Month: February 2018

‘Harassed’ by cops, residents flee Kathua village

Editor

The alleged rape and murder of an eight-year-old girl in Kathua today turned murkier when fear-stricken villagers belonging to the Hindu community from Rasana village migrated for “safety”, alleging “torture and harassment” of their children by the Crime Branch of the J&K Police which is conducting the investigation into the case. Local villagers, including women and young children, said they were living under “constant fear” due to “random detention of young children” in the name of questioning and refused to return to their native village. Hundreds of people of adjoining…

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Haj airfares slashed, J&K benefits most

Editor

A month after it scrapped subsidies for Haj pilgrims, the government today announced a significant reduction in airfares for devotees travelling to Saudi Arabia, with the prices of round tickets being slashed by Rs 20,000 to Rs 97,000. Union Minority Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi described the move as a “major step” that would end the “political and economic exploitation of Haj performers as was being done during the Congress-led UPA regime”, allegedly in the name of offering subsidies. The minister said the move sought to address concerns about airfares going…

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Abu Haris a Pakistani militant injured in Hajin gunfight succumbs laid to rest by locals

Editor

A Pakistani militant who was injured in a gunfight with a joint team of government forces at Hajin on Monday has succumbed to injuries. Identified as Abu Haris, the militant was buried in the Hajin and a large number of people attended his funeral. This is for the first time in recent past that a foreign militant has been buried by the locals. The authorities had barred people from burying the foreign militants after a huge funeral was witnessed to Abu Qasim, Lashkar-e-Toiba commander who was killed in a gunfight…

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Kashmir witnesses 161 Hepatitis, 207 Chickenpox cases in 2017

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At least 161 cases of hepatitis and 207 cases of chickenpox have been reported in 2017 from Kashmir valley, fresh figures of health department have revealed. According to figures available with Directorate of Health Services Kashmir, at least 207 cases of chickenpox were reported in Kashmir between January-December 2017 but there is no mention of where from these cases were reported. The figures reveal that 161 cases of hepatitis (an inflammation of the liver) were reported in the previous year. Government figures reveal that the cases have gone down as…

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BJP Minister’s segregating Kashmiri Officers

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Saffron party’s ministers decline Kashmiris, Muslims as Admin Secys Kashmiri officers threaten mass resignation, raise issue with ministers, to take up matter with PM The Secretary-level Kashmiri officers Monday threatened mass resignation after they were conveyed that no Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) minister was willing to take them as administrative secretaries in their ministries. According to sources, after they were conveyed the decision of the rightwing BJP ministers, they raised the issue with some ministers of the BJP’s ruling ally Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who informed Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti…

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PDP manipulated khadi board recruitments: National Conference

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The selection of the Chief Minister’s cousin in a state-level exam has turned into a major political controversy as the National Conference (NC), the lead opposition party in the legislative Assembly, today accused the ruling PDP of manipulating the recruitment process. The party leaders said “someone has to be held accountable” for the illegal selections for the various posts of the Khadi and Village Industries Board (KVIB), Waqf Board, Sports Council and Integrated Child Development Services. “In recent days, some such issues have come to the fore, which are directly…

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Under trial militant killed, policeman injured in grenade attack in Tral

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The attack comes a day after two policemen were killed by militants in two separate attacks. A militant was killed in a grenade blast as his attempt to escape police custody was foiled on Monday at police station in Tral area of south Kashmir’s Pulwama district, officials said, adding that a policeman was also injured. “A terrorist Mushtaq Chopan died in grenade explosion when challenged by sentry while trying to escape from police station Tral,” director general of state police SP Vaid wrote on Twitter. The attack comes a day…

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400 Truce violations in 57 days: Pakistan leaves Kashmir reeling

Editor

The line of control in Jammu and Kashmir between India and Pakistan remains extremely volatile, with ceasefire violations (CFVs) already jumping to over 400 in the first two months of this year. Apart from civilians, Pakistan has lost 23 soldiers in the firing duels, while the tally for India is 16 till now. If this trend continues-and it has shown no signs of ebbing as yet-then 2018 is likely to record the highest number of CFVs along the LoC in 15 years since the ceasefire along the 198-km international border…

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I quit: Kashmiri student’s last note before he went missing from AIIMS Bhubaneswar 2 weeks ago

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A second-year Kashmiri student of All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Bhubaneswar, has been missing for more than two weeks now. Suhail Aijaz, a resident of Kupwara district of Jammu and Kashmir and pursing MBBS at the institute since 2016, left his hostel on February 9 and has been missing since then. “Police made a preliminary enquiry and found that he left a note saying ‘I quit’. We traced his location to Kolkata. His number is switched off till date,” Rajendra Prasad Sharma, DGP Odisha, said. “One of our…

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Kashmir Calling: Hoteliers slash rates by 30% across Kashmir Valley

Editor

The hoteliers of the Kashmir valley have announced 30 per cent discount for the intending tourists for the coming spring and summer seasons. A Tourism Department official today said the announcement was made during a seminar organised jointly by the department and the Kashmir Hotel and Restaurant Owners’ Federation (KHAROF) in Kolkata. KHAROF president Abdul Wahid Malik said their body had 600 members and the discount was being offered in an effort to boost tourist arrivals to the Valley. “We are announcing 30 per cent rebate on our tariffs so…

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