Srinagar, India // The leader of India’s insurgency-plagued Jammu and Kashmir state and an ally of prime minister Narendra Modi died on Thursday, bringing political uncertainty to the disputed region at the heart of tension between India and Pakistan.
Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, 79, died of a respiratory infection after spending the last two weeks in hospital in New Delhi, his People’s Democratic Party (PDP) said.
Sayeed – one of the country's best-known Muslim politicians who went into an unlikely coalition with Mr Modi's Hindu nationalist party following inconclusive state elections at the end of 2014 – was appointed to lead Jammu and Kashmir state for a second time last year.
He will likely be succeeded as chief minister by his daughter Mehbooba Mufti, who is currently the head of the moderate PDP that her father founded in 1999.
Sayeed likened the controversial coalition with the Bharatiya Janata Party at the time to a meeting of the North and South Pole. The BJP wants to bring the contested region into the Indian mainstream, while Sayeed’s party supports self-rule.
THe mufti will be given a state funeral in Kashmir, with Mr Modi expected to attend.
“Mufti Sahab’s demise leaves a huge void in the nation & in J&K, where his exemplary leadership had a major impact on people’s lives,” the prime minister tweeted, using an honorific denoting respect.
The PDP’s main support base is among Muslims in the Kashmir Valley, the epicentre of the separatist insurgency that broke out in 1989, although the party stops short of calling for independence for the restive Himalayan region.
Analysts said the death of the veteran leader, who also served as chief minister in Kashmir between 2002 and 2005, was unlikely to trigger major change.
“The BJP and PDP have limited options and will try to continue in power,” said Happymon Jacob, assistant professor of international studies at New Delhi’s Jawaharlal Nehru University.
“But Mehbooba is a bit immature when it comes to the administrative part. She has never held any position in the government and has to start from scratch in an alliance with an ideologically disparate partner.”
She is known to take a more pro-Kashmiri stance than her father and the BJP on the most contentious issues, but the coalition is expected to last.
Sayeed, a former lawyer, was appointed India’s first Muslim home minister in 1989.
Later the same year another of his daughters was kidnapped by Kashmiri militants. She was eventually released in exchange for five jailed rebels.
His party won the 2002 election in Kashmir on a promise to bring a “healing touch” to the war-ravaged region, and Sayeed has won praise for his efforts to bring about reconciliation.
But he also faced criticism at home for his perceived closeness to New Delhi. A profile of the chief minister in the latest issue of Indian magazine The Caravan was headlined "The Collaborator – how Mufti Mohammad Sayeed became Delhi's man in Kashmir".
Several rebel groups have for decades been fighting Indian forces deployed on the Indian side of divided Kashmir, seeking independence or a merger of the territory with Pakistan.
The fighting has left tens of thousands dead, mostly civilians.
The region is divided between India and Pakistan, both of which claim the Himalayan territory in its entirety. India and Pakistan have fought two wars over Kashmir and clashes across their disputed frontier there do occur, although a 2003 ceasefire has largely held.
Sayeed’s body will be flown on Thursday to Kashmir, where his funeral is expected to take place later in the day.
* Reuters and Agence France-Presse
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The Federal National Council is one of five federal authorities established by the UAE constitution. It held its first session on December 2, 1972, a year to the day after Federation.
It has 40 members, eight of whom are women. The members represent the UAE population through each of the emirates. Abu Dhabi and Dubai have eight members each, Sharjah and Ras al Khaimah six, and Ajman, Fujairah and Umm Al Quwain have four.
They bring Emirati issues to the council for debate and put those concerns to ministers summoned for questioning.
The FNC’s main functions include passing, amending or rejecting federal draft laws, discussing international treaties and agreements, and offering recommendations on general subjects raised during sessions.
Federal draft laws must first pass through the FNC for recommendations when members can amend the laws to suit the needs of citizens. The draft laws are then forwarded to the Cabinet for consideration and approval.
Since 2006, half of the members have been elected by UAE citizens to serve four-year terms and the other half are appointed by the Ruler’s Courts of the seven emirates.
In the 2015 elections, 78 of the 252 candidates were women. Women also represented 48 per cent of all voters and 67 per cent of the voters were under the age of 40.
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Checking: the obsession or thoughts focus on some harm coming from things not being as they should, which usually centre around the theme of safety. For example, the obsession is “the building will burn down”, therefore the compulsion is checking that the oven is switched off.
Contamination: the obsession is focused on the presence of germs, dirt or harmful bacteria and how this will impact the person and/or their loved ones. For example, the obsession is “the floor is dirty; me and my family will get sick and die”, the compulsion is repetitive cleaning.
Orderliness: the obsession is a fear of sitting with uncomfortable feelings, or to prevent harm coming to oneself or others. Objectively there appears to be no logical link between the obsession and compulsion. For example,” I won’t feel right if the jars aren’t lined up” or “harm will come to my family if I don’t line up all the jars”, so the compulsion is therefore lining up the jars.
Intrusive thoughts: the intrusive thought is usually highly distressing and repetitive. Common examples may include thoughts of perpetrating violence towards others, harming others, or questions over one’s character or deeds, usually in conflict with the person’s true values. An example would be: “I think I might hurt my family”, which in turn leads to the compulsion of avoiding social gatherings.
Hoarding: the intrusive thought is the overvaluing of objects or possessions, while the compulsion is stashing or hoarding these items and refusing to let them go. For example, “this newspaper may come in useful one day”, therefore, the compulsion is hoarding newspapers instead of discarding them the next day.
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A typical week's training for Sebastian, who is competing at the ITU Abu Dhabi World Triathlon on March 8-9:
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