Month: September 2020

European MPs reject Indian bid to settle Kashmir dispute unilaterally

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The future of Kashmir cannot be determined by India unilaterally, observed lawmakers from EU and UK, who affirmed the right of the Kashmiri people as principal stakeholders of the conflict. With the UNGA’s 75th session scheduled in days, lawmakers, diplomats and journalists from the EU, UK, India, Pakistan and Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) and Azad Kashmir agreed that the international community must know how Kashmir had become extremely restive since Aug 5 last year, and this comes with implications for conflict escalation in the region. This was…

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Geneva envoys meet UN rights chief on Jammu and Kashmir

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OIC ambassadors tell Michelle Bachelet that in last year human rights situation worsened in Jammu and Kashmir Ambassadors of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Contact Group in Geneva met Tuesday with the UN’s human rights chief on the conditions in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir. Pakistan’s Geneva mission to the UN said on Twitter that the envoys met virtually with UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet to communicate their concerns on the human rights situation in Indian-administered Kashmir. The group comprised Azerbaijan, Niger, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Pakistan and…

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Coronavius could fuel more Conflict, Poverty, Starvation: UN

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Top UN officials have warned that the COVID19 pandemic has aggravated discrimination and other human rights violations that can fuel conflict, and its indirect consequences are dwarfing the impact of the virus itself in the world’s most fragile countries. UN political chief Rosemary DiCarlo and UN humanitarian chief Mark Lowcock on Wednesday painted a grim picture to the UN Security Council of the global impact of the pandemic that has blanketed the world, with over 26 million confirmed cases of COVID19 and more than 860,000 deaths. Lowcock warned the council…

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Hurriyat forum led by Mirwaiz demands release of all Kashmiri detainees

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Hurriyat forum led by Mirwaiz Umar Farooq has demanded immediate and unconditional release of all illegally detained Kashmiris lodged in various jails of the territory and India. The Hurriyat forum expressed serious concern over the miserable plight of thousands of Kashmiri prisoners including Hurriyat leaders, activists and youth lodged in Tihar, Kot Bhalwal, Amphala, Jodhpur, Agra, Haryana and various other jails of IIOJK and India or have been under house arrest before and after August 05, 2019, especially in times of COVID-19. It said that these prisoners were being victimized…

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4G: Govt extends ban on high-speed internet till September 30

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The Jammu and Kashmir government on Tuesday decided to continue high-speed internet services in Udhampur and Ganderbal districts till September 30 while extending 4G internet ban in all 18 other districts of the Union Territory. According to an order issued by Principal Secretary, J&K home department, Shaleen Kabra, the directions were reviewed by the review committee on August 21 and September 1. “The committee, while taking note of the assessment made by the law enforcement agencies that no reports of misuse of high speed internet services in the districts of…

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Pangong On Boil: PIL troops positioned along LAC with Spears and Guns

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The fresh incident comes a day after Monday’s skirmish where Chinese People’s Liberation Army troops indulged in provocative military movements and also fired shots to intimidate Indian soldiers, as per the Indian Army. China, too, accused India of doing the same. As fresh border confrontation erupted between Indian and Chinese troops in eastern Ladakh, China on Tuesday hoped disengagement can be achieved as soon as possible through mutual consultations, flagging approaching harsh winter in the region. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian expressed this hope hours after India and China…

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J&K records highest single-day spike of 1355 cases, with 14 more fatalities death toll reaches 815

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The Covid count in J&K reached 45,925 with the highest single-day spike of 1,355 cases – 785 from Jammu division and 570 from Kashmir valley – on Tuesday. The UT also registered 14 deaths (eight from Jammu and six from Kashmir division) – the highest in a single day, taking the total count of fatalities to 815. Meanwhile, 491 patients – 74 from Jammu division and 417 from Kashmir – were discharged from various care centres across J&K in the last 24 hours after being treated for the contagion. According…

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BJP, RSS will sink in game of communal politics: Farooq Abdullah

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National Conference (NC) president Farooq Abdullah today said the BJP and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) would “sink” in the “game” of “communal politics” played by its leaders. “If anybody is playing communal politics today….the BJP is playing, RSS is playing. We have never played this game. They are playing and they will sink in this game,” Farooq told reporters on the sidelines of a function held here to pay tributes to JKNC founder Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah on his 38th death anniversary. He said this when asked for comments over BJP…

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UN calls for probe into rights violations in Kashmir

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The UN has again called on India to probe alleged cases of forced disappearance and mass graves in Jammu and Kashmir. In a letter this week addressed to the Indian government, at least nine UN rapporteurs also asked New Delhi to reconsider the closure of the State Human Rights Commission (SHRC) in the disputed region. “We urge [India]…and local authorities in Jammu and Kashmir to undertake prompt, thorough and impartial investigations into all alleged enforced disappearances…and take measures to identify the remains in each of the thousands of unmarked graves,”…

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Civil Society Kashmir opposes Centre’s move to promote Devanagri Script

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The Group of Concerned Citizens (GCC), a Kashmir-based civil society body of former bureaucrats, vice-chancellors and academicians, on Friday expressed its concern over the promotion of the Devanagri script instead of the Nastaliq style for the Kashmiri language, and the threat posed to Urdu due to the new Bill introduced in the Parliament. The members of the GCC, in a joint statement, pointed out that the Common Locale Data Repository (CLDR), a project of the Unicode consortium for preparation of required data, is using the Devanagari script instead of its…

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