Kashmir Shivers as the temperature dips below zero degrees across the Valley

Most of the Kashmir valley witnessed sub-zero temperatures on Wednesday night after the wet weather conditions improved and the sky cleared. The weather office said that the coldest place in the valley on the intervening night of Tuesday and Wednesday was the ski resort of Gulmarg in north Kashmir where the mercury plunged to -11 degrees Celsius, around five notches below normal. The tourist resort of Pahalgam in north Kashmir recorded -9 degrees Celsius while the temperature went to -6.5 degrees Celsius in Kokernag. “The summer capital Srinagar witnessed -2.1…

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Army captain among three named in Shopian Fake encounter charge sheet

The 1,400-page charge sheet was filed in the court of the chief judicial magistrate, Shopian, on Saturday in the killings of Rajouri residents Imtiyaz Ahmed, Abrar Ahmed and Mohammed Abrar. Days after the army completed the summary of evidence in an alleged fake encounter in Shopian on July 18 that left three civilians dead, the Jammu and Kashmir police has filed a charge sheet in court against three persons including an army captain. The 1,400-page charge sheet was filed in the court of the chief judicial magistrate, Shopian, on Saturday…

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Police, admin facilitating horse-trading after DDC poll results: Omar Abdullah

Omar’s remarks came after Jammu and Kashmir Apni Party led by former finance minister Altaf Bukhari announced that Yasmeena Jan has joined the party here earlier in the day. National Conference president Omar Abdullah on Friday accused the police and the administration in Jammu and Kashmir of facilitating horse-trading and defections following the announcement of DDC election results and alleged that some parties were using money, muscle and government coercion to make up the numbers. Omar’s remarks came after Jammu and Kashmir Apni Party led by former finance minister Altaf…

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New Year enthusiasts flocking towards ‘Freezing Kashmir’

Undeterred by the intense cold wave sweeping through the valley, scores of adventure sport lovers and new-year enthusiasts have been rushing to Kashmir, as minimum temperatures across Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh remained below the freezing point on Friday. Among these New Year enthusiasts are also honeymoon couples who are thronging the famous ski resort of Gulmarg, with the minimum temperature dipping to minus 5.6 degrees Celsius. Hotels, huts and other accommodations are all sold out at the ski resort, as authorities are engaged in ensuring comfort for the arriving tourists.…

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J&K Congress has a plan to checkmate BJP, deny it power in 15 district councils

Out of the 278 DDC seats for which results have been declared by the J&K election commission so far, the Congress party bagged 26 seats. The BJP emerged as the largest single party with 75 seats. The Jammu and Kashmir Congress says it will do everything possible to checkmate the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and keep it away from power in district development councils by possibly aligning with anti-BJP parties and independents in around 15 districts of the Union Territory where the saffron party doesn’t have a clear majority. JKPCC…

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Won’t fight elections till Article 370 is restored: Mehbooba Mufti

The results of the Jammu and Kashmir local polls have “exposed” the BJP-led central government and prove that people have not forgotten Article 370, former Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti said today as the Gupkar alliance won big in district council elections. Ms Mufti said the alliance, which includes her People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and Farooq Abdullah’s National Conference, could have done much better had it been given a level playing field.“People have voted en masse for the alliance. It is loud and clear for Delhi to understand that people have…

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Those who sought votes for Article 370 restoration should bring it back within one month: Junaid Mattu

The city Mayor and Apni Party leader on Wednesday said that the candidates who emerged victorious after seeking votes for the restoration of special status, should bring it back within a month. “It stands the responsibility of those people who bagged votes on Article 370 abrogation to bring special status back within one month,” Mattu said while addressing a presser at Srinagar Municipal Committee office here, as per news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO) He said that the District Development Council (DDC) elections were meant for the development process, but candidates…

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Kashmir Votes, and India hails it as normalcy in a Dominated Region

India’s ruling party worked to make Kashmir’s rural development council elections a showcase. But a visit by Times reporters showed a place still struggling under heavy-handed rule. Votes were counted on Tuesday in the first local elections in Kashmir since the Indian government waged a harsh political and security crackdown in the restive region last year. Officials hailed a solid turnout as a sign that democracy has been restored, but little in Kashmir feels normal. “The voting shows democracy being alive at the grass roots,” the region’s top civil servant,…

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If BJP’s three seats in Kashmir is a Win, Then our’s is Landslide and Tsunami: Omar Abdullah

The DDC polls results are a resounding endorsement of Gupkar Alliance’s stand, says former J-K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah As the election results of Jammu and Kashmir indicate, the People’s Alliance for Gupkar Declaration is leading not only in Kashmir but showing significant gains in Jammu, former chief minister Omar Abdullah described the results as a resounding endorsement of their stand. “Our stand on Article 370 and other issues has got a resounding endorsement. We as an alliance fought this election on that,” former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah told. Out…

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Regional alliance trumps BJP in Kashmir Poll

A pro-India political alliance based in Kashmir registered impressive gains in local elections held for the first time since the abrogation of the region’s special constitutional status in August last year. The People’s Alliance for Gupkar Declaration, a grouping of pro-India parties, is expected to win a majority of the 280 seats in the Local Development Council following the elections on Monday. Out of 140 seats in the Muslim-majority valley, the alliance was ahead with close to 90 seats. In the Hindu-dominated Jammu region, where the same number of seats…

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