Month: June 2017

ED issues show cause notice to Syed Ali Shah Geelani for illegal possession of USD 10000

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The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday issued a show-cause notice to hardline Hurriyat Conference leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani, asking him to explain the source of USD 10,000 “illegally” possessed by him in 2002. The foreign currency was seized during Income Tax Department raids at his residence in Srinagar’s Hyderpora area in 2002. The central probe agency issued the notice, under various sections of the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA), to the 87-year-old separatist leader based in Srinagar in Jammu and Kashmir. Geelani heads the hardline faction of the Hurriyat…

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Amarnath Yatra 2017 – Update

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Amarnath yatra suspended due to heavy rains Amarnath yatra from the twin routes of Pahalgam and Baltal was suspended on Friday following heavy rainfall, just a day after the annual yatra to the holy shrine of Amarnath began, an official said. “The yatra has been suspended temporarily in view of the rains that lashed the twin routes early in the morning, ” an official of the Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board (SASB) told PTI. He said the rains have rendered the tracks slippery at some places. “The pilgrims headed for base…

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Glass-topped trains to chug in valley soon

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Railway Minister, CM inaugurate five halt points on Baramulla-Banihal section Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu today promised introduction of glass-topped coaches on the Baramulla-Banihal track so that tourists could explore and enjoy the beauty of Kashmir. Saying the Indian Railways Catering and Tourism Corporation Ltd had been told to include Kashmiri cuisine on its menu for the trains, Prabhu said Kashmiri handicrafts and artefacts would also be put on display at all railway stations across the country. Prabhu said his ministry was committed to the people for promoting and linking its…

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Cong to give go-ahead to new tax structure in J&K

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Due to the tough stand taken by leaders from Jammu and Ladakh, the Congress has decided to support the extension of GST to J&K. The party has convened to its legislator, Aijaz Ahmed, who is the party’s representative in the consultative committee on the GST, to clear the Congress’ stand on the issue. Highly placed sources said after hectic deliberations among senior leaders, a draft was prepared to extend support to the extension of GST to J&K with some conditions. Serious differences came to the fore in the executive committee…

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Civil society picks holes in Govt claims over GST implementation in JK, threatens ‘Civil Disobedience Movement’

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Civil society members, traders and opposition parties Thursday threatened to launch civil disobedience movement if the government implements Goods and Services Tax (GST) in Jammu and Kashmir. Terming the tax bill a “big assault” on the fiscal autonomy of the state, Chairperson of Kashmir Centre for Social and Development Studies (KCSDS), Prof. Hameeda Nayeem said, “The political collaborators take people for granted for keeping themselves in the seat of power.” “It will have bad impact on the traders. It is a big assault on the fiscal autonomy. We need to…

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Taliban-e-Kashmir leader Zakir Musa boasts of revealing information to Indian army that led to rival jihadi group deaths

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A rift between terrorist groups in the Valley is out in the open with Taliban-e-Kashmir leader Zakir Musa claiming that he provided specific information to security forces about half a dozen jihadis who were killed by the Army in the last seven days. All the six militants killed in the two operations belonged to the Lashkar-e-Taiba and included dreaded names such as Junaid Mattoo and Nisar Ahmed. In a video message purportedly issued by Musa’s group, the newly raised terror outfit claimed that it had provided information to government forces…

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Ahead of Burhan Wani’s death anniversary, security forces take steps to prevent attacks by resistance

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Ahead of the last Friday prayer of the Ramzan and the death anniversary of slain terrorist Burhan Wani, security forces have beefed up their presence along national highways and the hinterland. Expecting a turbulent fortnight starting with the last Friday prayer of the Ramzan up to the death anniversary of slain terrorist Burhan Wani in Kashmir on July 8, the security forces have beefed up their presence along national highways and the hinterland to prevent separatists from carrying out attacks in the state. “There will be a spurt in attempts…

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Centre plans to reach out to Kashmiris : Hansraj Gangaram

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The Centre is chalking out a programme to reach out to the Kashmiris, Minister of State for Home Hansraj Gangaram Ahir said on Friday. He told Kashmir Post that he would likely visit the Amarnath shrine next week, and the process of opening a dialogue could be started then. He did not identify the groups with whom the dialogue would be initiated. “It’s our wish to go to the Kashmiris and tell them of the development story. It’s our responsibility to talk to the people; we are looking for a…

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Foreign tourists stay away as unrest continues in Kashmir

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The unrest in Jammu and Kashmir continues to take a toll on the state’s tourism industry with foreign visitors giving it a miss for another year. In 2016, only 63,207 foreign tourists visited the state as compared to 86,477 in 2014. The state has been under the grip of violent protests since July last year following the killing of militant commander Burhan Wani. The state was ranked 23rd in the list of India’s top 36 tourist destinations this year. According to data compiled by the Market Research Division of the…

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2016 Unrest haunts Eid sales in Kashmir

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Economy down, markets bereft of hustle, say traders The severe damage caused to economy due to 2016 unrest is haunting Kashmir businesses badly with traders here saying that markets are down and sales are unable to pick up even ahead of Eid, which has traditionally remained a peak season for retail. Markets used to remain abuzz a week before Eid, however, the situation this time, as per business community, is different with markets remaining bereft of hustle. Complaining of less footfall and minimum sales, traders blame declining purchasing power of…

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