PDP MPs to face Ethics Committee Music

by Harish Gupta, National Editor, Lokmat Group

PDP MPs to face Ethics Committee Music 

Face action for tearing Constitution in RS

Harish Gupta

New Delhi, Aug 23

The two PDP MPs who made national headlines by tearing a copy of the Constitution inside the Rajya Sabha chamber earlier this month, to face music now.

Instead of taking action against their behaviour in the House in full view himself, Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu has decided to send the case to Ethics Committee of Parliament.

Though the House has the power to expel them instantly through a resolution. But it was decided by the Chairman that their conduct be looked into by the Ethics Committee.

Senior BJP leader Dr Vinay Sahastrabuddhe is the Chairman of the Ethics Committee. Highly placed sources said here today that before going on a foreign visit, the Chairman sent the case to the Ethics Committee.

The two PDP MPs, Nazir Ahmad Laway and Mir Mohd Fayaz, tore the pages of the Constitution and their clothes in the Rajya Sabha when Union Home Minister Amit Shah introduced the two bills relating to J&K on August 5. Nazir Ahmad Laway was told not to do so but he did not listen and kept on tearing pages after pages of the constitution. The other MP Fayaz Ahmad Mir tore his Kurta.

Since the Rajya Sabha adjourned two days later, a disciplinary action couldn't be taken then except for that they were suspended immediately from the house until August 7.

In the meanwhile, the PDP MPs were asked by their party chief Mehbooba Mufti to resign in protest against the Centre move on J&K. The two have been staying put in Delhi too, citing travel restrictions to Srinagar. 

However, they have not resigned from Parliament as directed by Mufti as she had been put under house arrest along with several other politicians in the state. Laway and Mir said they had not resigned because they “want to verify” the “veracity of media reports” about Mufti seeking their resignations. One of them also said some other MPs told them that “resignation will not serve any purpose.”

Interestingly, these two MPs did not vote against the Triple Talaq Bill and violated the party whip. But before Mehbooba could act against them, the J&K bills came and utter confusion prevailed.

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J P Nadda to visit J&K

by Harish Gupta, National Editor, Lokmat Group

J P Nadda to visit J&K

BJP determined to Saffronise Valley

Contest all 87 Assembly seats in State

PDP MPs to ditch Mehbooba

Harish Gupta

New Delhi, Aug. 4

BJP working president J P Nadda will visit Jammu & Srinagar within the next few days to assess the situation.

His precise program is kept a closely guarded secret. But it was discussed in detail with senior BJP leader of the J&K Kavinder Gupta who met Union Home Minister Amit Shah and J P Nadda.

It is not clear if J P Nadda will visit the state on August 14-15 and hoist Tri colour at Lal Chowk. The Union Home Minister has given the go-ahead to hoist tricolor in all the 6768 village of the state on August 15- a scene never witnessed in the 70 years history of the state. The BJP's plan is to send a strong signal to terrorists and generate confidence among the common people that they need not fear. 

The Modi government's objective is to ensure that the BJP forms the next government in the state and all policies and actions are driven with that objective. Be it ordering delimitation of constituencies in the state, abrogate Article 35A or other steps, the objective of all this is saffronise the Valley sooner than expected, said a senior BJP leader.

The saffron party is set to contest all 87 seats on its seats including 46 seats in the Valley. The BJP is propping up some fringe groups and splinter elements of the National Conference, PDP and Congress to contest separately and win seats. There are many in these parties who are sitting on the fence. The Members of the Rajya Sabha belonging to the PDP are angry with Mehbooba Mufti and planning to contest as Independents as MLA in the Valley when polls are held. They did not vote against the Triple Talaq Bill in Rajya Sabha and rather walked out. By sending forces in a big way in the state, the government wants to create confidence among those who are saner elements and want protection. 

Centre to launch massive crack down in Valley

by Harish Gupta, National Editor, Lokmat Group

Centre to launch massive crack down in Valley

Home Minister sounds Mehbooba

NIA lists 200 ill-gotten properties of separatists

Harish Gupta

New Delhi, Sep 16

The Modi government is contemplating a massive onslaught against terrorists operating in the Jammu & Kashmir shortly. Enthused by the recent successes of Centre's anti-terrorist operations, the government is now gearing up for a final onslaught. Final touches are being given to the plan after Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh's 4-day visit to the trouble-torn state. It is rare that Union Home Minister camps in a state for such a long time. Highly placed sources in the government say that one of the major task of Rajnath Singh was to sound out J&K Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti about the impending massive operation.

The action entail arrest of top leaders of Hurriyat, JKLF and other organisations patronized for the past several decades by successive governments at the centre & the state launch a final onslaught against the militants. The government also plans to confiscate more than 200 properties of these leaders. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) is reported to have submitted a detailed list of properties including hotels, resorts, orchards, factories, business establishments, and other assets acquired by 20 top leaders in the Valley. Recent massive raids conducted by the NIA established that these “corrupt leaders” accumulated wealth through illegal means and even from across the border. They were also hand-in-glove with the Barter Trade operators. The list of 200 properties has been submitted to the Home Ministry and PMO and created a flutter.

The security forces, with the active cooperation of the state government, Intelligence agencies and others, have eliminated or arrested nearly 105 out of 258 hard-core militants operating in the Valley. The National Technical Research Organisation (NTRO), The National Investigation Agency (NIA), Intelligence Bureau (IB), Military Intelligence (MI) and state police have together have succeeded in plugging the financial support system to a large extent. While Rajnath Singh is monitoring the operation from the front, Ajit Doval, National Security Adviser to the Prime Minister is personally coordinating the entire operation.

The Modi government has decided that no talks will be held with these intermediaries who have looted the state and fooled successive governments. The only task is elimination of militancy and restore peace.

The Centre is particularly enthused by the fact that locals are coming in large numbers to provide information about the hide outs of the terrorists and even their movements. The high-tech equipment installed by the IB, NTRO and other agencies and deployment of trained personnels to decipher the coded messages in the shortest possible time has helped the security forces to act against top militants.

The way Burhan Wani, Abu Ismail, Abu Dujana, Bashir Lashkari, Junaid Mattoo and several others were killed by the forces is an indication of growing cooperation between the forces and locals. After virtually plugging the funding routes to terrorists and their sympathizers in the Valley, the security agencies have told the government that time has come to launch the operation before Diwali.

Interestingly, most of these top leaders were killed after the agencies tracked down their movements and hide-out as their mobile numbers were made available by moles or informers.

The country's top security establishment has prepared a blueprint to deliver a lethal blow to militancy to achieve the IB, NTRO, CRPF, Army Intelligence and more importantly the state police.

The agencies have been able to make inroads amongst the local who were scared to share information until recently. Earlier, the informers used to be eliminated as information provided by them was never acted upon or rather leaked to the militants by moles in the police establishment. Now the Centre has practically taken over the anti-terrorist operations and state police is made to lend a helping hand.

Banning “Barter Trade” with PaK: PMO to decide

by Harish Gupta, National Editor, Lokmat Group

Banning “Barter Trade” with PaK: PMO to decide

NIA says Barter-trade generated Rs 1000 crore terror funding

Harish Gupta

New Delhi, Sep 11

The Prime Minister's Office (PMO) will take a final call on banning the “Barter Trade” between India & Pakistan which was aimed at promoting trade & harmony between the people in J & K and PoK.

Highly placed sources in the government say that the PMO is seized of the matter after the National Investigation Agency (NIA) strongly recommended the closure of the barter trade. The NIA had sent its report to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) which is turn has referred the issue to the PMO as it has wider implications.

Incidentally, it was the Union Home Ministry which had initiated the Barter-Trade agreement with Pakistan in 2008 at the bidding of the then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh within days of returning to India from his US trip in 2008 to promote harmony between the people on both sides of Jammu & Kashmir. It was decided that no cash will be involved, only 21 items will be trade for mutual exchange and the value of items will be fixed by traders mutually. The goods should be produced in J & K and PoK only. But what happened thereafter, was an eye-opener to agencies. For example the Californian Almonds made their way from Pakistan to J&K on the ground that these were produced in PoK.

Lokmat was first to break the story “Barter Trade or Terror Funding” on January 23 this year in its editions saying the NIA had undertaken countrywide raids and scrutinizing records of 350 traders in Delhi & J & K. At that time, the NIA estimated that the hawala racket could be of the order of Rs 300 crores. Top sources have now told Lokmat that the hawala scam could be of the order of Rs 1000 crores.

The NIA submitted detailed report listing how hundreds of cores of rupees reached terrorist groups and stone pelters in the Valley thanks to the “Barter-Trade” route. The NIA said the barter-trade generated more than Rs 3000 crores in cash and at least Rs 1000 crores of this amount had gone to the kashmiri militants and their patterns which included Hurriyat leaders. The NIA submitted a detailed account of money-trail beginning with traders on the borders to traders in Delhi and major cities and how money re-routed to Hurriyat leaders and Kashmiri militants. The NIA also gave detailed account of how bank channels were used for over-invoicing and under-invoicing and went on unchecked for nearly eight years.

It said that terror funding by LeT, JeM and other outfits and the alleged transfer of cross-LoC trade proceeds are "interlinked". It gave clinching evidence to the MHA how large amount exchanged through import and export of goods has been ultimately used to foment "civil unrest" in Kashmir. The NIA suspects that some traders even provide trucks to hide arms and ammunition smuggled from Pakistan.

It is learnt that Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh who undertook 4-day visit to J & K discussed this issue with the state Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti also as she had urged the Prime Minister that Barter-Trade agreement should not be scrapped.

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