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Revocation of AFSPA Home Secretary puts ball in JK Govt’s court 2/14/2011 8:41:08 AM Early Times Report Jammu, Feb 13: Putting the ball in state government’s court, the Union Home Secretary, GK Pillai today said if there was no change being made in the AFSPA than the area can be denotified (as disturbed) and the law will not be applicable there. He further said that “this is a notification of the state government not a state notification by Central Government." Pillai, therefore, made it clear that the state government had the authority to denotify an area (as disturbed). And once this is done, Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) will cease to be applicable there. Technically, legal experts believe, the AFSPA has already lapsed as mandatory notifications have not been issued from time to time to ensure its continuity. The AFSPA became an Act on September 10, 1990 when it got the concurrence of the then governor. Immediately after this, a notification declaring the Valley as disturbed area was issued. In 1992 the president of India repealed the Act and enacted Jammu Kashmir Disturbed Area Act. However, the duration of the Act for which it as enforced ...   READ MORE

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LC polls: Opposition parties’ strategy key to success on at least 2 seats…? 2/14/2011 8:40:42 AM Early Times Report Jammu: Even as it is too early to predict or foresee the outcome of polls for Legislative Council, it is a foregone conclusion that out of six seats at least four will be clinched by the ruling alliance parties- National Conference and Congress. What will be the pattern of the victory for these two seats in so far the two partners are concerned depends upon the ‘understanding’ both will have on sharing of the seats for Kashmir as well as Jammu province. However, as for the two more seats nothing can be said for final at this moment as again this depends on the more than one factor, the main being technicalities related to issuance of the notifications for the seat...   READ MORE   Three HM sympathisers held in Ramban 2/14/2011 8:39:54 AM JAMMU, Feb 13: Three Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) sympathisers were today apprehended by security forces from two different places of Ramban.Official sources said during searches in Gulsir forests of Ramban, a joint column of police and Rashtriya Rifles apprehended Mohammed Basir, son of Abdullah of Gulsir. In another incident, police and army jawans laid hands on two HM sympathisers in Manjosh forests. They were identified as Nasir Ahmed, son of Gul Mohammed, and Mohammed Iqbal, son of Ghulam Mohammad, both residents of Manjosh.Their sustained interrogation was on, the sources added. It was suspected that they had gone to the forests to meet HM militants. ...   READ MORE   Missing NCC girl cadet recovered from Nagrota 2/14/2011 8:39:34 AM JAMMU, Feb 13: NCC girl cadet Bismah, who had gone missing under mysterious circumstances from the Nagrota camp on February 2, was today recovered by police from a Nagrota area.During investigation, police had come to know that the girl had been abducted by her instructor Nazamul Saqib of Chakka, Bhaderwah. Bismah, a resident of Nowgam, Kashmir, was staying at the Nagrota camp along with Saqib and other NCC cadets after their return from New Delhi where they had gone to participate in Republic Day parade. However, when she went missing on February 2, her family lodged a report with the Nagrota police station. Police sources said during investigation, police came to know that she had ...   READ MORE   Minor girl, 2 pithus hurt in landslide on Vaishnodevi bhavan track 2/14/2011 8:38:27 AM AJAY SHARMA KATRA, Feb 13: In a landslide triggered by incessant rains on the holy cave shrine route of Mata Vaishno Devi, a two-year-old girl and two pithus were today wounded near Adhkunwari. The incident took place on the new Himkoti route near Adhkunwari at about 8.30 pm, police sources said. Sources said the victims were on their way back to Katra town after having darshans of the goddess in the holy cave shrine in Trikuta Hills when the landslide occured. They were hit by the rolling mass of earth and stones, resulting in serious injuries to them, the sources added.They were identified as Aditi Gupta (2), daughter of Pankaj Gupta of Noida, Uttar Pradesh, and pithus -- Mohamm...   READ MORE   .Madrassa teacher among two HM ultras held after encounter 2/14/2011 8:38:06 AM JAMMU, Feb 13: Two Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) militants, including a madrassa teacher, were today apprehended by security forces after an hour-long gunbattle at Thatchu in Bhimdasa area of Gool. Both are close associates of HM divisional commander Qari Zuber, who was shot dead by troops along with his two associates in an encounter in Harni Harnal nullah forests of Banihal, Ramban, on February 8 last, according to police sources. The nabbed militants were identified as Mohammad Rafiq Chandel (30), son of Mohammad Sultan of Bhimdasa, and Tariq Ahmad (20), son of Abdul Ghani of Thatchu.Before joining HM ranks on October 24 last year, Tariq taught in a madrassa at Lal Chowk in Srinagar, th...   READ MORE   Ex-MLA among 5 hurt in road accident 2/14/2011 8:36:14 AM Early Times Report JAMMU, Feb 13: Five persons, including ex-MLA Girdhari Lal, were injured when their Gypsy jeep was hit by a Wagon-R at Janipura here today. Police sources said the Gypsy of Girdhari was hit from behind by a Wagon-R at the Pir Baba Morh at Janipur.In the incident Girdhari, his driver (selection grade cop) Darshan Lal and PSOs -- cop Mukesh Kumar and cop Praveen Kumar -- sustained minor injuries.They were admitted to the GMC hospital. Sources said Wagon-R driver Bavnesh, son of D K Gupta of Rehari, was also wounded and admitted to hospital.Police had registered a case in this connection. ...   READ MORE   Fake gun licence racket busted; Mendhar SDM, clerk figure as accused 2/14/2011 8:35:00 AM Early Times Report JAMMU, Feb 13: Busting a major fake gun licence racket, the Janipura police have arrested four persons from Koteranka in Rajouri.The alleged involvement of Mendhar SDM Mukhtar Choudhary, his clerk Khaliq Ahmad, Umar gun factory, Rajouri, Singh gun house, Shaheedi Chowk, and Suresh gun house, Shaheedi Chowk, has figured in the racket, SDPO Bakshi Nagar, DSP Shiv Kumar Chouhan said. The racket was unearthed by police following specific inputs in this regard. During the course of investigation, a police party led by Janipura police station SHO, SI Jaipal Sharma, which worked under Chouhan's supervision, came to know that the fake licences had allegedly been issu...   READ MORE   Omar attacks PDP for controversial J&K map `Map does not mean anything politically’ 2/14/2011 8:28:57 AM Srinagar, Feb 13: Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah on Sunday flayed the PDP for its controversial map of the state, saying "gifting away" of state's territory will not be acceptable. The map displayed by PDP during a power point presentation on Saturday showed Aksai Chin painted in red and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) in green. The depiction of the map is seen as an acceptance of the occupation of these areas by the respective countries. Omar said, "It is up to the PDP how they would want to clear this (map). I don not think it is acceptable to anyone that part of state's territory is gifted away like this". The chief minister, however, said that he was in favour of ma...   READ MORE   Centre likely to pull out 10,000 troops from JK 2/14/2011 8:28:35 AM New Delhi: The Centre plans to withdraw nearly 10,000 paramilitary personnel from Jammu and Kashmir this year as it feels that the state can do with less central forces. It also said that amendments to the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) are still on the table and hopes the committee of the Unified Headquarters in the state declares some areas in the state as "not disturbed" to make the controversial law redundant in those parts. "There is scope of reduction of troops is the Home Ministry's view. There are more than adequate forces in Kashmir and it can do with less central forces," Union Home Secretary GK Pillai told a news agency. When asked how many personnel are being p...   READ MORE   Nachay Munday Di…… Dancing Payal surprises Abdullah 2/14/2011 8:27:55 AM Early Times Report Jammu, Feb 13: The Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah could not believe his eyes. Yes, it was his wife dancing at a police function here Sunday. Payal’s dance evoked appreciation from one and all including her husband. This is the first time when Payal has danced in public. A group of dancers, singing Rauf - a traditional Kashmiri song and dance in which the womenfolk step forward and sing in unison - spotted Payal Abdullah and one dancer extended a hand to her. Without hesitation she joined the group. She was guided in her steps while she kept on smiling all the while. The sight of the chief minister's wife joining the dance was cheered by the people who had gathere...   READ MORE   PDP says Aksai Chin part of China, Google says it’s Indian MINCING NO WORDS 2/14/2011 8:26:34 AM NEHA EARLY TIMES REPORT JAMMU, Feb 13: According to People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Aksai Chin and Karakoram region are part of China. Actually, the party president and Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly on Saturday made a “power-point presentation of its vision on Kashmir” in which she virtually accepted the Chinese sovereignty over Aksai Chin and the Karakoram region “on a map super-imposed on a collage of foreign currency notes.” The PDP has reportedly acknowledged that Beijing has its “stakes and role in Jammu and Kashmir.” It also reportedly wants Kashmir to be connected with Yarkand in China and Karakoram highway, which was constructed by Beijing after Pakistan in 1963 ille...   READ MORE   Has Foreign Minister Krishna ever represented India? 2/14/2011 8:25:27 AM STARK REALITY RUSTAM EARLY TIMES REPORT JAMMU, Feb 13: The entire media yesterday laughed at, ridiculed and taunted Foreign Minister S M Krishna and charged him with letting down India in the eyes of the international community. The reason: Krishna, instead of reading out from the prepared statement or making a speech extempore as Foreign Minister of India, read out the speech of Portuguese Foreign Minister Luis Amado at a United Nations Security Council. He had gone to participate in a debate on security and development. He read out the wrong speech for as many as three minutes and, inter alia, said: "On a more personal note, allow me to express my profound satisfaction regarding t...   READ MORE   Sheikh assured loyalty to Hari Singh for personal power Conspiracy against Jammu -- IV 2/14/2011 8:24:38 AM STARK REALITY EARLY TIMES REPORT JAMMU, Feb 13:The concluding paragraph of the long letter that Hari Singh wrote to President of India Dr Rajendra Prashad on August 16/17, 1952 read like this: Finally, I have to say that I had my range of controversy with Sheikh Abdullah and the Prime Minister (Nehru) and I am bitter about the fact that the Government of India have been unable to afford me protection and safeguard my rights in spite of the fact that throughout these four and a half years, I have given full cooperation and the fact that my pre-1947 conduct did not compare favourably with that of the other Rulers who at present enjoy Government of India’ protection and favour. During the ...   READ MORE

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State bench press championship held Trauma centre for Banihal, Shaheen thanks CM Mankotia lays foundation stone of Community hall Railways to procure 6,000 AK-47s for RPF State Thang-Ta players to compete in World meet Hockey tourney postponed for Feb 18   READ MORE THIS SECTION

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