Day: August 21, 2017

Ensure no hindrance in animal sacrifice on Eid: Shahi Imam

Editor

Asserting that Muslims were not in favour of sacrificing cows due to the religious sensitivities involved, Jama Masjid’s Shahi Imam said on Monday that he had urged the Centre to ensure no hindrance in the sacrifice of other animals on Eid-ul-Azha but got no response. Maulana Syed Ahmed Bukhari said he had written to Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on the issue a few weeks ago but the Ministry had neither acknowledged nor responded to his letter. Eid-ul-Azha is scheduled to be celebrated on September 2. In his letter, the…

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Zakir Musa back in action, vows to take jihad to the last corner of India

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Nearly 10 days after reports that al-Qaeda’s recently announced Kashmir unit chief Zakir Musa was trapped by security forces in Pulwama’s Tral area, the Burhan Wani successor is back in action. In a detailed statement, surfaced on Saturday, Musa-led Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind, a unit of al-Qaeda, has openly threatened Indian authorities, vowing to “take jihad to the last corner” of the country and by listing its targets. Al-Hurr, the propaganda arm of the newly formed terror group, posted the three-page statement on social media, which was accessed and put forth by…

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Geelani seeks ‘Insaniyat, Kashmiriyat, Jamhooriat’ to resolve Kashmir Issue

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Hardline separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani has sought “insaniyat”, Kashmiriyat” and “Jamhooriat” to resolve the Kashmir dispute — ideas he derided when then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee propagated them in 2003. “We want India to exhibit insaniyat (humanity), Kashmiriyat (composite secular, eclectic Kashmiri culture) and jamhuriat (democracy). Nothing else,” the ailing octogenarian Hurriyat Chairman said, talking to his supporters in a videographed address from a hospital here. The nearly 2.30-minute video clip, recorded apparently on Sunday, comes amid the NIA swooping on Kashmiri separatist leaders, including Geelani’s two…

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Not just one, three petitions challenge Article 35A

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As Jammu and Kashmir is in a bit of uncertainty over the challenge to Article 35A of Indian Constitution in the Supreme Court, it has come to fore that not just one but three petitions challenging the validity of the law have been filed in the apex court. From questioning the President’s powers to claims that Article 35A violates basic structure of the Constitution of India and promotes gender bias, the petitioners have taken different grounds to challenge the Constitutional provision that grants special rights to residents of Jammu and…

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After PM’s Kashmir outreach, 4 Member team from Delhi visits south Kashmir

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‘Group intends to open communication channels with Hurriyat’ Soon after former external affairs minister, Yashwant Sinha’s team wound up its third visit to Kashmir on Saturday, yet another team arrived in the Valley and travelled to south Kashmir. The team headed by the Chairman Indian Council of Food and Agriculture, M J Khan comprises noted journalist Shahid Siddiqui, West Asia expert Qamar Agha and Justice (Rtd) Ishrat Masroor Quddusi. The foursome soon after landing in Srinagar, travelled to south Kashmir, which has been the epicenter of protests after the killing…

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Claims galore on Article 35A

Editor

As nationwide debate on Article 35A of the Constitution has started, self-proclaimed experts on Kashmir are staking claims that it was all due to their exclusive studies that countrywide discussions on this provision have begun. Recently, a seminar on Article 35A was held at Jammu, attended by members of the civil society. Interestingly, most of the speakers made every attempt to give an impression to the civil society that just they have the real authority on the Article. Instead of discussing the ‘pros and cons’ of the Article, speakers tried…

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Alert! Solar eclipse can leave you blind: Dr Nisar ul Hassan

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With solar eclipse nearing, Doctors Association Kashmir (DAK) today advised that looking directly at the sun during eclipse with bare eyes could cause permanent damage to your eyes. President DAK Dr Nisar ul Hassan in a statement said that watching solar eclipse without protective gear could lead to permanent reduction in vision and even blindness. On Monday, August 21, a total solar eclipse will be witnessed for the first time in 99 years. “Under no circumstances should people stare into the sun without eye-protection as that can leave them blind.”

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Twist to Article 35A row, key file goes missing from Home Ministry

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A key Kashmir file justifying the insertion of Article 35A into the Constitution has gone missing from the high security vaults of North Block in New Delhi, a media report said today. The incident comes at a time when the Supreme Court is hearing a petition by an RSS-backed NGO seeking the abrogation of the Article, which bars outsiders from acquiring land or jobs in Jammu and Kashmir. “A 63-year-old file containing legal opinion on Article 35A has vanished from North Block’s high-security vaults at a time the provision, which…

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100 Open-sky schools in Jammu to get buildings

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Students in remote areas of the district face hardships due to lack of proper infrastructure at open-sky schools, which functioning without buildings and often face closure due to bad weather. Nearly 100 open-sky schools in Jammu district, which often face closure due to bad weather, will get buildings by this year-end under the Jammu and Kashmir government’s ‘TAMIER’ project, an official said on Sunday. Sub-divisional magistrates have been assigned the job of supervising the construction of these buildings by the rural development department, District Development Commissioner Shahid Iqbal Choudhary said.…

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Stone pelting cases declining in Kashmir: Rajnath Singh

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Incidents of stone-throwing have reduced in Jammu and Kashmir due to the role of the National Investigation Agency (NIA), Home Minister Rajnath Singh has said today. He said incidents of naxalism, terrorism and extremism have also seen a downward trend in the last three years. “You have seen the role of the NIA in Jammu and Kashmir, where incidents of stone-throwing have come down. We have taken a pledge for India’s security and strict action is being taken for this. We will accept challenges and in the past three years,…

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