had good outings 

in the past two weeks. 

"It's reassuring to have 

those options," McMillan 

said. "One of the great 

things from this series 

against Sri Lanka has been 

the form of Matt Henry. 

That shows a confidence to 

come into the set-up and 

perform straight away." 

The first of Pakistan's 

T20s will be played in 

Auckland, on January 

15. Their ODI series in 

the country begins on 

January 25. 

Jesse Ryder's third successive half-century of the tournament capped off a dominating batting performance by Central Districts as they beat Wellington by 55 runs 

via the Duckworth-Lewis method in North Palmerston. Their third win in five matches put them behind table-toppers Canterbury on the points table. 

Ryder's 74-ball 83 was one of three half-centuries for Central Districts as they posted 324 for 7 after being sent in to bat. That he had a platform set when he 

came out to bat at No. 3 was courtesy George Worker (64) and Ben Smith (57), who put on 112. The next highest stand of the innings was 74 for the third wicket 

between Ryder and Will Young, who made 34 to pave the way for a strong finish. 

Michael Pollard and Michael Papps, the Wellington openers, started slowly by adding 61 in 13.5 overs, but the loss of three quick wickets further slowed their 

progress. Wellington had moved on to 141 for 4 in 29.1 overs when rain forced an end to proceedings, with Central Districts well ahead by the D/L method. 

Neil Broom's unbeaten 124 was the standout in a low-scoring thriller, which Otago won by three runs in Whangarei to register their first victory in the competition. 

Otago's 298 for 6 nearly didn't prove enough as Anton Devcich and BJ Watling led Northern Districts' fightback with 81 and 56 respectively. 

Williamson lauds Guptill, 

Munro's 'world-class' hitting 

New Zealand captain Kane Williamson 

has lauded the "world-class" hitting of 

Martin Guptill and Colin Munro, as the 

New Zealand record for fastest T20 international 

fifty fell twice in the same innings, 

at Eden Park. Guptill first reached 

fifty off 19 balls, beating his own New 

Zealand record by four deliveries. 

Even that innings was slow in comparison 

to Munro's rampage, in which 

he made 50 from 14 deliveries - reaching 

the milestone with a six that also ended 

the match. Between them, the batsmen 

cleared Eden Park's small boundaries 12 

times, and blasted seven fours. Williamson 

made an unbeaten 32 from 21 balls 

at the other end, largely content to turn 

over the strike. New Zealand gunned 

down Sri Lankas 142 for 8 inside 10 overs. 

"I don't think I was in the batting 

highlights," Williamson said. "Honestly, it 

was incredible. I thought it was going to 

be bit of a scrap. They put up a total that 

could have been tricky, if they took early 

wickets. Not sure what these two had 

for breakfast, but it was unbelievable to 

watch. Guppy [Guptill] has been doing it 

all summer, and to see Munners [Munro] 

helping was pretty special. It was worldclass 

hitting which we'll only encourage 

these boys to keep going." 

Munro - whose fifty is the second 

fastest globally, behind only Yuvraj 

Singh's 12-ball effort against England in 

the 2007 World Cup - said it was pleasing 

to translate domestic T20 form into rapid 

international runs. He had been the 

top-scorer in New Zealand's domestic 

T20 tournament, in which he struck 366 

runs at a strike rate of 175.96. 

Having arrived at the crease with 

the score on 89 for 1 in the seventh over, 

Munro said he set his sights on closing 

out the game. "I just wanted try be there 

at the end," he said. "Role I've been given, 

especially when chasing these smaller 

targets, is: 'Don't leave it up to someone 

else'. On that surface, it might have been 

bit harder to start on. I just think it was 

on Kane and I to see it through to the 

end." 

Munro said it had been particularly 

pleasing to play two contrasting innings 

in the series. He had begun more sedately 

in his 26-ball 36 in Mount Maunganui. In 

that innings, he had been only 16 from 

his first 14 balls, also batting with Williamson 

on that occasion. 

"The innings I played at Mount Maunganui 

was a lot more mature than I've played 

in past where I probably would have thrown 

my wicket away, to be fair," he said. "I batted 

with Kane there and he said it was a slow 

wicket, and to take my time until the ball was 

in my zone. Then it was good to come here 

today, and go in with lot wickets in hand, 

just play with freedom and try to show I can 

generate a strike rate batting at no. 3." 

This series was an audition of sorts 

for Munro, who will be hoping for a place 

in New Zealand's World T20 squad, to be 

named next month. Williamson suggested 

New Zealand were closer to nailing 

down their tournament personnel after 

the 2-0 victory. 

"In T20 you do need to use your 

squad," Williamson said. "We're trying 

to pick the best 15 for the moment, and 

give every player freedom to go out and 

express themselves. You want to pick 

match-winners, and that's what we've 

tried to do." 

Carberry fifty sets up Scorchers in thriller 

More than any other team 

in the BBL, Perth Scorchers 

just seem to have a bit in 

reserve. Sam Whiteman, 

their first-choice wicketkeeper, 

has missed the entire 

tournament with injury; 

both Ashtons, Agar and 

Turner, have barely needed 

to bowl; David Willey, who 

has a 40-ball T20 century, 

has seldom been required 

with the bat; Michael Carberry, 

until now, has been 

keeping the Scorchers' 

bench warm. 

All four of those aspects 

combined to secure a 

thrilling victory over Hobart 

Hurricanes before a 

packed house at the Bellerive 

Oval, as a hobbling 

Darren Sammy managed 

only four of the six runs 

the hosts required from 

the game's final ball - 

bowled by death specialist 

AJ Tye. 

For the recalled Carberry, 

it was his bat, not the 

pine, that was smoking 

as his quickfire half-century 

propelled Scorchers 

to 173, with some brutal 

late hitting from Willey 

completing the job. With 

Carberry replacing Joel 

Paris, Scorchers looked a 

bowler light, but Agar took 

the key wickets of Kumar 

Sangakkara - stumped on 

the second attempt by 

Whiteman's understudy, 

Cameron Bancroft - and 

Tim Paine, bowled for 57, 

as Scorchers' bowlers - 

consistently remarkable 

defenders of tight totals - 

pulled off a strangle to win 

by a single run. 

This was all little surprise, 

given the hallmarks 

of Scorchers' successive 

titles were adaptability 

and depth; with a place 

in the last four confirmed, 

they now know victory 

over Melbourne Stars at 

the WACA next Saturday 

ensures them a home 

semi-final, a significant 

step toward a third title 

Marcus Harris thrice drove 

Clive Rose for four in the 

match's opening over, but 

when the same bowler 

returned four overs later, 

Harris was fooled by one 

that was tossed up and, 

when he groped awkwardly 

forward, Paine duly 

stumped him. In the face 

of a barrage of verbals and 

chin music from a fired-up 

Shaun Tait - who had exchanged 

terse words with 

Harris - Michael Klinger 

was the picture of calm, 

swatting Sam Rainbird for 

a pair of leg-side fours in 

an over, and driving Dan 

Christian through cover. 

But Klinger was run out 

after some fine work in 

the deep by Rainbird and 

sharp hands from Darren 

Sammy. Six balls later 

Adam Voges slog swept 

Cameron Boyce straight to 

the man in the deep. 

After marshaling their 

victory over Sydney Thunder 

three days ago, Agar 

had uttered the standard 

words of the supportive 

team-mate for the beleaguered 

colleague, claiming 

Carberry was "looking 

great in the nets." Agar 

was not wrong, with Carberry 

immediately looking 

in fine form, smashing 

Ben Dunk's apologetic offbreak 

over cover for four. 

In consecutive overs, he 

took Christian for three 

fours, then Boyce for four 

to bring up his 50 in 30 deliveries. 

But Tait, who had been 

luckless in his early overs 

and touched 150kph, 

returned to stymie the 

Scorchers' progress. Carberry 

looked to cut him, 

but was caught behind, 

before Agar's leading edge 

went to cover. Willey's 

hard running pinched at 

least two runs from every 

ball of Sammy's last over 

- which also included a 

massive six over midwicket 

- to drag the visitors to 

173. 

Paine looked to anchor the 

Hurricanes' chase as Dunk 

and Sangakkara - who is 

averaging just 14.42 this 

season - fell early. Christian 

was promoted to 

No. 4 and shared 53 with 

his captain, before being 

bowled by Brad Hogg at 

the start of the third over. 

Paine nudged and nurdled 

effectively, reaching his 

fifty with a pulled six off 

Jason Behrendorff. 

But when he missed a 

sweep off Agar and was 

bowled, a thrilling finish 

was set up. As Scorchers' 

fielding flagged, Michael 

Hill hit Hogg for a pair of 

sixes, and Jonathan Wells 

ran hard, but it was left to 

Sammy to complete the 

heist. He hit Behrendorff 

over deep midwicket for 

six to leave 16 required 

from Tye's last over. 

Sammy felt his hamstring 

twinge during a 

hard-run two, and hobbled 

through for two 

more the ball after. 

Injured Shami 

ruled out, 

Bhuvneshwar 

Kumar named 

replacement 

Pacer Mohammed Shami 

was on Saturday ruled out 

of India’s limited-overs 

cricket series against Australia 

due to a hamstring 

injury and Bhuvneshwar 

Kumar will replace him for 

the ODIs and Twenty20s 

starting here on January 

12. 

“The BCCI medical 

team confirms that Mohammed 

Shami has been 

ruled out of India’s tour 

of Australia due to injury. 

He sustained a Grade II injury 

to his left hamstring, 

which will restrict him 

from playing active cricket 

for about 4 to 6 weeks,” 

BCCI secretary Anurag 

Thakur said. 

“The All-India Senior 

Selection Committee has 

named Bhuvneshwar 

Kumar as the replacement, 

who will join the team 

tomorrow,” he added. Shami 

sustained the injury 

during a training session 

before the warm-up 

Twenty20 game against 

Western Australia which 

the Indians won on Friday. 

Rohit Sharma, Manish 

Pandey impressive 

Rohit Sharma and Manish 

Pandey sparkled with 

half-centuries but the rest 

of India’s batsmen put up 

a lacklustre performance 

before the bowlers came 

good in a 64-run win over 

a second string Western 

Australia XI in the warmup 

one-day match here on 

Saturday. 

Having won the first 

practice Twenty20, the 

Indians once managed 

to hit the right notes in 

bowling after an erratic 

batting performance 

at the Waca. After managing 

249 all out in 

49.1 overs, the Indians 

packed WA XI for 185 in 

49.2 overs. 

Electing to bat, the Mahendra 

Singh Dhoni-led 

side did not have the best 

of starts, losing two quick 

wickets but Rohit Sharma 

(67) and Ajinkya Rahane 

(41) stitched an 88-run 

third-wicket partnership 

to help the visitors put up 

a respectable score. 

Shikhar Dhawan (4) 

and Virat Kohli (7), who 

were top- scorers in the 

first warm-up T20 game 

yesterday, failed to get going 

as they fell to new-ball 

bowler Drew Porter, who 

bagged a five-wicket haul. 

The WA bowlers kept 

pegging things back with 

regular wickets and Rahane’s 

departure once again 

spelt trouble for the Men 

in Blue. 

Pandey then put his 

hand up to contribute with 

a well-made 58 and stake 

his claim for a place in the 

middle-order in the absence 

of Suresh Raina. 

Pandey, who hit three 

fours in his 59-ball stay, 

managed a 60-run seventh-wicket 

partnership 

with Ravindra Jadeja (26) 

to pace up the innings. 

But the tail failed to 

wag and Rishi Dhawan’s 

(0) run-out didn’t help 

matters and the visitors 

could not last their full 

quota of 50 overs. 

Porter (5/37) made 

life difficult for the Indian 

batsmen on a fast 

and bouncy track while 

leg-spinner James Muirhead 

chipped in with two 

scalps. Pace spearhead David 

Moody and leg-spinner 

Liam O’Connor bagged a 

wicket apiece. 

In reply, the William 

Bosisto-led side started 

on a cautious note against 

a disciplined Indian attack 

led by Umesh Yadav 

(1/29), but soon hit a 

rough patch after losing a 

couple of wickets. 

Yadav drew first blood 

with the wicket of Bosisto 

(13) and Ravichandran 

Ashwin (2-32) soon 

sprung into action to send 

back D’Arcy Short. 

Scores 

Indians 249 in 49.1 

overs (Rohit Sharma 67, 

Manish Pandey 58, Ajinka 

Rahane 41, Drew Porter 

5/37) beat Western 

Australia XI 185 in 49.2 

overs (Jaron Morgan 50, 

Jake Carder 45, Rishi Dhawan 

2/28, Ravindra Jadeja 

2/38, R. Ashwin 2/32, 

Axar Patel 2/29). 

Sanju Samson takes 

Kerala to last eight 

Sanju Samson played his “best ever 

innings for Kerala” as the hosts 

marched into the super league 

of Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 with a 

5-wicket win against Punjab at the 

St. Paul’s College Ground in Kalamassery 

on Saturday. 

The former Rajasthan Royals 

batter’s 56-ball 72, which even as 

it perished driving into an edge in 

the second ball of the final over, 

with just 2 required from 4 that 

resulted in nerve-racking finish, 

had poise and purpose written all 

over. 

V. A. Jagadeesh knocked Siddharth 

Kaul’s fifth ball, of an eventful 

final over from where it was 1 

needed from 2, getting it over Yuvraj 

Singh at point, for the winning runs. 

At that point, Yuvraj’s stylish 54 

off 44 comprising 7 boundaries and 

a six that was the building block in 

Punjab’s 135/7 was forgotten and 

Kerala was celebrating its fifth win 

in a row and a smooth passage into 

the super league. 

Yuvraj who has been handed a 

lifeline with inclusion in India’s T20 

squad for the tour of Australia was 

in perfect control against Kerala’s 

disciplined bowling and fielding. 

On 27, he was dropped at the 

rope by Sandeep Warrier who took 

a clean catch but sensibly threw it 

back in to prevent a six. 

Pargat Singh’s 31-ball 35 gave 

Punjab a decent start but P. Prasanth’s 

stingy three overs that 

fetched 3 for 11 held Kerala firm and 

part-timer Jagadeesh chipped in 

with 1/15 in his three. 

Mohammed Azharuddeen and 

Sanju gave Kerala its best ever start 

in the tourney, adding 61 runs for 

the first wicket. 

Scores 

Punjab 135/7 in 20 overs (Yuvraj 

Singh 54, Prashanth Padmanabhan 

3/11) lost to Kerala 139/5 in 19.5 

overs (Sanju Samson 72). Haryana 

127/3 in 20 overs (N. Saini 74*) bt 

Bengal 110/8 in 20 overs (A. Mishra 

4/30). Andhra 91/9 in 20 overs lost 

to Baroda 93/7 in 16.5 overs (B. Sudhakar 

3/15). Delhi 91 in 19.2 overs 

(Shadab Jakati 5/17) bt Goa 89/9 in 

20 overs (P. Awana 3/2). Hyderabad 

139/7 in 20 overs (H. Vihari 40, R. 

Thakur 3/29) lost to Vidarbha 142/5 

in 20 overs (A. Wankhade 43). Tamil 

Nadu 168/6 in 20 overs (K. Bharath 

Shankar 41, R. Sathish 41*) lost to 

Himachal 173/4 in 16.5 overs (P. 

Dogra 79*).

11 January 2016

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