Tourism Sector all set to reopen in J&K dates to be announced soon: Govt

The tourism sector in Jammu and Kashmir is all set to re-open, and the government is in the process of finalising and announcing a date soon. The government has started preparing the blueprint that would be made public soon to revive the critical service sector in J&K. The hospitality sector sustains the livelihoods of tens of thousands of J&K residents. Several families have been connected to the hospitality industry for generations. “This sector, seen along with Handloom, handicrafts and horticulture sectors forms the core of the J&K economy, as all…

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Istanbul declaration on Kashmir

KASHMIR: REGIONAL AND INTERNATIONALDIMENSIONS CONFERENCE Declaration Two-days International Kashmir Webinar was organized by Faculty of Letters, Department of Urdu, Istanbul University on June 29 – 30, 2020. The participants unanimously adopted the following declaration at the end of the conference: 1. That there must be an early, just and durable resolution to the Jammu & Kashmir dispute in accordance with the United Nations Security Council resolutions. 2. The United Nations Security Council had clearly enunciated that on the basis of the agreement concluded between India and Pakistan, “the final disposition…

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Naseema Bano, Kashmiri Women who has been booked under UAPA for posing with her slain son holding an AK47

By Quratulain Rehbar Jammu and Kashmir ― On 28 June, the Jammu and Kashmir Police announced the arrest of Naseema Bano under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act or UAPA, the first case in recent memory that invokes India’s anti-terror law against the mother of a slain militant. In its statement, the J&K Police said Naseema had been arrested under an FIR that was registered two years earlier in 2018. They accused her of “recruiting at least two youth into terrorist ranks, arranging arms and ammunition, communication and logistics for terrorists…

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Restore JK’s Special Status with Dignity, Won’t beg for It’: Congress to BJP

‘Why did you (BJP) take away the special status of Jammu and Kashmir? Why did you bifurcate Jammu and Kashmir in the first place?” the Congress leader asked. A day after the BJP General Secretary Ram Madhav said that the BJP wants to restore the statehood of Jammu and Kashmir, Congress party on Saturday said the ruling party should restore it without “beating around the bush”. “First of all, they should tell us why they took away statehood of Jammu and Kashmir. If they want to restore it, restore it…

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Why GoI is planning Amarnath Yatra in the middle of the Pandemic?

Amarnath Yatra 2020: The annual pilgrimage will begin on July 21 and end on August 3, thus making it the shortest ever Yatra till date. According to some reports, the yatra might be carried out by helicopters. Will the Indian government go-ahead with Amarnath Yatra (pilgrimage) 2020 despite the global pandemic? The annual Amarnath Yatra draws more than 600,000 people to the Kashmir Valley but critics have questioned why is India going ahead with annual pilgrimage? Due to the recent surge in COVID-19, an increasing number of health experts have…

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With 154 fresh COVID Cases, JK witnesses a highest-ever single-day spike

Jammu Kashmir Thursday recorded 154 COVID-19 cases including 134 from Kashmir and 20 from Jammu, taking the total infection tally to 7849.Thursday’s cases include 51 from Srinagar, Baramulla 19, Anantnag 17, Kulgam 15, Budgam 12, Pulwama 10, Ganderbal seven, Doda six, Samba five, Jammu and Udhampur four each, Bandipora two, and Shopian and Ramban one each. Of these cases, 61 samples returned positive at Viral Diagnostic and Research Lab (VDRL) of SKIMS Srinagar which tested 1766 samples during the past 24 hours. Medical Superintendent SKIMS Dr Farooq Jan said the…

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Harsh guidelines deliver final blow to Kashmir’s iconic houseboat industry

The Department of Tourism’s document outlines norms and guidelines for registration, renewal, and operation of houseboats in Kashmir’s famous Dal and Nageen lakes. Already reeling under the aftermath of over three decades of political unrest, loss of tourism and the ongoing lockdown, Kashmir’s iconic houseboat industry seems to have been delivered a final blow. In what is being seen as lip service to inclusive policy-making, the Department of Tourism has chosen the lockdown period to release a draft Houseboat Policy which has now been put in the public domain for…

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Except Bandipora, All districts in Kashmir placed in the Red Zone

All districts of Kashmir excluding Bandipora have been kept in the category of red zones by the J&K Government in view of spike in covid cases. Ramban district of Jammu division has been also declared as red zone. A review of the COVID situation in Jammu and Kashmir was taken Friday by the Chairperson, State Executive Committee, B.V.R Subrahmanyam with the Financial Commissioner Health and Divisional Commissioners of Jammu and Kashmir divisions. The overall situation was assessed in Jammu and Kashmir, while the trend of new cases particularly the recent…

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No change in J&K situation despite demonetisation, Article 370 move: Shiv Sena

The Shiv Sena on Friday targeted the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government over the “status quo” in the security situation in Jammu & Kashmir (J&K). The BJP ally-turned-rival questioned how the government’s bid to bifurcate the erstwhile state into two union territories — J&K and Ladakh — last year following the scrapping of Article 370 of the Constitution and demonetisation in 2016 to wipe out terror financing has backfired on it. The Sena took a dig at the “strong” government at the Centre for unabated terror…

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Blood spilled in Kashmir will drown India: SAS Gilani

Veteran Hurriyat leader, Syed Ali Gilani while reacting strongly to the killing of a 65-year-old man before his three-year-old grandson by Indian troops in Sopore, the other day, has said that the blood, spilled in the territory will drown Indian imperialism forever. Syed Ali Gilani in a twitter message in Srinagar, today, prayed for eternal peace for the martyr, Bashir Ahmad Khan, a resident of Srinagar. “I wish I could go to their family. They have shown utmost courage. May Allah bestow the martyr highest place in Jannah,” he said.…

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