Month: April 2016

Kupwara killings dealt body blow to tourism

Editor

‘Over 1000 bookings cancelled’ Over thousand bookings were cancelled in the wake of the five civilian killings in Kupwara district earlier this month with the tourism industry witnessing 40 percent decline in tourist arrivals, according to the local tour operators. President Travel Agents Society of Kashmir (TASK), Mohammad Ibrahim Siah told Kashmir POST that the civilian killings in Handwara and Kupwara hit the tourism sector badly “as 30 to 40 percent of tourism related businesses was lost due to the cancellation of advanced bookings by the tourists”. “Though the season…

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Kashmiri girl to represent India at World Kickboxing Championships

Editor

Looks can be deceptive and that holds true for Tajamul Islam, a seven-year-old soft-spoken girl from a remote north Kashmir village, who is the national kickboxing champion and is all set to represent India at an international event in Italy. Tajamul won national recognition when she bagged the gold medal in sub-junior category at 2015 National Kickboxing Championship, held at Talkatora Stadium in New Delhi. Her achievement at the national level got her an entry to the World Championships, to be held in Andria, Italy, in November. She would be…

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Geelani calls for peaceful protests

Editor

Hardline Hurriyat Conference chairman Syed Ali Shah Geelani has called for peaceful protests against the suspension of government employees, for allegedly instigating protests in Kupwara district over the civilian killings by the security forces. “I appeal to people to hold peaceful protests after Friday prayers against the suspension of government employees in Kupwara,” Geelani said in a statement. “Instead of filing cases against security personnel who killed the five civilians in Kupwara, the government has suspended the employees.”

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Respect ‘primacy of politics’ in India, Pak, says UN peace panel head : Kashmir Issue

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Kashmir issue must be resolved in the context of the “domestic and political” environment between India and Pakistan, the head of the UN peacebuilding commission has said as he underlined the need for respecting the primacy of the political situation on the ground. “The Indian Kashmir issue (with) Pakistan is an old issue. It has been there for a very long time. It will be resolved in the context of the local, domestic, political environment between Pakistan and India,” Peacebuilding Commission Chair Macharia Kamau told reporters at a news conference…

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Ancient Hindu temple reopens after 27 years in Srinagar

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The centuries old Vetaal Bero temple in the highly-sensitive area that had been shut after most pandits were forced to migrate to Jammu and other parts of the country due to militancy in 1990, was reopened on Thursday. Jogi langar (canteen where food is served for sadhus) in Rainawari area of Srinagar, the locality in the heart of old city that was once home to a high number of Kashmiri pandits, is again reverberating with the sound of temple bells after 27 long years. The centuries old Vetaal Bero temple…

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Sewa-III to NHPC: Govt shelves proposal

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Facing criticism, Jammu and Kashmir Government has given a quiet burial to the proposal to handover State-owned Sewa-III hydropower project to National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC) for operations, sources told  KP on Tuesday. The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) – Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) Government in its earlier stint had made the offer to the power giant NHPC to operate and maintain the project located in Kathua district, following the visit of power Minister Nirmal Singh and his Commissioner/Secretary to the project site on January 4 this year. KP had exclusively…

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The sociology of Kashmiri nicknames

Editor

M.Ashraf For past sometime, film actor Anupam Kher has been in the news for all the wrong reasons. For a change one would not like to counter his campaign against Kashmiri Muslims which, according to some Pandit leaders, has already substantially damaged their cause. Let us concentrate on his name. He is Khar and not Kher. There are many Kashmiri Pandits who have a sub-caste of Khar. This word in Kashmiri means a donkey. Kashmiris have a tradition of not only giving nicknames to people but also shortening and distorting…

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‘Sports infrastructure worth Rs 28 cr coming up in JK’

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Ministry for Youth Services and Sports said on Tuesday that projects  worth Rs 28 crores are underway in sports  sector  for  developing better infrastructure and logistic facilities in the  state. This was disclosed at a high level meeting held under the Chairmanship of Minister for Youth Services & Sports, IT and Technical Education, Moulvi Imran Raza Ansari here today . Commissioner Secretary, Youth Services & Sports, IT and Technical Education, Hilal Ahmad Parry, Secretary Sports Council, Javaid Ahmad Shah, Special Secretary YSS, Sheikh Fayaz Ahmad, Executive Engineers of Sports Council…

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Potholed highway turns a nightmare for commuters

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The potholed stretch of National Highway (NH) 44 between Patnitop and Banihal has put the lives of passengers at risk. The health of local residents, especially shopkeepers, is being affected and the vehicles being plied on it are getting damaged. The district administration is ensuring smooth traffic during the ensuing Darbar move and Amarnath yatra. A one-km stretch from the north portal of the Chenani-Nashri tunnel had become a nightmare for commuters since construction of the tunnel began. Their misery compounded with transfer of maintenance from Beacon todifferent contractor companies…

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JK Govt sits on DPC for GMC Srinagar, pushes for clearance to GMC Jammu

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The State Health and Medical Education Department has come under sharp criticism for “deliberately delaying” promotion of faculty members of Government Medical College (GMC) Srinagar even as the Department is learnt to have been “pressuring” Public Service Commission (PSC) to undertake the promotion of faculty members of Jammu GMC. Sources told Kashmir POST that while on one hand the meeting of Department Promotion Committee (DPC) for the GMC Srinagar has been delayed for past three years, on the other hand the administrative Department (H&ME) has been asking the PSC for…

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