Month: September 2015

ISIS not immediate threat in Kashmir : Deputy CM

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Islamic State, the terrorist organisation which now administers swathes of Syria and Iraq, and spreading fast, was not an immediate threat to Jammu and Kashmir, said Deputy Chief Minister Nirmal Singh. Mr Singh asked the media to ignore the waving of the group’s black flag by a mere “one or two people”. “There is no immediate threat (from the ISIS),” Nirmal Singh said, when asked about the terror group’s activity in his state. The BJP leader, who was addressing a press conference at the Bharatiya Janata Party state headquarters in…

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Mithun Manhas shifts from Delhi to J&K

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Mithun Manhas has made the move from Delhi to Jammu and Kashmir for the 2015-16 Indian domestic season. A native of Jammu, Manhas made his first-class debut for Delhi in 1997-98 after moving to the state in search of opportunities, and has been a vital presence in the Delhi set-up ever since. The domestic veteran has made 9071 runs from 147 first-class games at an average of 45.81, including 25 centuries. The 2015-16 domestic season kicks off with the Ranji Trophy in October, and Manhas will be in focus straight…

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Have a Suggestion, Call Education Ministry

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In a first step towards improving the education sector in Jammu and Kashmir, the state education ministry has established a HELPLINE in the personal office of the Education Minister, Naeem Akhtar. “The step has been taken to ensure timely disposal of grievances of the stakeholders including teachers, students, parents and other concerned,” an official statement said Wednesday evening. Feedback, grievances and suggestions regarding the education department can be sent through SMS and Whatsapp on cell no: 09419013675 or the same can be mailed on educationministerjk@gmail.com. The helpline will be available…

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Peer-ing Into The ABYSS

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Mufti Sayeed’s whirling dervish act sparks a heated conversation about privilege. Muhammad Tahir Last month, we learnt from highly placed sources that the Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir Mufti Sayeed was undergoing hallucinatory experiences; his advanced age of 79 summers taking a toll on his old mind and bladder made him see ghosts of the bygone era called 2002-2005. Now just last week, our sources told us that Mufti was feeling dizzy and then, in the next few moments, whirling like a (very slow) dervish. He was almost going…

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India strongly rejects Pakistan raising Kashmir issue at UN

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She strongly rejected Pakistan raising the issue of Jammu and Kashmir at the Fourth World Conference of Speakers yesterday, saying that the Pakistan representative’s remarks on the issue in the UN are “totally irrelevant”. Strongly rejecting Pakistan’s call for plebiscite in Jammu and Kashmir, India has asserted that the state is an integral part of the country and its citizens have chosen a democratically-elected state government as it lambasted Islamabad for raising the issue at the UN. “Pakistan must know that this is the platform of the Inter-Parliamentary Union where the…

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We will make J&K round the year destination: Secretary Tourism

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Secretary Tourism Farooq Shah interacted with travel trade associations of Kashmir to get their ideas to promote Kashmir to increase both domestic and international tourist arrivals. The travel trade representatives put forth their suggestions and the Secretary Tourism assured them of making J&K a round the year destination. The tourism stakeholders held a two hour long brainstorming session with Farooq Shah and the meeting discussed various ways to and strategies to promote J&K’s unexplored and existing tourism potential. He asked the travel trade fraternity to support the efforts of tourism…

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KEA reiterates shutdown call on Sep 7

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PM made promises in Srinagar but never implemented: Chowdhary Reiterating its call shutdown call for September 7 against government of India’s failure to release rehabilitation package for last year’s flood-affected people of the Valley, Kashmir Economic Alliance (KEA) Tuesday asked People’s Democratic Party (PDP) to withdraw from its coalition partner Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). KEA, an amalgam of various trade bodies, criticized Prime Minister Narindra Modi for not keeping his promises which, it said, he had made to Valley’s business community in Srinagar about rehabilitating flood-affected people. “All sectors of…

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School that survived militancy buckled under deluge

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It survived the turbulent years of militancy, but today DAV school has turned into an abandoned “ghost house” as the school management and the state government have failed to restore the institution after September floods. Established in 1969 at Jawahar Nagar here, DAV school served as one of the prestigious learning institutions of the Valley till it was hit by the floods. “We were given discharge certificate and told to find a new school. There were already fewer students… the school administration played with our future,” said one of the…

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No role for any third party in Indo-Pak talks: BJP

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BJP today said there was no role for any third party, including Hurriyat Conference, in talks between India and Pakistan as per the Simla agreement. “There is no room for any third party interference or consultation for holding talks between India and Pakistan,” state BJP chief spokesperson Sunil Sethi told reporters here. “Dialogue can take place only between the two countries as per the Shimla agreement and any involvement of a person or an organization within or outside India is not acceptable… there is no role for Hurriyat Conference or…

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