Month: July 2020

GoI allowing Amarnath Yatra despite a huge spike in coronavirus cases across J&K

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Analysts say the resumption of annual Hindu pilgrimage shows the government’s ‘double standard’ as other gatherings prohibited. Authorities in Kashmir have decided to allow Hindu pilgrims to visit the Himalayan cave shrine of Amarnath – a decision Kashmiri analysts say contradicts the government’s coronavirus lockdown policy. The annual Amarnath Yatra (journey), which receives hundreds of thousands of pilgrims from across India, will likely begin on July 21, but this year it has been shortened to two weeks due to the coronavirus pandemic. The Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board (SASB), which manages…

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Supreme Court seeks centre’s response on plea seeking contempt charges over Internet curbs in J&K

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The Supreme Court had said in its May 11 order that indefinite suspension of the internet is not permissible and that these curbs will have to follow principles of proportionality. The Supreme Court has sought response from the Centre on a petition filed by a group of media persons. The petition accuses Centre of contempt for not conducting periodic review of its orders suspending telecom services in Jammu and Kashmir. The apex court has given the Centre a week’s time to file its response. Appearing for the Centre, Attorney General…

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J&K reports the highest spike of 13 coronavirus deaths in 24 hours, Toll 209

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J&K toll reaches 209 COVID19 deaths witnessed a spurt in J&K on Wednesday with 13 people dying of the viral illness in a day, the toll reaching 209. In the past 15 days, the death toll attributed to COVID19 rose from 101 to 209. The deaths doubled in two weeks, revealing the high mortality of patients. While many doctors believe that the rise in the number of deaths was reflective of the “actual number of cases” in the community, hospitals are grappling to accommodate moderately and critically sick COVID19 patients.…

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BJP leader Mehraj-ud-Din Malla abducted from Marazigund in Rafiabad

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BJP leader Mehraj-ud-Din Malla was abducted by suspected terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir’s Baramulla district on Wednesday. BJP leader Mehraj-ud-Din Malla, who is also the vice-president of Watergam Municipal Committee in Baramulla district of Jammu and Kashmir, was abducted by terrorists on Wednesday. According to reports, Malla was kidnapped and whisked away in a Santro car, while he was walking on a road to meet his friend. According to officials, he was allegedly kidnapped at Marazigund in Rafiabad area of Baramulla while he was on his way to Sopore town.…

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GoI has done only experiments through amendments & new laws failed to deliver post-August 5: Shiv Sena

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Jammu and Kashmir Shiv Sena chief Manish Sahani Tuesday accused the Central government of failing to deliver post the abrogation of article 370 stating that the situation in Kashmir is not concealed from anyone.  Manish Sahani, who heads the J&K chapter of Shiv Sena said that the government has miserably failed to deliver post-August 5 and it has only done experiments of new provisions and amendments in the newly carved union territory.  Sahani said the central government was doing experiments of fresh provisions and amendments in Jammu and Kashmir leaving…

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Spike continues, J&K adds 314 coronavirus cases with eight more deaths

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Jammu and Kashmir on Monday recorded 314 fresh COVID-19 cases, taking the union territory’s tally to 10,827, while eight more fatalities pushed the toll to 187, officials said. “Eight people, who were COVID-19 positive, have died over the past 24 hours in Jammu and Kashmir,” they said. This has taken the death toll due to coronavirus in the union territory to 187. Of these, 170 were from Kashmir and 17 were from the Jammu region. As many as 314 new cases of coronavirus were detected in the union territory during…

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J&K to welcome tourists, but only Pre-booked, Air passengers allowed

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Days after opening parks and gardens to the public, the Jammu and Kashmir administration on Sunday decided to open the tourism sector in a phased manner with effect from Tuesday but limiting it to tourists arriving by air only. However, it advised the tourists above the age of 65 years to avoid coming to the union territory and also announced compulsory RT-PCR testing of all tourists at the airport on arrival. Announcing the decision and the guidelines for entry of tourists in the UT in phase-1 valid with effect from…

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Officially first time in history no martyr’s day observed in Kashmir, Martyr Day’s historical perspective

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Media reported it was the first time since the Partition that no holiday and official functions were held to commemorate the Kashmir Martyrs’ Day on July 13, today. Following the revocation of Article 370 on August 5, last year, India had issued a list of gazette holidays for the occupied territory, omitting July 13 from the list. “In December last year, the list of gazetted holidays had no mention of martyrs’ day on July 13. Therefore, the question doesn’t arise of holding any official function or declaring a holiday on…

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The world must not let Srebrenica-like massacre happen in Kashmir: Imran Khan

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Prime Minister Imran Khan on Saturday said he feared a massacre similar to the 1995 genocide in Srebrenica could happen in Indian occupied Kashmir and urged the international community to take notice and prevent it from happening. Speaking on the 25th anniversary of the massacre, the premier said he still remembered when the genocide had taken place. “We were shocked and appalled how this massacre was allowed to happen in a United Nations safe haven. I still feel shock [over] how such a thing could have been allowed by the…

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Kashmir battling lockdown for a year now

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One of the most beautiful places on earth is faced with political upheaval and pandemic Tariq A. Al Maeena While the rest of the world has experienced some form of lockdown in recent months as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the people of Kashmir in India have faced a double whammy. They have had to deal with both the coronavirus and an erosion of their political freedoms. Kashmiris have been living under a government-imposed lockdown since last August — for almost a year now — and it has nothing…

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