Category: Community

Notice to Yasin Malik forced resistance camp to make a U-Turn on talks scheduled on Nov 4

Editor

The Kashmiri separatists had made up their mind to give another try to an engagement with New Delhi and also to bring Pakistan on board as latest as November 4, but a notice to JKLF chief Yasin Malik the very same day made them do a U-turn and reject the talks offer in almost absolute terms. “They felt the space to operate for the Hurriyat Conference was being completely squeezed. Since there was no back channel at work, they thought it was time to tell Delhi that separatists cannot be…

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Kashmir militancy continues unabated as note ban makes no impact

Editor

At the height of demonetisation in 2016, there were interminable queues, a widespread cash crunch, tiny-scale debt mechanisms, and more than a hundred deaths. Amid all that drama, an academic sent me a message from Kerala, asking whether I thought the move would end terrorism in Kashmir. The government had cited terror funding as a major reason behind implementing demonetisation, and she said she wanted to know what I thought. I did not reply at the time. Despite my cynicism, I decided to wait, just in case the government had…

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NC questions Mehboob’s silence over ‘Fraudulent’ high profile appointments

Editor

‘Govt promoting mediocrity, nepotism’ National Conference on Wednesday expressed anguish and questioned the silence of Chief Minister, Mehbooba Mufti, over the “brazen nepotism” being allegedly promoted by the PDP BJP government. In a statement, NC provincial spokesperson, Imran Nabi Dar, said that present regime was“throwing all rules and regulations to winds”. “How come posts of director, a commissioner and other high profile appointments are being made without following the set protocol? The government is making it clear that merit has no value in the present regime,” Dar said. Citing the…

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Lack of professional planners leading to haphazard growth across J&K

Editor

Due to absence of professional planners, Jammu and Kashmir is bracing up for a major crisis in the implementation of developmental projects as haphazard constructions are coming up across the state. Officials said the job of planning had been entrusted to engineers, architects and draftsmen, who lacked basic knowledge of drafting plans for growing cities and towns. For a population of 12.55 million, J&K needs over 100 planners to plan development of cities and towns. “But, we have only five on the job, with two of them working in non-planning…

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World’s tallest railway bridge on Chenab to complete by May 2019

Editor

World’s tallest railway bridge, construction of which is on in full swing in Reasi district over Chenab River as part of ambitious Katra-Banihal rail section of the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Project is going becoming reality by May 2019 as Northern Railway has launched the main arch of the steel bridge. The 1314 meters long bridge will soar to a height of 359 metres over the river bed, which is 35 metres taller than the Eiffel Tower in Paris. The bridge shall be about 5 times higher than Qutub Minar, Delhi. “The…

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Apex trade bodies stay away from interlocutor meet

Editor

Kashmir prominent trade bodies stayed away from holding a dialogue with the government of India’s “special representative” Dineshwar Sharma who arrived in Srinagar on Monday. According to local news agency KNS, the Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industries, Federation Chamber of Industries Kashmir, Houseboat Owners Association of Kashmir and Kashmir Hotel and Restaurant Owners’ Federation “refused” to meet Sharma despite a formal invitation to them from the divisional administration. The news agency quoted KCCI’s Javed Tenga saying that they got a telephonic call from the divisional administration on meeting Sharma.…

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Time Syed Ali Shah Geelani showed independent leadership

Editor

The top separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani inspires awe. Such is the impact of his personality cult that some are ever-willing to bare their chests to face bullets for him. Others hate him for his relentless pro-Pakistan campaign and wonder why he is not being stopped from his “anti-national activities” on the country’s soil. But in the recent months some changes have taken place in which he is seen more of a Pakistani than a Kashmiri. A very strong feeling is running among many Kashmiris that this is the…

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Mehbooba steps into power crisis issue, directs PDF to follow curtailment schedules

Editor

Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti on Sunday pulled up commissioner-secretary Power, Dheeraj Gupta, for continued delay in completion of a vital infrastructural project in Kashmir which would enhance its power transmission capacity. “How long will you take to complete it (Alstang grid construction)? Last time you also sought eight months. What happened then?” Mehbooba told Gupta during a meeting she chaired here to review the power scenario in Kashmir which is reeling under darkness due to unabated electricity outages. The power scenario has worsened across the Valley for the past four…

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Resettle Pandits at their native places: Parveen Togadia

Editor

Staunchly opposing a dialogue with separatist groups, fire-brand VHP leader Parveen Togadia today urged the Centre’s special representative on Jammu and Kashmir, Dineshwar Sharma, to set a time frame for the return of displaced Kashmir Hindus to their native places in the Valley. “Unless Kashmiri Hindus are allowed to return to their native places in the Valley, any dialogue on Kashmir would be meaningless and worthless,” he said while interacting with mediapersons after launching a “Hindu helpline” here this afternoon. “Both the state and Central governments are duty-bound to resettle…

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Stop ads if papers print ‘Anti-National’ articles: Centre to State

Editor

The home ministry told the state government that some publications were publishing “highly radicalised content”. The ministry of home affairs has asked the Jammu and Kashmir government to stop advertising in local newspapers that allegedly publish “anti-national articles”. Without naming any newspaper, the ministry has told the state government that some publications were publishing “highly radicalised content glamorising terrorists and anti-national elements”. The Centre has written to the Mehbooba Mufti-led government in the state to deal strictly with such newspapers. In a letter dated October 18, 2017 and addressed to…

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