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).

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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.

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Almost all the media organisations, particularly TV channels, are now in a mad race of predicting results of the J&K Assembly elections. They have plenty of resources at command. Most of them have invariably predicted 36-41 for PDP, 30-35 for BJP and 4-10 for NC and Congress each. As there is almost consensus on these figures, may be these exit polls turn true on December 23, 2014. Almost all of our colleagues in media and friends in Police are also holding the same opinion. Congrats to PDP and BJP and sympathies to NC and Congress.

However, till the results are declared on Tuesday, let us be entitled to our raw guess which indicates:

1: HUNG ASSEMBLY as no party may cross the figure of 30;

2: Three majors (PDP: 24-29 | NC: 22-24 | BJP: 21-23) may remain stuck within 21-29 zone.

3: Congress may get 11-13 with certain unexpected advantages in Kashmir.
 

So it may be average:

1. PDP : 27

2. NC: 23

3. BJP: 22

4. Congress: 12


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Back on blog soon

Hi friends

Reviving this blog soon. I am currently trying to retrieve some data I lost when almost all of my belongings including the laptops and computers perished in the devastating floods in Srinagar on September 7, 2014.

Please keep on watching this site.

Best days

Ahmed Ali Fayyaz

Hi friends

Since I could not archive most of my news stories, features and oped articles —published in The Hindu from Nov 20, 2012, to Aug 14, 2014 — in this particular blog, I am seriously considering some friends' suggestion to post the same here for a referal archive which could benefit the students of journalism and those interested in knowing about the Kashmir conflict. I am sure you will realize it as the most objective reporting as those familiar with my journalism know it well that I have never taken sides, never demonized or glorified individuals, institutions or ideologies according to my personal likes or dislikes. During the years when most of my esteemed colleagues got carried away or were taken for a ride by different stakeholders or State and non-State actors of violence, I stood clear of SARKARI and TEHREEKI journalism.

I take it as an honour that over 1,31,000 readers accessed this blog in a short span of time despite my inability to update it regularly in the last two years.

Great regards

Ahmed Ali Fayyaz

http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/jk-crime-branch-files-charge-sheet-against-25-in-mbbs-selection-scam/article5571965.ece

J&K Crime Branch files charge sheet against 25 in MBBS selection scam

Ahmed Ali Fayyaz

_______

JAMMU: The Crime Branch Kashmir on Sunday presented challan before a judicial magistrate in the infamous MBBS selection scam of the Board of Professional Entrance Examinations [BOPEE].

Additional Superintendent of Police, Crime Branch Kashmir, Mir Aftab Aalam, who headed the investigation, submitted the challan to Special Judge Anti-Corruption Kashmir M.L. Mahas at the latter’s residence here due to the winter vacation in courts in Kashmir province. After hearing the Prosecuting Officer M.A. Al-Mansoor, the judge extended remand of detention in favour of an accused, Sajjad Ahmad, and listed the matter on January 18.

Mr Aalam told The Hindu that the first part of the investigation into the irregularities in the BOPEE’s Common Entrance Test of June 2012 was completed and charges were established with substantial evidences against the board’s former Chairman Prof. Mushtaq Ahmad Pir, three of his ‘touts and agents’, 12 candidates and 9 of their parents. The parents of three of the accused candidates have passed away in the last over one year. He said that in all charge-sheet was presented against 25 persons, including the key accused Prof. Pir. Only three of the 25 accused were currently in the judicial custody and the Crime Branch remand. He said that all the 25 accused would be produced before the judge on the next day of the hearing.

The State government has terminated the contractual engagement of Prof. Pir who had been appointed as Advisor on fast track recruitment of Class 4^th officials after his retirement with the BOPEE in 2012. Facing media reports on the irregularities and a PIL in J&K High Court, Omar Abdullah’s government has ordered the Crime Branch investigation into the MBBS candidates’ selection earlier this year. There were serious allegations of the selection of a number of low-merit candidates against huge amounts of bribe money ranging between Rs 6 lakh and Rs 20 lakh. Mr Aalam said that most of the charges were found true. He said that one part of the investigation was still underway and a supplementary chargesheet was likely to be presented later this year.

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6 Armymen court-martialled in Machhil case - The Hindu

6 Armymen court-martialled in Machhil case - The Hindu