Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, July 29: People’s Democratic Party (PDP) today kickedstart campaign for the upcoming Assembly elections by organizing a meeting of senior party leaders and Ward incharge of Jammu West Assembly segment.
Speaking on the occasion, PDP candidate for Jammu West Assembly seat, Daman Bhasin sought mandate of the people to vociferously raise their voice in the Assembly. Bhasin regretted that present regime headed by Omar Abdullah has failed to solve problems of the people.
He said that public is the worst victim of the wrong policies of the present Government, which has failed to take any step to minimize woes of citizens.
Daman asked the leaders and in-charge of the Wards to go into public and seek their support to get the people rid of present corrupt dispensation. He assured the gathering that PDP would formulate a comprehensive plan for the development and upliftment of Jammu West.
PDP kickstarts campaign for Assembly elections
Army organizes ex-servicemen rally
Excelsior Correspondent
UDHAMPUR, July 29: The Army’s Chushul Brigade under the aegis of Trishul Division organized an Ex-Servicemen rally at Tangtse village in Leh.
The rally was organized in an effort by the Army to reach out to the veterans, widows and their dependents residing in treacherous and rugged areas of Eastern Ladakh region.
This rally provided a single platform for resolving various issues of ex-servicemen regarding their pension, health care, banking and other welfare schemes.
Various helpdesks including those of Zila Sainik Welfare office, DPDO and SBI Bank and information boards were established to educate them and address their grievances.
During the rally a medical and dental checkup camp was also organized in which many veterans and their dependents were rendered medical assistance and provided free medicines.
The response and participation for the rally was overwhelming as it was attended by large number of veterans and their dependents.
During the rally, Brigadier JKS Virk, Commander of Chushul Brigade interacted with the veterans and their dependents and assured them of all the assistance to be provided by the Army in reaching out to them and resolving their issues and grievances on a regular basis.
Police installs 3 water coolers for public
Excelsior Correspondent
POONCH, July 29: The district police installed three water coolers for the general public at Poonch, Surankote and Mendhar towns.
A police spokesman said that with the initiative of SSP Poonch, Shamsheer Hussain water cooler was installed near Eidgah/ Bus Stand at Poonch city, near Sub District Hospital at Surankote and another one at Main Chowk, Mendhar town the other day. The public has lauded the initiative of district police for this noble service.
Chain snatcher nabbed
Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, July 29: A chain snatcher involved in theft of gold chain near Kunjwani Chowk was arrested by Gangyal police today.
As per police sources, on specific inputs, police team from Gangyal Police Station, arrested a burglar identified as Ashwani Kumar alias Sunny, son of Girdhari Lal, a resident of Tinda Khurd, Bishnah has been arrested by Gangyal police.
The accused was involved in chain snatching case at Kunjwani Chowk and was evading his arrest since long.
Further investigation into the case is going on.
Police team headed by SHO Gangyal Police Station SI Noor Ahmed made the arrest under the supervision of SDPO Gandhi Nagar Harjeet Singh and SP South Rahul Malik.
LeT plot to kidnap honchos
NEW DELHI, July 29: Delhi Police today claimed the arrested top Lashkar-e-Toiba operative Abdul Subhan was planning to kidnap some top corporate honchos and finance terror activities from the ransom money.
Refusing to divulge names, Delhi Police officials alleged that he was constantly in touch with some other operatives including his cousin Asabuddin alias Showkat, who was lodged in Alipore jail in West Bengal serving life imprisonment in kidnapping of Khadim Shoes owner in Kolkata Partha Roy Burman in 2001, in connection with this.
Special Commissioner of Delhi Police’s elite Special Cell S N Shirvastava said that with his arrest, a plan by Lashkar-e-Toiba terror group to indulge in kidnapping and using the ransom for financing terror activities has been foiled.
He refused to give any further details.
Delhi Police brought Asabuddin here for questioning in connection with the alleged conspiracy of kidnapping a businessman and during interrogation, the sources claimed that he was also involved in the 2001 arms haul case of Patan in Gujarat.
Subhan, 42, a native of Mewat district in Haryana, was arrested by the Delhi Police Special Cell on July 20 from ISBT after being on their radar since his escape in November last year.
The sources said several phone calls were intercepted between Asabuddin, nephew of Subhan, and LeT operatives based in Pakistan by central security agencies.
They alleged Asabuddin used to get directions from LeT operatives in Pakistan and, thereafter, he used to pass the information to Subhan.
Asabuddin had got parole in August last year during which he had travelled to Mewat where the duo had hatched the conspiracy to carry out kidnapping and terror strikes.
“Suban was trying to set up a new module of LeT in Delhi and adjoining areas. Besides kidnapping, he was also planning to target the Red Fort and other monuments,” a senior official associated with the probe said.
The sources also claimed he had also planned to conduct a terror strike in Delhi during the 2013 Delhi assembly elections but the plan was aborted after the arrest of Mohammad Shahid and Qari Rashid.
Subhan is alleged to have been “brain washing” youths from Rajasthan, Haryana and Bihar and that he was the prime motivator who conducted recruitment on behalf of LeT. (PTI)
30 injured in Kargil clashes
Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, July 29: About 30 civilians sustained minor injuries when people from two neighbouring villages clashed at GM Pour in TSG block of Kargil district after Eid prayers over use of one common passage for the two villages, an issue which was also pending in the High Court. However, timely intervention by police saved the situation from deteriorating and normalcy was restored within couple of hours.
SSP Kargil Sujit Kumar told the Excelsior on phone that the people of GM Pour and Saliskote villages in TSG block of Kargil district had an old dispute over use of one common passage for the two villages. Residents of both the villages had been claiming the passage and had taken the issue to the High Court, which had imposed a stay.
However, after Eid prayers, the people of both villages started pelting stones at each other and tried to use the passage. About 30 people from the two villages were injured in stone pelting.
Kumar said police didn’t use any kind of force to disperse the clashing people.
“We mediated between the people of two villages and also utilized services of elderly citizens. The issue was resolved within couple of hours and the stay over disputed passage was once again enforced,” he said, adding the injured were hospitalized.
None of the injured was serious, the SSP said.
Swaraj directs deployment of more staff for exit of Indians from Libya
NEW DELHI, July 29:
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj today directed deployment of additional staff to enable smooth facilitation of return of Indian nationals from strife -torn Libya, a day after the government advised its nationals to leave that country and not to travel there.
The minister, who reviewed the security situation impacting on Indian nationals in Libya, which is witnessing increased incidents of violence, also directed that additional staff be deployed in the Indian mission in Tunisia to assist Indian nationals who travel there by land route from Libya en route to India.
The review was done following an advisory by the Indian mission in Tripoli asking Indian nationals to avoid conflict zones in Libya and use all available means to exit Libya.
Indian mission in Tripoli is in touch with the approximately 4500 Indian nationals through 62 coordinators to facilitate their return and these include about 750 nurses, the Spokesperson in the MEA said.
Several Indian nationals have begun to return using the land route from Libya to Tunisia, he said, adding the mission was facilitating return of Indian nationals and working with Libyan authorities to obtain necessary exit permissions for Indian nationals wanting to return.
“In cases of indigent Indian nationals funds from the Indian Community Welfare Fund will be utilised to assist in facilitating their travel back to India from Libya,” he said.
In the advisory yesterday, Indian mission in Tripoli had said, “In view of the current security situation in Libya, all Indian nationals are advised to move to safer places and avoid all conflict zones. They are further advised to use all available means for exiting Libya. All travel from India to Libya should be postponed till the situation improves.”
Prior to the uprising in Libya, the number of Indians engaged there was estimated to be more than 18,000.
The Indian professionals were mainly employed in hospitals and other teaching institutions whereas a major part of manpower was engaged in construction projects. During the course of revolution, most of them were evacuated to India in February-March 2011.
Few hundred Indians continued to serve in Libya even during the revolution period. Gradually more Indians have returned to Libya and presently there are about 6000 Indians engaged there.
The demand of medical professionals and nurses in Libya is growing. Owing to the uncertain situation, recently the Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs (MOIA) suspended grant of emigration clearance to ECR category till June 30, 2014. (PTI)
Modi for raising farmers income by taking lab to land
NEW DELHI, July 29:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi today said the Government’s policy should be focussed on increasing the farmers’ income and asked scientists to take scientific technology to field for raising crop productivity.
Expressing concern over high import of cooking oil and pulses, he said scientists should help increase its productivity for reducing the country’s import dependence.
“We have to prove two points. One is our farmers are capable to feed the whole country and world, and second agriculture is capable of filling the pockets of our farmers,” Modi said while addressing the 86th foundation day of Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR)
The Prime Minister was of the view that if enough income is not generated for farmers it could be challenging to achieve the targets in the sector.
“Therefore our policies and actions should be focussed on this,” he said.
He laid emphasis on the need to take scientific technologies to agriculture field to boost farm production and meet growing food demand.
The Prime Minister said there is a need to increase crop yield at a faster pace without compromising on the quality.
Modi also called for blue revolution similar to green and white revolutions, saying the fisheries sector has great potential in the international trade.
He also asked scientists to focus on herbal medicines as is being done in China.
The Prime Minister suggested agriculture universities setting up their own radio stations to provide extension services to farmers.
He emphasised on the need for water conservation through rain harvesting and other measures in view of changing water and weather cycle.
Modi asked ICAR to start planning for celebrating the organisation’s 100th foundation day by setting specific targets and exhorted them to achieve more in the next 14 years than what was done in the last 86 years. (PTI)
Suicide bomber kills Afghan president’s cousin
KABUL, July 29:
A cousin and close associate of outgoing Afghan President Hamid Karzai was assassinated today by a suicide bomber who hid his explosives under his turban, a provincial official said.
The bomber walked up to the home of Hashmat Khalil Karzai to greet him after morning prayers for the Eid al-Fitr holiday, and detonated the explosives after shaking hands with the president’s cousin, said the official.
No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, which was reminiscent of the September 2011 killing of former Afghan President Burhanuddin Rabbani, who at the time was the leader of a government-appointed peace council seeking reconciliation with militants.
In that attack, an insurgent posing as a Taliban peace envoy detonated a bomb that was hidden in his turban as he met Rabbani at his home in Kabul.
Today’s attack took place at the reception room for guests at the Karzai family home in southern Kandahar province’s district of Karz, according to Dawa Khan Minapal, the provincial governor’s spokesman.
Hashmat, a political figure in his own right, has been his cousin’s staunch supporter and has also backed former Finance Minister Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai’s bid to succeed President Karzai.
It was not the first time that Karzai’s family members have been targeted. The president’s powerful half-brother, Ahmad Wali Karzai, who was the head of the provincial council, was slain in his home in the city of Kandahar by his bodyguard in July 2011.
The attack comes at a sensitive time in Afghanistan as an audit is taking place under international supervision of all 8 million ballots cast last month in the second round of the country’s presidential election. The process is key to insuring a peaceful transfer of power ahead of the withdrawal of most foreign troops by the end of the year.
The two presidential contenders, Ahmadzai and former Foreign Minister Abdullah Abdullah, are awaiting the results of the audit.
President Karzai yesterday appealed for a speedy conclusion to the audit that will determine his successor, saying that Afghanistan urgently needs a new president. His slain cousin Hashmat ran a private security company and was also on Ahmadzai’s election campaign team as campaign manager for Kandahar. (AGENCIES)
Satish powers RCC Srinagar to big win
Excelsior Sports Correspondent
JAMMU, July 29: All-rounder Satish Kumar’s superb 73 runs and 2 crucial wickets helped Rainawari Cricket Club (RCC), Srinagar outplay Champions Cricket Club (CCC) R S Pura by a huge margin of 101 runs to advance in the ongoing Ravi Singh Charak Memorial T20 Cricket Tournament, being organized by Azad Cricket Club at Model School ground, Satwari here.
Earlier, put into bat, RCC Srinagar, rode on a superb 73 runs by Satish Kumar to post a mammoth total of 199 runs in the stipulated 20 overs. Satish was in fabulous touch and took just 39 balls to score 73 runs, with the help of 5 fours and 2 sixes. Skipper Kuldeep Kumar scored valuable 41 runs off 38 balls, while Ishan Gupta contributed 20 off 11 balls. Rahul Mussa and Amit Sharma also chipped in with 11 runs each. For Champions Club, Aman and Kanav took 2 wickets each.
In reply, Champions Club, bundled out for a paltry total of 98 runs in 16.3 overs, thus lost the match by a big margin of 101 runs. Karan and Abhishek contributed 29 and 26 runs to the total respectively. For RCC Srinagar, Amit Sharma was the pick of the bowlers, who scalped 4 important wickets, while Kuldeep Kumar and Satish Kumar claimed 2 wickets each. For his superb all-round performance, Satish was declared man of the match.