Category: General News

General News

Amarnath yatra attack: Why the bus violated security norms? 5 Unanswered Questions

Editor

The attack on a bus of Amarnath pilgrims in Jammu and Kashmir’s Anantnag on Monday night that left seven people dead and 19 injured has left several questions unanswered. Here are some: • Was the bus registered with the Amarnath shrine board? If not, why? Pilgrims and the vehicles they use have to be registered with the shrine board. Then how was the bus, which had a Gujarat number plate (GJ09Z 9976), allowed to ply? It is also unclear who owns the chartered bus, the sale of which to a…

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Kashmir Unites to condemn attack, Mehbooba, Omar, Azad, Geelani, Mirwaiz others express grief

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The attack in Anantnag in which six Amarnath pilgrims were killed on Monday evoked widespread condemnation from political and social circles across Kashmir. Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti expressed deep shock and anguish over the killing of Amarnath pilgrims. “Yatris were esteemed guests of Kashmir and perpetrators of this crime have done a death blow to the ethos and culture of the state,” she said in a statement. Strongly condemning the attack, the Chief Minister said “time has come for every right-thinking Kashmiri to rise against this macabre menace before it…

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You cannot stop Kashmir unrest at gunpoint: Congress tells Modi

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After Congress leader Saifuddin Soz said that he would have kept Hizbul Mujahideen militant Burhan Wani alive for sake of dialogue, the Indian National Congress (INC) on saturday said that instead of firing on people in the Valley, Prime Minister Narendra Modi must involve in bilateral talks. “Being a Kashmiri, Saifuddin is much more aware about Burhan Wani’s matter. There are Wani’s supporters in large number. One cannot solve any matter on gunpoint. Instead of firing on people, the Prime Minister must hold bilateral talks with people of Valley,” INC…

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Chinese expert warns of troops entering Kashmir

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A Chinese expert has argued that his country’s troops would be entitled to enter the Indian side of Kashmir by extending the logic that has permitted Indian troops to enter an area which is disputed by China and Bhutan. This is one of the several arguments made by the scholar in an attempt to blame India for sending its troops to the disputed Doklam area. India has responded to efforts by China to build a road in the Doklam area, which falls next to the trijunction connecting Sikkim with Tibet…

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GST is the beginning, Bigger challenges ahead

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MUCH more needs to be done after extension of the GST regime to Jammu and Kashmir. It is not an accomplishment in itself but a work in progress. The very fact that it took a week for the state to roll out the GST regime after the rest of the country did it on July 1, shows that there were many wrinkles to be ironed out. The Opposition has its own take on it and that will make matters fearsomely complex. It will have serious ramifications, if not handled properly.…

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Opposition ups ante against BJP’s ‘Surrender’ on GST Issue

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Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti’s appreciation for her ruling alliance partner, BJP, for “protecting special status” of J&K in the Presidential Order on GST has landed the saffron party in a piquant situation as it has always boasted about repealing of Article 370 for complete integration of the state with Indian state. The Opposition, too, have upped the ante against the BJP’s complete “surrender” before the Kashmiri leadership on the GST issue, saying “they stand exposed on rhetoric over Article 370 by compromising with its ideology”. The BJP, however, still considered…

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GST a step towards J&K’s complete integration with India: BJP

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‘With changing times, you will realize what has been done’ Minutes after the Assembly passed the State-Goods and Service Tax bill to pave way for implementation of GST in the state, PDP’s ally BJP asserted the move was a “beginning of the process of complete integration” of Jammu and Kashmir with the Union of India. “We are extremely happy that GST has been implemented in the state on the birth anniversary of Shama Prasad Mukherjee,” BJP’s state president and MLA Sat Sharma told reporters outside the Assembly. “The GST is…

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GST rollout: Mehbooba Mufti calls it Golden day

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Says state hasn’t disappointed people of country, hails Central support Describing it as a “golden day” in the history of the state Assembly, Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti today lauded the role of the BJP in supporting the coalition’s Agenda of Alliance as the state legislature passed the state goods and services tax (SGST) Bill here today. Addressing the Legislative Council on the conclusion of the special session after both Houses passed the SGST, the Chief Minister said: “The whole country was waiting for J&K’s decision (on the implementation of GST).…

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Army’s counter-terror offensive yielding good results; 92 hardcore terrorists killed till July

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With the Narendra Modi government giving a free-hand to Indian Army, its counter-terror offensive has started yielding positive results. According to a ToI report, the forces involved in counter-terror operations have killed as many as 92 terrorists till July, this year. This is 13 more than 79 killed in the corresponding period of 2016, the report said. Interestingly, the number of terrorists eliminated by the security forces so far this year has surpassed the year-wise figures for 2012 and 2013 when Congress-led UPA was in power at the Centre. In…

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War of words in Assembly over GST; Speaker expunges remarks

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Jammu and Kashmir Assembly Speaker Kavinder Gupta on Wednesday expunged the “intimidating and unparliamentary” words used by members during heated exchanges in the House over the last two days and directed the media not to report them. Gupta was ruling on a petition moved by opposition National Conference (NC) MLA Devender Rana, seeking an FIR against PDP minister Imran Ansari for his “intimidating” comments against him during a discussion on the implementation of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) regime in the state yesterday. “It is my hand-folded request to…

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