The Kashmir Pulse

Srinagar: Kashmiri separatists are all set to release a new brand of protests in place of the routine shutdowns and call for marches, as per a new understanding that the secessionist leadership has arrived at following public pressure and the economic distress.
This Wednesday’s calendar would be having some indications in this, or there could be some startling announcement that would change the whole concept of the protests. One thing is certain, the sources said that there would be either no shutdowns or limited to one or two odd days.
The “resistance leadership” as Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Mohammad Yasin Malik, call themselves, have found that the wide section of Kashmiri society, including those inclined to separatism, is opposed to the shutdowns and the street protests.
Sources said that the top leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani who is commanding the general strikes for the past over five months after the killing of Hizb-ul-Mujahadeen Commander Burhan Wani in early July, is finding it difficult to convince people about the rationale of the perennial shutdowns as the only means of registering their anger against India. In fact, the separatist leadership, has been told that the modulations and modifications are part of the “larger struggle”. There also is anger about the rigidity of the shutdowns which places bar on the normal way of living and scotches economic and social activity, the sources said.
The separatist leadership is also afraid of getting consumed in the process.
The separatists are having no answers as to how their invitation to tourists to the Valley gels with the general strikes and non-availability of public transport and closed hotels and restaurants. (KNO)

Slain Sarpanch Sajad Ahmad Malik

Srinagar: JKPCC president and former minister GA Mir while condemning the killing of Sajad Malik has demanded a judicial probe into the killing. He said the slain being a congress worker was victimised and killed in a fake encounter.
Mir refuted police claim that Sajad snatched a rifle from a policeman and was then killed in gun battle with forces.
He said the deceased was in police custody for more than a month as police had booked him in fake charges of stone pelting and law and order issues.
Mir said that Sarpanch Sajad Ahmad Malik was held and tortured in Police station Dooru and was asked to get some favour from his local MLA which he refused to go for.
Mir said Sajad’s killing is a cold blooded murder that has now been given the name of encounter. He said when Sajad was sent home accompanied with a police constable on a motor cycle then how was it possible that he snatched policeman’s rifle and was killed on the same spot by Army?
Mir asked how he did not kill the cop who was carrying him on the bike and how did the cop safely return to the police station leaving Sajad at the encounter site?
Mir while demanding a judicial probe in the killing said it’s clear that the man who was associated with Congress was harassed, tortured and finally killed in cold blood by Police and security officials obeying the present government. (PTK)

Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir Service Selection Board  (JKSSB) has finally released the long awaited selection lists for various posts of Kashmir division much to the relief of the anxious aspirants.
The SSB officials said that they have declared some divisional and district cadre seelection lists which are available on the Board website.
Meanwhile, Chairman JKSSB, Sarita Chauhan said that "the lists would have been declared on time but due to continuous unrest our office could not function properly."
However, she assured that more selection lists for divisional and district cadre posts will be made public within a month.

Srinagar: The joint separatist leadership on Wednesday issued a fresh protest calendar, extending the shutdown call until November 10.
In the new calendar, the relaxation announced for four days has been extended by an hour.
A school safety day has also been announced in the calendar, urging students and parents to march towards respective schools.
"Take necessary measures at local level to thwart the ongoing targeting of our schools by Indian state and its agencies," reads the protest programme.
Here is the protest calendar:
Friday, November 04
(No Relaxation)
Kupwara, Baramulla, Bandipora, Budgam, Ganderbal, Srinagar, Pulwama, Shopian, Kulgam, Islamabad Freedom March
From 9 am, March one & all towards your respective District Headquarters;
Post Friday prayer, hold Freedom Congregation at the place identified and agreed upon locally and mutually;
Resistance/Masjid Committees/Youth Volunteers of these Districts coordinate & ensure the arrangements.

Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir Government is on path of amending rules and recruiting teachers on fast track basis. The idea is to come up to expectations of student community.
Reports and sources said that the department of education, in an internal survey, has found grave quality issues viz-a-viz teaching.
The education minister, Naeem Akhtar, is reported to have asked the department to initiate the process of recruiting specialized faculty and an SRO is being issued SRO in this regard.
“Around 3000 posts of teachers would be filled by the recruiting agency by strictly adhering to the amended rules,” report added. “It has been observed that 10+2 is not the sufficient basic qualification for recruitment of teachers from the quality education point of view.”
The recruitment of 10+2 qualified teachers are generally not coming up to the expectations of the students community as such quality of education in the Government schools is getting compromised, which amounts to playing with the future of the students.
Officials confessed that because there is no “orientation programmes” in the school education department, “it also acts as stumbling block in ensuring quality education”.
Thus, the PDP-BJP coalition Government has decided to amend the existing rules and necessary exercise like obtaining approval of the Chief Minister, Ms Mehbooba Mufti and getting the amended rules vetted from the Department of ARI and Trainings has already been completed, reports claimed.
“For the recruitment of teachers in future, graduation will be the basic qualification”, sources further informed, adding “this will not only be a step towards ensuring quality education to the students in Government schools but would also help the Government in handling the promotion of teachers to Masters Grade easily”.
Out of 3000 posts being advertised, 30% posts will be reserved for Mathematics and Science subjects. “This is being done to inculcate scientific temper among the students as well as to overcome deficiency of teachers of these subjects in the Government schools.” (KL News Network)

Srinagar: An Executive Council meeting of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) chaired by Hurriyat Chairman, Mirwaiz Dr. Moulvi Muhammad Umar Farooq was held at the APHC headquarters at Rajbagh.
The meeting was attended by Hurriyat Executive Council members, Prof. Abdul Gani Bhat, Moulana Masroor Abbas Ansari, Muhammad Musadiq Adil and Mukhtar Ahmad Waza.
During the meeting, the current political situation and the ongoing resistance movement, political developments at the Indo-Pak Sub continental level and preparations for the Hafta-e-Shahadat programme, starting from May 16, 2016, were discussed.
Terming the statements of the state government regarding the proposal of setting up of a Sainik Colony in Jammu Kashmir as misleading, the meeting described it as a very serious issue having far reaching consequences. "It was stressed that the rulers of Kashmir, for their selfish interests and for safeguarding their power, had from day one indulged in battering away the interests of the Jammu and Kashmir and thus weakening its disputed nature. The setting up of Sainik Colonies was a step in the same direction", the APHC statement reads.
"During the APHC Executive Council meeting, it was revealed that on April 16, 2015 in a meeting of JKRSB at Raj Bhavan, the secretary RSB during the meeting had informed the board members that Divisional Commissioner, Kashmir, had agreed for allotment of 173 kanal of land in the old Air field area for the colony, however, after the number of aspirants had increased to over one thousand including 26 officers, 125 JCOs and 900 other Army men the RSB sought 350 kanals of land from the government in its revised proposal which was now pending before the Divisional Commissioner, Kashmir, and the State Home Department for the approval", the statement further says.
The conglomerate meeting stated that RSB’s proposal does not mention anything about the colony being meant only for the state subjects of Jammu and Kashmir.
During the meeting, it was stressed that the statements of the government including the Chief Minister on the subject were not credible and thus could not be believed as the chief minister who brushed the issue aside as mere rumors, actually indulged in trying to cover up the entire matter. It was stated in the meeting that the people of Kashmir were well aware of the habit of double speak of the rulers in such cases who while making deals of the interests of the people would be making false statements to cover their designs.
The meeting of the amalgam stressed that the rulers of Kashmir had been working against the interests of the people of the state since day one for keeping their master in New Delhi in good humour in order to remain in power.
Terming the chief minister’s statement that accession of Jammu Kashmir to India was final as entirely opposite to the historical and ground realities, it was stated that Kashmir was an internationally-accepted dispute and nobody’s personal opinion or agenda could change this stark reality till this dispute was not resolved in accordance with the wishes of the people of Jammu and Kashmir.
During the meeting, the APHC’s Executive Council blamed the pro-India political parties of Kashmir for working to advance the interests of India and accused them of being responsible for the political and social problems people of Jammu Kashmir.
The meeting said bringing the admission for Medical and Dental Colleges of Jammu Kashmir under the ambit of NEET was not only injustice towards local students but also a ploy to weaken the state’s control over these educational institutions thus affecting the rights of the people of Jammu Kashmir to run their professional education institutions.
The conglomerate’s meeting termed the wresting of control of the state from administrative and educational institutions of Jammu Kashmir as a serious issue and said the powers of the state were being eroded continuously under a well planned strategy with a nefarious design.
Jammu Kashmir was an internationally-accepted dispute and rendering institutions of the state powerless and handing their control over to Government of India was being deliberately done to affect its disputed nature, the conglomerate's statement reads.
Calling for making the Hafta-e-Shahadat programme which starts on May 16, 2016 to commemorate the anniversaries of Moulvi Muhammad Farooq, Abdul Gani Lone and Martyrs of Hawal as well as the entire 'martyrs of the movement', a success, the meeting took stock and finalized the preparations of the programme.

Srinagar: The final result of UPSC exam has come out on Tuesday. 1164 for aspirants have cleared the exam. Delhi’s Tina Dabi has topped the exam, whereas Jammu and Kashmir’s Athar Aamir Ul Shafi Khan has secured second rank.
Out of the total aspirants, 180 IAS, 45 IFS, 150 IPS , 728 Central Services Group A, 61 Group B aspirants have cleared the exam.
UPSC second topper Athar belongs to Devipora village, Mattan in South Kashmir’s Anantnag district. Athar Aamir-ul-Shafi Khan had joined IIT Roorkee and completed his Engineering from IIT Himachal Pradesh in July 2014. In 2010, Athar had passed CET, AIEEE, BITSAT and all the major exams. He is one of the 8 Kashmiris who cleared the exam.

Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir Board of Professional Entrance Examinations (BOPEE) will conduct all the entrance exams for different courses as per schedule, except for MBBS, BDS and MD courses, the board chairman said.
“Except for MBBS, BDS and MD, we will conduct all other exams like BUMS, exams for engineering courses, BED, MED etc. as per schedule,” BOPEE chairman GH Tantray told KNS.
“MBBS, BDS and MD entrance tests will be conducted as per Supreme Court guidelines in NEET,” Tantray said.
For the state, Board of Professional Entrance Examinations (BOPEE) was conducting entrance tests for all the medical courses for the students, and the tests were usually held in the June and July.
The medical courses aspirants from the state are confused about common entrance tests following the Supreme Court orders to the states to hold the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test.
The Supreme Court on Monday ruled that the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) would be the only test for admission to medical courses in India, turning down an appeal by many states, including Jammu and Kashmir, to hold separate medical entrance exams.
“We do not find any infirmity in the NEET regulation on the ground that it affects the rights of the States or the private institutions,” the court said on Monday. “Only NEET would enable students to get admission to MBBS or BDS studies.”
The court, however, clarified that students who appeared in NEET-1 May 1 can be permitted to appear for NEET-2, but they will have to forego the results of NEET-1.
The NEET-1 was meant for those who had applied for the All India Pre-Medical Test or AIPMT. Those who hadn’t applied for it, were allowed to sit for the second phase of the NEET exam on July 24. The results are expected to be out latest by August 17.
The court directed Central Board of School Examination to hold the entrance that will be overseen by a committee appointed.
Notably, J&K’s standing counsel in Supreme Court Sunil Fernandes, however, had told a Srinagar based newspaper that “all the seats from J&K shall stand reserved for the state subjects”.
“It means that only state subjects can apply for the examinations to different medical courses conducted by the NEET. In other words only examination conducting body would change from BOPEE to NEET,” Fernandes said.
He further said the merit list for J&K would be prepared by the NEET and the counselling would be done by the BOPEE.

Srinagar: Keeping in view the condition of the road, only one way movement of traffic shall be allowed on NHW-1A. On Today movement of traffic shall be allowed from Jammu towards Srinagar side.
Movement of all types of Kashmir bound passenger vehicles and oil tankers shall be permitted from Nagrota (Jammu) from 5 AM to 2 PM whereas the movement of trucks shall be allowed from Jammu from 6 am to 12 noon.
From Nagrota, Jammu, movement of all kinds of traffic bound for Doda and Kishtwar shall be allowed from 5 am to 2 pm only.
However, in order to facilitate the passengers and subject to fair weather and condition of road, movement of passenger vehicles only shall be allowed from Pull Doda towards Jammu side after 1000 hours whereas movement of passenger vehicles only from Qazigund towards Jammu shall be allowed from 1000 hours to 1700 hours.
Strict implementation of cut off timings shall be ensured.
On Mughal road, movement of traffic shall be allowed from 0800 hours upto 1200 hours from Bufliaz towards Shopian and from 1300 hours uoto 1600 hours from Shopian towards Bufliaz.
Srinagar - Kargil road through for traffic. Cut off time for all types of vehicles plying from Kargil towards Sonamarg shall be 0630 hours at Drass and 0900 hours at Minimarg whereas cut off time for all types of vehicles plying from Srinagar towards Kargil shall be 1100 hours at Sonamarg.
Bandipore-Gurez road is closed for all sort of traffic.
Synthan-Kishtwar road is also closed for traffic.

Srinagar: Hours after chief minister Mehbooba Mufti accused National Conference working president, Omar Abdullah, of spreading false information about Sainik colony row, the latter dared the state head to file a police case against him.
“If you have the guts & truly believe this image is fake, file a case against me in the nearest police station TODAY!!” Omar tweeted immediately after CM accused him committing mistakes on Sainik Colony.
The former chief minister also posted a picture of the purported order of the government about agreeing identifying land for Sainik colony in Kashmir.
“If you haven’t filed a case against me in the next 24 hours the people will know who is lying in this matter @mehbooba_mufti. Truth prevails,” he said in another tweet.

If you have the guts & truly believe this image is fake file a case against me in the nearest police station TODAY!! pic.twitter.com/rNGQEOegox

— Omar Abdullah (@abdullah_omar) May 9, 2016

CM Mehbooba Mufti said that she hopes that Omar Abdullah does not repeat his mistake today.
“Since Omar Abdullah is not a common man but has been a chief minister, I hope that Omar does not repeat his mistake today in which he has referred to some papers (about Sainik Colony),” Mehbooba told reporters after receiving guard of honour at civil secretariat reopening.
“Omar Abdullah had recently posted a picture on Twitter which showed police men beating someone, but that picture was of 2010 when he was the chief minister,” Mehbooba said. (KNS)

Srinagar: Independent lawmaker representing Langate constituency, Er Rasheed filed a petition in J&K High Court against the “undeclared ban on his political activities in Jammu region”.
“In response to a petition filed by Er Rasheed, state High Court today issued notice to state government seeking its reply on restrictions being imposed on the petitioner on his travel and political activities in Jammu region,” a statement issued by Awami Ittihaad Party (AIP) said Monday evening.
The case was listed for today which advocate Faisal Qadri pleaded on behalf of the petitioner and alleged that police have not been allowing Rasheed to travel or organise any political program in Jammu region.
Justice Mohammad Yaqoob Mir issued a notice to government and asked Commissioner Secretary Home and DGP to furnish their response within two weeks.
“It is worth to mention that state police and other agencies have constantly been restricting movement of the legislature without any specific reason, especially in Jammu region. Er Rasheed escaped bid on his life when he was attacked in Baderwah and Sunderbani few months back,” the statement said, “After not being permitted to travel Pir Panchal, Chenab Valley and other parts of the state time and again, Rasheed approached the Hon’ble High Court seeking an end to the restrictions.” (CNS)

Srinagar: The Civil Secretariat and other Move offices opened here on Monday after the Annual Darbar Move from Jammu, the winter capital of the state.
Chief Minister, Mehbooba Mufti, upon her arrival at the Civil Secretariat, inspected the ceremonial parade and received Guard-of-Honour by a contingent of J&K Police.
Ministers, Chief Secretary, DGP, Administrative Secretaries, senior officers, besides other employees welcomed the Chief Minister, an official spokesperson said this evening.
Reacting to queries from media-persons, the Chief Minister said all kinds of speculations are going around creating unnecessary confusion and tension among the public. She further added that the people should feel assured that no such action will be allowed, which is detrimental to the interests of the state.
On NIT and NEET, the Chief Minister said the government has already addressed both the issues. As regards Sainik Colony, she said we should not get carried away by mere rumour to the extent that the whole atmosphere gets vitiated. She made it abundantly clear that no land has been allotted by the government to establish such colony.
Mehbooba Mufti urged both the local media and people to help in maintaining a peaceful and conducive atmosphere in the valley so that inflow of tourists continues. She said travel industry is one of the backbones of the state’s economy, which has been hugely affected due to uncertainty, more so the colossal floods of 2014. “Any untoward incident leads to a situation which not only negatively impacts the inflow of tourists but also affects our day-to-day-life,” she added.
The Chief Minister later inaugurated the re-modelled Hall of the Labour & Employment Department as well as the newly-constructed Corridor Block in the first floor of the Secretariat. She also went around some of the offices and interacted with the employees before resuming her routine duties. (CNS)

Srinagar: Hurriyat leader and the Chairman of Jammu and Kashmir Peoples League (JKPL), Mukhtar Ahmad Waza, has said that the permanent peace in South Asia is not possible without settling the Kashmir dispute in accordance with the Kashmiris’ aspirations.
Mukhtar Ahmad Waza addressing a public gathering at Pahalgam in Islamabad (Anantnag) said that the UN could play an effective role in facilitating meaningful dialogue among Pakistan, India and the Kashmiris for final settlement of the lingering dispute.
He said that peaceful resolution of the Kashmir dispute was also in the interest of India, adding that people of Kashmir were principal stakeholders in the dispute and should be included in any dialogue process aimed at its settlement.
Mukhtar Ahmad Waza urged the UN to impress upon India to revoke draconian laws like Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA), withdraw its troops and release all 'illegally' detained Hurriyat leaders and activists languishing in different jails.
Meanwhile, the Jammu and Kashmir Insaf Party leader, Sheikh Ghulam Qadir addressing a public gathering at Kawari in Kupwara called for political resolution of the Kashmir dispute in accordance with the aspirations of Kashmiri people. He appealed to the world community to support the just and legitimate movement of the Kashmiri people for their right to self-determination. (KMS)

Few people get Business Degrees, taste exposure, start their own venture and become successful! Indeed a good sign! While others come out with their ventures without possessing professional degrees but with inborn entrepreneurship skills and prove themselves comparatively much effective and efficient.
Two brothers from Pulwama, Aabid Bashir & Kaiser Bashir, who did their schooling from Srinagar, used to lend their fragile hands to the shop which their father was possessing. They used to do it everyday after school hours.
As days passed by, they learned the art of dealing with customers. They became cognizant with every crucial aspect of business. As they gained experience, thus came up with an idea to transform that small, old kind of shop into something new and big. This led them into starting a new enterprise - Royal Touch. Both Kaiser and Abid worked day and night, along with their father to give wings to their venture.
As the new venture was consuming enough time of the two boys, they were left with no choice but to leave their school.
"The fact is that every coin has two faces. If one is dull, another could be royal. We always dreamt of higher education continuously but could not get that. The thing which distracted us from studies for a while was our cousin brother who held numerous degrees but was still unemployed but on the other hand, every business house tempted us most!", says the elder brother.
Abid and Kaiser did not choose a Government job as their final goal rather they choose something different and something to their own liking.
After few years, the name of their enterprise achieved new heights. Consequently, they started another venture namely Blue Craze.
Months passed, they started a third venture, named Royal Kidz. Currently, they are providing employment opportunities to a few unemployed youths in their enterprises. Now, both of them continue their studies via Distance Mode.
Every person, who once picked them apart, are visiting their shops for shopping. They are indeed successful business persons.