Month: May 2019

Restrictions imposed in parts of Srinagar to prevent protests post Musa’s killing, Mobile internet service suspended across Kashmir

Editor

Curfew-like restrictions were imposed in parts of Srinagar, summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir, on Friday to prevent protests against the killing of militant commander Zakir Musa late last night. Reports and witnesses said that the police and paramilitary forces have been deployed in strength in various sensitive areas of the city. They have erected barricades at various intersections to restrict the movement of the people, said a motorist who was stopped at Hyderpora and Parraypora in uptown Srinagar. Another witness said that curfew was announced in Maisuma area of…

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NC sweeps Kashmir, BJP wins Jammu & Ladakh, India gets Modi 2.0

Editor

The BJP has repeated its 2014 victory by retaining the Jammu, Udhampur and Ladakh Lok Sabha constituencies, while the National Conference swept all three seats in the Valley. The saffron party has scripted a new history by increasing victory margins on the seats manifold due to the Modi wave. Notably, two arch-rivals — National Conference and Peoples Democratic Party — had supported the Congress candidates on both the Jammu and Udhampur Lok Sabha seats, but the party failed to win any seat. Union minister and sitting Lok Sabha member Jitendra…

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Zakir Musa, Kashmir’s most wanted rebel killed in Tral

Editor

Zakir Rasheed Bhat alias Zakir Musa, Kashmir’s most-wanted rebel and chief of terror outfit Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind (AGH), an offshoot of Al-Qaeda, is believed to have been killed today evening in Tral area of South Kashmir’s Pulwama district. Musa was on top of the most-wanted list for quite some time now and had been eluding the security forces for more than six years. He had joined Hizb-ul-Mujahideen in July 2013, leaving his engineering degree at a Punjab college midway. Son of an engineer working with the Jammu and Kashmir Government, Musa…

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Amid EVM Row, Nationwide alert sounded about violence on counting day

Editor

The Home Ministry on Wednesday put out a nation-wide alert to states about possible eruption of violence in different parts of the country in connection with the counting of votes. The Centre’s advisory comes just a day after former union minister Upendra Kushwaha threatened of bloodshed in Bihar if any attempt is made to steal “the peoples’ votes”. Ram Vilas Paswan, the union minister and the BJP ally in Bihar, had responded to Kushwaha’s warning of bloodshed. Paswan, who spoke after the dinner for NDA allies hosted by BJP chief…

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Modern “Halal” meat is a mockery of Islam

Editor

Eating meat in Islam is not a right or a duty. Eating meat is a privilege, extended to us by Allah with responsibilities attached. Unfortunately, many Muslims today don’t seem to care about the food they eat, at the expense of their akirah. This article is a warning to Muslims around the world to start paying attention before its too late. Industrial meat, egg and dairy operations operate under a capitalist system, not the Shariah. Consequently the only important component is money, not animal welfare or health. Under the Shariah…

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Highway ban lifted, Security arrangements for Amarnath yatra reviewed by the governor

Editor

Following a review of the security situation in the State and of the requirement of the government forces’ convoys, the Governor Tuesday decided to lift the remaining restrictions on civilian movement on NH-44 connecting Srinagar to Jammu with effect from May 27, 2019. An official spokesman said these restrictions had become necessary following the movement of the government forces on an unprecedented scale after the Pulwama attack. He said the government forces were required both for anti-militancy operations and for smooth conduct of general elections. In order to facilitate safe…

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EVM’s On Run: Multiple videos of EVMs stacked in cars, shops surface on social media

Editor

Several incidents of EVMs being stored in illegal cars and shops surfaced on Twitter Opposition will move EC demanding VVPATs be verified in entire Assembly segment in case of discrepancies Results for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections will be declared on May 23 Days before results for the fiercely fought Lok Sabha elections are declared, several videos of EVMs being stored and moved from one unauthorised storage house to another surfaced on Twitter. While some machines are seen stored at local shops, others are seen stacked in the boot of…

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Jehangir Chowk-Rambagh flyover phase II inauguration today

Editor

After a long wait, the second phase of Jehangir Chowk-Rambagh flyover will be thrown open for vehicular traffic today. It will be inaugurated by J&K Governor Satya Pal Malik. For the past four years, residents were waiting for the flyover to get complete. With the second phase to be thrown open tomorrow, people are overjoyed, as Eid is also near, which may provide them some relief from traffic congestion. “Traffic congestion has been a big problem for everyone. With flyover’s second phase being inaugurated today, it will come as a…

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Kashmir shuts on resistance call, Mirwaiz house arrest, March to Eidgah foiled

Editor

The authorities in Kashmir on Tuesday foiled the proposed march by the separatists to the Eidgah ground in Srinagar by imposing restrictions in old city areas and also keeping the “martyrs’ graveyard” out of bounds for the visitors. The authorities also put moderate Hurriyat Conference leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq under house arrest at his Nigeen residence here as the faction led by him had called for a shutdown and Eidgah march on Tuesday to commemorate the death anniversaries of two assassinated separatist leaders — Moulvi Farooq and Abdul Gani Lone.…

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How conflict and stigma are creating mental health crisis in Kashmir

Editor

The embattled district of Shopian in the south of Kashmir is at breaking point. An unknown gunman has shot and injured a local politician in the village of Chitragam. He is the third politician shot this week in Shopian district alone. Earlier that day, streets across the region were filled with thousands of protesters demanding the death penalty for the man who raped a three-year-old girl. And the past week has also seen the return of shelling between Indian and Pakistani forces in Kashmir, with civilians reportedly injured. Such violence…

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