UN HR team to visit Kashmir on Jan 19

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Srinagar, January 15 : The United Nations rapporteur on human rights, Margaret Sekaggya will visit Srinagar on January 19 to assess the condition of human rights defenders in occupied Kashmir.

Sekaggya would file a report to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva. The report is likely to be submitted in March, a UN official said.

Sekaggya, the special rapporteur on human rights defenders, appointed by the Geneva-based Human Rights Council, has arrived in India on January 11.

Meanwhile, pro-freedom leaders have strongly rejected the statement of Indian Home Secretary, Gopal K Pillai, regarding 25 percent troops’ cut and demanded complete withdrawal of Indian troops from the territory.

Veteran Kashmiri Hurriyet leader, Sheikh Yaqoob, in a statement issued from Muzaffarabad, termed Pillai’s statement as a bid to hoodwink the world community and reiterated his demand of complete withdrawal of troopers from occupied Kashmir, which was vital to create conducive environment for talks to settle the Kashmir dispute. “These so-called troop cuts are not going to improve the ground situation,” he added.

He said that the occupation forces were perpetrating gross human rights violations in the Kashmir Valley. “The troopers are occupying 2,800,000 kanals of land, wiping out forests and unleashing a reign of terror on the local population in the territory,” Sheikh Yaqoob  maintained.

Senior APHC leader, Shabir Ahmad, in a statement issued in Srinagar, said, "We have heard similar announcements in the past but the situation on the ground remained unchanged.”

Al-fatha leader, Tariq Kashmiri asked India to withdraw its troops and stop gross rights abuses in the Valley. The Chief of 11th August Foundation  in occupied Kashmir, Sheikh Issa, in a statement, said that his party wanted complete withdrawal of troops and rejected Indian Union Home Secretary’s statement.(Writer-South Asia)

Big guns pledge over Rs 160,000 crore for Gujarat!

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Gandinagar, Feb, 12 : Heaping praises on Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi's leadership for not only driving industrial growth but also boosting rural development, India's industry bigwigs on Wednesday pledged to invest in excess of Rs 163,000 crore (Rs 1,630 billion) in the state. They had all gathered at the fifth edition of  Vibrant Gujarat Summit 2011 (VGS) in Gandhinagar, reports rediff on (12/1)

Meanwhile, Adani Group chairman Gautam Adani announced Rs 80,000-crore (Rs 800 billion) investment in ports, power sector and infrastructure in Gujarat.

He, however, did not specify the timeline for the investments.

"On the occasion of VGS we announce an investment of more than Rs 80,000 crore in port, power generation and infrastructure in Gujarat," Adani said, while speaking at VGS.

"While two new ports -- one each at Hazira and Dholera are being developed we are also expanding the existing ports at Mundra and Dahej. With this we have a goal to create 200 million tonnes per annum of port handling capacity by the year 2015," he said.

n power generation while we have commissioned 2,000 MW at Mundra, additional 2,600 MW will be commissioned by March 2012. Further we are also building 3,300 MW at Bhadreshwar in Kutch, 600 MW at Dahej and 4,000 MW at Dholera SIR," Adani said, adding all the above power plants shall be completed to create a capacity of 15,000 MW by 2015.

"As an integrated infrastructure conglomerate we are also developing LNG terminal, infrastructure parks, supporting railway lines and supporting facilities," Adani said.

"Projects of more than Rs 35,000 crore (Rs 350 billion) for which we had signed MoUs at the time of Vibrant Gujarat Summit in 2007 and 2009 have been fructified," he added.

Sikhs seek explanation from BJP OPPOSE INDIAN FLAG HOISTING PLAN

Jammu, Jan 9: Various Sikh organizations on Sunday lashed out at the Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP), for its proposed plan to hoist tricolor at Lal Chowk in Srinagar on January 26. These groups sought an explanation from the BJP for the alleged involvement of its cadres in “terrorist activities before going ahead with its plan”, reports Greater Kashmir.

Talking to the media persons here, chairman, J&K State Gurudwara Parbandak Board, Sudershan Singh Wazir accused the BJP and the RSS of raising  “hollow slogans” of “pseudo-nationalism.”

“The confessional statement of Swami Asimanand before a magistrate under section 164 of CrPC speaks volume about the anti-national activities of BJP, RSS and other wings all over the country. The Samjohta Express blast along with Makkah Masjid, Ajmer Sharief and Malegaon blasts organized by Inderesh Kumar, Sadhvi Pragya Thakur, Col Purhoit and Sunil Joshi among others exposes the real face of BJP and RSS,” Wazir remarked.

The Sikh leader, who is also the chairman of J&K Sikh United Front, alleged that all these blasts targeting a particular community and demolition of Babri Masjid clearly show the BJP and RSS strategy to hoodwink the “secular minded” Hindus of the country for their vested political interests.

 “The recent game plan of hoisting a tricolor on January 26 in Kashmir is a part of the strategy to keep the flame of hatred alive among the peace loving Kashmiris in particular and Muslims in general,” he maintained.

Wazir alleged that the BJP is going to harm the national interest as well as the interest of the three regions of the state. He warned the BJP of serious consequences in case prevailing peace in the stare is disturbed.

Avtar Singh Khalsa, president of the front condemned the “anti-national” activities of BJP and RSS and warned them to desist from their game plan of disturbing the peaceful atmosphere of the state by indulging in such type of activities.

The representatives of State Youth Akali Dal, Bhai Kanhiya Nishkam Sewa Society, AISSF and Nirwoh Nirveh Society also warned the BJP of dire consequences if the secular fabric of the country is weakened. They appealed the right thinking people of the country to see through this game plan and defeat all such forces with one voice.(Writer-South Asia)