Month: April 2017

Gulmarg ‘Best Mountain Destination’: Survey

Editor

Gulmarg has been voted the best mountain destination in the country on the basis of an online survey conducted by a leading media group. Union Tourism Minister Mahesh Sharma gave away the award at a function organised in New Delhi. Uttarakhand, West Bengal and Arunachal Pradesh were also awarded in other categories. The award for Jammu and Kashmir was received by Shahnawaz A Shah, Officer on Special Duty (Publicity) in the Tourism Department; Galib Shah, secretary, Royal Springs Golf Course, Srinagar; and Manav Gupta, secretary, Jammu Tawi golf course. Speaking…

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Madhav’s ‘War and Love’ remark legitimises a crime: Altaf Bukhari

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A senior PDP minister today took exception to BJP’s national general secretary Ram Madhav’s ‘war and love’ statement, made to defend the ‘human shield’ act of the Army. Minister for Education Altaf Bukhari went to the extent of accusing Ram Madhav, the architect of the PDP-BJP government, of issuing the statement as part of a move aimed at “legitimising a crime that is internationally abhorred under covenants of human rights.” The Education Minister also condemned the remarks made by BJP minister Chander Prakash Ganga, saying that ‘bullets cannot win the…

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Coalition may survive current stress, but BJP-PDP partnership is on thin Ice

Editor

Political churning has begun over possible changes in who governs Jammu and Kashmir. Tensions are high between the main coalition partners: PDP and the BJP. A series of meetings were underway on Friday. Even if this does not lead to an immediate split, recent events have certainly put the coalition on thin ice. At some point, a period of Governor’s rule may ensue, after which Delhi’s political strategists might try to install an alternative civilian government. According to rumours in Srinagar, BJP leaders are in touch with a prominent PDP…

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5 Reasons why this round of Kashmir bloodletting is getting dangerous for India

Editor

It is obvious that the situation in Jammu & Kashmir has deteriorated significantly between last year and now, with the army and police fighting Pakistan-based jihadis and stone pelters with their backs to the wall. Many observers blame inept political management by the Centre for the widespread alienation of people in Kashmir Valley (but not necessarily people of Jammu and Ladakh), making restoration of normalcy very difficult. We have been here before – in 2010, in the 1990s, etc – but this time the shift in public mood is qualitatively…

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Resistance group calls Madhav, Ganga remarks alarming

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Terming as ridiculous C P Ganga’s statement that stone-throwers need to be dealt with bullets, Geelani said: “They are Hindu terrorists in power corridors and enjoy support and favors of Delhi. We have no system to check these elements, otherwise he should have been in jail.” BJP leader Ram Madhav’s statement on the controversial human shield incident is the right-wing party’s “national policy” on Jammu and Kashmir, Hurriyat Conference (G) chairman Syed Ali Geelani said on Friday, day after Madhav backed an army officer who had strapped a man to…

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Who is the Chief Minister of State, Ram Madhav or Mehbooba Mufti, asks NC

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‘Mehbooba’s family members interfering in administrative matters’ National Conference (NC) on Friday, while taking strong notice of “Senior Police Officers meeting BJP General Secretary Ram Madhav” at BJP Office in Jammu while on duty, said this indicated the complete collapse of all administrative systems and protocols. In a statement issued from Party Headquarters ‘Nawa-e-Subha’ in Srinagar, National Conference Provincial President Kashmir and Former Minister of State for Home, Nasir Aslam Wani said it was unclear as to who was heading the Government as directions were being passed to the civil…

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Ram Madhav discusses Kashmir Unrest with Governor, FM, DGP

Editor

A couple of days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi reviewed the Kashmir situation with senior ministers, and amid a controversial comment by state BJP minister Chander Prakash Ganga on stone-pelters in the Valley, the party’s national general secretary Ram Madhav made an impromptu visit to Jammu on Friday. He discussed the situation in closed-door meetings with governor NN Vohra, finance minister Haseeb Drabu of the PDP ,and director general of police SP Vaid. Even as state BJP president Sat Sharma maintained that Madhav visited the winter capital in view of…

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Govt takes Kashmir on ransom with internet curbs: KCCI

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Kashmir Chamber of Commerce & Industry (Inc) has accused the state government of holding Valley’s business community on ransom by curbing internet services. KCCI, in a statement, expressed its serious concern over the methods adopted by the administration to overcome the perpetual unrest in the valley. It said the ‘curbs and crush’ method has been causing more harm to the normal activity of life than achieving any desirable result towards restoration of peace in the state. “While the unabated use of pellets and bullets here and there every now and…

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Clashes across Valley, Youths protest use of force against Students

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Protests and clashes took place between agitating youth and security personnel at various places in Srinagar and elsewhere in the Valley after the Friday prayers over the alleged use of force against students recently. The police lobbed teargas shells to dispel the protesters in the Nowhatta area of Srinagar, where youths took to the streets after the congregational Friday prayers, prompting a shutdown in the area. Even as the separatists had given no shutdown call today, spontaneous protest demonstrations were witnessed in various parts of the Valley. There were reports…

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Amarnath Yatra being used to facilitate Hindu agenda, change demography of JK: Study

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Pilgrimage should be restricted to 15 days There should be limit on pilgrims SASB is state within State A study on Amarnath Yatra by a Bangalore-based NGO and J&K Coalition of Civil Society (JKCCS) has highlighted the nexus between the corporate houses of India, right wing Hindu groups and the Government of India (GoI) through Shri Amarnath Yatra Shrine Board (SASB) to facilitate the Hindu agenda and change demography of Jammu and Kashmir under the garb of faith. The report, ‘Amarnath Yatra: a Militarized Pilgrimage’ compiled by ‘Equations’ – a…

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