Month: February 2016

Admn, police were aware of planned 1989 riots, claim Sikh victims’ families

Editor

Relatives of the victims of January 13, 1989, riots, in which 14 Sikhs were killed, have blamed the then government for “deliberately” remaining silent while the mayhem was let loose. They said the police and the administration were well aware of the pre-planned strategy of the miscreants to rake trouble during the nagar kirtan, but did not act to save the situation. “My son, who was part of the religious procession passing through bus stand and was caught unaware by some goons sporting iron rods and hockey sticks in their…

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BJP, PDP have common agenda, must form government: Farooq Abdullah

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National Conference patron Farooq Abdullah today said the BJP and PDP could go ahead with formation of government in Jammu and Kashmir as they have requisite numbers as well as a “common programme”. During his brief interaction with reporters at the city airport, the former J&K chief minister said a state should not remain without government. “I don’t know if they (BJP and PDP) will form government or not. But, our party has been telling them to form government as they have numbers. A state must have a government,” Abdullah…

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‘Chilai Kalan’ draws to a close, brings relief from cold to Valley

Editor

Fresh snowfall in Gulmarg, Pahalgam and higher reaches; Srinagar & plains of Kashmir receive intermittent rain There was fresh snowfall in the higher reaches of Kashmir, including the tourist resorts of Gulmarg and Pahalgam, while the mercury stayed above freezing point at most places today. The day marked the end of ‘Chillai Kalan’, the 40-day harshest phase of winter. Many areas in the plains of the Kashmirvalley, including the summer capital, received intermittent rain. The state’s Meteorological Department forecast mainly dry weather for the week ahead. Around one foot of…

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No govt until BJP fulfils Mufti’s vision: Mehbooba

Editor

PDP president Mehbooba Mufti on Sunday told her party’s core group that she was not averse to forming the government in Jammu and Kashmir but this cannot happen unless she has assurances from the ally BJP that her late father’s vision would be fulfilled. Presiding over the meeting of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leaders, Mehbooba Mufti, according to party sources, said she needed concrete assurances from the coalition partner Bharatiya Janata Party that the vision of late chief minister Mufti Muhammad Sayeed about equitable development and peace in the state…

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Poor response to Jammu rally worries BJP leaders

Editor

The much-publicised ‘Vikas Sushashan Sankalap’ rally, organised by the BJP in Jammu city today, received a lacklustre response as the party failed to fill the venue which has a capacity of just 500 people. Although earlier BJP rallies in various parts of the Jammu region received a similar public response, low turnout in today’s function was noticeable because Jammu city is considered as the citadel of the saffron party since the days of the Praja Parishad and the Jana Sangh. The low turnout in today’s rally demonstrates a widening gap…

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