Massive clashes erupted in Drubgam village of Pulwama in south Kashmir on Monday after mourners were prevented from taking part in the last rites of slain Jaish militant Manzoor Ahmad Baba. Baba was killed along with an associate Fardeen Ahmad Khandey after they mounted an attack on CRPF training centre in Lethpora area of Awantipora yesterday. Eye witnesses and reports said that forces had laid an outer cordon to prevent militants from reaching the village to offer gun salute. Soon, clashes erupted as the people staged massive protests. Witnesses said…
Read MoreDay: January 1, 2018
Getting militants to mainstream part of ‘Operation All-out’: DGP Vaid
Claiming that ‘Operation All-out’ is a holistic strategy to bring back normalcy, J&K Police chief Shesh Paul Vaid today disclosed that they had been able to dissuade at least 70 youth from joining militancy this year. Outlining the achievements of 2017, Vaid said the “fight against terrorism will continue till lasting peace is restored in the state”. “But at the same time, our priority will be to bring the local youth (who have joined militancy) back on the right path. With the collective efforts of parents, civil society and the…
Read MoreSpring of Kashmir
The word spring comes from the German word springer, which refers to “leaping from the ground”. Without going much in scientific definitions, in simple terms it is any natural situation where water flows to the surface of the earth from underground. During my Ph. D work, I have surveyed almost all the areas of Kashmir valley for collection of aquatic plants. In all the districts of Kashmir valley, I have experienced that small springs were the primary source of drinking water and even in most parts small springs water channels…
Read MoreAt -15.2 degrees, Leh coldest in J&K
Srinagar city recorded a minimum temperature of minus 3.6 degrees Celsius on Saturday night, while the mercury in Qazigund in south Kashmir settled at a low of minus 4.0 degrees Celsius Leh experienced the coldest night of this winter with the minimum temperature there settling around 15 degrees Celsius below the freezing point, as the mercury continued its downward trend in Kashmir valley and Ladakh region. Leh town, in the frontier Ladakh region of Jammu and Kashmir, recorded a minimum temperature of minus 15.2 degrees Celsius on Saturday night, against…
Read MoreGovt chooses Pahalgam over Gulmarg to ring in New Year
“We celebrated New Year at Pahalgam so that the resort would become popular as a winter destination. Pahalgam also receives good snowfall, besides it has a potential for winter adventure sports activities,” Mahmood A Shah, Kashmir Tourism Director The Tourism Department this year preferred Pahalgam resort over the bustling Gulmarg ski resort to usher in New Year. “This year, we celebrated New Year at Pahalgam to promote the destination for winter tourism. Pahalgam, which primarily is a summer destination, receives lesser tourist footfall in winter as compared to Gulmarg which…
Read MoreMuslim women can now perform Hajj without ‘Mehram’: PM Narendra Modi
Calling the policy allowing Muslim women to perform Hajj only in the company of a male guardian as “injustice”, Prime Minister NarendraModi said on Sunday that his government has removed the restriction following which hundreds of women have applied to travel alone for the holy pilgrimage. According to the ministry of minority affairs, Muslim women aged above 45 will now be allowed to go for the pilgrimage without ‘mahram’ in a group of at least four. In his monthly radio address ‘Mann kiBaat’, Modi said that removal of the restriction…
Read MoreSeven dead after militants storm paramilitary camp in Kashmir
Militants stormed a central reserve police force (CRPF) camp in Lethpora area along the Srinagar-Anantnag highway in an audacious pre-dawn strike on Sunday, killing at least five CRPF personnel, officials said, even as the anti-militancy operation, which continued for at least 16 hours, was suspended for the night. Two militants, both local, were killed in the gunfight while reports said that another militant is still believed to be holed up. A police official said that a group of militants carrying under-barrel grenade launchers and automatic weapons took positions in the…
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