Community Archives | Page 38 of 184

Outcry across J&K after army gets land in Gulmarg and Sonamarg

January 12, 2022 Editor

The corps commander, as per the order, has been asked to ‘ensure strict adherence to environment laws’, which is a customary directive The Jammu and Kashmir government has handed over to the army a big chunk of land in tourist favourites Gulmarg and Sonamarg, triggering allegations that the erstwhile state was being turned into a military garrison. A government spokesman said 1,358 kanals (around 170 acres) of land had been notified as “strategic areas” in the twin tourist hotspots, effectively handing it over to the army. The army already holds…

Delimitation: Anxiety in Kashmir as India panel proposes to redraw election map

January 10, 2022 Editor

The controversial proposal to raise assembly seats in Jammu causes anger among Muslims, who form the majority in the disputed region. A controversial proposal to redraw the electoral map of Indian-administered Kashmir has caused anxiety and anger among the region’s Muslims, who say the move is aimed at “disempowering” them. In March last year, a delimitation commission headed by a former judge of India’s Supreme Court was appointed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government and tasked with redrawing the boundaries of the constituencies sending representatives to the state assembly. On…

Kangri – A friend of Kashmiris in the harsh Winter and Chillai Kalan

January 9, 2022January 9, 2022 Editor

North Kashmir district Bandipora’s Kaloosa village is known for Kang’ir making as most of the people in the village are associated with the business. Kang’ir is a traditional earthen pot covered with a wicker basket. It is filled with coal embers used by people during winters to keep warm. Kashmir’s kangri: How residents beat the cold using traditional portable heaters in the Valley The kangri, or kanger as it is locally known, is filled with embers and held against the body under a pheran, an overgarment unique to Kashmir, for…

Kashmir and Kangri

January 5, 2022 Editor

Kangri, the firepot, which has served the people of Kashmir for centuries now, is battling for its own survival in the wake of new heating appliances available to the people. In cold and freezing days of winter when the temperature drops below zero, it is kangri that thaws and makes life a little easier. The popularity and utility value of kangri can be gauged from its wide acceptance in Valley; the general percept being that in almost every home in Kashmir you can find a kangri. Its importance is also…

‘Lingering Kashmir conflict continues to consume lives’: Hurriyat (M)

January 5, 2022 Editor

All Parties Hurriyat Conference Tuesday said that 2021 was one more year lost to killings, bloodshed, and violence in J-K -a result of the lingering Kashmir conflict. In a statement issued here, a spokesperson said, “And as the year 2022 begins, each day since its beginning, precious human lives of young boys killed in gunfights are being lost, which is extremely sad.” APHC said that the lingering conflict continues to consume lives on all sides bringing only pain and sorrow with it. “It has been seventy-five years since J-K was…

For ‘Selling’ MBBS seats, Special Investigation Agency of JK Police files charge-sheet against Hurriyat leader and 8 others

December 30, 2021 Editor

The special investigation agency (SIA) of Jammu and Kashmir Police filed its first charge-sheet against nine people, including a Hurriyat leader, in a case related to “selling” of MBBS seats in Pakistan to Kashmiri students and using the money to support and fund terrorism, officials said on Thursday. The case was registered by the Counter Intelligence Kashmir (CIK), a branch of the police’s CID, in July last year after receiving information through reliable sources that several unscrupulous people, including some Hurriyat leaders, were hand in glove with some educational consultancies…

Kins, Relatives of slain ultras joining militancy in Kashmir: Study

December 27, 2021 Editor

The research further reveals that 68 percent of respondents in the study stated that before and after the death of the militant, they faced isolation from the society Zulfikar Majid The lingering conflict in Kashmir Valley is pushing people to quagmire as sons and close relatives of those militants, who were killed in the 1990s are joining militant outfits and subsequently getting killed. A recent Sociological study done by Dr. Asima Hassan from the University of Kashmir, reveals that in 21 percent of cases the second member of the family/extended…

Anjuman-e-Auqaf condemns closure of Jamia Masjid for Friday prayers for the 20th straight week

December 25, 2021 Editor

Anjuman Auqaf Jamia Masjid Srinagar has expressed strong resentment over the continuous closure and disallowing of Friday prayers at Jamia Masjid, Jammu & Kashmir’s largest place of worship, for the 20th straight week. In a statement issued here, the Anjuman said: “The Anjuman and the Muslims of Kashmir are unable to understand that on the one hand, all the places of worship, Mosques, Shrines, Imambargahs and Khanqahs in Jammu and Kashmir are open for Friday prayers, but only Jamia Masjid Srinagar continues to be selectively banned and restricted from holding…

Secret burials in faraway places denies kins of slain militants right to grieve

December 24, 2021 Editor

Since April of last year, the government has used COVID-19 as a premise to avoid returning the bodies of slain militants in Kashmir to their kin. By: Siddiqa Ahmed One sunny morning, we entered the modest home of Abdul Rashid Wani. Wani is a farmer from the Pulwama district in southern Kashmir. The wiry, middle-aged man directed us to his damp living room and began frantically puffing away at his jajeer (Kashmiri hookah). Then he began narrating the story of his son, Junaid Rashid. A former college student, 20-year-old Rashid…

Govt identifies 19 ‘Transit Accommodations’ across Kashmir for pandits

December 11, 2021 Editor

In order to rehabilitate the Kashmir pandits who have or will return to Kashmir for job opportunities, the government has identified 19 locations in the valley to build 6000 flats for their transit accommodation. The project is a part of the Prime Minister’s Development Package [PMDP] in which the Government of India [GoI] was supposed to provide 6000 state government jobs and the construction of 6000 transit accommodations to the displaced Kashmiri Pandits. The total cost of the package has been estimated at Rs 920 crore. Talking to NW, Nazim…