26 January 2016

SRINAGAR | 26 January 2016 | 15 Rabi Al Thani 1437 AH Vol: 4 | Issue No: 22 | Pages: 08 | Rs 3/- 

TUESDAY 

4th 

PRECIOUS KASHMIR 

Journalism With A Human Heart 

C 

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Mehbooba likely to 

take tough call 

May nominate one of the senior leaders as next Chief Minister 

Afaq Bhat 

Srinagar, Jan 25: Speculations 

about the PDP President 

Mehbooba Mufti may 

handover the Chief Minister’s 

post to a senior party leader 

have surprised many people, 

including her opponents. 

Sources told Precious 

Kashmir a few close aides 

of the PDP president have 

brushed aside these rumours 

while a few believe that Mehbooba 

is capable of doing 

so. “By handing over Chief 

Minister’s post to one of her 

close lieutenants she can 

control the government as 

well as the party,” sources 

added. 

“When discussions 

about she taking over as the 

Chief Minister of Jammu and 

Kashmir prior to her father’s 

demise were on she had categorically 

stated that she is 

not interested to take over 

the top post as she would like 

to remain associated with 

the party,” said a politician. 

He said she is in no hurry 

to take over as the 13th Chief 

Minister of Jammu and Kashmir 

and she has proved it. 

“Names of three senior PDP 

leaders are making rounds 

whom Mehbooba can ask to 

take oath as the next Chief 

Minister soon after January 

26,” the source claimed. 

He claimed that “It’s just 

one of the proposals and it’s 

not necessary that it would 

be implemented,” he added. 

Sources claimed a few 

people within the party are 

of the opinion that Mehbooba 

should stay away from 

experiments and takeover 

as the Chief Minister after 

reviewing the Agenda of Alliance 

with the Bharatiya 

Janata Party (BJP). 

Insiders claimed that 

Mehbooba wants to groom 

her brother Tasaduq Mufti 

for a bigger role, and till then 

she wants someone from the 

party to head the government. 

BJP has already made it 

clear that nominating a Chief 

Minister is PDP’s discretion 

and it’s PDP which has to 

make the first move. “Mehbooba 

wants assurance on 

the Agenda of Alliance from 

the Prime Minister Narendra 

Modi and wants to hold negotiations 

directly with him,” 

they added. 

Sources said that picture 

about government formation 

in Jammu and Kashmir 

would become clear after 

R-Day celebrations as the 

BJP president Amit Shah and 

Prime Minister Narendra 

Modi are keen to see government 

at place in Jammu and 

Kashmir. 

Insider said, “If BJP addresses 

the concerns of PDP 

See Mehbooba on Pg 6 

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

JK turns garrison ahead of R-Day 

Precious Kashmir News 

Jammu/Srinagar, Jan 25: Security 

has been beefed up across Jammu 

and Kashmir, including a tight vigil on 

Jammu-Pathankot highway, to thwart 

any plans of militants to disrupt the 

Republic Day celebrations. 

Police and paramilitary CRPF men 

have been deployed in the two regions 

of the state to keep an eye on any suspicious 

activity. 

"Security apparatus has been 

tightened in all the places in Jammu 

and round the clock security has been 

provided to all the venues for the R- 

Day celebration," said Deputy Inspector 

General of Police Jammu-Kathua 

Range Ashook Wani. 

Police personnel are maintaining 

a strict vigil on all the main roads especially 

on the highway, Wani said. 

Meanwhile in Kashmir, barricades 

have been set up at many places to 

carry out random searches of vehicles 

entering the city, an official said. 

Police personnel have been carrying 

out area domination exercises 

in the areas around Bakshi Stadium, 

where the Valley's main parade will 

be held on Tuesday, and around the 

venues at district headquarters, he 

said. 

The official said the security agencies 

are on a heightened alert in view 

of the recent attack on an Air base in 

Pathankot in neighbouring Punjab. 

The security forces have adopted 

a proactive approach over the past 

week, arresting seven militants from 

various places in the valley. 

While two Lashkar-e-Toiba militants 

were arrested from south Kashmir's 

Shopian district, five cadres of 

Harkatul Mujahideen were nabbed 

from Baramulla district in north Kashmir. 

In the absence of an elected government, 

Divisional Commissioner 

Kashmir will preside over the Republic 

Day function at Bakshi Stadium for 

second consecutive year. 

While the state was under Governor's 

Rule last year as PDP and BJP 

India has given fresh evidence on Pathankot attack: Sharif 

London, Jan 25: Pakistan's Prime Minister 

Nawaz Sharif has said India has given fresh 

leads relating to the Pathankot attack and Pakistan 

is verifying the facts to bring the perpetrators 

to justice. 

"I have received fresh leads from India 

on the Pathankot attack and we will look and 

examine those evidences given by India. We 

could have hidden it or forgotten it but we asserted 

that we have received the evidences," 

Sharif said. 

"We are probing and verifying that. Once 

we are done with that we would definitely 

bring the facts forward. Along with that, we 

have also formed a special investigating team, 

they would go to India and collect more evidence," 

Sharif said here on his arrival from 

Davos after attending the World Economic 

Forum. 

"I had a word with Prime Minister Narendra 

Modi and he had offered every help possible 

from their side in bringing the perpetrators 

to justice. We are going on the right lines 

and I hope the perpetrators will be brought to 

justice soon," said Sharif who promised further 

Pakistani action to combat militants but conceded 

that progress had often been slow. 

India gave "specific and actionable 

See Sharif on Pg 6 

Pak investigation team to visit India 

Islamabad, Jan 25: Pakistan will send its 

high-powered investigation team to India 

once its initial probe into the Pathankot air 

base assault is completed and it is allowed 

to visit the crime scene, a Pakistan daily reported. 

After the January 2 attack on the Indian 

Air Force base that left seven soldiers dead, 

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had constituted 

a special investigation team to probe the 

case. A senior official, however, said it was 

yet to be decided if the team would travel 

to India. 

“There are so many issues that need to 

be sorted out before a Pakistani team travels 

to India,” explained the official. “We have 

to wait for preliminary investigations to be 

completed, based on the information and 

leads provided by India.” 

Meanwhile, India has yet to complete 

its own investigation. Once the investigation 

is complete, said the official, Islamabad will 

formally request New Delhi to allow its team 

to visit. 

If the visit materialises, Pakistan will not 

only seek access to the Pathankot air base 

but will also need to examine the bodies of 

the six attackers to ascertain their nationalities. 

Indian media claim that the assailants 

had come from Pakistan. 

“There are many unanswered questions 

— the Indian media is claiming the attackers 

had come from Pakistan, but the Indian Border 

Security Force’s statement said no such 

infiltration took place,” said the official. 

On January 16, Indian Defence Minister 

Manohar Parrikar had said his country 

would not allow Pakistani investigators to 

visit the air base, which could potentially 

become a stumbling block in the probe. 

At his weekly briefing last week, Indian 

Foreign Ministry spokesman Vikas Swarup 

said India, in principle, welcomed the decision 

of the Pakistani government to consider 

sending an investigation team. 

“The rest is a matter of detail. Where 

they can visit, what they can see, what will 

be the terms of reference, etc. As I said, those 

will need to be worked out in detail between 

the agencies on both sides, provided the 

Pakistani government firms up its decision 

to send that special investigation team.” 

The issue of Pathankot attack probe is 

being handled at the highest level by the 

two sides through their respective national 

security advisers. 

Both Lt Gen (retd) Nasser Khan Janjua 

and his Indian counterpart Ajit Doval have 

been in regular contact to discuss the concerns 

regarding the investigations. 

Pakistan’s special investigation team 

comprises officials from the Federal Investigation 

Agency and security agencies. 

Several suspects allegedly linked to the 

attack are being questioned while Maulana 

Masood Azhar, the head of the Jaish-e-Muhammad, 

was taken into protective custody 

for his possible involvement. 

The nascent peace process between the 

two countries appears to be hinging upon 

progress into the Pathankot attack investigations. 

The scheduled meeting between the two 

countries’ foreign secretaries that was to take 

place on January 15 was also postponed. 

See Investigation on Pg 6 

Pak refuses joint 

interrogation of 

JeM chief 

Islamabad, Jan 25: Pakistan has turned down 

India`s proposal to jointly interrogate Jaish-e- 

Mohammed chief Masood Azhar and other 

suspects linked with Pathankot airbase attack, 

official sources said. 

Authorities in Pakistan have detained 

Masood Azhar after the January 2 attack at 

Pathankot airbase. Several other suspects 

were arrested and authorities closed down 

a number of JeM-run madarsas (seminaries) 

in different cities, The Nation reported on 

Monday. 

Azhar, who was released from an Indian 

prison in 1999 in exchange for 155 passengers 

of the Indian Airlines plane hijacked to 

Kandahar, Afghanistan, was quizzed by the 

investigators. The JeM chief`s brother Mufti 

Abdul Rehman Rauf was also detained, officials 

said on Saturday. 

On January 2, heavily armed militants, 

suspected to be from Pakistan, attacked the 

Pathankot airbase. A total of six militants and 

seven security personnel were killed in the 

operations. 

Following the attacks, Indian and Pakistani 

governments agreed to postpone scheduled 

diplomatic talks till the end of January. 

India wanted to send investigators to 

interrogate Masood Azhar and his brother but 

Pakistan "politely refused" it, a senior official 

said. 

Pakistan assured India that Islamabad was 

seriously investigating the case and will not 

See Pak on Pg 6 

were thrashing out the Agenda of Alliance, 

the state is again under the Governor's 

rule as PDP did not stake claim 

to form government after Chief Minister 

Mufti Mohammad Sayeed passed 

away on January 7. 

"All the vehicles entering or leaving 

the city are being frisked, suspicious 

activities are being monitored 

and additional QRTs (Quick Reaction 

Teams) have been deployed on all the 

vulnerable routes," DIG Wani said. 

In the wake of this month's terrorist 

attack on an Air Force base in 

Pathankot, the Border Security Force 


Jammu, Jan 25: Governor N. 

N. Vohra, today observed that 

it is the duty of all citizens to 

protect and preserve the unity 

and integrity of the nation, 

adding that towards the attainment 

of such an objective 

all of us must join hands to 

negate all divisive and communal 

forces and promote 

societal harmony and brotherhood. 

Greeting the people on 

the 67th Republic Day, in a 

message, the Governor said 

that it is equally important 

that we learn to settle all our 

disputes and disagreements, 

such as they may be, through 

dialogue and discussion. He 

said that it is necessary to 

remember that we shall be 

able to achieve growth and 

development and eradicate 

poverty and illiteracy only if 

peace and normalcy prevails 

in the land. 

Referring to the development 

scenario in the State, 

the Governor observed that 

for the past over two and a 

half decades, the growth and 

development of Jammu and 

Kashmir has been adversely 

affected by the continuing 

(BSF) has beefed up its security apparatus 

along the International Border 

(IB) in Jammu region. "Nothing has 

been left on chance, full arrangements 

have been kept all along the 

border to foil any designs. Though 

we never let our vigil along the IB 

down, but special arrangements are 

always kept in place whenever some 

important event takes place," a BSF official 

said. 

The Jammu and Kashmir police 

has also sought the cooperation of the 

people attending the Republic Day 

function in Jammu to avoid any inconvenience. 

In a statement issued here today, 

Senior Superintendent of Police, Security 

Jammu, has urged the people 

not to carry items including cameras, 

arms, ammunitions, sharp-edged 

weapons, hand and polythene bags, 

ladies purse, lunch boxes, stop 

watches, pens, any inflammable material, 

cigarettes, match boxes, and 

other such objectionable items to the 

venue. 

The people have been asked to 

immediately inform the police on 

duty in case any suspicious item is noticed 

lying unattended. 

The statement has urged people 

to extend full cooperation to the frisking 

and checking teams deployed at 

different gates of MA Stadium and ensure 

their presence at the venue well 

in time so that they are seated comfortably 

and don't cause any inconvenience 

to others. 

Peace, normalcy 

imperative for 

development: Guv 

proxy war launched by our 

western neighbour. He said 

that in the past year, besides 

the repeated incidents of 

cross border firing and attempts 

at infiltration, there 

were five terror attacks: two 

across the LoC in the Tangdhar 

sector, two across the IB 

in Samba and Kathua, and one 

at Udhampur. 

The Governor said that 

India remains committed to 

maintaining friendly relations 

with all its neighbours 

and our Prime Minister has 

launched fresh initiatives for 

securing peaceful relations 

with Pakistan. It is hoped that 

his endeavours will bear fruit 

and people of Jammu and 

Kashmir would be able to live 

and work in a peaceful environment 

in the coming time. 

For accelerating the restoration 

and reconstruction 

programmes, the Prime 

See Peace on Pg 6 

Special prayers 

offered for late Mufti 

in Saudi Arabia 

Srinagar, Jan 25: Separate 

prayer meetings were held in 

the holy city of Makkah and 

Madina Munawara today for 

the Esaal-e-Sawab: to former 

J&K Chief Minister Mufti Muhammad 

Syeed. 

These prayer meetings 

were organised by Dr. Ayub 

Matoo , a Kashmiri doctor , 

living in Saudi Arabia. 

Talking to Makbool Veeray 

on phone from Saudi 

See Prayers on Pg 6 

Cold breaks 71-year 

record in Jammu 

Jammu, Jan 25: With the 

minimum temperature settling 

at barely half a degree 

Celsius above the freezing 

point, Jammu city on Sunday 

recorded its coldest day since 

1945, the weatherman said 

on Monday. 

People in Jammu continued 

to shiver as throughout 

the past week, with dense fog 

and chilly wave affecting their 

lives on Monday. 

The weather office has 

forecast chilly days in Jammu 

till January 27. "Foggy weather 

accompanied by chilly 

wind will continue in Jammu 

city till 27th of this month," 

See Cold on Pg 6 

C 

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News 

Tuesday 

2 

26.01.2016 

www.preciouskashmir.com 

6 th National Voters day held across Valley 


Srinagar, Jan 25: In connection with 

6TH National Voters day various functions 

were held in all districts of Kashmir 

valley Monday to educate voters 

regarding the importance of exercising 

their franchise. 

In summer capital Srinagar, a function 

was held at Government College 

of Education Srinagar where Deputy 

Commissioner, Dr. Farooq Ahmad Lone 

addressed the function and impressed 

upon the voters to ensure greater participation 

in the election process for a 

stronger democracy. 

He said right to vote empowers 

people to exercise their franchise and 

elect representative of their choice. 

At Budgam, the main function was 

chaired by District Development Commissioner, 

Mir Altaf Ahmad at Shiekhul-Alam 

Hall, Budgam. Speaking at the 

occasion, he said the occasion provides 

an opportunity to reach out to the new 

young voters for enrolment in electoral 

rolls so that they are able to take part 

in the democratic process by exercising 

their franchise. 

During the function, It was informed 

that 3568 new eligible voter 

have been registered in five constituencies 

of Chadoora, Budgam, Beerwah, 

Khan Sahib and Charar-i-sharief of the 

district increasing the total number of 

electorate from 446551 to 450129 as 

per final roll on January 1, 2016. 

Sher-i-Kashmir Police 

Medals announced 

IGP Sunil Kumar, AIG Tahir Sajad 

among awardees, DGP Congratulates 


Jammu, Jan 25: State Government 

today honoured 

30 personnel of Jammu 

and Kashmir Police with 


Medal for Meritorious 

and Gallantry Service 

during the year 2015. 

The medals are awarded 

on the eve of Republic 

Day every year. 

Officers awarded 


Medal for Meritorious 

Service include IGP, IRP 

Kashmir, Sunil Kumar, 

AIG (Personnel) PHQ, Tahir 

Sajad Bhat, Inspector 

CID, Jagdeep Singh and 

Head Constable, Mohammad 

Rafiq of Armed 

Police. 

Similarly, awardees 

of Sher-i-Kashmir Police 

Medal for Gallantry are 

ASP, Javaid Iqbal, Dy.SsP, 

Zaheer Abas, Mohammad 

Nawaz Khandey, Sandeep 

Bhat, Sajad Sarvar, 

Tanweer Ahmed Jeelani, 

DC Udhampur 

gets State Award 

Udhampur, Jan 25: District 

Development Commissioner 

(District Election Officer), 

Udhampur, Dr Shahid Iqbal 

Choudhary has been conferred 

with the State Award 

for outstanding contribution 

in the field of electoral 

participation and showcasing 

electoral best practices in 

the Global Electoral Exhibition 

and Matdata Mahotsav 

in New Delhi organised by 

Election Commission of India. 

Dr Shahid received the 

award as best District Election 

Officer for his contribution 

in various fields of 

electoral enrollment, participation 

and awareness. 

He was DEO Kathua during 

conduct of Assembly Elections 

and DEO Reasi during 

Lok Sabha elections which 

registered record enrollment 

and participation. 

Mumtaz Ali, Qazi Shamas-ul-Muzaffar 

Amin, 

Sheikh Ishfaq Alam and 

Furkan Qadir, Inspectors, 

Tasleem Ahmed Khan, 

Firdous Ahmed Gabroo, 

Mohammad Ayob Wagay, 

Ghulam Jeelani Masoodi 

and Masrat Ahmed Mir. 

Sub-Inspectors, Nazir 

Ahmed Kuchey and Mudasir 

Hussain Zaroo. Head 

Constables, Mohammad 

latif and Nasar Ahmed, 

Constables, Liakat Ali, 

Javaid Ahmed, Firdous 

Ahmed, Lokaish Padam, 

Mohammad Iqbal, 

Mushtaq Ahmed Bhat and 

Follower Shabir Ahmed 

Sohil. 

Director General 

of Police, K. Rajendra 

Kumar has congratulated 

the awardees, expecting 

that they would continue 

their efforts with more 

spirit of public service 

and high standards of discipline 

to ensure safety 

of the people and their 

properties. 

Rajinikanth, Ambani, Jagmohan 

honoured with Padma Vibhushan 

New Delhi, Jan 25: Superstar 

Rajinikanth, founder of the 

Reliance empire late Dhirubhai 

Ambani, Art of Living 

founder Sri Sri Ravi Shankar 

and media baron Ramoji Rao 

have been chosen for Padma 

Vibhushan, country’s second 

highest civilian award, this year. 

Former Jammu and 

Kashmir governor Jagmohan, 

former DRDO chief V K 

Aatre, cancer specialist and 

chairperson of Adyar Cancer 

Institute Dr V Shanta and 

eminent Bharatnatyam and 

Kuchipudi dancer Yamini 

Krishnamurthi and classical 

vocalist Girija Devi and 

Indian-American economist 

Avinash Dixit have also been 

named for Padma Vibhushan 

on the occasion of this year’s 

Republic Day celebrations. 

Noted actor Anupam 

New Delhi, Jan 25: French 

President Francois Hollande 

vowed Monday not to 

weaken his resolve against 

terrorism as he held talks 

with India’s leader on security 

cooperation and a longdelayed 

defence deal. 

Hollande said he and Indian 

Prime Minister Narendra 

Modi had agreed to step 

up cooperation on counterterrorism 

after deadly attacks 

on Paris in November 

that recalled the 2008 assault 

on Mumbai. 

But they failed to reach 

a final agreement on India’s 

long-delayed purchase of 

36 Rafale fighter jets from 

the French company Dassault. 

The French president 

said a new video which 

threatens countries of the 

US-led coalition fighting the 

Islamic State group would 

only strengthen France`s resolve, 

which was tested by 

November`s deadly attacks 

in Paris. 

“These odious provocations 

only serve to further 

increase the resolve that we 

have, that I have, to protect 

French people through the 

decisions that I have taken... 

but also to hit, and hit again, 

Kher, singer Udit Narayan, 

former CAG Vinod Rai, chairperson 

of media group Bennett, 

Coleman & Co Indu 

Jain, sports star Sania Mirza 

and Saina Nehwal, spiritual 

leaders late Swami Dayanand 

Saraswati, Swami Tejomayananda 

and former US 

ambassador to India Robert 

Blackwill are among the 19 

eminent people chosen for 

Padma Bhushan. 

Industrialist Pallonji 

Shapoorji Mistry, Maruti Suzuki 

chairman R C Bhargava 

and eminent architect Hafeez 

Contractor also figure in the list 

of Padma Bhushan awardees. 

Senior lawyer Ujjwal Nikam, 

who was the prosecution 

counsel in the Mumbai 

terror attack case, actors Ajay 

Devgn and Priyanka Chopra 

get Padma Shri. 

Govt forms panel to oversee timely 

completion of girls’ hostels under RMSA 

Srinagar, Jan 25: The government 

has constituted a 

10-member committee for 

ensuring timely construction 

of the girls’ hostels under 

the Rashtriya Madhymik 

Shikhsha Abiyan (RMSA), a 

government of India sponsored 

scheme, in Jammu and 

Kashmir. 

Headed by administrative 

secretary, school education 

department, the panel comprsises 

of divisional commissioner 

Jammu and Kashmir, 

administrative secretaries of 

public works (R&B) department, 

rual development department, 

directors of school 

education Kashmir and Jammu, 

chief engineers of R&B 

(Jammu and Kashmir) and 

state project director RMSA 

(J&K). “The committee shall 

be serviced by the Directorate 

of Rashtriya Madhymik 

Shikhsha Abiyan (RMSA), J&K 

and shall meet at least once 

every quarter,” a government order 

said here, according to GNS. 

RMSA, launched in March, 

2009 by the Government of 

India through the Ministry 

of Human Resource Development 

(MHRD), provides for 

enhance access to secondary 

At South Kashmir’s Pulwama District, 

a function was held at town hall 

Pulwama today in which District Development 

Commissioner Niraj Kumar 

was the chief guest. He said that aim of 

the National Voters’ day is to empower 

the youth for greater democracy. He 

said 7000 youth who have attained the 

age of 18 years as on January 2016 will 

be enlisted in voter list. 

At Shopian, function was held with 

the theme of inclusive and qualitative 

electoral participation. District Development 

Commissioner Shopian, G M 

Dar distributed Election Photo Identity 

Cards (EPIC) among the young electorates 

who have attained 18 years of age. 

At Bandipora, a function was held 

with DDC Sajad Hussain Ganai highlighting 

the importance of celebrating 

the voter’s day and said the main objective 

of the function is to empower 

every voter and enable them to make 

better use of their right. 

At Kupwara, the function was held 

at Town Hall wherein Deputy Commissioner, 

was the chief guest. On the occasion 

EPICs were distributed among 

the newly registered voters. 

The DDC Kumar Rajeev Ranjan said 

as many as 401123 voters have been 

registered in the district upto January 

11, 2016. 

Meanwhile, at Baramulla a function 

in connection with the National 

Voters day was held at Dak Bungalow 

Baramulla, where District Development 

Commissioner Yasha Mudgal 

was the Chief Guest. 

While calling for ensuring 100% 

EPIC coverage in the district, DDC 

stressed that celebration of National 

Voters day aims at spreading necessary 

information regarding the right 

to vote and its importance. She called 

for transparent electoral registration in 

the district. She also said that greater 

participation is necessary for a stronger 

democracy. 

During the function, Voter identity 

cards were distributed among the newly 

registered Voters. Moreover, various 

Speakers highlighted the main theme 

of celebrating National Voters Day. It 

Renowned sculptor Ram 

V Sutar, Manipuri theatre 

personality Heisnam Kanhailal, 

Hindi and Telugu 

writer Yarlagadda Lakshmi 

Prasad, Sanskrit scholar N 

S Ramanuja Tatacharya, 

Punjabi journalist Barjinder 

Singh Hamdard, gastroenterologist 

D Nageshwar Reddy 

and scientist A V Rama Rao 

have been chosen for Padma 

Bhushan. 

Actor the late Saeed Jaffrey, 

CEO of MasterCard 

Ajaypal Singh Banga, archer 

Deepika Kumari, Bharatanatyam 

dancer Prathibha 

Prahlad, Gujarati folk musician 

Bhikhudan Gadhvi, 

Goa’s musician Tulsidas 

Borkar and scientist Onkar 

Nath Srivastava were among 

those who were named for 

Padma Shri awards. 

this organisation that threatens 

us and kills our children,” 

he said. 

Hollande made the comments 

after talks with Modi 

that focused on security cooperation 

following the Paris 

attacks. 

Modi also spoke of the 

two leaders` joint resolve to 

increase security cooperation, 

recalling a deadly raid 

earlier this month on an Indian 

military base near the 

Pakistan border. 

“President Hollande and 

I have agreed to scale up the 

range of our counter-terrorism 

cooperation in a manner 

that helps us to tangibly mitigate 

and reduce the threat 

of extremism and terrorism 

to our societies,” he said. 

Modi was speaking 

alongside the French president, 

whose visit had raised 

fresh expectations that the 

Rafale deal would be finalised 

after years of tortuous 

negotiations. 

A joint statement said 

the leaders welcomed the 

conclusion of an intergovernmental 

agreement on 

the purchase, but that “some 

financial issues” remained 

Cong moves SC against 

President’s rule in Arunachal 

New Delhi, Jan 25: The 

Congress party on Monday 

moved the Supreme Court 

challenging Union Cabinet’s 

recommendation for imposition 

of President’s rule in 

Arunachal Pradesh. 

“We have filed the petition 

before the apex court 

registry,” Congress leader and 

senior advocate Vivek Tankha 

said. 

He said the petition has 

been filed by the state Congress 

chief whip Bamang Felix 

and an urgent hearing has 

been sought. 

“We are waiting to hear 

from the deputy registrar 

who will place the petition 

before the Chief Justice of India,” 

another lawyer said. 

The petition challenges 

the report and the recommendation 

of the Union 

was informed that the total number of 

Voters in district Baramulla is 598193. 

Moreover, the additions during 2016 

have been 12236, while the deletions 

have been 9074. 

At Anantnag, the 6th National Voters 

Day was celebrated at Anantnag 

with enthusiasm to strengthen the 

democratic process by maximizing 

participation of electorate. 

The main function, organised by 

District Election Office was held at Auditorium 

Hall Government Degree College 

Boys Anantnag. 

District Election Officer, Anantnag 

(Deputy Commissioner) Muneer ul Islam 

was the Chief Guest on the occasion. 

It was informed that out of the 

total population of 11.87 lakhs in the 

district, 566359 voters have been registered 

which include 271872 females. 

At Ganderbal National Voters 

Day was celebrated at Mini Secretaries 

Ganderbal. Deputy Commissioner 

Ganderbal Showkat Aijaz Bhat, distributed 

new Electoral Photo Identity 

Cards (EPICS) among the new voters. 

On the occasion, the Deputy Commissioner 

read the message of the 

Election Commission of India and the 

voters took a pledge to use their right 

to vote and uphold the democratic traditions 

and dignity of free and peaceful 

France, India to strengthen counter-terror cooperation 

education and to improve its 

quality. The scheme envisages 

achieving an enrolment rate 

of 75 percent from 52.26 percent 

in 2005-06 at secondary 

stage within five years of 

implementation by providing 

a secondary school within a 

reasonable distance of 5 kms 

of any habitation. Its other 

objectives include improving 

quality of education removing 

socio-economic, disability 

and gender barriers and 

providing universal access to 

secondary level education by 

2017, marking the end of 12th 

Five Year Plan. 

Jammu, Jan 25: Expressing solidarity 

with protesting workers engaged 

by the CAPD department for loading 

and un-loading of food-grains, 

CPI (M) leader and MLA Kulgam 

Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami has 

demanded fixation of price index 

after regular intervals and release of 

pending wages in favor of laborers 

working in Muffasil depots. 

In a statement to KNS, Tarigami 

appealed and sought personal intervention 

of Hon’ble Governor N. 

N Vohra to mitigate the sufferings 

of these workers who are carving 

for fixation of price index after every 

6 months which has not been fixed 

after 2012. 

Tarigami said that workers engaged 

for loading /un-loading of 

food grains constitute the backbone 

of the CAPD department and their 

welfare must be a top priority of the 

outstanding. 

A senior French official 

told reporters on Sunday the 

two sides were still haggling 

over the price, which experts 

say could reach around five 

billion euros ($5.6 billion). 

One sticking point is 

Delhi`s insistence that arms 

makers invest a percentage 

of the value of any major 

deal in India. 

Manufacturer Dassault 

Aviation hailed the accord 

Monday, saying in a statement 

it “actively supports 

the French authorities in finalising 

a full accord within 

four weeks”.Hollande will 

be chief guest at Tuesday`s 

Republic Day parade in New 

Delhi, an invitation Modi 

extended to show solidarity 

after the assault on the 

French capital which killed 

130 people. 

Earlier, he said the extremist 

threat weighed as 

heavily on France as on India, 

recently hit by the deadly attack 

on a military base near 

the border with Pakistan. 

The 17-minute video put 

out by the IS group describes 

the Paris attackers as “lions” 

who “brought France to its 

knees” and urges Muslims in 

France to rise up against the 

country`s leaders. 

It features the heads 

of Hollande, French Prime 

Minister Manuel Valls and 

British Prime Minister David 

Cameron with targets 

superimposed on them, and 

purports to show nine jihadists 

involved in November`s 

slaughter. 

“Nothing will deter us, 

no threat will make France 

waver in the fight against 

terrorism,” Hollande told reporters. 

“These images only serve 

to discredit the perpetrators 

of this crime.” 

Hollande and Modi will 

sit together at the annual parade, 

a pomp-filled spectacle 

of military might which includes 

columns of Soviet-era 

tanks. 

On Monday the atmosphere 

was distinctly more 

down-to-earth as the two 

leaders took the metro for 

their journey to the satellite 

city of Gurgaon. 

There, they were set to 

lay the foundation stone at 

the new headquarters of the 

International Solar Alliance, 

a 121-nation group launched 

by Modi at the recent Paris 

climate conference to expand 

affordable solar power. 

Cabinet for promulgation of 

President’s rule. 

The Union Cabinet had 

on Sunday recommended 

imposition of President’s rule 

in the state. 

Earlier in the day, the 

Congress party decided 

to urge President Pranab 

Mukherjee to thwart any attempt 

to impose central rule 

in the state. The filing of the 

fresh plea assumes significance 

as a five-judge bench 

is examining constitutional 

provisions on the scope of 

discretionary powers of the 

governor. An earlier plea 

filed by Nabam Rebia, who 

was allegedly removed from 

the post of speaker by rebel 

Congress and BJP MLAs in an 

assembly session held at a 

community hall in Itanagar 

on December 16, has listed out 

legal questions, including the 

governor’s power to convene 

the assembly session without 

the aid and advice of the government 

for adjudication by 

the apex court. 

It has also been alleged 

that the governor advanced 

the assembly sitting from 

January 14 to December 16 

without the aid and advice 

of the chief minister and his 

council of ministers. 

election and to vote in every election 

fearlessly without being influenced by 

considerations of religion, race, caste, 

community, language or any inducement. 

At Kulgam, The 6th National Voters 

Day function was held at Kulgam 

aimed to strengthen the democratic 

setup to pave way for maximum participation 

of youth electorate. 

The main district Level function, organised 

by District Election Office was 

held at Kulgam. Deputy Commissioner 

Kulgam, Syed Abid Rasheed Shah, was 

the Chief Guest on the occasion. 

On this occasion, the DC said the 

National Voters Day is being celebrated 

to sensitize all the eligible voters and to 

register them so that they can exercise 

their fundamental right to vote. At the 

function about 4350 new Election Photo 

Identity Cards (EPICs) were distributed 

among newly registered voters.. 

At Kargil, a function was held at 

Indoor stadium in which Additional 

Deputy Commissioner was the chief 

guest. Speaking on the occasion, the 

ADC stressed for spreading awareness 

about the importance of the day. 

AT Leh the main function was presided 

over by CEC, Ladakh Autonomous 

Hill Development Council,Leh. He also 

highlighted various aspects of National 

Voter Day in democracy. 

The theme of this year’s National 

Voters’ Day was set as ‘Inclusive and 

Qualitative Participation’. 

Army man killed 

in Kashmir 

conferred Ashok 

Chakra 

Srinagar, Jan 25: An Army 

soldier who lost his life during 

an encounter with militants 

in Haphrada forests in frontier 

district of Kupwara district in 

Kashmir Valley in September 

last year was conferred 

Ashok Chakra posthumously 

on Monday. The slain soldier 

Lance Naik Mohan Nath 

Goswami who was conferred 

India’s highest peacetime gallantry 

award belonged to elite 

Special Forces. 

A Defence official said 

that Goswami lost his life 

after he tried to rescue his 

two wounded associates 

during the gunfight with the 

militants. “Goswami not only 

rescued his two colleagues 

but also killed two militants 

before falling to their bullets.” 

The Congress, which has 

47 MLAs in the 60-member 

assembly, suffered a jolt 

when 21 of them rebelled. 

Eleven BJP MLAs backed 

the rebels in the bid to upstage 

the Nabam Tuki government. 

Later, 14 rebel Congress 

MLAs were disqualified. 

The governor then called 

assembly session on December 

16 in which deputy 

speaker revoked disqualification 

of 14 rebel Congress 

MLAs and removed Rebia 

from the post of Speaker. This 

sitting was held in a community 

hall in Itanagar. 

Various decisions of the 

governor and the deputy 

speaker were challenged by 

Rebia in Gauhati high court 

which passed an interim order 

keeping in abeyance these decisions 

till February 1. 

Tarigami for immediate review of price index in CAPD 

government. 

“The CAPD should revise the bag 

rates as per price index with retrospective 

effect and should go for 

this process after every six months 

along with the revision of stitching, 

weightment and height charges and 

release of arrears after these revisions,” 

Tarigami demanded, adding 

that the government should grant 

Lead Charges of City supply. 

“The CAPD should take action 

on the list of lead which has already 

been provided to it by food and allied 

workers. Besides the department 

should pay monthly wages 

to all the workers by 10th of each 

month as is demanded by the workers 

union,” he urged the Governor. 

The CPI (M) leader took exception 

to cold shoulder approach 

adopted by the CAPD towards these 

workers and sought release of their 

pending payments without any further 

delay. 

“The CAPD should also implement 

pension scheme to the workers 

after retirement as is prevalent 

in FCI for its workers. The CAPD 

should also go for replacement of 

workers who have quit since long 

for the smooth functioning of the 

stores,” Tarigami demanded. 

The CPI (M) leader urged the 

Governor to direct the CAPD authorities 

for redressal of the genuine 

grievances of the protesting workers 

or otherwise any delay can create 

unnecessary inconvenience to 

the general public. (KNS)

Precious Kashmir 

NEWS 

Srinagar,Tuesday 


3 

Son determined to 

fulfill mother’s wish 


Srinagar, Jan 25: Far from the brouhaha 

created by coaching centers and private 

schools in the Valley for ‘achieving feat’ 

after declaration of Board of School Education 

results, an orphan boy raised by 

her mother, and studying in a government 

school achieved 12th position in 

the recently declared Class 10 results. 

Kamran Imtiyaz Ganaie, 15-year-old 

Widow sells her ear-rings to buy books for topper son 

boy from Chersoo in Awantipora in Pulwama 

district, studied in Government 

High School in the village, said that he 

achieved the position because of his 

mother’s sacrifice and support. 

“My mother is bearing all the hardships 

of life to bring me up and see me 

succeeding in life,” Kamran told KNS. 

“She spends every penny she has for 

my education,” says the elated boy, who 

scored 481 marks out of 500. 

Karman became an orphan when 

his father, Imtiyaz Ahmad Ganaie died 

on 11 April 2004 in a road accident on 

Srinagar-Jammu Highway near Chersoo, 

when this brilliant boy was a 3-year-old. 

Qualitative EDUCATION 

• Swachh Vidyalaya - 4.2 lakh toilets 

• National Scholarship Portal - 95 lakh 

applications received 

• SWAYAM - national platform for free 

online courses developed by IITs, IIMs 

Effective SKILLING 

• Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana - 

• Deen Dayal Upadhyay Gramin 

Kaushalya Yojana - 1.75 lakh rural poor 

trained at zero cost 

• Academic equivalence to skills 

Holistic HEALTHCARE 

• Jan Aushadi Scheme - 3,000 shops in 

1 year for affordable, quality, generic 

medicines 

• Mission Indradhanush - 34 lakh 

children fully vaccinated against 

7 diseases 

• Kayakalp (cleanliness in government 

hospitals) and Swachh Bharat 

Vibrant ECONOMY: 

From that day, his mother, Farooqa 

Rasheed’s arduous journey of life began. 

The widow was “thrown out” by her 

in-laws in Kaigam village along with the 

toddler. Faced with a challenging life, 

she went back to her parent’s home in 

Chersoo. 

“I endured all the hardships of life to 

see my son grow up and become a doctor 

that his late father wished when my 

lovely Kamran was born,” Farooqa told 

KNS. 

Her hardships are overcome by the 

hope and the excitement of her son’s 

success and playing the role of a mother 

in raising the boy. 

Can't talk peace under 

shower of bullets: Pranab 

New Delhi, Jan 25: President 

Pranab Mukherjee on Monday 

said that ideally dialogue 

should be a continual engagement 

for resolving disputes 

among nations but peace 

cannot be discussed under a 

"shower of bullets". 

be committed to a rising prosperity 

that would eliminate 

the curse of extreme poverty 

has faded in first 15 years. 

"There is unprecedented 

turbulence across vast regions, 

with alarming increase 

in regional instabilities. The 

In significant remarks 

scourge of terrorism has reshaped 

that come against the backdrop 

of the Pathankot attack, 

he also said terrorism is a war 

beyond any doctrine and is a 

"cancer which must be operated 

out with a firm scalpel". 

"There is no good or bad 

chaos. There will be disputes 

among nations; and, as is well 

"We must attempt to resolve 

the complex edges of 

war into its most bar- 

baric manifestation. No corner 

can now consider itself 

safe from this savage monster," 

Mukherjee said. 

He said terrorism is inspired 

by insane objectives, 

terrorism; it is pure evil," the known, the closer we are to the emotional and geo-political 

motivated by bottomless 

President said in his address 

to the nation on the eve of 

67th Republic Day. 

a neighbour, the higher the 

propensity for disputes. 

"There is a civilised way 

inheritance with neigh- 

bours through a peaceful dialogue, 

and invest in mutual 

depths of hatred, instigated 

by puppeteers who have 

invested heavily in havoc 

Mukherjee said nations to bridge disagreements; dialogue, 

prosperity by recognising through the mass murder of 

will not agree on everything 

but the challenge today is 

existential because terrorists 

seek to undermine order by 

rejecting the very basis of 

strategic stability which are 

recognised borders. 

"If outlaws are able to 

unravel borders, then we are 

heading towards an age of 

ideally, should be a 

continual engagement. But 

we cannot discuss peace under 

a shower of bullets," he 

said. 

Mukherjee said that the 

sub-continent has a historic 

opportunity to become a beacon 

to the world at a time of 

great danger. 

that human beings are best 

defined by a humane spirit, 

and not their worst instincts. 

Our example can be its own 

message to a world in anxious 

need of amity," he said. 

The President asserted 

that the optimism at the beginning 

of the 21st century 

that energies of people would 

innocents. 

Tracing the birth of Indian 

Republic in 1950, the President 

said India today is a rising 

power fast emerging as 

a global leader in science, 

technology, innovation and 

start ups and whose economic 

success is the envy 

of the world. 

Political stalemate 

detrimental to 

interests of JK, 

says Farooq 

Jammu, Jan 25: Reiterating 

that PDP-BJP should either 

form the government to end 

political uncertainty or pave 

way for dissolution of Legislative 

Assembly, Jammu and 

Kashmir National Conference 

President and former Union 

Minister Dr Farooq Abdullah 

on Monday said that indecision 

is against the larger interest 

of the people and the 

state. 

“The people have mandated 

the two parties to govern 

the state and they cannot 

shirk their responsibilities”, 

Dr Abdullah said while addressing 

the party workers at 

Sher-e-Kashmir Bhavan here 

this morning. 

He said the sensitive 

state cannot afford political 

stalemate for a long and 

in case the PDP and BJP are 

unable to perform their assigned 

roles, there is no option 

but to go to the people. 

He said decision-deficit in 

the coalition has unfolded 

many challenges on all fronts. 

He asked the cadre to step up 

mass contact and gear up for 

meeting these challenges. He 

exhorted the functionaries at 

the grass roots level to identify 

problems and seek their 

urgent redressal. 

Lauding the resilience 

and sense of commitment of 

the party workers in meeting 

variant situations, the National 

Conference President 

said time has come when 

the basic district and block 

level units have to become 

more vibrant and pro-active 

in carrying forward the 

policies and programmes to 

the people. He said National 

Conference is the only visible 

face in all the three regions of 

Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh 

and it alone can steer out the 

state from the present morass. 

He, however, cautioned 

them against the machinations 

of divisive forces and 

hoped that unity shall be 

maintained at all costs. 

“National Conference 

represents glorious ethos of 

Jammu and Kashmir, as it 

does not discriminate among 

the people on the basis of 

region, religion or caste”, 

he observed while emphasizing 

that this spirit has to 

be maintained at all costs. 

He made a mention of the 

ongoing membership drive 

and expressed satisfaction 

over enthusiasm among the 

people in joining the party. 

He described the response as 

encouraging as also challenging 

and exuded confidence 

that given the leadership at 

various levels, the party will 

meet the expectations and 

aspirations of the people 

with fortitude. 

Dr Farooq Abdullah 

also referred to the inter-party 

elections and 

said the process will be 

completed early. “The 

grass roots level workers 

have a pivotal role in shaping 

up the party and making 

it vibrant as envisioned 

by Sher-e-Kashmir Sheikh 

Mohammad Abdullah”, he 

said, adding that National 

Conference is a symbol of 

political stability. 

Speaking on the occasion, 

the Provincial President 

Devender Singh Rana dwelt 

on the current political uncertainty 

and said despite 

having been voted out of 

power in the last elections, 

National Conference continues 

to remain in the hearts of 

the people. 

IGP Lohia, DIG 

Bhat among 54 

JKP awardees 


Jammu, Jan 25: On the eve of 

67th Republic Day, Government 

of India has announced President’s 

Police Medal for Gallantry, 

Distinguished and Meritorious 

Service. The awardees include 54 

personnel from Jammu and Kashmir 

Police. 

• Fastest-growing large economy in the 

World, enjoying global attention 

• Moving towards Job for All through 

Make in India, Ease of Doing Business, 

Atal Innovation Mission etc 

• Enabling environment for Start Ups 

through hassle free regulation, self 

certification, easy exit, exemption 

from Income Tax & Capital Gains Tax, 

credit guarantee fund - Start Up India 

Officers honoured with President’s 

Police Medal for Distinguished 

Service are IGP Police 

Technical Services, Hemant Kumar 

Lohia and DIG Central Kashmir 

Range, Ghulam Hassan Bhat. 

President’s Police Medal for 

Gallantry awarded to the personnel 

include SsP, Sheikh Zulfikar 

Azad, Mohammad Aslam, Imtiyaz 

Hussain Mir, Abdul Waheed Shah, 

Abdul Qayoom, Shoket Hussain, 

Imtiyaz Ismail Parray, Maqsoodul-Zaman 

Baba, Abdul Jabar and 

Fayaz Hussain. Dy.SsP, Ashiq Hussain 

Tak, Irshad Hussain Rather, 

Her parents helped their widowed 

daughter to raise a one-storey house in 

the village where the mother and son are 

struggling with life. 

Being 32-years-old when the tragedy 

struck her in 2004, Farooqa says that 

despite insistence to remarry by her relatives 

she refused. “I wanted to bring up 

my son and see him achieve excellence 

in life,” she says. 

Kamran says that he will fulfill her 

mother’s wish. “My mother wants me a 

doctor in AIIMS. I am hopeful that I will 

fulfill her wish. My mother tells me that 

my late father also wanted me to become 

a doctor,” he says. 

FINANCIAL Empowerment 

• 20 crore bank accounts opened having 

Rs 30,600 Cr in deposits – Pradhan Mantri 

Jan Dhan Yojana 

• 12.5 Cr insurance and pension policies 

availed for securing ones future 

• Bank loans of over Rs 85,000 Cr to more 

than 2.2 Cr small entrepreneurs – MUDRA 

Robust INFRASTRUCTURE: 

Rayaz Iqbal Tantray, Syed Javeed 

Ahmed, Zulafkar Ahmed Shaheen, 

Mumtaz Ali, Tanveer Ahmed Jeelani 

and Mohammad Aftab Awan, 

Inspector Arshad Hussain, Sub-Inspectors, 

Manzoor Ahmed and 

Nissar Ahmed, Head Constables, 

Sageer Ahmed Pathan, Vijay Bhan, 

Bashir Ahmed and Dilber Singh. 

Constables, Ashraf Nabi, Showkat 

Ahmed, Mushtaq Ahmed, Zakir 

Hussain Mir, Ankit Koul Mukhtar 

Ahmed, Ramees Ahmed Bhat, 

Parvaiz Ahmed Khan, Zaffar Iqbal 

Naik and Follower Aijaz Hussain. 

Likewise, SSP Deepak Kumar 

• Development of 300 village clusters by 

2019 - Shyama Prasad Mukherji Rurban 

Mission 

• 36,000 km rural roads built in 2014-15 

- Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana 

• Dedicated schemes for 24x7 Power in 

rural and urban areas,totalling Rs 1.09 

lakh crores 

• Programmes of Rs. 98,000 Cr for Smart 

Cities and Urban Transformation 

• Rs. 1.13 lakh Cr to provide digital 

infrastructure under Digital India 

SABKA Vikas 

• Enhancing livelihood opportunities of 

rural poor - Deen Dayal Antyodaya Yojana 

• Holistic development of tribal 

communities – Van Bandhu Kalya Yojana 

• Financial access to dalit entrepreneurs 

through new dedicated credit & venture 

capital schemes 

• Skill development programs for minorities 

– Nai Manzil, USTTAD & MANAS 

• Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao (holistic focus 

on the girl child) & Sukanya Samriddhi 

Yojana (80 lakh high interest accounts 

worth Rs 2,900 Cr) 

• Ensuring dignity of labour through 

minimum pension of Rs 1,000 under EPS 

and Universal A/tc Number for portability 

-Shramev Jayate 

Besides helping her mother in 

household chores, her mother says that 

she always tells her son not to be in the 

company of “bad boys”. 

For buying new books for his 11th 

class and tuition, Farooqa, a heart patient, 

sold her golden ear rings. 

“Having no income and knowing I 

have to raise my son to see him become 

a doctor, I saved my bridal golden gifts 

for my son,” she says. 

“Recently, I sold my golden ear rings 

to buy books for my son.” 

Kamran had also topped the tests 

held by Sainak School Mansbal two 

years ago, and got selected there for 9th 

Rasheed seeks removal of army 

bunker from main chowk Handwara 

Arshad Farooq 

Srinagar: Awami Ittihaad 

Party led by independent 

lawmaker, Er Rasheed Monday 

held a function to pay 

tribute to the January 1990 

Handwara massacre victims. 

The victims fell to the 

bullets of BSF personnel in 

Handwara on that day. 

Speaking on the occasion, 

Rasheed accused the 

state of “hiding killers in 

uniform” and said, “use of 

brutal force against Kashmiris 

will not break their 

will and resolve in finding 

the peaceful solution to the 

President’s Police Medals announced 

Salathia, Dy: Director Prosecution, 

Nissar Hussain Drabu, SP Ghulam 

Nabi Khan, Addl SP, KS Jasrotia, 

Dy.SsP, Tariq Khursheed, Kulbir 

Chand Handa, Mohan Lal Thakur 

and Riyaz Ahmed Bhat, Inspector, 

Janardan Singh Salathia, Sub-Inspectors, 

Romesh Kumar, Irshad 

Ahmed Jan and Pran Nath Koul, 

ASIs, Bashir Ahmed Lone and Puran 

Chand Verma. Head Constables, 

Dayal Singh, Mohammad 

Shafi Mir and Balwant Singh 

have been honoured with President’s 

Police Medal for Meritorious 

Service. 

Ministry of Information and Broadcasting 

Government of India 

FARMER well-being 

• Biggest ever crop insurance assistance 

at lowest ever premium providing full 

protection – Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima 

Yojna 

• Irrigation projects, watershed develoment 

and micro irrigation – Pradhan Mantri Krishi 

Sinchai Yojna 

• 79 lakh Soil Health Cards distributed 

• Support in times of distress - compensation 

increased, coverage expanded, loans 

re structured, seed & diesel subsidy 

• Numerous initiatives like, Kisan TV, Neemcoated 

Urea, National Agriculture Market, 

Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojna, Blue 

revolution, Rashtriya Gokul Mission 

Kashmir dispute.” 

He said, “not even a 

single perpetrator has been 

taken to task and India still 

wants Kashmiris to forget 

everything, but it will never 

happen. Kashmiris strongly 

believe that whole of the 

J&K included other part under 

occupation of Pakistan is 

a disputed territory and the 

best and civilised way to resolve 

it is by implementing 

UN resolutions. Kashmiris 

are not enemies of India and 

Pakistan but cannot surrender 

their rights despite having 

sacrificed a lot and having 

a genuine case to plead.” 

Rasheed demanded removal 

of army banker from 

main Chowk Handwara and 

alleged that it has become 

a “symbol of bitter memories” 

and is of no business to 

the army, except to “refresh 

the heinous tragedies”. “A 

unanimous resolution was 

adopted seeking withdrawal 

of army from engineering 

complex Handwara,” an AIP 

statement said. 

The statement said that 

a procession was carried out 

which passed through the 

different markets of Handwara 

and ended at martyrs 

grave yard, where special 

prayers were held to pay 

homage to the martyrs. 

VIKAS 

KI NAYI 

UDAAN 

standard. After spending few days in the 

school, his mother’s affection brought 

him back. 

“I could not live there alone without 

my mother; I love her very much. So, I 

came back and studied in the government 

school here,” he says. 

While the education department 

has rewarded exam toppers, Kamran has 

not been rewarded yet. 

“I have been invited by the district 

administration to see January 26 event 

in Pulwama town. But I don’t know 

whether I will be rewarded for my 

achievement by any scholarship or cash 

prize,” he says. (KNS) 

Bandipora 

villagers 

protest 

against PDD 


Srinagar, Jan 25: Protests 

erupted in Saderkoot Bala, 

Ajas and nearby villages in 

Bandipora district against the 

erratic power supply supplied 

by the Power Development 

Department. 

According to KNS correspondent, 

agitated residents 

blocked Bandipora-Srinagar 

road and disrupted traffic 

movement. 

The protesters raised 

slogans against PDD and the 

local administration. 

“PDD is resorting to 

unnecessary curtailment 

of electricity despite we 

paying bills regularly,” 

locals said., adding the PDD 

has put the whole area 

into dark-age by curtailing 

power supply for long 

hours daily. 

To pacify the protesters, 

Bandipora ACR and PDD 

officials rushed to the spot 

and assured the agitating 

residents to address their 

grievances. 

Strength communal 

harmony to fulfill 

Mufti’s dream: PDP 

Jammu, Jan 25: Peoples Democratic Party 

(PDP) Monday exhorted party workers and 

sympathizers to take message of Mufti Mohammad 

Sayeed to every nook and corner of 

the State to establish a new system of justice 

and equality. 

According to a statement issued to KNS, 

addressing series of functions in the outskirts 

of Jammu city, general secretary of the 

PDP Ved Mahajan said that it was dream of 

Mufti Sahib to establish a new system where 

every individual would get equal opportunities 

of socio-economic growth and development. 

“We have to work tirelessly to fulfill 

this dream of Mufti Mohammad Sayeed”. 

Maximum GOVERNANCE 

• Rs. 3.35 lakh Cr from Coal auctions and 

Rs. 1.09 lakh Cr from Telecom auctions 

• Self Attestation empowering citizens to 

verify their own documents & digital 

certification for pension for Senior 

Citizens (Jeevan Praman) 

• Redundant laws scrapped – 125 acts 

repealed and another 1,000 at final stage of 

repeal 

• World’s largest Direct Benefit Transfer 

scheme, delivering LPG subsidy into user’s 

account clamping all leakages - PAHAL 

• 50 lakh new LPG connections to BPL 

families at zero cost, against 65 lakh 

con sumers who voluntarily gave it up – 

Give Back and Give It Up 

22201/13/0067/1516

Precious Kashmir 

Edit 

Srinagar,Tuesday 

26.01.2016 4 

Cancerous 

habits 

In Kashmir, people are more aware of plastic as a pollutant, but 

are generally less aware of the polluting effects of Thermocol, a 

widely used material in disposable plates. It is easy-to-mouldinto-shape 

nature helps to transport fragile and oddly shaped 

consignment easily. But its disposal proves to be a challenging 

task. Some of us recycle it by cutting and painting it and turning 

it into a decorative item. We also use it to mount drawings and 

photographs in exhibitions and stalls in fairs. But a majority of 

them remain buried in the heap of trash in dumping grounds. 

Thermocol contains an important thermoplastic compound 

called polystyrene, which is obtained by the polymerisation of 

styrene or phenylethene or polyethene. Being non-biodegradable 

and resistant to photolysis, or the breaking down of materials 

by protons originating from a light source, they continue to 

remain intact in the soil, without undergoing bacterial decomposition, 

thereby turning it infertile. This combined with their 

light-weighted nature causes them to float, resulting in huge 

quantities of polystyrene accumulating along water bodies in 

Kashmir. Polystyrene also release poisonous gases on incineration 

which, when inhaled, can cause respiratory problems. 

Styrofoam is another brand name for the lightweight, insulating 

polystyrene (Thermocol is a brand name too) that keeps 

products cold or hot, making for its widespread use as cups 

and glasses in all get-together events. These cups are known to 

choke drains during rains. The fact that styrene can adversely 

affect humans in a number of ways raises serious public health 

and safety questions regarding its build-up in human tissue and 

the root cause of this build- up. According to a Foundation for 

Achievements in Science and Education fact sheet, long term 

exposure to small quantities of styrene can cause neurotoxic 

(fatigue, nervousness, difficulty sleeping), hematological (low 

platelet and hemoglobin values), cytogenetic (chromosomal 

and lymphatic abnormalities) and carcinogenic effects. Studies 

also suggest that styrene mimics oestrogen in females and can 

therefore disrupt normal hormone functions, possibly contributing 

to thyroid problems, menstrual irregularities, and other 

hormone-related problems, as well as breast cancer and prostate 

cancer. Apart from being a potent health hazard, these disposable 

products are also non-biodegradable and pose a huge 

environmental challenge as they pile on without decomposing 

and as a result making the earth infertile. A ban was placed on 

usage of such products earlier this month by SMC however on 

ground nothing seem to have changed so far. The authorities 

concerned should take strict measures so that such products are 

not sold at all and people are not exposed to health risks. 

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 

We, The Liberal Artists 

Aarti 

Art For The Sake Of Art bases itself on the notion that art needs no justification, 

that it need serves no political or social interest, that the art work just is . 

There is no such thing as apolitical art. Every piece of art has a story to it: 

the story of the artist, where they come from, their place in the y, there is the art 

work itself: what is it made out of, where it is made, how it is made, why that 

particular theme, what is the relationship between the theme and the artist… 

the list goes on. 

While there is no such thing as apolitical art, making art work that has 

direct, strong links with another person’s suffering is as much a problem as 

‘apolitical art’ is. What is the responsibility of the artist towards the issue s/he is 

basing the work on? Is it enough to just make the work and receive applauses 

for it? What kind of space is the work being shown in, and who are the people 

who will view it? 

Keeping this in mind, let us look at the White Cube, which is usually a room 

with white walls, where the floor is either wooden or expensive marble/tile, 

and there is a counter behind which regularly sits the curator or one the gallery 

monitors. With time, the White Cube has gone beyond its physical description, 

and has come to encompass and symbolise whole world by itself - a world that 

is never monetarily deficit and whose participants are invariably the upper and 

middle classes. Where most of the work showcased cannot be understood by 

non-participants, but is never the less revered. 

While it is important to accept that the White Cube is a very exclusive 

space and is largely cut off from the general public, it is equally important to 

acknowledge that its limited audience cannot be written off. Typically from 

middle and upper classes, they play an important part in collective societal 

consciousness – they play a big part in shaping public opinion. Writers, critics, 

artists, English-speaking theater people are the accessible intellects of 

society that a large chunk of the population looks up to. The liberal intellects, 

through our work decide what to question, what not to, how to interpret and 

act like guides almost, for the lesser confidant, ‘more ignorant’, ‘the unthinking’ 

amongst us. Because of this, a responsibility is placed on the shoulders 

of liberal intellects, based on our place and role in present day society and it 

cannot be ignored. 

While this responsibility does lie on the everyday ‘thinkers’ of society, the 

people in question must also realize this: Liberalism lays its foundations on guilt 

and passivity/inaction. 

Steve Biko writes: 

…(liberalism) makes people believe that something is being done when 

in reality the artificially integrated circles are…salving the consciences of the 

guilt-sticken white (1) 

While it is very wrong to simply assume that us Liberals, as a community, 

are ingenuine, we must collectively understand that individual kindness, or 

being generous to the many people who serve us, mixing and superficially integrating 

with ‘the masses’ and the structurally deceived, or striving to become 

a global citizen, or making art that is politically (actually) removed from ‘us’, is 

not what we should be working towards. Infact it is no solution to our collective 

guilt at all, it merely cushions our heavy conscience. 

Source {countercurrent.com} 

Email: preciouskashmir@gmail.com 

Climate Change And 

Our Historic Calling 

Kathy Kelly 

Last weekend, about 100 U.S. Veterans for Peace 

gathered in Red Wing, Minnesota, for a statewide 

annual meeting. In my experience, Veterans for 

Peace chapters hold “no-nonsense” events. Whether 

coming together for local, statewide, regional or 

national work, the Veterans project a strong sense 

of purpose. They want to dismantle war economies 

and work to end all wars. The Minnesotans, many 

of them old friends, convened in the spacious loft 

of a rural barn. After organizers extended friendly 

welcomes, participants settled in to tackle this year’s 

theme: “The War on Our Climate.” 

They invited Dr. James Hansen, an Adjunct 

Professor at Columbia University’s Earth Institute, 

to speak via Skype about minimizing the impacts 

of climate change. Sometimes called the “father of 

global warming”, Dr. Hansen has sounded alarms for 

several decades with accurate predictions about the 

effects of fossil fuel emissions. He now campaigns 

for an economically efficient phase out of fossil fuel 

emissions by imposing carbon fees on emission 

sources with dividends equitably returned to the 

public. 

Dr. Hansen envisions the creation of serious market 

incentives for entrepreneurs to develop energy 

and products that are low-carbon and no-carbon. 

“Those who achieve the greatest reductions in carbon 

use would reap the greatest profit. Projections 

show that such an approach could reduce U.S. carbon 

emissions by more than half within 20 years — and 

create 3 million new jobs in the process.” 

Steadily calling on adults to care about young 

people and future generations, Dr. Hansen chides 

proponents of what he terms “the fruitless capand-trade-with-offsets 

approach.” This method 

fails to make fossil fuels pay their costs to society, 

“thus allowing fossil fuel addiction to continue and 

encouraging ‘drill, baby, drill’ policies to extract every 

fossil fuel that can be found.” 

Making fossil fuels “pay their full costs” would 

mean imposing fees to cover costs that polluters 

impose on communities through burning of coal, 

oil and gas. When local populations are sickened 

and killed by air pollution, and starved by droughts 

or battered or drowned by climate-change-driven 

storms, costs accrue for governments that businesses 

should repay. 

What are the true costs to society of fossil fuels? 

According to a recent International Monetary Fund 

(IMF) study, fossil fuel companies are benefiting from 

global subsidies of $5.3tn (£3.4tn) a year, $10 million 

per minute, every minute, each and every day. 

The Guardian reports that the $5.3tn subsidy 

estimated for 2015 is greater than the total health 

spending of all the world’s governments. 

Dr. Hansen began his presentation by noting 

that, historically, energy figured importantly in 

avoiding slave labor. He believes some energy from 

nuclear power is now necessary for countries such 

as China and India to lift masses of their populations 

out of poverty. Many critics strenuously object to Dr. 

Hansen’s call for reliance on nuclear power, citing 

dangers of radiation, accidents, and problems with 

storage of nuclear waste, particularly when the 

radioactive waste is stored in communities where 

people have little control or influence over elites that 

decide where to ship the nuclear waste. 

Other critics argue that “nuclear power is simply 

too risky, and more practically speaking, too costly to 

be considered a significant part of the post-carbon 

energy portfolio.” 

Journalist and activist George Monbiot, author of 

a book-length climate change proposal, Heat, notes 

that nuclear power tends to endanger “haves” and 

“have-nots” equally. Coal power’s deadliest immediate 

effects, with historic casualties clearly outpacing 

those of nuclear, are linked to mining and industrial 

areas populated by people more likely to be economically 

disadvantaged or impoverished. 

Climate-driven societal collapse may be all the 

more deadly and final with grid-dependent nuclear 

plants ready to melt down in lockstep with our 

economies. But it’s crucial to remember that our 

direst weapons – many of them also nuclear – are 

stockpiled precisely to help elites manage the sort of 

political unrest into which poverty and desperation 

drive societies. Climate change, if we cannot slow it, 

does not merely promise poverty and despair on an 

unprecedented scale, but also war - on a scale, and 

with weapons, that may be far worse than dangers 

resulting from our energy choices. Earth’s military 

crisis, its climate crisis, and the paralyzing economic 

inequalities that burden impoverished people are 

linked. 

Dr. Hansen thinks that the Chinese government 

and Chinese scientists might marshal the resources 

to develop alternatives to fossil fuels, including 

nuclear powered energy. He notes that China faces 

the dire possibility of losing coastal cities to global 

warming and accelerated disintegration of ice sheets. 

The greatest barriers to solution of fossil fuel 

addiction in most nations are the influence of the 

fossil fuel industry on politicians and the media and 

the short-term view of politicians. Thus it is possible 

that leadership moving the world to sustainable 

energy policies may arise in China, where the leaders 

are rich in technical and scientific training and rule a 

nation that has a history of taking the long view. Although 

China’s CO emissions have skyrocketed above 

those of other nations, China has reasons to move 

off the fossil fuel track as rapidly as practical. China 

has several hundred million people living within 

a 25-meter elevation of sea level, and the country 

stands to suffer grievously from intensification of 

droughts, floods, and storms that will accompany 

continued global warming. China also recognizes the 

merits of avoiding a fossil fuel addiction comparable 

to that of the United States. Thus China has already 

become the global leader in development of energy 

efficiency, renewable energies, and nuclear power. 

What’s missing from this picture? The Veterans 

for Peace earnestly believe in ending all wars. Deepening 

nonviolent resistance to war could radically 

amend the impact of world militaries, especially the 

colossal U.S. military, on global climate. In order to 

protect access to and global control of fossil fuels, the 

U.S. military burns rivers of oil, wasting the hopes of 

future generations in the name of killing and maiming 

the people of regions the U.S. has plunged into 

destabilizing wars of choice, ending in chaos. 

Corruption of the global environment and 

compulsively frantic destruction of irreplaceable 

resources is an equally sure, if more delayed, manner 

of imposing chaos and death on a mass scale. The 

misdirection of economic resources, of preciously 

needed human productive energy, is yet another. 

Researchers at Oil Change International find that 

“3 trillion of the dollars spent on war against Iraq 

would cover all global investments in renewable 

power generation needed between now and 2030 to 

reverse global warming.” 

John Lawrence writes that “the United States 

contributes more than 30% of global warming gases 

to the atmosphere, generated by 5% of the world’s 

population. At the same time funding for education, 

energy, environment, social services, housing and 

new job creation, taken together, is less than the 

military budget.” I believe that “low carbon” and “no 

carbon” energy and energy efficiency should be paid 

for by abolishing war. Lawrence is right to insist that 

the U.S. should view problems and conflicts created 

by climate change as “opportunities to work together 

with other nations to mitigate and adapt to its effects.” 

But the madness of conquest must end before 

any such coordinated work will be possible. 

Sadly, tragically, many U.S. veterans fully understand 

the cost of war. I asked a U.S. Veteran for 

Peace living in Mankato, MN, about the well being 

of local Iraq War Veterans. He told me that in April, 

U.S. veteran student leaders at Minnesota State’s 

Mankato Campus, spent 22 days gathering daily, rain 

or shine, to perform 22 push-ups in recognition of 

the 22 combat veterans a day – nearly one an hour – 

currently committing suicide in the U.S. They invited 

the Mankato-area community to come to campus 

and do pushups along with them. 

This is an historic time, posing a perfect storm of 

challenges to the survival of our species, a storm we 

can’t weather without “all hands on deck.” Whoever 

arrives to work beside us, and however quickly they 

arrive, we have heavy burdens to share with many 

others already lifting as much as they can, some 

taking theirs up by choice, some burdened beyond 

endurance by greedy masters. The Veterans for Peace 

work to save the ship rather than wait for it to sink. 

Many of us have not endured the horrors that 

drive 22 veterans a day, and countless poor in world 

regions that U.S. empire has touched, to the final act 

of despair. I would like to think we can lift hopes 

and perhaps bring comfort to those around us by 

radically sharing resources, eschewing dominance, 

and learning to join courageous others in the work 

at hand. 

Sorce { Countercurrent.com} 

Mogamma: Egypt’s other great pyramid 

Khaled Diab 

Like the pyramids of Giza, it is a colossal structure 

known to Egyptians and foreigners alike. Unlike the 

pyramids, it is the object of almost universal contempt 

and frustration. 

Yes, of course, I am talking about the Mogamma 

on Tahrir Square, the high temple of the Egyptian 

bureaucracy, as anyone familiar with Egypt will have 

realised. Egypt’s “most hated” building, as one news 

site put it, is scheduled to close in 2017, which is 

bound to result in millions of collective sighs of relief. 

And the dimensions of this monolith are truly 

imposing. The 14-storey complex houses some 

30,000 government employees in 1,350 rooms, while 

some 100,000 citizens navigate its labyrinth of corridors 

in an often futile quest for the magical sequence 

of stamps required to legitimise their paperwork. 

Despite popular belief, the building was not a 

socialist edifice built by Gamal Abdel Nasser but 

was constructed during the era of King Farouq as 

a symbol of Egypt’s march towards the mid-20th 

century as Britain vacated its barracks there. Today, 

that seems like a pipe dream. 

Mogammaesque 

Kafkaesque does not even begin to capture the 

dust-laden, claustrophobic, yet boisterous and loud, 

alienation felt when one enters this bureaucratic 

maze. 

It can only be described as “mogammaesque”: 

one measure Kafka, one part Orwell, with a liberal 

dose of Magritte’s surrealism and a dash of native 

wit. The Mogamma is real-life black comedy 

coloured by the irrepressible light-heartedness of 

Egypt. 

The indifferent, contemptuous gaze of the 

typical Mogamma civil-servant-cum-master causes 

the average visitor to metamorphose from a proud 

human into a shrinking, trembling, deferential insect. 

Ingratiating terms of respect - like “pasha”, even 

though Egypt abolished the gentry decades ago - are 

tossed around liberally to curry favour, in a variation 

of the old Egyptian adage: “If the dog has something 

you need, call him master.” 

One measure Kafka, one part Orwell, with a 

liberal dose of Magritte’s surrealism and a dash of 

native wit. The Mogamma is real-life black comedy 

coloured by the irrepressible light-heartedness of 

Egypt. 

Although bureaucracy is a global problem 

hobbling hundreds of millions of people around the 

world, the Egyptian version is especially convoluted, 

snail-paced, impenetrable and arbitrary, making it a 

haven for corruption and ineptitude. 

Despite the dominant and often traumatic role 

bureaucracy plays in Egyptian life, there is surprisingly 

no widely circulated local word for it, with 

Egyptians appropriating the English word “routine” 

to describe it. 

However, there is an abundance of words 

used to describe ways to circumvent it, including 

“wasta” (connections), “mahsoubiya” (favouritism) 

and “kousa” (courgette) to describe string pulling, 

or “halawa” (halva), “shai” (tea) or even bakshish 

(tip) to describe bribery. 

Given the outsized and tyrannical role played by 

bureaucracy in the lives of Egyptians and Egypt’s love 

of comedy, it is unsurprising that “al-routine” is a 

staple fare of street humour and popular satire. 

One Egyptian newspaper used to carry a 

memorable rogues’ parade of characters working in 

the civil service who frequented the “Civil Servant’s 

Teahouse”. 

Black comedy 

It also features in black comedy, such as in a film 

which explores the desperate attempts of a poor 

fisherman, who lives off the state’s radar on his Nile 

boat, to register his son’s birth retroactively so he can 

start school. 

The Mogamma itself is the star of a 1990s hit 

film, el-Irhab wal-Kabab (Terrorism and Kebab) in 

which a hard-pressed man who works at Cairo’s 

sewage treatment plant visits the high temple of 

bureaucracy in a bid to transfer his son to another 

school. 

The man in charge of transfers is never there and 

his colleagues are too busy talking on the telephone, 

preparing vegetables for dinner or constantly 

praying. When security try to eject him for attacking 

the bearded civil servant, he manages to grab one of 

their rifles and triggers a panic that a terrorist attack 

is in motion. 

When asked by the interior minister what his 

demands are, the hostage-taker and the hostages 

cannot decide and so decide to order kebabs. When 

they finally demand the resignation of the entire 

government, the minister is so incensed he orders a 

raid on the building. 

Two decades later, real citizens took over Tahrir 

Square and demanded more than the resignation of 

the government: the downfall of the entire regime. 

Although they managed to decapitate it, the body 

survived and grew a new head.In 2011, protesters 

managed to shut down temporarily the despised 

Mogamma and, instead of seeking stamps and 

signatures, revolutionary artists signed and tagged it. 

The diverse graffiti included one expressive image of 

a young activist chiselling away at a pyramid-shaped 

rendition of the word “corruption”. 

And herein lies the crux. The Mogamma in itself 

is not the main problem; it is simply a symptom. 

Closing it down may remove some of the congestion 

from downtown Cairo and free up prime real 

estate, but rebuilding it elsewhere, as has previously 

been suggested, will not only be a colossal undertaking 

but will, without reform, result in the same 

colossal problems downstream. 

And with Egypt’s new parliament investigating 

the state’s chief auditor for “defamation” over his 

claims of endemic corruption, deep reform, never a 

serious prospect, now seems an ever-more distant 

hope. 

What Egypt needs is to rationalise its bureaucracy, 

in both senses of the word, decentralise its highly 

centralised state architecture, pay civil servants 

a decent living wage and, above all, weed out the 

rampant corruption choking citizens. This may 

result in less comedy but it will put a smile on every 

Egyptian’s face. 

Source {Aljazeera.com} 

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


Sensex Nifty Gold 

Business/ International 

Tuesday 

5 



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

50.29 

13.70 

193.00 

210.00 

0.15 

0.20 

6.50 

1.65 

3.30 

10.85 

24485.95 

7436.15 

26,353.00 

34,487.00 

67.78 

68.45 

677.50 

182.95 

236.05 

1,041.15 

Markets end flat ahead of F&O expiry 

Mumbai, Jan 25: Benchmark share indices 

trimmed intra-day gains after global 

crude oil prices resumed their downward 

trajectory after sharp gains on 

Friday while caution ahead of expiry 

of January derivative contracts capped 

upside gains. 

The S&P BSE Sensex ended up 50 

points at 24,486 and the Nifty50 ended 

up 14 points at 7,436. 

In the broader market, the BSE Midcap 

and Smallcap indices were up 0.4%- 

1% each. Market breadth was strong 

with 1,693 gainers and 791 losers on 

the BSE. 

“The volatility in global crude oil 

prices has increased and have started 

weakening agains after the sharp surge 

on Friday. Overall market sentiment remains 

weak with selling seen in midcap 

and small-caps. Further, volatility 

ahead of expiry of January derivative 

contracts has also kept investors on the 

sidelines,” said Alex Mathews, Head of 

Research, Geojit BNP Paribas Financial 

Services. 

Markets will remain closed tomorrow, 

January 26, on account of Republic 

Day holiday. 

Foreign institutional investors continued 

to remain net sellers in equities 

to the tune of Rs 770 crore, as per provisional 

stock exchange. 

The Indian rupee also trimmed early 

gains and was down 11 paise at 67.73 to 

the US dollar. 

GLOBAL MARKETS 

Budget 2016: Enhanced 

capital spending in offing 

New Delhi, Jan 25: Upcoming Union Budget 

2016-17 will likely come good on Finance 

Minister Arun Jaitley’s promise to continue 

the central government’s public spending 

push, with capital expenditure for the next 

year expected to come close to Rs 3 lakh crore 

for the first time ever. 

At a time when private sector balance 

sheets are stretched and banks burdened 

with non-performing assets, Jaitley had 

stated the centre’s commitment to boost 

public spending in infrastructure as an impetus 

for growth. For 2015-16, the Finance 

Minister had budgeted Rs 2.41 lakh crore in 

total capital expenditure (including loan disbursements), 

about Rs 49,053 crore or 25.5% 

higher than the 2014-15 revised estimates of 

about Rs 1.92 lakh crore. 

Next year too, a similar push is expected 

as the 2016-17 budgeted capital expenditure 

could be around 20-25% higher than this 

year, Business Standard has learnt. Compared 

to the budgeted figures available, that comes 

to around 2.90-3.02 lakh crore. 

Senior government sources said that for 

enhanced capital spending by the government 

to show on the ground and act as a 

stimulus for the private sector to invest again, 

some six to eight quarters of sustained boost 

is required. Thus, officials reckon that after 

the levels of current fiscal, 2016-17 will be a 

final push for the government to provide that 

boost, before the year-over-year increase in 

capital expenditure can be eased back a litte 

bit from 2017-18. “We have four quarters of 

this year and four quarters of the next. This is 

a burden which the government has to take 

but it is necessary given that India Inc is not 

in a position to substantially increase investment,” 

said an official. 

As per data available with the Controller 

General of Accounts, total capital expenditure 

by the cente for April-November 2015- 

16 was Rs 1.59 lakh crore, about 32% higher 

than the same period last year. In fact, for 

April-September, it was Rs 1.28 lakh crore, 

the first time ever that capital expenditure 

for the first six months of any given year had 

crossed the 1 lakh crore mark. 

In the run-up to the budget, Jaitley has 

time and again said that the government 

will maintain its capital spending momentum, 

including in pre-budget meetings with 

represntatives from India Inc and banks. He 

will have to do so despite the additional financial 

burden of implementing the recommendations 

of the Seventh Pay Commission 

and One Rank One Pension (OROP). 

Asian stocks ended higher on Monday 

after global crude oil prices rebounded 

on expectations of demand for 

heating oil in wake of the cold weather 

conditions in the U.S. East coast. Further, 

investors will also await the decision by 

the Bank of Japan from its two-day meet 

which begins on Thursday, January 28. 

Nikkei ended up 0.9% while Shanghai 

External sector risks have risen 

since last year: Moody’s 

New Delhi, Jan 25: The greatest challenge 

facing the Indian economy is exposure 

to external shocks such as interest 

rate hike in the US and slowdown in 

China, and the risk has risen since last 

year, a Moody’s poll said today. 

About 75 per cent of the market 

players and investors polled expect 

India’s economic growth to be in the 

range of 6.5-7.5 per cent over the next 

12-18 months. The findings were part 

of the poll of 110 market participants, 

including some of India’s largest investors, 

intermediaries and issuers, conducted 

by Moody’s Investors Service 

earlier this month. Of those polled, 35 

per cent saw external shocks as the 

“greatest challenge facing the economy”, 

up from just 10 per cent in the 

previous May 2015 poll. 

In contrast, 32 per cent felt there is 

a sluggish reform momentum and 19 

per cent saw infrastructure constraints, 

down from 47 per cent and 38 per cent, 

respectively, in May 2015. 

“The consensus view on India’s 

economic growth prospects appears 

Arab Spring anniversary: 

Protesters defy crackdown 

Cairo, Jan 25: Anti-government 

protesters defied 

a security crackdown and 

took to the streets as Egypt 

marked the fifth anniversary 

on Monday of the 2011 

uprising that toppled longtime 

ruler Hosni Mubarak. 

Egyptians demonstrated 

late Sunday against the 

military-led government in 

Alexandria’s Al-Qaed Ibrahim 

Square, which was a 

major site of 2011 protests, 

as well as in Nasr City and 

Shobra district in the capital, 

Cairo. 

Residents reported the 

build-up of security forces 

which, along with recent 

crackdowns on activists and 

arbitrary raids into homes, 

reflected the government’s 

resolve to prevent marking 

the anniversary with popular 

demonstrations similar 

to those in 2011. 

In a televised speech on 

Sunday, Egypt’s leader Abdel 

Fattah el-Sisi argued his 

government was continuing 

the aspirations of the 

2011 uprising, in spite of the 

documented human rights 

violations under his rule, 

as well as the worsening 

economy. 

The president’s speech 

came just one day after 

Sisi, a soldier-turned-politician 

who claimed office 

in 2014 following victory 

in an election considered 

to be suspect, praised 

the country’s police and 

vowed a firm response to 

any threat to the country’s 

“stability”. 

His nod to the police ran 

against growing complaints 

by rights activists that forces 

have returned to Mubarakera 

practices such as torture, 

random arrests and, more 

recently, forced disappearances. 

Police brutality was 

among the complaints that 

Malaysia warns of IS threat as 

alleged video surfaces 

Kuala Lumpur, Jan 25: Malaysian Prime 

Minister Najib Razak said Islamic State is a 

“very real” threat to the country, hours after 

a video claiming to be from the regional 

wing of IS warned of attacks in the Muslimmajority 

nation for arresting its supporters. 

Police said the video, believed to feature 

operatives from the militant group Katibah 

Nusantara speaking under the IS logo, was 

significant because, if confirmed, it was the 

first from Islamic State in Malay. 

“This threat is very real and my government 

takes it very seriously,” Najib told a 

conference on extremism. “This is a challenge 

that faces us all around the world. We 

are far from immune to this danger in Malaysia.” 

Police said they had arrested seven 

members of an IS cell who were planning 

attacks across the country. The suspected 

militants were carrying bullets, books on jihad, 

IS flags and propaganda videos. 

Ten days ago, Malaysia arrested a suspected 

militant believed to have been planning 

a suicide attack in Kuala Lumpur. 

The video that surfaced online warned 

Malaysia against the crackdown on IS supporters. 

Ayob Khan Mydin Pitchay, director of 

the police counter-terrorism unit, said the 

video suggested militants in the country 

were becoming more organised. 

Reuters could not independently verify 

the video. 

“If you catch us, we will only increase 

in number but if you let us be, we will 

be closer to our goal of bringing back the 

rule of the Khalifah [caliph],” said a message 

on the video, according to Malaysian 

newspaper the Star. 

drove Egyptians to take part 

in the 2011 uprising. 

Sisi alleged that the 2011 

uprising had deviated from 

its course and was forcibly 

hijacked for “personal gains 

and narrow interests”, in 

a thinly veiled attempt to 

justify the military’s ousting 

of Mohamed Morsi, Egypt’s 

first democratically elected 

president. 

The Muslim Brotherhood 

- the organisation that 

Morsi was a member of and 

the largest social movement 

in Egypt - has been banned 

and declared a “terrorist” 

group in the aftermath of 

the 2013 coup. 

According to Sisi, the 

“June 30 revolution” - a reference 

to the day in 2013 

when protests erupted in 

Cairo against Morsi, culminating 

in the July 3 coup - 

corrected the course of the 

2011 uprising. 

Composite gained 0.8%. Among others 

in the region, Hang Seng ended up 1.3% 

while Straits Times rose 0.3%. 

European shares were trading with 

marginal losses after opening with marginal 

gains after crude oil prices pared 

intra-day gains. The CAC-40, DAX and 

FTSE-100 were down 0.2% each. 

SECTORS & STOCKS 

BSE Metal index was the top gainer 

up 1.6% followed by Consumer Durables, 

Healthcare index up 1.1% each. On the 

downside, BSE Capital Goods, Power, Oil 

& Gas indices were the top losers. 

Financial stocks were among the 

top gainers. HDFC Bank ended up nearly 

1% after the private sector lender 

announced 20% growth in net profit 

at Rs 3,357 crore compared with Rs 

2,791 crore in the same quarter last fiscal. 

However, gross NPAs rose to 0.97% 

compared with 0.91% quarter-on-quarter 

while net NPAs were up at 0.29% 

versus 0.25% quarter-on-quarter. Mortgage 

lender HDFC gained 1.4% and ICICI 

Bank closed 1.5% higher. 

Pharma shares also witnessed renewed 

buying interest with Sun Pharma 

reasonably upbeat. Over three quarters 

of the market participants we polled 

believe that headline GDP growth will 

remain in a range of 6.5-7.5 per cent 

over the next 12-18 months,” Moody’s 

said in its report titled ‘Heard From the 

Market: India Not Immune to External 

Risks’. Compared with the last poll in 

May 2015, only 14 per cent of participants 

now expect growth to accelerate 

to between 7.5-8.5 per cent, down 

from 36 per cent previously. 

“Despite our audience’s reasonably 

positive views on headline growth, we 

have seen a shift in the balance of risks 

to India’s macroeconomic outlook,” 

Two Chinese 

killed in “bomb” 

blast in Laos 

Beijing, Jan 25: Two Chinese 

nationals were killed and another 

wounded in a suspected 

bomb blast in Laos, Chinese 

state media said on Monday, 

the latest incident in which 

Chinese citizens have been 

killed abroad as the country`s 

economic footprint grows. 

China`s embassy in Laos 

confirmed the blast, which 

occurred on Sunday morning. 

The victims had been travelling 

in a vehicle on the mountain 

roads of Xaysomboun province, 

the official Xinhua news agency 

said. 

“Laos military personnel 

rushed to the scene and the 

injured, surnamed Zhou, has 

been shifted to a hospital in 

the capital, Vientiane, for treatment,” 

Xinhua said. 

Chinese embassy officials 

visited the injured person and 

demanded a prompt investigation 

into the “suspected bomb 

attack,” Xinhua reported. 

Tehran, Jan 25: Iran and Saudi Arabia 

should take every step to de-escalate 

the tension between them, Iran’s Deputy 

Foreign Minister said on Monday. 

Tensions between the regional 

rivals escalated this month after Riyadh’s 

execution of a Shi’ite Muslim 

cleric triggered an attack by Iranian 

protesters on its Tehran embassy, 

leading the kingdom to cut diplomatic 

ties. 

“We are prepared to consider any 

initiative which can help this region 

become more stable and of course safer, 

so we can combat the real challenge 

and the real threat in the region which 

is terrorism, extremism and of course 

sectarianism which is a big threat to 

all of us in the region,” Abbas Araqchi 

told reporters at an aviation conference 

in Tehran. 

Araqchi added that it was important 

to fight “extremist terrorist elements” 

who are a threat to the whole world. 

“We have seen if you don’t fight 

with them in Syria, for example, we 

have to fight with them in Paris and 

in other capitals ... we have to combat 

leading the gains up 2.2% followed by Dr 

Reddy’s Labs and Cipla. 

Other Sensex gainers include, ONGC, 

HUL and TCS among others. 

Among other shares, SpiceJet surged 

11% on the BSE after the company reported 

net profit at Rs 238 crore for the 

quarter ended December 2015 (Q3FY16) 

against a loss of Rs 275 crore in the year 

ago quarter. This is the fourth straight 

profitable quarter for SpiceJet, on the 

back of low fuel prices. 

Supreme Petrochem soared 13% on 

the BSE after the company posted net 

profit of Rs 26 crore for the third quarter 

ended December 2015 (Q3FY16), due to 

lower raw material cost. 

Kitex Garments plunged 13% after 

hitting a 52-week low after the company 

reported a single digit 4% year-on-year 

(YoY) growth in net profit at Rs 24 crore 

for the third quarter ended December 

2015 (Q3), due to lower sales. 

Bata India has ended 1% higher on 

the BSE after the company said insurance 

giant Life Insurance Corporation of India 

(LIC) increased its stake in the company 

via open market. 

Moody’s said. “The market participants 

we surveyed are increasingly concerned 

about the potential spillover of 

external risks such as US interest rate 

tightening and China’s ongoing slowdown, 

on India’s growth story.” 

It said India is still regarded as 

much better placed than most of its 

similarly rated emerging market peers. 

“Increased concerns about external 

shocks appear to reflect a more 

adverse global backdrop rather than 

India-specific external vulnerabilities 

having increased,” it added. 

As for revival of private sector investment, 

Moody’s suggested that the 

government should take key reform 

initiatives and pass GST and land acquisition 

laws. “The successful passage and 

implementation of the government’s reform 

agenda will be an important driver 

of the fortunes of both India’s investment 

cycle and corporate credit quality. 

To date, the Modi administration’s track 

record on reform has been mixed, with 

some signs of a loss of momentum in the 

latter stages of 2015,” it said. 

Former Bangladeshi PM Khaleda 

Zia booked under sedition charges 

Dhaka, Jan 25: Former Bangladeshi prime 

minister and opposition leader Khaleda Zia 

was on Monday booked for sedition over her 

alleged “slanderous comments” concerning 

martyrs of the 1971 liberation war against 

Pakistan. 

“The case has been filed against her at 

the chief metropolitan magistrate’s court 

(Dhaka) this morning along with prayers 

seeking her arrest,” a court official said. 

He said that the magistrate ordered 

hearing on the prayer seeking the arrest 

warrant later today. Speaking at a discussion 

on December 21 last year, 70-year-old Zia 

had “expressed doubts” about the casualty 

figures of the 1971 liberation war. 

“There are controversies over how many 

were martyred in the Liberation War. There 

are also many books and documents on the 

controversies,” she had said. 

Zia’s BNP is a crucial ally of fundamentalist 

Jamaat-e-Islami, which was opposed 

to Bangladesh’s independence from Pakistan. 

The ruling Awami League, 1971 veterans 

and members of the martyred families 

had sharply reacted to Zia’s comments with 

some of them even calling her as the “agent 

of Pakistan”. 

Today’s development came a day after 

the Home Ministry gave its clearance 

Iran, Saudi should reduce tension: 

Iran Deputy Foreign Minister 

it and there is no way but to fight with 

these terrorist elements now in Syria, 

in Iraqi, in Yemen and in other places in 

the region, otherwise we should all pay 

for it.” 

Saudi Arabia, the main Sunni Muslim 

power, and Iran, the main Shi’ite 

one, accuse each other of fomenting instability 

across the Middle East. 

Riyadh regards Iran’s backing for 

Shi’ite militias in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon 

and Yemen as a part of Tehran’s regional 

expansionism and a threat to its own 

security. 

Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al- 

Jubeir has said in several interviews 

this month that full relations cannot 

be restored until Iran changes its behaviour 

and acts like a normal state 

rather than like “a revolution”. 

‘Business ties 

between India, 

France robust’ 

New Delhi, Jan 25: The 

convergence in economic 

policy and business ties 

between India and France 

is robust and can only grow 

rapidly in the near future, 

French minister of finance 

and public accounts, Michel 

Sapin, said on Monday. 

He was speaking at 

a joint business session 

organised by the Federation 

of Indian Chambers 

of Commerce and Industry 

(FICCI) and attended by 

both Indian and French 

players in the defence, 

aeronautics, urban development 

sectors. 

Saying that he regretted 

the growth rates in the two 

countries not being similar, 

he stressed the economic 

structure in both places 

favour stability. He also 

pointed out that both countries 

have managed to hold 

their own in times of high 

global market volatility. 

Sapin said France is 

the third-largest investor 

in India and the figures are 

only expected to grow. He 

also said French companies 

currently represent 10% of 

the installed solar capacity 

in India. 

FICCI president Harshvardhan 

Neotia said India 

and France cannot ignore 

the threat to its security. 

FICCI also signed a memorandum 

of understanding 

(MoU) with the NG group 

from France on the Terra 

Watt initiative in the area of 

renewable energy. 

There are currently 

around 400 French companies 

in India, with a total 

consolidated turnover of $ 

20 billion. 

Sapin is accompanying 

French President Francois 

Hollande on a 4-day visit 

to India. Prime Minister 

Narendra Modi is scheduled 

to attend the ground breaking 

ceremony for the new 

International Solar Alliance 

Headquarters set to come 

up in Gurgaon. 

to move the sedition case against the expremier. 

Supreme Court lawyer Mamtaz Uddin 

Ahmed Mehedi on December 27 had sought 

Zia be tried for sedition in the court under 

section 123 (A) of the country’s Penal Code. 

The magistrate at that time ordered a 

police investigation into the allegation and 

asked the petitioner to obtain government 

clearance to move the sedition case as required 

by the law. 

The Section 123 (A) suggests one to be 

“punished with rigorous imprisonment 

which may extend to ten years and shall 

also be liable to fine” for “condemnation of 

the creation of the State (Bangladesh) and 

advocacy of abolition of its sovereignty”. BNP 

leader and senior lawyer Khandker Mahbub 

Hossain yesterday claimed that “there is no 

element of sedition in the (Zia’s) statement”. 

Blizzard strands 

86,000 in South 

Korea resort island 

Seoul, Jan 25: Close to 90,000 

people were stranded on the 

South Korean resort island of 

Jeju on Monday after the biggest 

snowfall in three decades 

shut the airport for the third 

straight day. 

Known as the Hawaii of 

South Korea for its beaches and 

usually warm climate, Jeju took 

the brunt of a week-long cold 

snap that sent the mercury 

plunging to record lows across 

the country. 

The popular holiday destination 

has recorded its heaviest 

snowfall in three decades since 

Saturday, as the temperature 

dropped to -6.1 degrees Celsius 

(21 Fahrenheit).


HEALTH 

Vitamin B12 levels drop among 

the elderly, autistic people 

Vitamin B12 levels in the brain are significantly 

decreased in the elderly and are much lower 

in individuals with autism or schizophrenia as 

compared to their peers at similar ages, a new 

study has found. 

Children with autism under age 10 were 

found to have three times lower brain B12 

levels which is similar to levels for generally 

healthy adults in their 50s, indicating a premature 

decrease, found an international team led 

by Richard Deth, professor of pharmacology at 

Florida-based Nova Southeastern University 

(NSU). 

The findings suggest the need for further 

research to determine if the use of methyl B12 

and antioxidants like glutathione as supplements 

can help prevent oxidative stress and be 

useful in treating these conditions. 

“These are significant findings because the 

differences we found in brain B12 with ageing, 

autism and schizophrenia are not seen in the 

blood which is where B12 levels are usually 

measured.” Dr Deth explained. 

The large deficits of brain B12 from 

individuals with autism and schizophrenia 

could help explain why patients suffering from 

these disorders experience neurological and 

neuropsychiatric symptoms, he added in a 

paper published in the journal Public Library 

of Science One (PLOS One). 

The study also found healthy elderly 

New technique to tell if a baby 

was born early or on time! 

American researchers have 

found a metabolic profile 

derived from routine newborn 

screenings that can determine 

how many weeks a 

mother has carried her baby. 

According to researchers 

from the University of 

Iowa in the US knowing if 

an infant was born on time 

or prematurely can make all 

the difference in deciding 

what medical care the baby 

needs. 

“It’s important to know 

whether a baby is small because 

it is simply small in 

size but born on time or is 

small because it was born 

early,” said Kelli Ryckman, 

assistant professor at the 

University of Iowa in the US. 

“It helps determine 

how doctors should move 

forward with that baby and 

what kinds of health issues 

they should watch for,” he 

added. 

The researchers hoped 

that their metabolic gestational-dating 

algorithm 

could be used in developing 

countries to actively examine 

the rates of pre-term 

births and then target atrisk 

areas with interventions 

and prevention programsIn 

low-income settings, half 

of babies born at or earlier 

than 32 weeks die because 

Make these 

healthy choices 

to survive cancer 

The sharp rise in breast cancer worldwide is a reality and needs to 

be taken seriously. Studies have found out that to decrease its occurrence 

and lead a healthy life, a plant based diet can come handy. 

Here are tips to have good food choices and healthy 

of a lack of feasible, cost-effective 

care, such as warmth, 

breastfeeding support, and 

basic care for infections 

and breathing difficulties. 

In high-income countries, 

almost all of these babies 

survive, revealed the study 

published in the American 

Journal of Obstetrics and 

people in the age range of 61-80 have about 

three times lower levels of total brain B12 

than younger age groups, which is a result of 

normal ageing.This normal decrease may help 

adjust brain metabolism to sustain its function 

across the lifespan. 

An active form of B12 called “methyl B12” 

supports normal brain development. 

Remarkably, the brain level of methyl B12 

was found to be more than 10 times lower in 

healthy elderly people than in healthy younger 

people. 

A lower than normal level of methyl B12 

in the brain could adversely affect neurodevelopment 

in younger years and could disrupt 

learning and memory later in life. 

Both autism and schizophrenia are associated 

with oxidative stress which also plays an 

important role in ageing and oxidative stress 

may underlie the decreased brain B12 levels 

observed in this study. 

Gynecology. 

Preterm birth is now the 

leading cause of death in 

children under five worldwide. 

Nearly 1 million children 

die each year from 

complications related to 

preterm birth. Many survivors 

face a lifetime of challenges, 

including learning 

disabilities and visual and 

hearing problems, the study 

said. 

According to the 

World Health Organization, 

about 15 million 

babies are born pre-term 

each year; that is more 

than one in 10 babies 

worldwide. 

Premature -- also 

known as pre-term -- birth 

refers to when a baby is 

born before 37 weeks of 

pregnancy. 

The study analysed 

five years of data -- about 

300,000 records -- from 

the Iowa neonatal newborn-screening 

program. 

lifestyle changes to survive the dreaded disease - 

- Eat more plant foods before and after diagnosis. It also 

increases the survival of breast cancer victims. 

- Carotenoid-rich (yellow, orange, red, purple coloured 

fruits and vegetables) reduced the risk for breast cancer 

- The same goes to those consuming more soy products 

after diagnosis. 

- Avoid consuming more saturated fat, as it increases the 

risk. 

- Once diagnosed it is also best to avoid alcohol, dairy 

products, and red and processed meat products. 

- Try to exercise regularly and maintain a healthy 

body weight. 

The cholesterol myth! 

Don‘t ignore high cholesterol, it can be 

dangerous in young adults too! 

Cholesterol is an important subtype 

of fat. It is required for the functioning 

of all the vital organ systems 

and various body metabolisms related 

to macro and micro-elements. Cholesterol 

and other lipid sub-fractions are 

important for human beings and they 

cannot be cut down to the lowest limit 

of zero in the diet as well as in the 

blood levels of an individual. 

We don’t usually worry too much 

about the risk of heart disease until 

a person is in middle age. Adults as 

young as 20 need to pay attention to 

their cholesterol, because unhealthy 

levels may already be damaging their 

arteries. High cholesterol at a young 

age leads to heart attacks, strokes or 

paralysis and pancreatitis. 

Causes 

- Strong genetic/family history of 

heart disease 

- Associated diabetes mellitus, hypertension 

Foods that can 

increase your life span 

With varied lifestyle choices, 

it is impossible to predict 

the illnesses that each 

one of us might suffer from. 

The best possible solution 

would be to have foods that 

can help your body build its 

defence. 

Beans 

Eating beans, lentils and 

other legumes may help 

you cut down on bad cholesterol 

and lowers your 

risk for heart disease. These 

complex carbohydrates will 

keep you full and are great 

for your muscles, since they 

are an excellent source of 

protein and minerals. They 

are also very low in fat and 

contain barely any sodium. 

Walnuts 

Walnuts are the super 

food to combat heart issues 

and diabetes. They can also 

serve as a prevention tool 

for cancer and improve cognitive 

function. Each walnut 


Srinagar | Tuesday 


contains loads of nutrients 

as well as those hard-tofind 

omega-3 fatty acids. 

Eating a handful of walnuts 

contains almost twice as 

many antioxidants as an 

equivalent amount of any 

other commonly consumed 

nut. 

Coconut Oil 

Rich in saturated medium 

chain fats, known as 

lauric acid, coconut oil raises 

good cholesterol while lowering 

the bad choloestrol. 

It also consists fatty acids 

which metabolized rapidly. 

Coconut oil also contains 

antioxidants, which can 

serves to be anti-inflammatory, 

fights against infections 

and heals wounds 

much faster. 

Pineapple 

Pineapples have many 

medicinal uses most notably 

for treatment of cancer 

and asthma. 

- Bad eating habits 

- Excess alcohol consumption 

- Overweight (lowers 

HDL-high-density lipoprotein and may 

raise LDL - low-density lipoprotein) 

- Lack of regular exercise (raises 

LDL and lowers HDL) 

- Smoking (may lower HDL by as 

much as 15 per cent) 

- Stress levels (stress can elevate 

cholesterol levels). 

Prevention 

- Preference to protein-centric diet 

(derive only 30 per cent calories from 

fat) 

- Eat more fibre-containing food. 

- Consume fresh fruits. 

- Intake of more fluids or water. 

- Avoid consumption of bakery 

products, deep fried items, high-carbohydrate 

content foods (sweets), red 

meat, egg yolk, excess alcohol, excess 

consumption of oil and ghee products, 

milk products such as butter, paneer, 

etc, junk food items such as pasta, pizza 

and burgers in regular meals. 

36 

Decoded: How 

a key defence 

protein leads 

to cancer 

A team of Swiss and Russian 

scientists has decoded how 

a defence protein that fights 

viral infections in our body 

takes advantage of a weakness 

in our DNA replication 

process to induce mutations 

in our genome, leading to 

cancer. 

The defence protein 

called “APOBEC” is a useful 

yet dangerous, intrinsic 

cellular protein. 

The researchers have 

observed that mutations 

induced by APOBEC can 

be found in many tumourous 

cells throughout the 

genome. 

How can APOBEC 

- which can affect only 

single-stranded DNA - be 

the cause of so many cancers 

in human beings? 

“We were very surprised 

to observe that in APOBEC 

cancers, the mutation rate 

is equally distributed in all 

regions. When APOBEC is 

involved, mutations occur 

early during replication, and 

affect important genes,” explained 

Vladimir Seplyarskiy 

from the Russian Academy 

of Sciences and fist author of 

this study. 

These mutations tend 

to be more deleterious than 

other kind of mutations, 

Seplyarskiy added. 

Since the scientists 

knew that APOBEC can only 

mutate single stranded DNA, 

they needed to identify in 

what direction the replication 

fork was going in order 

to identify the DNA regions 

that stay single-stranded for 

longer period of time. 

“For the first time ever, 

we managed to do so in 

human cells. We were able 

to identify the direction of 

the replication fork for about 

20 percent of the genome, 

and found twice as many 

mutations,” informed Sergey 

Nikolaev, geneticist at University 

of Geneva (UNIGE), 

Switzerland, in a paper 

appeared in the journal 

Genome Research. 

The scientists will continue 

their research to better 

understand how tumorous 

cells replicate their DNA differently 

from healthy cells. 

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

Mehbooba........ 

the new government in Jammu and Kashmir would be in place 

by first week of February. There are bleak chances of PDP joining 

hands with Congress and depending on support from independents 

to run the government. Either it would be PDP-BJP 

alliance or PDP would opt for midterm polls.” 

Sharif....... 

information" to Pakistan soon after the Pathankot attack reportedly 

carried out by Jaish militants on the intervening night of 

January 1 and 2 that killed seven Indian soldiers. 

Pakistani National Security Advisor Lt Gen Naseer Khan Janjua 

on January 5 called up his Indian counterpart Ajit Doval during 

which they discussed "specific and actionable information" 

related to the Pathankot strike. 

Investigation........ 

The two sides said the decision on the crucial talks was mutual 

and it will be rescheduled in ‘very near future’. 

Pak........ 

hesitate to act if anyone was found guilty, the official said. 

"India wants us to hand over Masood Azhar and Hafiz 

Saeed and as we have declined a number of times, they want us 

to at least give access to the investigators to interrogate them. 

We have told them it was not possible," he added. 

Another official said investigators were interrogating the 

suspects arrested in the Pathankot case. 

He said the authorities were in contact with India and keeping 

them updated. Pakistan has already submitted initial report 

to India regarding Pathankot attack. 

The cell numbers used by the attackers, according to the 

report, were not registered and could not be traced in Pakistan. 

Pakistan had been working on the Indian leads to find out if 

at all Pakistan`s soil was used in the plot, he said. 

Peace........ 

Minister of India, during his visit to Srinagar in November 2015, 

announced a Special Package of over Rs. 80,000 crore which 

will support humanitarian and multi-sectoral growth initiatives 

for promoting an environment of certainty and stability, 

the Governor said. He added that this Special Package includes 

provision of relief to the flood affected, refugees and migrants 

and implementation of projects for development of social and 

economic infrastructure. It provides approximately Rs.42,700 

crore for the construction of roads, highways and tunnels and 

securing substantial enhancement of connectivity in the coming 

years. 

The Governor observed that growth and the pace of development 

will improve significantly also when the governmental 

machinery starts performing with speed, efficiency and accountability. 

He emphasized that to restore the people’s faith 

and trust in the functioning of the administrative apparatus it is 

of vital importance to eradicate corruption and visibly improve 

the functioning of the public delivery systems. 

Emphasizing the need for empowerment of people, the 

Governor said that governance shall become more effective and 

productive when the people are adequately empowered and 

are involved both in decision making and in the implementation 

of developmental schemes and programmes. He said that 

towards this objective, it is necessary to undertake the now very 

long pending elections to Urban Local Bodies and to urgently 

carry out reforms in the existing urban administration and 

taxation framework. He said that side by side, timely elections 

to Panchayats and the establishment of Panchayati Raj Institutions 

will enable the people at the village level to themselves 

determine their developmental priorities and also monitor 

implementation of the various works and programmes which 

are meant to promote their welfare. He hoped that both these 

objectives shall be attained during the current year. 

The Governor thanked the J&K Police, Central Armed Police 

Forces and the Army, for their devotion and continuing sacrifices 

and urged them to continue maintaining a close vigil on 

the frontiers. He also complimented the people who live in the 

border areas for their courage and cooperation. 

The Governor said that on the joyous occasion of Republic 

Day we must pay homage to the great leaders who carried out 

a prolonged struggle to liberate India from the colonial rule. He 

said that we must also pay tribute to the founding fathers of the 

Constitution of India who set for us the goals of nationhood.He 

greeted the people of Jammu and Kashmir on this occasion and 

prayed that this year will usher peace and normalcy and bring 

happiness and prosperity to one and all. 

Prayers........ 

Arabia Dr. Ayub Matoo said that he was very close to Mufti Sahab 

and he ( Mufti Sahab) used to visit him whenever he was 

in Saudi Arabia. 

" Mufti Sahab treated me like his son and his death is a personal 

loss to me. So I organized these prayer meetings for his 

Esaal-e Sawab today in Saudi Arabia.” 

Dr. Ayub Matoo is a resident of Manzgam in district Kulgam 

and is working as head of department in a Saudi hospital. 

Cold........ 

said Sonam Lotus, director of Jammu and Kashmir meteorological 

department. 

The dense fog forced cancellation and rescheduling of trains 

to and from Jammu city. The air traffic also remained suspended 

due to poor visibility. Motorists used headlights and blinkers to 

caution the vehicles ahead in the fog-blanketed city. 

The minimum temperature recorded in Jammu city on 

Monday was 3.2 degrees Celsius. It was 4.9 in Katra, 1.9 in 

Batote, fractionally above the freezing point at 0.1 at Banihal and 

0.8 in Udhampur town, and minus 0.9 in Bhaderwah. 

In Srinagar, the night temperature stayed well below the 

freezing point at minus 3.3 degrees Celsius on Monday, while it 

was minus 5.9 in Pahalgam and minus 4.5 in Gulmarg. 

In the Ladakh region, the minimum temperature was a 

whopping minus 14.7 degrees Celsius in the Leh town and minus 

15.6 in Kargil town. 

Government announces 

State awards 

Jammu, Jan 25: On the occasion of 67th Republic Day, the State 

Government today announced names for grant of State Awards 

in various fields. 

Azhar Rasool (posthumously) S/o Late Gh. Rasool has been 

accorded State award for Bravery. 

Prof. Mohammad Zaman Azurda and Bimla Raina W/O K.K. 

Raina, (Writer) have been accorded State Award for achievement 

in the field of literature. 

Krishan Langoo, Gulzar A. Ganie (Singer) and Rashid Jahangir 

(Singer)have been accorded State Award for performing 

Arts. 

Abdul Aziz Bazaz, Craftsman, (wood carving) has been 

awarded for excellence in Arts and Crafts. 

Pradip Kumar Tripathi, IAS, Raj Kumar Goyal, IAS and 

Hashmat Ali Khan, KAS have been accorded State Award for 

meritorious public service. 

Pandit Bhajan Sopori has been accorded State life time 

achievement award. 

Chain Singh (Shooting), Arushi Kotwal (Chess), Zahoor Ahmad 

Lattoo (Kayaking/canoeing), Manpreet Kour (Gymnastics), 

Shweta Thakur (Judo), Showkat Jeelani (Paralympics) and Lt. 

Col. Ranveer Singh Jamwal,(Mountaineering) have been accorded 

State Award for outstanding Sports person. 

Shujaat Bukhari (Journalist), Shafiq Ahmed Qureshi, Regional 

News Unit, DD News, Srinagar and Youg Raj Raina, Cameraman, 

DD Kendra, Jammu have been accorded State Award 

for outstanding media person. 

Khurram Mir, (HN Agri Serve (P) Ltd), Umar Tramboo (Khyber 

Group) and Sheikh Imran (Kehwah Group) have been accorded 

State Award for Exemplary Industrial Entrepreneurship. 

Saudi-Iran Row: SA FM 

denies Pak mediation 

Islamabad, Jan 25: Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al Jubeir has 

denied that Pakistan mediated between Saudi Arabia and Iran 

amid recent tensions between the two rival countries, Bahrain’s 

state media reported Monday. 

Some countries had offered to mediate and communicate 

ideas between Riyadh and Tehran, however there will be no 

mediation “unless Iran responds positively”, the Bahrain News 

Agency (BNA) report quoted Jubeir as saying. 

In what was described as a significant diplomatic mission, 

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and the Chief of Army Staff Gen 

Raheel Sharif last week met the Saudi and Iranian leaderships in 

their respective capitals for what the government described as a 

move for defusing tensions between the two Muslim countries 

that were sparked by execution of Saudi dissident Sheikh Nimr 

and the subsequent attack on Saudi mission in Iran by protesters. 

Jubeir’s statement is in contrast to the prime minister’s, 

who upon the conclusion of his “mediation trip” had struck an 

upbeat tone, saying Pakistan’s initiative was welcomed in both 

capitals and he expected it to progress. 

“Saudi leadership told me that they did not see Iran as an enemy 

and I heard similar sentiments from Iranian leaders, who too 

are not in favour of tensions,” the premier said at the time. 

“Iran knows what is required from it,” the Saudi foreign 

minister said, speaking on the sidelines of the first ministerial session 

of Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC)-India Cooperation Forum. 

Iran has adopted a hostile approach towards Arab countries 

by meddling in their internal affairs, sowing sectarian strife and 

backing terrorism as confirmed by numerous strong evidences, 

Jubeir alleged. 

He was quoted as saying that Iran should change its policy 

and method of dealing with its neighbours on the principle of 

good neighbourliness and refrain from interference in the internal 

affairs of other countries so that the path will be open to 

building better relations with its neighbours, he said.

7 

SRINAGAR, TUESDAY 


S 

P 

O 

R 

T 

S 

We didn’t use our brains in death overs: Grant Flower 

In a frank post-mortem after the 

70-run loss, Pakistan’s batting coach 

Grant Flower has said the visitors 

“didn’t use [their] brains” towards 

the end of New Zealand’s innings, in 

which 71 runs were plundered off 

the final five overs. Those runs had 

largely come from New Zealand’s No. 

9 and 10 batsmen, Mithcell McClenaghan 

and Matt Henry, who put on 

73 together, before No. 11 Trent Boult 

edged the final ball of the innings 

through the vacant slip region. 

Pakistan had used the short ball 

well, to have New Zealand 99 for 6 

by the 23rd over, but Flower said 

the death overs required a different 

approach. 

“We didn’t use our brains at all 

towards the end,” he said. “Bowling 

yorkers is skill execution, and we 

didn’t do that. They played well at the 

end. The short ball worked to a certain 

extent, but we overdid it, and we 

didn’t learn and we just didn’t bowl 

enough yorkers. 

“If we’re going to be honest we 

should have got them out for 200- 

odd, seeing the start we had.” 

Santner’s positivity helped me 

drop anchor - Nicholls 

Henry Nicholls has said Mitchell 

Santner’s positivity at the crease 

helped him bind the innings together 

with his 111-ball 82. The pair lifted 

New Zealand from 99 for 6 with a 

79-run stand. 

“It was great the way Mitchell 

came out and was positive, which 

allowed me to play more of an anchor 

role and keep wickets in hand from 

that position. Credit needs to go to 

Pakistan the way they got those early 

wickets, but we had to play positive. 

The wind and one short boundary 

made us realise 250 probably wasn’t 

going to be enough.” 

Henry’s dismissal in the 45th 

over brought together ninth-wicket 

pair Mitchell McClenaghan and Matt 

Henry, who provided an explosive finish 

to the innings, hitting seven fours 

and six sixes between them. 

“I was dirty on myself getting out 

when I did - didn’t want to miss out 

on some overs,” Nicholls said. “But it 

was probably a blessing the way they 

had that partnership. Matt got hit a 

couple of times but way he came back 

was massive to us, in being able to get 

a score on the board.” 

Pakistan’s seamers were guilty 

of bowling lengths that allowed New 

Zealand’s tailenders get under the 

ball. Matt Henry and Mitchell Mc- 

Clenaghan struck six sixes and seven 

fours in what was a record 73-run 

ninth-wicket stand for New Zealand 

against Pakistan. 

“You can get as many messages 

as you want out to the players, but 

it’s got to come from within,” Flower 

said. “It’s also executing your skills. 

If there’s a yorker to be bowled, you 

have to bowl it as a yorker, not a half 

volley.” 

Flower didn’t confine his stern 

words to the bowling attack’s 

performance. Pakistan’s batsmen 

had made a slow start to the chase 

of 281, making just 33 runs from the 

first 10 overs, at the end of which 

the required rate had climbed to 6.2. 

Flower felt they could have been more 

aggressive.“Even though we should 

have got them out for a lot less, I still 

backed the guys to get the target. We 

lacked a bit of intent at the start and 

then we had quite a few soft wickets. 

We didn’t take advantage of a good 

batting track in the afternoon.” 

New Zealand have now won 9 

out of 11 completed limited-overs 

matches in their home summer. 

Pakistan, meanwhile, have lost four 

consecutive matches on tour, having 

begun with a comfortable T20 victory 

in Auckland. 

“It doesn’t seem 

like we’re learning 

from our 

mistakes - that’s 

the disappointing 

part,” Flower 

said. “It’s one 

thing losing, but 

you’re paid to do 

a job and if you 

keep making the 

same mistakes, 

there are going 

to be questions 

asked.” 

Retired 

Petersen 

denied MCL stint 

after Lions 

refuse NOC 

The Lions’ CEO Greg Fredericks 

said the NOC was 

denied to Alviro Petersen 

as the franchise felt he 

was central to their plans 

during the upcoming 

fixtures © AFP 

Three South African 

players will attempt to 

play in the inaugural Masters 

Champions League 

without signed NOCs 

from their national body, 

Cricket South Africa. Richard 

Levi, Rory Kleinveldt 

and Robin Peterson have 

all been denied NOCs 

because the MCL clashes 

with South African domestic 

fixtures. A fourth 

player, Alviro Petersen, 

also did not receive an 

NOC, and will not be 

traveling to the UAE 

because he is contractually 

bound to play for 

Highveld Lions, his South 

African franchise. 

Petersen tweeted his 

situation on Monday. 

“Its with regret that I 

announce that @HighveldLions 

CEO & Board 

denied me an NOC to 

play in @MCL2020UAE . 

My team mate Mc Kenzie 

got his NOC.” 

Petersen retired 

from international 

cricket in January 2015 

but remains contracted 

to the Lions franchise, 

for whom he scored a 

double-hundred in the 

most recent round of 

first-class matches. For 

any player to receive 

an NOC, their franchise 

has to agree and then 

apply to CSA for a final 

signature. The Lions’ 

CEO Greg Fredericks told 

ESPNcricinfo that they 

chose not to do this after 

discussions with the 

coach and selectors in 

which they decided the 

franchise needs Petersen 

for upcoming fixtures. 

McKenzie has a different 

and smaller agreement 

with Lions, which 

will expire at the end of 

the 2015-16 summer. He 

only played in the List A 

competition this season 

after retiring from firstclass 

cricket at the end 

of last season. Although 

that tournament is yet to 

conclude, the Lions have 

deemed him surplus to 

requirements, paving 

way for his NOC. 

The situation with 

the Levi, Kleinveldt 

and Peterson is different. 

None of them have 

publicly announced their 

retirement from international 

cricket but an 

insider told ESPNcricinfo 

that all of them have 

written to CSA to state 

that it is not their intention 

to play international 

cricket anymore. 

Shastri happy to have 

experienced hands back 

for T20s 

The biggest factor in India’s series 

defeat in Australia might have 

been the physicality of Australia’s 

game - running between the 

wickets and stronger arms from 

the deep - but in a game condensed 

to 20 overs per innings 

India might not need the same 

amounts of physical strength. 

Selectors world over seem to 

be realising that you need not 

look too far into the future when 

building T20 teams. If a player 

has a bit of an X-factor, he need 

not promise it for the next three 

to four years, which you want in 

ODIs and in Tests. 

Australia have gone to Shaun 

Tait because he gives them the 

pace. It doesn’t matter that he 

will be 33 before the World T20 

starts. Forty-four-year-old Brad 

Hogg is always part of conversations 

too. India have gone back to 

Yuvraj Singh, Ashish Nehra and 

Harbhajan Singh. The youngest of 

Padma 

Bhushan 

for Sania, 

Saina; 

Deepika to 

get Padma 

Shri 

them is Yuvraj at 34. India have 

been missing two aspects: experience 

with the ball and a big 

hitter who can go bang from ball 

one. For experience with seam 

bowling they have gone to Nehra. 

For big hitting they have two 

options: veteran Yuvraj or rookie 

youngster Hardik Pandya. 

As India’s road to World T20 

begins with their three-match 

T20I series against Australia, 

team director Ravi Shastri has 

welcomed the experienced 

hands back into the squad. While 

he is mindful that a balance 

between fitness and experience 

needs to be maintained, he also 

stated the fitness demands for 

T20s weren’t as stern. Talking 

about Nehra, he said: “It’s also 

about how fit you are. Between 

50 overs and 20 overs, there is a 

big difference, because there is 

30 extra overs of fielding and six 

extra overs to bowl. 

HIGHLIGHTS 

• Sania enjoyed the most sensational 

run, clinching 9 titles 

-- including two Grand Slams 

last year. 

• Saina has also been in great 

touch, winning silver medals at 

All England and World Championship 

last year. 

• Deepika won a silver at Archery 

World Cup Final besides 

bronze at World Cup Stage II. 

NEW DELHI: Women dominated 

this year’s Padma awards 

for sports with tennis star Sania 

Mirza and ace shuttler Saina 

Nehwal getting the nod for the 

Padma Bhushan, while archer 

Deepika Kumari was chosen for 

the Padma Shri on Monday. 

All three were in sublime 

touch last year and brought the 

country laurels in their respective 

sports. 

Sania enjoyed the most 

sensational run, clinching nine 

titles -- including two Grand 

Slams last year with Swiss great 

Martina Hingis. The exceptional 

performance propelled her to 

the top of the WTA doubles 

rankings. 

The 29-year-old is currently 

competing in the Australian 

Open in Melbourne, where 

she has reached the women’s 

doubles quarterfinals with 

Hingis. 

Saina has also been in spectacular 

touch, winning silver 

medals at the All England and 

World Badminton Championship 

last year besides clinching 

the India Open Super Series and 

Syed Modi Grand Prix Gold. 

Deepika, on the other hand, 

won a silver at the Archery 

World Cup Final besides bronze 

medals at the World Cup Stage 

II and the Asian Team Championships. 

Saina, who is in the country 

to compete in this week’s Syed 

Modi Grand Prix Gold Tournament, 

said the honour has left 

her surprised. Interestingly, the 

25-year-old had expressed her 

displeasure at being ignored for 

the award last year. 

“It is a great honour and 

I want to thank the Ministry 

We intend to play fearless cricket in 

T20 series: Raina 

The demoralising ODI series defeat is 

a thing of past and the Indian team 

will challenge the Australians in the 

Twenty20 series with some fearless 

cricket, batsman Suresh Raina said on 

Monday after joining the side Down 

Under. 

The short three-match Twenty20 

series between the two sides will 

begin on Tuesday and Raina said it 

will be important for them to start the 

series well. 

“We intend to play fearless cricket. 

The ODI series is the past now and this 

is a fresh beginning. We have to look to 

be dominating and be positive in our 

approach. We will do well. Australia 

have a young side and they would 

know that the win in the last game has 

given us good momentum going into 

the T20Is. They will come hard at us 

but we are ready too,” Raina said after 

a practice session here. 

Raina joined the side along with 

Yuvraj Singh, Harbhajan Singh, Ashish 

Nehra and the young Hardik Pandya. 

for giving me the award. I am 

very happy with the way the 

last year has gone, I have been 

performing well. I reached 

World No.1 last year and now 

I am World No.2. I am sure 

this award will give me more 

motivation to do well further 

this year,” Saina said. 

“It came as a complete 

surprise to me. I had no 

clue. I did not expect at all. 

There was no news of it at 

all. When I think that I am 

just 25 and I have received 

this award, it makes me feel 

great. But it is still a long way 

to go.” 

Saina was left disappointed 

after the Sports Ministry 

decided to reject her application 

for the award in January 

last year, citing norms. 

The ministry had picked 

two-time Olympic-medallist 

wrestler Sushil Kumar for the 

honour last year. 

Saina was bestowed the 

Khel Ratna and Padma Shri 

in 2010 and also received the 

Arjuna Award in 2009. 

Zidane ‘very proud’ of Real Madrid despite 

tame draw at Betis 

Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane has 

admitted that he is not at all disappointed with his 

side’s performance and added that he is still very 

proud of them despite settling with a 1-1 draw 

against Real Betis in their La Liga clash at the 

Benito Villamarin stadium. 

Earlier, forward Karim Benzema netted a goal in 

the 71st minute of the match to rescue his side 

from a defeat against Real Betis. The 43-year-old 

asserted that his side played well in the second 

half of the game,calling on Madrid to work 

harder in order to claim victory in the upcoming 

matches. 

“The good thing is that I saw an improvement late 

in the game, in the second half. We now have 

finished our third week together and we are going 

to keep working,” the French manager was 

quoted as saying by Goal.com. 

Zidane insisted that Real Madrid were still in a 

good path and would keep continuing with their 

line of 

work. “You have to take the positives - we lost 

two points and that’s the negative, but we think 

this can be taken forward and we can fight for La 

The diminutive left-hander 

emphasised on the need for improved 

running between the wickets and 

fielding well at the big Australian 

grounds. 

“I feel we have to try and build 

pressure by bowling a lot of dot balls. 

Fielding will be the key here. We have 

to run really hard in these grounds. 

The singles and doubles will hold importance. 

As you saw in the final ODI, 

M.S. Dhoni and Manish Pandey ran 

really well between the wickets which 

is why the team got over the line. You 

will have to wait till the end before 

handing over that finishing blow. It 

will be important to start well in the 

first six overs,” he said. 

Yuvraj is making a comeback of 

sorts and Raina believed the team was 

more than happy to have him back in 

the side. 

“Yuvraj has been in good form of 

late. Everyone wants to see a player 

like Yuvraj to perform and do well for 

the team. 

Ailing Wawrinka 

beaten but 

unbowed 

MELBOURNE: French Open champion 

Stan Wawrinka blamed a lingering 

cold for his exit from the fourth round 

of the Australian Open at the hands of 

Canada’s Milos Raonic on Monday. 

The 30-year-old admitted he was far 

from his best in the three hour, 44 

minute contest on Rod Laver Arena, the 

scene of his first Grand Slam triumph 

in 2014, and was surprised only that he 

managed to force five sets. 

“I think honestly I’ve come from too far. 

I’ve been sick for 10 days now,” the 

Swiss told reporters after the 6-4, 6-3, 

5-7, 4-6, 6-3 loss. 

Liga until the end,” Zidane said. 

Zinedine Zidane to replace sacked Rafa 

Benitez as Real Madrid coach?

26 January 2016

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