STAGED: JKLF chairman Mohammad Yasin Malik along with other party leaders sat on a one-day hunger strike at Nadihal chowk in north Kashmir to protest the Machil fake encounter. Malik called fake encounter as a worst form of ‘state terrorism’.
FUDGED: Senior police officers in Jammu region are believed to have tampered with an official roll of honour, replacing names of genuine combatants against Lashkar-e-Toiba militants with SPOs serving at their homes, apparently to get their favourites permanent jobs with the police or to set them up for promotions. An official inquiry into the alleged scam has reportedly indicted senior officers.
ALLEGED: The family members of 23-year-old Irfan of Gowiwah, Pattan, Baramulla, whose body was recovered from Goa, have alleged that their son was killed under a conspiracy hatched by some people at his Srinagar workplace. Irfan was working at a Srinagar bakery for the past one year.
DELAYED: He might have been the ‘king of counter-insurgency’ in Kashmir, but seven-and-a-half years after his killing by militants, his family continues to run from pillar to post to get his pension case settled. The Assembly has asked the family to first clear the loans Muhammad Yusuf Parray alias Kuka Parray took as a legislator and produce a ‘no outstanding’ certificate.
STARTED: The registration process for 55 day Amarnath yatra for 2010 has commenced. The registered yatris would be given accidental insurance cover through New India Assurance Company Ltd. Around half a million pilgrims are expected to visit the Hindu cave shrine this year.
SETTLED: Pakistan has consented to the construction of two power projects, the 250-MW Uri-II on river Jhelum and 44 MW Chutak on river Suru a tributary of Indus in Kargil district. The nod came during the four-day 105th Permanent Indus Commission meeting in New Delhi. Pakistan Indus Commissioner Syed Jammat Ali Shah said gave the consent in the “spirit of cooperation and goodwill.”
DOUBLED: Blood donation has shown a two fold increase in J&K as against the previous years. The 21 blood banks in the state collected 50,374 units of blood in 2008-2009.
TRACED: A decomposed human body was found in Rajpora, Pulwama, making it the fourth skeleton to be recovered from South Kashmir in the three days.
RECOVERED: Police recovered a girl, who was abducted on May 5 from Upper Thathar, from Tamil Nadu and arrested two abductors.
RESERVED: A city court reserved its orders in an application moved by the family of prominent human rights lawyer Jaleel Andrabi, in which the applicant had sought directions from the court for further investigations into Andrabi’s cold blooded murder.
FUNDED: An opinion poll across both sides of the Line of Control conducted by Robert Bradnock – an associate fellow at the Chatham House think-tank in London-that created waves last week was reportedly funded by Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, the son of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi.
WASHED AWAY: Two nomadic herdsmen lost their lives to unusual rains and snow in upper reaches, while around 50000 sheep and cattle were washed away this week. Airforce choppers were pressed into service to locate and rescue the men in higher reaches trapped in freak weather.
RECOVERED: Police claimed to have seized two solar battery operated missiles in Kupwara district of Kashmir. Officials said these can also be used to shoot down helicopters.
PLANNED: The CRPF intends to introduce a new type of gun to control stone pelting incidents in the valley. The new weapon, reportedly, will give a burning sensation to the protesters. CRPF is also mulling use of pepper guns which use red chillies instead of a copper or rubber bullets.
VISITING: Tibetan Buddhist leader Dalai Lama is scheduled to visit Gulabgarh area of Paddar Tehsil in Kishtwar district on June 5. The 74-year-old temporal head is scheduled to address a religious congregation, inaugurate a Buddhist centre and conduct prayers there.
ESCAPES: Minister of state for tourism, Nasir Aslam Wani had a narrow escape when youth pelted stones on his cavalcade in Natipora area of Srinagar. Wani’s bodyguards removed him to safety. At least two vehicles were damaged in the stone pelting.
PLANNED: The government has decided to connect ski resort of Gulmarg with the border district of Poonch in Jammu division through an all-weather road. The 42 kilometre Gulmarg-Loharan-Poonch road would cost Rs 108 crore. SAMPARK and BEACON are executing the project.
