Category: Community

After Saudi Arabia lifts ban, J&K govt favours reopening cinemas in Valley, NC opposes

Editor

After Saudi Arabia government decided to lift a decade-long ban on opening of cinema halls in the country, both the partners of coalition government in Jammu and Kashmir have favoured reopening of the cinema halls in the Valley. “I welcome the decision by Saudi Arabia to lift a decade-long ban on cinemas as part of a series of social reforms by the crown prince. Introspection and self reform are marks of a progressive society,” Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti said after the Saudi government lifted ban on opening…

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Family’s militant past won’t affect Kashmir youth seeking passport: Centre

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Central government has advised the Jammu and Kashmir government to ensure that genuine cases of Kashmiri youth applying for passport are not hindered by their relative’s name being connected to any militancy-related cases The central government has advised the Jammu and Kashmir government to ensure that genuine cases of Kashmiri youth applying for passport are not hindered by their relative’s name being connected to any militancy-related cases in the past. A group of 8-10 youth from the Valley had approached Dineshwar Sharma, who made several visits to the state earlier…

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The Kashmiri and the Kangri

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One cannot be seen without the other in winter, the pot warming the body under the pheran In the biting cold of a Kashmir winter, it is the kangri that offers warmth. The earthen pot filled with burning charcoal is held by its handle under the pheran, a long, loose woollen garment people in the Valley wear. The pot has evolved into a piece of art over the centuries, covered as it is with wicker woven into beautiful designs. The best and costliest kangri, known as Chrar Kangri as it…

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Migration of Kashmiri Pandits was a blot on us : Mehbooba Mufti

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The PDP-BJP coalition government in Jammu and Kashmir is committed to the rehabilitation of migrant Kashmiri Pandits and is in the process of setting up transit accommodation for migrant Kashmiri Pandits. “We have already started building transit accommodations for Kashmiri Pandits. Now, we are trying to add more accommodation to those places,” J&K chief minister Mehbooba Mufti said while discussing the strife prevalent in the state, during an event in Goa. Kashmiri Pandits migrated enmasse from Kashmir after militancy erupted in 1989 and many Kashmiri Pandit families are living in…

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With 211 Militants, 75 Security Personnel & 55 Civilians killings, 2017 Deadliest year since 2010

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The year 2017 proved deadliest of all years since 2010 in terms of the killings due to various incidents of violence in the already strife- torn Jammu and Kashmir. As per the records, till December 10, this year, there were a total of 221 militants killed in various anti-militancy operations in Jammu and Kashmir. Furthermore, the records reveal that 55 civilians lost their lives during different incidents of violence witnessed since January to December this year. Also, the number of armed forces killed in various anti-militancy operations in the state…

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15 CRPF men involved in May 21, 1990 Hawal massacre: SHRC Findings

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Censures CID for closing probe Two months after the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of Police closed the case of Hawal massacre as “untraced”, the investigation by State Human Rights Commission (SHRC) has revealed the involvement of 15 CRPF personnel in the 1990 killings. A report by the SHRC’s investigation wing has stated that 15 CRPF personnel were involved in the massacre in which 35 civilians were killed. The report by Police Investigation Wing (PIW) of SHRC came in a complaint filed by chairman of International Forum for Justice and Human…

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Is J&K heading for ‘Bhai-Behan Ki Sarkar’, NC Questions Mehbooba Govt

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National Conference on Thursday raised question on reports of Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti’s brother Tassaduq Mufti’s nominations for the Legislative Council. Earlier, the media reports suggested that government had initiated the process of nominating to the state legislative council. The NC state spokesperson Junaid Azim Mattu asked the CM to clarify which of her non-performing, corrupt Cabinet colleagues she was willing to sacrifice to officially create space for a parallel Chief Minister in her Cabinet? In a statement issued from the party headquarters Nawa-e-Subha in Srinagar, Mattu…

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Teacher couple sacked on wedding day, school claims ‘Romance’ will affect students

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A teacher couple working in a private school in Pulwama district of Jammu and Kashmir were sacked on their wedding day with the school management claiming their “romance could adversely affect the students”. Tariq Bhat and Sumaya Bashir, residents of Tral town in Pulwama, were working in Boys’ and Girls’ wings, respectively, of Pampore Muslim Educational Institute for the past several years. They alleged their services were abruptly terminated by the school management on November 30, the day they entered the wedlock. While the principal of the school did not respond…

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Not jihad, but love: The Hindu-Muslim marriage that brought Kashmir to a halt in 1967

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The arc of the controversy has startlingly contemporary resonances. On July 28, 1967, Parmeshwari Handoo, a sales representative at the government-run Apna Bazar in Srinagar, married her Muslim co-worker Ghulam Rasool Kanth. Eight days earlier, the Kashmiri Pandit woman had converted to Islam and taken a new name, Parveen Akhtar. The love marriage set off a storm in the state. Unlike in the recent Hadiya case, where the High Court annulled the marriage of a Hindu woman from Kerala who converted to Islam and later got married to a Muslim…

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60000 Daily Wagers, Casual Labourers to be regularized: J&K Govt

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Jammu and Kashmir government will regularize 60,000 daily wagers and casual labourers, Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti said on Wednesday. “Our govt will be regularising 60,000 daily wagers & casual labourers working in various departments in J&K to provide sustainable livelihoods to those who need it the most,” tweeted Mufti. “Hard work & dedication must always be recognised & appreciated,” she said, in her tweet.

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