What exactly did Iran do to provoke Israel, asks Omar Abdullah
Jammu (PTI): Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Friday asserted that war anywhere is not a good thing as he questioned Israel's compulsion to attack Iran.
The National Conference leader also said that Jammu and Kashmir should have the right to use its waters and underlined that, as of now, there is no intention to divert surplus water to other states.
Abdullah was interacting with the media after inaugurating an outreach office -- Raabta -- in Jammu to ensure efficient grievance redressal and informed decision-making through data-driven monitoring and strategic communication.
Asked about the Israel-Iran conflict, Abdullah said, "This is not a good thing. War anywhere is not a good thing. What exactly did Iran do that forced Israel to attack? The sooner this conflict ends, the better".
Taking a dig at Israel, he said, "Two months ago, Israel’s intelligence chief said that Iran is nowhere close to building a nuclear bomb. That was the evidence then. And now, after two months, Israel has suddenly launched an attack on Iran."
He said that although the war is between Iran and Israel, more than 6,000 Indians have been trapped.
"We are evacuating them one by one. Ninety students (from J-K) have already been brought out, and another 400 have reached safer locations. Efforts are on to evacuate more than 6,000 students, out of which 1,400 are from Jammu and Kashmir," he said.
Asked about some of the 90 students -- who landed in Delhi on Thursday morning after being evacuated from Iran -- complaining about the condition of buses in which they were taken to Kashmir, he admitted that the vehicles arranged initially "weren’t up to the mark".
"As soon as we were informed, we arranged proper vehicles, and they are now reaching their homes... Officials there have been told to be more careful in the future," he said.
Asserting that Jammu and Kashmir should be allowed to use its waters, Abdullah made it clear that no permission will be given as of now for any proposal to build a canal to divert surplus water to other states.
"Nobody will give it (approval). As of now, I am not going to give approval to it. Let us be allowed to use our water first, then we will talk about others," Abdullah said.
He was replying to a question on the central government’s proposed construction of a 113-km canal to transfer surplus water from Jammu and Kashmir to Punjab, Haryana, and Rajasthan to prevent it from flowing to neighbouring Pakistan.
"Right now, Jammu is facing water scarcity... There is no water in the taps. Why should I send water to Punjab? Punjab already has three rivers as per the Indus Water Treaty. Has Punjab given us any water?" he said.
The chief minister highlighted that when Jammu and Kashmir was desperate for water, Punjab did not share water from the Ujh multipurpose project and Shahpur Kandi barrage.
"They made us suffer for years, and only after a prolonged struggle did they take some steps," he said.
"We will use it (water) first, and only then consider others’ needs," he added.
Speaking about the Indus Water Treaty, he said the government is working on two key projects -- The Tulbul Barrage, work on which should resume soon, and the pumping of water from the Chenab River at Akhnoor to supply drinking water to Jammu city.
Abdullah also expressed hope that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the government will stand by their commitment to restore statehood to Jammu and Kashmir.
"We are hopeful that the prime minister, who made a promise to the people and reiterated that promise during the Sonamarg event and afterwards too, and the government will stand by their commitment, and Jammu and Kashmir will get back its status as a state."
Asked if taking the legal route was under consideration, he said, "When the time comes to talk about legal options, I will call you."
On the issue of reservation in government services raised by PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti, he said, "How can Mehbooba Mufti speak on this issue now? Check her past tweets (posts on X); she remained silent on this earlier. Now she is showing fake sympathy."
He said the Law Department is examining the report on the issue of reservation. Once the report comes back, the Cabinet will hold discussions on it.
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AIITA welcomes Karnataka’s ban on obscene songs in school events
Bhatkal: The Karnataka unit of the All India Ideal Teachers Association (AIITA) has welcomed the Karnataka government’s decision to strictly ban school children from dancing to obscene songs during educational and cultural programmes in government, aided, and private schools across the state.
AIITA Karnataka State President M. R. Manvi congratulated the government for taking what he termed an important step to preserve the sanctity of education.
“Such decisions to safeguard the dignity of school children and uphold the values of education are the need of the hour. This rule should not be limited to government schools alone but must be strictly implemented in all private educational institutions as well,” he said.
He further urged the government to address other concerns within school programmes.
“The government should not only prohibit obscene dances in the name of school anniversaries, but also ensure that plays and dialogues that incite religious hatred are avoided. Schools should be centres of harmony, not platforms for spreading hatred,” he added.
According to a recent circular issued by the Department of School Education and Literacy, obscene dances are adversely affecting the mental health and moral values of students.
In this regard, schools have been advised to use songs that promote nationalism, positive thinking, the greatness of Kannada culture, and value-based traditions instead of inappropriate content during programmes.
The circular also emphasises that students should be dressed in decent attire.
AIITA also backed the department’s warning that disciplinary action would be taken against head teachers if such guidelines are violated. The association has further demanded that district Deputy Directors of Public Instruction strictly monitor the implementation of these rules.
