Year: 2015

Kashmir a disputed territory, says US

Editor

Ahead of NSA-level talks between India and Pakistan, the US Thursday said Kashmir is a disputed territory and it is for the governments of India and Pakistan to solve the dispute. Asked about uncertainty over NSA talks given that Pakistani officials have invited separatist Kashmiri leaders for a meeting before the crucial talks, a White House official said he would leave that to the Indian and Pakistani governments to address. “Kashmir is a disputed territory. Jammu and Kashmir is a disputed territory. I think, it’s up to them to address…

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J&K govt’s flip-flop dilutes Centre’s tough stand on Hurriyat-Pakistan meet

Editor

India sent a message to the separatist Hurriyat on Thursday to discourage them from travelling to Delhi to meet Pakistani national security adviser Sartaj Aziz before he meets his Indian counterpart A K Doval on Monday, but saw the effort being undermined by the Mufti Mohammad Sayeed-led state government. No Pakistan itinerary: Is Aziz trying to wriggle out? J&K police deployed its personnel outside the homes of senior Hurriyat leaders in Srinagar in a move designed to amplify New Delhi’s opposition to any engagement between Hurriyat leaders and Aziz. Soon,…

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Did Mehbooba Mufti order the release of Kashmiri separatist leaders?

Editor

Top Kashmiri separatist leaders, including Syed Ali Shah Geelani and Mirwaiz Umer Farooq, were on Thursday put under house arrest only to be released within hours in actions that were linked to their proposed meeting with Pakistani National Security Advisor Sartaj Aziz in Delhi on Sunday. While the detention drama played out, there were confusion over who ordered the release of the Hurriyat leaders. While some reports quoted sources as saying that the order was given from the Centre, as per NDTV, it was Jammu and Kashmir CM’s daughter Mehbooba Mufti…

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J&K BJP leader seeks dismissal of Mufti government

Editor

Strains showed in the BJP-PDP alliance with a senior BJP leader demanding dismissal of the Mufti Sayeed government over the release of top separatist leaders hours after they were on Thursday put under house arrest. “After what Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed did today by releasing within two hours seditionists like Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Yasin Malik, the dismissal of his government forthwith has become imperative,” senior BJP leader Prof Hari Om said. “Governor N N Vohra should be asked to invoke section 91 of the…

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KEA calls for Kashmir Bandh on September 7

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The strike call was given by KEA after holding a meeting today in which representatives of its constituent associations participated. ‘Central, state governments paid only lip service to flood-affected people’ Kashmir Economic Alliance (KEA) called for complete Kashmir Bandh on September 7 to protest “government’s failure to provide financial assistance to the flood-hit people.” The strike call was given by KEA after holding a meeting today in which representatives of its constituent associations participated. The representatives of transporters, traders and shopkeepers unanimously decided to observe complete shutdown on September 7…

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How do you want to resolve Kashmir issue – through talks or war: Separatist to Indian govt

Editor

Shortly after being released from a brief house arrest, Kashmiri separatist leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq has sought to ask from the Indian government how it wishes to resolve the issue. “Do you want to resolve the Kashmir issue through dialogue or war?” is what the moderate Hurriyat leader asked, as per ANI. “The Indian government must understand that if not today, the Kashmir issue would have to be resolved tomorrow. Do you want to resolve it through dialogue or war? Nobody wants war. We want to resolve it through political dialogue,”…

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One dead, 5 injured due to blast in Jammu factory

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A factory worker was killed whereas five others were injured when some explosive material went off at Narbada steel factory in Bari Brahmana area, police said on Thursday. “They were processing the scrap and some explosive material went off in which one worker identified as Ranjit Yadav (45) died on the spot and five others were injured,” a police officer said. He said that a case of negligence has been registered against the owner of the factory, and the supervisor of the factory has been taken into custody. PTI

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Government releases separatists 2 hours after detention

Editor

A posse of J&K police on Thursday morning barricaded the gates of the residence of moderate Hurriyat Conference chief Mirwaiz Umar Farooq at Nigeen and informed him that he was being placed under house arrest. Chaos and confusion reigned supreme after Mufti Mohammad Sayeed led PDP-BJP government did an about turn and released the separatists just two hours after detaining and placing them under house arrest in an apparent bid to prevent them from meeting Pakistan’s national security advisor (NSA) Sartaj Aziz in New Delhi on Sunday. A posse of…

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No third party intervention on Kashmir issue, says BJP

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The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday said that there will be no third party intervention on the Kashmir issue after Pakistan once again raised the Kashmir issue at the United Nation Security Council (UNSC) ahead of NSA-level talks. Hitting back at Pakistan, BJP spokesperson Siddharthnath Singh said, “Anything provocative that Pakistan is raising in UNO is related to their domestic constituency, and as far as the United Nations and Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) is concerned, the answer is known to everyone that it`s a bilateral talk and there is…

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Working over 8 hrs a day raises stroke risk by 33 %

Editor

It’s now official -working over 8 hours a day increases the risk of stroke by 33%. Scientists have for the first time quantified the number of hours of work that could cause serious harm. Working 55 hours or more per week is linked to a 33% greater risk of stroke and a more modest (13%) increased risk of developing coronary heart disease compared with working a standard 35 to 40 hour week. The largest study till date on the issue, involving over 6,00,000 individuals will be published in The Lancet…

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