Reyaz Jan quits on ‘differences’ with Govt, Jehangir appointed new Adv General

Ahmed Ali Fayyaz

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SRINAGAR, Jun 23: Eminent lawyer Riyaz Ahmad Jan has resigned within three months of his appointment as Advocate General over “serious differences” with Mufti Mohammad Sayeed-led PDP-BJP government in Jammu and Kashmir. Jehangir Iqbal Ganai has been consequently appointed as the new Advocate General alongwith 23 new government advocates---13 for Kashmir and 10 for Jammu wing of the Jammu and Kashmir High Court.

“Yes, it’s a fact that yesterday I have resigned as Advocate General”, Mr Jan confirmed his quitting to STATE TIMES. Asked why he had stepped down in just three months of his appointment dated March 15, 2015, Mr Jan said: “I had developed serious differences with the government over certain crucial issues. Between the options of compromising and quitting, I chose to resign”. He, nevertheless, did not specify the issues on which he had developed “serious differences” with the government.

Law Secretary Mohammad Ashraf Mir told STATE TIMES that Mr Jan’s resignation had been accepted by the government and advocate Jehangir Iqbal Ganai had been appointed as the new Advocate General on Tuesday. Asked what led to Mr Jan’s quitting prematurely, Mr Mir said, “Some differences had crept in between him and the government. He didn’t come up to the expectations of the government. Finally, he was asked to resign which he did immediately”.

One of the senior most and widely respected lawyers, Mr Jan had replaced the Omar Abdullah government’s incumbent Mohammad Ishaq Qadiri on March 15 this year. Mr Qadiri had submitted his resignation immediately after the results of the Assembly elections were out and the NC-Congress coalition failed to retain power in December 2014. However, Governor re-engaged him and asked him to continue till formation of the new representative government.

Mr Jan had been designated as Senior Advocate by J&K High Court on March 28, 2012.

Though junior to several Additional Advocates General (AAGs)and Deputy Advocates General (DAGs), Jehangir Iqbal Ganai is rated as a successful lawyer. His pleading in so-called J&K Cricket Association fund scam on behalf of the association’s head and former Chief Minister Dr Farooq Abdullah did not come in the way of his appointment as AG by the Mufti Sayeed government. Hailing from Mattan area of Bijbehara constituency in Anantnag district, Mr Ganai’s father Mohammad Iqbal Ganai has served as Secretary of J&K Legislative Assembly until his retirement few years back. He was known to be a favourite of Minister of Law and Parliamentary Affairs Syed Basharat Bukhari.

With the new appointments, Law Department has ordered nearly four-fold increase in the retainership and perks of the AG, AAGs, DAGs and Government Advocates. In the case of AG, it has been increased from Rs 19,000 to Rs 80,000. Similarly, a considerable hike has been ordered for each appearance in the court. Judicial sources said that the AG, who would currently take home Rs 1.00 to Rs 1,50 Lakh, would now on be entitled to anything between Rs 3.00 lakh and Rs 5.00 Lakh a month.

23 new Govt advocates

Meanwhile, Government on Tuesday appointed 23 advocates---13 for Kashmir and 10 for Jammu wing of the Jammu and Kashmir High Court.

Zainab Shamas Watali, Ehsan Mirza and Purshottam Chander Sharma have been appointed as AAGs while as Faraz Iqbal, Rajeshwar Singh Durswal and Raman Sharma have been appointed as DAGs for Jammu Wing. Sanjeev Padha, Mohammad Nadeem Bhat, Sivangi Kant and Aarif Lateef Choudhary have been appointed as Government Advocates for the same wing of J&K High Court.

For Kashmir Wing, former Assistant Solicitor General of India Shabir Ahmad Naik, Nissar Hussain Shah, Nazir Ahmad Baba and Reyaz Hussain have been appointed as AAGs. Irfan Andleeb, Khalid Hameed, Shah Aamir, Qazi rashid Shamas and Maajid Ganaie have been appointed as DAGs. Danish Mufti, Owais Geelani, Sameer Ahmad Dar and Sajad Mohi-ud-din have been appointed as Government Advocates.

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Civilian, 2 LeT militants killed in Kulgam gunbattle

Ahmed Ali Fayyaz
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SRINAGAR, Jun 22: Amid high drama overnight, two local militants of Lashkar-e-Tayyiba and a civilian got killed in Kulgam district of South Kashmir on Monday.

According to Deputy Inspector General of Police for South Kashmir, Nitish Kumar, LeT militant Javed Ahmad Bhat alias Abu Zaffar of Redwani Bala was present in his village at a hideout with the fresh LeT recruit Idrees Ahmad Nengroo of Budroo, when Army and Kulgam District Police swooped down on the locality and laid siege to the whole village late on Sunday night on a specific source information.

As the Police and Army zeroed in on the hideout, large number of the residents gathered and resorted to unprovoked stone pelting on Police and security forces. They attempted to break the cordon and force the Army to call off the operation so as to provide an opportunity of escaping for the holed up militants. Police dealt with the law and order problem effectively.

During the nightlong operation, the holed up militants made several unsuccessful attempts to escape. In the morning, a 30-year-old youth, Asif Tantray of the same village, got hit in his neck at his home, around 300 yards from the site of the encounter. He was rushed to Frisal and subsequently to Sub District Hospital of Bijbehara where doctors declared him “brought dead”. DIG said that Tantray was probably hit by a stray bullet and he died due to excessive loss of blood.

“In the morning, both the militants came out of the hideout and attempted to escape. Troops directed on them heavy fire, killing them both in an orchard. Idrees carried an SLR previously snatched away from a Police constable and Javed had an AK-47 rifle. Their death in a neat and clean operation is a major setback to LeT in South Kashmir”, DIG told STATE TIMES.

According to Police records, Idrees had joined LeT on June 2 and he lived as a militant for only 20 days. One SLR and one AK-47 rifle were seized on the spot alongwith the two militants’ bodies.

“Javed stood booked in the stone pelting cases filed under FIR Nos 32/2013, 39/2013, 186/2013, 250/2013 besides FIR No: 163/2010. He was also wanted in the killing of Follower Mohammad Rafeeq of Hassanpora under FIR 213/2014, killing of the National Conference MLA Abdul Majid Larmi’s PSO Constable Zahoor Ahmad Dar and assassination of a former Anantnag DC’s PSO Constable Fayaz Ahmad under FIR No: 220/2014”,  DIG Nitish Kumar said.

Even Asif Tantray, who according to the officials, was an “overground worker of Hizbul Mujahideen” and a stanch supporter of the separatist hardliner Syed Ali Shah Geelani. He had been booked in FIR No: 92 of 2009, FIR No:163/2010 under sections 436,  395, 397, 307, 121, 121-A, 120-A, 121-A, 147, 148, 149, 188, 332 RPC and 7/27 Indian Arms Act. Sources said that in February this year, Police had begun to prepare a dossier for Tantray’s detention under PSA. It was not pressed after PDP formed the government with BJP in March.

However, residents as well as politicians across the board described Tantray as a civilian. They condemned his killing and alleged that he had been killed by target firing without justification. Condemnations poured in from various leaders including Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, Yasin Malik and some PDP leaders. National Conference acting President Omar Abdullah condemned Tantray’s killings.

While the District Development Board began at Anantnag, NC’s MLA from Homeshalibugh Abdul Majid Larmi staged a strong protest against the casualties in front of Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed. Mufti silenced him with the remark that over 120 civilians had died in clashes with Police and paramilitary forces during NC’s regime 2015.

Hurriyat hardliner Geelani demanded an independent inquiry into Tantray’s killing and called for protest shutdown in Kulgam district on Tuesday.

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Two LeT militants trapped in Kulgam encounter

Ahmed Ali Fayyaz

SRINAGAR, Jun 21: Two local militants of Lashkar-e-Tayyiba got trapped on Sunday night in an operation launched jointly by Kulgam District Police and Army at Redwani Bala, in Kulgam district, in South Kashmir.

DIG South Kashmir Nitish Kumar told STATE TIMES that the Police and Army launched the joint operation late on Sunday evening on a specific information. According to the tip off, two LeT militants, Javed Ahmad Bhat r/o Reddwani Bala and Idrees Nengroo r/o Badru Yaripora, were present at their hideout. Preliminary reports had identified one of the holed up militants as
Hizbul Mujahideen's top wanted militant, Altaf Ahmad Dar alias Altaf Kachroo alias Turabi S/O Late Ghulam Mohammad Dar Hawoora Mishipora Kulgam.

DIG said that the two LeT militants opened fire from their hideout. It triggered off an encounter, twice from 8.30 pm to 10.30 pm.

Residents gathered and resorted to intense stone pelting on the Police and Army. Forces retaliated with baton charge and tearsmoke. "We are dealing with the situation", DIG said. Even as some reports said that bith the holed up militants managed to escape, DIG asserted that Police and forced were maintaining the cordon and they would not withdraw the operation under any circumstances.

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Under-trial PoK militant, cop killed in Police vehicle blast

Ahmed Ali Fayyaz
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SRINAGAR, Jun 20: A Hizbul Mujahideen under-trial from Pakistan-controlled Kashmir and a Constable died and four personnel were injured in a blast that occurred dramatically in a vehicle of Jammu and Kashmir Police on Srinagar-Muzaffarabad highway at a time on Saturday when all the legislators of North Kashmir, including three Ministers, were holding a meeting at Baramulla.

Deputy Inspector General of Police, North Kashmir, Gareeb Das told STATE TIMES that a Police party from Sopore carried an under-trial militant, Wahid Noor Khan of Rawlakote PoK, all the way from Srinagar Central Jail to Sopore to cause his attendance in the court of Chief Judicial Magistrate. After the hearing when the under-trial was being carried back to the summer capital, he shouted on the driver of Police’s Tata Sumo and threatened to throw a grenade if he did not stop, near Hygam, at 2.10 p.m.

“Four of our men escorting the handcuffed detainee pounced upon him and tried to overpower and disarm him. A grenade in his hand went off, killing him on spot. All the four Policemen besides a Constable-Driver sustained splinter injuries. One of the critically injured, Constable Abdul Majeed of Mulshulla (Beerwah) Budgam later died at a hospital in Srinagar. All the four injured are out of danger”, DIG Gareeb Das said. He said that later another hand grenade and a black jacket was recovered during search of the vehicle.

DIG asserted that FIR had been filed and a departmental inquiry initiated into how two hand grenades and a black jacket reached into the possession of the detained and the handcuffed under-trial.

Knowledgable sources revealed to STATE TIMES that Wahid Noor Khan alias Hamza of Hizbul Mujahideen had been arrested and prosecuted for a subversive incident in Rajouri but acquitted by a court. Later, he had been shifted to Sopore and booked in FIR No: 393 in the year 2010. He was subsequently lodged in Srinagar Central Jail.

According to these sources, Police were verifying reports that a Sopore-based group of Hizbul Mujahideen militants had planned to secure the release of their colleague during his presence in the court. Some of the inputs available with Police indicated that the under-trial sought to ease himself in a toilet in which one of the militants had a while ago placed two hand grenades and a jacket of the same make and colour which Hamza was wearing. It is believed that the handcuffed Hamza changed his jacket and put both the grenades in its pockets. The careless escort personnel ignored the requirement of the detainee's physical frisking when he came out of the washroom.

A police part reached the spot within minutes, seized the detainee's body with a live grenade and a jacket. The injured personnel were rushed to SMHS hospital in Srinagar where Constable Majeed breathed his last.

Hizbul Mujahideen supremo Syed Salahuddin alleged in a statement that Hamza had been "killed in custody" exactly like another detained militant Shakeel alias Obaidullah had been eliminated in July 2013. He warned that his guerrilla group come up with reprisals on the "conscienceless policemen responsible" for Hamza's killing. Salahuddin said that "Mufti-Modi gameplan" was getting exposed with every passing day.

Chairman of so-called moderate faction of Hurriyat Conference Mirwaiz Omar Farooq too alleged that the under-trial had been killed in custody. Without explaining how one Constable died and four sustained injuries, Mirwaiz lamented that even the prisoners were not safe now in Kashmir.

Meanwhile, according to a Defence spokesperson, one infiltrating militant died in an encounter with Army close to the LoC in Machhil sector early on Saturday morning. Search was underway for others of the group who reportedly escaped from the ambush.

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'Battle of ideas' fought with baton and curfew in Valley

Ahmed Ali Fayyaz

SRINAGAR, June 19: Government on Friday foiled the separatists' mass march to Sopore with enforcement of undeclared curfew in half of the capital city even as all the separatist leaders remained in detention and violent clashes took place at a couple of places.

Officially called as "restrictions to movement", undeclared curfew was enforced in areas under seven Police Stations in downtown Srinagar, denying the people even access to the community mosques for performing congregational prayers on the first Friday of the holy month of Ramazan. Consequently the afternoon prayers could not be held at historic Jamia Masjid, the politico-religious seat of the Hurriyat chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq.

Mirwaiz, as also the head of Hurriyat's hardline faction Syed Ali Shah Geelani and some other prominent separatist leaders, were placed under house arrest. JKLF Chairman Yasin Malik, Democratic Freedom Party chief Shabir Shah, besides Nayeem Khan and Hilal War had been already picked up and detained at different Police Stations to prevent them from organising the protest march.

The separatists had called "Sopore Chalo" to protest a chain of civilian killings by unidentified gunmen in the last three weeks. Geelani and others have held "Government's secret agencies" responsible even as a new group under the banner of "Lashkar-e-Islam" has owned up its drive against the defaulters of its diktat seeking closedown of mobile telephony in Sopore. All the six civilians have been shot dead in Sopore. Two of them were activists of Geelani's Tehreek-e-Hurriyat and two more associated with the mobile telephony operations.

Situation was reportedly tense but under control in the potential flash points of downtown Srinagar and Sopore where police and paramilitary forces in large numbers patrolled streets and enforced prohibitory orders under section 144 of Criminal Procedure Code.

Nevertheless, unruly groups of the youngsters subjected Police and CRPF to intense stone pelting at Nowhatta, Khwaja Bazar and Zainakoot. A CRPF spokesman said that an ASI was severely injured at Zainakoot while as the vehicles and equipment suffered damage in Nowhatta area.

At Hyderpora, Geelani alongwith his associates was taken into custody and detained at a police station after he attempted to come out of his residence and form a demonstration.

Most of the separatist organisations condemned enforcement of undeclared curfew and prohibitory orders on the very first day of the holy month of Ramazan in their separate statements.

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Separatists detained, Srinagar under virtual curfew to foil 'Sopore Chalo'

Ahmed Ali Fayyaz

SRINAGAR, June 18: In an unenviable scenario for it, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed’s government has put half of the summer capital under undeclared curfew on the very first day and the first Friday of the holy month of Ramzan even as all the prominent separatist leaders have been put under detention to foil their programme of a mass march to Sopore.

Srinagar Deputy Commissioner Farooq Ahmad Lone told State Times that "restrictions to movement" have been imposed in areas falling under the jurisdiction of six Police Stations in downtown and Maisuma. He said that the prohibitory orders would be relaxed in the afternoon so as to facilitate passage of the Muslims for performing congregational prayers at different mosques.

Dr Lone confirmed reports that almost all the prominent separatist leaders had been put under detention either at their respective residences or in different Police Stations. He said that the prohibitory orders and detention of the separatist leaders had become necessary in order to foil their programme of a mass march to Sopore. Both factions of Hurriyat Conference, besides Yasin Malik's JKLF and Shabir Shah's Democratic Freedom Party have suported the call which came in the wake of six civilian killings, one after another, in the last three weeks in Sopore.

Separatists, remarkably the hardliner Syed Ali Shah Geelani, have alleged that the assassins were affiliated to the "Indian secret agencies" even as a nondescript group "Lashkar-e-Islam" has owned up the bloody campaign against those who defied its diktat of the total closedown of mobile telephony. Government has held "a breakaway group of Hizbul Mujahideen" responsible and announced cash reward of Rs 20 lakh for the arrest of the two prominent Hizbul Mujahideen militants Qayoom Najar and Imtiyaz Ahmad Kandoo, both residents of Sopore.

Meanwhile according to a local news agency, a formidable militant group Jaish-e-Mohammad claimed on Thursday that it had identified the killers of the six civilians. It alleged that the killers were operating on behalf of the Indian agencies and threatened that they would soon "feel the heat".

Hurriyat hardliner Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Chairman of the moderate faction Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, Prof Abdul Gani Bhat, Aga Syed Hassan and over a dozen others have been placed under "house arrest". Those picked up and detained in Police Stations at different places include JKLF Chairman Yasin Malik, DFP chief Shabir Shah, National Front head Nayeem Khan, Mirwaiz Umar’s aide Shahidul Islam and others.

Reports from North Kashmir said that restrictions were also imposed in the apple town of Sopore even as no such order had been imposed in Baramulla.

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Kashmir shuts over Sopore bloodshed

Ahmed Ali Fayyaz

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SRINAGAR, Jun 17: With some of the separatist leaders spending their day under “house arrest” and the Police and security forces intensifying frisking and search operations, Kashmir valley on Wednesday observed a shutdown against continued bloodshed in Sopore.

The call for a Valley-wide bandh had been issued jointly by the two factions of the separatist conglomerate headed by Syed Ali Shah Geelani and Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, respectively. JKLF chief Yasin Malik and Chairman of Democratic Freedom Party (DFP) Shabir Ahmad Shah had also supported the call separately.

Six civilian killings in Sopore in less than a month have united the separatists who have started blaming the “Indian secret agencies” for the assassinations. Initially Geelani and others remained tight-lipped and mute spectators to the killing of the two civilians associated with mobile telephony. However, they called for the strike on Wednesday and a masse march to Sopore on Friday following the killing of four more persons who included two activists of Geelani’s Tehreek-e-Hurriyat.

The authorities placed some of the separatist leaders, like Geelani and Mirwaiz Umer Farooq, under “house arrest” as a precautionary measure. Following minor clashes between Police/CRPF and the unruly groups in Sopore and downtown Srinagar, Police pulled down the Pakistani national flags outside Jamia Masjid and intensified patrolling.

Reports said that the situation was tense but under control. Thin groups of youths lobbed stones on Police and security forces at a few spots in Sopore and Srinagar downtown. They dispersed after retaliation from Police.

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