Year: 2018

No govt formation under way, Mehbooba met two party dissidents to stem rebellion

Editor

In an effort to stifle dissent and stem the rebellion by party legislators, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti on Tuesday met five MLAs, including two dissidents, to “thrash out” the differences. The dissident MLAs, who met Mehbooba included Abdul Majeed Paddar and Abdul Rahim Rather. The other three MLAs were former minister Abdul Haq Khan, Javeed Mustafa Mir and Shah Mohd Tantray. Abdul Haq’s meeting is significant as he has remained silent after he was dropped from the Cabinet by Mehbooba. The meeting of the MLAs, including the…

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IAS topper Shah Faisal gets govt notice for tweet on rape, calls it ‘Love letter from Boss’

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IAS officer from Kashmir Shah Faisal had tweeted “Patriarchy+Population+Illiteracy+Alcohol+Porn+Technology+Anarchy = Rapistan!,” in April over a story titled “Porn addict rapes 46 year old mom. An Indian Administrative Services officer from Kashmir who topped the coveted civil services exam in 2010 said on Friday that the government has issued him a show-cause notice over an April tweet commenting on a story of a man raping his mother. “Love letter from my boss for my sarcastic tweet against rape-culture in South Asia,” Shah Faesal wrote while sharing on Facebook and Twitter an official…

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Killing of civilians continues during clashes with security forces in Kashmir

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A man was killed while 20 others were injured on Tuesday in clashes between stone-pelters and security forces near an encounter site in Shopian district of Jammu and Kashmir where two militants were killed. Tamsheel Ahmad Khan of Vehil in Shopian died after suffering head injuries during the clashes near Kundullan, a police official said. He said 20 other people were injured of which eight were referred to hospitals here for specialised treatment. Some people had assembled near the encounter site and indulged in stone-pelting on security forces, who were…

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Two Rebels, Youth killed scores injured in Shopian Gunfight

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An 18-year-old youth was killed and over 50 others suffered injuries during intense clashes between government forces and protesters near encounter site at Kundalan village of south Kashmir’s Shopian district on Tuesday. Two militants were killed during the encounter in the initial phases of which two soldiers including an officer suffered injuries. Reports said that Tamsheel Ahmad Khan (18) son of Khursheed Ahmad Khan of Vehil, Kachdora sustained a critical bullet wound in his head in forces action during the clashes in Kundalan. Khan was shifted to District Hospital Shopian…

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Dissolve Assembly to end horse trading: Omar to Vohra

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‘No improvement in Kashmir situation under Governor’s rule’ Former chief minister Omar Abdullah Monday demanded dissolution of Legislative Assembly to put an end to rumor mongering over government formation and horse trading of legislators. “National Conference is demanding dissolution of the State Legislative Assembly. The rumors mongering of horse trading of legislators or breaking of political parties for alleged formation of alternate government will be solved with the dissolution of assembly,” he said addressing media persons at party headquarters here. “We are not demanding immediate polls. We understand that to…

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Sajad Lone holding trump card in J&K govt formation?

Editor

Peoples Conference has ‘support’ of 15 disgruntled PDP leaders With the PDP facing an existential crisis and the National Conference (NC) trying hard to hold on to its legislators, both the regional parties are fearing a threat in Sajad Gani Lone’s Peoples Conference, which has two MLAs. With PDP legislators showing open defiance against the party and NC leader Omar Abdullah repeatedly seeking dissolution of the Legislative Assembly to keep his flock together, Lone is holding all his cards close to his chest and not giving a whiff to the…

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Ending ceasefire, coalition break-up linked to 2019 poll: CCG Report

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Concerned Citizens’ Group (CCG), a civil society group led by former union finance minister Yashwant Sinha which recently visited J&K, in its report released on Friday said that the local perception in the Valley was that centre’s decision to not extend the Ramadhan ceasefire followed by withdrawal of BJP’s support to its former ally PDP was “part of a grand strategy of the BJP with an eye on the 2019 general election”. The report expressed concern over the recent developments in the Valley including the assassination of journalist Shujaat Bukhari.…

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Character assassination of Hurriyat leaders plot to prolong detentions: Hurriyat (G)

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Rejecting any possibility of submission or surrender before the “imperialism and military might”, Hurriyat (G) chairman, Syed Ali Geelani Friday termed “the fresh spurt in the character assassination campaign launched by the NIA, against the resistance leadership as a brazen plot to prolong the illegal and unjustified detention of the leadership”. Hailing the “exemplary and praiseworthy” role played by DeM chairperson Syeda Asiya Andrabi and her family, Geelani condemned the “sinister designs” of NIA to lodge “baseless” case against her. “It is the well-thought out ploy to defame leadership on…

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After triple talaq, Centre targets nikah halala and polygamy

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After moving to criminalise instant triple talaq + , the Centre is all set to throw its weight behind a clutch of petitions filed in the Supreme Court to declare “nikah halala” and polygamy “unconstitutional”. Sources said the Centre would extend its support to petitioners when the matter comes up next in the SC, which earlier this year agreed to hear the petitions. Nikah halala is a controversial practice which forbids adivorced couple from remarrying until the woman marries someone else, consummates her new marriage and gets divorced or widowed.…

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Post heavy rainfall govt sounds flood alert across Kashmir Valley, Amarnath Yatra suspended

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Authorities on Friday sounded a flood alert as Jhelum river flowed above the critical 21 feet mark at Sangam in south Kashmir’s Anantnag district due to heavy rains over the past two days. “Due to continuous rains from the past two days, the guage at Sangam has crossed the flood declaration of 21 feet and was flowing at 21.33 feet at 6 pm,” an official of the Irrigation and Flood Control department said. The water level in Jhelum at Ram Munshi Bagh in the city was 13.34 feet at 6…

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