Briefing

Ladakh

Modi government has a tough task in hand to manage troops at the world’s highest battlefield, Siachen. This time the challenge is not from across the border, but within. Still coming to terms of two crashes in last nine months, army troops face transport crisis of light, high-altitude choppers. The safety questions on the available fleet are being raised, while crisis erupted due to stalled procurement by the last government. The choppers ordered have, according to reports, failed high-altitude tests in Leh due to a lack of high-performance rotor blades. It is learnt that HAL proposed to the IAF that its older Cheetah choppers be cannibalized to obtain blades for the Cheetah, a proposal that was shot down as ill-thought and foolish by the Air Force. How Jaitley led Defence ministry is going to respond and clear the mess. Let us watch.

ISLAMABAD

Police claims of taking stern action while civil society preaches morality, but there seems no end to victimisation of female folk. Shiver runs down the spine to hear what happened in South Kashmir as a group of stalkers chopped off an ear of a class 10th girl student in Verinag area. Reports said that the girl was returning home from a school excursion at Pahalgam when she was attacked with a sharp edged weapon. Police and parents contradict. Officially they say the injury might have been caused by a fall, the family rejects and demands action. Police has registered case, but is it going to really help?

ISLAMABAD

Imran KhanWhen visit of Nawaz Sharif to India recently raised many hopes in Kashmir, there were allegations that it was ‘business in office.’ The accusations of ‘misplaced priorities’ came from soil of Pakistan itself when cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan questioned his visit to the home of an Indian steel tycoon Sajjan Jindal with his businessman son Hassan Nawaz. Not only this, Khan lamented Sharif for not meeting Hurriyat leaders and accused him that Sharif had struck a bargain on Kashmir. As Modi swore-in, Khan said Sharif was treated like a school boy.

KISHTWAR

No one turned up in Kishtwar for shooting since the inception of militancy. But when militancy declined and encounters ceased, Bollywood visited Burnail forest in Poonch village, once known as a militant hub, to shoot Aditiya Tickoo directed film `Haunted Forest’ there. This is after 70s when district hosted a super hit Bollywood film “Noorie”. Tickoo has a word of advice for tourism department, “there is need to tape the vast tourism potential and draw a comprehensive plan for promotion of the Kishtwar tourism.” Though apparently when killings have stopped in the area, Tickoo in his movie shows all students entering the forest except two getting killed. They have proceeded that killings in movie stopped due to curb by natural forces. On ground to develop area some human efforts are required.

DELHI

What is ‘Azad Kashmir’ for Pakistan will be now called as Pakistan occupied Jammu Kashmir (PoJK). Government of India is going to make an announcement within next few days to rename Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (PoK), either through a Parliament resolution or through an official order, whatever remains feasible. The bone of contention for both countries and considered to be only unsettled dispute between India and Kashmir, India has always maintained that PoK, is integral part of India, and has even reserved 24 seats for it in Indian part of Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly. They added that the Government of India has conceded the demand and is likely to rename PoK as PoJK. The 24 assembly seats for PoJK lie vacant as of now. Observers believe that this will be first shot from Modi led NDA government. What will follow is to be seen?

JAMMU

It is autographs and photographs time for 17-year-old Tavleen Kour Risam, a Class XII student of Government Girls Higher Secondary, Bakshi Nagar, Jammu. ‘Name change’ changed her fate. What made her to be in NEWS is that she is all set to hit the silver screen with the lead role in Punjabi movie “Tu Ki Jaane Sajna”, which is scheduled to be released in Jammu on June 13. Tavleen says that she initially was nervous but now everybody around treats her as star.

Jammu and Kashmir state is maintaining silk cocoon production of 10 lakh kilograms annually, worth Rs 25 crore making it the most productive cocoon producing state in India.

 

State R&B MInister, Abdul Majid Wani, got Rs 34 crore sanctioned for his Assembly segment out of total Rs 101 crore approved by the Centre for the entire State under the road infrastructure program.