Month: February 2016

Book – Islam in Kashmir – A Study of Prominent Sufis and Rishis

Editor

Mushtaq Ul Haq Ahmad Sikander The spread of Islam in Kashmir by the Sufis has been discussed by various scholars, academics and writers, but the lesser known aspects of various Sufi orders, role of Sufism in promoting pluralistic culture in Kashmir, Sufism as a channel of Inter-Faith Dialogue, lessons which Kashmiri Sufism has for the world to make it a peaceful place to dwell; such serious, and sensitive academic studies of Kashmir Sufism are rare, and even neglected. The book under review tries to fill this void. Prof Hamid Naseem…

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Equitable Development? Jammu gets Rs 375 cr, Kashmir Rs 305 cr for roads

Editor

Kashmir continues to be the least priority in funding under the Central Road Fund (CRF) program with the Government of India (GoI) approving Rs 70 crore less to the division than Jammu for building road infrastructure. Official sources revealed to us that GoI has sanctioned road projects worth Rs 305 crore for Kashmir under CRF for 2015-16 while Jammu and Ladakh have respectively walked away with Rs 375 crore and Rs 105 crore funding for the road projects. The approval for road projects worth Rs 785 crore was recently conveyed by…

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TAAK holds ‘See Kashmir in Light’ in Ahmedabad

Editor

Travel Agents Association of Kashmir (TAAK) organized first of its kind a roadshow in Ahmedabad (Gujarat) in which travel agents and tourism officials from J&K and Gujarat participated. TAAK also organized ‘Promotional Evening’ at Hotel Fortune under the theme ‘See Kashmir in New Light’ where over 100 travel agents from J&K and Gujarat participated. Director Tourism Kashmir Mahmood A Shah and Director Tourism Jammu R K Verma were the chief guests. Director Tourism Kashmir gave a presentation on J&K’s all the regions highlighting tourism potential of the State, a TAAK…

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Barring few places night chill continues in Kashmir Valley

Editor

Spring-like weather conditions prevailed though cold winds also continued during the day in the Kashmir valley, where the night chill is on because of sub zero temperature. Cold revisited Leh and Kargil where the minimum temperature dropped again and settled at minus 11.3 degrees and 9.6 degrees respectively. People in the Kashmir valley woke up to yet another sunny morning, presenting a look of Spring when 20-day-long Chilai-e-Khurd, second harshest period of winter after 40-day-long Chilai-e-Kalan had still couple of days left. This will, however, be followed by 10-day-long Chilai…

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Hounding of Kashmiri students in JNU unacceptable: Omar

Editor

Former Chief Minister and National Conference working president Omar Abdullah Wednesday termed as “unacceptable” the “hounding” of Kashmiri students in Delhi and making them “convenient scapegoats” on the name of crackdown on anti-national activities in JNU. “If the Delhi Police and the Home Ministry want to unleash a dictatorial and tyrannical crackdown on dissenting voices and students in Delhi, they should not make Kashmiri students convenient scapegoats, stigmatize them and ruin their careers. This is unacceptable,” Omar said. The National Conference (NC) working president said there have been numerous instances…

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Uninsured flood-hit traders to get relief after Guv’s directive

Editor

After waiting for nearly one and a half year, the uninsured flood-hit Valley traders will finally get relief to restore their businesses. Divisional Commissioner, Kashmir, Asgar Hassan Samoon said the decision to this effect was taken in a recent meeting with Governor NN Vohra. “We had a meeting with the Governor and he has directed that on priority relief be distributed among those small-time traders who suffered losses in the floods and had no insurance,” said Samoon. In Srinagar, there are around 8,000 traders whose businesses were not insured and…

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Hurriyat (G) rejects Govt probe, terms it a tradition post Pulwama Killings

Editor

Rejecting the probe commission ordered by the government in Pulwama killings, Hurriyat (G) Wednesday said such commissions have become a tradition and is part of government policy to diffuse the public anger. Hurriyat (G) reminded that recently during Kashmir visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a Deputy Commandant of CRPF allegedly killed an innocent engineering student Gowhar Nazir Dar at HMT Zainakote in the broad day light and the same inquiry commission was announced in that case but till now neither this probe showed any result nor any accused has…

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BJP, PDP hold first formal meeting on govt formation after Mufti’s death

Editor

Finally, Madhav & Mehbooba meet BJP, PDP hold first formal meeting on govt formation after Mufti’s death on Jan 7 In a bid to break the deadlock over government formation, Bharatiya Janata Party general secretary Ram Madhav met Peoples Democratic Party president Mehbooba Mufti at her Fairview residence here this evening. This was the first formal meeting at the highest level between the two parties on government formation after the death of Mufti Mohammad Sayeed on January 7. Madhav had last met Mehbooba on January 8 a day after the…

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Posters in Jadavpur University call for ‘freedom’ for Kashmir, Manipur, Nagaland

Editor

A day after pro-Afzal Guru slogans were raised in Jadavpur University (JU), posters calling for ‘freedom’ for Kashmir, Manipur and Nagaland were found in the campus on Wednesday even as two rival groups of students brought out rallies in the varsity premises. “Hum kya chahe – Azadi. Kashmir ki Azadi. Manipur ki Azadi. Nagaland ki Azadi (We demand freedom. Kashmir’s freedom. Manipur’s freedom. Nagaland’s freedom),” one of the posters said. All such posters were signed by a group called ‘RADICAL’. Both the student unions and authorities have distanced themselves from…

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‘You think you’ll get Kashmir by barking in campus’, hackers write on JNU website

Editor

The website of JNU’s Central library was on Tuesday hacked with a message displaying ” You are thinking that you will get Kashmir just by barking in the Campus of JNU”. The hacking of the website comes amid a row over an event at the varsity against hanging of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru and in solidarity with “struggle” of Kashmiri migrants, at varsity’s Sabarmati dhaba. The website claimed to be hacked by “Bl@Ck Dr@GoN” read “So, As You Said ‘Kashmir ki Aazadi Tak Jang Rahegi-Jang Rahegi’ You are thinking…

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