Year: 2016

Kashmir Tourism again on back foot

Editor

The Kashmir valley’s tourism sector has taken a hit yet again in the wake of widespread protests that have erupted after the recent killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani. The sector had remained badly affected after the September 2014 floods, but started on the revival path this year. Now, the law and order situation has led to large-scale cancellation of bookings and stakeholders are more worried because tourists are leaving the Valley hurriedly at present. While some tourists are stranded, others have been leaving at night or in the…

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What Kashmiris want?

Editor
What Kashmiris want???

When Indians ask this question, they answer it themselves and on their own terms. Honestly speaking, I had never heard of Burhan Wani until reading about the formidable crowds that formed his funeral procession. I am learning, after his death, that he was a Kashmiri who, like many others, experienced first-hand the peremptory brutishness of the armed forces representing the Indian occupation of Kashmir. Deployed through many different gestures – from unnecessary beatings, to needlessly humiliating demands for identity proofs, to lewdness towards women — the coarse affronts (leave alone…

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Illegal constructions galore in Srinagar amid unrest

Editor

SMC, SDA express ‘Helplessness’  With the government men and machinery “busy” controlling the the ongoing unrest, scores of people have again started carrying out illegal constructions and riverside encroachments in most of the parts of summer capital Srinagar. According to eyewitness illegal construction work is going on in the Sheikh-ul-Alam Colony in Ahmad Nagar Soura in City outskirts. However the SMC, SDA and Police officials have failed to report to the ground citing the ongoing unrest as one of the main reasons. Same reports of illegal encroachments were also received…

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Rajnath Singh’s Kashmir visit an eyewash: Congress

Editor

Terming Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh’s visit to J&K as an eyewash, the Congress today said the Centre failed to announce confidence-building measures (CBMs) to reach out to the people of the Valley. “It was expected that Rajnath Singh would announce some CBMs directly benefiting the people, besides addressing the current situation. However, the Home Minister remained stuck to the official position on the current unrest and no serious efforts were made to reach out to the people, particularly to those who lost their dear ones. The visit was a…

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Youth from different parts of India to Unfurling national flag at Lal Chowk on I Day

Editor

Jammu and Kashmir may witness another face-off this Independence Day as 20 youths from various parts of the country have challenged the administration and separatist groups to stop them from hoisting the Tricolour at Lal Chowk in Srinagar on August 15. Hurt at the anti-national activities and slogans in Kashmir for over 15 days, the group, including three Muslims, challenged separatist leaders in Kashmir to stop them from unfurling the Tricolour at Lal Chowk on Independence Day. The youths are not affiliated to any political or social group. The group…

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Curfew, restrictions continue in Valley, Mobile, Internet services restored in Jammu

Editor

Authorities continued curfew and restrictions on Tuesday in the Kashmir Valley. “Curfew shall continue without any relaxation in Anantnag, Shopian, Kulgam and Pulwama districts while restrictions will remain in force in parts of Srinagar, Sopore and Kupwara,” a senior police official told IANS. An unruly mob on Monday torched an irrigation department office in Anantnag town. Clashes continued in south Kashmir areas as people tried to march to Anantnag town in response to the separatist called protest march on Monday. Clashes also occurred in old city areas of Srinagar after…

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Authorities foil separatists’ attempt to defy curfew and march to Anantnag

Editor

Authorities on Monday foiled an attempt by separatists to march to Anantnag town from here by taking their leaders Syed Ali Shah Geelani and Mirwaiz Umar Farooq into custody even as protesters made a bid at over a dozen places across Kashmir to defy curfew. Curfew remained in force in the five districts of Anantnag, Kulgam, Pulwama, Shopian and Baramulla and 11 police station areas of the city as a preventive measure to thwart the separatists’ plans to take out the protest march. A police official said there were attempts…

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Despite blinded Kashmiris, pellets guns aren’t going anywhere

Editor

Despite all the talk about reducing their use, security forces are unlikely to stop the use of pellet guns in Kashmir. Senior officers in the security establishment say that because of the especially violent nature of crowds in Kashmir, and for the lack of effective crowd control mechanisms, they will have to stick to pellet guns in Kashmir for now. The senior-most officers in paramilitary say that, unlike 2010 protests in Kashmir, when pellet guns were used for the first time in Kashmir, this time round some people taking cover…

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Fresh protests erupt in South Kashmir, Srinagar – Old City

Editor

Fresh protests erupted in Anantnag district of south Kashmir on Monday as people tried to defy the strict curfew and march towards the district headquarter. Local sources told Kashmir Post that people defied the restrictions at many places of the district like Srigufwara, Nanil, Bijbehara and started to march towards Anantnag. Same march was reported from Tral as well. Separatists had called for “Anantnag challo” today to pay homage to those killed in recent forces actions in south Kashmir. They said that police and para-military personnel swung into action and…

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Amid communication curbs, desperate people revert to hand-written letters

Editor

Shafaq Shah The suspension of phone and internet services in Kashmir has prompted many people to take recourse to hand-written letters for communication. Shazia, a mother of two, wrote a letter to her aunt Rafiqa who lives in Aaribagh (Kanipora) to send her some milk for her one-and-a-half-year-old son. The milkman has not been able to come to Shazia’s place for the last fortnight and the milk her grandmother had sent lasted for just about a week. Shazia, who lives in the curfew-bound area of Naik Bagh (Natipora) sent the…

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