Month: July 2019

Father of dead twins shares his agony, the doctor slapped, harassed my wife after we lost the kids

Editor

A poignant letter by a mourning father has shocked Kashmir as he accused the region’s main maternity hospital of medical negligence that caused the death of his new-born twins. The letter, addressed to Governor Satya Pal Malik and written by a journalist Abid Sofi, was posted by him on the social media. The letter accused the staff of the Lal Ded Hospital, the main maternity facility in Kashmir valley, and demanded an inquiry into the deaths “due to negligence”. The hospital administration, however, said that the standard operating procedures (SOPs)…

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Govt formulating policy for return of Kashmiri Pandits: Satya Pal Malik

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The Jammu and Kashmir government is formulating a policy for the return of Kashmiri Pandits to Kashmir, said Governor Satya Pal Malik in Srinagar at a function organised for the launch of electric buses in Srinagar. “A policy is being formulated and more details will emerge soon, ” Malik told reporters. The efforts for their return received a major boost last week after a delegation of Kashmiri Pandits, led by Satish Mahaldar, met senior separatist leader and chairman of a faction of Hurriyat Conference, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, at his residence.…

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Cloudbursts triggers flood in Lolab, damaging houses and crops, woman washed away

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A woman died after multiple cloudbursts triggered flash floods in Lolab area of north Kashmir’s Kupwara district on Thursday. According to local reports and the police, the woman identified as Shafiqa Bano (35) was washed away by the flash floods in Bera Rudi, Khordi, Bat Gagal, Surgam in Lolab at around 4:30 pm, reported news agency GNS. The woman’s body was later recovered by locals and police, they said. They said that there were multiple cloudbursts in Kantpora, Putshahi, and Dooniwari villages. Reports said that the flash floods caused a…

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The extravaganza of modern wedding in Kashmir

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Nikaah, referred as Khandar in the Kashmiri language is a sacred function held to tie a lawful nuptial knot between the bride and the groom in the presence of witnesses. The rituals in Nikaah are held to seek the pleasure and blessing of Allah (SWT) on the couple. Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said, “The best wedding is that upon which the least trouble and expense is bestowed” (Mishkat). The present generation follows exactly opposite of what has been prescribed by the The Holy Prophet (PBUH). The kind of marriage ceremonies being…

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‘Smart City Transformation’ Srinagar misses crucial deadlines

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The state’s summer capital, Srinagar, has missed crucial deadlines to transform into a Smart City as the Project Management Consultancy (PMC) has not been put in place till date. The deadlines were decided upon in the Smart City proposal of Srinagar, approved in June 2017, official sources said. The missed deadlines include both the area-based development components as well as pan-city development components. The Srinagar Smart City proposal had promised to transform the city into an eco-friendly, resilient and socio-economically vibrant city that would celebrate its natural and cultural heritage.…

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Highway woes continue, even dead bodies not allowed

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Imtiyaz Wani, KAS officer stopped from carrying father’s body A senior government officer was today forced to vent his anger and frustration in public after the ambulance carrying the body of his father was not allowed to move forward to Srinagar from the Jammu highway in view of the restrictions imposed on civilian traffic owing to Amarnath Yatra. The incident, which happened in the Nagrota area of Jammu along the Jammu-Srinagar highway, has generated shock, anger and outrage in the Valley. The ambulance carrying the coffin was on way from…

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Kashmir is facing the new monster of drugs, Geelani joins the fight

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After Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, Syed Ali Geelani today became the second senior separatist leader to join a growing campaign against rising drug addiction in the Valley. In a statement, which his group described as a “stimulating message”, the separatist leader said Kashmir was facing “a new and unique monster of drugs, running deep in society and threatening its existence”. “Health experts and institutions reveal horrifying data that no sane person wants to believe. After 2015, there is addition of more than 6,000 addicts every year, which indicates a good number…

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Highway Ban: Admin urged to find ways for tackle yatra traffic woes

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Showing resentment over restrictions on the movement of civilians on the national highway, custodian of ‘Chhari Mubarak’ (the holy mace of Lord Shiva) Mahant Deependra Giri urged the government to devise a proper mechanism to tackle the traffic woes due to the ongoing Amarnath yatra. “It’s good to take precautionary measures but at the same time, a mechanism should be devised to minimise the inconvenience caused to the local population,” Giri told reporters after the holy mace was taken to Pahalgam in south Kashmir on Tuesday. The restrictions on the…

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High Court quashes state govt for rising road accidents

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The High Court on Tuesday pulled up the State Government over 48 deaths in two separate road accidents on Mughal road, and in Kishtwar district, in less than a month. It directed administrative heads of departments concerned, and top police and traffic officials to file responses to a plea seeking action against officers from different departments for “dereliction of duty”, within three weeks. A division bench of Justice Dhiraj Singh Thakur and Justice Sindhu Sharma, issued the directions on a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by Advocate Intakhab Ahmed Qazi.…

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Better cricket facilities would have helped me: Parvez Rasool

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South Kashmir cricketer Parvez Rasool on Tuesday said he would have performed better if the state had the right cricket infrastructure. However, he asserted that things had started to improve as the J&K Cricket Association (JKCA) was on job to groom players from the grass-roots. “I could have performed better, but I stayed back due to a few things. I did not get the required infrastructure here as there were no turf wickets then. Whatever facilities are available outside, we do not even have five percent of it. The JKCA…

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