February 2018 | Page 11 of 22

Guards without Guns; Army hadn’t issued weapons to Deva: Family

February 15, 2018 Editor

Manzoor Ahmad Deva, 32, who was working with the Army as a Lance Naik, and killed like a sitting duck during the attack on Sunjwan Army camp, had not been issued weapons while no Army personnel guarded the family quarters he was staying in. Talking to Kashmir Post, his wife Afrooza Begum said her husband did not have weapons to respond and the family was sleeping when the gunmen opened first fire. “Then they started knocking at our doors and were successful in breaking into our room, and killed my…

Rare Srinagar attack signals ultras ability to strike at will

February 15, 2018 Editor

In the wee hours on Monday when the Kashmir valley was getting blanketed by the first snow, two fidayeen tried to sneak into a paramilitary camp in Srinagar’s commercial neighbourhood, marking the beginning of a rare gunfight deep inside the state’s heavily guarded summer capital. Even as an alert paramilitary sentry repelled their attempt to sneak into the battalion base, the militants barricaded themselves in a nearby five-storeyed building leading to a lengthy gunfight that continued overnight and ended on Tuesday afternoon. The Monday fidayeen assault in Srinagar was the…

Sunjuwan attack may affect region’s Economy, Tourism

February 15, 2018 Editor

The terror attack at the Sunjuwan military base located in Jammu city and a suspected unsuccessful attack at the Army camp in Domana have the potential of putting a cascading effect on the region’s economy and tourism. Traders and stakeholders in the tourism industry believe that such terror attacks in Jammu may lower the number of tourists and pilgrims in the state, particularly in Jammu province, in the coming summer season. Three terrorists had attacked the Sunjuwan military station on Saturday in which seven persons, including six soldiers, lost their…

Srinagar-Jammu highway remains closed for 3rd day, Avalanche warning issued

February 15, 2018 Editor

The Srinagar-Jammu highway remained closed for vehicular traffic for the third consecutive day on Wednesday, even as weatherman predicted cloudy weather and light rain and snowfall at upper reaches during next 24 hours. The 260-km highway was closed on Monday due to snow, landslides and slippery road conditions. “The highway is closed for traffic,” senior superintendent of police traffic (Rural), Ajaz Ahmad Bhat told Kashmir Post late this evening. He said fresh landslides at Panthal, Anokhapal and near Kheri in Udhampur district have blocked the highway again. “Clearance work is…

Faith in all faiths, we don’t communalise: Northern Command Chief

February 15, 2018 Editor

A day after All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi questioned the Prime Minister’s silence on the “killing of Muslim Army men” in the Sunjuwan terror attack, the Army today said it didn’t “communalise” its soldiers and those making such utterances had no idea of its functioning. “The Army is ‘sarv dharam sthal’. All religions are welcome and only one’s identity as a soldier matters. We don’t communalise anyone. The people who don’t know the functioning of the Army make these statements. I think they need to visit us…

Fifth war with Pakistan is not the solution to a peaceful Kashmir: Farooq Abdullah

February 14, 2018 Editor

Former Chief Minister of Indian Occupied Kashmir Farooq Abdullah, stated that Kashmiris are tired of the cycle of violence and the only way to attain peace was through dialogue. “Despite repeated failures in attaining peace in the violence-torn state, dialogue is the only way to move forward,” the National Conference MP said while giving an exclusive interview to India Today. “We have had four wars with Pakistan. Is a fifth war another way to move forward?” he asked. “We can’t stop talking; we have to find a way forward. We…

Dry & Cold weather continues across J&K; Srinagar-Jammu highway remains shut

February 14, 2018 Editor

The arterial Srinagar-Jammu national highway was shut for the third consecutive day today due to landslides, even as dry weather prevailed in Kashmir where the mercury settled below the freezing point at most places. The 270-km highway was briefly re-opened for traffic yesterday after two days, but was closed again due to landslips. “The Srinagar-Jammu national highway is closed for traffic due to landslides at Anokhfall,” an official of the Traffic Control Room here said. He said road maintenance agencies are on the job to clear the highway. “Clearance work…

Muslims reach out to Kashmiri Pandits on Herath

February 14, 2018 Editor

As part of a new initiative called ‘Raabta’, greeting cards were sent to Hindus highlighting the strong ties between the two communities A new initiative to connect Kashmiri Pandits and Muslims was recently started in the Valley. On the occasion of Herath (Shivratri) on Tuesday, greeting cards were sent out, as part of the initiative, with warm wishes for the festival. ‘Raabta Kashmir’ started out as a small endeavour to “help search and reconnect old friends, neighbours, school mates, colleagues, families from Kashmir who haven’t heard from each other in…

Karan Nagar gunfight ends, 2 Lashkar men killed

February 14, 2018 Editor

The nearly 30-hour-long gunfight in Srinagar city ended today with the killing of two holed up militants. The two militants were hiding in an under-construction multi-storey building at Karan Nagar after they failed to attack a Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) camp in the wee hours on Monday. The government had imposed restrictions in the old city to avoid any law and order situation during the anti-militancy operation. “The encounter concluded this afternoon. In the operation, two terrorists were killed. Their identity is being ascertained. The incriminating material we recovered…