Cabinet expansion likely in a week

Syed Ali Safvi

SRINAGAR, June 14: After much wait, chief minister Omar Abdullah is likely to expand his 10 member ministerial council by the end of this week before the start of the budget session of J&K Legislative Assembly.

According to sources, ruling coalition partners - Congress and National Conference (NC) - are busy giving final touches to the list of candidates to be inducted in the state cabinet.
Many names are doing the rounds. The expanded council promises to be a judicious blend of youth and experience.

The coalition's earlier attempt to expand the ministry was put off due to massive protests over rape and murder of a girl and a woman in Shopian, leaving ministerial hopefuls waiting in the wings.

Sources said Omar might carry out the long-speculated exercise by the end of this week.
Under the rules, the state government can have 25 ministers as per the strength of the 87-member assembly.

Congress sources said it will get eight more ministerial berths - three of cabinet rank and five ministers of state (MOS) - in the expanded council.

The probables to be inducted into the ministry include veteran Congress leader Chowdhary Mohammad Aslam, MLA Gandhinagar Raman Bhalla, MLA and former minister of state Aijaz Khan, MLA Kathua Dr Manohar Lal. The party is deciding on the inclusion of either MLA Inderwal Ghulam Mohammad Saroori or MLA Doda Abdul Majeed Wani. The party is likely to favour induction of independents Hakeem Mohammad Yaseen and Ghulam Hassan Mir from Kashmir.

Earlier there were speculations that either Yaseen or Mir would make it to cabinet, but highly placed sources in the party said that both Yaseen and Mir would be inducted in the council of ministers.

The party has decided against including MLA and former minister, Ghulam Ahmad Mir in the cabinet.

"The coalition government is clear that we don't want tainted persons to be inducted into the cabinet," said a senior Congress leader on condition of anonymity. "Mir has a case pending against him; Both Congress and NC don't want the opposition to make it an issue against the government."

NC also has almost finalised the list. However, sources said, there is a rift between the party president Dr Farooq Abdullah and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah over the inclusion of some names.

The NC probables to be inducted in the ministry include MLA and former minister Chowdhary Mohammad Ramzan, former minister Sakeena Ittoo, bureaucrat turned politician Vijay Bakaya, MLA Kupwara Mir Saifullah, MLA Budgam Aga Syed Ruhullah, MLA Amirakadal Nasir Sogami.

"The party is undecided whether to induct Mir Saifullah or Chowdhary Ramzan," said a senior NC leader. "Farooq sahib is favouring Ramzan while Omar sahib is in favour of Saifullah."

"Names of Sajad Kichloo, Tirlochan Singh Wazir, and Ajay Sadhotra are also doing rounds," he said. "However, only one of them will be inducted into the cabinet."
Bakaya, author of NC's 'Vision Document', is likely to be inducted as Minister for Planning, and Sakeena may be given reins of Social Welfare ministry.

To strengthen its base in south Kashmir, considered to be the PDP stronghold, NC is likely to induct Mohammad Akbar Ganai into the cabinet as minister of state. Ganai had lost to Congress' Ghulam Ahmad Mir from Dooru Shahabad assembly segment in 2008 Assembly elections.

If sources are to be believed, a section within National Conference is opposed to the inclusion of newly elected MLA Dr Mustafa Kamal, who may eventually not figure in the list of probables.

Despite CM's 'zero tolerance, HR abuse continues; so does fear psychosis

Syed Ali Safvi

SRINAGAR, June 1: On January 5 when Omar Abdullah assumed office as chief minister, he vowed to safeguard human rights of the people of Jammu and Kashmir. And now after two days, he will complete five months in office, but a common man continues to be under the grip of fear and insecurity.

The spate of killings in Kashmir over the past few weeks has not only deteriorated the situation within the valley, but it has also put a question mark on Omar Abdullah's commitment of 'zero tolerance' against human rights violation.

Unlike successive state government's ad nauseam claims that situation in Kashmir was limping towards normalcy, the recent spate of killings and incessant mass protests are indicative of the fact that it is actually running back to late 1980s and early 1990s. The only difference is that over the years Kashmiris have made a transition from violence to non-violence, and in place of guns, the protestors now carry pebbles, torches and slogans.

Chairing first ever unified headquarters (UHQ) meeting after assuming office, Omar had reiterated his firm policy of zero tolerance against human rights violations. The CM had asked the concerned authorities to investigate the violations in a transparent manner and give quick punishment to the erring troops. Chief minister's plea, however, fell on deaf ears.

Despite repeated claims by the state and the central government of "zero tolerance" against human rights abuses, there has been no serious attempt to transparently investigate, prosecute, and punish those responsible for HR abuses. The graph of human rights under NC-Congress coalition has continued to show declining trend.

Last summer Kashmiris were protesting against alleged land transfer to Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB), and this summer Shopian incident has provided a launching pad for them to vent out pent up anger.

Bodies of two women were found near Rambiara nullah at some distance from a CRPF camp in south Kashmir's Shopian district on May 31, 2009 amid claims that they were raped and killed by troopers.

The Shopian incident has sent shock waves to the nook and corner of the valley. Fear psychosis has gripped the Kashmiri women, who no longer feel secure in their land.
Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) Chairman Yasin Malik believes that people do not feel secure and they live under constant fear and threat.

"Army camps are located in the heart of civilian areas due to which people feel very insecure and live under constant fear," Malik said.

Another separatist leader and Islamic Students League (ISL) chairman Shakeel Ahmad Bakshi believes that the epicenter of tyranny is the unbridled powers that have been bestowed upon Army. He said until those powers were not withdrawn, normalcy would not return to Kashmir.

"It is the mindset of forces that needs to be changed. Gun wielding troops think they are above the law. Unless the institution of force is declared illegal and efforts are made to send away troops, Kashmiris will continue to suffer," he said.

Political analyst Prof Rekha Chowdhary said that there was an urgent need to pay attention to the human rights situation in the state.

"Though Manmohan Singh talked about the zero tolerance to human rights violence, there have been numerous incidences of HR violence and there is almost continuous state of protest about these issues in one town or the other, in one village or the other," she said.

However, she expressed optimism over Omar's ability to improve the human rights situation in the state.

"Omar Abdullah had started effectively about the Bomai issue and his intervention was really needed at that time. I think one should give this government some more time. I have a feeling that Omar is a well meaning person and he is sensitive to ground level situation,"she said.

Prof Rekha expressed dismay over national media's reluctance to report details of human rights abuses by police and paramilitary troops.

"My personal worry, however, is that the HR issue is not reaching the national media and the national level civil society. Almost on a fortnight basis there is a fresh issue in Kashmir - one part or the other boils here and it does not make any news and does not generate any debate at the national level," she complains.

A day after Omar took over as chief minister, a deaf and dumb man - Abdur Rashid Reshi - was shot dead in cold blood by army guards near former's Gupkar residence. As always as a mere ritual, police and army ordered high level inquiry into the killing.

On February 3, 17 days after Omar's statement, a 25-year-old tailor - Fayaz Ahmad Mir - was shot dead by the troops in Lolab area of Kupwara district. On February 10, CRPF men thrashed a shopkeeper in Maisuma area. More than a dozen people were injured in the subsequent protests and clashes between police and protestors.

On Feberuary 21, two innocent youth - Mohammad Amin Tantray and Javed Ahmad Dar - were killed in army firing at Bomai Sopore. The apple town was rocked by massive protest against the killing.

A 16-year-old, Arif Ayoub Butt of Gandarpora, Eidgah, who was critically injured after being hit on head by a teargas shell fired by troopers at Rajouri Kadal in Srinagar, succumbed to his injuries on at Soura hospital on May 27, 2009.

On May 19, 2009 massive protests were held at Alucha Bagh and Maisuma against the alleged custodial death of a 40-year old civilian, Manzoor Ahmad Beigh of Beigh Mohalla, who was picked up by Special Operation Group personnel and later shifted to SMHS hospital, where he was declared "brought dead".