It's amusing to note that many of the people, who used to label me "Sarkaari" during my years with Daily Excelsior, and had become holy cows of Kashmir's separatist movement with such more-loyal-than-the-king enactments, are now on oath to protect India's sovereignty and integrity in Jammu and Kashmir and are themselves about to become partners of the Sarkaar with the RSS-run BJP. We are eagerly waiting to watch them run the Sarkaar and share the power and the dais with the same people who they demonised for years as "dismantlers of Babri Masjid" and "savage killers and gang rapists of Gujarat". In Kashmir, time has ruthlessly taken the masks and the curtains off and exposed everybody. Thank god I stand vindicated in my belief and hold my head high not with pride but with humility!!!

ham parvarish-e-loh-o-qalam karte rahenge
jo dil pe guzartii hai raqam karte rahenge

BACAUSE

mein zahr-e-halahil ko kabhi keh na saka qand

END

#RajyaSabhaElection:

Ahmed Ali Fayyaz

Polling being held for 4 seats of Rajya Sabha from J&K State on February 7, 2015. Seven nominations were filed before Returning Officer Mohammad Ramzan (Secretary Legislative Assembly) on the last day on January 28.

NOTIFICATION 1
(The seat vacated by Saifuddin Soz of Congress)

CANDIDATES
Mir Fayaz Ahmad (PDP)
Sajjad Ahmad Kichloo (NC)

Mir Fayaz Ahmad of PDP will get around 56 votes (PDP 28 + BJP 25 + PC 2 + BJP rebel Pawan Gupta) and win. Sajjad Kichloo of NC will get around 31 votes (NC 15 + Congress 12+ Aga Syed Baqir independent + MY Tarigami of CPM + possibly Hakeem Yasin and Engineer Rashid) and lose.
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NOTIFICATION 2
(The seat vacated by Ghulam Nabi Azad of Congress)

CANDIDATES
Shamsher Singh Manhas (BJP)
Nasir Aslam Wani (NC)

Shamsher Singh Manhas of BJP will get around 56 votes (PDP 28 + BJP 25 + PC 2 + BJP rebel Pawan Gupta) and win. Nasir Aslam Wani of NC will get around 31 votes (NC 15 + Congress 12+ Aga Syed Baqir independent + MY Tarigami of CPM + possibly Hakeem Yasin and Engineer Rashid) and lose.
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NOTIFICATION 3
(The seats vacated by Mohammad Shafi Uri of NC and Ghulam Nabi Wani Rattanpuri of NC)

CANDIDATES
Chander Mohan Sharma (BJP)
Ghulam Nabi Azad (Congress)
Nazir Ahmad Laway (PDP)

Chander Mohan Sharma of BJP will get around 32 FIRST PRIORITY votes of PDP-BJP alliance's total of 56 votes and win the third seat. Ghulam Nabi Azad of Congress will get around 31 votes of NC-Congress alliance and win the 4th seat. Nazir Ahmad Laway of PDP will get 24 SECOND PREFERENCE votes of PDP-BJP alliance (56-32 =24) and lose.


SO THE WINNERS WILL BE:

1. Mir Fayaz Ahmad (PDP)
2. Shamsher Singh Manhas (BJP)
3. Chander Mohan Sharma (BJP)
4. Ghulam Nabi Azad (Congress)

END

#RajyaSabhaResults:

For those still confused about the Feb 7th Rajya Sabha elections and repeatedly asking about the parties' prospects, let it be clear that it is now PDP-BJP versus NC-Congress as Congress President Sonia Gandhi has assured all of its own and allies' votes to the NC csndidates in the Legislative Council election when 19 vacant seats will be filled up in March. As of now, the prospects of parties in RS polls of Feb 7th are as under:--

NOTIFICATION NO: 1
BJP candidate Shamsher Singh Manhas or Chander Mohan Sharma will get the highest number of around 56 votes (BJP 25+ PDP 28 + PC 2 + possibly BJP rebel Pawan Gupta = 56) and win. NC's Nasir Aslam Wani or Sajjad Kichloo will get around 31 (NC 15 + Congress 12 + CPM 1 + possibly Hakeem Yasin + possibly Er Rashid + ceratinly Aga Syed Baqir) and lose.

NOTIFICATION NO: 2
PDP candidate Nazir Ahmad Laway or Fayaz Ahmad Mir will get the highest number of around 56 votes (BJP 25+ PDP 28 + PC 2 + possibly BJP rebel Pawan Gupta = 56) and win. NC's Nasir Aslam Wani or Sajjad Kichloo will get around 31 (NC 15 + Congress 12 + CPM 1 + possibly Hakeem Yasin + possibly Er Rashid + ceratinly Aga Syed Baqir) and lose.

NOTIFICATION NO: 3
BJP candidate Shamsher Singh Manhas or Chander Mohan Sharma will get the highiest number of around 32 votes (from BJP 25+ PDP 28 + PC 2 + possibly BJP rebel Pawan Gupta = 56) and win one of the two seats in this notification. NC-CONGRESS alliance will follow with around 31 for Congress candidate Ghulam Nabi Azad and win one of the two seats in this notification. PDP's Nazir Ahmad Laway or Fayaz Ahmad Mir will get around 24 SECOND PREFERENCE votes of the PDP-BJP alliance and and lose.

Thus BJP will get 2, PDP 1, Congress 1 and NC 0.

END

How an Indian Army Colonel and a dreaded militant commander fought pitched battles in South Kashmir before both died in an encounter on Tuesday.

Ahmed Ali Fayyaz

SRINAGAR, Jan 27: Hizbul Mujahideen's "District Commander" and the most wanted Kashmiri militant in Tral-Pulwama belt of South Kashmir, Abid Khan, who was the son of a serving Assistant Sub Inspector (ASI) of J&K Police, died along with his associate Sheerz Dar, even as the Commanding Officer of Rashtriya Rifles 42 Battalion Munindra Nath Rai and a constable of IRP 12th battalion, Sanjeevan Singh, also got killed in a fierce encounter between the militants and security forces at Handoora village in Tral on Tuesday.

Col. Rai, a resident of Varanasi who was the recipient of the prestigious YSM award on the Indian Republic Day on January 26, 2015, on account of his gallantry in scores of the successful counterinsurgency operations in Tral area in 2012-13, and constable Singh of Special Operations Group of J&K Police in Tral, got critically injured in the three-hour-long gunbattle. They were evacuated and airlifted to Army's 92 Base Hospital in Srinagar where they succumbed to injuries.

Official sources said that Abid Khan was involved in a large number of attacks on security forces and Police bedides civilian soft targets in Pulwama district in the last over two years. His father ASI Jalaluddin had been shifted from Pulwama to Baramulla last year after Abid Khan fatally attacked Police and security forces in Pulwama and Awantipora Police districts.

Enaged as Special Police Officer (SPO), Sheeraz had decamped with a Constable's service rifle from an SOG camp. One of Abid's cousins had also stabbed an SPO on duty and snatched away his AK-47 rifle at Pampore in 2012 but the Police chased and captured him at a distance without resistance. The gun was seized and he was booked in a criminal case. Abid Khan was believed to be among the four Hizbul Mujahideen militants who had captured and killed four soldiers of RR 42 Bn at Buchoo, Tral, days before then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's visit to the Valley, during a cordon-and-search operation on June 19, 2013. Before escaping, Abid and his associates had also filmed the event on a cellphone which later surfaced on YouTube and Facebook.

Col. Rai, who had carried out dozens operations in search of Abid Khan. He finally got his most wanted target but died in the same gunbattle. Officials said his name would be recommended for a bigger posthumous award later this year. They said that Col. Rai went for the daredevil action to the front and ran straight into Abid's house during the gunbattle to ensure that the militants did not escape. He died in a face-to-face gunfight with the two holed up militants.

Reports from Tral said that scores of the residents staged protest demonstrations, blocked roads and clashed with Police and CRPF before and after the funeral rites of the two militants were conducted on Tuesday evening.

Officials described that the death of Abid and Sheeraz as a major blow to the militant leadership in South Kashmir and a remarkable achievement for security forces, though it came at a substantial cost of the CO's life.

END

PDP-BJP alliance pushes NC-Congress tie-up as BJP sure to win 2 seats and PDP and Congress one each

Ahmed Ali Fayyaz

SRINAGAR, Jan 27: With the PDP tying its knot to the BJP and the new electoral alliance deciding to field four candidates---2 each from PDP and BJP---in the Rajya Sabha election on four seats in Jammu and Kashmir, the outgoing coalition allies NC and Congress on Tuesday decided to contest all four seats jointly with the support of CPIM and three independent MLAs.

While as PDP had already nominated Nazir Ahmad Laway and Fayaz Ahmad Mir as its candidates on the two seats, BJP on Tuesday made it public that advocate Chander Mohan Sharma and former State president and member of National Executive Shamsher Singh Manhas would be fielded on the remaining two seats.

The dark horses were picked up by both the parties, disappointing a number of senior leaders and high profile contenders. Those dropped by BJP include retired IGP Farooq Khan, senior advocate Sunil Sethi, former three-time MLA and former State President Ashok Khajuria as also National Secretary Ram Madhav. According to insiders, senior leaders and former legislators Dilawar Mir and Nizam ud din Bhat, Dr Mehboob Beg, Pir Mohammad Hussain besides two senior journalists associated with a Jammu-based English daily, one each from Kashmir and Jammu, were under consideration in PDP until the little known Laway and Mir were picked up by the party patron Mufti Mohammad Sayeed.

Knowledgeable sources revealed that the Congress high command roped in NC acting president Omar Abdullah and convinced him on supporting Ghulam Nabi Azad on one of the four seats. Called for a meeting, Omar in New Delhi met AICC President Sonia Gandhi and General Secretary Rahul Gandhi whereafter NC decided to field Nasir Aslam Wani and Sajjad Kichloo, both former MLAs and Ministers of State for Home, on two seats. NC-Congress may leave the 3rd seat vacant for the PDP candidate so as to keep all 30-32 votes to ensure Mr Azad's victory on the 4th seat.

Sources said that Mr Azad was immediately rushed to Jammu to seek support from the CPIM MLA Mohammad Yusuf Tarigami, PDF MLA Hakeem Yasin besides two independent MLAs Engineer Rashid and Aga Syed Baqir. "After the PDP-BJP tie up, Mr Hakeem has dragged his feet. Mr Tarigami has assured us support and we are hopeful of getting support from Eng Rashid and Aga Sahab, making it 31", said a senior Congress leader. He said that Mr Azad could also approach the BJP rebel Pawan Gupta who defeated the official BJP candidate in Udhampur mainly with the advantage of NC's support and 16,000 Muslim vote.

With this development, NC-CONGRESS alliance is sure to win at least one seat, while as BJP could take the first two sure seats (28+25+2= 55).

By this calculation, it could be 55:31 on the PDP-BJP alliance's first two sure seats each. PDP-BJP would have to reserve 32 votes for the 3rd seat (33 if Gupta sided with NC-Cong) to ensure victory of the PDP candidate. In 32:0, it could go unopposed in favour of PDP. NC-Cong would have to reserve all its 31-32 votes for the 4th seat which could be won by Mr Azad in 31(NC-Cong):23 (PDP-BJP).

END

Kashmir Imam loses job for 'Haider' nikaah, sends legal notice to director Vishal Bhardwaj

Ahmed Ali Fayyaz

SRINAGAR, Jan 27: Conducting the nikaah of Gazalla Mir (Tabu) with the advocate brother of her slain husband Dr Hussain Mir for a sequence of the Bollywood movie 'Haider' has cost the Imam of a mosque in Srinagar downtown his job. Removed by the management of Masjid Baba Dawood Khaki, Gulshan Mohalla Bachi Darwaza, on account of his "un-Islamic act of a drama", Ghulam Hassan Shah of Kond, Qazigund, has asked director of the film Vishal Bhardwaj to either apologise for using the footage deceitfully or face the damages claim of Rs 50 Lakh from his attorney.

Shah has reportedly sent a legal notice to Bhardwaj through a local counsel. The counsel has asserted that his client, Mr Shah had given his consent to the shoot on the assurance that it would be used for "education purpose". However, the director allegedly used the filmed sequence for a purely commercial purpose, leading to Mr Shah's loss of livelihood at the mosque in Srinagar. A Hindustani adaptation of William Shakespeare's famous drama Hamlet, Shahid Kapur Shraddha Kapur-starrer Haider, in which Tabu played the stellar role, was entirely shot in Kashmir in 2013-14 and released in India and overseas on October 1, 2014. Bhardwaj and Basharat Pir wrote its script and screenplay.

“In pursuance to the instructions, received by me from my client namely Ghulam Hassan Shah S/O Mustafa Shah R/O Qazigund, Kund, Nigeenpora, I have the honour to inform you that you have committed the same mistake which was committed by the UTV, who had to pay compensation to a leading football player of the State of J&K namely Mr. Mohammad Yousuf Dar. You included my client to get screened while reciting a Nikah on the assurance that it was to be utilized as for some educative purposes, but you really intended to utilize the footage for the film/ movie ‘Haider’ which to the least is obnoxious. If on ethical side your establishment that has all India reputation feels the fact stated in this as accurate then in that eventuality you may be well advised to publish an apology in national press for at least three rgular occasions, otherwise if you would not dispute it would be ‘condign assessment’ if my client restricts his claim to Rs 50.00 lacs (Rupees Fifty Lacs Only) as normally reputation is invaluable,” the notice reads.

“Whereas, my client lost the sole livelihood due to the obnoxious footage in respect to my client in the said movie ‘Haider’, as such, my client was expelled from the Holy Masjid Baba Dawood Khaki, Gulshan Mohalla Bachi Darwaza, wherein my client was discharging his religious duties as ‘Imam’ from last more than seven years. The said footage has not only defamed my client but lowered his status and self-respect among members of the society at large".

“Kindly send a detailed reply explicating the circumstances that lead you to utilize this footage/ shot that added credence to your movie ‘Haider’. Should you fail, I have clear instruction from my client to take appropriate legal action/ recourse (criminal/ Civil) under law against you at your own risk and cost,” the notice concluded.

END