Abdullahs’ were on a day out. Mr and Mrs Dr Farooq Abdullah, son Omar, their locally settled daughter and her husband and son appeared in the Badam Wari late afternoon.
They had brought some tea and a few sheets which they spread under an almond tree, clicked photos and had fun for a few hours. Abdullah Sr, was clicked having a siesta in typical Kashmiri style with his court as pillow that triggered facebook humor: ‘the renewable energy minister is recharging himself’. Badam Wari that J&K Bank reclaimed, repaired and improved is currently in full bloom and is attracting hoards of visitors, locals and non locals alike.
JAMMU
State Assembly Speaker Mohammad Akbar Lone has recognized Prof Chaman Lal Gupta as BJP Legislature Party leader saying according to the court orders and the Assembly records, BJP has 11 MLAs in the House and not four. This has given a severe blow to BJP that had sought action against seven of it lawmakers for voting against the party whip last year. The seven include Prof Gupta. The party in fact had been reduced to four lawmakers that are headed by Jugal Kishore. Lone’s intervention triggered a walk-out by four as seven others watched them moving out in protest. Ruling NC is skipping invoking the anti-defection law because the resultant re-election will strengthen Congress further.
DELHI
It happened once again. Separatist leader Syed Ali Geelani was attacked by members of the right wing Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) when he was on his way to attend a seminar in Delhi University. It was after around 15 minutes, according to Geelani’s spokesman that police intervened. The attack on aging leader enraged people and the news dominated almost all the social networking sites for nearly two hour. Condemnation to the assault came from across the ideological divide of Kashmir politics. Chief Minister Omar Abdullah termed the attackers “bloody idiots”, PDP said it is deplorable and is against the freedom of speech.
SHOPIAN
Rural Development Minister Ali Mohammad Sagar’s south Kashmir visit proved eventful last week. As he was returning from the town, one of the vehicles of his cavalcade hit an elderly person. It proved gun powder as the people watching the unruly driving, stopped some of the vehicles, dragged the officials down and beat them up. Their vehicles were damaged as well. The minister’s vehicle that was leading the cavalcade watched the happening at the tail end but it did not stop. Police subsided the angered locals after the driver Arshad Ahmad, who was driving the Sumo vehicle hired from a neighbouring village was arrested. The driver told the police that he lost control when the cavalcade came under stone pelters attack.
COLOMBO
Lanka is infuriated over Delhi throwing its weight behind a US resolution in Geneva over the rights abuse in the island country. India was among 24 countries that voted in favour of the resolution triggered by massacres of the Tamils during the final assault on LTTE. Though India and Lanka are allies, Delhi’s response to resolution was dictated by the Tamils living in south India. In reaction, Lanka leaders warned India of possible repercussions over Kashmir. Lakshman Yapa Abeywardena, the government spokesman told a Chinese news agency that some countries or groups might use the vote on Sri Lanka as precedence to bring a similar resolution on India over the Kashmir dispute.
ZAKOORA
For last many months, Delhi police was looking for a weekend thief. Operating in crowded Lajpat Nagar and Sarojini Nagar markets, there have been scores of instances of theft from the twin markets but never ever was the thief caught. They proved lucky last week when they caught a 52-year-old woman Irfana Shamim resident of Zakoora near Dargah Hazratbal in Srinagar. Newspaper reports suggest she would fly down to Delhi only on weekends to commit thefts and return later. Women were usually her targets. This decently dressed – she was wearing jewellery worth half a million, English speaking woman was arrested from Lajpat Nagar. Initially the police were convinced that she was not a thief but after the stolen valuables were recovered from her, she was formally arrested. Her address is temporarily shifted – she now lives in Tihar.
