Year: 2016

Massacre of Jammu Muslims in 1947 worst tragedy: Geelani

Editor

Terming the massacre of Muslims in Jammu in 1947 as the “worst tragedy,” the Hurriyat Conference (G) chairman Syed Ali Geelani today said, “Slaughtering lakhs of Muslims by Dogra army, Indian forces, fascist groups like RSS and other communal forces is a brazen and most barbaric incident human history can ever come across.” “All the areas of Jammu region witnessed the ugliest and most brutal human carnage and all streets and fields of Jammu region were flooded with blood and flesh of Muslims,” Geelani said in a statement. “In these…

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No Healing, No Touch: Why Modi govt needs to rethink its Kashmir Policy

Editor

Kashmir is mourning its children, those killed, maimed and blinded. Daily life is thrown completely out of gear by unpredictable violence, a persistent sense of grief and hopelessness. There is no sign of normalcy returning any time soon. Yet the ruling elite in Delhi believes that the situation is under control and that things are improving. This clearly obviates the need for a dialogue with anyone in Kashmir. THE NEW “STATE DOCTRINE” There is an expectation that the government’s new found hard-line on Kashmir – of conceding no political ground…

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Appear in exams now and avail 50% concession or face full-syllabus in March: Bizarre offer from BOSE

Editor

A day after announcing 50% syllabus relaxation in examinations for students of 10th and 12th classes, Jammu and Kashmir Board of School Education (JKBOSE) Friday came up with a strange option offering students a choice to either appear in scheduled exams to be held this month or opt for full syllabus exams in March 2017. As per the notification issued by Joint Secretary Exams, BOSE, there will be a separate examination in March 2017 for the students of class 10th and 12th, who are interested to appear with full syllabus.…

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Post Torturing, Poisoning and Killing, Shells & Pellets showered at teenager’s funeral, scores injured

Editor

Kashmir completes 120 days of unrest Teenager’s death triggers clashes Police tortured and poisoned me: Qaiser told mother before his death Dozens injured as Class 10 student’s funeral procession faces teargas, pellets He had consumed poisonous substance, investigation underway: Police At least 30 persons were injured after government forces fired teargas shells and pellets on a funeral procession of a 16-year-old boy Qaiser Hameed Sofi who died at SKIMS Soura Friday night. Qaiser, a resident of Doud Mohalla Shalimar, had gone missing on October 27, and was found lying unconscious…

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119th Day of continuous shutdown, Friday prayers disallowed in Jamia Masjid for straight 17th week

Editor

Normal life remained affected in the Valley for the 119th straight day Friday due to the separatist-sponsored strike. Shops, business establishments and fuel stations across Kashmir were shut, but some were open in the civil lines and the outskirts of the summer capital Srinagar, the official said. While there were no curbs on the movement of people anywhere in Kashmir, restrictions on the assembly of people under Section 144 CrPC were in place throughout the Valley, the official said. Meanwhile, authorities on Friday again did not allow congregational prayers at…

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Protests in Soura; Injured elderly man on ventilator

Editor

A peaceful protest march was staged on Thursday in Anchaar area of Soura in Srinagar against the security forces raid that left over 40 civilians injured a day ago. Reports said that hundreds of people staged peaceful protests against the forces. The residents said that forces raid was unjustified and unprovoked. Reports said that the condition of an elderly man from Ilahibagh area of Srinagar who was hit by a tear gas shell on his head continues to be serious. The man identified as Ghulam Muhammad Khan alias Naqash was…

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Private schools ask parents to deposit fees of ‘Unrest Period’

Editor

The attempt has drawn criticism from the parents who demand waiver of the fee since their wards could not attend the schools for about past four months. Even as all educational institutions continue to remain shut owing to the 118-day long ongoing unrest in the Valley, the private school authorities are flashing messages to parents asking them to deposit the fees of their wards of the closed period. Most of the schools are charging full tuition fee from the students for the unrest period, besides 50 per cent bus fee…

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Kashmir Economic Forum demands 1 yr moratorium on loan repayments

Editor

In view of ongoing crisis, the Kashmir Economic Forum (KEF) has demanded one year moratorium on repayment of loans by the affected borrowers. The forum has urged the state government to approach the Reserve Bank of India in this regard. The forum said the banks in the state were deducting the EMI along with interest from the accounts of Valley-based borrowers, especially the businessmen who have been badly affected by the ongoing crisis. Chairman KEF Showkat Chowdhary said the deduction of EMI was depleting the “borrowers’ deposits in the banks.”…

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Private firm to get contract of New Ganderbal hydro project

Editor

After nearly two decades, the PDP-BJP government is finally handing over the construction of the 93 MW New Ganderbal power project on the left bank of the Sindh in central Kashmir to a private firm —- Hindustan Construction Company (HCC). The decision to handover the construction of the hydropower project to HCC will be taken in the Cabinet meeting likely to be held in the third week of this month. Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti has directed the officials concerned to keep the construction of the power project in the Cabinet…

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Govt offers 50% Syllabus deal to reluctant students, adamant on exams

Editor

Ignoring the students appeal for deferring exams to March, the government on Thursday declared that there will be no postponement of exams and announced reduction in syllabus for the students appearing in Secondary and Higher Secondary examinations. The announcement was made by Chairman JK Board of School Education (BOSE) Zahoor Ahmad Chatt in a press briefing here. “The only purpose to hold exams in November is to save the academic career of the students who have to appear in other national and international level competitive exams,” Chatt told reporters. As…

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