Category: Community

BJP Kashmir cadre quitting over militant threats, Article 35A

Editor

Militant threats and the controversy over Article 35A have triggered resignations from the Kashmir unit of the BJP. The resignations have mostly come from the militancy hotbed south Kashmir in the wake of the recent killing of a BJP leader on the day of Eid in Pulwama district. At the same time, videos released on the social media have created a scare among Valley-based BJP leaders. “The killing of Shabbir Ahmed Bhat on Eid shocked us. We are not bogged down or demoralised, but there is a need for a…

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Post Shabir Bhat’s killing fear runs rampant among BJP workers across Kashmir

Editor

As threats against mainstream political workers and leaders increases in South Kashmir, Reyaz Ahmad, a low-key member of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), has been exploring the possibility of migrating to the relatively safer Srinagar, the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir. At the same time, Ahmad has been pushing the inevitable, trying to assure his family members that the “situation is getting better”, and that his two children, who are enrolled in a government-run school in South Kashmir, cannot be admitted to another school in the city mid-session. However,…

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Forces accused of ransacking, torching militant’s homes during nocturnal raids

Editor

The families of two militants in Shopian district of south Kashmir on Thursday alleged that the government forces set their houses ablaze last night. The family members of a militant Shahjahan alleged that the forces raided their house in Amshipora village of the district. “We were asked to come out of the house. Later, they sprinkled some powder on the house and set it ablaze,” said a family member. The family members of another militant Syed Naveed also alleged that the forces set their house on fire in Nazneenpora village…

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Amid article 35A row, fat Valley weddings turn austere

Editor

This was the peak wedding season and we were fully booked. Unfortunately, people are either postponing weddings to next year or holding them in an austere manner. We make money only in the wedding season and whenever the situation deteriorates, our business takes a hit. Fayaz Ahmad In the season of weddings, the row over Article 35A has thrown Valley’s wedding calendar into disarray. While some are going for austere celebrations, others are juggling with dates, so that wedding ceremonies do not coincide with the Hurriyat shutdown call. Many have…

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Srinagar – Jammu highway reopens post two day closure

Editor

The strategically important Jammu-Srinagar Highway was reopened partially this evening after remaining closed for over 44 hours, in a relief to passengers who were left stranded due to a massive landslide, officials said. The landslide blocked the 270-km highway, the only all-weather road linking Kashmir with rest of the country, at Ramsoo in Ramban district early yesterday. A major road clearance operation was launched immediately after the landslide but intermittent rains hampered the early reopening of the arterial road. “After hectic efforts, the road was cleared for one-way traffic this…

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Locals joining militant ranks across Kashmir highest since 2010, Ghazwat-ul-Hind gaining ground, says data

Editor

Dangerous trends have started surfacing on the militancy front in Jammu Kashmir with nearly 130 youth joining various militant outfits this year, the highest since 2010, and a majority of them affiliating themselves with groups ideologically aligned with the Al-Qaeda, officials said here. According to data compiled till July 31, around 131 youths have joined various militant outfits with south Kashmir’s Shopian district contributing the maximum of 35 so far. The number of local recruits last year was 126. The officials say that many youngsters are joining the Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind,…

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Kargil to Kandahar, Atal steered India through major challenges

Editor

Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s tenure as prime minister saw India face several security challenges such as the Kargil conflict, the Kandahar hijacking and the Parliament attack, but he steered the country through them, using diplomacy and military force in equal measure. After being sworn in as prime minister for a second time in 1998, Vajpayee travelled on a bus from Amritsar to Lahore for a visit the next year which was widely acclaimed as the start of a new era in Indo-Pakistan relations. However, despite the Lahore Declaration, the bonhomie between…

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Muzaffar Hussain Baig to defend Article 35A in Supreme Court: PDP

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Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) President Mehbooba Mufti on Wednesday held a detailed meet with her party ’s top leadership over the per cent political situation and measures needed to be taken to defend Article 35-A at country’s top court. PDP chief spokesman Rafi Ahmad Mir said party President and former Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti presided over the meeting of party leaders at her Srinagar residence today. He said the meeting discussed in detail the current political situation in the state and need to safeguard Article 35-A. “It was unanimously agreed…

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‘Non-locals roughed up’ while attempting to hoist tricolour at Lal Chowk, say police

Editor

A group of people, who tried hoisting the national flag at Srinagar’s Lal Chowk, were ‘rescued’ by the police on Tuesday after they were allegedly roughed up by locals. “A group of six to seven persons tried to hoist the flag at Lal Chowk. This created a ruckus in the area and the police team rescued three of them,” said Superintendent of Police (East) Dawood Ayoub. The incident occurred around 1 pm near Srinagar’s clock tower. The group, as per the police, consisted of non-locals. According to witnesses, the group…

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New ultras more educated, but less trained

Editor

The character of insurgency in Kashmir is rapidly changing with the induction of local youth who are less trained and poorly equipped than their predecessors but come with more good educational backgrounds. The new militants are locally trained and poorly equipped and none of them has undergone the rigorous guerrilla training or gained expertise in firing assault rifles and bomb-making – which their predecessors did. The distinction that draws the new militants apart, however, is their educational background. The new militants include PhDs, MPhils, MBAs, post-graduates and graduates. Khurshid Ahmad…

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