Month: March 2019

One dead, scores injured in Grenade explosion at Jammu bus stand

Editor

One person died and 29 others were injured in a grenade blast at Jammu bus stand on Thursday, hospital sources said.An official said that the blast took place at 11:45 am when a grenade was hurled at a stationary bus at the main terminus. Inspector General of Police, Jammu M K Sinha confirmed injuries to 18 people. “The injured were shifted to GMC&H Jammu for treatment,” said Sinha, adding that the condition of some injured was serious. “Whenever there is a heightened state of alert we step up checking. There…

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We were close to war: Asif Ghafoor

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Pakistan Wednesday said the ball is now in India’s court following Islamabad’s “peace gesture” of releasing an Indian Air Force pilot but warned that the situation will “go bad” if New Delhi decides to opt for further escalation. The remarks were made by Asif Ghafoor, the director general of Pakistan army’s media wing Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), to CNN. Tensions between the two neighbours heightened following the February 14 Kashmir suicide bombing that killed 40 CRPF personnel which was claimed by the Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM). India retaliated by bombing JeM’s biggest…

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Zero crimes against tourists in Jammu & Kashmir: GoI report

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Exposing the negative propaganda against Jammu & Kashmir, a report by the Government of India has confirmed that there has not been a single crime reported against tourists in the state in past two years. This is despite the presence of separatist militancy in Kashmir that has only increased in the past two years.According to a report by ministry of home affairs (MHA), there has not been a single incident of crime against foreign tourists, including females, in Jammu and Kashmir while 284 such incidents have been reported during the…

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Nar Pir Asthan: Epitome of Eiman

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The spread of Islam in Kashmir in the fourteenth century is regarded as an event of extra-ordinary significance in the history of the state. The galaxy of Sufis led by Amir Kabir Mir Syed Ali Hamdani (R.A) arrived in Kashmir in the fourteenth century A.D. The traditional oral account puts the number of people as seven hundred comprising religious luminaries, Sufis, artisans and skilled persons which is corroborated by the contemporary and later written sources. In the spiritual sphere the mystic silsilhas or orders were introduced by these Sufis. Among…

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‘Gayab ho gaya is govt’s new line’: Rahul Gandhi ups Rafale attack on PM

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Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Thursday stepped up the campaign against Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the Rafale deal, demanding that the government probe him too. “Why can’t there be a criminal investigation against him also,” Gandhi said, pointing to the Centre’s decision to probe the leak of official documents from the defence ministry. The Congress president’s fresh attack comes a day after the government’s top law officer told the Supreme Court that the documents cited by lawyer Prashant Bhushan were ‘stolen’. The top court was hearing requests to review…

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The decision to apply constitutional provisions to J&K has sparked Anger and Anxiety across Valley

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Kashmir’s politicians say a central law cannot be applied when the state is under Governor’s rule while people fear it’s a step towards repealing Article 35A. On February 28, the Union Cabinet extended two constitutional amendments to the state of Jammu and Kashmir. While the Constitution (Seventy Seventh Amendment) Act, 1995 will make state employees from Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes eligible for reservation in promotions, the Constitution (One Hundred and Third Amendment) Act, 2019 will provide the newly introduced 10% quota to the economically weaker sections. The Cabinet also…

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Parents, Students worried as winter break extended twice

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The authorities in Kashmir have delayed the reopening of the schools after the winter break twice since March 1, saying it was because of the bad weather, but students and parents are apprehensive. They feel that the ongoing tension in the Valley might disrupt the academic calendar. The schools and colleges in the Valley were shut for a three-month-long winter break and were scheduled to reopen after March 1. The staff in the educational institutions were asked to join duty from February 25. The government had earlier announced that the…

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Post Pulwama, the Indian media proves it is the BJP’s propaganda machine

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On Feb. 14, an Indian paramilitary convoy was attacked in Pulwama in India-administered Kashmir, resulting in the death of 40 Indian officers. The Pakistan-based militant group Jaish-e-Muhammad soon claimed responsibility. In retaliation, the Indian Air Force carried out an airstrike on an alleged militant training camp in Balakot in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. Indian Foreign Secretary V.K. Gokhale claimed that it “struck the biggest camp” and that a “large number” of terrorists were killed. Without any official statement on the number of casualties by the Indian government, the Indian news…

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European Parliament Members ask India to ‘End Crackdown’ on Rights Activists In Kashmir

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Twenty members of the European Parliament have written to Central ministers, expressing concern about “worrying signs of shrinking civil society space in India”. Twenty members of European parliament have written to the Indian government and National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) expressing concern over the crackdown on human rights defenders. They have urged India to create a more open civil society space. The letter is addressed to the ministers of law and justice (Ravi Shankar Prasad), tribal affairs (Jual Oram) and social justice and empowerment (Thaawarchand Gehlot), and to the NHRC’s…

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If this isn’t​ war, what is? Handwara villagers ask after 4 days encounter

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When the chatter of gunfire erupted across the village Baba Gund, at a little after 3 pm on February 28, security forces told a group of civilians to take shelter in the home of fruit seller Farooq Ahmed. As the encounter continued, a few more villagers were directed into the house, and then a few more, until there were 17 people crammed into Ahmed’s small 10 feet by 10 feet room. Afternoon gave way to evening, then evening to night, night to day, and on and on for three long…

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