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Kashmiri Pandits protest to commemorate 25 years of their exile

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Kashmiri Pandits

Srinagar: A group of Kashmiri Pandits Monday staged a protest in Srinagar to commemorate the 25 years of their migration from Kashmir.

The protesting group urged the regional and federal governments to issue a white paper roadmapping their return to the Kashmir valley.

“We are holding a bigger protest at Jantar Mantar in Delhi to highlight our problems. Since we belong to Kashmir which is our homeland, we decided to hold a symbolic protest here also,” Vinod Pandit said.

The chairman of the all parties migrant coordination committee (APMCC), told reporters: “It was on this day in 1990 that a forced exodus of Kashmiri Pandits began.”

Thousands of Pandits left Kashmir in 1990 when infamous Jagmoham Malhotra was sent by New Delhi as the governor of the region to contain the eruption of armed insurgency against India’s rule.

(With inputs from IANS)

Governor's rule imposed in Jammu and Kashmir

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Jammu-Kashmir

New Delhi: The Centre has recommended Governor’s rule in Jammu and Kashmir after the major parties failed to form government in the state, an IBN report said on Friday.

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh had received J&K Governor NN Vohra’s report on Thursday night on the government formation in the state.

Jammu and Kashmir went to polls along with Jharkhand and the counting of votes for the two states took place on December 23. While government in Jharkhand has already been formed, Jammu and Kashmir has been deprived of a popular government as no major party – PDP (28 seats), BJP (25 seats). National Conference (15) and Congress (12) – could cobble up the magic figure of 44 seats in the 87-member state Assembly.

In his report, Vohra is understood to have recommended imposition of Governor’s rule saying on the ground that immediate formation of government seems difficult in the state.

How Narendra Modi-led government in Delhi is choking Kashmir

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Photo: PTI

Photo: PTI

by Amanjeet Singh, Authint Mail

India’s new economic policies on Kashmir indicate that hard days may be ahead for people of the cash starved region.

Departing from its earlier stance, Narendra Modi’s BJP led government at the Centre has embarked on blocking schemes and subsidies which could have eased the sufferings of the state that was hit by a devastating flood in September last year.

Kashmir is reeling under darkness which causes immense sufferings, especially in winter when people are dependent on electricity to fight the biting chill.

However, while the urban areas are provided with 10-12 hours of power supply per day, the condition is even worse in rural areas.

The state faced the first disappointment in Delhi when the Centre turned down the request of funds by the state government for developing electricity infrastructure in the trouble-torn state.

Under Prime Minister’s Reconstruction Programme launched by former prime minister of India, Manmohan Singh in 2004, this year required additional funds to trim distribution and transmission loss.

A sum of INR 124 million was required and after lengthy discussion between officials of the state and central government, the state failed to get the additional assistance.

Kashmir is gifted with water resources to generate electricity, but the maximum share of electricity generated is transmitted to other parts of India in accordance with the pacts signed by the state and central governments. Omar Abdullah-led coalition government had pitched hard for returning of power projects to the state, but he failed to make a breakthrough.

The Power Development Department in Kashmir has been urging people to use electricity judiciously. While the load has spiked to over 1500 MW, the department is only able to provide 1100 MW and it has also accused the people of electricity theft.

Another disappointment for the people came on the New Year eve when the federal petroleum ministry reduced the quota of kerosene oil supplied to Kashmir. As per previous decision, every household used to get 4.48 litres of kerosene from the allocated 4.8 million litres per month to the state. However, under the new quota, a household will only get 3 litres per month.

The people of the state are dependent on kerosene for lighting up stoves and wood-powered chimneys extensively used in winter when the region is cut off from mainland India due to snow. The region is already facing shortage of kerosene with only 33 percent of the required amount being supplied. Being one of the major sources of heating and cooking in the state in tough winter conditions, this unprecedented move by the government of India will create more anger as their sufferings will grow.

The Modi-led government also waived off subsidy on transportation of wheat from the base camp in Jammu to Srinagar, creating difference in wheat prices between two regions of the same state. As subsidy was cut, wheat prices saw a hike of INR 200 in Kashmir with people forced to bear the additional cost which by previously born by federal government.

The proverbial nail in the coffin came when the Centre withheld the financial assistance of INR 440,000 million to rebuild the flood ravaged Kashmir. A proposal which was sent from by the state government to the Centre couldn’t made any headway even after four months since the flood hit the region.

While Modi has been making big promises in his speeches on developing Kashmir, but the reality on ground shows that his government has become indifferent to the needs of the people. In his speeches, he regularly talks of uplifting the economically deprived people, but these new decisions show that his promises are all talk and no meat.

PDP, BJP may shake hands but hiccups remain

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“PDP’s priority is not to cobble up a majority for the sake of government formation,” party leader Mehbooba Mufti said in Jammu after meeting Governor N.N. Vohra on Wednesday. Photo: The Hindu

“PDP’s priority is not to cobble up a majority for the sake of government formation,” party leader Mehbooba Mufti said in Jammu after meeting Governor N.N. Vohra on Wednesday. Photo: The Hindu

Srinagar/Jammu: The PDP and the BJP, the two largest groups in the Jammu and Kashmir assembly, said Thursday they were prepared to form a government amid signs of problems in stitching an alliance.

A day after a Peoples Democratic Party delegation met Governor N.N. Vohra, a BJP team called on him Thursday briefly and then said that it was committed to giving the state a stable government.

A PDP leader told IANS that channels of communication were open between the two parties. “But a structured dialogue is yet to start,” PDP spokesman Naeem Akhtar said.

BJP state president Jugul Kishore said earlier that the BJP was committed to forming a stable government in the troubled state.

And he added that formal talks on establishing a coalition with the PDP were set to begin.

The PDP agreed, saying Kashmir needed a stable government to surmount the multiple problems it is facing.

“The talks are going to begun, the talks will be held in a congenial atmosphere,” Jugal Kishore said.

The PDP has 28 members in the 87-member hung house and the BJP 25.

“The priority is a stable government,” Kishore said. “We are not in a hurry to form a government.”

He said any coalition government which takes office will be in power for six years until the next election.

On Wednesday, BJP general secretary Ram Madhav greeted PDP leader Mehbooba Mufti’s laudatory reference to former prime minister and the now ailing BJP veteran Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

PDP insiders said Thursday that there were roadblocks that would have to be removed before starting a structured dialogue on power sharing starts between the PDP and the BJP.

“We are in conformity with the BJP on development, tackling corruption and unemployment, and industry and tourism. But the ideological divergence will have to find some meeting ground,” said the source.

The PDP and the BJP appear to realize that the highly polarized verdict — the Muslim-majority Kashmir Valley voted for the former and the overwhelmingly Hindu Jammu region voted for the latter — will have to be reconciled and a common minimum programme unveiled.

PDP insiders admit that allowing the differences to remain unresolved could force a spell of Governor’s rule in Jammu and Kashmir.

Neither party has publicly stated what the problems are but sources in both say there are differences over what constitutes the Kashmir problem, as well as whether one party will hold the chief minister’s post for six years or if the post will be shared during the six-year period.

Jammu and Kashmir, India’s only Muslim-majority state, has always had a Muslim chief minister. If the BJP gets to govern the state, it will get a Hindu chief minister.

(IANS)

Five dead in New Year's Eve clashes on LoC

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India and Pakistan agreed a ceasefire in 2003, but it is often violated

India and Pakistan agreed a ceasefire in 2003, but it is often violated

by Reuters

Srinagar: Indian border forces killed four Pakistani interior-ministry troops on New Year’s Eve, ending a year in which clashes between the nuclear-armed neighbours have escalated and hopes for reconciliation faded.

Wednesday’s incident, on the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir, followed the killing earlier in the day of an Indian border guard, a senior officer from India’s Border Security Force said.

“We have retaliated effectively … four Pakistani rangers have been killed along the International Border in Samba sector this evening, said Rakesh Sharma, BSF inspector general for the Jammu Frontier.

“As Pakistani rangers suffered casualties, they waved white flags, asking BSF to stop the firing so that they can lift the bodies of the dead men. We stopped the firing after their request,” Sharma said.

Frontier clashes have intensified in recent months, dashing hopes that a brief thaw in relations after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was elected in May would lead to a calming of the situation.

The worst violence has been further north in the mainly Muslim Kashmir Valley, where separatist militants killed 11 Indian soldiers and police in early December, the worst losses in six years.

Jammu and Kashmir held state elections in December in which Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party made gains. While leaving the party short of a majority, the result could open the way for it to form a ruling coalition with a regional party.

(Reporting by Fayaz Bukhari; Editing by Douglas Busvine, Larry King)

No end to deadlock on government formation in Kashmir

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mufti-amit-omar

Srinagar: Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) Tuesday said no breakthrough is expected in the near future over the formation of new government.

PDP chief spokesperson Naeem Akhtar said no serious conclusion has been drawn so far over the formation of new government and the deadlock is likely to continue.

Mehbooba Mufti Tuesday left for Jammu to meet Governor, N N Vohra, for the government formation. “Don’t expect any breakthrough soon after the meet. She has left for a discussion over the present political scenario that has emerged in the state after the results of the state elections of 2014,” Akhtar said. “The talks with all political parties is going on with no final decision made over the issue.”

“It is an evolving situation and not concrete has come to fore yet. The situation continues to remain the same,” said the spokesperson. “The deadlock is not expected to end in the near future.”

He also maintained that Mehbboba-Vohra meeting should not be expected as the final point in ending the deadlock as the party is yet to take final call over entering into a coalition with any other party. “You cannot term it a final step. The discussions are going on and shall continue till final decision is made,” Akhtar said.

The PDP was part of a coalition that ruled the region between 2002 and 2008. Poll pundits suggest that the party is again likely to form the next government in coalition with other political groups and some independents.

People’s Democratic Party has 28 seats and gained seven seats as compared to the 2008 elections. BJP has gained 14 seats in this time election.

National Conference lost 15 seats and most of them from the summer capital Srinagar. Earlier the party had 28 members but this time the results have squeezed it to mere 15. The Congress got 12 seats in its kitty.

Both the BJP and the PDP benefited from widespread public discontent over the ruling National Conference’s handling of devastating September floods that killed more than 200 people in Kashmir.

(KNS)

BJP wants to rule Kashmir – with Hindu chief minister

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP President Amit Shah and Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley during the party's Central Election Committee meeting for the upcoming Assembly elections, in New Delhi on Sunday. Photo: PTI

File photo of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP President Amit Shah and Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley during the party’s Central Election Committee meeting during the J&K Assembly elections, in New Delhi. Photo: PTI

Srinagar/Jammu: The BJP declared Thursday that it was determined to govern Jammu and Kashmir amid speculation that the National Conference would ally with it if the BJP didn’t insist on a Hindu chief minister for the country’s only Muslim-majority state.

BJP leaders Arun Jaitley and Ram Madhav made known the party’s intentions separately in Jammu and Srinagar, with the latter saying he was in the state to explore various options on government formation after elections led to a hung 87-member assembly.

The BJP and the National Conference, the second and third largest groups in the house with 25 and 15 members, denied they were in secret talks. The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), which won 28 seats, was reportedly looking at both the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Congress as possible allies.

Jammu and Kashmir must have a BJP-led government, party general secretary Ram Madhav said, adding he was in Srinagar to explore the various options.

Ram Madhav told reporters: “The BJP has the mandate to lead the government in Jammu and Kashmir. I am here to explore the options.”

He added that he was meeting representatives from different parties but did not provide details.
“We are open to discussions, and meetings can be had with the prime minister also in this regard,” he added, two days after the BJP emerged as the second largest group in the Kashmir assembly for the first time.

BJP sources told IANS that talks between the National Conference and the BJP had hit a roadblock because of the BJP’s insistence on having a Hindu chief minister.

In Jammu, Finance Minister Jaitley said the BJP would play a prominent role in government formation and the decision on its exact nature had been left to party president Amit Shah.

Briefing reporters after meeting newly-elected BJP legislators, Jaitley underlined that his party got the largest popular vote in the state though it contested from only 76 of the 87 constituencies.

He said the BJP was in touch with “independent and unattached” legislators.

“Whatever government is formed, the BJP should have a prominent role in the political process as the popular mandate in terms of highest vote is with us,” he said.

The National Conference, the sources said, was ready to support and even join a BJP-led coalition on the condition that the BJP gives up its demand for a Hindu chief minister.

At the same time, the PDP, while keeping its options open vis-a-vis the BJP, had sent feelers to Sajad Lone that he could be a deputy chief minister if he backed a PDP-Congress coalition, the sources said.

Sajad Lone’s People’s Conference has won two seats. Congress candidates were elected from 15 constituencies.

Another independent, Hakim Yaseen, has denied media reports that he had announced support for a BJP-led government.

Seven independents have also been elected to the assembly. A group of parties will need the support of 44 members to form a government.

Earlier, Ram Madhav denied a meeting had taken place between the National Conference and the BJP leadership.

Outgoing Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, who has been in New Delhi since Wednesday, retweeted Ram Madhav’s statement.

Some reports say the BJP would get the chief minister’s post for a full six years while Abdullah would join the union cabinet led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

A PDP spokesperson said the reports were meant to mount pressure on it to reach an early post-election agreement with the BJP. “As of now, we have decided to wait and watch,” the spokesperson told IANS.

All the BJP legislators were elected from the Hindu-majority Jammu region while almost all PDP and National Conference legislators won from the largely Muslim Kashmir Valley.

(IANS)

BJP, PDP discuss Jammu and Kashmir government formation

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PDP-Kashmir

Srinagar: Talks between the BJP and the PDP for government formation in Jammu and Kashmir is expected to continue Friday, party sources said.

BJP top sources said that two rounds of talks were held Thursday between BJP general secretary Ram Madhav and senior PDP leader and parliamentarian Muzaffar Hussain Baig in Srinagar.

“The talks remained inconclusive and will continue,” BJP sources told IANS.

PDP sources said the party is discussing a common minimum programme with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

“There has to be a clear common minimum programme before we join hands with future allies,” PDP sources said.

Former chief minister and National Conference working president Omar Abdullah has again said he did not meet any BJP leader to discuss an alliance.

NC leader who won elections from central Kashmir Badgam seat Syed Ruhullah said Thursday any truck with the BJP would be against the interests of the people of Kashmir and the NC.

Ruhullah’s statement came amid media speculations that the BJP and the NC were close to reaching an agreement on coalition in the state.

Coalition won’t last long: Salman Soz

Congress leader Salman Soz Friday said PDP should take responsibility to bring stable government in the region.

He said that like-minded people should come together so that stability may be achieved.

Soz said Congress is open for alliance with PDP if the party is asked for the same.

Refuting on any possibility of alliance between BJP and PDP, Soz said that both the parties are like oil and water, having no chemistry and therefore such alliance would not last long.

(With inputs from IANS)

Hung verdict puts NC, PDP in quandary

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Omar Abdullah Mehbooba Mufti

Srinagar: The fractured mandate in Jammu and Kashmir has left both NC and arch-rivals PDP caught in a cleft stick — with second-placed BJP appearing to be their sole saviour.

With 15 seats, the Jammu & Kashmir National Conference (NC) is out of power, but it has an option of supporting the BJP and thereby keeping its arch-rival the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) out of power for the next six years.

The PDP’s dilemma is even bigger. With 28 seats it has fallen short of its estimated projection of getting closer to 44, the simple majority needed to form the government.

The PDP’s problem is also compounded by the fact that its most likely future ally, the Congress, has got just 12 seats. The two together have only 40 seats — still short of the vaunted mark by four.

The vote count of the staggered five-phase assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir took place Tuesday.

There are seven independents who have won. Two of these are with Sajad Lone’s People’s Conference whose proximity to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is well known.

Barring the PDP, Sajad’s party will support anyone.

Saeed Mohammed Bakir Rizvi, the lone independent candidate from Zanskar constituency of Ladakh region, has won with NC support and cannot support the PDP.

Pawan Kumar Gupta, the lone independent candidate from Udhampur, is a BJP dissident and is likely to return to the party.

Then there is Yusuf Tarigami of the CPM against whom the NC had not fielded a candidate.

This leaves Hakim Yaseen and Engineer Rashid, the other independent candidates who would support any dispensation that provides power to them. Many, however, believe Engineer Rashid might support no alliance.

This leaves just two possibilities, the PDP aligning with the BJP or the NC aligning with the BJP.

The PDP would have to compromise if it is forced to align with the BJP and the most difficult of such a compromise would be the BJP’s push for a Hindu chief minister for at least half the term if the alliance is worked out on a three-year rotational basis.

On the other hand, the NC can keep the PDP out by supporting the BJP, but Omar Abdullah would be the biggest opponent of such a move even if his father, the NC president, Farooq Abdullah advised him to be more friendly to the BJP now that the hype raised against each other by the NC and the BJP during election campaign was over.

It is a catch-22 situation for the NC and the PDP and gives the controlling handle to the BJP that has 25 seats.

Ram Madhav, BJP national general secretary, is arriving here Thursday to spell out his party’s terms to both the NC and the PDP — if either of them is willing to cobble up a ruling alliance with the BJP.

Madhav will first meet Omar Abdullah and later call on Mufti Muhammad Sayeed, the PDP patron.

Omar has left for winter capital Jammu to submit his resignation to Governor N.N. Vohra before he flies back to Srinagar for his meeting with Ram Madhav.

(IANS)

Jammu & Kashmir heading for hung assembly; BJP to form Govt in Jharkhand

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BJP

Srinagar/Ranchi: Jammu and Kashmir today appeared headed for a hung assembly with BJP making gains in Jammu region while the party is all set to form government in Jharkhand, the trends coming from both the states in assembly elections show.

The PDP, headed by Mufti Mohammed Sayeed, and the BJP were leading in 25 seats each. The ruling National Conference was ahead in 16 seats and the Congress in 14 of the 87 seats for which the trends were available.

JKPC led by Sajjad Lone was ahead in two seats while JKPDF and CPI-M were leading in one seat each while Independents were leading in three seats.

The BJP’s spectacular performance, the best in the state so far, was however limited to the Jammu region where 37 seats are up for grabs. The party has not bee able to make any dent in the Valley which has 46 seats in all.

Going by the trends, unless any two of the four major parties–BJP, PDP, NC and Congress–come together government formation would not be possible.

In the last elections, National Conference had won 28, PDP 21, Congress 17 and BJP 11 seats.

In Jharkhand, the BJP was well on the road to forming a government of its own by leading in 38 seats including four of ally AJSU in the 81-member assembly. Ruling JMM is leading in 20 constituencies, Congress 4, JVM (P) 8, RJD 5 and others 5, the trends show.

(PTI)

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