US losing the battle in Afghanistan, India in J&K: Mirwaiz

Bilal Lone urges separatists to move beyond Friday speeches

Ahmed Ali Fayyaz

SRINAGAR, May 22: Leaders of so-called moderate faction of the Hurriyat Conference today said in one voice that “freedom from India” was the writing on the wall in Kashmir and nobody could stop the Kashmiris from achieving their political goal. Much glorified Chairman of the conglomerate, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, said at a remembrance rally that United States of America (USA) was losing the battle against the Islamists in Afghanistan and India was meting the same fate in Jammu & Kashmir.

Bilal Gani Lone’s faction of Peoples Conference, which is an executive council constituent of Mirwaiz-led Hurriyat Conference, had for the first time in the last nine years organized a public rally at Kralpora in Kupwara district to remember the PC’s founder Abdul Gani Lone on occasion of his death anniversary today. Mainstream-turned-separatist leader, Lone had been gunned down by suspected militants on occasion of Mirwaiz Maulvi Mohammad Farooq’s death anniversary at Eidgah Grounds in Srinagar on May 21, 2002. Hurriyat founder Mirwaiz Umar’s father, Mirwaiz Farooq, had been shot dead by suspected militants at his home in Nageen locality on May 21, 1990.

It was first time in the last 20 years that the authorities did not allow Mirwaiz and his faction of the Hurriyat to organize a remembrance rally at his father’s tomb in Eidgah yesterday. Authorities enforced undeclared curfew in downtown Srinagar. Amid shutdown, people did not put up any resistance. Contrary to the apprehensions of many in politics, bureaucracy and media, the day passed off peacefully. Authorities maintained with palpable confidence that nothing “posing threat to eight-month-long spell of peace and a bustling tourist season” would be allowed in the capital city.

Government, however, did not prevent the separatists from holding and addressing a remembrance rally in Kupwara today. Sons of both the slain leaders had called upon their followers to join the congregation in large numbers.

In his key address, Mirwaiz Umar dismissed New Delhi’s seven-month-long process of “finding the Kashmir problem’s solution through interlocution” as an exercise in total futility. “These interlocutors are simply wasting their time and energy. They have absolutely no role in solving the Kashmir dispute”, Mirwaiz told his audiences. He asserted that Kashmir was a “bigger problem” that, according to him, could be resolved only through tripartite talks between India, Pakistan and the Kashmiris. He warned against the “nonsense” of amalgamating governance and political issues and claimed that it would only expand the confusion and delay the resolution.

Mirwaiz claimed that Azadi---freedom from India---was the “only slogan” in Jammu & Kashmir and the Kashmiris would realize their political goal, sooner or later. According to him, India needed to abandon its “obstinacy” and engage the Hurriyat, alongwith Pakistan, on a round-table if it was serious in finding the lasting solution to the Kashmir crisis. He said that India had tested many of its tactics, including barbaric force, but never succeeded in taking the Kashmiris away from their “struggle for freedom”.

“I am telling you people today that America is losing its battle in Afghanistan and India is meting the same fate in Kashmir. The day is not far away when the forces of occupation would return to their home and the Kashmiris would win freedom”, the high-spirited cleric-politician shouted. He asserted that Hurriyat would soon announce a fresh programme of laying the foundation stone of the “Wall of Martyrs” at Eidgah, in Srinagar.

Addressing the rally, host Bilal Gani Lone urged the Kashmiris to come forward for the protection of their leaders. He referred to the assassination of leaders like Mirwaiz Farooq, Abdul Gani Lone and Maulana Shaukat Shah, and questioned the continuance of a leaderless movement. “We need to move after 21 years of the struggle. It is high time, (separatist) leaders shall have to move beyond delivering their weekly speeches at Friday prayers congregations”, Bilal said.

He said it was high time that the “enemies within” were weakening the freedom struggle much more than the enemies outside. He was particularly critical of the role of some “newspaper columnists” and asked his followers to neutralize them with forceful write ups.

END 

DGP ignores Home, Law in IGP Farooq’s joining back at P Hqs

“No knowledge of IGP’s joining”, Principal Secretary Home and Adv General

Ahmed Ali Fayyaz

SRINAGAR, May 21: Even as everybody from the state Home Department to the union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), and from the state Law Department to Advocate General, appears to be in the dark, Police Headquarters here have not only entertained IGP Farooq Ahmed’s joining report but also allotted a room to him, pending his posting by the state government.

Informed sources revealed that Farooq Ahmed, whose reinstatement had been ordered by Mr Justice Muzaffar Hussain Attar of Jammu & Kashmir High Court on Thursday last, produced his joining report to DGP Kuldeep Khoda at Police Headquarters on Friday. DGP entertained the joining report. A room was subsequently allotted to the Police official, pending his posting by the state Cabinet.

“My joining report has been entertained and a room has been allotted to me. I am very much on duty”, Farooq Ahmed told Early Times over telephone. While as DGP and IGP incharge at P Hqs were not available for confirmation, DGP’s PRO, Mohammad Shafi Qazi, said that Farooq Ahmed was back in service with the submission of his joining report at Police Headquarters.

Authoritative sources, however, insisted that Government had neither received the court order nor taken a decision whether the official would be allowed to join or an appeal would be filed against the single bench’s order. These sources said that a decision would be taken by the state government in consultation with the MHA which was managing the central police services. These sources viewed the IGP’s joining back as “extremely surprising” in view of the fact he had been allowed to join back within hours of the single bench order which granted a week’s time to the government for implementation.

Principal Secretary Home, B R Sharma, maintained that he and his department had no knowledge of the IGP’s joining at the Police Headquarters. “We have heard that Court has set aside the termination order we had issued in February in consequence of a communication from the MHA. But, we have not received the order, let alone studying it and processing it further for necessary decision by the competent authority”, Mr Sharma told Early Times. He elaborated that the issue of change in Farooq Ahmed’s date of birth had been raised by MHA and the state Home Department had subsequently issued an order with the approval of the state government whereby the official was treated as retired from service on 28-02-2009.

“After receiving and studying the court order, Department of Home would discuss all implications with Department of Law. Thereafter, Chief Minister, in his capacity as Minister of Home, would take necessary decision in consultation with the union Ministry of Home Affairs”, Mr Sharma said. He insisted that Civil Secretariat had no knowledge of the text of court order or the IGP’s joining back at Police Headquarters.

Advocate General, Mohammad Ishaq Qadiri, agreed fully with Principal Secretary Home but informed that late in the afternoon today, Government managed to obtain a copy of the court order. He said that as of now it had neither been studied nor brought to the notice of Chief Minister/ Home Minister Mr Omar Abdullah or Minister of Law Ali Mohammad Sagar. He endorsed Mr Sharma’s opinion and asserted that the decision of implementing the single bench order and going in appeal against it would be taken by the Ministers incharge Home and Law departments after necessary consultation with MHA.

As reported previously, MHA in February this year had sought an explanation from the state government as to how Farooq Ahmed had been continuing in service beyond his date of superannuation which, as recorded in MHA and all files of IPS induction of the official, was 28-02-2009 on the basis of his date of birth (5-2-1949). State Government in turn ordered termination of IGP’s service on 18-02-2011 with effect from 28-02-2009 afternoon.

Then posted as IGP Security, Farooq Ahmed challenged Govt Order dated 18-02-2011 in J&K High Court. He prayed for annulment of the impugned order with the argument that the state Government had conceded his petition of changing his date of birth from 05-02-1949 to 25-11-1951. He claimed that, by virtue of orders issued in his favour in 1995, he would lawfully continue to be in service till 30-11-2011. On May 19^th, 2011, single bench of J&K High Court set aside the state government’s order and ordered the IGP’s reinstatement “within seven days”.

The termination order dated February 18^th, 2011, stated that Farooq Ahmad was inducted into the IPS by the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India vide notification no 14011/17 Police Service (IPS) dated September 4,1995 on the basis of his recorded date of birth as 5.2.1949.

It stated that after induction into the IPS, Farooq Ahmad ceased to be a member of the J&K Police (Gazetted) Service, and as such his service conditions had to be regulated as per the rules governing the All India Services and not as per the provisions of J&K Civil Service Regulations, 1956, as amended from time to time.

It further stated that the sub-rule (3) & (4) of rule 16-A of the All India Services (Death-cum-Retirement Benefits) Rules, 1958 provided that in relation to a person to whom sub-rule (2) does not apply, the date of birth as recorded in the service book or other similar official document maintained by the concerned government shall be accepted by the Central Government.

Farooq Ahmed had been initially appointed as Deputy Superintendent of Police(Dy SP) vide Government Order No: 2233-GAD of 1977 Dated December 15, 1977 in the J&K Police (Gazetted) Service.

MHA officials in New Delhi insisted that they had no knowledge of the J&K High Court order setting aside the J&K Government’s termination order until Friday evening. Offices were closed on Saturday/Sunday due to holiday. They said that MHA would go in appeal against the J&K High Court order even if the state government or Police Headquarters had entertained the order and allowed the official to join.

END 

SIC suffered for Wajahat, SAC shouldn’t for Kakroo

5 judges are eligible for Chairman SAC, 17 for two vacancies of members

Ahmed Ali Fayyaz

SRINAGAR, May 18: Previous coalition government’s much hyped integrity watchdog, Jammu & Kashmir State Accountability Commission (SAC), has been completely defunct since June 2008 when its last member, Justice Muzaffar Jan, reached superannuation. One of the two members, Justice Girdhari Lal Raina, had retired few months earlier. SAC’s first and the last Chairman, Justice R P Sethi, had earlier tendered his resignation on 4^th of May, 2006, when Government appointed two members for the Commission without taking its head into confidence.

Ostensibly to make the politicians---Ministers, legislators---accountable, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed’s government had constituted SAC in July 2005. A retired judge of Supreme Court of India, Justice Sethi was appointed its first Chairman in August 2005.

 In less than a year, SAC established its credibility when Sethi proceeded against a number of former and sitting Ministers, besides many legislators, in a no-nonsense manner. After Sethi stepped down in May 2006, Ghulam Nabi Azad’s government delegated powers of the Chairman to one of the two members and allowed it to function for some time. Successive governments have not appointed SAC’s Chairman in the last 60 months and no member has been in office in the last 35 months. This serves as a statement on the successive governments’ will to eradicate corruption.

Section 3 sub section 4 of J&K State Accountability Commission Act makes it incumbent upon the government to fill up the vacancies without wasting any time. “A vacancy occurring in the institution of Accountability Commission should be filled in as soon as possible”, says the law.

“We are looking for a suitable Chairman and members” has been invariably the reply whenever any journalist or legislator attempted to learn what a government was up to. “There is an understanding between all political parties. In Mufti’s and Azad’s time, SAC was not allowed to strike on the NC. Now, in NC’s regime, nobody in Mufti’s party would be disturbed. Congress is secure in either regime. They don’t want a Mayawati-Mulayam or Jayalalithaa-Karunanidhi type conflict in J&K”, says a senior mainstream politician from South Kashmir.

Chief Minister Omar Abdullah revealed in reply to CPI (M) State Secretary Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami’s question in Legislative Assembly in March this year that there were as many as 309 complaints pending before the defunct SAC. His reply elaborated that 309 complaints of corruption, misuse of power, bribes, misappropriation, bunglings and illegal appointments involving several present and former Ministers, sitting and former MLAs and bureaucrats had been pending disposal with effect from September 2005 till ending January 2011 in Jammu and Kashmir State Accountability Commission.

Of these complaints, 221 were pending in the Jammu wing of the Commission and 88 in Srinagar wing and majority of these cases were in hearing and evidence stages besides proceedings in several cases had been stayed by the State High Court.

Like the SAC, successive governments did not appoint Chairman for the State Information Commission (SIC) for a pretty long time. For nearly two years, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said repeatedly that he was getting head of Government of India’s Central Information Commission (CIC) Wajahat Habibullah. That never happened, even after Habibullah’s term at the Centre ended. Finally, under great deal of pressure from civil society, Omar’s government appointed former Chief Income Tax Commissioner, Ghulam Rasool Sofi, as SIC’s first Chairman. Neither of the two commissioners has been appointed till date.

Even as currently there are five judges, who could be considered for headship of SAC, and 17 more, who could be appointed as members, Government has not undertaken any exercise for making the commission functional. A retired/serving judge of Supreme Court or a retired/serving Chief Justice of High Court can be appointed as SAC’s Chairman. In addition to these, any of the retired/serving judges of

Supreme Court/High Court

or a retired/serving Chief Justice of High Court or any permanent judge of High Court can be appointed as its member subject to the age bar of 70 years.

Former CJ of Jharkhand High Court, Justice Vinod Gupta, former CJ of Orissa High Court, Justice Bilal Nazki, former CJ of J&K High Court, Justice Bashir Ahmed Khan, and sitting judge of Supreme Court of India, Justice T S Thakur, are all sons of the soil. However, political consensus has been elusive in case of any of them, according to well placed authoritative sources.

By all indications, Government seems to be waiting for superannuation of Mr Justice Nisar Ahmed Kakroo who is scheduled to retire as Chief Justice of Andhra Pradesh High Court at the end of October 2011. Justice Kakroo exceptionally has the advantage of being the favourite of not only the ruling National Conference (NC) but also both factions of the state Congress. Justice Kakroo’s proximity to Prof Saifuddin Soz has been no secret in J&K. Former Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad demonstrated his respect and liking for Justice Kakroo on a number of occasions. NC has been his political alma mater before he was picked up by Dr Farooq Abdullah for the coveted position of Advocate General in 1988.

Even as no visible exercise is underway, sources insist that Mr Justice Hakeem Imtiyaz Hussain, who is retiring as a judge of J&K High Court in July this year, Mr Justice Pramod Kohli of Punjab and Haryana High Court besides the retired High Court judges, Bashir Ahmed Kirmani and Y P Nargotra, could be potential candidates for the two vacancies of members in the SAC. Many of the government’s well-wishers insist that it should not lose any more days in reviving the SAC.

“If the political parties have consensus on Justice Kakroo, he should be asked to take voluntarily retirement and join as early as possible”, said a senior politician. He asserted that SAC should not suffer for Justice Kakroo the way SIC did for Wajahat Habibullah.

END

                    CONCERN

What about J&K’s Rajas and Kalmadis?

Govt’s support of silence to corruption may prove worse than a violent summer

Ahmed Ali Fayyaz

SRINAGAR, May 17: That Jammu & Kashmir is enjoying a special (read exceptionally special) status among all Indian states is, in recent times, evident from the fact that the political establishment is unfazed by the trouble A Raja and Suresh Kalmadi have landed in over charges of corruption against them. With everybody from Srinagar to New Delhi being concerned only about the threat of a “hot summer”, corruption, nepotism, favouritism and governance deficits are growing to menacing proportions in the strife-torn state.

Call it irony or paradox but the fact remains that people indulging in corruption, nepotism and favouritism---in both politics as well as bureaucracy---are feeling themselves most secure in Chief Minister’s “Year against Corruption”. Observers, who had expected radical changes in the officialdom with the appointment of a neat and clean Chief Secretary, are now visibly losing faith. Administrative vandalism and anarchy, that had become hallmarks of previous bureaucratic dispensation headed by Sham Singh Kapur, are all intact.

Ironically, in the CM’s “Year against Corruption”, everybody involved in one or the other matter of malpractice---from Srinagar Sex Scandal to Gulmarg Roshi Scandal---has been reinstated and rehabilitated with vengeance. Those fearing arrest and running from pillar to post for getting anticipatory bails in 2009 not only continuing to hold key positions but are now dictating terms to the government. The key accused in Gulmarg Scam, who had been removed temporarily and attached to GAD, was rehabilitated in the thick of Budget session of Legislature in March. He was given prize posting of his choice and the department of a Minister who happens to be the bureaucrat’s close relative.

The impunity and lack of accountability in the bureaucracy reached a level where the state’s Law Secretary found it easy to rope in one of his close friends in the Public Service Commission for the appointment of his own son as an Assistant Legal Remembrancer. Clearly, the scheme was to push a blue-blooded boy on the course where he would become the state’s Law Secretary with the ascendancy of three promotions in the next 12 years. Interviews were held on April 16^th and the results have not been declared in the last 30 days.

This newspaper documented dozens of matters of irregularity and malpractices adopted during selection of gazetted officers in different streams by the PSC. Even the High Court observed how vacancies were being clubbed illegally (so as to pick up favourites from tail-ends of merit lists) and summarily quashed entire selection list of Veterinary Assistant Surgeons. Government did not initiate any action against the officials, let alone Members who claim immunity. Till date, there has been no explanation from the government as to how an IAS officer’s disobedience and contempt to a Cabinet order was being tolerated and why nobody had been appointed as Controller---leading to amalgamation of the posts of Controller and Secretary that is being widely viewed as the result of lobbying by influential politicians and bureaucrats who wanted required marks for their low-merit wards in the personality tests.

It was lucidly documented how an official of Auqaf in Jammu allotted a shop to his own wife, how an Executive Officer of Department of Local Bodies, Kashmir, appointed his own son and how another Executive Officer issued order of appointment in favour of his own wife in the same department---well during Omar Abdullah’s government. One of the accused has been temporarily attached but there has been no action against the officers who have appointed over 2,000 people through backdoor in the same department during the last two years alone. This is in addition to 5,000 backdoor appointees of Mufti and Azad-led governments that the Minister of Urban Development has been complaining of from day one.

Again, during the CM’s “Year against Corruption”, all the senior officers of SKUAST-Jammu have been taken off the hook and given a clean chit by the incumbent Vice Chancellor in a serious matter of embezzlement inspite of the fact that sanction of prosecution of the same officials had been previously issued from the same office.

Making a mockery of the entire system of bureaucracy, there has been no action against an official of Transport Department who was found to have been fraudulently appointed as a junior assistant and meteorically elevated to the position of Deputy Transport Commissioner in a short span of time. There was not even a departmental inquiry into the mysterious disappearance of 50,000 driving licences this particular official had issued, at the rate of over 200 per day, while holding the charge of ARTO Udhampur and Doda. Nobody in the government has been questioned over the dubiously conducted induction of the same official into Kashmir Administrative Service (KAS).

To cap it all, Governor and Chief Minister last week conferred the prestigious State Award on an official against whom CBI has two corruption-related FIRs for investigation in hand. This happened on the day Early Times documented incontrovertible details and everybody in the government was in knowledge of the awardee’s tainted profile. Government did not bother even to issue an ambiguous “clarification” in defence. His Excellency offered smiles and whispered greetings into the ear of the CBI-tainted official, as if rubbishing all media reports.

These are few well-documented examples and perhaps a tip of the iceberg. Treating individuals more important than institutions has been unmistakably the biggest root cause of unrest in Jammu and Kashmir.

(To be continued….)

END

EU refuses to meet Osama mourners in Kashmir

Delegation’s appointment with Hurriyat (G), Bar Association withdrawn on US caveat

Ahmed Ali Fayyaz

SRINAGAR, May 14: On a day of Valley’s lukewarm response to Syed Ali Shah Geelani’s call for shutdown, a diplomatic delegation of the European Union refused to meet the separatist hardliners in Kashmir. Taking exception to the hardliners’ policy of submitting demands to the USA and EU but paying tributes to the slain Al-Qaeda chief Osama-Bin-Laden, the visiting diplomatic delegation today withdrew its appointments with Geelani, as well as High Court Bar Association (HCBA), and spent the day in visiting a number of pro-India politicians and the government functionaries like Director General of Police.

Informed sources revealed to Early Times that the EU delegation had confirmed its schedule of meetings with Hurriyat (G) and HCBA, respectively at Geelani’s Hyderpora residence and a luxury hotel on Gupkar Road. Even as the hosts kept waiting for hours, J&K Police’s liaison officer with the EU delegation communicated to Geelani’s and Advocate Mian Qayoom’s radical organizations that the appointments had been withdrawn. Spokespersons of both the outfits maintained that the EU delegation did neither offer any reasons nor fix any fresh appointments.

After four-day-long visit to the Valley, the EU delegation is scheduled to return to New Delhi on Sunday. The delegation, comprising Deniel Smadja, EU’s Ambassador in India, Knneth Thampson, Ambassador of Ireland, Mrs Pierre Vaesan, Ambassador of Belgium, Philippe Gross, EU’s First Secretary, and Mrs Anne Vaugier Chatterge, Attache, European Delegation, called on Minister for Health, Sham Lal Sharma, and discussed with him several issues. Health sector remained focused in the discussion.

The Health Minister apprised the delegation about the medical care, facilities provided by the Government in looking for the people and the measures taken to improve and expand the facilities in the State. He also elaborated the achievements of National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) programme launched in the State and the MCH schemes.

The delegation also called on the DGP, Kuldeep Khoda, at the new Police Headquarters on Srinagar-Airport Road. Sources said that the EU delegation had an exhaustive interaction with the DGP over the Valley’s latest situation and political developments. It also discussed conditions prevailing inside different jails. With the passage of time, the EU delegation conveyed to the two organizations that there would be no meeting with them, at least today.

Even as the delegation did not specify any reasons for cancellation of the two scheduled meetings with Hurriyat (G) and Advocate Mian Qayoom-led HCBA, informed sources revealed that hours before the two appointments, Embassy of the United States of America in New Delhi conveyed objections to the EU delegation’s scheduled meeting with Geelani and HCBA. According to sources, it was specifically pointed out that Geelani, HCBA chief Mian Abdul Qayoom and Democratic Freedom Party head, Shabir Ahmed Shah, had not only participated in Osama-Bin Laden’s funeral prayers in Srinagar last fortnight but also extolled him publicly as “a hero of Islam”. Reports suggested that leaders of both the sidelined organizations were “hurt and disappointed” over the cancellation of the appointment.

On the other hand, the delegation had a detailed meeting on the latest obtaining situation in J&K, India and Pakistan, at the new Mirwaiz Manzil in Nageen. Senior leaders of so-called moderate faction of the Hurriyat, Prof Abdul Gani Bhat and Bilal Gani Lone, joined the host, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, in the meeting. However, the only hardliner on the “moderate faction”, Shabir Ahmed Shah, was conspicuously absent. Hurriyat leaders insisted that Shah was currently on a tour in Jammu.

Scheduled to conclude its four-day-long visit and return to New Delhi on Sunday, the EU delegation has met with a large number of the mainstream politicians, including Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, Minister of Forest Mian Altaf Ahmed, NC’s Lok Sabha member from South Kashmir, Dr Mehboob Baig, PDP chief, Mehbooba Mufti, CPI (M) State Secretary, M Y Tarigami and the National Panthers Party supremo, Prof Bhim Singh. It also interacted with leaders of Jamiat-e-Ahl-e-Hadith, Coalition of Civil Society and the State Human Rights Commission chief, Retd Justice Bashir-ud-din.

END

“

GAD keeps Raj Bhawan in the dark

over FIRs against DDK Srinagar

Director Rafeeq Masoodi

”

CBI-tainted DD official getting State Award from Governor

13 mediapersons, 12 litterateurs, 12 artists, 10 sportspersons, 9 public servants among 71 award recipients

Ahmed Ali Fayyaz

SRINAGAR, May 13: In a unique incident of lowering the prestige of the offices of Governor as well as Chief Minister, General Administration Department (GAD) has included Director of Doordarshan Kendra (DDK) Srinagar, Dr Rafeeq Masoodi, among 65 outstanding personalities who will be receiving the most prestigious State Award of the Government of Jammu & Kashmir at the hands of Governor, N N Vohra, at an investiture ceremony here on Saturday. On serious allegations of corruption in DDK Srinagar, Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has registered two FIRs against Dr Masoodi and the investigation is underway but GAD officials have kept both, Governor as well as Chief Minister, in the dark about the doubtful integrity of the official who has sneaked into the eminent personalities with the blessings of a former Chief Minister.

Commissioner-Secretary GAD has invited 65 eminent personalities and half-a-dozen NGOs for receiving State Award at an impressive investiture ceremony at SKICC tomorrow. As demanded by protocol, these prestigious State Awards would be given away by Governor. Chief Minister Omar Abdullah would be the Chief Guest and Deputy Chief Minister, Tara Chand, as the Guest of Honour. Most of the state Ministers, legislators, senior bureaucrats, mediapersons and representatives of the civil society are expected to attend the ceremony being held after four years. Over five dozen State Award recipients--- for years 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011---include 13 mediapersons, 12 litterateurs, 12 artists and performing artists, 10 sportspersons and 9 public servants.

Highly placed authoritative sources revealed to Early Times that GAD officials have included Dr Masoodi among the recipients notwithstanding the fact that CBI has been conducting an investigation against him for his alleged involvement in corruption after registering two FIRs in Srinagar. State Awards are being announced every year on the eve of Republic Day in favour of eminent personalities, entrepreneurs and non-profit bodies for their excellence in 11 different categories. Dr Masoodi’s name figures under the unscheduled category of “Special Award” among recipients of year 2008.

Sources revealed that Dr Masoodi’s name was included among the recipients at the behest of then Chief Minister, Ghulam Nabi Azad, shortly before his coalition government ended dramatically in July 2008. Masoodi had been removed as Director of Radio Kashmir Srinagar over charges of his “links to anti-national elements” and posted at Prasar Bharti headquarters. Immediately after Azad took over as Chief Minister of J&K in November 2005, he reportedly managed to get Masoodi back to Srinagar in breach of advisories of the Union Ministry of Home Affairs and appointed him as Secretary of the State-controlled J&K Academy of Art, Culture and Languages. He was subsequently rehabilitated as Director of DDK Srinagar.

However, Azad’s family sources strongly disputed reports of Masoodi’s links to the Union Minister of Health and maintained that the official had been managing things “of his own”. They pointed out that Masoodi was right hand man of the unceremoniously removed CEO of Prasar Bharti, B S Lalli, as well as former Director General of Doordarshan, Aruna Sharma. They further pointed out that Masoodi siphoned off over Rs 4 Crore of Doordarshan funds to the family members of a dismissed official of J&K State Forest Corporation (SFC) who had played a key role in 2007-08 in running a virulent character assassination campaign against Azad and his brothers (forest contractors).

While conducting two raids on DDK Srinagar on 18-05-2009 and 10-06-2009, CBI had registered case FIR No: 02/A/2009/CBI/Sgr against Director DDK Srinagar, Dr Rafeeq Masoodi, two more DD officials associated with the acquisition, namely Ghulam Hassan Dar and Bashir Ahmed Mir, besides six private producers, namely Syed Gulzar Rizvi, Javed Ahmed Shah, G M Magami, Altaf Marazi, Ashfaq Marazi and Irfan Marazi.

During the course of investigation, CBI sleuths seized 1914 tapes, containing as many as 9,591 programme segments, purportedly acquired from the group of six private producers for the 5-days-a-week breakfast show “Subhai Subhai”. Surprisingly, in the DDK Srinagar records, there was no entry of the tapes deposited in the Producer Ghulam Hassan Dar's office. Dar instantly revealed to CBI that he had received and dumped the tapes on specific verbal and written orders of Director DDK Srinagar, Dr Masoodi.

During the course of the investigation, Dr Masoodi's involvement was established with foolproof evidence and corroboration from scores of witnesses, including Dar and almost all the private producers interrogated. Procured at the rate of Rs 5,000 per segment from a particular group of the private producers, in total violation of the codal procedure and without any public notification, the consignment involved payment claim of Rs 4.80 Crore as against the annual budget of Rs 1.50 Crore for the programme. Process of the payment was clandestinely underway when CBI acted on written complaints and launched the investigation. As many as 43 fake banners (production firms) were found to have been created and operated by the accused DD officials and the group of private producers.

On March 8, 2010, Union Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting, C M Jatua informed the Rajya Sabha that the CBI was probing into the allegation of malpractices by Director of Doordarshan Kendra Srinagar, Dr Rafeeq Masoodi, in bulk purchase of tapes. In a written reply, he said that a complaint had been received against Dr Masoodi alleging that he purchased tapes in bulk containing 9591 segments of programme "Subhai Subhai" from private produces to "obtain maximum amount of illegal gratification." Jatua stated that the investigation report was "awaited" from the CBI.

After nearly one year, CBI registered case FIR No: 4 of 2010 against the DD officials headed by Masoodi. It conducted raids on the offices and residences of several officials, including head of the Music Section Kausar Parveen, and seized dozens of cheque books and ATM cards of the fraudulently operated bank accounts. It surfaced within weeks that huge amounts of money had been withdrawn by fraudulent means on account of payment of musical programmes never produced in conformity with codes and procedures.

With the investigation in both FIRs being in progress, GAD has invited Masoodi for receiving the State Award from Governor on May 14^th at SKICC.

Early Times made attempts to learn from GAD and Raj Bhawan whether the CBI’s accused Dr Masoodi was also receiving the State Award from Governor and why Raj Bhawan and Chief Minister’s office had been kept in the dark over the CBI cases against the accused official. Principal Secretary to Governor, Raj Kumar Goel, was not reachable. Raj Bhawan sources said that he was accompanying His Excellency on a visit to the holy Amarnath Cave. Commissioner-Secretary GAD, Mohammad Sayeed Khan, was reachable but he did not respond to the call. Later, Early Times sent the question by SMS at 5.04 p.m. which was delivered on mobile phones of both, Goel as well as Khan, but neither of them responded till late tonight.

Principal Secretary Home, B R Sharma, Commissioner-Secretary PDD, Basharat Ahmed Dhar, Commissioner Excise and Commercial Taxes, Ghulam Ahmed Pir, Commissioner-Secretary Finance, Sudhanshu Pandey and retired KAS officer, Ahmedullah Shah, are among 9 public servants who will be receiving the State Award tomorrow.

Thirteen recipients from media include Nazir Masoodi of NDTV, Masood Hussain of Economic Times, photojournalist of Daily Excelsior Ashok Sodhi, who died in an encounter between militants and security forces (year 2009), Editors of daily Srinagar Times and daily Aftab, Khwaja Sonullah Bhat and Sofi Ghulam Mohammad, who passed away both in 2009, Arun Joshi of Hindustan Times, Nidhi Razdan of NDTV, Mahrukh Anayat of Times Now TV, Iftikhar Gilani of Kashmir Times, Maqsood Ahmed of Radio Kashmir Srinagar (year 2010), Mohammad Saleem Pandit of Times of India and PTI’s former Jammu bureau chief, M K Bangroo (2011).

Prominent singers and music composers in the group include the legendary Raj Begum, Shameem Dev Azad, Kailash Mehra, Ghulam Mohammad Saznawaz, Krishna Kumari and Abhay Rustum Sopori. Eminent broadcaster and former head of Radio Kashmir’s Drama Section, Pran Kishore, Prof Rehman Rahi, Shiv Nath, Tashi Ragbyas, Abdul Rasheed Nazki, Prof Sewa Singh, Prof Veena Gupta, Prof Lalit Magotra, Mashaal Sultanpuri and famous poet Rasul Pompur, who died last week, are also among the recipients of the State Award.

END

Year	Name of recipient mediaperson	Organisation
2004	Ahmed Ali Fayyaz	Daily Excelsior
2005	Sanjeev Pargal	Daily Excelsior
2006	Bashir Ahmed Bashir (Cartoonist)	Srinagar Times
2007	None
2008	None
2009	Nazir Masoodi	NDTV
	Masood Hussain	Economic Times
	Sameer Kaul	PTI
	Ashok Sodhi (Photojournalist)	Daily Excelsior

2010	Khwaja Sonaullah Bhat	Aftab
	Sofi Ghulam Mohammad	Srinagar Times
	Arun Joshi	Hindustan Times
	Nidhi Razdan	NDTV
	Mahrukh Anayat	Times Now TV
	Iftikhar Gilani	Kashmir Times
	Maqsood Ahmed	Radio Kashmir
2011	Mohammad Saleem Pandit	Times of India
	M K Bangroo	PTI

16 mediapersons are recipients of State Award since it was instituted for the first time during Mufti Mohammad Sayeed’s government in J&K in 2003