At a time when Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti has repeatedly criticized New Delhi-based TV channels for projecting Kashmir in a negative way, tourists who come to the Valley are voicing opinions about the misrepresentation of the region in the media. While the Valley is all gearing up for the new tourist season and tourists from different States and outside countries have already started to book their flights for enjoying holidays in the Valley, state government authorities have repeatedly expressed concern over the negative coverage by media. “Back home, our family…
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‘Ensure comfortable environment for Kashmiri students’: Rajnath Singh
Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday advised all the Chief Ministers to ensure “comfortable environment” for Kashmiri students and workers in their states as there have been incidents of their harassment at some places. Singh’s advice came at a meeting of Northern Zonal Council of the states of Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab and Rajasthan, National Capital territory of Delhi and Union Territory of Chandigarh here. “He (Rajnath Singh) has advised all the Chief Ministers and Chief Secretaries who were here today that they should take care…
Read MoreZakir Moosa (Hizb commander) threatens Hurriyat leadership
Militant outfit Hizb-ul-Mujahideen has threatened joint resistance leaders through an audio clip viral on social media. A video clip allegedly released by Hizb commander Zakir Moosa is viral and being talked about. “Some days back the joint resistance leaders issued a statement saying Kashmir struggle is political and it has nothing to do with religion,” a man taken as Hizb commander, Zakir says in the clip adding “we just want to ask these political hypocrites if Kashmir is a political issue why are you raising slogans like ‘Azadi Ka Matlab Kya.…
Read MoreIkhwan Tales from Kashmir
After suspected gunmen shot dead Rashid Billa at his Hajin residence, the Ikhwan tales were again in demand. We visited the belt to understand how the cult worked and what the costs were Kuka Parray’s Ikhwan headquarters in Hajin turned into campaign office for 1996 elections. (Pic: Agencies) On a chilly February evening in 2017, Shahid, a young boy from Hajin (Bandipora), was waving desperately at incoming vehicles hoping to get a ride home. “Hajin,” he turned around and asked the man sitting in the back seat. “Yes,” the man replied…
Read MoreClashes broke out at few places across Kashmir
Clashes broke out between protesters and security forces in Nowhatta area of Srinagar city and in Shopian town in south Kashmir today, police said. Groups of youth indulged in sloganeering and stone- pelting on security forces in Nowhatta here soon after Friday congregational prayers ended at Jamia Masjid here, a police official said. He said security agencies used force including tear smoke shells in a bid to chase away the protesters. The clashes were going on till last reports came in, he said, adding no one has been hurt in…
Read MoreSoldiers told to ‘Inform Police, Army Units’ before heading home
Day after a 22-year-old Army officer was abducted and later killed by suspected militants in south Kashmir’s Shopian district, the Army on Thursday directed its soldiers hailing from the Valley to strictly “adhere to set guidelines” and “inform concerned Army units before going to home on leave.” Lieutenant Umar Fayaz was found dead at Harmain village in Shopian district on Wednesday. He had visited his home on leave to attend the marriage ceremony of his cousin. The slain Army officer was posted in Akhnoor area of Jammu region. Police sources…
Read MoreSpontaneous protests wrongfoot police, loosening India’s grip on Kashmir
Images of students confronting police on campuses have come to symbolise Kashmiri protests against Indian rule as much as gun-toting militants in fatigues, in what security officials and separatist leaders say is a dangerous new phase of the conflict. The sharp rise in violence in recent weeks is more spontaneous than before, complicating the task of Indian security forces trained largely in counter-insurgency and poorly equipped to contain broader unrest. A political stalemate in India’s only Muslim-majority state is a further hurdle to resolving the long-running Kashmir dispute, as is…
Read MoreAlternative Highway to Valley get Centre’s nod
The Centre has cleared the decks for the construction of an alternative national highway to connect the Kashmir valley with the rest of the country through the erstwhile Doda district. The Union Ministry for Road Transport and Highways has approved the construction of the Chhattergala tunnel along with the 170-km Basohli-Bhaderwah-Doda road. This stretch has been declared the new national highway. This was conveyed today to Minister of State in the PMO and MP from Udhampur-Kathua-Doda Jitendra Singh by the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways. As per the…
Read MoreRSS to hold 7-day mega show in Jammu in July
Mohan Bhagwat, 200 RSS Pracharaks to discuss ‘Sangh ideology expansion plan’ All 200 Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) Pracharaks, heads of all allied organizations of RSS and Sangh Chief Mohan Bhagwat would be holding intense deliberations in Jammu for seven days from July 15 onwards to discuss and formulate a strategy for “expansion of Sangh ideology and programmes” in the state. The top BJP leaders including national general secretary and chief architect of BJP-PDP alliance, Ram Madhav, national general secretary (organization), Ram Lal, heads of RSS’ allied organizations, VHP, National Mazdoor…
Read MoreWife killed, Husband injured during Pak shelling in Nowshera
The Pakistani army resorted to heavy mortar shelling over the areas along the Line of Control in Nowshera subdivision on Wednesday, killing a woman and damaging a school. The shelling also set off migration from a few areas with about 15 families from the Jhanjar sector heading for a camp set up at Nowshera. On Wednesday night, 40-year-old woman Akhter Bibi was killed while her husband Mohd Haneef received serious splinter injuries when a shell landed on their home. Haneef was rushed to the Sub-district Hospital at Nowshera. “The Pakistan…
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