Month: October 2015

File status report on flood relief package: HC to Centre

Editor

The Jammu and Kashmir High Court today gave one more week to the Union Government to file the status report on the relief package meant for the September 2014 flood victims. During the resumed hearing of a public interest litigation on the September 2014 floods, the division bench of Chief Justice N Paul Vasanthakumar and Justice Hasnain Masoodi said the Central government should file the status report on the relief package within one week or else the Union Finance Secretary should be present in person on November 3, the next…

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Chilly weather in Kashmir ahead of winter

Editor

People woke up here to a chilly Wednesday morning as the mercury dipped to below freezing point in most parts of Jammu and Kashmir. The lowest temperature of minus 6.1 degrees Celsius was recorded in Leh town of Ladakh region. “The overnight minimum temperature in Srinagar was 1.5 degrees Celsius, that is five degrees below normal,” an official of the local weather office told IANS. The official, however, said the weather would remain dry during the next 24 hours in Jammu and Kashmir. “There will be clear skies today (Wednesday)…

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IRCTC charts out ‘Mesmerizing Kashmir’ package

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The Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation Ltd (IRCTC) has drawn up an itinerary for travellers based in Mumbai to visit landmarks of Jammu & Kashmir, including the Vaishnodevi shrine and Gulmarg. The 10-night/11-day ‘Mesmerizing Kashmir’ package is scheduled for November 14, and the tariff starts from INR 22,839 onwards, stated a release. The tour would start from Bandra station and will take patrons to Jammu, Katra, Srinagar, Gulmarg and Pahalgam, covering most of the tourist places in the state. The package tariff is INR 34,608/- per person on a…

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Sgr-Leh highway and Mughal road reopen for traffic

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Traffic on the 434-km-long highway, connecting the Ladakh region with the Kashmir valley resumed on Tuesday after remaining suspended due to snowfall for three days. The Srinagar-Jammu highway and historic Mughal road, linking the Shopian in south Kashmir with Rajouri and Poonch in Jammu region were also through for both way traffic. According to traffic police sources traffic on Srinagar-Leh highway was allowed last evening. They said that vehicles stranded at Drass, the second coldest place in the world after Siberia and Meenmarg for the past three days were allowed…

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Abu Qasim mastermind of Udhampur attack killed in encounter in South Kashmir

Editor

In a major success for security forces, top Lashkar-e-Taiba commander Abu Qasim, accused of masterminding the Udhampur attack, was killed in an overnight encounter in Kulgam district of Jammu and Kashmir. Qasim, a Pakistani terrorist, had planned the attack on a Border Security Force convoy in Udhampur on August 5, according to the National Investigation Agency. Two BSF personnel were killed in that attack. While one of the terrorists, Mohammed Noman, was killed in retaliatory fire, another, Mohammad Naveed, was later captured by villagers. Last night, a joint team of…

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How women activists can help Jammu and Kashmir make progress in democracy and peace

Editor

Nyla Ali Khan, The partially autonomous northern Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir is a beautiful part of the world – and also one of three areas of Kashmir divided into areas of control by India, Pakistan, and China and marred by a long history of violent political and ethic struggles. I love it well.  The area is my homeland, and my family has been part of its history. My maternal grandfather, Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah, laid the foundation of resistance politics in Kashmir in 1931 and was the first Muslim…

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We will teach ‘Informers’ of south Kashmir a lesson, says Hizb

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Militant outfit Hizb-ul-Mujhadeen Tuesday said that Indian agents are active and have been helping Indian forces to track and assassinate Kashmiri militants. Chief Spokesperson Hizbul Mujhadeen Burhan-u-deen told CNS on phone that Indian agents are active in Kashmir and it is because of these agents that militants are being killed in different parts of Kashmir. “We have directed our intelligence chief to identify and expose those agents who help to kill these militants,” he said. He said that it is really shocking and disturbing for us that Indian agents in…

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Australian delegation on appraisal trip to Kashmir

Editor

Need to take tangible steps for removing adverse travel advisories: CM A high-profile Australian delegation is currently visiting Jammu and Kashmir for first-hand appraisal about the situation in the State to help Australian government decide over revoking travel advisory to the conflict-hit region. Advisor to the J&K chief minister, Amitabh Mattoo, said the delegation will collect vital feedback which will help the Australian government rethink on its advisory against travelling to J&K. “The purpose of the exposure visit is to make the delegation take firsthand appraisal about J&K as a…

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‘Where is Mehbooba Mufti Now?’ asks NC, Condemns ‘Arrest Spree’ in South Kashmir

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National Conference Tuesday condemned the arrest spree of youngsters in south Kashmir areas and bashed PDP for what it called ‘hypocritical politics’. “Where is Mehbooba Mufti especially that Mehbooba who posed as sympathizer of youth before her party came to power?” Provincial Spokesperson National Conference said in a statement issued to KNS today. Castigating the PDP President for her ‘hypocritical’ statements he said, “she used to shed crocodile tears for the arrested youth and had promised that all political prisoners would be released if she came to power. Now it…

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Pakistan trained terror groups to fight in Kashmir, says Pervez Musharraf

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The former army chief was responding to a question about action against LeT’s Hafiz Saeed and Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi.He said Saeed and Lakhvi type people enjoyed the status of heroes at that time. Former president Pervez Musharraf has admitted that Pakistan supported and trained groups like Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) in 1990s to carry out militancy in Kashmir. “In 1990s the freedom struggle began in Kashmir… At that time Lashkar-e-Toiba and 11 or 12 other organisations were formed. We supported them and trained them as they were fighting in Kashmir at the…

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