Year: 2018

South Kashmir residents fearing collateral damage while building two-story houses

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Abdul Wahab of Daramdor hamlet of south Kashmir’s Pulwama district has given up the idea of constructing the second floor to his single-storied house due to the fear of frequent gunfights in the district which often leave the houses razed. He says his elder son is married and the younger one is expected to get married next summer before which he had plans to add another floor to his house. “There are so many gunfights in south Kashmir districts day in and day out. I told my wife to let…

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Boycott Urban Local Bodies, Panchayat polls: Joint Resistance Leadership

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Joint Resistance Leadership (JRL) comprising Syed Ali Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Muhammad Yasin Malik Monday said that people of Jammu and Kashmir will boycott the upcoming urban local bodies and panchayat polls as these polls are aimed at diluting the Kashmir issue. In a joint statement issued after deliberations at Geelani’sHyderpora residence, the leadership said that while the “Damocles sword is kept hanging over us on the issue of Article 35A, the Government of India now wants to thrust panchayat and municipal elections on us through additional deployment of…

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Militants escape despite face-off with forces thrice: ADGP Munir Khan

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Militants and government forces had a face-off thrice on Monday during a daylong search operation in several villages of Pulwama. Each time, militants managed to escape. “There was general input about the presence of militants,” said additional director general of police (ADGP) law and order, security Munir Khan. However, Pulwama residents said more than a dozen villages—Chewkalan, Muran, Naira, Rohmu, Belaw, Mitrigam, Gasu, Chek, Mirgund, Sheikhpora, Hanjan, Frasipura and Kamrazipura—were cordoned off for searches. Local residents hit streets and clashed with the forces to protest against the searches. One of…

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Ensure bias free legal stand on Article 35A, PDP urges Governor

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Taking a strong exception to the legal position taken by Tushar Mehta, Additional Solicitor General of India (ASG), in the Supreme Court during the hearing on Article 35A, the PDP on Monday appealed to the newly appointed Governor to ensure a “bias-free and strong legal position of the state government”. In a statement, Rafi Mir, PDP chief spokesperson, said the PDP had always stood up for retaining and empowering the constitutional powers to Jammu and Kashmir and they strongly condemned the remarks made by the leading counsel in the matter.…

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Despite threats, BJP continues expansion efforts across Kashmir Valley

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Despite militant threats, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is continuing with efforts to expand its base in the Valley. The party is also eyeing members of the Gujjar and Bakerwal communities even as it is yet to register its maiden electoral win in Kashmir. “Yes, security is a major concern but nothing will stop us from our mission. On Monday, we had a workers’ convention in Anantnag. On Tuesday, a convention will be held in north Kashmir and on Wednesday, another meet will be organised in central Kashmir. These meetings…

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Fayaz Ahmad Wani, youth killed during anti-CASO protest in Pulwama

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A young man was killed and four others sustained injuries on Monday when government forces fired live ammunition into protesters during a massive search operation in several villages of Pulwama district. The slain man has been identified as Fayaz Ahmad Wani son of Muhammad Ahsan Wani of Chewa-Kalan, Pulwama. The operation occurred on the heels of recent abductions of policemen’s kin by militants in Pulwama, Shopian, Kulgam and Anantnag. A police official said government forces launched a massive search operation in more than a dozen villages including Murran, Dadora, Shangarpora,…

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Sheikh Abdullah’s ‘Role’ in J&K’s accession to India: CIA Report

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Asserting that Sheikh Abdullah, founder of the National Conference (NC), the oldest political party in Kashmir, played an instrumental role in accession of Kashmir to India, a declassified report of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) states that a fair election in Kashmir at that time (1947) would have reversed the accession in favour of Pakistan. The CIA special report, titled “Sheikh Abdullah and The Kashmir Issue”, sent to the spy agency’s headquarters in 1964, stated that it was the Indian union which made much of Abdullah’s role so as to…

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Youth killed after forces open fire on protesters in Gusoo village Pulwama

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A youth was killed after the government forces fired live ammunition into protesters in Gusoo village of south Kashmir’s Pulwama district on Monday. Reports said that youth hurled stones on the forces’ vehicles during a cordon-and-search-operation in the village. The forces, they said, responded by firing tear gas, pellets and live ammunition. A youth, identified as Fayaz Ahmad Wani, son of Muhammad Ahsan Wani of Chewa-Kalan, sustained a firearm injury during the clashes. Reports said that the injured has been shifted to district hospital Pulwama where from he was referred…

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Pellet terror continues, scores injured during Shopian Operation

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Seven protestors suffered pellet wounds when government forces fired into them while they were attempting to distract the attention of forces from acting against two to three militants caught in a house in Shopian on Sunday morning. A police official said that army men of 34 RR, CRPF and SOG personnel laid a siege around the Laddi Imamsahab village– some 8 Kms towards the east from the Shopian town. During the search operation, militants believed to be 2-3 in number fired a volley of bullets on the forces from a…

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Nirmala Sitharaman, Bipin Rawat to meet new JK Governor in Srinagar today

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Defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman along with Army chief General Bipin Rawat will be flying to Srinagar on Monday to call on newly appointed State Governor Satyapal Malik to exchange notes on the security situation in the state and the forthcoming Panchayat elections. This will be the first meeting between the defence minister, Army chief and the Jammu and Kashmir Governor. South Block officials said that the visit of Sitharaman and Rawat comes at a time when indigenous militant group, Hizbul Mujahideen, has been pushed to the forefront of action by…

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