Month: December 2015

Geelani slams parents for sending girls on Army-sponsored tours

Editor

Chairman Tehreek-e-Hurriyat and Hurriyat (G), Syed Ali Geelani Wednesday expressed concern over the participation of Kashmiri girls in Army-sponsored tours. According to a press release issued by Tehreek-e-Hurriyat, Geelani “expressed deep sorrow over the conscience of those parents who send their daughters on the Indian army sponsored tours”. “This army is involved in hundreds of gang rape cases in Kashmir and people who hand over their daughters in the hands of such cruel and rapist forces should die of shame,” Geelani said during a seerat conference organized by it at…

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Police announce reward for info on militants

Editor

Posters with names and photographs of wanted militants have been pasted at many places across Tral town in Pulwama district. The posters ask the public to give any information regarding the whereabouts of these militants to the police or any other security agency. “Anybody who passes on information regarding these terrorists will be duly rewarded,” read the posters in Urdu and in English. All militants appearing in the posters are residents of Tral and members of the Hizbul Mujahideen. The militants include Azhar Ahmad Bhat and Shakir Ahmad Dar of…

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First cable-stayed bridge of North opens today

Editor

Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar will inaugurate Northern India’s first cable-stayed bridge on the Ravi river in the Basohli area of Kathua district on Thursday. The 592-metre-long bridge is important for quick induction of armed forces from Punjab to J&K. The load of the bridge will be borne by 96 cables supported by two towers Built at a cost of Rs 14,543.52 lakh, the bridge will provide additional route to Srinagar from Pathankot. It will shorten Pathankot-Basohli distance by over 35 km

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Milad Processions in Kashmir

Editor

How the political history of modern Kashmir is suffused with a purely religious event Zahir-ud-Din The Milad processions have played a significant role in Kashmir politics since Sher-e-Kashmir’s times. The processions helped him mobalise people.  He would lead the procession every year and recite naa’ts in his melodious voice. His naa’ts evoked massive response from the people and added to his popularity. He continued to take out processions for some years after converting Muslim Conference into National Conference. However, he had to abandon the practice following severe criticism from the…

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Power thieves to be booked from Jan 1

Editor

Amid public outcry over long and frequent power cuts, Power Development Department (PDD) has decided to book people found guilty of power theft from January 1. Officials confirmed that government has decided to book the offenders under the J&K State Electricity Regulatory Act (JKSERA) of 2010, which provides provision of legal action against those who misuse the electricity and resort to theft. The offenders can face imprisonment of upto five years and fine. In August, the State Vigilance Commission (SVC) had directed the government to register criminal cases against those…

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79 youths took to militancy this year

Editor

30% increase: Last year 60 youths joined militant ranks Seventy nine youths in the Kashmir valley have joined various terror outfits this year, a figure which is 30 per cent higher than that of the previous year, the Rajya Sabha was informed today. Replying to a written question by BJP member Lal Sinh Vadodia, Minister of State for Home Haribhai Parathibhai Chaudhary said 79 youths had joined militant ranks during 2015 (as on November 30) whereas 60 youths had joined militant ranks during the corresponding period of 2014. There has…

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NC’s youth wing joins protest against food Act

Editor

The youth wing of the National Conference on Wednesday joined the protest against the new food Act, which has drawn criticism from separatists and residents of the region. The protesters led by NC youth wing president Salman Sagar marched from the party headquarters to Regal Chowk in the heart of the city’s busy commercial centre, where they were stopped by the police. The protesters shouted slogans against the state government and Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed over the new food Act. Several demonstrators, including Sagar, were detained by the police…

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Teachers outnumber students in migrant schools

Editor

At a time when the widening gap of student-teacher ratio in government schools in the state is a cause of concern, in the schools for migrant, known as migrant schools, which have been opened by the government in the winter capital, there is entirely different scenario. In some schools, teachers outnumber students enrolled. Further, some of the schools are having zero enrolment of students. Migrant schools were established in 1990 after the migration of 3.50 lakh Kashmiri Hindus from the Valley. Initially, these institutions were opened at Muthi, Purkhoo, Mishriwala…

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Lack of parking space at political parties’ offices creates traffic chaos

Editor

All the major political parties of Jammu and Kashmir do not have parking space at their party headquarters in Jammu, which creates major traffic chaos during any function in the party office. All the main political parties have their party headquarters in Jammu, from where they operate, but interestingly all these party offices do not have parking space for vehicles of their leaders and workers. However, the BJP, which claims to have a small lot of parking space, is working in an unsafe building located at the most crowded place…

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Confusion at GMC after Pampori’s flip-flop

Editor

Government Medical College (GMC) here is in the middle of a controversy with Principal Rafiq Pampori first seeking voluntary retirement and then changing his mind after meeting with Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed. Pampori went on protest leave on Friday and also applied for voluntary retirement from his services. The Health Department, meanwhile, appointed noted child specialist Kaiser Ahmed as the new Principal. He joined the office on Saturday. However, things took a turn when Pampori, after meeting the Chief Minister, withdrew his application for voluntary retirement. Pampori has since…

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