Next time you send a message on social networking site make sure you address it to a genuine profile and not a fake one. In a similar case Union Minister 
Dr Farooq Abdullah filed a police complaint against the person who was running his fake account and posting “some objectionable, indecorous and intemperate things” on the micro-blogging site, Twitter. The account went off the same day with an apology from its discreet author with a good bye message.
Apparently facing the heat of law, the author of the account made two entries in his final messages apologizing to the Union Minister and his family for inconvenience caused by him. “I had no intention, whatsoever, to tarnish the image of Dr Abdullah or to cause any harm to his image. This account was purely meant for fun,” the anonymous author said.
Within minutes after posting the final two tweets past 1 PM, the page was off the site. However, police said that they would be able to trace the account at the earliest and bring the case to its logical conclusion.
A complaint in this regard was lodged with the Delhi Police with the request to take immediate action. Dr Abdullah has expressed his anguish over the misuse of social networking sites which are otherwise a boon for spreading information and freedom of expression. Other than this there have been cases of fake Facebook accounts of some other ministers also.
Jumping Into POLITICS
After remaining in power for a long time, it is not easy for them to be without it. New heaven for retired bureaucrats is politics, leading to the bureaucratisation of politics.
After many in past, the new player is Ex-Commissioner Secretary PHE Mehboob Iqbal, who retired recently. Mehboob has begun his political inning in a different way. Instead of joining a particular political party, Mehboob has decided the other way around. Having friends both in National Conference and Congress, Mehboob played with the card of discrimination.
He announced formation of Bhaderwah-Bhalessa-Chirala Development and Welfare Forum, a non-governmental organization. He made a mention of his agenda during the press conference and repeatedly laid stress on development of the entire erstwhile District Doda. Talking about the discrimination with erstwhile District Doda in the allocation of funds, he said that he would work tirelessly to redress the situation.
My doors are open for all, Mehboob said while adding that Bhaderwah-Bhalessa-Chirala Development and Welfare Forum (BBCDWF) is a platform for people of country’s second most backward district i.e. erstwhile District Doda where they can come together, provide their valuable input, share their concern and join hands for addressing developmental concerns of the area.
He stressed that the forum would fight against the ostensibly visible discriminatory attitude of the state government towards the issue of providing employment opportunities to the youth of this area.
Mehboob, according to his friends is more interested in spending next two years in listening to the problems of the people living in rugged and hilly terrains. On his retirement Mehboob was given grand welcome by thousands of people belonging to Doda, Bhalessa, Chiralla, Pranoo, Bhalla and Bhaderwah areas. He was taken to Bhaderwah in a procession of more than five hundreds vehicles.
He is all set to take the tough competition head on. Perceived widely as ex- chief minister Ghulam Nabi Azad’s bastion, Mehboob is trying his luck from high profile Bhaderwah constituency. Can he make it?
A Failed SCHEME
The government did their best to lure them, but it was not enough to motivate them. Coming up with a statement the minister of relief and rehabilitation Raman Bhalla said that no Kashmiri Pandit family has returned to the valley despite various schemes sponsored by state and central governments being underway in this regard.
Bhalla said the government has made significant attempts in providing employment and transit accommodation to facilitate the return of migrant families. “Special 3000 migrant posts were created by the government with special rules and regulations, 2148 have been filled while only 1441 have joined. The process of filling up of remaining posts is going on besides the construction of 495 units – 250 at Vessu Anantnag, 65 at Hawal Pulwama, 130 at Baramulla and 50 units at Kupwara”.
The government nullified the recommendations of the Koul committee, citing reason of having already enough schemes in place available for the return of migrants. Revealing the data of migrant families residing in various parts of India, the minister said that 38119 families are residing in Jammu including 34202 Hindus, 2168 Muslims and 1749 Sikh families. But the number of such families in 1996 in Jammu stood at 27619 in which 25551 were Hindus, 412 Muslims and 1578 of Sikhs and 78 others.
The reason of not coming back may be the incentives and privileges community is enjoying outside. According to the calculation of government, 2781 Kashmiri migrant families in Delhi are receiving around Rs 1.5 crore relief from the government of National Capital Territory per month apart from leave salary of Rs 166.21 lakh per month for 342 migrant employees from the office of Resident Commissioner, New Delhi. “The government has spent 96358 lakh cash relief and basic amenities of the migrant families so far,” the minister is quoted to have said.
whether to return or not is decision of the community itself, hardly affected by the measures taken by the government. If at all the community is enjoying the special privilege outside, what is the fun in returning is a huge debate!
Rehabilitation POLITICS
JK Police this week held workshops with former militants in all the three parts: north, south and central Kashmir. The workshops according to police were meant to facilitate rehabilitation of surrendered and released militants.
In one of the meeting Inspector General of Police Kashmir, SM Sahai, asked the former militants to organise themselves under NGOs, which can provide them a platform to coordinate with state government and the police for their rehabilitation.
However, former militants question the need of forming NGO’s. “If the government is serious in rehabilitating us they can do it without forming NGO. What do they need NGOs for?” said Abdul Kabir, who heads an amalgam of former militants, People’s Rights Movement, adding “government does not walk their talk”.
Kabir said, despite the claims of the IGP, that verification rules have been eased and thousands of passport applications of the relative of the former militants have been cleared, not more than 10 relatives have been provided passports. Thousands of cases for verification are still pending with police and they have not been cleared yet.
The former militants said that it is the relief from day to day harassment and regular attendance at army camps and police stations that can come as the best relief to them. Farooq Ahmad, chairman All Jammu and Kashmir Ex-Militants Welfare Association said, “We don’t need any economic packages, we just want freedom from the daily harassment.”
Kabir said that more than any rehabilitation packages, government needs to change the policy of blacklisting former militants from getting government jobs, loans and passports. “If these kind of policies and the torture and harassment is stopped, we can rehabilitate ourselves on our own,” he added.
Police sources say, due to fear of getting recycled, police wants to engage ex-militants on regular basis.
“The mistrust of police and the policy of intimidation needs to be shunned. Punishing of family members of ex-militants for something which they are not involved in, will not help,” said Ahmad.
Another BOOK
Change on cards. Books are the new weapons in the arsenal of separatists. After Yasin Malik’s revelation of coming out with autobiography, another senior separatist Professor Abdul Gani Bhat expressed the same intention. On one side Yasin claims to come up with unknown facts of resistance movement, Prof Bhat is all set to reveal the unknown facets of the Hurriyat.
Senior Hurriyat leader who has been in the thick of things over the past two decades, always advocating for a ‘pragmatic solution’ to Kashmir is planning to put the unknown facts in public domain. “I will look at Kashmir from an autobiographical point of view. The situation over the past two decades will come in for a particular focus,” said Bhat. “I will write without fear”. The book has been in progress for the past one year and Bhat is just approaching the ‘period of separatist struggle’
Vocal and remaining in news for all his talking, Prof Bhat has already set a benchmark in ‘truth telling’ by asserting in a speech that Mirwaiz Molvi Farooq and Abdul Gani Lone were killed by their ‘own men’. Rejecting the option of United Nations’ resolutions in solving vexed issue of Kashmir, Prof Bhat emerged as a leading Kashmiri separatist who advocates an out-of-box Kashmir solution inspired by the former Pakistan president Musharraf’s four point proposals. “United Nations resolutions have outlived their relevance in Kashmir,” said Bhat. ‘’We need a solution that takes on board the new realities.” Bhat’s book is believed to give a special place for Musharraf’s proposals. “His proposals offered the best solution possible for Kashmir,” says Bhat. Bhat in his inimitable style thinks it is Kashmiris who are important and ‘a primary party to the Kashmir dispute’.
Bhat termed Abdul Gani Lone a person who had ‘courage without imagination’. Lone, who was assassinated in 2002, Bhat says, was killed because of his criticism of influx of foreign militants into Kashmir. Similarly about Qazi Nissar, a senior separatist leader and South Kashmir Mirwaiz who was also killed in early nineties, Bhat says is branded as ‘creedless’. Qazi Nissar created an impression of being a neutral observer of the prevailing Kashmir situation. “Little did he know that being creedless is dangerous in Kashmir. You become subject to labels,” Bhat said. Bhat is writing the book with a belief that it will emerge as the guideline for resolution of Kashmir issue. “I feel it is time that an indigenous political discourse on Kashmir evolves and is recognized as a primary guideline for a Kashmir solution,” Bhat said.
Recognizing Syed Ali Geelani as hardline separatist, Bhat dismisses him as ‘simpleton in politics and a political narcissist’. The book which is likely to hit stands in near future is a double edged sword; no one can predict whether it will land Bhat in more controversies or, as he believes, will open a new chapter in politics of Kashmir.
