Month: October 2018

Hectic lobbying on for Mayor, Dy Mayor posts

Editor

After registering a thumping majority in the just-concluded elections to Jammu Municipal Corporation (JMC), hectic lobbying has begun within the BJP for the coveted posts of Mayor and Deputy Mayor as contenders are cozying up to senior party leaders to brighten their prospects. The top leadership of the BJP, however, said it was deliberating upon the names of all probable candidates for the two posts, and a final decision would be taken by the end of the week. Party sources said the names of around a half-dozen senior party leaders…

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Two rebels killed in Nowgam gunfight; School work, Internet suspended in Srinagar, Budgam

Editor

Two militants were killed and six forces’ personnel wounded in a fierce gun battle in Sothu Kothair area of Nowgam on the outskirts of Srinagar on Wednesday morning, police said. Reports said that the gunfight broke out around 2 AM in the area following a search operation. Two militants have been killed and six forces’ personnel wounded in the gunfight, said DIG central Kashmir VK Birdi told reporters. Quoting sources, news agency GNS identified the slain militants as Sabzar Sofi of Sangam, Anantnag and Asif Ahmad Gojri of Anantnag. However,…

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Post PDP, BJP fall Rajnath meets Mehbooba

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PDP President and former Chief Minister, Mehbooba Mufti today again appealed Centre for the resumption of dialogue between India and Pakistan to end the present phase of acrimony and confrontation between the two south Asian neighbouring States. According to party spokesman in her meeting with Union Home Minister, Rajnath Singh here today, Mehbooba Mufti said good relations with Pakistan have a positive impact on the ground situation in the State and it also encourages reconciliation among stakeholders within the State which automatically results into decline in alienation levels of people.…

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Lal Chowk sealed to foil JRL march against killing spree, Yasin Malik evading arrest, surfaced in Koker Bazar

Editor

Authorities on Tuesday sealed commercial hub of Lal Chowk in Srinagar city to prevent a march called by the Joint Resistance Leadership (JRL) against the killing spree. Last evening, the police had issued an advisory, asking commuters to use an alternate route as “the stretch of road from Amira Kadal to Regal Chowk will be blocked for traffic”. An eye witness said that barricades have been erected by the police at Amira Kadal and the Regal Chowk to prevent any movement towards the historic Lal Chowk. Jammu and Kashmir Liberation…

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Kashmir to Chenab Valley, Shutdown observed against civilian killings

Editor

Life in Kashmir and parts of Chenab Valley was paralysed Monday due to shutdown called by Joint Resistance Leadership (JRL) over the killings of civilians in a blast near encounter site in south Kashmir’s Kulgam district. The authorities imposed tough restrictions in parts of Kulgam town to prevent youth from taking to roads and staging protests against the killing of civilians. An official said restrictions under section 144 were imposed in main town Kulgam as a precautionary measure. The heavy contingents of police and CRPF were deployed on streets while…

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Riyaz Naikoo slams Pakistan for not taking up Kashmir Issue on the diplomatic front

Editor

Hizbul Mujahideen’s top commander in the Kashmir Riyaz Naikoo has made a rare criticism of Pakistani leaders for failing to represent the Kashmirissue on the diplomatic front. “Only Pakistan can represent us on the diplomatic front, but unfortunately, the politicians there have limited the Kashmir issue to elections,” Naikoo said in a leaked audio message in which he addresses a gathering of militants based in Pakistan. Naikoo, a resident Awantipora, had emerged as the most outspoken supporter of Pakistan in the aftermath of last year’s Islamist rebellion within militant ranks.…

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Even the dead and injured weren’t spared were robbed of belongings after Amritsar train accident

Editor

Call it heartless or sadistic, but what left many hopeless in humanity was when they realised that some rogues in the crowd had made away with the valuables of the helpless survivors and victims of the horrific Amritsar train tragedy that killed 61 and injured 143 on Friday evening. According to relatives and survivors, while they got their kin’s bodies back, they did not find the ornaments, mobile phones or wallets belonging to them. Jyoti Kumari, mother of Vasu (17), who died in the accident, said, “I lost my son…

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Stop celebration of sham elections, end bloodshed in Kashmir: Altaf Bukhari

Editor

Senior PDP leader and former finance minister Syed Mohammad Altaf Bukhari has said the central government and governor administration in J&K must now come out from its election related celebratory mode and focus on an immediate end to bloodshed of innocent civilians in Kashmir. Bukhari who is outside the country, has said that unfortunately the political mainstream has now been restricted to issuing statements on these innocent and unwarranted civilian killings in Kashmir. “Mere condemnation and protest statements won’t do,” Bukhari emphasized. He observed that time has come for the…

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BJP surges in Valley, slips in Jammu lost 51% of its vote within city of temples

Editor

Even as the BJP made inroads into several parts of the Kashmir valley owing to the poll boycott call by the two regional parties, it failed to retain its hold over Jammu areas. The party won a majority in 18 of the 79 municipalities across the state and the Congress 10. Voting was not held in 27 civic bodies in the Valley either because there was no candidate or only one had filed nominations for a ward. Of the total 1,145 wards across the state, elections were held for 716,…

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#HorseTrading; BJP placates rebels, reaches out to Independents

Editor

Following its failure to get a majority in most of the civic bodies in the Jammu region, the BJP has initiated the process of placating the rebels and is also luring Independents to manage the required numbers in various municipalities. While the party on Sunday roped in an Independent who won from the Nagri Prole Municipal Committee, former Deputy Chief Minister Kavinder Gupta approached Udhampur MLA Pawan Gupta to muster a majority in the Udhampur Municipal Council in which the party has got only four of the total 21 seats.…

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