Buddhist-Majority Leh & Muslim-Majority Kargil unite to demand autonomy for Ladakh

Buddhist-Majority Leh & Muslim-Majority Kargil unite to demand autonomy for Ladakh

Since 2019, when Jammu and Kashmir were reduced to two union territories, Ladakhis have found themselves without a legislature and without powers over laws affecting livelihoods and community rights. Buddhist and Muslim organisations now demand statehood, more political representation, and a constitutional right to self-govern. By – Tarushi Aswani “Leh was ecstatic” Despite being from a party that opposed the move, Congressman Deldan Namgyal, 43, said he felt “happy” on 5 August 2019. As military columns secured the state of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K), a communications blackout was imposed, and…

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Why Kashmir is feeling the ripples of Taliban’s Afghanistan takeover

Why Kashmir is feeling the ripples of Taliban’s Afghanistan takeover

By – Aarish Bilal It has been around two weeks since the Taliban took over the control of almost the entire Afghanistan. The group is now trying to stabilize its hold on the country that has seen more than four decades of unrest and is still craving peace. At the same time, the Taliban is now working on the diplomatic front to generate legitimacy and goodwill for itself. Countries like Pakistan are more than willing to oblige. However, thousands of miles away from Afghanistan, a small place like Kashmir is…

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Global spotlight on harassment of J&K Journalists grows with latest letter from UN Experts

Global spotlight on harassment of J&K Journalists grows with latest letter from UN Experts

The communication joins a list of the growing chorus by global bodies and international watchdogs against the worsening press freedom scenario in India. By – Shakir Mir The UN Special Rapporteur for protection of the right to freedom of expression’s “serious concerns” over the reports of arbitrary detentions and intimidation of journalists in Kashmir is the latest in what has been a global spotlight on Jammu and Kashmir’s lack of press freedom. The communication, sent to the Indian government on June 3 earlier this year, was made public on Wednesday,…

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Hurriyat at a crossroads

Hurriyat at a crossroads

The Hurriyat Conference, the political platform of separatists in Kashmir, is getting increasingly marginalised, with the Centre cracking down on its leaders and considering a ban on both factions. By -Bashaarat Masood After banning the Jamat-e-Islami and the Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF), there have been reports that the Centre is considering a ban on both factions of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference. What does the Hurriyat Conference stand for, and what is its relevance? The beginnings In the winter of 1992, when militancy was at its peak in…

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Tarigami moves Supreme Court to challenge abrogation of Article 370, 35-A

Tarigami moves Supreme Court to challenge abrogation of Article 370, 35-A

Prays for an early hearing of the case in the ‘interest of justice. The Central Committee of Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI-M) and spokesperson of the People’s Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD), MY Tarigami Friday filed a writ petition in the Supreme Court of India, challenging the constitutional validity of abrogation of Article 370 and 35-A and passing of the Jammu and Kashmir (Reorganisation) Act 2019 in the parliament, which bifurcated the state into two Union Territories. In the written petition, Tarigami has prayed before the Supreme Court to…

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Is Social Media Journalism in Kashmir a Pernicious Progress?

Is Social Media Journalism in Kashmir a Pernicious Progress?

By Ummar Jamal On Saturday soon after police arrested Ashiq Mir, one of the associates of Shahid Imran, running a social media page –Kashmir Crown—in connection with a case of exhortation under section 383 of IPC, social media journalism became the recent talk of the street. Social media journalism was targeted for inauthenticity and unreliability. Journalists associated with print and television media voiced that social media journalism had degraded the prestige of journalism. They exclaimed that nowadays every Tom, Dick, and Harry buy a mic and put on an identity…

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‘Film-City’ in Kashmir on cards, Govt mulling to encourage owners to re-open existing cinema halls

‘Film-City’ in Kashmir on cards, Govt mulling to encourage owners to re-open existing cinema halls

The government of Jammu and Kashmir is mulling to encourage and incentivize owners to reopen closed cinema halls in Kashmir Valley. Pertinently, cinema halls in Valley were closed after the eruption of militancy back in the 1990s. Some of the cinema halls of Valley have been converted into medical facilities, malls or have been occupied by government forces. Film Policy-2021 which has been implemented in Jammu and Kashmir states that besides encourages cinema hall owners to re-open their cinema houses, incentives will be offered to them. The government is also…

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India & Pakistan should sit together to resolve outstanding issues: Taliban

India & Pakistan should sit together to resolve outstanding issues - Taliban

In his first comments on Kashmir, Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid has said that Pakistan and India should sit together to resolve all their outstanding issues because both are neighbors and their interests are linked to each other. Mujahid made the remarks during a wide-ranging interview with Pakistani TV channel ARY News. On Jammu and Kashmir, Zabihullah said New Delhi needs to have a “positive attitude towards the disputed territory”, ARY News reported. About ties with countries, particularly India, Mujahid said the Taliban desires good ties with all nations, including India…

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‘Only unity can take people out from Suppression, Repression and Oppression’, somebody’s ideology can’t be changed on gunpoint: Mehbooba Mufti

‘Only unity can take people out from Suppression, Repression and Oppression’, somebody’s ideology can’t be changed on gunpoint: Mehbooba Mufti

While laying emphasis on the need for unity, former Jammu Kashmir Chief Minister and Peoples Democratic Party President Mehbooba Mufti Tuesday said that ‘only unity can take people out from suppression, repression, and oppression.’ She was addressing workers at the People’s Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD) meeting in Srinagar. “There is so much suppression,” she said adding that this suppression can be tackled and get rid of by the unity which is the need of the hour. “We are facing a lot of suppression. Let us see when elections are…

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PAGD seeks restoration of Article 370, 35-A & Full Statehood

PAGD seeks restoration of Article 370, 35-A & Full Statehood

J&K people being humiliated, its consequences can be dangerous for the entire nation, have renewed pledge to fight till pre-Aug 4, 2019 position is restored: Tarigami People’s Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD) on Tuesday passed a resolution, demanding restoration of Article 370, 35A and the full Statehood to Jammu, Kashmir, and Ladakh. The conglomerate also stated that the people of the Union Territory are being humiliated and thus must be stopped as its consequences can be dangerous for the entire nation. Addressing a press conference after holding a meeting, PAGD…

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