Terrorists attack 62 RR convoy in Shopian, two Army jawans injured; area cordoned off

A joint party of Indian Army and Jammu and Kashmir Police were on Thursday attacked by a group of terrorists in the Shopian district of the state. Two army personnel were injured after terrorists opened fire at an army party of 62 RR in the Shopian district of Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday. The incident took place at Materbugh area after a joint party of Army and Jammu and Kashmir Police was returning from cordon and search operation. Following the attack, a search operation was launched by the security personnel.…

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BSNL asks net users to change password post Malware Attack

State-owned telecom operator BSNL today said it has advised broadband users to change the default system password after a section of its broadband system was hit by a malware attack earlier this week. The malware attack impacted nearly 2,000 broadband modems, where subscribers had not changed default password “admin”. “The situation has been addressed to a great extent. We are advising customers that they should immediately change their passwords, and they should not be worried about using broadband once they have done that,” BSNL Chairman Anupam Shrivastava told PTI. He…

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J&K govt has to be extra cautious over Article 35A petition: Legal experts warn

The government of India’s stand on Article 35-A which grants J&K legislative powers to define state’s permanent residents has become “uncertain” and the state government needs to be “extra cautious” while handling the matter in the Supreme Court, legal experts cautioned on Thursday. The ‘warning’ comes days after New Delhi didn’t file an affidavit on the matter in the court and instead sought a “larger debate” on the “very sensitive” issue. “The state government has to be very cautious and very careful now because the stand of the government of…

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Pak, Separatists, Terrorists biggest enemies of Kashmir: Indresh Kumar

RSS leader Indresh Kumar said Pakistan has been fuelling stone-pelting, violence, militancy and by no parameters can be called a well-wisher of Islam and the people of Kashmir. Pakistan, separatists and terrorists are the biggest enemies of Kashmir, Kashmiris and Kashmiriyat, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) said on Thursday, advising Islamabad to ”keep off Kashmir” and reminding it of how its “hate-India” campaign cost it dearly in the past. Talking to the media on the sidelines of a function organised by the Bharat-Tibet Sahyog Manch in Jammu, RSS leader Indresh…

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Lift siege on Fridays in downtown or face joint agitation: Hurriyat (M)

Imams and Maulvis of various religious organizations and Masjids of Kashmir discussed the continuous closure of Jamia Masjid, barring of Hurriyat (M) chairman from leading Friday prayers and imposing strict restrictions in downtown areas on every Friday to prevent people from reaching to the grand mosque, Hurriyat (M) statement said. “In day-long deliberations over a series of issues, in which besides ulema, a cross section of society including traders, and civil society activists participated, a joint resolution was passed asking government to allow prayers in the Jamia Masjid and to…

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RSS tries back-channel diplomacy in Kashmir

After the much-publicised Akhil Bharatiya Prant Parcharak (ABPP) conclave in Jammu, a top leader of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) has conducted a four-day tour of the Kashmir valley as part of the back-channel diplomacy efforts. RSS bigwig Indresh Kumar met representatives of different political and social groups to explore possibilities of convincing some leaders having clout among the masses to publicly denounce violence and terrorism to isolate supporters of separatism and violence. When contacted, Indresh Kumar, one of the members of the RSS core group and convener of the…

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Special status being ‘Demolished’ Brick-by-Brick: Opposition

A day after passage of statistical data bill in Rajya Sabha, opposition parties on Thursday said the application of the bill to J&K is “unconstitutional” and a “blow to Article 370.” J&K Congress chief Ghulam Ahmad Mir said the Parliament cannot extend the bill to J&K without the concurrence of the state legislature. “It is deliberate attempt to undermine the authority of state legislature,” he told Kashmir Post. He blamed PDP for supporting “every wrong initiative” of the Centre “for remaining in power.” “PDP must come clear on this. Out…

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Ladakh seeks Goods and Services Tax exemption

Ladakh, the cold desert of the country, has unanimously sought exemption of the goods and services tax (GST) for the Scheduled Tribes living in the region, citing “country’s security considerations in border area and to keep a check on the menace of smuggling of Chinese goods into the region”. Representatives of Ladakh, comprising lone MP from Ladakh Thupstan Chhewang, Minister of Cooperative and Ladakh Affairs in coalition government Chhering Dorjey and Congress Legislature party leader Nawang Rigzin Jora, who is also Leh MLA, have conveyed their concerns to the GST…

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Zakir Musa announced as head of new Al Qaida-linked cell

Appointment of Zakir Musa represents deepest inroad al-Qaida has made in disputed region An al-Qaida-affiliated propaganda channel has announced one of Kashmir’s most popular militant leaders as the head of a newly created cell in the disputed Himalayan territory. The appointment of Zakir Musa as head of the new group represents the first time militants linked to al-Qaida have operated openly in Kashmir, site of a decades-long separatist insurgency and the only Muslim-majority region under Indian control. Musa, 23, is the leading figure among a new generation of militants who…

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2017 more depressing for Kashmir tourism than strife-hit 2016

With more than half of this year’s tourist season over, alarm bells are already ringing for those associated with the tourism industry in Kashmir. “If you thought 2016 was the worst that could hit us, you are wrong. Tourism-wise, 2017 has been worse than last year. Another year like this and it is shutters down for hoteliers of the Valley,” said Aijaz Ahmad Chaya, a well-known hotel owner who has establishments in the tourist resorts of Pahalgam and Gulmarg. The story of the average restaurant owner, tea-stall owner and those…

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