13 January 2016

SRINAGAR | 13 January 2016 | 02 Rabi Al Thani 1437 AH Vol: 4 | Issue No: 11 | Pages: 08 | Rs 3/- 

WEDNESDAY 

4th 

PRECIOUS KASHMIR 

Journalism With A Human Heart 

C 

M 

Y 

K 

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

No need to consult PDP for revoking Art 370 in JK, says BJP’s Swamy 

Afaq Bhat 

Srinagar, Jan 12: Controversial BJP 

leader Subramanian Swamy has once 

again ignited a controversy during 

a heated debate on a national news 

channel this week. Swamy in reply to 

a question about Article 370 and J&K’s 

special status said that BJP need not 

consult its ally PDP in J&K before revoking 

Article 370 in the state. Swami 

said this while deliberating various 

issues with AIMIM leader Asaduddin 

Owaisi. 

During the debate with the firebrand 

leader Owaisi, telecast on AajTak 

news channel on Monday, Swamy majorly 

debated over the controversial 

issue of Babri Masjid demolition, an 

issue which haunts India for the past 

23 years. 

While referring to Kashmir, Swamy 

said that “the Pandits who left valley 

have told him that they are ready to 

go back if they are assured of revocation 

of Article 370 (the constitutional 

provision that provides special status 

to the state) which in turn would give 

them a feeling of security.” 

When asked by the AajTak moderator 

whether PDP would accept such 

a proposal from BJP at this sensitive 

point in time, Swamy blatantly said 

that PDP has nothing to do with it. 

“PDP or J&K legislative Assembly 

have no role in revocation of Article 

370, it is in the Indian constitution and 

the President of India has the powers 

to amend or revoke it any point by issuing 

a notification,” Swamy said. 

Swamy is known for giving such 

controversial statements in the past 

as well. Back in 2014 while addressing 

a gathering in Nagpur, he claimed 

that Dr BR Ambedkar, father of Indian 

Constitution, and most of the Congressmen 

were against Article 370 and 

it was only Prime Minister Jawaharlal 

Nehru who imposed it. 

"Nehru's decision was illegal. 

He did not take permission from the 

cabinet. When the issue came up for 

discussion in constituent assembly, 

Dr Ambedkar was so disgusted that 

he did not take part in it,” he had said 

then. 

The BJP leader had said that India 

had no compulsion to carry on Nehru's 

“illegal legacy” and immediate steps 

should be taken to abrogate Article 370. 

"It is a misconception that it has 

to be passed by the Parliament. The 

Constitution clearly states it can be 

scrapped just by a notification issued 

by the President. Modi cabinet just 

needs to send a proposal to him," he 

had said. 

The BJP leader had also stressed 

that India should implement uniform 

civil code (UCC). "If Muslims in US, 

Australia and France can accept it then 

why can't Indian Muslims do it. In Turkey 

and Tunisia, Muslims are not allowed 

to marry twice. Even in Pakistan 

a man has to take permission from a 

special tribunal to marry twice," he 

had said. 

Meanwhile, while debating over 

the construction of Ram Mandir, Swamy 

said he is neither trying to build 

public opinion to have a temple at the 

end of the year nor trying his political 

relevance known again. He has taken 

up the issue because many people had 

asked him to do so just because he was 

successful in the Ram Sethu case. 

Swamy clarified that the Ram 

temple issue is not meant for political 

gains. 

Lashing out at Swamy, Owaisi said 

when the matter is in the Supreme 

Court, let the apex court decide it 

based on the evidence available in 

front of it. Owaisi termed the temple 

politics as a clear cut hypocrisy of all 

the Hindutva forces. 

Mehbooba to soon take 

oath as JK CM: Beg 

‘Alliance intact, no preconditions between PDP, BJP’ 

Srinagar, Jan 12: PDP president Mehbooba 

Mufti will take oath as the 

Jammu and Kashmir chief minister 

anytime after the end of the sevenday 

official mourning for her late 

father Mufti Mohammad Sayeed on 

Wednesday, a party leader said here 

on Tuesday. 

The party also said that neither 

it nor its alliance partner - Bharatiya 

Janata Party - had set any preconditions 

for the formation of the new 

government in the state. 

"Without any preconditions from 

either side, Mehboobaji will take oath 

as the chief minister anytime after 

the seven-day official mourning ends 

tomorrow," Peoples Democratic Party 

spokesman Mehboob Beg told reporters 

here. 

"The terms of alliance already 

worked out will continue to govern 

the relationship between the two parties 

in the next government," he asserted. 

“As far as I am concerned, there is 

no suspense. We have lost a stalwart 

like Mufti Mohammad Sayeed. Once 

the official mourning period (seven 

days) is over, I think the (coalition) 

government will carry on under the 

leadership of Mehbooba Mufti,” PDP’s 

chief spokesperson Mehboob Beg told 

reporters. 

The state government had declared 

a seven-day official mourning 

See Mehbooba on Pg 6 

Jammu, Jan 12: In the wake of 

prevailing political situation, 

BJP national general secretary 

and in-charge Jammu and 

Kashmir Affairs Ram Madhav 

today reached the winter 

capital of State and held 

I support new alliance with 

secular forces: Karra 

‘Mehbooba has an opportunity for a new beginning’ 

Precious Kashmir News 

Srinagar, Jan 12: Senior PDP leader 

and MP Tariq Hameed Karra has suggested 

to party president Mehbooba 

Mufti to form the next government 

with Congress party and other secular 

forces to stop communal forces 

from spreading in Kashmir. 

Karra said that a new situation 

has emerged after the death of Mufti 

Mohammad Sayeed. 

The senior leader said that he is 

always available as a worker for the 

service of the party to strengthen it. 

“A new combination, a new government 

can be formed given the situation 

today. My considered opinion 

is that she should open up the ways 

of talking to Congress. Congress is 

a secular party. And all the secular 

forces should unite and rise above 

their political positions to form an 

alliance with PDP. It will be a secular 

government. PDP has lost its support 

a closed door meeting with 

party leaders to deliberate on 

Government formation. 

“Madhav this evening 

arrived here and had a detailed 

discussion with the 

senior party leaders about 

by tying up with a communal party.” 

“I have been saying from the last 

nine months that RSS-BJP is not acceptable 

to the people of Jammu and 

Kashmir. Because it has a history that 

since 1952, RSS and BJP have a hidden 

agenda in Kashmir.” 

“What RSS could not achieve 

in the last six decades, they have 

the prevailing political scenario 

of the State,” party 

sources said. 

They said the national BJP 

leader also discussed about 

party’s relations with its coalition 

partner Peoples Democratic 

Party in the meeting. 

Madhav’s visit is significant 

especially when the 

State is reeling under a political 

crisis after the demise of 

Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad 

Sayeed. (AGENCIES) 

achieved that in the last six months. 

And not only has it damaged Kashmir, 

but also Peoples Democratic 

Party in Kashmir.” 

The PDP leader said that a fluid 

situation has emerged due to latest 

political situation. 

“Today, there is fluid situation. 

Though it is difficult decision for Mehbooba 

Mufti to take but she should 

keep the party in her mind and take 

suggestion of workers as they have 

been facing a difficult situation after 

the alliance with BJP. Also the sentiments 

of the people in Kashmir must 

be respected.” 

“I still say that it is the voice of 

my conscience and keeping in view 

the sentiments of the people in Kashmir. 

RSS and BJP is anti-Kashmir. The 

dangers of RSS and BJP are more felt 

by Muslims in Chenab valley and Pir 

Panchal. We may not be feeling the 

dangers of RSS here more than what 

See Karra on Pg 6 

Madhav holds discussions with BJP leaders 

Pulwama memorial row 

Geelani calls for peaceful 

protests on Friday 


Srinagar, Jan 12: Hurriyat (G) 

chairman Syed Ali Geelani on 

Tuesday called for an hourlong 

peaceful protest after 

Friday prayers on January 

15 to protest against alleged 

police atrocities on youths in 

Pulwama district. 

In a statement issued 

here today, the octogenarian 

leader demanded immediate 

release of all the youths 

and quashing of cases lodged 

against them. 

“Geelani sahab today 

decided to announce a highlevel 

committee that will 

hold meetings with the respectable 

citizens and youths 

of Pulwama,” the statement 

added. 

“This delegation at the 

earliest will meet the Auqaf 

Committee Members, respectable 

persons, youths and 

trade bodies of the Pulwama 

and will furnish a detailed 

report to central office in this 

regard.” 

He criticized police and 

administration “for making 

a simple issue a complicated 

case and for giving unnecessary 

hype to it”. 

“There are more than 500 

martyrs’ graveyards in Kashmir 

and they are all marked 

with memorial boards. Installation 

of memorial boards 

have never been any issue 

anywhere but the Pulwama 

police and local administration 

(are) unnecessarily created 

an issue out on nothing 

due to which the local people 

of the district are suffering 

from last many days,” the 

statement quoted Geelani as 

saying. 

“The Pulwama district 

particularly from last two 

years has been on the radar of 

the Indian secret agencies and 

its forces. The countless and 

See Geelani on Pg 6 


Srinagar, Jan 12: Jammu and Kashmir Liberation 

Front (JKLF) chairman Yasin Malik on Tuesday asked 

Pakistan to desist from making Gilgit-Baltistan a 

province of the country. 

In a letter addressed to Nawaz Sharif, Prime 

Minister of Pakistan, Malik has said that Pakistan 

will help India "to consolidate its writ on Kashmir" 

if it goes ahead with the proposal. 

"Apprehensions have been raised in various 

quarters that your government may reach a consensus 

to merge Gilgit Baltistan with Pakistan. This will 

have implications on the dispute over Jammu and 

Kashmir. If Pakistan imposes its sovereign writ over 

Gilgit Baltistan, India will then have a political and 

moral right to integrate Kashmir with it. With one 

stroke, Pakistan will be helping India to consolidate 

its writ on Kashmir," Malik said in the letter. 

Here are the contents of the letter: 

I take this opportunity to offer my good will 

and good faith to you. I am writing because media 

reports say that you are holding a meeting to discuss 

the future constitutional status of Gilgit Baltistian. I 

will pour my heart out with the hope you will see 

and appreciate the sentiment behind it. 

Respect Prime Minister: reports say that on the 

14th of January, your government is holding a meeting 

where the future of Gilgit Baltistan is going to be 

deliberated upon. Apprehensions have been raised 

in various quarters that your government may reach 

a consensus to merge Gilgit Baltistan with Pakistan. 

This will have implications on the dispute over 

Jammu and Kashmir. If Pakistan imposes its sovereign 

writ over Gilgit Baltistan, India will then have a 

political and moral right to integrate Kashmir with 

it. With one stroke, Pakistan will be helping India to 

consolidate its writ on Kashmir. 

Respected Prime Minster: I, as someone who 

represents the aspirations and sentiments of the 

people of Jammu and Kashmir urge and appeal to 

you to stay away from such a course of action. It is 

not only political wisdom that makes me make this 

appeal but also respect for the sentiments, sacrifices 

and aspirations of Kashmiri people. From 1947 

people of Jammu Kashmir have been striving for 

their birth right and lakhs of people have given their 

lives for this struggle in Kashmir, people have lost 

their near and dear ones, homes and yet people of 

Kashmir hold the struggle dear to their heart. If your 

government incorporates Gilgit Baltistan into Pakistan, 

and if as a consequence, India consolidates its 

hold in Kashmir, this would amount to a bartering of 

Pathankot attack >>>>>> 

NIA teams visit J&K 

New Delhi, Jan 12: Widening 

the probe in Pathankot attack 

case, NIA teams today visited 

Samba and Kathua areas of 

Jammu region where similar 

strikes had taken place 

last year and quizzed for the 

second day a Punjab police 

officer who was allegedly 

kidnapped by militants hours 

before the assault on the air 

base. 

NIA sources said a team 

of the agency today visited 

the army camp in Samba on 

the Jammu-Pathankot highway 

where two terrorists had 

opened fire on March 21 last 

year. Both the militants were 

shot dead by security forces, 

while three people including 

a major were injured in the 

gunbattle. 

Another team also visited 

Kathua where Rajbagh 

police station was attacked 

by a group of militants a day 

before. Three security personnel, 

two militants and as 

many civilans were killed in 

the ensuing exchange of fire. 

They said the agency 

could spot “glaring” similarities 

in the modus operandi of 

the terrorists, who attacked 

installations in Kathua 

and Samba and those who 

mounted the brazen assault 

See NIA on Pg 6 

No clarity on 

Indo-Pak talks on 

Friday yet 

New Delhi, Jan 12: With barely three days 

left for the proposed Indo-Pak Foreign Secretary-level 

talks in Islamabad, a clarity was 

yet to emerge today amid mounting suspense 

whether India will go ahead or postpone the 

parleys by a few weeks. 

Government sources said today a decision 

was yet to be taken on India’s participation at 

the talks on Friday–as proposed by Pakistan. 

Following the Pathankot attack, India had 

asked Pakistan to take “prompt and decisive” 

See No Clarity on Pg 6 

Encouraged by Pak's 

promise to investigate 

Pathankot attack: US 

Washington, Jan 12: The US 

has said it is encouraged by 

the fact that the Pakistan government 

has condemned the 

Pathankot attack and promised 

investigation. 

"Our expectation is that 

investigation will be thorough 

and complete and as 

transparent as possible. But 

in terms of its progress and 

where they are, you'd have 

to talk to Pakistani authorities 

on it," State Department 

Spokesman John Kirby said at 

his daily news conference. 

"We're encouraged by 

the fact that the Pakistani 

Government condemned 

the attack and said that they 

would investigate," he said. 

The spokesman said that 

the US would like the two 

countries to continue with 

their peace talks. 

Last week US Secretary of 

State John Kerry asked Prime 

Minister Nawaz Sharif to find 

out the truth and stressed on 

the need to stay focused on 

Yasin writes to Nawaz, asks Pakistan to 

desist from taking over Gilgit-Baltistan 

people’s aspirations .Kashmir is not about territory. 

It is about rights of people. Bartering these rights for 

land means killing the aspirations of people. 

Respected prime Minister: Media has reported 

that China Pakistan corridor is making you change 

the constitutional status of Gilgit Baltistan. Economic 

development is good but you have no moral right 

to make policy that will adversely affect the future of 

millions of Kashmiris. 

I know that Pakistan is in a phase of history that 

is delicate. But this does not mean trading people’s 

rights. I know you in personal capacity. When you 

met me in Lahore, in 2009, you made some promises 

to me. I want to remind you of these promises. You 

clearly vindicated Kashmiri position on Gilgit Baltistan 

and opposed any proposal that will change its 

legal or constitutional status. I will also add that history 

is not made by small bargaining and territorial 

exchanges but by respecting the will of the people. 

The will of people in Kashmir is what everyone including 

your good self knows. History, morality and 

ethics dictate that will of people prevail. History 

also judges people in light of greatness and great 

achievements they make. So I urge you to take a long 

view of history and not short term interest. 

I appeal you to think of the legacy you will leave 

if you become party to depriving people of their 

historical, political and moral rights for which they 

have given their lives. Bartering away territory for 

economic growth does not make you statesman. It 

is opportunity for you to become a statesman by not 

bowing to economic pressures. Become a statesman 

and resist short term temptations. 

the pressing challenge of terrorism 

in the region. 

"He (Kerry) certainly encouraged 

India and Pakistan 

to work bilaterally to continue 

discussions and to try to work 

through these problems. I 

don t think they spoke with 

any great detail or specificity 

about the next round of talks 

and what's on the calendar. 

But writ large, yes, this was 

a topic of discussion with the 

Prime Minister," Kirby said. 

In their call on January 9, 

Kerry and Sharif talked a lot 

about this issue. 

"Then he stressed that it's 

obviously United States interest 

that India and Pakistan 

continue to look for ways to 

work better together to...terrorism 

concerns but to reduce 

the tensions between the two 

countries," he said. 

"...the State Department 

remains focused and committed 

to working bilaterally and 

multilaterally on 

See US on Pg 6 

No reason to distrust 

Pak so early: Rajnath 

New Delhi, Jan 12: Pakistan 

has promised "effective action" 

vis-a-vis the suspected 

Pakistani links to the attack 

on the IAF base in Pathankot, 

Home Minister Rajnath Singh 

said on Tuesday. 

There was "no reason to distrust them so 

early", the minister told the media here. "We 

should all wait (for Pakistani action)." 

India says militants from Pakistan were responsible 

for the January 2 attack on the Indian 

Air Force base in Pathankot that left seven 

See Rajnath on Pg 6 

Governor 

clears cases 

pending in 

CM’s office 


Jammu, Jan 12: The Governor 

viewed the cases which 

have been pending since time 

the former Chief Minister 

suddenly took ill. 

In the initial session the 

Governor cleared several 

dozen cases which related to 

various administrative and 

developmental matters. He 

directed B.B. Vyas, Principal 

Secretary to former Chief 

Minister to also put up other 

pending papers and ensure 

that no important matter 

remains unattended. 

C 

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Two drug 

peddlers held in 

North Kashmir 

Baramulla, Jan 12: Continuing 

its drive against drug peddlers, 

police arrested two drug peddlers 

and recovered prescription 

drugs and Charas from 

their possession in Baramulla 

district last evening. 

Acting on specific information, 

a police party of Police Station 

Baramulla headed by SHO 

under the supervision of DySP 

(Hqrs) intercepted a vehicle 

Alto-800 bearing registration 

number JKO5E-5789 driven 

by a notorious drug peddler 

Mohammad Altaf Hakeem. 

On search of the vehicle 41 

bottles of contraband drug 

Codeine Phosphate “Rancof” 

were recovered. Accused has 

been taken into custody and a 

case FIR number 4/2016 under 

section 8/22 NDPS Act has been 

registered against him. 

Meanwhile, a police party 

during the Naka checking at 

Khwajabagh apprehended 

another drug peddler Ghulam 

Mustafa war @ Bita war son of 

Mohammad Rajab war resident 

of Drangbal Baramulla, during 

search police recovered Charas 

weighing 150 grams. Baramulla 

police has registered a case 

under section 8/20 against him. 

Jammu, Jan 12: A condolence meeting was 

held under the Chairmanship of Chairman, 

Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Council, Haji 

Anayat Ali to pay tributes to late Chief Minister, 

Mufti Mohammad Sayeed. 

Deputy Chairman, Legislative Council, 

Jehangir Hussain Mir, Secretary Council Abdul 

Majid Bhat, Additional Secretaries, Deputy 

Secretaries and other officers and officials 

of the Council Secretariat also participated. 

Paying rich tribute to late Chief Minister, 

Haji Anayat Ali said that Mufti Sayeed worked 

tirelessly for development of Jammu and 

Kashmir State. He said the vision and mission 

of Mufti Sayeed was all inclusive and he always 

advocated peace and harmony among 

the diverse cultures and regions in the state. 

Hajji Anayat said the Mufti Sayeed’s demise 

has created a political vacuum that is 

impossible to fill as he was one of the tallest 

leaders of the country, who had deep 

love for the nation and who wanted to see 

people of Jammu and Kashmir to live with 

dignity. 

Deputy Chairman, Jehangir while paying 

tributes to Mufti Sayeed said that India 

has lost a great leader who worked for the 

betterment of the down trodden sections of 

the society. He said that contribution of Mufti 

Sayeed in opening the Mughal road can never 

be forgotten. 

Special prayers were made besides two 

minute silence were also observed to pay 

homage to the departed leader. 

News 

Wednesday 

2 

13.01.2016 

Guv holds discussions with 

Principal Scientific Adviser 


Jammu, Jan 12: Dr. R. Chidambaram, 

Principal Scientific Adviser to 

the Government of India, met Governor 

N.N. Vohra, at the Raj Bhavan 

here today. 

During the meeting, the Governor 

and Dr. Chidambaram discussed 

the present status of the 

various projects which were taken 

up by the Universities in Jammu 

and Kashmir and Shri Mata Vaishno 

Devi Shrine Board under the 

aegis of the Rural Technology Action 

Group (RuTAG) Chapter which 

has been set up in the University of 

Jammu and functions with the support 

of IIT Delhi, under the overall 

watch of Dr Chidambaram. Both 

emphasised the high importance 

of launching innovative projects to 

increasingly promote the application 

of relevant science and technology 

for the resolution of practical 

problems faced in the day to 

day living and working lives of the 

rural communities residing in the 

various parts of J&K. 

The Governor, who is the 

Chairman Shri Mata Vaishno Devi 

Shrine Board discussed various 

initiatives taken by the Board towards 

harnessing latest technologies 

for improvement of the Yatra 

including the 4-ton per day capacity 

mule-dung based Bio-Gas Plant 

established by the Shrine Board at 

Banganga, Katra. The Governor had 

requested Dr. Chidambaram during 

his earlier visit to look into the 

efforts made by the Shrine Board 

towards preserving the environment, 

including the initiative taken 

to undertake large scale plantation 

of trees, setting up solar water 

heating systems and solar power 

plants, setting up of automated 

nurseries and vermin-compost 

units, use of bio-digester technology 

developed by DRDO for sewage 

Chairman, Dy Chairman LC pay 

tributes to Mufti Sayeed 

Describe him a visionary leader, harbinger of peace 

SDM suspends 

67 employees 


Srinagar, Jan 12: At least 67 

government employees were 

suspended by Sub-Divisional 

Magistrate Tral for remaining 

absent from their official 

duties. 

Reports said that SDM 

Tral Reyaz Ahmed Malik visited 

different government offices 

including Municipality, 

Irrigation, Forest, and Power 

Development Department. 

“We had been receiving 

complaints from the people 

that they don’t find employees 

in their offices. Acting 

upon these complaints we 

visited all but 12 government 

offices. It was shocking to see 

most of the official absent 

from their duties. Suspension 

orders were issued 

on spot to 67 employees,” 

Reyaz Ahmed told CNS. 

Div Com directs installing 

biometric machines to check 

attendance in Govt offices 

DDC reviews arrangements 

for National Voters Day 

Ganderbal, Jan 12: A meeting 

to review the arrangements for 

the celebration of National Voters 

Day on 25th of January was 

held under the Chairmanship 

of District Development Commissioner 

Ganderbal, Showkat 

Aijaz Bhat. The DDC directed 

all the officers present to maintain 

coordination to make this 

day a successful event. He said 

that such type of programs play 

an important role to aware the 

masses about participation in 

electoral process and thereby to 

strengthen democracy. 

He also directed the officers 

to inform people about the participation 

in the electoral process 

and therefore necessary steps 

should be taken in advance to 

educate Women, Youth, School 

and College students about the 

importance of their participation 

in electoral process and thereby 

to choose the right representative. 

The different aspects of the 

programme were addressed 

during the meeting like celebration 

of function at polling station 

level, at district level, publicity 

issues, young voters festival 

through competitions viz. Debates, 

Paintings, Quiz competition 

on the topics relating to 

Election on National Voters’ Day, 

Rallies and Road march of students, 

Mock polls etc. 

Srinagar, Jan 12: Divisional Commissioner 

Kashmir, Dr. Asgar Samoon, has directed 

all the Deputy Commissioners of Kashmir 

to install biometric attendance system, to 

check the daily attendance of officers and 

officials under their jurisdiction. 

A biometric machine has already been 

installed in the office of the Divisional Commissioner. 

To maintain punctuality and work culture 

in government offices, various checking 

squads constituted by the Divisional commissioner 

made surprise visit of Directorate 

Health Services Kashmir, Assistant Director 

Family Welfare & MCH dept, Women Development 

Corporation, Directorate Social 

Welfare Board, Central Social Welfare Board, 

Deputy Chief Executive office, Khadi & Village 

& Industries Board, Deputy Director, 

ICDS, Kashmir, Manager, JK Industries, Kashmir. 

During the surprise check, various officials 

were found on un-authorised absence 

from their duties and action as warranted 

was initiated against them. 

The Divisional Commissioner has already 

directed Heads of Departments stationed 

at Srinagar to submit daily consolidated 

attendance reports to his office. 

treatment, implementation of rain 

water harvesting systems, among 

others. They stressed the need for 

carrying forward these initiatives, 

apart from bringing into play 

new scientific interventions for 

further improving the functional 

efficiencies in various methods of 

non-biodegradable waste disposal, 

including poly-crack technology, 

use of Rural Technology Action 

Group (RuTAG) for improving 

scientific innovative solutions of 

varied problems. 

The Governor and Dr. Chidambaram 

also discussed pace of projects 

including the improvement 

of the Palki used for carrying pilgrims 

to the Mata Vaishno Devi ji, 

Shri Amarnathji Shrines; collection 

and disposal of mule dung 

along the tracks of Shri Mata 

Vaishno Devi Shrine; recharge of 

springs in the hilly areas of the 

State and development of a hybrid 

Bukhari for use in the colder 

regions of J&K. 

The project for the improvement 

of Palki design is joint venture 

of IIT Delhi, IIT Bombay and 

National Institute for Industrial 

Engineering Mumbai. The project 

Personality Development 

Course begins at S P College 

Srinagar, Jan 12: A Two 

month course on “Personality 

Development" was 

inaugurated at Saif ud din 

Memorial Conference Hall of 

Sri Paratap College Srinagar. 

Syed Humayun Qaiser, Director 

Radio Kashmir Srinagar 

was the chief guest while 

as Sajjad Bazaz, Incharge 

Corporate Communication 

and Corporate Social Responsibility 

Departments of 

the J&K Bank was the guest 

of honour. The objective 

of this course is to improve 

soft-skills including verbal 

and written communication 

skills, stage courage, and 

presentation skills as the 

parts of personality and to 

develop confidence in the 

young minds to face any 

interview. 

In the inaugural address, 

the Principal of the college 

Dr. Yaseen Ahmad Shah said 

that the aim and objective 

of the course is mainly to 

enhance competencies of the 

enrolled students in communication 

skills, life management, 

personality grooming, 

and basic computer skills. 

He said that every student 

should have a Specified, 

Jammu, Jan 12: Excise Commissioner 

Tsering Angchuk today 

reviewed physical and financial 

achievements of Excise Department 

here today. 

The Excise Commissioner also 

took stock of overall growth scenario 

of the revenue receipts of the 

department for the month of December 

and total revenue realized 

till the month of December for the 

financial year 2015-16 was also 

discussed threadbare 

It was informed in the meeting 

that the revenue realization of 

the Department is going in an upward 

direction viz-a-viz revenue 

targets fixed for the Department 

for the financial year 2015-16. The 

total revenue realized by the Excise 

Department during the month 

of December 2015-16 has been recorded 

to the tune of Rs. 105 Crore in 

comparison to the Rs. 85.07 crore realized 

during December, 2014-15. 

The Department has to realize 

monthly revenue of Rs. 97.38 

crore per month to achieve a target 

of Rs. 1168.60 crore fixed for 

the financial year 2015-16, which 

is being tapped. Upto the month 

of December, 2015-16, the department 

has realized an amount 

of Rs. 867.32 crore as against Rs. 

748.44Crore upto the month of 

December, 2014-15. 

Regarding eradication and 

enforcement activities the Excise 

Commissioner appreciated the 

comprehensive drive launched by 

Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, 

and Time bound goal 

and to facilitate the learner to 

have so, this course is being 

arranged on the campus. 

Sajjad Bazaz, Incharge 

Corporate Communication 

and Corporate Social Responsibility 

Departments of 

the J&K Bank, in his address 

congratulated the principal 

and the co-ordinators of the 

course for starting the course 

that can help the students to 

face and meet the challenges 

of the outside world more 

effectively. 

Humayun Qaiser, Director 

Radio Kashmir Srinagar 

while addressing the 

gathering said that Personality 

Development is a tool 

through which you bring out 

your capabilities and your 

strengths making yourself 

aware of your inner self and 

become more confident to 

face the outside world. 

Among others who 

spoke on the occasion 

were former Principal and 

President SP College Alumni 

Association, Prof. Ajaz Rabbani, 

and Faculty in Management 

Studies at Central University of 

Kashmir Dr. Farooq Shah. 

Reasi, Jan 12: To review the 

preparedness of Intensified 

Pulse Polio Immunization 

(IPPI) campaign in the district, 

a meeting of District Task 

Force (DTF) was held under the 

chairmanship of District Development 

Commissioner, Reasi, 

Sushma Chauhan who is also 

the chairperson of District 

Health Society Reasi, at conference 

hall of Deputy Commissioner 

office, here today. 

While speaking in the 

meeting, the DDC directed 

the officers concerned to 

focus on high risk areas including 

slums and nomadic 

populations where chances 

of polio are on the higher side 

besides people should also 

be made aware about immunization. 

She exhorted that 

no child below 5 years be left 

without immunization in the 

for improved disposal and biogas 

production from mule dung on the 

Yatra track of the Shri Mata Vaishno 

Devi ji Shrine has been jointly 

taken up by the Indian Council for 

Agriculture Research (ICAR), National 

Research Centre on Equines 

(NCRE)-Bikaner, National Environmental 

Engineering Research 

Institute (NEERI) and Shri Mata 

Vaishno Devi Shrine Board. Dr. 

Chidambaram informed the Governor 

that the Palki redesign project 

is likely to be completed in 

the next few months whereas the 

mule dung project is likely to be 

completed by end 2017. 

It may be recalled that in December 

2014, consequent to discussions 

between Governor N.N. 

Vohra and Dr. R. Chidambaram, 

the Governor had addressed all 

the Vice Chancellors in the State 

to moot suitable proposals which 

could be taken up for implementation 

with the support of the Rural 

Technology Action Group (RuTAG) 

which is guided and advised by the 

collegium of all the IITs in India and 

the Institute of Science, Bangalore, 

functioning under the overall care 

of Dr. Chidambaram. 

the Excise Department to arrest 

the menace of illegal smuggling of 

liquor, illicit distillation and other 

violations of the J&K Excise Act, 

1958, especially over charging. 

It was appreciated by the Excise 

Commissioner, that during the 

last three months, nakas were laid 

on various national highways to 

check the toll evasion and smuggling 

of illicit liquor. 

It was given out in the meeting, 

that more than 350 raids have 

been conducted in the entire Jammu 

division to arrest the menace 

of illegal smuggling of liquor from 

other States, illicit distillation of 

liquor and other violations. In the 

process during December 2015, arrest 

of ten persons has been made 

www.preciouskashmir.com 

Jaitley’s claim of high public 

character ‘frivolous’: Kejriwal 

district. She stressed upon 

the officers of Health, ICDS, 

Social Welfare and Education 

departments to put in their 

sincere and coordinated efforts 

to make the district polio 

free. 

DDC stressed for organizing 

special awareness campaign 

by involving NGO’s 

for generating maximum 

awareness among the general 

public regarding Pulse Polio 

Campaign in the district. She 

CS discusses MsD 

Plan for Minority 

blocks of J&K 

emphasized on hundred percent 

successes in the ensuing 

IPPI rounds and asked all 

members to work in coordination. 

She further stressed 

on officers to educate the 

masses about the programme 

and also involve PRI functionaries 

as they are close to the 

people and help in implementing 

these programmes. 

A team of District officers will 

be constituted to monitor the 

whole programme at all the 

Jammu, Jan 12: The State 

Level Committee for the 

implementation of Multi 

Sectoral Development Programme 

(MsDP) headed by 

Chief Secretary, B R Sharma 

Tuesday discussed the proposed 

MsD Plan for Minority 

Blocks of Leh district and 

Nowshera Block of district 

Rajouri. 

Following the recommendations 

of the Sachar 

Committee, the MsDP was 

conceived as a special initiative 

to address development 

deficits of minority 

concentration areas. MsDP 

was revamped in 2013-14 

for its implementation during 

the remaining 12th Five 

Year Plan with the Union 

Ministry of Minority Affairs 

adding Nowshera Block of 

district Rajouri as a Minority 

block in J&K. 

Detailed discussion was 

held on the proposed action 

plan with Chief Secretary 

directing the Social Welfare 

Department to ensure that 

the projects are based on 

standardised specifications 

and costs. He said each prioritised 

projects should be 

selected based on the implementation 

guidelines i.e 

to fill the ‘development deficits’ 

so that resources and 

attention is given according 

to the level of deprivation of 

the area concerned. 

Giving details about 

the progress under the programme, 

Secretary Social 

Welfare, Sanjeev Verma said 

that during the 11th Five 

Year Plan for district Leh, an 

amount of Rs 13 Crore was 

received for implementation 

and full amount has 

been utilised with UCs already 

submitted to the Union 

Government. 

Verma said that during 

2014-15, the Union Ministry 

of Minority Affairs 

conveyed a ceiling of Rs 23 

Crore including 18 Crore for 

district Leh and 5 Crore for 

Nowshera Block. He said 

priority has been given 

to Education, Health and 

Skill Development during 

the preparation of the MsD 

Plan for Nobra, Leh, Khalsi, 

Nyoma, Kharoo, Durbuk 

and Nowshera blocks. 

New Delhi, Jan 12: Delhi 

chief minister Arvind Kejriwal 

on Tuesday claimed that 

the allegations he had made 

against finance minister Arun 

Jaitley in the DDCA row were 

based on “true facts and documents 

in public domain” and 

that his claim he has high public 

character was “frivolous”. 

Responding to a notice issued 

by the Delhi high court 

on a civil defamation suit by 

Jaitley against him and five 

other AAP leaders, Kejriwal 

said in a statement filed before 

the court registrar that 

he had made the allegations 

in public interest to eradicate 

corruption from sports. 

Senior advocate HS 

Phoolka, lawyer for Kejriwal, 

said the chief minister has 

said in a written statement 

that “the allegations are true 

and have been in public domain 

for last many years. 

“The venture (DDCA) 

did not take any steps to 

challenge these allegations 

for all this period. It raises 

a presumption of truthfulness 

of these allegations,” he 

claimed. 

Phoolka told reporters 

that “the allegations are 

made in public interest to 

eradicate corruption from the 

field of sports”. 

AAP’s senior leader and 

party spokesperson, Raghav 

Chadha, also filed his response 

to the notice. 

Elaborating on the contents 

of his reply, he claimed 

that no injury has been 

caused to the reputation of 

Jaitley. 

He maintained that he 

and the chief minister have 

a similar stand and said that 

Jaitley’s “claim that he enjoys 

a high public character is totally 

frivolous and unsustainable.” 

“The last time he contested 

the election to the Lok 

Sabha was from Amritsar as 

a BJP candidate in 2014. Despite 

the success of the BJP, 

this plaintiff lost by a margin 

of more than 1,00,000 votes. 

Indian democracy has never 

accepted his claim of public 

character,” they said in their 

reply. 

The high court on December 

22 last year had 

sought the response of Kejriwal, 

Chadha, Kumar Vishwas, 

Ashutosh, Sanjay Singh 

and Deepak Bajpai--on a civil 

defamation suit by Jaitley 

seeking Rs 10 crore in damages 

from them for issuing allegedly 

false and defamatory 

statements against him and 

his family. 

Phoolka said they have 

submitted over 2000 pages 

of documents along with 

three CDs in support of the 

allegations. 

It is learnt they have annexed 

Delhi and District 

Cricket Association’s (DDCA) 

annual meeting notings 

which as per the AAP leaders 

establishes the allegations 

against Jaitley. They have also 

submitted DDCA’s minutes of 

meetings and phone records, 

Phoolka said. 

The counsel said that 

Kejriwal has questioned why 

BJP MP Kirti Azad was not 

made a party to the suit. 

Jaitley’s action had come 

in the backdrop of attacks on 

him by Kejriwal and other 

AAP leaders over alleged irregularities 

and financial 

bunglings in DDCA of which 

he was the president for 

about 13 years till 2013. 

364 vaccination booths to be 

constituted for IPPI in Reasi 

blocks, she added. 

DDC said that as many 

as 364 vaccination booths 

would be setup in different 

parts of the district during 

the campaign to cover 56820 

children of 0-5 years for vaccination. 

She also informed 

that 18 transit camps, 12 mobile 

teams along with 79 supervisors, 

8 district monitors 

will be deployed in the district 

for polio immunization 

campaign in the district. 

Keeping in view the 

heavy inflow of pilgrims at 

Katra, the base camp of Shri 

Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine 

Board, the transit team will 

provide service for 24 hours. 

Booths will be set up at all Bus 

Stands of the district included 

Check Posts of Katra, Sulla 

Park, Ransoo (base camp of 

Shiv Khori Shrine). 

Excise Commissioner reviews physical, financial achievements 

and cases have been lodged in 

various Courts of Law against the 

accused persons for illegal smuggling 

of liquor meant for sale in 

other States, illicit distillation of 

liquor and other ancillary offences. 

More than eleven tons of Lahan, 

meant for manufacturing illicit 

liquor has also been destroyed 

in the entire Jammu division by 

the Excise sleuths who have conducted 

surprise raids in various 

areas to arrest the menace of illicit 

distillation. 

In the process, 248 bottles of 

illicit liquor have also been destroyed 

on spot. 

The J&K Excise Department 

has also launched a massive exercise 

to arrest the menace of overcharging 

by the retail licensees 

from customers and strict instructions 

have been issued in this regard. 

Surprises checks of and on 

are being conducted to arrest the 

problem. 

The chair was also apprised 

that During the last three month, 

more than Rs. 5 lakh has been imposed 

as fine on licensees mainly 

on the account of overcharging. 

During the meeting, all the officers 

of the Department were impressed 

upon to ensure strict vigil 

to improve revenue realization 

and work hard to generate revenue 

for the State. 

All the Deputy Excise Commissioners 

and Excise and Taxation officers 

were present in the meeting.

Precious Kashmir 

NEWS 

Amid protests, clashes locals bid 

adieu to slain militant in Zewan 


Srinagar, Jan 12: Forces lobbed tear gas shells on the protestors 

who were raising pro-freedom and anti-India slogans in 

outskirts of summer capital here. 

Protests broke out in Zewan area when people assembled 

to bury the slain militant, Sajad Ahmad alias Peer. He 

was killed in a brief encounter on late Monday in Khimber 

area, police had said. 

Witnesses said that the family and locals brought the 

body of slain militant yesterday evening and early Tuesday 

amid heavy sloganeering, people tried to march for his last 

rites. 

“The locals wanted to hold Nimaz-i-Jinaza on Srinagar-Jammu 

highway which was disallowed by police thus 

resulting in intense clashes,” witnesses said. “The protestors 

are carrying the body outside his home at Zewan as heavy 

stone pelting and tear gas shelling is going on.” 

As per the reports, Pampore town has shut to mourn the 

killing. 

Meanwhile, the protesters have blocked the Srinagar-Islamabad 

highway at Pantha Chowk forcing authorities to 

divert traffic towards Sumarbugh. 

Geelani pays tributes to slain 

youth, condemns police action 


Srinagar, Jan 12: All Parties 

Hurriyat Conference (g) 

chairperson Syed Ali Geelani 

Tuesday paid rich tributes to 

slain Sajad Ahmad Bhat who 

was killed in an encounter 

with security forces in Zakura 

last night. 

Geelani said, “the youth 

are sacrificing their ‘today’ for 

the ‘tomorrow’ of their nation. 

The youth are choosing this 

path because of the rigidity 

and stubbornness of India.” 

In a statement issued 

this afternoon he said, “these 

brave hearts of our nation are 

leaving with a message to the 

youth that they should carry 

forward their mission and 

never compromise over this 

sacred cause.” 

On the directions of 

Geelani, Hurriyat leaders Peer 

Saifullah, Raja Mehraj-ud-din, 

Yasmeen Raja, Bashir Ahmad 

Qurashi, Mehraj-ud-din 

Rabbani and Umar Adil Dar 

participated in the funeral 

prayers of the martyred youth 

in Zewan. 

He lashed out at the 

police forces for “using force 

to keep the people away from 

the funeral prayers of Sajad”. 

Meanwhile, police 

Tuesday morning placed 

Tehreek-e-Hurriyat Secretary 

General Mohammad Ashraf 

Sehrai, APHC Provincial President 

Nayeem Ahmad Khan 

and Chief Organizer APHC 

Altaf Ahmad Shah under 

house arrest. 

Geelani strongly condemned 

the use of alleged 

“excessive force and violence 

by the police on the funeral 

procession of and said that on 

the one hand they are killing 

our children and on the other 

hand we are not allowed 

to mourn the deaths of our 

loved ones”. 

Meanwhile, in a statement 

issued by his party, 

Nayeem Ahmad Khan was detained 

by police in his house 

early this morning “hence not 

allowing him to go to Zewan 

to attend the Nimaz-e-Jinaza 

of Shaheed Sajad Ahmad 

Bhat” 

Khan said, “martyrs are 

the real assets of on-going 

movement as they are resisting 

against a big military power. 

India is not considering the 

political rights of Kashmiri 

people which has compelled 

our youth to take the path of 

militancy otherwise Kashmiri 

people are known for their 

peaceful mind set.” 

Selfless sacrifices most 

valuable asset: Hurriyat (m) 


Srinagar, Jan 12: Paying 

glowing tributes to Sajad Ahmad 

Bhat, who was killed in 

a brief gunfight with forces 

late Monday evening, an All 

Parties Hurriyat Conference 

(m) spokesperson Tuesday 

said the selfless sacrifices of 

the Kashmiri people during 

the ongoing “resistance 

movement” constitute the 

“most valuable asset of the 

struggle” and international 

community should play 

its role for the resolution of 

Kashmir issue keeping in 

view the sacrifices and aspirations 

of the people of Jammu 

Kashmir. 

Expressing sympathy 

with the family of the slain 

youth, the spokesperson 

said, “atrocities and oppression 

cannot keep any people 

from achieving their Right of 

Self Determination for long 

neither could a lasting peace 

in South Asia be achieved by 

keeping people of Kashmir 

out of any process aimed at 

the resolution of this issue.” 

He also condoled the 

demise of the mother of Shaheed 

Sajad Ahmad Kenu and 

paid glowing tributes to the 

entire family who had made 

great sacrifices for the cause 

of Kashmir. 

Terming her a noble 

and kind woman “who had 

shown courage and extraordinary 

willpower during 

the ongoing resistance 

movement”, the APHC-m 

spokesperson prayed to the 

Almighty Allah to grant her 

soul peace. 

Asiya says, 

‘Sajad was 

killed in 

Custody’ 


Srinagar, Jan 12: All Parties 

Hurriyat Conference 

(g) leader and Chairperson 

of Dukhtaran-e-Millat 

Syedah Asiya Andrabi 

Tuesday paid glowing 

tributes to slain Sajad. 

“Sajad was arrested 

last week and was held 

at Cargo detention centre. 

On Monday he was 

taken to Zakura and was 

killed there in a staged 

gun fight,” she claimed 

in her party statement 

issued this evening. 

“The forces have 

restarted this tactics 

of custodial killing of 

Mujahideen. But they 

should know that these 

tactics won’t succeed,” 

she said. 

Srinagar,Wednesday 


3 

Latest technology 

being used to make 

recruitment process 

more transparent: DGP 


Jammu, Jan 12: Director 

General of Police (DGP), 

K. Rajendra Kumar has 

said that the use of latest 

gadgets and technology 

during the ongoing recruitment 

of Constables in 

JKP is yielding good results 

and the aspirants have 

shown their faith upon the 

recruiting agency. 

Rajendra was supervising 

recruitment process at 

District Police Lines Samba 

here today. He said that recruitment 

process of 4,000 

Constables in Armed and 

Executive Police has been 

initiated in the State. In 

the first phase the process 

was initiated in Kashmir 

Province by conducting 

physical tests of the aspirants 

and now the process 

in Jammu Province is going 

on. 

Rajendra said that JKP 

has been adopting latest 

technology first time to 

ensure a transparent recruitment. 

He said that the 

department in collaboration 

with a Private Agency 

has been conducting the 

required tests and process 

is recorded through 

CCTV Cameras and other 

equipments to avoid any 

discrepancy. The result of 

the tests is prepared and 

announced on the spot 

and any candidate annoyed 

with the results is 

provided the records to 

make him satisfied, said 

Rajendra. 

Rajendra, while interacting 

with the candidates 

got feedback from them 

about the recruitment 

process. They hailed the 

procedures adopted by the 

JKP, saying that they are 

very much satisfied with 

the process. They said that 

they have witnessed such 

transparent system first 

time though they have 

attended various recruitment 

rallies. DGP assured 

that the whole process 

would be transparent and 

the deserving candidates 

would be selected. 

Earlier, the Chairman 

Police Recruitment Board, 

L. Mohanti, briefed the 

DGP about the ongoing 

process. He said that more 

than 4,647 candidates, including 

385 female candidates 

have applied for 101 

posts in Samba district for 

which physical tests were 

conducted and completed. 

He said that after completing 

the process of physical 

tests in all districts of the 

State, schedule for written 

test of the qualified candidates 

would be notified. 

Among others, DGP 

was accompanied by IGP, 

MS Salaria, SSP Samba, 

Joginder Singh, COs, Roop 

Raj, Mahboob Ahmed 

Choudhary, Addl. SP 

Samba, Faisal Quershi, 

SP Aftab Ahmed, Addl. 

SP Traffic Rural Jammu, 

Dushant Sharma and 

other Board members. 

PDP Zone Amirakadal 

holds condolence meeting 

Srinagar, Jan 12: Peoples 

Democratic Party (PDP) Zone 

Amirakadal Tuesday held a 

condolence meeting to express 

grief on the sad demise 

of Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, 

Chief Minister of Jammu and 

Kashmir State. 

According to a statement 

issued to KNS, all 

ward presidents of the 

Zone Amirakadal attended 

the condolence meeting 

which was held in Pirzoo 

and was presided over by 

Mohammad Ashraf Dar, PDP 

Zonal President Amirakadal. 

Besides Dar, PDP senior 

leaders including Abdul 

Hamid Kosheen, Haji Parvez 

Ahmad, Haji Ali Mohammad 

Bagaw, Shuja Sarwar, Aijaz 

Ahmad Rather and Showkat 

Mohi-ud-Din were present 

in the meeting. 

“I feel that the demise 

of this political stalwart 

has created a void in every 

political sphere of this State. 

He was the only leader, who 

personally tried to mitigate 

the issues related to the people 

of sections faith and region 

in Jammu and Kashmir,” 

Mohammad Ashraf Dar, PDP 

Zonal President Amirakadal 

observed in his remarks. 

He described Late Mufti 

Saheb as a real statesman 

and a thoroughly secular 

leader whose contributions 

towards development, political 

stability and peace and 

reconciliation will always be 

remembered and written in 

golden letter across the sub 

continent. 

Dar said the entire 

sub continent has lost an 

eminent and distinguished 

BSNL subscribers fume at 

‘poor services’ in Kashmir 

Srinagar, Jan 12: More than 

24 hours after receiving payments 

against pending bills, 

the BSNL authorities are yet 

to restore the cellphone services 

of dozens of subscribers 

in Kashmir valley. 

“My outgoing service 

was disconnected on Monday 

and I paid my monthly 

bill at 2 pm the same day. 

More than 24 hours have 

passed but my services are 

yet to be restored," said Asif 

Bashir. 

“They act promptly when 

it comes to disconnecting 

services but same doesn’t 

hold true when they receive 

payments,” he rued. 

Dozens of irritated subscribers 

of the state-run service 

expressed similar concerns 

and anguish on what 

they termed as the callous 

approach of the company. 

A senior official, however, 

said that the services on 

mobile phones couldn’t be 

restored due to a technical 

snag at Chandigarh. 

Meanwhile, the irate 

subscribers demanded an 

apology from BSNL authorities 

for causing huge inconvenience 

to them. 

leader, a true nationalist and 

a stalwart from Jammu & 

Kashmir whose dream was 

to see peace and prosperity 

in the region. 

Expressing profound 

grief and sorrow over the 

sad demise of the departed 

leader, Haji Parvez Ahmad 

observed that the demise of 

Mufti Saheb has created a 

void in the political spectrum 

of the state which will be 

very hard to fill. 

Speaking on this occasion, 

Abdul Hamid Kosheen 

termed Mufti Saheb as a visionary 

politician and a man 

of very high political stature 

who devoted his whole life 

for the service of poor people 

of the State. 

Expressing deep shock 

and grief over the demise 

of this visionary leader, all 


Srinagar, Jan 12: Senior Pro-freedom 

leader and Chairman Jammu 

Kashmir Salvation Movement Zaffer 

Akbar Bhat today called on Deputy 

High Commissioner Pakistan in New 

Delhi and apprised him about the 

prevailing political scenario. 

According to a statement, Bhat in 

hours long meet, discussed Kashmir 

issue, political scenario and ongoing 

Indo-Pak talks with Deputy High 

commissioner and urged him to take 

Kashmiri leadership on board in the 

process for meaningful results. 

Zaffer Akbar Bhat also apprised 

him about the grave Human Rights 

Violations being perpetrated by Indian 

forces particularly after Narendra 

the speakers highlighted the 

contributions made by the 

Late Mufti Saheb. The meeting 

felt that Mufti Saheb’s 

presence at this juncture of 

socio-political movement 

in Jammu and Kashmir was 

very essential for the redressal 

of problems being faced 

by the people of State. 

The meeting recollected 

and mentioned various 

facets of life of the deceased 

leader and his great works 

pursued for upliftment of the 

socio-economic scenario of 

the State. 

All the speakers prayed 

for an eternal peace to the 

departed soul and courage 

and fortitude to the bereaved 

family to bear this irreparable 

loss and also extended 

their heartfelt condolences 

to the bereaved family. (KNS) 

Modi’s last year visit to Srinagar and 

appealed him to provide more support 

to Kashmiris on diplomatic level. 

Deputy High Commissioner 

assured Salvation Movement 

Chairman that Pakistan will continue 

to provide moral, political and diplomatic 

support to freedom struggle of 

Kashmiris. 

Meanwhile, this morning a 

heavy contingent of police raided the 

residence of Pro-freedom, however 

returned empty hands as Zaffer Akbar 

Bhat is currently in New Delhi. 

On his directions, a party delegation 

comprising Abdul Qayoom, 

Molvi Mushtaq, Aijaz Beg, Mushtaq 

Kashmiri participated in the funeral 

of martyr at Sempora and paid tributes 

to martyr Sajjad Ahmad Bhat. 

‘Power Abuse’ by Police: IGP 

Crime asked to Register Enquiry 


Srinagar, Jan 12: In an important 

order, the State Vigilance 

Commission Tuesday 

directed IGP Crime to register 

a Preliminary Enquiry for alleged 

misuse of official position 

by the then SHO Police 

Station D H Pora, Kulgam, and 

his subordinates. 

“Earlier, the State Vigilance 

Commission while 

proceeding on a complaint 

of Shakeel Ahmad Malik 

against Wasim Mohammad, 

the then SHO Police 

Station D H Pora and 

others, alleging therein 

abuse of authority by way 

of assault, wrongful restraint, 

corrupt practices 

and attempt to involve 

the complainant in fake 

currency case by the said 

SHO and his subordinates, 

summoned the concerned 

SHO,” a statement issued 

by SVC said this evening. 

“After considering the 

complaint, statement of defence 

by SHO and his subordinates, 

evidence adduced 

by the complainant, record 

called from Police Station D 

H Pora as well as other relevant 

evidence, it came to 

fore that on denial for providing 

of an amount of Rs 

30,000/- as bribe by complainant 

as had been demanded 

by an Investigating 

Officer of the Police Station 

D H Pora, a false complaint 

regarding recovery of fake 

currency notes from him 

was lodged against complainant 

before Executive 

Magistrate by the involved 

Police Officials of the Police 

Station. It got prima-facie 

established that respondents 

(SHO and his subordinates) 

made every attempt 

to involve wrongly the complainant 

in a fake currency 

Addressing the gathering, Molvi 

Rafiq wowed to take the ongoing 

mission of martyrs to its logical conclusion. 

Zaffer Akbar Bhat from New 

Delhi also paid tributes to martyr and 

expressed sympathy with the family. 

He also expressed sympathy with 

the people of Pulwama district who are 

protesting against the authorities since 

last from two weeks. Zaffer termed 

the construction martyrs memorial 

rightful and genuine and said that 

other districts and areas should fallow 

Pulwama district for safeguarding the 

priceless sacrifices of martyrs. 

Salvation Movement also expressed 

grief and sorrow over the sad 

demise of removed Sufi saint Sunh 

Shab and expressed sympathy with 

the bereaved family. (KNS) 

case for refusal to pay bribe 

in investigation of an FIR 

case of Molestation lodged 

by his wife. During enquiry 

by the Commission it came 

to light that, the fake currency 

notes were never recovered 

from possession of 

the complainant. However, 

in the “case dairy file’’ fake 

currency notes were shown 

recovered from the complainant 

to falsely implicate 

him in the case for ulterior 

motives and in abuse of 

power,” the statement said. 

The State Vigilance Commission 

while taking serious 

note of such illegal action 

and misuse of authority by 

the said SHO and his subordinates 

while performing 

their official duties directed 

IGP Crime for registering of a 

Preliminary Enquiry against 

the police officials followed 

by time bound legal action 

against them. 

Zaffer calls on Pak Deputy High 

Commissioner in New Delhi 

Tolerance a 

pragmatic formula 

for conflict-free 

society: Vice Prez 

New Delhi, Jan 12: Against 

the backdrop of debate over 

intolerance, Vice President 

Hamid Ansari today said tolerance 

is a pragmatic formula 

for functioning of a conflict-free 

society and made 

a strong pitch for inter-faith 

dialogue to remove misunderstanding. 

Accepting and understanding 

of religions along 

with tolerance was necessary 

to build an inclusive and pluralistic 

society, Ansari said, 

inaugurating an Inter-faith 

Conference here. 

"Tolerance is a pragmatic 

formula for the functioning 

of the society without conflict 

between different religions, 

political ideologies, nationalities, 

ethnic groups, or other 

us-versus-them divisions," he 

said. 

Stating that tolerance is a 

virtue and freedom from bigotry, 

he said, "It is a version of 

the golden rule in that, as we 

want others to treat us decently, 

we need to treat them 

decently as well." 

He said that both the 

law and the public life in 

India promote and endorse 

religious tolerance. "Yet, tolerance 

alone is not a strong 

enough foundation for 

building an inclusive and 

pluralistic society. It must be 

coupled with acceptance and 

understanding," he said. 

Ansari said the institutions 

of the state are expected 

to ensure that the principle 

of secularism is observed 

in letter and spirit in public 

life. 

He said the country has 

been home to all great religions 

of the world, adding, "Our society 

has, for centuries, provided 

a unique social and intellectual 

environment in which many 

distinct religions have not only 

co-existed peacefully but have 

also enriched each other."

Precious Kashmir 

Edit 

Srinagar,Wednesday 

13.01.2016 4 

Take your 

time! 

he PDP and the BJP formed an alliance government 

in February 2015. This was done after 

a series of deliberations between the two 

parties amidst a fractured electoral verdict 

in Jammu and Kashmir. The rather unwieldy 

coalition defined by multifarious contradictions 

ended the uncertainty over government 

formation in the state. Enter 2016 and state’s 

Chief Minister Mufti Sayeed, who was admitted 

in Delhi’s AIIMS for a few weeks, passed 

away. This was indeed a sorrowful event for 

the party especially its President and CM’s 

daughter Mehbooba Mufti. However, apart 

from melancholy, the demise again brought 

in the same old political uncertainty in the 

state, the deep political uncertainty that 

hovers over and is structurally embedded 

in Kashmir. The government in the state sits 

atop a ‘two speed’ state- with Jammu going 

in one direction and Kashmir in another- and 

a conflicted society in Kashmir. The state is 

not autonomous and is disembedded from 

society. This perhaps has been the case with 

Jammu and Kashmir for a long time. Given 

the conflicting statements by PDP senior 

leaders wherein one of them specifies going 

ahead with ally BJP in forming the government, 

and the other makes a point of advising 

the party head that she should consider 

and weigh her options carefully. The senior 

leader openly suggested Mehbooba to mull 

over forming a coalition with Congress which 

according to him is a secular party. Will a 

new combination, a new government do 

any good to the people of Kashmir or will it 

again pull the state further in to the depths of 

political uncertainty? The question is tough, 

the decision is tougher and Mehbooba Mufti, 

although aggrieved because her father’s demise, 

has to display great maturity in weighing 

her options and making sure she makes 

the right moves. She should take all the time 

she wants but should ensure that whatever 

decision she makes is in the greater good of 

the people who have hopes and expectations 

that she cannot afford to break. 

E 

Abdullah Al-Arian 

gypt has been without a parliament since 2012. 

As the drastically reconstituted legislative body 

convenes this week for the first time in nearly four 

years, the final step in the restoration of Egypt’s 

authoritarian system of government appears to be 

complete. 

Ever since the July 2013 coup that brought to 

an abrupt halt the tenuous transition to democracy 

that followed a popular uprising to remove Hosni 

Mubarak from power, Egypt’s state institutions 

have been realigned under the authority of General 

Abdel Fattah el-Sisi. To be sure, the process has 

been fraught with external opposition and internal 

discord but, through it all, Sisi has managed to 

tighten his grip on power and consolidate his control 

over the country’s governing structures. 

Sisi’s supposed “road map to democracy”, 

which concluded with the swearing in of the new 

parliament on Sunday, began with the quashing of 

all independent political opposition following the 

military’s takeover in 2013. 

Beginning with the Muslim Brotherhood, 

Egypt’s long-standing social movement that took 

the lead in the post-Mubarak transition by winning 

a series of elections and referendums, Sisi 

demonstrated that he did not intend to allow the 

continuation of the opening of the political field to 

outsiders and challengers. 

Post-coup political transition 

The military arrested Mohamed Morsi, Egypt’s 

first freely elected president, banned his political 

party, and detained the Muslim Brotherhood’s 

leadership on charges ranging from treason to 

terrorism. 

Security forces confronted Morsi’s supporters 

across Egypt, leading to incidents of large-scale 

state violence such as the massacre of hundreds of 

protesters at Raba’a Square in August 2013. 

The judiciary did its part in the political realignment 

that followed by affirming the decision 

to ban the Muslim Brotherhood, seize its assets, 

and then sentencing hundreds of its members to 

death. While many of Egypt’s other opposition 

groups cheered on the coup and its aftermath, the 

counter-revolution soon turned on them as well. 

While many of Egypt’s other opposition 

groups cheered on the coup and its aftermath, the 

counter-revolution soon turned on them as well. 

Leaders of the so-called National Salvation 

Front which emerged in opposition to the Morsi 

government aimed for a stake in the post-coup political 

transition, but they were to be disappointed. 

Egypt’s hollow 

parliament 

Following a state media onslaught that questioned 

his loyalty to the coup, Mohamed ElBaradei was 

quickly isolated and retreated into another selfimposed 

exile. 

Hamdeen Sabahi dutifully performed the role 

of opposition candidate in the 2014 presidential 

election, which Sisi won with 96 percent of the 

vote. Egypt’s liberal and leftist opposition parties 

were also marginalised, while revolutionary 

groups such as the April 6 Youth movement were 

subject to the coup regime’s new laws banning 

public protests. 

In all, security forces have imprisoned more 

than 40,000 Egyptians in an unprecedented wave 

of repression roundly condemned by international 

human rights groups. 

Having neutralised all independent opposition 

within Egypt, Sisi was free to reshape the country’s 

political landscape as he saw fit. But in the ensuing 

months he would discover that establishing a new 

authoritarian regime on the ruins of Mubarak’s 

collapsed dictatorship would be no easy task. 

The elections were delayed several times 

before they were finally held last October. In the 

interim period, Sisi embodied both presidential as 

well as legislative powers, issuing no fewer than 

300 laws affecting everything from civil rights and 

government subsidies to state projects and the 

makeup of the parliament itself. 

Having realised that he could not count on 

the emergence of a new political party structure 

on the order of the National Democratic Party 

(NDP) through which Mubarak wielded power for 

years, Sisi instead opted for a drastically weakened 

body made up mostly of individual candidates.Of 

the record 596 seats in the new parliament, only 

120 - barely one-fifth - are apportioned to party 

lists, with the rest given to single candidates, 28 of 

whom are appointed directly by Sisi himself. The 

regime even altered the party list voting structure 

to a winner-takes-all system that favours establishment 

parties. 

The two-round parliamentary elections 

primarily featured candidates competing over who 

could more convincingly declare their undying 

loyalty to Sisi. Not surprisingly, voter turnout was 

reportedly the lowest of any election in Egypt’s 

recent history. 

The resulting parliament consists mostly of 

former regime figures, Sisi allies, and business 

elites with strong economic ties to the regime. All 

120 seats designated for party lists were won by 

the ad hoc pro-Sisi alliance called “For the Love of 

Egypt”. Some recent fissures within the ranks of 

Sisi’s supporters have revealed quite a bit about 

how political power operates in the new Egypt. 

Internal cohesion 

Popular talk-show host and long-time Sisi supporter 

Tawfik Okasha received the highest number 

of votes but after he was sidelined in his effort to 

become speaker of the parliament, he claimed 

that the major decisions regarding the parliament 

were being shaped directly by Egypt’s General 

Intelligence Services (GIS). With its close ties to the 

president, the GIS has reportedly played the role of 

conduit with a parliament that lacks internal cohesion 

or a strong party presence. 

Affirming these reports, Hazem Abdel Azeem, 

a one-time rising star under Sisi and a key 

member of his presidential campaign, published 

a first-hand account of his attendance of several 

meetings last year at GIS headquarters. 

At these meetings, not only did intelligence 

officials indicate that they were handpicking the 

individual candidates for the upcoming elections, 

but they also claimed a target of 400 members 

of parliament - the two-thirds super majority 

required to pass constitutional amendments. 

Incidentally, in its very first vote of the new 

session, the parliament elected Ali Abdel Al 

speaker, with 401 members voting in favour of his 

candidacy.Abdel Azeem condemned the close ties 

between the presidency and the new parliament 

as an unfair abuse of power that went beyond the 

standard vote rigging for which Egyptian elections 

had long been known. In fact, the emerging role of 

such state institutions in politics signals a dramatic 

shift away from the traditional place of parties 

such as the NDP as the base of political support for 

an authoritarian president. 

Instead, Sisi has demonstrated his severe distrust 

of Egyptian politics with the aim of creating 

an alternative centre of power that he can more 

directly control away from public view. Among the 

legislative initiatives to be taken up by the new 

parliament are efforts to extend the presidential 

term from four to six years and a proposal to do 

away with the two-term limit on the presidency. 

Moreover, in the true definition of a rubber 

stamp, the new parliament is constitutionally 

bound to consider Sisi’s more than 300 legislative 

orders in just 15 days. Among those, the 

removal of state subsidies required for the basic 

survival of millions of Egyptians, and major pay 

increases in the salaries of army officers and 

judges. 

Another major initiative undertaken by 

Sisi involves a controversial agreement that he 

signed last spring with Ethiopia on water rights 

in the Nile. While the parliament is expected to 

retroactively provide its enthusiastic endorsement 

of the deal, recent reports about the critical effect 

it would have on Egypt’s access to water suggests 

that, despite the consolidation of political power 

in his hands, Sisi’s problems are only likely to 

multiply. 

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 

Small cells for call 

drops 

Union communications minister Ravi Shankar 

Prasad has for the nth time threatened the 

telecom service providers over call drops, but 

the latter won’t budge till the court gives its 

opinion. The service providers had challenged 

the penalty of Rs 3 per day for call drops imposed by the 

Telecom Regulatory Authority of India. 

Service providers claim shortage of spectrum and say 

they do not get permission to roll out the requisite number 

of towers because of a cancer scare. They have a point 

because many towers across India had to be removed due 

to protests by residents who are adamant even though the 

relationship with cancer has not been proved conclusively. 

The minister, however, points out that in Delhi service 

providers have installed 25,000 towers in the last three to 

four months, after his threats, and asked why they didn’t 

do so earlier. He feels they could solve this problem but 

are not exploring their options. The minister acknowledges 

the role of telecom operators in expanding mobile connections 

to 100 crore and 40 crore Internet connections 

but insists on improving network congestion before the 

Prime Minister’s Digital India programme is rolled out. 

The stands of both the minister and the service providers 

have some merit. The service providers’ problems are 

heightened because of a lack of cooperation by citizens 

— for instance, landlords do not permit boosters in buildings. 

A global research firm’s communications services 

provider division has talked of the new self-organising 

network technology that enhances spectral efficiency 

through small cells and boosters. If this helps, the service 

providers could try this option. 

Email: preciouskashmir@gmail.com 

Website: www.preciouskashmir.com 

Agatha Christie’s love-hate 

story with the Arabs 

Marcia Lynx Qualey 

So many Agatha Christie novels were published 

in Arabic in the mid-20th century that Hercule 

Poirots and Miss Marples overflowed handcarts 

and bookshelves from Algiers to Cairo to Amman 

to Muscat. These original editions, as well as 

reprints, are still widely available. 

Just how many Christie novels were published 

in Arabic translation? Because many appeared in 

unauthorised editions, the exact numbers will remain 

a mystery. UNESCO statistics suggest that Christie 

vies with Shakespeare for the title of most-translated 

writer from English into Arabic. GoodReads puts Christie 

far in the lead, with 62 separate titles. 

English crime writer Agatha Christie at her home, 

Greenway House, Devon (1946) [Getty] [Getty Images] 

In any case, during the second half of the 20th 

century, many Arab writers came of age reading translations 

of Christie’s page-turning mysteries, which 

offered thrilling plot twists and satisfying resolutions. 

“When I was a kid living in Amman [in the 90s],” 

writer and translator Ibtihal Mahmood says, “Arabic 

translations of Agatha Christie’s works were available 

in abundance in most bookstores. In fact, the first book 

I bought with my own money was Appointment with 

Death.” 

‘Sympathetic to the Arabs’ 

Many well-worn copies of Christie novels now languish 

in Cairo’s second-hand book stalls, and Christie 

no longer tops the region’s bestseller lists. Still, an appetite 

for the classic whodunnits persists. In Dearborn, 

Michigan, which has one of the United States’ largest 

Arab populations, librarian Isabella Rowan says that 

“Arabic translations of Agatha Christie novels are 

extremely popular”. 

It wasn’t a one-way relationship: The Middle East 

was also important to Christie. In the winter of 1910- 

11, Agatha, then aged 20, had her formal coming-out 

party in Cairo. 

Sean Connery and Vanessa Redgrave appear on 

the poster for the film Murder On The Orient Express, 

based on Christie’s novel [Getty] [Getty Images] 

Her time in Egypt inspired Snow Upon the Desert, 

which became her first, unpublished, novel. As in 

many of Christie’s works, it drew on the lives of the 

wealthy - people she had seen in a hotel dining room. 

Fans have highlighted the ugly racial and cultural 

stereotypes in Christie’s novels, with superstitious 

Arabs, courtly sheiks, and ‘dirty dark-yellow’ Iraqis... 

Christie wrote several more novels before she returned 

to the region in the late 1920s. That was when 

she met her second husband at an archaeological dig 

in Ur, Iraq. 

Throughout the 1930s, Christie and her husband 

spent months at a stretch in Syria and Iraq, where she 

participated in archaeological work and wrote some 

of her most popular books. Hercule Poirot, Christie’s 

beloved Belgian detective, rode on the Orient Express, 

holidayed in Jerusalem, and solved the mystery of a 

murder in Petra, Jordan. 

Although Christie’s daughter Rosalind said in a 

1990 interview that her mother was “sympathetic to 

the Arabs”, fans have highlighted the ugly racial and 

cultural stereotypes in Christie’s novels, with superstitious 

Arabs, courtly sheiks, and “dirty dark-yellow” 

Iraqis. 

Indeed, it seems that she put more effort into humanising 

the ancient Egyptians than the 20th-century 

people she met and worked alongside at dig sites. 

Still, Arab readers eagerly consumed Christie’s 

novels, as they had earlier detective stories by Arthur 

Conan Doyle and Maurice Leblanc. 

Christie’s mark on Arabic fiction 

But despite her popularity, Christie’s mark on 

Arabic fiction is hard to find. 

At the Emirates LitFest in 2011, Kamal Abdel 

Malek, the Egyptian scholar, and Matt Rees, the Welsh 

crime writer, gave a talk entitled: “Could an Agatha 

Christie emerge from the Arab World?” 

“As far as I know, we do not have in the Arab world 

the private investigator,” Abdel Malek said in an email, 

“either as an individual or as an institution. I recall 

Matt Rees saying … that the private investigator could 

function only in a democracy, and that was why it was 

possible to have him in the West and not in the Arab 

world, where all aspects of the law are squarely in the 

hands of the government.” 

Certainly there are Arabic thrillers and detective 

novels. Still, most don’t follow classic Christie style. 

Ahmed Mourad, the Egyptian novelist, author of the 

popular Vertigo, has gone out of his way to say that he 

doesn’t consider himself an Agatha Christie. 

Nadia Ghanem, the Algerian scholar and detectivenovel 

connoisseur, echoed Abdel Malek’s observations, 

saying: “In Agatha Christie, it is usually a private detective 

that acts, whereas in Algerian detective novels it’s 

a policeman, retired or still active.” 

In Christie’s novels, Ghanem says, the story typically 

wraps up with the killer being found, whereas in 

Algerian detective fiction, things only get worse at the 

end. 

“I always read Christie for comfort, knowing that 

at least in some parallel dimension, the world is a just 

place. Algerian detective literature is never comforting!” 

Other Arab detective stories, such as the Lebanese 

novelist Elias Khoury’s White Masks, have similarly 

discomforting ends. 

Ghanem added that, nonetheless, Christie 

remained a benchmark and an aspiration. When the 

young Algerian writer Nassima Bouloufa’s first detective 

novel came out, reviewers called her an “Algerian 

Agatha Christie”. 

One of Algeria’s first female detective novelists, 

Zehira Houfani, quit writing detective fiction during the 

county’s “black decade” of the 1990s. In a recent interview 

with Ghanem, Houfani - who now lives in Canada 

- recommended that others read “Agatha Christie, whose 

sense of intrigue I so admired. I read her hoping I would 

learn from her to one day become an Algerian detective 

novelist.”Marcia Lynx Qualey writes about Arabic literature 

and literary translation for a number of publications. 

She blogs daily at www.arablit.org. 

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


Sensex Nifty Gold 

Business/ International 

Wednesday 

5 



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

143.01 

53.55 

67.00 

116.00 

0.07 

4.35 

21.55 

4.90 

2.70 

11.65 

24682.03 

7510.30 

25,803.00 

33,548.00 

66.88 

78.15 

672.95 

199.40 

236.75 

1,046.95 

Sensex ends at fresh 18-month low 

Mumbai, Jan 12: The Sensex ended at a 

fresh 18-month closing low on caution 

ahead of third quarter earnings while 

worries over an uptick in December consumer 

price inflation data for which will 

be released later today also weighed on 

sentiment. 

The S&P BSE Sensex ended 143 points 

at 24682 after hitting 52-week low of 

24,597. The Nifty50 slipped 53 points to 

settle at 7,510, after hitting 52-week low 

of 7,488 mark. Nifty closed at its lowest 

level since July 14, 2014. 

Adds K Subramanyam, Co-Head Equity 

Advisory, Altamount Capital, “ The 

correction or sell off could see values further 

eroding as results season approaches. 

Even IT and pharma sectors are having 

challenges which could result in volatility. 

However, with budget approaching, 

banking counters could be kept on radar 

as some sops for parking funds in banks 

could see further relaxation as they get 

ready to increase provisions which could 

result in dent in bottomline.” 

The broader markets ended weak in 

line with the benchmark indices- BSE 

Midcap and Smallcap indices slipped between 

0.9%-1.05%%. The market breadth 

remained dismal with 1,735 shares declining 

and 941 shares advancing on the 

BSE. 

On macro-economic front, IIP for 

November 2015 and CPI for December 

2015 will be announced today. According 

to Reuters, consumer inflation probably 

edged up for the fifth straight month in 

December, driven by higher food prices. 

Beisdes, foreign portfolio investors 

(FPIs) sold shares worth a net Rs 1319.24 

crore yesterday as per provisional data 

released by the stock exchanges. 

Crude oil fell 3% on Tuesday, heading 

towards $30 per barrel and levels 

not seen in over a decade, with analysts 

scrambling to cut their price forecasts 

and traders betting on further declines. 

Among overseas markets, Asian 

stocks held near four-year lows and 

crude oil prices approached a 20% drop 

in less than two weeks, as investors remained 

wary of China’s volatile financial 

markets. 

MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific 

shares outside Japan gave up early gains 

to trade 0.2% lower, just shy of its lowest 

Inflation, corporate earnings to 

dictate market trends: Moody’s 

Mumbai, Jan 12: India’s market outlook for 

this year will be dependent on consumption 

demands, corporate earnings and inflation 

trends, says rating agency Moody’s. 

While maintaining that it expects the 

country to be the world’s fastest growing 

major economy this year, the rating agency 

believes that the “market trends will depend 

on whether inflation remains under control 

and corporate profits revive.” 

Quoting a projection of a boost in consumption 

following the pay revision for Central 

government employees and pensioners, 

and a potential upturn in farm which is expected 

to boost rural demand, it added that a 

broad-based pick up in investment will only 

unfold with a lag. 

“India enters 2016 on the cusp of a cyclical 

growth recovery, with inflation under 

control and the economy benefiting from 

lower commodity prices,” Atsi Sheth, an associate 

managing director at Moody’s said in 

a note. 

While noting that these trends place the 

country at an advantage relative to many 

similarly rated emerging market peers, Sheth 

said “we believe that these advantages will 

only yield sustainable growth acceleration 

once corporate and bank balance sheets are 

repaired, and if the private sector remains internationally 

competitive.” 

While the Modi government has been 

facing hurdles in implementing big-ticket 

policy changes such as the goods and services 

tax, it has initiated a wide range of measures 

over the last year to spur investment in infrastructure, 

and also allowing greater foreign 

direct investment in many more new areas, 

apart from implementing an inflation targeting. 

It has also done commendably in addressing 

the troubles in the banking. 

Sheth said inflation and corporate profit 

trends will offer clues as to whether these efforts 

have created conditions for growth that 

are sustainable over the next three-four years. 

On the new inflation targeting framework, 

she said low inflation may indicate a 

greater balance between domestic demand 

and supply conditions, and would help private 

sector remain globally competitive. 

level in four years. It is down more than 

8% since the start of 2016. It fell 12% last 

year. 

Japan’s Nikkei fell 2.7% after a market 

holiday on Monday, closing at its lowest 

in nearly a year, while US stock mini futures 

were in the red pointing to a weak 

start. 

However, China stocks 

closed higher in choppy 

trade on Tuesday 

as the central 

bank tried 

to stabilise the 

yuan 

after allowing it to sharply depreciate in 

the first week of the year, sowing confusion 

in global financial markets over its 

policy direction. 

The CSI300 index of the largest listed 

companies in Shanghai and Shenzhen 

Tokyo, Jan 12: Crude oil 

prices fell 3 percent on 

Tuesday, heading towards 

$30 per barrel and to levels 

not seen in over a decade, 

with analysts scrambling to 

cut their price forecasts and 

traders betting on further 

declines. 

Prices are down around 

20 percent since the start of 

the year, dragged lower by 

soaring oversupply, China’s 

weakening economy and 

stock market turmoil, as 

well as the strong dollar, 

which makes it more expensive 

for countries using 

other currencies to buy oil. 

International benchmark 

Brent crude futures 

fell over 3 percent to a low 

of $30.43 per barrel on Tuesday, 

a level last seen in April 

2004, before edging back to 

$30.64 by 0714 GMT, still 

down 91 cents from their 

last settlement. 

U.S. crude West Texas 

Intermediate (WTI) fell to a 

low of $30.41 per barrel, a 

rose 0.7% to 3,215.71 points, while the 

Shanghai Composite Index gained 0.2% 

to 3,022.86 points. 

Back home, banking shares reeled 

under pressure with the Nifty Bank index 

hitting 52-week low on the NSE. 

Eight out 12 banks from the Nifty 

Bank index were trading at their multimonths 

low on the NSE. The list includes 

Axis Bank, ICICI Bank, State Bank of India 

(SBI), Federal Bank, Canara Bank, Punjab 

National Bank (PNB), Bank of Baroda and 

Bank of India. 

Shares of Tata Consultancy Services 

(TCS) dipped 2% to Rs 2,313 on the NSE, 

its lowest level in 18 months, ahead of 

October-December (Q3) results later today. 

Energy stocks witnessed selling 

pressure after crude oil prices hit near 

12 years low on oversupply glut. ONGC, 

Cairn India and RIL slipped between 

0.6%-3% each. 

Shares of Nestle India and Dr Reddy’s 

Laboratories, fell more than 1% and 

touched their respective 52-week lows 

on the BSE. 

Meanwhile, L&T gained nearly 0.5% 

level last seen in December 

2003, before crawling back 

to $30.60 per barrel. 

Trading data showed 

that managed short positions 

in WTI crude contracts, 

which 

profit from a 

further fall in 

prices, 

are at 

a 

would 

record high, implying that 

many traders expect further 

falls. 

Traders and analysts 

said ballooning oversupply 

10 killed, 15 wounded as ‘suicide 

bomber’ hits Istanbul tourist hub 

Istanbul, Jan 12: At least 10 people 

have been killed in an explosion at 

central Istanbul’s historic Sultanahmet 

square, a major tourist attraction, 

the city governor’s office 

said. 

The explosion occurred at about 

10.20am local time on Tuesday 

morning. 

In a statement, the Istanbul governor’s 

office said 10 people were 

killed and 15 were injured. 

“Investigations into the cause 

of the explosion, the type of explosion 

and perpetrator or perpetrators 

are underway,” it said in a 

statement quoted by the Dogan 

news agency. 

At least one witness reported 

that a suicide bomber was responsible 

for the explosion, but the official 

cause of the explosion has not been 

announced. 

Ambulances rushed to the site 

in Sultanahmet square, close to the 

Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia, in a 

major tourist area of Turkey’s most 

populous city, ferrying away the 

Iraqi PM vows to expel IS after 

deadly mall attack 

Baghdad, Jan 12: Iraq’s 

Prime Minister has vowed 

to continue the fight against 

Islamic State militants, a day 

after the group launched a 

suicide attack on a shopping 

mall in the capital, killing 18 

people. 

Touring the bombed 

mall in eastern New Baghdad 

today, Haider al-Abadi 

described the attack as a 

“desperate attempt” by militants 

after they lost control 

of the key western city of 

Ramadi, the capital of Anbar 

province. 

He says that Iraq’s government 

will “spare no efforts” 

in expelling IS forces 

from the country. 

Gunmen stormed the 

shopping mall yesterday 

after setting off a car bomb 

and launching a suicide attack 

at the entrance. 

Iraqi forces later surrounded 

the building, landing 

troops on the roof before 

clashing with attackers 

inside, killing two gunmen 

and arresting four. 

and China’s slowing economy 

were the main reasons 

for the oil price rout, which 

has pulled prices down by 

over 70 percent since mid- 

2014. They have also started 

to 

its construction arm won orders worth 

Rs 1,247 crore across business verticals. 

Further, Credit Suisse has upgraded L&T 

to outperform from neutral. 

Mahindra and Mahindra (M&M) rose 

nearly 2%. Automobile companies have 

reported sales growth of 10.5 per cent 

in December 2015 in passenger vehicles 

(PVs), helped by new launches and 

declining fuel prices. According to data 

from the Society of Indian Automobile 

Manufacturers (Siam), 230,960 units of 

PVs — cars, utility vehicles and vans — 

were sold. 

Shares of aviation companies ended 

higher in an otherwise weak market as 

weakening crude oil prices would boost 

margins. Aviation turbine fuel accounts 

for nearly 40% of the operating costs for 

the airlines and lower fuel prices would 

help improve margins. Jet Airways, 

SpiceJet and InterGlobe Aviation gained 

between 1%-3%. 

Shares of CMI surged over 18% to Rs 

359 after GMO-controlled funds bought 

more than 10% stake in telecom cables 

manufacturer for Rs 45 crore through 

open market transaction. 

US crude prices tumble 3% to just over $30 

wounded as police cordoned off 

streets. 

Police are reportedly taking 

extra measures to protect people 

against the possibility of a second 

explosion. 

Al Jazeera’s Emre Rende, reporting 

from Istanbul, said information 

was scarce immediately after the 

blast. 

“Witnesses have said that the 

blast was heard from other neighbourhoods,” 

he said. 

“Witnesses said that the ground 

Manila, Jan 12: The Philippine 

Supreme Court ruled 

on Tuesday a military accord 

with the United States 

was constitutional, paving 

the way for a greater presence 

of US forces in the 

former American colony 

as tensions simmer in the 

South China Sea. 

The 10-year agreement, 

signed in 2014 but not implemented 

due to legal challenges, 

will see more US 

troops rotate through the 

Philippines for war games 

and help their hosts build 

military facilities. 

Supreme Court spokesman 

Theodore Te said the 

shook.” 

Erdem Koroglu, who was working 

at a nearby office at the time of 

the explosion, told NTV television 

he saw several people lying on the 

ground following the blast. 

“It was difficult to say who was 

alive or dead,” Koroglu said. “Buildings 

rattled from the force of the 

explosion.” 

The blast comes just over a year 

after a female suicide bomber blew 

herself up at a police station for 

tourists off the same square, killing 

one officer and wounding another. 

Turkey suffered two major 

bombing attacks last year. 

More than 30 people were killed 

in an Islamic State suicide attack in 

the town of Suruc, near Turkey’s 

border with Syria, in July. 

Two suicide bombs in October 

outside Ankara’s main train station 

as people gathered for a peace rally 

killed more than 100 people. It was 

Turkey’s deadliest attack. The prosecutor’s 

office said the attack was carried 

out by a local Islamic State cell. 

accord was upheld with a 

10-4 vote, ruling that President 

Benigno Aquino’s government 

had the authority 

to sign the pact and did not 

need congressional approval. 

The pact “is a mere implementation 

of existing 

laws and treaties,” Te said. 

Aquino negotiated the 

accord to help the Southeast 

Asian nation improve 

its military capabilities and 

draw the United States closer, 

partly in a bid to counter a 

fast-expanding. 

Chinese presence in 

disputed parts of the South 

China Sea close to the Philippines. 

US President Barack 

Yangon, Jan 12: Aung 

San Suu Kyi promised on 

Tuesday to use her party`s 

popular mandate to drive 

Myanmar`s peace process 

as she outlined a vision of 

a federal future to ethnic 

rebels who have battled for 

decades. 

She was speaking at 

a fresh round of talks between 

the government, 

army and ethnic minority 

armed groups, at which 

crucial economic and social 

issues that spurred the violence 

will be discussed. 

Those include the ownership 

of natural resources, 

seen as a major factor in 

conflicts that have displaced 

tens of thousands of people 

and cost countless lives. 

Suu Kyi, whose party 

won the November general 

election, said she was optimistic 

the “fighting will be 

finished soon” if the nation`s 

political standards are improved 

and all groups work 

point at the 

dollar as a drag for crude. 

“No doubt, the dollar 

is a key factor,” said 

Oystein Berentsen, managing 

director of crude oil at 

trading company Strong 

Petroleum in Singapore, although 

he added that the 

basic price driver was oversupply. 

“Once the crude surplus 

turns into a product surplus 

and we start running out of 

storage capacity, there will 

be even more pressure on 

prices and an imminent collapse,” 

he added. 

On the supply side, 

Iraq, which has become the 

second biggest producer 

within the Organization of 

the Petroleum Exporting 

Countries (OPEC), plans to 

export a record of around 

3.63 million barrels per day 

(bpd) from its southern oil 

terminals in February, trade 

sources said on Tuesday, citing 

a preliminary loading 

programme, up 8 percent 

from this month. 

Adjusting to the price 

rout, analysts have been 

shifting their price outlooks 

downward, with Barclays, 

Macquarie, Bank of America 

Merrill Lynch, Standard 

Chartered and Societe Generale 

all cutting their 2016 

oil forecasts this week. 

Suu Kyi vows to lead 

Myanmar peace efforts 

Obama also pushed hard for 

the Enhanced Defense Cooperation 

Pact (EDCA) as 

part of his so-called strategic 

“pivot” to Asia that has 

involved expanding American 

military presence in the 

region. 

However, it faced immediate 

legal challenges 

from groups opposed to US 

military involvement in the 

Philippines, a US colony from 

1898 to 1946. 

The Philippines hosted 

two of the largest overseas 

US military bases until 1992, 

following a Filipino Senate 

vote to end their leases that 

was influenced by anti-US 

Philippine Supreme Court 

upholds US military accord 

sentiment. 

The EDCA agreement 

was signed in April 2014 as 

Obama visited Manila, when 

he said it would give US forces 

“greater access to Filipino 

facilities, airfields and ports, 

which would remain under 

the control of the Philippines”. 

Filipino officials also previously 

said it would allow 

the United States to store 

equipment that could be 

used to mobilise American 

forces faster -- particularly 

in cases of natural disasters 

such as the frequent typhoons 

that batter the archipelago 

nation. 

Adani Power to 

invest Rs 11500 cr 

in Udupi Power 

New Delhi, Jan 12: Adani 

Power, which acquired Udupi 

Power Corporation (UPCL) 

from Lanco Infratech early 

last year, is set to expand its 

capacity to 2,800 MW from 

the present 1,200 MW at an 

estimated investment of Rs 

11,500 crore. The company 

plans to set up two more 

units of 800 MW each near 

Udupi to raise capacity. 

“We have just received 

the approval from the State 

High Level Clearance Committee 

(SHLCC) of Karnataka 

government for our proposal. 

We will be signing a memorandum 

of understanding 

(MoU) with the state government 

very soon. We still 

require many other approvals 

including one from the 

ministry of environment,” 

Kishore Alva, executive director, 

UPCL said. 

He said the company 

would be funding the project 

through a mix of debt and 

equity, yet to be decided. 

“The debt to equity ratio will 

be decided once we sign a 

power purchase agreement 

with the state government,” 

Alva said. 

UPCL, for the first phase 

of the project, had borrowed 

76% of the project cost of Rs 

5,800 crore from a consortium 

of bankers led by Power 

Finance Corporation. 

Last year, Adani Power 

acquired UPCL from Lanco 

Infratech at an enterprise 

valuation of Rs 6,300 crore 

in one of the biggest deals 

in power sector. Adani took 

over Rs 4,000 crore debt 

of UPCL, while paying out 

another Rs 2,000 crore cash 

to Lanco. 

Currently, UPCL is generating 

1,200 MW thermal 

power using imported coal at 

Nandikur near Udupi in Karnataka 

and the entire power 

is supplied to electricity 

companies in the state. UPCL 

had signed power purchase 

agreement with Karnataka to 

sell 90% of generated power 

and with Punjab for 10%. 

together. 

“We cannot build lasting 

peace without national reconciliation,” 

she said. 

“Now we are ready to 

lead the peace process, because 

we have the power invested 

in the mandate given 

to us by the people and ethnic 

minorities.” 

It was the first time the 

democracy champion had 

taken a leading role in yearslong 

official peace efforts. 

The painstaking negotiations 

have until now been 

steered by reformist President 

Thein Sein, who was 

also present at the talks in the 

national capital Naypyidaw. 

However, deep challenges 

remain. Some major 

armed groups have 

shunned the talks altogether 

and clashes are continuing 

in parts of the country 

between rebels and soldiers. 

Powerful Army Chief 

Min Aung Hlaing also spoke 

at the opening of the fiveday 

talks, calling the meeting 

a “historic event” which 

could help bring “lasting 

peace, stability and security” 

for the country. Political 

dialogue is a central demand 

of the ethnic minority 

armies, who for generations 

have fought for greater autonomy 

in the mountainous 

and resource-rich borderlands. 

Ahead of the election, 

analysts predicted Suu Kyi 

would struggle to win support 

among ethnic voters 

because of the Nobel 

laureate`s majority ethnic 

Bamar heritage. 

But her National League 

for Democracy swept to a 

thumping majority across 

the country including the 

frontier regions. 

Suu Kyi told Tuesday`s 

talks that “a real democratic 

federal nation” was possible 

if all ethnic groups cooperate 

in a spirit of “brotherhood 

and respect”. 

Kuwait court 

sentences two to 

death for spying for 

Iran, Hezbollah 

Kuwait, Jan 12: A Kuwaiti 

court sentenced two men 

accused of spying for Iran 

and Hezbollah to death on 

Tuesday, a Reuters witness 

said. 

The case also included 

the possession of weapons. 

One of the men given the 

death penalty was an Iranian 

convicted in absentia, 

and the other was a Kuwaiti 

who was in court. 

Other suspects were 

given sentences ranging 

from five to 25 years, 

and three were found 

innocent.


The city hospitals are witnessing 

increased number of 

cases of chronic obstructive 

pulmonary diseases (COPD), 

allergic rhinitis, upper respiratory 

tract infection, lower 

respiratory tract infection, 

pneumonia and viral fever. 

But, the cause of concern is 

swine flu as cases of H1N1 

influenza have also been reported 

in the city . 

“Three persons tested 

positive for swine flu are undergoing 

treatment in ICU. 

But, we have not put them 

on ventilator support as they 

do not require it,” additional 

superintendent Sawai Man 

Singh (SMS) hospital Dr Ajit 

Singh said. 

Dr Singh said that in day 

the temperature goes up and 

in night it goes down which 

makes people, especially the 

elderly and children, more 

susceptible to diseases like 

allergic rhinitis, COPD, respiratory 

tract infection. 

He said that 9,729 patients 

were registered at the 

outpatient department and 

493 at indoor patient department 

of SMS hospital on 

Monday . 

Besides, fog in the morning 

is making life of people 

suffering from asthma and 

COPD more difficult. “Vehicular 

pollution in winter 

becomes more dangerous 

to people already suffering 

from asthma and COPD. In 

fog, Respirable Suspended 

Particulate Matter (RSPM) 

gets entangled with fog. 

When a person with 

asthma and COPD goes out 

for morning walk or some 

other work early in the 

morning, he is exposed to 

fog with RSPM particles. 

When he inhales the pollutant 

with fog, they act as 

HEALTH 

Temp fluctuation leads to 

spurt in seasonal diseases 

New 

glaucomarelated 

genes found 

How sugars help 

avert tiredness 

The first time I went into 

print about energy drinks 

being no better than sugar 

in water, the wrath of the 

energy-drink manufacturers 

hit me like a tsunami. 

No amount of persuasion 

on their part, however, 

changed my view. Since 

then, I’ve been horrified by 

the growth in popularity 

of energy drinks. I can’t 

understand it, other than 

thinking people believe the 

con. It infuriates me that 

manufacturers, backed by 

so little science, play on 

people’s insecurity. But 

now researchers from Bath 

University have come up 

with evidence that supports 

my original contention. In 

fact, they go further. They 

say adding a spoonful of 

sugar to plain water could 

be MORE effective in enhancing 

sport performance 

than energy drinks. They 

even reckon stirring sugar 

into a water bottle before a 

big physical challenge could 

be the difference between 

success and failure. An 

increasing number of sports 

drinks designed to provide 

energy during exercise use 

sucrose or mixes of glucose 

"Just in time for Glaucoma Awareness Month, this 

unprecedented analysis provides the most comprehensive 

genetic profile of glaucoma to date," 

said Paul A. Sieving, director of the National Eye 

Institute (NEI), part of the US National Institutes 

of Health. 

These findings open avenues for the pursuit of new 

strategies to screen for, prevent and treat glaucoma. 

"This is the first direct report to show the association 

of a gene linking oxidative damage to glaucoma," added 

and fructose -but many still 

rely on glucose alone.However, 

researchers found that 

combining different kinds 

of sugars improves the 

speed people can absorb 

them from the gut. 

The team tested various 

drinks to see how different 

sugars (carbohydrates) 

could help avert tiredness 

due to the decline of 

liver energy stores. Their 

experiment, conducted 

on long-distance cyclists, 

showed that consuming 

sugars in the form of either 

glucose or sucrose can 

achieve this, but sucrose is 

better. A word about sugars. 

Both sucrose (table sugar) 

and glucose are called 

simple sugars. 

But they’re not the 

same. The major difference 

is that each sucrose 

molecule is made up of one 

glucose and one fructose 

molecule linked together. 

Scientists warn that glucose-only 

drinks could lead 

to gut pain and suggest sucrose-based 

alternatives -or 

simply sugar in water -can 

help make exercise easier 

and more comfortable. Dr 

Javier Gonzalez, the lead 

researcher, said, “Our study 

showed that ingesting carbohydrates 

(sugar) during 

exercise can prevent the 

depletion of carbohydrate 

stores in the liver, but not 

in muscle. This may be one 

of the ways in which carbohydrate 

ingestion improves 

endurance performance. 

This suggests that when 

your goal is to maximise 

carbohydrate availability, 

sucrose is probably a better 

source than glucose.” The 

scientists recommend up 

to 90g of sugar per hour 

-diluted in about a litre of 

water -for top performance 

during exercise lasting over 

two and a half hours. 

trigger for asthma and COPD. 

The Asthma Bhawan is full 

of such patients,” pulmonary 

diseases specialist and 

Asthma Bhawan director Dr 

Virendra Singh said. 

He said that if a person 

in which diseases like 

asthma and COPD pre-exist, 

he should take precaution 

while go ing out in foggy 

mornings.He should cover 

his nose and mouth with 

cloth like muffler, which 

prevents RSPM from going 

inside the respiratory system 

to some extent. 

Besides, the cases of 

viral fever are also persisting, 

which started being 

reporting in December in increased 

numbers. “Viral fever 

is still persisting, though 

the numbers of cases have 

decreased slightly. But, cases 

of cough and cold, allergic 

rhinitis, asthma and COPD 

have increased. Since there 

is a frequent fluctuation in 

temperatures, people often 

do not wear proper clothes. 

In such a situation, they become 

vulnerable to diseases 

,” Dr Adil Aziz, assistant professor 

(medicine), SMS hospital 

said. 

Neeraj Agarwal, programme director at NEI. 

Glaucoma is a group of conditions that damage the 

optic nerve, the bundle of nerve fibers connecting the 

eye to the brain. 

Primary open angle glaucoma, the most common 

type, was studied in this analysis. 

For the new study, the researchers compared the 

DNA of 3,853 people of European ancestry with primary 

open-angle glaucoma to a similar group of 33,480 people 

without it. 

8 warning signs 

of brain stroke 

Stroke is the rapid 

loss of brain function 

due to disturbance 

in the blood 

supply to the brain. 

This could be either due 

to ischemia (lack of blood 

flow) due to blockage or 

due to hemorrhage. However, 

an ordinary person is 

not aware of what stroke 

is, what it’s manifestations 

are, what the immediate 

course of action should be 

and how stroke patients 

should be rehabilitated. 

Diabetes & Hypertension, 

smoking, obesity, high 

cholesterol level, and heart 

diseases are the important 

risk factors of stroke. 

Warning signs of 

brain stroke 

Face drooping: If the face 

of the patient droops to 

one side or one experiences 

numbness on one side 

of the face , call for help 

immediately. Meanwhile 

you can ask the person to 

smile, if he cannot, than 

rush him to the hospital 

immediately. 

Weakness in the 

Common food preservative 

can kill cancer cells 


Srinagar | Wednesday 


arm: A stroke patient will 

experience numbness or 

weakness in one of both of 

his/her arms. You can ask 

him/her to raise her hand, 

in a stroke patient the hand 

will fall downwards. 

Difficulty in speaking: 

During a stroke patients 

have slurred speech. Ask 

them to simple questions, 

generally they won’t be 

able to reply it correctly, 

ask them repeatedly to 

check if they are having a 

stroke. 

Loss of balance: A stroke 

patients finds it difficult to 

balance his body, he may 

suffer from difficulty in 

moving and lack of co-ordination. 

Throbbing headache: 

One can suffer a throbbing 

headache suddenly without 

a reason, this generally signals 

towards hemorrhagic 

stroke. 

Other symptoms include: 

- Loss of short-term 

memory 

- Episodes of black-out 

or visual impairment 

- Giddiness/ imbalance 

The researchers focused on the cancer-killing properties of nisin, a colorless, tasteless 

powder widely used as a food preservative. 

“The application of nisin has advanced beyond its role as a food biopreservative,” said researcher 

Yvonne Kapila, professor at University of Michigan School of Dentistry in the US. 

“Current findings and 

other published data support 

nisin’s potential use to treat 

antibiotic resistant infections, 

periodontal disease and cancer,” Kapila noted. 

The researchers found that 

feeding rats a “nisin milkshake” 

killed 70-80 percent of head 

and neck tumour cells after nine 

weeks and extended survival. 

The mice were given a 

highly purified nisin dosage of 

800 mg/kg. Nisin is typically added to food at the rate of .25 to 

37.5 mg/kg. Many foods contain nisin, but nowhere near the 

800 mg/kg needed to kill cancer cells. 

Several products avail- 

able to consumers also contain 

nisin - creams and phar- 

maceuticals to fight infection 

and mastitis, and a sani- 

tiser in lactating cows. 

Nisin also fights deadly bacteria such as 

antibiotic-resistant 

MRSA (methicillin-resistant 

Staphylococcus aureus). 

“To date, nobody had found bacteria from humans or living animals that is resistant to 

nisin,” Kapila said. 

While promising, the results are small and in mice only, so it is too early to say 

if nisin will act the same way in humans, Kapila said. 

The findings will appear in a forthcoming issue of the Journal of 

Antimicrobial Chemotherapy. 

36 

IPF, not 

aging, 

could be 

causing 

breathlessness 

Daniel Castner of Napa, 

California, speaks from 

experience when he advises 

people to pay attention 

to their bodies 

and have anything unusual 

thoroughly checked 

out without delay. It’s 

just possible there’s a 

treatment that can nip 

a problem in the bud if 

treatment is started soon 

enough. 

Castner learned at 

age 63 that he has a progressive, 

incurable lung 

disease called idiopathic 

pulmonary fibrosis, or IPF, 

that more often than not 

seems to come out of nowhere 

(idiopathic means 

of no known cause). IPF 

reduces the lungs’ ability 

to extract oxygen from 

the air and distribute it 

to the rest of the body. 

At the time, there were 

no effective treatments 

in the United States. But 

there was a drug in use in 

Europe called Esbriet that 

had been shown to slow 

the loss of lung function 

and significantly reduce 

deaths from the disease. 

In October 2014, after 

seeing positive results 

from clinical trials, the 

Food and Drug Administration 

approved Esbriet 

as well as a second drug 

for IPF, called Ofev.Two 

months earlier, under a 

special permit, doctors at 

the University of California, 

San Francisco, started 

Castner on Esbriet. 

Though categorised as a 

rare disease, “IPF is much 

more common than is 

usually realised,” said Dr 

Steven Nathan, a pulmonologist 

at Inova Fairfax 

Hospital in Falls Church, 

Virginia. “And for whatever 

reason, its prevalence 

is increasing.” He said the 

disease was believed to 

occur mainly in genetically 

susceptible people 

who are exposed to irritants 

like cigarette smoke 

or occupational dusts or 

fumes. 

On average, it takes 

patients with IPF two 

years to be diagnosed 

correctly . People often 

attribute their breathlessness 

to lack of fitness 

or advancing age because 

IPF is typically a disease of 

older people. 

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

Mehbooba........ 

as a mark of respect to Sayeed, then Chief Minister who passed 

away at AIIMS in Delhi on last Thursday. This mourning period 

will end tomorrow. 

Beg said the PDP president will respect the people's mandate 

and carry forward the agenda of development set by the 

late chief minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed. 

The state announced a seven-day official mourning when 

Sayeed passed away at All India Institute of Medical Sciences 

(AIIMS) in New Delhi on January 7. 

Beg, however, did not give a timeframe for government formation 

in the state which was brought under Governor’s Rule 

on Friday following the death of Sayeed a day earlier. 

He said no conditions had been laid either by the PDP or the 

BJP for the government formation in the state as all the issues had 

been thrashed out in ‘Agenda of Alliance’ last year. (Agencies) 

Karra....... 

people in these two regions see because they are living among 

Hindu majority. For them living each day has not been without 

danger.” 

He said that he has no personal animosity with BJP and RSS. 

“But their core agenda is, and what has come to fore, ideological 

ingression, administrative ingression, political and religious 

ingression (which was witnesses during beef ban).” 

The senior leader said that that the PDP president could 

think on new lines and start a new beginning. 

“Mufti Sahab’s demise has been our collective loss. For me 

he was a fatherly figure. Though I have difference of views over 

the alliance with BJP but I have no personal animosity with 

the party or Mehbooba Mufti. I have put my views forward in 

a democratic way. Despite difference of views, I suggest Mehbooba 

Mufti, she being an undisputed leader of the party, that 

at this time that she can think on new lines and start a new beginning 

for the party. If she takes a decision not to form new 

government, I will work as a worker for the party.” 

“PDP with the leadership of Mufti sahab and all other leaders 

and workers gave a new lease of life to people in Kashmir, 

and gave people relief in governance, political and security situation. 

On what thinking and on which commitments Mufti Sahab 

formed coalition with BJP, though it was boldest decision of 

the century Mufti Sahab after Sheikh Abdullah’s Accord, but the 

decision did not get well with the people as its consequences 

were against the people.” 

“At the same time, I must say Mufti Sahab’s intention was 

not against people. May be he had thought that going with Congress 

must not be favourable for the development of the state 

and he also must have thought about the situation then.” 

He said that the BJP has not respected the “Agenda of Alliance” 

and stoked up controversial issues. 

“Now, we have experience of the last nine months with the 

BJP. BJP did not follow the “Agenda of Alliance”: Be it Article 370, 

Article 35 (A) of the constitution, beef issue, return of power 

projects, AFSPA, or dialogue with Hurriyat for the resolution of 

Kashmir or dialogue with Pakistan.” 

Karra said that he believes the idea of grand alliance floated 

during government formation last year is still relevant to defeat 

communal forces. 

“I believe that secular parties should join together, rising 

above their political lines and interests, to form a secular force 

to defeat communal force and remove it from the political spectrum 

of the whole country. So, in the same way a secular force 

can be formed in Jammu and Kashmir to start a movement 

against communal forces.” 

He said that due to alliance with BJP, the PDP workers are 

being taunted and scolded by people. 

“If we see the ground situation today, our workers are being 

taunted in public because of this alliance. Not only in Kashmir, 

but in Muslim belts in Jammu region, PDP was seen an alternate 

to other political parties. But because of this alliance we have 

had to pay the price,” he said. 

Asked whether he thinks that fresh Assembly election 

should be held because of the present stalemate in the state, 

Karra said: “Our support base has drastically declined by tying 

up with BJP. My personal suggestion is that coalition with Congress 

can help our party to regain its lost ground.” 

Over the option of alliance with National Conference, Karra 

said that he talks of coming together of secular forces to stop 

RSS-BJP combine from spreading its tentacles in Kashmir. 

He said the alliance provided a ground and entry to RSS and 

BJP combine for their activities in Kashmir. “My stand is that has 

this alliance not happened, RSS and BJP’s activities would not 

have started here. Today, people reared by RSS are appointed in 

administration. Could we have though Shiva Sena opening its 

office in Chadoora in Budgam?” 

He said that he will meet the party president after she 

comes out of her shock due to Mufti Sahab’s demise. 

“Mehbooba and whole family of Mufti Sahab are in grief. 

So I don’t think it will be morally meet her and raise these issues 

with her. But I think after some time, I will meet Mehbooba 

Mufti to raise my concerns and my position with her.” (KNS) 

NIA....... 

on Pathankot IAF base on the intervening night of January one 

and two this year. 

In a related development, the NIA has asked mobile telephone 

service providers to submit details about the calls made 

using three particular towers which give coverage to the IAF 

base in Pathankot, after initial probe indicated that the terrorists 

had entered the restricted area in the morning of January 

one, sources said. (AGENCIES) 

US........ 

counterterrorism challenges," Kirby said in response to a question. 

Meanwhile, senior US officials believe that Pakistan is serious 

about the investigation. 

"We do not talk much in detail about the diplomatic conversations. 

He (Kerry) came away believing that the Pakistani 

government is serious about this particular incident, serious 

about investigating it, serious about trying to work with partners 

in the region, Afghanistan specifically," a senior State Department 

official said. 

"I am not going to define it as change in tone. I think, we all 

recognise that more can be done, including by Pakistan. But that 

does not mean that we would not keep working at it," the senior 

administration official said when asked if Secretary Kerry feels 

that there is a change in tone of the Pakistanis. 

No Clarity....... 

action against the terrorists behind the strike and linked it with 

the FS-level talks. The sources said there was a possibility of 

postponing the talks by a few weeks. 

After the attack, India had said it has provided to Pakistan 

actionable intelligence to act upon the perpetrators of the act. 

India has identified Masood Azhar, chief of militant outfit Jaishe-Mohammed, 

as the mastermind of the attack. 

It also blamed his brother Rauf and five others for carrying 

out the attack on January 2 that left all six militants and seven 

Indian security personnel dead. (AGENCIES) 

Rajnath....... 

security personnel dead. All six militants were killed. New Delhi 

says it has provided "actionable intelligence" to Islamabad to act 

against those who plotted the audacious attack. 

Geelani....... 

endless participation of the local people in the funerals of the 

martyred Mujahideens is giving sleepless nights to these agencies 

and the policy makers of India.” 

He said the policy makers of India have formulated a plan 

to punish the people of this district for their pro-freedom sentiments. 

“They want to dent the economy of the people of Pulwama 

which will have direct impact over the freedom sentiments of 

the people,” alleged Geelani.

7 

SRINAGAR, WEDNESDAY 


S 

P 

O 

R 

T 

S 

FIFA Ballon d’Or 

2015: Xavi’s 

open letter to 

Messi will melt 

every football 

fan’s heart 

Barcelona’s erstwhile 

mid-field mainstay, Xavi, 

who called time on his 

24-year old career at the 

Nou Camp to ply his trade 

in the middle east, joined 

the constellation of stars 

in paying tribute to his 

former teammate. 

Lionel Messi’s dominance 

in world football 

was reestablished when 

he dazzled at a glittering 

FIFA Ballon d’Or 2015 

ceremony in Zurich on 

Monday to bring home 

the prestigious accolade 

home for the fifth time. 

For the last two years, 

Cristiano Ronaldo had a 

tight grip on the ‘World 

Player of the Year’ trophy 

and threatened to win 

for the fourth time, but 

a treble for Barcelona 

and a series of improved 

performances at the end 

of 2014-15 season, turned 

the tide in the Argentine’s 

favour.Barcelona’s erstwhile 

mid-field mainstay, 

Xavi, who called time on 

his 24-year old career at 

the Nou Camp to ply his 

trade in the middle east, 

joined the constellation 

of stars in paying tribute 

to his former teammate. 

Writing an editorial for 

Spanish newspaper El 

Pais, Xavi remembered 

being mesmerized by the 

sublime talents of a teenage 

Messi on the training 

field and impressed by his 

humility off it.“You could 

tell he was different,” he 

said. “Leo, above all, had a 

talent that is the hardest 

to achieve: he understood 

the game. He could pass 

well and he could dribble 

around anyone you put in 

front of him: he used to 

leave the best defender we 

had on the ground.“A while 

after he came to the first 

team we shared a trip and 

I discovered an educated 

boy, who was respectful, 

humble and not conceited 

at all. And that makes him 

exemplary, because being 

what he is now, being the 

best, he hasn’t lost those 

values, he hasn’t lost a bit 

of that humility and he 

respects his team-mates. 

I think Leo never wanted 

to be different from the 

others.”Despite these 

initial glowing impressions, 

Xavi did not foresee 

Messi’s development into 

an all-time footballing 

superstar and believes the 

longevity of the 28-yearold’s 

excellence sets him 

apart. “He was different, 

but he was only 16 years 

old, so I thought he’d be 

good, but I knew that 

football is very complicated. 

1st ODI: Bailey, Smith outdo Rohit’s 

Rohit Sharma, in India’s first ODI of 2016, 

batted an entire 50 overs for 171 - both the 

highest score by an Indian and best against 

Australia at the WACA - and ended up on 

the losing side. Set 310, Australia lost their 

openers inside five overs but rolled to victory 

on the back of a superb partnership of 

242 in 37.1 overs between centurions George 

Bailey and Steve Smith, one highlighted by 

a clinical dissection of India’s spinners and 

acute awareness of how to tackle their pace 

quotient on a placid Perth surface. 

Playing their first home ODI since they lifted 

the World Cup last March, Australia were 

made to toil in the field as Rohit and Virat 

Kohli put on 207 for the second wicket, but 

the manner in which Bailey (112) and Smith 

(149) went about their business in pursuit 

of a stiff target dispelled any doubts that a 

depleted, transitional team were going to 

be pushovers in the five-game series. India 

played two spinners but neither was able 

to make an impact, with R Ashwin having a 

poor day - a far cry from his recent success 

on favourable conditions back home. 

This was Australia’s fourth successful chase 

of over 300 at home, and the most comfortable: 

by five wickets with four deliveries 

remaining. The previous three had come by 

three, two and one wicket respectively and 

all with the equal or fewer deliveries left. 

Credit to today’s win owes almost entirely to 

Australia’s fourth-best partnership ever. 

Bailey would have been out on zero, had the 

DRS been available, for replays showed he 

had gloved the debutant pacer Barinder Sran 

down the leg side in the fifth over. Bailey has 

been strong BBL form recently and today produced 

his third ODI century, second against 

India and second in Perth. He led the way in 

hitting young Sran out of the attack after he 

had removed Aaron Finch and David Warner 

in his first three overs and when Rohit came 

on to have a bowl Bailey dashed out and hit 

six. Smith was slower to attack, going 35 

deliveries without a boundary, but hared 

between the wickets and shuffled about to 

ensure runs came quickly. 

Coolly yet ruthlessly, without resorting to 

hitting the ball in the air frequently, Bailey 

and Smith dissected their target and kept the 

required rate well within reach. Critical to 

this was how the pair handled Ashwin, never 

allowing him to settle. Fractional errors in 

length were cut into the gaps, and Bailey 

even produced two reverse-swept boundaries 

to frustrate Ashwin off his line. The 

26th over started and ended with Bailey and 

Smith charging at Ashwin for sixes down the 

ground, and there was one crunched square 

cut for four by Smith too. Ashwin was left to 

nurse figures of 0/48 from five overs. 

The other bowlers did not bowl all that 

badly; it was just that on a track like this, accuracy 

was crucial. Marginal discretions were 

pounced on and both batsmen used their 

creases exceptionally to manufacture shots. 

There were too many deliveries on the pads, 

and that cost India. 

Bailey’s century needed 106 balls, and Smith 

joined him to the milestone in 97 balls and 

rounded off the Umesh Yadav over with two 

PERTH: Indian ODI and T20 skipper MS Dhoni 

grudgingly complained on the eve of the first 

One-day international against Australia that 

the Indian domestic system has stopped producing 

“finished products.” 

The 34-year-old reckons that those making 

it to the Indian team can’t be directly 

tossed into the rough international waters 

and need to be thoroughly groomed. It also 

in a way revealed why, as captain, Dhoni has 

been reluctant to blood youngsters and has, in 

some cases, made them wait endlessly. 

While answering a question on Mohammad 

Shami missing out due to injury, Dhoni 

reeled off, “It’s sad we lost Shami to an injury. 

In this tournament, we will definitely feature 

new players. We want to get ahead of time. 

In Indian cricket, we are used to getting complete 

products,” Dhoni said at the 

WACA on Monday. “Right from the 

late 80s, we got cricketers who were 

ready to play international cricket. 

Once they made their debuts, they 

were there for 10-15 years. 

“That trend is changing slowly. 

We do not have the luxury of just 

picking up complete products who 

can start delivering from the first 

game. It’s important to identify 

talent and give them that exposure 

quickly and see how they handle 

pressure and identify what are the 

areas they need to improve on. As 

far as the newcomers in the side 

are concerned, we will definitely 

feature them,” he added. 

fours. Bailey fell for 112 hitting Ashwin to 

long-off, at which stage the target was 47 

from 49 balls. Glenn Maxwell came and went 

for six, also trying to hit Ashwin over the 

ropes, but Smith’s career-best 149 ensured 

the win was achieved any major hiccups. 

Unfortunately for Rohit, this was the second 

instance in six ODIs that he reached 150 and 

didn’t taste victory. His unbeaten 171 surpassed 

the previous best individual score by 

an Indian at the venue, the 77 scored in 2012 

by Kohli who was his partner in an alliance 

that formed the platform for a total of 309/3 

against a bowling attack that included two 

debutants, an allrounder in his first international 

appearance in ten months and a parttime 

spinner. 

MS Dhoni opted to bat under grey skies but 

as the sun crept out, India’s second-wicket 

pair flourished against a freshly assembled 

bowling unit that erred in searching for 

swing when there was none. A steady supply 

of over-pitched deliveries and full tosses 

from Australia’s seamers helped Rohit tick 

along fluently - he scored 96 runs between 

midwicket and long-on with a flourish of 

the wrists - and with swing not forthcoming, 

the batsmen cashed in on the regular gifts. 

Short-of-a-length deliveries were generally 

defended or left alone, with the odd tip-andrun 

to keep the fielders interested. Five genuinely 

short balls were bowled in the first 21 

overs, one smacked for six, two gloved over 

Matthew Wade for four, one well pulled for 

three and another claiming an out-of-sorts 

Shikhar Dhawan for nine, caught at long leg. 

Anderson puts Tests 

ahead of IPL swansong 

James Anderson has reiterated his 

commitment to England on the eve 

of the third Test in Johannesburg. 

Confirming that he will not be 

entering into the IPL auction, Anderson 

made it clear that, whatever 

overs he has left in his career, they 

will be bowled for his country in 

Test cricket. Other players may be 

lured by domestic T20 leagues, but 

he will not. 

“My heart is with playing Test 

cricket for England,” Anderson, who 

missed the first Test at Durban with 

a calf injury, said. “So that is what 

I’ll concentrate on doing for the 

foreseeable future. 

“At the moment, where I am at 

this stage of my career, I want to 

make sure I’m in good nick to play 

Test match cricket for England. A 

couple of months off won’t be a bad 

171* in facile chase 

Fan pays Shahid Afridi’s bill 

after cricketer forgets to 

change currency at airport 

Pakistan T20 captain Shahid Afridi was 

saved of much embarrassment when 

a fan stepped in to pay for his meal at 

a fast food joint in Auckland after the 

flamboyant cricketer realised that he 

was not carrying local currency. 

The Pakistan team is in New 

Zealand for a limited-overs series 

starting January 15. Afridi and teammate 

Ahmed Shehzad had gone to 

buy meals at a McDonald’s restaurant 

inside the Auckland airport on 

Monday. 

The players, however, were 

carrying US dollars instead of local 

currency with them. And after the 

restaurant did not accept the money 

offered by the them, a fan — Waqas 

Naveed — paid Afridi’s bill. 

Afridi told the Pakistani media 

that he and Shehzad had forgotten 

to change their US dollars into New 

Zealand currency before going to the 

restaurant. 

“There was this young man 

behind us in the line and he offered 

to pay for us insisting it was his way 

of welcoming us to New Zealand,” 

Afridi said. 

But the all-rounder said he was 

thing. I’ll make sure I come back for 

Lancashire at the start of the season 

and get ready for the Test matches 

at the start of the summer. That’s 

where my head is at.” 

disappointed that the entire episode 

was recorded by someone in the 

restaurant and the media had been 

playing it. 

“Had us dollars which they 

wasent taking at nz airport:) but 

glad 1nce again our media entertaining 

all of u,” he tweeted. 

The fan, Waqas, said he paid the 

bill to welcome the players as he 

was a big fan of the Pakistan team 

But for Afridi, the minor incident 

became another gaffe as just before 

leaving for New Zealand, he 

was embroiled in a spat with the 

media during the training camp 

in Lahore. 

Afridi had given a dismissive 

reply to a reporter and this 

snowballed into a controversy with 

the media protesting at the Gaddafi 

stadium and emanding an apology. 

Later Afridi didn’t help matters 

by attending a function in Karachi 

on the eve of his team’s departure 

and saying tongue in cheek that 

the Karachi media loved him. 

At the age of 33, and entering his 

14th year of international cricket, 

Anderson’s importance to England’s 

Test fortunes is arguably higher 

than ever. With the team rebuilding 

both on the field and off it, his 

experience as the attack leader is 

second-to-none. And, when we 

come to reflect on this period for 

England cricket, and Anderson’s 

role therein, it may be that July 

2014 comes to be seen as a turning 

point. 

True, there have been many 

setbacks since then - the World 

Cup springs to mind - and there 

are doubtless more to come. But, 

from that moment, it is possible 

to make out a gradual improvement, 

with a new team taking 

shape and results starting to 

improve. 

July 2014 was the date of the second 

Investec Test at Lord’s. England, 

despite every advantage, were 

well beaten by an Indian side with 

a poor record away from home. 

India are likely to field leftarm 

pacer Barinder Sran and 

Manish Pandey, the talented 

batsman from Karnataka, who 

has at last won the selectors’ 

hearts. Pandey may bat at No. 

5 or 6 depending on the match 

situation.The BCCI, over the 

last few years, has done its bit 

to get the players ready for 

international cricket by organizing 

‘A’ tours both home and 

away. Last year, the ‘A’ teams 

of Australia and South Africa 

played a full series in India. 

Dhoni also hosed down talks of 

‘revenge’ and over-aggression, 

saying that words such as ‘hate’ 

Aware that there was no lateral movement 

or much bounce in the track, Kohli was quick 

to get forward and press through the line, 

his first four boundaries coming off sweetly 

struck shots to half-volleys. He and Rohit 

ran well between the wickets, always 

alert to quick singles nut never attempting 

anything reckless. A brief period of control 

from Australia’s bowlers was snapped 

when Rohit heaved Marsh to cow corner 

for a mistimed six, and within moments 

he charged down to Maxwell to collect six 

more over long-off. Not letting any bowler 

settle was another critical aspect of this 

partnership, and indeed Kohli’s perky innings. 

Rohit spent 15 deliveries in the 90s before 

he tapped Joel Paris for a single to get to 

his hundred off 122 balls, and yet India 

still scored at over six during this period. 

Rohit provided the acceleration with six off 

Paris followed by three nonchalant leg-side 

boundaries off Boland in the 40th over. Kohli 

fell for 91 off 97 balls in pursuit of quick 

runs, which ushered in Dhoni for a cameo of 

18 off 12 balls. Boland continued to serve up 

full tosses to Rohit and was clattered for two 

sixes in the 48th over, and the last over cost 

14 with the opener collecting his seventh six. 

A total of 309 seemed very good at the time, 

but Bailey and Smith made it look rather 

inadequate. 

Brief scores: Australia 310/5 in 49.2 overs 

(George Bailey 112, Steve Smith 149) beat 

India 309/3 in 50 overs (Rohit Sharma 171*, 

Virat Kohli 91) by five wickets 

Platini officially 

appeals eight-year ban 

HIGHLIGHTS 

• Platini had received the reasons behind 

the ban, and they would analyse them and 

launch an appeal. 

• Sepp Blatter, who has headed FIFA since 

1998, confirmed he also intends to appeal. 

• The ban has dealt a devastating blow to 

60-year-old Platini’s hopes of taking over as 

head of FIFA. 

PARIS: UEFA president Michel Platini has 

officially appealed to FIFA’s appeal committee 

against his eight-year ban from football, 

sources close to the former France international 

player confirmed on Tuesday. 

FIFA’s ethics tribunal on Saturday 

provided world football governing body 

president Sepp Blatter and vice-president 

Platini with the reasons for their decision to 

ban them for eight years, clearing the way 

for both to appeal the decision. 

Platini’s lawyer Thibaud d’Ales said the 

UEFA president had received the reasons 

behind the ban, and they would “analyse 

them and launch an appeal on Monday”. 

In December, the ethics tribunal 

banned Blatter and Platini for eight years, 

saying they had abused their positions over 

a $2 million payment made to Platini in 

Selling the kidney 

comment was 

spur of the 

moment: Ravi Dixit 

HIGHLIGHTS 

• Dixit said he was sorry 

about his “selling the 

kidney” comment and 

did not realise that a FB 

post would attract so 

much attention. 

• Dixit, in a hand written 

letter to SRFI president 

said he would continue 

playing the game. 

• India’s top male squash 

player Saurav Ghosal too 

was shocked at Dixit’s 

comments. 

NEW DELHI: Young Indian 

squash player Ravi Dixit 

on Tuesday clarified that 

he doesn’t intend to sell 

2011 for work carried out between 1999 

and 2002. 

Both have said there was an oral contract 

for the payment and insist this is legal 

under Swiss law and FIFA regulations. 

This was rejected by the FIFA ethics 

court in their ruling. It said the payment 

had “no legal basis in the written agreement 

signed between” Blatter and Platini in 

August 1999.Blatter, who has headed FIFA 

since 1998, confirmed on Sunday he also 

intends to appeal.If FIFA’s appeals board 

upholds the decision, both can then appeal 

to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in 

Lausanne, the highest tribunal in sports. 

one of his kidneys to 

pursue his career and 

“his spur of the moment” 

remark was blown out of 

proportion. 

Dixit said he was sorry 

about his “selling the 

kidney” comment and did 

not realise that a post on 

Facebook would attract so 

much attention.“I did not 

realise there is so much 

to be read into this until I 

received a call from a reporter,” 

said the 23-yearold, 

who is a former Asian 

junior champion and is 

part of the Indian team 

for next month’s South 

Asian Games. 

Domestic players not ready-made for top level: Dhoni 

and ‘revenge’ have no place in sport. India and 

Australia have indulged in in-your-face cricket 

in recent times and both sides have some 

loose cannons in the ranks, leading to flare 

ups on the field.Asked if his side was seeking 

revenge for the defeats they suffered last year 

in Tests and the World Cup semifinal, Dhoni, 

like some of his teammates, refused to play to 

the gallery.“When it comes to sport, especially 

cricket, I don’t think words like ‘hate’ 

and ‘revenge’ should be used as you call it the 

gentleman’s game,” Dhoni said. “You want to 

compete and win games because you’re representing 

your country. But at the same time 

you want to follow the guidelines given.“We 

want to get a lot out of this particular series. 

Australians are known to play tough cricket 

irrespective of where they are competing.

13 January 2016

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