Month: August 2017

New Delhi must tread carefully Kashmir’s Article 35A conundrum

Editor

Kashmiris are apprehensive that any move to undo Article 35A of the Indian Constitution would open the sluice gates for a demographic transformation of the Valley—an objective propounded by Sangh groups as the ideal solution to the Kashmir problem. In a pointed warning to her coalition partner, the BJP, Jammu & Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti has noted that attempts to undo Article 35A of the Indian Constitution would strike a fatal blow to the nationalists in the state. Mufti was referring to an ongoing case in the Supreme Court…

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Central Water Commission ‘Dumps’ plan to build early flood warning system in J&K

Editor

There has been little improvement in establishment of a modern flood forecast system in Kashmir following the 2014 devastating deluge in the Valley, with the central water commission (CWC) allegedly sitting on several initiatives to build the hi-tech early warning system in the region. A source said the CWC, the main authority for monitoring floods across the state, had cleared Rs 82 crore project to set up telemetry system (automatic level recorder) on river Jhelum at 15 different vulnerable spots to get round-the-clock data about the discharge in the river…

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Artisans protest, seek GST rollback on handicrafts

Editor

The demand to rollback the goods and service tax (GST) on handicrafts grew louder as artisans, traders, manufacturers, exporters and raw material suppliers associated with the sector staged a protest here today. Even as the stakeholders associated with the handicrafts sector are already up in arms against the GST implementation, they threatened to intensify protests in case their demand was not met. “We have been cheated by the government. The Finance Minister had assured us in June that the GST will not be implemented on the handicraft sector. However, when…

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British survey about Kashmir produces ‘Striking Results’, Masses advocate independence

Editor

A survey which a British academic says is the first systematic attempt to establish the opinions of Kashmiris has produced “striking results”. Robert Bradnock interviewed more than 3,700 people in Indian and Pakistani-administered Kashmir to assess their views on various issues. One of the key questions put to respondents was how they saw the future of the territory. Nearly half of those interviewed said they wanted independence. Another question asked for their views over the continuing insurgency. Dr Bradnock – an associate fellow at the Chatham House think-tank in London…

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Kashmir tourism going through worst crisis in last two decades

Editor

The tourism sector in Kashmir is going through its worst crisis in over two decades, with many hotels closing down, staff being laid off and players in the industry looking for alternative businesses or even job opportunities. Tourism, considered as the most visible asset of Jammu and Kashmir’s economy, has been pushed to a cold dark corner, where things are going from bad to worse as the situation in the valley remains tense. Even with hotels offering discounts as high as 70%, occupancy rates are less than 5% at a time…

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NIA crackdown on terror funding in Kashmir has left leaders of both factions of Hurriyat isolated

Editor

On Wednesday afternoon, the road leading to the residence-cum-office of Tehreek-e-Hurriyat chairman Syed Ali Shah Geelani in Srinagar wore a deserted look. Outside, the policeman inside a bunker-type vehicle, with a CCTV camera fitted on to it, scanned every passerby coming towards the residence of the octogenarian leader who has been mostly confined to this house since 2010 by the state government. “No one comes here these days,” the policeman on duty said from inside the stationed vehicle. “Not even his relatives visit this place now. It has never been…

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Tanveer Hussain, snowshoe athlete from Kashmir charged with sexual abuse in US

Editor

A 24-year-old Indian athlete has been indicted in the US on charges of sexually abusing a minor girl, days after he arrived from Kashmir for a snowshoe competition. Tanveer Hussain was indicted last week by an Essex County grand jury for allegedly having inappropriate contact with a 12-year-old Saranac Lake girl earlier this year. The grand jury returned the indictment Hussain charging him with one count of first-degree sexual abuse and two counts of endangering the welfare of a child, a report in the Adirondack Daily Enterprise quoted a press…

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Kashmir’s Job Market

Editor

The outside workers in Kashmir both skilled and unskilled result in an outflow of over Rupees 40 crores everyday which could be easily earned by the locals if they were motivated and trained in various jobs! Mohammad Ashraf Kashmir is facing a typical dichotomy in relation to employment of the local youth. According to reports almost a million youth are without any employment. A large number of these are highly “educated” or in other words possess umpteen degrees but no skills! In fact, acquiring degrees has become an obsession in Kashmir these days!…

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Withdraw troops from Doklam: China tells India

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‘India reduces troops from 400 to 40’ China Wednesday said it has conveyed its firm stand to India that it must take concrete actions by immediately pulling back troops from Doklam in the Sikkim section with no strings attached to resolve the current standoff. Providing the details of the July 28 meeting between National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and State Councillor Yang Jiechi for the first time, Chinese Foreign Ministry told PTI that the two officials exchanged views on BRICS cooperation, bilateral relations and relevant major problems. Doval was in…

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Colleges, Varsities remain shut to prevent protests

Editor

Schools, colleges and universities remained closed in the Valley today to prevent protests by students following the killing of Lashkar commander Abu Dujana and his associate in Pulwama on Tuesday. The government had announced the closure of all educational institutions in the Valley as many school and college students had clashed with the police in many parts of the Valley, including Srinagar, on Tuesday. The killings triggered a shutdown in the commercial hub here after students from various schools assembled at MA Road and raised pro-freedom slogans on Tuesday. The…

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