Month: August 2019

Ready to resist any move to revoke Article 35A: Mirwaiz Umar Farooq

Editor

Hurriyat Conference (M) chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq Friday said that the situation developing on ground over the past week with deployment of thousands of additional forces and government orders circulating has alarmed people and they have become apprehensive of something happening. Addressing Friday congregation at historic Jama Masjid in Srinagar he said, “Speculations are rife including removal of Article 35A to change the demography of the state and its Muslim majority character. For the past three years there has been a great push towards it since when various PILs were…

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Mehbooba Mufti, Sajad Lone, Shah Faesal caution Centre against tinkering with J&K’s special status

Editor

Amid the growing grip in Kashmir in the wake of build-up of security forces, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chief Mehbooba Mufti late on Friday night led a delegation of political leaders from different parties to Governor Satya Pal Malik, urging him that New Delhi shouldn’t tinker with unique identity of Muslim majority state of Jammu and Kashmir. In a dramatic turn of events, Mehbooba, late Friday night, addressed media, urging Prime Minister Narendra Modi not to tinker with the State’s special status. “The Prime Minister must ensure that the…

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Kashmir in hysteria, Panic grips Valley, locals throng ATM’s, Petrol Pumps

Editor

A series of alarming official orders that talked of an upcoming crisis situation, additional troop deployment and an advisory to tourists and yatris to immediately leave the Kashmir valley has left the residents in panic and guessing. The orders, which got leaked over the past week, have slowly built a pressure cooker situation in the Valley and left the people here apprehensive about a possible unrest. The panic deepened on Friday afternoon when the state government issued a security advisory asking tourists and Amarnath pilgrims to leave the Valley “as…

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Why is there panic across Kashmir Valley?

Editor

Panic has gripped Jammu and Kashmir amid rumours of imminent abrogation of Article 35A of the Constitution and after the deployment of thousands of extra troops to the Valley. Officials said that security has been withdrawn from some isolated shrines because of intelligence inputs that foreign terrorists are planning to target police guard there. Some langars for the Amarnath Yatra have also been closed. Summer vacations were preponed and educational institutions have been closed for 10 days starting Thursday. Local residents have started panic-buying essentials as they are linking the…

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Air Force, Army put on high alert, Troop buildup triggers panic among Kashmiri’s

Editor

Govt has put IAF and Army on high alert in Kashmir Centre has also rushed 28,000 troops to the Kashmir valley Omar Abdullah has said this sounds alarming Day after the Centre decided to send an additional 28,000 troop to Kashmir, the central government has now put the Army and Air Force on high alert in Jammu and Kashmir. Rashtriya Rifles and other regular units deployed on the LoC have been asked to be prepared for any attempts by Pakistan to push terrorists into the Kashmir valley. Indian Air Force…

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What are Articles 370 and 35A? Why they are important for J&K

Editor

Rumours are afloat that the Modi-led government is set to scrap Article 370 and Article 35A of the Constitution, which prevents anyone who is not a state subject of Jammu & Kashmir from purchasing property and settling in the state. The rumours were triggered by reports of Centre deploying additional 10,000 paramilitary troops to address the likely fallout from the removal of the controversial Article 35A in J&K. The government has, however, said that these are precautionary measures in view of terrorist threats. The rumours reflect apprehensions in the Valley following Home Minister Amit Shah’s pointed statement in…

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‘No agreement’ on Ayodhya, mediation report submitted; SC takes it up today

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The three-member mediation panel looking into the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid dispute has been unable to get the various parties involved in it to come to an agreement, one of the persons aware of the development said on condition of anonymity. The panel submitted its report to the Supreme Court in a sealed envelope on Thursday, drawing the curtain on almost four-and-a-half month-long negotiations between Hindu and Muslim litigants to explore the possibility of an out-of-court settlement to the decades-long Ayodhya land dispute. A five-judge constitution bench, comprising Chief Justice of…

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Week after 10000 central forces moved in, 28000 more troops being sent to Kashmir

Editor

Over 280 companies of security forces are in the process of being deployed in the Kashmir valley, officials aware of the development said on Thursday. The security forces, mostly CRPF personnel, are being deployed in vulnerable spots in the city and other parts of the valley, they said. However, no reason was given for the sudden deployment of over 280 companies (28,000 troops) late in the evening, the officials cited above said. All major entry and exit points of the city have been taken over by the Central Armed Paramilitary…

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What did PM tell you? Sajad, Faisal question NC’s meeting with PM

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People’s Conference chairman Sajad Lone and Peoples’ Movement president Shah Faesal have questioned NC leaders’ meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday ignoring the demand for an all-party meeting with the PM. NC leaders Farooq Abdullah, Hasnain Masoodi and Omar Abdullah met the Prime Minister in view of the “panic and anxiety” in Kashmir following rumours about abrogation of Article 35A of the Constitution. “What on earth happened to the supposed collective action? Is it a rush for brownie points or a mercy petition for economic crimes? The innocent…

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As a sign of peace, India promotes Hindu pilgrimage (Amarnath Yatra) in Kashmir

Editor

India is pitching a Hindu pilgrimage to a snowy cave shrine in disputed, Muslim-majority Kashmir as evidence of peace in a state marred by decades of armed conflict amid popular resistance to Indian rule. The annual yatra, or spiritual journey, to the Amarnath shrine, the hallowed mountain cave where devotees revere an icy stalagmite as an image of Lord Shiva, presents an opportunity for the state of Jammu and Kashmir to show something beyond the frequent skirmishes between armed separatists and Indian soldiers that have cost tens of thousands of…

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