Year: 2016

Shutdown over Sainik, Migrant KP colony issue halts life in valley

Editor

Life in the Valley was affected today due a joint shutdown call given by various separatist organisations against the alleged government proposal to set up Sainik colonies and townships for migrant Kashmiri Pandits. The rare joint call was issued by the moderate faction of the Hurriyat Conference led by Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, hardline faction of the Hurriyat Conference headed by Syed Ali Geelani and Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front chairman Yasin Malik. Shops and other commercial establishments in Srinagar and other major towns across the Valley remained closed today in response…

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Ghai initiates ‘Great Indian Film and literature Festival’ in J&K

Editor

The legendary filmmaker Subhash Ghai recently visited the Raj Bhavan to meet Mr. NN Vohra, Governor of Jammu and Kashmir to discuss a new festival – Great Indian Film and literature Festival – in the state and also seeked support for TV, film, theatre and literature artists. Ghai headed a delegation of White Walls Media with Karan Kukreja, Kumar Amit Sinha and Divank Rastogi, onr of the founders of the fest in attendance. The delegation explained the Governor of their fest’s Kashmir edition to be held at Srinagar. The governor…

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” Paddy planted on roads ” Kashmir’s Innovative Protest

Editor

In an innovative protest, locals in a central Kashmir hamlet on Thursday planted paddy on a link road leading to their village. The locals demonstrated the bad condition of roads in peripheries of summer capital. The incident took place at Reshipora in Budgam district where villagers planted rice plant saplings in potholed road. “This was the only option left with us,” Zafar Ahmad, a local resident of the area said, “we took this issue (poor condition of roads) to top authorities but they were not moved.” The last PDP-BJP Government…

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Shutdown over ‘Sainik Colony’ affects life in Valley

Editor

A separatist called protest shutdown on Thursday affected life in the Kashmir Valley although authorities did not impose any restrictions. “There will be no restrictions anywhere in the city today,” a senior police official told IANS. “Adequate deployment of security forces has been made in sensitive areas to ensure peace.” Authorities placed senior separatist leaders, Mirwaiz Umer Farooq and Muhammad Yasin Malik under detention on Wednesday. While Mirwaz Umer was placed under house arrest at his uptown Nigeen residence in Srinagar, Malik was arrested from his party`s office in Abi…

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Militants kill cop, snatch weapon from another in Pulwama

Editor

A policeman was killed on Wednesday when militants attacked a National Conference (NC) leader’s security guard and snatched his service rifle in south Kashmir’s Pulwama district. “The militants attacked the security guard of NC district president Ghulam Mohiuddin Mir in Manghama village today (Wednesday) afternoon and decamped with his service rifle,” a senior police officer told IANS here. The deceased policeman Riyaz Ahmed Ganai was in civies and standing alongside the NC leader’s security guard at his (Ganai’s) cousin’s marriage when the guerrillas struck. The NC leader had gone to…

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Pvt schools violate govt order on closure of educational institutes

Editor

Force teachers to attend school for ‘admission process’ Despite instructions for strict adherence to government order regarding closure of educational institutions in view of intense heat wave, private schools continue to violate the order with impunity in the name of “admission process” for the next academic session. Under the new modus operandi adopted by some private schools, they had called off academic activities on their campuses, but the teachers, who are paid meagre salary per month, had been forced to attend school daily and work amid sizzling weather conditions. The…

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Set Up Sainik colonies in Kashmir : State BJP President

Editor

We’ll take up issue with Government: President Sharma Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which runs the coalition Government with Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the State, on Wednesday pushed for setting up of Sainik colonies in Kashmir. The BJP reiterated its demand for setting up Sainik colonies in the Valley at a time when the PDP-led Government is under attack over the proposal and has been reiterating that there was no land available for setting up such clusters. “Our stand is clear. We (BJP) are for setting up Sainik Colonies for…

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Not against return of Pandits, but won’t allow separate enclaves: Umar Farooq

Editor

Chairman of moderate All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) Mirwaiz Umar Farooq on Tuesday asked people to follow the joint programme issued by the separatists leaders to “safeguard the identity of J&K.” Mirwaiz Farooq said this while addressing party gathering in Singhpora Pattan in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district yesterday. “We will not allow government to make demographic changes in J&K. Tactics are being used in the name Sanik Colony, industrial policy or separate townships to grab the land. We cannot remain silent on these anti- Kashmir policies and will safeguard the…

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Two SMC officials booked for allowing illegal construction

Editor

The Vigilance Organisation Kashmir (VOK) has registered a case against two officers of the Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC) for allowing an illegal construction of a commercial complex in a residential area. The case was registered under the Prevention of Corruption Act against Ward Officer Bilal Ahmad Baba, then Building Inspector Bashir Ahmad Bhat, and then Enforcement Officer Mohammad Ashraf Warsi. A Vigilance Organisation Kashmir spokesman said that the case was registered after a joint surprise check revealed that the commercial complex was being raised illegally. “An RCC structure up to…

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Udhampur residents protest Deputy Commissioner’s transfer

Editor

Protests continued for the second consecutive day today against the transfer of Udhampur Deputy Commissioner Dr Shahid Iqbal Chowdhary, who has been shifted as Additional Secretary to the office of the Chief Minister in Srinagar. Crossing party lines, representatives of all major political parties, Bar association, Beopar Mandal and social organisations of the town urged the Chief Minister to review the transfer order. A massive protest was held outside the DC’s residence this morning when people disallowed the officer to move to attend a function Jagdish Bhardwaj of the National…

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