Month: February 2016

Two Students killed in Pulwama firing, Political parties unite to condemn killings

Editor

• Shaista shot in head, Danish in neck  • Militant Adil’s killing triggers clashes, around a dozen injured  • Time-bound inquiry ordered: DC  • Curfew in Pulwama, parts of Srinagar today Two students were killed as forces opened fire to quell protests after a local militant was killed in an encounter at Kakapora in south Kashmir’s Pulwama district on Sunday. Shaista Hamid, daughter of Abdul Hamid Bhat of New Colony Lelhara and Danish Rashid, son of Abdul Rashid of Ratnipora, were killed in firing by forces. Eyewitnesses said Shaista was…

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‘Underworld don Ravi Pujari threatens to kill Geelani’

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Taking serious exception to, what it is said, the death threat to its chairman Syed Ali Geelani by notorious gangster and underworld don Ravi Pujari, the Hurriyat Conference (G) today condemned the act in strong words. “A gangster named Ravi Pujari called on landline number of Tehreek-e-Hurriyat head office at Hyderpora at about 08.45 pm on Friday evening and talked in an uncivilized and abusive language. The underworld don later himself confirmed the threat call on a private news channel of India and publicly threatened to kill Geelani Sahib,” Hurriyat…

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Both factions of Hurriyat Conference have called for State-wide shutdown on Monday

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KU exams, IUST interviews deferred  Geelani, Mirwaiz condemn ‘worst form of state terrorism’  Both factions of Hurriyat Conference led by Syed Ali Geelani and Mirwaiz Umar Farooq have called for State-wide shutdown on Monday against civilian killings in Pulwama. Meanwhile, all the Kashmir University examinations scheduled to be held on Monday (February 15) have been postponed and fresh dates will be notified separately. Interviews scheduled to be held at Islamic University of Science and Technology (IUST) Awantipora on Monday have also been postponed. Two civilians, Shaista Hamid of New Colony…

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JNU Protests: Are the students aware of Kashmir’s historical reality?

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For last two days, all national news channels are flooded with news of Jawaharlal Nehru University’s students protesting against “Judicial killing of Maqbool bhatt and Afzal Guru” and “Indian occupation of Kashmir and their right of self-determination”. News channels showed these students chanting slogans like “Pakistan Zindabad”, “Kashmir hamara hai, wo sare ka sara hai, kitne afzal maroge, har ghar se afzal niklega”, “India ki barbadi tak jang jari rakhenge” etc. The most shocking aspect of this episode was the anti-India slogans and statements made by the organizer of the…

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The shrinking Wular lake a matter of concern

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All is not well with Wular Lake in north Kashmir’s Bandipora district, one of the largest freshwater lakes in Asia, which has been identified as one of the 26 Ramsar sites in the country. Over the past many decades, it has suffered heavily due to siltation, conversion of 40 per cent of the lake area into agricultural land, pollution from fertilisers, highly degraded catchment area and encroachment along its banks. These factors have reduced the size of the lake from 157 sq km in 1911 to 86 sq km in…

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Rumour-monger slapped with death charges, gets bail

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The Jammu and Kashmir Police have slapped charges amounting to death or life imprisonment against a youth for spreading death rumours of children administered polio vaccine in Kashmir. Meanwhile, the Court of the Second Additional Sessions Judge, Srinagar, granted bail to Irshad Ahmad Bhat, a resident of the Pirbagh locality of Srinagar, on the grounds that the offence committed by him was not punishable with death or life imprisonment. Besides, the court said the police had failed to complete the investigation within the stipulated time of two weeks. The police…

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BRO submits proposal for longest road tunnel at Gurez

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The Border Roads Organisation (BRO) has submitted a Rs 9,000-crore proposal to the Centre for the construction of a road tunnel in the state that will connect strategically important Gurez town along the Line of Control to the rest of the Valley throughout the year. “We have submitted a proposal to the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways for the construction of an 18-km tunnel at the Razdhan Pass to connect Gurez with rest of the Valley throughout the year,” Chief Engineer, BRO, Brigadier AK Das said. If approved, it…

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Crackdown on JNU students a new low, says Omar

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Former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah today criticised the ruling NDA government for “cracking down on students” of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) and termed it as a “new low”. “Cracking down on students and using Hafiz Saeed to justify the crackdown is a new low, even for this NDA government,” Omar wrote on social networking site Twitter. Omar, who is the working president of the National Conference, asked Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh to make public the evidence connecting JNU students and Jamaat-ud-Dawa chief Hafiz Saeed. “Hafiz Saeed supported the JNU…

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Parvez Rasool meets cricketers at Bajalta, gives tips

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Parvez Rasool, cricketer from Jammu and Kashmir who has played in the Indian Premier League, made this Sunday big for over a thousand cricketers at the sprawling Bajalta play-field, the venue of the first Maruti Suzuki Nagrota Premier League, an initiative of MLA Devender Singh Rana. On the eighth day of the tournament, declared open by the National Conference Working President and former Chief Minister Mr Omar Abdullah, the right hand and off break bowler Parvez arrived at the pitch, amid huge applause of the players of Nagrota Assembly Constituency…

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Why are policemen fleeing to join militants in Kashmir?

Editor

Disturbing trend This month, a cop ran away with his rifle but surrendered soon after Since 2012, several policemen have run away to join militants One serving cop was arrested for carrying out 13 militant attacks Urgent worry IGP Javid Mujtaba Gilani says his force will start start counselling cops Experts say the cops are swayed by the militants’ online propaganda Nasir Pandith joined the militants after fellow cops harassed his father More in the story How the cop Abdul Rashid Shigan managed to carry out 13 militant attacks? What…

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