National Conference Vice President Omar Abdullah Monday said the post of Sadar-e-Riyasat (President) and Wazir-e-Azam (Prime Minister) would be brought back if the party returns to power. Addressing a rally of the party in north Kashmir’s Bandipora district, Omar said Jammu Kashmir had acceded to India on certain terms which included its own constitution and own flag. The former chief minister said, “Other states joined the Union of India without any conditions. However, J&K acceded with certain conditions. Those included our own identity, own constitution. At that time we had…
Read MoreYear: 2019
BJP rally in Rafiabad sees an attendance of 78 people
It must be a record of sorts in Kashmir, even for the BJP. The party, which hopes to win “all three Lok Sabha seats in Kashmir”, managed to get only 78 people for its maiden rally in the area of Rafiabad in north Kashmir on Sunday. It was an embarrassing moment for Mohammed Maqbool War, who is fighting on a BJP ticket, and lives just three kilometres from the venue of the rally in Rohama area of Rafiabad. There were more security personnel guarding the venue than the number of…
Read More‘Separate PM for J&K’, PM Modi slams Omar Abdullah
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday hit out at National Conference leader Omar Abdullah over his reported statement seeking a separate Prime Minister for Kashmir, and asked the Congress-led opposition alliance to make their stand clear on his statement. Addressing an election rally here, Modi said there were media reports that Omar Abdullah has stated that there should be a separate Prime Minister for Kashmir. “Two Prime Ministers for Hindustan? Do you agree with it? Congress has to answer and all the ‘Mahagathbandhan’ partners have to answer. What are the…
Read MoreReal Kashmir FC takes on the might of ATK in Hero Super Cup
Fresh from its fruitful I-League season, Real Kashmir FC braces up to take on ATK, an Indian Super League (ISL) club in the Hero Super Cup pre-quarterfinal contest at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar on Monday. Real Kashmir finished third in its maiden I-League season, eliciting praise from Steve Coppell, the ATK head coach. He said: “I have seen quite a few of their games on TV and they are a team that deserve and demand respect. They have some really good players and they have a particular style which…
Read MoreArrogance and Miscalculations have weakened Modi’s Hand in Kashmir
The Centre’s decision to appoint a ‘representative’ for dialogue with Kashmir comes from a position of self-inflicted weakness. It is a good thing that the Centre has appointed a ‘representative’ to talk to Kashmiris of all shades. It would have been a far better thing if this sort of inclusive move had been made before a lot of Kashmiris got the impression that the Centre was running out of options. The tragic irony is that it is exactly three years to the day since Prime Minister Narendra Modi began to toss away…
Read MoreAsia’s largest Tulip Garden thrown open to visitors
Asia’s largest tulip garden overlooking the famous Dal Lake here in the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir was Sunday thrown open to public, marking the beginning of new tourism season in the valley. The garden witnessed an impressive footfall of locals and tourists on the first day of its opening this year. “The tulip garden was thrown open for public today and we expect a very good number of visitors this year,” Director Floriculture Abdul Hafiz Shah told PTI. Formerly known as Siraj Bagh, the Indira Gandhi Memorial Tulip…
Read MoreIf Article 35A is expended it will impinge on basic tenets of constitutional interpretation
It became law through a constitutional process. Its repeal will be a blow to federal India When the minions of the BJP promise abolition of Article 370 or Article 35A, especially prior to the elections, it is not to be taken seriously. In fact, the response, if any, should be to dare them to do it. Indeed, I had done so in 2014 in response to a rant by Jitendra Singh, a minister in the PMO, when he spoke out of turn (‘Dare them to do it!’, Kashmir Life, June…
Read MoreMysterious blast in car on Srinagar-Jammu highway near Banihal
A car was completely damaged in a blast on Srinagar-Jammu highway in Ramban district of Jammu and Kashmir on Saturday. The blast took place in a car moving towards Jammu from Srinagar today morning on the highway, around seven kilometres from the Banihal town. At 1040 hrs a Bus of CRPF 54 Bn( No. HR 66 8067) In Down convoy, was hit by a Santro from back. Car driver escaped. Santro was blown up. CRPF noticed uria, oil bottle, 1 LPG cylinder in Santro. 1 cylinder blasted. Rear windshield of…
Read MoreBJP fields Jamyang Tsering Namgyal, Leh Council CEC for Ladakh seat
The BJP on Friday sprung a surprise in the Ladakh region by fielding the Chief Executive Councillor (CEC) of the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council, Leh, and young leader Jamyang Tsering Namgyal as its candidate for the Lok Sabha poll. The move, however, did not go down well with the cadre as senior leaders from Ladakh have vent their anger against the BJP high command for fielding a “novice” leader as candidate for the seat, which the party had held for the first time during the 2014 poll. Sources said…
Read MoreDon’t vote for BJP, Over 100 Filmmakers urge people
“Let your mandate be to choose a government that respects the Constitution of India, protects our freedom of speech and expression”, the artists wrote. More than 100 members of the filmmaking industry have released a statement urging people not to vote for the BJP. Most of the signatories are independent filmmakers, who released the statement under the umbrella of “Save Democracy”. The signatories include well-known names like Anand Patwardhan, Q, Sanalkumar Sasidharan, Pushpendra Singh, Sudevan, Q, Vetri Maaran, Deepa Dhanraj, Gurvinder Singh, Kabir Singh Chowdhry, Praveen Morchhale, Anjali Monteiro, Devashish…
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