Year: 2019

‘Huge Embarrassment’: Congress slams govt over OIC resolution on Kashmir

Editor

A meeting of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) passed two strongly worded resolutions on Kashmir a day after it was addressed by India’s foreign minister, including a reference to “Indian terrorism”, prompting the Congress on Sunday to attack the government over its participation in the Abu Dhabi meet. The two resolutions, one on the Kashmir issue and another on the India-Pakistan “peace process”, were part of the overall political resolution passed at the end of the meeting of OIC’s Council of Foreign Ministers on Saturday. The first described Kashmir…

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Imran Khan Vs Narendra Modi: Who won the war of perception?

Editor

With the release of the Indian pilot captured by Pakistan, tensions between the two nuclear-armed countries over the attack in Kashmir are expected to abate. So who won the battle of perception during the crisis? On Thursday afternoon Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan announced in parliament that Pakistan would release the captured Indian pilot as a “peace gesture”. In Delhi, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, was addressing a meeting of scientists. Moments after Mr Khan’s remarks, he responded with a sarcastic broadside against Pakistan, saying that a “pilot project had…

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Six killed, 39 injured as bus falls into gorge in Udhampur

Editor

Six passengers including a woman died and 39 others were injured after a vehicle they were traveling in met with an accident in Udhampur district on Friday late night. Reports reaching a local news agency said that the bus ( JK02BR-5503) skidded off the road and fell down into a deep gorge near Chaner area of Majalta. The incident occurred last night when the Kashmiri bound passengers were traveling in the bus towards Srinagar from Jammu. Deputy Commissioner Udhampur Dr Piyush Singla while confirming the mishap and said that five…

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‘Killing 300 militants inside Pakistan’, International media questions Indian claims

Editor

India claimed it killed 300 odd Jaish militants in an air-strike inside Pakistan. Several international media outlets found these claims untrue and reported no significant damage. On Tuesday morning, news blared across Indian TV studios that India has successfully carried out air-strikes against Jaish e Mohammad (JeM) training camps in Pakistan saying, “a very large  number of JeM terrorists, trainers, senior commanders and groups of jihadis who were being trained for [suicide] action were eliminated.” Pakistan, however, denied that any casualties had taken place. Sections of Indian media quoted Indian officials…

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Method adopted to extend constitutional amendments highly objectionable, NC, PDP mulling moving court

Editor

The National Conference and the PDP said Friday that they were mulling moving court against the Centre’s decision to extend the 77th and 103rd Amendments of the Indian Constitution to Jammu and Kashmir in the absence of an elected government in the state. The reactions come after the Union government on Thursday gave its nod to the promulgation of an ordinance for giving reservation benefits to SCs and STs in Jammu and Kashmir by amending a clause of the contentious Article 370, which gives special status to the state. “It…

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ALERT! For SC, ST quota cabinet clears amendment of Article 370 clause

Editor

The government Thursday gave its nod to the promulgation of an ordinance for giving reservation benefits to SCs and STs in Jammu and Kashmir by amending a clause of the contentious Article 370, which gives special status to the State. The decision was taken at a meeting of the Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said.“It will serve the purpose of application of relevant provisions of the Constitution of India, as amended through the Constitution (Seventy Seventh Amendment) Act, 1995 and Constitution (One Hundred…

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GOI bans separatist group Jamaat-e-Islami J&K

Editor

The Union Government today banned separatist group Jamaat-e-Islami Jammu and Kashmir, a religious and political organisation, for a period of five years for indulging in activities “prejudicial to internal security and public order”. The notification, issued by the Union Home Ministry, stated that the step was taken in view of Jamaat being in touch with militant outfits and supporting extremism and militancy in the state. Post-Pulwama attack, several Jamaat leaders have been arrested in Kashmir. The Jamaat was banned for two years in early 1990s too.

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Restrictions in Kashmir parts, Mobile Internet speed throttled

Editor

Restrictions were imposed in Downtown Srinagar and parts of south Kashmir including Anantnag town while the mobile Internet speed was throttled across the valley on Friday.Reports said that the forces were deployed in strength in the Old City and Anantnag and Bijbehara towns in south Kashmir. Rolls of concertina wires were installed in Anantnag town to restrict the movement of the pedestrians and commuters. An official said that the step has been taken as a precautionary measure to maintain “law and order”, reported news agency GNS.Hurriyat (M) chairman and Kashmir’s…

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Pakistan is our ‘Brother’, the government must work to improve ties: RSS

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The RSS on Friday favoured engagement with Pakistan and other neigbours, saying they were “formed out of the same body (India)”, and endorsed the Narendra Modi government’s “direction, intent and commitment” in the past 14 months. The BJP’s ideological mentor said there was a need to discuss how to improve relations with people related historically and geographically vis-à-vis India’s neigbours. RSS joint general secretary Dattatreya Hosabale shrugged off the acrimony between India and Pakistan, saying such things happen “in a family … between brothers” and one should move on and…

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In brewing Kashmir Crisis, India and Pakistan brace themselves for new turbulence

Editor

India’s air strikes and Pakistan’s response are a major shift in the India-Pakistan conflict, says Priya Chacko, lecturer at the University of Adelaide. On Tuesday, India launched air strikes targeting what it claimed was the biggest training camp of the militant group, Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) near the town of Balakot in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. The strikes were said to be aimed at preventing an imminent attack on India and succeeded in killing hundreds of militants. Earlier this month, the JeM claimed responsibility for an attack that killed 40…

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