Briefing

GUPKAR

Er Rashid alonmg with his supporters outside Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti’s residence for night protest (KL iMAGE : bILAL bAHADUR)

Arrested for staging a formal protest against SARFAESI, independent lawmaker Engineer Rashid took a group of his workers and sat on 48-hour long sit-in outside Chief Ministers Srinagar residence at Gupkar. At 9 pm when reporters visited him, he was under open sky under a thick blanket. He said the SSG personnel who are guarding the power house have not permitted him to create a temporary roof for the night. He said he and his team are not having dinner because that will kill them as they have to live under open sky facing Dal lake in sub-Celsius temperature. The last moment, a senior SP was seen pleading him to move away to safe place. But the argumentative lawmaker continued the argument.

 LEH

As the desert is reeling under intensely chilling sub-Celsius temperature, Chief Minister, Mehbooba Mufti flew with her Education Minister for two days to celebrate Galdan Namchod, the festival of Ladakhi new years. She inaugurated the Central Asian Museum jointly set up by Tourism Department and Anjuman-e-Moinul Islam, an idea conceptualized by historian Abdul Ghani Sheikh. It has artefacts, manuscripts and pieces of heritage collected from Central Asia, Tibet and Kashmir from in last three centuries, certain items as old as 400 years. Items include pieces of rock art, ancient Ladakhi weighing balance, old abacus, coins from various Central Asian states, caravan water heater, Yarkandi utensils, Bodhi manuscripts and various hand-written religious scriptures. German scholar Andre was closely associated with the project to which Ms Mufti donated Rs 20 lakh.

SRINAGAR

Prof Ghulam Nabi Firaq

Celebrated writer Prof Ghulam Nabi Firaq (July 15, 1922 – December 17, 2016) died at the age of 94 at his Nowshehra residence after a prolonged illness. Author of 20 books, the former teacher at the SP College was an essayist, a critic and a translator. Cousin of poet Rehman Rahi, Firaq has translated Shakespeare, Shelly, Tennyson and many others. He was a member of 1947s Progressive Literary Movement. He got Sahitya Akademi Award for his poetic collection Sada-te-Samandar and was later given Life Achievement Award by J&K Academy of Art Culture. Born at Buhri Kadal, Firaq was appointed as Librarian and after his masters in English was appointed a teacher.

JAMMU

Meenal Gupta is 14 and she is already a name in chess as she won gold medal in the under- 14 commonwealth chess championship in Sri Lanka. Fascinated by international grandmaster at the age of nine years in Chennai, she was encouraged by her father Atul Kumar to pursue the game. In the five years, since then, she has won 50 national and international events in her age group.

SOPORE

When it hurts, it changes routines. For two days in last week, parents and relatives of 9-year old boy, Mursaleen Azad, are protesting on streets seeking action against the people whose stone pelting left him injured. Azad had a head injury on December 16, in Sopore and was evacuated to the hospital. In SKIMS, later, he underwent two surgeries and his condition is still critical. Azad Ahmad, his father, said his three daughters are in shock as they saw their brother in pool of blood. I just want the accused to be brought to justice, he said, insisting, his son was not part of stone pelters.

DELHI

Election Commission of India has delisted 225 political parties. While checking the antecedents of these “parties” the election commission found that one party had its address at 17-Akbar Road which is the official residence of Home Minister. There is one party that is interestingly from J&K. The party Pavitra Hindustan Kaazhagam, listed earlier to be located at 11-Harish Chandra Mathur Lane, New Delhi, turned out to be the office of the J&K CID!

POONCH

Thaw in shelling exchanges between Pakistan was followed by two events on either side. Pakistani entertainment industry lifting ban on screening Bollywood and soldiers on this side of the LoC started defusing unexploded Pakistani shells. While they are not fighting each other, they are getting more aggressive. As Nawaz Sharief appointed chief of army considered to be expert in Kashmir and Gilgit (read CEPC), Narindra Modi reacted by getting Kashmir-experts to top security related positions. India’s new army Lt Gen Bipin Rawat, new IAF boss Air Marshal B S Dhanoa and new IB chief Rajiv Jain and new RAW chief Anil Dhasmana area all Kashmir / Pakistan experts

NUMBERS

J&Ks 47 schools operate in open, 3742 lack toilet, 2226 lack drinking water facility, 20082 are without electricity, 18942 without boundary walls and 10764 schools without access ramps

Globally accepted standards for cash to GDP ratio is 6-7%, India has 13% and J&K 20-22%

 

 

 

 

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