Friendship Gone Sour: The Nehru-Abdullah bond and its implications on India and Kashmir

Friendship Gone Sour - The Nehru-Abdullah bond and its implications on India and Kashmir

A bear’s friendship is how today’s Kashmiri literati remember the ties between the two stalwarts — Jawaharlal Nehru and Sheikh Abdullah By: Naseer Ganai “People are trapped in history, and history is trapped in them,” writes Basharat Peer in his much-acclaimed 2008 memoir, Curfewed Night. “When India was violently partitioned in 1947, both Hari Singh and Sheikh Abdullah sought time before deciding Kashmir’s fate. In October 1947, however, tribesmen from the north-west frontier province of Pakistan, supported by the Pakistani Army, invaded Kashmir, forcing their hand; Singh decided to join India,…

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Torrential rains lash Kashmir trigger flash floods in Jammu

Torrential rains lash Kashmir trigger flash floods in Jammu

Houses, roads damaged MeT cautions against flash floods, landslides Jammu-Srinagar national highway was closed for traffic in the morning due to landslides and shooting stones in Ramban district Torrential rains continued to lash Kashmir on Wednesday night resulting in damage to residential houses and roads while the Metrological Department predicted more precipitation during the next 24 hours and cautioned against flash floods and landslides. After the heavy spell of rains on Wednesday evening, an intermittent spell of rains continued across Kashmir during the night while various places also witnessed scattered…

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Six Pandits killed by militants since 2020, None left valley in 2022: Govt

Six Pandits killed by militants since 2020, None left valley in 2022: GoI

A total of six Kashmiri Pandits have been killed by terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir between 2020 and 2022 so far, the government has said. MoS Home Nityanand Rai said in Rajya Sabha on Wednesday that 2021 saw four Kashmiri pandits being killed, while there was a murder each in 2020 and 2022. No Kashmiri Pandits have left the valley Rai also informed the Parliament that the number of Kashmiri Pandits who are still residing in the valley is 6,514 and added that as per records, no Kashmiri Pandit has…

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J&K recorded 697 fresh infections; Kashmir 416 & Jammu 281

J&K recorded 697 fresh infections; Kashmir 416 & Jammu 281

For the first time in over last five months, the daily Coronavirus cases took a big jump in Jammu and Kashmir on Tuesday as 697 more people tested positive for the deadly infection, even as no fresh fatality was reported from the Union Territory during the last 24 hours. Kashmir Valley reported the highest single-day spike in Covid-19 cases after a gap of over five months, with 416 people confirmed infected by the virus, officials said Tuesday. In Jammu, 281 new cases of Coronavirus were detected, taking the total number…

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‘Flag Fee’; Amid backlash Anantnag administration withdraws circular

‘Flag Fee’; Amid backlash Anantnag administration withdraws circular

The Jammu and Kashmir administration came in for severe criticism over a circular issued by the Anantnag district administration demanding Rs. 20 as a flag fee went viral on social media. After Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s appeal for the ‘Har Ghar Tiranga’ campaign, shopkeepers in Jammu and Kashmir’s Anantnag were asked to cough up Rs 20 as a “deposit fee” for the Tricolor, The Indian Express reported. While a senior district official clarified that the campaign was purely voluntary and no one was being forced to pay the amount, the…

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Sectarian Division: Majlis-e-Ulema reprimands those stoking sectarianism in Kashmir

Sectarian Division: Majlis-e-Ulema reprimands those stoking sectarianism in Kashmir

An emergency and extraordinary meeting of several important and leading members of the Muttahida Majlis Ulema (MMU) headed by incarcerated Mirwaiz Umar Farooq was held on Sunday, presided over by one of its founding members and renowned religious scholar Moulana Muhammad Rehmatullah Mir Al Qasmi. Among the leading muftis and scholars who participated in the meeting were Mufti Abdul Rasheed Miftahi, Moulana Bashir Ahmad Al Qasimi, Mufti Nisar Ahmad Al Qasimi, Mufti Ijaz Ul Hassan Banday, Mufti Irshad Ahmad Qasmi, Mufti Ghulam Rasool Samoon, Moulana Fayaz Ahmed, Qari Muhammad Aslam…

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Har Ghar Tiranga: Shopkeepers, Teachers, Students in J&K told to pay flag fee; Admin denies orders

Har Ghar Tiranga - Shopkeepers, Teachers, Students in J&K told to pay flag fee; Admin denies orders

As part of a nationwide programme for Independence Day, shopkeepers in Jammu and Kashmir’s Anantnag were told to pay Rs 20 as a “deposit fee” for the tricolour or face action. Subsequently, a senior district official clarified that the flag campaign was purely voluntary. On Friday, the Anantnag Chief Education Officer (CEO) issued a circular for schools in the district, asking students and teachers to pay the Rs 20 fee. This circular was withdrawn after being shared widely on social media. The announcement for shopkeepers was made from a loudspeaker-equipped…

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J&K admin forcing people to buy National Flag under Har Ghar Tiranga Campaign: Mehbooba Mufti

J&K admin forcing people to buy National Flag under Har Ghar Tiranga Campaign: Mehbooba Mufti

PDP president Mehbooba Mufti on Sunday accused the Jammu and Kashmir administration of “forcing” people to buy the national flag for the ‘Har Ghar Tiranga’ campaign while asserting that patriotism comes naturally and cannot be imposed. The campaign has been launched to encourage the citizens to hoist the national flag in their homes from August 13 to 15 as part of the ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’. In a purported video shared by Mufti on Twitter, a public announcement is being made from a loudspeaker fixed atop a vehicle of the…

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Amnesty International’s latest human rights report comes down heavily on the Indian government’s clampdown on civil liberties in Kashmir

Amnesty International’s latest human rights report comes down heavily on the Indian government’s clampdown on civil liberties in Kashmir

India has attracted strong criticism in Amnesty International’s latest human rights report, with the Narendra Modi government’s coercive handling of Kashmir getting highlighted. Amnesty International released the report, titled “The State of the World’s Human Rights 2020/2021” on April 7. It looks at the human rights situation in 149 countries. The global human rights watchdog has taken exception to the Indian government’s clampdown on civil liberties in Kashmir besides its iron-fisted handling of the anti-CAA protesters. The report also focussed on the ongoing farmers’ protests and last year’s Delhi riots.…

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Dynasty politics over in J&K, concerned should find other means for survival as the political business has come to an end for them: Shahnawaz Hussain

Dynasty politics over in J&K, concerned should find other means for survival as the political business has come to an end for them: Shahnawaz Hussain

J&K dynasts should find other means for survival, process for conduct of assembly polls started by ECI, will be held soon, says National Spokesman Shahnawaz Hussain Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Friday said that those from the dynasty politics in Jammu and Kashmir will have to find some other means for survival as the political business won’t help them anymore. Addressing a presser, here at a local hotel, Party’s National Spokesman, Shahnawaz Hussain, said that the time for dynasty politics has come to an end. “Those who are part of…

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