Mehbooba Meets Modi In Delhi

Transcription

1 01 21 THURSDAY MARCH-2018 SRINAGAR TODAY : CLOUDY KASHMIR Contact : -0 1 FOR SUB SCRIP YOUR TIONS & COPY O F Maximum : 10O Minmum : 06O Humidity : 81% SUNSET Today 06:27 PM SUNRISE Tommrow 07:00 AM 12 Jumada Al-Sani 1439 Hijri Vol:21 Issue:51 Pages:12 Price: `3 twitter.com / kashmirobserver facebook.com/kashmirobserver Postal Regn: L/159/KO/SK/ Life and Times / 08 Wisdom News Digest Day 2: Shutdown in Hajin Now NIA To Probe Human Trafficking New Delhi: The apex anti-terror body National Investigation Agency (NIA) will be the nodal authority for probing cases of human trafficking after the government today approved a proposal in this regard, according to an official. P10 7 Soldiers Injured Srinagar: Seven army soldiers, including an officer, were injured on Wednesday when their vehicle met with an accident in Jammu and Kashmir's Kupwara district. The army vehicle went out of the driver's control and turned turtle on a road in Langate area, the police said. The injured were shifted to an army hospital. Deposit Guns In 5 Days: DC Kup Kupwara: District Magistrate Kupwara on Wednesday asked licensed gun owners to deposit their weapons in the respective police stations within five days. The instructions came after the reports of three missing residents of WarnovLolab, P10 AN URI RESIDENT DISPLAYS the tailfin of a mortar shell fired across the LoC during a recent shelling episode at the frontiers Pic Abid Bhat / KO Artillery Exchanges Stage Comeback After 2003 Truce Srinagar: Artillery field guns have come into play across the LoC north of the Pir Panjal ranges this month for the first time in fifteen years since the truce of 2003, and the army foresees a spurt in infiltration bids and militant activity in the coming seasons, media reports quoting army sources said. The army put 105 mm field guns into action briefly during ceasefire violations in the Uri and the Rampur sectors of North Kashmir this month, they said. The sectors, falling within the zone of the 15 Corps command, witnessed 8 of the 114 ceasefire violations across the LoC since the beginning of this year. Escalations on the frontiers following New Delhi s claims of crossborder surgical strikes in September 2016 had led to the use of heavy artillery including the 155 Bofors howitzers in LoC sectors south of the Pir Panjal ranges which come under the command of the army s 16th Corps. Also, this year, there were five separate occasions when the Pakistan army P10 Guns Continue To Roar On LoC In Jammu, Rajouri Jammu: Indian and Pakistani troops exchanged heavy fire on LoC in Sunderbani, Nowshera and Khour sectors of Rajouri and Jammu districts. A defence spokesman said the Pakistan Army violated the ceasefire agreement around 1030 hours today in Nowshera, Kalal and Sunderbani sectors along the Line of Control in Rajouri district. P10 MPs' Allowance Hiked New Delhi: Members of Parliament are set to get increased allowances with the Union Cabinet on Wednesday approving a proposal in this regard. The constituency allowance, furniture allowance and communication expenses P10 THIS YEAR, THERE HAVE BEEN FOUR attempts at infiltration by sixteen militants, out of whom seven returned to Pakistan, four were killed during the cross-in bid, and only five managed to enter the Kashmir Valley, according to officials. Tral Hizb Militant Killing Lawyers Body Seeks Judicial Probe Condemns Arrest, Shifting Of 4 Life Convicts To Jammu Jails Despite Parole, High Court Orders Srinagar: Kashmir High Court Bar Association on Wednesday demanded a judicial probe into the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen militant Mushtaq Ahmad Chopian inside a police station in Tral in south Kashmir s Pulwama district. The Bar Association expresses its deep concern over the death of Mushtaq Ahmad Chopan of Tral, who was arrested on at Sopore I and while in police custody, died allegedly in a grenade attack near police station Tral on which has been doubted by his relatives and neighbours, who allege that he was killed in a fake encounter, a spokesman of the lawyers body said in a statement issued here. The Bar Association demands that instead of ordering a magisterial enquiry and conducting of an internal investigation, the matter, should be got probed P10 T ALSO STRONGLY CONDEMNS the summoning of youth and snatching of their identity cards by the army in Ashmuji village of Kulgam and beating and forcing them to do labour jobs in the camp. Chidambaram s Son Arrested Agencies New Delhi: Karti Chidambaram, arrested in connection with the probe into the INX Media case, was on Wednesday remanded to one-day CBI custody by a Delhi Court. 46-yearold Karti, son of former Finance Minister P Chidambaram, was produced before Metropolitan Magistrate Sumeet Anand and the CBI sought his custodial interrogation for 15 days claiming that he was not cooperating in the probe. The duty magistrate remanded him to one-day CBI custody and asked the The point is that Russia and Pakistan probably have more in common with respect to the war in Afghanistan than the United States has with either and this is a real turnaround from prior history. Ex-Militant Shot At In Tral, Critical Judge a man by his questions rather than his answers. -Voltaire Bandipora: Hajin town of North Kashmir s Bandipora district shuts for second consecutive day against the death of a nonlocal Lashkar-e-Taiba militant. Abu Haris was injured in fire fight with government forces after which he succumbed P10 WHY IS RUSSIA WARMING UP TO PAK? Mirwaiz Too Contests Police Claims Srinagar: After senior resistance leader Syed Ali Geelani and Hizbul Mujahideen, Hurriyat Conference led by Mirwaiz Umar Farooq on Wednesday condemning the killing of Mushtaq Ahmad Chopan during custody at Police Station Tral. P10 Day 3: Shutdown Continues in Pulwama Parts Srinagar: A shutdown was observed for the third consecutive day on Wednesday in Tral and Aripal townships of Pulwama district against the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen militant Mushtaq Ahmad Chopan P10 Pulwama: Unknown gunmen on Wednesday evening fired upon and critically injured a former militant near Eidgah Tral in this south Kashmir district. The former militant identified as Ajaz Ahmed Shah son of Ali Mohammad Shah sustained serious injuries and was shifted to Sub District Hospital Tral from where he was referred to Srinagar hospital for specialized treatment, official sources said. P10 2 Minors Injured In Mystery Blast Srinagar: Two minors were injured in a blast while fiddling with some some suspicious thing in south Kashmir s Anantnag district. A police spokesman said that Liyakat Khan (14) son of Amjad Khan, and Ishfaq Khan (12) son of Aarif Khan, were injured when they were fiddling with some P10 TIME FOR DELHI TO GET SERIOUS ABOUT KASHMIR Both New Delhi and Kashmir Valley now deal with the stereotypes of each other... Mehbooba Meets Modi In Delhi Says Situation Precarious In J&K, Calls For Time-Bound Progress On Items Agreed In AoA CM Hails New Hajj Airfare File Photo Our results suggest that higher long-term yoghurt intake is associated with lower CVD... 7 / Panorama... EATING YOGHURT CAN REDUCE RISK OF HEART DISEASE 06 / Opinion... New Delhi: Chief Minister, Mehbooba Mufti, who is in the New Delhi, called on the Prime Minister, Narendra Modi here on Wednesday evening. During the meeting, the Chief Minister apprised the Prime Minister about the overall situation in the State. She informed the Prime Minister that the people of Jammu & Kashmir have been suffering im- Weatherman: Snow, Rains In 3 Days From Today Ministers Alerts Admin, Asks IG Traffic To Ensure Clearance Of Vehicle On Highway In Advance Srinagar: Weatherman on Wednesday issued an advisory about moderate rain and snow at widespread places of Jammu, Kashmir in Ladakh, mainly in Kargil district from tomorrow till March 3. A fresh Western Disturbance is affecting J&K and adjoining areas and most likely to affect the state from morning to (Forenoon), reads the advisory sent to divisional commissioner by the director of the local meteorological department. Under the influence of weather system, it said, moderate rain and snow was expected at widespread places of Jammu, Kashmir and moderate snowfall in Ladakh, mainly in Kargil district. Higher reaches of Kashmir & Jammu most likely to receive moderate to heavy rain/snow. Anantnag, Shopian, Kulgam, Pulwama and Badgam districts will most likely receive heavy rain and snow, it said. The weather system may lead to disruption of surface P10 mensely due to a precarious situation for the past so many decades, an official spokesman said. She also brought into his notice the recent up scaling of violence along the borders in the State which has forced thousands of people to leave their homes, hearths and daily routine. She said the dire need of the time is to de escalate this situation of violence and uncertainty and adopt the path of reconciliation, P10 New Delhi: Chief Minister, Mehbooba Mufti has welcomed the decision of the Government of India to substantially reduce the airfare for the Hajj pilgrims from India from this year. Thanking the Centre, particularly Prime Minister, Narendra Modi for the decision, the Chief Minister said the move would balance the cost escalation due to withdrawal of subsidy early this year. The reduction in airfare will be applicable to passengers on Air India, Saudi Airlines and Flynas, an air carrier based in Saudi Arabia, to Jeddah and Medina from 21 airports in India. The slash in airfare P10 Food Safety ACT Implementation Independent FSC Appears Distant Dream: HC Marouf Ali Srinagar: The High Court on Wednesday said that posting of Food Safety Commissioner appears to be a distant dream while as it directed police to provide assistance to officials during their checking of food items for adulteration in the state. Posting of FSC still appears to be a distant dream. Only interim arrangement has been made. The authorities were impressed upon to appoint a suitable on the post. We are not satisfied with the reasons given by the state. For the last 8 months nothing has been done except creation of post of FSC, a division bench of the court said while hearing a Public Interest Litigation. Subsequently, the court grated three weeks time to the authorities whom it asked to take all necessary steps for filling up of the post along with strengthened staff. In case of default, the P10 FIR Shouldn t Be Quashed When Facts Are Hazy: HC Marouf Ali Srinagar: In keeping with the scope of section 561-A Cr.PC, the High Court should refrain from making prima facie decision at interlocutory stage when entire facts of the case are incomplete and hazy, its single bench has ordered. Section 561-A Cr.PC gives it inherent P10 Court Orders Release Of Kulgam Youth Life and liberty of the citizens of the State are of paramount importance, the Jammu and Kashmir High Court observed as it quashed detention order under Public Safety Act against P10 J&K BANK CUSTOMERS agency to produce Karti before the concerned judge tomorrow. When Karti was brought to the Patiala House district court premises and was taken to the court room, he told the waiting scribes, "It is absolutely a political vendetta. I will be vindicated". In its remand application filed in the court, the CBI claimed that sustained interrogation of Karti was needed to unearth the "total conspiracy" hatched in the case and also to find out the details of overseas payments allegedly received by him from INX Media as a "quid pro P10

2 To place an advertisement CALL Monday - Saturday (9am - 6pm) No 1- Dal Lake Boulevard Srinagar, , Kashmir bazar Observer Thursday RE-TENDER NOTICE r n ang r n ang For and on behalf of Vice Chancellor Islamic University of Science and Technology (IUST), Awantipora, sealed tenders affixed with revenue stamp of Rs. 5/- in two bid system are invited from the reputed manufacturers/authorized dealers for supply, installation and testing of various laboratory/scientific equipments as mentioned in the Annexure A of this tender for University Nursing Colleges. The detailed tender document can be obtained from the office of Procurement & Stores or can be downloaded from the University website: against DD of Rs. 500/- (nonrefundable) favouring Islamic University of Science and Technology, Awantipora Pulwama (J&K) as cost of the tender document and to be submitted by or before (02.00 pm). Terms and Conditions apply. Member secretary (Central Purchase Committee) No.IUST/Reg/P&S/Tender/18/161 Dated: Office of the Assistant Regional Transport Officer, Shopian Notice SAM ANG Office Of The Assistant Regional Transport Officer BUDGAM KASHMIR BUDGAM KASHMIR Whereas an application has been recieved from one. International Islamic School Budgam R/o Humhama Budgam owner of vehicle bearing Registration No: jk04e-0727 for cancellation of hire purchase agreement with M/S HDFC Bank B/U Srinagar. Now therefore it is notified for the information of the general public that objections if any to the proposed cancellation of hire purchase Agreement shall be filed in writing in the office of the Assistant Regional Transport office ARTO Budgam within a period of 12 days from the date of publication of this notice in the daily newspaper. Assistant Regional Transport officer Budgam Kashmir No. ARTO/ BUDGAM.7204 Dated 28/02/2018 Whereas an application has been recieved from one. International Islamic School Budgam R/o Humhama Budgam owner of vehicle bearing Registration No: jk04e-0729 for cancellation of hire purchase agreement with M/S HDFC Bank B/U Srinagar. Now therefore it is notified for the information of the general public that objections if any to the proposed cancellation of hire purchase Agreement shall be filed in writing in the office of the Assistant Regional Transport office ARTO Budgam within a period of 12 days from the date of publication of this notice in the daily newspaper. Assistant Regional Transport officer Budgam Kashmir No. ARTO/ BUDGAM.7204 Dated 28/02/2018 NOTICE r n ang SAM ANG Office Of The Assistant Regional Transport Officer Whereas joint application has been received by this office from Mr./Mrs Parvaiz Ahmad Wani S/o Gh Mohd Wani R/o Shirmal Shopian (Party No 1st) as Transferor, (seller) owner of the vehicle Mahindra Xuvv Regd. No. JK (Commercial/ Non Commercial ) covering under R/P NO: And Mr./ Mrs Mudasir Ahmad Najar S/o Gh Mohd Najar R/o Nowgam Sombrun Shangus Achabal Ang (Parti No 2nd ) as Transferee (purchaser) requesting for transfer of R/C & R/P of the above noted vehicle from party No. ist to 2nd and cancellation of hire purchase agreement with JK Bank Main Shopian. Hypothecation endorsed with JK Bank Achabal Ang Before the case is disposed off on its merits, any body having objection regarding the proposed transfer may file his objection within seven (7) days from the datte of publication of this notice to the office of the undersigned. No any representation/ objection shall be entertained after stipulated period. No : ARTO/Spn/ Dated S/D Asst Regional Transport Officer Shopian NOTICE Heritage Stationers Wholesaler of Stationers Products Cell: fida_khan73@yahoo.com Ist Floor Hyderiya Building Dalgate Near State Bank of India SPN MEH x x SAM ANG SAM ANG 31 Janisar News Agency D C Office Anantnag 32 Mir News Agency Harwan Srinagar 33 Farooz News Agency Ganderbal x G DISCLAIMER: Kashmir Observer makes every effort to ensure that the information carried in display/ classified advertisements, appearing in the newspaper is correct. However the newspaper takes no responsibility nor does it necessarily endorse the contents of these adverts. The readers are therefore requested to verify the contents before acting thereupon. Management

3 Srinagar Observer CS discusses modalities to start Srinagar Water Transport SRINAGAR: Chief Secretary, B B Vyas Wednesday chaired a meeting here to discuss the modalities towards operationalization of phase-1 of the Srinagar Water Transport System. Principal Secretary to Chief Minister, Secretary, PHE and I&FC, Mr Anuj Malhotra Traffic Advisor, J&K and senior officers of various departments attended the meeting. Divisional Commissioner, Kashmir participated in the meeting via video conferencing. The phase-1 of the Srinagar Transport System involves navigation in specific stretches of River Jhelum and Dal Lake through motor boats JKWLEW Union protests in city, Calls SRO-520 a cruel joke SRINAGAR: Jammu and Kashmir Wild Life Employees and Workers Union on Wednesday staged protest against the government for failing to fulfill their demands since long. The Union members assembled at Srinagar s Pratap Park and chanted slogans in favour of justice. They were demanding authorities to fulfill their genuine demands at an earliest. Terming recently announced SRO-520 by Jammu and Kashmir Government a cruel joke for the daily wagers and casual labourers, president of Jammu and Kashmir Wild Life Employees and Workers (JKWLEW) Union, Tariq Ahmad Sofi said the order was an act to deceive the innocent employees in the name of regularization. The SRO-520 is a cruel joke which has been played upon the daily wagers and unconfirmed employees. We consider it as an attempt to deceive the employees in the name of regularization. Such orders are unacceptable to us, Sofi said. He said the union leaders have been inviting the attention of the government towards their genuine demands but the government has utterly failed to fulfill the demands, leaving thousands of workers and employees to lurch at large. Today s protest should serve as an eye-opener to the government, Sofi said. He said employees working on consolidated, casual and need basis should be given preference in regularization of their services like the government did in The other demands of the employees he included convening of meeting of departmental promotion committee (DPC) for lower rank officials which has not taken place for the past 17 years, change of designation of helpers which has already been implemented in other departments, removal of pay anomalies, reorganization of the department which has been pending since 2008, end to the injustice being meted to the senior officers who are being brought from different wings of the department and made subordinates, and promotion of the trained and experienced employees. (KNS) and motorized Shikara service. Detailed deliberations were held in regard to the mandate and role of various departments and Authorities including I&FC, Tourism, Transport, R&B and PDD besides SMC, LAWDA & J&KSWRRA in operationalization of the Water Transport System. Made Powerless By Power Shortage Syed Mohammad Burhan SEMI-RING ROAD New Gallandar bypass to traverse 52 villages SRINAGAR: Minister for Works, Mr Naeem Akhtar has welcomed the formal award of Srinagar Semi-Ring Road Project by National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) on Wednesday. He said the tenders have already been issued for the Jammu Semi-Ring Road project and it will be also awarded soon for execution. Earlier today Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways said that NHAI has awarded Rs 939 crore project for construction of proposed Srinagar Semi-Ring Road to Ramky Infrastructure. "The NHAI has issued letter of award for construction of the proposed Srinagar Ring Road/ Bypass from Gallander to Crossing of Sumbal Road," Ministry of Road Transport and Highways said in its statement. The km project with a cost of Rs crore has been awarded to Ramky Infrastructure and would be implemented on engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) mode, the statement said adding the construction period is 36 months, it said. The entire greenfield alignment has been proposed on the western side of Srinagar City to provide connectivity to the habitation on that side, it said. It will also provide smooth and easy traffic flow in and around Srinagar City. The Ring Road/ Bypass will traverse 52 villages and 6 Districts including Pulwama, Budgam, Baramulla, Srinagar, Ganderbaland Bandipora, it added. The ring road/bypass will also lead to substantial socioeconomic growth of the area. APDP stages silent protest in Srinagar SRINAGAR: Scores of members Association of Parents of Disappeared Persons (APDP) on Wednesday staged a silent protest in Srinagar against the human rights violation in Kashmir. The protesters including men, women assembled at Srinagar s Pratap Park and staged silent protest and demanded government to find out their beloved ones who are disappeared since years. The association members were carrying the banners and placards reading stop crime against humanity, what lies beneath?. Talking to Kashmir News Service (KNS), the APDP members said that the government has utterly failed to trace their beloved ones from past several years. The family members of disappeared youth, mostly females castigated the successive governments for being indifferent towards their agony. A woman protester said that the government must trace their beloved ones who are disappeared since years. We don t want government jobs or any other compensation from the government but the only thing we demand is to trace our beloved ones, she said. She also said that the successive regimes have miserably failed to trace their beloved ones. We are still having hope that our beloved ones will come one day, she said. We have been fighting for 26 years against the enforced disappearances of our children. More than 10,000 individuals are missing who were taken into custody by different Indian agencies, the APDP protesters said. They also appealed the international human rights bodies to intervene and help the families in tracing their beloved ones. Thursday DIAL-EMMA AIRPORTS TRAFFIC POLICE : , PCR: , PDD: FIRE AND EMERGENCY SERVICES : , , CAPD: SMC HEALTH OFFICER: SHIEK UL ALAM AIRPORT: RAILWAYS SRINAGAR: ANANTNAG: BARAMULLA: BIJBHERA: PAMPORE: PATTAN: QAZIGUND: HIGHWAY STATUS SRINAGAR JAMMU: OPEN SRINAGAR-LEH: CLOSED MUGHAL ROAD: CLOSED SRINAGAR-MUZAFFARABAD: CLOSED HIJRI CALENDAR 12 JUMADA AL-SANI 1439 PRAYERS FAJR---5: 41 ZUHR---12: 45 ASR---4:45 Magrib 6:31 ISHA---7:49 This Day in History Venera 3 becomes 1st man-made object to impact on a planet (Venus) NY Times raises its price from 25 cents to 30 cents 1982 Russian spacecraft Venera 14 lands on Venus, sends back data 1983 Tornado tears through Los Angeles, injuring 33 people Landsat 5 & ham satellite Oscar 11 launched into polar orbit Pentagon accepts theory that atomic war would cause a nuclear winter Iraq says it launched 16 missiles into Tehran The United States becomes a member of the Berne Convention copyright treaty U.S. invasion of Afghanistan: Operation Anaconda begins in eastern Afghanistan The Envisat environmental satellite successfully reaches an orbit 800 kilometers (500 miles) above the Earth on its 11th launch, carrying the heaviest payload to date at 8500 kilograms (9.5 tons) Mohammed Bahr al-uloum becomes President of Iraq English-language Wikipedia reaches its one millionth article, Jordanhill railway station Tomb of a 700 year old female mummy, discovered by road workers, opened in Taizhou, Jiangsu, China people are killed & 130 are injured by a group of knife-wielding terrorists at Kunming Railway Station, China US President Barack Obama warns Russian President Vladimir Putin over involvement in Ukraine Forbes Richest List released, Bill Gates No. 1 with $75 billion, number of world s billionaires shrinks to 1, Gene for grey hair (IRF4) discovery announced by Scientists from University College London in Nature Communications US primary elections: Super Tuesday - both Republican Donald Trump and Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton win seven state races each South Korean opposition MPs set a world record for longest filibuster - 9 days (192 hours) trying to block anti-terror bil. From KO Archives Umar Denies Rift With Hurriet, Disagrees With It On Lahore Talks OBSERVER NEWS SERVICE D My studies suffer because of frequent power cuts. Since I work during the day, I have to study mostly during evenings till late at night. But frequent and unscheduled power curtailments disrupt my timetable, and I cannot study. Besides, in the kind of weather we have, students have to rely on electricity for many needs. Therefore, its unavailability has an adverse impact on our education. Naveed Ahmed Wani, Media Student ogged by an acute power crisis for decades, people in Kashmir no longer believe in political promises of solving it made during electioneering, saying that successive governments have roundly failed to deliver on the most important component of their poll pitches. Authorities, on the other hand, pin the blame mostly on consumers doors citing injudicious use and pilferage of electricity as the root causes. Even as most areas in Srinagar face long power cuts to the tune of 12 hours and above in a Customers can't avail of our services because of power cuts. When there is no electricity, we start working on generators, due to which the price of the content we print also increases. Customers argue over the increase in print rates. Thus our business gets affected. Bashir Ahmed Computer Operator We pay a hefty amount of money as electricity fee, but in return we get it for only a few hours a day. A meter is installed in our shop. We fail to understand why it shows 24-hour cycle and many in rural Kashmir complain of a situation even worse, the debate on the issue has stretched interminably over the years around terms such as power infrastructure, transmission and distribution losses, and peak demand, with very a very high reading even when power is available for a few hours only. The Power Development Department doesn t follow any schedule, nor does it accept any liability, or offer compensation, for its heavy curtailment. Abid Hussain Foodgrain Merchant All our work has to be done online, so, when electricity is cut off, it suffers. Moreover, the voltage is very low, and not sufficient to recharge batteries. The only option left for little effort visible to rectify any. The Kashmir Observer talked to city residents from different walks of life for impressions of everyday lives, professions and businesses at the mercy of the Power Development Department s cut-off switch. us is to use generators, but this is an option we cannot afford because of our low income. Azhar Hamdani J&K Bank Khidmat Centre, Hawal Our pumping station gets shut down due to frequent cuts in electricity. Work in our offices also suffers because of power unavailability. For example, if our offices need a simple photocopy of a document, we have to get it done outside even when the required equipment exists in our department. Yasir Qayoom, Irrigation Department Employee SRINAGAR: Differences of perception among the leaders of APHC on recently concluded Indo Pak prime ministerial talks in Lahore surfaced today with former Hurriet chairman stating in a roundabout manner that he viewed the talks from a differ ent angle.although Moulvi Umar Farooq today rejected reports that he had any differences with the rest of the Hurriet leader ship he reiterated his stand that he still hailed the Lahore talks. Umar Farooq while talking to media men in a Srinagar Hotel instead ofhurriet headquarters said the amalgam grouping was the only representative body of the people of Kashmir. Hurriet it bears mention had this time reacted strongly against the Indo Pak talks saying the talks tantamount to rub bing salt in to the wounds of Kashmiris as according it these were merely diversionary tactics. Umar Farooq said, There is no conflict as far as Hurriet s prin cipled and basic stand of right to self-determination and free dom is concerned.however, as far as Awami Action Committee and my personal stand is concerned, I still welcome Lahore declaration, he said. Untill India and Pakistan will not come closer, he said, Kashmir problem will not be resolved. This is the stand of Hurriet and that of Awami Action Committee also. Umar said the involvement of Kashmiri leadership in the talks over Kashmir is mandatory, but the talks have to prog-ress in a phased manner. He is of the view that Kashmiris need to be involved in the later part of the parleys between India and Pakistan. The chief of Awami Action Committee said that he could not attend the meeting of Hurriet Confer-ence ahead of Lahore-summit as he was appearing in exami-nation in those days. However, my representative was present in the meeting,and the decesion to oppose talks was taken by concensus, he said. Umar hailed Lahore-summit as the outcome of the summit was encouraging. He said for the first time New Delhi has rec ognised Kashmir as a disputed issue. Hurriet is, however, of the view that the Lahore-summit is an utter failure. Umar Farooq said that his lawyers are in Delhi and they are discussing the issue of government s denial to permit him to perform Hajj this year with Supreme Court lawyers. He said that he will be moving the court against the state and the central government only after his team of lawyers returns. Meanwhile, a shutdown was observed in parts of Srinagar in protest against the government decision. (KASHMIR OBSERVER, 01 March, 1999)

4 State Thursday IN BRIEF 2 boys injured in shell explosion at Anantnag SRINAGAR: Two minor boys were injured after a shell went off at Mattan area of south Kashmir s Anantnag district on Wednesday. Official sources told news agency GNS that the two minors namely Liyaqat Khan (14) Son of Amjad Khan and Ishfaq Khan (12) son of Arif Ahmad Khan took the device and were playing with it at Renipora village in Mattan. While fiddling it, the device exploded resulting in injuries to both of them. Soon after the incident, the locals took both the injured boys and shifted them to a nearby hospital where from they were referred to district hospital Anantnag for further treatment. A police spokesman in a statement issued to GNS said that the minor boys have been injured when they were fiddling with some suspicious thing which exploded accidentally near Panchayat Mohalla Rakh-e-Brah in the jurisdiction of Police Station Uttersoo. Both the injured have been shifted to Srinagar Hospital for treatment. The condition of both the injured is said to be stable. Police are investigating the cause of the explosion, the spokesman said. (GNS) Kid slips to death in trench in North Kashmir KUPWARA: A ten year old kid died after he fell down into a trench at Haidermal Mawar area of North Kashmir s Kupwara district. A police official said that boy was playing when he fell down into the trench. He identified the deceased as Sharafat Ali Khan son of Asghar Ali Khan a resident of Haidermal Mawar. Sharafat was a class 4th student and the lone son of his parents. (CNS) Residential house gutted in fire at Langate LANGATE: A residential house was partially gutted in fire in Audoora Qalamabad area of Langate in north Kashmir s Kupwara district today. Fire broke out in the residential house of Mohammad Afzal Lone son of Ghulam Mohammad Lone, resident of Audoora Qalamabad in the jurisdiction of police station Qalamabad, resulting in partial damage to the house. According to the KNS correspondent, as soon as fire broke out, local youths got together which were immediately joined by fire fighters brought fire under control and prevented from spreading to nearby residential house. All the items inside the house including valuable records, clothing and food grains were destroyed in the mishap. (KNS) KATHUA INCIDENT Police says vested interests trying to add fuel to fire JAMMU: The police today said that some vested interests are trying to communalize the situation to put pressure on the agency investigating the murder of a teenage girl in Kathua and unfortunately some media organizations have also started playing into the hands of such troublemaking elements. Reacting to a news report published in the Daily Excelsior today, a spokesman of the Zonal Police Headquarters Jammu said that as has been misleadingly reported by the said newspaper, no migration has occurred in Hiranagar area and some ladies on the instigation of rumor-mongers and trouble-creators with vested interest had assembled near Higher Secondary School, Kootah and created an unnecessary scene. The ladies, however, returned to their homes on the intervention and assurance of the local administration, he said. Unfortunately, some vested interests are desperately trying to polarize the situation in the area around this gruesome criminal act of the murder of an innocent girl, he said and added that the Police had registered a case FIR No: 10/2018 in Police Station Hiranagar following the abduction and murder of the teenage girl in the area last month. He said the case was then transferred to the Crime Branch which is now investigating it professionally. Be regular, punctual or face action: Govt warns employees; HODs asked to closely monitor punctuality in offices SRINAGAR: Following the reports that employees are showing lack of punctuality and lack of interest in their official responsibilities, the state government warned its employees to be regular and come in time to offices, failure of which might attract disciplinary action. Official sources told KNS that the government has made it clear that it would not tolerate any sort of negligence or lack of irregularity and punctuality in the official functions and wants its employees to be very sincere and timely in delivering their outputs. In fact, the government has already been working on making employees disciplined and now it has further decided that official actions and punishments will also be taken up in case of those who shows lack of punctuality and lack of interest in their official responsibilities, one of the top officials of the government wished anonymity told KNS. The official said that habitual late attendance is viewed as conduct unbecoming of a government servant and disciplinary action may be taken against such a government servant. Interestingly on Tuesday the government suspended thirty-seven employees in Budgam district for remaining absent from duty. The official said that instructions have been issued from time to time with regard to the need to observe punctuality by government servants. The government has introduced Bio-metric Attendance System in government offices, Doctors tried to force us to visit their private clinic for surgery, Alleges North Kashmir family TANGMARG: A family from North Kashmir Wednesday alleged that two doctors posted at Sub District Hospital in a bid to force their ailing son to go for a surgery at their private clinic remained absent from their duty when the patient needed them. The family members who emerged in Press Enclave Srinagar today said they admitted Nisar Ahmed Parray (19) at Sub District Hospital Tangmarg after he developed some urinal infection. My brother needed surgery but Dr Abid Jabar and Dr Farooq Ahmed demanded Rs 30,000 from us with a word that they will perform the surgery at their private clinic. When we refused, they half-heartedly did surgery and left the hospital in a hurry, Mushtaq Ahmed Parray told news agency CNS. He said that during night hours, his brother after the surgery lost blood profusely while in the absence of these two doctors, they arranged OFFICE OF THE EXECUTIVE ENGINEER SUB TRANSMISSION DIVISION BIJBEHARA No: Fax No: xenstdbijbehara@yahoo.com / xenstdbijbehara@gmail.com EXTENSION NOTICE No. 03 Subject: Supply of 100 Sq mm ACSR-DOG as per IS (45Km) Reference: This office e-nit No. 28/STB of 2018; Dated: In view of POOR response the last date for submission of e- tenders is hereby extended as per the schedule of dates given below: Other terms and conditions as laid in the basic NIT shall remain same: 1 Last date for downloading of e-bid(extended) 7thMarch 2018; 11:00 AM 2 Last date for submission of e-bid(extended) 7thMarch 2018; 1:00 PM 3 Submission of hard copy to the office of the Ex.Engineer STD Bijbehara 4 Online Commercial, Technical & Financial e-bid opening date & Time a private vehicle and shifted the patient to JVC Bemina. These doctors didn t perform the surgery professionally as we refused to pay them money. Next day, when we protested against these two doctors, SDM Tangmarg Abdul Aziz came for their support and dragged us out from the hospital, family members said. The protesting family members while demanding action against the two doctors sought intervention of Health Minister Bali Bhagat. When contacted Sub Divisional Magistrate Tangmarg, Mr Abdul Aziz said that he himself visited the hospital to inquire the matter. I have already sought a report from hospital authorities and action will be taken if anybody is found on wrong foot, he said and added that he objected only when the attendants raised slogans inside the hospital. Despite repeated attempts, Block Medical Officer Tangmarg could not be contacted. (CNS) Dir Edu visits Budgam, takes stock of educational scenario 'Students with less attendance shall not be allowed to sit in Board Examinations' SRINAGAR: In order to take stock of the effective teaching learning process, Director School Education Kashmir, Dr. G.N. Itoo in this process visited District Budgam to take stock of the Educational scenario of the District. DSEK started his tour by visiting Boys and Girls Higher Secondary Schools Budgam. Taking serious note of the thin attendance of the students in both the schools he stressed upon the fact that the students with less attendance in the schools shall not be allowed to sit in the Board Examinations. He said that for this purpose, reports at various levels shall be compiled to monitor the attendance of students in the schools. At first monthly reports in this regard shall be compiled by concerned principals, CEO concerned shall submit the report after 2nd month and in the third month Directorate of School Education Kashmir shall publish the list of the students with thin attendance and those students shall not be allowed to sit in the examinations. In presence of District Development Commissioner Budgam Muhammad Haroon Malik, DSEK called a conference of all Head of the Institutions of the District and passed some important directions. During their interaction with DSEK, students present on the occasion highlighted some of the issues being faced by them in the teaching learning process. One of the students said that the students should be provided opportunity to take part in cocurricular and extra-curricular activities along with the regular curriculum. In reply DSEK assured that they shall be provided with every opportunity in this regard. He stressed upon all the Head of the Institutions and teachers present on the occasion to provide students ample opportunity and chance to express their thoughts and ideas in and outside the classrooms. He directed the teachers and students to adopt an illiterate person of their family or locality and try to provide basic knowledge to them. 7thMarch 2018; 4:00 PM 8th March 2018; 2:00 PM NO:STB/ ; Dated: Sd/= Executive Engineer DIPK-14869/17 Sub Transmission Division Bijbehara to replace the manual system of marking of attendance. Sources said that the government is receiving reports from the offices that that officers/officials remain absent from their duties and also come late and depart before the office time. Sources said that due to unavailability of the officers, the important files are not getting approval timely due to which numbers of works of the respective departments have been stuck. One of the cabinet minister in Government of Jammu & Kashmir OFFICE OF THE EXECUIVE ENGINEER R&B DIVISION SOPORE. NOTICE INVITING TENDER NIT No- 319 of RnB-Sopore of e-tendering DATED For and on behalf of the Governor, J&K State e-tenders (in Single Cover System) are invited on item rate basis from approved and eligible contractors registered with J&K State Govt., CPWD, Railways and other State/Central Governments for the following works: S.no Name of Work Est. Cost (Rs. In Lacs) Cost of T/ DOC (In Rupees) Earnest Money (In Rupees) Time of Completion In days Time & Date of Opening of Bid Class of Contractor Major Head of Account Construction of 1x10 meter span Decked steel bridge at Gratwari Khahmoh Rafiabad. PDP- BJP government told KNS that Secretaries, HODs have been asked to ensure punctuality in their departments and if an officer/official is a habitual late comer, then action may be taken against him/her as per rules. However sources said that it has been observed that most of the employees in the civil secretariat are adhering to the office timings. Sources also said that there are numbers of complaints also against doctors and staff in the hospitals for late coming in the office but the administration has completely failed to run the affairs of the hospitals. Usually, doctors arrive in the office after 10:30 or 11 AM which is in total contravention of the government order which requires the officials to arrive in the office by10 AM. Continue violating the Jammu and Kashmir Government Employees (conduct) Rule 1971, Government Instructions (3) (ii) which states that every Government servant shall at all times maintain devotion to duty, sources maintained. (KNS) Thousands of kanals of forest land under encroachment Govt pays no attention towards it s demarcation in JK SRINAGAR: Despite encroachments on forest land, government has failed to make proper demarcation of the forest land in the state. The recorded forest area is sq. kms, which constitutes % of geographical area of the state. Recently, the government said that department has retrieved kanal against kanal encroached forest land in Jammu division. Similarly the department retrieved kanal of kanal encroached forest land in Kashmir division, Forest Minister Chowdhary Lal Singh has said. At the same time, government has failed to demarcate the forest land in the state. An official of the Forest Department on condition of anonymity told KNS that artificial boundaries are demarcated around forest land at several place in the state. Half of the forest land is open without any demarcation, the official said. The official said that thousands of kanals of forest land are still under encroachment and government has failed to retrieve that from encroachers. He said that the increase in forest fires happen due to non-demarcation of forest land in the state. Had the forests been demarcated in the state, less such incidents would have happened, the official told KNS. In 2011, government made the proposal for demarcation of forest land including Dachigam National Park. Seven years down the line, the project has not been executed in the state. but the project has not been implemented. The government had also made a proposal for the demarcation of the Dachigam National Park, which spreads over141 sq km. However, so far the authorities have not identified its area, which extends in North to Dara Block, Sind Forest Division, Overa Aru wildlife Sanctuary and in South to Ridges of Cheshmashahi forests, Khanmoh Khrew forests, Hajin and Narastan and Zowirstan forests. Its boundaries in east extend to lake Marsar and in the West Harwan water reservoir and lacs 1100/ 51000/ 30 days A A Y / BEE TSP Position of AAA Under submission Position of funds: Demanded The Bidding documents consisting of qualifying information, eligibility criteria, specifications, Drawings, bill of quantities (B.O.Q), Set of terms and conditions of contract and other detail s can be seen/downloaded from the departmental website as per schedule of dates given below:- 01. Date of issue of Tender Notice Period of downloading of bidding documents From (10.00A.M) to (4.00P.M) 03. Bid submission start date from (10.00A.M) 04. Bid submission end date upto (4.00 P.M) 05. Deadline for receiving the Hard Copy (Original DD & EMD) Dental college PGs facing torment at HoD s hands SRINAGAR: Post-graduate students at the Government Dental College here are undergoing mental, physical and emotional torment at the hands of their Head of Department, the Doctors Association of Kashmir (DAK) said in a statement today. Quoting a delegation of MDS Orthodontics students that he said had met the Association, the president of the DAK, Dr Suhail Naik, said that they were also being forced to perform personal and domestic chores for the HOD like washing his car, fetching family members from the airport and taking children to school. The students provided us (the DAK) with documental and other electronic evidence (of such activities), the DAK president said. The Principal of the Government Dental College is fully aware of the whole situation through the representations the Zabarwan Forests. It only appears on papers that Dachigam spreads over 141 sq km but the authorities have failed to identify the area. Even a proposal was framed years ago for its proper demarcation, which has been shelved for unknown reasons, an official of the Wild Life Department, said. He said the artificial demarcation of its boundaries was done at few places and the civilian population was also residing in its area at several places, posing a serious threat to its species. Officials said with absence of boundaries and fencing, local live stock of the surrounding areas of the Dachigam Wildlife Park goes on a grazing spree in its upper reaches resulting in heavy habitat degradation. A senior official said government has taken up several preservation measures for forest land. Vulnerable areas in forests are being demarcated on priority basis, he said. It will take several hundred crores for demarcation of entire forest land, he said. (KNS) upto (4.00P.M) in the Office of the Executive Engineer R&B Division Sopore students have made and communications from the Kashmir University, but is hesitant in taking the action for reasons best known to him, he said. Urging the state s health minister to intervene personally in the matter, the DAK has emphasized that budding postgraduate doctors were being unnecessarily harassed and their future jeopardized by the egoistic attitude of their HODs even as the government claims to be working to improve medical and healthcare system in Jammu and Kashmir. Today, after the introduction of the National Eligibility Cum Entrance Test (NEET), doctors from the state can apply anywhere in the country for their postgraduate degrees, a facility not available a year ago. If this situation continues no one would like to pursue his or her postgraduate degrees at the Government Dental College at Srinagar. This will project a very bad image of the state of our healthcare, the DAK president further said. Kupwara avalanche Special rescue teams sent to trace out missing persons SRINAGAR: Authorities on Wednesday rushed special rescue teams to the Lashkote forests in Lolab area of north Kashmir s Kupwara district where three persons were buried in an avalanche on Saturday last week. The families of the missing persons on Tuesday had urged the government to trace out the missing persons. A team of rescuers comprising of police, army and SDRF had started rescue operations on Sunday but returned back due to lack of expertise. Sub Divisional Magistrate Lolab Ahmad Hussain Bhat told news agency GNS that a rescue team comprising of 82 persons who have expertise in the field were deputed on Wednesday morning to the avalanche spot. The rescue team carries necessary equipment to retrieve the buried trio, Bhat said, adding that the arrangement of food has also been made for the rescuers. SDM said the Deputy Commissioner Kupwara has already requested the government for providing helicopter service which is expected soon. A senior army officer of 18 RR under whose supervision the rescue operation is being carried out said their sleuths who are well trained are carrying the avalanche rescue equipment which includes rods, cords and digging equipment. 06. Date & time of opening Bids (on line) at (11.00A.M) in the Office of the Executive Engineer R&B Division Sopore 2. Bids must be accompanied with cost of Tender document in shape of demand draft in favour of Executive Engineer, R&B Division Sopore (tender inviting authority ) and Earnest money /Bid security in shape of CDR/FDR pledged to tender receiving authorityexecutive Engineer R&B Division Sopore 3. The date and time of opening of Bids shall be notified on web Site and conveyed to the bidders automatically through an message on their address. The bids of Responsive bidders shall be opened online on same web site in the office of the Tender receiving authority ). 4. The bids for the work shall remain valid for a period of 120 days from the date of opening of technical Bids. 5. The earnest money shall be forfeited if:- a. Any bidder/ tenderer withdraws his bid/ tender during the period of bid validity or makes any Modifications in the terms and conditions of the bid. b. Failure of Successful bidder to furnish the required performance security within the specified time limit. c. Failure of Successful bidder to execute the agreement within 28 days after fixation of contract. 6. Instruction to bidders regarding e-tendering process. 6.1 Bidders are advised to download bid submission manual from the "Downloads" option as well as from "Bidders Manual Kit" on website acquaint bid submission process 6.2 To participate in bidding process, bidders have to get 'Digital Signature Certificate (DSC)' as per Information Technology Act Bidders can get digital certificate from any approved vendor. 6.3 The bidders have to submit their bids online in electronic format with digital Signature. No Financial bid will be accepted in physical form. No: Date: Sd/- Executive Engineer, DIPK-14871/17 R&B Division Sopore

5 NEWS Thursday BJP leader who mowed down 9 kids surrenders Patna: A suspended BJP leader who was absconding since Saturday after being accused of crushing nine schoolchildren to death and injuring 20 others while driving an SUV in an inebriated state has surrendered in Bihar s Muzaffarpur on Wednesday. After the arrest, Baitha was shifted to Patna Medical College & Hospital from Sri Krishna Medical College & Hospital for treatment of the injuries he suffered during the accident. According to a report in NDTV, Baitha will be produced in a court later in the day. Manoj Baitha had become a source of embarrassment for the BJP, which rules Bihar in alliance with Janata Dal United (JDU) as the opposition launched a scathing political attack over the incident. Sources say he surrendered after the BJP leadership in the state firmly asked him to do. At least nine children were killed and about 20 injured when the speeding vehicle, driven by Manoj Baitha, lost control and ploughed through them outside a government school building on the outskirts of Muzaffarpur on Saturday. US top court rules immigrants can be held indefinitely WASHINGTON: The US Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that immigrants can be detained indefinitely without bond hearings, in a setback for immigrant rights. The five-to-three decision was carried by the court s conservative justices, who said immigrants detained in the United States had no right to periodic bond hearings. It reversed a ruling by the San Francisco 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, which had set a six-month limit for detention without a bond hearing as long as the person did not pose a flight risk or a danger to national security. Writing for the majority, Justice Samuel Alito argued that the appeals court had overstepped its authority by re-writing rather than interpreting the law. All parties appear to agree that the text of these provisions, when read most naturally, does not give detained aliens the right to periodic bond hearings during the course of their detention, he wrote. In a dissent, Justice Stephen Breyer cited the Declaration of Independence, in particular its insistence that all men and women have certain unalienable Rights, and that among them is the right to Liberty. Thousands of US troops in Israel for joint military drill Agencies Jerusalem: Thousands of US troopers have been stationed in Israel to participate in a joint military exercise with Israeli forces amid escalating tensions in the region. The biennial Juniper Cobra drill is set to start on March 4 and will continue until March 15, with participation of 2,500 forces from the US European Command and 2,000 Israeli soldiers. The figure shows a substantial increase compared with the previous drill in 2016 in which 3,200 soldiers participated. According to the Israeli army, some American troops will stay in Israel until the end of March and continue training the Israeli soldiers, the Times of Israel reported. Palestine's Ma'an news agency, released a video showing an American military convoy driving from Jerusalem al-quds towards the southern areas of the Palestinian occupied territories. This year, the maneuver will include advanced computer simulations of a massive ballistic missile attack against Israel as well as some realworld activities. During the 2018 Juniper Cobra drills, the US and Israeli forces will train on the longrange Arrow and Patriot air defense systems, the mediumrange David s Sling, and the short-range Iron Dome. This will be the first time that the David s Sling will be used in a Juniper Cobra exercise. Israel has installed Patriot missile systems across the occupied territories in the leadup to the drills. The exercise comes a few Erdogan starts new Africa tour to push Turkey's influence agencies ISTANBUL: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday embarked on a five-day tour of west Africa in a bid to ramp up Turkey s growing influence throughout the continent. Just two months ago, Erdogan made his first trip to Sudan, where he met President Omar Al-Bashir who is wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC), before continuing on to Tunisia and Chad. Turkey has scented an opportunity to build influence in Africa through delivering aid, setting up transport links and offering its expertise in construction. With each passing day, our cooperation deepens in the areas of tourism, culture, trade, defense and education. God willing, we will take this further in the future, he told reporters before leaving for Algiers. Turkey currently has 41 embassies in Africa, up from 12 in 2009, and wants to eventually have top-level representation in all 54 nations on the continent, state media said. Flag-carrier Turkish Airlines, 49 percent of which is held by a sovereign wealth fund, has also expanded its network to reach 52 destinations in Africa, from Accra to Johannesburg. An infrequent visitor to Europe as ties with the West strained, Erdogan has made repeated visits to Africa since becoming president in In Algeria, all eyes will be on Erdogan s expected meeting with ailing President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, 80, who rarely appears in public. weeks after the Syrian air defense systems struck an intruding Israeli F-16 warplane which attacked a drone base in central Syria whose unmanned aerial vehicles were used against the Daesh terrorist group. Apart from the years-long military conflict between Damascus and Tel Aviv over the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, Israel has also nearly come to blows with Lebanon over a wide range of issues. Israel waged two all-out wars against Lebanon in 2000 and 2006 but fell short of its military objectives in both cases in the face of strong resistance by Hezbollah and the Lebanese army. Ever since their latest military confrontation, Tel Aviv has been taunting Lebanon by violating the Arab country s territorial integrity and staging assassinations against top commanders of the Lebanese resistance movement Hezbollah. Moreover, senior Israeli and US officials held a meeting in Washington last December during which they agreed to form an alliance to counter Iran in the Middle East region, curb the Islamic Republic s influence in Syria and block Tehran s support for Hezbollah. Israel reportedly seeks a similar alliance with Saudi Arabia against Iran and Hezbollah. In November 2017, Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said Saudi Arabia has appealed to the Israeli regime to launch a military onslaught against Lebanon in the name of fighting Hezbollah, and is ready to spend billions of dollars to attain this objective. Taliban seek direct talks with US Agencies KABUL: The Taliban have called for direct talks with the US to find a peaceful solution to the conflict in Afghanistan, in an apparent policy reversal after months of escalating attacks. Civilian casualties surged in recent months as militants from the Taliban, as well as Islamic State group, unleashed a wave of bloodshed in urban areas and on security forces in response to a new open-ended military policy by US President Donald Trump. In a statement posted late on Monday, the Taliban said they call on American officials to talk directly to the Political Office of Islamic Emirate regarding a peaceful solution to the Afghan quandary, using their official name. There has been no response to the offer from US officials, who have historically insisted any talks must include the Afghan government in Kabul. The call for talks comes a day before the second round of a regional peace conference in Kabul, where representatives from 25 countries will discuss US lawmaker concerned over nuclear overtures to Saudi Agencies WASHINGTON: An American legislator has expressed concern over the Trump administration's efforts to sign a nuclear cooperation accord with Saudi Arabia, which is preparing to build its first reactors. Riyadh plans to announce at the beginning of March who will construct the first two of up to 16 reactors, and negotiations are under way with the United States for its agreement to export technology needed for their construction. Democratic Senator Ed Markey, of Massachusetts, says any deal is "almost certain" to require a non-proliferation accord, known as a "123 agreement," that is designed to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons. "Previous US efforts to conclude a 123 agreement with Saudi Arabia have been unsuccessful because of its long-standing refusal to commit to foregoing any uranium enrichment or spent-fuel reprocessing on its territory -- the so-called... 'gold standard' for 123 agreements," Markey, of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said in a letter to Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Energy Secretary Rick Perry. His concerns come with US-Iran tensions high over the civil nuclear program of Riyadh's regional rival Tehran. US President Donald Trump has threatened to tear up a 2015 global pact under which Iran -- facing suspicions it was working towards a nuclear bomb -- agreed to curb its nuclear program in exchange for a lifting of sanctions. Both Washington and Riyadh have complained of Iran's "destabilizing" acts in the Middle East. Markey says Saudi Arabia's "unwillingness" to commit to a "gold standard" 123 agreement "is particularly concerning in light of comments made by Saudi officials and members of the royal family suggesting that a nuclear program may be as much for geopolitical purposes as for electricity generation." Competition from other countries According to US media, Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman -- the main driver of a more aggressive regional push by the kingdom -- is to visit the United States in early March to meet with Trump. The visit has not been officially confirmed by either country. Ties between the kingdom and Washington have strengthened since Trump assumed office early last year. His first official trip abroad was to Saudi Arabia, which is trying to diversify its oil-based economy and energy sources. counter-terrorism and conflict resolution strategies. The Taliban published an open letter to the American people and the US Congress earlier February, suggesting the insurgents may be ready for talks. The apparent openness to negotiations is unusual for the militant group, which has repeatedly stated that it will not enter talks until foreign troops leave the country. Unveiling his new Afghan strategy last August, Trump said the US presence in Afghanistan would remain open-ended, as Washington stepped up strikes on militant strongholds. In January, Trump ruled out holding talks with the Taliban, after a spate of assaults in Kabul. The attacks included an assault on the capital s luxury Intercontinental Hotel, an ambulance bomb in a crowded street and a raid on a military compound that killed more than 130 people. As violence intensifies nationwide, the Afghan capital will host the Kabul Process on Wednesday, focusing on rebooting peace talks and uniting regional countries in the fight against terrorism. Kanchi seer no more Kanchipuram (TN): Senior pontiff of the Kanchi Sankara Mutt, Shankaracharya Jayendra Saraswathi, passed away here on Wednesday following a cardiac arrest, hospital sources said. The 82-year old seer was rushed to a private hospital in this town after he complained of uneasiness, they said without divulging further information. The same news has also been confirmed by the Kanchi Mutt. The 69th Acharya of Sri Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam Jagadguru Pujyashri Jayendra Saraswathi Shankaracharya Swamigal attained Siddhi at 9.00 am today Shukla Trayodashi 28 Feb at Sri Kanchi Kamakotii Peetam Sankara Matam, Kanchipuram, they said on their social media platforms. Jayendra Saraswathi, pontiff of one of the oldest Mutts in the country, had been heading it for a very long time. After Darwin, Union min targets Newton s theory, says mantras coded laws of motion AGNECIES New Delhi: Minister of State for Human Resource Development, Satyapal Singh speaking at a meeting of the Central Advisory Board of Education (CABE) on January 15 and 16 said that mantras codified the laws of motion much before they were framed by Issac Newton. He also suggested that Vaastu compliance of educational buildings was important for learning, according to a report in Hindustan Times. There are mantras which codified laws of motion much before it was discovered by the Newton. Hence it is essential that traditional knowledge must be incorporated in our curriculum, Singh was quoted as saying by the minutes of the meeting of the government s highest advisory body for policymaking in education. Earlier in January, Satyapal Singh had claimed that Charles Darwin's theory of evolution of man was "scientifically wrong" and it needed to be changed in school and college curriculum. Singh said our ancestors have nowhere mentioned that they saw an ape turning into a man. There are mantras which codified laws of motion much before it was discovered by the Newton. Hence it is essential that traditional knowledge must be incorporated in our curriculum, Clinton affair was gross abuse of power Former White House intern Monica Lewinsky says her extramarital affair that led to the impeachment of Former US President Bill Clinton "was not sexual assault," but "constituted a gross abuse of power. The 44-year-old made the comment in a report published by the Vanity Fair magazine on Tuesday, reflecting on events after the #MeToo movement born in the wake of the allegations against Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein. There are even some people who feel my White House experiences don t have a place in this movement, as what transpired between Bill Clinton and myself was not sexual assault, although we now recognize that it constituted a gross abuse of power, Lewinsky said. "Now, at 44, I m beginning to consider the implications of the power differentials that were so vast between a president and a White House intern," she added. Clinton, then 49, and 22-yearold Lewinsky started a sexual relationship in 1995 in the White House, and the affair came to light in Lewinsky admitted she had sexual encounters with Clinton on nine occasions, until March 1997 and alleged that First Lady Hillary Clinton was at the White House during many of those incidents. The Lewinsky scandal led to the impeachment of Clinton in the House of Representatives on December 19, Clinton was acquitted by the Senate in 1999 over his affair with Lewinsky and remained in power until In the Tuesday report, Lewinsky said she had been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as a result of being publicly outed and ostracized, after the scandal and lauded the #MeToo movement for providing the safety that comes from solidarity. Lewinsky further said she had been rethinking the issue of consent in her affair with the former US president back in 1998 and that she had limited understanding of the consequences at the time. I m beginning to entertain the notion that in such a circumstance the idea of consent might well be rendered moot, although power imbalances and the ability to abuse them do exist even when the sex has been consensual, she said. He was my boss. He was the most powerful man on the planet. He was 27 years my senior, with enough life experience to know better. He was, at the time, at the pinnacle of his career, while I was in my first job out of college, Lewinsky added. The former White House intern concluded that none of the above excuses me for my responsibility for what happened. I meet regret every day. Her comments were made in the wake of growing allegations of sexual misconduct against powerful figures in Hollywood as well as the world of politics. Campaigners and rights activists stress that many victims of sexual abuse and exploitation decline to report the incident due to fear, shame, and worry about damage to their career. Sexual allegations against disgraced Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein initially sparked the latest wave of sexual harassment and assault revelations in various industries, including in the media and politics. The US is specifically struggling to deal with a series of sexual abuse scandals that have raised doubts about how institutions, including the church, sports teams and the news media respond to those vulnerable to abuse. At least 16 women have so far come forward to accuse the incumbent US President Donald Trump of sexual misconduct. Trump has denied any wrongdoing and the White House has called his accusers liars. Agencies

6 Thursday kashmir No Holds Barred Send your write ups and feedback at Opinion All in a days work Editor-in-Chief : Sajjad Haider Legal Counsel: Tasaduq Khwaja Switchboard: (0194) Editorial: (0194) editorial: editor@kashmirobserver.net Printed & Published by Sajjad Haider on behalf of the Kashmir Observer LLP Published from: # 1- Boulevard, Srinagar Printed at: KT Press Pvt. Ltd, Rangreth Ind Area, Srinagar. RNI Registration No: 69503/98 Postal Registration No-L/159/KO/SK/ Time for Delhi to get serious about Kashmir Does IS operate in Kashmir? There isn t one answer to the question. The J&K DGP in an interview to a television channel admitted that the group exists in Kashmir. He however, added that the group doesn t have a substantial presence in Valley. But the Ministry of Home Affairs has categorically denied the existence of the group in Kashmir. A Home Ministry spokesperson was quoted as saying by news agency that there was no physical infrastructure or manpower of the IS in the Valley. A fresh debate about the presence of IS began in Kashmir after A maq, the publicity wing of IS, claimed on Monday that the group carried out the attack on police constable Farooq Ahmad and a war has just begun. However, it is not only the governments in Srinagar and New Delhi which are apparently failing to make a sense of the IS presence in the Valley, the people too are confused. On the other hand, the militant group Hizbul Mujahideen has often termed the advent of the IS and Al Qaeda as an intelligence operation, an opinion which resonates with a section of population in the Valley. They argue there is an attempt to play to existing international opinion about radical Islam and delegitimize Azadi campaign. At the same time, there is popular support in some areas for the two organizations. But then also authentic IS and Al Qaeda Twitter handles and letter pads have owned up their Valley chapters. Recent months have also witnessed some use of the alleged ISIS flags in militant funerals. However, whatever be the reality of the IS, Al Qaeda presence in Kashmir, the truth is that the situation in the state is showing signs of progressive deterioration. The killings of police men in central Kashmir are the latest reminder to the effect. But far from revising its so called muscular policy and choosing engagement and dialogue to address the lingering issues in the state, centre has chosen to do nothing. And this attitude has pervaded the country s institutions, including the media. Some televisions channels go into hysterics over the occasional waving of IS flags in Srinagar. Many channels run the stories and the debates over the intermittent incidents. The TV debates also build a hateful stereotype of Kashmiris in the rest of India and create an anti-kashmiri sentiment. This media stereotyping of Kashmiris has in turn left some imprint on the central government policy on the state too. The governments don t want to be perceived to be appeasing Kashmiris. The harsh policy measures to deal with the state are welcomed and a constructive engagement is opposed. Over the years, this approach has further alienated Kashmiris, thereby creating a vicious circle. Both New Delhi and Kashmir Valley now deal with the stereotypes of each other than the complex realities as they exist on the ground. But this needs to change. And it is incumbent on the media to present a correct picture of the state as for the union government to get serious about the situation in the state. o t h e r o p i n o n The Saudi mystery In April 2015, a historic joint session of parliament debated Saudi Arabia s request for Pakistani troops to be sent to Yemen to fight on behalf of the Saudi side of the conflict there. Courageously, the Pakistani parliament passed a joint resolution that emphasised the need for Pakistan to maintain neutrality in the Yemen conflict, not be drawn into regional conflicts and act only if the territorial sovereignty of Saudi Arabia or the holy sites in that country come under attack. It was a brave and principled decision. But in the months and years since that historic resolution, it has become clear that Saudi Arabia continues to lean on Pakistan to align itself more fully with the kingdom s ambitions under the de facto leadership of Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman. Now, the Pakistan Army has suddenly announced that an unspecified number of troops are to be sent to Saudi Arabia for a so-called train-and-advise mission. The brief ISPR statement has sparked concern that a secretive decisionmaking process is being used to override a public declaration by parliament. Inside parliament, there is justifiable anger at the sudden announcement to send a fresh, unspecified contingent of troops to Saudi Arabia, even as the ISPR has insisted that Pakistani troops will not be deployed outside that country. The defence minister has been summoned by the Senate, while the National Assembly has asked the Foreign Office to explain why Pakistani troops are being sent to Saudi Arabia and on what terms. The federal government and the military leadership must address parliament s concerns forthrightly and quickly. If not, the potential for misinformation, especially when Pakistani troops are stationed abroad in a region rife with conflict, is significant. Pakistan s ties with Saudi Arabia are important to this country and where greater cooperation is possible, and in the interest of both countries, it should be pursued. But all of Saudi Arabia s national goals are not necessarily aligned with Pakistan s interests. A Pakistani entanglement in the Saudi-led war in Yemen or military participation in the Islamic Military Counter Terrorism Coalition, which has positioned itself as an anti-iran alliance, are surely not in the national interest of Pakistan. The latter shares a border with Iran and has mostly had cordial ties with it. Similarly, when it comes to the Saudi-led GCC pressure on Qatar, it is in Pakistan s interest to maintain balanced ties with the countries involved. Perhaps there are justifiable and limited reasons for sending a military mission to Saudi Arabia to assist and advise. The ISPR s assertion that the decision is based on considerations of bilateral security cooperation suggests that neither the IMCTC nor the Yemen conflict is directly involved. But then a frank and open debate should have been held in parliament. Secrecy gives rise to conspiracy theories and speculation. Dawn OBSERVER MAIL The doctors working under the government departments and hospitals get an allowance called Non Practicing Allowance (NPA) for not practicing anywhere except the place they are posted and hence they are not supposed to work in private hospitals after duty hours. Under this allowance, the doctors get an incentive of 25% of the basic pay All letters intended for publication must include the writer s name and address, even if a pseudonym is used. Letters are edited as clarity, spaceand accuracy of expression require. Our publishing a letter does not mean we agree with everything or even anything in it. -EDITOR Illegitimate Practice By Legitimate Doctors in the lieu of private practice. Any breach of this rule is dealt with suspension or the doctor can be asked to continue his job without getting paid till the enquiry commission gives a clean chit to the concerned doctor. Some states of India are following this central norm and giving their doctors Non Practicing Allowance, whereas some states allow their doctors to practice after duty hours. Taliban calls for direct talks with the US to find a peaceful solution. Is it the US pressure on Pakistan that wants Taliban on the negotiation table or it s because Taliban wants to negotiate peace from the pulpit of strength? Interesting development Baba Umar How Indian media went about covering Sridevi s death should tell you how serious you need to take them when they discuss Kashmir issue News Ki Maut Aamir Salati AAP MLAs arrested for alleged assault on Chief Secretary. BJP Leader not arrested even after mowing down nine kids. Welcome to New India! Sanjiv Bhatt Fracturing India s Social Fabric Mirza Arif Beg The ruling party in India, as soon as it came to power, undertook an arduous task of forging a collective Hindu identity, one of the foundations of the party s political philosophy, Hindutva. The edifice of this collective Hindu identity, just as any other nation, is based on the identification of an other, against which one defines oneself. The BJP leaders take a leaf, literally, out of Bunch of Thoughts, a book by MS Golwalkar, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh s (RSS) second Sarsanghchalak (supreme leader). A Hindu priest (L) and Muslim mawlawi hoist the Indian national flag to celebrate Indian Independence Day in Majhdia village of Nadia district, east of Krishnanagar in West Bengal on the Bangladeshi border, on August 18, PHOTO: AFP Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while addressing the Lok Sabha on Wednesday, poured scorn on the Congress party, blaming its flawed policies and self-indulgence for the Partition of the subcontinent. His over an hour-long speech, amid rising slogans from the opposition, was punctuated with gesticulations and anti-gandhi family barbs. There was no reference to the contentious Rafale deal, the details of which Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman refused to divulge, for they were classified. The prime minister, almost two months after accusing the Congress of conniving with Pakistan to influence Gujarat elections, once again attempted to divert the attention. Though still a very popular figure, Modi s charm seems to have evaporated, to some degree, as the country still awaits ache din (good days). Escalating criticism of his policies has often culminated in Modi harking back to Congress, making them count their mistakes, leading to the backwardness of India. But little did he know that another parliamentarian not from the Congress, the fulcrum of his Wednesday monologue, but from his own Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP), had another history to tell. Vinay Katiyar, a member of the upper house Rajya Sabha told a news agency that the country s Muslims, who amount to 14% of the total population, had partitioned India. They (Muslims) have partitioned the country on the basis of population. So why are they here? Muslims have been given their share. They should go to Bangladesh or Pakistan, he said. Katiyar follows a long list of BJP leaders having a dubious distinction of frequently targeting the country s largest minority group. Just days ago, he had blamed pro-pakistani elements for violence that broke out in Uttar Pradesh s Kasganj district on this year s Republic Day. A person had lost his life and Katiyar indicted Muslims even before a proper probe was launched. The Hindu nationalist BJP arrived at the helm of affairs in 2014, with its prime ministerial candidate Modi promising sabka sath, sabka vikas (together with all, development for all). However, PM Modi and his ministers, in their almost four-year rule, have repeatedly ratcheted up the anti-muslim rhetoric, appealing to the majority community. The ruling party in India, as soon as it came to power, undertook an arduous task of forging a collective Hindu identity, one of the foundations of the party s political philosophy, Hindutva. The edifice of this collective Hindu identity, just as any other nation, is based on the identification of an other, against which one defines oneself. The BJP leaders take a leaf, literally, out of Bunch of Thoughts, a book by MS Golwalkar, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh s (RSS) second Sarsanghchalak (supreme leader). About Muslims and Christians, Golwalkar had asked if they were true to their salt and grateful to their land which brought them up. Do they feel that they are the children of this land and its tradition and that to serve it is their great good fortune? Do they feel it a duty to serve her? No! Together with the change in their faith, gone is the spirit of love and devotion for the nation, he had written. The alacrity, with which the BJP leaders label Muslims as Pakistanis in India, and their localities as mini-pakistan, is creating crevices in India s social fabric. They harbour pro-pakistani sentiments, they lure Hindu women to later convert them to Islam, and they eat beef, are some of the common refrains used for the Muslim community in the country today. However, it s the acceptance of this meticulously constructed discourse, with a tacit approval of the government that sets the alarm bells ringing. The prime minister has been a mute spectator; the party, instead of reprimanding repeated offenders, has often rewarded leaders with tainted pasts and history of communal utterances. In 2017, after a thumping majority in Uttar Pradesh, the BJP made the Hindutva mascot, Yogi Adityanath, the chief minister of the state. Another parliamentarian from Karnataka, Anant Kumar Hegde, gained notoriety in 2016, calling for the end of Islam. As long as we have Islam in the world, there will be no end to terrorism. If we are unable to end Islam, we won t be able to end terrorism, Hegde had told reporters, urging them to report his statement. The leader was later proud of what he had said, and was made a minister in the 2017 cabinet reshuffle. India has been the embodiment of diversity for 70 years, and Hindus and Muslims, apart from living in the same locality, have even shared food from the same plate. But no action is taken against blatantly communal politicians and withdrawal Hence, the situation is very dilemmatic in Jammu & Kashmir where the doctors who have private hospitals and clinics, they are canvasing the government hospital patients to their own private hospitals and clinics for greasing their palm and to accumulate more fortune. In this way, they treat the same patient in different ways. Therefore, the Minister for Health of riot cases; for instance against those accused in the 2013 Muzaffarnagar violence have emboldened the fringe to take the law into their own hands. The cruelty against the Muslims in the name of cow protection and love Jihad has increased to menacing levels. One such unfortunate episode surfaced recently from Rajasthan when an 18-year-old boy brutalised a 45-year-old Muslim man, forcing him to utter Jai Shri Ram (long live Ram). The boy shot the video and circulated it on social media. In December 2017, another Muslim labourer was bludgeoned to death and his body was set on fire. The assailant had also recorded the occurrence and warned the entire community of the same fate, should they indulge in love jihad, another bogey of the ruling party. The loyalty of people of India and Pakistan, the two archenemies, is often calculated on the barometer of hatred. The more you hate the other, the more loyal you are to the country you live in. Leaders from the ruling dispensation are unremittingly engaged in normalising the Muslims synonymous with Pakistanis and their localities with mini-pakistan narrative. The genesis of the mini- Pakistan reference lies in the Partition and a series of communal riots over the last 70 years, coercing Muslims to seek homogeneity. However, these Muslim ghettos are not the lone representatives of India s social fabric; a confluence of several religions, ethnicities and castes. It s this social fabric of the country that the BJP is determined in destroying to create propitious grounds for its long-standing dream of a Hindu rashtra (nation). India goes to elections in less than a year-and-a-half time, and the prime minister and his foot soldiers have already hit the ground running. Almost four years after its decimation, the opposition is still in complete disarray. Though it is all but certain that the BJP will come back to power once again, the ruling party will not leave any loophole for the Congress to capitalise on. For the prime minister, who accuses the Congress of playing divisive politics, his ministers will continue to create many fictitious Pakistans in India. India s ruling party continues to imbue fear among the majority community that they are at risk from these unfounded Pakistans. Scholar of religion Reza Aslan often says that fear is impervious to data; fear is impervious to information. This fear continues to bring votes and deteriorate the long-celebrated Hindu-Muslim unity. The Express Tribune MAIL YOUR LETTERS P.O. Box # 337, GPO, Srinagar editor@kashmirobserver.net editpage.ko@gmail.com and Medical Education, Mr. Bali Bhagat should constitute Ad-hoc committees to terminate this illicit practice by doctors. So that every common man may get deserving treatment in government hospitals by spending nominal charges. Qazi Abrar Ahmed The Law School, JU

7 Thursday Why Is Russia Warming Up To Pak? As Pakistan navigates its troubled relationship with the United States and scrambles to avoid being blacklisted for "not taking action on some of the entities and individuals designated as terrorists by the UN", regional alliances are shifting and analysts ponder whether a cozier relationship with countries like Russia will complicate efforts to move toward peace in neighboring Afghanistan. Russia, analysts say, is motivated by fears of a growing presence of Islamic State militants in neighboring Afghanistan and has warmed up to Pakistan as well as to Taliban insurgents battling the upstart Islamic State group affiliate known as Khorasan Province, the ancient name of an area that once included parts of Afghanistan, Iran and Central Asia. In the latest move to strengthen ties, Russia last week named an honorary consul to Khyber Pukhtunkhwa, which borders Nangarhar province in eastern Afghanistan, where IS has established its headquarters. The IS is also present in northern Afghanistan s border regions with Central Asia, causing further consternation in Moscow. Russia s honorary consul, Mohammad Arsallah Khan, who belongs to a powerful business family in Pakistan s northwest, said economic development is the best weapon against extremism. To that end, he said, he will promote increased commerce with Pakistan s neighbors, including Russia, which currently accounts for barely $500 million in trade. I think this whole region is a bit of a mess, which I realize is one of the great understatements. Extremists have been taken lightly before and we are where we are because of that, said Khan in an interview in the Pakistani capital, Islamabad. Reflecting on his business-based strategy, Khan said, when you can give people a way of earning a living, they will turn away from terrorism, away from extremism. A turnaround in Pak-Russia relationship The appointment reflects a stark turnaround in Pakistan s historical relationship with Russia. In the 1980s, Pakistan and the US were united against Russia as the Soviet Union sent 150,000 soldiers into Afghanistan to prop up its communist ally in the Afghan capital, Kabul. At the time, Pakistan, with US backing, used Peshawar as a staging arena to arm and deploy Islamic insurgents, referred to as mujahedeen or as President Ronald Reagan often called them, freedom fighters to wage war on Russia. After 10 years, Russia failed to win the war and on February 15, 1989, left Afghanistan in a negotiated exit. For some, Russia s cozying up to Pakistan is a bit of a poke in the eye to the US, still embroiled in the Afghan conflict that is now in its 17th year and is Washington s longest war, costing more than $122 billion, according to its own special Inspector General on Afghan Reconstruction. Still, Petr Topychkanov, a senior researcher at the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, said Russia worries about the US presence in Afghanistan. Russia is concerned about the long-term presence of the US and its allies in Afghanistan, and therefore it s in Russia s long-term interests to have an inside view of the situation in Afghanistan, he said, saying that Pakistan provides the viewing platform. Daniel Markey, senior research professor in international relations at John s Hopkins University, said Russian relations with Pakistan aim to solve two problems for Moscow. First, to blunt the threat of IS from Afghanistan. Second, to undermine US influence, he said. The point is that Russia and Pakistan probably have more in common with respect to the war in Afghanistan than the United States has with either and this is a real turnaround from prior history. Last week, Russia s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov accused Washington of failing to go after the Islamic State group in Afghanistan. In response, Washington s senior diplomat for South Asia, Alice Wells, accused Russia of ignoring anti-is offensives launched by US and Afghan forces in eastern Afghanistan, while at the same time pursuing them in new havens, particularly in northern Afghanistan. Wells suggested Russia should unequivocally support the Afghan government if it wants to end the conflict in Afghanistan, a thinly veiled reference to allegations of Russian support for the Taliban. Good or bad, US relations crucial to Pakistan The linchpin in Washington s Afghan strategy is to put pressure on Pakistan to close safe havens used by Taliban fighters, most notably the Haqqani network, blamed for the more brazen and deadly attacks on Kabul. Pakistan denies organised camps exist on its territory, though it says insurgents move throughout the country among the Afghan refugee population of 1.5 million. Pakistan also assails Afghanistan for allowing anti-pakistan militants to have territory from which they plot and carry out attacks against Pakistan. For Pakistan, despite closer ties with Russia and a heavily invested China, even a bad relationship with the US is better than no relationship at all, said Andrew Wilder, Asia programs vice president at the US Institute of Peace. Pakistan losing the US as a strategic partner due to Pakistan s Afghanistan policy, and ending up having to rely solely on China, is not a foreign policy success story for Pakistan it s a major foreign policy failure, he said. Pakistan s relationship with the US, even in its current weakened state, is still far more important in economic, diplomatic and security terms for Pakistan than its relationship with Russia. Although Pakistan was not mentioned in the final communique that followed last week s Financial Action Task Force on terror funding, In the 1980s, Pakistan and the US were united against Russia as the Soviet Union sent 150,000 soldiers into Afghanistan to prop up its communist ally in the Afghan capital, Kabul. At the time, Pakistan, with US backing, used Peshawar as a staging arena to arm and deploy Islamic insurgents, referred to as mujahedeen or as President Ronald Reagan often called them, freedom fighters to wage war on Russia. After 10 years, Russia failed to win the war and on February 15, 1989, left Afghanistan in a negotiated exit. a motion by Washington to have Pakistan put on a global watch list prompted the task force to demand that Islamabad prove it is doing enough to curb terror financing by the time they meet again in June. Most analysts said the deadline was an indication that even its deep friendship with China was not enough to counter US pressure. We shouldn t overstate how much Beijing and Moscow can compensate for US aid cuts and sanctions, said Michael Kugelman, Asia Program deputy director at the US-based Wilson Center. China is not a charity and does not provide assistance on demand; it only provides support including to key allies like Pakistan when it serves its interests. Additionally, the extent of Russian support for Pakistan to this point is unclear. Dawn Why Telling People They Could Get Sick In Future Won t Persuade Them To Be Healthy Now Adam Bulley Discounting future rewards is not unique to humans, which suggests deep evolutionary origins of our general tendency towards immediacy. One ultimate reason for this is the future is inherently uncertain: the only guaranteed food reward in nature is the one already in your mouth. Someone else might pluck the fruit for which you had been waiting patiently to ripen, or some predator might get you in the meantime. Everyone knows smoking, consuming too much sugar and drinking too much alcohol will harm our long-term health but many of us do these things anyway. Why? Of course, we may simply decide not to worry about the negative consequences and engage in these activities because they give us pleasure. But sometimes we do care about the potential outcomes enough to want to stop indulging, and still find it hard to do so. Why do so many of us struggle to forgo the extra cookie even after we ve decided to go on a diet? People tend to value potential future rewards less than similar immediate rewards when they must choose between them. Psychologists and economists call this delay discounting. A body of research has revealed those more prone to delay discounting are also more prone to poor health as a result of obesity and addiction, and have a shorter life expectancy. Delay discounting tasks assess something similar to the iconic marshmallow test for young children. Participants are given a single marshmallow and told if they can wait for the experimenter to come back later without having eaten the marshmallow, then they will get a second one. The degree to which a child is prepared to wait for the second marshmallow has been found to predict subsequent health outcomes, including their adult body mass index. Waiting also predicts later achievements at school, university and on diverse other measures of success even decades later in life. Young children struggle to delay their gratification. The tendency to wait for the second marshmallow in childhood predicts later health outcomes. The future is uncertain Discounting future rewards is not unique to humans, which suggests deep evolutionary origins of our general tendency towards immediacy. One ultimate reason for this is the future is inherently uncertain: the only guaranteed food reward in nature is the one already in your mouth. Someone else might pluck the fruit for which you had been waiting patiently to ripen, or some predator might get you in the meantime. Recent findings suggest people who have been exposed to natural disasters, violence and death discount future rewards more. Presumably that s because these events reinforce the notion that the future is volatile. In one study, children were less likely to wait for the larger reward in the marshmallow test when the experimenter administering it had broken an earlier promise. On a fundamental level, then, we may be prone to present gratification because we cannot trust the future will play out how we might want it to. Imagining the future Nonetheless, people can be remarkably patient in some circumstances. Think of the time and effort so many of us invest to get advanced training or to save for retirement many even restrain themselves in the hope of reward in an afterlife. One of our most powerful psychological traits is our capacity to imagine future events to create mental scenarios of what could happen if, for instance, we were to make different decisions. This ability, quite possibly unique to human beings, may be one of the keys to why we can pursue specific future outcomes for which there is no current reward, such as when we choose to take an aspirin each day to prevent a future heart attack. The capacity to consider future possibilities and care about our remote well-being is highly complex. It requires the maturation of sophisticated mental abilities that develop gradually over childhood. Imagining the benefits of delaying our gratification in the present gives us a sense of the eventual often more important later consequences. In this way, the imagined events can act as their own minireinforcements en route to the real thing. For instance, we might foresee what it could feel like to go on a hike tomorrow with a hangover and find imagining a sober version of the experience more rewarding: motivating us to forgo the extra beer tonight. How to make better choices now While adults have the basic cognitive ability to consider the future, we do not always imagine ourselves in the relevant future situations when we make decisions. When we do travel virtually in time and mentally pre-experience how good or bad our current behaviour might make us feel at a future point, we tend to make more prudent choices. A wealth of recent research suggests having people take a few moments to imagine their personal future while they make choices between immediate and delayed rewards can curb their short-term preferences. Similar studies suggest thinking about the future can ameliorate impulsive eating, cigarette smoking and alcohol consumption. Even if these manipulations are simply priming people to focus more on the future, the studies demonstrate thinking about future consequences can shift our priorities and change behaviour. Due to the considerable effort invested in public health campaigns, most people are now aware of the future ills that come hand in hand with many of our immediate pleasures. Our tendency to discount the future makes it difficult to translate this knowledge into more prudent behaviour. But our preferences are malleable, and imagining the future outcomes of our current behaviour might just help us turn our knowledge and intentions into real-world action. By arrangements with The Conversation

8 Life & Times Thursday HERE ARE 5 SIGNS OF A CAREER BURNOUT While many may argue that stress is just one of the hazards of having a job in the modern world, according to research conducted by Career Builder in 2017, 61 per cent of American workers reportedly feeling burnt out by their current job, and over a third have admitted to high or extremely high levels of work related stress and anxiety. Not only in America, but workers around the world, at some point or the other, feel burnt out by their current job. In an article published in The Daily Mail, psychologist Dr Sherry Benton who is also the founder of online therapy service TAO Connect, shared that while depression is a diagnosable disorder, managed by medication and treatment, career burnout can contribute to low mental health that often goes undiagnosed. Here are a few tell-tale signs: Insomnia and exhaustion: Disrupted sleep patterns are a clear sign of career burnout according to Dr Benton. She suggests that working should leave a person feeling energized and that getting a job done should feel rewarding at the end of the day. No support: Bad management or not having enough support staff can also contribute to burnout in the workplace. Although working long hours may be inevitable in some jobs, 'professional workaholics' are doing more damage than good in the long run. No sense of pride: Often people can experience burnout when they work in a job that isn t meaningful or doesn t give a person a sense of pride - a 'lifestyle mismatch'. Trying to be perfect: Striving for perfection and feeling frustrated when this cannot be achieved can quickly lead to burnout as well. Dr Benton explained when that is the mindset one arrives to a point of diminishing return. The person s concentration falls apart, it gets harder to focus and every task becomes more difficult and complicated. One actually becomes far less effective, and makes oneself less competent by not having that balance in their life.' No downtime: Having time for friends and family or a creative outlet not associated with work is the key to achieving work life balance according to Dr Benton, citing 'multiple sources of well-being' as essential to avoid career burnout. (Agencies) Eating Yoghurt Can Reduce Risk Of Heart Disease, Claims Study Sabrina Barr/The Independent Incorporating more yoghurt into your diet has been associated with a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease, a study has claimed.the study, published in the American Journal of Hypertension, sought to investigate whether increased consumption of yoghurt could benefit adults with hypertension, otherwise known as high blood pressure. The team analysed two cohorts of participants for their research, all of whom were classified as having high blood pressure. 55,898 female participants aged between 30 and 55 years old who enrolled in the Nurses Health Study (NHS) in 1980 were assessed, while 18,232 male participants aged between 40 and 75 years old who enrolled in the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study (HPFS) in 1986 were included. In 1980, the women who had enrolled in the NHS completed a 61-item food frequency questionnaire in order to note down their ordinary eating regime for the year just gone. The food frequency questionnaire was updated to include 131 items when sent out again in 1984 and 1986 and subsequently every four years until The male participants filled out the questionnaire for the first time when they enrolled with the HPFS in According to the study s comprehensive findings, consuming more yoghurt can decrease your likelihood of experiencing heart disease later in life. The participants who had more than two servings of yoghurt a week were noted as having a 20 per cent reduced chance of suffering from congenital heart disease or strokes in future. Furthermore, the women who had two or more servings of yoghurt a week were recorded as being 30 per cent less likely to experience myocardial infarction, more commonly known as a heart attack. The men who consumed more than two servings of yoghurt a week had a 19 per cent reduced risk of myocardial infarction. Our results suggest that higher long-term yoghurt intake is associated with lower CVD [cardiovascular disease] risk among hypertensive men and women, the authors of the study wrote. These findings endorse that incorporation of yoghurt into a healthy diet pattern for individuals with hypertension to aid in the prevention of incident CVD. The researchers also assessed the correlation between reduced risk of heart disease with higher DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) scores. The DASH diet encourages people to eat foods that are rich in nutrients and can help them lower their blood pressure. They concluded that a combination of increased yoghurt intake and a higher DASH score resulted in the lowest risk of developing heart disease. OUR RESULTS SUGGEST THAT HIGHER long-term yoghurt intake is associated with lower CVD [cardiovascular disease] risk among hypertensive men and women, the authors of the study wrote. Things to keep in mind while shopping for perfumes NEW DELHI: Picking perfumes can be hard. Be specific beforehand to save time while choosing fragrance notes, say, experts. Abdulla Ajmal, Consulting Perfumer at Ajmal Perfumes, and Shikhee Agrawal, Head Training, The Body Shop, list some things to keep in mind while picking perfumes. * First of all, have an idea of what you are going to buy before you get into the store. If you don't know anything about fragrances, you will be amazed to learn that there are literally hundreds of fragrances in our stores. * It is advisable to buy EDP (eau de parfum) than EDT (eau de toilette). EDP's have a higher concentration of fragrance and will last longer. * To evaluate any fragrance, you must first smell it on a smelling strip, like it, then apply it on your skin to see how it evolves over time. As you People who use their smartphones while out for dinner with friends and family enjoy themselves less than those who do not, a study has found. Researchers from the University of British Columbia in Canada looked at the effect of smartphones on face-to-face social interactions. "As useful as smartphones can be, our findings confirm what many of us likely already suspected," said Ryan Dwyer, PhD student at University of British Columbia. "When we use our phones while we are spending time with people we care about - apart from offending them - we enjoy the experience less than we would if we put our devices away," said Dwyer, lead author of the study published in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology. The researchers asked more than 300 people to go to dinner with friends and family at a restaurant. Participants were randomly assigned to either keep their phones on the table or to put their phones away during the meal. spray the fragrance on a smelling strip, the first whiff of the fragrance is called the top note. This will last for 5 to 10 minutes, depending on the fragrance design. Immediately after you will be introduced to the core of the fragrance called the heart. This will last from 10 to 45 minutes. This is much more in line with how the fragrance will continue to smell like. Then you have the dry down, which is called the base note. This is the lingering essence of the fragrance. If you like the fragrance transition on your skin, that would be the ideal perfume selection for you. * When selecting a fragrance, ensure that after you have sampled three to four fragrances, you ask for coffee beans. This helps you neutralise your sense of smell and you can continue to smell more fragrances. * While trying fragrances, do not stick to only one spot such People who use phones often have lesser fun during outings: Study After the meal, they were asked a variety of questions, including how much they enjoyed the experience. When phones were present, participants felt more distracted, which reduced how much they enjoyed spending time with their friends and family (about half a point less on a seven-point scale), the researchers found. Participants also reported feeling slightly more boredom during the meal when their smartphones were present, which the researchers described as surprising. "We had predicted that people would be less bored when they had access to their smartphones, because they could entertain themselves if there was a lull in the conversation," said Dwyer. The findings were not only limited to restaurant settings, researchers said. In a second study involving more than 100 people, participants were sent a survey to their smartphones five times a day for a week that asked how they had been feeling and what they had been doing for the past 15 minutes. as the wrist. Keep on changing your trying spots. * Don't stick to the perfume's description to form your opinion. There are hundreds of ingredients, so don't let descriptions make your decision. Always try and feature your love to notes that love you too. * Check the intensity of the perfume. Usually, the fluid having percent intensity can be the best deal and is perfect picking for any occasion. So, don't forget to check the fluids intensity. (Agencies) Sense of smell can predict what kind of political candidate you will back Researchers have tion between how strongly found sense of smell someone was disgusted by has the power to smells and their desire to have influence human a dictator-like leader who behaviour. Now, a team at can suppress radical protest Stockholm University in Sweden have discovered how you react to body odour can help indicate your political preference, the Daily Mail reported. For the study, participants completed a survey that was movements and ensure that different groups 'stay in their places'," Olofsson is quoted as saying by the Daily Mail. Adding, "That type of society reduces contact among different groups and, at least dispensed to various countries in theory, decreases the including the United States chance of becoming ill." (US). American participants were asked questions that Previous research led by Johan Lundstrom, PhD, found ranged from smell to which evolutionary factors play a role candidate they planned to vote for in Those who were disgusted by odours like urine and sweat had a higher possibility of voting for Donald Trump. People who were in how the brain processes body odours in a different way from other smells. 'We believe that throughout evolution, these body odours have been tagged as sickened by these kinds of important stimuli, so they've smells seemed to be drawn to authoritarian political leaders, according to study author Jonas Olofsson. been given dedicated neural networks to process them,' Lundstrom, a faculty member at the Monell Chemical Senses He feels this might stem Centre in Philadelphia, said from a deep desire to avoid in an article for the American infectious diseases. Psychological Association. "There was a solid connec- (Agencies)

9 Business Thursday Sensex Nifty Gold Silver J&K Bank HDFC Bank Crude Oil Dollar Euro Pound Saudi Riyal Kuwaiti Dinar 34, , `2,930 (22K) ` INR 1, INR (0.47%) (0.58%) 1 Gram 1 Gram 1.40 (2.06%) (0.76%) (-0.93%) Low-cost home loans face higher risk of defaults India economy grows 7.2 pc in Q3 Press Trust Of India MUMBAI: Even as government policies give huge thrust to affordable housing, data reveals elevated risks in the segment for lenders because of a higher propensity among the borrowers to default. As against 1.96 per cent of overall home loans not repaid for over 90 days, the same for loans under Rs 25 lakh, classified as affordable housing, was 2.33 per cent as of November 2017, a report by domestic rating agency Crif Highmark said on Wednesday. In case of home loans under Rs 10 lakh, where the average ticket size is Rs 8 lakh, the 90- day overdue loan repayments stand at 4 per cent, twice that of the industry average, it added. At Rs 7.79 lakh crore, affordable housing accounts for 50 per cent of the overall home loans of Rs 15.8 lakh crore. As more banks take refuge in the sector considered more resilient in times of piling nonperforming assets, the banking system's home loans outstanding has increased 13.6 per cent since April alone. As the government seeks to meet its target of housing for all by 2022, a slew of sops have been given to the affordable housing sector, including inclusion in the mandatory priority sector lending by giving the sector an infrastructure status, introduction of tax benefits under section 80-IA of the Income-Tax Act, concessions on long-term capital gains tax provisions, etc. Foreign banks are the most affected in the sub-rs-10- lakh category with bad loans of per cent. Even though MNC lenders account for a small portion of the overall outstanding, they have the highest stress among all on the housing finance side at 8.42 per cent, it said. The 90-day overdue for the overall housing finance segment stood at 1.36 per cent for March 2016, and has been rising since then, at 1.89 per cent in June 2017, and at 1.96 per cent in September New Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu are the pockets with highest stress in the housing finance sector, while the affordable housing stress is higher in the Kolkata, Chennai and Ghaziabad markets, it said. The largest housing loan market is Maharashtra, accounting for 23 per cent of the overall Rs trillion outstanding, the agency said. Even as public sector banks and dedicated housing finance companies dominate with a 40 per cent share each, the latter is experiencing a faster growth, it said. Housing finance companies are more stronger in the large ticket premium segment, while the state-run banks have a dominance in the affordable housing sector with a 59 per cent share of the loans. During the past three years, state-run lenders' share in new home loan disbursals has decreased by 10 per cent, while that of housing finance firms has risen by 12 per cent. From an average ticket size perspective, New Delhi leads among the states with average loan size of Rs 40 lakh, the data showed. (PTI) NEW DELHI, UTTAR PRADESH AND TAMIL NADU are the pockets with highest stress in the housing finance sector, while the affordable housing stress is higher in the Kolkata, Chennai and Ghaziabad markets, it said. NEW DELHI: The Indian economy grew at five quarter high of 7.2 per cent in the October-December period reflecting overall recovery due to good show by agriculture, manufacturing, construction and certain services. The economy is expected to grow at 6.6 per cent in the current fiscal ending March 31, as per the second advanced estimates of the Central Statistics Office (CSO), compared to 7.1 per cent in The earlier estimate was 6.5 per cent. The growth for the second quarter (July-September) has been revised upwards to 6.5 per cent, from 6.3 per cent estimated earlier by the CSO. The previous high was recorded at 7.5 per cent in the July-September quarter of The CSO said that the real GDP or Gross Domestic Product (GDP) at constant ( ) prices in is likely to be Rs lakh crore, as against the first revised estimate for of Rs lakh crore, released on January 31. The growth in GDP during is estimated at 6.6 per cent as compared to the growth rate of 7.1 percent in , it added. The gross valued added (GVA) for manufacturing in the quarter under review grew at 8.9 per cent higher than 6.9 per cent in the previous quarter. Similarly, the farm sector GVA grew at 4.1 per cent compared to 2.7 per cent in the previous quarter. The construction sector recorded a growth of 6.8 per cent, higher than 2.8 per cent in previous quarter. The services segment including financial services grew at rate of 6.7 per cent up from 6.4 per cent in previous quarter. (PTI) Dir Finance reviews implementation of PAO system UDHAMPUR: Director Finance, Department of Agriculture Production, I&FC Mohammad Yousuf Pandit Wednesday chaired a meeting to review the implementation of PAO in the district. The meeting was attended by Director Finance PHE Department, Mushtaq Ahmed Mir, Treasury Officer Secretariat, Amit Mahajan and executive engineers of various departments at the DC Office Complex here. In the meeting, the financial experts divulged upon the benefits and simplicity of the PAO system. They also cleared the queries raised by various officers/officials and exhorted upon them to get their balances authenticated by respective treasuries and submit the balances to Saddar Treasury Office, Jammu immediately. The participants expressed satisfaction over the responses given by the experts and assured for full implementation of new PAO system without any delay. DC Shopian flags-off fish farmers exposure tour SHOPAIN: District Development Commissioner Shopian Mohammad Aijaz Wednesday flagged-off a group of progressive fish farmers on a day-long interstate exposure-cum-training tour under Agriculture Technology Management Agency (ATMA) scheme. The fish farmers shall be taken to trout fish farming project Kokernag where the departmental experts shall provide the technical training to the different fish farmers of the district. The farmers shall be provided on-farm training regarding fish handling, transportation and other related fish activities. This will help the fish farmers of the district to improve the production and to minimise the loss of fish due to unscientific management practices. DC Ganderbal flags-off Sheep breeders for exposure visit GANDERBAL: District Development Commissioner (DDC) Ganderbal, Dr. Piyush Singla Wednesday flagged-off a group of 30 sheep breeders of the district for a day-long Exposure visit. The farmers were flagged-off from Mini Secretariat, DC office complex Ganderbal to sheep breeding farm Daksum, Anantanag under Agricultural Technology Management Agency (ATMA) scheme. Dr. Abdul Majeed, District Sheep husbandry officer Ganderbal was also present on the occasion. The programme organized by Sheep Husbandry Department under Agricultural Technology Management Agency (ATMA) scheme is aimed to help the breeders to acquaint themselves with the latest technology and practices in the Sheep Husbandry sector. Tassaduq for capacity building of tourism staff, creation of eco-friendly infrastructure Reviews functioning of Tourism Deptt, JKTDC SRINAGAR: Minister for Tourism, Tassaduq Hussain Mufti Wednesday chaired a meeting to review the functioning of the Department of Tourism, Kashmir and Jammu and Kashmir Tourism Development Corporation (JKTDC). During the meeting, the Minister sought details about the departmental assets, their upgradation and renovation, capacity building programmes of the staff, waste management of the assets and promotional activities being taken up by the department. Vice Chairman, JKTDC Rafi Ahmad Mir, Secretary Tourism Sarmad Hafeez, Director Tourism Kashmir Mahmood A Shah, Deputy Directors of Tourism Peerzada Zahoor and Wasim Raja besides other officers of the department and Corporation attended the meeting who apprised him about the developmental activities taking place at various tourist resorts for the comfortable stay of the tourists. Director Tourism, Kashmir Mahmood A Shah gave a detailed presentation on the functioning of the department and its activities. He informed the Minister that the department has 61 huts, 28 restaurants, 29 office buildings, 10 parks, nine kiosks and four community centers at different resorts which are being maintained and promoted by the department. The Minister was also informed about development of the wayside facilities at far off places like Razdan Top in Bandipora where travellers stay put for over a night after hectic days of travelling. The Minister stressed on consulting experts for proper designing of huts and other assets at tourist places that not only have aesthetically beautiful facade gelling with nature but also have beautiful interiors. He also stressed on having building codes for every tourist place keeping in view every aspect of these places before raising any structures. We should raise structures only after consulting experts in the respective fields. Our structures should gel with nature and should be eco-friendly, the Minister said, adding that it should also be known how much local material can be used to give it local touch and should be sturdy enough to withstand extreme weather conditions, besides having proper waste management system in place. The Minister was also informed about various festivals and events that the JKTDC organized for the promotion of its assets and services. Secretary, Tourism Sarmad Hafeez who is also MD JKTDC gave the detailed presentation on the JKTDC and its properties. Secretary, Tourism informed PNB FRAUD Nirav Modi refuses to join CBI probe NEW DELHI: Billionaire jeweller Nirav Modi has refused to join the CBI investigation in the USD 2 billion fraud in Punjab National Bank citing his business engagements, prompting the agency to issue a stern letter Wednesday asking him to appear before it next week. Meanwhile, the CBI has arrested PNB's internal chief auditor M K Sharma-- a chief manager-ranked official-- in connection with the case, they said, adding that it is first arrest of any auditor of the bank. Sharma, a scale-iv officer, was responsible for auditing the systems and practices of the bank's Brady House branch-- from Letters of Undertakings (LoUs) were issued-- and report the deficiencies with zonal audit office, they said. Meanwhile, in a terse letter, the CBI "directed" him to approach the Indian mission in the country where he is residing so that immediate arrangement can be made for his travel to India, officials said. The agency has told him that it is mandatory for an accused to join the investigation whenever they are asked to, they said. He has been asked to appear for questioning next week, they said. The agency had earlier asked Modi on his official id to join the investigation related to Rs 12,636 crore scam pertaining to fraudulent issuance of the LoUs and Letters of Credit (LCs) from Brady House branch of PNB in Mumbai in favour of his and his uncle Mehul Choksi's companies, they said. In response, Modi refused to join the investigation saying he has businesses abroad because of which he cannot return, they said. The probe agency officials has said the quantum of the alleged fraud perpetrated in the bank by billionaire jewellers Modi and Choksi stands close to USD 2 billion after the teams of the CBI and PNB found fresh LoUs and LCs worth Rs 1,251 crore related to Choksi's Gitanjali group of companies. The PNB had earlier put the defrauded amount at Rs 11, crore (USD 1.77 billion). The LoU is a guarantee which is given by an issuing bank to Indian banks having branches abroad to grant a short-term credit to the applicant. In case of default, the bank issuing the LoU has to pay the liability to credit giving bank along with accruing interest. It is alleged that LoUs and LCs worth close to USD 2 billion were issued to the companies of uncle-nephew duo of Choksi and Modi from the Brady Road branch of the bank through SWIFT (Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication) messages. that JKTDC has 3665 bed capacity per day and runs 37 restaurants and cafeterias across the state besides having a fleet of luxury vehicles that cater to transportation needs of the tourists. In order to further promote its properties, Secretary Tourism informed that they have tied up with the leading online travel companies like Makemytrip Inc, GoIbibo, OYO rooms etc. to further push up its revenue. The Minister, while emphasizing on promoting the properties through a beautifully designed resourceful website, stressed on capacity building programmes of the staff for better services. He said the staff needs to be trained through professional crash courses in housekeeping, food production and sanitation to make the stay of the visitors memorable. The Minister directed for timebound completion of the tasks taken up during the meeting for smooth functioning of the department and the Corporation. Deptt of Fisheries Anantnag organizes awareness prog ANANTNAG: Department of Fisheries Anantnag organised awareness cum training programme for the fish farmers and unemployed youth of the district at Fish Farm Achabal under ATMA scheme Wednesday. On the occasion, the farmers were given training regarding various aspects of fish farming. Experts from the Department informed the trainees regarding the modern and scientific ways of fish farming. They were given the latest information about the seed, feed, water, breeding, medicine, temperature and other related factors of the fish farming. Deputy Director Fisheries Anantnag, Mohammad Ashraf Darzi, while interacting with the farmers said that department is doing a lot of efforts for the benefit of the fish farmers. He added that need of the hour is to establish a coordination between the department and the farmers for the better establishment of the fish farming units. He further said that market facilities are being provided outside the valley also and very soon fish from Anantnag will be exported to other parts of the country and abroad. He informed the farmers that a feed mill will also be established in the district soon. Chief Project Officer, Kokernag Fish Farm, who was the Chief Guest on the occasion, said that since Anantnag district has been recognized as the trout district, therefore the district will get more exposure for fish farming and other allied activities. He added the fisheries sector has tremendous potential in terms of employment opportunities, adding youth should come forward to establish the fish farms and provide employment to others as well. 15th Finance Commission to define populism NEW DELHI: In a first, the Finance Commission which recommends how much money states should get out of the taxes collected by the central government, will define what a populist measure is and recommend incentives for states that do not resort to them. The 15th Finance Commission, headed by N K Singh, has many firsts to do in the the nearly six decade old history of the constitutionally mandated body. It has also been asked to propose measurable performance-based incentives for states that have made efforts to expand and deepen the tax net, slowed population growth, promoted ease of doing business and saved money by adopting Direct Benefit Transfer where government dole is paid via bank accounts of users, Singh said at a media roundtable. Besides, the Commission has been asked to recommend incentives for states that have been able to control or eliminate incurring expenditure on populist measures. "The Commission has been asked to look at monitorable performance criteria on things like progress made on ease of doing business, demography management and whether or not a state is deliberately pursuing a populist policy," he said. "It is now for the Commission to decide what a populist policy is." The previous 14th Finance Commission had recommended that states should get a record 42 per cent of the tax revenues collected by the Centre. Recommendations of all the previous Finance Commissions have been accepted by the government. For the purpose of devolution of funds, the panel has been asked to take census of 2011 as the basis for population data instead of 1971 census which was the basis of recommendations till the 13th Finance Commission, drawing some criticism from southern states. The previous commission introduced that idea in a small way for the first time. It gave a weightage of 10 per cent for Census 2011 data and resulted in hurting states like Tamil Nadu that had seen slower growth in population as compared to states like Bihar and Madhya Pradesh. Singh reasoned that the terms of reference of the 15th Finance Commission provide for incentives to states that have seen controlled population growth and so it balances out the concerns. The 15th Finance Commission has been asked to submit its report by the end of October Its recommendations would be valid for five year period beginning April 1, Singh said the panel would hold wide-ranging consultations with all stakeholders and would tour all the states beginning with Arunachal Pradesh in April, followed by a trip to Jammu and Kashmir and Kerala. It intends to complete the consultations with the states within Multilateral agencies like OECD, IMF, World Bank and EU would also make presentations. This is the first Commission after the abolition of the Planning Commission as well as doing away of the distinction of plan and non-plan expenditure. Also, it will be the first one after the rollout of the Goods and Services Tax (GST), which has subsumed 17 indirect taxes of centre and state including excise duty, service tax and VAT. Officials in the Commission said the panel has no say in fixing the Terms of Reference and it is expected to adhere to the guideline given by the government. "We have no say in fixing of terms of reference but we are expected to adhere to the ToRs," an official said. ( PTI )

10 FROM FRONT PAGE Thursday Artillery Exchanges used 120 mm mortar shells against the Indian army, officials said. Though current tensions in the Uri sector are said to be beginning to subside, uncertainty prevails as to the future turn of events. Army officers attribute escalations to the comparatively lower volumes of snow in the region this year and to what they term as Pakistan s desperation to push in more experienced militant commanders into north Kashmir to make up for their falling numbers. This year, there have been four attempts at infiltration by sixteen militants, out of whom seven returned to Pakistan, four were killed during the cross-in bid, and only five managed to enter the Kashmir Valley, according to officials. A senior army officer at the Udhampur-based headquarters of the army s Northern Command said that Pakistan had begun its activity on the LoC early this year. Citing lack of snow this season, the officer said that the army would ensure that Pakistan would not find it easy to push in militants waiting at the launch pads. And we will respond to ceasefire violations in equal measure, he said. The army expects infiltration attempts to pick up pace as, according to it, Pakistan was desperate to induct more experienced people because the elimination of militant leaders last year had left around 135 local recruits who have neither the experience nor the training to fight effectively. According to sources, the army expects a hot summer this year with an upswing in both infiltration bids as well as militant activity like weapon-snatching and bank looting. Guns Continue To Roar Pakistani troops also resorted to ceasefire violations in Chakla and Baldoo areas in Khour sector late last night, police said. "(The Indian) Army is retaliating effectively", they said. Yesterday, the Pakistan Army shelled forward posts and civilian areas along the LoC in Poonch and Rajouri districts of Jammu and Kashmir, injuring two jawans of the Border Security Force. Authorities have shut 72 schools along the LoC in Rajouri district and in Mendhar sector of Poonch district as a precautionary measure. Ceasefire violations along the LoC and the International Border in Jammu and Kashmir have left 21 people, including 12 security personnel, dead and more than 80 others, mostly civilians, injured this year. Though no ceasefire violation by Pakistani troops was reported along the IB since January 22, intermittent shelling has taken place along the LoC. (PTI) Ex-Militant A police spokesman in a statement issued here said that at about 06:20 PM some unknown militants fired upon Shah (38) and was immediately taken to SDH Tral where from he has been referred to SMHS Hospital Srinagar for treatment. His condition is stated to be critical, the spokesman said, adding Police is investigating the case. 2 Minors suspicious thing which exploded accidently near Panchayat Mohalla Rakh-e-Brah in Uttersoo area of the district. Both the injured have been shifted to Srinagar Hospital for treatment. The condition of both the injured is said to be stable, the spokesman said, adding that Police was investigating the cause of explosion. Mehbooba Meets as envisioned in the Agenda of Alliance of the present Government, so that a durable peace is ensured in the State and the sub continent. Threadbare discussion on the Agenda of Alliance also took place during the meeting and the need was felt to ensure time bound progress on all the items including reconciliation between groups, regions and countries and return back of power projects. Better coordination between the two ruling parties, PDP and BJP, was also stressed during the meeting so that better results are delivered to the people in the State. Mehbooba Mufti also discussed with the Prime Minister the execution of Rs. One Lakh Crore Prime Minister s Development Package in the State while underlining the need for people s outreach for effectively percolating down the benefits of such a package. CM Hails New ranges from Rs. 20, 000 to Rs. 97, 000 and Hajj pilgrims from Srinagar Embarkation Point would be the biggest beneficiaries of this decision. Weatherman: Snow, transportation mainly Srinagar-Jammu highway, it said. Meanwhile, Minister for Disaster Management Relief Rehabilitation and Reconstruction, Javaid Mustafa Mir has directed the Divisional and District Disaster Management Authorities to be in a state of preparedness in view of the inclement weather forecast issued by Meteorological Department for next three days. The Minister instructed IGP Traffic to ensure that all precautionary measures are taken well in advance for smooth traffic movement and clearance of stranded vehicles as the inclement weather may lead to temporary closure of the Srinagar- Jammu Highway. Independent FSC Appears court directed that authorities shall appear in person before the court. For making the laboratories fully functional, the court was informed that these labs have been equipped with required machinery and apparatus have been installed in both the labs. The court s observation followed its observation that the government was supposed to appoint independent FSC not in-charge to the post. It is you (state) agreed to appoint a suitable person on the post of FSC in the month of June last year, the court said. Assistant Commissioner Food Srinagar submitted that special squad has been formed and some action has been initiated against the unit holders, shopkeepers and also against the vendors for preparing and selling adulterated and unhygienic food. However, he said that they face certain security concern during checking as they are being attacked by the offenders. Consequently, the court directed the SSPs of concerned districts to provide all assistance wherever they require protection. The court directed that copy of the order be sent of all SSPs for compliance. The court has already observed that lifting of samples and launching prosecution was not enough, and stressed need for prohibitory measures for strict implementation of Food Safety and Security Act which essentially ensures prevents food adulteration in the state. The division bench had observed that Food Safety and Security Act, 2006, which was not implemented for a long time, was now in its implementation with the intervention of the Court. Keeping in view the astonishing situation we are persuaded to issue a direction to all the Assistant Commissioners, Food Safety and Security of Jammu and Kashmir and to all concerned authorities of the Department including the Municipal Corporation to take swift action so as to control supply and sale of adulterated spices and other food articles, the court added. FIR Shouldn t Be powers to quash an FIR. A bench of Justice Ali Mohammad Magrey made the observation while dismissing a petition, filed by one Ashiq Hussain Bhat, seeking quashment of FIR no. 04/2018 filed on January 6 in Police Station Kulgam u/s 498-A, 392, 354 and 342 RPC. In his plea, Ashiq said that he entered in marital relationship with woman, respondent no. 2 in his petition and the relation no more exists as he have divorced her on 18 June The woman in the complaint submitted before Judicial Magistrate Kulgam has alleged that she beaten by Ashiq in wrongful confinement and golden ornaments were snatched and cloths torn. Magistrate on examination of the complaint directed the police to investigate the matter and report compliance on January 9. Ashiq submitted that instead of enquiring about the matter, the police registered a case (FIR no. 04/2018) which according to him was not the scope of the magistrate s order. He contended that the magistrate had only asked to enquire into the matter and report compliance, therefore, there was no scope for the police to register the case. Ashiq had challenged FIR on the basis that the parties are facing civil and criminal proceedings before the Women s Commission Forum for violating terms and conditions of the compromise and second divorce deed. He said no offence has been committed by him as registered by the Police. While keeping in view the scope of section 561-A Cr.PC the Court should refrain from making prima facie decision at interlocutory stage when entire facts of the case are incomplete, hazy and more so, when material evidence is yet to be collected and issues involved could not be seen in their true perspective, the court said, adding that it prima facie appears that the allegations contained in the FIR relate to the offences which are cognizable and non-cognizable and warrant investigation. Subsequently the court demised Ashiq s plea as meritless. However, the court said that dismissal of the petition shall not come in the way Ashiq to seek bail from the competent court. The court also ordered that Ashiq shall not be arrested till two weeks. Court Orders Release a youth from Kulgam and ordered government to release him from preventive custody forthwith. Life and liberty of the citizens of the State are of paramount importance. A duty is cast on the shoulders of the Court to enquire that the decision of the Executive is made upon the matters laid down by the Statute and that these are relevant for arriving at such a decision. A citizen cannot be deprived of personal liberty, guaranteed to him/ her by the Constitution and of which, he/she cannot be deprived except in due course of law and for the purposes sanctioned by law, a bench of Justice M K Hanjura while quashing detention order under PSA of Mohammad Ramzan Sheikh son of Mohammad Shaban Sheikh of Rampora Kulgam. Represented before court by advocate Mian Abdul Qayoom, Sheikh was ordered to be booked under PSA by district commissioner Kulgam on 20 May last year and was lodged in central jail Srinagar. The court said Sheikh could not have been detained after taking recourse to the provisions of the PSA when he was already in the custody of the police authorities in a case registered against him. His custody in police for the offences has been converted into the custody under the (PSA) detention order. May be the detaining authority might have been laboring under the belief that if (Sheikh) applies for bail, he may succeed in seeking his release but this apprehension of the detaining authority could have been guarded against by resisting and opposing the bail application. In the event of his release on bail, the State could have exercised its right to knock at the doors of the higher forum. This single infraction knocks the bottom out of the contention raised by the State that (Sheikh) can be detained preventatively when he is already in custody and has not applied for bail, the court said while underling that it cuts at the very root of the State action. The State could have taken recourse to the ordinary law of the land, the court said further. The order of detention bearing No. 48/DMK/ PSA//2017 dated 20th of May, 2017, passed by the Respondent No. 2-District Magistrate, Kulgam, is quashed with a further direction to the respondents to release the person of Mohammad Ramzan Sheikh forthwith from the preventive custody, the court said. Lawyers Body seeks through a judicial authority and the result of such an enquiry should be made known to the pubic quickly, the lawyers body added. The lawyers body also condemns the arrest of 4 life convicts namely Mohammad Ayoub Dar, Mohammad Ayoub Mir, Nazir Ahmad Sheikh and Showkat Ahmad Khan, who had been released on parole and in respect of whom the High Court had passed various interim orders directing that they should not be taken in custody, until the disposal of their cases pending in the High Court. The police has not only arrested them but after lodging them in Central Jail, Srinagar, but three of them namely Mohammad Ayoub Dar, Mohammad Ayoub Mir and Nazir Ahmad Sheikh have been shifted to Kotebalwal Jail, Jammu in flagrant violation of the orders of the High Court. The jail authorities have also ignored and defied the order of the Designated Court under TADA/POTA, Jammu dated in respect of Nazir Ahmad Sheikh, which court, after awarding life imprisonment to him, had directed that he be lodged in Central Jail, Srinagar to serve out the sentence. The lawyers said the jail authorities have also violated the order of the High Court in respect of Zia Mustaffa, in respect of whom the High Court had directed that he should not be shifted outside the Central Jail Srinagar until the disposal of a revision petition filed by the State and the order of closure of prosecution evidence in his case though the case is pending consideration in the High Court. The police and jail authorities have also not taken any pity on the condition of Showkat Ahmad Khan, who suffered a heart stroke, inside the jail, after his arrest and whose condition for want of medical treatment has further deteriorated inside the jail, thereafter. The Bar Association said that it has decided to bring all the facts to the notice of the High Court and seek initiation of appropriate contempt proceedings against all those, who have flouted and are flouting the orders of the High Court with impunity. It also strongly condemns the summoning of youth and snatching of their identity cards by the army in Ashmuji village of Kulgam and beating and forcing them to do labour jobs in the camp. The Bar Association maintains that by calling the youth to their camp and beating them over there and also forcing them to do labour jobs, the army is violating their legal as well as fundamental rights as well the safeguards available to a person, in a conflict area under the International law. The lawyers body said it feels that the statements made by three boys should not be brushed aside so easily. International Community as well as the Human Rights Organisation, functioning all over the world, should therefore, take immediate notice of these events and come forward to stop the humiliation of the people of Kashmir at the hands of Indian Army. Mirwaiz Too Contests In a statement issued here, a spokesman of the amalgam said the police story related to the incident was unacceptable and seems totally concocted in view of the statement of the locals. He demanded an impartial probe into the incident and said that such suspicious incidents also occurred in past where inmates were killed and tortured by the government forces in custody. The spokesman appealed International Human Rights Organization to come forward and play their role to stop unabated killings, bloodshed, torture and rights violations in Kashmir. He also condemned the alleged harassment of youth at the hands of Army at Ashmoji Village of Kulgam where educated youth are subjected as bounded labour at Army camps. He said youth are forced to cut grass, stone grinding etc. He said the identity cards of youth are kept at camps so that they could come tomorrow again for laboring. The spokesman said that such act of forces was totally inhuman and worst type of human rights violation aimed to give a feel of helplessness among the youth. The countries of conscience should come forward to stop this humiliation faced by the Kashmiris on routine basis. The spokesman expressed concern over the disappearance of Kashmiri MBBS student Suhail Ajaz at Orissa. He said the protection of Kashmiri students outside valley was the responsibility of the respective governments. Day 3: Shutdown inside police station Tral. All shops, business establishments, government and private offices remain closed in these areas while public transport was off the roads. Hizb militant Mushtaq Chopan died and a policeman injured in a grenade attack near police station Tral on Monday afternoon. Police has ordered a magestrial inquiry and internal investigation into the incident. Reports said that scores of people from different areas joined at slain militant's residence at Wagad village of Aripal in Tral sub-district and offer Fateha and prayers for him. Chidambaram s quo". "Thus, Karti Chidambaram needs to be subjected to sustained interrogation for unearthing the total conspiracy hatched in the case and also to find out the details of overseas payments received by him from INX Media as a quid pro quo for influence exercised by him over the public servants to scuttle the punitive action required to be taken against M/S INX Media (P) Ltd for the illegal acts of receiving excess investment than the approved FDI and also for making of downstream investment without the FIPB approval. For this purpose, his police custody remand for a period of 15 days is considered essential," the CBI said in the court. At the outset, the court allowed the request of Karti's lawyers to have an interaction with the accused inside the court room for 10 minutes, after which the proceedings resumed. Earlier in the day, Karti was taken into custody by a team of CBI officials at the Chennai airport on his return from the United Kingdom. The CBI had lodged an FIR on May 15 last year alleging irregularities in the Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) clearance to INX Media for receiving overseas funds to the tune of Rs 305 crore in 2007 when P Chidambaram was the Union finance minister. The agency alleged that Karti had received funds to the tune of Rs 10 lakh in the case. It had claimed that Karti had also received money from INX Media to scuttle a tax probe. The firm was owned at the time by Peter and Indrani Mukerjea, who are currently in jail on charges of allegedly murdering Indrani's daughter Sheena Bora. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has also registered a money laundering case in the INX Media matter. PTI Day 2: Shutdown to his injuries. He was buried by locals at Khos Mohalla Hajin amid pro-freedom slogans. To mourn his death Hajin town observed shutdown on Wednesday. All the shops and business establishments remained shut while transport also remained off the roads. (CNS) Now NIA To Probe The Union Cabinet today okayed the draft Trafficking of Persons (Prevention, Protection and Rehabilitation) Bill, which also proposes a punishment of life imprisonment for repeat offenders, the source said. According to officials of the ministry of women and child development, the NIA would receive financial aid under Nirbhaya Fund for safety of women in order to set up a cell for investigating human trafficking. Government officials say that in order to empower the NIA to probe trafficking cases, the National Investigation Act, 2008, will have to be amended. The draft Bill divides various offences into "trafficking" and "aggravated trafficking".the former category of crimes would carry a jail term of seven to 10 years and the latter would carry a punishment of at least 10 years in jail, which can be extended to life imprisonment. Aggravated offences will include forced labour, bonded labour, forced surrogacy, use of narcotics to induce forced labour, trafficking in the garb of marriage and those that lead to a pregnancy or grave illness such as HIV/AIDS. The draft bill also moots three years in jail for abetting, promoting and assisting trafficking. The proposed law recommends a national antitrafficking relief and rehabilitation committee which would be headed by Secretary of Women and Child Development ministry. It also suggests setting up of a rehabilitation fund and prescribes a process to be followed for repatriation of trafficked persons. Deposit Guns In 5 who apparently was on a hunting expedition in the upper reaches of Lashikote forests when they got trapped in a snow avalanche and till date, their whereabouts are not known. Furthermore, the district administration said that hunted of protected and endangered species is unlawful and banned under the provisions of State Wild Life Protection Act and the person found violating would be dealt strictly. MPs Allowance Hiked of the MPs would go up considerably, sources in the government said. The parliamentary affairs ministry had proposed an increase in the constituency allowance from Rs 45,000 a month to Rs 60,000. The ministry had also proposed that the onetime furniture allowance be hiked to Rs one lakh from the present Rs 75,000. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley had announced in his budget speech that a permanent mechanism would be set up to revise the salaries of MPs every five years, and it would be linked to inflation. The remuneration of an MP includes a basic salary of Rs 50,000 per month and Rs 45,000 as constituency allowance, apart from other perks. The Centre spends around Rs 2.7 lakh a month on an MP.As of today, excluding the Speaker, the Lok Sabha has 536 MPs, including two nominated from the Anglo-Indian community. There are eight vacancies.

11 SPORTS 11 Thursday Maharaja Hari Singh Memorial Football Tournament Chairman all praise for J&K Bank for title glory KO SPORTS DESK SRINAGAR: J&K Bank chairman & Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Parvez Ahmed Wednesday showered accolades on the bank s football team for pocketing first ever Maharaja Hari Singh Memorial Gold Cup Football Tournament title. The tournament- organised by Jammu and Kashmir Football Association (JKFA)- was won by J&K Bank after it defeated Real Kashmir Football Club by a solitary goal in the summit clash played at GGM Science College Football ground in Jammu on Tuesday. According to the statement issued by J&K Bank s media cell, Parvez Ahmad congratulated the side for bring home the trophy. The team has been working hard and deserve compliments for this important victory, which will boost the confidence of our players and has set the correct tone for the upcoming sports season in the state, he said. I am glad our boys are showing exemplary performance after we realigned our strategy some months back to get best out of our available talent in the game of football. I am sure the team would continue to perform in the coming tournaments and bring laurels to the bank as well as to the state of Jammu and Kashmir. They have the potential to contribute through their exemplary performance in transforming this institution from good to great. The news of your achievement has come as a great delight to all of us in the JK Bank Family. All your hard work, commitment and practice have paid off, said Parvez. The chairman urged the team to keep working hard in a disciplined way that befits the values of J&K Bank as one of best institutions of the state. According to the statement, soon after assuming the chairmanship of J&K premier financial institute Parvez showed keen interest in revamping the bank s sports board to infuse professionalism, especially in the football academies run by the bank to spot and nourish talent at the young age. He also directed some fruitful strategical changes in the bank s main football team. In a tense final, J&K Bank bettered off Real Kashmir Football Club thanks to an only goal of the match from striker Akif who found the net in the 2nd minute of the game. The bank side managed to hang on to the lead till the final whistle. Minister for Forest, Ecology and Environment, Choudhry Lal Singh was the Chief Guest on the valedictory function, while as DG Police Dr SP Vaid, Former Minister Gulchain Singh Charak, and President Muslim Federation, Jammu Abdul Majid were the Guests of Honour on the occasion. The chief guest and the other dignitaries distributed prizes among the winners and runnersup on the occasion. The officials present on the occasion included Ramesh Kumar, Vijay Kumar, Suresh Gupta, Rahul Sharma and Mohinder Kalsi (Physio). ROGER FEDERER S double-award win crashes Laureus website NEW YORK: Tennis legend Roger Federer on Tuesday was honoured with the Laureus Award for the Sportsman of the Year and Comeback of the Year, making him the most decorated winner in the history of Laureus World Sports Awards. With the double win at the ceremony, the 36-year old took his total tally of awards to 6, since the inception of the awards back in But his twin wins caused something which the Laureus organisers did not plan for. According to a report by ATP World Tour, the Laureus website crashed down after Federer bagged the awards, with thousands of people flocking the website to read about his sensational win. The double victories capped off two great months for the Swiss star, who successfully defended his Australian Open in January and then went on to regain the top position in the ATP World Ranking after winning the ABN AMRO world tennis tournament at the Ahoy stadium in Rotterdam, Netherlands. After bagging the honour, thanked his Spanish rival Rafael Nadal while receiving the award. Thank you to my rival Rafa. I wanted to give a shoutout to him. He had an unbelievable year himself. We had a great battle and it s because of a guy like him, I think I m a better player. He could very well be here tonight standing here with this award because he s an incredible player, incredible friend and incredible athlete, he said. Federer further added that it is an absolute privilege to win the award. It s been an absolute privilege to take this award from the Laureus Academy. You know how much this means to me, he added. Talking about his comeback in the sport, Federer said it was the most difficult thing he had to do. It was an unforgettable year for me, to come back after a very difficult 2016, and these awards just make it even more memorable. When I won my first Laureus Award back in 2005, if you had said I would have ended up winning six I would not have believed you. It s been an amazing ride, he said. AGENCIES If South Africa wish to sledge me they can go for their lives: Steve Smith CAPETOWN: Australia captain Steve Smith has warned South Africa that if they intend to sledge him like other opponents have tried so far then they can go for their lives. Speaking to reporters on the eve of the first Test, Smith reiterated that such chatter does not bother him and instead tends to bring the best out of his game. I might be able to tell you more after the first Test match, but if they do, go for it, it doesn t bother me. A bit of a verbal challenge actually makes me switch on a bit more and gets me in for the fight. So they can go for their lives, Smith said on Wednesday. I don t really like to think too much about what gets them going. I prefer to think about what gets either myself or us going, and if that s getting into a contest like that, then go for it, he added. South Africa will know that Smith is a man who walks the talk. Recalling the Ashes series, England had left no stone unturned to shower verbal volleys at the Aussie skipper. But the net result was Smith returned with a stunning tally of 687 runs which included a career-best 239 and saw Australia romp home to a 4-0 Test series win. The first Test between South Africa and Australia begins on Thursday at Kingsmead, Durban. Australia squad: Steve Smith (c), David Warner (vc), Cameron Bancroft, Pat Cummins, Peter Handscomb, Josh Hazlewood, Jon Holland, Usman Khawaja, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Marsh, Shaun Marsh, Tim Paine, Jhye Richardson, Chadd Sayers, Mitchell Starc. (AGENCIES) Will take retirement call in 2019: Yuvraj Singh NEW DELHI: India all-rounder Yuvraj Singh, who is out of the national team reckoning, said that he is looking to play cricket till 2019 and will take a call on his career after that. In an interview to PTI, Yuvraj, who last played for India in June 2017 in an ODI, said, that he was looking forward to this year s IPL. I am looking forward to a good IPL. It s a very important tournament for me as it will only set me to play cricket till I am looking to play cricket till 2019, whatever cricket I get to play and take a call after that. The all-rounder regrets not being able to become a regular in India s Test side. Definitely, in the first 6-7 years of my career when I was at my best I did not get a lot of opportunities because there were such great players in the (Test) team and when I got an opportunity I was diagnosed with cancer. So that regret will always be there but these things are never in my control. I am just looking forward to whatever cricket I get to play. The 36-year-old all-rounder, who was in Monaco as the Laureus ambassador from India, was all praise for Virat Kohli and his side for their dominating performance in South Africa. I think it is a pretty great performance. They showed a lot of character after losing the Test series. It was as a hard-fought Test series, could have gone either way. But it was a very convincing win in the ODI series. Kohli led from the front with some big runs, the left-handed batsman said. Spinners bowled very well especially Kuldeep (Yadav) and (Yuzvendra) Chahal and got South Africa into trouble. And then they stepped on the gas and won the T20 series 2-1. Going abroad playing three series winning two definitely shows India s dominance. India will now face England and Australia next and Yuvraj feels that India need consistent performances there. It s a good start to believe that you can dominate outside. If you can consistently do that in England and Australia you definitely will have the belief, he said. Now the team is set to conquer the world. England and Australia will be testing series but if we can get some consistent performances it will give a lot of self belief to the players. AGENCIES Neymar out for six to eight weeks, says footballer s father SAO PAULO: Neymar s broken foot and sprained ankle will keep him out of action for at least six weeks, his father said on Tuesday, but no decision has yet been made on whether surgery will be required to repair the damage. The world s most expensive footballer suffered the injury during Sunday s 3-1 Ligue 1 win over Paris Saint Germain s arch-rivals Olympique de Marseille and the Brazilian was in tears as he was carried off the pitch at Parc de Princes. His father said the damage was such that Neymar would definitely miss next week s Champions League encounter against Real Madrid. PSG know that they won t have Neymar in the next few games and that they won t have Neymar for the next six weeks at least, he told ESPN Brasil. Because this treatment is going to take six to eight weeks, we know that, whether it is surgery or conventional, it will be six or eight weeks. Neymar Senior said his son and the French club were waiting to see the Brazil s national team doctor before deciding whether or not the forward needed surgery. Brazil s most important player in recent years, Neymar is a key part of the squad that will head to the World Cup finals in Russia in June. They will decide together, Neymar Sr said. It is a difficult time for us. We don t want to be in this situation. But we have to accept it and help Neymar as best we can. The comments made live on air to a sports talk show contradicted those of Paris St Germain manager Unai Emery, who had said the 26-year old could be ready for the season-defining clash against Madrid. PSG trail Real 3-1 ahead of the last 16 second-leg game in Paris on March 6. Neymar has scored 28 goals and provided 16 assists for PSG this season. (AGEN- CIES) ZIDANE S hard luck story of his own making as Real Madrid lose Shahzaib Hasan handed one-year ban MADRID: Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane was left cursing his team s misfortune after Espanyol forward Gerard Moreno struck late to inflict a fifth Liga defeat this term on the Spanish champions. Espanyol s 1-0 victory with a 93rd minute goal was the Catalan outfit s first over the Madrid side in 11 years. The result leaves Real in third place, a whopping 14 points adrift of leaders Barcelona and seven behind city rivals Atletico in second spot, with both rivals having a game in hand. It represents a huge fall from the standards set last season When Real they claimed a domestic title and European Cup double. While they have one foot in the last eight of the Champions League with a 3-1 first-leg win over Paris St-Germain, Zidane was at a loss to explain a La Liga campaign that has seen them lose to Real Betis, Girona, Barca, Villarreal and now Espanyol. To put the results into context, Real only lost three times in the domestic league in whole of last season. Sometimes you just cannot understand this sport, Zidane told BeIN Sports. You have to take the bad times when they come, though. After five good results, playing well, unfortunately we just couldn t do it today. We started well but just didn t take our chances. It is not the first time Zidane has suggested things just did not quite fall right for Real on the night, yet at Cornella the biggest errors were his own tactical decisions. After seeing Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and Gareth Bale all return to form with the goals in the weekend 4-0 victory over Alaves, his decision to omit two of his BBC attacking triumvirate from the side was questionable. Benzema put in what has widely been acclaimed as his best performance of the season on Saturday but the French striker was relegated to the bench in Catalonia. Ronaldo is Madrid s top scorer this season with 14 goals in La Liga and has netted 12 in his last seven appearances in all competitions but was omitted completely from the matchday squad a week ahead of the return leg against PSG. That meant Bale was deployed as a central striker but, one early header aside, the Welshman put in an insipid display that will only serve to reignite the debate in local media about his role in the team. Zidane, however, declined to apportion blame. Things just didn t quite go right and there s many reasons behind that, he said. It s not because of one player at all. I m angry for my players, because they conceded a goal in the last minute in a game in which the opposition did not enjoy many chances. It s tough but we ll bounce back. AGENCIES AFTER FIVE GOOD RESULTS, playing well, unfortunately we just couldn t do it today. We started well but just didn t take our chances. L ast year's PSL spot-fixing scandal has claimed yet another scalp, with Shahzaib Hasan handed a one-year ban after falling foul of the PCB's anti-corruption code. Shahzaib was found guilty on two counts of breaching Clause 2.4.4, which deals with a failure to disclose corrupt approaches, and one count of Clause 2.4.5, which concerns the failure to report any incident a player is aware of that would amount to a breach of the anti-corruption code. Shahzaib has, crucially, been found not guilty of breaching the far more serious Clause 2.1.4, which involves "directly or indirectly soliciting, inducing, enticing, instructing, persuading, encouraging or intentionally facilitating any participant to breach any of the foregoing provisions of this Article 2.1." That would have likely led to a significantly longer ban. Since Shahzaib was provisionally suspended by the PCB on March 18 last year, his ban is less than three weeks away from its end. He has also been fined Rs 1 million (approximately GBP 6500). However, the PCB's legal advisor Taffazul Rizvi, speaking to reporters after the verdict, said this did not mean he would be eligible to play cricket as soon as that. "His ban may end on March 17, but remember that according to the anti-corruption code, you have to go through a rehabilitation process. The first step towards beginning rehabilitation is the acceptance of guilt. If he does not accept that he was guilty, then his rehabilitation process cannot begin." Shahzaib is the sixth player to be sanctioned in the wake of the PSL spot-fixing case. Today's events meant all six players - Sharjeel Khan (5 years), Khalid Latif (5 years), Mohammad Irfan (1 year), Mohammad Nawaz (2 months), Nasir Jamshed (1 year) were the others - have been banned for certain lengths of time for their role in the saga. Even so, the process is not yet concluded. The PCB has slapped further corruption charges on Nasir Jamshed, which could result in a longer ban, while it is not yet clear whether either party will appeal the tribunal's verdict on Shahzaib. It has been more than seven years since the opening batsman Shahzaib last played for Pakistan, with his participation in their victorious 2009 World T20 campaign the highlight of his brief international career of three ODIs and 10 T20Is.

12 12 THURSDAY Kashmir Observer Observers OUT POST Now moon will have a mobile network, thanks to Vodafone The network will enable them to stream video feeds in real-time from the lunar landscape. The moon will get its first mobile phone network next year, enabling highdefinition streaming from the lunar landscape back to earth, part of a project to back the first privately funded moon mission. Vodafone Germany, network equipment maker Nokia and carmaker Audi said on Tuesday they were working together to support the mission, 50 years after the first NASA astronauts walked on the moon. Vodafone said it had appointed Nokia as its technology partner to develop a space-grade network which would be a small piece of hardware weighing less than a bag of sugar. The companies are working with Berlin-based company PT- Scientists on the project, with a launch scheduled in 2019 from Cape Canaveral on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, Vodafone said. This project involves a radically innovative approach to the development of mobile network infrastructure, Vodafone Germany Chief Executive Hannes Ametsreiter said. One executive involved said the decision to build a 4G network rather a state-of-the-art 5G network was taken because the next generation networks remain in the testing and trial stage and are not stable enough to ensure they would work from the lunar surface. THE COMPANIES ARE WORKING WITH BERLIN-BASED COMPANY PTScientists on the project, with a launch scheduled in 2019 from Cape Canaveral on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, Vodafone said. (AP Photo) Facebook removes anti-rohingya page YANGON: Facebook has removed the page of a Myanmar monk once dubbed the Buddhist Bin Laden for his incendiary posts about Muslims, the company confirmed, as it faces pressure to clamp down on hate speech. Wirathu, a prominent face of Myanmar s Buddhist ultranationalist movement, had amassed hundreds of thousands of followers on the network, using it as a platform to attack Muslims, singling out the stateless Rohingya minority. Nearly 700,000 Rohingya have fled to Bangladesh since last August following a military crackdown in Rakhine state that has been likened to ethnic cleansing by the US and the UN, but which has been applauded by Myanmar nationalists online. A Facebook spokesperson told AFP late Monday that Wirathu s page had been removed. WIRATHU GAINED NOTORIETY for fanning anti-muslim hatred through inflammatory posts on social media. Our Community Standards prohibit organisations and people dedicated to promoting hatred and violence against others, a Facebook spokesperson said in an . If a person consistently shares content promoting hate, we may take a range of actions such as temporarily suspending their ability to post and ultimately, removal of their account. The page was taken down in late January. Wirathu could not be reached for comment, but he said in a video last year that his account had been temporarily banned for 30 days because Facebook is occupied by the Muslims. Facebook use has grown exponentially in Myanmar since a quasi-civilian government opened up the telecoms sector in 2013, making it easier for people to access the internet in the largely Buddhist country. Hardline monks like Wirathu took to the platform as well, gaining notoriety for fanning anti-muslim hatred through inflammatory posts. His tirades have been blamed for stoking sectarian violence, which has plagued Myanmar s transition to democracy. After Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi came to power in 2016, the government dissolved the Ma Ba Tha group to which Wirathu belonged, and slapped the monk with a one-year speaking ban. But the man who once appeared on the cover of Time magazine as the face of Buddhist terror remains influential. The social media giant has faced calls to rein in hate speech on its Myanmar accounts for years, with pressure mounting during the Rohingya crisis. Thet Swe Win, a Yangonbased interfaith activist, said Facebook s move sent a symbolic message about not tolerating hate speech. But getting rid of the page will not resolve the problem, he warned. They remove his account but not his videos, and his religious hate speeches, they are still on Facebook and his followers are spreading it, he said. Russian cosmonaut, two US astronauts return to Earth from International Space Station DZHEZKAZGAN (KAZAKH- STAN): Two NASA astronauts and a Russian cosmonaut returned to Earth today, rounding off a mission of more than five months aboard the International Space Station. Alexander Misurkin of Russia's Roscosmos space agency and NASA's Mark Vande Hei and Joe Acaba touched down on steppe land southeast of the town of Dzhezkazgan in central Kazakhstan at the expected time of 0231 GMT. "All descent and landing operations went according to plan.the crew members that have returned to Earth are feeling well," Roscosmos said in a statement. Misurkin, 40, who handed over command of the International Space Station to compatriot Anton Shkaplerov yesterday and took charge of the Soyuz descent module carrying the trio down to Earth has spent 334 days in space over two flights. He was in buoyant mood on the way down, telling Russian Mission control he felt "better than anyone", and was the first crew member to emerge out of the spacecraft onto the snow-covered steppe. Following him out of the craft that landed upright were Acaba, 50, who has now racked up some 10 months in orbit over three missions and his 51-year-old colleague Vande Hei, who was in space for the first time. Both NASA astronauts were active on RUSSIAN COSMONAUT ALEXANDER Misurkin, left, shakes hands with NASA U.S. astronaut Mark Vande Hei during a press conference. (Photo AP) Twitter while aboard the ISS, while Misurkin eschewed the micro-blogging platform. Puerto Rican native Acaba on Sunday tweeted a photo of his hands framing the Earth as viewed from the ISS's famous "Cupola" observation module. "The future of our home is in all of our hands. May we all care for #Earth and practice good stewardship," he wrote. Ex-military man Vande Hei took to the micro-blogging platform to share his love of sports, taking in both the American football Superbowl and the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics while aboard the orbital lab. Both NASA men will board a plane from Kazakhstan to Houston to continue post-mission testing while Misurkin is bound for Star City, just outside Moscow. Remaining ISS crew members Shkaplerov of Roscosmos, Scott Tingle of NASA and Norishige Kanai of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency are set to be joined by Americans Ricky Arnold and Andrew Feustel and Russian Oleg Artemyev following a launch from the Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan later this month. NASA stopped its own manned launches to the ISS in 2011 but recently moved to increase its crew complement aboard the ISS as the Russians cut theirs in a costsaving measure. Roscosmos will replenish its crew once a new, multi-purpose space module called Nauka docks at the ISS, but the launch of the module has been delayed several times and is now not expected to take place before The ISS laboratory, a rare example of American and Russian international cooperation, has been orbiting Earth at about 28,000 km per hour since Woman found living with mummified mother for 30 years A Ukrainian woman was found living with the mummified body of her mother in a dingy apartment, MailOnline reported. Police believe the 77-year-old woman had kept the remains of her deceased mother for the past 30 years in a flat riddled with rubbish including stacks of newspapers. Officers found the body lying on a sofa next to religious iconography after being called to the address in the city of Mykolaiv by concerned neighbours. The body was dressed in a white dress and head covering, with blue shoes and green socks. Her daughter now an elderly woman herself was found alive but paralysed in both legs. She was discovered lying on the floor in urgent need of assistance. There was no water, gas or electricity supply in her apartment. A police report said: In order to rescue the 77-year-old woman, officers called the rescue service which helped to break into the flat. In one room on the floor was sitting a woman surrounded by rubbish. The pensioner could not walk and needed urgent help. EXCELLENCE DELIVERED, EVERYTIME!