Day: September 17, 2020

‘End of the road’ for Pro-India politicians in Kashmir

Editor

Many politicians have fallen silent and disappeared from public life after India stripped the region’s autonomy. by Rifat Fareed Sakina Itoo used to motivate Kashmiris to believe that India is better for their future. But the 48-year-old pro-India politician says New Delhi’s decision to strip the Muslim-majority region’s autonomy last August has made her lose face and vulnerable. “We don’t know how to go to people again. We have no answers ourselves, what will we tell them,” Itoo, a former minister in the regional government, told Al Jazeera. Prime Minister…

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Kashmir Issue draws Indian-Americans to Republican Camp

Editor

Though Joe Biden still holds lead over Trump among Indian-American voters, a survey has shown that Donald Trump is making inroads into the Indian-American vote bank. Sharp criticism of India’s Kashmir policies by Democrats served as a wake-up call for many, Republican Indian-Americans say. Seema Sirohi The aggressive stand of some Democrats on the Kashmir issue during last year’s Congressional hearings is the main reason behind the shift in Indian-American vote towards Republicans.Republican Indian-Americans say the sharp criticism of India’s Kashmir policies by Democratic Party members on Capitol Hill served…

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Kashmiris fear domicile certificates exercise to change demographics: Saifuddin Soz

Editor

Congress leader and former Union minister Saifuddin Soz has said the issuance of a large number of domicile certificates in J&K has led to apprehensions of demographic changes among Kashmiris. In a statement on Wednesday he said it is alarming that the UT administration has issued over 17 lakh Domicile Certficates, of these, 12.44 lakh certificates have been issued in Jammu, while 4.16 lakh certificates have been issued in Kashmir. “The most worrying aspect of this hot-haste exercise is that these certificates have been issued to those persons also who…

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When should schools be reopened?

Editor

State governments are in a dilemma – should schools be opened when the epidemic is still raging? T Jacob John, Dhanya Dharmapalan Across India, about 1.5 million schools were shut as part of the nation-wide lockdown, affecting 247 million children, from midnight of 24 March 2020. During the initial lockdown period, which was set at 21 days, the number of infections increased 2,100 per cent, from 536 to 11,487, according to official figures. Although the spread of the epidemic was disappointing, yet, by removing school children as vectors of transmission,…

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Three rebels, woman killed; CRPF officer wounded in Batmaloo gunfight

Editor

Three rebels and a 45-year-old woman were killed and an officer of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) injured in a gunfight in Batmaloo area of Srinagar district on Thursday. In a tweet, a police spokesman said that three rebels were killed in the gunfight whose identity is being ascertained. He said searches are still going on in the area. A senior police officer told news agency GNS that a woman identified as Kounsar Riyaz of Batmaloo received a bullet wound during the gunfight. She was immediately shifted to Police hospital,…

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