Indian government revoked Kashmir’s constitutional autonomy on Aug. 5, 2019 Press freedom, basic rights have since been restricted in country’s sole Muslim-majority region Terrified to step out from his home in Srinagar, Sanjay Tickoo says he has not felt for decades as unsafe as he is now, three years after the Indian government stripped the Kashmir region of its limited autonomy, promising security and reform. A leader of the minority Hindu community known as Pandits, he remained in Kashmir Valley when most Hindus fled after an armed anti-India rebellion broke…
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Stray Dog Menses: Increasing population of canines is taking toll on people
With Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC) failing to take measures to check stray dogs menace in the summer capital, increasing population of canines is taking toll on people. Residents of various areas have taken to social media to highlight the stray dog menace and failure of SMC to tackle the issue. Social media is full of videos where people are highlighting presence of overwhelming dog population in their respective localities. Netizens are urging authorities to address the issue as they are unable to venture out amid fear of dog attacks. In…
Read MoreThree persons died, Two missing due to flash floods triggered by heavy rains in Kathua
Three persons, including two minors, died, while two are still missing due to flash floods triggered by heavy rains in Kathua district of Jammu region today. Two siblings died when their mud house collapsed in Payaal village of Billawar area of Kathua. The mud house got damaged due to incessant rains in the region. Both were present in the house when the incident took place and their bodies were recovered after digging the debris. The deceased were identified as Isaq Ali (5) and his sister Razana (2). Their father Mashoor…
Read MoreFriendship 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,…
Read MoreTorrential 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…
Read MoreSix Pandits killed by militants since 2020, None left valley in 2022: Govt
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…
Read MoreJ&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…
Read More‘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…
Read MoreSectarian 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…
Read MoreHar 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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