Omar slams Mehbooba’s ‘flawed’ logic to alliance with BJP

National Conference president Omar Abdullah on Wednesday hit out at the logic being put forth by Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti to justify her party’s alliance with the BJP. Omar said the Chief Minister had been presenting a “flawed” argument that had the PDP not formed the government with the BJP, it would have led to a repeat of 1987 and 1947. “You (Mehbooba) have devised new ways to justify the alliance with the BJP. The first argument that you put forth before this House was that the PDP formed the…

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Family of Kud victim told to prove death during terror attack

Authorities tell victim’s daughters to give proof of relationship It sounds inhuman, but is true. The authorities have asked family members of Mamata Thapa, killed by a terrorist at Kud on the Jammu-Srinagar national highway on June 13, to come with proof to establish that she lost her life in the encounter to pursue the case for ex gratia. The authorities have flatly refused to provide a copy of the postmortem report to daughters of the terror victim, asking them to prove their relationship with the terror victim. The government…

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Clergy selectively raking up controversies on Article 370; Mehbooba, BJP counters PDP, says scrapping Article 370 Alive

Mehbooba said nowadays sermons are being given in mosques on special status of J&K, Pandit townships, Industrial policy and alleged molestation of a school girl by the army men in Handwara in April this year. The BJP legislator countered the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leader Muhammad Yusuf Bhat, who had claimed that his party made the BJP to shelve the issue of scrapping the Article 370. Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti Wednesday hit out at Muslim clergy in Kashmir accusing them of selectively raking up the controversies over Article 370 in…

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Observe June 24 as Kashmir Day, July 1 as Yoom-e-Qudus: Geelani to people

“Peace in the world will continue to remain a farfetched dream until disputes over Kashmir and Palestine are resolved according to the aspirations of the peoples,” Geelani said in a statement. Hurriyat Conference (G) chairman Syed Ali Geelani today called for observance of June 24, Friday, as Kashmir Day and July 1, Jumat-ul-Wida as Yoom-e-Qudus, asking imams and Khateebs of Masjids to hold special prayers on these days for freedom of Kashmir and Palestine. “Peace in the world will continue to remain a farfetched dream until disputes over Kashmir and…

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Govt revises Industrial Policy, Shuts door on non-state investors

Revises industrial policy after facing intense pressure from separatists, local traders The industrial policy 2016, revised by the state government on Tuesday, has shut the door on investors from outside the state, who have already been reluctant to invest in the state. The government revised the policy after coming under intense pressure from separatists and local traders. Separatists had alleged that the policy was a ploy to infringe upon Jammu and Kashmir’s special status. Under the new policy, land will not be leased to investors who are not state subjects.…

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Omar alleges use of official machinery and violations of the model code of conduct

National Conference leader Omar Abdullah today extended a back-handed compliment to Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti, saying her victory in Anantnag bypoll was a foregone conclusion as he alleged “use of official machinery and violations of the model code of conduct”. Participating in the discussion on demand for grants for departments under the charge of the Chief Minister, Omar said: “Elections you have won … who said you will lose? How can you lose elections when government machinery has been used and the model code of conduct has been violated?” Omar…

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‘Don’t need to justify PDP’s alliance with BJP’; Mehbooba hits out at Separatists

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti on Wednesday slammed separatists for attempting to rake up unnecessary controversies over Article 370 of the Constitution while making it clear that dialogue with them can take place only after situation improves. CM Mufti also targeted them for not taking up issues of protection of people or talking about harassment of girls and women in society or focussing on environmental degradation. The Jammu and Kashmir CM, without taking anybody’s name in her speech, hit out further on separatists and said that she did…

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32% polling recorded up to 5 pm in Anantnag segment

As per the latest official reports, 32% polling was recorded in 40-Anantnag segment up to 5 P.m, an official spokesperson said. The polling started in the constituency at 7 am. Out of 26650 votes polled upto 5 p.m, 14380 are male voters and 12270 are female voters, he said. He added that the total number of registered voters in Anantnag Assembly segment is 84067 including 42840 males and 41227 females. There are 102 polling stations in the constituency.

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Vikar Rasool demands his assembly segment be attached with Kashmir province

”Muslim majority areas of Jammu province victims of inequality, injustice in PDP BJP rule” Lashing out at PDP BJP government to maintain the secular identity of state and fail to provide equitable development of all three regions of the state. Congress legislator from Banihal Vikar Rasool Wani rocks the assembly with the charges that Muslim majority areas of Jammu province are facing inequality and injustice with regards to the development. He added that PDP has sold the expectations of Jammu Muslims for power share in the state.Vikar openly advocate attachment…

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‘Of 4.8 lakh Govt employees, 1.08 lakh belong to reserved categories’

Jammu and Kashmir’s reserved categories constitute over one lakh workforce of the total 4.8 lakh Government employees in the State, Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti told the Legislative Assembly on Tuesday. The highest number of the employees, 46270, is from Reserved Backward Areas (RBA) followed by Schedule Tribe (34721), Schedule Caste (17350), OSC (4702) and Actual Line of Control (5369). At total of 108412 employees up to the level of Deputy Secretary from reserved categories are working in 41 State Departments, commissions and other Government institutions in Jammu and Kashmir, said…

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