Year: 2016

Mehbooba likely to be sworn in as CM today

Editor

Nirmal Singh to be her deputy, rest of the cabinet to be sworn in after Mufti’s chaharum Following the death of Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, the process for elevation of his daughter Mehbooba Mufti to the top post has already started and she is likely to be sworn in as the next CM on Friday. According to sources, Mehbooba is likely to take oath as chief minister on Friday at around 4 pm to 5 pm while senior BJP leader, Nirmal Singh would take oath as the deputy chief…

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Mehbooba set to be first woman CM of J&K

Editor

The selection of Ms. Mehbooba, a Lok Sabha member, as the leader of 28-member PDP Legislature party was a unanimous decision. Ruling PDP president Mehbooba Mufti is set to be the first woman Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, succeeding her father Mufti Mohammad Sayeed who passed away on Thursday, with party MLAs unanimously electing her as their leader and writing to Governor N N Vohra in this regard. A party delegation met the Governor at Raj Bhavan in Srinagar and handed over the letter which says that the PDP…

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Beigh, Bukhari to support Mehbooba as CM, BJP says it will go by PDP’s choice

Editor

Senior Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leaders Muzaffar Hussain Beigh and Altaf Bukhari on Thursday left for Raj Bhavan to hand over a letter of support to Governor backing Mehbooba Mufti as the next chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir. A senior PDP leader said that the leaders will meet the governor NN Vohra and apprise him about the nomination of Mehbooba as their leader after the demise of Mufti Muhammad Sayeed. Both the PDP and BJP are understood to have decided on the nomination of Mehbooba as the next chief…

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Mufti’s funeral likely at Hari Niwas in Srinagar, Rajnath to attend last rites

Editor

The funeral prayers of Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mufti Muhammad Sayeed are likely to be held at Hari Niwas even as arrangements have been made at Sher-e-Kashmir Cricket Stadium and Fairview residence on Gupkar as well. Sources disclosed to us that the body of Sayeed is expected to reach Srinagar airport at around 1:30 pm, following which it will be taken to his residence in Srinagar. After Ghusl (ablution), the body will be taken to either of the three places – Hari Niwas, Fairview residence and Sheri Kashmir Cricket…

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Bandipora IITian turns teacher for students of native village

Editor

At a time when coaching centers are charging huge amount of money from students to prepare them for competitive examinations, a 21-year-old IIT student along with his friends from Nowpora village in Bandipora has volunteered to help aspirants in their last minute preparations. It was never easy for Suhail Hassan to get admission into IIT Kharagpur. But today when he is in his final year of graduation, Suhail has returned home just to help aspiring students fulfil their dreams. Suhail, who is on a vacation, has opened an academy in…

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Mercury rises by few notches in Kashmir

Editor

Mercury stayed above the freezing point across Kashmir, barring Gulmarg and Pahalgam towns, while the weather is expected to remain mainly dry for the next few days. Pahalgam witnessed light rainfall during the night and the mercury there settled at minus 3.5 degrees Celsius against the previous night’s zero degrees Celsius, an official of the Meteorological Department said. He said the mercury in the famous ski resort of Gulmarg in north Kashmir also dropped from the previous night’s low of minus 5.8 degrees Celsius to settle at minus 8.0 degrees…

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Four jawans of Ladakh Scouts killed in Siachen avalanche

Editor

Four soldiers were killed in an avalanche in Siachen Glacier of Jammu and Kashmir on Sunday morning, a defence official said. “An avalanche has killed four jawans of Ladakh Scouts in Siachen Glacier area,” a defence official told IANS. “The incident occurred around 8.30 a.m. yesterday (on Sunday). The names of the deceased are Havaldar Tsewang Nurbu, Havaldar Dorjay Gyaltsan, Rifleman Muhammad Yusuf and rifleman Jigmaid Chosdup,” said the official, adding that they were on the Southern Glacier on patrol duty when they were buried in the avalanche. The bodies…

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30% Drop in demand of Kashmiri Apples

Editor

The fruit growers and traders in Kashmir are presently a worried lot: Reason, there is almost 30 per cent drop in demand for Kashmiri apples in the Delhi market as compared to last season. The stakeholders believe the drop in the demand is a result of the “overall economic downturn” coupled with some local factors. “The quality of the fruit is not that good this year mainly because of the inclement weather and use of substandard pesticides and fungicides,” they said. Speaking to us, Bashir and Baseer, President, Kashmir Valley…

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Uneasy calm in Pulwama district over hoarding demand

Editor

There is disquiet in south Kashmir’s Pulwama district as many youths in the town are adamant on installing a “martyrs’ memorial board” at “martyrs’ graveyard” in one of the busiest town squares to glorify militants killed by security forces. The demand for a memorial was raised after a local militant, Umais Ahmad Sheikh, was killed in a gunfight in Bandipora district in north Kashmir. The demand intensified following an encounter at Gusso village in the district, in which two militants, including a local, were killed. The Auqaf Committee and the…

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‘Not against good Indo-Pak ties, but Kashmiris can’t be ignored’

Editor

The Hurriyat Conference (G) chairman Syed Ali Geelani on Wednesday cautioned both India and Pakistan “not to take Kashmiris for granted as haven’t given any mandate to anyone to wind up the Kashmir issue.” “Both the countries should keep in mind that the real stakeholders of Kashmir issue are its people. We are not against the friendly relationship between India and Pakistan, but the two countries can’t ignore the wishes, aspirations and sacrifices of Kashmiris and talk about potato and onion trade,” he said in a statement. He said the…

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