Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Obama Tributes King on Inauguration Eve
US President-elect Barack Obama, on the eve of his inauguration, is paying tribute to the late civil rights leader Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. Setting the tone for his term at the Oval office, Obama urged Americans to become involved in community service, helped paint walls at a shelter for homeless teenagers and lunched with volunteers supporting American troops at home and overseas on Monday.The president-elect also visited injured military veterans who fought in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Obama's inauguration, coming the day after Monday's federal holiday honoring Martin Luther King, Jr., adds to the deep symbolism of the first African American to be sworn in as President of the United States.
The president-elect, joined by his wife Michelle, thanked volunteers and said such service is an appropriate way to remember the legacy of Reverend King.
"It is fitting that all of you and hundreds of thousands, maybe more than a million people through 11,000 service projects all across the country, today commemorated Dr. King and got involved in this process of remaking America," said Barack Obama.
The 47-year-old president-elect is the son of a black Kenyan father and a white American mother. He grew up in Hawaii and Indonesia.
Obama will be sworn in as the 44th president of the United States of America on the steps of the US Capitol and will deliver a much-anticipated inaugural address.
He joked about saving his best lines for Tuesday's ceremony and then seemed to hint at what are expected to be some major themes and goals of his presidency.
"I am making a commitment to you as your next president that we are going to make government work," said Obama. "We are going to make sure that government is listening to you and focused on you, making sure that people have health care, kids can go to college and people can pay their bills and folks are able to stay in their homes and get good jobs that pay a living wage. That is my job."
He said all Americans must take responsibility for improving their communities and pledged that he and his family will continue working on service projects after he becomes president.
Excitement is already building in Washington and officials are expecting as many as two million people to arrive on the National Mall to witness Obama's inauguration.
All around Washington, final preparations are underway for the inauguration and security is expected to be very tight. Parties, balls and other celebrations will follow Obama's oath-taking and the inaugural parade.
(VoA Inputs)
Guns Silent, Crisis Continues in Gaza
As sated Israeli guns fell silent after killing nearly 1300 Palestinians, mostly civilians, in Jerusalem’s three-week assault on Gaza, Aid agencies and friendly nations are calculating the tab for the massive damage done to the infrastructure in the region, and looking around for ways to overcome the modern-day Auschwitz.
United Nations says some 50,800 people are now homeless and 400,000 are without running water.
Correspondents in Gaza City say entire neighbourhoods have been flattened and bodies are still being recovered, reported the BBC website.
Israel says it will allow 143 trucks loaded with humanitarian aid into Gaza plus 60,000 litres of fuel.
A Red Cross spokesman said on Monday evening that 10 ambulances carrying medical supplies had travelled into Gaza via the Kerem Shalom crossing in the south.
The arrival of food and fuel convoys into Gaza could not be ascertained.
Palestinian medical sources say at least 1,300 Palestinians have been killed and 5,500 injured during the conflict. Thirteen Israelis have been killed since the offensive began on 27 December.
Israel called a ceasefire on Saturday, saying it had met its war aims.
A BBC correspondent, who travelled to Jabaliya on the northern edge of Gaza City, says entire neighbourhoods have disappeared.
As the ceasefire continues to hold, Palestinians in Gaza are returning home to assess the damage.
The UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, is planning to visit Gaza on Tuesday to inspect the damage.
The director of Unrwa ops in Gaza, John Ging, said most important now was how to get basic supplies into the territory.
He added that the colossal recovery and reconstruction operation facing Aid agencies was not possible unless crossing points were opened.
He iterated that Unrwa was keen to reopen schools, where tens of thousands of Palestinians continued to be in shelter on Monday.
Cracks among Arab nations were visible at an Arab League summit in Kuwait that was dominated by the excruciating Israeli attack on Gaza.
Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak said Hamas invited the Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip by refusing to extend a six-month truce that expired in December.
Syria's President Bashar al-Assad urged Arab leaders to adopt a resolution declaring Israel a terrorist entity, and support the Palestinian cause.
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas called for immediate reconciliation talks among Palestinian factions, along with parliamentary and presidential elections.
The league discussed a proposal for a $2bn fund for reconstruction in Gaza, with Saudi King Abdullah saying his country would donate $1bn.
Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has said he wanted troops to leave Gaza "as quickly as possible", and some have already left.
Anonymous Israeli officials, quoted by AP news agency, said the withdrawal would be completed before US President-elect Barack Obama's inauguration on Tuesday.
With world attention hovering around those left dead, wounded, orphaned and homeless, Israel may still continue to block supplies to the region, in an action so blatantly reminiscent of tactics employed by Nazi Germany.
United Nations says some 50,800 people are now homeless and 400,000 are without running water.
Correspondents in Gaza City say entire neighbourhoods have been flattened and bodies are still being recovered, reported the BBC website.
Israel says it will allow 143 trucks loaded with humanitarian aid into Gaza plus 60,000 litres of fuel.
A Red Cross spokesman said on Monday evening that 10 ambulances carrying medical supplies had travelled into Gaza via the Kerem Shalom crossing in the south.
The arrival of food and fuel convoys into Gaza could not be ascertained.
Palestinian medical sources say at least 1,300 Palestinians have been killed and 5,500 injured during the conflict. Thirteen Israelis have been killed since the offensive began on 27 December.
Israel called a ceasefire on Saturday, saying it had met its war aims.
A BBC correspondent, who travelled to Jabaliya on the northern edge of Gaza City, says entire neighbourhoods have disappeared.
As the ceasefire continues to hold, Palestinians in Gaza are returning home to assess the damage.
The UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, is planning to visit Gaza on Tuesday to inspect the damage.
The director of Unrwa ops in Gaza, John Ging, said most important now was how to get basic supplies into the territory.
He added that the colossal recovery and reconstruction operation facing Aid agencies was not possible unless crossing points were opened.
He iterated that Unrwa was keen to reopen schools, where tens of thousands of Palestinians continued to be in shelter on Monday.
Cracks among Arab nations were visible at an Arab League summit in Kuwait that was dominated by the excruciating Israeli attack on Gaza.
Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak said Hamas invited the Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip by refusing to extend a six-month truce that expired in December.
Syria's President Bashar al-Assad urged Arab leaders to adopt a resolution declaring Israel a terrorist entity, and support the Palestinian cause.
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas called for immediate reconciliation talks among Palestinian factions, along with parliamentary and presidential elections.
The league discussed a proposal for a $2bn fund for reconstruction in Gaza, with Saudi King Abdullah saying his country would donate $1bn.
Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has said he wanted troops to leave Gaza "as quickly as possible", and some have already left.
Anonymous Israeli officials, quoted by AP news agency, said the withdrawal would be completed before US President-elect Barack Obama's inauguration on Tuesday.
With world attention hovering around those left dead, wounded, orphaned and homeless, Israel may still continue to block supplies to the region, in an action so blatantly reminiscent of tactics employed by Nazi Germany.
Assembly Suspended, Prez Rule in Jharkhand
Jharkhand on Monday was placed under President’s rule and its Assembly suspended after the union cabinet at a meeting on Monday morning prescribed central rule in the state but stopped short of ordering the dissolution of the state Assembly. Opposition parties say the decision would encourage ‘horse trading’ in the state.
“If any party has adequate numbers, a government can still be formed in Jharkhand. We opted for President's rule as there was no consensus among UPA allies on forming an alternative government right now,” RJD supremo Lalu Prasad told reporters in the evening.
Asked whether JMM, which has the maximum number of MLAs among the UPA, should have been given the chance of forming the government, he said: “nobody can form a government with just 17 MLAs. We made Soren chief minister twice. The situation is, however, not the same now.”
Blaming Soren for the crisis, former deputy chief minister and independent legislator Stephen Marandi said: “Soren's blind love for family and lack of political vision has pushed the State back many years. Soren created the political crisis after losing the by-election”.
JMM, however, refused to be pinned with the responsibility for President's rule. “As directed by the central leaders, we chose our party leader. The other partners of UPA failed to put their seal on the name. Shibu Soren cannot be blamed for the present crisis,” said a senior JMM functionary.
“If any party has adequate numbers, a government can still be formed in Jharkhand. We opted for President's rule as there was no consensus among UPA allies on forming an alternative government right now,” RJD supremo Lalu Prasad told reporters in the evening.
Asked whether JMM, which has the maximum number of MLAs among the UPA, should have been given the chance of forming the government, he said: “nobody can form a government with just 17 MLAs. We made Soren chief minister twice. The situation is, however, not the same now.”
Blaming Soren for the crisis, former deputy chief minister and independent legislator Stephen Marandi said: “Soren's blind love for family and lack of political vision has pushed the State back many years. Soren created the political crisis after losing the by-election”.
JMM, however, refused to be pinned with the responsibility for President's rule. “As directed by the central leaders, we chose our party leader. The other partners of UPA failed to put their seal on the name. Shibu Soren cannot be blamed for the present crisis,” said a senior JMM functionary.
Pak Briefs Envoys on Anti-Terror Action, India Unmoved
Continuing with its rope-a-dope tactics, Pakistan on Monday kicked off a diplomatic counter offensive against India with Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi and Interior Adviser Rehman Malik providing a synopsis of investigations, being carried into the 26/11 Mumbai strikes, to ambassadors and high commissioners deputed to Islamabad.
The briefing came amid reports in the international media that suggested that President-elect Barack Obama’s term at the Oval office, which opens in a few hours from now, is likely to result in a significant change in US policy on Pakistan.
Hoping to minimise the impact of an ongoing US offensive that Obama has vowed to take deep into Talibani havens in the region, Islamabad briefed the envoys on the steps taken by Pakistan over the leads provided by India into the Mumbai attacks.
They conclave is reported to have discussed the Pakistani establishment's assessment of the quality of material provided by India and the high level investigative panel formed to complete its work in 10 days.
The envoys were provided details of the crackdown on the Jamaat-ud-Dawa and the arrest of key individuals associated with the Lashkar-e-Tayyeba.
Before concluding, Rahman Malik, however, reiterated that New Delhi should drop its demand seeking the hand-over of Mumbai suspects.
In a well calculated move, Malik added that Islamabad could respond ihn kind by seeking the custody of Lt. Col. Shrikant Purohit, an Indian army officer facing legal action for alleged involvement in the Samjhauta blast case.
“We can also make demands for certain individuals like Colonel Purohit,” said Malik.
Unmoved by the tall claims a clearly unimpressed New Delhi refused to respond to the line adopted by Islamabad.
“What they are doing is not enough, it just looks like an eyewash,” IBNLive wbsit qioted Minister of State for Defence Pallam Raju as saying, in response to Pakistani claims of action against terror elements holed up inside its territories.
Hoping to counter word with action, New Delhi is said to be putting together a second dossier on the Mumbai terror strikes, which would include hard evidence of Pakistani involvement.
The second dossier is likely to include the DNA profile of Ajmal Amir Kasab, a Pak national caught alive for active involvement in the audacious attack on the Indian commercial capital.
“We are developing our anti-terror mechanisms and will continue our diplomatic offensive,” said Minister of External Affairs Pranab Mukherjee.
The message from New Delhi is clear that it will not be satisfied until there is a complete dismantling of terror network in Pakistan, and the days to come are sure to witness a continuum of the Indian diplomatic offensive.
The briefing came amid reports in the international media that suggested that President-elect Barack Obama’s term at the Oval office, which opens in a few hours from now, is likely to result in a significant change in US policy on Pakistan.
Hoping to minimise the impact of an ongoing US offensive that Obama has vowed to take deep into Talibani havens in the region, Islamabad briefed the envoys on the steps taken by Pakistan over the leads provided by India into the Mumbai attacks.
They conclave is reported to have discussed the Pakistani establishment's assessment of the quality of material provided by India and the high level investigative panel formed to complete its work in 10 days.
The envoys were provided details of the crackdown on the Jamaat-ud-Dawa and the arrest of key individuals associated with the Lashkar-e-Tayyeba.
Before concluding, Rahman Malik, however, reiterated that New Delhi should drop its demand seeking the hand-over of Mumbai suspects.
In a well calculated move, Malik added that Islamabad could respond ihn kind by seeking the custody of Lt. Col. Shrikant Purohit, an Indian army officer facing legal action for alleged involvement in the Samjhauta blast case.
“We can also make demands for certain individuals like Colonel Purohit,” said Malik.
Unmoved by the tall claims a clearly unimpressed New Delhi refused to respond to the line adopted by Islamabad.
“What they are doing is not enough, it just looks like an eyewash,” IBNLive wbsit qioted Minister of State for Defence Pallam Raju as saying, in response to Pakistani claims of action against terror elements holed up inside its territories.
Hoping to counter word with action, New Delhi is said to be putting together a second dossier on the Mumbai terror strikes, which would include hard evidence of Pakistani involvement.
The second dossier is likely to include the DNA profile of Ajmal Amir Kasab, a Pak national caught alive for active involvement in the audacious attack on the Indian commercial capital.
“We are developing our anti-terror mechanisms and will continue our diplomatic offensive,” said Minister of External Affairs Pranab Mukherjee.
The message from New Delhi is clear that it will not be satisfied until there is a complete dismantling of terror network in Pakistan, and the days to come are sure to witness a continuum of the Indian diplomatic offensive.
Militants Blow up Five Schools in Pak
Militants blew up five schools in Pakiastan‘s northwestern Swat valley, hours after government officials pledged to reopen schools closed due to the fear of attacks. The attacks highlight the growing impunity of militants operating in the region and Islamabad’s diminishing adequacies to curb terror.
"Four boys' schools and one girls' school were blown up by militants," Anwer Khan, a district police official in the town of Mingora, said on Monday.
"No one was injured in the bombings, but the school buildings were badly damaged."
Luckily, there were no students on the premises at the time of the attacks, as the schools are closed for winter vacations.
The Swat valley has more than 600 state-run schools and some 400 private schools but many have been closed since anti-government fighters began a campaign of attacks against the local authority.
Sherry Rehman, Pakistan's information minister, said on Sunday that all girls' schools in Swat and the North West Frontier Province (NWFP) would be reopened by March.
"From March 1, all closed schools in Swat and NWFP will be reopened after the winter break," the western-educated lady minister had said in Karachi.
Followers of Maulana Fazlullah, a local leader with reported links to Pakistan's Taliban movement, have destroyed 173 schools, 105 of them for girls, since security forces launched a military operation in the region in 2007, according to Sher Afzal, an education ministry official.
Local pro-Taliban fighters see the schools as symbols of government authority and have accused the army of posting soldiers in them.
Shaukat Yousafzai, a senior government official in Swat, said teachers were refusing to work.
"I try to convince them but they're scared. They doubt the government's ability to protect them," he said.
The president of a Swat teachers' association said his members would only go back to work if the government restored peace and shut down a radio station run by anti-government groups.
"The ground reality is there's no safety," Ziauddin Yousafzai said.
"If they're destroying schools during a curfew, they can do anything. Even if the authorities announce schools are open, nobody will go and parents won't send their kids."
(Agency Inputs)
"Four boys' schools and one girls' school were blown up by militants," Anwer Khan, a district police official in the town of Mingora, said on Monday.
"No one was injured in the bombings, but the school buildings were badly damaged."
Luckily, there were no students on the premises at the time of the attacks, as the schools are closed for winter vacations.
The Swat valley has more than 600 state-run schools and some 400 private schools but many have been closed since anti-government fighters began a campaign of attacks against the local authority.
Sherry Rehman, Pakistan's information minister, said on Sunday that all girls' schools in Swat and the North West Frontier Province (NWFP) would be reopened by March.
"From March 1, all closed schools in Swat and NWFP will be reopened after the winter break," the western-educated lady minister had said in Karachi.
Followers of Maulana Fazlullah, a local leader with reported links to Pakistan's Taliban movement, have destroyed 173 schools, 105 of them for girls, since security forces launched a military operation in the region in 2007, according to Sher Afzal, an education ministry official.
Local pro-Taliban fighters see the schools as symbols of government authority and have accused the army of posting soldiers in them.
Shaukat Yousafzai, a senior government official in Swat, said teachers were refusing to work.
"I try to convince them but they're scared. They doubt the government's ability to protect them," he said.
The president of a Swat teachers' association said his members would only go back to work if the government restored peace and shut down a radio station run by anti-government groups.
"The ground reality is there's no safety," Ziauddin Yousafzai said.
"If they're destroying schools during a curfew, they can do anything. Even if the authorities announce schools are open, nobody will go and parents won't send their kids."
(Agency Inputs)
Modi Advocating for Pak: Congress
Blasting Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi over the aspersions he cast over the dossier of involvement India provided to Pakistan in wake of the 26/11 Mumbai terror strikes the Congress on Monday urged Modi to retract his words while adding that he sounded like an "advocate" of Pakistan.
"Modi's statement seems as if an advocate of Pakistan is speaking," Congress spokesman Shakeel Ahmed told reporters here.
He said Modi's statement becomes all the more damning as it was made in a meeting of forensic experts from a dozen countries.
Modi had said that when evidence against Kasab was not acceptable to India, how can Pakistan accept it (evidence).
"The BJP should ask Modi why he gave such an irresponsible statement...It is unfortunate if someone starts supporting those who attack India to score political points," Ahmed said.
Terming the issue as a "matter of great concern", Ahmed said Modi should take back his remark and express regret for saying such a thing.
"Modi's statement seems as if an advocate of Pakistan is speaking," Congress spokesman Shakeel Ahmed told reporters here.
He said Modi's statement becomes all the more damning as it was made in a meeting of forensic experts from a dozen countries.
Modi had said that when evidence against Kasab was not acceptable to India, how can Pakistan accept it (evidence).
"The BJP should ask Modi why he gave such an irresponsible statement...It is unfortunate if someone starts supporting those who attack India to score political points," Ahmed said.
Terming the issue as a "matter of great concern", Ahmed said Modi should take back his remark and express regret for saying such a thing.
BJP Declares 18 More LS Candidates
Unfazed by reports of dissentions and defections in search of ‘greener’ pastures, the Bharatiya Janata Party on Monday declared a list of 18 candidates for the Lok SAbha elections scheduled to be held in May. Prominent on the list was former union minister for external affairs, Yashwant Sinha.
Sinha will contest from Hazaribagh in Jharkhand.
The names were finalised at the central election committee's meeting at the BJP headquarters here, party general secretary Ananth Kumar told reporters.
The party has decided to announce all its candidates by the end of this month. It made an early start having already finalised 14 candidates late last year.
The party named a total of four candidates from Jharkhand, six from Kerala, three from Himachal Pradesh, two from Tripura and one each from Manipur and union territories of Chandigarh and Dadra and Nagar Haveli.
Sinha will contest from Hazaribagh in Jharkhand.
The names were finalised at the central election committee's meeting at the BJP headquarters here, party general secretary Ananth Kumar told reporters.
The party has decided to announce all its candidates by the end of this month. It made an early start having already finalised 14 candidates late last year.
The party named a total of four candidates from Jharkhand, six from Kerala, three from Himachal Pradesh, two from Tripura and one each from Manipur and union territories of Chandigarh and Dadra and Nagar Haveli.
Litigants Suffer as Lawyers Strike
Lawyers across north India went on a day-long strike in the district courts on Monday demanding withdrawal of the proposed changes in the Criminal Procedue Code (CrPC) that allow police to go by discretion to arrest the accused in an offence punishable up to seven-year-jail term.
Lawyers” bodies have observed a strike for the third time within two weeks in the national capital this year.
The previous two strikes were on January 7 and 14.
A Federation of Bar Associations formed to launch a “unified protest” against the changes in the statute has already announced the nationwide strikes to be held on February 3 and 18 to press for their demands.
The bar fears that the proposed amendment doing away with the mandatory arrest provisions in the offences punishable up to seven years would remove fear from minds of criminals who would misuse the provisions under the garb of personal liberty.
According to the proposed amendments in the Act, which have earned the nod from President of India, no arrest would be required for cognisable offences such as molestation, dowry harassment and attempt to robbery, prescribing punishment of up to seven years.
While describing the legislation as “anti-people” and “anti-social, lawyers say that even if the bill bringing the changes in the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) the Government could still stall the legislation by not enacting it.
Litigants across the region had a harrowing time on Monday as the strike resulted in the adjournment of the day’s proceedings.
Lawyers” bodies have observed a strike for the third time within two weeks in the national capital this year.
The previous two strikes were on January 7 and 14.
A Federation of Bar Associations formed to launch a “unified protest” against the changes in the statute has already announced the nationwide strikes to be held on February 3 and 18 to press for their demands.
The bar fears that the proposed amendment doing away with the mandatory arrest provisions in the offences punishable up to seven years would remove fear from minds of criminals who would misuse the provisions under the garb of personal liberty.
According to the proposed amendments in the Act, which have earned the nod from President of India, no arrest would be required for cognisable offences such as molestation, dowry harassment and attempt to robbery, prescribing punishment of up to seven years.
While describing the legislation as “anti-people” and “anti-social, lawyers say that even if the bill bringing the changes in the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) the Government could still stall the legislation by not enacting it.
Litigants across the region had a harrowing time on Monday as the strike resulted in the adjournment of the day’s proceedings.
Shootout at Green Park, Four Injured
In an intense gun battle in south Delhi’s swank Green Park neighbourhood, Delhi police on Monday evening shot at and injured four ‘robbers,’ who were later rushed to the nearby AIIMS Trauma Centre with serious gunshot injuries, where the condition of at least two is reported to be critical.
According to attending medics at AIIMS, all four men are alive, but two of them are in a critical condition.
“Shortly after the encounter, around 1645 hours, seven people were bought to the Trauma Centre. Three were policemen, and the other four were injured robbers,” said an AIIMS doctor.
The robbers, as identified by the doctors, are Sonu (29), Shakeel (24), Satyaprakash Yadav (30) and Nadeem (29).
Nadeem is believed to be an Uzbek national.
Satyaprakash Yadav, identified by the Delhi Police, as the leader of the gang has suffered “bone injuries” and is currently stable.
Among the police officials injured are Umesh Yadav, CT Suresh, and Kaushalendra Kumar.
Police officers involved in the shootout suffered minor injuries in their upper body and are reported to be stable.
Medics say the officials were wearing bullet proof vests, otherwise police losses could have been heavy.
The Joint Commissioner of Police, Southern Range, Ajai Kashyap visited the four arrested at AIIMS.
The four traveling in a black Honda Accord were suspected bank robbers and reported to have been accompanied by five other gang members in a white Santro, which disappeared after the shootout started after the robbers were cornered in the lot of a local Gurudwara.
The police has recovered automatic pistols, several rounds of unused ammunition, bullet proof vests and a large number of mobile phones from the suspects.
No inputs were available on as to how the ‘robbers’ dodged security agencies and smuggled arms into the national capital pointing at gaping lapses in the security cover over some of the most strategic locations in the country.
According to attending medics at AIIMS, all four men are alive, but two of them are in a critical condition.
“Shortly after the encounter, around 1645 hours, seven people were bought to the Trauma Centre. Three were policemen, and the other four were injured robbers,” said an AIIMS doctor.
The robbers, as identified by the doctors, are Sonu (29), Shakeel (24), Satyaprakash Yadav (30) and Nadeem (29).
Nadeem is believed to be an Uzbek national.
Satyaprakash Yadav, identified by the Delhi Police, as the leader of the gang has suffered “bone injuries” and is currently stable.
Among the police officials injured are Umesh Yadav, CT Suresh, and Kaushalendra Kumar.
Police officers involved in the shootout suffered minor injuries in their upper body and are reported to be stable.
Medics say the officials were wearing bullet proof vests, otherwise police losses could have been heavy.
The Joint Commissioner of Police, Southern Range, Ajai Kashyap visited the four arrested at AIIMS.
The four traveling in a black Honda Accord were suspected bank robbers and reported to have been accompanied by five other gang members in a white Santro, which disappeared after the shootout started after the robbers were cornered in the lot of a local Gurudwara.
The police has recovered automatic pistols, several rounds of unused ammunition, bullet proof vests and a large number of mobile phones from the suspects.
No inputs were available on as to how the ‘robbers’ dodged security agencies and smuggled arms into the national capital pointing at gaping lapses in the security cover over some of the most strategic locations in the country.
Bring J&K under Constitution: Kashmiri Pandits
Kashmiri Pandits, under the aegis of Kashmiri Samiti and Panun Kashmir, held demonstration at Jantar Mantar and observed the day as "Holocaust Day" to mark the completion of 19 years in exile. They urged the government to reorganise Jammu and Kashmir and “bring it under the Constitution of India.”
"We want our homeland in Kashmir and also the Government of India should reorganise Jammu and Kashmir and bring it under the Constitution of India and declare it a Union Territory," said Shakti Bhan, vice chairperson of Panun Kashmir was quoted as saying by PTI.
The demonstration marking the occasion as “Holocaust Day,’ saw speakers from Kashmiri Pandit organisations recount their nights of horror and demanded to know what steps the government had taken when terrorism has acquired huge proportions in other parts of India as well.
Later, activists from the community met MoS Home Affairs, Sriprakash Jaiwal, and handed over a memorandum of demands.
"We want our homeland in Kashmir and also the Government of India should reorganise Jammu and Kashmir and bring it under the Constitution of India and declare it a Union Territory," said Shakti Bhan, vice chairperson of Panun Kashmir was quoted as saying by PTI.
The demonstration marking the occasion as “Holocaust Day,’ saw speakers from Kashmiri Pandit organisations recount their nights of horror and demanded to know what steps the government had taken when terrorism has acquired huge proportions in other parts of India as well.
Later, activists from the community met MoS Home Affairs, Sriprakash Jaiwal, and handed over a memorandum of demands.
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