Cong back-stabbed people of Jammu region: Sadhotra

Excelsior Correspondent

JAMMU, Oct 28: Charging Congress with back-stabbing people of Jammu region by accepting PDP chief Mufti Mohammed Sayed as Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, former Rural Development Minister and National Conference MLA from Marh, Mr Ajay Sadhotra today said that real power hungry face of Congress has been exposed before the masses.

In a statement issued here today, Mr Sadhtora regretted that Congres had used regionalism to exploit sentiments of the people of Jammu region. He, however, said that on the very first instance, Congress after getting maximum number of seats from Jammu region, has batrayed people of Jammu region. "People of Jammu have been feeling let down the way Congress has ditched them", he said.

He said that during their entire election campaign, Congress leaders had exploitment regional sentiments by assuring the people that this time they will give Chief Minister from Jammu region but just for the lust of power, Congress leaders sold emotion of Jammuities.

For getting power Congress played regional card, he said, adding, "for sharing power with Mufti they (Congress leaders) played with the emotion of Jammu people to whom they had exploited during the election campaign". Mr Sadhotra said that Congress was neither pro-Jammu nor pro-Kashmir, "Congress is only pro-power and for lust of power this party can join with any group or any organisation and will never hesitate to play with the emotions of people".

NC MLA said that real face of power hungry Congress has exposed before the masses and people will teach a lesson to this party for back-stabbing them. He cautioned people against neferious designs of Congress, which according to him, had played dangerous game of dividing State on regional lines.

NHPC Workers Union holds annual conference

Excelsior Correspondent

JAMMU, Oct 28: The seventh annual conference of Salal NHPC Workers Union was held at Jyotipuram under the chairmanship of Mr Gian Singh.

As per a release, the conference was attended by 67 delegates after hoisting the Union Flag, Mr K K Bakshi, a CITU leader in his inaugural speech cautioned the workers against the dangers they will be facing in future due to globalization and faulty economic policies of the Central Government.

Mr Sham Prasad president United School Teachers Association apprised the delegates of anti employees economic policies persued by the Central Government.

He said by implementing the economic policies Central Government is over burdening the working class. The general secretary of the CITU, Mr Om Parkash called upon the working class to participate in the agitational programme of the organization.

The secretaries report was placed by Mr Kapoor Singh and this was unanimously adopted by the House after the deliberations.

It also elected Messrs Gian Singh as chairman, R C Verma, president, Sumeshwar Prasad, senior vice president, Kapoor Singh, general secretary, Om Parkash, chief advisor and Jagjiwan Ram cashier.

Anjuman-e-Adab holds meeting

Excelsior Correspondent

UDHAMPUR, Oct 28: A meeting of the Jammu and Kashmir Anjuman-e-Adab was held in which the sad and untimely demise of the noted Urdu poet Surinder Sajid was condoled.

According to a press release, Mr Balraj Bakshi, president of the Anjuman said that Surinder Sajid was one of the founder member of the Anjuman which was formed in 1967. He said that Surinder Sajid’s poetry was highly influenced by the progressivism of Sahir, Faiz and Krishan Chander and reflected a deep empathy of down trodden and deprived sections of the society. He was an active member of the Anjuman and always strived for the cause of Urdu, he said.

Mr Saroop Anand said that Surinder Sajid was a good friend and a nice soul. A resolution condoling his death passed. Later two minutes silence was observed for the peace of departed soul.

A brief Mushaira was also held in which Balraj Bakshi, Anand Saroop Anjum, Bal Krishan Bhonra, Jai Lal Jai, Jugal Kishore Shakir, Ghanshyam Musafir, Farooq Bismal and Mukesh Singh Khhaar recited their poetry.

Prominent among those who participated in the meeting were Kuldip Sabar, Yogesh Kumar, Kantar Singh Jamwal and Mohan Singh Jamwal.

CMP silent over providing justice to Jammu region
Cong-PDP announce concession for terrorists: Gupta

Excelsior Correspondent

JAMMU, Oct 28: Senior BJP leader and Union Minister of State for Defence, Prof Chaman Lal Gupta has described the Common Minimum Programme drawn by the Congress and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to run their coalition in Jammu and Kashmir as ambiguous, contradictory and unrealistic.

Addressing the BJP activists here, Prof Gupta said that on the one hand there was much talk about restoration of peace but on the other several concessions have been promised to the terrorists and killers of innocent persons. He pointed out that the Congress-PDP has announced concessions for the kins of the terrorists but there has been little mention to help the destitudes caused by terrorism.

Taking a strong exception of abolishing of POTA and withdrawal of cases registered under this law, Prof Gupta said that about 200 cases under POTA have been registered in the State. Many of such cases pertain to the massacres like those of Rajiv Nagar, Dudasan Bala and about several other incidents of blasts and killings. Terrorists and their associates booked under POTA also include many Pakistani, Afgans and other foreigners. Whether all these would go scot free, he wondered and further said that this agenda also provides for freedom to those politicians who have been getting funds from abroad through various Hawala channels to finance terrorism.

About the regional disparities, Prof Gupta said that nothing concrete has been proposed to bring to an end to the step-motherly treatment being extended to Jammu and Ladakh regions for the past over 50 years except talking about to grant the post of Deputy Chief Minister of Jammu as if this would solve the entire problem of regional imbalances.

He said that unless the whole political mantle is changed and Jammu is granted its due share in political structure of the State, the regional disparities as also the tension that had developed, cannot end. The basic thing is that Jammu is having about 4 lakh more electorates and nearly double the geographical area than Kashmir Valley but still Kashmir Valley has been provided as many as 47 seats.

Prof Gupta asked both Congress and PDP that whether they are prepared to grant Jammu region the representation on basis of its strength of electorates and geographical area before talking something else. On this vital issue why this agenda is totally silent ?

He asked the BJP activists to gear up to meet the challenges ahead because the BJP is the legacy of a movement which was launched by late Pandit Prem Nath Dogra with the objective of defending Jammu and Kashmir as an integral part of the country by frustrating any design of forces inimical to India, and at the home front to bring to an end to the regional discrimination so as to ensure justice to all the people and regions irrespective of their caste and creed.

KSSS elects new office bearers

Excelsior Correspondent

JAMMU, Oct 28: The members of Kashmir Sanskrit Sahitya Sammelan in a meeting held here today elected new office bearers for the organisation.

According to a release, Swami Swyamnand was elected as chairman, Prof J N Sharma and Acharya Dina Nath Yaksha Shastri as patrons. Dr B N Kalla will be the new president and Mrs Sarla Handoo as general secretary.

Dr Dhani Ram Shastri was elected as vice-president, Dr Jai Krishan as secretary, Prof P N Madhup—treasurer, Mr Tej Krishan Rawal—chief organiser while Prof Kailash Mehra, P L Handoo and Krishanjee Langoo as executive members.

The Sammelan which was established in 1954 in Srinagar, conducted its first meeting in Jammu after migration from Valley. This meet was held at Muthi under the chairmanship of Swami Swayamnandji.

Affiliated to all India Sanskrit Sahitya Sammelan New Delhi, the organisation introduced Saral Sanskrit Examinations of Bharatiya Vidhya Bhawan (Bombay) at Srinagar. The organisation is working for the revival of Sanskrit and preservation of Sanskrit manuscripts.

Its members have contributed to Vishwa Sanskrit Shatabdi Grantha of Jammu and Kashmir Rajya Bhaga published by All India Sanskrit

Sahitya Sammelan, New Delhi in the year 1966.

Kathua Bar suspends work, condemns Mufti’s statement

Excelsior Correspondent

KATHUA, Oct 28: A meeting of the Bar Association Kathua was held today under the presidentship of Mr Rajinder Sharma, advocate to discuss the statement of PDP leader Mufti Mohammed Sayed that in the event of his Chief Ministership POTA will not be used, Special Task Force will be amalgamated in the regular police force and the detained terrorists will be set free and further, they will be rehabilitated.

The Bar Association strongly condemned this statement and termed it as an appeasement policy towards militants. It was observed that winding up of the Special Task Force and making the POTA redundant will neutralise the achievements of the security forces in the last 10 years and further aggravate the terrorist problem in the State.

The Bar unanimously resolved to move any such move by the future Government and as a mark of protest, spend work today.

PDP leaders’ plea to people of Jammu

Excelsior Correspondent

JAMMU, Oct 28: Various PDP leaders have urged the people of Jammu to co-operate with the Congress-PDP Government in the broader interests of the region.

As per a release taking strong exception to the vicious propaganda campaign launched by some frustrated elements in Jammu the PDP leaders said that forming Government is a game of numbers and if these people want to represent Jammu, they better increase their number instead of increasing confusion among people.

They claimed that Congress and PDP have number game in their favour and that is why they are forming Government. The PDP leaders said the region of Jammu has already suffered too much by adopting path of confrontation and added that now the time has come when co-operation should be extended in the general public interest.

The PDP leaders said that India is a democratic country where will of the people is expressed in terms of votes. Resorting to Hartals and bandhs is no solution, they said and exhorted the people to get united and co-operate with the new Government for solving their genuine problems.

They added that people have fed up with protests and strikes. "Had this not been true, those resorting to such tactics since 50 years would not have been wiped out from the political scene today.

The PDP leaders said people of Jammu should learn a lesson from the people of Kashmir who have now realized the real agenda of befooling the people by Hurriyat at the cost of peoples’ peace and prosperity.

Signatories to the statement included Messrs Tarlok Singh Bajwa, Ranbir Manhas, Ms Shanti Devi, Bhushan Lal Gupta, Sukhvinder Singh, B D Gorkha, Chuni Lal, Devinder Sharma, Shakir Siddiqui, Sheikh Mujib, Suram Singh, Ranbir Singh Manga, Zaffar Khan, Virinder Soni, Ved Gandotra, Harmeet Singh, Baldev Pappa, Sohit Sharma, Bhushan Khajuria, Arsha Kumari, Anshuman Sharma, Ramnik Singh, Kuldeepo Kumar Shan and Subash Kumar.

Army organises Goodwill Camp

Excelsior Correspondent

DODA, Oct 28: As a part of the Army’s on-going drive to win the hearts and minds of the civil population, a Goodwill-cum-Medical Camp was held at Udianpur in Doda district under the aegis of 4 Sector Rashtriya Rifles and organised by 10 RR Battalion. Over 3000 inhabitants of the local villages participated.

The camp was inaugurated by Deputy Commissioner Doda while SSP and other Government officers were also present. Goodwill camp received over-whelming response from the locals. Cash prizes worth Rs 7000 were given to various school children who participated in the function. 47 Ex-servicemen also interacted with DC and other district officers. Their problems were discussed and attended to.

A team of Army and civil doctors provided medical care to over 1400 people of which 17 cases for prolonged treatment were referred to District Hospital Doda. Veterinary cover provided at the camp was a big draw where Animal Husbandry Department provided treatment to 500 animals while other 1000 were vaccinated. Poultry Department sold 200 chicken at subsidized rates.

Highly subsidized agricultural equipment displayed by the District Agriculture Department attracted a large number of farmers and were sold like hot cakes. The stall of Handloom Department was also a big attraction and did good business.

Chief Education Officer Doda assured locals that problems of schools in remote areas will be attended to.

The Camp was by and large a big success.

Ladakhi language making good strides
in Himalayan regions

Excelsior Correspondent

LEH, Oct 28: Two Ladakhi scholars Nawang Tsering Shakspo and Thupstan Paldan have said that Ladakhi language and scripts are making a good stride in Himalayan regions including Baltistan.

This was disclosed by Nawang Tsering, Editor-cum-Cultural Officer, J&K Cultural Academy, Leh, who just returned after attending 8th Himalayan Language Symposium, held in Berne, the capital of Switzerland, organised by University of Berne from September 19, 2002.

According to experts, Ladakhi belongs to the Sino-Tibetan language phylum of the Tibetan-Burman line, in the western branch of the Tibetan language family. Puriki and Balti also belong to the same language group.

He said Bod-yig script of Tibet came to Ladakh some time in 8th century and at that time Ladakh was known as Western Tibet. The lower portion of Ladakh bordering Kashmir and Baltistan was known as Purik (Pod-rigs) which literally means people like that of Tibet.

During those days, the Tibetan language was prevalent in those area who were having the faith in Buddhism. With the Islamisation in the 14th century, the people of Baltistan and Purik (Kargil, Suru Valley, Sod, Paskyum, Chingam etc) adopted Islam and with that these people lost contact with Ladakhi script and literature. Balti language was written in Urdu thus Tibetan script vanished from these areas.

Mr Nawang and Mr Paldan said here in Ladakhi literary forum said here that six scholars of Baltistan mainly hailing from Skardo, the chief town of Baltistan, who participated in the symposium were of the notion that the Balti language which is actually the western branch of Sino-Tibetan language is facing difficulty to write in persian and in pronunciation and said that introduction of Pod-yig (Ladakhi script) in brewing up in the literacy field in Baltistan.

The Balti scholars said at the symposium that to bring Tibetan script in Baltistan, Balti Primer using Tibetan script have been brought out by the Baltistan Culture Foundation and are being introduced in Skardo and Khapulu.

Seventy scholars hailing from different Himalayan regions including USA, UK and other European and Asian countries participated in the four days long symposium. Ladakhi participants gave their thrust towards use of classical Tibetan for writing modern Ladakhi.