Month: March 2018

Shun confrontation, solve Kashmir Issue: Abdul Gani Bhat

Editor

Moderate separatist leader and former Hurriyat chairman Abdul Gani Bhat has urged India and Pakistan to see reason, shun confrontation and address the Kashmir issue. He also urged the Kashmiri separatist leadership to rise above their narrow confines and self-interest to serve humanity at large. Bhat, who also heads the Muslim Conference, was addressing a gathering of people in his native Botengoo village in north Kashmir. Addressing the gathering with reference to verses from the Quran, Bhat said Muslims should never ever worship false gods. “Raise your heads high and…

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Step up efforts to wean youth from militancy: Union Home Secretary Rajiv Gauba

Editor

Chairs high-level meeting on security situation in Kashmir valley Expressing concern over youth joining militancy in Kashmir, Union Home Secretary Rajiv Gauba on Monday urged the “security agencies to make more efforts to bring them back from the fold of militancy”. The Home Secretary, who arrived on a two-day visit to the Valley on Monday, chaired a high-level security meeting in Srinagar to review the security situation in Kashmir. He is accompanied by top officials of the Ministry of Home Affairs. Gauba asked the security agencies to “deal sternly with…

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Tension mounts in Nowshera after attacks by right wing groups over Christian conversions

Editor

A number of Christian families in Sayal village of the border town of Nowshera are facing nightmarish situation after allegations of attacks by right wing groups on them over the conversion of Hindus into Christianity. Earlier a church, some shops and a tractor were set on fire by a right wing mob on January 15 after a woman died under “suspicious” circumstances. The allegation of conversion of Hindu families into Christianity and their reconversion to Hinduism has triggered unprecedented tension in Rajouri and Poonch districts. The woman Seema Devi, who…

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Tulip Garden thrown open for tourists, draws large crowds

Editor

The new-look Tulip Garden located in the foothills of the Zabarwan range overlooking the Dal Lake was thrown open to visitors on Sunday. Even as the garden opened with added attractions, including a fountain channel and hyacinth terrace, the beauty of myriad tulip varieties was also streamed live through drone cameras on the social media. And as the garden bustled with visitors on the opening day, causing traffic jams in the vicinity, stakeholders remain hopeful that it will augur well for the tourism sector. “We had actively promoted the Tulip…

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LeT militant Shafat Wani killed, woman injured in Budgam gunfight

Editor

A militant was killed and a teenage girl injured in a gunfight between forces and militants at Arizal in Central Kashmir’s Budgam district on Sunday. According to officials the personnel of special operations group (SOG) of police, army’s 53 RR and paramilitary CRPF troops launched a cordon and search operation in Khan Mohalla, Arizal, following a “specific” input about the presence of militants in the area. “During search militants tried to flee and came out of the house and fired indiscriminately on forces. In retaliation one militant was killed,” a…

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Hurriyat Chief, Ashraf Sehrai’s son joins Hizb, won’t appeal for his return: Family

Editor

Days after the new Hurriyat chief called ISIS ideology ‘venomous’ and anti-Kashmir, his son went missing Tehreek-e-Hurriyat chief decides not to pursue police complaint Junaid Ashraf, son of the newly elected chairman of Tehreek-e-Hurriyat Mohammad Ashraf Sehrai has joined terrorist organisation Hizbul Mujahideen, Jammu and Kashmir police said on Saturday. The information comes barely 24 hours after the separatist leader filing a missing report for his son. “Junaid Ashraf, the 26-year-old son of Sehrai, has joined the Hizbul Mujahideen militant group,” a police official said. Earlier this week, Sehrai was…

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IS flags seen at militant’s funeral in Kashmir but clerics, politicians deny group is gaining ground in Valley

Editor

A raging debate over whether Islamic State really exists in Kashmir has taken social media by storm over the last few weeks. The tipping point was the funeral of Eisa Fazli, a militant who was allegedly inspired to follow Islamic State’s ideology last year, and whose body draped with black flags was paraded near his Srinagar home for photographers in what looked like a carefully scripted act. But never before in recent times has the Valley’s intelligentsia, political leadership and citizenry come out in a single voice to denounce the…

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Is mosque integral to Islam? Query may delay Babri case

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Adjudication of the politically sensitive Ayodhya land dispute case will be delayed as the Supreme Court on Friday said it will first decide whether the apex court’s 1994 decision that a “mosque is not an essential part of Islam” needs to be re-examined by a Constitution bench. A bench of Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justices Ashok Bhushan and S Abdul Nazeer said it would examine whether a five-judge bench was required to go into the question of whether a mosque was integral to Islam, but they turned down the…

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Rambagh flyover Ist phase to be inaugurated in May

Editor

Divisional Commissioner Kashmir, Baseer Ahmad Khan, today reviewed the traffic management and status of related mega projects underway in the summer capital. In a series of meetings, the Div Com stressed on the need to put in sustained efforts to improve the traffic scenario in Srinagar. The meetings were attended by CEO ERA, chief engineer ERA, JC SMC, DIG JKP, SP traffic, traffic adviser and others. The Div Com said that there has been satisfactory progress in the pace of works of Rambagh flyover and new Mahjoor nagar Bridge. He…

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Asiya Andrabi celebrates Pakistan Day in Srinagar, Police registered FIR

Editor

Separatist outfit Dukhtaran-e- Millat chief Asiya Andrabi celebrated Pakistan National Day in Srinagar today by singing the country’s anthem and hoisting its flag. She then said that all Muslims on the subcontinent are Pakistani, reported ANI. “For us, people are either Muslims or ‘kaafirs’ (infidels) and if they are Muslims, then their country is Pakistan,” the pro-Pakistan separatist said. “Pakistan was not formed on basis of a nationality (like India), Islam is the basis of its foundation…Every Muslim is a Pakistani on the basis of Islam, Iman (faith), Quran and…

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