Category: Community

1947: First Blood

Editor

Within 24 hours after Kashmir acceded to India in 1947, the Srinagar airport was not only the epicentre of the first war that India and Pakistan fought over the Vale but a stage for Kashmir’s first cordon and a massacre. We traces the survivors of Kashmir first post-partition massacre to tell the story of dusky Gogo hamlet, that was obliterated from history He remembers everything as if that dark horror shook him only yesterday… Dusk had barely taken over when soldiers knocked at their doors, asking them to come out…

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Durbar Move: Exchequer spends crores on Durbar shift exercise

Editor

In the era of digitalisation and information technology, the cash-starved state spends a whopping Rs 100 crore on biannual Durbar move practice every year. A major chunk of the amount is utilised on “shifting” the official files, records and documents. The Durbar move is a ritual of shifting the civil secretariat every six months from one capital city to the other. According to the official order, this year the Durbar will close at Srinagar on October 26 and reopen in Jammu on November 5 for the winter session. “All departments…

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Kashmiri students leaving AMU would have been India-Kashmir separation: Satya Pal Malik

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Governor Satapal Malik Thursday said if Kashmiri students would have left Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) campus over MananWani’s killing that would have been a separation between India and Kashmir. Speaking at the inaugural function of Kashmir Autumn FAM Tour-2018 at Sheri Kashmir International conference Centre (SKICC) here, the Governor said, “When AMU incident happened, I could not sleep that night and contacted Union HRD Minister PrakashJavadekar to revoke the expulsion of a few students.” He also said he was saddened by the killing of militant MananWani as he was highly…

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Insurance Policy with Reliance was full of frauds, scrapped: Satya Pal Malik

Editor

‘Rates changed to suit company, tender opened on holiday’ Rs 100 cr deal unearthed in construction of dam 12-15% commission taken shamelessly Governor Satya Pal Malik today announced scrapping of Jammu and Kashmir Group Medical Insurance Policy for Government employees with Anil Ambani’s Reliance General Insurance saying “it was full of frauds”, which has been established and officers involved identified. He said the entire process was carried out in hush hush manner and even the tenders were opened on holiday to suit a company. Malik announced cancellation of another contract…

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Laced with 86000 MW capacity, united J&K can have free power, water for 100 yrs: Survey

Editor

The united Jammu and Kashmir has an estimated power potential of whopping 86000 megawatts (MWs) which, if harnessed properly, can pave way for free electricity and water for the next 100 years in the power-starved region without seeking help from either India or Pakistan, according to a survey. The survey findings were released by a socio-cultural NGO, X-MITA on the United Nations Day celebrated on October 24. According to the researchers, the environment-friendly hydro-power generation capacity of the united J&K can get up to 86000 MW with Gilgit-Baltistan contributing 40000…

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Post opposition, govt withdraws circular on Urdu version of ‘Bhagwat Geeta’ in schools, colleges

Editor

The Jammu and Kashmir government has withdrawn a controversial circular that had asked the Education department to provide the Urdu version of “Bhagwat Geeta” and “Koshur Ramayana” in schools and other educational institutions in the state. “The circular regarding the introduction of some religious books stands withdrawn ab initio under the orders of the chief secretary,” an official said Tuesday. The state government had issued the circular Monday, directing the Director of School Education for the Jammu and Kashmir divisions to purchase these religious books. The circular had asked the…

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New highway connecting Kargil to Gurez announced by Rajnath Singh

Editor

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh Tuesday announced that a new highway would be constructed in Jammu and Kashmir along the border from Kargil to Gurez. He made this announcement at a high-level meeting convened here today to review the implementation of various developmental initiatives in the State. Governor Satya Pal Malik, Advisors to the Governor, B B Vyas, K Vijay Kumar and Khurshid Ahmad Ganai, Union Home Secretary, Rajiv Gauba, J&K Chief Secretary, BVR Subrahmanyam, state’s Administrative Secretaries and other senior officers of the Central and the State Government were…

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Riyaz Naikoo slams Pakistan for not taking up Kashmir Issue on the diplomatic front

Editor

Hizbul Mujahideen’s top commander in the Kashmir Riyaz Naikoo has made a rare criticism of Pakistani leaders for failing to represent the Kashmirissue on the diplomatic front. “Only Pakistan can represent us on the diplomatic front, but unfortunately, the politicians there have limited the Kashmir issue to elections,” Naikoo said in a leaked audio message in which he addresses a gathering of militants based in Pakistan. Naikoo, a resident Awantipora, had emerged as the most outspoken supporter of Pakistan in the aftermath of last year’s Islamist rebellion within militant ranks.…

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Stop celebration of sham elections, end bloodshed in Kashmir: Altaf Bukhari

Editor

Senior PDP leader and former finance minister Syed Mohammad Altaf Bukhari has said the central government and governor administration in J&K must now come out from its election related celebratory mode and focus on an immediate end to bloodshed of innocent civilians in Kashmir. Bukhari who is outside the country, has said that unfortunately the political mainstream has now been restricted to issuing statements on these innocent and unwarranted civilian killings in Kashmir. “Mere condemnation and protest statements won’t do,” Bukhari emphasized. He observed that time has come for the…

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Kashmir going through ‘Blackest Chapter’ of History: Resistance Leadership

Editor

Stating that “Kashmir was going through the blackest chapter of the history”, the Joint Resistance Leadership (JRL) on Saturday strongly condemned the killing of a pregnant woman in exchange of firing in Pulwama district o south Kashmir. The JRL headed by Syed Ali Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Muhammad Yasin Malik expressed its serious anger and grief over the killing of of Firdousa wife of Khursheed Ahmed Sheikh of Shadimarg, Pulwama. “The gory incident in which Firdousa was killed who was six months pregnant reflects the nature of atrocities being…

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