Month: September 2018

Jammu region sharply divided over Article 35A

Editor

Amid too much of uproar and an atmosphere filled with apprehensions about Article 35-A, Jammu region is sharply divided right from Kishtwar, Doda and Bhaderwah at one end to Rajouri and Poonch at the other end with people holding divergent views about retention and scrapping of the Article which grants special rights to the people of the state. Pertinently, several petitions have been filed in the Supreme Court challenging constitutional validity of Article 35-A. The matter is in the Supreme Court and its decision will be binding on all, but…

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Mystery shrouds S P Vaid’s ouster as J&K Police Chief

Editor

The appointment of Dilbag Singh as interim Director General of Police (DGP) is unprecedented in the police history of the state and it has also raised several questions. The Supreme Court on Tuesday did not grant the exemption to the state regarding the court’s guidelines on the appointment of the interim DGP. Instead it has issued notices to the Centre and state. The state has already approached the UPSC with a panel of names for the post of a regular DGP. The state administration approached the SC to pre-empt the…

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Article 35A just an excuse; NC, PDP avoiding elections due to fear of humiliating defeat

Editor

With two major political parties of Jammu and Kashmir — National Conference (NC) and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) — announcing a boycott of the upcoming panchayat and Urban Local Body elections, the message being sent out is that the situation in Kashmir has slipped into chaos. Moreover, the political instability will be exacerbated as the militancy has already grown deep roots among the general masses. The reason given by both the parties is the ongoing court case over the possible revocation of Article 35A, which gives special status to the…

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India regrets, Separatists hails UN rights chief’s remarks on Kashmir

Editor

India has voiced regret over the issue of Jammu and Kashmir being raised in the UNHRC after High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet made a reference to Kashmir during her opening statement to the Council. Bachelet, the new UN human rights commissioner who succeeded Zeid Raad al-Hussein, in her opening statement to the Council on Monday made a reference to Kashmir, saying the Human Rights Council’s recent report on the human rights situation “has not been followed up with meaningful improvements, or even open and serious discussions on how…

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Congress dithers on poll decision, seeks more clarity from state

Editor

The Congress on Wednesday said the administration should “clear its intention” over conducting the municipal elections while alleging that an announcement had been made just to “test the ground”. The party said the Election Commission should issue a notice first and then it would announce whether to participate or not. “We want to strengthen the democratic process but there is chaos in the administration… we feel the announcement has been made just to test the ground. The administration should clear its intentions, let the Election Commission come up with a…

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Ex-ministers wasted a chance to change J&K’s political discourse, Sangh Parivar ticks off BJP

Editor

Disappointed with the performance of BJP ministers in the previous coalition government headed by Mehbooba Mufti, leaders of the Sangh Parivar on Wednesday regretted that the party leadership in the state had wasted a “historic opportunity” to change J&K’s political discourse. During the 10-hour-long meeting, offshoots of the Sangh Parivar discussed all issues concerning J&K. The leaders had met for to assess the outcome of the coalition experiment in the state for the first time after breaking of the PDP-BJP alliance. Apparently admitting that the party is facing a credibility…

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High alert sounded across Jammu after militants fire on forces

Editor

Three heavily armed militants on Wednesday managed to escape to a forest area of Jhajjar Kotli on the Jammu-Srinagar highway after the police intercepted a Kashmir-bound truck. While militants were fleeing the area, they fired upon a gardener of the sericulture department, Ganesh Dass, who received a bullet injury on his right arm. The gardener, wearing a khaki uniform, was on his way to office. Sources said that with the interception of the armed militants, a possible terror attack was averted by security forces. The Northern Command headquarters in Udhampur…

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J&K govt likely to defer municipal elections

Editor

The Jammu and Kashmir government is likely to defer the municipal elections scheduled in October to January 2019, sources said. This comes after two major political parties — the National Conference (NC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) — announced they were boycotting the polls. A decision announcing deferment of the municipal polls is likely to be taken at the State Administrative Council (SAC) meeting chaired by Governor Satya Pal Malik on Wednesday. The panchayat polls were scheduled for November-December. “The schedule already announced for the panchayat polls will remain…

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8.2% GDP growth, but how is the economy really doing?

Editor

India’s GDP grew 8.2%, the highest in two years, during April-June 2018 (Q1 2018-19). The headline growth numbers, however, do not capture the macroeconomic dynamics currently at play in the Indian economy. While the larger economic picture is not one of immediate crisis, there are factors, especially on the external front, which should be cause for concern. Economic growth: The 8% plus GDP growth is more a result of the base effect due to demonetisation’s disruption than any drastic increase in the level of economic activity. This can be seen…

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Panchayat body protests NC, PDP’s decision to boycott poll

Editor

The All J&K Panchayat Conference (AJKPC) on Tuesday slammed the National Conference (NC) and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for their decision to boycott the upcoming panchayat election. It also alleged that both parties were resorting to their old tactics of “blackmailing” the Centre and state administration for their vested interests. “There is nothing new in the boycott call made by the NC and PDP. They are just resorting to their decades-old tactics of blackmailing the Central government and state administration, presently headed by the Governor, to derail the election process…

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