Day: May 28, 2018

Venkaiah Naidu backs Centre on dialogue with Pakistan, Hurriyat

Editor

Vice-President M. Venkaiah Naidu on Monday backed union government’s proposal over talks with Pakistan and the Hurriyat Conference, saying India is willing to have dialogue with anyone but the initiative must be reciprocated. “We want to have good relations with all, including Pakistan. We don’t have any problem in talking with our neighbours, including immediate neighbour (Pakistan) but they (neighbour) also have to reciprocate in same manner,” he said. The remark comes just days after Home minister Rajnath Singh said the government was ready to hold dialogue with the Hurriyat…

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Geelani says no talks with India till it accepts Kashmir as a ‘Dispute’

Editor

On Thursday morning, the Jammu and Kashmir government allowed a seminar hosted by Tehreek-e-Hurriyat, led by Syed Ali Shah Geelani, to commemorate the 140th birth anniversary of Sir Muhammad Iqbal. It was a rare occasion for Tehreek-e-Hurriyat activists, majority of whom were arrested after last year’s unrest, to huddle under a single roof and break the bread together. There were many firsts in the conference. Geelani broke down on seeing his long-time associate and Hurriyat general secretary MA Sehrai after ‘several years’, despite living in the same city, due to…

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Efforts on to forge pro-Jammu political outfit before 2019 elections

Editor

Encouraged by a huge turnout at the Dogra Swabhiman Rally organised by former Forest Minister Choudhary Lal Singh on May 20, attempts are being made to bring all pro-Jammu leaders on a common platform. This is being done to forge a new regional political outfit before the Lok Sabha elections so as to provide people an alternative to the mainstream parties. Separate meetings of Lal Singh and Congress leader Sham Lal Sharma with Vikramaditya Singh, the scion of the Dogra dynasty, have fuelled rumours about the formation of a new…

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Police cracks down on ‘Keypad Jihadis’

Editor

Ahead of the annual Amarnathyata, Police has launched a crackdown on ‘keypad Jihadis’. Jammu Kashmir Police have a new task at hand — identify the social media users who try and create a law and order situation in the State by spreading rumours on the internet or giving communal colour to any event. The Police registered cases against five Twitter handles and filed complaints with service providers against such misleading posts on Facebook and WhatsApp so that necessary action is taken at the earliest, officials said. The officials said a…

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Border dwellers warn mass migration to Jammu with cattle, belongings, threaten to encroach ministers’ houses

Editor

Enraged over the “casual approach” being adopted by the successive state governments to ensure their security, border dwellers on Sunday threatened to encroach on palatial official bungalows of ministers and legislators to “make them realise how it feels to be displaced amid scorching heat”. Border inhabitants have also warned mass migration with their cattle and belongings from their respective villages to Jammu to “awake the ruling elites from deep slumber”. “Our patience is running out. Killing of innocent civilians and extensive damage to property has become a routine affair on…

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03 Soldiers injured in Shopian IED blast, Internet snapped; Train service suspended partially post civilian killing in Pulwama

Editor

Three army men were injured after suspected militants triggered an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) blast in south Kashmir’s Shopian district on Monday. A police official said that the militants triggered the blast around 7:50 am in Turkwangam village of the district as a Casper vehicle of army’s 44 RR passed through the area. “Three soldiers have suffered injuries in the blast,” he said, adding they were rushed to a hospital for treatment. Soon after the blast, additional forces were rushed to the area. However, youth took to streets and clashed…

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Resistance Camp maintain discreet silence over Rajnath’s talks offer

Editor

While senior separatist leaders have maintained a discreet silence over the dialogue offer by Home Minister Rajnath Singh, the Democratic Freedom Party, led by jailed Hurriyat Conference leader Shabir Shah, said the seriousness of the offer would be determined only if the government orders the forces to go back to the barracks, engages all parties of the dispute in talks and releases all political prisoners. The party said it would help in creating a conducive atmosphere for dialogue as it was the only effective way to resolve issues. “However, it…

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At 42.5°C, Jammu witnesses hottest day of season

Editor

The city of temples reeled under intense heat wave conditions, recording the hottest day of the season on Sunday. The maximum temperature recorded in Jammu was 42.5°C — the highest this season, which is 3.4 degrees above normal during this part of the season, a spokesperson of the meteorological (MeT) department said. He said the night temperature also shot up by four notches to settle at 28.9°C, making it the hottest night of the season to date. Katra, the famous town and the base camp for the pilgrims visiting the…

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