Afzal Guru, Yakub Memon hangings send signals of weak Govt: Justice Ajit Prakash Shah

Less than a week after after he demitted office as Chairman of the Law Commission of India after submitting a landmark report recommending abolition of death penalty except in cases of terror attacks, former Delhi High Court Chief Justice Ajit Prakash Shah Friday said the sudden and “secretive” hanging of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru was a mistake by the government. “I don’t understand why it had to be done so secretly and so suddenly. In my opinion, it was a sign of weakness and caused great setback to attempts…

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Year after floods, school infra in shambles

Majority of the schools which were damaged in the September 2014 floods lie in a state of ruin badly hitting the education of the children. The government data reveals that the education sector has faced a loss of over Rs 90.29 crore and 1096 schools were damaged across Kashmir division. In the absence of infrastructure students are forced to shun the studies. The state government is however unable to repair the infrastructure due to paucity of funds.  Director School Education Shah Faesal said, “Last year’s flood left tens of thousands…

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RSS not reviewing Govt, shares inputs only: Dattatreya Hosabale

Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) Friday said it is not reviewing nor are giving any message to the government but only share inputs. After a three-day “coordination” meeting with the top brass of the government and the BJP, the RSS today said the Modi government was moving in the right direction with commitment and dedication and rejected criticism that it was acting like a “remote control”. The Sangh Parivar’s founthead said it was not reviewing the government’s performance but was only giving “inputs” to ministers, who are swayamsevaks, and it has…

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Mufti tells minister to work on ground

Chief Minister, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed Friday criticized his own Horticulture Minister for not doing enough and asked his ministry to work on ground rather than making speeches in the media. Inaugurating the state’s first-ever high-density apple orchard launched by a young techno-farmer Khurram Mir, Mufti was furious about the little work done by his minister in the horticulture field and asked him to pull his socks to work for the betterment of farmers. “We all must know ground realities are something very different than the claims we make on TV,…

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As Kashmir readies to remember last September floods

HC questions government’s stand over the issue The J&K High Court Friday castigated the government for commemorating anniversary of the floods that struck Kashmir on 7th of September 2014, saying it (govt) was still undecided on granting the much-needed relief package to the people. The previous J&K government had sought a Rs 44000 crore relief package from Union of India in the aftermath of the destructive floods of September 2014. However, the Centre is still non-committal about providing the package for rehabilitation of the people affected and impacted by the…

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Mehbooba concerned over youths’ joining militancy

People Democratic Party (PDP) President and Member Parliament (MP) Mehbooba Mufti today urged India and Pakistan to resume talks for restoring last peace in the region. Addressing party workers here today, Mehbooba expressed concern over loss of lives in border firing and the youths’ joining militant outfits in Kashmir valley. “It is a matter of concern that Kashmiri youth are opting for guns. Prime Minister should move a few steps forward and invite Nawaz Sharif for talks so that a long lasting peace is maintained in the two neighbouring nations”,…

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Omar has compulsive Twitter dependency syndrome: Naeem

National Conference Working President Omar Abdullah has a compulsive Twitter dependency syndrome, the government spokesman Naeem Akhtar said Friday. Akhtar, the senior leader of ruling PDP and Minister for Education, said the former chief minister Omar Abdullah was desperate for being in news. “He wants to be in news somehow and makes such comments on Twitter for that purpose,” Akhtar said. He said Omar was missing power badly. “Otherwise, having been the Home Minister of the State in the past, he knows how SSG security drills go,” Akhtar said.

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‘You can’t have a Hamlet without the Prince of Denmark’

Pakistan won’t accept any talks without Kashmir: Mushahid Hussain Chairman of the Senate’s Committee on Defence, Mushahid Hussain Syed says if India-Pakistan relation is the Shakespearean drama Hamlet, Kashmir is the Prince of Denmark.“You can’t have a Hamlet without the Prince of Denmark,” Syed told a 12-member journalist delegation from Kashmir. “Similarly, India and Pakistan can’t have peace and normalization of relations without resolving Kashmir.” Syed said there was a consensus in the country that Pakistan should engage with India by playing cricket, carrying commerce and indulging in cultural exchanges…

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‘Threat of nuclear war will continue till Kashmir solution’

Senior Hurriyet leader and the Jammu and Kashmir Democratic Freedom Party (DFP) Chairman, Shabbir Ahmad Shah has said that if the Kashmir dispute is not resolved at the earliest, the threat of nuclear war will continue in the region. Shabbir Ahmad Shah in a statement issued in Srinagar lauded the stance of Pakistani leadership on Kashmir regarding talks with India that Kashmiris were the main stakeholders in the dialogue process. He maintained that the rising discourse on Kashmir dispute at global forums was moral victory for the people of Kashmir…

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Azad, Mehbooba, Mir greet public on Janmashtami

Former Chief Minister, Ghulam Nabi Azad Azad, PDP Chief Mehbooba Mufti and J&K Congress Chief Ghulam Ahmed Mir on Saturday greeted people of the state on the auspicious occasion of Janmashtami. He expressed hope that this great occasion will usher in an era of peace, harmony and prosperity in the state. Azad said that spirit of holy festivals is to strengthen the bonds of amity and foster brotherhood and harmony in the society. On this auspicious occasion, Azad also prayed for well-being of the people of the state. “While extending…

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