Month: September 2021

Would welcome Russia as potential mediator in settling Kashmir Conflict: Shafqat Ali Khan

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Would welcome Russia as potential mediator in settling Kashmir Conflict - Shafqat Ali Khan

Pakistan would welcome Russia’s efforts to mediate peace in the longstanding conflict between Islamabad and New Delhi over the Kashmir region, Pakistani Ambassador to Russia Shafqat Ali Khan told in an interview. “As as friends we can’t force Russia, but we would welcome any positive mediatory role Russia can play,” Khan said. Russia’s good standing as a sought-after mediator comes from its international standing and good relations with both conflict parties, the ambassador said. “Russia is a permanent member of the UN Security Council. And it has historically very strong…

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Pained the way Geelani’s body was treated after his death: Mehbooba Mufti

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Pained the way Geelani’s body was treated after his death - Mehbooba Mufti

‘You fight with a person when he is alive. But when he dies he becomes a body. That body deserves respect,’ Mehbooba Mufti said. Former Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti today said people of Kashmir are sad and are in pain the way the government treated separatist leader Syed Ali Geelani after his death. Accusing the government of being afraid of Geelani’s body and of fighting with the separatist leader’s body after his death, Mehbooba said, dead bodies deserve respect. “You fight with a person when he is alive. But when…

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What is better than Kashmir if you can’t go to Europe?

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What is better than Kashmir if you can’t go to Europe

The prolonged COVID-19 pandemic may have spelt doom for the tourism and hospitality sector at large, but not in Kashmir. The valley has emerged as the most sought after destination in 2021 for premium domestic tourists otherwise accustomed to jaunts abroad, resulting in a major bump in business for luxury hotels and golf courses. A similar trend is emerging in Meghalaya, the second northeastern State after Sikkim to open for tourists, where high-end hotels are doing better than low-end and budget properties. Tourist footfall in Kashmir valley destinations such as…

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Two civilians shot dead in two separate incidents in Srinagar

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Two civilians shot dead in two separate incidents in Srinagar

Two civilians were killed in two separate incidents of firing by militants in Jammu and Kashmir’s Srinagar on Saturday evening. Both the incidents took place within a kilometer radius in just three hours. The first incident took place when a civilian identified as Abdul Majid Guru, a resident of Chattabal in Srinagar, was fired from a close range at the Karan Nagar area which is not far away from Batamaloo. He succumbed to his injuries even though the SMHS hospital was a stone’s throw away from the place of the…

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How Social Media ‘Clowns’ are degrading Journalism in Kashmir

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How Social Media ‘Clowns’ are degrading Journalism in Kashmir

With the arrest of a social media ‘journalist’ in a sensational con case, the debate has once again started how some mike-men and Facebook page admins are bringing disrepute to the media profession. By – Auqib Javeed ON August 27, 2021, Jammu and Kashmir Police arrested Imran Ahmad Ganie, aka Shahid Imran, the self-styled “editor-in-chief” of the Facebook page—Kashmir Crown—in a case of fraud and extortion. The online shrill over the scam tried to cast the shadow over the entire tribe, forcing some senior scribes to counter the kneejerk reaction:…

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Al-Qaeda congratulates Taliban, calls for Kashmir ‘Liberation’

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Al-Qaeda congratulates Taliban, calls for Kashmir ‘Liberation’

Following the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan on August 15, one of the greatest concerns of regional analysts and security officials has been the victory energising terror groups active across South Asia. Al-Qaeda on Tuesday called for the “liberation” of Kashmir and other so-called Islamic lands from the “clutches of the enemies of Islam” in a message congratulating the Taliban for its victory in Afghanistan. A detailed statement issued by al-Qaeda hours after the Taliban declared Afghanistan had gained “full independence” following the drawdown of US forces referred to the terror…

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Anas Haqqani says Taliban won’t ‘Interfere’ in Kashmir matter

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Anas Haqqani says Taliban won't 'Interfere' in Kashmir matter

Celebratory gunfire resounded across the Afghan capital on Tuesday as the Taliban took control of the airport following the withdrawal of the last US troops, marking the end of a 20-year war that left the Islamist group stronger than it was in 2001. And now, plans are afoot to form a new ‘inclusive’ government and erase fears of its deleterious past. In an exclusive conversation with CNN-News18, top Taliban leader Anas Haqqani spoke at length on the Haqqani network’s Pakistan connection, their relationship with India, and the Kashmir issue. Excerpts…

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How Will Taliban Victory Impact Kashmir

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How Will Taliban Victory Impact Kashmir

By Mohammad Tahir The official data indicates that not many Afghans had entered the Kashmir insurgency in the early 1990s. Data on foreign militants who have been arrested or killed during the years when the Taliban was ruling Afghanistan (1996-2001) is hard to come by. The South Asian Terrorism Portal (SATP) website used to feature a separate dataset on foreign militants in Kashmir, but that information is no longer available on the website, for unknown reasons. Most commentators and analysts, therefore, have been using quantifiers instead of specifying the exact…

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