No light at the end of Banihal Qazigund 4-lane tunnel

After missing several deadlines, there is still no light at the end of Banihal-Qazigund 4-lane tunnel, though the company carrying out the work hopes the project will be completed by 2019. Presently the digging work is continuing on the tunnel on Jammu-Srinagar highway. Hyderabad-based company Navayuga said it is making every effort to ensure the tunnel is made ready for traffic by 2019. Being constructed with the help of the Austrian Tunneling Method (ATM), the work on 8.5 km tunnel between Banihal and Qazigund was started in 2011. The National…

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And honorably Gulzar Peer goes home

A division bench of Jammu wing of the Jammu and Kashmir High Court has acquitted, Gulzar Ahmad Bhat alias Gulzar Peer, who was held on charges of raping girl students at his seminary in 2013, Gulzar’s advocate, Mushtaq Ahmad Dar, informed Kashmir Post. The bench consisted of Justice Janak Raj Kotwal and Justice BS Walia. The court in its judgment has said that the acquittal rendered by the learned trial court does not call for any interference by this court and this appeal (against the acquittal of Gulzar by the…

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Amid politics in Kashmir, a mosque gives in

As the government talks of heritage tourism, Jamia Mosque, which managed by separatists, remains ignored Witness to Kashmir’s history 14th century onwards, Srinagar’s central mosque, Jamia Masjid, continues to live to tell the tale of the times gone by. It has braved hazardous fires. It has braved historic wars. It has braved decades of bloodshed. What the architectural marvel may not be able to brave is neglect from the government, ironically at a time when it is looking to promote heritage tourism in the state. The grand mosque is located…

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Opposition, Hurriyat on same page over amnesty to stone-pelters

The Hurriyat Conference and Opposition parties NC and Congress are on the same page over the scrapping of cases against stone-throwers and stated that the PDP was only trying to recover the “ground lost by the party’’ after the “massive” pro-freedom protests in Kashmir. Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti led PDP-BJP coalition government’s decision to grant amnesty to “first time stone-pelters” is seen by the pro-freedom camp a policy “ framed in Nagpur, packaged in Delhi and marketed in Kashmir with a very deep motive”. But people who faced cases say…

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Tanvir War, Specially-abled youth ‘Threat to Peace’: Police

Police Sunday said that a specially-abled Tanvir Ahmad War alias Binda War of Drangbal, Baramulla, was at the “forefront of pushing young boys into trouble’ and endangering their lives. A spokesman said that War, presently lodged at Central jail Srinagar, was actively involved in 2016 unrest in old town Baramulla. Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) chief, Yasin Malik, had accused government of harassing youth stating that a public safety act (PSA) was registered against a specially-abled. He had termed the PSA as a glaring example of “mental bankruptcy” of…

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Tibetan Muslims who have made Kashmir their home

Sometimes when you think you know a place, you come across a fresh aspect of it, which reminds you how little you know. I’ve been visiting Kashmir fairly regularly for more than twenty years. I have been to Hari Parbat fort, the magnificent Mughal-era monument which dominates the Srinagar skyline. But I had never before come across the small, quiet, community that nestles in its shadow. Two thousand or more Tibetans have made their home in Srinagar. These are Tibetan Muslims. A few Muslim families remain in the Tibetan capital,…

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Majid Khan footballer who gave up gun sent outside state for education

The Army has taken 20-year-old Majid Khan, the footballer-turned-Lashkar-e-Toiba militant who renounced violence and returned home a fortnight back, outside the state for his studies. The decision to shift Majid for education outside the state was taken with the approval of his family, a defence official said. “Majid wanted to continue his education and the Army facilitated it and shifted him outside the state. He has again taken up his studies,” the official said, wishing not to be named. However, he did not divulge the where he was sent for…

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As winter sets, security forces anticipate an increase in encounters with militants

As winter chill has gripped Kashmir and electricity is playing hide and seek, it is a struggle of sorts for people living in the landlocked region these days. But the situation is even worse for militants. Isolated places, like under-construction buildings, orchards and forests, which served as a safe haven during summers, have turned uninhabitable due to sub-zero temperatures. With the winter setting in and snow expected to fall in Kashmir in the second week of this month, security forces are anticipating an increase in encounters since militants, according to…

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Reliance Jio ‘Fleecing’ customers; Subscribers aghast

The private cellular company, Reliance Jio, faced an ugly situation in Srinagar on Wednesday when hundreds of consumers stormed into the local office at Rajbagh locality accusing it of fleecing them. The officials in the company acted like “brokers” and without listening to the grievances of the consumers suggested them to change from post-paid to pre-paid mode, the consumers said One of the consumers who introduced himself as Ghulam Mohd said he opted for Jio on October 19, 2017 and paid a sum of Rs.550 to the company with a…

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Governor, CM extend Eid-e-Milad greetings, Prayers, Processions to mark celebrations

Religious processions, special prayer meetings, Seerat Conferences are being held in the state to celebrate Eid-i-Milad-un-Nabi (SAW), the birth anniversary of the Prophet Muhammad (SAW), on Friday. The biggest congregation will be held at Hazratbal shrine in Srinagar, where devotees in large numbers are expected to offer prayers and have a glimpse of the holy relic of the Prophet (SAW). As per officials, zuhr (afternoon prayers) will be offered at 2 pm at the shrine on Friday. Hundreds of devotees offered prayers at the shrine and mosques across the Valley…

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