Year: 2015

Five militants killed as Army foils infiltration bid in Gurez

Editor

Five unidentified militants were killed as the Army foiled a fresh infiltration attempt in north Kashmir. It was the first infiltration bid in the Gurez sector of Bandipore district along the Line of Control this year. Sources said there was prior information about the infiltration of four to five heavily armed militants from the sector and troops had stepped up surveillance in the area. The militants were intercepted within a kilometre after crossing the LoC and they were engaged by the troops in the dense forest in Kanzalwan, Gurez, nearly…

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Protests over beef ban in Valley refuse to die down

Editor

Clashes erupted in old Srinagar city and many parts of Anantnag town in south Kashmir after the Friday prayers against the recent beef ban order of the Jammu and Kashmir High Court. The ban has divided the region on communal lines. While one section (Hindus) of society is seeking a ban on the sale of beef and bovine slaughter for it being ‘sacred’, the other (Muslims) are opposing the ban, arguing ‘no court could ban food permitted by Allah’. Meanwhile, one person was injured during protests in the Nowhatta area…

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Beware! China’s military games in Ladakh

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‘Intrusions by PLA troops in the Ladakh sector are more in number than elsewhere and this region is now likely to remain an area of enhanced Chinese interest,’ warns China expert Jayadeva Ranade.  The latest standoff between troops of China’s People’s Liberation Army and Indian paramilitary and military personnel in the mountainous, high-altitude area near Daulet Beg Oldi — which decades ago was a trading post along the southern portion of the Old Silk Route — invites attention to China’s intentions in the region. A flag meeting on September 15,…

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Cash-strapped J-K enhances ‘durbar’ shift allowance by 50%

Editor

State exchequer to bear additional burden of Rs 7 crore annually The cash-strapped state of Jammu and Kashmir has decided to enhance the shifting allowance of Durbar Move employees from the existing Rs 10,000 to Rs 15,000 to give benefit to over 7,000 employees. An additional burden of over Rs 7 crore would be put on the state exchequer after implementation of this decision, which is aimed at keeping secretariat employees in good humour. Official sources said the announcement of this decision would be made soon and Durbar Move employees…

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Verification of 13, 016 ReTs completed in Kashmir division

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Scrutiny of regularized ReTs will be complete in next 15 days: DSEK  School Education Department has verified the testimonials of 13,016 regularized Rehbar-e-Taleem (RReT) teachers so far in Kashmir division Director School Education, Kashmir (DSEK) Shah Faesal said it will take more 15 days to complete the whole verification process of regularized ReTs in some districts as some of the officers are yet to communicate the directions to the concerned zones in far flung areas. Replying to a query about scrutiny of certificates of RReTs, Faesal said our prime concern…

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Banks not lending enough in J&K: Drabu

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‘ARC to purchase bad loans to encourage banks increase advances’  Finance Minister, Dr Haseeb Drabu today said that Jammu and Kashmir State Financial Corporation (J&KSFC) shall be turned into an Asset Reconstruction Company (ARC) that can purchase bad loans from various financial institutions operating in the state. Dr. Drabu, who was speaking at the 55th Annual General meeting of shareholders of J&KSFC, said that the move will go a long way in improving credit flow into the state. “There are around 45 banks and financial institutions and majority of them…

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Ulema ask people to defy beef ban on Eid-ul-Adha

Editor

Upping the ante on the controversial beef ban issue, Ulema (religious scholars) from Kashmir Thursday passed a resolution asking Muslims across the State to defy the ban on Eid-ul-Adha. They also threatened to launch mass agitation “if the Government interferes in our religious affairs.” The resolution was passed during a daylong session of Muttaheda-Majlis-e-Ulema chaired by its head, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, at Mirwaiz Manzil here. “The recent order declaring ban on beef is a direct interference in religious affairs of Muslims. Muslims of Kashmir have to put forward a united…

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Water supply hit as PHE workers protest

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As daily wagers, casual workers and ITI-trained workers of the Public Health Engineering (PHE) Department have been on a protest for the past nine days, residents of Rajouri town and adjoining areas today said they were facing hardships as they were not getting regular water supply. The protesting workers have been demanding regularisation of workers who have completed seven or more years in service, timely and regular payment of their wages and enhancement in their daily wages. The PHE employees raised slogans against the Chief Engineer and Minister for PHE,…

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All Eyes on PM for Flood Relief

Editor

It’s already too late. Prime Minister Narendra Modi should live up to his word of helping the flood-affected population in Jammu and Kashmir without any further delay. He had promised that he would make this state a model one in the country. That was in December last year. The masses are looking up to him. The Prime Minister is aware of each and every problem of the people of the Valley and the rest of the state. He is not new to the state. He has known the state over…

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This Kashmiri journalist feels Amarnath temple is a ‘phallic block of ice’

Editor

An article in the United States’ Foreign Affairs Journal has brazenly stated that the sacred Hindu shrine, Amarnath temple in Jammu and Kashmir, is a large, ‘phallic block of ice’ inside the cave and is being used as pilgrimage to assert Indian government’s political control over the region. The article named ‘A Political Pilgrimage in Kashmir’ further says that in recent years the shrine has become a political flashpoint between Hindus and Muslims. Quoting excerpt from Professor Ian Reader’s book ‘Pilgrimage in the Marketplace’, the article also suggests that pilgrimage…

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