Year: 2018

BJP forced to change meet venue to RS Pura post Kathua fallout

Editor

Fearing peoples’ wrath over its inability to support the demand of locals to hand over the Rassana murder case to the CBI, the ruling BJP was forced to change the venue of its high-profile state executive committee meeting from Kathua to RS Pura. The two-day executive committee meeting would be held at the “safe” border village of Suchetgarh in RS Pura subdivision on March 31 and April 1, and is likely to be attended by party’s J&K incharge Avinash Rai Khanna. “Despite having an equal partnership in the government, BJP…

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Talks with Pak was precondition for ties with BJP: PDP

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The ruling PDP on Thursday said while forging an alliance with the BJP in J&K, their “first and last condition” for Prime Minister Narendra Modi was a dialogue process with Pakistan for a “peaceful resolution” of all outstanding issues. The PDP statement has come a day after the Centre stated it had received no proposal from Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti for a dialogue with Pakistan for bringing peace in the state. “I don’t think there is a need to send a fresh letter to the Union Government seeking initiation of…

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Separatist leaders are free to go anywhere as long as they don’t indulge in any anti-national activities: DGP Vaid

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For close to two years, they have been forbidden to come out of their homes, and on occasions been put behind bars, but the police now say they are free to go anywhere they like. This freedom though will come for a price: they can’t make an “anti-national” speech or create “a law and order problem.” S. P. Vaid, the head of the state police, on Thursday told the Kashmir Post that Syed Ali Geelani, Mohammad Yasin Malik, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, the three leaders of Joint Resistance Leadership, are “free…

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Dineshwar Sharma visits militancy hotbed Tral, cold response received

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Meets 6 delegations; discuss cricket facilities, land issues with delegation members Some delegations wanted a play ground , others complained of harassment by troops: Sharma The Government of India (GoI) interlocutor on Kashmir, Dineshwar Sharma Thursday visited the volatile town of Tral in south Kashmir’s Pulwama district and discussed cricket facilities and land issued with six delegations, who called on him. Sharma arrived in the Townhall Tral, here at around 10.15 am. Tral is the home town of top militant commander Zakir Musa and slain Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani.…

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40 Percent youth in 15-30 age-group jobless across J&K

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Nearly 40 percent youth, in the age group of 15 to 30 years, are unemployed in Jammu and Kashmir, the government of India has revealed in reply to a question Lok Sabha, the number of unemployed youth in the state much higher than the national level. In Jammu and Kashmir, out of 1000 persons in the age group of 15-17 years, 555 persons are unemployed, while in the age group of 18-30 years, 228 persons are jobless out of 1000 persons, revealed the union minister of Labour and employment, Santosh…

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US Scientists ‘Hack’ Indian electronic voting machines

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Scientists at a US university say they have developed a technique to hack into Indian electronic voting machines. After connecting a home-made device to a machine, University of Michigan researchers were able to change results by sending text messages from a mobile. Indian election officials say their machines are foolproof, and that it would be very difficult even to get hold of a machine to tamper with it. India uses about 1.4m electronic voting machines in each general election. ‘Dishonest totals’ A video posted on the internet by the researchers…

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J&K Govt temporarily suspends anti-militancy ops in bid to give tourism a fresh start in Valley

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Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti-led Jammu and Kashmir government has asked security forces to temporarily suspend all anti-militancy operation in the Valley till the 64th Annual Convention Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI), which is being held in Srinagar after 30 years, concludes. The forces were also asked to suspend anti-militancy operations till Union Home Secretary Rajiv Gauba was in the Valley. Gauba is in the state for two days. Amid simmering tensions in the Valley, around five hundred delegates from across India are camping in Srinagar for the TAAI convention…

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Everybody is a stakeholder in Kashmir: Dineshwar Sharma

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On his seventh visit to the state, Centre’s special representative for Kashmir Dineshwar Sharma continued his efforts to bring the separatists to the dialogue table. No separatist leader has, however, met him so far. “Why is everyone here after my meeting with separatists? Everybody is a stakeholder in Kashmir,” Sharma told Kashmir Post. Sharma’s four-day visit started on Tuesday when he visited north Kashmir’s Bandipora district. He met activists of mainstream political parties in Bandipora. However, prominent trade bodies and civil society members refused to meet Sharma. Sharma stayed overnight…

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Which CRPF battalion was posted at Gaw Kadal on the day, asks SHRC after 28 years of massacre

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The State Human Rights Commission (SHRC) has asked its investigation wing to determine which battalion of Central Reserve Police Force was posted at Gaw Kadal here on 21st January 1990 when they fired on civilians, killing more than 50 people and injuring 250. In April 2012, a petition was filed before the SHRC by human rights activist and chairperson International Forum for Justice and Human Rights, Ahsan Untoo, seeking proper probe in the massacre. Paramilitary CRPF fired on a procession of people at Gaw Kadal, Srinagar, on 21st January 1990…

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TAAI dwells on high Airfares, Tourist Security

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Delegates address impediments to tourism sector Even as the ongoing Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI) convention has brought fresh ideas and insights to the local stakeholders, the delegates also took up contentious issues facing the Valley’s tourism sector. Besides its routine business, the convention, which is being held here after a gap of three decades, also talked of measures to address the stumbling blocks to the growth of local tourism, especially security concerns of tourists and soaring airfares in the peak season. Universal Federation of Travel Agents Association (UFTAA)…

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