Year: 2021

India’s security nightmare reignited as return of Taliban is likely to embolden militant outfits

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India's security nightmare reignited as return of Taliban is likely to embolden militant outfits

The bad news is that India did not build equity with the Taliban By Namrata Biji Ahuja For India, the return of the Taliban is not so much about the fear of the Taliban, but the growth and proliferation of radical and terrorist outfits operating in the ungoverned spaces, particularly North Waziristan and areas along the Durand Line, where more than half a dozen terror groups have established base and are waiting to take advantage of the changing security dynamics to unleash terror activities. While a section of the Indian…

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Hope: Keeps You Alive

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Hope - Keeps You Alive

By – Aubaid Ahmed Akhoon “The only way you can write the truth is to assume that what you set down will never be read. Not by any other person, and not even by yourself at some later date. Otherwise, you begin excusing yourself “ (Margaret Atwood) Change is the law of nature and for the last two years every aspect of life has been affected by Covid 19, but if we put aside the negative effects and consider the positive ones, we will see many positive aspects such as…

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Veiling reference to Pakistan & China, India facing two challenges: Narendra Modi

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Veiling reference to Pakistan & China, India facing two challenges - Narendra Modi

PM Modi said India was fighting terrorism and expansionism with courage, and the government would take all steps to strengthen the capabilities of the Indian armed forces. In his 88-minute Independence Day speech from the Red Fort on Sunday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke about the dual challenges of terrorism and expansionism–a veiled reference to Pakistan-sponsored terrorism and China‘s expansionist policy in Ladakh—and India’s resolve to strengthen the armed forces, its growing prowess in defence manufacturing and the government’s full commitment to boost self-reliance in the defence sector. He said…

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The rise of Taliban in Afghanistan and how it might impact Jammu & Kashmir

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The rise of Taliban in Afghanistan and how it might impact J&K

Many in the government believe that an unstable Afghanistan might have a direct impact on Jammu and Kashmir like that in the 1990s when militants trained in Taliban and Al-Qaeda camps entered the Valley and carried out multiple attacks. By- Aalok Sensharma It was on August 5, 2019, when the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, rewrote history by abrogating Article 370 from Jammu and Kashmir and bifurcating the erstwhile state into two union territories (UTs) — Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh. By ending the…

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What is India’s new endgame in Kashmir?

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A man on a motorbike shows his belongings to an Indian security force personnel during a cordon and search operation, in Srinagar

The Indian government has changed its approach to the ‘Kashmir problem’ because it has new strategic priorities. By- Umar Lateef Misgar If performance and posturing were the only indicators within politics, it may be said the political scene in Indian-administered Kashmir has been abuzz with renewed activity in the past few months. Earlier this summer, New Delhi initiated a new dialogue with local collaborators it has forged inside Kashmir, signaling its willingness to once again put its trust in them to help it subdue and rule the valley’s rebel population.…

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Qamar Ali Akhoon, Asgar Ali Karbalai & Sajjad Hussain, Ladakh Residents move SC challenging dilution of Article 370

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Qamar Ali Akhoon, Asgar Ali Karbalai & Sajjad Hussain, Ladakh Residents move SC challenging dilution of Article 370

The plea says that the Centre’s move to read down Article 370 imposes a ‘dictatorial regime’ wherein the entire democratic process has been annulled and the people have been left at the mercy of administrators. Two political leaders and a journalist from Ladakh have moved the Supreme Court seeking impleadment in a petition challenging the 2019 decision of the Union government to read down Article 370 of the Constitution and bifurcate the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) into the Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh. The…

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Only two people from outside J&K have managed to purchase properties in the UT since 370 abrogation: MHA

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Only two people from outside J&K have managed to purchase properties in the UT since 370 abrogation - MHA

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has informed the Lok Sabha that there are only two people who have purchased properties in Jammu and Kashmir since the abrogation of Article 370, in which the former state’s special status was removed, thus making way for people from other states to buy land. The MHA has said in a written reply in Parliament that there are only two people who have purchased properties in Jammu and Kashmir in the past 2.5 years since the Centre’s action. As per the information provided by…

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Grenade attack at Hari Singh High street, 03 Civilians injured

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Grenade attack at Hari Singh High street, 02 Civilians injured

At least three civilians including two women have been injured in a grenade explosion at Hari Singh High Street area of commercial hub Lal Chowk on Tuesday. Official sources said that suspected militants lobbed a grenade towards 40 battalions of SSB near Hanuman Mandir here at Hari Singh High Street. They said two women among three civilians have sustained injuries, adding that they were shifted to SMHS hospital for treatment. “The area has been cordoned off to nab the attackers,” they said. Meanwhile, Kishore Prasad, DIG CRPF for Central Kashmir…

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J&K under ‘Direct Assault’ from New Delhi: Rahul Gandhi

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J&K under ‘Direct Assault’ from New Delhi - Rahul Gandhi

Statehood in full should be restored forthwith; Elections be held in a free and fair manner; My fight against PM Modi’s divisive policies to continue, Congress believes in love, honour, not hatred; will visit Jammu, Ladakh soon Stating that J&K was “under the direct assault from New Delhi”, All India Congress Committee (AICC) General Secretary Rahul Gandhi Tuesday said and the Government of India should restore full statehood to J&K and conduct the elections in a free and fair manner. Rahul, who arrived in Kashmir on a two-day sojourn, also…

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Kashmir’s lone rose water maker Abdul Aziz Kozgar, scents uncertain future

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Kashmir’s lone rose water maker Abdul Aziz Kozgar, scents uncertain future

Declining sales, insecurity in Kashmir have dealt blow to Abdul Aziz Kozgar’s business The sweet smell of rose water filled the air as Abdul Aziz Kozgar opened the shutters of his nearly 100-year-old shop in Srinagar for another day of business that has been hit by a sharp decline in sales over recent years. Wearing a skull cap and a loose kurta salwar, the traditional dress of most Kashmiri men, Kozgar smiled when reminded of his status as the last rose water maker in Srinagar, skills he acquired from his…

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