Month: May 2017

Militants appear in Hajin protest rally, delivers sermon in mosque

Editor

An armed militant accompanied by three other associates delivered a sermon in a mosque in Hajin township of Bandipora district on Friday, the locals said. According to eyewitnesses, a militant before commencement of congregational Friday prayers in Bangar Mohalla Masjid in Hajin township stood up and sought permission for delivering a sermon After being granted permission, he delivered sermon for over half an hour in the mosque. He appealed people to get united for the greater cause of freedom movement, the locals said. They said the militant was accompanied by…

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Unfazed by Kashmir Unrest, pilgrims register for Amarnath Yatra

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A large number of pilgrims have shown interest in visiting the Amarnath cave shrine in Jammu and Kashmir, notwithstanding the continuing unrest in the Kashmir Valley, officials said. The number of people who have enrolled with the Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board for the annual pilgrimage, which will begin on June 29, is almost the same as the last year, they said. Despite the unrest, there has been no drop in the enrollment of pilgrims, an official said. More than 2.20 lakh pilgrims had offered prayers at the naturally formed ice-Shivling last year.…

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It’s Uniform vs Uniform as schoolgirls fight military in Kashmir

Editor

It’s now uniform versus uniform in Indian-administered Kashmir as students in school or college uniform fight pitched battles with soldiers in fatigues. The starkest manifestation of the downturn is Kashmiri girls in headscarves and uniforms pelting stones at security forces in Srinagar alongside rebellious male students for the first time in a region which former American President, Bill Clinton, famously called one of the most dangerous places in the whole world. School and college-going women have been photographed hurling rocks and bricks, shouting anti-India and pro-azadi (freedom) slogans and pounding…

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‘Be Tough but Just’, Centre’s message to officials in Kashmir

Editor

Amid continued unrest in Jammu and Kashmir, the Centre has asked the state government to be tough against those taking law into their hands but ensure no innocent person is harassed. The message was put across by Union home secretary Rajiv Mehrishi during the meetings he had with top civil and police officials in the course of his visit to the Kashmir valley on Thursday. The message of the central government is clear that security forces have to be tough against terrorists and those involved in stone pelting but no…

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Zakir Musa warns Hurriyat, Salahuddin asks ranks to desist from issuing statements

Editor

Hizbul Mujahideen leader Zakir Musa has warned Hurriyat leaders that their heads will be chopped off and hung in the Lal Chowk here for interfering in the militant group’s “struggle for Islam”. In an audio, which has gone viral on social media, Zakir is heard saying: “I am warning all those hypocrite Hurriyat leaders. They must not interfere in our Islamic struggle. If they do, we will cut their heads and hang them in Lal Chowk”. The militant leader asserted that his outfit was clear in its motives of “fighting…

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Tourists concerned on misrepresentation of Kashmir in Media

Editor

At a time when Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti has repeatedly criticized New Delhi-based TV channels for projecting Kashmir in a negative way, tourists who come to the Valley are voicing opinions about the misrepresentation of the region in the media. While the Valley is all gearing up for the new tourist season and tourists from different States and outside countries have already started to book their flights for enjoying holidays in the Valley, state government authorities have repeatedly expressed concern over the negative coverage by media. “Back home, our family…

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‘Ensure comfortable environment for Kashmiri students’: Rajnath Singh

Editor

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday advised all the Chief Ministers to ensure “comfortable environment” for Kashmiri students and workers in their states as there have been incidents of their harassment at some places. Singh’s advice came at a meeting of Northern Zonal Council of the states of Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab and Rajasthan, National Capital territory of Delhi and Union Territory of Chandigarh here. “He (Rajnath Singh) has advised all the Chief Ministers and Chief Secretaries who were here today that they should take care…

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Zakir Moosa (Hizb commander) threatens Hurriyat leadership

Editor

Militant outfit Hizb-ul-Mujahideen has threatened joint resistance leaders through an audio clip viral on social media. A video clip allegedly released by Hizb commander Zakir Moosa is viral and being talked about. “Some days back the joint resistance leaders issued a statement saying Kashmir struggle is political and it has nothing to do with religion,” a man taken as Hizb commander, Zakir says in the clip adding “we just want to ask these political hypocrites if Kashmir is a political issue why are you raising slogans like ‘Azadi Ka Matlab Kya.…

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Ikhwan Tales from Kashmir

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After suspected gunmen shot dead Rashid Billa at his Hajin residence, the Ikhwan tales were again in demand. We visited the belt to understand how the cult worked and what the costs were Kuka Parray’s Ikhwan headquarters in Hajin turned into campaign office for 1996 elections. (Pic: Agencies) On a chilly February evening in 2017, Shahid, a young boy from Hajin (Bandipora), was waving desperately at incoming vehicles hoping to get a ride home. “Hajin,” he turned around and asked the man sitting in the back seat. “Yes,” the man replied…

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Clashes broke out at few places across Kashmir

Editor

Clashes broke out between protesters and security forces in Nowhatta area of Srinagar city and in Shopian town in south Kashmir today, police said. Groups of youth indulged in sloganeering and stone- pelting on security forces in Nowhatta here soon after Friday congregational prayers ended at Jamia Masjid here, a police official said. He said security agencies used force including tear smoke shells in a bid to chase away the protesters. The clashes were going on till last reports came in, he said, adding no one has been hurt in…

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