Thank God. People of Jammu and Kashmir desiring peace would have a sigh of relief after the Indian Army Chief General Deepak Kapoor on Tuesday said that there are no traces of the Taliban in the trouble torn state which is returning towards normalcy. The Valley of Kashmir has already seen bloodshed and suffered badly in the past due to violence and now the peace is returning fast in the sate and a common man is feeling secure now.
However, he indicated that forces are alert to protect the citizens by keeping check on the expected surge in infiltration in the run-up to the elections.
Another good thing, which Indian army has done, is having put a three-tier defence system in place to check infiltration.
Indian Army expects that during the run-up to the elections there would be certain amount of calibrations from the other side but the Indian forces are able to beat the situation and ensure that the Lok Sabha elections will be as peaceful as the assembly elections in state were held.
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Kashmir Festival in June: 7-Days Tulip festival concludes
The 7-Days Tulip Festival concluded here today amid great fan fare with beating of drums and display of music by JK Armed Police Pipe Band at the foot hills of Zabarwan, 7 kms away from the summer capital. The festival was organized by the Tourism and Floriculture Departments.
Director Floriculture, Dr. Ghulam Sarwar Naqash, Director Tourism Mr. Farooq Ahmad Shah, senior officers of Information, JKTDC and other department besides media persons and tourists from country and abroad were present on the occasion. Representatives of Tour and Travel agencies, House Boat Owners and Hotel and Restaurant Associations were also present.
The Director Floriculture while welcoming the guests said that 80,000 tourists visited the garden last year and about 15000 tourists visited the garden during the seven day festival. Of these, about 95 per cent were tourists from country and abroad.
Director Tourism in his speech said that the department has taken host of measures to promote tourism in the valley which is the mainstay of our economy. He said the infrastructure is being developed at the Tourist destinations to attract more and more tourists adding that this would help boost the economy of the people associated directly or indirectly with this industry. He announced that Kashmir festival will be celebrated in June this year.
On the occasion, the Information department presented a variety cultural programme which enthralled the audience. The J&K Cultural Academy had also arranged cultural programmes during the festival week.
Other features of the festival were special local folk and other cultural programmes and installation of stalls by the Kashmir Government Arts Emporium, Handicrafts department and Agro Industries Development Corporation Kashmir cuisine were also kept at the JKTDC stall which was liked by the tourists.
Mr. Hilal Ahmad Mattoo, Cultural Artist of Information department presented a skit which was applauded by the audience.
Later, the Director Tourism gave away prizes among the departments who had installed stalls during the festival.
Director Floriculture, Dr. Ghulam Sarwar Naqash, Director Tourism Mr. Farooq Ahmad Shah, senior officers of Information, JKTDC and other department besides media persons and tourists from country and abroad were present on the occasion. Representatives of Tour and Travel agencies, House Boat Owners and Hotel and Restaurant Associations were also present.
The Director Floriculture while welcoming the guests said that 80,000 tourists visited the garden last year and about 15000 tourists visited the garden during the seven day festival. Of these, about 95 per cent were tourists from country and abroad.
Director Tourism in his speech said that the department has taken host of measures to promote tourism in the valley which is the mainstay of our economy. He said the infrastructure is being developed at the Tourist destinations to attract more and more tourists adding that this would help boost the economy of the people associated directly or indirectly with this industry. He announced that Kashmir festival will be celebrated in June this year.
On the occasion, the Information department presented a variety cultural programme which enthralled the audience. The J&K Cultural Academy had also arranged cultural programmes during the festival week.
Other features of the festival were special local folk and other cultural programmes and installation of stalls by the Kashmir Government Arts Emporium, Handicrafts department and Agro Industries Development Corporation Kashmir cuisine were also kept at the JKTDC stall which was liked by the tourists.
Mr. Hilal Ahmad Mattoo, Cultural Artist of Information department presented a skit which was applauded by the audience.
Later, the Director Tourism gave away prizes among the departments who had installed stalls during the festival.
Saturday, April 11, 2009
First Kashmiri separatist declares to contest Lok Sabha polls
Senior separatist leader Sajjad Lone has decided to contest the Lok Sabha elections. He is the first separatist leader of his stature to join the democratic process since the outbreak of militancy over two decades ago.
Separatists in
Gulam Mohiuddin Sofi, a former minister and a confidant of Sajjad's father, is come out in support of Sajjad Lone.
Sofi won an election from Handwara assembly constituency in 2002 and later became a minister in the coalition government of Mufti Muhammad Sayeed.
But he lost to the National Conference candidate Chowdhary Muhammad Ramzan in Handwara in the December 2008 assembly elections.
"Sajjad Lone has a lot of goodwill and support, especially in Kupwara district," said a political analyst who did not want to be identified by name because of obvious risks.
So why did Sajjad Lone's sister Shabnum, who fought as an independent from Kupwara assembly constituency last year, got defeated by the National Conference? Many feel that this happened because Shabnum never enjoyed the support of the People's Conference.
Though Sajjad Lone is yet to formally announce his decision, mainstream parties like the National Conference and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have started looking at him as a serious contender.
The PDP has decided to field a senior leader and former minister, Muhammad Dilawar Mir, from Baramullah.
Mir lost the December elections to National Conference but is still seen as a formidable candidate.
Of the six assembly seats in the Baramullah Lok Sabha constituency, the National Conference won Sopore and Rafiabad while the Congress won the Uri seat. The Gulmarg seat went to former minister Ghulam Hassan Mir, who had fought as an independent.
"The so-called Sajjad factor is likely to become evident during the Lok Sabha elections. This could be a serious challenge to both the National Conference and PDP," said Qaramat Qayoom, a resident of Baramullah town.
In the 2004 Lok Sabha elections, the Baramullah seat was won by Abdul Rashid Shaheen of the National Conference.
Though the National Conference is yet to announce its candidate for Baramullah, insiders suggest at least three names are doing the rounds. They include Shaheen and Sharief-ud-Din Shariq.
"The choice would have to be made keeping in view the fact that both Sajjad Lone and the PDP would pose a challenge to our candidate," said a senior National Conference leader here.
More than who wins and loses the seat, the participation of a senior separatist leader in the poll process will mean that Indian democracy has already won. After that, political observers will keenly watch the extent to which the Sajjad factor hurts the prospects of the major parties.
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