Month: August 2017

Govt to shut transit camps, move Pandit staff to flats

Editor

The state government has decided to shut the transit camps for displaced Kashmiri Pandit employees in the Valley in phases after concerns were expressed by security agencies over their vulnerability to mob attacks. During the 2016 unrest, these temporary camps at Haal (Pulwama), Nutnusa (Kupwara) and Vessu (Anantnag) had come under intense attacks of mobs following the killing of Hizb militant commander Burhan Wani. This forced 2,000 employees, posted in different districts of the Valley, to shift back to Jammu. A majority of the Pandit youth who had returned to…

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How will Article 35-A abrogation benefit Dogras: NC asks BJP

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National Conference provincial president Devender Singh Rana on Tuesday asked BJP to convince people of Jammu how repealing Article 35A will benefit the Dogras and safeguard their interests. Addressing party workers here, Rana said “instead of indulging in rhetoric and jingoism, the BJP must realise the fallout of removing this constitutional proviso which will be detrimental to overall interests of the state in general and people of Jammu in particular.” He said posterity will never forgive BJP if Article 35-A is tampered with. Rana said a growing consciousness is dawning…

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5% Hotel occupancy in ‘Peak’ tourist season

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Even as tourist arrivals in the Kashmir valley have remained on the lower side this year, the hoteliers are among the worst hit. The stakeholders say there is just around five per cent occupancy rate in hotels at a time usually considered to be the prime tourist season. “There is just around five per cent occupancy. Kashmir hotels have got bed capacity of around 70,000 and there are just a few thousand tourists. This is like a drop in the ocean in the summer months usually considered to be the…

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Three more incidents of Mysterious braid chopping reported; Police grapple for clues

Editor

In last 24 hours three more braid chopping incidents have been reported in rural areas of Jammu and Samba districts. As per officials two cases were reported form Saba district, where both victims are of 10 year old. The braid of Kushi daughter of Des Raj resident of Rakha village, Samba was mysteriously chopped off in late evening hour, when she went to rooftop for picking her school bag,” said an official. “The family members came to know after Kushi screamed loudly and fell unconscious. Her mother was first to…

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Unidentified gun men killed 3 Civilians in 3 days in Anantnag, Shopian

Editor

In a fresh spree of mysterious killings, three civilians have been shot dead in Anantnag and Shopian districts during the past three days. While police blames militants for the killings, however no militant outfit has claimed responsibility. The fresh spree of killings started on 19th August when unidentified gunmen shot dead ruling People’s Democratic Party worker, Muhammad Ishaq Parray at Uggen in Dialgam area of Anantnag district. On 20th August, bullet- riddled body of a college student Gowhar Ahmad Dar (16) was recovered from Nagbal village in Shopian district. On…

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Encounter underway in Kupwara, 2 to 3 terrorists trapped

Editor

An encounter broke out between the security forces and terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kupwara district on Tuesday. The firing is currently underway and the entire area has been cordoned off. About two to three terrorists are believed to be trapped, reported news agency ANI. On August 16, top Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) commander Ayub Lelhari was gunned in an encounter with security forces in Kakpora’s Banderpora in Pulwama district.

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116 PoK residents stranded in Jammu sent back via Uri

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The J&K Government sent 116 stranded residents of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) back home as the cross-Line of Control (LoC) bus service operating between Srinagar and Muzaffarabad resumed today. The LoC bus service also known as Karvan-e-Aman (peace bus) resumed after remaining suspended since August 14. As per the schedule, the weekly bus left Srinagar today for the Kaman post, the last Indian military post on this side of the LoC in the border town of Uri in Baramulla district. The bus carried 50 passengers, including 42 PoK residents and eight…

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Supreme Court says dialogue not possible in J&K unless violence stops

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No meaningful dialogue is possible in Jammu and Kashmir unless violence stops in the strife-torn Valley, the Supreme Court said on Monday. “Talks with whom? No talk can take place unless the violence stops,” a bench of Chief Justice JS Khehar and Justice DY Chandrachud said. The court was hearing the appeal of the Bar Association Executive Member against the 22 September order of the Jammu and Kashmir High Court order. The high court had rejected the bar body’s plea seeking a ban on the use of pellet guns on…

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Kashmir will witness bloodbath if Article 35A scrapped: KEA

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Appeals civil society, transporters, trade bodies to observe black day on the day of hearing of case in SC The trade body, Kashmir Economic Alliance (KEA), Monday warned that Kashmir would witness a worst bloodbath if anybody tried to fiddle with Article 35-A, which grants special privileges to residents of Jammu and Kashmir. The traders affiliated with KEA staged a protest demonstration against BJP and RSS-backed NGO, “We the citizens”, which has filed petition against Article 35-A in the Supreme Court. The protesting traders, chanting slogans like, “Save Article 370…

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Ensure no hindrance in animal sacrifice on Eid: Shahi Imam

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Asserting that Muslims were not in favour of sacrificing cows due to the religious sensitivities involved, Jama Masjid’s Shahi Imam said on Monday that he had urged the Centre to ensure no hindrance in the sacrifice of other animals on Eid-ul-Azha but got no response. Maulana Syed Ahmed Bukhari said he had written to Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on the issue a few weeks ago but the Ministry had neither acknowledged nor responded to his letter. Eid-ul-Azha is scheduled to be celebrated on September 2. In his letter, the…

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